Emerald on Silver

by Delphidelion

A pair of eyes refused to focus as they stared blankly into the distance. One was a deep emerald, the other a striking silver. The only thing she could think about was the strange letter she received that morning and the way her mother reacted. She was promised an explanation after school. She was pulled out of her musings when she heard her name called out. Fem!Draco Girl!Draco

5. The One I Would Miss the Most

Author Note:

V1.0 R3

(revision is up)

Hello everyone! I'm pleased to finally present EoS's fifth chapter. With the revision fully complete I have finally turned my attention back to the story itself. This chapter will also likely undergo multiple edits as I adjust word choice and text flow. I have been realizing that in the long run certain important events happen to line up with established dates in the story already. I couldn't be happier as it helped me see the events that shaped their life so much more clearly. With all that said, please enjoy the latest chapter. (If you are reading this on I will be uploading the revision over the course of the week.)

Harry Potter and the franchise are owned by their respective claim holders. I do this story as a hobby and not as a substitute for the books or as a means of profit.

If you enjoy the contents of this chapter please leave a review. It is so rare to get them and even just an acknowledgement that you're here for the ride is nice. Whatever medium you read this from please make sure to leave proper notice of your enjoyment.

Ch5 - The One I Would Miss the Most

Lyra slipped out of the bathroom and towards her room. It had been a very busy night and she was exhausted. Her father was on the grounds with his friends strengthening the wards, whatever that was. Almost the entire Weasley clan had decided to stay until it was time to board the Hogwarts Express.

Her parents had been elated that they would be able to host their friends for the very first time. Her Aunt Mione had left with Pansy and the twins to collect the clan. They promised to be back by the next day. She couldn't wait to meet other magical children. She supposed she'd be going to school with them soon. On her way to her bedroom she ran across the elder Mrs. Weasley.

"Off to bed then, dear?" She asked in a kind voice, looking down at Lyra with a warm smile.

"Yes'm." Replied to the aged witch.

"Oh, no need to be so formal. Your father may as well have been one of my own." She said as a matter of fact before gathering her into a gentle hug. "I'm so proud of him for having made such a fine family. He really needed it."

"What do you mean, Mrs. Weasley?"

"Your father never knew his parents, dear." She said in a somber tone. "They died tragically when he was a baby." That was the most shocking news she had heard all night. She had never known that about her Dad.

"The one thing I think he wanted more than anything was a family he could call his own." She said as she began to walk with Lyra down the hall towards her room. "And now he has Draco, you and your brothers. Your mother has made him so happy."

"Dad told me that only a few people knew that he was out here." Lyra added as they approached her room. "How many people knew?"

"I'm not entirely certain of that. I didn't even know your mother had fled with Harry. Hermione and Ronald may well have been the only Weasleys that knew the full picture. And of course Hermione knew where you lived. She is your parent's secret keeper." Mrs. Weasley opened her door. "Shall we get you tucked in, Dear?" She asked with her warm smile. Lyra nodded with her own smile.

"Really?" Lyra asked in surprise at the affection she was receiving from the woman.

"Of course." Molly said, entering the room. "I never got a chance when you were a baby."

Lyra crawled into her bed, slipping into her covers. Mrs. Weasley used her wand to pull the covers into just the right place. She used more magic to soften her pillows and mattress. The feeling was so wonderful Lyra was afraid she may never want to leave her bed again.

"How's that, Dearie?" She asked as she finished her spells.

"It's amazing, Mrs. Weasley. Thank you so much." Lyra really was grateful. It was amazing to have someone tuck you in magically.

"Just like your father," She huffed, "formal to a fault."

"Hmm, maybe we could have told you. I really could have used the help. At least the first time." They both turned to see her mother leaning against the door frame. She had an amused grin as she surveyed the two.

"Nonsense, Dear. You've raised a fine daughter. Very polite." Mrs. Weasley responded. "I wish my other daughter in laws were half as motherly as you. Maybe Ginny will come to you when she decides to settle." Her mother blushed at the praise before pushing herself from the frame and approaching the bed.

"Yes, well, I had Harry to help every step of the way." Her mother cleared her throat. "We learned pretty early on we needed each other for almost everything."

"Is that so?"

"Of course. It's the reason I knew I could count on him when I ran away from home."

"Oh my goodness, ol' Lucius sent me so many owls when you did that. He was furious. How did you know it would work out the way it did?"

Her mother looked over to her and smiled. "Did you want to hear one more story before bed, Lyra?" She asked. Lyra was over the moon at the prospect.

"Yes!" She said, jumping at the chance for more stories. She couldn't wait to dream about her school.

She watched her mother pull her own wand out and summon chairs for both the women. "Kreacher, if you don't mind." She said softly. The house elf popped into the room, surprising Lyra that he could have even heard her.

"Yes mum." He ground out.

"Would you be a dear and fetch us the chamomile? And do bring your favorite stool along. I want Lyra to become accustomed to your presence and you really should try to be more sociable. The children will be counting on you going forward." The elf gave a bow to her mother with the most energy she had seen from the old being before popping out of the room.

"That's the happiest I've seen him in years." Her mother mused. "Alright, Lyra. Your story. And the reason I knew I could always trust Harry with my life." Mrs. Weasley looked just as excited as she felt. "It was during the second task of that tournament that I learned how important I had become to him. Harry had been putting off solving the riddle of the egg for quite some time. Term had just started and he still hadn't gotten around to trying to solve it."

*It wasn't until poor Hagrid became a topic of discussion that he finally took the time to figure things out. A news article had outed our professor as a half giant so he went into hiding out of shame. The first day without Hagrid was the worst. We had to learn about unicorns. Yes, they are real. No, I'm not very fond of them. I had a bad experience when I was much younger.*

Harry moved with the boys off to the side of the corral that held the unicorn with Ron. He was a little surprised to see Malfoy joining them. He gave her a questioning look as they made their way to the fencing.

