Queen of Hearts (editing)

Chapter 26 - The second task.

The second task has finally arrived. She quietly prays that Harry has figured it out as he walks in front of her, towards the Black Lake, Neville alongside him. George and Fred hustle at the edge of the pier, taking on bets for who's most likely to win, with Harry being the lowest. Well, that gives her a whole lot of faith.
Both Hermione and Ron were nowhere to be seen this morning as she searched the castle for as long as she could, hoping to get some insight into the clue that Harry has kept so closely hidden to his chest.
"I personally hope that Potter drowns." Draco spits out as he, along with Mattheo and Enzo, follow behind Emilia and Katie. Her friend glances at her with a knowing look. Katie doesn't understand why she gives any of them the time of day, let alone someone like Draco. If only she knew.
Draco returned just after New Years but had spoken no more than a few words to Emilia, much to her disappointment. After their brief encounter on his first day back, they have still yet to find a broom cupboard to ourselves. He's been distant in class, only joining in on conversations with the others when he needed to. Avoiding her, clearly. She guesses his father really did a number on him again, something she wouldn't know as he would never drop his guard enough to let her in.
"What do you think is going to happen?" She questions Katie as they reach the shores edge.
Three large structures, each with multiple floors stand upright in the middle of the Black Lake. Boats weave through the water back and forth, delivering groups of students and teachers alike to each of the structures.
"I don't know, but remember Snape's class last year? He spoke about the mer-people in the black lake and mentioned a few of their, shall we say, nasty tendencies to not take too kindly to others being in the lake." Katie grimaces as she steps into one of the boats. "Also, have I ever mentioned that deep water is a fear of mine?"
The boat fills quickly, Draco taking the last seat next to Emilia as Katie sits to her left, Enzo, Blaise and Mattheo just in front of them, facing their direction.
Her knees clash with Mattheo's, hitting lightly together as the boat leaves the shore. The slightest touch from him warms her leg uncontrollably and she shifts, inadvertently falling closer to the boy by her side.
"Hello." Draco whispers lightly as his hand rests on her thigh for a mere second before he retracts it.
"Hi." She replies bluntly, turning to him as he faces out onto the lake. "How are you?"
Draco's body stiffens against hers, his shoulders straighter and his chest puffing out but he rotates his head back to face her. "I'm..." His heads fall down, once again looking to the necklace that sits a top her chest. "I.." He sighs. "Nothing."
She leans in to Draco, her head nearly resting on his shoulder. "You can tell me anything, you know." She whisper.
She can't even begin to imagine what he must've gone through for him to be so cagey. He nods his head ever so lightly, his body relaxing a little next to her as he continues to look out to the water. The rest of the boat ride fills with small talk about today's task, each one of them betting on who they think will win.
"Krum, absolutely!" Theo cheers.
"You know what, I reckon Diggory will surprise us." Mattheo comments, gaining a high five from Blaise as they are both in agreement. "What do you guys think?" The boys eyes rest on the other three
"Krum." Katie responds quietly, her own awkwardness getting the best of her as she fumbles with the corners of her jacket.
"Same!" Emilia links her arm with Katie's as her friend gratefully smiles.
The boat comes to a sharp stop and they clamber onto the middle structure, Dumbledore and the representatives from the other schools just ahead of them. It's surreal, all of these students together, for something like this.
Dumbledore's voice booms out almost instantly, silencing the crowd, "Welcome to the second task. Last night, something was stolen from each of our champions. A treasure of sorts, these four treasures, one for each champion now lie on the bottom of the black lake."  Treasure? What kind of treasures?
"In order to win, each champion need only find their treasure and return to the surface. Simple enough, except for this, they have one hour to do so and..." 
Emilia phases out of Dumbledores speech, her mind racing on how Harry is expected to breathe under water for an hour. But before long, all the champions are in the water, rushing away to complete their task. Harry didn't quite dive, more so belly flop into the water. Dammit.
