[A/N: This chapter contains spoilers for the Hogwarts Mystery mobile game (specifically near the end of year 5 there). Spoilers are a few paragraphs after Harry and Merula's meeting with Snape.]

"Can we check out the village, please?" Mafalda asked. They were now walking past Hogsmeade, on their left. "I've never ever been in there before."

That pleading tone almost cut straight to Harry's heart, but he resisted. "You're gonna ruin the novelty of Hogwarts if you try and do everything in one year. Take it nice and slow."

"Like you did in the task?" Merula asked, and everyone laughed. "Give me about twenty minutes and I'll get a Butterbeer for you, Prewett."

"Yay! I can't wait!"

"You know, I'm in the mood for a drink too," Sirius said.

"You might as well just say upfront that you're trying to keep an eye on me, Black. But, fine, let's head to Rosmerta's on the double." Merula turned to head down a street leading into the village, with Sirius trailing along behind her. This left Harry, Hermione, Ron, Tracey, and Mafalda standing around doing nothing.

"So, Ron, what are you planning on doing with that Galleon, hmm?" Tracey asked. She probably knew that he was going to save it anyway, but there was no harm in using it to break the silence of the afternoon out here.

"Save it, obviously." Ron flicked the coin but narrowly missed it on the catch. It went rolling off the pavement and then into a nearby drain, to which Ron dropped to his knees and stopped just short of sticking his hand into the reeking gap. "NO! That's the only one I got at school!"

This whole scene made Hermione laugh. "Are you a wizard or not? Honestly, Ron, why are you even considering sticking your hand down a drain?"

Time was of the essence for Ron, who drew his wand and looked as focused as Harry's yet seen him. "Accio MY Galleon!"

"That's the spirit," said Tracey. She gave a soft round of applause as the golden coin came flying out from the drain. "So why were you moaning and groaning about Flitwick the other day, huh? You're quite decent with the Summoning Charm. Lemme clean that crap off for you, Scourgify!"

Meanwhile, Harry saw Mafalda giggling beside him. "And now? What's got you all giggly?" Not that I'm complaining, though.

"I think they're cute together," Mafalda whispered with regards to Ron and Tracey. "They're both smart, well, Tracey more than Ronald, obviously. They complement each other well; kinda like opposites, you know?"

Harry crossed his arms. "And what about Hermione and I? Are you saying that our relationship can only last if I turn dumb?"

"Aren't you already? Heh, I'm just joking." She sniggered before carrying on. "Well, if I didn't know you had the fuzzies for Hermione, then my bet would be on her eventually taking Tracey's place there." She nodded and went 'mm-hmm' as if to emphasise her point. "Hermione could suit Ronald well too, I think."

"Maybe... or maybe not. We'll never know." Harry leaned against the wall and got a sudden idea. "Hey, how about we levitate each other onto the school's grounds? No need to take the long way."

"OK, OK, stand still. My Levitation Charm's the best out of all the first-years. Ahem, Wingardium Leviosa! You gotta make the 'gar' nice and long, you see. That's the ticket."

It was both a relaxing and scenic moment for Harry, as he was levitated all the way up onto the thick, tall, perimeter wall of the castle. He could see most of the Quidditch stadium from up here, as well as the pathway leading up to the castle — in the distance. The entire grounds was covered in snow, making it look like one massive, white blanket had been laid out everywhere.

"Excuse me? What do you think you're doing?" Harry heard Hermione shout from below. "Just because you're the Hogwarts champion doesn't excuse such delinquent behaviour! Wingardium Leviosa!"

"Hey! I was Wingardiuming him first! Finite Incantatem!" Hermione's Levitation Charm was nullified by Mafalda, after which the latter immediately took over and brought Harry safely to the ground. "Was it fun? What did you see from up there?"

Harry explained all about the scenic view up on the wall — causing Ron to wish he could have a go too, which Tracey quickly shot down — and then he flashed a cheeky grin at the scowling Hermione. "You just got nullified by my little genius over here. Wow, Hermione, I guess you're not as perfect as I've always thought."

"Oh, hush. She just got lucky." The half scowling, half smiling expression on Hermione's face was perfectly readable for Harry. He could tell that as much as she wanted to take offence at the jibe, she was paying more attention to the fact that Harry had slipped in a sneaky little compliment there.

Sirius and Merula returned roughly five minutes later, with the latter carrying a wrapped-up Butterbeer in one of her outer pockets. She handed it over and smirked. "Don't blame us if you get smashed and wake up vomiting in a toilet pot."

"Oh, hush," Mafalda said as she swiped her bottle. "I know for a fact that the alcohol contained within here is so miniscule that it's basically negligible on humans. Would you like a quarter, Harry?"

Nothing much happened throughout the rest of the group's journey. They continued down the carriage-road and followed it all the way up to the front gates of Hogwarts, where Sirius patted Harry on the shoulder. "Call me at the first sign of trouble, OK? And watch your back around Snyde. Stranger danger, Harry."

"Yeah, constant vigilance too."

Merula snorted beneath her Invisibility Cloak, and then she followed the five students as they made their way up the frosty drive. It was roughly half past three by now; and although the sun was due to set in about an hour's time, the cloudy sky was already making things darker out here. "Forget lunch; it'd be best if we did this before the patrols kick up after dark."

Far be it for Harry to refuse the help of a pretty ex-Slytherin witch. He made haste up the slopes and into the castle, down the narrow stone staircase leading to the dungeons, and then through the labyrinthine corridors until reaching the Slytherin common-room entrance. Merula was obviously well aware of how this blank stretch of wall operated.

