The Clue


"Don't tell me you're not beautiful. You're the kind of beautiful the blind would see if we could figure out some way to give them three seconds of sight."
― Shane Koyczan


"Good work, Mr. Potter" Flitwick commented.

I would have thanked him. But considering that I was bound, gagged and silenced all I could manage was a polite nod, which caused Cedric to laugh. Flitwick's lips twitched and he took a little more time than usual to dispel the ropes.

"Do you know where you went wrong?" He asked pleasantly. Oh, he was rubbing it in.

"Speed?" I tentatively asked.

"No, you are holding back. In dueling, whether you are learning or fighting for your life, never hold back. There are some 'dunderheads' out there who thinks that your enemy will underestimate you if hold back at the beginning of a duel. It may work if your opponent is an amateur. But an accomplished opponent won't be fooled. Do you understand?" He asked.

"Yes, sir". Despite his appearance, Filius Flitwick, is a monster when he duels. He wiped the floor when we dueled. First time we dueled, Cedric had to carry me into the hospital wing. Three broken bone, seven torn tendons and multiple bruises. Promfrey was mortified. She thought a mob had tried to kill me. Next day I carried Cedric to the Hospital wing.

"Mr. Diggory, It's your turn" Cedric gulped but nodded determinedly. He was on his back five minutes later. " I think that's enough for today, boys," Flitwick smiled " Now, come on. Say it"

"You're the best, professor" Cedric and I replied in a dull tone. It was sort of a custom. He'd wipe the floor with us and then would proceed to rub it in.

"And don't you forget it. Now off you go" He smirked.


You know what the best thing in the world is? Treacle tart. When you feel down, when the world seems like a dark place just take a bite and everything becomes brighter.

But unfortunately madam Pince didn't quite agree with that.

"Throw it out or I'll throw you out" she shrieked.

"Told you" Hermione smiled smugly across the table.

I grunted in response and waved my wand to vanish it. The stern librarian gave me a final look of disgust before going back to her seat.

"You performed the vanishing spell," Hermione whispered." That's an N.E.W.T level spell."

I raised an eye brow. I had finally mastered the art of raising the eye brow elegantly.

"Oh, Shut it. I don't even know why you are coming to classes anymore. Come off to think of it, what exactly are you doing here, Harry?" She didn't even pause to take a breath.

"Checking up on you" I replied. She gave me a McGonagall look. I squirmed a little.

"Really, I just wanted to know how you are doing" I hastily replied. "Look, can we go out? She's starting to creep me out" I nodded towards the librarian who was glaring daggers at me.

Hermione giggled and motioned me to follow her.

"So, why aren't you speaking with Ron anymore?" I asked.

"You really need to learn subtlety, Harry" She shook her head. Oh, if only she knew what I was capable of. I just gave her a version Harry she would be most comfortable with.

"You didn't answer me" I pointed out.

"We had a fall out last year. He accused that my cat ate scabbers. When I denied it he just went ballistic. And without you around we just grew apart." She said in a small voice.

"I'm sorry "I apologized sincerely.

"Don't worry, Harry. He always was a jerk towards me. I suppose its better this way." She shrugged. She had grown up. She wasn't the scared firstie running to bathroom at every insult any more. I decided to do what I had planned.

"Hermione, this is going to sound strange. I need your permission to do something. If you don't give me your consent it will be considered an offence." I said seriously.

She blushed. "Oh, Ha- Harry, I'm sorry. B-but I never liked you that way. You are like a br-brother to me." She stammered.

"What? I was going to ask your permission to legilimence you" I gawked. What the hell did she think I was?

"Oh! Thank god," She sighed. Then registering my words," WHAT DO YOU MEA-"I clamped my hands over her mouth to stop her from shouting.

" I am not going to mind rape you. I just need to know whether I can trust you or not" I stated, calmly.

She looked at me with wide eyes and after some time nodded. She hugged me the moment I withdrew my hand from her mouth. I stiffened at the contact.

"Of course you dummy, you can always trust me. " She sniffed. Then after a moment she collected herself and looked into my eyes.

"Eye contact is needed, Right? I read about legilimency when I researched for extra-"

"Hermione" I shook her shoulders.

"What?"

"Shut up."

"Oh" She blushed, apparently embarrassed.

Her chocolate brown eyes looked into mine. She had no occlumency shields .I felt her fierce loyalty to me. I withdrew my probe and saw her eyes watering up.