"What's the matter with him?" Seamus shouts out worriedly.
"I don't know, I can't see him." A student pipes up from the crowd of people looking down at the water.
"Oh my god, I've killed Harry Potter." Neville cries out before he dramatically faints on the deck. Well bloody done Neville.
Her parents tasked me two simple things - one which has already turned into a complete 180 spin and now two, Harry - dead. Merlin, this is just what she needs.
In a matter of seconds, Harry emerges from the water somewhat graciously, before diving back in much to everyone's delight as the cheers cascade through the crowd. Thank fuck, disaster averted.
"Well, there goes our entertainment then." Draco pouts and she swiftly turns to him. He stares out at the lake, his arms crossed over his chest in a huff. She doesn't know if it's annoyance directed at him for hardly speaking to her since his return or afterlife from Harry's performance that ignites her fury.
"Why don't you try Draco? I'd like to see you last 10 minutes in this tournament." She scowls, enjoying the way Draco's face quickly changes. "Or do you think you'd only last 5?"
Laughs ripple throughout the crowd as Draco's pale cheeks turn pink with embarrassment. His arms uncross from his chest, falling heavily at this sides. In the courtyard earlier in the year, Draco jibed Harry on being unable to last 10 minutes in the tournament. The memory must be swirling in Draco's head because he remains silent, continuing to watch on at the lake for any signs of the champion's returns. No care for her in this moment.
"100 galleons on Krum! Let's do it." Theo yells out as the lake remains silent, undisturbed.
None of them truly know what dangers and fears the champions may be facing down there. Given how life - threatening the dragons were, this has to be worse. Somehow.
"What are we supposed to do now?" Theo moans as he shivers against the railing of the wooden structure. "At least with the dragons, we got to watch them fight. This is just boring."
"Yeah, bit odd isn't it?" Blaise agrees and the pair glance around the lake, searching for any signs of movement in the water.
"Hm, I never really thought of it like that." Emilia comments as they all stand, uncertain of what to do as they wait.
A ripple. A bubble. Anything to give them a sign that someone has won. Harry must be frightened, she knows she would be.
"I'll be back, I'm just going to find Ben!" Katie squeezes her arm before disappearing through the crowd.
And it isn't long before Draco's hand replaces the grasp at her arm, dragging Emilia away from the structure and back towards the boats. The others don't follow, too engrossed in their own conversations to notice them leave.
"Hey, what the hell?" She yells, trying to manoeuvre out of his hold. A boat lie's empty and Draco pushes her towards it.
"Draco, let go!" She squirms, his grasp beginning to dig a little too tightly into her skin. "You're hurting me!"
With those words, he lets go, his eyes softening as they lock with hers.
"Get in." His voice tells a different story as he venomously spits towards her.
"No." She crosses her arms as he grows impatient. Whatever he's playing at is ridiculous and she looks around, trying to note if anyone is in earshot, anyone that can see his ridiculous behaviour.
"Please." His voice remains the same, but his eyes avert from her towards the boat. He wouldn't hurt her. Would he?
"What is your problem, Draco, seriously? It was just a joke!" She explains as she rubs on her arm where a light throbbing emits, trying to dull the pain of his tight grasp.
He remains silent, his foot slowly tapping against the wooden structure. It's too cold to stand still, so she gives in, unwilling to learn the consequences of defying him when his eyes are filled with so much fury.
She sits on the furthest away row from Draco, the boat speeding back to the shore as the structures in the lake grow small in the distance.
"It didn't sound like one! You need to stop embarrassing me in front of everyone." Draco sounds like a little boy being scolded and Emilia can't help but grin, ignoring the obvious anger on his face and the pain in her arm.
"You sound absolutely ridiculous!" She hangs her head back and she does try, so hard, to control her laughter, her body shaking causes the boat to rock before it comes to a stop at the pier.
"You--sound--like a--child!!" She struggles to speak as her sides begin to ache. The anger she felt only moments ago drifts away peacefully, the joyous laughter overtaking it.
