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ashliinks · 5 years ago

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𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖘𝖊𝖗𝖕𝖊𝖓𝖙'𝖘 𝖋𝖑𝖔𝖜𝖊𝖗 | 𝖉𝖗𝖆𝖈𝖔 𝖒𝖆𝖑𝖋𝖔𝖞

𝔴𝔬𝔯𝔡𝔰 7.9𝔨

𝔤𝔢𝔫𝔯𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔰𝔱, 𝔣𝔩𝔲𝔣𝔣

𝔴𝔞𝔯𝔫𝔦𝔫𝔤(𝔰) 𝔳𝔦𝔬𝔩𝔢𝔫𝔠𝔢

𝖈𝖔𝖓𝖙𝖆𝖎𝖓𝖘 𝖘𝖕𝖔𝖎𝖑𝖊𝖗𝖘 𝖋𝖔𝖗 𝖌𝖔𝖇𝖑𝖊𝖙 𝖔𝖋 𝖋𝖎𝖗𝖊 - 𝖉𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖍𝖑𝖞 𝖍𝖆𝖑𝖑𝖔𝖜𝖘

Growing up in a wealthy Pureblood family, you had never longed for anything. Your parents gifted you anything that your heart desired within the drop of a wand. Fanciful flouting of your wealth was always left to your parents, for you had grown to hate the way they looked down upon anyone who was not on the same social status as them. It wasn’t until the reawakening of Voldemort at the Triwizard Tournament, that you finally understood where your parents’ elitist views came from. They were Death Eaters.

You hated them for it. But you had nowhere to go, you were only fourteen, so your only choice was to remain by their side.

Life had never been the same after that. After countless meetings with various wizarding criminals and famous Death Eaters, you started to withdraw into yourself. The bright, vibrant girl that your classmates had grown to love had disappeared by the beginning of your fifth year at Hogwarts. Depression and fear plagued your every waking moment.

You tried your best to do right by the classmates that had been affected by Voldemort. Always chatting to Neville when you got the chance, not wanting him to feel ignored and invisible as some of the other students did. Consoling Cho after the death of Cedric at the Death Eater’s hand. And finally, trying to be there for Harry. He didn’t really appreciate your support. Your parents being there the night Cedric died.

The only person you had sought comfort in was your boyfriend. Draco. You were very well aware of his own family being very involved in the support of Voldemort. He was the only one who understood the pressures you were under. Your family and his were both on equal status in regards to Voldemort's loyal followers. The more dark responsibilities Draco was forced to take on, the more you did too.

It wasn’t fair. You were just kids. He would often sneak his way into your dorm at night to comfort you, your body shaking with silent sobs at the things you had seen. When you were at home at Draco could only visit sparsely, the only friend you had was the Augurey you had grown up with. Long since had the superstition faded, that an Augurey’s cry foretold death. For the bird would have cried over and over again with the amount of death that surrounded your family.

Right now, everything was freezing. You were sat in the bathtub, legs pulled up and tucked into your chest as ice cold water poured down on you from the shower-head. The cold soaked its way through to your bones as the world around you seemed to fade out of existence. It helped numb the pain you were feeling in your body. And for once your body felt as numb as your heart did.

The far off sound of banging echoed faintly in your ears, at first you just thought it was the pipes. But as the bangs got louder and faster your head lifted from where it was resting upon your knees. The banging had stopped for a moment, before the bathroom door came barreling off of its hinges in a blast. Small pieces of wood splintering across the tiled floor.

You didn’t even flinch.

Muffled voices filled the room as bodies came in and out. Soon you were left with just one figure. They pulled open a cupboard, taking something out from inside. Then you were being lifted out of the tub softly, recalling the way the waterfall of ice had disappeared from your skin. You felt something soft and fluffy touch your skin, which had finally managed to snap you out of the trance you were in.

Looking up, you came face to face with the grey eyes of your boyfriend. “Draco,” You whispered, your voice hoarse from crying.

“I got you, don’t worry,” His voice was barely above a whisper as he took another towel and began to pat down your wait face. Your eyes and cheeks swollen from the crying. “Pansy said you’ve been in here for over an hour,”

“Has it only been that long? I thought I had been here longer,” You murmured, leaning into his touch.

He let out a small disgruntled noise at the confession. He ignored Pansy as she popped her head around the door, passing him a handful of your clothes so he could dress you.

“Snape is going to kill you,” You looked at the broken green door that lay discarded on the black and white tile. Draco scoffed for a moment. As if he could care about anything Snape had to say right now, when he had just saved his girlfriend from voluntarily freezing herself to death.

He had known how hard it had been for you recently. You parents had finally forced you to take the Dark Mark. He knew how unbearable that weight was, having received his a few months prior. It felt like an overwhelming weight pressing down on your chest. Making it hard to breathe, to think, to do anything without having that burning ache within your lungs.

He hated himself for not being able to be there for you.

You were one of the only people he had ever loved. The other being his mother. He thought he loved his father, but after looking back over the years and years of quiet abuse, he realised it was never really love. He was never loved by his father. But his mother would bend the world for him, and he almost hated her for it. She thought that the Death Eater lifestyle would help pave a better future for her boy, but in reality it was pushing him closer and closer to his own death.

You watched absentmindedly as Draco ran the soft towel over your arms, the white fabric brushing over the inky markings etched onto your forearm. He was so gentle. If only everyone could see him in this moment, if only everyone could see that Draco Malfoy wasn’t really the dark and mysterious figure he showed to the world. He wasn’t as big and bad as he appeared. He was just trying to uphold the Malfoy reputation. You knew how desperately he wanted to be friends with Harry Potter on his first day at Hogwarts, but his parents’ overbearing slander of the Weasley’s had clouded his morals.

“I’m sorry,” You whispered, looking up at the boy.

“You have nothing to be sorry for love,” He replied, placing the towel on the counter and pulling you close, pressing a small kiss to your forehead. “Come on, let’s get you dressed.”

He was so delicate as he helped you get into some warmer clothes, almost like if he held you too hard you would shatter. He let you wear one of his Slytherin hoodies, he didn’t even care if you stole this one too. You just loved his hoodies, they always smelt like him. The expensive cologne, peppermint and crisp green apples. Funnily enough, it's exactly what amortentia smelt like to you too.

As he pulled the pair of you underneath the silken duvet, he thought to himself how in the world you two were going to get through this. He knew that the months that followed were going to be the hardest for you. He knew that whatever happened though, the two of you would go through it together.

“They want me to kill him Y/N.”

You froze at his words, taking them in for a moment. The pair of you were currently huddled inside the Room of Requirement, you had chosen this as the one place to meet up to talk about everything going on outside the walls of Hogwarts.

“They can’t be serious?” You questioned, spinning around to look at Draco.

“With Dumbledore dead, the dominoes will start to fall. They’ll take the Ministry next,” His words made you freeze once more. If Voldemort took the Ministry then that means your parents will be gone most of the time. They were already strong voices in the Ministry, but with Voldemort commanding the inner workings it meant that your parents would be constantly working. You wondered if they were going to tell you, or if they were just going to leave you on your own.

“There’s been arrangements made for you to come and stay with us though,” Draco seemed to know what you were thinking. “The Manor is going to be the main headquarters for Death Eaters anyway, it only made sense. My mother and father were easily convinced,” He gave you a weak smile. At least through all of this Draco wouldn’t abandon you...right?