"I had to be sure, Hermione. I'm sorry" I hugged her.

"Boys" she muttered.

"Girls" I countered. We chuckled.

"So, are you going to tell me what rules are we going to break now?" She asked.

"What do you take me for? A vigilante who has no trust whatsoever in authority figures?" I scoffed.

She raised an eyebrow.

"Fine, you got me" I raised my hands in surrender. 'Ten different faces in ten different mirrors'


"Why not?" Fred whined.

"It's not right." Cedric answered in a no nonsense tone.

"It's the best way to ensure their cooperation." I joked.

"You can't just kidnap a merman, Harry" Hermione condescended.

"We think-

"Harry dear-

"Has a point" the twins chipped in.

"Look, we know the task is going to be held underwater, we know the mermen are involved and that they are going to take someone as a hostage. This way we can make sure that our hostage won't be harmed no matter what." Fred explained again for the umpteenth time.

"Or they'll just kill your hostage" Hermione argued back.

"They won't. Not if we take the merchief's wife as the hostage." George smirked and Hermione flinched.

"How are you going to kidnap her?" Cedric asked, his curiosity getting better of him.

"Poly juice potion, gillyweed-

"Hair from Snape, translation charm-

"Summoning charm." They grinned evilly.

"It could work" Hermione mused.

"It will work" George assured her.

"Even if it fails, snape will get in trouble" Cedric grinned.

"Oooh! Snape, Mermaid and a summoning charm," Fred smirked "Just think about the possible jokes we can come up with it"

"We should make a cartoon strip and publish it on the Prophet" George mused.

"Or the Quibbler"

"Please, Harrykin. We will be eternally grateful. Just say the word." They pleaded with puppy dog eyes.

"I'll think about it," I offered and made a mental note to lock up my poly juice potion. "So, is peeves on board with the plan?"

"Yep, he's gonna make other champions task a hell. We had to give up two dozen of our special dung bombs though. "George whined.

" mmhm. Did you find a map of the lake, Hermione?" Cedric asked.

"No, though I made a rough sketch using the clues spread across these books," she pointed towards a stack of book about Hogwarts history. "The colony is supposed to be located near the north east corner of the lake. Authors are vague about the exact location. " She extracted a map from her bag.

"So, we need somebody to map the lake. " Fred peered at the map over my shoulder.

"Yeah, we can't waste our gillyweed" Cedric agreed

"Myrtle." I beamed.

"Moaning Myrtle? Why would she help us? "Hermione asked curiously.

"He used his charm on her, obviously" George wiggled his eyebrows.

"May be I don't want to know" Hermione looked like she was going to puke.

"Yeah" Cedric agreed.


Later that day I was sitting at my favorite spot when Fleur found me. She smiled radiantly when she saw me.

"Can I sit?" She asked.

"Why not?" I shrugged. I still don't know what kind of tree it is. It looked like the silver maple but the bark was far too smooth and the flowers were a bright silver color.

"Zis place is connected to your 'eart, non?" she asked , while examining the grass.

"mmhm" this spot, Tam, is my anchor. I can almost feel her here. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. A pleasant aroma teased my nose, Fleur.

"I'm tired, 'Arry." She yawned as she lay down.

"You are going to sleep now?" I asked incredulously.

"Oui, you can too. We can talk when we wake up" she murmured.

"Has anyone ever told you that you sleep too much?" I asked, curiously.

She didn't answer. She was asleep, ten seconds in and she was asleep. I looked around. There was absolutely no one around.

"To hell with it" I muttered as I closed my eyes laid on the grass. The moist cool grass tickled my skin. Soon I was asleep too.

Somebody was poking my nose. I woke up and saw Fleur using a stick to poke me.

"Seriously, a stick?" I glared.

"Some people get violent when zey are woken up," she explained. "You drool when you sleep"

"I don't" Me, the great Harry potter drooling? Ha, in your dreams.

She pointed towards my chin.

"It's not mine" I whined.

"Really?" She asked, amused.

"Yeah, well you snore when you sleep" I replied smugly.

"I do not" She huffed.

"Yes, you do"

Then I had a sudden flashback.

Did not"

"Did too"

Argh! This girl's going to be the death of me.

"Fine, I'm sorry for giving you a birthday gift" 'Hah! Take that'

"Nope. Not gonna work on me"

"Alright. I am sorry for manipulating you, which did not work by the way, and calling you Tam." I pouted.

