Chapter Two

Harry sprinted down the corridor towards Gryffindor Common Room. The mermaid's song still singing in his ears, he was practically flying. That was it! He had discovered the second task! He couldn't wait to see the look on his friends' faces when he told them what he had figured out. (With the help of Cedric Diggory's hint, and Moaning Myrtle's as well, of course). As he raced down the hallway, he found his mind so preoccupied with the message he had heard that he wasn't paying attention; next thing he knew, he was running smack into Pandora.

"Ow!" she yelped, falling back.

"I'm so sorry," he reached out a hand to steady her. She recognized him immediately, and after taking one look at his flushed cheeks and damp hair, she let out an entertained laugh.

"You're wet," she observed playfully.

"I…I took a bath," he explained quickly.

"Some bath," she teased.

"I'm really sorry I knocked into you," he apologized again.

"I guess I'll forgive you this time," she smiled and shrugged.

"I'll see you around!" he began to run again, towards the direction of the Gryffindor Common Room.

"Yeah, see you!" she called after him, laughing to herself at his speedy exit. She continued on her way until she had reached the Slytherin Common Room. She murmured the Parseltongue password and almost crashed into Draco Malfoy upon entering.

"Pandora," he nodded to her coldly.

"Draco," she greeted, scooting past him quickly. She headed over to the girls' side, already able to hear her best friends laughing loudly.

"Hey girl," Viola greeted, her green eyes shining with tears of laughter.

"Hey, what did I miss?" Pandora asked, flopping onto the bed next to Bridget.

"Viola is officially a serial dater," Bridget explained, beginning to giggle again. "She went out with two different boys in one night and, after the date was nearly over, only realized at that moment that they were twins!"

"Sounds like something that happens often," Pandora teased. Viola flipped her hair and winked, laughing. She was known for being flirtatious and sociable, constantly off on a date with a variety of boys. When asked her type, Viola often answered with, "male".

"You're one to talk," Viola laughed. "Wasn't it you who went to the Yule Ball with none other than Draco Malfoy?"

"Oh, yes! Details please!" Bridget squealed, practically leaping onto Pandora.

"Where should I start? When he absolutely bored me to death with talk of politics or when he tried to suffocate me with his mouth?" Pandora responded dramatically. The girls howled with laughter.

"I heard from Crabbe that Draco was bragging about you two going to second base," Viola revealed, a mischievious sparkle in her eye.

"Ew, gross!" Pandora grimaced. "He leaned in to snog at the end of the night and I turned my head so he just got my cheek."

"You're ruthless!" Viola cackled, highfiving her. Bridgt giggled, shaking her head.

"Have you got something to say?" Pandora asked.

"I just can't wait to tell this story at your wedding," she admitted with a smug smile.

"My-my what? Have you gone mad?"

"Pandora, admit it. You two grew up together. We've all known that he's had a crush on you for ages and your families are dying to set you two up," Bridget insisted.

"Oh, of course! I forgot our families practice arranged marriages!" Pandora slapped her head mockingly, as if finally remembering where she had put her keys.

"Not arranged, but definitely encouraged." Bridget said with a shrug. "You two are destined for one another. You both are excellent wizards, pure-blood of course. You both come from similar backgrounds, wealthy and powerful families. You both are-"

"Enough!" Pandora raised a hand to stop her. "This is silly. Don't you agree, Vi?" Violet bit her lip. Pandora paused, awaiting her concurrence. But Viola shook her head.

"I mean, your dad definitely wants you to marry him. And like, you've both been friends forever…" Viola began.

"You two are ridiculous, I'm out of here." Pandora said abruptly, getting up from the bed and stalking out the door. She strolled along outside, breathing in the fresh air and thinking about the year so far. She thought about the Tri-Wizard tournament, with its challenges and dangers. She found herself wondering how she herself would fare. She had always considered herself brave, a daredevil even, thrusting herself into peril in order to achieve rewards. But was she really brave? Gryffindors were known for their bravery, and she instead was a Slytherin. What was the difference, really? She was willing to chase dragons, cast complicated spells, and even witness death in order to come out on top. But maybe that was the problem. She would do anything for a reward, yes, but would she do the same for nothing in return? As she pondered this, she almost collided into Draco.

"You alright?" Draco asked, running a hand through his blonde hair.

"I'm fine, thank you," Pandora replied quickly. There was an awkward pause as the two looked at one another. Draco sighed and shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"Have you been avoiding me?" he asked.

"What? No," Pandora answered unconvincingly.

"You can just admit it," he persisted, his eyebrows rising with doubt.

"Well…not really. A little," she admitted, looking at the floor. "I just didn't want things to be weird…since the ball…"

"They aren't," he declared.

