A Magic Stronger Than Darkness ~ Book 1: Perfect Opposites

Chapter 19 ~ ...Call For Desperate Measures

Veronica POV

For some reason or another, I was the first one to hear that girl scream and see her fall into the Black Lake. Perhaps my senses were sharper now due to my animagus abilities, allowing me to hear the cry before anyone else. In any case, something inside of me said that I was the one who needed to save her. I threw off my coat and sweater, stripping myself of several layers so that they would not weigh me down in the water. "Let one of the teachers get her. She'll be fine!" Draco implored me.

Despite Professor McGonagall's protests and my boyfriend's plea, I couldn't just hope help would get to the girl before I could. Surely she would end up drowning in the meantime. Draco was trying to protect me, but I needed to do this. I shook my head. "They'll be too late!" I replied, then took a deep breath and jumped into the water before I could second guess myself.

Under the surface, everything was silent. Murky and freezing, but calm. Serene, in fact. Getting over the momentary shock to my system caused by my sudden immersion, I swam forward and came up for air. Gasping for breath, my eyes darted around until I spotted the girl splashing erratically about twenty five yards to my left. Reaching forward, I flew into a steady breaststroke, my legs kicking powerfully behind me. Although I was a relatively fast swimmer (thank you muggle swim lessons), I worried that I would not reach her in time due to the distance between us. Still, I had to at least try.

It felt like an eternity passed before I was anywhere near the frightened girl. Once I was within an arm's reach of her, I grabbed the younger student around her middle and lifted her body so that her head was further out of the water and she could breath more easily. She started kicking more forcefully, nailing me a handful of times in the ribs and writhing around violently. Her struggle was making it difficult to tread water, so I had to raise my voice and tell her to calm down. It was at this point that she noticed it was just me that was holding her and not some monster of the deep like the giant squid. "Are you okay?" I sputtered, blinking back the water that had collected on my face. The girl coughed up a bit of water herself, but sniffled and nodded tiredly. "Okay...Get on my back." I told her, shifting so that she could crawl around my torso and onto my shoulder blades.

She did so, locking her legs around my stomach, and I made sure her arms were wreathed securely around my neck as well. Once I was confident she was safe for the time being, I kicked harshly to propel myself forward and swim back to my boat. It was the closest one I could reach, since all the other boats had been unable to stop without causing a massive collision. Thankfully, the distance wasn't as far going back, as Professor McGonagall had made the enchanted boat turn around and head in my direction.

Once I met up with the others, I reached up and gripped the side of the boat gently, trying to regain my strength as my classmates moved over to relieve me of the girl. Seamus and Lavender leaned forward to help lift the Slytherin girl off of my back and out of the water, pulling her safely into our boat and mummifying her in some extra blankets we had taken to the event with us. My breath came in heavy huffs from swimming such a substantial distance while supporting the girl's weight combined with my own, so I took the opportunity to rest for a moment while everyone else got things settled. Draco leaned over and held out his hand to hoist me up as well, "What am I going to do with you and your brave impulses?" He chuckled lightheartedly. I shivered as a cool breeze hit my wet, exposed arms but I still laughed in response to his jest as I reached upward to accept his hand.

Out of nowhere, something grabbed my leg and yanked me under the otherwise still water. Gasping from the shock, my eyes darted around wildly, trying to determine the source of the intense downward motion. There was nothing, other than some swaying seaweed and tiny schools of fish exploring the sand below. The giant squid wasn't even anywhere in sight. Unfortunately, the cloudy water made it hard to see much detail on anything, especially in the far reaches of the area.