"Hey, you can call me Tam"

Tam. The last time I behaved like this was with Tam.

" 'ello, anybodu 'ome?" fleur was waving her hands.

"Yeah, Sorry. Just zoned out for a second." I apologized. Fleur Delacour is the fish that can never be caught. The forbidden fruit. You just can't figure her out. I have absolutely no idea whether she is acting or not. On the outside she is a lazy, bored, and nice person. Is she really like that? Can the next in line for French mafia don be really that nice?

HELL NO.

Conclusion: I don't have a clue.

"I need information on Nicole" I stated bluntly. She looked like she had expected it.

"Why do you zink zat I'll give you information about my fellow champion which may possibly affect the outcome of the tournament?" She mused.

"One, you don't like her. Two, you are not here to win the tournament. Three, you want me on your side." I counted off my fingers. She chuckled.

"Two out of three, 'Arry," She shook her head as If she was disappointed.

I kept my silence. What was I wrong about?

She screwed up her face apparently concentrating. "Hmpf. Let's see. Muggleborn, orphan, addicted to dark arts, perfect records at school, good in transfiguration, spends summer at an orphanage in Paris. Many acquaintances, No friends"

"Not enough" I said dryly.

"Zis is all you can get for free," She replied haughtily." Besides, I have got her covered. You should focus on ze obvious, 'Arry" .

The obvious? What does she mean? But before I could ask she stood up.

"Best of luck for ze second task, 'Arry" She smiled sincerely, Or so it seemed.

"Same to you, Fleur"

As I watched her leave towards the beuxbaton carriage I felt something trying to enter my mind. I looked around and recognized what was causing it. A repelling ward. Somebody was making people move away from the lake. I disillusioned myself and walked towards the source ward.

About twenty wizards were hurriedly building stands for audience near the south corner of the lake.. Wizards usually put everything off untill the last moment. So, that means the second task is up on us.


The next day at breakfast Ludo Bagman announced rather dramatically that the second task would begin in an hour. The students were surprised. I saw Krum Scowling and Vladimir snapping at his classmate. The French witches looked surprised but not overly so. We were asked to follow bagman to the Lake.

"So, are you lot surprised?" He asked cheerfully.

"….."

"Er, Yeah. So I hope you have solved the clue. If you haven't then, er, it's going to be difficult." He shrugged.

"Is this guy for real?" Cedric whispered.

"Excuse me, monsieur Bagman. We haven't solved our clues completely. "Nicole gave him puppy dog eyes.

"What? Not you guys too?" He looked at us. Cedric shrugged.

"Any way, Barty will be explaining the clue." He nodded towards the corner where Barty Crouch was standing, masked by shadows.

"Your clue was in mermish, which can't be heard above water," Crouch said in a bored tone.

'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,

Just once you've stood, not eye to eye,

Now seek that bond, 'fore the end is nigh,

An hour long you'll have to look,

And to recover what we've took,

But past an hour – the prospect's black,

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

"This was the clue hidden inside the egg" He finished.

"Vy is it in English?" Vladimir growled.

"What?" Bagman was baffled. Oh, this is going to be good, I thought to myself.

"Ve do not speak English properly," Krum nodded towards the French champions. "Only Hogwarts speak English. Vy is the clue in English?" He asked in butchered English.

"Er, I, "Bagman looked at Crouch for help.

"It does not matter. You could have asked people to help you. Anyway you know the clue now. Something will be taken from you and to recover it you must journey to the deepest reaches of this lake in order to find it within an hour." Crouch answered in a no nonsense tone.

"You mean someone" Fleur corrected.

"Vat do you mean by not eye to eye?" Krum asked, looking confused.

"Well, you know, not eye to eye kind of means back to back" Bagman chipped in.

"No, eet doesn't" Nicole argued back.

"What exactly do you mean by back to back?" Cedric asked. Bagman beamed and I somehow knew I wasn't going to like whatever he was going to say.

"Well, who got your back?" He asked rhetorically. "Your fellow champion, of course"

"What?" Krum all but shouted.

"You are going to save your fellow champion from the lake. You can decide who is going to be the, er, hostage. The rescuer will need to overcome certain obstacles before doing the actual rescuing" Bagman slashed his boyish grin. He really was an idiot. Fleur had an unnatural snarl on her face. It sent shivers down my spine. Why the fool was still smiling I didn't know.

