Maybe I'm broken

Maybe I'm wrong

I could've spoken sooner than I should have

Only the good die old

That's what they told me

But I don't know

...

"Dad?!"

I squinted, looking up at the beaming figure stood next to Cedric outside the castle doors.

It was a Saturday, on the twenty fourth day of June. The last day of the Triwizard Tournament. I had just stepped out of the carriage to head to the castle for a late breakfast, an uneasy feeling already in my stomach, anxious about Cedric and the third task.

"Come and give your old man a hug!" Dad roared, holding out his arms.

I didn't need asking twice. I pelted at full speed towards him, ran up the stone steps as fast as I could and threw myself hard into his arms.

"I didn't know you were coming! Ced never said!" I gasped, as I let go of my dad to playfully squeeze my brother's arm.

"I'm not going to miss my boy beating Harry Potter for the world!"

Just as he said this, Harry had stepped out of the castle doors, followed by a plump woman, who looked like the Weasley mother, and Bill, who I recognised from the Quidditch World Cup.

"Dad!" Cedric hissed. "You need to stop staying stuff like that!"

"What? It's true though! You're a million times the man he is!" Dad bellowed indignantly, glaring at Harry as he passed by. "The cheating little scoundrel!"

I turned to Harry in horror, giving him my best apologetic look.

"Ignore him, Harry," the Weasley mother barked, giving Dad a steely stare. "Amos is just sore because you took the limelight off of his son for being a Hogwarts champion too."

"He tricked the Goblet!" Dad roared, his face turning puce with rage. "He should have been disqualified!"

"Ced! Do something!" I hissed up at my brother, wishing the ground would just swallow me whole.

"Dad, just stop right now, or I'll forfeit my place in the third task tonight."

That shut him up.

We spent the morning walking Dad around the grounds, with both Dad and Cedric swapping stories of their adventures in various places as we passed them. I decided to keep quiet about mine, seeing as they all involved Draco sticking his tongue down my throat.

We joined the Delacour's for lunch at the Hufflepuff table, tucking into Cornish pasties and swilling down pumpkin juice.

"Vot is zees crap?" Fleur scoffed, wrinkling up her nose in disgust as she looked at the table's offering of food.

"I promise you, it tastes better than it looks." Bill Weasley said, leaning over from the Gryffindor table behind and wiggling his eyebrows at her. "Whereas I bet you taste just as good as you look."

Fleur giggled and her cheeks flushed pink. Cedric and I exchanged a look and we both tried not to burst into giggles ourselves.

"Looks like we're going to be in for a Weasley- Delacour wedding in the near future." Cedric sniggered in my ear. "God save us."

My eyes drifted over to the Slytherin table and I felt my stomach squirm as silver grey eyes landed on mine. A smile tugged at the white-blond haired boy's lips, and I couldn't help but smile back.

"Merlin, Rory, whatever you do in life, please promise me you won't become a Malfoy!" Cedric sighed painfully, upon seeing this exchange.

"What's this?" Dad asked, and I elbowed Cedric very hard in the side. "What about the Malfoy's?"

"Rory's gone soft for the son." Cedric said, ignoring my furious glare.

"CEDRIC!" I yelled, hardly believing he could just land me in it like that.

"I hope this is some kind of sick joke, Aurora!" Dad bellowed, his face turning a dark red.

"Sadly, not," Cedric muttered. "I've tried warning her off of him, but she won't listen."

"Oh, what does it even matter?" I hissed, feeling annoyed by the cavemen in my life. "I'll be back in Beauxbatons soon enough, hundreds of miles away from anything Malfoy!"

Even as I said this, I could feel my heart ripping in two. I delved my hand in my pocket where I kept my half of the moonstone Draco gave me, and clutched it tight, calming myself as I rubbed my thumb over its smooth surface.

I excused myself to go to the bathroom, giving Draco a meaningful glance as I passed his table.

"Are you okay?" He asked, as he caught up with me in the Entrance Hall.

Grabbing his hand, I led him under the stairs, out of the sight of any judgemental eyes. He immediately engulfed in his arms and I pressed myself hard against his body, desperate just to feel him.

"It's the last day," I simply said, and against my control, a large shuddering sob escaped me.

"I know," he murmured sadly, kissing the top of my head as he tightened his arms around me. "I know."

...

Although I loved having our dad spend the day with us at Hogwarts, it did mean that I barely got to see Draco. And with it being the final day of the Triwizard Tournament, I knew it meant our time was rapidly running out. I didn't know when exactly we were departing Hogwarts to return to Beauxbatons, but I knew it was going to be sometime the following day.

Dad wanted us all to go for a walk after lunch. He spent most of the time discussing strategies for the third task with Cedric, while my mind was back in the castle - in Draco's arms.

"You're a million miles away, Rory." Cedric noticed, draping his arm around my shoulders as we ambled around the lake. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just sad the tournament's nearly over," I said truthfully. There was this horrible feeling, like a lead balloon, inside my chest. It hurt. And I kept thinking I was going to cry. Especially when I thought of saying goodbye to Draco.

"I know what you mean," he sighed, giving me a gentle squeeze. "I'm going to miss having you around, little sis. It really feels as though you belong here."

There was a sudden maddening ache in my jaw, and I found myself letting out a quiet sob. Tears started falling freely down my cheeks as though they had been waiting for a while to finally make their escape.

"Oh, Rory," my brother said, his face filling with soft tenderness. "Come here, you big softie."

And he pulled me to his chest, hugging me fiercely, giving me the best hug a brother could give to his little sister.

A hug full of compassion, protection and unconditional love.

If I knew what was coming I would have held onto him a little longer.

If I knew.

If I knew it would be the last time I hugged my brother.

But I didn't.

...

Maybe I'm breaking up with myself

Maybe I'm thinking I should just keep

To the things that I've been told

Wait for the colours to turn gold