𝖶𝖨𝖢𝖪𝖤𝖣 𝖧𝖠𝖳𝖤 | 𝖥𝖱𝖤𝖣 𝖶𝖤𝖠𝖲𝖫𝖤𝖸

18

I got out of the changing room and remembered the second task was about to happen in less than half an hour. Since it took place in the lake, we had to take some boats to get us there so I went fast to the quay.

Almost everyone was already gone, I could visualize how only two boats were left. Fuck it, how much time did I spent in the changing room?

I saw Neville talking to Harry Potter and I quickly went straight to them. Thank Merlin I wasn't the only one who didn't leave yet.

"Neville!" I called him and both boys turned around. The Longbottom kid received me with a big smile while Potter looked at me with kinda uncomfortable and forced kindness.

"Hey, Lilith! I'm showing Harry how to use the Gillyweed, you haven't left yet?"

"No, I got...busy at the Quidditch field," I said, avoiding, of course, how I got busy.

"That's okay, we can grab one of the boats right there," Neville said still smiling. "They are only for two people but Harry is going in the ones meant for the competitors."

"Yeah, by the way, thank you for helping Neville to get this." Potter talked for the first time, kinda awkwardly, and keeping his distance as if he didn't trust me at all. "I hope you didn't get in trouble with your uncle."

"It's okay, Professor Snape will not notice it."

He nodded and, waving at both of us still awkwardly, he said goodbye while walking away to the competitors' boats' zone.

"Come on," Neville started a few seconds later. "Let's get the boat or we will not get there in time."

I started walking behind him.

"Do you think Potter will make it with the Gillyweed?" I asked.

"I hope so, everyone in Gryffindor has their hopes in him," Nev replied.

"Well yeah, I'm with Hufflepuff in this, sorry."

"It's okay, you are friends with Cedric the same way I'm friends with Harry. It's obvious you're going to support him."

Without any other word, we got to the place of the boats but found out that we weren't alone.

"I told you if we made the bets here we would lose the boat, you idiot!" George Weasley patted his brother while closing a little box between his hands. "We should have done them at the lake."

Fred didn't answer to him since he was deadly quiet with his hands inside the pockets of his trousers and his eyes looking at the floor. Apparently, he also changed his clothes since now, he was wearing a sweater, a beanie and normal jeans.

"What's going on with you, mate? You are so quiet." George continued.

Fuck, I hope they don't see us.

"Hey, guys!" Neville practically shouted at them while waving. He quickly got their attention and they started to walk in our direction.

I felt how the blood left my face and suddenly, I wanted to throw Neville at the lake. When both twins got in front of us, George had a kind smile on his face but Fred was looking at me with his eyes opened broadly and I felt my cheeks warming. I wanted to take my eyes off him but I couldn't.

"Hey, you two," George said. "How are you, Nev?... Lilith, you look a bit flustered, you good?"

I got out of my dreamy state and forced myself to look at him and ignore his brother.

"Y-yeah, I'm good. Just a bit tired."

"Okay..." he replied a bit confused and not too convinced. His eyes went back to his brother and then, something in his head must have clicked, because he looked at him as if he had just made a discovery. "Well, are you going to see the task too?" recovering his normal tone.

Neville and I nodded at the same time.

"Yeah, we are going to catch one of those two boats."

"So are we."

The four of us approached the boats in what to me felt like an awkward atmosphere. The two rowboats were ready and Neville, like the gentleman he was, let me get in one of them, first. When he was about to get in it as well, George grabbed his sleeve.

"Mate, have you seen Fred and I's bet system? We are going to gain all the money from those rich pricks from Drumstrang. Why don't you come with me to see it?"

Oh, no, no, no, no.

He basically dragged Neville with him to the other boat and in less than a minute they were on their way to the other part of the lake.

Shit.

Fred was staring with an annoyed glare at the place where his twin and Neville were sailing. With a huge sigh, he got into my same boat and grabbed the oars.

"Not a word." he seethed while starting to paddle.

It wasn't like I could form a single sentence at that moment. Our previous encounter was still dancing in my mind and the anxiety was hitting me hard. After a couple of minutes of complete and uncomfortable silence, he talked.

"What happened before..." Fred started.

"It never happened." I interrupted him.

"It was an accident," he said at the same time.

He looked at me for the first time and there was a shine in his eyes that I didn't see before.

"I don't know why it happened but it won't repeat," he stated and I nodded. "I don't want you to kiss me ever again."

EXCUSE ME?

"You can be sure it won't happen again, but it was YOU the one who kissed me."

He sighed, exhausted.

"Whatever you say, Arambella, but you get the point. I don't know what happened in my mind, maybe the air was hexed but I have to leave it clear, I would never kiss you. It was an awful mistake."

"Well, I wouldn't kiss you either," I replied kinda offended, crossing my arms in front of my chess.

He couldn't help but chuckle.

"C'mon, don't pretend you didn't like it..." he replied arrogantly.

"Not a bit." I quickly replied proudly.

"You legs around my hips said otherwise," he mumbled.

"Yeah, and your hands did too but I'm not reminding you, am I?"

"Bah! A moment of weakness. Don't have yourself in such high esteem, darling." he talked, making that 'darling' sound full of sarcasm.

"Whatever you say, Weasley."

"You haven't been kissed like that in your entire life," he said a little bit later.

"Yeah, Ced kisses better."

"You wish."

"You are too full of yourself, man."

"Oh, so are we gonna pretend I didn't get you wet?" he said lowering his voice and looking at me like a hunter to its prey when it knows it's going to win. "Because I could feel how your body reacted to me, Lilith"

"You wish." I imitated his words. Noticing we already got back to land, I stood up quickly off the boat. "Don't dream too much about me, Weasley," I said leaving him there.

As I walked away I heard him giggling.

"I can tell you the same!"

Bloody bastard...

While I was looking for Liv, Pauline and Draco in the crowd, my mind kept going back to the conversation and the moment with Fred. He was damn right, the fucking prick, I was going to have a hard night thinking about him...