You raced through the halls at the sounds of explosions and yelling, students were scattering out of the way for you as you neared the bathrooms. You watched him race out of the Great Hall as soon as his eyes had landed on Katie Bell. She had finally recovered from that cursed necklace Draco had given her to pass on to Dumbledore. He hated himself for that too. She was innocent, she had never done anything to hurt anyone in her entire life. Draco only wanted to get the job done quickly.

You heard a few clashes and the sounds of running water as you broke through the door of the bathrooms. Water coated the floors, making the bottom of your robes soggy. Looking around the room for a moment, you saw him. Lying in the water, blood running from his chest, his arms, everywhere. Your heart lurched into your throat at the sight of him. You didn’t think twice before shoving Harry to one side, coming to kneel next to Draco. Panic coursing through your veins.

“What have you done to him?!” You yelled out, tears beginning to stream down your face, hearing the pained whimpers of the boy below you. Harry was silent, he looked like he was in shock himself. You paused for a moment, letting out a shaky breath you placed your hands over Draco’s chest. You had been slowly mastering the art of Wandless Magic. It had taken a bit of work, but you had shown a natural talent in the ability.

“Vulnera Sanentur...Vulnera Sanentur...Vulnera Sanentur,” You whispered over and over, hoping the spell would work. You looked down, noticing the blood was starting to recede in the water, trailing back towards Draco, but it was slow, sluggish.

“Come on,” You pleaded in between chants. It was only when Snape arrived and had joined you in the chant that Draco’s blood had begun to return to his body much faster. You looked up at your professor, and he nodded in understanding at you. He didn’t need to say anything, you already knew. Whatever the Dark Lord was planning was coming, and it was coming fast.

The summer air was cool on that night, the moon held high in the cloudy sky as you and Draco snuck through the corridors of the castle, making sure not to be seen by anyone. The pair of you had already set the plan into motion. The sinking feeling had begun.

As you neared closer and closer to the astronomy tower that night, you remember the tightness of which you held each other's hands. Afraid that if any looser, you two would lose one and other. “You should wait here,” Draco whispered, pausing just outside the door.

“Draco,” You paused, reaching your hands up and taking his face between them. “You go, I go.” He took in your words, weighing them up in his mind before he nodded, taking your hand in his once more. It was almost cruel of you, he thought to himself. To look so beautiful on a night like this. The black and green plaid skirt you were wearing swung softly as you walked, grazing the tops of your knees like a gentle caress. The simple black turtleneck you wore matched his, it perfectly hugged your body as he so longed to. And you were wearing one of his old blazers, the material looking slightly worn and battered. But it was effortlessly beautiful on you.

The climb up those rickety stairs that night seemed to take forever. With each step your heart beat increased, speeding up until it felt like it would explode out of your chest. As you got closer to the main deck, you heard hushed whispers from above, tugging Draco’s arm for a moment you wondered if the pair of you should retreat. He took a moment to listen, only hearing one voice before deciding to continue.

Climbing the last two steps, you held your breath. Eyes coming to land on your headmaster stood waiting, patiently. His dark grey robes blowing in the breeze along with his long wisps of silver hair. The man looked over at Draco, and then to you. His face sinking at the sight of you both.

“Good evening Draco, Y/N.” Draco already had his wand drawn, aimed pointedly at the man before you. He scanned the room for a second, noticing the absence of anyone else. “What brings you here on this fine evening?”

“Who else is here? I heard you talking.”

“I often talk aloud to myself, I find it extraordinarily useful. Have you been whispering to yourself Draco?” Dumbledore asked, pacing around the deck slowly. “Draco, Y/N; you are no assassins,” He tried reasoning, you looked away from him in guilt. You couldn’t bear it anymore.

“How do you know what I am? I’ve done things that would shock you!” Draco exclaimed, growing more visibly upset each moment that passed.

“Like cursing Katie Bell in hoping that in return she would bear a cursed necklace to me? Like replacing a bottle of mead with one laced with poison?” He listed off, you had known about the necklace but not about the poison. It made you look at your boyfriend for a moment, but you supposed being poisoned may have been a much better fate than the one the headmaster was about to be dealt.

“Forgive me Draco, but I can’t help feeling these actions are so weak that your heart can’t really have been in them. And Miss Y/L/N, such a clever young woman monitoring every movement made by the Army,” That felt like a punch to the gut. You had joined Dumbledore’s Army last year, not really in hopes of spying on your fellow classmates, but because you agreed on the notion that you needed to learn how to protect yourselves.

Umbridge and the Ministry were adamant that Voldemort was not back, but you and Draco knew different. Of course they would never have let Draco join, they were dubious of you at first. But your long standing friendships with many of them reassured that although your parents were the enemy, you could be trusted. And you could. Not a word about their actions breathed past your lips. But they wouldn’t see it that way when they found out.

“We were chosen,” You whispered, lifting up your sleeve slowly to reveal your own dark mark. Dumbledore looked down slowly, his face full of regret. He almost wished he had been able to help the pair of you sooner, try and save you from your parents’ clutches.

“I shall make it easy for you,” Dumbledore whispered, lifting up his hands in surrender. Draco quickly disarmed him, sending his wand flying across the room. You gripped onto the back of his blazer in fear. “Very good,” He smiled, almost proud of Draco’s fast actions. In the next moment, you heard the door to the astronomy tower open, and by the look on Dumbledore’s face, he heard it too.

“You’re not alone,” He pointed out. “How?”

“The vanishing cabinet in the room of requirement,” You revealed, your soft voice being carried through the gentle breeze. Your voice helped to calm Draco, his shaking hand steadying slightly. “I-I’ve been mending it,”

“Let me guess. It has a sister, a twin?”

“In Borgin and Burke’s, they form a passage,” Draco finished off. Gaze flicking from the stairs to Dumbledore repeatedly.

“Draco, years ago I knew a boy that made all the wrong choices, please...let me help you both,” Dumbledore pleaded, you were almost convinced to take him up on the offer, but you knew Draco wouldn’t. He was too scared as to what would happen to his parents should he leave. That, and the rushing sounds of footsteps drawing closer and closer began to unnerve him.

“We don’t want your help!” Draco shouted, his wand wavering as he continued to lose his composure. “You don’t understand. We have to do this. I have to kill you, or he’s going to kill me. I have to kill you, or he’s going to kill her,” Draco repeated, making the point that he wasn’t only following through with this to save himself and his family, but also you. He would never be able to live with himself if something happened to you because he didn’t do as he was told.

The footsteps finally came to a stop, making you look over in their direction. There you could see them, Bellatrix Lestrange, Fenrir Greyback, Corban Yaxley and The Carrows. You felt your skin crawl at the sight of them. You watched as Draco straightened out his arm, not wanting to show the Death Eaters that joined that he was wavering. Bella couldn’t help the smirk that stretched across her face at the sight of Dumbledore being held against a wand.

She stalked towards you slowly, keeping her eyes trained on the headmaster. “Well done Draco,” She whispered, bending over slightly into Draco’s ear. “Do it!” She hissed.

“He doesn’t have the stomach,” Fenrir spat, making you glare at him. “He’s just like his father, let me finish him off in my own way.”

