Chapter Thirteen
The Selkie's Treasure
:.:.:
I was very thankful that none of the blokes asked me about the meeting with my granddad. In fact, with the second task approaching so quickly, they didn't seem to talk about much else, especially Viktor. Being that he now basically feared for my safety around the Black Lake, he absolutely insisted that I stay away and try to find another place to practice.
"And where d'you propose I do it? A puddle?" I teased.
"It does not haff to be in water," Grigor suggested. "You could simply Transfigure into a land creature."
"I dunno, I reckon she needs to practice turning into exactly the type of creature she needs to be," offered Finn.
"Finn is correct," Viktor agreed. "That vould be best."
"Alright, well you're the one who's studied Hogwarts: A History," I said to Finn. "Is there a secret swimming pool we don't know about?"
Viktor, Grigor, and I sort of chuckled at that, but Finn was actually looking rather deep in thought.
"Finn...?" I said, cautiously.
He cracked a sly grin. "I reckon I might just know the perfect spot," he told us. "...As long as no one here is opposed to breaking curfew."
Finn, Grigor, and I all looked to Viktor.
"Vhat?" he asked, incredulously.
"Just making sure you haven't spent too much time with Hermione," I teased; Finn and Grigor chuckled, while Viktor was busy grinning like a fool. I thought it safe to assume their little Hogsmeade date had brought them closer.
"So, Finn, vhat is this place?" Grigor inquired, getting us back on track.
A slight pause for suspense, and then he revealed it: "A bathroom."
Grigor gave a laugh, while Viktor and I were sort of speechless for a moment.
"I am afraid ve are going to need a bigger space than the sink," said Viktor.
"Trust me, mates, there's plenty of space," Finn assured us, his proud grin never faltering. "This isn't just any bathroom — it's the prefects' bathroom, and it's got a bath tub the size of a swimming pool."
"You're kidding, the prefects' bathroom?" I parroted.
"Yeah, why?" Finn's confidence began to waver.
"It does not sound like it is open to everyone," Viktor observed, skeptically.
"It's not! You need a password!" I was so excited because... Well, I don't really know why! It was just such a strange coincidence.
"Alright, that's one ickle detail I overlooked," Finn despairingly admitted. "You don't have to be so —"
"No, this works out perfectly!" I fervently told them.
"Are you going to share vith us vhat you know...?" asked Viktor, clearly finding amusement in my over zealous responses.
"Well it just so happens that, not too long ago, I received the password to said bathroom," I explained, sporting Finn's little smirk.
"Ah, right, forgot Prince Charming's a prefect," said Finn, in jest. "So, what, he just, all of a sudden, decided to give you this random password?"
That was when my own sly grin faltered, because I realized I hadn't told the blokes the news yet. "Well, er, he said it was a perk of...y'know...dating him..."
Two Bulgarian "Vhat"s and a Scottish "What" all overlapped.
"Vhen did this happen?!" Grigor asked. He didn't seem surprised, though, more excited; they all did.
"Just a few days ago," I assured them. "I reckon the same day he visited me in the hospital wing."
"It's about time!" Finn eagerly exclaimed. "Probably would've taken even longer if I hadn't intervened..."
"I'm sorry, intervened?" I said in disbelief.
"Remember your first kiss with Pretty Boy?" he asked, though he already knew my answer. After all, how could I forget? But I also distinctly remembered someone pushing me into him in the first place.
"That was you?" Finn smirked in reply. "On purpose?"
"Actually, the first time was an accident," he defended. "I made Grig laugh and he knocked me right into you two lovebirds."
"I do not know my own strength," Grigor joked, flexing his biceps.
"The second time, I just couldn't stand the anticipation," admitted Finn. I laughed along with the blokes, but I also playfully swatted at Finn's arm for knocking into me on purpose. After all, he hadn't exactly been gentle about it. "Well, it all worked out! Isn't this just peachy? You and Diggory, me and Daphne —"
Two more Bulgarian "Vhat"s and, this time, a British "What" ensued.
"Did I not mention that?" said Finn, innocently.
"Vhen did this happen?!" Grigor was the one to ask again, only this time — much like Viktor and I — he was surprised.
"Er, about a month ago...?"
