the girl with all of the choices

t h i r t e e n

4056 words

february twenty-fourth- the second task

It had been almost two months since the first time Draco and I kissed. We were still together, sneaking off to the Astronomy Tower at night to see each other without worrying if others would see us. I still hadn't told my friends about us. A few weeks after we first decided to keep us a secret, he explained how if word got back to his father about us, he would probably be sent to Durmstrang next year. I didn't want to risk that, so I decided to not tell Cedric and Fawn. I would tell them eventually, just not yet. I didn't want to put Draco in that position. 

The time had finally come for the second task to commence. A few weeks ago, Cedric figured out what the task would be. Apparently the golden egg he got from the first task provided clues when it was opened underwater. He had told us after he figured it out that he'd have to retrieve something from the Black Lake, and that he had an hour to do it. Matt and I decided to try to help him find a way to be able to swim underwater for an hour. I discovered the Bubblehead charm in a book in the library, so Cedric asked Professor Flitwick to teach it to him. The plan was for him to use it in the task, which started at 9:30 am. I just hoped it would work.

I woke up early that morning with a dreadful feeling in my stomach. I wasn't sure why though. My first thought was Cedric, so I got dressed and went to go find him. 

I found him sitting in the common room alone. He was in his pajamas, just sitting there in the stillness of the early morning. I looked at the clock on the wall. It read 7:30 am. He had to be down at the Black Lake at 9:15, so I decided to sit with him for a while.

We sat there in silence; both of us knew why the other was not speaking. 

He leaned his head on my shoulder and sighed. "I miss you," he said.

I looked at him, his head was now upright. "What do you mean?" I laughed. "I'm right here." 

"It's just," he said, "I feel like we have barely seen each other since Christmas." I felt a pang of guilt in my chest. I had been spending more time with Draco, which meant I wasn't with my friends as much. 

"I know," I answered solemnly. "It's just that I've been busy," I lied. I wanted to tell Cedric. I wanted him to know how happy I was, how happy Draco made me. I wanted to tell him about the sweets that he always got me, how he wasn't who everyone thought he was, how he made me feel like the only girl in the world. But I didn't. Today wasn't the right day. "Plus," I teased, "it seems like every time I go to hang out with you you're with your girlfriend." 

He chuckled. "You're not wrong," he said smiling. 

We sat there in silence for another moment.

"Are you nervous about the task today?" I asked quietly. 

"I'm just worried I won't be able to find my treasure," he said somberly. 

"You'll be fine, Cedric," I reassured him. "You are literally the most talented wizard I know. If anyone can do this, it's you."

He nodded at me gratefully. We continued to sit there, talking about everything we hadn't been able to catch each other up on for the last two months. He told me about how well things were going with him and Cho and the trouble that he, Fred, and George were getting in to. It was nice, just sitting there and talking. While we talked, people came and went through the common room. Matt, Fawn, and Ainsley had gone down to the Great Hall to eat breakfast. They said they would meet us at the lake.