"Do you even remember the last time we saw one of those beasts?" She replied indignantly as they found spots along the fencing. "I certainly don't want to be near one." Harry chuckled lightly at her. He supposed he could understand that a little.

"That when you ran away screaming before that centaur rescued him?" Ron asked loudly with a smirk, earning a glare from Malfoy.

"Sod off, Weasley. You didn't see the thing eating it." She replied angrily. Harry remembered, though. That cloaked figure of the one man that could bring the wizarding world to its knees.

"Hey, Harry, wasn't that…" Ron started to say, trailing off as he glanced at the blonde..

"Voldemort." He finished without thinking. Harry expected the struggled noise from Ron, the boy had been privy to the events of that night. Malfoy had not. As far as the girl had been concerned it was some random monstrosity of the forest they had encountered. Her reaction shook him from his memory as he felt bits of his skin get pinched when she grabbed a fistful of his robes and shirt with a force he could only describe as fearful desperation.

"What did you say, Potter?" She asked in a harsh whisper, as though the dark wizard had been listening. Her eyes were looking through him in the direction of the forest as the color drained from her face. She wouldn't take to any lie at this point.

"It was Voldemort." He said again slowly. He felt the girl's other hand grab his arm to steady herself. "He was the one drinking the unicorn blood."

"You okay, Malfoy?" Ron asked as he circled around to block the girl from the view of the other boys. The action caught Harry a little by surprise, he expected more taunting from the boy.

"No, I'm not okay, Weasley!" Draco said as she began to regain herself. "I just learned that the worst wizard in recent history is still alive and tried to get us. What if Hagrid hadn't been nearby?"

"He couldn't have done anything to me." Harry assured her. "He was barely a wisp. The last time he tried to touch me he became even weaker." She gave him a dubious look.

"Don't be ridiculous, Potter." She huffed.

*We began to talk about Hagrid and what could be done about it. We were at a loss of how to help. How do you change that many people's minds? Not to mention how much trouble I had been getting into with my parents.*

Harry decided to change the subject. "Reckon Hagrid will be okay?" He asked. Their reactions made him realize that it may not have been the best choice in topic. They both gave him uncomfortable looks. "Come on, we knew before the article and that didn't change anything."

"Well, yeah, but it's easy to ignore when it isn't common knowledge." Ron said. "Now everyone is going to be judging." Harry almost couldn't believe his ears. Hagrid had been there for the boy countless times.

"Weasley's right." Malfoy said, causing the redhead to blink in surprise. Harry looked at her a little confused.

"Excuse me?" He asked.

"Potter, the topic is too hot for someone like me to get involved in. It's already bad enough what the rest of society thinks about me by now. I can't afford more attention." She explained. "We'll just have to wait for him to be ready to come out of hiding. That'll probably be around the time this all blows over. Give it a week or two. Purebloods can be fickle with their attention."

"I guess so." Harry said, feeling defeated. He was sure that Hermione would have backed him up, but she was with the shimmering creature.

The three returned their attention to the rest of the boys nearby, joining in the general conversation. Everyone was mostly ignoring the class as it was happening near the unicorn and had basically nothing to do with them, boys were not something a unicorn preferred being near, after all.

*While we are on the topic, when you learn about unicorns make sure to give them a lot of affection. They don't like being ignored by girls.*

Ron surprised Harry after a while with a quick poke. He turned to his friend to see what he was on about, casting him a curious look. His friend wasn't looking at him, though.

"That thing keeps looking at us, Harry." The redhead said, pointing in the direction of the unicorn. He was right, it was looking right at them. "I don't like that."

"Ignore it, Weasley," Malfoy said from her perch on the fencing, back to the unicorn, "It's just another beast." Harry would remember those last words for the rest of his life. Karma was never one to let the blonde go from even the smallest slight, especially when it came to animals. As she laughed at her own comment the unicorn was already on her. Harry hadn't even seen it get to them. Malfoy gave off a squawk of surprise as she was picked up by her robes.

"Let go of me, you flea ridden beast!" She yelled out as it dragged her off the fence. The unicorn let out a snort as it trotted back towards the other girls. "Potter, help me!" She pleaded before the magical creature plopped her in the center of the corral. She gave off a terrified noise as it moved around the girl inspecting her.

The whole class erupted into laughter as the unicorn flopped onto its side, resting its head in the girl's lap as she tried frantically to get up. Things got progressively worse for her as it started rubbing into her while giving off snorts and small whinnies. Malfoy fought with pure futility as she was forced further and further into the muddy enclosure's ground, her lower half all but vanishing beneath the filth.

*That being said; even Hermione couldn't figure out a way to help out our professor. We really kept trying to figure something out.*

"What were you guys talking about?" Hermione asked from Harry's side, causing him to jump slightly again. He really needed to pay more attention to his surroundings. He pulled his attention from the scene playing out.

"Huh?" He sounded. Harry barely heard what she had asked.

"I noticed you three off to the side. Was it Hagrid you were talking about?" She asked again now that he was paying attention.

"A little. Last time Malfoy saw a unicorn was during first year." Harry said. "When we went into the forest. I explained what we actually saw there."

"Oh my, no wonder he went with the rest of the boys." Hermione said as she started to understand what the slytherin had learned. "He wasn't mad, was he?"

"He didn't take it too well at first." Harry said, rubbing at the spot that had been so brutally handled earlier. "We eventually got on the topic of Hagrid. Figured we could meet with him once he's ready to face everyone." Hermione gave him a sad nod.

"I really hope he doesn't let it get to him too much. It really is unfair for others to suddenly treat him so differently."

Class finished up shortly after Malfoy was finally able to free herself from her forced therapy session. The four made their way back to the castle, Harry couldn't help but look back as the cabin disappeared from view. There had to be some way to get others to see him in a better light.