We emitted three more exclaims of disbelief in our respective accents, but were, coincidentally, cut off by the bell sounding throughout the grounds, indicating dinner.
"Saved by the bell!" Finn exclaimed before taking off toward the castle.
"I do not think so, Archer!" Viktor called out, the rest of us racing after him.
"Vhy do you not sit with her in the Great Hall?" Grigor was the first to ask when we caught up.
"Or take her to Hogsmeade?" inquired Viktor, next.
"Or spend time with her at all, really?" And then I realized something else. "You haven't even officially introduced her to us!"
"That's all because we're not official," Finn finally gave his reply, and very defensively. "We're not exactly dating, y'know, it's more like...Vik and Hermione."
"You certainly made it sound rather official," I reminded him.
We were about to enter the Great Hall, but Finn stopped us. "Just don't mention it, all right? It's not a secret but...it's no one's business, we're just...having fun, like you and Cedric."
"What d'you mean?" I asked, growing sort of concerned.
"Well things are all well and good now, but what happens in a few months when the tournament's over and we go back to Durmstrang?" said Finn, airily, as though it were obvious. "This isn't anything serious, it's just a casual —"
I wasn't sure why Viktor and Grigor nudged Finn in the ribs to shut him up, until I realized my face had fallen into a hopeless frown.
"But that's just how Daphne and I see it!" Finn immediately attempted to backtrack. "That's not necessarily the case for —"
"You just said 'like you and Cedric'," I, dismally, reminded.
"Come, Demi, let us eat," Viktor offered, gently taking my hand and ushering me toward the entrance.
Not everyone was seated yet, people still making their way into the Hall, but I was able to slip out of Viktor's grasp and make a bee-line for the Hufflepuff table, almost immediately locating who I was looking for.
"Cedric," I said, my voice coming out rather uneven. "d'you have a second?"
"Of course, sweetheart," he told me, looking incredibly concerned.
He told his mates he'd be right back and then walked with me, hand-in-hand, out of the Great Hall.
"What's wrong?" Cedric asked me as soon as we'd rounded the corner out of the Hall.
"What if we've just made a mistake?" automatically jumped out of my mouth.
"Oh, I'm sorry," he said, whole-heartedly, dropping my hand. "I didn't know you wanted to keep it quiet."
I wasn't sure what he meant until it hit me that we hadn't exactly gone public yet and, though the Hall was still sort of chaotic, enough people had found seats so that nearly everyone had a front-row seat to Cedric and I holding hands. I knew how quickly news traveled around this castle — whoever didn't already see we were dating, would know before the house-elves served dessert.
"What? No, it's not that," I assured him; he physically relaxed upon hearing that. "It's just... What if we didn't think this through? What happens when I go back to Durmstrang?"
I sort of expected him to appear saddened in some way, like I was, but he didn't seem phased at all. "That's what this is about?" he said. "Demetria, that's four months away."
You're right, we may not even make it that long,I thought darkly, only half-joking. This was, after all, the first time I realized if I was to become a Death Eater, Cedric and I wouldn't last anyway. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing anymore...but I didn't care. When I looked up and saw Cedric smiling at me, I couldn't think about things like that. All I could focus on was the present, how I was feeling right then and there... So I smiled back at him.
"You're right," I told him. "I shouldn't worry about that now."
"I wouldn't worry at all, if I were you," he sweetly said, placing his hand on the side of my face.
"So you don't think this is...casual?" I couldn't help feeling sheepish for asking.
He shook his head. "Do you?"
"No, it was just something Finn said, I dunno, I'm sorry," I rushed out.
Cedric leaned down and placed a quick kiss on my lips. "Nothing to be sorry for," he insisted. "I'll see you."
"Yeah, see you," I said, the two of us making our way back into the Hall and splitting up to go to our separate tables.
"You and Diggory?" said Adrian as soon as I dropped into my usual spot at the Slytherin table. He appeared sort of crestfallen.