"So, we'll give you five minutes to yourselves. Decide by then who is going to do what. If you haven't decided by then you will be disqualified. "Crouch added dryly as he left the room.

"Do give a show" Bagman winked and followed Crouch.

I turned and saw Cedric Frowning.

"That was unexpected" I stated calmly.

"You are the best shot at winning" He stated bluntly.

"But, my enemies will be counting on that. They will be targeting the rescuer. "I frowned. This was bad. What to do? Walk deliberately into a trap or let Cedric walk into it? Old me would have never allowed him to do that. Hmm. What to do?

Five minutes later Crouch entered the room.

"So, those who are going to be hostages please come over here." He instructed.

Krum and Nicole walked forward. Crouch looked us Cedric and I.

Cedric walked forward. Fleur looked at me with wide eyes.

"So, when you hear the whistle you can come out," He nodded towards Fleur, Vladimir and I." You three follow me" Crouch instructed dryly.

Cedric nodded at me and left without a word. He will be a sitting duck; he trusts me to save his life.I had planned extensively for this task and mathematically I had the better chance at finishing it safely. Logic over emotions, I hid my emotions under my occlumency barriers. Fleur had a blank face devoid of any emotions indicating that she too was using occlumency. Romanoff stood there impassively like a statue.

Few minutes later a sharp whistle broke the unnatural silence in the room. We walked briskly towards the lake.

There were two large structures with at least 4 levels standing in the middle of the lake, complete with a platform which was connecting the two together. The boats the first years used to cross the lake were floating just in front of us. Bagman motioned us to go on. As soon as we stepped in a boat it began moving towards the platform. My eyes were picking up everything from the slight twitch of Vladimir's left eye to the way Fleur gripped her wand.

Once we reached the platform the boats stopped and Fleur gingerly got onto it, ignoring the creaking of the wood. Bloody hell, it was cold. I waved my wand and transfigured my clothes to a bright red swimming trunk. To my right Vladimir followed suit. Next to him I looked like David to Goliath. I had a fairly well built body, but he was huge. Hours of dueling had defined my muscles. I Saw Fleur had changed her attire too. She had a wet suit on causing disappointed groans from the male population in the audience. Fleur had an unnatural scowl on her face. I reached for my tattoo unconsciously as cameras started flashing. The viper raised its head and tilted its head just like Tam used to do. Like a ray of light in a dark room, hope and determination cleansed the doubt away from my heart.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, It is almost time to start the second task of the Triwizard tournament. Each champion must journey to the deepest reaches of this lake in order to rescue their fellow champion within an hour." Bagman bellowed in his magically enhanced voice. "We still have about 30 seconds left until 10 so wands at the ready then." Bagman was counting down the time and at the last 10 seconds the crowd joined in too.

"5…4…3…2…1…BEGIN!"

I quickly started chewing the gillyweed as Fleur and Vladimir Jumped straight in. Out of the corner of my eye I noted that they both had used bubblehead charm. I felt a stabbing pain in my lungs and I knew the transformation was about to begin, so I jumped right into the lake. The moment I went underwater the sound of the audience grew muffled. My neck grew gills and my flippers replaced my feet. The only downside of using gillyweed was that I couldn't speak underwater. But the advantages outweighed the disadvantage. Being able to swim fast was crucial considering the time limit.

The first thing I saw pleased me. Vladimir was being attacked by Peeves. Peeves was pulling Vladimir's hair and poking his nose. Being a poltergeist he was able to do so without breaking the bubble around Vladimir's head.

I sent a silent stunner at him and presto, he was knocked out.

"Ickle Harry, That was a bad thing to do" Peeves gleefully scolded me. I gave him a two finger salute which meant that our deal was done. The twins had done the negotiations with Peeves. One champion for two dozen dung bomb.

Peeves grinned evilly and blew a raspberry as he left. Apparently poltergeists can do that even underwater. Mhmmm. I twirled my wand as I examined Vladimir for any injuries.

I was not going to leave Vladimir like this and leave Krum to his death. No, Vladimir was my decoy. I applied a Glamour charm on him to look like me. Now he had jet black hair like me and had a bright red swimming trunk. I charmed it so that the glamour would work on others only, to him nothing would be out of ordinary. Then I changed my trunk colors to a dark grey color and put a glamour charm on me as well. I was basically putting a hit on him, but I need to exploit every available options.

