I do not own Harry Potter, only the OC
Hello guys, Badger here. How are you today? Are you feeling down? Drink some water, its good for the body. Need a hug...then...hug your pillow, I'm sure it will do some good.
I have some good news. My final piece for my art project is now done! After several months of working for every waking moment and losing motivation! Whilst I have a some sketchbook and theory work to finish, I can focus on my stories. Of course, should I end up in University, I may not be able to upload as frequently. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it.
Anyway, enough rambling. I hope you enjoy the new chapter. Read on, and I'll see you at the end.
Chapter 51
The Prefects Bathroom
James and Harry sat on the grass, on the grounds of Hogwarts, Luna and Susan sat with them. It had been about a week since the Yule Ball and both couples were slowly growing closer. In front of the two couples, were James' and Harry's Golden Egg. They still hadn't found anything that helped with the screeching noises. Nothing on Magical Creatures, or any spells. Something that caused James to get more and more frustrated. After testing a flame spell on the egg, to no avail, he finally reached his limit.
"Fuck this!" He growled, kicking his egg across the grounds
"Did that help?" Harry asked
"Yes" James nodded
"Did that hurt?" Harry gave him a knowing look, smirking slightly
"Yes!" James hissed in pain, as he sat back down, rubbing his foot to ease the pain
Luna wrapped her arms around his and rested her head on his shoulder, causing him to rest his head on hers. A small smile made its way onto Luna's face, but was able to restrain herself. Susan, however, was unable to do so, as she let out a small chuckle.
"Next time, don't kick a metal egg" She smiled, leaning against Harry, who responded by tentatively wrapping an arm around her waist "bit stupid in all honesty"
James glared at her, though there was no heat in it, the slightest bit of amusement in his eyes. The two couples just sat in silence for a moment, just enjoying each other's company. After a moment, they noticed Cedric make his way over to them.
"Harry, James, mind if I speak to you two in private for a moment?" He asked, causing Harry and James to look at one another, a silent conversation between the two.
"Okay" Harry nodded, turning to Susan "We'll be back in a moment"
Harry gave Susan a hug, whilst James kissed Luna's temple, where they then followed Cedric, stopping a few meters away.
"How can we help you Cedric?" James asked
"Well, I wanted to thank Harry for informing me of the dragons" Cedric said
"It was nothing" Harry waved dismissively "You would have done the same for me and James"
"Exactly" Cedric smiled "Which is why I want to help you now…are you two aware of the Prefects bathroom on the fifth floor?"
The two boys nodded.
"Well, good place to take a bath" Cedric winked "Take the egg and place it under the water…or you could go into the Black Lake, if you want to risk the cold water and whatever lives inside"
"Wait, are you saying we can only hear it under the water?" James asked
"I might be" Cedric smiled
"Merpeople" James sighed "Bloody obvious now that I say it out loud…thanks Cedric"
Cedric gave them a nod and walked away. The two youngest champions watched him leave, before Harry looked at James.
"Merpeople?" He asked
"Yes, think of mermaids but…more violent" James shrugged "They are unable to speak when out of the water, meaning they make weird screeching sounds…like the ones in the egg"
"So we…need to dunk the egg under water?" Harry asked, looking a little uncomfortable
"Yes" James nodded, smiling knowingly at Harry "Are you worried about being naked in front of me?"
"Well…its just…I'm not comfortable being naked in front you" Harry replied "No offence"
"None taken" James waved dismissively "If it makes you uncomfortable, we can wear swimming trunks…come on…I need to find where my egg went…then we can head to the Prefects bathroom"
…
Harry and James soon found themselves in the Prefects bathroom. The large tub, which seemed more like a swimming pool, was slowly filling up with warm water. The two champions waited, wearing their swimming trunks. James felt a slight chill, as the cold air of the bathroom brushed his skin. He took a look at Harry's back. Though he had seen them on occasion, this was the first time he's properly seen the scars since their first night in First Year. Most of the scars were gone, though a few, whilst healed, didn't heal fully due how extreme they were. One reason he is glad the Dursleys are locked up, or in Vernon's case, dead.
"You okay?" Harry asked, noticing his faraway look
"I'm fine" James nodded "Think the bath is full enough?"