"Yeah," was all I said with a small smile. I felt bad... I didn't realize I'd disappointed him. It was bad enough I'd done the same to George... Speaking of, I craned my neck in order to see catch a glimpse of him over at the Gryffindor table, but when I spotted him, he actually looked okay. And I thought maybe that was just because Fred had taken his mind off of it, but both twins caught sight of me and gave me a thumbs-up, Fred actually emitting a wolf-whistle. I couldn't help but laugh, but the smile remained because I was glad George seemed to be getting over me.
"Not everyone is as thrilled," Finn whispered beside me, nodding his head in a different direction. I followed it over to the Ravenclaw table where a familiar-looking, oriental girl with shiny dark hair was glaring daggers at me. "That's Cho Chang."
The name rang a bell, but it took me a moment. Although, once I pieced it together, that bell turned into an alarm blaring in my head. Cho Chang — Cedric's date to the Yule Ball and the bird he'd turned down at the last Hogsmeade trip because he had feelings for me...
"Shite."
I could feel Cho's glare intensify on me for the remainder of dinner. Despite my greatest efforts to shake the feeling and chat with my mates, I just couldn't. And I wasn't afraid or uncomfortable, really... I was annoyed. Cedric had made it very clear to me (and to Cho, herself) that the two of them never dated, and yet, this bird was practically burning a hole right through me for something that was not even my fault!
However, when my Durmstrang blokes and I returned to the ship, Cho was out of sight and therefore, luckily, out of mind. By the time Viktor and I decided it was late enough to sneak through the castle, she was the furthest thing from my mind.
"Oi! You forgot us!" Finn whispered fiercely, he and Grigor joining Vik and I above deck.
"Vhy do you two need to come?" Viktor asked.
"Well I'm the one who told you about the bathroom —"
"And I am alvays left out," Grigor instantly defended with a sad, puppy-dog face.
"No you're not, Grig," I chuckled.
"Okay, perhaps not, but I vish to see this bathroom," he insisted.
"It vill be hard enough sneaking two people around, but four...?" Viktor's tone kind of trailed off to imply that it would be impossible; Finn and Grigor didn't notice or didn't care.
"Fine, let's just get moving," I said finitely, Viktor and I heading down the ramp first. "But you two are on your own if you get caught."
I'd never had a run-in with Peeves or Filch whenever I snuck around Hogwarts by myself, but there was something about the added risk of three other people which gave me a bad feeling that night could've been the night one of them was out for a stroll. Thankfully, we were able to follow Cedric's directions without any sort of detours or distractions. When we came to the statue of Boris the Bewildered, I whispered the password, "Pine fresh," and we were free to enter.
My first thought was that it certainly was a perk. Not only did it beat the utilities on the ship, but it had to be the most luxurious bathroom in the entire castle. It was softly lit by a splendid candle-filled chandelier, and everything was made of white marble, including the empty, rectangular swimming pool sunk into the middle of the floor, just as Finn described. About a hundred golden taps stood all around its edges, each with a differently colored jewel set into its handle. There was even a diving board! Long white linen curtains hung at the windows; a large pile of fluffy white towels sat in a corner, and there was a single golden-framed painting on the wall. It featured a blonde morska sirena — nothing like the awful selkie I would have to change into — but an actual, beautiful, mermaid, fast asleep on a rock, long hair over her face.
"Svyat laĭna..." breathed Grigor. (Holy shit)
"And to think, we almost missed this," said Finn to Grigor, the two high-fiving.
"This vas your first and last time," Viktor told them, sternly. "Ve vere lucky no vun caught us tonight."
But Finn and Grigor didn't really appear to even be listening, the two of them both clearly far more interested in playing around with the taps, each one carrying different sorts of bubble bath. One tap gushed pink and blue bubbles the size of bludgers; another poured thick, ice-white foam; a third sent heavenly perfumed purple clouds hovering over the water's surface.
"Why don't you two keep watch?" I suggested once the pool was filled with hot water, foam, and bubbles, which actually took a very short time considering its size.
It seemed as though they might've protested, but after one glance at Viktor's authoritative expression, they reluctantly agreed. The second I turned to watch them, Viktor dove into the pool from off the diving board. Pivoting back around, I watched him resurface, smiling.