I swam a twenty meters away from him before enervating him. I will be out of his eyesight before he comes around. I had ordered Myrtle to map the lake. Since I had bounded her as my slave she didn't object to that. Besides it's not like she has anything better to do.I didn't waste any time and swam straight towards my destination.

Or rather I tried to.

About thirty or so Grindylows were blocking my path. Water demons, I scoffed.

'Reducto'

A brick red beam shot from the tip of my wand and obliterated three grindylows at once. The remaining ones realized that I was not to be trifled with and started attacking me at once.

They circled around me and snarled at me. Weak idiots, I thought to myself. I would have been merciful if it were any other time. But Cedric was in danger and I had no time to spare.

'Agua animus'

The water around me suddenly started heating up. Except for a small sphere of water surrounding me, it started boiling. Five lions made up of water, so transparent that you need to concentrate real hard to see them, pounced on the Grindylows. In under a minute every single one of them was dead.

"The colony is that way, Master" I was startled by a shy voice.

Moaning myrtle was pointing her finger towards my left. Even though I had asked her not to call me master she insists upon it. I shuddered at the implications.

I nodded and swam fast towards the direction she pointed. Myrtle tried to follow me like a lost puppy but I ordered her to leave me alone. She pouted before going back into the castle. I passed over long light-green weeds that rose up at least several meters from the lake bed. Few minutes passed and I started hearing that haunting melody. As I swam on I realized the lake was going deeper than I originally thought. I couldn't even see the surface anymore. The melody was getting louder and louder until finally,

And while you're searching ponder this

Don't get me wrong, I like music, but this song was getting on my nerves. The melancholy in it irks me. Kicking faster I sped up. The area ahead of me gradually got lighter until I finally caught sight of small rocky structures with merpeople around them. As soon as they saw me they started screeching.

The merpeople looked exactly like normal humans-from the waist up. Instead of legs they had powerful fish tails. The males looked handsome, yet their faces carried subtle hints that showed they were not human. Their faces were more angular and more streamlined unlike the rough features of humans. They also carried deadly looking spears. The Females had an unnatural beauty and were leering at me. Mermaids have similar powers like Veela. One could even say that they are the underwater counter parts.

Ever heard muggle stories where fishermen are lured by mermaids and then eaten alive? Yep, these creatures despite their appearance consider human flesh a delicacy. I saw one mermaid licking her lip and winking at me seductively. She opened her mouth and started to sing.

One word summed it up. Magical.

The song of mermen is thousand times more powerful than a Veela's allure. That kind of magic can't be countered by occlumency. It was primal in nature. Lust, the song caused its victim to drown in lust. I hastily casted a silence charm on my ears. It was modified one. It eliminated the magic in their song. I made a mental note to thank Terry again. Without his help I would have had to cast a wide area silencing charm rendering me dumb. This one just eliminates the enthralling magic of the mermen. Did these fools think they were capable of controlling me?

CONTROL ME?

I will not bow down to anyone. One mermaid pouted at me and motioned me to come towards her seductively. I snarled and my wand tip glowed an eerie green color displaying my disgust. She paled and stopped singing.

I slashed my wand and they parted as if parried by an invisible arm. Then I saw three people tied to a rock. But something massive stood between me and them.

A sea serpent.

A massive sea serpent about fifty feet long was coiled around the rock. Its eyes were locked on me. It opened its mouth and I saw numerous fangs and a huge forked tongue. I was not scared in the least.

How can a sea serpent survive in a lake? Did they think that I was going to fall for that shit?

Illusion. The serpent was an illusion. I nearly snorted when I realized who made the illusion.

Fleur.

I could taste her magic coming off from the illusion. It bellowed impressively and snapped its jaws at me. I merely shrugged and swam straight through it. When I reached the rock I saw that instead of Nicole a severely bruised and bleeding merman wearing a cloth that resembled beuxbaton uniform was tied to the rock. Krum and Cedric were sleeping. Small bubbles escaped from their nose. I looked around but saw no sign of Vladimir. I severed the rope tying Cedric to the rock and pointed my wand at him.

"Levare"

We were both propelled toward the surface.I hastily chewed the antec leaves to counter the gillyweed and dispelled the glamour before we would break the surface. The moment we broke the surface Cedric woke up and gasped for fresh air. Loud cheers and screams filled the air.

