A/N: Here we go againnnn! Time for the Second Task! I hope you guys enjoy this one - there's a lot that goes on in here. Just also want to give a shout out to you guys who are reviewing, it literally makes my day when I hear that you are all loving this as much as I have loved writing it!

Chapter Ten: The Second Task

"Thank Merlin it's Friday." Tracey moaned at breakfast the next morning.

"Someone tell me how our only full days of classes are Monday and Friday?" Madi let out an irritated sigh, hurriedly copying a History of Magic essay that was due in first period.

"We have double Potions last today," Blaise pointed out. "That basically counts as free periods for us."

Daphne rolled her eyes, "Maybe for you three," she pointed between Blaise, Malfoy and me. "Not all of us are Potions geniuses."

"Maybe not," Malfoy agreed with a smirk, "But Snape will still let you get away with not doing anything."

"There's a fine line and you know it," Theodore snorted with a roll of his eyes.

Malfoy simply shrugged, going back to his breakfast. A familiar noise suddenly carried down to us, and I looked up to see the owl's delivering the morning post. A black owl with ice blue eyes landed in front of me and I detached the letter from her collar happily, making sure to give her a scratch under the chin before she hooted in satisfaction and flew off. I opened the seal and started to read the familiar scrawl.

Hey kid,

Hope everything is going okay with you. The Second Task is getting closer and while that makes me nervous for Harry it also means we get to see each other again soon. I'm hoping things have settled down on your end, but if they haven't and you haven't told me I'm going to have to have a stern fatherly word with you (which you know I hate). I was glad to hear you sorted things out with Fred, I told you everything would work itself out.

Just one more thing I thought I'd mention, though I'm sure you already know. Moody owled here last night, he caught Harry out of bed - his eye can see through the cloak you know – and stopped him from being found out by Snape. Harry lent him the map, he was pretty impressed by it, which has left the three of us pretty chuffed over here. Anyway, I just thought maybe you should check in with Harry in case it was anything to do with the tournament.

I miss you, kid. I'll see you soon.

Love always,

Dad

"Good lord, she looks like she's going to kill someone," Daphne's voice pulled me back to reality, and I looked up to see my group of friends looking at me with wide eyes.

I realised my hands were shaking, and I crumpled the letter up angrily, tossing it onto my empty plate.

"Has anyone ever seen her this angry?" Blaise remarked, looking between everyone at the table and then back at me in concern.

"Never," Tracey stated, "And I thought I'd seen her as angry as possible."

"What the bloody hell was in that letter?" Theodore said, evidently how mad he was at me was being trumped by his curiosity.

"I'm going to kill Harry Potter," I seethed.

There was a silence.

"I'm not the only one who just heard her say that, right?" Malfoy demanded, looking at me with an expression crossed between baffled and intrigued.

I ignored him, standing up abruptly and storming over to the Gryffindor table. The Golden Trio was nowhere to be seen, but the rest of Harry's dorm was happily enjoying their breakfast.

"Where's Harry?" I demanded. Neville practically jumped out of his seat, and Dean and Seamus stared at me in slight terror.

"H-he and Ron were running late," Seamus stammered, "They're probably on their way down?"

I whirled around without another word, vaguely hearing someone calling my name as I stalked out of the Great Hall. How dare he. That map was given to me, it was mine and he had no right to go giving it away. I had always been generous in sharing it with him, especially this time when I didn't even ask for the cloak in return like usual.

"What exactly did Potter do?" Blaise questioned as he, Theodore and Malfoy rushed to keep up with me. I hadn't even realised they'd followed me out, and I didn't even care enough right now to wonder why Malfoy was with them. Just as we rounded the first corner – I spotted Ron and Harry heading towards us.

"HARRY POTTER!" I screeched, and he immediately froze in fear.

"She's so tiny," Theodore breathed; eyes wide. "How does she have so much power?"

"I would not be making any kind of short jokes right now unless you have a death wish," Blaise muttered. I ignored both of them as we reached the two fearful looking Gryffindors, stopping right in front of my godbrother and fixing him with my most vicious glare.

"Do you have anything you want to tell me?" I hissed, and Harry's eyes widened.

"How did you find out already?"

I screamed in frustration, "That's all you have to say!?"

"Can we talk about this somewhere else?" he said meaningfully, looking accusingly at the three Slytherins over my shoulder.

"You had no right to give that to him Harry," I continued, ignoring the warning look he was giving me for daring to discuss it in front of them, but I didn't care. I was far too angry to care who heard us.

"What was I meant to do?" he finally gave up on moving our conversation elsewhere, "He asked for it and he'd just saved my ass from Snape!"

"You say no!" I exclaimed angrily, and he jumped a little at my tone, "It wasn't yours to give away!"

Harry let out an exasperated sigh, "Both of our dad's made it, Cass. I have just as much of a right to it as you do!"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, "They decided to give it to me," my voice had gone dangerously low, and I could see Blaise and Theodore exchange a wary look from the corner of my eye when they heard it, "Because you got the-" I stopped myself, remembering who was standing behind me. "You know what I mean."

He looked at me carefully for a moment, "I think you're overreacting."

"The bottom line is you made me a promise, Harry," I snapped, "And you've broken it."

"Well what am I supposed to do about it?" he sighed in frustration, looking just as irritated as I did now. Ron was staring coldly at the three boys still gathered behind me, who I'd noticed had moved a little closer to me during our exchange.

"Get it back."

His eyes practically boggled out of his head, "You're joking, right? How the bloody hell am I supposed to do that?"

"That's not my problem," I rolled my eyes, before fixing a cold smirk on my face, "And if not, maybe I'll just take something of yours in exchange."

His eyes narrowed, knowing exactly what item of his I was referring to, "That's not fair."