“No! The Dark Lord was clear, the boy is to do it!” Whilst the two were busy bickering over who would do the deed, your grip on Draco tightened.

“Draco we don’t have to do this,” You whispered, not being heard by Bellatrix over Fenrir’s whining and gloating.

“Go on Draco...NOW!”

“He’s a coward.”

“Draco?” You whispered again, chaos erupting on the top of the deck.

“No.” A voice cut off from behind all of you. Spinning around you saw the tall figure of Professor Snape, coming to stand at the side of you. Draco lowered his wand at the sight of Snape, instantly being calmed at the thought of him not having to actually commit. You took the sleeve of your love and pulled him out of the way, the pair of you slowly edging backwards as Snape and Dumbledore locked eyes. From where you stood, you could see Bellatrix glaring at the Slytherin professor, hating every moment he was there.

“Severus,” Dumbledore called from where he stood, gazing upon the man he trusted. “Please.”

You held your breath for what was to come next. Snape took a step forward, his wand held tightly within his hand. His arm lurched forward, waving in the air swiftly and landing on Dumbledore. “Avada Kedavra.” His tone stern as a flash of green blinded you for a moment, the sound of the curse expelling from his wand created a thundering sound, a sound so strong you could almost feel it in your bones.

You tucked your head into Draco’s shoulder, not wanting to watch the life drop from Dumbledore’s eyes just before he slipped off of the edge of the tower. His limp body falling hundreds of feet down onto the ground of the courtyard that lay below the school. You could hear Bellatrix yell out in glee, and you were almost certain she had already cast the dark mark into the sky.

You looked up for a moment to see Snape ushering you and Draco back out down the stairs so you could leave before everyone found you. Draco took your hand and the pair of you started running down the stairs, not looking back for a moment, knowing Snape was right behind you.

At some point through the castle, Snape had overtaken you, leading you through the Great Hall. Bellatrix had decided to pounce onto the tables, kicking off plates and cups in glee before casting a spell and making all of the windows shatter in a forceful explosion. You and Draco could only watch in terror.

Your school. The place you had grown up together. Slowly turning into a battlefield.

You walked through the halls of Malfoy Manor, being sure to keep your footsteps as quiet as possible. Mr Malfoy had grown quite reliant on alcohol these days, and he was very easily irritated. Stepping through into the main room of the manor you spotted Draco stood leaning against the fireplace. The pair of you looked like shells of the people you used to be.

You didn’t sleep, you didn’t eat. And you in particular had been taking many more icy showers than usual. Draco was scared that you might be slipping away from him, he couldn’t lose you. He had noticed how you had been retreating into yourself again. He noted the sullen look on your face as you approached. He also noticed the way you were constantly losing weight, the stress and fasting eating away at you.

“No matter what goes on, there isn’t a day that goes by where you don’t look absolutely breathtaking,” Draco whispered, pressing his forehead against yours. You gave him a soft smile, your hands grazing against one another softly before you interlocked them. The nights you had spent away from your home had been ones filled with fear. Death Eaters coming in and out of the manor had become a daily occurrence. Bellatrix had taken up permanent residence here since her escape from Azkaban, making you feel wary of even breathing incorrectly.

Narcissa had come to take a liking to you. Objectively, there was nothing to dislike. You were a Pureblood Slytherin, coming from a long line of loyal Death Eaters. And the prospect of you and Draco possibly giving her little grandbabies was one that she used to try and get herself through the days. The thought of hope after so much darkness.

“Draco,” You started, your voice quivering slightly. “What are we still doing here? We should go, just the two of us. You and me, we could run away to anywhere. They wouldn’t find us.”

“Y/N I-”

“What was that you little wretch?!” You heard a scream as fingers laced through the back of your hair, gripping tightly and dragging you to the floor. You let out a small yelp in pain as you were cast to the ground, looking up to be met by the gaze of Bellatrix.

“You dare to try and convince Draco to leave! He would never betray the Dark Lord, unlike you,” She continued yelling, sending kicks to your side making you wheeze and cough as the air was continuously knocked from your lungs.

From that point on you lived mainly in the cellar of the manor. Only really being let out as you were Bellatrix’s new play thing. She enjoyed tormenting you every now and then. The threat of death, torture, fire, snakes. Everything and anything she could, all to see you squirm. It was all threats at first, until she started getting physical.

Not once had you blamed Draco.

He tried to come and see you most days. But his father would often catch and berate him, not wanting his son to have anything to do with a traitor. As the weeks passed you were slowly joined by others in the cellar. At first it was Mr Ollivander from the wand shop, you two had reminisced about the day you received your wand at his store. It had been a wondrous day for the pair of you, for Mr Ollivander had only sold one other phoenix feather core wand that day. And that had been none other than Harry Potter himself.

Next was Griphook, a goblin formerly of Gringotts. You hadn’t spoken much to him, he usually kept to himself and did not wish to partake into conversation with wizards. However, when Luna arrived she seemed to win him over somewhat.

You had poured your heart out to the unconventional Ravenclaw. Telling her all about what had really been happening. She had sympathised with you, comforting you in your moments of emotional breaks. She had informed you that when the school heard of you and Malfoy’s involvement with Dumbledore’s death, many had turned against you; especially those who were a part of Dumbledore’s Army.

The next few days in the cellar had been relatively quiet, Wormtail bringing you small scraps of food. You had volunteered to give your ration over to Mr Ollivander, he was starting to look quite sickly after being kept here for so long. You just ignored the hunger cramps, hoping that all of you would be out of here soon.

You had been trying to get some sleep, your body curled up on the cold concrete of the cellar. You couldn’t help but shiver, curling into yourself more to try and keep some warmth, to no avail. You could hear shouts and yells from upstairs, but you couldn’t quite make out what they were saying. It wasn’t until the sound of things dropping to the floor did you sit up. You hoped that someone, anyone, had come to get you. But you sighed at the thought. No one wants anything to do with you. Your parent’s had pretty much disowned you when they heard what had happened, and everyone at Hogwarts hated you.

You heard a flurry of footsteps, and you were instantly brought back to that night. The sound of people running downstairs paired with the sound of your own heart thrumming within your ears. Because of the dim lighting in the cellar, you could only really see the silhouette of the figures descending. It was Wormtail, you shouldn’t have been surprised. The lumpy body of the man being one you had grown used to seeing. He was pushing two others forwards.

The iron wrought door to the cellar swung open with a flick of his wand, and he was quickly throwing the pair to the floor, locking the door and retreating back upstairs. The two figures grunted and groaned as they pulled themselves up off of the floor. You scooted back, leaning against the concrete wall and pulling yourself up too. You watched them for a moment, waiting for some sort of sign as to who they was.

“What are we going to do? We can’t leave Hermoine alone with her,” One of the figures asked the other. Your heart sped up inside your chest at the sound of his voice. It was a voice you had heard so many times over the past few years, and one that you were happy to hear but scared to at the same time.

“Ron?” You called out, stepping into the faint light. “Harry?” You asked, you weren't too sure whether the other figure was indeed the Potter boy. But Harry, Ron and Hermoine were very much like you and Draco. You never went anywhere without the other.

“Y/N?” He asked back, Ron pulled something out of his pocket and suddenly the room was flooded with light, allowing the boys to confirm it was you. They were shocked when they saw you. The proud, young Slytherin they had shared a classroom with for most of their formative years, was not the woman who stood before them. From the patches of skin they could see, they were laced with bruises and cuts. Your face was a little more sunken than usual, an obvious sign of your malnutrition and sleep deprivation.

