Hello everyone. Yes, this chapter is very late. I have a reason for that. Just please read what is below and it will all make sense.

For the past month or so I have been doing structured, weekly updates to this story. I originally thought that this was a good idea and that it would make you all happier because you'd know when to expect updates. But, over time, I became less happy with it. Writing chapters felt like more of an obligation or an assignment to complete than something fun I love doing. It got to a point where I just could not write this chapter, it just wasn't fun anymore. I lost my motivation to post or even write a sentence. Part of that is because I lost some loyal readers whose reviews brightened my day and made me feel like what I was doing was worth doing. So combine feeling like this story doesn't matter with being unhappy with how I'm updating and writing... I needed a break.

It was never a question of if I would finish the story, but how I'd finish the story. And after some time thinking about it and knowing what I wanted to do going forwards, I have my answer. I will not have set update times. I know this is not what you want to hear, but it is what is best for me and DoG. Scarlet Daphne stories are written with love, passion, and joy, and I only post my best quality work. Sorry, but that takes time. I cannot predict when I update next, but I will promise that when I do, it will be worth reading.

Soon, it was time for the Second Task. Elizabeth was nervous. Was the egg serious when it said whatever was taken would be lost forever? The tournament was designed for older witches and wizards, perhaps Cedric, Krum, and Fleur could handle it, but could Harry?

The night before the task, Harry had submerged himself in books in the library. He didn't say it, but she knew that he still didn't know how to breathe underwater for a whole hour. She hoped that he'd find a solution.

Either way, there wasn't much she could do. He never asked for help, and she didn't have any to give. So, on the night before the task, she was distracting herself by hanging out with her friends in Minerva's quarters. Novo had joined them as well, having teleported there a few moments after they arrived. Elizabeth wondered if he was psychic, he always seemed to appear wherever she was.

Elizabeth drew Luna and Ginny playing Wizard's Chess in her bedroom as they all enjoyed hot chocolate, courtesy of Dobby the House Elf. He was very eager to serve them, especially after Luna called him 'Sir'.

Both girls had played each other many times before, so the match was interesting to observe. Ginny had learned tips and tricks from Ron, and Luna was using clever but odd ways to outsmart her.

"What do you suppose will happen tomorrow?" Elizabeth asked as she doodled a rook onto the chessboard in her picture.

"Maybe Harry will meet the mermaids. I've always wondered what life is like down there for them. It must be quite dark." Luna theorized.

"Probably. Light doesn't reach down there. But I've heard they're dreadful." Ginny said worriedly. As much as she had moved on from Harry, she still had residual feelings for him.

"Well, he's sure to figure out how to free whatever is down there waiting for him. I'll bet it's his broom." Elizabeth reassured. Though she was nervous for Harry, she knew Ginny was nervouser. And she wouldn't be a good friend if she left her to worry alone.

"Maybe his owl? I see him feed Hedwig at breakfast many a time. She is a very perceptive creature. He cares about her very much, I can see it." Luna said dreamily as she moved a piece forward, and captured one of Ginny's. The redhead huffed.

The girls stayed up and chatted for a while, as Elizabeth finished her drawing of the chess game, and Ginny's victory. Ron had taught her many of his winning skills. Eventually, they had to go back to their common rooms, in order to avoid Minerva docking them house points, but they all fell asleep with smiles on their faces.

The next morning, unfortunately, wiped them right off. Well, Luna was still smiling, but that was because Dobby had adjusted the breakfast menu to change regular waffles to lime waffles, her favorite breakfast pastry.

Everyone gathered outside in the stands set up by the lake, and the weather was freezing. Scotland in the winter was not exactly sunny, either. The sky held several clouds, and Elizabeth worried that it would start to rain.

Also, it appeared that Hermione and Ron were both missing. Elizabeth took note of this at breakfast, when Ginny remarked that Ron never missed a meal, and how peculiar his absence was. Harry agreed and said he couldn't find them last night, and asked if she had an idea of where they'd be. Ginny said she wasn't sure, and handled the conversation with a grace she wouldn't have been able to a year before.

It was troubling, not knowing where Hermione and Ron were. Elizabeth started to get worried something bad had happened. So, once Luna, Ginny, and her had secured their spots by Fred and George on the dock, Elizabeth excused herself to go see her mum to ask about their whereabouts.

"McGonagall knows everything. I'm sure she'll know the answer." she said to the group as she left.

"Three knuts that she finds out the answer?" Fred whispered to George.

"You're on." his twin agreed.

"I'm sorry, Elizabeth, but I am not allowed to tell you." Minerva stated after Elizabeth asked her question.

"Why not? You're always telling me that knowledge makes you more powerful and wise." She argued, growing more and more nervous about Hermione and Ron.

"Knowledge is very important, yes, but it is not for you to know about just yet." Minerva responded. Elizabeth sent her a pleading look, making her gray eyes appear especially sad and wanting information.

Sadly, Minerva was immune to her look. "You'll find out soon enough. That is the end of that."

Elizabeth sighed, annoyed, but submitted to her mum's words. She knew how firm Minerva was. Resigned to her failure, she walked back to her friends.

"So?" Fred asked when she sat down.

"Nothing. She knows something, I'm sure, but whatever it is, she's not telling." Elizabeth reported.

"Aw." Fred said, passing George what he owed him.

"Were you betting on me finding out or not?" Elizabeth asked when she saw the exchange.

"More like benefiting from the outcome of the situation." George replied jauntily, pocketing the knuts. Elizabeth rolled her eyes and laughed.

Shortly afterward, the Second Task began. Every champion dove into the freezing lake, each on the hunt for what had been stolen from each of them. Harry did end up finding a solution, some kind of plant thing that made him grow gills.