"Actually," I was surprised when Blaise piped up, staring at Harry coldly. "I think that sounds perfectly fair."

"This has nothing to do with you." Harry hissed, making both Theodore and Malfoy bristle immediately.

"Call off your bloody snakes, CB." Ron snapped harshly, looking at me accusingly like I'd been the one to ask Blaise to speak up.

"Watch your mouth Weasley." Malfoy snarled before I could retort - moving forward so he was standing a little in front of my shoulder, almost like he was shielding me, "Black doesn't control us."

"From our point of view," Theodore drawled, stepping forward a little as well, "It sounds like you've given away something that doesn't belong to you, Potter. I think she has every right to want it back."

Harry was looking between me and the three Slytherins incredulously, like he was waiting for me to tell them to bugger off, "Why don't you keep your nose out of things that don't concern you?" he growled eventually, realising I wasn't planning on stepping in. Why should I? They had every right to back me up if they wanted to.

"Anything that concerns her, concerns us." Blaise responded without missing a beat, and despite the circumstances and how furious I was still; I couldn't stop a small smile from flicking onto my face briefly at Blaise's words.

"I just want it back, Harry," I said quietly, trying to prevent the situation from escalating any further, I was very aware of how angry they were all growing.

"Yeah, well you didn't have to bloody threaten him," Ron frowned, "Or show up with bodyguards."

"I didn't ask them to follow me Ron," I rolled my eyes, "Just because you don't understand standing by your friends - which you proved this year."

"Cass!" Harry looked shocked as Ron turned red, clenching his fists at his side. The three boys behind me all snickered, fixing Ron with amused smirks that only made him angrier.

"Am I wrong?" I raised an eyebrow, "I don't know why you're so angry at me anyway, I'm not the one in the wrong here."

Harry had the sense to actually look a little guilty now, slumping slightly but still seeming a little on edge due to the presence of the Slytherins who had still refused to leave my side.

"What's wrong, Potter?" I groaned inwardly at Malfoy's smug tone, he just couldn't help himself, could he? "Don't like being called out for being selfish for once?"

"Shut up, Malfoy," Harry growled, immediately prickling in anger once more, "I don't even know why you're pretending to be on her side! We all know you're only here because you can't help but be a git whenever you can."

Malfoy's eyes narrowed, and he stepped past me and closer to Harry. My eyes widened, not wanting the situation to escalate more than it already had. But before I could say anything another gruff voice interrupted us.

"Is everything alright 'ere, Potter?"

I let out a low hiss, all of us turning to see Professor Moody himself watching us sternly - his magical eye focused on Malfoy who was still staring Harry down.

"We're fine, Professor," Theodore said coolly, always the sensible one, "We were just heading off to first period actually, right Draco?"

"I asked Potter, Mr Nott," Moody snapped, looking at Theodore briefly before back on Harry. I gave him a pleading look, and he sighed, giving Malfoy one more glare before stepping away.

"Fine, sir."

"Come on," Blaise muttered, pulling Malfoy back, who shook him off with a glare. The three of them turned to head back to the Great Hall, but I stayed put.

"Actually Professor, I was wondering if we could have a word?"

Moody raised an eyebrow before nodding slightly in agreement. Harry went to pause, but I shook my head, I could handle this one on my own now. I noticed Theodore and Blaise hesitate as well, but then continue down the corridor with Malfoy in tow - lagging slightly behind them and looking over his shoulder at me. I caught Theo's eye as he went, smiling at him softly when he gave me a small nod - I knew whatever had been going on with us was over now.

"What's on your mind, Miss Black?" Moody's gruff voice pulled my attention back to him, and I fixed him with a cold stare.

"I think Harry let you borrow something that wasn't his to give away."

Moody raised an eyebrow, his eye swivelling unnervingly, "Ah, so that little map belongs to you does it?"

I nodded, my stare not wavering, "We share it sometimes, but Harry had no right to give it to you."

"Hmm," Moody studied me for a moment, "Well, I'm sure you understand Miss Black, that if that map falls into the wrong hands it could be very dangerous - especially for Mr Potter."

I blinked, "What are you saying, professor?"

He smirked, "Think it's best if I hold onto it for now."

My mouth dropped open, and the bastard only looked more pleased by my reaction, like he'd been wanting me to react badly, "But, sir-"

"If not, Miss Black," he interrupted me, "We wouldn't want to have to hand it in to Dumbledore, would we? Or the Ministry? I'm sure they'd all be very interested where you got it, and why you've never handed it in before."

I narrowed my eyes; I knew I should have listened to my stupid gut feeling. There was something off about this, he was far too keen on keeping this map - which only meant one thing. He was trying to hide something.

"Of course not," I gritted out, "You're right, Professor. It's safer with you for now."

He smiled smugly, "I thought you might see it my way," his eye suddenly flickered to the side, "You should probably head to class, tell Professor Binns you and Mr Malfoy were late because you were with me."

I blinked in surprise, looking over his shoulder to see Malfoy still waiting down the corridor, his cold gaze focused on us. I headed towards him without another word to Moody, glaring at him suspiciously when I reached him.

"What are you doing?"

"Making sure you don't do something stupid like attack a Professor," he said coolly, "We can't afford to lose any more points."

He turned to walk off, but I was too riled up from the two confrontations I'd just had to just let him walk away from me again, and grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"Bullshit," I spat.

He yanked his arm away from me, fixing me with a glare, "I just helped you and that's how you talk to me? Why are you always so goddamn ungrateful!?" he hissed.

"Why did you help me?" I demanded, determined to get a straight answer out of him for once, "I didn't need anyone's help, but I especially didn't expect yours."

"Maybe I just wanted to see you put Potter in his place for once," he snapped, "It's about time you stopped letting him walk all over you."