*It wasn't until much later that we were able to solve Hagrid's issue and your father's in the same night. We were celebrating our first hogsmeade weekend of the year when we stumbled across the witch that wrote that awful article*

Harry, Malfoy and Ron had still been shaking off the cold when they had taken seats with Ginny and Hermione, so they wasted no time in downing their first warm beverage. None of them had been paying attention to how much they had been drinking.

Malfoy had somehow gotten Hermoine to challenge Ron and Harry with her while Ginny kept score. If he had to guess he was on his ninth or tenth. Madam Rosmerta had let it slip in a not so subtle way that they should celebrate while they could, since it could be Harry's last chance. While that may not have set him at ease when she said it, he had never felt so relaxed as he hugged the warm mug to his chest.

"Don't mind if we do." Harry was surprised as he felt his mug get lifted from his hands.

"Oi, get yer own!" He heard Ron's indignant cry next to him. He looked up to see Fred and George over them drinking from the mugs themselves.

They seemed to be in extremely good spirits as they took seats at the ends of the corner booth they had found themselves occupying. Everyone shuffled to make room, squeezing together to accommodate the elder Weasleys. Fred raised his mug to George as they joined the festivities proper.

"What's got you two in such a good mood?" Ginny asked as everyone settled in.

"Just a change in fortunes, dear sister." George answered after the took another gulp.

"Oi, Malfoy. Go tell your friend Pansy thanks for us when you get the chance." Fred called across the table to the Slytherin.

"Why would I do that?" She asked him through half lids.

"She helped us out of a bind. She's trying to get back on your good side. Thinks helping out Harry's friends will make it easier."

"Of course she did." Malfoy rolled her eyes. "She could have just said something when she found out I didn't want to go to the ball with Zabini." She scoffed.

"Are you going to talk with her or are you going to let her sit on it for a bit?" Harry asked as he grabbed Draco's mug for himself. She blinked at the absence of her drink.

"What do you think you're doing, Potter?" The blonde asked in an annoyed tone.

"I'm thirsty." Harry said. He took a large gulp as she began lunging for the beverage. Before they could start to fight over the mug in earnest a flash of camera came from the side. Everyone at the table stopped mid action in surprise.

"Fancy seeing you here, Mr. Potter." She looked over the group with a predatory smile. "My my, having a little party?" She summoned a stool and swiftly took out her quill and pad. Harry groaned inwardly. Last time that happened there was that embarrassing piece about him being haunted by his past.

"Oh look, it's Ms. Second-Hand-Source." Malfoy responded almost immediately. Harry felt the temperature drop a few degrees. Her animosity towards the journalist was palpable.

"I apologize, Ms. Malfoy, for any mischaracterizations I may have included in my works. I was merely working with the information I had available." The witch said without missing a beat. "If you'd like I'd be more than happy to take a statement or two from you." It made Harry lose his temper.

"Why, so you can ruin his life, too?" He said hotly. "What did Hagrid ever do to you?" She gave him an obviously faux look of surprise.

"I never meant any harm to the Professor." Rita kept a sickly sweet tone as she ignored any blame. "I just thought that the people would like to know more about the teachers at their school." He heard Hermione growl as she made her claim.

"I'm sure." She said for the first time. She was glaring like he had never seen before.

"It's the truth." The journalist countered. "I'd be more than willing to write a follow up to allay the fears of the people if…" Harry was about to start causing a scene when he was surprised by the blonde next to him.

*I managed to get the witch to write a new story about Hagrid and your father was able to finally solve the mystery of his egg.*

"Deal." Everyone at the table stared at her with owl-like expressions. Harry was sure she would never willingly talk to the witch. She was the source of Malfoy's current problems with her peers after all. It was bad enough when everyone just thought she had been hiding her gender. Now they try to use all sorts of tactics to garner her attentions away from Harry himself. "I give you an interview and you give Hagrid a glowing review."

"Draco, are you sure?" Hermione asked in a whisper. "Remember what she put you through?"

"Don't worry about me. I'm sure she'll make it all up anyway." She turned to Harry. "Besides, you need to figure out that egg and this will make one less worry, right?"

"You're right." Harry said as he stood, wobbling lightly as he tried to keep his balance. She really was. He couldn't believe he had been just coasting along without at least trying. He had all but shut his friends out of the clue and kept pushing it off. Diggory had given him that hint about baths and he had soundly ignored it as a joke. Maybe he had been genuine when he mentioned taking it to the baths. "Thanks, Malfoy."

"Don't thank me yet, Potter," she warned. "You owe me big for this one." He gave her a small wave as he started towards the door. "Where are you going?" She asked in surprise as he started to leave.

"To crack an egg."

*The following morning Harry met us at breakfast and told us what the clue was inside the egg. It was a very strange song from mermaids. They were going to take something very important to him and he would have an hour to get it back. The one thing he'd miss the most.*

Harry made his way to breakfast groggy and a little nauseous. It took him ages to get to sleep because of his run in with Snape and Moody. His adrenaline had been through the roof. He needed something to calm his stomach, too. He was not sure he would ever compete with Malfoy drinking again. That said, he needed to get to his friends and let them know what he figured out.

He really wished he had just listened to Diggory right away. He had thought it was pure rubbish but the boy had been trying to tell Harry how to get to the clue without letting the other champions in on how to do it. He felt like a complete idiot the second the egg had opened up.

He just noticed the whispering again as he made his way through the doors to the hall. He had gotten so used to it by now it barely registered whenever a new wave of whispers started. He saw all of his friends sitting at the table talking away, even Fred and George were there this morning. Whatever the rest of the school was on about they were all acting as if it wasn't happening.

"Figured it out." He said abruptly as he plopped down next to his friends.