"Neka da zapochnem, sestra." (Let's start, sister)
Self-transfiguring proved to be a rather arduous task. I caught on quick enough, but there was a lot of fine-tuning which needed to be done in order to absolutely perfect it. After all, the last thing any of us wanted was for me to get even the tiniest part of it wrong and have something awful happen while I was down in the lake. But my fear continued to decrease throughout each of my training sessions with Viktor. February twenty-fourth was the following week and we snuck into the prefects' bathroom every night in order to practice...even on the eighteenth, which was my fifteenth birthday, though he did end the session about ten minutes early. Vik definitely was a tough coach, but I'd already known that from being on his Quidditch team back at school, so I also knew that it would undoubtedly bring success. Though I was actually a bit surprised that the night before the second task, Viktor told me there wouldn't be a training session.
"You are ready, Demi," he assured me, myself and the usual trio hanging out on the ship's deck. "Besides, you should not be sneaking around so late the night before. You vill need your rest."
"D'you reckon you'll even be able to sleep?" Finn asked me, genuinely concerned.
"I think so," I honestly told him. "I'm not nearly as nervous as I was before... I dunno, I reckon Vik's right. I've got it down, I just have no idea what I'll have to get."
And up until I said it, I'd completely forgotten that the whole point of the task was to recover whatever the merpeople had taken. The only thing that came to mind was that locket... and true, I had no idea where it was but... What if someone had taken it and kept it to be used during the task? If that were the case, Finn could've been the only one to do it. He was, after all, the only one who, not only knew what it meant to me, but even knew that it existed. Well, him and that Trelawney woman...although she only knew about it after it had disappeared...
"I am rather curious to find out vhat you vill haff to get, as vell," said Grigor, pulling me from my thoughts.
"Don't dwell on it," Finn advised, mainly to me. "It won't do you any good."
"No, I know, you're — Draco?"
"Actually I'm Finnick but, y'know, whatever tickles your fancy," teased Finn.
"Evening, gents, Demetria," said Draco, boarding the ship. Viktor, Finn, and Grigor all turned to notice the white-blonde-haired bloke which I'd spotted first.
"To what do we owe the pleasure?" I curiously inquired.
"Finally come to accept my challenge of Exploding Snap?" asked Grigor, feigning arrogance. "I vill haff you know I haff improved my game since ve last played."
Ever since I'd beaten Grigor at every game of Exploding Snap we played on the journey to Hogwarts, he was constantly trying to find new opponents; Draco had been one of them just the other day.
"Sorry, not tonight, I'm afraid," he said. "I was actually looking for Finn."
"Me? Why?" asked Finn, himself.
"One of the professors would like to see you," he explained.
"Which one?" I inquired.
"McGonagall."
"Is that not the vun who gave you a detention, Demi?" Viktor asked me, rather disapprovingly.
"Whoa, why am I the only one getting detention?" said Finn, mildly outraged.
"I doubt you're getting a detention," I assured him, although I had absolutely no idea whether or not it was true.
"I dunno what it's about, she just said she wanted me to bring you to her office," said Draco. "It didn't seem like it was for a reward or anything, though. She was looking rather grim."
"All right, well best to get this over with, then," Finn said, admitting defeat. "Wish me luck!"
"Good luck!" chorused Viktor, Grigor, and I as we watched Draco and Finn leave the ship.
"Does anyvun else vonder if Finn is hiding something?" Grigor cautiously asked after a moment.
Both blokes rested their gazes upon me, Viktor not even answering. "What're you on about? Just because he didn't mention Daphne to us?"
"Vell...yes...and now he has gotten into trouble —"
"We don't know for sure that's what happened," I remind him, growing rather offended.
"I-I know, but —"
"Ve do not know much about him, sestra, and ve are all so close; ve haff been like family for years," Viktor quickly added, clearly trying to calm me.
"You blokes don't like Finn?" I said, vexed.
Both of them immediately assured me that they did.
"You don't trust him, then?"
"Do you?" Viktor asked me, and not in a way which suggested that I shouldn't; he genuinely wanted to know.
"I do," I told them whole-heartedly.
"Then I do too, honestly," declared Viktor. "Obeshtavam ti." (I promise you)
"So do I, Demetria, I apologize," Grigor sincerely said. "Viktor is right, ve are a family and —"
"No, I understand, you don't need to apologize," I insisted. "I just sort of brought Finn in and...you were both very welcoming, but you haven't gotten to know him like I have."
