Then, she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around. She froze. Standing behind her was Professor Dumbledore, a Ravenclaw prefect, and Erebus.
"Miss Malast, Miss Pierce, kindly follow me."
Of course, the Gryffindors had no choice but to follow them.
Elizabeth gave Selena an inquisitive look, gray eyes tracking her movements. Selena peered at Elizabeth apologetically, knowing that her friend had no idea why the Headmaster of Hogwarts was calling away her and Renee. She didn't look at Damon or Alisson, but she could feel their eyes on them as well. Turning, she and Renee began to follow the three people through the crowd, Professor Dumbledore's ice-blue robes flowing.
No... Selena thought. Please tell me we aren't getting expelled! No, no , no! We should have done something, wiped their memories of the last few minutes! How could we have been so stupid as to leave them like that? Of COURSE someone would hear the banshees... I guess it wasn't the best plan...
They went up a thin staircase leading higher up to the third level of the platform, students and teachers casting them curious gazes before returning their attention back to the Black Lake. The Ravenclaw prefect led them into a room in the center of the level, sitting down at the wooden table in it. Selena and Renee followed suit, sitting close to one another. Erebus chose the seat across from them, glaring. Once the four of them were settled (though Selena felt as though she were sitting on needles) Dumbledore clasped his aging hands.
"Ladies, do you know why we have called you here?" he asked calmly, looking at the young Gryffindors.
"You can't prove anything!" Renee blurted.
Erebus narrowed his frosty eyes further, and Dumbledore looked at Selena. He was serene, his normal aura of kindness calming. She couldn't look Professor Dumbledore in the eye and lie to him.
"Yes," she mumbled.
"I haven't been able to hear out of my right ear for three days now!" the Ravenclaw prefect burst out.
"Sorry," Renee whispered, her face scrawled with shame.
Dumbledore sighed, his snowy beard fluttering. "Ladies, if I may ask, why you did this? You don't seem like the type to cause trouble."
Selena looked from Erebus to the Ravenclaw and leaned forward. "Professor," she said. "Can we speak to you alone?"
Dumbledore glanced at the two students next to him and, without a word (just a couple more glares) they left. With the room only containing Renee, Dumbledore, and herself, Selena started to tell the story.
"Well, my friend was saying he saw Professor Moody steal something from Sna- sorry, Professor Snape's potion cabinet, and that was what was going into his flask he always drinks. We just wanted to find proof, and one night I was... lost and going to the Common Room when I saw Professor Moody and the Terri- I mean... Erebus and his sister trying to break into the room."
Dumbledore looked at Renee for confirmation, Selena's friend nodding. Selena continued.
"I had found that he was using a spell to unlock the door and must have... snuck into Professor Snape's office to find it out. We were in Professor Moody's office one day... talking to him, and saw a piece of paper in Professor Snape's handwriting with the word Triporia or something on it, and realized Professor Moody has been breaking into Professor Snape's office. He's been getting the ingredients for a Polyjuice Potion."
Dumbledore must've known she was stuffing many lies into the story, but only to protect her friends. That made it okay, Selena told herself. Dumbledore didn't say anything about it.
"It's true, headmaster," Renee strained.
Dumbledore nodded. "I believe you. I've heard Severus speak of specific ingredients going missing..."
Selena peered out the window at the Scottish hillside, considering how much more to tell. Finally, she looked back at Professor Dumbledore. "We found Lacewing Flies in Professor Moody's office. We took them, I can show you the vial."
Dumbledore also didn't question the theft, or even ask about the office - because Selena had, in truth, gotten it off Professor Moody.
Dumbledore nodded. "I'll continue to look into this, I assure you... But I must issue a bit of punishment for the banshees. Mr Carmichael has been going to Madam Pomfrey for ear healing... I'll have to take fifty points from Gryffindor. As for the banshees, who had them?"
Renee looked down, twisting her fingers together, and after a minute opened her mouth to confess.
"I did it," Selena blurted instead.
Renee faced her, but Selena only looked at Dumbledore.
Dumbledore gave a warmhearted smile, the wrinkles around his eyes deepening. "Miss Malast, I find it admirable that you try to take the blame for Miss Peirce. Because of that - only twenty-five points from Gryffindor. Nevertheless, our acts are ours to take responsibility for. Both of you will have to attend detention for a week with Mr Filch... but I'll speak to those two for you." He nodded to Erebus and the Ravenclaw prefect - who were still shooting glares through the glass windows occasionally.