"The princess is awake" I commented as we swam towards the platform.

"Please tell me that you didn't kiss me" Cedric mock glared.

"Drink this, " Madam Pomfrey pushed a goblet into his hand and started waving her wand and muttering diagnostics spells on him. He pushed her away but she forcefully pushed him into a bed. She glared at me, daring me to say anything. I simply raised my hands in surrender as she turned towards me to check my vitals. After five minutes she declared we were 'fine for now'.

"So, what happened? What did I miss?" he asked excitedly as I opened the tent flap.

"Nothing. Only a few grindylows" I whispered, Nicole was watching us.

"Nothing else?" He frowned.

It was rather strange. Why wasn't the task harder? This one was much much easier than the first. Maybe the challenge was to solve the clue. But still,

"Did you use Romanoff as decoy?" he asked quietly, looking around.

"Yeah, but-"I was interrupted by Fleur.

" 'Ow did you know eet was an illusion?" Fleur asked. Ha, her pride is wounded.

"It wasn't that good an illusion" I decided to irk her. But it was ruined by Cedric.

"She finished first?" Cedric shouted incredulously. Fleur beamed and pinched my nose.

"Better luck next time, 'Arry"

Argh. Who did she think she was? Using passive aggression against me? I was not going to fall for that bait.

"She likes you" Cedric whispered in my ear.

"Yeah" I snorted.

"I am the one with eidetic memory, idiot. I can see it" He chided.

"And she's dangerous. You can't read her, Cedric. Trust me, you can't. She's not what she seems to be." I replied seriously.

"You like her" He accused.

I shook my head. "No, I respect her and recognize her. She's dangerous, Ced"

Suddenly screams filled the air. I rushed out of the tent and Cedric followed me. Audiences were screaming. About ten merpeople armed with spears were viciously attacking Vladimir. There were at least twenty grindylows helping them. Vladimir's right forearm was missing. He was bleeding profusely. Still he was trying to swim towards the shore. Krum was trying his best to keep the beasts away. But curiously, none were attacking him. They were all focused on Vladimir. The ministry wizards were shooting stunning spell at the merpeople. Soon the audience began helping them. Pomfrey hurried past us and rushed to Vladimir's aid. Since it wasn't a curse wound she could probably grew the arm back. But she needs to be fast or the blood lost and oxygen deprivation will cause permanent damage. Dumbledore arrived in a flash of phoenix flame and he and Pomfrey along with Vladimir was gone in another flash, probably to saint Mungo's .

"So, that must have been meant for you" Cedric looked conflicted. On one hand I was safe. On the other we basically did that to Vladimir. I didn't say anything. It was his choice. If he wants to leave, I won't ask him to stay.

"We need to find the bastard before someone else gets hurt" Cedric said determinedly. I suddenly felt a lump in my throat. He wasn't going to abandon me. A sudden feeling of gratitude overwhelmed me. I opened my mouth but Cedric cut me off.

"Don't say it, Harry. I know what I had signed up for. I'm a Hufflepuff. And we pride ourselves for being loyal. Plus I know you would do the same for me" He said it like we were discussing the weather.

This guy just risked his life for me and was ready to do it again. Will I do the same for him when the time comes?

Yes.

From that moment an unspoken agreement was made. We would have each other's back, No matter what happens.

Ofcource the moment had to be spoiled.

"Harrykin-

"Dear Harrykin-

"Oh my sweetie,Ced"

The twins rushed towards us and started wailing dramatically. Fred hugged Cedric and George was fussing over me like a mother fussing over her kid.

"Thank Merlin! He's okay, George" Fred sighed rather dramatically.

"Why are you doing this?" I shrugged George off. I can see Fleur trying not to laugh. She looks angelic when she laughs, I thought. Wait, what? where did that come from?

"You lost" Fred accused.

"You said you would win" George added his two knuts.

"No, I said we would win the tournament. " I corrected him.

"Tomato, Tomahto," they sing sang together." Come on, let's get out of here. She is freaking me out" George whispered loudly nodding towards Nicole.

Her eyes narrowed.

They did not take kindly to the fact that she was a spy. They seem to have made her persona non grata. It took three hours of persuading from Cedric and me to stop them from exposing her. In the end they agreed to follow my plan but on one condition. They should be allowed to antagonize her as much as they could. Cedric was only too happy to side with them and I was out voted.

"imbéciles dégoûtantes" she muttered under her breath.