"I do not think I vant to 'get to know him like you haff'," teased Grigor in a suggestive tone.
"Oh, shove off, you tosspot," I joked back, playfully shoving him; we all laughed. "Finn and I have always been strictly platonic, just like you and I."
"Ve vere not so platonic vhen you tried to kiss me the night ve first met!" he exclaimed.
"Vhat?" said Viktor, at once, genuinely confused.
"Grig, you tried to kiss me," I reminded him with a smirk.
"Keep telling yourself that." He playfully winked.
"Che ima poveche smisŭl," said Viktor, understanding. (That makes more sense) "Vell, it is getting late. Demetria, you should try and get some sleep."
"But I want to know why McGonagall wanted to see Fiiiiinn," I obnoxiously whined.
"You vill just haff to vait until morning," he told me, laughing.
So the three of us made our way below deck and over to our bunk beds, trying to move as soundlessly as possible because some of our fellow classmates were already asleep.
"Az vi obicham i dvete," I said, softly, once we'd all changed into our pajamas. (I love you both)
"Obichame te," said Grigor, the two of us exchanging kisses on the cheek. "Leka nosht." (We love you. Goodnight)
Viktor and I did the same. "Leka nosht, sestra."
I climbed up to the top bunk of the bed Viktor and I shared and considered maybe staying up until Finn got back, but unfortunately — or perhaps fortunately — I was fast asleep just moments after my head hit the pillow...though it didn't last.
–
I'm underwater and I have no idea where. All I know is that I'm swimming to the surface, but every time I think I get close, more distance appears. I'm struggling, fighting harder and harder, but it's not enough and I'm beginning to give up. But just when I think I've given my final push, I see a hand reaching through the water from the surface. I immediately grab it and it pulls me up, completely out of the water. I look around and see I'm in the pool of the prefects' bathroom, and the hand belongs to the blonde mermaid from the golden-framed painting. But all of a sudden, she hurls me back into the pool. I scream as I continue to free fall, cutting through the water as though it isn't even there. Finally, my body collides with something hard; I've hit the bottom...but there's no water here. I'm staring up at the bottom of the pool, watching the lights shine through and dance on the water, but I'm able to breathe in air.
"Demetria," says a voice I instantly recognize as my mother's. And sure enough, when I sit up and turn around, she's right in front of me, a golden glow engulfing her.
"Mum, what's going on?" My voice sounds strained, my tone urgent, because we're standing in a completely open white space, underneath the swimming pool and all of its foamy water.
"We don't have much time, you can't stay," she tells me with just as much urgency.
But suddenly, I no longer care where I am and what's happening, all I can focus on is the fact that my mother is standing before me, so close I could reach out and touch her...or hug her... I move toward her and do so.
"I miss you, Mum," I say. "I miss you and Dad so much."
"Oh, sweetheart, we miss you too, but we're so proud of you," she says, sincerely, before pulling back and holding my face in her hands. "But it's not your time yet."
"I lost your locket, I dunno what happened to it," I inform her. "I don't even know what it means. What is this Light with a capital L?"
"Demetria, you'll have all the answers in due time," she assures me, patiently. "But for now, I need you to fight."
"What d'you mean?"
"They're going to hurt you —"
"They, who?!"
"— and you'll be back here, but you can't stay."
Just then, I can feel the mermaid's hand grab hold of mine and begin to pull me up and away.
"No! Mum!" I shout, trying to break free of the mermaid's hold but to no avail.
"You can't stay, Demetria," Mum tells me, calmly.
I continue to scream for her even as I'm pulled back through the water which begins to fill my mouth. Soon, no sound comes out, only bubbles, and just when I think I'm about to reach the surface —
–
I woke up. My body catapulted into an upright position, my heart pounding and my breathing rapid and uneven. I could detect someone in the darkness hovering over my bunk from the ladder, and though I expected it to be Finn, I was wrong.
"Demi, are you all right?" Viktor whispered.
"Yeah, I just —" And that's when I felt it: something small and cold in my clenched fist. I opened it up and found my mother's silver, oval-shaped, inscribed locket. "I need to talk to Finn."