Renee grinned. "Thank you, Professor."
Dumbledore smiled again, and Selena could have sworn she saw a familiar mischevious twinkle in his eyes behind his half-moon specatacles.
45 Minutes Later
"Dumbledore's always been a softy," Alisson said when Selena retold everything that had happened. Well, mostly. She didn't specify what had happened, mostly sticking to mentioning that she and Renee were out of the Common Room after curfew.
Selena smiled. "I know, he's the best. Now, what happened with Fleur?"
"Oh," Elizabeth said, rocking on her toes to keep warm. "She got confused by the grindylows and was called back to the surface without her person."
"So, what's going to happen to her person?" Hazel asked. They were speaking about the goal of the task. Every one of the Champions had someone they loved magically kept underwater with a colony of merpeople. They had to rescue them before the hour was up.
Rolf shrugged, Karrot snuggled happily in his arms. "Maybe the teachers will retrieve them? The people only start breathing again when they hit the surface of the water."
Selena turned around and looked in the direction of the crying, silver-haired French witch. Some other Beauxbatons students were gathered around her, patting her on the back and cooing comforting words - not that they seemed to be helping.
"Wait, look!" Sasha (who was sitting on the platform's edge with her feet dangling over the water - pointed out a few feet in front of them.
Cedric Diggory surfaced with a gasping Cho Chang. All the Hufflepuffs cheered and Professor Dumbledore held out a towel as the pair swim in.
Shortly after, Viktor Krum and Hermione Granger emerged, and Krum helped Hermione towards the platform and they were given towels as well.
"Where's Harry?" Selena whispered.
"Lost," replied Damon.
Selena looked up at him. "What?"
He nodded towards the large clock posted at one end of the platforms. "Krum just got here on the hour. It's three past. Potter's spell or potion or whatever he did with those flippers is going to run out."
For a few moments, the lake was still, and everyone seemed to be holding their breath once the applause for Krum had died down. Selena shuddered in the cold wind, watching the surface for a sign that her housemate was alright. Then, bubbles emerged in a ring, rising to the surface, and Harry's head rose above the murky water, dark hair plastered down.
The crowd erupted into claps and cheers, and Selena squinted at the two people he had rescued. Wait - two people?
The first one was no older than ten, and was like a mini-Fleur. They both had the same silver hair, the girl's in a halo as she stared around with frightened, bewildered eyes. Fleur almost jumped into the water, losing her mind, but Madam Maxime held her back.
But the other person, to Selena's surprise, was Annabeth Black.
Anne's fiery curls were floating around her head as she coughed and swam towards the surface. Her Gryffindor robes were waterlogged, and she shivered as got onto the dock. Fred Weasley immediately bent down and wrapped a fluffy towel around her shoulders. Anne gave him a quick, grateful smile, before frowning back at the water, shaking.
All around them, merpeople were popping up above the water, grey-skinned and screeching out songs. They were smiling, though, their intimidating appearances apparent in bright day - all green hair, jagged teeth and yellow eyes. Selena blinked, watching the merpeople approaching the stands before she directed her attention back to her cousin. She half wanted to run to Annabeth and make sure she was alright, ask what had just happened, but now didn't seem the time. Anne seemed overwhelmed as it was.
Anne didn't look towards where Harry was, but instead at the dock. Selena wasn't sure if it was just the water falling from her face, but she could have sworn she saw a tear drop.
Once Harry was on the dock, Madam Pomfrey nearly attacked him, towing him over to where the other Champions and students who had been underwater were recovering. They were all bundled in towels now, Madam Pomfrey doling out potions. Herminone spoke to Harry, the boy looking over at Anne once, then went back to his conversation with Hermione.
Selena looked over again at the merpeople who were holding spears, yet beaming. Elizabeth seemed to be restraining herself from listing off facts about them, sticking close to Selena.
Madame Pomfrey was still rushing around, fussing over the Champions and their friends.
Anne held Fred's hand as he talked to her and she drank the potion, steam pouring of her ears, making him laugh. She punched his shoulder playfully in response.
Suddenly, Selena noticed a tiny thing moving in Hermione's bushy brown hair - and apparently Viktor Krum did too.
"You haff a water beetle in your hair, Herm-own-ninny," he said. Hermione brushed the beetle away and ignored the person who had just saved her from the Black Lake. Instead she continued to talk with Harry, but Selena couldn't hear anymore, so she turned to her friends.