“What happened to you?” Ron had asked, Harry’s eyes were cast towards your own in judgement. He hated you.

“I didn’t want to do it,” Your voice broke slightly, tears springing to your eyes. “Me and Draco, we didn’t have a choice. He was going to kill us and our families. Even if I didn’t do it, Draco would have to protect me. I’ve been trying to get him to leave, but Bellatrix found out and she, she…” You rushed out, choking on your own tears before trailing off. You didn’t want to tell them the things she had done to you. You didn’t really want to tell anyone.

You flinched back when you felt someone touch your arm. Looking to the side, you saw Luna. She nodded to the boys, backing you up. Harry strode over to you and you backed away for a second until he threw his arms around your shoulders and pulled you into him. You froze at the feeling, not being used to any form of contact without pain.

“I’m sorry, you don’t deserve this,” He whispered into your ear. And that was when you broke, sobbing into his shoulder. You only broke away when you heard screams coming from upstairs. You shivered at the sound of it, knowing exactly the sort of pain Hermoine would currently be feeling.

Wormtail came running down the stairs in the next moment, “Y/L/N, Goblin.” He called for you and Griphook. You shook your head backing away from the door. “NOW!” He yelled.

“Please, not again,” You whispered. Wormtail drew his wand and you shrunk back into yourself, letting go of Harry and following Griphook towards the door. As you were led back up into the Manor you could hear Hermoine’s screams grow louder and louder before they came to a stop. Coming to the bottom of the stairs to the main lounge, you spotted the body of one of the Snatchers. Shit.

Wormtail pushed you forward into the room, meeting the stares of the Malfoys and Bellatrix. From the corner of you eye you could see Draco cowering just by the fireplace. The things he must have seen. His eyes met yours and you could see the tears roll down his cheeks at the sight of what his family had done to you. He was never there for your torture sessions with Bellatrix.

You think she knew deep down, that the moment he saw what she did to you that he would give it all up. You were the only thing he cared about anymore. He knew that his mother and father would be shielded no matter what his actions would be, but you? He knew you were all alone, and it made him feel sick that he couldn’t be the one to protect you.

You averted your gaze, not wanting to be punished for looking at him. You saw Hermoine laying limply on the floor and if it wasn’t for her shallow breaths every few moments, you would have thought she was dead. Bellatrix’s attention turned to you and the goblin beside you. You watched warily as she flipped a dagger around in her hands, seemingly enjoying toying with such a dangerous object.

“Goblin,” She commanded, making Griphook step forward. “Now I want you to think very, very carefully. Who got into my vault!” She yelled, gesturing over to the side where the sword of Gryffindor lay.

“I don’t know.” Griphook answered, his tone never wavering. “There is nowhere safer than Gringott’s,”

“LIAR!” She screamed once more, cutting the goblin’s cheek with the knife. The sudden yell made you jump, that was a mistake. Her attention was instantly drawn to you, a sickening smirk spreading across her thin lips.

“I suppose you were in on it wasn’t you? Traitor,” She spat, you shook your head, stepping backwards in fear.

“No, I-I didn’t-” You were cut off when she pulled out her wand, flicking it over to you. Excruciating pain wracking through your body making you fall to the ground. Your body twisting and curling in on itself trying desperately to escape the pain. But it only seemed to get worse as Bellatrix’s cackles grew louder and louder in your ears. You felt yourself screaming in agony, although you could not hear it. The pain was unbearable. It was like having every single bone in your body broken and then having them puncture your body repeatedly.

Draco could almost feel the pain emanating from you as you screamed out in agony. His hands shaking violently by his sides. He couldn’t take it anymore, watching the love of his life be tortured by his own aunt. But he was still just a scared boy. But right now, he needed to be the man you needed.

“Stop!” He yelled, striding over to Bellatrix. She didn’t listen at first, thinking the boy must have been talking to someone else. “Just stop it will you!” He shouted again, forcefully pushing Bella’s arm away from you. She lurched slightly, taking in what he had done, she slowly turned around to face him, flicking her hair to the side with a shake of her head.

“Enough.” Draco spat at the woman. She glared at him, but knew he was ultimately untouchable. He was the Dark Lord’s Chosen One. She couldn’t do anything to him. He turned around, a fleeting smirk present on his lips as he walked away. Kneeling beside your panting body, he easily scooped you up into his arms, taking you over to the otherside of the room.

“I can stand,” You whispered to him, looking up at the boy. He nodded softly, setting your feet down onto the ground. Your legs wobbled, aching from the onslaught you had just suffered. “Thank you,” You didn’t need to thank him, Draco would save you time and time again. No matter the cost.

“You may be able to protect your darling little wretch Draco,” Bellatrix started, beginning to pace the floor in anger, immediately setting off your anxiety. “But the same can’t be said for this one,” She said, gesturing over to Hermoine as she lay on the floor.

And with that one statement, the lounge had exploded into chaos. Harry and Ron had somehow managed to escape from the cellar, Ron had even managed to acquire a wand. They had managed to disarm Bellatrix, and a flurry of spells were whipped around the room between Harry, Ron and Narcissa. Mr Malfoy had promptly been launched across the room, keeping him out of the action. Draco kept you held firmly behind himself to protect you. Ron and Harry had the numbers advantage, but that was all taken away as soon as Bellatrix had gripped Hermoine up off of the floor, blade pressed to her throat.

Harry and Ron dropped their wands in surrender, terrified of losing Hermoine. You felt Draco push something back into your hand, upon looking down you instantly recognised your wand. God, you had missed it. You looked up to meet his eyes, and he nodded up towards the ceiling. Furrowing your brows for a moment, you glanced up at the chandelier noticing a small body sat atop the crystal, loosening the screws that held it to the ceiling.

“Dobby?” You asked, looking at Draco, he nodded in return gripping your hand in his. You took his hand, smiling to yourself at the feeling you had missed so much. Grasping the wooden handle of your wand, you felt a rush of power surge through you, and suddenly you were back on top of the world. All you needed was the wand in your right hand, and the man in your left.

The chandelier dropped, forcing Bellatrix to let go of Hermoine to run to safety. The Gryffindor girl taking the opportunity to lurch forward towards her friends, Ron catching her effortlessly. You and Draco slowly moved over to join the group, standing in front of them protectively.

“How dare you stand there!” Bellatrix screamed, snatching up Lucius’ wand and flinging a curse towards you all. You easily blocked the spell, a flash of white encasing the room at the action. The Malfoy’s had heard rumours of your skills in combat, but they never thought they would experience them from this end of the wand.

“Just you wait girly, I am going to relish the day I can make your death as painful as possible.”

“Well I guess you’ll have to wait a little longer I’m afraid,” You snapped back, Harry’s hand clamping down on your shoulder as Dobby teleported your group out of the Manor to god knows where. The shrill screams of Bellatrix and Narcissa’s cries for her son fading away into the void.

Some people survive chaos and that is how they grow. And some people thrive in chaos because chaos is all they know. As Draco stood beside you on the battlefield, the crumbling remains of Hogwarts lay beneath your feet, he could not help but fall even further in his irrevocable love for you. Because in this crazy world of yours, full of change and chaos, there is one thing Draco was certain of. His love for you.

