Hidden Feelings - A Draco Malfoy Love Story

Chapter Thirty-Four

I stand in front of the maze, all my willpower focused on the task of holding in tears.

I find it stupid that of all things, the final task isn't what I'm worried about, but a boy. A boy who I knew would reject me, yet somehow I'm still upset that he did.

If anything, the short but sweet second he gave in and kissed me back made this blow feel worse. I wonder if he could possibly feel what I felt in that moment...that whisper of a kiss he returned gave me just a tiny bit of hope.

"Elizabeth, it'll be okay," Harry whispers beside me.

I swallow the lump in my throat. "I know."

Harry gets to enter first because of his high score. The second task set me back, but I can still enter third.

"Lumos," I say, the hedges lighting up around me. If I wasn't claustrophobic before, I will be after this, I'm sure. The tall leaves hover over me like a cage, threatening to crush me if I get too far inside.

It's shockingly quiet, the deeper I reach. I don't run into as many dead ends as I thought I would, but that doesn't stop each one from being frustrating. I hear rustling every once in a while, waiting to see the first creature jump out. I should have spent more time studying those Hagrid talked about in class...

I flinch at what sounds like an explosion in the distance. I hear a scream and start running, trying to find a route to where I heard it. It sounds like Fleur, but I'm not sure until the cry rings out again.

I almost trip on something sticking up from the ground, and lower my eyes to see Fleur on the grass, stuck wrapped in vines that protrude from the wall. Her eyes flutter open and closed, like she's on the verge of unconsciousness. Footsteps alert me of someone else coming, and I ready my wand. Harry enters the light, his shocked face staring at me before turning to Fleur.

"You go," I whisper. "I'll help her."

"Are you-"

"Go! You deserve this far more than I do, Harry," I tell him, crouching down next to Fleur. I grab onto the vines, wincing as tiny thorns sink into my skin. I glance up. "Go, Harry! I was never meant to win this. I'll make sure someone comes to get her, just get to the cup before the others. Okay?"

His eyes flicker between me and Fleur one last time before he nods, turning and running in the opposite direction.

"Relashio," I murmur, the vines twinging before receding off of Fleur's body. "Fleur, are you awake?"

She mumbles something, her eyes now completely shut.

"Fleur?"

"They miss you." The words are quiet, slurred, but I'm sure of what she said.

"Who misses me?" I ask, pulling her away.

"The school." She sighs a little, her head rolling over to look at me. "They underestimated you, Elizabeth."

I shake my head slowly. "They didn't underestimate me. They just want me more now that others like me."

She smiles softly, closing her eyes again. "Don't let them bother you. They'll be gone soon enough."

"Will you write me?" I ask, raising my wand above my head. She nods. I send up sparks, and push myself to my feet, wiping my blood onto my robes.

"Stupefy!"

I drop to the ground at the sound, the spell narrowly missing me. I shoot the same back at Viktor, who's coming toward me in a robot-like fashion, his eyes cloudy and unfocused.

"Crucio!" he hisses.

"Protego!" I cry out, the sound of an unforgivable curse on someone's lips sending my heart into a flurry of activity. "Flipendo!"