"Legends say that whose
who climb the mountain
never return."
•
AFTER RETHINKING MY life more than once, I came to a conclusion, it's worth the risk. I was insane, yes. I loved being nuts, yes. I believed in everything and everyone around me, yes.
It was worth the risk.
As the next day was Saturday, most students would normally have breakfasted late. Me, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, however, were not alone in rising much earlier than we usually did on weekends. When we went down into the entrance hall, we saw about twenty people milling around it, some of them eating toast, all examining the Goblet of Fire. It had been placed in the center of the hall on the stool that normally bore the Sorting Hat. A thin golden line had been traced on the floor, forming a circle ten feet around it in every direction.
"Anyone put their name in yet?" Ron asked a third-year girl eagerly.
I wanted to say I did. The secret was heavy on my chest and it wanted out. But I couldn't tell anyone yet. By night, everyone would know it anyway. Everyone would think I'm a cheat anyway.
Someone laughed behind me. Turning, I saw Fred, George, and Lee Jordan hurrying down the staircase, all three of them looking extremely excited.
"Done it," Fred said in a triumphant whisper to me, Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Just taken it."
"What?" said Ron.
"The Aging Potion, dung brains," I said with an eye roll.
"One drop each," said George, rubbing his hands together with glee. "We only need to be a few months older."
"We're going to split the thousand Galleons between the three of us if one of us wins," said Lee, grinning broadly.
"I'm not sure this is going to work, you know," said Hermione warningly "I'm sure Dumbledore will have thought of this."
Fred, George, and Lee ignored her.
"Ready?" Fred said to the other two, quivering with excitement. "C'mon, then - I'll go first -"
I watched with amusement, as Fred pulled a slip of parchment out of his pocket bearing the words Fred Weasley-Hogwarts. Fred walked right up to the edge of the line and stood there, rocking on his toes like a diver preparing for a fifty-foot drop. Then, with the eyes of every person in the entrance hall upon him, he took a great breath and stepped over the line.
"Yeah! Go Fred! Put your name in!" I cheered, nearly bursting with laughter.
For a split second everyone thought it had worked - George certainly thought so, for he let out a yell of triumph, smacked my shoulder, thanked me for support and leapt after Fred - but next moment, there was a loud sizzling sound, and both twins were hurled out of the golden circle as if they had been thrown by an invisible shot-putter. They landed painfully, ten feet away on the cold stone floor, and to add insult to injury, there was a loud popping noise, and both of them sprouted identical long white beards.
The entrance hall rang with laughter. Even Fred and George joined in, once they had gotten to their feet and taken a good look at each other's beards. "Kudos to trying!" George shouted through his white beard.
"I did warn you," said a deep, amused voice, and we turned to see Professor Dumbledore coming out of the Great Hall. He surveyed Fred and George, his eyes twinkling. "l"I suggest you both go up to Madam Pomfrey. She is already tending to Miss Fawcett, of Ravenclaw, and Mr Summers, of Hufflepuff, both of whom decided to age themselves up a little too. Though I must say, neither of their beards is anything like as fine as yours."
Fred and George set off for the hospital wing, accompanied by Lee, who was howling with laughter, and me, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, also chortling, went in to breakfast.
The decorations in the Great Hall had changed this morning. As it was Halloween, a cloud of live bats was fluttering around the enchanted ceiling, while hundreds of carved pumpkins leered from every corner. We led our way over to Dean and Seamus, who were discussing those Hogwarts students of seventeen or over who might be entering.
"There's a rumor going around that Warrington got up early and put his name in," Dean told Harry. "That big bloke from Slytherin who looks like a sloth."
Harry, who had played Quidditch against Warrington, shook his head in disgust. "We can't have a Slytherin champion!"
"Why not?" I snapped.
"Because, it's Slytherin! We just can't!"
"Do you hear yourself Harry? You sound like one of those homeless doomsday prophets who stands on the corner and shouts at you about the apocalypse," I said. "I'd like to have a Slytherin champion. It could help with stopping all the running prejudice inside the Castle."
"And all the Hufflepuffs are talking about Diggory," said Seamus contemptuously, breaking my angry rambling. "But I wouldn't have thought he'd have wanted to risk his good looks."
"Listen!" said Hermione suddenly.
People were cheering out in the entrance hall. We all swiveled around in our seats and saw Angelina Johnson coming into the Hall, grinning in an embarrassed sort of way. A tall black girl who played Chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Angelina came over to them, sat down, and said, "Well, I've done it! Just put my name in!"