The pair of you were gathered with the other Hogwarts students outside the castle, face to face with the wave of Death Eaters that threatened your lives. “Harry Potter is dead!” Voldemort had yelled out, the closest of his flock chuckling maniacally.

“Draco,” A voice sneered across the courtyard, making your eyes snap over to it. Lucius. “Draco!” He repeated, growing angrier by the second. “Come!”

“No.” You responded, letting go of Draco’s hand and walking down the steps of the castle. “Draco isn’t going anywhere with you.”

“How dare you speak,” Voldemort called out. “The Slytherin traitor!” He yelled, waving his wand in aggravation. You scoffed at the man in front of you, the things you had been through in such a short time made it almost impossible for the pig without a snout to scare you.

“Look at you Tom,” You spat, wand slipping from your sleeve into your hand. “A stupid old fool.”

“You dare-”

“Oh I dare alright.” Snarling at the man across from you, you had gone to step forward once more but was pulled back by an arm. Looking to the side you noticed Draco had followed you down, making your heart grow warm. “You drone on and on about Pureblood supremacy, yet you’re still the half-blood you claim to despise.” You turned to look back at Voldemort, he had begun pacing small lines up and down the stone flooring, his hands clenching and unclenching in anger at your words.

“You’re a fool who instead of completely overthrowing the Ministry, chose to come and murder a bunch of kids. You’re a joke Tom! In 100 years, we will all still be here, but you? You’ll just be a fading memory, the punchline of a joke. You. Will be. Nothing.” You emphasised each word. You were silently glad Draco held a firm grip on you, because if he wasn’t there nothing would’ve stopped you from running over there and beating the shit out of Voldemort.

He went to lift his wand towards you, and you gripped yours tighter, ready for the attack. But he was cut off when Harry sprung from Hagrid’s arms across the courtyard, his body hitting the floor for a moment before he was bolting off to the side, springing over debris and jumping into the stone walkways that framed the square.

Cheers broke out around you, screams and cries of happiness. You couldn’t help but let out a relief laugh, taking the moment to grab Draco’s hand and begin to back away from the Death Eater’s towards the castle. Voldemort haphazardly cast a number of spells in the direction of Harry, you watched as countless Death Eater’s apparated; fleeing the school grounds at the sight of Harry alive. The Boy Who Lived, escaped death once more.

Once you re-entered the castle, everyone seemed to scatter. Making way for Harry, as no doubt Voldemort would be following close behind. You and Draco made for the Great Hall, hand in hand. “You’ve got to promise me something Y/N,” Draco called out, pulling you out of the way of a spell, ducking behind a large stone column.

“Anything,” You whispered, holding him close.

“Don’t die,” He chuckled for a moment, looking down at you. His smile being a welcomed sight amongst the destruction that surrounded you.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” You smiled back, reaching up to pull him down into a swift kiss. His hands knitted themselves in your hair, whilst yours cradled his neck. After what felt like forever, you pulled apart, smiling at one another still.

“I’m gonna marry the shit out of you after this is over,” Draco laughed, taking your hand and running back towards the hall. You were on a high that no one could break, a giddy feeling buzzing in your veins. Breaking through the doors of the hall, you spotted a number of Death Eaters attacking anyone in their sight.

Your eyes were drawn over to the left, noticing Bellatrix sending spells towards Ginny, a wicked grin stretched across her face. You felt your blood grow hot in fury. Mrs Weasley soon pushed Ginny back away from the table, standing up on top confronting the woman.

“Not my daughter you bitch!” She spat, wand at the ready. Bellatrix just laughed in response, sending spell after spell at the mother. Mrs Weasley blocked each and every one with each step backwards, but she was running out of room on the table and you were worried Bellatrix would take advantage of this. Without another thought you rushed forward, she didn’t even realise what had hit her at first.

You gripped her ankles, yanking her feet out from under her. Her wand went flying in the opposite direction. Her face bounced off of the table with a loud bang, she screeched out in pain, hands flying up to clutch her face. You didn’t allow her a moment of reprieve before you were tangling your hands in her hair, slamming her face back down onto the table. Once, twice, three times before she elbowed you in the face, connecting with your nose. Your eyes watered at the impact, making you stumble back slightly.

Bellatrix spun around to look at you, blood now streaming down both of your faces. She went to run at you, but you were quicker. Bracing yourself for a moment, you swung your arm out to the side, catching her neck and slamming her whole body to the ground. She wheezed and coughed at the hit to her throat. You panted and grunted, standing back up and grabbing her hair once more.

You placed one hand on her lower back, gripping the material of her dress. You pushed with all your strength, managing to throw the Death Eater up and over the top of the table, her body rolling off of the side. You panted at the exertion. All you heard was her maniacal laughter as she began to crawl back up onto the table, her wand back in her bony hands. You backed up a step, watching as she lifted her wand.

“Hey!” A voice yelled, making you both look to the side. It was Mrs Weasley. She had managed to regain her composure and was ready to take her on. She sent a series of spells at Bellatrix, the younger of the pair blocking them but with great struggle. She managed to finally land one though, you watched as Bellatrix had the life squeezed out of her, breathy wheezes coming from her mouth as she struggled to breathe. Mrs Weasley smirked before rearing back her wand and sending a flash of red towards Bellatrix. Her body exploding into leathery confetti, floating around the room.

“I am so marrying the shit out of you,” Draco laughed from behind you.

Bright music had filled the air on that night, chuckles and murmurs from everyone inside the tent. Clinking of glasses and cheers of joy tumbling out into the large field that surrounded it. You hummed along to the song playing, glass in hand as you rocked back and forth on your feet looking around the tent.

“Oi Malfoy,” A shout had been heard from behind you somewhere. It took you a moment to realise that they were in fact calling for you. Spinning around, you were met by the cheeky grins of the Weasley twins. “Two sickles say you can’t get Draco to dance,” George laughed, elbowing his brother.

You chuckled softly. The tiny bet that had started it all. The twins had made the bet with you in your fourth year, adamant that Draco would never even turn up to the Yule Ball, but wanted to see you try and get him to waltz with you. You hadn’t let on to anyone about your feelings for the boy, keeping them locked away deep inside. It was the same for Draco. He couldn’t help but stare when you weren’t looking, butterflies filling his gut and the absence of breath that followed when you locked eyes. You treasured the memory.

“Y/N, come on its time for the dance,” Draco called as he joined you and the twins. You smiled and looked over to the twins with a raised eyebrow. Fred groaned softly, pushing the sickles into your hand before pulling George along to annoy someone else. “What in the bloody hell was that all about?”

“It doesn’t matter,” You laughed, letting the man in front of you take your hand. The music that previously engulfed the tent quietened for a moment, a softer, subtle tune beginning to play. Spinning you round, Draco couldn’t help but smile as you reached the middle of the dancefloor, all eyes on you.

He brushed a strand of your hair from your face, taking your waist with his other hand. He pulled you closer, letting your wrap your arms around the back of his neck. The lights dimmed slightly, only one remaining bright as it hovered over the pair of you. You began to sway gently, letting the music fill the silence between you.

“Everyone is staring at your right now,” You whispered to Draco, looking up at him through your lashes before turning your gaze back out into the crowd. He pulled his face back from your slightly, his brows furrowing.

