𝔵𝔦𝔵 | fourth year

                                    

                                          
Draco has barely spoken to me since the ball. Though my world felt like it had flipped upside down, he must have decided that it was a mistake.
                          
He's been acting different as well, especially in Quidditch practice. His anger at Warrington caused him to be kicked off the team because Draco threatened to get his father involved, and Blaise took his spot. Adrian Pucey is a seventh year and once he graduates I will hopefully be replacing him next year. 
                          
I've spent the last month pretty much in silence. Aurora has been quite upset about her breakup with Micah, which happened soon after the ball, and Blaise and Daphne have started spending more and more time together, leaving me alone with Azazel.
                          
I creep into the dormitory on the morning of the second Triwizard task, to find Aurora asleep in bed. It's a weekend, so she's been spending her days laying in bed with a book, or just completely asleep.
                          
"Hey, it's time to wake up," I say, sitting down next to her and pushing her around a little, "You said you wanted to come with me to the Tournament today."

                          
She groans and rolls over, her eyes red, "I don't know." Micah started dating that Hufflepuff girl, Bella Rein, almost immediately after he and Aurora broke things off, but I honestly don't think she should be dwelling on it that much. Of course it hurts her, but she can't let the cycle of just doing nothing continue.
                          
"Come on, we're going now." I practically carry the poor girl out of bed. She slowly but surely gets to her feet, "You need to get out of bed, Aurora." I try to say in the nicest possible way. 
                          
"I'm sorry, Y/N, I don't feel like going," She sits back down on her bed, running her fingers through her hair, "It doesn't matter to me and I'd rather catch up on my work anyways."
                          
I raise my eyebrow, "You're never going to want to go out if you don't force yourself to," I go get her shoes from the dresser drawer, "Micah shouldn't be taking up room in your head, and I want to go to the Tournament and have fun with you. So I'm going to leave in five minutes and you're going to come with me."
                          
❂
                          
Aurora came, much to my delight. We were rowed across the Black Lake by Filch, and as I stared into the depths of the water, I could only imagine what lived down there, and what the unlucky champions were to face today.
                          
Blaise, Aurora, Daphne, and I were led to where the majority of the Slytherins and Ravenclaws sat at the highest point of one of the great iron stands ascending out of the water. The view is pretty good if we look over the railing to watch the water. I guess there won't be much to see since the lake is so dark once something disappears in its depths it's near impossible to see. 
                          
The Weasley twins step up the stairs onto our level, holding out papers and money, "Bets, bets, everyone place your bets!" They call out. Blaise smiles, gesturing them over. He pulls out some coins, talking to them.
                          
"I'll bet seven Sickles that Krum's the first one out." Blaise says, counting the silver coins and handing them over to the Weasley boys. 
                          
"Well, I'll bet that Harry's the first one out, and that'll be eight Sickles," Daphne smiles, collecting coins from her pockets and putting them in Fred's palm. George smiles and quickly writes down some names and numbers on the sheet of paper. 
                          
"We'll get back to you after the task if your bets go through," George says as they hurry away, trying to get more students to bet against them. They both call out, "Cheers!" We laugh at their antics. 

                          
Draco and his cronies are leaning over the railing to my left, a couple of Ravenclaw girls hovering nearby them. He turns for a second, his icy-grey eyes meeting mine, then they snap away suddenly as Dumbledore calls out the rules of the task.
                          
"Something valuable has been taken from each of our champions," His voice is carried loudly throughout the lake, echoing a bit as he uses an Amplifying Charm, "And it sits at the bottom of the lake! The first champion to retrieve their item and come back up to the top will be the winner of the second task! At the sound of the cannon-"

                          
The cannon goes off, cutting off Dumbledore's words, and three of the champions jump in the water. Then, Harry, who seems to be struggling, falls in, flailing about, "Is he okay?"

                          
"Doesn't look like it." Daphne says, watching the water intently as Harry disappears under the blackened surface, "I bet that frigid water isn't helping him."

                          
Suddenly, Harry jumps out of the water, performing an agile flip before diving back in. It looks like he has grown gills and webbed feet.
                          
"He's turned into some horrendous sea creature!" I hear Pansy's shrieking voice coming from my left as she approaches Draco's group.
                          
"What would you have done, Pansy?" Draco says, his voice raised at her, "A Bubble-Head Charm? I bet you couldn't pull that off." I watch their angered fight unfold, laughing internally at the strange sight of Draco somewhat defending Harry Potter. 
                          
Pansy gestures wildly to me, "What are you looking at, Larkspur. You have no right as a blood traitor to even look at me that way." Draco glances over, and I try to decipher his look, but he lowers his head to look back down to the water. 
                          
"Hey, Parkinson," Blaise slowly walks over to her as she starts to storm over to me. He stops her with a hand on her shoulder, "She didn't do anything to you, just back off."
                          
"Didn't do anything to me?" She scoffs in disbelief, "Do you even know who her bloody father is? Y/F/N Larkspur!" People around us turn their heads, eyeing me as Pansy lays into me, a sudden burst of anger that I was in no way expecting this morning, "He would have ruined our entire world, people, if he had the chance! And I'll bet little Y/N just sat by her daddy's side and observed."

                          
"Calm down, Parkinson!" Blaise shouts, trying to hold Pansy back, but she fights against him, trying to come up to me. I back away, genuinely concerned. 
                          
"What the hell is wrong with you, Pansy?" I say, realizing that pretty much everyone's eyes are on us. 
                          
She draws her wand, and my eyes widen, not expecting that. Even Draco starts to try to hold her back as well, but she breaks free of their grip. 
                          
"Flipiendo!" She shouts, a flash of purple light blasting from the end of her wand, hitting me in the chest. A Knockback Jinx. I am knocked back, over the railing of the stands. 
                          
Falling fast, I extend my arm to where I came from, trying to grasp onto someone, anyone's hand, but I am too far gone. 
                          
I hit the black water hard.