Black Moon: book one

seventy-three

"Don't let go" i laughed, gripping Blaise's hand as he helped steady me.

"Everyone else can do it." He said. "You need so stop being afraid."

"I'm not afraid!" I scowled. "I'm just not as confident as you all."

The weather was so chilling, as the snow fell around the lake. While the water was frozen over we all decided to have fun and skate now we had the chance.

"Come on Ria!" Pansy called as she sped around making figures eights with her blades.

"She's coming!" Blaise shouted after her as his fingers tried wiggling from my grip.

"No! What are you doing" i said worriedly as i felt him leaving me. Stood centre of the ice.

"Come on!" Blaise laughed skating away.

My balance instantly became shaky as i tried walking towards the group. Hitting the toe of the blade into the ice.

"Don't do it like that!" Theo warned. "You're going to crack the ice."

But I couldn't move otherwise, so i continued hitting my toe blade into the ice, softly.

But my whole body froze at the sound of cracking ice beneath my feet.

"Theo! Theo!" I cried out in fear. The last thing i saw was Blaise, Pansy and Theo running towards me as i felt my lower body soak in cold water and my eyes snapped shut.

My mind twisting.

I felt the chair under my tight grip as my eyes adjusted to the dungeon light.

"Ah yes. Your first year fiasco." Professor Snape mumbled to himself. "Very lucky Mr Malfoy was present. Very lucky indeed."

"Skills and quick thinking is what you acquire if you actually decided to pay attention in my class." He spat.

"Yes Professor." I answered coldly stretching my hands as i sat.

"Your getting better at fighting out the penetration from your mind. But you still lack ability to cancel it completely." He said taking a fluorescent bottle from a shelf and emptying the contents of it into a smaller bottle.

"Take this with you, every morning until i see you next. Take half of one. Half!" He emphasised pulling the bottle back as i reach for it "We shall try again in exactly a week."

I took the bottle, inspecting it curiously before sliding it into my robe pocket and excusing myself back towards the common room to get ready for the Yule Ball.

All the way back to the dorm I remember the incident, Draco refused to be so ridiculous as to skate over a lake so he remained on the surface enchanting a small fire to keep him warm. While Pansy, Theo and Blaise convinced me to join them.

Blaise promised me to not let go until i was ready, I remember being so scared of falling but it never occurred to me the possibility of falling through the ice was real.

The last thing I remembered was waking up to Madam Pomfrey leaning over me, muttering ridiculous comparisons to me, my friends and my father and his.

It wasn't until i fully came around that i was told what happened. Draco noticed the ice changing colour around where i stood as the ice thinned and he walked onto the shallow part of the frozen ice.

He shot a spell across the water which helped keep me above the water until someone was able to get over to me. Theo kept Pansy and Blaise back in fear of the ice cracking more as he came forward pulling me out and leading me to shore.

I always believed part of my brain began to block the memory from me, because it was the first time I genuinely felt scared for my life and nobody else's.