After her initial plan to befriend me had failed horribly she had changed her attitude. She knows now that I am not the idiot I once was. It threw a wrench in her plans. Now she was planning something else. But unknown to her, I was ten steps ahead of her. She has no idea who she's playing against. In the grant scheme of plans she is just a pawn. When the time comes pawns shall be reaped first. She should have chosen her side more carefully before deciding to spy on me. It's obvious that she is working for someone ruthless. I decided to start mission French fries.

"Oh, just ignore them, Nicole or you'll get a headache, Trust me " I flashed my most charming smile.

That baffled her. I can almost see the gears turning in her head. Fleur yawned rather loudly and stood up, breaking the sudden silence that followed my words.

"What?" She asked a little too innocently.

I shook my head. "See you later, Nic" I winked and gestured Cedric to follow me. Once we exited the tent he turned around to face me.

"You sure it's time to start?" He asked quietly.

"Yeah, I was waiting for a confirmation. Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action. First the cup then the first task and now Vladimir. It's happening, Ced. There's no denying it. "I said firmly.

"We thought so too" I have never seen twins being this much serious before.

Suddenly a phoenix flame appeared in the judge's box and when it was gone Dumbledore stood elegantly in its place. Theatrics has a huge power over the sheep. The other judges hurried over to Dumbledore and they began conversing furiously. After fifteen minutes of animated conversation they seem to have made a decision. Karakaroff was looking rather sour.

"The scores are being announced," Krum grunted. He was standing with his back against the tent. For someone who had just seen his fellow champion's arm being ripped off he seems pretty much calm.

"So eet seem," Fleur replied

''You were there first?'' Krum asked, looking sour.

"For being the first champion to return with the help of an exceptional bubblehead charm and illusions to confuse other champions, we give beuxbaton forty four points. " Bagman announced and the audience cheered.

"Zey must 'ave took points off because of zat merman" Fleur sounded disappointed but not surprised.

"Why?" I asked curiously.

"Later" she looked truly demonic for a second. Cedric Flinched and I saw Nicole's eyes narrowing.

"Mr. Potter used gillyweed to breathe underwater. Further, According to the Mercheif, He used some kind of spell to overcome the siren song. He finished second and wasn't a bit fooled by the illusion set up by the beuxbaton champion," I gave Fleur a smug smirk. "We award Hogwarts forty points"

She smirked back.

"Must have been for killing those Grindylows" I mused. There was no way for them to know about the glamour charm. Except for Dumbledore, that is. I should be expecting a summons soon.

"Mr. Romanoff too used bubblehead charm. But lady luck was not with him today. He was attacked throughout the task by various creatures we had placed in the lake. The other champions barely had any encounter with them. By the time he had reached the colony, according to the Mermen, and I'm quoting here, 'He was shooting spells at anything that moved'. Three mermen were killed and they were forced to retaliate. But considering the herculean effort and the bravery we award Durmstrang thirty eight points. Also, we are happy to announce that he suffered no permanent injuries. According the healers at Mungo's he should be able to participate in the third task" Bagman was almost skipping with joy when he announced the last bit.

Fools. They only care about the tournament.

"That's it fellas. We'll see you all again for the third task. Keep on cheering your champions" He finished up and the audience started dispersing.

"HARRY" Hermione shouted trying to gain my attention. A large crowd was moving towards our direction.

"You take this one Ced." I shoved him towards the crowd as I disillusioned myself.

"Come on, It's me" I grabbed Hermione and started moving towards the castle.

"You were amazing Harry! I didn't know how you got through without getting attacked by anything. I am not saying the Grindylows are nothing, last year we had to fight them in an obstacle course professor Lupin created, He was a good teacher by the way, But Moody is good too. A bit rough, but he knows it. You should come to his classes more often, Harry," She took a second to catch her breath. Merlin, She had good pair of lungs on her.

"Anyway, What was I saying, Harry?" She asked, Confused.

"Lack of monsters trying to kill me" I replied in a dull tone.

"Oh, Yes. We both know you have rotten luck. So?" she half asked, half ordered. But I was saved from answering by Filch.

"What are you doin here?" Filch asked, His eyes narrowing. It was a funny scene to behold. A fourth year trying hard to make excuses for babbling to empty air and a squib care taker itching to punish the aforementioned student by whipping. Hmm I wonder …..A good theme for a,um, NOO. That's a disturbing thought.

