AN: So this chapter proved really difficult to write, so thank you for being patient with me. Once again, I ask you to let me know what you think because it really does help! Enjoy ~TheOnlyQuirk

14) Silver Fish

Hermione woke up to the sun streaming through the branches over her head. It took a moment for her to get her bearings and remember where she was. And when she finally did remember, she found out she couldn't move. Because there was something large and heavy draped over her making an odd noise.

Draco Malfoy was snoring.

Not a loud, rumbling disgusting snore, but an oddly soft snore that could only be heard if you listened quietly. Hermione tried not to giggle.

He looked oddly different asleep, Hermione thought. Less obnoxious, more child-like. The usual smirk of interference or calculating expression was gone, washed away with slumber, leaving only a boy. One arm was draped across Hermione's torso like a teddy-bear, his head on her shoulder. She didn't dare move, but at the same time she wanted to get up.

"Malfoy." She whispered, and when he didn't move, she said it again louder.

"Malfoy!"

"Huh?" he said sleepily, and opened one eye.

"Would you mind moving off me please?" She asked politely. She secretly hoped he would be embarrassed, to make up for his mocking last night.

"Why, am I making you feel uncomfortable?" he said, the infuriating smirk back on his face.

"Yes, there's a stick stuck in my back." She lied.

"I also think you should remove the stick stuck up your –"

"Oh shut up."

Malfoy chuckled and moved over, immediately reaching for his wand. Hermione wandered how he could be so laid back, considering the circumstances. Attempting to get at least one over him, she said casually,

"Oh, and you snore by the way."

His shoulders stiffened. She'd got him.

"Malfoys do not snore." He said.

"Well you do," Hermione replied with a smile, "it's what woke me up."

"I thought the stick woke you up?" He smiled.

Damn.

"I'm going to get some food." Hermione grumbled, crawling out of the den. Malfoy watched her disappear through the branches, and was just about to lay back down for another 5 minutes, when he heard a scream, followed by a loud splash.

"Hermione!" Malfoy called, and stuck his head outside of the den. He was glad he didn't just crawl out quickly like Hermione did, because surrounding them, was an ocean of blue. They're den was the only thing he could see above water, as if someone had picked it up from the jungle and placed it in the middle of the sea.

"Malfoy!" he heard, and just a few metres away he spotted her, brown hair plastered to her head, attempting to tread water amongst the waves that seemed twice as big as regular sized ones.

"Look out!" she cried, but it was too late. A huge wave had come up behind him and crashed right on top of the den, plunging the both of them into the water. Hermione watched as Malfoy was enveloped by the wave, her arms aching and lungs burning. The water was freezing, making her legs numb and lips blue. She took a deep breath of air and ducked underwater before another wave could swallow her whole.

She re-surfaced, and gasped for air just as another wave crashed on top of her, pushing her back under water. Hermione's chest tightened as she flailed desperately, her mind racing that she had read somewhere that drowning wasn't too bad a way to die… but she didn't have time to contemplate further as a large hand yanked her upright, heaving her above the water and giving her a chance to breathe.

"Hermione! It's me!"

Never had Hermione felt so relieved to hear Malfoy's voice, and she grabbed onto his arm to keep herself upright.

"I'm going to put a bubble head charm on us!" He shouted, trying to make himself heard above the crashing of the waves. Seeing another wall of water come steadily towards them, Hermione cried out,

"Hurry!"

And with the skill of a practised wizard, Malfoy managed to conjure two clear bubbles of air for Hermione and himself just before the wave approached them again. Ducking below the water, Malfoy made signals for Hermione to follow him.

Now that the noise and chaos of above water had gone, Hermione found it rather eerie. The water was a murky grey, her vision only extending far enough to see the outline of Malfoy a couple of metres ahead of her. The occasional crash of a wave was signified by a noise that reminded Hermione of the same noise that a pillow made when it was dropped to the floor. Malfoy stopped, and signalled that he was going to swim upwards to see if he could say anything…well, that was what Hermione interpreted, since all he did was point to himself and then upwards. Following his lead they broke the surface of the water.

"There!" Malfoy shouted, and pointed to a large land mass, that didn't look too far away.

"An island?" Hermione guessed.

"We need to get to it!"

"Wait!" Hermione gasped. "If that's the only island in this arena, then they're trying to get us all to get there. It is a trap!"

"Do you have any other ideas bookworm?" Draco said, still treading water.

Hermione realised with a growing sense of unease that he was right. They wouldn't last much longer in the water anyway, and at least on land they could use the wand more efficiently. She nodded, but as she did so she was pulled underwater with a strangled yelp.

"Hermione!" Malfoy shouted, and without bothering to renew his bubblehead charm he dove in after her.

Cormac was there, struggling with Hermione underwater. A misty trail of pink dispersed in the water lead to a cut in her arm, created by the same jagged knife that was now pressed to her neck. Malfoy acted fast, shooting a spell straight at McLaggon, causing him to fall back in slow motion. Hermione, almost out of oxygen, made a desperate rush to the surface and gulped in the cool air once more.

The waves had now settled, and the water looked clearer. Hermione could see that there was only a short distance between themselves and the island.

"Thank you" she said, as Malfoy came to surface too.

"Don't mention it."

It took about ten minutes to swim towards the island until they could finally stand up and begin to walk, water still around chest height.

"What do you reckon has happened?" panted Hermione, limbs aching from the amount of effort.

"No idea." Malfoy responded. "I guess they can change the layout of the arena whenever they like, although they've never done so before."

"Thank you again." Hermione said again, sincerely, stopping him.

"I thought I said don't mention it?" Malfoy responded lightly.

"But you didn't have to risk your own life; you could have very easily swum away."

"I wasn't going to let you die Granger."

"You called me Hermione earlier." She reminded him. He gave a sly smile and carried on walking.

"Why?" she asked, a few minutes later in silence.

"Why what?" Malfoy asked.

"Why couldn't you leave me to die?" As she said it she was reminded of their conversation on the roof, the night before the arena.

'Why are you doing this?'

For a moment, she thought he was going to give her a proper answer. But instead all she got was,

"Because then I would have nobody to tease." He said, grinning.

The water now reached up to their knees, and it was startlingly blue. Hermione spotted the odd silver fish dart between her feet, and small plumes of white sand would obscure the water around them as their toes disturbed the ocean floor. Looking up at the island, she could see dense vegetation and what looked like a small rocky mountain on one side. She wondered how many other tributes were already here.

"Have your wand ready" She said.

The beach seemed so painfully close, that it seemed like fate was mocking her, but Hermione couldn't remember what she saw or heard first.

The splash of Malfoy's unconscious body hitting the shallow water, or the translucent jelly fish that floated past.