I said goodbye to Delia and Cedric, both promising to write as much as they could. I caught a glance of Draco saying goodbye to Pansy, a look on his face like he’d rather be anywhere but there. I couldn’t help but smile to myself as I retreated back into the castle. It was threatening to snow outside so the few students who were staying for winter were in the Great Hall, gathered around the fireplaces. I stood near the entrance, watching everyone make conversation.
“Hey.” I jumped, turning around.
“You scared me.” I laughed, hitting Draco on the arm.
“Come on.” He grabbed my hand, leading me down where the dungeons were. There was no one down there so we could be alone.
The two weeks of winter went like that. We would meet up, go somewhere more private and just have fun. Sometimes we would make out until our lips were numb and sometimes we would lay by the lake, my head in his lap and his hand stroking my hair. I wrote to Delia and she wrote back saying she wished she was with me because her parents had a last-minute emergency and had to leave her with her Aunt Margaret who insisted she was her sister Beatrice. By the way Delia described, Aunt Margaret didn’t much fancy her sister Beatrice.
Cedric and I wrote almost every day. Our poor owls were starting to get annoyed with us, but I couldn’t help it. Even just writing to him made me feel better and it wasn’t like Draco and I could talk. He was so secretive and no matter how much I tried, he never let me in on his personal life. But to be honest with you, I didn’t mind. Our relationship wasn’t really about talking, it was much more…physical.
The day before everyone came back, Draco and I sat at the edge of the forest, looking out at the rest of the grounds. It was chilly outside, meaning no one would be out there so we could be alone. Draco draped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me into him.
“Can I ask you something?” I asked, breaking the silence.
“Sure.”
“Do you really like Pansy?” a small chuckle escaped his lips and he squeezed me tighter.
“I went out with her mostly to make you jealous.” Mostly?
“Well, it worked.” I held in my curiosities, not wanting to ruin the mood.
The quiet gave me a chance to think about the Triwizard Tournament. The second task was coming up in a month and if it was anything like the first, I was worried.
Word around the school was it had something to do with the lake, but I hadn’t asked Cedric if he knew exactly what.
“Are you okay?” Draco asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.
“Yeah, just thinking.” Suddenly I felt something cold on my cheek. I looked up, a snowflake landing on my eyelash. “It’s snowing.” We laughed, standing up and heading back inside. The warmth of the castle filled me as Draco and I parted. Only a couple more hours before I could see my friends again and actually be with someone without having to sneak around.