Ch. 8: The Cove
Three o'clock. Three o'clock? Holy Mother of God.
Used to ten hours of sleep at a minimum, Cho realized how the next morning would go. It was truly awful.
And Malfoy is such an ass.
She wondered what Amita and Madeline were up to. Scattered in pieces across the Common Room floor? She knew not.
She cautiously stepped into the Common Room and looked around. It was deserted, save her own books and parchment which were still lying in front of the fire. It was 9:00—she'd been gone for nearly two hours.
Gathering her things, she headed up to her dormitory. Despite the time, it was disturbingly quiet. She walked into her room and found Amita on her bed, doing her homework furiously. Madeline was nowhere to be seen.
"Hey there, babe," Cho said, dropping her quills and parchments and sitting down next to her.
"Hey," Amita replied flatly. She didn't take her eyes away from her parchment.
"You alright?"
Amita looked up. Cho couldn't really read the expression on her face, but she knew exactly what was on her mind.
"What do you think?" she said bitterly.
Cho sighed and sat back. "Don't take it out on me," she said, checking her nails, "Where's Madeline?"
Amita hesitated and cast an irritated look. "I have no idea, and I really don't care."
"Why didn't you just tell her? Or me for that matter? Hell, I'm your best friend." Cho had a tendency for being very blunt indeed.
"Tell you what, exactly?" Amita's eyes narrowed.
"About Roger,"
"What about Roger?"
Cho felt the familiar spasm of annoyance.
"That you fancied him and all,"
Amita stopped and her brows furrowed terribly.
"Don't try and ignore it, sweetie," Cho said. She was being a tad harsh.
"Fine. So you've caught me. Big deal. Can we drop it? I have enough on my mind already without your meddling, Chang,"
Cho cracked a smile. She was sure it would work out eventually. She changed the topic:
"So, I have to be at the North Pond by 3:30 tomorrow morning."
"Shit,"
"I know."
End of conversation.
After an hour and a half of finishing homework, Cho took a shower and got ready for bed. Madeline was still absent. Cho didn't blame her for it.
Amita was already sound asleep by the time Cho climbed into bed. The soft blue silk of her sheets stroked against her thighs gently as she settled in and switched off her lamp. She fell asleep after yet another day of undeniable prudeness.
Three o'clock, get up, get up!
Cho cursed her alarm as it chirped and purred its waking call. She knocked it onto the floor where it shouted offensively,
Lazy arse.
"Shut up," Cho mumbled. She lay in bed for another ten minutes, contemplating her exhaustion. Finally, she dragged herself out and cringed horribly the moment her feet touched the floor.
"Christ," she rubbed her eyes and stumbled to the bathroom. She had to wash her face three times before she could focus on her image in the mirror. She dressed quickly, grabbed a pair of robes, and started for the North Pond. The grounds were warm for three in the morning. The sky was dark, but she could see quite clearly. The pond was located a great distance from the castle: past the Quidditch Pitch, so Cho spent nearly ten minutes hiking through the damp grass.
The North Pond lay humming next to a small cave. The willow trees surrounding the whole of the pond had been magicked to grow to stupendous heights for environmental purposes; the long, green arms barely brushed the surface of the water. Cho had never been there the entire seven years she had attended Hogwarts, and the sight made her stop and smile. It was truly a sight. The slick, silent air was broken only by the soft croaks of bullfrogs, and sure enough, the water was thickly populated with the gleaming water lilies. The moon had vanished now, and everything lay softly in the blue dawn. It was 3:40, and Malfoy was nowhere to be seen.
Cho stretched, yawned, and settled herself down in the dew, enjoying the vision. After another fifteen minutes, she was becoming quite annoyed. Malfoy had still not shown up. Cho got up and walked the perimeter of the pond, making frogs jump and splash. She realized that as the morning progressed, the lilies moved slowly closer to the center of the pond. She glanced at the time: another ten minutes had gone by.
"Stupid fucking Slytherins," she muttered, kicking at the grass. She figured Draco, being the prick that he was, had stood her up…so to speak. She decided after another ten minutes to do the job herself; the sun would begin to rise within the next half hour. By now, most all the lilies had drifted away from the shore.
"Shit," she scoffed, scratching her head. She tested the water, which was surprisingly cold, and decided after some time to swim out and retrieve the flowers herself. She did not want to run the risk of damaging them with a Summoning Charm.
She hesitated and looked around before she started to undress. The silence was piercing; there was no one around for miles. She kicked off her shoes and socks, and dropped her robes, making sure to set them under a neat charm that kept them dry. Next, she pulled off her sweater with some difficulty, and then her jeans.