I stepped closer to him, not even caring that the last time we were this close he'd messed my head up for days. "Bullshit," I said again.

He didn't move, staring me down, "What answer are you expecting from me, Black?" he snarled.

I held his gaze for a moment before I stepped back a little and regarded him thoughtfully. I was over not getting straight answers from him, he had been messing with my head all year and I was done with it. If he wanted something from me, he was going to have to tell me himself.

"You told me I wasn't ready to admit something last week," I said finally, and his eyebrows raised a little in surprise. I don't think he'd been expecting me to bring that up, I hadn't said a word about it since and had basically avoided him like the plague.

"But I'm not going to admit anything until you admit it to me first."

He scoffed, "Don't be ridiculous."

"I don't think I'm being ridiculous. It isn't fair of you to ask that when all you've done all year is mess with my head!" I crossed my arms, looking him right in the eye, "And maybe that's the whole point, maybe you are just doing it all to mess with me. But if you really do want something from me, you have to start being upfront about it."

He continued to stare back at me, his eyes narrowed - and the silence stretched between us for what felt like minutes, neither of us daring to break our eye contact or be the first to speak.

"Hm," he suddenly smirked, stepping away from me and looking triumphant, "I don't need to, you just admitted it anyway."

I blinked, "No I didn't."

His smirk only grew, and he leaned down, "You asking me to admit it is you admitting it," he murmured into my ear, and I cursed myself silently when it sent a shiver down my spine. He straightened up again, giving me one last smug smirk before striding away while I watched him go with wide eyes.

"How could you not have told me any of this before!?" Madi whacked me on the arm, glaring at me accusingly. I rubbed my arm, glaring back at her and putting a finger to my lips to remind her to be quiet.

I had decided it was probably time to let my best friend in on everything that was going on, so after dinner I'd dragged her up to the library under the guise of homework so no one would overhear us and spilled it all. From lying to Fred and then everyone else about Malfoy getting me the necklace, to what he'd said when he'd told me it was from him right up to how confused I felt and our conversation from earlier today. I had to admit - I felt a lot better after getting it all off my chest, and I don't know why I hadn't just told Madi earlier. I knew I could always trust her to say the right thing.

"I'm sorry, I was just trying to avoid it for as long as possible. If I talked to you about it that made it all feel real…"

She sighed, smiling at me in understanding, "I get it, don't worry." I gave her a small smile in return, and she looked at me thoughtfully, "So, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know," I sighed, absentmindedly fiddling with my necklace.

Madi noticed what I was doing immediately, and raised an eyebrow, "Do you think you fancy Malfoy?"

"I don't know," I said again, dropping my hand away, "All I know is something is different this year, and most of me is telling me to run as far away as I can from it…"

"Why?" she pushed gently.

I snorted, "Why shouldn't I? He's still Malfoy, he's an asshole who treats people like shit most of the time, even if he has suddenly decided to be a little more decent to me. Besides, can you imagine what Harry and the others will say if I even dare to be friends with him?"

"Sweetie," Madi sighed, "It's not about anyone else, at the end of the day if they're really your friends and truly care about you, they'll support you no matter what you decide."

"I don't even know if that's what I want," I said honestly, letting my head fall into my hands with a groan.

"What about Weasley? Do you still have the same feelings for him?"

"I care about him a lot," I said firmly, looking back up at her, "And the last thing I want is to hurt him - or lose him. And why should I give up what I have with him for something else I don't even fully comprehend yet? He's always made me feel safe, never messed with my head like Malfoy seems to enjoy doing so much."

"Well," Madi said carefully, "You said it yourself, sticking with the safe option doesn't do anyone any favors."

"Ugh," I grumbled, "Using my own words against me - dick move Onyx."

She only shrugged innocently in response, "I'm just saying."

I let out a groan, "This is why I hate feelings. None of this would have happened if I hadn't let you and Zabini convince me to date Fred in the first place!"

"Yes, it's all our fault," she replied drily, and I nodded stubbornly. Madi rolled her eyes, the two of us falling into silence as she realised I didn't want to talk about it anymore. I figured we should actually do some homework, so I got stuck into my Charms essay on banishing objects.

I almost jumped out of my skin when I felt a hand on my shoulder around half an hour later, relaxing when I saw Fred smirking down at me in amusement from my reaction.

"You could have said something!"

"I did," he laughed, "You didn't hear me."

"He did," Madi confirmed, shooting me a reassuring look before grabbing her books and making her way out of the library.

"Sorry," I apologised as he sat down in the seat she vacated, "I was very committed to this Charms essay."

"Apparently," he responded before frowning at me in concern, "What's this I hear about you and Harry having a row today?"

I let out an irritated sigh at the reminder, "Harry decided to give my map to Moody without asking."

Fred's eyes widened, "You're joking?" He and George were the only ones besides Harry I ever let borrow the map, in my eyes they were the only other people I knew who would use it for the amount of mischief it deserved.

"I wish I was," I muttered.

"I'm sorry," he reached for my hand, pulling it up to his lips and kissing it gently, "I know how important it is to you."

I pushed some hair off his face with my other hand, smiling at him gratefully, "Thank you. It's more the fact that I've had an issue with Moody since the start of the year, and I don't like the idea of him having it."

"Well you're right, Harry had no right to give it to him," he sighed, rubbing the back of my hand with his thumb.

I rolled my eyes, "Can't say I'm surprised he did, though."

"Ron mentioned something else..." he watched me carefully while he spoke, noticing when I tensed a little, and I already knew what he was going to say.

"About Malfoy and some of the others trying to have a go as well?"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, of course Ron would word it like that, "They weren't having a go, they were just defending me."