"You're kidding!" said Ron, looking impressed.
"Are you seventeen, then?" asked Harry.
"Of Course she is, can't see a beard, can you?" I said.
"I had my birthday last week," said Angelina.
"Well, I'm glad someone from Gryffindor's entering," said Hermione. "I really hope you get it, Angelina!"
"Thanks, Hermione," said Angelina, smiling at her.
"Yeah, better you than Pretty-Boy Diggory," said Seamus, causing several Hufflepuffs passing their table to scowl heavily at him.
"I'd support Cedric," I said loudly. The scowling Hufflepuffs turned to me. "Really - I'd support!"
"What're we going to do today, then?" Ron asked us when we had finished breakfast and were leaving the Great Hall.
"We haven't been down to visit Hagrid yet," said Harry.
"Okay," said Ron, "just as long as he doesn't ask us to donate a few fingers to the skrewts."
"Alright, y'all go ahead," I said, moving a different way. "I'm gonna go meet my friends."
"Your friends?" Ron asked. "We are your friends."
"I have other friends apart from you Gryffindorks," I rolled my eyes. "Hermione, you can ask Hagrid yo join spew."
"It's S.P.E.W," she replied as I began walking away.
"Potayto-Potahto!" I replied back.
I hurried down the stairs to the Slytherin Common Room and reached the stretch of bare stone walls. "Pureblood," I said the password and a stone door concealed in the wall slid open. I marched through it. The Slytherin common room was a long, low underground room with rough stone walls and ceiling from which round, greenish lamps were hanging on chains. A fire was crackling under an elaborately carved mantelpiece ahead of me, and several Slytherins were silhouetted around it in high-backed chairs. I identified a mop of platinum blond hair and made my way over. Draco was lounging with Theo, Blaise and Pansy. His sidekicks, Crabbe and Goyle were nowhere to be seen.
"I head Cassius put his name in?" I asked, flopping down next to him. Theo scowled at me.
"Yeah," Pansy replied,putting down her copy of Daily Prophet. "Kinda sucks that we can't participate."
"Yeah," I said nervously. "I hope it's Cassius though. He seems far more competent than anyone else I saw putting their name in."
"A Gryffindor rooting for a Slytherin champion?" Theo snarked. "Is the doomsday nearing?"
"Hey! I like Slytherins a lot. I wanted to be in Slytherin. That tatty old hat didn't listen to me," I said. "Cassius is good. He can win if he gets in."
"What are the odds?" Blaise asked.
"Fairly good, to be honest. Not a lot of people put their names in. I'm aware of Cedric and Angelina only apart from Cassius."
"With odds like that, I do hope it's Cassius," Draco said, stretching like a blond cat. "He was really excited in the morning."
"Yeah."
"I wonder what that eternal glory would look like," Blaise said.
"Probably nothing," I shrugged. "You can't simply guarantee things like that. It's not like you can hand out glory in a bottle."
"It's the winning that matters," Draco said. "Whoever wins gets to have their name go down in history. That's fairly eternal if you ask me."
"What do you reckon will happen to the ones who aren't chosen?" Theo muttered to us. "Reckon they'll go back to school, or hang around to watch the tournament?"
"Dunno," I said. I really didn't know. This bit of the information was so useless that I had removed it from my memory altogether. "Hang around, I suppose. . . Madame Maxime's staying to judge, isn't she?"
"Where are they sleeping though?" Draco asked. "I really wanted to have us share our dorms with the Beauxbatons -"
"Oh," I replied. My voice was high for whatever reason. "I bet you'd be willing to share your bed with them too."
"I wish," Draco drawled with a smirk. "They are a fairly beautiful sight to wake up to."
"And here we thought you'd want Krum yo be with you, the way you were drooling all over him last night," Pansy said, deadpanned.
"That's Viktor Krum," Draco said as if that was an obvious reason to be sucking up to Krum. "He's the youngest seeker to play for an international Quidditch team. This Ravenclaw Girl was willing to get her tits signed by him. I'm better than that at least."
"You'd like your tits signed by Krum too," Theo said with a stifled laughter.
Draco went red. We chortled. And then we spent the rest of the morning playing exploding snaps. I lost multiple times. The squid floated by many times. Towards the end, Blaise left to speak to this pretty mermaid in sign through the glass. If Cassius was indeed the champion, he'd have no trouble with the Second Task if the Slytherins were so adept at talking to the merpeople.