"Harry!" Ginny called out as he joined them.

"Scarhead." Malfoy sounded a little worse for wear. He gave her a slightly puzzled look.

"What happened to you?" He asked with humor in his voice. He couldn't help it. She looked absolutely pitiful. He had a mild headache at worst.

"Needed more to drink after that interview. After I found Finnigan to get some firewhiskey." He wondered just how bad it had been. "Says I'm the best drinking buddy he's had" The blonde gave a brief view of her lopsided grin as she mumbled about the previous evening. He heard the twins snickering with Ron to his side.

"You didn't need to do that interview, by the way." He said. "Your father is probably already sending another howler."

"And let you worry yourself sick over something that should not be your priority right now?" She waved his comment away, pulling her cool goblet of juice to her forehead and letting out a small sound of bliss. "I told you, you're no fun when you're like that."

"Really got it, then, Harry?" Ron asked. He nodded in response. "Good. What are we dealing with this time?" Everyone at the table gave him a look. "What?" The fact that he wasn't around during the first task was left unsaid.

Hermione shook her head in disbelief at the boy. "Ron's right, though, what are we dealing with, Harry? We don't have a lot of time left to prepare."

"Mermaids I think." He said. "When I figured out the clue Myrtle kinda let me in on a bit of it. Here, I wrote down the clue." Harry pulled out a crumpled note from his pocket before handing it over to the group. Malfoy pulled the slip of paper from his hand, studying it through squinted eyes while nursing her head.

"What you'll miss the most? Are they going to take your broom?" She joked lightly. "I swear magical creatures make little sense. You can always buy another broom." Harry gave her a light snort of amusement.

"Who knows what it could be; I would miss flying though. We need to get back out for some practice again." Harry mused. "I just need to figure out how to find the mermaids. I don't think I can hold my breath long enough to get to them, though."

*The problem is, though, how do you get to the mermaids? Luckily Hagrid also showed up that morning to thank me for helping him with that witch. He knows pretty much everything about magical creatures, so he pointed us in the right direction.*

"Oh, careful with them mermaids, Harry, they can get possessive." The voice of a dearly missed friend caused them all to turn in surprise. Hagrid was towering over them all with a great big smile.

"Hagrid!" Harry greeted the large man.

"That was a mighty kind thing you did, there, Draco." Hagrid said as he lowered himself to their level, holding up a newspaper with the headline, Lovestruck Malfoy Heiress.A large picture featured Malfoy with a coy smile playing on her lips. On the margins he could see a second story, Giant Man Giant Heart. "Ain't no one ever done something like that for me before." He pulled out a small plate wrapped in a large cloth. "Made these myself. I hope you like them." He said proudly.

Malfoy let out a strained thank you to the man as she took the gift. She had yet to be able to stomach his cooking even when she was feeling well. She generally stuck to what she had recently worded as 'his wonderful tea blends.'

"You're gonna win for sure, Harry. Feel it in my bones." Hagrid said to Harry with a large smile. Great, he always wanted the additional pressure to figure things out…

"Hagrid?" Harry called out to his giant friend as he was getting ready to leave.

"What's that, Harry?" He turned to him with pure happiness in his eyes.

"How would a person visit the mermaids?" He asked him. He was the person in charge of CMC so there really wasn't that much better of a source. Being Hagrid, Harry was sure he had dinner parties with the creatures in the lake. Now that was a picture.

"That's a tricky one, Harry." The half giant mused. He got a gleam in his eyes as he tried to give the best advice he could without just telling him. "I suppose I'd look up witches or wizards that figured out how to swim with the fishes." He then raised his voice a little too loudly as he started to shift his eyes about. "I'm sure that there were some wonderful plants that could help. They usually do the trick when magic is too complex." He turned mechanically and continued to talk as he walked away. "Yup, all a person needs to do to…" His voice faded as he made his way to the professor table at the other end of the long hall.

"So library?" Harry asked his friends with a shrug. Most of the group seemed to agree on the next course of action save for two. The twins had other plans.

"You can go to the library all you want." Fred interjected, sharing a look with his other half.

"We have other business to attend to." George nodded to his brother and gave Harry a wink.

"You have days, Harry. You've got a good lead and a lot of help." Fred nodded his head towards the trio that became his shadow.

"Just remember to come back up for air after you visit the mermaids." George laughed as they made their way towards the entrance.

"Those two can be about as useful as a skrewt, I swear." Ron complained as the twins took off.

"Well, we should still make our way to the library as soon as possible. I should think that we will be digging through a lot of books again." Hermione said as she gathered her stuff and placed a few sausages into a cloth.

*With Hagrid's hint we decided to go to the library right away. But we got even more lucky when we followed your aunt to the kitchens. She had been visiting the house elves that work for the school.*

"What's with the sausages?" Ron asked as they were all getting ready to make their way to the library. Hermione blushed lightly before replying.

"I like to visit the kitchens." She said as they started to walk. "I was going to stop by to say hello on the way and meet you at the library."

"Taking food TO the kitchen? That's a new one." The redhead said.

"We could always come along with you, Hermione." Harry offered. "Besides, I think we may need to let Malfoy take it easy. A trip to the kitchens may help." The trio looked back to see Malfoy catching up, Ginny by her side with her bag. She looked a bit green.

"Here, take this, Harry." She said as she handed Malfoy's bag to him. "I have to get to class. I'll stop by the library later to see how you guys are doing.

"Doing alright there, Malfoy?" Ron asked as the blonde finally caught up.

"No." Was all they could get out of her.

"I suppose you could come along." Hermione said with an uncomfortable shuffle.

"What's got you all weird?" Ron asked bluntly. She glared at him.

"Nothing's got me all weird," She huffed at him. "It's just that there may be a few surprises when we go there."