"Okay," Fred frowned, "So why was Malfoy defending you?" I really didn't feel like having another argument with my boyfriend because of Malfoy, especially after today.

"He wasn't, Blaise and Theo were," I sighed.

"Then why did he follow you?" Fred didn't seem to want to back down, only seeming more irritated by my answers.

"I don't know!" I exclaimed, pulling away from him and sitting back in my chair. "Who knows why he does anything? He probably just wanted to be a git to Harry like always." I let out a deep breath, "I really don't want to argue with you too, especially about Malfoy."

He finally relaxed, giving me a small smile in reassurance, "It's fine, I'm sorry. I guess he's a bit of a sore spot for me since Christmas."

I tried not to feel too guilty, if he knew the conversations I'd been having with him since it would become much more than just a sore spot. But I knew it would only hurt him, there was no reason he needed to know when it would only cause him pain.

"That's understandable," I whispered, "But you don't need to worry about Malfoy."

He smiled, pressing a soft kiss to my lips, "Then I won't."

I pulled him in for another kiss, letting him distract me from my essay a little longer. If there was one thing I did know in all this confusion, it was that I did care about Fred - a lot. And the last thing I want is for him to end up being the one who gets hurt.

By the time we got to towards the end of the week, Harry and I still hadn't spoken. This was probably the longest Harry and I had ever gone without talking, the two of us choosing to glare at each other across classrooms instead of trying to sort our little argument out. I supposed he also had much more important things to be worrying about anyway. Infuriatingly, Malfoy went on pretending like nothing had happened as always - so I had elected to do the same, deciding to re-focus on my relationship with Fred and ignore anything I thought I might have felt for the blonde.

One positive lately was that ever since Hagrid had returned to teaching his lessons had actually been quite good. He had been continuing the lessons on unicorns, which had definitely won him back some points for the whole Blast-Ended Skrewts saga. Today there were two unicorn foals tied to the posts, all of the girls in our class practically tripping over themselves to be the first ones to pat them.

"How long are you going to let this go on for?" I jumped slightly when Hermione appeared next to me, I thought I'd been the only girl to not be so easily enchanted by the unicorns. I realised she was referring to Harry and I still not speaking when she looked pointedly over at where he was talking with Hagrid.

"You know he could really use your help with this egg," she continued indignantly when I didn't respond, "The task is two days away and at this point he's probably going to drown in the lake."

I let out a sigh, I had been wondering how he'd been getting along. I had to admit it had been very odd the last few days not speaking to him at least once, and Hermione was right. This wasn't the time to let petty things stop me from helping him.

I quickly strode over to him, smiling back at Hagrid when he beamed at me as he passed. Harry watched me with raised eyebrows, probably wondering if I was planning on yelling at him again.

"So, I heard you're apparently drowning in a lake on Thursday?"

"Most likely."

I sighed dramatically, "I suppose I can try and help you out. Despite what you may think I don't really fancy that actually happening."

He smiled, relaxing as he realised my intention was to bury the hatchet, "Very gracious of you."

I grinned back, giving him a little nudge, "Can't have you dying on me just yet, Potter."

"I really am sorry, y'know?" he said seriously, looking at me meaningfully, and I gave him a reassuring smile.

"I know, I'm sorry too."

"What ended up happening, anyway? When you spoke to Moody?" he asked as we watched Pansy throw a fit when one of the unicorns chose to eat a sugar cube from Parvati Patil instead of her.

I frowned, remembering the suspicion I'd felt after my encounter with the ex-Auror, "He wouldn't give it back, said it was too dangerous and it would be best if he held onto it. It gave me a really-"

"Weird feeling?" Harry finished with a knowing look, laughing when I shoved him again in response. "Look, it isn't surprising is it? He's right, it could be dangerous for someone to accidentally get a hold of right now. Besides, when Dad wrote he said he was super impressed by it, so he probably wants to check it out properly too."

"Yeah I suppose," I sighed, knowing I wasn't going to get anywhere with him, he practically worshipped our defence professor at this point. "So, what's the deal with this egg then? Did Diggory's hint pan out?"

He nodded, "Yeah, I figured out what I have to do for the next task."

"What do you have to do then?"

"Nothing much," he said flippantly as we walked over to re-join the class, "Just breathe underwater for an hour."

My eyes widened in horror, and he looked at me with a grimace, "My thoughts exactly."

I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening with Harry and the others in the library looking for anything we could find on the Black Lake, or the ability to breathe underwater but came up with nothing. Hermione kept rambling on about Transfiguration, but there was no chance Harry would be able to learn the kind of advanced magic he would need in one night. This of course only sent her on a spiel about how he should have figured his egg out earlier, which then only stressed Harry out more.

"It can't be done," Ron exclaimed the next night, hidden from my view by a pile of books, "There's nothing anywhere about breathing underwater!"

"There has to be something," Hermione said, slamming the book she was reading closed and rubbing her eyes tiredly, "They would never set a task that isn't achievable."

I peaked at Harry over my own pile, he wasn't even reading anymore - just staring straight ahead looking as ghostly as the Bloody Baron. I didn't blame him, the task was tomorrow and the only thing we'd found so far was a spell to dry up puddles and ponds, which definitely wasn't powerful enough to dry up the entire lake.

"There has to be," Hermione muttered again, determinedly flipping pages once more.

"We should have just forced our dad's to teach us how to become an Animagus when we were younger," I sighed, sliding down my seat in exhaustion.

"See, that would be bloody wicked regardless," Ron stated.

"Well it doesn't help me much now," Harry mumbled miserably.

"Maybe you should have tried to introduce yourself to the merpeople," I mused, "Charmed them, and then they probably would have just handed whatever they've taken over…"

Ron snorted, but neither Harry or Hermione looked very amused - the former giving me a withering look.