"Oh, okay," she smiled tightly, aching to get away.

"You looked good," he said suddenly. "At the ball, I mean. Well, you look good now, too. You always look good."

"Oh," Pandora hesitated, feeling an uncomfortable hot flash arising. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," he purred, stepping closer to her. He reached out to twirl a stray strand of hair, his electric blue eyes eyeing her up and down.

Harry was exhausted. He slipped out of the party, skittering down the corridor and gulping in the fresh air. He hoped no one would notice his absence. He had already developed an excuse for when Hermionie asked where he had gone off to. Just needed a little bit of air, he would say. Very crowded in the common room. Even Tri Wizard Champions need air, am I right? She wouldn't buy it, but he had lost the will to care. Besides, he hadn't even seen neither her nor Ron in the throng of people cheering and celebrating. Everyone was happy for him, even making bets on him. But he was scared. He didn't want to be in this tournament any more than he wanted to be in Potions class, which with Professor Snape as a teacher, he despised. As he walked along the corridor, he looked out onto the campus. He spotted Draco Malfoy almost right away, as he leaned over a blonde girl. The wind carried wisps of their conversation to Harry's ears.

"Come on, Pandora…"

"I won't tell you again, Draco,"

"You're cute when you're mad…"

"I'm even cuter after I kick you in the balls," Harry laughed at that, recognizing the dry humor of the girl he had met the other night. He watched as Draco came closer to her face and she raised her hand up to stop him.

"Quit acting like an idiot," Pandora spat, rolling her eyes.

"I don't get why you think this is such a big deal," Draco responded.

"Draco, read my lips." She enunciated clearly. "I'm. Not. Interested."

"You're a prude," he snarled, stalking off.

"Good luck getting girls with that attitude!" She called out cheerfully after him, waving rapidly. He flipped her off in response. She giggled to herself, then began to walk off.

"Pandora!" Harry yelled. She looked up in surprise.

"Harry," she greeted, a smile appearing on her face.

"Wait right there," Harry told her. She saluted in response. He ran down the corridor and skipped down the stairs until he had reached her in the courtyard. She looked at him, her arms crossed over her chest, a half smile on her lips.

"So, done meeting with your boyfriend, or?" Harry joked. She laughed, lightly pushing his shoulder.

"Boys are idiots," she announced.

"I agree," he smirked. The two began to walk in unison, every so often glancing sideways at one another.

"So what were you rushing about for?" she asked suddenly. "Nearly sent me to the Infirmary."

"Sorry about that, by the way," Harry apologized, laughing. She raised a hand to dismiss his apology.

"Quite alright." He took a deep breath and turned to her.

"Can you keep a secret?"

"Mm, I like where this is going," her eyes dazzled with excitement. "For you, yes. I can keep a secret." Harry felt a blush creep to his cheeks.

"I discovered the second task," he confided.

"What? That's great!" She grinned.

"It's mermaids. They've got something and I have to retrieve it,"

"Do you know what you're going to do?" she asked.

"Not yet," he admitted. "I looked in the library for a bit, but nothing really helped. Usually Hermione helps me with this sort of thing but she went with McGonagall and I haven't seen her since."

"You'll figure it out," she encouraged him.

"I hope,"

"You will," she insisted. "You took on a dragon, for Pete's sake. I'm sure you can take on a few mermaids. As long as you don't fall in love with them or something,"

"I'll try not to," he chuckled. "But the dragon…that was sheer luck."

"Nah, it was bad ass," she said. He laughed.

"Well, thank you,"

"No problem! Congrats on that, by the way. Any other fourth year probably would've wet his pants or thrown up, whichever came first."

"Haha, you think?"

"I don't think, I know!"

"I was actually terrified," he confessed. He looked at her. She was waiting patiently for him to continue. He took a deep breath. "I don't know why I was chosen, or even how. I didn't want to be in the competition. Then next thing I know, Dumbledore is calling my name and everyone is saying I did it for attention. First, everyone hates me and now they all are betting on me. They all just expect me to handle it."

"Haven't they always?" she said suddenly. A look of despondence had fallen onto her face. "Expected you to do it? Or something like that, anyways. You're destined for greatness. Isn't that what they tell you?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "They do. All the time."

"You can take it, they say. You were born with a gift, they tell you. Like that's what it is." Harry noticed a tone of sadness in her voice. He simply murmured his agreement. She sighed, seeming sleepy all of a sudden.

"I should probably go," she stopped walking abruptly. Then she smiled. "Sorry, Harry. No time for snowmen today."

"I'll find you later, House Elf." He teased. "Maybe next time we can have a snowball fight instead." She winked in response and strutted off, not looking back. Harry watched her go, a feeling of warmth tugging at him as her blonde hair swished and her words stayed with him.