"Let's just go so I can sit down." Draco groaned out in a pitiful voice.

They made their way to the painting that led into the kitchens of Hogwarts. It was the first time Harry had been there. Hermione tickled the pear, revealing the door to the kitchens. She turned to them before they could enter.

"Just remember they have history." She said as she looked directly at Harry. She turned and opened the door before Harry could ask what she meant.

They followed Hermione into the halls of the kitchen to a scene he could not have anticipated. House elves were everywhere! He really supposed that he should not be surprised, considering how many students were at the castle. He could see them preparing for the rest of the day's meals, preparing doughs, stock and various meats and vegetables.

He didn't get much time to look around as Hermione kept a brisk pace around a few turns. He felt Malfoy grab onto his shoulder as she tried to keep up. He hoped His friend would stop soon. He wasn't even sure he remembered how to get out of the kitchens now and he also wasn't sure Malfoy could make it much farther.

*One of the house elves happened to be my childhood house elf. I was quite surprised to see him there. I hadn't seen him in years. Harry had helped him, though, so he idolized your father. When he found out we were all trying to help him survive the tournament he wanted nothing more than to also help.*

His worries came to an abrupt halt when they reached their destination moments later. The sight that greeted him really was a bit of a surprise. Of all the house elves in the kitchens there was one that Harry definitely knew. Standing near a large pot was Dobby the house elf in the most mismatched outfit he had ever seen. He had not seen him since he tricked Lucius into freeing the elf.

"No way!" He heard Ron say in disbelief.

"Harry Potter came to see Dobby!" The elf shouted out in joy at his presence. "Miss Hermione has been telling Dobby about your adventures, sir. He is quite pleased you are doing so well in this dreadful tournament."

"Dobby? What are you doing here?" He asked, stunned that the elf had turned up at Hogwarts of all places.

"Dobby works for Dumbledore now, sir. He gets paid and is even having time off!" The elf replied enthusiastically.

"Dobby? Dobby, I need help…" Draco said weakly as she finally released Harry's shoulder and slumped onto the ground, holding her head and closing her eyes as hard as she could manage.

"Oh my goodness, Draco, are you alright?" Hermione asked as she knelt down to help the blonde.

"Looks like she's gonna hurl." Ron said, backing up a little.

"Things won't stop spinning in my stomach and my head feels like it's going to explode." She managed to get out in whimpers. Harry looked to the elf to see him staring at Malfoy with wide eyes. "Dobby…" The elf rolled its eyes and snapped its fingers, revealing a small bottle. He held it out to Harry.

"Young Miss still misbehaves despite her age." He gave her a look of disapproval. "This should help, Harry Potter." He said as he stepped back.

"Here," Harry said as he passed the bottle to Hermione.

Hermione took the bottle and gave it to Draco who downed the contents as quickly as she could. Within moments she was scrambling off of the ground, flushed in embarrassment. She looked around to make sure no one else had seen her in such a state.

"Thank you, Dobby," Harry quickly told the elf. "I don't think Malfoy'd have lasted much longer. It's a good thing we came to the kitchen instead of going right to the Library!"

"Harry Potter is welcome." The elf said.

"I didn't do it just to have fun," Malfoy said indignantly. "I did it to help Potter focus on the next task. Next time I'll make sure he suffers with me."

"Helping Harry Potter?" The elf sounded absolutely elated at the news. "Dobby would like to apologize, young miss. He assumed you were still…" He stopped to collect his thoughts. "If Dobby can be of help in any way, sir, please call on him, Harry Potter."

"Thank you, Dobby. We were going to the library to figure out how to tackle the next task. I don't have many days left until I need to go find mermaids." Harry told the elf.

"Find them, sir? But they're not far from the Hogwarts drain pipe, sir." Dobby said as if it were common knowledge. Everyone looked at him stunned. All four shared a look. Harry turned back to the little creature.

"And what would be the easiest way to get to them?" Harry asked the elf. "I'll need to see them for my next task." Dobby's eyes widened in understanding.

"Dobby sees. Well, sir, if Dobby were to go he'd use gillyweed, sir." The elf leaned up to Harry to whisper. "Harry Potter would get to their village in no time."

"That's brilliant!" Harry shouted as he stood up. "Dobby, if this works I'm going to have to get you something special."

"Dobby wouldn't mind socks, they are his favorite type of clothes, sir." The elf rubbed his foot into the ground.

"Dobby, you'll get a mountain of socks." Harry said, elated.

They visited with Dobby for a little while longer before making their way to the library. Madam Pince narrowed her eyes at the group. She had been getting exacerbated by the group. Everytime more than three of them were present they always got a stern talking to from the strict witch for being disruptive.

*When we finally made our way to the library we had everything we needed to start getting your father prepared for what was to come. It was a miracle that everything fell into place the way it had.*

"You'll do well to behave yourselves this time." She gave them a no argument warning.

They silently looked about the library, trying to find the most secluded area they could again. Finding a literal hidden nook in the back they set up for their next task. It didn't take long for them to create a list of things that Harry needed to be prepared.

First, he'd need to figure out what gillyweed is exactly and how to use it. He'd assume you'd either eat it or breathe through it for now. The big question is what it does.

Next he needed to either purchase or locate a source of the reagent. He would really like to find some he could depend on, so purchasing it might not be completely out of the question as the day of the task approached.

Third, Harry needed to know what to expect in the lake and how to deal with things underwater. He could probably manage a few spells off the top of his head. But the limitation of not being able to speak underwater would be a little crippling for a wizard. If he had a knife or something he would be a little more prepared.

The final thing he needed he wasn't sure. He knew that the mermaids would take something, but not what. He didn't really know what he'd miss most. He'd need a way to drag whatever they had to the top of the lake. Hopefully it was something small. The best the group could come up with was his firebolt. Flying defined him.