A light rain started to fall mid-afternoon. The water outside the Slytherin Common Room got rather murky and rippling. The students started leaving the commons to go take a nap or whatever. Pansy and Blaise left shortly, probably to make out or whatever. Theo pulled out a notebook and started doodling.
"Do you want to join spew?" I asked suddenly to Draco.
"What is spew?"
"Society for Promotion and Elfish Welfare or something."
"Never heard of it," he said. He was flipping through the pages of a rather chunky book in a language I didn't understand.
"Yeah, because Hermione just started it. She wants to give the house-elfs some rights and privileges. Pay and holidays -"
"They don't want that," Theo replied without looking up from his notebook.
"I know that," I muttered. "Actually I don't. Maybe they're not aware of the privileges people get. They're used to this treatment and they think this is all they're supposed to get."
"So why'd you want me to join?" Draco raised an eyebrow. "I'm not going to fight for something the elves I'm fighting for don't even want."
That made sense.
"Your friend should first make the elves understand that they should want pay and sick leaves and holidays. They're not aware themselves, so if Granger just starts a movement for the elves without their approval, they're going to get pissed," Draco said casually.
Then we went back to doing whatever we were doing.
By half past five it was growing dark, and me and the Slytherins decided it was time to get back up to the castle for the Halloween feast - and, more importantly the announcement of the school champions,and most importantly, the announcement of my doom.
Therefore I was going to the Great Hall that night, waiting for the Goblet to say my name. The Durmstrang party was walking up toward the castle from the lake. Viktor Krum was walking side by side with Karkaroff, and the other Durmstrang students were straggling along behind them. Ron watched Krum excitedly, but Krum did not look around as he reached the front doors a little ahead of Hermione, Ron,me and Harry and proceeded through them. When we entered the candlelit Great Hall it was almost full. The Goblet of Fire had been moved; it was now standing in front of Dumbledore's empty chair at the teachers' table. Fred and George - clean-shaven again - seemed to have taken their disappointment fairly well. They sat on either side of me and waited with strong anticipation.
Perhaps because it was our second feast in two days, I didn't seem to fancy the extravagantly prepared food as much as I would have normally. Like everyone else in the Hall, judging by the constantly craning necks, the impatient expressions on every face, the fidgeting, and the standing up to see whether Dumbledore had finished eating yet, I simply wanted the plates to clear, and to hear if I was selected or not, if my plan had worked or not.
At long last, the golden plates returned to their original spotless state; there was a sharp upswing in the level of noise within the Hall, which died away almost instantly as Dumbledore got to his feet. On either side of him, Professor Karkaroff and Madame Maxime looked as tense and expectant as anyone. Ludo Bagman was beaming and winking at various students. Mr Crouch, however, looked quite uninterested, almost bored.
Dinner was over and we all were anxious. I was playing a double role and it didn't feel good.
"Any second now," Lee said.
"Bet you five galleons it'd be Krum," I said to Lee.
"No, I'm not betting with you," he shook his head. "You gamble like a pro - I can't!"
"I'll bet you," Parvati said from across the table. "I think it's going to be Polikoff."
"You only think so because he complimented your hair," Lavender replied with an eye roll.
The flames inside the goblet turned suddenly red again. Sparks began to fly from it. Next moment, a tongue of flame shot into the air, a charred piece of parchment fluttered out of it - the whole room gasped. Dumbledore caught the piece of parchment and held it at arm's length, so that he could read it by the light of the flames, which had turned back to blue-white.
"The champion for Durmstrang," he read, in a strong, clear voice, "will be Viktor Krum."
"No surprises there!" yelled Ron as a storm of applause and cheering swept the Hall. I saw Viktor Krum rise from the Slytherin table and slouch up toward Dumbledore; he turned right, walked along the staff table, and disappeared through the door into the next chamber.
"Bravo, Viktor!" boomed Karkaroff, so loudly that everyone could hear him, even over all the applause. "Knew you had it in you!"
The clapping and chatting died down and Parvati slid me five galleons. "Five more for another bet?" she asked furtively,willing to get back her money.
"Sure," I shrugged. "I bet it's going to be Fleur Delacour, the veela girl."
"That prissy, no way!" Lavender laughed.
Now everyone's attention was focused again on the goblet, which, seconds later, turned red once more. A second piece of parchment shot out of it, propelled by the flames.