"Oh, you think that's funny do you?" He tries to hide a smile behind his dark face, his lips slowly curling up at the sides.
It isn't long until he shows it, laughter emitting from his mouth as well. "Do you?"
He reaches forward from his seat, his fingers digging at her sides, almost toppling the boat as she clambers to exit onto the pier. His laughter follows as she runs towards the forest edge. He's much quicker than her, his arm wrapping around her waist from behind, spinning her in his embrace. In a matter of seconds, the world spins upside down, her stomach laying over his hard shoulder as he marched further into the forest. Squealing as she hangs on tightly, her head rushes with blood as she faces the ground. "Draco Malfoy, PUT! ME! DOWN!"
Theo comes to mind - his kidnapping at the Halloween party - and her stomach continues to ache from the bellowing laughter. He doesn't stop until they reach a cluster of trees and places her onto the ground, suddenly thankful for gravity.
She steps back as he steps forward, continuing until her back hits a wide, oak tree trunk.
The noise of the crowd by the lake has dispersed, only the rustling leaves on the trees being blown in the wind above to be heard. His smile is gone, but his eyes have turned soft, no longer the turbulent ocean - but like a calm winters day, so clear yet so bright. It's as though minutes pass as they stare at each other. It does not matter how he speaks to her, how he acts or what he does, every time he's this close, her heart races; her pulse quickens; he knee's weaken. He has a magical hold that renders her powerless every single time.
His hand reaches her jaw and it reminds her of the first time they kissed in the broom closet, where all he needed was for her to whisper his name. His hand softly trails down her throat, hovering over her chest before he picks up the pendant between two fingers, his thumb trailing over it slightly. His fingers feel cold when they connect with her skin, but she doesn't want them to stop.
"I'm glad you're still wearing this." His voice is a whisper that she can barely make out, too transfixed by the warmth that replaces the coldness over her body. He drops it quickly, his gaze flicking between her eyes and lips. She wants to look away, to break into flight in the woods and no turn back, but deep down, rooted into the veins of her heart is the incessant need to feel him again.
"Emilia, I-" His lips part lightly before closing, a visible gulp being swallowed down his throat. "I'm really sorry, for everything." Draco's eyes glisten as he continues speaking. "I've not been fair to you. I've been awful and I think it's because.." Draco's fingers trail back up, all the way to her jaw as they curl, resting them beneath her chin, "I-I--" Draco struggles to get the words out. He's going to tell her isn't he?
"Draco...it's because you, well, you feel something for me, right?" She finishes the sentence for him in a hushed whisper, her cheeks feeling like they're on fire as she can't believe what she's saying. "And you're...scared."
He nods his head lightly, his lower lip being sucked in by his teeth and his eyes continue to flicker, an aching swirl just below her stomach.
"I more than like you Emilia. I keep feeling myself drawn to you, no matter what I do to forget you, you're just...always on my mind." Draco speaks softly.
"When did you know? Over New Year? What happened?" She asks curiously as she tries to control her breathing. Surely he has to tell her now?
"I.." Draco falters, his head facing downwards for a moment as if in contemplation.
"You can tell me." She softly encourages him, bringing her own hands to his face, cupping his cheeks as he sighs out deeply. "Please. You can trust me, Draco."
She needs him to tell her. By god, she does. She wants him to trust her, to confide in her. Maybe it would help her understand his outbursts more, his fits of rage that he always seems to be apologising for.
"My father, he uh." Draco coughs to clear his throat before continuing. "He had, uh...He said a few choice things about you. And I just got so angry." The two defined lines between Draco's brows are prominent as he speaks. "I remember just thinking of you the entire time I was home, you know. All the moments we have had together. It felt good, strange but good. And I want more of that."
The wind whistles around them, leaves slowly being picked up from the ground as something explodes within her. As though on cue, the clouds above them part, the sun blasting through the gaps, it's one goal to heat the ground below. To heat them.
