I could go into the whole story of why I haven't updated...but I feel like the only thing I can say is this: There aren't words in the English Dictionary to express how sorry I am for almost a whole year without updating. Still be my friends? :)
"You've got to be joking."
Arra and Hermione stood in Professor McGonagall's office, dumbfounded at the request of their teacher.
"I'm afraid not, Miss Black. You and Miss Granger are to be two of the possessions of the champions to be recovered." McGonagall said.
"At the bottom of the lake?" Hermione screeched, obviously not okay with being held underwater for hours waiting to be rescued.
"Won't we like…die?" Arra questioned.
"Hardly," McGonagall chided. "You'll be placed under a spell to make you unconscious throughout the task. You won't need to breathe underwater and you'll only come to once you're champion has retrieved you and you surface."
Arra cringed. Even though she trusted McGonagall and Dumbledore to keep her safe during the task, she still felt mildly uncomfortable with being underwater for that long, being basically a corpse until she hit the surface.
"Speaking of champions," Hermione said, "why is it that Harry has two people to recover?"
McGonagall blinked, "Miss Black is Harry's prize. You, Miss Granger, are Viktor Krum's."
At this point, all the serious tension in the room broke as Arra snorted out a most unladylike laugh. Hermione rounded on her at once with one of her most deadly scowls. "Piss off, Arra!"
Arra wiped the tears from her eyes that had sprung up from her laughter, "I'm sorry, Hermione! I just never thought in a million years that Quidditch star Viktor Krum would have to rescue my best friend from the bottom of the lake because he's got a wicked crush on her!"
"Well same thing goes for you and Harry!" Hermione shot back.
At once Arra stopped laughing and her eyes widened. Oh shit, she thought. Of all the things in the world that they could have chosen, Dumbledore considered her to be the thing that Harry would miss most. And if Dumbledore sees something there, then there must be. And at that thought, she couldn't help an enormous smile cross her face.
"Well if you two ladies are done bickering, would you please make your way out to the lake where you will meet the Headmaster, Miss Delacour and Miss Chang."
Arra's happiness faded and was quickly replaced with her snarky self, "Cho Chang?" She snapped.
McGonagall's eyes narrowed, "Yes. For Mr. Diggory. Now, go."
"We need to stop by the library first, Professor. We promised the boys that we would return."
"No. Mr. Potter cannot know that you are to be the item he is retrieving. He will be just fine and you'll see him tomorrow after the task. Now I'm not going to tell you again—go."
Arra shirked in response to the professor's gaze and followed Hermione out of the room.
The person that the one and only Harry Potter would miss most—her. She seemed to walk with a little skip in her step as her and Hermione made their way down to the shore of the black lake. After all this time and all the muck they had been through, her and Harry were still not off the table completely. If Dumbledore had only chosen her because she was Harry's friend, why not choose Ron? They had been friends longer than Harry and Arra anyway. It was because that wise old man had sensed something more between them. And even if it came to something like relationships, Arra trusted Dumbledore to very rarely be wrong.
"We've only really been on one real date and we didn't do anything other than kiss!" Hermione explained to a very scatterbrained Arra, who wasn't listening at all. "Hello, Arra?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, totally," she murmured a generic answer, for she had no idea what was going on.
Hermione glared, "You weren't even listening, were you?"
"Uhhh…"
"Viktor!" She screeched, not waiting for an answer.
"Oh! So you're mad that you're the thing that Viktor would miss most?"
She sighed, "Not really mad, per se, more just surprised."
Arra shrugged, "Hermione, you've got the best seeker in the world drooling at your feet and you're complaining. I say just go with it."
"I'm not complaining, I'm just not sure if I'm leading him on or not. I don't even know if I really feel that strongly about him."
Arra smirked, "Why? Got your knickers in a twist over someone else?"
"Hardly," Hermione huffed. "Come on," She said as she led the last bit out of the front door and down the field into range of the black lake.
"Ah, ladies," Dumbledore said as they approached, "Lovely of you to join us."
Dumbledore was surrounded by Barty Crouch, Cho Chang and a girl that seemed to be a younger looking version of Fleur. Likely a sister, Arra supposed.
"Now that the other two have arrived, follow me," Crouch said, turning on his heel and heading out to a boat anchored to the dock. "Everyone in."
They clambered in after one another until all six were packed tightly into the small boat. Crouch took out his wand, tapped the bow of the boat and it sped off into the night.
"Lumos," he muttered and held his wand out over the water to light the way as they drove.
Arra was smashed uncomfortably between Hermione and Cho. And much in Hermione fashion, she immediately started up a conversation over the top of Arra.
"So, Cho, are you nervous to be under the water?" Hermione asked. Out of the corner of her eye, Arra gave her a look as if to say, what the heck? Hermione shrugged nervously in response.
"Um, I'm not really sure. It wouldn't be my first choice of what do to tonight, but hopefully Cedric will just hurry up and get me out of there." She answered with a small smile. It certainly was hard to hate her with all that niceness she had going for her.
But somehow, Arra found a way.
"Speaking of Cedric," she piped in, "seems like you two are getting pretty serious, huh?" At once Arra felt a sharp pain in her right leg and she knew that Hermione had kicked her for intruding.