"The champion for Beauxbatons," said Dumbledore, "is Fleur Delacour!"
"No way!" Parvati slammed the table.
"Pay up," I said with a smirk, wiggling my fingers.
"It's her, Ron!" Harry shouted as the girl who so resembled a veela got gracefully to her feet, shook back her sheet of silvery blonde hair, and swept up between the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables.
"Oh look, they're all disappointed," Hermione said over the noise, nodding toward the remainder of the Beauxbatons party.
"Disappointed" was a bit of an understatement. Two of the girls who had not been selected had dissolved into tears and were sobbing with their heads on their arms. When Fleur Delacour too had vanished into the side chamber, silence fell again, but this time it was a silence so stiff with excitement you could almost taste it. The Hogwarts champion next . . .
"Anyone willing to bet? I feel like getting fifteen galleons richer today," I said.
"I'm scared of you now," Parvati said, looking at me with squinty eyes.
"I'll bet you," said Dean from a little farther away. "I bet you, it's going to be Angelina."
Angelina flushed a deep scarlet and I shrugged. "I think it's going to be Cedric."
"I thought you were rooting for Warrington?" Harry said.
"I changed my mind."
And the Goblet of Fire turned red once more; sparks showered out of it; the tongue of flame shot high into the air, and from its tip Dumbledore pulled the third piece of parchment. "The Hogwarts champion," he called, "is Cedric Diggory!"
"No!" said Ron loudly, but nobody heard him except me; the uproar from the next table was too great. Every single Hufflepuff had jumped to his or her feet, screaming and stamping, as Cedric made his way past them, grinning broadly, and headed off toward the chamber behind the teachers' table. Indeed, the applause for Cedric went on so long that it was some time before Dumbledore could make himself heard again.
"Pay me!" I slammed my goblet in the table. Dean was glaring at me so hard I would've died if he was superman with lazer eyes. He practically threw the galleons at me that I pocketed with a smirk.
Then, I gulped down a lot of water because my name may or may not come out, as per the trickery.
"Excellent!" Dumbledore called happily as at last the tumult died down. "Well, we now have our three champions. I am sure I can count upon all of you, including the remaining students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute in a very real -"
But Dumbledore suddenly stopped speaking, and it was apparent to everybody what had distracted him. The fire in the goblet had just turned red again. Sparks were flying out of it. A long flame shot suddenly into the air, and borne upon it was another piece of parchment. Automatically, it seemed, Dumbledore reached out a long hand and grabbed it. It was either going to be Harry or me. I hoped it was me because the anticipation was killing me and I needed it to be over soon.
"Harry Potter," he said. Harry stared blankly at everyone.
Harry turned to Ron and Hermione; beyond them, I saw the long Gryffindor table all watching him, openmouthed. "I didn't put my name in," Harry said blankly. "You know I didn't." Both of them stared just as blankly back.
"Harry Potter!" he called again. "Harry! Up here, if you please!"
"Go on," Hermione whispered, giving Harry a slight push. He got to his feet, trod on the hem of his robes, and stumbled slightly. He set off up the gap between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables. He turned back to look at me once and I smiled feebly at him with a shrug. Then he went and disappeared behind the chambers.
There was a stunned silence in the Great Hall. And then, as if the Goblet blushing for the fourth time wasn't enough, it blushed again. I stared at the parchment flying into Dumbledore's hands as he made an eye contact with me. There was another silence. The next few things happened in a matter of seconds. Dumbledore stared at me through his half moon spectacles as I downed another glass of water. I knew it was me.
I looked over at Draco who was looking at Dumbledore. I guess he felt a stare because he turned to look at me. He looked confused. He shrugged at me as I felt my vision go hazy.
From tomorrow on, I'll be a villain to everyone. Everyone will think that I put my name in. Which I did. They'll think I'm a cheat. Which I am. And I'd have to learn to not care at all because, well, I don't know.
But. . .
"Skylar Firegold," he said, soft but firm. I closed my eyes and looked at my plate, reflecting my face. I was glaring.
I got up as everyone stared at me. Ron looked so stunned that if the situation wasn't so serious, I'd have laughed.
"No, what! That's not possible," Draco said loudly from his table. There was a loud creaking as I looked at him. He had gotten up his table. He looked around frantically, as if waiting for someone to yell, "You've been punked!"