“Maybe they’re staring at you,”

“They’re not.”

“Maybe they’re jealous of how beautiful you look tonight,” Draco whispered, his forehead coming to rest atop yours.

“I’m just a girl, Not a threat,”

“Oh Y/N,” He started, brushing another strand of hair behind your ear, cradling your face in his hand. “I think they should be terrified of you.” You chuckled softly, looking back up into his eyes. In the next moment, his lips met yours; making your heart bloom in happiness. Finally after so long, you were exactly where you wanted to be. It was just you and him, the love of your life. Everything was entirely perfect.

“To Mr and Mrs Malfoy!” Someone shouted from within the crowd, cheers erupting all around you, glassing clinking. But you couldn’t take your eyes off of him. Everything you had gone through now is just a fading scar. Your entire lives lay ahead of you, and you were so, so excited. For there was no one else you would rather experience it with.

Your husband, Draco Malfoy.

182 notes · View notes

ashliinks · 5 years ago

Text

until finally | cedric diggory

prompt ; imagine being one of the mermaids who lived in the black lake

words ; 4.5k

pairing(s) ; cedric x maledictus-mermaid fem!reader, fred & george x reader (platonic)

a/n ; i wrote this at 3am after sobbing over goblet of fire, pls enjoy :)

take a shot everytime i saw grindylows for liver failure

Ever since you were as small as a guppy, you had always known you were different from the other merfolk who resided in the Black Lake. Your more human-like features and your lack of proficiency in mermish music, stood out amongst the folk in your village. It wasn’t until you were thirteen, that your mother revealed her darkest secret to you.

Many moons ago, your family was bestowed with a curse. A blood curse. The curse had been passed down the women of your family for centuries it had seemed. From your understanding, the type of blood curse meant your fate was predestined; and that in time you would be permanently stuck beneath the dark waters of the lake.

You had never thought to question the days you spent on land. The ability to change your tail into legs had never seemed odd to you, until a young mermaid told you that it was very strange indeed. You would be lying if you said it didn’t cross your mind as to why none of the merfolk took you up on your offers of picnics on the river-bank.

You had come to realise that your mother had unfortunately succumbed to the curse, unable to transform into a human anymore. As the days went on, she seemed to grow more and more miserable, for she missed the feeling of the sunshine on her skin, the grass beneath her feet and the friends she made in the wizarding world. All of the young wizards she knew had abandoned her as soon as she was limited on the time she could spend above water. You tried to convince her that the younger generations of wizards were more understanding, and that those who visited you after school hours and weekends were the nicest people you had ever met.

You took a deep breath as you broke the surface of the Black Lake, the warm sunlight being a welcomed feeling on your cold skin. As your ears adjusted and popped at the sudden assault of air, you heard cheering from the shore. Looking over you noticed a cluster of Hogwarts students jumping and waving to you. You couldn’t help the smile that graced your features, diving back under the water so you could swim closer to them.

“Y/N!” A voice called out to you as you resurfaced once more. Propping yourself up on the lakes edge slightly, your eyes instantly recognised the black and yellow robes of the Hufflepuff boy who had come to visit you.

“Diggory!” You yelled in glee, flinging your arms up into the air at the sight of him, making you fall back into the lake slightly. This seemed to amuse him and his rabble of fangirls, them all chuckling beneath their breath as your clumsiness.

“How is my favourite wizard...Don’t tell Fred and George I said that,” You winced, only imagining the backlash you would receive from the twins if they ever found out.

“Cedric has only gone and put his name in the Goblet of Fire,” One of the Hufflepuff boys yelled with a giggle, making your smile drop suddenly. You pushed yourself up further, motioning for Cedric to lean forward. The boy did so wearily, noticing your sudden change in expression. He was right to do so, as when he was in close enough reach you sunk your hands into the collar of his robes, using your great upper body strength to fling him over your head and into the lake.

Everyone went quiet.

He resurfaced shortly after, spitting water everywhere. “What in the bloody hell was that for?!”

“HOW COULD YOU BE SO STUPID TO PUT YOUR NAME INTO THAT STUPID CUP DIGGORY? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MANY KIDS WE HAVE HAD TO DRAG BACK UP TO THE SURFACE BECAUSE THEY NEVER MAKE IT PAST TWENTY MINUTES IN HERE?” You yelled, splashing water at the boy to emphasise your words.

Cedric was silent. When he put his name in, he had heard of the terrible feats some of the tasks held. He had heard whispers of those that sunk beneath the murky waters of the lake to never return. So it was safe to say, your reaction had been pretty tame to what he initially imagined you would do.

“I might as well drown you myself! How could you be so, so-” Ah! There it was. He had half expected you to drag him straight down to the bottom of the lake and leave him there, but he knew you didn’t have the gall. You couldn’t even hurt a Grindylow, no matter how prickly they got sometimes.

“I’m going to be fine! I have all but perfected the bubble head charm-”

“You think that now Ced, but wait until you're in the water. Because it's not just your air you have to worry about, there’s the Grindylows and the kelpies, not to mention the giant squid and he’s feeling particularly tender after those Durmstrang kids ran their boat over one of his arms-”

“Love, you’re overreacting! Plus I have you don’t I? Or will you bail on me if we have to come to the lake?” Cedric asked, cocking his eyebrow as he splashed you slightly.

“Are you doubting me Diggory?” You asked, raising your voice as you splashed him back once more.

“I would never!” He feigned hurt at the idea, making you burst out into laughter.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU’VE NEVER RODE A BROOM?” Fred and George yelled in unison as you climbed further up in the tree you were all gathered around.

“My mother kept me in my mer-form most of my life! I’ve never even held a wand even though we’re supposed to be witches,” You giggled as you rose higher and higher.

“YOU WHAT?” They yelled even louder. Even Hermoine had a surprised look on her face at the remark. It was no lie. Your mother thought it may have been best to keep you a mermaid most of the time, that way when the transformation became final you would not long for the wizarding lifestyle she so desperately missed. You had never ridden a broom, never held a wand. Hell, you had never even cast a spell as simple as an accio charm.

“Well this simply won’t do,”

“Not at all,” The twins rambled on in turns. You could never quite get over that, their twin telepathy and always knowing what the other was thinking at all times. It must be a terrible thing to have to deal with.

“C’mon then guppy, we’re off to the castle.”

“Wait, what? I mean is that even allowed, I’ve never been inside the castle, I don’t even have shoes, are you sure Dumbledore wouldn’t mind that I-”

“Christ, you’d think being underwater all the time would limit your skills of communication,” George laughed as you began your descent towards the ground.

“Who cares if you don’t have shoes, Potter walks around looking like he’s just woken up in a parallel universe half of the time,”

The laugh that erupted from you had you throwing your head back, a chorus of chuckles resounding from below you too. You were laughing that much that you had forgotten to keep a tight grip on the branches, and in the next moment your wobbly legs had slipped from their place, sending you tumbling through branches and leaves. Hurtling towards the ground, you braced for the impact. You almost wondered what would happen if you were to break a leg. Your mother would kill you, there’s no doubt about that, but would your tail also be broken? You didn’t particularly want to find out.

