17. Two Tasks
A/N: This took me some time to figure out, but I finally managed it. Anyway, thanks to Dani for looking it over for me.
Albus watched his daughter go with some confusion. Was it something he had said? Closing the door, he turned to find his fiancé fussing with the tea things. Glancing over his shoulder at the door, he approached her. "My dear, is something wrong with Miss Cooper?"
"There is, in a way," Minerva replied, Vanishing the tea things with a flick of her wand. "We talked about it, but did not really resolve anything."
Albus nodded. "I see."
"You wished to see me about something?" Minerva asked, gesturing for him to have a seat.
He sat and pulled her down to sit beside him. "Yes, I did, but first--" he drew her into a warm kiss, his arms tight around her. "Much better."
"I agree," she replied, looking flushed and sounding breathless. "Now, what did you wish to see me about?"
He sighed, leaning his forehead against hers. She was not going to like this one bit, of that, he was sure. "The Second Task."
"What about it?" she asked, frowning. When he didn't answer right away, she sat up and turned away from him slightly. "It must be unpleasant, if you are hesitating like this."
He sighed again and touched her shoulder. She flinched slightly, but did not look at him. "Minerva, please look at me." She turned her head enough so her eyes met his. "The Second Task will require the champions to retrieve something precious to them from the bottom of the lake."
"The lake?" she repeated, gazing at him with suspicious eyes. He nodded. "I am presuming that I will not like whatever the requirements are for this precious item?"
He closed his eyes for a moment, steeling himself for her infamous temper. "The thing that is precious to them will be a human being."
"WHAT?!" She jumped to her feet and towered over him. "It is not enough that the students who voluntarily submitted their names endanger themselves, but four others must be endangered as well?!"
Albus rose to his feet as well, doing his best to keep her calm. "I do not like it, either, my dear, but we do not have much of a choice."
"I sincerely hope that we will be taking precautions for the others' safety," Minerva countered, narrowing her eyes at him.
He gazed levelly at her over the tops of his half-moon spectacles until her cheeks turned red and she dropped her gaze. "Of course, my dear. The 'precious items' will be placed under a charmed sleep the night before the Second Task and they will not awaken until they have reached the surface of the lake once more."
"What about while they are under the surface, Albus?" Minerva asked, sounding more subdued, but no less angry. "In case you had not noticed, they will need air to breathe."
He calmly explained, "The charmed sleep will allow them to breathe underwater." His eyes twinkled. "Any more questions?"
She sighed and laid her head on his shoulder. "Hold me?"
"Gladly." His arms encircled her and they held each other for a long time, taking comfort in the mere presence of the other.
The rest of the school year passed quietly for Tracey. She attended classes, watched the Second Task, attended classes, spent spring break at the castle, and, oh, did I mention that she attended classes? She visited Professor McGonagall a couple more times, but could see that her professor had a lot to do, so Tracey stopped visiting. She still hung out with her friends, but they noticed that she was most definitely quieter than she had been at the beginning of the school year. When pressed for answers, though, Tracey would tell them she didn't want to talk about it. They accepted this and didn't push.
The night of the Third Task arrived and it was the longest Tracey had been through in her life. It was almost as boring as the Second Task, except they could at least hear the champions shouting spells and hexes. On the whole, the students were pretty rowdy, wanting the task to end. When Viktor Krum shouted 'Crucio', though, the crowd became utterly silent. Tracey wasn't sure what the curse was, but she had a feeling it wasn't a very nice one. A lot of shouting from Harry and Cedric was followed by a long, tense silence, however. Students began to fidget and whisper amongst themselves. From her seat in the stands, Tracey could see Professor McGonagall and knew she was worried. Leaning forward slightly, Tracey looked over at the judges' table and knew her father was worried, too.
Just as Albus and Professor Moody were beginning to walk around the exterior of the maze, with Professor Moody looking through the hedges, Harry Potter slammed to the ground in front of the maze. He had the Triwizard Cup in one hand and Cedric Diggory's wrist in the other. Something about Cedric made Tracey's blood run cold. Their reappearance caused a stampede, but Tracey kept her seat in the stands. When the news that Cedric Diggory was dead reached her ears, she slowly got to her feet and made her way to the castle, her body shaking. The sight of Cedric's dead body had brought back memories that Tracey would rather have kept buried. She desperately needed to talk to someone, but the only people she could talk to were busy.
Sighing, she went up to her dormitory, curled up on her bed, and fell into a fitful sleep before the other girls even thought about going to bed. Jestana stayed curled up at the foot of Tracey's bed until the others went to bed. When all of them were asleep, the Russian Blue slipped off Tracey's bed and out the door of the dormitory.