It was Neville who enlightened them on what it was. Luna had airily waved to him when she saw him looking for a place to sit, as he had arrived just before the task started, and he slid into the seat next to her.

"It's gillyweed. It allows the person to grow gills, so they can breathe underwater. I read about it in one of the books Moody lent me at the start of term." he explained.

"Interesting. Say, could a person put it in food? So if someone were to eat a tart, they end up growing gills? But don't actually suffocate?" Fred asked. George was nodding along to the question.

Neville looked disturbed. "Erm, I'm not sure. That sounds pretty complicated."

This sparked whispers between the Weasley twins.

As the group was discussing gillyweed, Dumbledore had cast four different magical screens, looking as if they were made of mist, into the air so everyone could see where and what the champions were doing. Elizabeth was leaning forwards to see where Harry was when she felt something hit the back of her neck.

She looked around to see what it was, and to her surprise, found a crumpled piece of paper by her foot. She leaned over to pick it up and uncrumpled it.

You say you're not a freak, but look at who you're with. Loony Lovegood, those redheaded blood traitors, and that pathetic Longbottom. If you think that you aren't a loser, you're even stupider than I thought. But I guess that makes sense, considering when you're from.

-JH

Elizabeth frowned. Would Julia ever leave her alone? What was her problem?

"Perhaps she's jealous of you." Luna spoke up from beside her.

"What? How'd you know what just happened?" Elizabeth asked her.

"I saw her throw the paper. I didn't see the writing, but the frown on your face told the story. Are you alright?" she asked, her large eyes gazing at Elizabeth.

"I'm fine, Luna. I'm just a little annoyed at her, she just never stops. It's getting old. I know I'm considered odd here, and that a lot of people haven't and won't accept me, but Julia acts like I did something to her personally. And I haven't the faintest clue what I would have done." Elizabeth said, turning her eyes back to the misty screens, watching Fleur get ambushed by grindylows.

"Maybe it's not something you've done. Mum says that when someone bullies you, it's usually because there's something going on with them that they don't know how to handle. So they lash out and try to hurt you to make themselves feel better." Ginny theorized. Elizabeth understood the context behind her words, she was there a lot last year when Ginny was teased and bullied and knew that she had gone to Mrs. Weasley for advice. The Weasleys were as thick as thieves, and Ginny and her mother had a special bond, being the only two girls in the Burrow.

"I suppose that could be true. Either way, I've had enough of it. After the task is finished, I'm going to talk to her about it." Elizabeth resolved.

"Be careful." Ginny said. Elizabeth nodded.

They continued to watch the Second Task unfold. Krum had transfigured himself into a shark, which made him cut through the water easily. Cedric had cast a charm on himself that made a bubble appear around his head. Both boys were searching the Black Lake for what they had lost with ferocity.

It was Harry who was the first to the site. Elizabeth gasped when she saw an unconscious Ron, Hermione, Cho Chang, and a young blonde girl who she assumed was for Fleur to find.

"That's where they went?" Neville asked worriedly. He had become good friends with Ron and Hermione over the past four years, leading him to be as worried as the rest of the group.

"You don't think they'll really be lost forever, do you?" Elizabeth asked Ginny. Hermione was one of her dearest friends, and Ron had grown on her as well.

"Certainly not." George chimed in.

"Absolutely not." Fred added on.

"Why your dear mumsie would-"

"Be in a tizzy-"

"If we Gryffindors lost Hermione."

"Who else would earn us house points-"

"By answering every question-"

"Known to wizardkind?"

"As for Ron-"

"Well, he's got-"

"His uses-"

"We suppose."

The twins picked up on each other's sentences effortlessly, finishing and starting them with ease Elizabeth could barely fathom. The twintalk wasn't anything new, but she still couldn't wrap her head around how they were able to sense what the other would say. It was a skill only they could utilize.

They continued to watch the events before them unfold. Elizabeth watched each of the four sleeping people closely. She felt nervous seeing them like that, it reminded her of what she had gone through with that kind of spell. She tried her best to shake it off and focus on the task.

Cedric was the second person to arrive on the scene. He and Harry looked at each other and nodded, a friendly gesture to show them being on good terms. Cedric pulled out his wand and cast a spell to break the bonds tying Cho to the bottom of the Black Lake. He hesitated to leave when he saw Harry was making no move to free his hostage, but Harry waved him on. Cedric waved back and swam back up to the surface.

"He wants to make sure that they all get to safety before he comes up to the surface." Luna said out of nowhere as they walked.

"You think?" Elizabeth asked.

"Harry's a good person. Good people don't leave others to fend for themselves when they're vulnerable." Luna went on.

"So he'll stay down there until Krum comes?" Neville asked. Luna nodded.

"But what about Fleur's hostage? She'll never make it on time… do you think Harry will stay down there and rescue her, too?" Ginny inquired.

Elizabeth, who had continued to watch the screens, looked away, smiling.

"Luna's right. Harry is a good person. A good, stupid person who thinks something bad really will happen if he leaves someone behind. He's not coming up unless he knows everyone's safe."

A third of an hour later, Elizabeth proved to be correct. Harry thrashed his way up to the surface, clinging to Ron and Gabrielle, Fleur's little sister. Krum had come to get Hermione, otherwise, Harry would be pulling her up as well. Elizabeth was among the first to see him and pass him a towel to dry off.

Harry was relieved to learn that nothing would have happened to the people left underwater, but a little embarrassed at Elizabeth's jab at him.

"Did you really think they'd just leave them underwater forever? This is a school, not a bloodbath!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Elizabeth could see Julia walking in the distance with Matthew, and while part of her wanted to go confront her, the rest of her wanted to stay. Harry had placed second in the task, and her friends were safe now. Right now they were going to celebrate.