This was written for WeasleySeeker's One Line Competition.
The water looked deep and inviting.
Even from this distance my toes were etching to carry me closer to the watery expanse that stretched out far off into the horizon.
Surrendering myself to the temptation, I slipped my feet free of my restricting shoes that had been rubbing unforgivingly against the ankle of my foot for the better part of the past hour, and shrugged off my robes so they fell casually to the floor below.
The cool night air prickled against the skin of my neck, and for a few moments I allowed the feeling to run across my skin and spread down to my shoulder blades before I scratched across the aforementioned section of my body with the tips of my fingers.
Dipping low so I was now settled on the bank at the water front, I swirled my still sock-clad toes around the surface of the liquid; the light reflecting off of it created distorted images and shapes that I could barely distinguish as my eyes fluttered close.
The cool sharpness of the water was welcoming; and despite my toes protests I dipped them further until they were completely submerged beneath it.
The feint friction of something beneath the water proved me wrong about something; fish did venture close enough to the bank of the lake to be captured (not that I'd be telling Blaise that any time soon, of course, given the detailed –and frankly rather disturbing- explanation of a spell that the other boy had hoped to perform on the poor creatures)
Smiling quietly to myself, I traced my fingers across the water beside my feet, before dipping them beneath its surface also and trapping one of the fish in my palm.
Retracting the arm carefully, I examined the orange and green shades of colour that were blotched across the scaly skin of the animal, and catalogued each mark for no reason other than pure curiosity.
I wondered briefly whether or not a book would be able to identify the fish for its species, but quickly cast this thought aside as my attention was caught by a shadow of another fish that was braving the shallow waters.
I slight smile graced my lips as the shadow danced across the edge of my toes, that were feeling the small waves that the fish sent barrelling out of it's path.
The sensation was oddly relaxing, and so I welcomed it with open arms; allowing my eyes to drift closed until the only sense I was focusing on was that of touch.
When my eyelids slid open once more, the instant intensity of the light blinded me; and I was left blinking back spots that impaired my vision as my eyes adjusted to the change in lighting.
Grinning to myself, I pushed off of the bank and into the lake until the water was waist high; causing my shirt to stick uncomfortably to my skin in places.
The waves of water brushed ever higher against my chest; the skin left exposed when they drifted away once more; cooled by the sharp air
Distantly I could hear the sound of laughter drifting apart from a tower that dominated over the surrounding structures that made up the castle, "Gryffindor." I murmured softly, mostly to myself but partly to the small fish that were still swirling around the waters that surrounded me.
No doubt they were still celebrating their victory from earlier that day, as if the pompous exclamations that taunted me as I left the Quidditch pitch hadn't been enough they now had to invade my ears when I sought the peace of the black lake.
Gritting my teeth to supress my anger, I instead surrendered myself to the hypnotizing motions of the water.
"Draco?" A voice called out somewhere behind me.
Bowing my head in annoyance, I quickly schooled my features into a far more pleasant look before turning to face the source of the noise.
"Pansy?" I called back uncertainly, finding it hard to place the voice to a face.
"What are you doing down there?" The voice replied, confirming that it was, in fact, Pansy.
Scowling as I realised that I was still waist-high in the ice chilled water, I clambered back up the muddy bank to solid ground in an attempt to maintain any dignity that I had left.
That hadn't gone as well as I would have hoped however; the usually dry mud had been soaked by the constant rain, and I was now finding it hard to get a good grip.
Still, after several failed attempts, I eventually found myself brushing off the mud that had clotted around the knees of my trouser (a rather futile attempt, given the fact that they were still sodden from the watery escapade) .
"Are you okay Draco?" Pansy's voice was dripping with concern and, despite my agitation, I offered her a grateful smile.
"I'm fine," I assured, beginning to walk towards where she stood overlooking the water front.
She nodded vaguely; her eyes focused on the image of the moon that was reflecting off of the surface of the water.
I placed a hand loosely on her shoulder and gently squeezed.
"He'll understand." She said eventually; and I could tell she was testing the waters, making sure I wouldn't get angry with her probing of my personal affairs, "he's still your Father after all."
An uncomfortable silence engulfed us, in which Pansy shot me cursory looks to gauge my expression.
"He'll understand." She repeated into the silence.
"No he won't."