When Minerva arrived at her rooms after seeing Hagrid and Madame Maxime to the entrance hall once their meeting with Albus was over, she was surprised to find a sleek silver-blue cat waiting for her. "Jestana, hello." The cat meowed and darted into the room ahead of Minerva when she opened the door. Closing the door behind her, Minerva wasted no time slipping into her Animagus form. "What brings you here? Why are you not with Tracey?"
"Tracey is asleep," Jestana told Minerva, jumping up onto the couch.
Minerva followed, settling into the meatloaf position facing Jestana. "Something about her must be worrying you or you would not be here."
"Brilliantly worked out," the silver-blue feline replied, her tail twitching agitatedly behind her. "Tracey was shaking pretty badly when she got to the dormitory and I don't think she's sleeping very well right now."
Minerva sat bolt upright at this. "I did not see her when I spoke to my young lions earlier."
"Tracey was in bed long before her roommates arrived," Jestana offered, her long tail twitching occasionally.
Minerva jumped down from the couch and paced for a few moments. "I shall go to her, then."
"Don't you think it would be seen as favoritism?" Jestana pointed out, having spoken with Minerva on more than one occasion.
Minerva hissed. "As her Head of House, I am allowed to help her to a small extent."
"No need to scratch my eyes out," Jestana grumbled, her ears folded back.
Still a cat, Minerva left her rooms and made her way to Gryffindor Tower. The common room was empty, for which Minerva was very glad, and she easily made her way up to the first year girls' dormitory. Slipping inside, she resumed her human form and stealthily crossed to the bed farthest from the door. Peeking between the hanging curtains, she saw that Tracey had been tossing and turning in her sleep, the covers twisted around her slender frame. Minerva's heart twisted in her chest. "Oh, Lassie."
Carefully extricating the girl from the covers, Minerva scooped her up and carried her to her own rooms. Tracey instinctively cuddled against Minerva and the Transfiguration professor could feel her relaxing already. Albus was waiting for her this time and he did not look pleased. "My dear, what are you doing with her?"
"She needs comfort, Albus," Minerva informed him briskly, carrying the girl into her bedroom, where she set Tracey on the large four-poster bed. When she tried to straighten up, the girl whimpered. "Shh, Lass, shh."
Tracey subsided and Minerva was able to stand up straight and looked straight into the eyes of her fiancée. "Why have you brought her here? Surely she would be fine with her roommates?"
"Albus, she was badly shaken by tonight's events," Minerva told him quietly, carefully easing Tracey under the covers. "She was not in the common room when I spoke with my lions and Jestana told me that she was shaking when she went up to her room."
The Russian Blue leapt lightly onto the bed and curled up with Tracey, purring comfortingly. Albus reached out and ran the tip of one long finger along the feline's spine. "So you brought her here?"
"Yes, I did." Minerva raised her chin and narrowed her eyes at her future husband. "She needs a mother right now, just like Harry."
He blinked and looked down at Tracey for a long moment, as if truly seeing her. Most of the time, the girl's auburn hair was pulled back out of her face, but now it was loose, spread around her face, which had lost all color. Her mouth looked strained, as if she was dreaming about something unpleasant. "Very well. She may stay here for tonight."
"Thank you, Albus." Minerva moved around the bed to squeeze his hand. Studying his face, she saw that he was not much better off than his daughter. Hesitantly, she offered, "Perhaps you should not sleep alone, either."
He blinked and stared at her. "What are you saying, Minerva?"
"Today was rather stressful for the both of us, Albus," she told him quietly, entwining her fingers with his. "Please, stay with Tracey and I?"
He looked from her, to his daughter, and back again before nodding. "Very well."
"Thank you, Albus." She squeezed his hand again before heading for the bathroom, gathering what she needed along the way.
When she emerged from the bathroom, wearing her dressing gown over her nightdress, Albus had had one of the house-elves bring him a change of clothes from his own rooms. While he went into the bathroom to change, Minerva undid her bun, brushed out her hair, and braided it quickly and efficiently. Ready for bed now, Minerva carefully slipped under the covers beside Tracey. Jestana made a 'brrt' sound of annoyance before moving to the foot of the bed. Minerva gathered her future stepdaughter to her and felt the girl begin to relax. "This looks cozy, where do I fit in?"
"On the other side of Tracey, Albus," Minerva told him, stroking the girl's hair soothingly.
Setting his clothes for the next day on a nearby chair, Albus slipped under the covers and shifted so Tracey was sandwiched between himself and Minerva. Cocooned between the two adults, Tracey began to fully relax and Minerva noticed that the small girl's face looked more peaceful. A touch on her shoulder drew her attention to Albus, who was propped up on one elbow. "I love you, Minerva."
"I love you, too, Albus," she answered, propping herself up on one elbow to kiss him softly.
She watched as he kissed his daughter's forehead before settling down to sleep. Doing the same, she let sleep wash over her at last.