After what felt like a lifetime, you landed. However, it wasn’t the hard, painful landing you were expecting. Instead what you had landed on was soft, and warm...and moving? Opening your eyes, that you had not remembered closing, you came face to face with a chest. It was only when you looked up, you were met with the slight pained expression of Fred Weasley.

“Try to be a hero and I just get the wind knocked out of me,” He wheezed, making you blush bashfully.

“Could say you just took my breath away guppy,” He winked, making you burst out in another uncontrollable fit of laughter.

“CEDRIC?” You yelled out as you ran through the courtyard of the castle, the whole place completely unfamiliar to you. You did however, manage to blend in quite well, Fred and George had taken you to Hogsmeade and had provided you with a set of Hogwarts robes, out of the allowance their mother was sending them. You had nearly cried when you found out they had been saving up for weeks just to make you feel more included. Your heart swelled even more when they told you that you could come and visit the castle any time now, looking like a student wouldn’t put you under too much scrutiny. You were still scared as to what would happen to you if Dumbledore, or god forbid Snape, ever found you.

“Y/N?” Someone called, making you spin around sharply. Your hair still dripping, as you had not waited a single minute from jumping out of the lake to sort yourself out fully, slapped you in the face at the speed of your turn. Looking through the flashes of black, blue and fur, your eyes landed on the boy you had been searching for.

“What are you doing here?” He asked, looking over you in worry that something had happened. He paused when he noticed the robes you were wearing.

“Are those Hufflepuff robes?” He asked with a small smile.

Looking down, you took in the sight of yourself. The sunshine yellow looked amazing against your skin tone, and the slightly oversized robe made you feel so comfy and to your amusement was surprisingly swishy.

“Uh yeah! Fred and George bought them for me!” You enthused, ever the one to be easily distracted. “They sorted me themselves, said I was the en-a-body-mans of a Hufflepuff,” You sounded out the word, some words were a little more difficult for you to say, still not entirely used to speaking English after years of speaking mermish beneath the waters.

“Embodiment?” He chuckled, affection filling his grey eyes making them glisten like the river-stones you had been collecting from the river banks. He watched as slowly drying wisps of your hair swept across your cheeks, caressing them like he so desperately wished he could. He would never say it to you though. Terrified of your reaction. Of course he was, in himself, conflicted. He had been dating Cho Chang for a while now, and while he cared for the raven haired beauty from the neighbouring house, he couldn’t quite get over his feelings for the innocent Maledictus that lived in the lake just beyond the school grounds.

“Yes that’s what I said,” You waved your hand, blushing at the correction. “Anyway, what I’m here for is to tell you about the second task!” You whisper-yelled, pulling him to the side, away from the hustle and bustle of the other students.

“How do you know what the second task is?”

“Because it’s me Ced!” He furrowed his brows, confused by your phrasing. “That egg you got from the first task? It’s mermish. There’s been whispers around the village for a few days now, I don’t know much, but I can tell you that you’re going to be in the lake for a long while.” You hated the thought. You had remembered telling the Hufflepuff about the bodies you had dragged from the lake. Even when there wasn’t an event on, there were many students that would go swimming too far or too deep and lose their lives. The Black Lake was not one to foolishly meddle with.

Cedric had assured you that there was nothing to worry about, but you could see the flash of fear in his eyes at the mention of being in the lake for longer than twenty minutes. You silently vowed to yourself to do anything in your power to help him through the task though. You couldn’t, no, you wouldn’t lose him to the lake.

When the day of the task came, you were unsure of what to do. Obviously, you didn’t want to get Cedric disqualified from the tournament, or all of his hard work would have been in vain. Fighting off that dragon was no easy feat. But you didn’t want to leave him completely alone in the water. You knew Harry was competing too, but you had also heard that Neville had provided him with some Gillyweed, and whilst its effects are a little unpredictable, you weren't worried.

“You know you shouldn’t be getting involved with this Diggory boy.” Your mother called from just beyond the rocks.

“He’s a good person mum-”

“They all say that. They all act like they would walk the earth for you, but in reality, they would drop you the moment they have thoughts of you becoming a burden.”

“Yeah, well Ced isn’t like that. You’d know that if you actually took the time out of your busy schedule of moping around the kelp to properly meet him-”

“Do you have any idea who his father is Y/N? Amos Diggory is a very proud man. He will not settle on having a Maledictus as a wife for his precious son.”

“I didn’t ask for this mum! None of us did. But I sure as hell won’t let it define me and everything I do in life. If I am destined to be stuck underwater for the rest of my life, I would sure as hell love to experience life to the fullest before I lose it.”

“It will break you. It broke me.”

“I’m not you, mother.” You whispered, turning away from her and swimming off further into the lake to await the arrival of the champions.

About half an hour into the task, you had managed to locate where they were keeping the champion’s treasure. And you were shocked to say the least. For the ‘treasure’ the village folk had whispered about, wasn’t diamonds or gold. It was people. You were almost horrified at the emotional manipulation these games were playing with the students, the torment of having to try and rescue a loved one from the bottom of the lake; all whilst evading the things that posed a threat to them, trying to keep their charms working and all whilst being against the clock.

It was cruel.

You waited for what seemed like the longest time, not doubting Cedric’s ability to get past the first lot of Grindylows or even his charms skills. But you didn’t trust what might happen once he recovered Cho who was floating in the water. You felt slightly hurt that Cho was the one deemed as Cedric’s ‘treasure’, and your mother's words rang within your ears. It would be more trouble than it’s worth for them to try and capture you. Also, Cedric had been very publicly dating the Ravenclaw student. You had no ill feelings towards the girl, none at all. All of the times you have met, which have been seldom, she was always lovely. Her bright, yet soft voice dancing in the air. Her timid demeanour was very comforting. She was soft, delicate and entirely enticing. You could understand why Cedric was interested in her. They did make a lovely couple.

It was a shame they had been arguing a lot as of late. Both Cedric and Cho had confided in you about their relationship troubles. The pair of them not being entirely sure whether they were meant to be. They cared for one another, but they weren’t sure whether their romance had run its course. You didn’t dare hold a bias to their troubles. It would be unfair of you to take advantage of a situation like that. No. Instead, like the good friend you were, encouraged them to talk it out between themselves and trusted that this was just a rough patch and they would be right as rain by next week.

Finally, you saw someone emerge from the kelp just beyond the village centre. It was Harry. He looked almost as confused as you were when seeing the students in the water. Ron, Hermoine, Cho and Gabrielle Delacour. She could only imagine the kind of internal battle Harry was currently facing. Ron and Hermoine were his best friends, he had quite the flaming crush on Cho, and Fleur had not yet arrived to collect her younger sister.

Swimming closer to the boy, you placed a hand on his shoulder making him jump slightly. When he saw it was you he calmed down, you nodded towards the ropes tying the students down to the bottom of the lake. Harry nodded in understanding, reaching to untie Ron first. You noticed the other merfolk drawing closer, and you knew you were in for a lecture once the task was over for interfering. You guarded Harry, worried more of the Grindylows may work their way closer and drag him down into the depths. You tried to stop him as he reached for Hermoine, but one of the merfolk got their first.

They aimed a spear towards his neck in warning, “You must only take one,” They sneered, their long hair floating in front of their face.

“But she’s my friend too!” Harry argued. You placed a hand on his arm and shook your head.

