I'm not a coward, just shy (Hogwarts fanfic)

ch 15- past and futures

I pulled him though the door of the room of requirement.

"This is my safe place" I smiled, walking and up to the fire, with crackled lively with everlasting log. Cedric came up behind me, trapping me in strong arms. I relaxed, as if I wasn't scared of being sweep away by the rush of rapids that was my life. He was like a life line in this moment. He pulled me so close into him that it was hard to tell where I began and he ended. He held me like I wasn't something that was breakable. Like something that could take the pressure. He didn't him me like a bird cage, the bars to bendable and fragile but strong enough to suffocate me. He was my anchor.

I pulled him to one of the crouches long enough to lay both of as down comfortably. He curled his arms around me, as I did him. We were close enough that I could feel his breath dance on my cheek and fog up my glasses. I laughed and took them off. discarding them such in reach. We lay there, holding each other. There wasn't anything partially sexual about it. I mean, I would be only 15 this coming December. However it spoke far more than words could, occasionally stealing kisses and drinking the moments away. I with my hand on his cheek, I felt more than saw the corners on his mouth pull up.

"You're eyes are actually the first thing that caught my attention, That day the weather was sound horrible and the wind was like screams it was so loud. I didn't even realize Harry had been attacked until it was too late. I was on my way to ask for a rematch I saw you walking down the corridor. When you turned around was the time that I fell in love with those eyes".

"I used to hate my eyes" I confessed, even without my glass I saw his confusion, so I pushed on with a sigh. "When I was seven, I moved to an Children's home where, Mrs Trot was the career. On the outside she was kind but from the moment I was dropped off, I saw the hate in her eyes. She hated children because she said there must have been something wrong with us, otherwise our families would still love us." I felt warm tears drip from my eyes when I remembered but I continued, not know what I would gain. "Her punishments where worst" I shuddered, sitting up, "If I didn't behave or messed up, she would drag me to the pond or the wash sink and push my head under over and over and over again!" I was shouting by the end of it, trapped in the pasted that I had run from for so long.

I gasped feeling the cold water again- God! It was so cold. It was choking me, I couldn't breathe. I was going to die. Water was filling my lungs. Then suddenly I was back in the room, the fire crackling warmly and strong arms around me once again. This time he was holding me together and I felt if he let go, I was going to fall apart. I grabbed onto his arms, be didn't anything and I didn't look at him even though if I did, I would have just seen a blur. I fell silent, as if I had been frozen

"Can we just stay like this for a while?" I asked. I felt his chin press into the back of my robes.

"As long as you need".

As the days became came colder and colder and the days shot faster than shooting stars, the second task was fast a provoking. I felt sorry for the Beaubaxtons, in their silken robes with were ineffective in competing out the cold. It hadn't snowed yet but even the Hogwarts students had taken up to wearing dragon hide gloves around the corridor. The Durmstrang were perfectly comfortable in their thick woolen robes which was to be expected since they lived in the mountains of Bulgaria which were almost always snow capped. I knew Cedric and Harry were having trouble with the golden egg, there clue to the next task. I knew that if they just listen to it underwater it would be a sirens call. However whenever I was about to utter so much as a word on the topic, it was like my mind went blank for a few seconds and I couldn't remember what I was about to say. This quickly got annoying but there was nothing I could do about it. Luckily a few days before Cedric came up to me, talking fast about how he figured it out. I was super relieved and even though it was mostly a one sided conversation thanks to the tongue tying curse.

Now it was the morning before the second task and I was slightly confused by Dumbledore's owl asking me to meet him in his office, the password being Chocolate frogs. You can imagine my surprise when I walked into the office to see Professor McGonagall, Ron, Hermione and a Short Blonde girl.

"Ah, glad you have all arrived" Dumbledore smiled fondly.

"Professor, may I asked why you bought us here" I asked, looking Dumbledore in the eye, My eyes piercing just as his did.

"I have a favor to ask all of you" He began, "For the second task, the four champions will need to retrieve something from the bottom of the black lake. They will have an hour to do this, however we would asked if you four would be the bight" I felt my blood run cold.

"You can't be serious, Sir" I said, bewildered.

"Of course I am Taylor" He surprised me and I opened my mouth but I was cut off, "If you let me finish, I would tell you that, you will drink a potion that will put you under a enchantment that will part you in a coma like state. You will not need oxygen, and the enchantment will only break when you break the surface. McGonagall started passed a small vial of a clear sky blue liquid, giving each a reassuring smile. "You may leave if you do not wish to take part, but no harm will come to you, I can promise you that".

"I will do it" Ron said nodding, pulling the off the stopper and swallowing the liquid in one Swallow. The viral dropped from his hand and he dropped like a sag of potatoes. I managed to catch his weight and was able to slowly lower him to the ground.

"Idiot" Hermione said sitting on the ground, the blonde girl following her lead and soon both had passed out.

I stared at the viral in my hand, rolling it in my fingers. Fear settling itself heavily in my stomach.

"Taylor, what's that matter" Dumbledore asked.

"I can't swim" I admitted flushing. I took off my glasses, tucking them into my robes, sitting on the ground and pulling the stopper, "Bottoms up" I muttered and touched the viral to my lips. The glass was cold against them. the potion isn't tasted like nothing but there wasn't any time to taste. I was too busy falling into nothing.