"Seems so" Harry replied, testing the water "Warm enough to…let's do this"
Getting into the tub, Harry grabbed his egg. James didn't bring his, as they didn't really need both of them. Heading into a more deeper part of the tub, getting used to the hot water, James nodded, signalling to dive under. They both held their breath, as Harry opened the egg. This time, instead of crazed, demonic screaming, there was a soft, melodic singing:
Come seek us where our voices sound, We cannot sing above the ground, And while you're searching, ponder this: We've taken what you'll sorely miss, An hour long you'll have to look, And to recover what we took, But past an hour - the prospect's black Too late, it's gone, it won't come back.
When the song ended, they swam back up, gasping for air, as they left the surface of the water. Harry held onto the edge of the tub, panting heavily. He was sure he swallowed some water. Next to him, James leant against the edge, coughing slightly.
"I'll tell you what, with singing like that, you wouldn't think they are violent demons from hell" He said, turning to Harry "So, tell me, what do you think?"
"Well, clearly they have taken something that we need to get back" Harry replied "Seeing as their Merpeople, it would have to be underwater"
"The Black Lake is my guess" James commented "It's certainly big enough…but, what is it we will 'sorely miss'"
"I don't know, I first thought it might be a possession of ours, but thinking about it, I wouldn't risk my life for my broom or something" Harry said
"My thoughts exactly" James nodded "I have many things I will certainly miss, but will never risk my life for…if it was Luna then…"
James' voice trailed, as a thought came to him, with Harry coming to the same conclusion.
"No" Harry said "You don't think they'd put people under the Black Lake, would they?"
"It makes sense Harry" James replied "anyone would risk their neck to save someone they care about…they can't use either of us, we are both champions, so seeing as they were our dates to the Ball, and are now our girlfriends, it makes sense to have them as our hostage…even if it wasn't Luna, I would risk my life to save Susan, and even you"
"Really?" Harry asked
"Is it that surprising?" James raised an eyebrow "I've told you Harry, you are the only family I have left…I'll gladly die if it meant saving your life…we should get going…we've got what we came for, now we need to look into spells effective on whatever lives in the fucking Black Lake and try and find ways to breath under water for about an hour"
…
"Oh, this sure is exciting" Bagman commented as Crouch, the three headmasters and himself crowded around the Goblet of Fire.
They were all waiting for the Goblet to decide who the hostages would be for each Champion. Seeing as how it was used to name the Champions, they figured it would be safe to use it this time as well. After writing on a slip of parchment, asking for someone each Champion cares about, they waited for the Goblet to decide. Krum's parchment went first. It was his mother, but seeing as how she was in Bulgaria and currently unfit for travel, they went again. This time it was Hermione Granger, who was his date to the Ball. Approving the decision, they waited for the next parchment, it was Fleurs hostage this time.
"Who is Gabrielle Delacour?" Crouch asked
"Ah, that would be Fleurs little sister" Maxime answered "Fleur would move heaven and earth to keep her safe"
"Will Gabrielle agree to such an event?" Dumbledore asked
"I will ask, but I'm sure she will agree" Maxime nodded
Cedric's parchment came out next. It read Cho Chang's name. Dumbledore approved of the choice: she was his date to the Ball and, if the rumours were true, the two of them were now a couple. Harry's name came out afterwards, which read Susan Bones, who Dumbledore approved; again, they were a couple, if the rumours were true. Finally it was James' turn. The first time round, the parchment read Harry's name. As Harry was a champion, this wouldn't be possible. Trying again, Luna's name came out, who Dumbledore also approved for the same reasons as Cedric and Harry.
"Now that we have the hostages, we can only hope the Champions solve the clue" Crouch said
"I'm sure they will, they still have over a month until then" Dumbledore replied "Though, I believe placing a few extra safety wards around the hostages wouldn't be too much of an ask would it…we don't want any accidents happening"
"You are right of course" Crouch nodded "Though, hopefully, if the Champions do well, those wards won't be required…but I'll make sure they are placed anyway"
…
And there was the new chapter. What did you guys think?
Do we have any Doctor Who fans here? If there is, can any of you point out the Doctor Who reference in this chapter. If you need any help, I'll give you a hint: It is from Season 2, and is a small interaction between the Doctor and Mickey in the TARDIS. If any of you can get it right, I will give you a sticker.
We then have the hostage selection. Did they ever reveal how hostages were chosen in Canon? I don't remember it happening. Because of this, I had to improvise. I'm sure other writers have done something similar, but I feel like the Goblet of Fire choosing the champions hostages made sense.
Now they know what the clue is for the Second Task is, what do you think they will do. Will they use Gillyweed, or will they use some other genius plan? You'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out.
I hope you enjoyed and I will see you next time.
Badger out