I hopped over the bench I sat in and straightened my robes, jutting out my chin. Up at the top table, Professor McGonagall had got to her feet and swept past Ludo Bagman and Professor Karkaroff to whisper urgently to Professor Dumbledore, who bent his ear toward her, frowning slightly.
I refused to look at him as I made my way down the aisle. It felt like an immensely long walk; the top table didn't seem to be getting any nearer at all, and I could feel hundreds and hundreds of eyes upon me, as though each were a searchlight. The buzzing grew louder and louder. After what seemed like an hour, I was right in front of Dumbledore, feeling the stares of all the teachers upon me.
"Well . . . through the door, Skylar," said Dumbledore. He wasn't smiling.
"Skylar," Draco yelled. He was far behind me. The silence was piercing. I was glad he was speaking. I didn't want to look at him. I couldn't. "Sky," his voice cracked as I closed my eyes tight, not stopping my journey. I couldn't be scared. Lives are dependent on me.
"Go on," Dumbledore said, his voice not giving away anything. I nodded, turning and walking towards the door. I looked back once. And I regretted.
Draco looked at me with his grey eyes wide and unbelieving, practically standing on the Slytherin table. Blaise was trying to pull him back down. He snapped his arm away from him and continued to look into my eye. I couldn't meet his gaze. I guess that gave him his answer. He turned, hopped off the bench, and stormed out of the Hall.
I moved off along the teachers' table. Snape was seated right at the end. He did not acknowledge me or smile or anything. He looked completely astonished and stared at me as I passed like everyone else. I went through the door out of the Great Hall and found myself in a smaller room, lined with paintings of witches and wizards. A handsome fire was roaring in the fireplace opposite of me. The faces in the portraits turned to look at me as I entered. I saw a wizened witch flit out of the frame of her picture and into the one next to it, which contained a wizard with a walrus mustache. The wizened witch started whispering in his ear.
Viktor Krum, Cedric Diggory, and Fleur Delacour were grouped around the fire. They looked strangely impressive, silhouetted against the flames. Harry looked out of place, just like me.
"Skylar!" Harry said running towards me. "What are you doing here," he asked.
"Same reason as you are," I replied,voice cracking towards the end. He gasped and wrapped his arms around me. I needed it. I hugged him back. Beyond him, Fleur and Krum looked confused but Cedric wasn't. Maybe he just got used to these things happening every year.
There was a sound of scurrying feet behind us, and Ludo Bagman entered the room. He took Harry and me by the arm and led us forward.
"Extraordinary!" he muttered, squeezing my arm. "Absolutely extraordinary! Gentlemen . . . lady," he added, approaching the fireside and addressing the other three. "May I introduce- incredible though it may seem-the fourth and fifth Triwizard champions?"
Viktor Krum straightened up. His surly face darkened as he surveyed us. Cedric looked nonplussed. He looked from Bagman to us and back again as though sure he must have misheard what Bagman had said. Fleur Delacour, however, tossed her hair, smiling, and said, "Oh, vairy funny joke, Meester Bagman."
"Joke?" Bagman repeated, bewildered. "No, no, not at all! Harry and Skylar's name just came out of the Goblet of Fire!"
Krum's thick eyebrows contracted slightly. Cedric was still looking politely bewildered,bless his soul. Fleur frowned.
"But evidently zair 'as been a mistake," she said contemptuously to Bagman. "'Dey cannot compete. 'Dey are too young." I would've replied something to her if I wasn't so perfectly scared myself.
Then many more people came and and started causing a hubbub. Dumbledore asked Harry if he put his name in the Goblet of Fire. Calmly.
"No," he said. I held his hand tight as if to support him.
"Did you ask an older student to do it for you?" Dumbledore asked again. He said no again.
"Of course he's lying," Madame Maxime huffed. I groaned.
"How about it. Someone is conspiring against Harry Potter?" I said before I could stop myself. Moody's eye rotated wildly before Landing on me. I stared right back at him.
"Conspiracy? Behind the walls of Hogwarts? That's impossible," Snape said, weirdly as always.
"Oh, absolutely Professor," I replied, sarcasm dripping, "Hogwarts is so safe right. No conspiracy. Quirrell didn't have You-Know-Who stuck to the back of his head, absolutely."
"Don't you use that tone -" Snape began.
"Skylar has a point," Dumbledore said. Then they again started quarreling. After what seems like an hour, we were dismissed.
"Deep breaths, Harry," I said as we entered the Great Hall.
