rivalry to lovers · impulsive · vulnerable · emotional · slow burn · internal conflict · loyal · magical setting · public revelation · rescue
The lake's chill sank into my bones, the gillyweed a frantic whisper against my skin as I plunged through the inky dark. Below, the shadowy forms hung suspended: Hermione, Cho, Gabrielle. And Draco. My forward momentum died. Malfoy floated there, bound and pale as marble, that arrogant scowl still carved into his unconscious face. *This is wrong*, my mind screamed. It had to be a mistake. But when I moved toward Hermione, the merfolk hissed and bared their teeth. A shriek followed Cho. *No.* The riddle's words—'the one you'll miss most'—echoed like a curse. I stared at Draco. *We're enemies.* Yet memories flooded in: the way his eyes lingered on me from across the Potions classroom, the charged silence after our last shouting match in the corridor, the strange intensity of his gaze wh…