A/N: Hiya! I know it's been a while since I've posted anything, but here I am! So this is again, for the QLFC and I'm Beater 2 for the Appleby Arrows. Our theme this round was 'Forbidden Love' and I had no prompts for this round. I hope you all enjoyed and this by far is one of my favourite pieces I've written for this competition!
I always watch her from the trees. Especially as the fog would roll in and I could stand, still as a statue, just watching her sit on the rock next to the black lake, running a fish-tooth comb through her hair. But I always have a nagging feeling - as if I shouldn't even be looking at her. But no one has ever caught me - I don't think. Being the head of the centaur pack, no one could really question my location and why I was there.
I stare out at the Black Lake, willing for her to appear. I haven't seen her for three days now - and that's too long. I feel as if she gives me something to live for, I guess. I see a little flicker, and my heart starts to thump and my stomach tingles with butterflies.
I stumble forward, through the thin trees, dusting of fog and sprinkles of rain, trying to get closer to the lake. I poke my head out of the forest to get a better look. I see ripples in the water, then notice something next to her rock. I sneak out of the forest, getting closer each step. After five minutes of gentle creeping to get only ten meters away, I finally arrive at the rock.
Sitting on it is three shells. I pick the first one up, tracing the sharp edges with my thumb and forefinger, intrigued with it. The outside is a light pink colour, with a few speckles here and there. On the inside, it's a shiny, pearly colour, glinting in the dying light and the curve of the shell filling up slowly with the slow rain drops.
I pick the second one up, the spiral enrapturing me instantly. The light blue colour - almost white - distracts me from the tiny dent in it. The tip and the end both end of a sharp point; not exactly sharp enough to puncture the skin; but sharp enough to hurt.
The final one is my favourite shell. It's wrapped around each other, with a spotty pattern around the bottom of the shell. The whole body of the shell is a dark grey that blends into white towards the pattern and is then overtaken by the spots, which becomes less evident as the shell gets better. I run my fingers over the silky smooth surface, completely in a trance by its beauty.
And then I see her.
Her head's half out of the water, her lips covered by the water. Her hair falls so long that it disappears into the water. We make eye-contact and she lifts her palm to her ear. I mimic her, holding the shell to my ears.
Nothing.
I see her laugh, her hands covering her mouth under the water. She twists her hands around and I turn the shell over, then hold it back to my ear. Suddenly, I hear the gentle sounds of the waves lapping up onto the rocks and the soft, high pitched singing of a mermaid.
I look back at her to find her staring at me intently, trying to gauge my reaction. I smile, taking the shell softly away from my ear.
I then realise that they're gifts. I put all three shells into the pouch that hangs loosely from my shoulder. I decide that I'm going to return the favour. My hand comes up, giving her the 'wait' signal. I canter back into the forest, going to favourite patch of daises. I pick five of the best ones, making sure none have brown marks on them from being crushed. I then find the berry bush, hidden by three giant oak trees and pick a bunch for her, wondering if she's ever tasted them. I find a giant tree leaf and fill it with the berries, so that they don't get dirty.
I find my way back through the forest and creep out to the water's edge. I lay the daises down and put the berries on the rocks, waiting for her to come to the edge. She swims slowly towards me as I back slowly back so that I'm concealed by the trees ever so slightly.
She picks up the daises from the stem, and I motion for her to bring them to her nose. She brings them up a little to much, tapping her nose with them and sneezing. I chuckle at her and she shoots me a playful glare. She finally smells them, her eyes fluttering closed and her lips forming a small smile.
She tucks them all into her locks, the contrast of white and dark brown making her look more incredible. I then mime picking up a berry and putting it into my mouth. I then 'chew' and 'swallow.' She stares at me in wonder, with a red berry clasped between her forefinger and thumb.
She puts it into her mouth, chews, then smiles in pleasure. She takes more and more, devouring them all. I can tell she likes them, despite her first reaction.
We look at each other, and I decide to head back to the group - they're probably worrying about where I am. I jerk my head back towards the forest and she nods. We stare at each, and then in a flick of her tail and a little splash, we part.
Three months go on and we've never talked, only had our little interactions and gift-giving. It used to be only every fortnight that we'd come any closer than looking at each other, but soon it increased to weekly, then every three days, to two days to every day. I bring her berries and flowers and sometimes even flower crowns. She brings me shells, smooth rocks and little trinkets she finds in the depths of the Black Lake.
"Bane."
I turn to see Firenze looking at me, bow and arrow slung over his torso, his hooves stamping the ground impatiently. His brow's furrowed, worried that we're this close to the Hogwarts grounds - that we could be spotted.
"Give me a sec," I say, staring through the trees, trying to see her.
I sigh, her dark brown, wavy hair not coming into my sight. Just as I turn away, I see something shimmery lying on her usual rock. I walk further towards the brink of the Dark Forest and the Hogwarts grounds where everything becomes visible. I hear Firenze hiss behind me, trying to draw my attention, but I ignore him. I poke my head out, scanning the grounds for any sign of human life.
Nothing.
I walk slowly out of the forest, flinching at a snap of a twig or rustle of leaves. I stand in front of the rock, the object focusing in my mind. It's a gold necklace, with a charm hanging in the middle. I turn it over in my palm, tracing the little carving of a mermaid with my thumb.
I lift my head, searching the lake for any sign of life. I'm about to turn back to go to the forest, when I see a pair of eyes behind a plant that's half submerged in the lake. They're bright blue, almost as blue as the morning sky, and I feel as if they're looking right into my soul. All I can see besides her eyes is her hair, sleeked back over her scalp from swimming and the brink of her nose. My eyes bore into hers, not daring to blink. I half raise my hand, the gold chain dangling from my fingers. She nods her head slowly and we continue to stare at each other, her eyes getting bluer and bluer as each minute passes.
Suddenly, a laugh ripples through the air, and I see her face contort in fear. She whips her head to look towards the castle, and then back at me. The next thing I know, she's flicked her tail up and dived back into the water. I see three figures in Hogwarts robes walking towards the lake and my heart thumps hard in my chest. I clasp the necklace in my sweaty palm and canter back to the forest, careful not to gallop to not draw attention.
Firenze glares at me and then we start to gallop as fast as we can, weaving through the forest's roots and heavy trees. The trees get bigger and thicker, the light decreasing, until we've made it to our territory.
"Wait, Bane," Firenze calls as I start to walk off towards my area.
I turn to him, giving him a look that challenges him to say whatever he was going to say.
"Your eyes are bright green. Greener than usual. And you know what that means," he says.
I stare at him, praying that my eyes aren't actually as green as he thinks they are - because that can only mean one thing.
That you're in love.
A/N: Did you guys enjoy it? Reviews are greatly welcomed :)
Ginny xx