However, she didn't have much time to talk about anything because Ludo Bagman began to announce the scores, his voice magnified with the Sonorous Charm.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our decision," he said. "Merchieftainess Murcus has told us exactly what happened at the bottom of the lake, and we have therefore decided to award marks out of fifty for of the champions, as follows... Fleur Delacour, though she demonstrated excellent use of the Bubble-Head Charm, was attacked by grindylows as she approached her goal, and failed to retrieve her hostage. We award her twenty-five points."
Selena and the rest of the people in the stands clapped.
Ludo Bagman continued. "Cedric Diggory, who also used the Bubble-Head Charm, was first to return with his hostage, though he returned one minute outside the time limit of an hour."
The Hufflepuffs began cheering wildly, Rolf giving one girl in a yellow-and-black scarf a high-five.
"We therefore award him forty-seven points," Bagman finished before moving on to the Durmstrang student. "Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of Transfiguration which was nevertheless effective, and was second to return with his hostage. We award him forty points."
Selena held her breath, waiting to hear Harry's score.
"Harry Potter used gillyweed to great effect. He returned last, and well outside the time limit of an hour. However, the Merchieftainess informs us that Mr Potter was first to reach the hostages, and that the delay in his return was due to his determination to return all hostages to safety, not merely his own. Most of the judges," Bagman gave Headmaster Karkaroff a foul look with no attempt to hide it, "feel that this shows moral fiber and merits full marks. However... Mr Potter's score is forty-five points."
The stands burst into applause, Gryffindors cheering, Alisson clapping her hands particularly agressively.
Ludo Bagman gave one last remark: "The third and final task will take place at dusk on the twenty-fourth of June. The champions will be notified of what is coming precisely one month beforehand. Thank you all for your support of the champions."
Everyone continued cheering, even Colin Creevey, to which Draco Malfoy pushed the small boy's hat down over his eyes.
"What was that for? You're terrible to people, Malfoy, why can't you just be nice!" Selena gushed without thinking, her blood boiling.
Draco turned around and stared at her, seeming surprised. She couldn't remember him ever speaking to her directly.
Tess looked at Selena before she stared at Draco, calm as ever. "That was rude. You're always pushing people around, and I'm not surprised if Wendy jinxed the sinks because you've been driving her mad."
Draco narrowed his grey eyes and stepped closer. "I don't remember asking for your opinion," he said to Selena and then turned towards Tess. "And I don't care what you think either, Mudblood."
Tess' small mouth opened in a half-gasp and her eyes filled with tears.
That's when the girl standing next to Selena (who Selena hadn't noticed) turned towards Draco and slapped him across the cheek.
"No one cares what you think, Malfoy. Run along and ruin someone else's day." The girl was Jojo, all clad in black with her Slytherin amulet glinting in the sunshine. Damon laughed as Malfoy's eyes widened indignantly before he tore away. His two friends - Crabbe and Goyle - followed closely behind.
"Thanks," Tess said to Jojo, wiping away a tear.
Jojo nodded. "I slap him almost everyday, he can be such a prat."
"Tess, don't listen to Malfoy. He's blind to be so cruel to you," Selena said with a smile.
Tess smiled and nodded, laughing a little. "Yeah, I know. I'm being stupid."
Renee looked at them. "Wait, Tess is the stupid one? I thought Draco was..."
I'm not sure why, but this chapter was hard to write. But, how did you guys think it went?
And Selena and Renee are off the hook, Yay. ;)
AND THEY GOT PROOOOOF! I'm so proud of them!
And I just thought someone needed to stand up to Malfoy and in turn, THREE people did! =D
Well, I'm going to start working on the next chapter, and thanks for reading! =)
Also PLEASE TELL ME YOUR CHARACTER'S ARMORENTIA POTION! THAT MEANS THEIR FAVORITE SMELLS! IT'LL BE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!
And also, what did everyone think of Anne being the hostage instead of Ron? I just decided to change that a bit. I hope you're all ok with it. And what do you think you would do if you were Anne?
Well, please REVIEW!
For reviewing chapter 48, thanks to:
CharmedMillie
PhoenixRose92
Bye! =)
~Meghan
P.S. - I put a lot of text in here from the book, so maybe that's why you might have a sense of déjà vu! =)
6/27/17: Again, I added a clip from the movie: where Draco pushes Colin's hat down.