The morning air hung heavy with the aftermath of the match, the stadium's roar gradually fading into the distance. Amidst the cool shadows, her thoughts were a tempest, each stride pushing her further from the overwhelming chaos as the soles of Danica's shoes smushed the puddled wet grass.
His eyes were just... there. And nothing, not even her wet hair uncomfortably clinging to the back of her neck could distract her from that image.
As a matter of fact, she didn't know what exactly about them that made her feel so bothered. She's seen them plenty of times before. Just two blobs of grey.
Was it the intensity of the moment? The aftermath? Did she blame herself for the loss? 'Merlin!', she thought. She completely forgot about her brother. Was it even her fault? Or, did the game bother her at all?
This was all so stupid, and embarrassing.
She didn't know why she was suddenly running off.
Not that she really wanted to know the answer anyway. Only thinking of it made her feel nauseous. So, she tried taking slower breaths to calm down her pumping heart.
When she stumbled lightly on the gravel ground, Danica finally snapped out of her own world and looked around. The vast expanse of the Black Lake laid itself a few meters away from her feet. The heavy branches of a willow tree shaded her from the spiking out sun rays.
"I'm happy you found our spot.", startled, Danica flinched and turned around to be met with the sight of a struggling Huber who was leaning over his knees and panting. Right. She completely forgot about him, "Damn, you are so fast, I almost lost you." His bright smile cracked across his face, bringing ease to her mind.
Recollecting herself, Danica relaxed her stiffened shoulders and placed on a pleasant smile, shoving away the images of the end of the game. "Our spot, you say?", she asked with a raised brow.
"Yes, our." Maximilian straightened his back and stepped closer, stopping a few feet away from Danica. "We had our first date here." His smile never left his face.
A single glance around reminded her of that day a week prior.
When she looked back at him, her lips contorted into a subtle smirk she took one slow step closer.
"I thought it was meant to be a-"
"Friendly stroll? Unfortunately, yes, I made the mistake of giving it such a label." He walked a little closer and took off his leather quidditch gloves. Danica finally took in his messy brown hair and the way his uniform nicely clung to his wide shoulders. "My eyes are up here, dear." He raised her chin with the tip of his finger.
Before her face could be flooded with a shade of deep red, she collected herself and cleared her throat. After all, it was her job to get people flustered. "Ah, yes. A Gryffindor's idea of a friendly stroll. It was memorable indeed. Especially the part where you decided to dump me to the lake without a warning." She playfully poked at his chest.
Max feigned innocence, his hand placed dramatically over his heart. "An unforgettable baptism, my dear." He paused for a moment, and traced his amber eyes over her features, taking in how her cheeks held a soft pink tint and a fallen leaf stuck in her dark hair. Gently, he then dragged his hand and placed it on top of Danica's hand, and dropped them to his side, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles.
Her breath hitched at the gesture. She suddenly realised just how close she was standing to him, their chests almost touching. The only sounds she could hear were the soft crunch of leaves, their breaths, and the heavy beating of her heart.
"Although, I hope that's not the only part which remained unforgettable." He continued his sweet talk in a deep voice. "That would be such a shame."
"I'm afraid you'd have to remind me.", Danica fought off her newfound shyness
"How tragic, considering you prayed to have our brooms twisted." He chuckled. "Good thing Potter and I got us all a new set."
"That's a hefty length to go for something I can't even remember." She playfully scoffed knowing exactly where it was going. Danica figured playing a little hard to get would add a little more excitement. This was, after all, just for fun. She was dreadfully so, a promised woman.
"The stakes were just too high." He began grazing his hand up her arm and over her neck until it reached her face and he tucked a hair lock behind her ear. "Losing was not an option. I was promised a prize."
"Must've been something great then."
"Priceless." He said in a breathy voice, as his left hand wrapped itself around her waist and she instinctively placed her hands on his chest.
She looked him straight in the eyes, weirdly having to force away the tugging knot in her stomach. Amber didn't look right.
Or maybe it was just the way the light hit.
"Danica." He broke her out of her trance.
"Hm?"
"I really like you." He rubbed this thumb on the outline of her waist. His face hung low above her, trying to catch a glimpse of her eyes. She stubbornly never raised her head.
"Yeah," She lightly chuckled. "I figured."
"No, I..." His voice slightly cracked causing Danica to raise her brow in amusement. "I mean I really really like you. And I know that we barely met a few weeks ago, but I also know what we have is real."
She almost let out a wheeze.
'Real'? What a liar.
But the tingling butterflies of excitement in her gut kept betraying her mind.
"Danica..." He finally cupped her cheek and moved her head up to look at her. His warm breath fanned her nose and she took her sweet time to shamelessly observe him.
His thick lashes raised up and down as his gaze dropped to her red-painted lips every few seconds. The leaf-patterned sunshine that peaked through the willow tree painted his tan skin in gold.
"Yeah... Max?"
His eyes suddenly widened in shock at the name, then his face relaxed, forming a charming smile.
"You're impossible, Lestrange."
And the tiny gap between them finally closed.
His lips gently pressed against her soft ones.
It was a far better upgrade from the awkward peck she shared once with Sirius as a child, for sure. It was clear to her that he knew what he was doing.
His grip on her waist got stronger, almost desperate, as he slightly tilted his face to deepen the kiss and Danica wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I waited so long to do this.", he momentarily separated, whining into her lips.