"I really missed this place," she said once they'd entered the empty, low underground room. "When you're in school, you can't wait to get it over with; and then when you're finished, you really wish you could return."

Harry knew that Merula was already aware of him taking up residence in the girls' dormitories, but that didn't stop her from sniggering at him all the way through the tunnels. The jokes ceased once they'd entered Harry's dormitory, where Merula removed her Cloak.

"OK, so, we're gonna open that egg in the Forest, let it scream for a bit, and then see what comes running to check it out. Maybe that could give us a clue as to what the hell thing that egg is mimicking," Merula said as they stood at Harry's trunk. "And if that goes nowhere, then, well, I suppose we could do some good old spying on your rivals instead. Hey, check this out."

Harry watched, in amazement, as Merula withdrew what looked like a simple, palm-sized sack from her top pocket. It was brown with just a hint of emerald running along its stitching. "This thing's got an Undetectable Extension Charm on it, like your school trunk," she said. "The problem is that it's illegal if done without the Ministry's consent, and it's hard as hell to pull off." She then reached into her sack and withdrew what looked like a withered hand.

"Er, whose is that?"

The look on Harry's face made Merula laugh. "It's just an artefact, silly. Feast your eyes on the Hand of Glory; my Hand of Glory. It's a Dark object, as you can clearly see, and it's totally useful. Just slip a candle within its grasp and it gives light only to its holder. And the best part is that it can't harm an Invisibility Cloak. Don't you think that's better than creeping around with a Wand-Lighting Charm?"

"So? Cloaks make anything under them invisible anyway, including the light of a Lumos."

"Sure, but I bet you can't just whip yours off and keep your light-source going. I can hold this candle right behind someone in a pitch-dark room, and they won't see so much as a flicker of light."

"And how's that gonna help me now?" Harry asked, and Merula stashed her Hand back into its sack.

"Dunno, I just felt like bragging. Now let's get going already."

Harry had his golden egg in hand, and then he threw his Invisibility Cloak over himself once he and Merula were out in the corridors again. "Why can't we just share one Cloak? Mine's lasted decades, you know. Probably better than yours."

"That's rubbish and you know it. Invisibility Cloaks have a finite lifespan, Harry Potter."

They were climbing the staircase leading up to the Entrance Hall when Harry next spoke. "So, tell me a bit about yourself, Miss Snyde. Don't you think that's the least you can do after I snuck you into my school?"

"Our school; Hogwarts never leaves you. But, um, how about we leave the conversation for another time? People are starting to leave the Great Hall, in case you can't hear."

For Harry and Merula, it was a testament to their stealth skills that they managed to evade the dozens of students trooping into the Entrance Hall. Some were moving fast, others at a casual pace, and then there was the unexpected twist or turn as well. Harry knew that if either he or Merula collided with someone, many questions would be raised. They also had to wait until someone made use of the double oak doors in front, seeing as many eyes would spot them opening and closing for no apparent reason.

And so they waited for minutes on end in a corner of the large hall. Harry's stomach occasionally grumbled, and his arms were beginning to suffer a slight, delayed onset of pain from that push-up challenge earlier this afternoon. "Man, I'm famished."

It must've been around twenty minutes until the staff trickled out of the Great Hall. Harry watched as Snape took his time in crossing the Entrance Hall and making his way down into the dungeons; his usual destination.

"You remind me of Professor Snape, in some weird way," Merula whispered, and Harry gagged. "What? It's just a thought."

"And you remind me of Pansy, except for that thing there. Who dyes a part of their hair orange?"

"Who wears round glasses? That's so old fashioned. Even Dumbledore has better style than you."

"How very mature for a twenty-one-year-old witch."

Their whispering continued until Hagrid left the Great Hall and made his way out the front doors. This provided the perfect opportunity for Harry and Merula to sneak out and make their way down the snowy slopes. It was a long, chilly walk to the perimeter of the Forest, with both Slytherins casting the Obliteration Charm as they walked. Harry then checked his map, saw that the coast was clear, and proceeded to pick a spot as far away from the Beauxbatons carriage as was reasonably possible.

"Don't want them hearing even a hint of this egg," he said, knowing full well that the whole delegation would recognise its terrible scream. If Alyssa and Fleur wanted to keep their share of secrets, then so would Harry. He wasn't about to let them know that he was working on his clue right after the second task.

"That's a good kid," Merula said, whipping off her Cloak once the pair had placed more than a few miles between them and the powder blue, snow-covered carriage. "Look, I know those foreign girls are good chums with you, but the fact remains that this is still a Triwizard, well, 'Quadwizard' Tournament. You're going to win, and I want a slice of the champion's glory."

"Three hundred Galleons sound good?" Harry asked as he took off his Cloak.

Merula stomped her foot into a patch of snowy dirt. "Not money, stupid! You'd better be grateful to those who helped you to the top, like me."

"I can't exactly go and tell people you helped me with this egg, duh. That'd be outright confessing that I cheated."

"Oh, right, good point," Merula said. "Well then, er, I'm just asking you to be a bit more open-minded if I ever need a favour from you in the future, child."

"Fine," said Harry, checking the map as per routine. "But that all depends on the favour itself. I'm not gonna kidnap or murder anyone, or be forced into marriage or sex, or whatever." He wouldn't mind getting with Merula, though. She was probably in the top-ten prettiest witches in his mind. That list comprised (in no particular order) Hermione, Pansy, Fleur, Tonks, Ginny, Bellatrix, Alyssa, Cho, Sally-Anne, and now Merula.

