Draco was incensed. No - he, was fucking livid.

Breaking away from the stream of students heading towards the spectator stands, he marched right down to the waters edge where Cedric was now doing stretches.

"Diggory!" He barked, pushing the Delacour girl aside, "it's Aurora! You've got to save her!"

Cedric looked up in alarm, before releasing an exasperated sigh upon seeing his addresser.

"I guessed as much by myself," he said dryly. "Go back to the stands, Malfoy, and let me handle this."

"I need to know what your plan is! How are you going to rescue her, exactly?"

"Look, I've got it under control! Now piss off Malfoy, you're blocking everyone's view!"

And sure enough, Draco could hear hissing and booing from the stands behind him, and a voice distinctly crying, "Move it blondie - I can't see them budgie smugglers!"

"Wait until my father hears about this." Draco muttered to himself as he stormed back up to the stands, passing a panting and harried looking Potter on the way.

Blaise chuckled upon seeing Draco's sour expression as he joined his side.

"Chill out, man. She'll be fine. Dumbledore's not going to let anyone die today."

"She's trapped at the bottom of a fucking lake, possibly with Weasley and Granger." Draco seethed, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the railings in front of him. "It's got to be horrific for her!"

"She's not you," Blaise smirked, his black eyes flashing amusedly. "I'm sure they're having a whale of a time."

Draco scoffed, his eyes glancing anxiously back at the board containing the clue. "What happens if they don't get to them in time?" He pondered fearfully as he read the last two lines of the rhyme.

But past an hour - the prospects black

Too late, it's gone, it won't come back.

"Sounds like they won't be coming back," Blaise shrugged, nonchalantly.

Draco felt sick. He hoped Cedric had a good fucking plan, otherwise he would be diving in there himself.

...

"It's been almost an hour!"

Draco was besides himself with worry. How the fuck was she surviving down there?

"Relax, man!" Blaise implored, starting to sound exasperated by his friend's anxiety.

Just as he said this, a small cheer sounded up around them. Draco's eyes shot straight to the lake's surface where, sure enough, he could see two heads pop up.

It was Krum and the Mudblood.

Draco fought his way down to the platform where the champions were to swim to with their found treasures.

"Was Aurora down there?" he bellowed to Krum who was breathlessly heaving himself and the Mudblood up out of the lake. "Did Diggory find her?"

"Give him a minute, Malfoy," Longbottom snapped, who seemed to be stationed there to wrap blankets around the contestants. "He's just spent the last hour swimming under water!"

Jesus fuck! Did no one give a shit?!

Another shout rang out in the cold February air, which immediately turned into cheers.

This time it was the Delacour girl, but she was on her own and, to Draco's horror, was screaming and crying as she splashed about helplessly in the water.

Longbottom dived in without hesitation and pulled her to the platform.

"Gabrielle!" She sobbed, "I couldn't save her! Ze Grindylows - zey attacked me!"

Draco's blood ran cold. "But Aurora? Did you see Aurora?!"

Before she could answer, more shouts rang the air. This time, Potter emerged and he had two others with him.

"Oh, Gabrielle! Thank goodness!" Delacour breathed in relief. "Is she alive? Is she 'urt?"

But Draco didn't give a fuck about this Gabrielle. And he was dismayed to see that the second person Potter had with him was the stupid Weasel.

"WHERE THE FUCK IS DIGGORY?!" Draco bellowed out across the lake.

His panic got too much for him to take now. As the whistle went to indicate that the hour was up, Draco started to pull off his jacket.

He was going in. Nobody else seemed to give a fuck about Aurora, and god only knew where bloody Cedric had gotten to.

And it was at that second that Cedric broke the lake's surface, spluttering, and clutching a gasping girl.

His girl. Aurora.

They both looked exhausted, barely able to breathe.

"I got my leg caught in the weeds," Cedric coughed, as he swam himself and Aurora through the water to the platform. "I couldn't breathe."

Draco barely listened as he positioned himself right on the edge of the platform and reached out an arm to grab Aurora from Cedric.

"Draco," she coughed weakly as he pulled her up.

As soon as she was fully out, he pulled her furiously to him, not caring that she was soaking wet, her pale blue robes drenched and clinging to her body.

"God, Aurora," he murmured in her ear as she shivered in his arms, "I was so bloody worried about you."

He bent down to quickly pick up his tossed aside jacket and draped it around her shoulders, wrapping his arms tightly around her, trying desperately to warm her up.

"I'm s-sorry, D-Draco," she stuttered, her teeth chattered maddeningly together, "I was t-turning back t-to s-say s-sorry, but I d-don't remember anything e-else."

"Shhh," he soothed, rubbing his hands vigorously up and down her back, "I'm the one that's sorry. Aurora, you know I don't care about the Veela thing, you're perfect to me."

She looked up into his eyes, and his heart fluttered at the beauty in them. He cupped a hand to her face, rubbing the pad of his thumb tenderly across her lower lip.

And, not caring that everyone could see, (and knowing that Cedric already knew), Draco crashed his lips down upon hers, his stomach knotting in fierce desire, not caring about the catcalls from the crowd, or the sharp intake of what sounded like a hiss coming from Cedric's direction.

She was all that mattered.

She broke away, breathless, looking up at him curiously. "But what about-"

"I don't care," he muttered vehemently, staring intently into her eyes. "All I care about is you and I don't care who knows it."

"Well, that's lucky then," Draco shot his head up to see the Longbottom hovering next to them, a blanket held out on his hand. "Because I think someone looks as though they might have a thing or two to say to you about that."

Longbottom beckoned behind him. Draco gulped.

Pansy Parkinson was marching furiously towards the platform, her face redder than a Weasley's head in flames on a hot summers day.

He felt Aurora try to step away from him, but he tightened his arms around her, holding her firmly to his side.

"You and her?" Pansy screeched, making Draco wince. She stomped onto the platform, her face screwed up in ugly anger as she pointed a menacing finger at Aurora. "You've dumped me for that?"

"Pansy, you and me - we were never together. It was all in your head!" Draco spat.

"She's a fucking half Veela, Draco! Of course you fancy her, it's what she's made for. Nothing but a creature for guys like you to have your fun with before settling with what's right!"

"You say that again!" Cedric roared, now rising to his feet, his face almost puce with rage.

Pansy looked momentarily discombobulated at the size and presence of Cedric, but she soon composed herself.

"Half breeds don't belong in our society," she snarled, taking a step towards Aurora, "it's a shame you didn't drown out there and join your good for nothing mother."

Draco swore he would never hit a woman, but sometimes you just had to make exceptions.

Pansy landed hard on her butt after Draco had given her a hard, fierce shove in the chest. The anger he had felt on Aurora's behalf had boiled over, especially when he had heard her give a little cry at the cruel comment Pansy had made about her mother.

"You so much as look at her the wrong way again, and next time I'll fucking kill you." Draco said, shaking in absolute fury, as he pulled Aurora protectively behind him.

Pansy scrambled to her feet, looking around at everyone glaring disgustedly down at her.

"Whatever," she snapped, screwing her face up and thrusting it in Draco's. "Don't come crying to me when you realise what a huge mistake you've made."

She spat down at the floor by Aurora's feet, before turning on the spot and disappearing back up in the direction of the castle.

"Perhaps I got you wrong, Malfoy," Cedric murmured, nodding at Draco, a glint of respect flashing in his eyes.

Draco gave a curt nod back, before pulling a shivering Aurora back into his chest.

"Thank you," he heard her whisper.

"Come on," he sighed, kissing the top of her head, a feeling of blissful contentment spreading through him, "let's go and get you out of these wet clothes."