The Great Hall was deserted now; the candles had burned low, giving the jagged smiles of the pumpkins an eerie, flickering quality.
"So," said Cedric, with a slight smile. "We're playing against each other again!"
"I s'pose," said Harry.
The inside of my head seemed to be in complete disarray, as if my brain had been ransacked.
"So . . . tell me . . ." said Cedric as we reached the entrance hall, which was now lit only by torches in the absence of the Goblet of Fire. "How did you get your name in?"
"I didn't," said Harry, staring up at him. "I didn't put it in. I was telling the truth."
"Ah. . . Alright. What about you?" he asked me. Harry looked at me. I swallowed deeply.
"The Potter kids are cursed. If I told you anything more, I'd have to kill you," I smirked. Harry faintly laughed. Cedric nodded and called it a night walking towards the dorms.
"Hey Harry, go back in. I'll be back in a minute," I said. He nodded and walked up. I took a deep breath and made my way towards the dungeons.
I walked fast, straight and strong, but I seriously need a comfort. I had comforted Harry but what about me? It was strange. When I plotted, it seemed so easy. But now, it was just bizarre. Was Cedric really all that important for me to save?
The green fire burned in the braziers along the corridor spreading warmth. I walked down the corridor. And paused. I saw him sitting outside the Common Room in a window sill, behind a brazier.
I stopped in front of him. He looked up at me. And I almost regretted being alive.
His eyes were bloodshot. He had been crying because of me. Or, he was just so angry that his eyes turned red.
He stood up, a few inches taller. I didn't look at him. I couldn't.
"Did you put your name in?" he asked, too calmly. His voice was hoarse. I thought of stepping back, because he scared me.
"Why did your name come out of the Goblet? Did you, Skylar? Or someone else did?" he tried again, voice just above a whisper.
"You won't believe if I told you," I muttered. He took a step closer. He was almost half a foot away from me.
"Tell me. Did you -"
"Yes."
There was that silence again. And it was said. The truth. How else could I hide it?
"Do you hate me, Draco?" I asked, tears welling in my hazel eyes.
"Why?"
That one word. Just one goddamn word had so much emotions. It was as if he was hurting. He probably was. I would've if I was in his place too. This tournament was banned previously for it's death toll. It wasn't all roses and daisies.
"I needed to."
"Why would you need to go on a suicide mission?" he said, his voice a bit louder than he intended, probably. I flinched.
Tell him? Tell him not. Tell him? Tell him not. Tell him? Tell him -
"Answer my bloody question Skylar!" he hissed loudly.
"Harry's life was in danger. A lot of lives to be honest," I replied fast before he could lose it.
"Why you! Saint Potter can do anything. He can destroy Vol-You-know-who! How are you going to save him!"
"Because I know things he doesn't. No one does. Draco -"
"Again! I know things you don't! What do you know? Why is it so important?" he yelled. The portraits didn't complain. They stared as if watching a soap opera. I half wanted to give them popcorn.
I felt tears fall. I shut my eyes.
Don't feel.
"I'll tell you, Draco. When time is right."
There was another silence and then Draco came close. I thought he'd hug me when he grabbed my shoulder and pulled me against him. He grabbed my chin and made me look at him.
Is it really -
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you," he whispered wiping my tears. Bipolar prick. I smiled. He bit his lip and stared intently into my eyes, trying to see if I give away anything.
"It's okay. You were mad at me," I muttered. I finally looked him in the eye. We were close. Very close. I could smell his breath. Like mint.
And then, the following things happened really fast. Draco spun around, pushing me against the window sill he was previously sitting on. He pulled me into him and pressed his lips against mine.
His eyes closed a second later and so did mine.
All my previous assumptions about how weird kissing would have been, crumbled as I melted into his touch.
His lips moved against mine as I was too startled to react. Then I tried following his lead.
His hands snaked to the small of my back as he pulled me further to him, almost lifting me off my feet. I wrapped my arms around his neck.
The kiss lasted for about ten seconds, and then he pulled back suddenly. Like he wasn't supposed to be kissing me. He looked at me with his grey eyes as my fingertips lingered on my lips.
And then he walked away, disappearing behind the doors of the Slytherin Common Room.
Thinking that the kiss hasn't meant the same to him as it did to me, I sat on the sill, thinking about it. It was so perfect yet awfully wrong.
I guess beautiful things are always tragic. . .
~°°°~
HOLY FUCK THIS IS HAPPENING!!!