A bit of a transition chapter here, but approaching Christmas now (storywise, obviously!)
Sorry there was no update yesterday, I meant to leave a note on the chapter before saying I was away. Although obviously, I am back now x
The girls laughed their way up to Gryffindor tower, walking slowly and enjoying the adrenaline still pumping through all of their veins. Usagi was mobbed numerous times on the way up by triumphant Gryffindors and even a few Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, who had stayed out of the champion debate, going so far as to not really support any of the champions (Harry included) for the first task.
By the time they finally did reach Gryffindor tower there was indeed a party in full swing. Fred and George cheered as Usagi clambered through the portrait hole, causing the whole of the common room to look around and there was a scramble as everyone ran over to talk to her. Before they engulfed her entirely, Usagi caught a glance of Haruka across the room laughing, most probably at her own predicament.
Only when Harry and Ron entered the common room did the crowd finally leave Usagi be. She collapsed into a chair by the fireplace and closed her eyes. She must have dozed off because what felt like mere moments later she was awoken by a loud screeching noise that seemed to have made everyone in the room clap their hands over their ears.
She leapt to her feet, her reactions kicking in. She had reached for her broach and had almost raised it into the air when she remembered she could no longer transform. Old habits, it seemed, died hard. Luckily there was not attack, rather Harry closing his golden egg. Usagi frowned – where was her own? A moment later Ami walked over and passed it to her. "You'd left it in the healing tent," she explained, "Harry said that Mr bagman told him that there's a clue to the next task in there, which will take place on the 24th of February."
"Oh good…" Usagi said, settling back down into the chair and yawning, "that's ages away."
"And better news," Makoto said as she flopped into the chair next to Usagi, "Michiru just told me she's figured out what the egg's clue is."
"What after hearing that racket?"
"That racket, as you put it Usagi, is mermish," Michiru said as she perched on a nearby armchair. Haruka was leaning on the back of it, watching them.
"Mermish?"
"As in the language spoken by merpeople," Michiru explained.
"No way!"
"Yes, but you'll be more than a little interested to hear what it says."
"Go on!" Usagi had moved forward in her chair, and the other scouts, including Hotaru, had arrived, sensing that something was going on.
"Come seek us where our voices sound, We cannot sing above the ground, And while you're searching, ponder this: We've taken what you'll sorely miss, An hour long you'll have to look, And to recover what we took, But past an hour - the prospect's black. Too late, it's gone, it won't come back."
"What I'll sorely miss," Usagi pondered, chewing on her lip, "like a possession?"
"I don't know," Michiru sighed, "merpeople can be… tricky…"
"Ooh!" Usagi leapt to her feet, "I should tell Harry!"
"No." Michiru said firmly.
"But…" Usagi's face fell, "he told me about the dragon, I owe him – and he's my friend."
"Usagi, he'll ask questions if you work out the clue to fast, and we don't need that. Maybe give him a hint a little closer to Christmas, okay." Michiru smiled and stood up, followed a moment later by Haruka.
The remaining scouts weren't given much time to think on what Michiru had revealed, for at that exact moment Neville caused a slight distraction by turning into a canary.
"Canary creams!" George shouted to the crowd, "Fred and I invented them." They saw Hermione walking over shaking her head. Then, she took Ami by the arm and took her to one side, whispering in her ear. They giggled in a worryingly conspiratorial way and then moved to sit in a corner.
"It's called S-P-E-W Ronald."
"So Spew?"
"S-P-E-W! It stands for the Society for the Protection of Elfish Welfare."
"And how come I've never heard of it before?"
"Because Ami and I have only just founded it."
"Oh is that what you were doing last night?" Usagi interrupted the conversation, reaching across the table for the jug of pumpkin juice.
"We were finalising our plan, yes."
"You have a plan?" Ron looked distinctly worried.
"It was Ami's idea," Hermione smiled as the blue haired girl blushed furiously, "she suggested we waited to gain members until we could meet the houselves themselves, and now we know how to get into the kitchen, we can."
"You mean you actually found that picture Fred was on about?"
"Yes, but Ronald that's not the point. The point is who we found there this morning."
"Go on then, who?" Harry said, looking up from the copy of the daily prophet he'd nicked from Ernie McMillan, reporting on the previous days task.
"That's what I was saying! You have to come and see."
"Can they at least finish breakfast first?" Rei asked reasonably.
"Only if they're quick," Hermione snapped, glaring at Harry. They ate up quickly and followed Hermione.
"Why are we doing this?" Ron hissed at Harry, "It's not as if we care."
"Just humour her, Ron." Rei whispered, "it's called tact."
Eventually they reached a large picture showing a bowl of fruit. Hermione reached forward and tickled the pear, which giggled and became a green door handle. Hermione turned the picture inwards and there was barely a moment before a small figure burst out of the kitchen beyond crying, "Harry Potter sir, Harry Potter!"
"That house elf was scary," Minako decided as they settled down for divination.
"That's Dobby for you," Harry said, rubbing his neck, "I just feel bad for Winky."
"Don't let Hermione hear you say that," Ron said darkly, she'll be roping you into Spew again."
"Don't be so mean," Usagi scolded him, "she and Ami put loads of effort into-"
"Into making a load of badges no one in their right minds will ever wear."
"Fine," Usagi snapped back, "enjoy ancient runes on your own with them then." Ron visibly paled.
By the end of the day Ami and Hermione had convinced them all to buy one of the coloured pin badges they had made bearing the S.P.E.W. initials, although (like most of Gryffindor tower) they had only bought them to stop the two girls pestering them.
The rest of the week passed by reasonably quickly without the prospect of a task looming in the immediate future and in what seemed no time at all it was the end of Friday morning's transfiguration lesson.
"Now, I would imagine many of you have not heard of the Yule Ball. Suffice to say that it is a traditional part of the tri-wizard cup held on Christmas eve at the hosting school. The ball is, primarily, a dance and a chance for students to 'let their hair down' so to say." Minako giggled, trying to imagine professor McGonagall ever 'letting her hair down'.
"Potter, Tsukino please stay here for a moment, everyone else go to your next class."
"Yes professor?" Usagi asked as she moved to the front of the room with Harry.
"As I just said, the Yule ball is a dance, and as such people are expected to have partners. As champions you will be opening the dancing. I would hope the pair of you could find a dancing partner between now and Christmas."
That evening, Usagi was sat in a corner of the common room, bawling her eyes out, "It's not that I won't dance with them, I just can't. It wouldn't be right and I would feel like I was betraying him."
"Usagi, I'm sure Mamoru would understand, it's just some silly school dance," Makoto reassured her.
"Just some silly school dance?" Minako said incredulously, "this is the sort of thing I've been looking forward to since I realised we were coming to Britain – Setsuna said - ouch!" Rei had slapped her.
"Helpful Minako."
Minako grumbled something that no one quite caught, but stopped when Usagi's sobs only increased in magnitude.
"Oh do calm down Usagi!"
"How do you ask a girl out?" Harry brooded in the other corner of the common room, "their always in packs."
"I suppose you'll have to separate Cho from her friends before you ask," Ron said helpfully.
"What? Oh… yeah…" Harry glanced across the room before quickly looking out of the window to the silent grounds of the castle.