*We were so confident that we started flying again. We should have realized at the time what the mermaids were going to take, but we were both still pretty innocent. We thought they were going to come for your father's broom. He would miss flying the most, after all.*

Harry and Draco touched down, the diminutive girl tossing the snitch back to him. She had just eked out the advantage in that last race for the small golden sphere. His larger body gave her a slipstream she could easily tail him in.

"Hmm, I should start betting on these things if you're going to be this easy, Potter." She said as she slung her broom over her shoulder.

"You just got lucky that time." Harry said as he pocketed the snitch. "I missed it jumping to the right. I thought it was going to go left."

"Sure, Scarhead." Draco said as they started on their way to the lockers to get out of their quidditch gear.

"I'm glad we have a few days left before the task." Harry said. Draco gave off a small laugh.

"If you had relaxed anymore before the last Hogsmeade visit, you'd still be trying to find gillyweed." She countered. "That said, it is good to be in the air again. I'm getting tired of this tournament already. I'd rather officially get the better of you."

"Never going to happen, Malfoy," Harry smirked at her. "We both know when the chips are on the table I'll get you every time."

They walked in silence the rest of the way to the locker area. He really was glad he had the blonde around to fly with. He probably relaxed better in the air.

"Imagine if I said no one of these days to flying." Malfoy said as they stopped at the doors.

"Now that is not something I could imagine. You'd never let me be the de facto best." He looked back at the pitch. They'd spent so many days out there racing for the snitch he really couldn't imagine not having her around to compete with. "I really don't know what I would do if I didn't have you around to fly with right now." He stated candidly. "Probably bored out of my mind getting destroyed by Ron in wizarding chess twice as often."

"Lucky me, I'm more exciting than wizarding chess." Draco gave him a raspberry as she entered the slytherin lockers.

*Pansy was the one that found the map your father would need to find the mermaids. We had already bought a couple jars full of this stuff called gillyweed. We had everything your father needed except what the mermaids were going to take.*

"I think I found something." Pansy said as she slammed a large book down on the table in front of them at the library. All of them jumped.

"Pansy?" Malfoy asked, startled at the abrupt entrance.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay?" She said, staring down the other girl like she was trying to prove something.

"That's great, Pansy, but you didn't need to bring anything to apologize." The blonde said, leaning back to drape an arm over her chair.

Pansy looked like a boulder finally got lifted off of her shoulders as she slumped into the seat next to Malfoy. He was glad for Malfoy to finally have her friend in the slytherin dorm back. Hopefully that could ward off some of the idiots that harass her.

"So what's this you found?" Hermione asked, turning the book around to get a look at it.

"These are maps of lake beds around the country." She said as Hermione opened the book to the index.

"Harry, I think we have the final part of the puzzle outside of what is being taken." The bushy haired witch hummed out in glee.

"Hey, Parkinson," Ron jumped in, "How'd you know we were looking for something like this?" She mumbled something in response. "What?"

"I said I asked your stupid brother if there was anything I could help with!" She snapped as her face flushed at the admission.

"Which one?" Ron asked.

"I don't know, the one with the freckle just under his left tear duct." Harry looked at Ron. He didn't know they had any differences. Ron gave him a shrug.

"I think I found it." Hermione said as she lowered her voice. She looked around to make sure they were still secluded. "Here we are. See this one?" She spun the book around towards Harry.

"Yeah."

"Now I can't read the actual language on the map, but I am pretty sure this is Hogwarts right here." She pointed at the edge of the map.

"Ugh, look at all those pictures of grindylow. Place is infested with them I bet." Ron was probably right. Harry could barely see any areas that didn't have them present. "Reckon that's the drain, Harry?" Harry saw what he was talking about. Near the castle there were two faint lines.

"Probably. If there are mermaids near that then it is for sure."

"Lucky you, Potter. Looks like Myrtle was right after all." She said with a grin, pointing at a small part of the page that had a few drawings of mermaids. Malfoy sounded excited about him having to swim in that ice cold lake.

"Can't wait to see me freeze my bits off, then?" Harry joked.

"Oh, I imagine it will be quite the sight when you climb out of the lake with nothing but a baby carrot." Harry's face flushed at the embarrassing thought of somehow losing his swim trunks during the task.

"Great, now I have a new nightmare to add to the list." He said.

*I, unfortunately, was to learn what was to be taken that night and couldn't warn your father. Ginny came to fetch me for our professor. Your father went with Ron to try to get to bed early. He wanted to make sure to be ready for that next morning.*

"Oh good, you're all here." They looked up to see Ginny.

"What's up, Ginny?" Ron asked as his sister approached the group.

"It's McGonagall. She said she needed to see Draco and Hermione." The two looked at each other with a little confusion.

"Did she say if it had to do with class?" Malfoy asked. It wouldn't be abnormal, Harry guessed. They were both top in charms of their respective house class.

"She didn't say. Just to send you both her way if I saw you." Ginny said with a slight shrug.

"Well, we better go see what she needs. We should all make sure to get up early and help Harry prepare." Hermione said as she started packing her bag.

"Weasley, make sure this idiot gets to sleep." Malfoy said just before the two went to see what the professor wanted.

"Can I use spells if I have to?" Ron asked with a laugh.

"Sure. I suggest paralyzing him over the bare stone if he doesn't comply." She said as the two disappeared around the shelving.

*When your father woke up the next morning he checked all of his things, but nothing was missing. His broom was right there and all of his special artifacts were right where he left them. He woke your uncle to go to breakfast and figure things out. Weasley, er, Ron is quite a bit smarter than he lets on.*

Harry had woken with a little apprehension. Today was the day of the task and the day he'd finally figure out what the mermaids had taken from him. He pulled himself from bed and checked his belongings.

That couldn't be right. Nothing had been taken. His firebolt was still right where he left it after he and Malfoy had finished practicing the other day. He was flummoxed.