"What's going on inside that head of yours?"

"Let's get working on my clue. Here goes..." Harry took a deep breath and opened his golden egg, sending its loud and screechy wailing echoing into the darkness of countless tree trunks all around. A few birds were scattered by the noise, and Harry could swear he heard hooves growing louder in the distance. "Centaurs, take cover!"

Merula grabbed the egg, shut it, and then stashed away her Cloak. She chose to duck beneath Harry's one, for simplicity's sake out here. "Let's relocate."

They crept ten metres to the left, and then they watched as two centaurs galloped towards the spot where Harry and Merula were standing minutes ago. One of the centaurs shook his head and spoke in a gruff sort of voice. "Again? Foolish humans, this trick isn't going to work a second time! Whoever you are, don't expect us to let slip of that clue, as we've ended up doing for that oversized woman and her two students."

So, Alyssa and Fleur had entered the Forest, alongside their Headmistress, and pretty much pulled off Merula's idea sometime back? Well, fair play to them.

The second centaur then spoke to the darkness around him. "If we hear that thing screaming again, or catch you trespassing in our domain, we will fire arrows in your direction! And mark my words when I say we centaurs pride ourselves in our accuracy."

The plan was null and void. Harry and Merula stepped as softly as possible in the mix of icy dirt and leaves as they crept all the way back to the perimeter of the Forest, where Merula groaned. "Damn! Can't believe those foreign witches did what I wanted to do!"

"So, where to now?" Harry asked, speaking with half a Chocolate Frog in his mouth. "Shall we eavesdrop on the carriage?"

"Now that I think about it, they might have some anti-intruder measures in place. Maybe a Caterwauling Charm or tons of Sneakoscopes, perhaps?"

There was a few seconds' silence as Harry paused for thought. It would be so easy to just sneak around the perimeter and eavesdrop on the Beauxbatons carriage. Too easy, in fact. "Let's play it safe and head to the library instead. You can share my dormitory for the night."

"Why don't we just do a stakeout in the morning?" Merula asked, as they crept out the Forest. "Let's catch 'em in a discussion up the slopes, or down in the evenings."

"And what if Maxime made it routine to cast a Human-Presence-Revealing Spell as they travel to and from the castle? She could do it non-verbally, like how Dumbledore knew I was under the Cloak a few times."

"Oh, come on. I didn't sneak back into Hogwarts just to read a few books." Merula looked as if she was doing her own bit of thinking now. "I heard that Hagrid's butt-hurt over Maxime. Pansy told me all about what Davis overheard them talking about at the Yule Ball. So let's just straight-up get Hagrid to identify that egg, seeing as he's got a grudge against those foreigners."

"I'd rather not have him feel guilty — ouch!"

Merula punched Harry on the shoulder. "For someone who's capable of both Parseltongue and the Killing Curse, you're awfully soft-hearted."

"Punch me again and I'll punch you back! Just because you remind me of Pansy doesn't mean you can act like her with me."

Harry's tone of voice made Merula smile. "That's more like it. You need to be as forceful as Professor Snape, but without having a stick up your arse. Now let's go get some shut-eye, little Slytherin."

They returned to the castle in silence, until Harry whispered, "What are you going to do all day tomorrow? And, um, no offence, but... don't you have a job, or anything?"

"Maybe someday I'll enter Magical Law Enforcement and show all those losers how it's done. But for now, I'm pretty much a free agent. Consider yourself lucky, Harry Potter."

It was a long and tricky journey back to Harry's dormitory, especially as they had to work their way through the packed common room that evening. There was a neat little party being thrown in celebration of Harry's efforts, with none of his supporters giving a damn about any snide remarks coming from the Harry-hating minority here.

"Hmph, you should deal with that cancer before it spreads," Merula whispered in Harry's ear, as they snuck down the tunnel leading to Harry's room. "Haven't these years taught you the workings of our house? There's always some loser making trouble behind your back, and then that gets carried on by more losers until it becomes one big loser-sickness against you."

Harry enjoyed listening to some of Merula's advice. She had, after all, seen and done quite a lot during her seven years at school. "How should I deal with them, then, Mistress?"

Merula was about to respond, until Millicent jumped up from the latter's bed as the invisible pair entered. "Harry, is that you? Why are you under that Cloak?"

"Don't tell me you hid from your own party?" Daphne asked. She was lying on her bed while reading a magazine, probably to catch up on the latest gossip for Lavender Brown tomorrow. "Or are you ashamed of being in last place, hmm? It doesn't matter!"

"Damn right it doesn't matter," Merula said as she whipped off Harry's Cloak. The shock of seeing this random witch in their dormitory made Millicent and Daphne reach for their wands, on their bedside tables.

"Harry, who is this witch?" Millicent asked. "You can't just smuggle random strangers into our dormitory! She doesn't even look like a student!"

"Are you saying I'm old? I'm only twenty-one!" Merula scowled with indignation. "You there, um, Greengrass; use your pure-blood brain when it's needed."

That remark almost made Daphne hurl a spell at Merula, until she finally caught on. "Oh! Oh! Wait a minute, Millicent, this is that Snyde-lady that Pansy mentioned."

"We've crossed paths before!" Merula said, shaking her head in disbelief at Daphne. "Geez, girl, are you for real?"

"I plain forgot, sorry. You're not that important."

"Does Pansy know she's here?" Millicent asked. She may be the tallest and fittest of the girls, not to mention being a capable leader herself, but Millicent usually preferred deferring things to Pansy. "You're going to have to do some real good explaining, Harry."