"I suppose, yes." She smiled again and tucked her hair behind her ear. "He asked me to go steady with him after the ball so I guess we're heading in that direction."
"That's nice," Arra said, attempting a sincere smile which she was fairly sure looked like she had just swallowed a lemon. She quickly turned to Hermione and stuck her tongue out like a 10 year old to her best friend.
"Here we are," Crouch spoke up as the boat came to a stop next to another dock. One by one they exited the boat to wait for instructions.
Dumbledore lent down to the water and made a very strange sound just above the surface. Arra frowned until she saw a figure emerge from the water. A mermaid.
"Dumbledore speaks mermaid?" Hermione asked, leaning over to talk in Arra's ear.
She shrugged, "I guess. Please, that man can probably talk to trees, yarn and crayons too."
"Actually," Dumbledore said, rising from the dock, "I prefer ribbons over yarn," he said with his characteristic twinkle. "Now, I will now place upon you all the spell that will make you unconscious until you reach the surface. It will only work when you are underwater so I will perform the magic now, and then you will all jump into the lake to be taken down to the bottom."
"We are so going to die," Hermione said, shifting her weight from one foot to the other in nervousness, as Dumbledore began to wave his wand and say a spell.
He pointed his wand into the air and a shower of dust came over the four girls. Fleur's sister sneezed.
"After you, ladies," Dumbledore said, gesturing to the water.
Cho and went in first, unafraid of the darkness below her. Upon her contact with the water, her body immediately went unconscious and limp and the mermaid took her under. Fleur's sister followed.
Arra cringed at the sight of Cho's seemingly dead body. She didn't want to look like that. Especially in front of a boy she liked.
Uh oh, she thought. Draco. What would he think of her being the thing that Harry Potter would miss most?
The mermaid surfaced again, beckoning her and Hermione to jump into the water as well.
"Well," Hermione said, gulping as if to swallow her fear, "I guess this is it."
"Jump in with me?" Arra said, feeling the same fear as she held out her hand to her friend. Hermione nodded as she grasped her palm.
"Okay, one…"
Draco can't really be that upset with me, it's not like I asked to be in this thing. And besides—it's Harry.
"Two…"
You know what? I can do what I want. He doesn't own me. We're not married, we're just…snogging occasionally.
"Three!"
Fuck it. Let him be mad.
And she jumped.
"Aaaargh!" Arra sputtered as she opened her eyes. For a moment she had no idea what was happening. She was in the water, had just woken up and was coughing up a nasty storm while trying to wave her arms and legs around to keep afloat. Cheers had erupted from somewhere around her, and she noticed a nearby dock with a throng of people.
The second task.
Whew, she thought, glad to be done and over with it. It wasn't nearly as bad as she thought it would be. She didn't even remember it. She smiled and relaxed a bit as she realized that Harry had come through for her after all. She swiveled around in the water to find him—he wasn't there.
Panic struck and she darted around in the water looking for her rescuer, nowhere to be seen.
"Harry?" She yelled. "Where are you?"
"Arra!" A voice yelled behind her. She quickly jerked her head around and saw him—her scarface, sputtering as he broke through the surface of the water.
Quickly she swam over to him and threw her arms around his neck. Her weight however, with nothing underneath them, pushed the two back under the water a little bit.
"Sorry!" She backed off immediately, "Not trying to drown you."
"It's okay, Arra," he laughed and then suddenly stopped, "are you okay?"
Arra sniffed, and in that moment she realized that she was crying. "Oh, jeez," she said, wiping her eyes, "I must look a mess."
Somehow Harry shrugged while still treading water, "Well you've basically been dead underwater all night."
She laughed, "Crap, I must look worse than I think I do!" She raised her had to try and move her wet hair off her face to no avail.
"Nonsense," Harry grabbed her hand, "you look beautiful."
To hide her blush, Arra threw her arms around him once more, burying her beet red face into his neck. Harry's arms snaked around her waist and he held her tight, both of them kicking their legs to keep them afloat this time as they embraced each other in the middle of the black lake. Without letting go of her, Harry said, "Wow, maybe I should save you more often."
She smiled, "And next time you should come to the surface faster. I was worried you were in trouble."
"Er, it was nothing. Just a little mix up with some grindylows."
Arra shivered, the cold water now getting to her, "Come on, Chosen One, I'm cold."
Reluctantly, they both pulled away from each other, but Harry still kept a hand around her waist, helping her to the dock. Once there, a multitude of hands stretched out, pulling them up to the platform, checking them for injuries and cuddling them in blankets.
"Arra!" Hermione yelled, pushing her way through the crowd with Ron in tow. She too was covered in a blanket. She threw her arms around Arra. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah," she coughed from the coldness, "you?"
Hermione nodded, "I'm fine. Viktor got there quickly. He transfigured himself partially into a shark so he was able to swim fairly fast."
"Which part of him was the shark?" Arra smirked and Hermione frowned. "Hey, speaking of getting to us underwater," she turned to Harry who was sitting next to her, "how the bloody hell did you pull it off?"
"Oh, yeah, you missed that part," he said, digging in his pocket for something, "with this."
