AN: So this isn't related to the HP story it's an original that I've been working on and may try to turn into a book. Thanks for taking a look! Let me know what you think! I haven't proof read this yet so there probably are some spelling/grammar errors.

She'd always loved to swim. No one could keep her out of the water, pools, lakes, rivers, even the ocean when she was vacationing near it; she'd dive headfirst into the sweet oblivion of the water. The peaceful depths where all her troubles seemed to melt away like ice in the sun, whenever she swam the world seemed quieter, more still, more beautiful, everything made sense to her when she was swimming. There was a comfort in it for her.

But she had never encountered water like this before. There was nothing peaceful, nothing genial, and the world made no sense at all to her. It was still beautiful, but a wild, furious, terrifying beauty that no mortal should behold.

The strong furious ocean current flung her around like ragdoll and took her breath away. It was as if she were being beaten by a very large, very strong, very angry, man.

On the third time coming up above the surface after being pulled under she managed to gather all the strength she could and stay above water. A few hundred feet away she saw a large rubber life raft empty, from what she could see. Lightning flashed through the sky and thunder cracked loud and unapologetic. She used all her might to swim towards it. About half way there she saw a dark figure floating. A person! They were a long way out of the way from the ship. If she swam to them she could lose her chance at the raft. It could be carried too far

away…Would she even be able to get them to the raft if it stayed in eyesight? Was she strong enough? Before today the hardest workout she'd done was a cardio kickboxing class twice a week.

She knew she shouldn't, she knew she'd probably fail, she knew no one would blame her, but before she realized it she had begun to fight her way towards, well whoever it was.

She began to paddle to the dark figure. With every stroke, she made towards him she felt the ocean push her back, it felt hopeless. She reached him after what seemed like an eternity. It was only once she grabbed him did she realize that it was a him. He was on his back and unconscious but he was breathing. She was amazed he hadn't been pulled under.

She grabbed onto his shoulders and brought his back to her chest as she had been taught in lifeguard training when she was 15. But this was not her community pool…this was the middle of the ocean and the ocean was in no mood to be obliging.

With every stroke the rough current pushed her underneath the surface; but she managed to keep her breath and keep his head above water despite being bombarded with fists of icy salt water to her face and inside her mouth. It tasted like hopelessness and fear.

After what felt like hours they made it to the raft. She managed to get his arms over the side to keep him in place as she crawled in. Then with strength she was amazed to find she still had she managed to lift him inside. She checked to see if he was still breathing. He was.

Once she realized they were both alive and inside a raft she was so relived and overwhelmed she began sobbing.

Sobbing and screaming into the rain and waves as salt burned her eyes and raw skin was the last thing she remembered before she surrendered to the sweet oblivion of unconsciousness.

It felt as if she'd been asleep for a long time. It wasn't a warm and blissful sleep like when you get into bed after a long hard day and dream of being a child again. No, this sleep was as icy as the deepest, darkest, most dreadful part of the ocean.

She felt cold and alone and the first thing she could comprehend was the pain.

She felt a sharp pain in her wrist and shoulder before she even opened her eyes. It was as if they were on fire. Her head throbbed, her mouth felt dry and course, and all she wanted to do was drift off to sleep again, but after a moment she realized where she was a remembered what had happened. She jolted upright and for a moment she'd hoped she'd been wrong and wished it had all been a horrible nightmare. But it hadn't' it was all real. The shipwreck, the raft and the man she'd managed to rescue.

Speaking of which, he was also awake and staring at her quite intensely.

For a very long while they simply stared at each other, neither talking, both simply taking in the absurdity of their situation. Things like this only happened in movies, boats didn't sink, people didn't get stranded on life rafts in the middle of the ocean, this was some sick joke and would be over very soon.

She recalled once how her car had broken down on the side of the road on a stormy night once on her way to her uncle's house, she'd found that absurd also; however, within an hour a tow truck was there and she'd called a cab to take her to her uncle's home. Something deep inside of her told her this would not be the same, she would not be home safe in a few hours taking a bath and entrancing her family with her harrowing tale.