“Only one Harry, I know it’s cruel but someone will come for Hermoine.” You tried to reassure the Gryffindor. He sighed softly, looking back over between Ron and Hermoine. That was until you watched the mermaids scatter, spinning around you and Harry both noticed the shark head swimming towards you at a rapid pace. You weren’t scared as such. You knew these waters like the back of your hand, and you were sure there were definitely no sharks here.

Your thoughts were confirmed when the shark headed figure swam past the pair of you, biting through the thick rope that held Hermoine. It was the Durmstrang boy, you couldn’t quite remember his name. Krun? Krud? Oh well it didn’t matter. You were still looking for Cedric. The shark man pulled the girl along, dragging her back up towards the surface. From said direction came a flash of yellow, making a smile stretch across your face.

“Finally, where have you been?” You asked, moving backwards in the water slightly. Cedric didn’t answer, only flashing you a small smile before tapping his watch, Harry nodded, the three of you knowing that time was growing short. You moved back as Cedric cast a spell, splicing the rope and letting Cho free. He took her arm and waved at you before heading towards the surface.

“Come on Harry, there isn’t much time left.” You told the boy, he shook his head.

“I can’t just leave her here,” He pleaded, motioning towards Gabrielle. He was right. Fleur still hadn’t made an appearance. You had just hoped she had been pulled out of the water and hadn’t drowned.

“Okay, but we’ve got to be quick,” Harry nodded, casting the same spell as Cedric, setting Gabrielle loose. You quickly swam over, taking the French girl into your arms and lead the way towards the surface. You could hear the screams of protest from the merfolk, you were so getting a lecture late. Tension started to bubble in your chest as you neared the kelp, knowing the Grindylows couldn’t be far. Making sure Harry was behind you, you continued on.

But as soon as Harry breached the edge of the kelp, they came for him. Scratchy limbs and tentacles wrapping themselves around his limbs dragging him down. He let go of Ron, pushing him over towards you. “Get them to the surface!” He yelled, the water making his voice sound funny.

“But what about you?”

“Just go!” He yelled again. You complied, taking both Ron’s and Gabrielle’s hand and speeding towards the surface. It was no hardship for you, your large tail making gliding through the water so smooth. Just before you reached the surface, you pushed the pair up; knowing you couldn’t be seen or Harry would be disqualified. You waited for a moment, making sure they surfaced, and swam away before you dove back down in search of Harry.

You could vaguely see the boy, still being attacked by Grindylows. Racing down there, you were able to sweep a few of them off of the boy. Just enough for him to reach his wand up into the water. “ASCENDIO!” He cried, and just like that the boy went propelling through the water, breaching the surface like a torpedo and landing back on the dock.

“So when are you asking Cho to the Yule ball?” You asked Cedric as the pair of you walked through the school grounds.

“I, um, we’re not going to the ball together,” Cedric trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck in awkwardness. You paused where you stood, Cedric not realising for a moment that you weren’t still walking beside him.

“What? Why not? You two would look amazingggg,” You dragged out your last word to further emphasise how strongly you felt on the matter.

“We broke up the day you told me about the task,” He started, looking down at the ground “We both decided it’d be best,” You looked at the boy in confusion. You had thought they were getting back on track. He hadn’t let anything on to you that day. You should’ve been able to tell, or something. You felt a sinking feeling in your stomach. Cedric had just broken up with his girlfriend and you had been rambling incorrect words at him, like an idiot.

“Cho had started to notice that I wasn’t entirely devoted to her. I feel awful about hurting her, but she found out I had feelings for someone else. I didn’t want to admit it to myself at first, but the longer I denied it the stronger those feelings got.”

��Oh?” Was all you could muster, the sinking feeling growing deeper and deeper. How stupid you had been to think that Cedric could be interested in you in the slightest. I mean look at him. The Hufflepuff Heartthrob and now heart-breaker it seemed. You were just a washed up maledictus, who would one day be just a forgotten memory when you were finally bound to the lake.

“She’s amazing. She’s smart, yet totally clueless about the smallest things. She stumbles over her words in the cutest way, and when she laughs? It feels like it's warming my soul. She’s a Hufflepuff too, so we don’t have to worry about sneaking around, although she would probably prefer we would. I’ve never met her mother, but if given the chance, I would love to convince her how much I love her daughter and that I would do anything just to make her happy,” He sounded as if he was floating. The joy coming from his voice, made your head sink lower and lower until you could not take your eyes off of the ground.

“Wow, uh, she sounds amazing Ced,” You muttered, not really knowing what to say. Because in all honesty, she did. She sounded like Cedric’s dream girl, and by the way he talked about her he knew it too. Cedric paused for a moment, looking back to notice you trailing behind him. He couldn’t miss the solemn expression on your face, he frowned for a moment. He hated seeing you sad. But then he smiled in realisation.

That smiled soon turned into a fit of giggles, slowly becoming louder and louder until you looked up. Cocking your head to the side, you were confused. “Is something funny?” You asked, looking down at yourself and then around the area, trying to locate the source of his amusement.

“You are so bloody clueless,” He whispered, coming to stand in front of you. You raised your eyebrows, still not getting what he meant. But from here, you noticed how smooth his skin was. The faint rosy blush of his cheeks made him look even more angelic. The soft breeze ruffled his honey-brown locks, always perfectly styled to give him that ‘boyfriend’ look.

Cedric smiled looking down at you. He watched those gorgeous eyes glisten in the sunlight, plump lips looking irresistibly kissable. He watched as wisps of your hair swept across your cheeks, caressing them like he so desperately wished he could.

Until finally, after so long…

He did.

Reaching a tender hand up to cup your soft cheek, you leaned into his touch; the warmth from his palm comforting and addicting. Everything about Cedric was entirely comforting and addicting. From his homely scent of cinnamon, brown sugar and honey, to the small chuckles that turn into loud thunders of laughter that make your stomach do flips. Flips like they were currently doing and the thought of him being so close.

Looking up at him through your eyelashes, you froze in place, not daring to move and ruin the moment. “I have loved you ever since I saw you sat on that stupid rock you love so much. I met the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen, and I was so distracted I walked right into a tree,” Cedric laughed, the memory made you giggle too. The first meeting you had with Cedric had been the best way you have ever been introduced to anyone.

“And instead of leaving, you just laughed. You laughed so bloody hard that you ended up falling off the rock and into the lake. It was then, that was the exact moment I knew I was screwed. It was that moment that I knew that no one else would be able to compare. I don’t want to find anyone else, I don’t care if in ten years time I have to carry you around in your own luxury tank. I love you Y/N Y/L/N, and I would do anything to make you happy,”

You were silent for a moment, the sinking feeling turning into the most boisterous of butterflies fluttering in your stomach. THE Cedric Diggory had just confessed his undying love for you. For you. He mistook your silence for rejection. Looking away from you for a moment. He went to move his hand, but you placed yours on top of it, keeping it firmly lay upon your cheek. He opened and closed his mouth like a guppy for a second, not knowing what to say. Before he could even utter a word, you did what you had wanted to do since the day you met the Hufflepuff Heartthrob.

Until finally, after so long…

You did.

You leaned up as far as you could, other hand coming to circle the back of Cedric’s head pulling him down. His lips met yours, and everything fell into place. Hearts beating like crazy within your chests. Breaths short. But everything, after so, so long.

Was finally perfect.

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