"Harry, you've got to work on that egg," Renna said, she and Hermione slipping into seats on either side of him in the library. "You've got less than a month."

"I don't have any ideas," Harry said in frustration. "I have absolutely no idea what that wailing might mean."

"Well then you're lucky that I know exactly what it is," Renna retorted. "Hermione and I do. We've been researching it."

Harry gaped at them. "You know what it is?"

Renna waved that off with a flick of her hair. "That was the easy part. I told you, it's mermaid song. I mentioned it at the celebration party after the first task. Hermione and I have been researching them and there is a tribe of merpeople at the bottom of the Black Lake, so we know the clue has something to do with them. The only way to understand Mermish is to open the egg underwater. Their voices are human then, so you'll have to decipher the clue on your own, unless you'd like Hermione or me to crawl into the bath with you." Renna raised an eyebrow.

"No, I'll figure it out on my own, thanks," Harry said hastily.

Renna grinned. "You look very cute all flustered like that. So we figure your best bet is the prefect's bathroom, because the bathrooms in the dorms and all over the school only have showers. The password is -"

"Pine fresh," Harry interrupted. "Cedric told me. Now his advice makes sense. He told me to take a bath," he clarified for the two girls, who had similar expressions of blankness on their faces. "Didn't explain a ruddy thing, just told me to take the egg and mull it over in the hot water."

"Why didn't you tell me this before, Harry?" Hermione said, affronted. Harry shrugged.

"It doesn't matter," Renna said. "Well, you know the password, so I suggest using your invisibility cloak to go down there tonight."

"How did - we didn't - how do you know about the cloak?" Harry asked.

Renna smirked knowingly. "You haven't been shielding your mind very well, Harry."

"You've been rummaging through my memories?"

"Rummaging is a little strong," said Renna, tapping a quill against her teeth. "More like reading the thoughts that float to the surface and digging slightly. You're free to do the same thing to me, although all you'll find is embarrassing moments at Beauxbatons. And you can hear about those any time, just ask Gabrielle. I didn't have any odd Defense teachers, or murdering godfathers, or invisibility cloaks inherited from my father -our father, actually- or frequent brushes with Voldemort and death. You were in the hospital wing a lot, too."

Harry shook his head, resting it on his hands. "I can't believe this. I have someone else in my head too."

Renna patted his arm comfortingly.

"I'm - here," Harry panted, skidding to a stop in front of the judges.

"HARRY! Where have you BEEN? I was worried sick!"

"Shut up, Renna. I'll be fine; you ever heard of something called gillyweed?"

"Um, no."

"Dobby swears it'll let me survive under water for an hour."

"…Who's Dobby?"

"Tell you later. Gotta go."

"Um, Harry, Ron and Hermione have disappeared…"

"It's okay, they're at the bottom of the lake I assume." Harry let Ludo Bagman position him where he wanted, continuing to talk to his twin. "I'm supposed to rescue Ron. Krum's probably supposed to rescue Hermione."

"Of all the awful, despicable, nasty, cruel things to do, taking people is just…just…"

"Save it, Renna. I'll keep my link open. You want a running commentary?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll be here."

Harry swallowed the gillyweed, and temporarily lost the open conversation channel with Renna as his body changed. Once he had figured out how to move most effectively with his new appendages, he reopened the link.

"HARRY!" Harry flinched. "Do not ever do that again! You scared me to death! I wouldn't be surprised if I had grey hairs now!"

"I highly doubt that, Renna." Harry paused. "Why does it feel like you're going in and out?"

"Oh, the twins and Ginny want to know how you're doing too. The twins are laughing at my panic attack. Bloody idiots. So where are you? What's it like?"

"Very wet."

"Ha ha we are all very amused."

"Well, it is. All right, all right, no need to threaten bodily harm. I am currently swimming through a forest of weeds. Very slimy. Eeeewww. And I have gills! Did I mention that? Yeah, gills and flippers. Pretty damn awesome. Bloody hell!"