That was exactly what Harry did over the next few minutes. He told Millicent and Daphne of Merula's desire to see Slytherin take the glory for winning the Triwizard Cup. And in order to help achieve that goal, she'd volunteered to sneak herself back into Hogwarts and assist Harry with his next task. It was a decent explanation; one that made Millicent and Daphne at least tolerate the presence of their arrogant guest. Then, over the next twenty minutes, the rest of Harry's roommates gradually returned to their dormitory.

"Hey, guys, can you believe that —" Sally-Anne paused upon entering the room and seeing Merula lounging on Harry's bed, while Harry himself was sitting beside it on a purple sleeping bag, which he'd conjured. "Er..."

"Harry's made himself a new friend," Daphne said while lying on her bed. "Where's Pansy?"

Right at that moment, Pansy entered the room. "Tracey said we got a visit — Really now? You could at least show some respect in our dormitory, Merula."

Merula gave one of her usual grins. "You jealous that I'm on your boyfriend's bed? Gonna chase me out now?"

"Whatever," said Pansy, who was in no mood for a round of bickering. She snorted at the sight of Harry climbing into his sleeping bag, and then she gathered her sleepwear and made her way into her bathroom, beside her bed.

Tracey was last to arrive of the girls, and she simply rolled her eyes upon seeing Merula lounging on Harry's bed. The former even stood up to make use of Harry's shower, with Harry hardly bothered at the takeover. All that mattered was getting ahead in the Triwizard Tournament, especially since the rest of the champions were already preparing for the third task.

"So, how was the party without its champion?" Harry asked, lying comfortably in his sleeping bag.

"All right," said Millicent, "especially with Marcus making the most of it."

Daphne set down her book and looked to her left, past Tracey's bed, at Millicent. "He's making the most of everything, if you ask me. Heck, go and ask Pansy too; she knows our cousin better than almost anyone who's not in Marcus' best-friend circle. You need to speak with your boyfriend, Millicent."

"About what?"

"About realising that everyone has to leave Hogwarts at some point." Daphne's words drew the attention of Sally-Anne and Tracey, both of whom murmured in agreement. "Look, we all know he probably fumbled his N.E.W.T.s to sneak in an extra year at school, but they're not gonna let him get away with it again. His fear of the real world is gonna end up making him enter it with only O.W.L.s."

Harry sat up in his sleeping bag. "Wait, what? 'Fear of the real world?' Marcus Flint?"

"That's what I said," Daphne said. "I've been watching him for some time now; it's plain obvious he's too attached to this school."

Sally-Anne added her bit as well. "Probably can't see past his cosy little life of being Mister big seventh-year Quidditch captain. He needs to take a cue from Viktor and man up for the real world out there."

Harry hadn't noticed anything amiss with his old captain; but, then again, neither had Harry even been on the team in recent years. Wait, when was the last time he'd even played a Quidditch match at Hogwarts? "Maybe we should bring a slice of the real world to Marcus here," Harry said while rubbing his chin. "What if we got Viktor to captain a Durmstrang team against him?"

A moment's thought preceded Sally-Anne shaking her head. "It's not that simple. Viktor's too busy with schoolwork and the Tournament, and it's not as if Marcus hasn't been exposed to the world out there already. He just needs to wake up and smell the coffee."

"He needs to take a bit more pride in himself," Millicent said from her bed. "Yes, I think you should ask Viktor to do a tour of the locker rooms. Actually, why don't we get all the available foreign captains to tour too? Think about it: this'll give Marcus a chance to spruce up the place, take some real pride in having been our captain for so long, and allow him to see that his efforts haven't gone unnoticed."

"Yeah," said Daphne, "I don't think anyone really showed proper appreciation towards Marcus over the years. We should give him a chance to do a little presentation on our team's recent history and stuff. The foreigners don't have to be here for just classes and the Tournament, you know."

Judging by what they'd heard, Harry and his roommates knew that three out of Durmstrang's five Quidditch captains were present at Hogwarts, and that two out of Beauxbatons' four were here. Their lack of a house system didn't prevent the idea of having an annual Quidditch season. Each school had their own unique teams, and there were no restrictions placed on which student could support what. A locker-room tour could make a hell of a difference for any of the Hogwarts captains, although Marcus was the one who needed it the most.

"All right, sounds like a plan!" Harry said, and then he heard Merula singing in the shower. "And now?"

Tracey giggled. "Seems like she and Pansy got something in common, eh? Pity she can't hear right next door; they should do a duet."

Seeing as he was exhausted after one heck of a Sunday, and that tomorrow would bring another round of classes, Harry tucked himself into his sleeping bag and called it a night. His dreams were plagued by the occasional image of losing out on the Triwizard Cup, and a few seconds of being laughed at by random, faceless people — for being unable to solve his golden-egg clue.

Monday, the twenty-fifth, brought a mixed bag of reactions to Harry's performance thus far. He was well received by a wide variety of students in and around breakfast, all of whom expressed their surprise at Harry keeping up with his older competitors. Then there were those who felt that they deserved better than an 'underaged wimp who just can't keep up', irrespective of the narrow points-gap between the champions. A growing portion of Ravenclaw were particularly vocal about Harry's 'poor' choices in life, especially with regards to his electives.

"Should've chose better than a fraud and a sentimental gamekeeper," Harry heard some older Ravenclaw girl say as she and her friends passed him in the first-floor corridor, after today's first class had ended.

"Yeah," said one of her male housemates walking behind the group. "It's supposed to be brains or brawn, Potter, but you sucked at both there. What an embarrassment."