"Wouldn't have worked anyway," I jumped slightly when I heard Fred's voice, the four of us turning to see he and George had appeared from behind some bookshelves. "Harry's not very good at being charming."

"Not his biggest strength," George agreed with a playful smirk.

"Thanks guys," Harry muttered, "Making me feel loads better."

"What're you doing here?" Ron asked.

"Looking for Granger," George responded, "McGonagall wants her."

Hermione looked confused, "Why?"

"Beats us," the twins chorused with a shrug.

Hermione looked between Harry and the books helplessly, "I'll meet you two back in the Common Room, bring as many of these as you can." The two boys nodded, staring in despair at the piles surrounding us as she reluctantly followed the twins back out of the library.

"Great, now we really are screwed," Ron said glumly, knowing Hermione was probably our best hope at finding anything.

"I already was," Harry responded flatly.

"Well, isn't this a cute little study group."

I let out a small groan, the three of us turning to see Draco Malfoy was now leaning on one of the bookshelves smirking smugly at us.

"What the bloody hell do you want?" Ron snapped.

His gaze moved over to me, "I'm looking for Black - Snape wants to see you."

"Right now?" I raised an eyebrow, not keen on leaving Harry and Ron to fend for themselves.

He rolled his eyes, "Yes, now. Seems like it's rather urgent," he didn't look too pleased to be the one who was sent to find me.

I let out a sigh, reluctantly standing up and looking at the two Gryffindors similarly to how Hermione had before she'd left, "I'll come to the Common Room after, alright?"

They both nodded wordlessly, looking even more grim than before.

"Good luck tomorrow, Potter!" Malfoy called tauntingly over his shoulder as we exited, ignoring the harsh look I gave him for doing so.

"Is walking me the whole way really necessary?" I snapped as he continued past the Common Room entrance alongside me once we reached the dungeons.

"Just following instructions," he responded.

"Since when are you Snape's errand boy?" I smirked, knowing that would irritate him.

It did, and he bristled immediately, glaring sharply at me, "I'm not an errand boy. I just happened to be the first unlucky person he found."

"Right," I rolled my eyes.

"You and Potter made up then?" he said after another silence.

"Seems like it."

He scoffed, "You know, I was almost impressed that you finally decided to put him in his place."

My face must have given away how surprised I was at that, because he rolled his eyes as soon as I looked at him, "I said almost, and besides - doesn't matter now does it? What was the point if you were just going to forgive him days later? I doubt he's even gotten whatever he gave away back either, and you still have."

"This might be hard for you to understand Malfoy," I snapped, irritated that once again he'd managed to read a situation exactly right, "But some people are decent, and capable of forgiving their friends. Besides, Harry could literally die in this stupid tournament, so it doesn't really seem worth it to hold onto petty arguments."

"Please," he drawled, looking bored, "Potter will do what he always does, be completely unprepared and then triumph like a bloody hero anyway."

I fell silent again, that was pretty much exactly what he'd done with the dragon - but this time I wasn't so sure. How could someone miraculously be able to breathe underwater? Even for Harry that seemed like a stretch.

"You spend far too much time worrying about him," Malfoy scoffed, breaking me back out of my thoughts just as we reached the Potions master's office.

"Just because you don't care about anyone other than yourself," I shot back harshly, whirling around and knocking loudly on the door before he could respond. I smirked to myself as the door opened for me and I strolled in, successfully keeping Malfoy from getting the last word.

"You wanted to see me, Professor?"

"Yes," Snape rose from his desk, and I suddenly felt uneasy when I realised he had drawn his wand, "Do not worry, it will all make sense soon."

"Wait - what will make sense?"

I barely got the question out before everything went dark.

I let out a small groan, slowly blinking my eyes open and sitting up. I looked around as my eyes started to adjust, and immediately jumped to my feet.

I wasn't in Snape's office anymore.

I took in the familiar bookshelves, the rug on the carpet and pictures on the walls, and most distinctively the piano in the corner of the room. I was at home - this was my living room. I blinked again, everything still looked off and my head felt fuzzy, like when I got hit in the head with a quaffle last year. Why had Snape knocked me out just to send me to my living room? I started to panic - what if this was something to do with Harry? What if something had happened to him?

I rushed over to the door and tugged, my heart sinking even further when it didn't budge. The handle wouldn't even turn no matter how much I continued to yank on it, but I refused to give up. If Harry was in trouble then I had to help.

I suddenly froze when I heard someone start to play an eerily familiar tune on the piano, and slowly turned around - falling back into the door in shock when I saw who occupied the seat in front of the piano. I took in the familiar blonde hair, and the eyes - my eyes - staring back at me.

"Mum?" I choked out.

She stopped playing, smiling softly at me and standing up, "Hello sweetheart."

"How...what…" my eyes widened, "Oh my god...am I dead?!"

She chuckled, moving closer to me, "No, you're not dead."

I felt like I was frozen, I just continued to stare at her wide eyed, "Then how are you here?"

"I had to see you, there are things that I need to tell you."

I frowned, still trying to figure out if this was actually happening. Everything still felt off, almost like I was dreaming - but it all felt far too real to just be a dream.

"We don't have much time," she continued softly, and my breath hitched in my throat when she slowly reached out and brushed some hair off my face. Her eyes glistened with tears, "Look how beautiful you've grown up to be..."

I felt my own eyes start to fill with tears, it didn't matter how or why - all that mattered was that she was here. The part of me that had always ached to have my mother with me took over and I flung myself at her, holding onto her tightly in case she disappeared again at any second.

"I miss you so much."

"I know," she whispered, stroking my hair, "But I'm so proud of you my girl, you've become everything I always knew you would."