"Well? Get outta my sight" He growled and Hermione obeyed all too happily. I did hear him grumbling about 'stupid students'.

"So," once we were in the room of requirement she turned towards me, tapping her foot impatiently.

"So what?" I think I may have pushed her too far because she shot a volley of stinging hexes at me. On instinct I pulled my wand out and shot three curses before I could stop myself.

Hermione was lying on the ground. I had jerked my wand aside at the last second so the bombarda missed her by about three meter. But still, she was knocked off her feet.

"Hermione, are you okay?" I frantically rushed to her aid.

"Yeah, Just a bit bruised. " she grunted. Then she did what she always does. She hugged met. I stiffened but didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I shouldn't have cursed you. " She apologized. I started to say something but she cut me off.

No, I need to say this Harry. Ever since you came back I- I… How do I say this?" she took a deep breath."It's just that I don't know how to help you anymore. You always came to me for planning something and learning. But now you that you know exactly what to do, Harry. Hell, you know everything. And I'm afraid you'll leave me, Harry. I'm just a nerd. And now you don't need a nerd to help you. So, I'm useless." She started crying as she exposed her dark fears.

"You know, for a nerd, you're acting rather idiotic right now" I flicked her nose rather painfully.

"I know" She started crying again.

"No, you don't. You are here now because you are my friend, Hermione. Just because I don't tell you everything or acts independent doesn't mean that you are not. I won't tell you everything because you are not ready for them. And even when you are ready, I'll keep some of it to myself. But before you jump to conclusions like I don't need you, discuss it with me. "I ruffled her bushy hair.

"Mmmhm" She nodded unable to say anything.

"Good. Because I need you. Never forget that. I am not doing everything the noble way Hermione. My hands are stained with blood. You don't need to know the horrors. Everyone has their role to play. But I won't let you be damaged by dark truths. "I looked directly in to her eyes.

"You mean truth about people like Dumbledore?" she asked with a hint of disgust.

"Much worse, dear. It's better if you don't know. Just know that you will always be my friend, Hermione," I helped her to her feet.

"So, Now that I have helped you recover from your mental breakdown and have consoled you in a manner that would have made even a psychologist jealous of, can I ask you a question?" I puffed my chest out as I asked her.

Her lips twitched as she nodded.

"Do you fancy Filch?"

"HARRY" she shrieked as I ran.


"Good work on the second task" Nott shook my hand as I entered the potion class. Malfoy flinched when he saw me. Nott noticed it.

"You planned all this, didn't you?" He asked quietly.

"Planned what?" I was setting up my equipments.

"You purposefully allied me, then somehow made Malfoy your bitch, publically humiliated him, made his power in Slytherin crumple, So that your ally can have the throne of Slytherin" He replied as he collected the ingredients.

"Do I look like I a person who plans that much ahead? " I countered and started chopping my belladonna flower. He was prodding for information. He wants to be the alpha.

"No,you don't. That's what makes you dangerous. You are hiding in plain sight. Waiting to strike, aren't you?" He asked trying to put up a brave front.

" It depends," I shrugged.

"On what?"

"Whether you want to be on the other side or not" I said coldly and Malfoy fliched again as Nott's knife clattered on the floor.

"Is there a problem, Mr. Nott?" Snape asked, barely audible.

"N-No, Sir" He replied hastily. Nott was clumsy throughout the period. He kept on glancing at me as though I was going to attack him any moment. I kept my face devoid of any emotion. When the bell rang he looked at me, silently asking for permission to leave. He had finally realized his position. We were allies, but he knows now that I can crush him in an instant if I want to.I nodded and he left as fast as he could.

"Potter, stay back" Snape spat.

Hermione looked at me and mouthed 'I'll be waiting outside' as she left.

"The head master wants to have a meeting with you after dinner tonight. He said he would like if you were to bring him acid pops." The look on his face when he said that was absolutely priceless.

"If that's what he wants then I shall oblige him" I said softly but my voice had a cold edge to it. Snape paled when he heard me and clutched his left forearm , where I knew a dark mark was tattooed.

"If that's all, Professor…''

"Get out" He whispered softly. And with Snape that was never a good thing. I had unnerved him. I smirked as I left the dungeon.

"Uh, gawds" Hermione moaned when she saw me. "You are going to shake the hornets' nest, aren't you?" She said wearily.

I beamed.