Maybe he could work it over with Ron. He shook his friend awake, to some very irate grumbling.

"Harry, let me sleep." His friend groaned out as he flopped onto his back.

"Firebolt's still here, Ron." Harry said as seriously as he could. He needed to get this thing figured out in the next couple hours.

"What?" His friend sat up and looked over at Harry's bed. Just like he said, all of his things were still there.

"We thought the mermaids might take my firebolt. Flying is my favorite thing." Harry said.

"Huh, maybe it's a bit more complex?" Ron mused, pushing himself into a sitting position.

"What do you mean?" He asked. Why would you make a complex puzzle containing a complex riddle more complex?

"I dunno, maybe it isn't that simple? What if it is something to do with flying you wouldn't be able to replace?"

"The broom is practically irreplaceable." Harry tried to defend his earlier reasoning.

"What if it's a person? They might have Wood down there. Never would have been on the team without his say-so." Ron laughed. Harry chuckled in response, but tried to get back on topic.

"I doubt that. Dumbledore wouldn't let other people involved in this stupid thing."

"I reckon you're right, Harry…" Ron thought for a moment. "We could always see what Hermione thinks."

"Yeah, let's get down to the hall."

They both got ready as quickly as they could. There was still plenty of time before the task began but they didn't want to be running late, either. If they wanted to figure out what was taken they'd need the others.

*I'm pretty sure that your father knew deep down when I hadn't shown up to breakfast what had happened. He was so worried when Pansy showed up to breakfast without me.*

Harry kept scanning the hall. He still couldn't see either of them.

"You alright, mate?" Ron asked as he let out a yawn.

"I'm not sure." He replied. "They still haven't shown up."

"It's probably nothing, Harry." Ginny tried to reassure him. He was glad she was trying, he really was, but at least one of them should have shown up by now. No one knew where they were at all.

"She isn't with you?" Harry turned to see Pansy walking up to him. She looked worried.

"I thought he might show up with you." He admitted. "He went with Hermione to see McGonagall when we went back to the dorms last night."

"No. I don't think she even came back to the dorm last night." She said as she also started to scan the hall.

"It starts in twenty minutes, Harry. You can't afford to keep waiting. We'll go find them, you get ready." Ginny said as she stood up to join Pansy. Ron was hot on their heels as they left.

"Good luck, Harry." He called back.

*Even with your grandparents there he still hadn't quite figured it out. He kept looking for me in the crowd. But when he finally saw your uncle again he understood. I was what was taken. The mermaids had taken me the night before and Harry had one hour to get to me, or I'd be taken forever. The thing he'd miss the most.*

What were Lucius and Narcissa doing there? Harry didn't understand how that man kept showing up to give him a bad day. Their cold stares pierced him worse than the frigid air.

Harry checked his watch one last time before slipping it off his wrist. Five minutes. He started scanning the crowd again. He had completely blocked out the announcements as he frantically searched.

The only ones he saw were Fred and George giving him thumbs up inside the crowd. He couldn't see any of the others, though. He looked back at the Malfoys. Lucius was visibly getting angrier the longer he looked at Harry.

He heard something from the crowd.

"Harry!" He looked down to see Ron, Ginny and Pansy as close to the starting area as possible. Neither Malfoy or Hermione was with them. What were they doing here without them?

The start of the race sounded and the crowd started going wild. Ron was trying to tell him something but he couldn't hear a thing anymore. All he could see was his friend trying to project his voice as best he could. Giving Harry the angriest look he could, Ron finally pointed at the lake.

The Lake. Harry knew now. They were at the bottom of the lake. He looked back to see that all of the others had already made their way into the lake. His head was reeling with the implications of what was going on. He heard a voice that sent chills down his spine like he had never experienced.

*Your grandfather threatened your father to save me or he'd be in big trouble. Ron kept imitating the face he made when he ran into the lake to tease your father for days after.*

"Potter, get in that lake and bring my child to me immediately, or Merlin help whoever gets in my way." His threat was crystal clear. If Draco wasn't leaving the lake, neither was he.

Harry shoved the gilly weed into his mouth and ran into the water as fast as his feet could get him to the lake. He kicked off his shoes and socks, powering through the water with all his strength. He'd buy another pair if they were lost. The mermaids had Draco because of him.

He dove as soon as the water was deep enough, swallowing the half chewed gillyweed. Air be damned, if the gillyweed didn't work it wouldn't matter anyway. He was relieved as he felt the herb begin to take hold. He couldn't feel the burning need to inhale or the numbing coldness of the lake. Even his soaked robes felt light as his feet began to propel him forward quicker than he thought he could ever swim.

He felt odd resistance in his hands and finally stopped to see what had happened to him. His hands were webbed! Looking at his feet he saw that they were transformed into long flippers. Harry looked in amazement before remembering why he was there.

Harry surfaced for a moment to see where the castle was. Getting his orientation he dove once more and raced with all his might to where Myrtle had guessed and the maps had indicated. He needed to get to her as fast as possible. She was sure to be more than just a little upset about this.

*The gillyweed transformed your father to be able to swim and breathe like a fish. He had a major advantage over the other champions as well. We had prepared him so well that he even knew just about where the mermaids were living. While the others were busy exploring the lake, your father was coming right for me. It wasn't easy. I was so deep that you couldn't even see the light anymore.*

It didn't take long for Harry to get to a really deep part of the lake. He had to pull out his wand to even see what was what. When he started to see what looked like eyes ducking back into cover he knew he had to be close. He pulled his penknife in case something came at him. He saw a mural of merpeople when he finally noticed the music. He had been pushing himself so hard that he hadn't even paid attention.

He followed the song, hauntingly reminding him of what the stakes were. Stone houses, crudely built, emerged from the inky depths as the song became louder. He could see them in the light now, merpeople everywhere, seemingly gossiping about him as he moved through the emerging village.