I pulled back, brushing a stray tear off my cheek as I looked up at her again, my heart clenching when I saw her eyes shining with pride as she looked back at me.

"How can you be proud?" I shook my head, "I feel like I've been doing everything wrong lately."

She smiled fondly, wiping some more tears from my eyes, "You're doing just fine, sweetheart. It's okay to feel confused - but you need to learn to trust your instincts, just go with what your heart is telling you. Your heart is almost never wrong."

All I had ever wanted was this. To get advice from my mother when everything felt like it was all falling apart, for her to tell me how to fix it and make everything okay. "What if I don't know what it's telling me?"

A wistful smile crossed her features, almost like she knew something I didn't, "You just have to be brave enough to listen."

I frowned a little, wanting to ask her more but her face suddenly turned more serious and she placed her hands on my arms gently.

"We don't have much time left. Listen to me sweetheart - there are things coming, things you cannot stop."

My eyes widened, "What things? What do you mean?"

She shook her head briefly, "Everything will make sense soon, but you need to stay with them. Trust the people around you, the ones you care for - who care for you. Without you they won't survive."

I frowned in confusion, none of this was making sense, "Who? Who are you talking about?"

She stroked my cheek lightly, "Follow your heart, trust your instincts. You are more important than you think."

"Mum you aren't making any sense, please just tell me what you're talking about?" I pleaded, grabbing her hand. Suddenly an ice cold feeling ran through my body, and I gripped her hand tighter. I knew this was about to end.

"I love you my girl," she whispered, "And remember I'm always with you."

I got colder, and her hand started to slip out of my grip, "No! I'm not ready yet...wait!"

She gave me one last smile, her eyes still glistening with tears - and then everything fell into darkness once more.

I gasped for air as I regained consciousness, a sudden deafening roar hitting my ears. It only took me a moment to realise I was in the lake - and I turned to the side to see Harry breaking the surface next to me, one of his hands on my arm and the other holding up a small, fair-haired girl. It didn't take me long to figure out whatever had just happened to me was part of the Second Task, and as the three of us started to swim back to the platform I could make out the crowd still cheering in the stands.

"Are you alright?" Harry turned to me, and I nodded in response before glancing quickly at the other girl again.

"Who's that?"

"Fleur's sister I think, she didn't make it down to get her," Harry responded with a cough, "I couldn't leave her."

It all started to make sense to me now - the mermaids didn't take a precious item; they took someone who was close to every champion.

"You idiot," I scoffed, "Why would you waste time rescuing someone who wasn't yours? You didn't think the professors would actually let any of us drown, did you?"

Harry immediately flushed red, looking a mix between embarrassed and annoyed. I merely rolled my eyes, typical Harry always needing to be the hero.

As we got closer to the platform, I could make out Madam Pomfrey fussing over Hermione, Krum, Cedric and Cho who were wrapped in blankets. Dumbledore and Bagman were both beaming at Harry, and I grinned when I saw our fathers and Lupin standing next to them. Madame Maxime was holding a hysterical Fleur, who kept screaming for her sister as we finally reached the platform. I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes - there was no need to be that dramatic. Dumbledore and Bagman pulled Harry up at the same time Fleur practically attacked her sister, and I gratefully accepted my dad's hand as he rushed over to meet us. I shivered as he draped a woolly blanket over my shoulders, before wrapping his arms around me tightly.

"Are you okay, kid?" he asked, his eyes scanning my body for any sign of injury.

"I'm fine," I assured him, smiling through my chattering teeth. He seemed satisfied, nodding before pulling my back into his chest and rubbing my arms to try and warm me up faster. James seemed to be fussing over Harry much in the same way, wrapping a blanket tightly around him while Hermione spoke to him. He looked over at us then, making his way over with James on his heels.

"Okay?" he asked me again, and I nodded.

"Tell your kid to stop dragging my kid into his shenanigans all the time," my dad joked, winking at James.

"She's fine," James responded, ruffling my hair for good measure and grinning when I ducked away in irritation, "No harm done."

"Next time Harry," I stated, looking at my godbrother meaningfully, "Don't waste time by worrying about someone else."

He sighed, looking like he agreed with me on that one, "Hermione said I was well out of the time limit…"

"They might take you rescuing two people into account," Lupin tried to reassure him a little, clapping him on the shoulder, "Very brave of you, Harry."

"Very stupid is more like it…" I muttered quietly, smirking when my dad poked my back lightly in warning.

The judges were currently conversing in a huddle, and I snuck a look at Harry to see him looking very solemn as he watched them. Hermione made her way over to us, Krum watching her with a disappointed frown, evidently a bit put out he'd been the one to save her and all she seemed to care about was Harry.

"That was clever of them, don't you think?" she said to me, "Using a person instead of an object. When McGonagall told me at first I was a little worried, but it feels like I've just had a nap and woken up!"

My heart sank as I suddenly remembered what had happened while I was apparently in the lake. I had seen my mother, she had spoken to me. Had it all been a dream?

I snorted in response to Hermione, "At least McGonagall told you what was happening, Snape just knocked me out." I decided not to mention anything about what had happened, obviously Hermione hadn't had any sort of dream while she'd been under. Besides, I wasn't sure it was something I was ready to tell my father about yet either.

My father scoffed behind me, "Typical Snivellus."

I leant back into him a little, "I'm fine though, Dad."

He let out another unimpressed noise but made no further comment.

"Cassie!"

I jumped slightly when I heard Fred's voice, and was suddenly pulled away from my father and into my boyfriend's chest instead.

"You scared the bloody hell out of me, I couldn't find you all morning...and then Ron said last he saw you Malfoy took you off somewhere!"

"I'm okay," I repeated for what felt like the thousandth time as he pulled back, looking relieved.