The third insult came in the form of a sixth-year Ravenclaw girl commenting that Harry wasn't even needed in the Tournament. She reckoned he ought to be kicked out and that the Ministry of Magic somehow make Alyssa Parkinson the Hogwarts champion — irrespective of what Madame Maxime, or whoever else, might think.

"It's not like her own schoolmates even like her that much anyway," the girl said. "Parkinson's better off representing her true school, and we'd be better off with one of our own in the Tournament... instead of some overrated, underaged Slytherin."

Harry said nothing. He just kept on walking while convincing Pansy and the girls to ignore the remarks as well, which wasn't easy. Millicent kept looking over her shoulder to glare at the group who were heading in the opposite direction. Then, barely a minute later, Harry smiled upon hearing a shriek and a gagging noise coming from far behind.

Those troublemakers had walked right into a dungbomb trap, courtesy of the invisible Merula lurking around. And the best part was that nobody could pin the blame on Harry or his girls, seeing as they were clearly unable to have organised that stench so soon. It was a mystery that was ultimately blamed on Peeves in the end.

"There, and now we're even for the bed-thing," Merula whispered, as she crept alongside Harry in the corridor. "No calling in anymore favours for sleeping on the floor last night."

"You're still helping me with that egg, though," Harry said, to which Merula set off towards the library.

Care of Magical Creatures was livelier than ever that morning, with most of the noise coming from Hagrid's lauding of Harry's efforts — irrespective of the latter being in last place. In fact, just about everyone except Crabbe and Goyle had offered some form of congratulations to Harry, with even Draco Malfoy admitting his surprise at Harry's survival on the scoreboard. It wasn't easy going up against three talented, N.E.W.T.-level students after all.

Harry chose to spend that morning's unicorn-lesson beside Hermione, although he wasn't the only Slytherin enjoying the company of their Gryffindor classmate. Tracey and Ron were happily taking notes in one corner of the garden while Daphne joined Lavender in patting the magnificent, whitish unicorn nearby. Elsewhere, Pansy looked ready to swap some notes with Hermione but, at the same time, didn't wish to intrude upon the latter's time with Harry. It wasn't easy having a relationship with someone from another house, irrespective of how close they already were.

Speaking of the other houses, Cho was still in the minority of hers as she took genuine pride in Harry's performance in the second task. She met with him in the Entrance Hall before lunch and stressed that he ought to ignore both the haters and his last-place position on the scoreboard.

"It really doesn't bother me in the least."

"Well, that's good," said Cho, "because you're going to hear a good deal of crap from my housemates over the next couple of weeks. The whole common room's been dissing your Arithmancy-failure and elective choices, just so you know."

Today's lunch hour was doubled in length, allowing many students to head for the lake and flock to the shimmering, lime-green platform hovering above it. The older students were more focused on checking out all the challenges, while the younger ones decided to role-play themselves as champions. Prefects and staff alike were tasked with keeping law and order on the crowded platform over the next two hours.

Among the hundreds of students, Marcus Flint was having a ball of a time at the push-up station. He made it a point to prove that he could do up to a hundred push-ups as well, to which more than a few spectators remarked that that was the closest he would get to being a champion. Marcus couldn't care less for the random, snide remarks, though, not as he and most of his teammates challenged one another in the circular room. The other Quidditch teams and their captains joined in too, and it soon became a battle of strength across the four houses.

The rest of Harry's afternoon passed by without anything of note — except, perhaps, Professor Flitwick applauding his charms-use from yesterday. After that it was time for a free period for the Slytherins, during which Pansy's gang continued their planning of getting the foreign captains (and whoever was present from their teams) to come and tour the Hogwarts locker rooms. Harry had bigger issues to worry about than Marcus' fears, though, and he politely excused himself to an abandoned classroom on the sixth floor.

"I don't know, Harry," Merula said as Harry entered the classroom. She was sitting at a desk with the golden egg resting on a pillow beside her. "I mean, this thing doesn't quite fit the profile of a banshee's scream, and neither could it be hinting at some form of torture. There's no way anyone would allow that in the Tournament."

"I think we ought to do another bit of night-time reconnaissance," Harry said. "Maybe one of the others will be out and about while working on their next task."

That night, both Slytherins snuck out the castle while under Harry's Invisibility Cloak. They perused the map in the hopes of seeing either Alyssa, Fleur, or Krum exiting their respective accommodations... to no avail. None of them left the vicinity of the Beauxbatons carriage or the Durmstrang ship.

"Your competition's keeping it tight," Merula said, as she and Harry were stationed on the darkened slopes. "I reckon they're waiting for the next Hogsmeade visit if they're planning on doing anything out here in the open."

That made sense; it would be preferable to practice when most of the older students were out and about in the village. "But that's weeks from now," Harry said. "Nah, I think they're doing their practice mostly inside their dormitories."

"Tough break for the French girls, then. Parkinson and Delacour are still rival competitors, remember? Hey, what if we turned them against each other?"

Harry put his foot down and outright refused to resort to Voldemort-level tactics. He was dead-set on figuring out his clue as fairly as possible, with the sole exception of asking for assistance.

"Why do you have to be such a goody two-shoes all the time, Harry Potter? Don't you have any ambition... or cunning?"

Harry sighed while sitting under his Cloak, beneath the cloudy night sky. "Please don't throw my house in my face, Merula. I'll do things however I want."