*He found me tied to a statue with the others that were taken by the mermaids. There was a spell on us so we were asleep the whole time. Your aunt was there as well, being rescued by the Durmstrang champion, so you can imagine he was quite surprised to see her there as well. He was certain I'd have been upset if he hadn't won, so he wasted no time in freeing me. He planned to go back for the others, but it was wholly unnecessary in the end.*

His heart stopped when he made it to the town center, seeing four figures tied to a massive statue. Malfoy and Hermione were here! He saw Cho as well. He didn't recognize the other girl, though she resembled Fleur. They all sat there, serene and asleep. Draco looked otherworldly like this.

He needed to get her out of there before he could even try to figure out why she was here. He looked around and didn't see any of the other champions in sight. He wondered if they knew where they were even going.

Looking back to his two friends he made a choice. Draco needed him to win this stupid task or she'd probably kill him. But he couldn't just leave Hermione, or the others either. He'd be back for them, in case the other champions failed. He had time and more gillyweed if he needed it.

He darted up to the statue that held his friends prisoner, the penknife slipping the knot around Draco as if it wasn't even there. He watched the mere people begin to clap for him in approval. He didn't have the time to take it in, though. He pulled the tiny blonde to his chest and began to kick as hard as he could in the direction he thought he had come from.

It was slower going than he'd have liked. He could maybe make one more trip now that he was considering the fact that he had to carry a person back to the beach. She was light, but that didn't make it easier when she was just dead weight.

He heard something to his side and turned to see Diggory shooting past him with what looked like Krum hot on his heels. He didn't have much time if he was going to win. He had maybe fifteen minutes on them and it looked like they were moving faster than he was.

With renewed vigor he began to kick harder, hoping that it would all be over soon. He couldn't stand the sight of a limp Draco in his arms like this. He was relieved when he could finally see the water around him begin to lighten up. He could feel his adrenaline surge as he was almost there. She'd be safe, then he could go back.

When he finally broke the water and felt the cool air once more he realized how disoriented he had become. The deafening sounds of a nearby crowd were overwhelming. The piercing light and feel of the wind on his skin had him reeling. He shook his head and hauled Draco above the water, kicking furiously.

Looking around finally he saw he wasn't far from the shore, but he was a good distance away from the judges. He couldn't breathe the air, though, nothing was coming in. He felt the sides of his neck begin to sting and realized he had been breathing through gills while he had been down there. He dropped his neck beneath the water and made his way back to the judges in moments.

As he began to pull Draco ashore Madame Pomfrey was on him forcing a potion down his throat. The change was immediate. The air once more rushed into his lungs and his robes became ice cold until the mediwitch cast a warming charm. He mostly ignored her and pushed past her to get the girl completely on land.

*The moment I touched the ground again the spell keeping me asleep was broken. I was… a little upset at the time for being the one to be taken to the bottom of a lake, but I was also just glad that he had done it. He had won the second task. My father was another matter completely. He was absolutely furious that I would be the one your father would miss the most. Especially because he believed I had already become smitten with Harry at that time and a heroic rescue would make it worse.*

Draco's eyes opened up almost as soon as she touched solid ground. The relief was almost unbearable. She focused on him with a glare.

"While I appreciate the timely rescue you'll have to explain to me exactly why I was down there." He didn't care that she was glaring at him, he had done it. His legs finally failed him and he dropped from exhaustion. He rolled over to lay next to Malfoy.

"Sorry it took so long. Flippers only go so fast these days." It was stupid, but was all he could manage as he tried to catch his breath.

"Potter, you're going to get me killed with these stupid tasks of yours." She said, sitting up next to him. She gave a light snort as she looked down at him.

"He most certainly will not." Lucius. The man was standing over them with a menacing glare of his own. Narcissa wasn't far behind him.

"Father." He watched her practically jump from the ground.

"You will no longer be anywhere near the fool of a boy. You'll do as you were told and begin to act like a proper witch, not slipping into empty classrooms or other dalliances. To have such a daughter is nothing but an embarrassment. Come," he commanded. Harry felt an unexpected rage at what he was seeing. He could do nothing as he watched her follow behind her parents with her head held down. He turned once more to Harry as Narcissa and Draco disappeared into the crowd.

"Potter, You'll do well to remove yourself from her life, before I do it for you." He shot out with pure venom. The crowd drowned out anything else from there. He turned to see Diggory pop out of the water, Cho in arms.

"Grandpa really didn't like dad, did he?" Lyra asked through a heavy yawn.

"Of course he didn't." Her mother laughed. "And I'm sure I won't like your first boyfriend." She tweaked Lyeras nose.

"Had his head stuck in the past." Mrs. Weasley tutted. "When did he come around?"

"At the end of our fifth year." Her mother replied. "I'll tell you about it someday," She said, turning to Lyra. "He is very much a traditionalist. You should have seen some of the things he tried to make me do. Of course I was having none of that." Her mother laughed.

"But you still lived with Harry after fifth year." Molly said, perplexed. Her mother glanced at her quickly. "Yes, well father was forced to host someone I wasn't fond of being near." The older witch let out a soft 'oh' and nodded in understanding.

Lyra let out another large yawn as she felt her eyelids become heavy. She felt her mother brush her hand through her hair before gently kissing her forehead.

"Rest, little one," she heard her mothers voice as the dreams began to claim her. "You'll have a big day tomorrow." Lyra barely heard the door shut as the two witches left her to sleep. She could just make out the faint sound of their conversation as it faded with her consciousness.

Author Note: This will be the last chapter set during the fourth year. Next chapter will wrap up their school year and Draco running away. As always, I do hope you enjoyed the developing story of EoS. I look forward to learning about their life with everyone.