"Did you fight your way down here?" my father smiled in amusement at Fred, who shrugged sheepishly.

Before we could say anything else - Bagman's voice suddenly boomed around us, making me jump a little as he was so close to us.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached a decision. Mer-chieftainess Murcus has told us exactly what happened at the bottom of the lake, and we have therefore awarded marks out of fifty to each champion as follows…"

I reached for Harry's hand, and he looked over at me with a small smile as he squeezed it reassuringly.

"Miss Fleur Delacour, though she demonstrated excellent use of the Bubble-Head charm, was attacked by Grindylows as she approached her goal and failed to retrieve her hostage. We award her twenty-five points."

The audience all clapped politely, and Fred let out a low whistle, "Yikes."

"Cedric Diggory, who also used the bubble-head charm was first to return with his hostage, though he returned one minute outside of the time limit. We award him forty-seven points."

The stands erupted, and I tried not to gag as Cho Chang leaned up to give him a kiss on the cheek. I would still never understand how someone like Diggory could choose to go out with someone as awful as her.

"Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of transfiguration, which was nevertheless effective, and was third to come to the surface with his hostage, though the second to make it out of the water. We award him forty points."

I snuck a look at Hermione, who was clapping vigorously and trying to hide her increasingly red cheeks. I heard Harry let out a sigh next to me, and gave his hand another squeeze in assurance.

"Harry Potter used Gillyweed to great effect," I raised my eyebrows, how had Harry thought of that so quickly? And more importantly how had he managed to sneak it out of Snape's stores? I sought out the potions professor, and saw it looked like he was wondering the exact same thing.

"He returned last, and well outside the time limit of an hour. However, the Merchieftainess informs us that Mr Potter was the first to reach the hostages, and that the delay in his return was due to his determination to return all hostages to safety, not merely his own."

Both Hermione and I shot Harry exasperated looks.

"Most of the judges-" it was hard to miss the pointed look Bagman gave Karkaroff, "-feel that this shows moral fibre and merits full marks." I raised my eyebrows, I wasn't sure I even agreed with that. "However… Mr Potter's score is forty-five points."

I saw Harry visibly relax as the stands erupted once more, James gripping his shoulders and grinning widely.

"You're tied for first with Cedric!" Hermione exclaimed. I gave him a little nudge as I clapped along with everyone else, I really was happy he had done well - even if I still thought he'd been an idiot.

"The third and final task will take place at dusk on the twenty-fourth of June," Bagman continued, "The champions will be notified of what is coming precisely a month beforehand."

"At least you'll get a bit of warning this time," I said to Harry as the crowds started to disperse, heading back up to the castle.

"It's ages away too," Fred added as we climbed off the platform.

I tuned out the conversation, my mind drifting back to what had happened when I was in the lake. I couldn't stop thinking about what my mother had said...what did it mean that I was more important than I think?

"Hey," my dad's voice pulled me out of my thoughts as we reached the shore of the lake, and I saw him frowning at me in concern, "Are you sure you're okay, kid?"

I tried to smile as reassuring as I could, hoping he would buy it, "I promise."

He didn't look convinced, like he knew there was something I wasn't saying. But before he could say anything else, I was suddenly knocked off balance slightly as Daphne appeared out of nowhere and threw herself at me.

"Thank Salazar you're alright!" she squeezed me tightly, "You didn't come back last night, and then you weren't here this morning..."

"Let her breathe, Greengrass," Blaise pulled her off me, "She didn't survive that just to be suffocated by you."

I coughed a little, Daphne looking at me apologetically as I did so. Theodore and Madi were standing next to Blaise, both of them looking at me much in the same way everyone else had since I got out of that bloody lake.

"Everyone does realise I can handle being submerged in a lake for a couple of hours right?" I said drily, getting a bit fed up.

"She's still cold!" Daphne put a hand on my arm, looking horrified. I glanced around quickly, and noticed Harry and the others were standing a little off to the side now - evidently waiting for me.

"I thought we told you to stay out of all this," Theodore scolded me like I was a child, and my mouth dropped open a little.

"I didn't really have a choice, did I?"

"We need to get you into dry clothes," Daphne was falling into mother hen mode, gripping onto my arm and giving me a little tug in the direction of the castle.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Madi asked, looking at me strangely. I knew she could probably tell there was something going on, but I just gave a little nod and warned her to drop it with a look. She wisely took my cues, staying silent and choosing to frown at me instead.

"Come on," Daphne said again, pulling me a little harder. I sighed in defeat, taking a few steps before Harry's voice calling over stopped us.

"We were gonna go to Hagrid's - aren't you coming?" we all turned to look at the group of them, and Harry did not look pleased that the group of Slytherins were essentially hijacking me.

"I'll catch up with you later," I said, resisting the urge to roll my eyes when his scowl only grew. I gave a wave to my father and the others, who returned it looking amused.

"But-"

It was Blaise who cut Harry off, fixing him with a glare he usually only reserved for when he was incredibly angry with someone. "Just leave her out of your shit for once, Potter."

I blinked a little in shock as Harry's mouth dropped open.

"What?"

I gave Blaise a little nudge so he would start walking, not really keen on another argument breaking out between my friends. Blaise shot him one more glare, before the group of us headed back up to the castle. I made sure to shoot a quick apologetic look over my shoulder to Harry, but he'd already turned away. I let out a sigh, hoping he wouldn't be too mad.

"What was that about?" I demanded, looking at Blaise with my eyes narrowed.

He rolled his eyes, "Exactly what I said, he needs to leave you out of his shit."

"He didn't ask for them to put me in the lake," I defended.

"I guess I'm just wondering why he's meant to be the fucking Chosen One but you're the one who always ends up in danger," Blaise snapped. I was a little taken aback, glancing between my group of friends - who all seemed to be nodding in agreement with him.