On Tuesday morning before lunch, Harry was caught off guard by Professor Moody — who kept him behind for a chat once the rest of their class had left. "So, Potter, care to explain why there's an unauthorised individual following you around on occasion? I'm sure you're aware that this eye can see through Invisibility Cloaks, correct?"

"Well, you see, um, she's here to help —"

"I know all about Merula Snyde, lad. But the fact remains that you ought to have asked Professor Dumbledore for permission first before sneaking her into this school."

Harry wondered whether he'd face disciplinary action for his misdeeds; but, then again, Albus Dumbledore was still in charge of this school. Harry reckoned he could get away with murder around here. "So, am I going to be lectured by the Headmaster now?"

"No, but your Head of House overheard our conversation and would like a word with both of you before dinner."

Oh shit... Snape. "OK then, sir."

Double Potions came after lunch, which gave Snape the perfect opportunity for a nice, stern lecture thereafter. It was a dreary couple of hours until the last bell finally rang, after which Snape requested that Harry remain behind (to many of his classmates' bewilderment). The Potions master left no room for questions or gawking as Harry remained seated at his desk.

"So, looks like our Triwizard champion believes himself even further above the rules than expected," said Snape, once the classroom had finally been emptied. "I'm going to state the obvious as clearly as possible for your feeble mind, Potter: bringing in outsiders without the Headmaster's permission is strictly forbidden. Take off that Cloak, Snyde!"

Merula removed her Invisibility Cloak and stood beside Harry's desk. She flashed a guilty little grin that could fool even Harry into thinking she was completely innocent. "Hello, sir; it's nice to see you again."

"That feeling isn't mutual; what are you doing trespassing in my school?"

"Our school, Professor, and I'm here to assist our Triwizard champion with his golden egg — despite what the rules might say."

Snape straightened up. "Just because you're a bit older than when we last met doesn't give you permission to give me such cheek, Snyde. If it were up to me, I'd've blasted you out the front gates already, so consider yourself lucky that Dumbledore doesn't mind you assisting our resident delinquent."

"Why are you always so mean towards this child, sir?" Merula asked, and Harry almost smiled. Why take on Snape himself when he could stand back, look innocent, and have others do it for him? "You know what this reminds me of? When Rakepick turned all hostile on me back in the day. You remember Rakepick, right?"

There was a sudden, brief flash of fury to Snape's expression. "Then I guess Potter should consider himself lucky that I don't use the Cruciatus Curse on my students. Now get out of my classroom, both of you! And if I so much as hear that you've put one foot out of line, Snyde..."

Merula covered herself with her Invisibility Cloak and followed Harry out of the Potions classroom, and into the corridor. "Such a charmer, isn't he? Good thing I cut his whole lecture short by mentioning that woman we all hated."

"What did he mean by not putting us under the Cruciatus Curse?"

"Oh, you know Snape by now — always exaggerating things to the extreme, the drama queen."

Harry wasn't convinced by Merula's casual, dismissive tone. He knew that his Head of House, despite being a hateful git at times, wouldn't say something like that without good reason. "What are you not telling me, Merula? It's bad enough that I hardly even know you at all."

"Shhh, there's people around the corner; we'll talk later."

It was a good thing that Merula had the map in her hands while creeping behind Harry, as questions would be asked if he was seen talking to himself in the corridors. Harry therefore kept cool and returned to his dormitory, instead of heading straight for dinner.

"Um, aren't you hungry?" Merula asked as Harry sat on his bed. "Like, you just came from Potions and all that; I could hear your stomach rumbling all the time in the corridors."

"Tell me about that Cruciatus thing. Why did Snape bring that up?"

"OK, fine! Patricia Rakepick was a bitch of a witch who taught Defence Against the Dark Arts in my fifth year, and she tortured me with that curse by the end of it. There, you happy? It happened during that whole Cursed Vault rubbish, which I'm sure Tonks must've mentioned at some point."

Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You were... tortured?"

"By a member of the staff, and someone who was practically a mentor to me as well, yes." Merula's eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms and surveyed Harry. "That's old history, though, so don't try and play damsel in distress with me, young one. Rakepick ain't coming back."

There was a moment's silence as Harry wondered just how much he could trust this pretty, young witch. Her violet eyes and that funny little tuft of orange dye on her hair sure as hell made it easy. "What if I, um, told you that I once used that curse on a person too?"

"That's just crazy! You aren't nearly foul enough to use such an Unforgivable."

Did she just compliment him? "Heh, I can cast the Killing Curse too, remember?" And Harry proceeded to describe his duel with Peter Pettigrew, which made Merula blink in surprise. "That's right; revenge is a dish best served cold; and right now, Wormtail's a frozen husk rotting away in Azka — Shit, sorry..." He stopped upon remembering that Merula's parents were incarcerated as well. "I didn't mean to offend."

Merula didn't seem offended at all. "Seriously, why do you have to be such a softie all the time, hmm? I already told you: my parents were stupid enough to work with Voldemort in the first place. And yeah, I'll say that dead guy's name if I want."

"He's not dead, though."

"Now I know you're joking," Merula said. "Wait, so what Tonks said was true? I thought she was just pulling my leg with that story about you and Voldemort three years ago."

They ended up chatting and snacking until their roommates returned, meaning that Harry and Merula had both missed dinner. Pansy and her gang were under the impression that Harry ought to play gentleman and organise both him and Merula a meal, to which Merula scoffed.

"Oh, please. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of both myself and our resident champion. Someone cover for me while I sneak out to the kitchens. I happen to know a few house-elves in there, especially if old Pitts is still around."

"Hmm, I was thinking of popping into the library anyway," said Tracey, and she stood up to exit the room alongside the invisible Merula, leaving Harry with the others.