He must have used most of whatever it was, because only a small portion of something that resembled a slimy green rattail.
"Merlin's pants! What is that?" Arra asked, disgusted the same time Hermione shouted, "You ate Gillyweed!"
Arra held back a barf as she whispered, "Oh my God, you ate that?"
Ignoring a sickly looking Arra, Hermione continued, "Wherever did you get it?"
"Dobby," Ron supplied as Harry stuffed the remains back in his pocket.
Arra then drifted out of the conversation as she looked around at the people around her. Over on one of the other docks, she located the person she was looking for. Waving a "Potter Stinks" sign was Draco. She frowned. Even with her at the bottom of the lake in danger, he still rooted against Harry. She must have been scowling pretty fierce, because when he looked back at her, he matched her gaze with his own frown.
She was right. He was pissed.
With one last look she narrowed her eyes and then turned away just as Dumbledore's voice came over everyone as if using a megaphone to announce the winners.
"I can't believe it! You're tied with Cedric for first place!" Ron cheered as the four of them walked back towards the castle, smiles on their faces.
"It doesn't mean anything yet, I've still got one more task," Harry rationalized.
"Oh come off it!" Arra said, "Stop being so serious and celebrate for a moment! You're on your way to becoming the youngest Triwizard Tournament Champion ever!"
Ron clapped Harry on the back with a grin as Hermione howled in celebration along with Arra.
Arra jumped out in front of them, walking backwards in order to face the other three. "This calls for some cake and butterbeer!" She said as the others nodded in approval.
"I'll head to the kitchens and grab some supplies, you three head up to the common room. Get Fred and George to light some fireworks and let's get this party started!"
She then turned and headed on her way.
"You coming mate?" Ron asked behind her.
"Just a minute. I'll meet you there," Harry said as she heard footsteps fall into step with her own.
Out of the corner of her right eye, she saw the jet black haired boy walking next to her, suppressing a smile much like her own.
"So, er, how are you?" He asked.
"Uh, fine, I guess," she giggled a bit at their awkwardness.
He nodded, slowing his pace until he stopped completely.
Arra did a double take, noticed he had stopped and turned to face him, their bodies merely a foot apart.
"You okay?" She asked.
He kicked the ground a little bit, shuffling his feet, "Yeah I'm fine…"
"Harry—" she started just as he said, "Look, I—"
They both stopped talking, awkward silence filling the room again.
Pushed by an uncontrollable urge, she closed the distance between them and snaked her arms around his neck. In response, he enveloped her in his own arms, squeezing her hard, afraid to let go.
It seemed like hours passed as they just stood there, feeling right in each other's embrace. Finally though, Arra pulled her head back just enough to whisper in his ear, "Thanks for saving my life," before kissing him gently on the cheek.
And with that, she left a dumbfounded Harry Potter standing surprised in the corridor of Hogwart's Castle.
The skip in her step was back as she made her way down to the kitchens. She and Draco were probably going to be at each other's throats for the events of the day, but at the moment she didn't care. She had just spent a wonderful day being rescued by The Chosen One. Her scarface. Her Harry. Voldemort himself couldn't stop him from saving her it felt like. The way he looked at her when they were in the water…it just felt like nothing could stop them.
"What the bloody hell was all that about?" A drawling voice pulled her out of her current state of mind. Arra turned on her heel and saw Draco emerge out of the shadows of the hallway, clearly put out.
"Skulking in the hallways now, are we?" She wagged a finger at him, "that's awfully stalker-ish of you, sir."
In a flash his hand darted up and grabbed her wrist with his palm, holding it tightly in his grip. "I'm not in the mood, Arra," he growled, his face full of pure anger.
She twisted her hand around, unable to remover herself from his grip, "Let go of me, Draco."
"No. Not until you tell me what that was all about!"
"What? The task? Oh my God, Draco, just stop it. Let go, you're hurting me."
His eyes narrowed, "Why? Why can't we talk about it? That's what people in a relationship do, right? They talk about when they're cheating on each other?"
Arra scoffed and pulled herself closer, right up into his face, matching his scowl, "Okay, you get your head out of your ass right now and you listen to me, Malfoy. One: this is not a relationship. This is a fucked up version of a friends with benefits thing. And two: regardless of what this is, I'm not cheating on you!"
"Right. And that bit in the lake with Potter was what?"
"It was him saving me! God, now I'm realizing why we're not in a relationship. "
He sneered, "And why is that?"
"Because even on your best day, you're half the man that Harry is!" She yelled and kicked hard in his groin area. He doubled over and released her arm at once. She turned on her heel and began to walk away.
His eyes watered as he struggled to say, "You're with me, Arra, because nobody else wants you."
She stopped as her breath hitched in her throat. With lack of emotion, she turned so just half her face was showing, "And after spending all night in a lake and almost drowning, I'm fine. Thanks for asking, you prat."
As soon as she got around the corner, she broke into a run, letting the tears fall down her face, sobbing with each step.
Will have the next chapter up within the next two weeks-promise! And if I don't, you may all hunt me down and burn me at the stake. I deserve it :( I LOVE YOU ALL!