She can't wait for another word, for another life changing confession and she pushes her body forward, crashing her lips into his. The fireworks come again, melting away all her worries and fears as he wraps his arms around her waist.
He motions for her to jump and she does, breaking their kiss for but a second until his lips are back on hers. With a step, he pushes her back to the tree, steadying their bodies against it. Her legs wrap around his waist, pulling him as close as he can possibly be. The softness of his hair sweeps between her fingers as they continue to kiss. He breaks away for a moment, his breathing deep and fast. His eyes hone in on hers, the little blue specs surrounding the grey that she's never noticed before are now so clear. He is beautiful, so god dammed beautiful that it hurts. But not with a painful hurt - but a longing, for this moment to last forever. For this happiness to stay.
Their lips connect once more, their tongues deepening their embrace. Her stomach does leaps and bounds, unable to quite get enough of him. If she could be in this moment forever, she would.
"Promise me..." She breathes out in between gasps as he lowers her to the ground, his hands staying still connected to her body. "Promise me you won't go kissing other girls?"
The thought of him touching anyone else with those lips that entice her so sends a shiver across her arms.
Draco's hearty laugh radiates through her as he digs his head into her shoulder. "Only if you don't go kissing any guys."
"Does that mean I can kiss girls?" She jokes.
He lightly digs his fingers into her side, before she melts in his tight embrace.
"Definitely not." He whispers into her hair with a steady kiss.
After everything they've been through, all she's wanted, all she's yearned for is a moment like this - where they can just be together, with no one else around to influence what they say or how they must act.
"Thank you again for your note at New Year." She whispers into his chest, her head moving up and down with his breathing.
"Talking of New Year," Draco moves his body back so he can look down. "Did you have a New Year's kiss?"
The smirk grows on her face as she detects a hint of jealousy in his tone. "Oh yeah, they all lined up. Theo, Blaise, Enzo, Harry....."
Draco lifts her into the air quickly as he laughs again, the squeal emitting from her loud enough to be heard at the black lake.
"If that's the case, I'm going to need to deal with a lot of people today." He laughs before spinning her around once.
"Oi, oi, oiiiiiii!" A shrill hoot comes from the distance and they break apart fast, Draco removing his hold of her instantly. Her feet fall to the ground, her knees giving way from the shock as her back hits the tree, again. What the fuck?
She nearly forgot others were nearby, in that moment it was just the two of them - no one else mattered, not the other students, not the school, not their families - it was just them.
"Fuck off, Enzo!" Draco shouts out, much to their delight as the cheering sounds closer.
"Are you serious, Draco?" She groans, her hand massaging the lower muscle in her back.
He shrugs his shoulders as he turns to her with a grin. "Sorry?"
She can't bring myself to be mad at him, the smile on his face looking more genuine than ever as he moves towards her. Not after what they just shared.
"I'll make up for it later." He promises before running off, leaving her to watch as the leaves distort in his path.
She tries to make sense of what just happened in her head as she walks away from the forest, back towards the lake. Is this all they are to be? Simply just existing to hate and love each other at the same time? He talked about his feelings, he was so vulnerable in that moment, but how can she promise something to a boy she knows nothing about except for her feelings?
"Where have you been?" Katie shouts as the trail of students wander from the lake, back towards the castle. "And you have...what is that? Is that leaves in your hair?" She picks one out as she raises her eyebrows.
"Uhh.." Emilia breathes out, still trying to properly catch her breath. She trails her fingers through her now matted hair, pulling out the leaves from the fall. "I forgot something at the castle, I was just bringing it back down and fell on a stupid tree root."
"You forgot what?" Katie continues to question, not believing her lie.
Emilia panics, reaching into her pocket for the first thing she can grab. "This."she holds out an empty chocolate frog packet. "I got hungry." Wow, good one Emilia.
Katie doesn't continue to press as they find themselves back in the castle, crowds surrounding all the champions and those they saved from the lake.

Fuck, they missed the whole thing.