Pansy turned to look at Harry and then crossed her arms. "So, what were the two of you talking about that made you miss dinner, Champ?"

Harry honestly hoped that Pansy wasn't about to start some form of drama in here. "Just the whole Quirrell-Voldemort-Philosopher's-Stone thing. Well, quite a bit of first-year stuff, actually."

Merula returned roughly forty minutes later, with Tracey at her side. The former brought a whole box of food along, which they spent the rest of the night eating while discussing a whole bunch of topics in this room of seven.

Working on the golden-egg clue was no easy task. Harry spent the next week getting as much help as he could without actually asking. Cedric and Cho were definitely keen on assisting their champion, and thus play a role in the Triwizard Tournament as well. However, it was a tad too risky to ask some of their housemates for assistance, as they preferred to not land Harry in trouble with the judges and staff.

"Don't worry, Harry; it's only a matter of time until we figure this out," Cedric said, while holding the golden egg in his hands. The group of three, plus the invisible Merula, were sitting in an abandoned classroom on the fifth floor. They were soon joined by more familiar faces, including Pansy, Tracey, Ron (who sat beside Tracey), Hermione, and Yasmin Shafiq.

"Ha, three prefects breaking the rules? Lovely," said Yasmin, as she saw Cedric and Cho being present as well. "Any luck so far?"

"Still a meaningless scream, I'm afraid," said Cho. She was paging through a book on Dark creatures. "What if this is a sign that Harry's going to face a terrible suffering of sorts?"

Pansy scoffed. "Is there any other kind? OK, OK, I'm just joking."

"Dementors, perhaps?" Hermione asked as she squeezed herself between Harry and Pansy. "That's definitely one test that very few students could withstand, and I'm sure the staff will be on hand to avoid getting anyone Kissed — if things went too far."

Cedric was putting his sharp mind to good use here. "No, that's way too vague a clue. If it were about Dementors, then I guess they would've made this egg have a shining light or pitch-black darkness within."

"Yeah, that'd be a better hint at getting such stuff in the next task," Cho said. "Wait, did you people hear that?"

"Hear what?" Yasmin looked around the spacious, old classroom. "Don't tell me that egg's giving out hallucinations now too?"

"No, I could swear I just heard something move there in that corner."

Ron widened his eyes. "Hope it's not Peeves spying on us!"

"Nah, it ain't Peeves," said Harry. He stood up and went over to where Merula was sitting. "Look, nothing here at all, see? Maybe we should all head for the Great Hall already. I'm starving."

At dinner, Fleur was looking very smug while sitting on Harry's left. "So, 'ave you figured out zat egg yet?"

"Come on, guys; can't you give me just one little hint?" Harry asked. There was no harm in mentioning this near Pansy now, seeing as she knew that her cousin had already figured things out. "Alyssa? Viktor?"

"You stink; there's a hint."

"Alyssa, don't be rude!" said Pansy, although her cousin just kept on grinning.

Just as Merula had said, the Triwizard Tournament was still a competition in the end, and none of the champions were keen on assisting one another at this stage. That wasn't to say they were enemies, no, just full-on competitors now. Harry was therefore left to figure things out as best as he could on his own, although it didn't hurt to bend the rules with assistance, as he knew the others had done. Sally-Anne had informed him that Krum was being helped by his schoolmates and Headmaster, while Pansy 'accidentally' let slip that both Beauxbatons champions were receiving some form of assistance in their carriage. Cheating was a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament after all.

February was now in full swing, and with it came three highlights: Ravenclaw vs. Slytherin in Quidditch, a Valentine's Day Hogsmeade trip, as well as a surprise Quidditch match between Hogwarts and Durmstrang. The first was a fast-paced game that took place on Sunday, the seventh, and which ended on Slytherin winning two hundred and fifty to Ravenclaw's eighty. This brought the league standings to Slytherin on four hundred and eighty (with two games played), Hufflepuff on three hundred and ten (one game played), Gryffindor on one hundred and sixty (one game played), and Ravenclaw languishing behind on one hundred and thirty points (with two games played). It really wasn't the reigning champions' season that year.

As for the second, it was a cold and wet Sunday morning as Valentine's Day got underway. Harry was partly excited, partly anxious, and just plain confused as to what to do on his first date — with Hermione Granger.

"Are you kidding me?" Millicent asked as she, and the rest of their dormitory, watched Harry groom himself for the umpteenth time before his mirror. "It's just Granger, man! You're not dating some chick you hardly know."

"Yeah," said Merula (who resolved to stay until Harry got his egg clue figured out). "I've been here long enough to know that you, er, kinda know your stuff with regards to a date. Just chill and have fun; it's just your favourite Muggle-born."

Pansy was in stitches from laughing on her bed. "Good grief, chill out, baby Potter! Imagine if I were his first date; it'd be more like babysitting than anything else!"

While Harry was brushing his hair with a vengeance, Daphne looked across the room at her cousin. "You know, I'm surprised you haven't dated anyone yet, Pansy. I mean, Harry doesn't have a problem with you having your share of fun and all that."

"Ha! As if I even need his permission in the first place." Pansy tilted her head and puffed out her chest. "I am a Parkinson — well, I never even knew my dad — and we don't just date random stooges 'just for fun.' Just ask Alyssa."

Sally-Anne, who was scheduled for her own date today (with Krum), chuckled. "Well, good luck waiting on Harry, then. He's totally preoccupied with Granger, not to mention eyeing Fleur and perving on that Nymphadora Tonks" — Merula was laughing at this — "pal of his. Just date someone for fun, Pansy."

