Cedric's seen the monsters out the window. He knows he'll have to fight his way out, and there's not much chance of survival, but it's the only shot they have. He's reciting spells in his head, trying to work out what to do when it's time to move.

That's when he hears the thump.

"Howard!" Cedric drops to his knees, gently turning him over. It looks bad, awful, and there's no hiding the horror on Cedric's face---there isn't much time. Every second, he curses himself for opting out of preliminary mediwizard training. "Can we call them any faster?"