A/N: This took me some time to figure out, but I finally managed it. Anyway, thanks to Dani for looking it over for me.
Albus watched his daughter go with some confusion. Was it something he had said? Closing the door, he turned to find his fiancé fussing with the tea things. Glancing over his shoulder at the door, he approached her. "My dear, is something wrong with Miss Cooper?"
"There is, in a way," Minerva replied, Vanishing the tea things with a flick of her wand. "We talked about it, but did not really resolve anything."
Albus nodded. "I see."
"You wished to see me about something?" Minerva asked, gesturing for him to have a seat.
He sat and pulled her down to sit beside him. "Yes, I did, but first--" he drew her into a warm kiss, his arms tight around her. "Much better."
"I agree," she replied, looking flushed and sounding breathless. "Now, what did you wish to see me about?"
He sighed, leaning his forehead against hers. She was not going to like this one bit, of that, he was sure. "The Second Task."
"What about it?" she asked, frowning. When he didn't answer right away, she sat up and turned away from him slightly. "It must be unpleasant, if you are hesitating like this."
He sighed again and touched her shoulder. She flinched slightly, but did not look at him. "Minerva, please look at me." She turned her head enough so her eyes met his. "The Second Task will require the champions to retrieve something precious to them from the bottom of the lake."
"The lake?" she repeated, gazing at him with suspicious eyes. He nodded. "I am presuming that I will not like whatever the requirements are for this precious item?"
He closed his eyes for a moment, steeling himself for her infamous temper. "The thing that is precious to them will be a human being."
"WHAT?!" She jumped to her feet and towered over him. "It is not enough that the students who voluntarily submitted their names endanger themselves, but four others must be endangered as well?!"
Albus rose to his feet as well, doing his best to keep her calm. "I do not like it, either, my dear, but we do not have much of a choice."
"I sincerely hope that we will be taking precautions for the others' safety," Minerva countered, narrowing her eyes at him.
He gazed levelly at her over the tops of his half-moon spectacles until her cheeks turned red and she dropped her gaze. "Of course, my dear. The 'precious items' will be placed under a charmed sleep the night before the Second Task and they will not awaken until they have reached the surface of the lake once more."
"What about while they are under the surface, Albus?" Minerva asked, sounding more subdued, but no less angry. "In case you had not noticed, they will need air to breathe."
He calmly explained, "The charmed sleep will allow them to breathe underwater." His eyes twinkled. "Any more questions?"
She sighed and laid her head on his shoulder. "Hold me?"
"Gladly." His arms encircled her and they held each other for a long time, taking comfort in the mere presence of the other.
The rest of the school year passed quietly for Tracey. She attended classes, watched the Second Task, attended classes, spent spring break at the castle, and, oh, did I mention that she attended classes? She visited Professor McGonagall a couple more times, but could see that her professor had a lot to do, so Tracey stopped visiting. She still hung out with her friends, but they noticed that she was most definitely quieter than she had been at the beginning of the school year. When pressed for answers, though, Tracey would tell them she didn't want to talk about it. They accepted this and didn't push.
The night of the Third Task arrived and it was the longest Tracey had been through in her life. It was almost as boring as the Second Task, except they could at least hear the champions shouting spells and hexes. On the whole, the students were pretty rowdy, wanting the task to end. When Viktor Krum shouted 'Crucio', though, the crowd became utterly silent. Tracey wasn't sure what the curse was, but she had a feeling it wasn't a very nice one. A lot of shouting from Harry and Cedric was followed by a long, tense silence, however. Students began to fidget and whisper amongst themselves. From her seat in the stands, Tracey could see Professor McGonagall and knew she was worried. Leaning forward slightly, Tracey looked over at the judges' table and knew her father was worried, too.
Just as Albus and Professor Moody were beginning to walk around the exterior of the maze, with Professor Moody looking through the hedges, Harry Potter slammed to the ground in front of the maze. He had the Triwizard Cup in one hand and Cedric Diggory's wrist in the other. Something about Cedric made Tracey's blood run cold. Their reappearance caused a stampede, but Tracey kept her seat in the stands. When the news that Cedric Diggory was dead reached her ears, she slowly got to her feet and made her way to the castle, her body shaking. The sight of Cedric's dead body had brought back memories that Tracey would rather have kept buried. She desperately needed to talk to someone, but the only people she could talk to were busy.
Sighing, she went up to her dormitory, curled up on her bed, and fell into a fitful sleep before the other girls even thought about going to bed. Jestana stayed curled up at the foot of Tracey's bed until the others went to bed. When all of them were asleep, the Russian Blue slipped off Tracey's bed and out the door of the dormitory.
