𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐔𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐍 ☆ᵈʳᵃᶜᵒ ᵐᵃˡᶠᵒʸ☆

15. "The second challenge was boring."

The kiss was not something Sophia could describe. Kissing him felt so right, but she knew it was wrong. She was supposed to hate him and she just couldn't bring herself to pull away from the mess she brought upon herself.

Draco cupped her cheek and held her waist with the other to pull her closer to him as they sat on the grass looking out at the lake. The grass was scratchy but they didn't mind; their thoughts were occupied.

When they both slowly pulled away their faces remained close to each other, looking into one another's eyes.

Neither knew what to think.

Draco had thought about kissing her lips more times than he cared to admit. But never in his wildest fantasies did he think he would find himself this breathless. Not from the physical kiss itself, but rather how it made him feel.

He wanted to do it again and again until his lips bruised and turned into an ugly shade of purple.

He wanted to hold onto her so that his hands would never be without hers.

He wanted to be with her. It was a revelation he hated himself for. She wanted to think her ugly and unpleasant. He wanted her to be rude and ignorant. He wanted her to be anything other than her ethereal self.

But she was celestial, sitting on the grass in front of the moon kissed black lake, in a dress that made her look like a goddess fallen from the mount Olympus. Her almost invisible strings of freckles along her nose and cheeks were dancing starts fallen from the night sky above them. Her eyes, an abysmal ocean, he wanted them for himself, to shelter them from the gaze of those unworthy of their beauty.

"I still hate you," was the first thing Sophia said to break the silence.

She had been starring into his eyes for too long. She had gotten lost in the grey storms of his eyes and found herself forgetful of her chant. Her mind repeated her declaration of hate for Draco Malfoy routinely. But a heart can not be leashed to tamed as easily as a mind. Her heart seemed to forget or ignore her minds warnings and fell for the one person she did not want to fall for.

"I don't doubt that for a second," Draco whispered back to her.

"Good," Sophia stood up and brushed off her dress while checking for grass stains. "Being a good kisser doesn't make you any less aggravating."

"You think I'm a good kisser?" A smirk was playing on his lips.

"Shut up," Sophia flushed as she realised what she had revealed. She should just take a vow of silence, at this point, to avoid her embarrassing slip-ups.

"If it is any succour, you're a pretty good kisser yourself."

"I'm gonna head back," Sophia refused to look up at the Malfoy who had just gotten himself off the ground too.

He walked beside her in silence and knew that she would refuse to talk about it any time soon.

She watched his strides beside him from the corner of her eye. She hated her self more than ever. Why did she have to enjoy it? And why did she want to do it again?

She wouldn't tell her friends about what had happened. How could she? They would think she actually liked him. She did not.

She understood how wrong it was to kiss him and pretend it never happened, but she didn't know what had possessed her to act upon her thoughts like that. It was unintentional.

She would not bring it up unless he did. And she had a hunch that he wouldn't.

~*~

The second challenge was boring.

Sophia was sure the Champions were having a blast deep down in the dark lake, but it wasn't a matched thrill up on land where students and teachers awkwardly watched the still water for an hour.

Whose idea it was to have the most dangerous and exciting event of their school year be taken underwater where none of them can see?

"I'm bored out of my mind," Daphne groaned.

Ismelda did not move her eyes from their firm placement on the words in the book she held between her hands as she wordlessly reached into her tote bag and pulled out a fashion magazine, shoving it into Daphne's hands.

Sophia found herself observing the crowds around her. Most everyone was either reading or silently conversing.

She noticed Draco from the perimeter of her eye. He was only a few seats across from her.

The Malfoy was seated beside his swooning goons and Zabini. Crabe and Goyle were snacking on cupcakes. Now she wanted one too.

"I for one hope whatever vegetable Longbottom gave him stops working early enough to drown Potter."

A small smile crept onto Sophia's lips at the crude wishes of Draco Malfoy. She quickly corrected herself and snapped her face shut.

Fleur came to the surface first but she was empty-handed. She had lost the challenge. Sad.

Following her next was Cedric Diggory with a very soggy and breathless looking Cho Chang. She was hyperventilating.

Moments later, that seemed to drawl on like hours, came out Victor Krum with Hermione Granger. Sophia wondered what Krum saw in the girl. There was nothing wrong with her, she was quite a pretty girl when she wasn't being a surprisingly misogynistic and aggravating nerd. But she was so different from him. What on earth did they talk about? Would he just watch her study and have him watch him practice Quidditch or something?

A short moment later came out Harry Potter with Ron Weasley and Fleurs younger sister.

Why did he take both? Surely the school had a backup plan in situations where the champion failed? They wouldn't just leave her to die because her sister was incompetent. But then again, Sophia knew that when Dumbledor tried to use logic, he failed. Hence why she once had to venture into the dark forest as punishment for going into the dark forest, a forbidden ground. Logic? Nope, not here, this is Hogwarts.

Cedric Digory was declared the winner of the second task with harry in a close second. He had managed extra points for saving two rather than one. Again, Why was that heroic act even necessary?

"Cedric Digory looked kinda good with his hair wet," Daphne leaned in and whispered to her friends.

"Ugh I know right!" Ismelda agreed.

"He looked good with his hair dry, as well," Sophia commented.

"True," Daphne turned around to look at the winner who was standing on the wooden dock with a white towel over his shoulders. "But now we know what he looks like after a shower."