"Harry? Harry? Goddammit, stupid bloody boy keeps on shutting me down! Harry. Harry. Harry…"

"Sorry. Little crisis with some grindylows. Bloody hell!"

"…This shutting out thing is getting very old…"

"Well, Myrtle's pointed me in the right direction now…Yep, I think I can hear the mermaids singing. …They live in weird houses, I'm telling you. Well, they're actually caves."

"I don't care about the architecture, Harry Potter. All I are about is the fact that you're running low on time."

"I am? Shit."

"Hurry it up, hero boy!"

"Do. Not. EVER. Call me that again."

"Sorry."

"No you're not."

"Nope. Can you see Ron and Hermione?"

"…Yes I can. They're tied to a statue along with Cho and Gabrielle."

"Gabrielle!? Oh no. Is she all right?"

"Well, considering she's under some sort of spell, she looks okay. Now shut up, I need to concentrate."

"Yes, sir!"

"……………"

"…You're outside of the time limit, if you want to know."

"Oh, thanks. That makes me feel so much better about this situation. Fleur hasn't shown up, there are creepy merpeople surrounding me, and I'm late. Just bloody perfect."

"Harry! Fleur's just come up and been disqualified! Apparently…she…got attacked…by grindylows I think."

"I can vouch for that. Nasty little buggers. All right, that's it. I'm bringing Gabrielle too."

"You are? Oh, Harry! Thank you so much!"

"Did you expect me to leave her?"

"Well, no."

"Good. I have to cut the connection but you're perfectly fine staying in my brain as long as you don't distract me."

"

"Gabrielle! Harry! Ron!" Renna vacillated, not sure who to help out. Percy and Fleur took the situation out of her hands by grabbing their own siblings, leaving Renna to grab a shivering Harry and help him over to Madame Pomfrey.

"Harry, you did brilliantly," she said, wrapping him in blankets. "It was really amazing."

"I finished last, Renna," Harry said, before Madame Pomfrey poured Pepper-Up Potion down his throat and he couldn't say anything for a long time.

Renna waved that away. "You made sure all of the captives got back safely. That counts for quite a bit, in my book." She was pushed out of the way by a breathless Fleur and a shivering Gabrielle, whom she hugged hard, not caring that she was getting even wetter.

The group finally headed back to the castle, chivvied along by Madame Pomfrey and all wanting nothing more than to get into dry clothing - although Hermione, Ron, and Renna congratulated Harry exuberantly on getting second place and still being tied in first place, this time with Cedric.

One month later...

"I cannot believe how well it's going," Hermione said in awe, watching with wide eyes as Harry and Draco walked down the hallway together, arguing about the best way to repel a Dementor. Heads turned and eyes widened as they passed, arguing comfortably and not angrily with each other. Ron was walking on the other side of Harry, abstaining from the conversation as he really knew nothing about it but following both points avidly. "I've never seen them this interested in anything other than Quidditch."

"Yes I know, it's quite amazing," Renna agreed. "I hadn't expected this level of comfort until the end of the year."

Hermione shot her an amused look. "Renna, it almost is the end of the year."

Renna waved this off. "Yes I know, but I meant closer to the end of the year. May or June or whatever."

"Mmm. I see your point."

The two scheming girls watched the three boys for a while longer, analytical minds sorting, cataloguing and coming up with new schemes for the hapless teenagers. Finally Hermione said, "Come on, their argument is getting a little too heated."

"Yes," Renna sighed. "They're still very competitive."

"Well, you can't have everything at once."

Hey waddya think? Good? Well it doesn't matter if you do or not because there's only one more chapter to this story!!!!!!! I might split it into two but I think not. This is my first full-length story that I've ever finished! I'm so proud of myself!

The next chapter is going to be almost entirely the Third Task. And there's a very short epilogue. But that's all! Isn't that wonderful?

Pfft. You don't care.