When Minerva arrived at her rooms after seeing Hagrid and Madame Maxime to the entrance hall once their meeting with Albus was over, she was surprised to find a sleek silver-blue cat waiting for her. "Jestana, hello." The cat meowed and darted into the room ahead of Minerva when she opened the door. Closing the door behind her, Minerva wasted no time slipping into her Animagus form. "What brings you here? Why are you not with Tracey?"
"Tracey is asleep," Jestana told Minerva, jumping up onto the couch.
Minerva followed, settling into the meatloaf position facing Jestana. "Something about her must be worrying you or you would not be here."
"Brilliantly worked out," the silver-blue feline replied, her tail twitching agitatedly behind her. "Tracey was shaking pretty badly when she got to the dormitory and I don't think she's sleeping very well right now."
Minerva sat bolt upright at this. "I did not see her when I spoke to my young lions earlier."
"Tracey was in bed long before her roommates arrived," Jestana offered, her long tail twitching occasionally.
Minerva jumped down from the couch and paced for a few moments. "I shall go to her, then."
"Don't you think it would be seen as favoritism?" Jestana pointed out, having spoken with Minerva on more than one occasion.
Minerva hissed. "As her Head of House, I am allowed to help her to a small extent."
"No need to scratch my eyes out," Jestana grumbled, her ears folded back.
Still a cat, Minerva left her rooms and made her way to Gryffindor Tower. The common room was empty, for which Minerva was very glad, and she easily made her way up to the first year girls' dormitory. Slipping inside, she resumed her human form and stealthily crossed to the bed farthest from the door. Peeking between the hanging curtains, she saw that Tracey had been tossing and turning in her sleep, the covers twisted around her slender frame. Minerva's heart twisted in her chest. "Oh, Lassie."
Carefully extricating the girl from the covers, Minerva scooped her up and carried her to her own rooms. Tracey instinctively cuddled against Minerva and the Transfiguration professor could feel her relaxing already. Albus was waiting for her this time and he did not look pleased. "My dear, what are you doing with her?"
"She needs comfort, Albus," Minerva informed him briskly, carrying the girl into her bedroom, where she set Tracey on the large four-poster bed. When she tried to straighten up, the girl whimpered. "Shh, Lass, shh."
Tracey subsided and Minerva was able to stand up straight and looked straight into the eyes of her fiancée. "Why have you brought her here? Surely she would be fine with her roommates?"
"Albus, she was badly shaken by tonight's events," Minerva told him quietly, carefully easing Tracey under the covers. "She was not in the common room when I spoke with my lions and Jestana told me that she was shaking when she went up to her room."
The Russian Blue leapt lightly onto the bed and curled up with Tracey, purring comfortingly. Albus reached out and ran the tip of one long finger along the feline's spine. "So you brought her here?"
"Yes, I did." Minerva raised her chin and narrowed her eyes at her future husband. "She needs a mother right now, just like Harry."
He blinked and looked down at Tracey for a long moment, as if truly seeing her. Most of the time, the girl's auburn hair was pulled back out of her face, but now it was loose, spread around her face, which had lost all color. Her mouth looked strained, as if she was dreaming about something unpleasant. "Very well. She may stay here for tonight."
"Thank you, Albus." Minerva moved around the bed to squeeze his hand. Studying his face, she saw that he was not much better off than his daughter. Hesitantly, she offered, "Perhaps you should not sleep alone, either."
He blinked and stared at her. "What are you saying, Minerva?"
"Today was rather stressful for the both of us, Albus," she told him quietly, entwining her fingers with his. "Please, stay with Tracey and I?"
He looked from her, to his daughter, and back again before nodding. "Very well."
"Thank you, Albus." She squeezed his hand again before heading for the bathroom, gathering what she needed along the way.
When she emerged from the bathroom, wearing her dressing gown over her nightdress, Albus had had one of the house-elves bring him a change of clothes from his own rooms. While he went into the bathroom to change, Minerva undid her bun, brushed out her hair, and braided it quickly and efficiently. Ready for bed now, Minerva carefully slipped under the covers beside Tracey. Jestana made a 'brrt' sound of annoyance before moving to the foot of the bed. Minerva gathered her future stepdaughter to her and felt the girl begin to relax. "This looks cozy, where do I fit in?"
"On the other side of Tracey, Albus," Minerva told him, stroking the girl's hair soothingly.
Setting his clothes for the next day on a nearby chair, Albus slipped under the covers and shifted so Tracey was sandwiched between himself and Minerva. Cocooned between the two adults, Tracey began to fully relax and Minerva noticed that the small girl's face looked more peaceful. A touch on her shoulder drew her attention to Albus, who was propped up on one elbow. "I love you, Minerva."
"I love you, too, Albus," she answered, propping herself up on one elbow to kiss him softly.
She watched as he kissed his daughter's forehead before settling down to sleep. Doing the same, she let sleep wash over her at last.