Fall (Harry Potter/Next Generation YHMH)

Chapter Twelve

"Bella!" Nick screamed.

He saw her fall into the icy abyss. By the time he reached the lake, however, she was already gone.

He stood at the edge of the lake. A crack had opened up on its surface. His friend was no where to be seen.

"Incendio!"

The second the top of the ice had melted under his incantation, he dropped his wand to the snow, along with his new sweater made by Mrs. Weasley.

Without a second thought, he dove head first into the water. His entire body felt still at that moment. His heart beat was quickening, but then slowed. His simple movements took more work than normal to execute. Still, however, he willed his beautiful blue eyes open, searching for his friend.

He saw her then. He body was slowly descending to the bottom of the lake. Her eyes were closed. Her body didn't move. He swam down as fast possible and grabbed his friend's waist. He held her motionless body against his as tight as possible. He was becoming tired and couldn't hold his breath much longer.

But he refused to let Bella Molly Weasley die.

He swam as hard as he could to the surface. With a hard struggle, he pulled both of their bodies up onto the solid ice.

"Bella!" Nick was shaking her body, trying to rouse her awake. "BELLA!" He searched for a pulse but couldn't find one.

His entire body shook, but still he took all of his energy left and performed CPR on her, a skill he was thankfully taught at Hogwarts after it was needed to be used on a student. Madame Pomfrey then convinced Headmistress McGonogall to make it mandatory.

He said the steps in his head as he did so. Two breaths, thirty compressions. Two breaths, thirty compressions. The feel of her icy lips against his own was unnerving. Was she even alive? The longer he tried to resuscitate her, the more lifeless she felt.

After going through what seemed like hours of CPR, his friend showed life. The blonde girl coughed, sputtering up water and body shaking. "Bella?" he asked, his own body shaking. The energy he used to resuscitate her warmed him up a bit, but he was still shivering.

She didn't respond. He removed her sweater, which was soaked and had icicles forming on the fringes. Pulled his new black sweater over her head, in an attempt to prevent frost bite from plaguing her. He threw her frosty sweater around his shoulders and his wand in his pocket, then picked his love up, her cold, shivering body pressed against his bare chest.

"Don't die on me, Bella. Please, don't leave me," he mumbled to her, running as fast as his body willed him. The lake wasn't close to the house; a large hill separated them.

He began to scream for help as he approached the house. Upon seeing him, frazzled and carrying Bella, they assumed the worst. The door was open for him by the time he reached the house.

"Carry her up the bathroom, Nick," Mrs. Weasley told him, before calling for her daughter to gather some things from the kitchen. "Sarah, dear, go get her a change of clothes. Is Audrey still here? Oh, dear, there you are. Go grab some blankets and warm them up. Emily! Grab some towels please!"

Nick brought her in the bathroom, were he was instructed to lay her in the bathtub. "What happened?" Sarah, Bella's mom, asked him. She was just as stunning as her daughter.

Nick was still shaking. As cold as he was, he wasn't prepared to leave Bella's side. "I didn't really see it. I was going out there to see how she was, and right before I got there she fell in the lake. So I dove in after her." Nick dropped her soaking wet sweater that was around his shoulders to the floor.