No harm in a quick morning skinny-dip in the North Pond, she thought happily. She brushed her long mane of hair to one side and reached to un-clasp her bra when something very unpredicted made her cease immediately and look around furiously.
"Stop," a voice demanded quickly. She searched outrageously in every direction, face white with fury. Finally, her eyes rested upon a tall, startled figure a good 20 yards behind her. Sure enough, Draco Malfoy stood, frozen, obviously just having recently entered the premises.
"Malfoy!" she gasped, turning immediately from white to a blushing carnation pink. She wondered how long he had been watching her—probably for no more than a minute, but he stopped her right before she'd undone her bra…
He seemed at a loss for words for a fraction of a second—something very unlike him. He stood, staring at Cho for a moment before recovering his trademark expression.
"Slept late—don't make such a ruckus, Chang." He turned his back on her, allowing her to wrap her robes around herself tightly.
"You're nearly an hour late, Malfoy. The lilies are in the middle of the fucking pond."
He turned around and smirked.
"Then I suppose I should join you in retrieving them?"
Cho cocked her head. She had every reason to shout at him, but refrained. Instead, she regarded him cautiously. Malfoy certainly looked very sleep-logged indeed. His usual perfectly kept hair was standing on-end, and he had deep circles under his grey eyes. His tone remained flawless, however. Cho wondered if he ever faltered in his speech.
"I'll take that as a yes," he said, shedding his robes, "Turn around, Chang. Simple courtesy."
A moment later, Malfoy called her attention with an 'Oy' and she turned to face him again, still clutching her robes around herself. Malfoy stood in his boxers. He was rather skinny, with only a faint hint of muscle definition—the product of being a Seeker. His light hair was impossibly unruly, and his eyes glittered darkly.
"Shall we then?" He started for the pond. Cho watched as he waded in, flinching as the water reached above his knees. Cho looked down at herself, and smiled for no reason. She discarded her robes and met the water in her knickers and bra.
The water was ice-cold. She dared to swim out farther, and by the time she had caught up with Malfoy, she was completely numb.
"Bugger," she muttered through clattering teeth.
"Well, now. Look at that," Draco said, pointing ahead. No more than three yards away were the lilies, gathered tightly. The name given to the Silver Shiver Lily was certainly well earned, for they were undoubtedly silver and undoubtedly beautiful. They appeared white from afar, but up close, their luscious, slender petals gleamed soft metallic. Curious, Cho moved closer and gently laid her hand on the closest one.
"Christ," she said, not taking her eyes off the brilliant flower.
"Take it then, I haven't got all morning. I'd rather keep my balls from freezing off," Draco interrupted. Cho scoffed and moved to lift it when she felt something very slimy and unpleasant attach to her leg. Before she had a chance to react, she felt several more, and saw that Draco had the same, disgusted expression on his face.
"What the hell…?" Draco took his arm from the water, and Cho saw four large black leeches firmly fastened. Cho shook and kicked, but she felt more and more leeches attach to her body. She was being dragged into the water.
"Shit!" she screamed, fighting wildly to regain the surface. Too many. She quickly became more and more weighted, and soon she could barely swim. She was now a good yard under the water.
So I'm going to die drowning. Good.
Where was Malfoy? The leeches were gargantuan.
And then, she was engulfed in a vat of boiling water…was that salt she detected? As soon as she felt the leeches fall away, she swam heavily back to oxygen. She hit the air, and immediately, a pair of arms seized her around the waist and dragged her toward the shore.
Land.
Cho was now sitting in the grass, clad in her undergarments with Draco Malfoy draped on top of her. Very aware of this, Malfoy quickly stood up.
"Sorry about that," he said without missing a beat, "You've a leech in your hair." He snatched the black thing from her hair and tossed it hastily back into the pond. They were standing uncomfortably close. Cho looked up at him.
"Your boxers are dashing, but d'you mind if we change back into our robes and never speak of this again?"
Malfoy laughed. Cho had never seen him laugh before.
Once safely back into their clothing, Malfoy and Cho agreed to use a Summoning Charm on the lilies, despite the minor damage it caused. Snape would have to deal with it. By the time they'd reached the castle, it was just before 5:00. Anxious to hop back into bed, Cho bid a quick goodbye. She turned to leave, when Malfoy (with bedraggled hair and soaking clothes) touched her ever so lightly on the arm to gain her attention. He smiled very hesitantly and Cho's stomach did a little dance.