𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘩 ; 𝑔.𝑜.𝒻

thirty-five

The next few weeks leading up to the last task were both tense and exciting. The death of Barty Crouch certainly created talk, but nobody got any answers.

Lorelei was the first to arrive in the Slytherin common room after classes were finished for the day. But to her surprise, someone else was already there. That someone being her brother.

She saw Draco in a corner reading a letter, and when he heard footsteps, he quickly put the letter away.

"Draco?"

He avoided eye contact with her. He crossed his arms, "What."

"What were you reading?"

"What is it to you?" He snapped with a hint of guilt in his voice.

Lorelei slowly approached him, "I haven't seen much of you since winter break. Now you are looking at me with pure guilt in your eyes and you have hidden a letter. What's going on?"

"Nothing!"

She quickly took a hold of his wrist, and looked into his mind. To her surprise, he was able to fight it for some time. But when she found what she was looking for, she took a few steps back with wide eyes. She snatched the letter from him and scanned her eyes over it.

"Y-You told them?" She quietly asked. Draco didn't respond to her. She gripped the letter with such force it began to tear, "How could you?!" She yelled.

"They were going to find out eventually!" He defended guiltily.

"They will ruin him and his family, Draco! Have you any idea what you have done?!" She yelled, her voice getting louder and louder, "You have just killed him! One thing I wanted, Draco. One thing in my life and you have ruined it!"

She paced the room as tears began to stream down her face, "Lorelei, I-"

"Stop." She said, "You have just ruined everything. And I hope you know that I will never forgive you for this."

She threw the letter into the fire and stormed out of the common room. Her and Cedric were due to be meeting each other by the tree, so that's where she ran to.

Cedric was throwing rocks into the lake when Lorelei came running to him. His smile fell quickly when he saw her puffy eyes full of tears, "Lorelei? Wh-What's wrong?"

"They know." She choked.

"What? Who are you talking about?"

She started to pace again as her words began to run together, "M-My parents. They know about us. Draco told them and–"

He stopped her pacing by placing his hands on either side of her shoulders, "Slow down, darling. It's alright."

"No it's not!" She yelled, "My father will do everything he can to break you and your family down now. He will kill you." She said, her words now barely a whisper.

"He won't." He firmly said, "It's going to be alright."

"How can you say that?" Lorelei questioned, "Why are you so calm about this?"

"A little optimism goes a long way." He said softly. He wiped her tears away, "If something does happen, it will have been worth it after the time I've spent with you."

She put her arms around him and hugged him tightly, "I'm so sorry."

"It's gonna be alright." He replied as they pulled apart, "This tournament will be over. We'll have one year left in this place, and we can ride off into the sunset."

"Sounds like you have this all planned out." Lorelei quietly said.

"Loosely."

He brushed a few strands of her light brown hair from her face, "The last task is three days from now. If it's not too much to ask... I wouldn't mind spending as much time with you as I can."

And so they did. They spent mornings and nights together, using every ounce of free time they had to be with one another, knowing there was a storm coming.

But the storm didn't come in the way Lorelei expected.

It was the night before the last task, and Cedric went off to bed early per Lorelei's order. She decided to make a trip to Hogsmeade to find a present to give him after the tournament.

To her surprise, the streets were mostly empty. She passed by various shops, which were all closed. Someone in a dark cloak passed her, and she could feel a chill come from the person.

Goosebumps raised on her skin when she realized that something wasn't quite right. She slowly took out her wand and glanced back at the person that she passed. She stopped walking and turned around completely when she saw that they were gone.

She backtracked and looked around the buildings, but the person left no trace. She suddenly whipped around and sent a blast from her wand. Someone behind her was shot to the ground, and she slowly walked to see who it was.

Before she could, however, a group of people emerged from the shadows and circled her.

One of the people in the cloak stepped forward. He removed his hood, revealing himself.

Her eyes widened, "Father?"

He said nothing as she was suddenly blasted with a sleeping curse, making her fall to the ground.