"He couldn't even save you right," Theodore agreed with a scoff, "Wasted all that time on someone else."

"And still gets bloody rewarded for it," Madi muttered angrily. Daphne tucked the blanket a little tighter on me, also not looking very pleased.

Despite the fact I was still wet and freezing, I couldn't help but smile a little. We Slytherins weren't exactly a lovey-dovey bunch, but it was these times that made me realise maybe they did actually care about me. That they did see me as one of them. What my mother had said came back to me, trust those who you care for. And those who care for you. I snuck a look at Madi, who was already watching me looking slightly suspicious. I mouthed 'later' at her, and she nodded, returning to her conversation with Blaise.

If there was anyone I was going to tell about what had happened, it was going to be those two. I didn't really want to tell Harry, I didn't want to freak him out. It also felt too special to share with everyone, it was my moment with my mother. No one else needed to know.

Later, after a long, very hot shower I was sat on the sofas with Blaise and Madi - quickly telling them about my mother before we went down to dinner.

"Holy shit," Blaise's eyes were wide as he looked at me, "That's insane."

"It was just a dream though, right?" Madi looked confused, frowning.

I shrugged, "I guess so? I mean it had to be…"

"But?" Blaise pressed knowingly.

I let out a small sigh, watching the embers of the fire slowly dying, "It just felt so...real? What she was telling me, it felt like it was important - not something I just made up in a dream."

"Is that even possible?" he questioned.

"I have no idea," I replied honestly, looking back at them with a helpless shrug.

"How do you feel about it all?" Madi asked gently.

I let my head fall on the back of the couch, staring up at the roof - not answering her right away. I had no idea how I was feeling, I think a part of me was still in shock, and another other part was convinced it had never even happened at all.

"I'm honestly still trying to process it all," I said eventually, meeting my two best friend's gazes once more.

"Let's say it wasn't a dream," Blaise said quietly, "And she really was warning you...do we even want to start thinking about what that might mean?"

Madi and I both stayed silent, the three of us exchanging worried looks.

"I think I can only handle one thing at a time right now," I said eventually, and they both nodded. I don't think any of us were ready for that conversation yet.

"Come on," I said, standing up, "I'm starved, being passed out in a lake really takes it out of you."

Blaise snorted, rolling his eyes as we made our way to the Great Hall. By the time we arrived the food was already out, and we quickly slipped into our seats and started piling it onto our plates. I hadn't been kidding - I'd skipped dinner last night to help Harry and then missed breakfast because I was unconscious - so I was practically ravenous.

"Nice to see you not looking like a drowned rat," Tracey grinned, and I shot her a dirty look in response. She and Lillian had been in the dorm when we came back, the two of them making sure I knew they were just as annoyed with Harry as everyone else. And then telling me to shower before I made the room smell of seaweed.

Parkinson let out a dramatic sigh from next to Theodore, "I knew there had to be a reason I was having such a nice day, you were incapacitated for half of it," she smirked.

"Try me tonight Parkinson and I'll incapacitate you," I replied smoothly, buttering my bread roll nonchalantly.

She let out a huff, but a small warning look from Theo shut her up, making me smirk. It was nice to have my friend back on side.

I stayed silent for a while after that, very content to feed my empty stomach. It was only when I felt that familiar pair of silver eyes on me for the third time that I finally looked over at Malfoy, raising my eyebrows questioningly.

He simply raised his back at me challengingly, and I rolled my eyes and looked away again. I was not in the mood for one of his games tonight.

"Stop eye fucking across the table," Blaise muttered quietly, and I turned to glare at him in horror which only made him smirk.

"We are not!" I hissed back just as quietly, making sure no one else would overhear us.

"Right," he scoffed, "The two of you really just need to get over yourselves and admit you don't actually hate each other's company." I hadn't told Blaise any of what had been going on with me and Malfoy this year. He was his best friend and I didn't want to put him in the middle of it, so if he knew anything Malfoy would have had to tell him himself – which I highly doubted he had. But Blaise had always been especially perceptive.

"Maybe if he stops being such a prat all the time," I mumbled stubbornly.

Blaise let out a frustrated sigh, glancing quickly towards Malfoy, which made me especially intrigued by what he was about to say - as he obviously didn't want him to know he was saying it.

"Look, I'm not daft. I know there's something weird going on between you two this year - even if you haven't told me anything…" I opened my mouth to protest, but he shook his head to stop me from interrupting, "But if it's part of the reason you've been so out of sorts lately, maybe you should think about figuring it out."

I frowned, had it really been so noticeable how confused I was to everyone else? Then again, Blaise was one of the people who knew me best so it wouldn't be hard for him to notice any difference. Like I said, he was perceptive.

"He's not as bad as you think he is, you know," he spoke up again quietly when I didn't respond.

I mustn't have looked convinced because he let out another sigh, "I saw him when Potter pulled you out of that lake today," we both turned to glance subtly at the blonde, who was still (thankfully) oblivious to our conversation, "If I didn't know any better I'd say he was just as worried as the rest of us."

My best friend seemed satisfied even though I didn't respond, going back to his dinner without further comment and leaving me to ponder his words. I snuck another glance at Malfoy, was Blaise right? Had he really been concerned about me today? I shook my head a little, turning back to stare down at my plate again. Why should it matter if he did anyway, it wouldn't change anything. I turned to glance his way again, surprised when he was already looking at me. His eyes flicked between me and Blaise knowingly, and I quickly looked away before he noticed my cheeks flush. There was no way he knew what Blaise and I had been talking about.

A/N: She saw her mother! Don't worry, you'll learn a lot more about her as the story goes on, and the dream will definitely be important later.