"Geez, it's like you people are deaf, or something," Pansy said. "Daphne, you should know what I'm talking about, duh. My mom didn't go around getting with any Tom, Dick, and Harry out there." She shot a glance at the narrow-eyed Harry. "It's just an expression, silly. I'm waiting for my knight in shining armour here someday."

"Oh yeah?" Tracey added her bit to the mix. "Well, that knight over there's gonna polish his armour until the lady dies of impatience. Which one of you is the witch today, Harry? Seriously, Granger's not at all fussy when it comes to dressing up and stuff. I should know, seeing as that's exactly how I feel about Ron. So long as he doesn't show up in his pyjamas, or anything, we're gonna have a ball of a time hanging out."

"Which colour scheme should I wear today?" Harry asked, holding up two sets of matching outfits. "Ha, I'm just joking."

"Why don't you call Godfather-dearest right now and get yourself a lecture?" Pansy asked, swiping Harry's enchanted comb from his grip. "Take a cue from your late father and just go casual and leave your hair messy, man. Lots of witches dig that style." She ruffled Harry's hair back into its untidy state, or even worse. "Splendid! When it comes to getting with Granger-danger, I don't think it'd be wise to make your hair look too perfect. She might be insecure over her own then, if she didn't use any hair-care potion."

"OK, so now I gotta take another shower and get some perfume on," Harry said. "Your cousin said I stink, remember?"

Pansy just stood there with her arms folded. "She was just playing the fool with you, Harry. You really don't smell — except after Quidditch-stuff, but that's OK." She waited another three minutes until Harry finally settled upon his outfit for today: just some casual jeans and a black hoodie. "Finally. If you were gonna take any longer, I might as well go out with Granger myself and show you how it's done."

"That's bloody hot, that," Harry said, picturing Pansy and Hermione kissing and stuff. "Go for it, then."

"I'm gonna tell Granger you were ready to stand her up, just you watch," said Pansy.

Breakfast came and breakfast went, after which Harry met with Hermione in the Entrance Courtyard. She was standing beneath a section of roofing which sheltered her from the drizzle, and she looked as casual as ever — except for her hair. Hermione had once again used Sleekeazy's Hair Potion, it seemed (which made Harry grin, seeing as that meant a bit more coin in his vault), although she just used it to straighten her hair out.

Harry was about to speak, until Pansy strode across the courtyard and came right up to Hermione. "Looking good, Granger, but, did you know that Harry was prepared to have me date you in his place?"

"What?"

"No, wait!" Harry wondered whether it'd be a good idea to mention his kinky imagination involving these two witches. "We were just joking around while I was taking my time to get done, yeah."

"Just pulling your leg, baby Potter." Pansy smiled and patted him on his back. "Go and get some much-needed experience for when we go out on our first date... maybe next Valentine's, yeah? Have fun!"

"Your hair looks really nice," said Harry, once he was alone with Hermione out here. "Um, well, not that I mean it isn't usually nice."

She smiled. "Thank you, Harry, but, what exploded on yours?"

"Excuse me?"

"Just pulling your leg, baby Potter." Hermione looked thoroughly amused with herself. "I'm glad you didn't overexert yourself in front of the mirror. Honestly, you're handsome enough as is."

The drizzle had gradually worsened by now, and Harry therefore threw up a Shield Charm, which surrounded the two of them as they exited the courtyard. "What? The Shield Charm provides an effective, all-round defence against the rain."

There was an amused little smile on Hermione's face. "Sure thing, General, but I think an umbrella would be a nice, old-fashioned way of sharing the love. Stop being so militant and let's share one. Getting splashed is part of the fun."

Harry couldn't help but wrap his free arm around Hermione while holding up her lilac umbrella. Now that he thought about it, Pansy and the girls were right: there really wasn't anything to worry about when dating his precious Granger. "Urgh, Filch's taking his time at the gate again. Look at that crowd."

"Then we'll just have to wait, of course."

"Did I ever tell you that Professor McGonagall was most impressed by my Transfiguration during the second task?" Harry asked, and they ended up discussing the Tournament until — finally — exiting the front gates and walking down the road towards Hogsmeade.

"Let's go to the quill shop first," said Hermione, who was completely at ease in Harry's company. They could discuss whatever they wanted, and walk wherever they wanted, without either getting annoyed at the conversation. "What about you? All those notes you've taken while studying must've worn down your favourite quill by now."

"I'll let you choose."

"Hmm," said Hermione, as they neared the entrance to the shop. "How about a nice, big, pink one for you?"

"Then I'll get you a nice pair of boys' underwear for your next birthday, maybe. Nice and silky to enjoy a healthy breeze around the privates."

Hermione laughed, and so did Harry. Today was shaping up to be one fine morning indeed, despite the weather having got worse by the hour thus far. Drizzle? A freezing wind? Harry couldn't care less. All that mattered was spending as much time with Hermione as possible, and making sure that she was enjoying herself all the same. There were countless eyes following the pair of them, as Harry just knew that the gossip mill was in full swing by now.

"People keep staring at us," Hermione said as they entered the quill shop. "You'd swear they don't have their own lives."

"It's all in the image, you see. Celebrity is as celebrity does." Harry's statement made Hermione simultaneously groan and laugh. "Probably the only useful thing that idiot ever said."

Well, if people wanted to stare their way, then so be it. Harry was dead-set on proving that he could damn well give his girlfriend a great Valentine's Day, despite this being their first one on a date.