"It has barely been three weeks.", she chuckled in amusement and leaned back in.
They both shuffled slightly in each other's arms, trying to eliminate and distance between them. Danica's eyes were half open, but when he firmly slid his hot, parted lips over hers, her eyelids glued to each other despite her desire to get a better look at his knitted brows.
Their shoes crunched the leaves over the sound of their lips smacking as he carefully lifted her body up with both of his hands wrapped around her tightly, pressing her torso impossibly closer to his.
With one last, slow, and mellow kiss, she moved away from her face and looked down at him before he placed her back down.
Max, still holding her close, whispered out of breath, "That was...wow."
Danica smirked, playing along, "Yeah... wow."
***
"Pureblood."
When the stone glew, the door opened.
The Slytherin common room was a depressing contrast to the sweet peacefulness of the Black Lake despite having a direct view of it. Green banners and decorations still hung high on the walls, despite the lack of festive spirit.
The air was packed both with quiet whispers and clamorous indignation. Hands were raised and bottles of fire whiskey opened in grievance. 'Leave that for the party' Danica heard someone shouting from the other end of the room.
Losing was a fate worse than death for a Slytherin.
Poor Rabastan. She could already imagine seeing all the passive-aggressive letters he'd receive from their parents. Not that she'd be excluded, of course. Her older brother will always find a reason to blame her.
"It was time you finally came back, Lestrange." She heard Amycus say from his usual spot at the leather sofas. "Had some fun?"
Danica looked over to the left side of the common room, where the same little group of obnoxious personalities called their blatant acts of hate- 'observations'.
"Yes, actually. Though I suppose anyone would have more fun than you right now."
Malfoy downed his drink, "Fucking Gryffindors.", he cursed as he threw the empty glass on the marble floor, shattering it.
However, despite the sour mood of the room, Alecto's revolting snickering only increased in volume since Amycus spoke to Danica.
"Anything funny?", Danica snapped.
Alecto let out a couple more squealing giggles before bringing her laugh to a halt, but her Cheshire smile remained intact.
"I think it's time you go and wash your face, cousin. You wouldn't want to leave behind any traces of the game, right? It might leave a bad aftertaste for some in here."
Danica knitted her brows in confusion. Was it the face paint?
"Right. I was about to go freshen up for the party.", she cautiously replied. Too bad Narcissa wasn't there. A bit of a hint would be welcome. "Then, if you excuse me." Danica nodded her head at them once in goodbyes and began walking towards the staircase.
The further she walked in, the more densely packed the area became, forcing her to push through a sea of bodies.
Shoulders knocked into her arms and legs carelessly kicked into her shins in the swarming crowd.
"Fuck." she quietly cursed at the sight of a muddy footprint on her new lacquered boots. "For the bloody mother of Merlin, why did everyone decide to group here?" Danica grumbled under her breath.
Her head rang from all the scolding and shouting coming from every direction. Some were cursing the Gryffindor team, others blamed the weather, and the rest were pointing at-
"Watch it Finnegan, I'd try finding anyone better." Evan's loud voice reached Danica's ears.
"Easily, we already have Lestrange."
To her left, where the source of the large crowd was, stood the Slytherin quidditch team, arguing with the rest of the house.
"Please, he's barely 12." Evan scoffed. "Besides weren't you praising Black's pants off just last week?"
"Leave it, Rosier." Regulus tried calming his friend down.
Danica stood frozen in place, watching the scene unfold. Regulus getting attacked for his quidditch skills was indeed a rarity, but his acceptance of said attacks was even more baffling.
Evan pushed his shoulders back in annoyance and shrugged Regulus off. "Whatever. There's no point in talking to these bloody morons anyway." He shook his head.
And that's when Danica realised that she made a grave mistake by not going up the stairs because as Evan cast his menacing glare around the room, his eyes paused on her. For a moment, the bustling common room seemed to hush, and then Evan's posture got rigid.
Evan's gaze lingered on Danica, and she felt a shiver down her spine, an uneasy feeling settling in her stomach. She couldn't quite comprehend why his scrutiny left her feeling exposed and vulnerable. As Evan continued to stare, confusion etched across his face, Regulus, standing nearby, followed his friend's gaze.
Regulus's reaction caught Danica off guard like a bucket of ice was dumped on her head. His face stiffened and paled. It was as if an unspoken realization hung in the air, and his usual composure wavered like he held a secret, one that she wasn't privy to.
Without a word, he turned away, his shoulders slumping with a weight she couldn't fathom, and marched off to the boys' dorms. A chain of curses from distraught fans followed suit.
'Can he not even stand looking at me?', wondered, blaming herself for the defeat.
Danica turned to take one last look at a very disappointed Evan and walked up the stairs.
Her mind buzzed with confusion as she entered her room, finding it void of Narcissa. The empty bathroom offered a momentary reprieve, a chance to wash away the remnants of the disastrous Quidditch game.
The teal light filtered through the window, casting a cold glow on her disheveled appearance. The weight of her damp robes and the lingering disappointment in the air made her feel as if she wore heavy armor.
As she looked into the bathroom mirror, the realisation hit her like a Bludger to the gut.
Carrow's mocking words, Evan's accusing gaze, and Regulus's unexpected reaction—everything fell into place.
"Shit."
Her red lipstick was smudged all over her mouth.