"Surely it can vait until tomorrow..." he said, disapprovingly.
"It'll just take a second and then I promise I'll go right back to bed," I assured him, fervently.
Viktor gave a sigh of defeat and made his way back down the small ladder, but he reappeared just a moment after. "Finn is not back," he informed me, sounding rather confused.
"Are you sure? McGonagall just wanted to talk..." I said. "It's been hours."
"Lumos!" said Viktor, softly, shining his wand on Finn and Grigor's bunk. Sure enough, Finn's top bunk was empty, Grigor fast asleep underneath. "Nox!"
"Where the hell is he?" I was beginning to panic.
"I am sure he is fine, probably just vith Daphne," Viktor reasoned.
"Yeah...Yeah, you're probably right..." I was talking, mainly, to myself.
"Demetria, do not let this distract you," he told me. "Go back to sleep and you vill see Finn in the morning before the task, I vill make sure of it."
I tried my very best to believe Viktor, but I couldn't seem to fall back asleep after that. Part of me didn't want to go back to sleep. What if I had another dream that took the locket away from me again? What if this time I never got it back? And what was my mother talking about? Had it just been one of those random dreams that didn't really mean anything, or was there real meaning to it? Eventually, instead of keeping my mind busy and awake, these thoughts lulled me to sleep but, once again, not for long...at least not long enough.
"Sestra," came Viktor, gently rocking me. "I haff let you sleep as long as I can. You must get ready."
I sat up and immediately checked for the locket, beginning to worry when it wasn't in either of my hands; I found it around my neck instead.
"Did Finn come back?" I asked, getting down from my bunk.
"I am afraid not, but I am sure he and Daphne haff made their vay to the stands already." Viktor continued to speak so optimistically that I was sure it was only to keep me from having a panic attack before the task. I couldn't say I blamed him, though.
He left me to get ready, which didn't take long, but I knew that he must've left me time for the speech which was undoubtedly waiting for me above deck from Karkaroff. And, sure enough, as I emerged from below, much like before the first task, I was greeted by clapping and cheering from my Durmstrang brothers. Each of them wished me good luck as I made my way through the small crowd, except Nikolai and his crony, Oskar, both standing off to the side and clapping only to be polite. Grigor wrapped me up in an enormous hug, lifting me off my feet, and Viktor planted a heartfelt kiss on my forehead.
"Demetria, you have already proved you deserve to be in this tournament, I would say, more than anyone else," Karkaroff began when I reached him, hands proudly resting on my shoulders. "Now...how about earning first place once again for your brothers?!"
The blokes applauded and shouted again before Karkaroff started off the chant.
"Who is our champion?!"
"HARRIS!"
That happened a few more times, naturally, you know the drill... Anyway, I'd made my way down to the docks in a bit of a hurry, not because I was late or even because I was far away, I was just hoping to find Finn before the second task started up, though that was proving to be practically impossible. The seats that had encircled the dragons' enclosure in November were now ranged along the opposite bank, rising in stands that were nearly packed to the bursting point, and I couldn't seem to spot Finn in any of them. Although people were still making their way down to the lake, I was truly beginning to feel like he wasn't going to show...
"All right, love?" came Cedric, swooping in to kiss my cheek.
I hadn't even been paying much attention to anything except the stands, but I found myself near the gold-draped judges table, Cedric and Fleur both nearby.
"I s'pose... Just a bit anxious," I confessed, looking back and forth between Cedric and the crowd. That was when I spotted Daphne. "Sorry! I'll just be a second!"
I left Cedric standing there, rather confused, as I made my way toward the brunette Slytherin girl, seated in just the second row.
"Hi, you're Daphne Greengrass, right?" I sort of had to shout in order to be heard above the crowd.
I thought she might've been a bit taken aback, but she enthusiastically replied with, "Yeah, hi! It's so nice to actually meet you!"
"You too!" I told her, honestly. "I was just wondering if you'd seen Finn, is he with you?"
That was when her smile began to falter and my stomach dropped. "No, sorry, I haven't seen him," she told me. "I'm here with my roommates." She motioned to the girls sitting around her, one of them being that dreadful Pansy bird.
"Oh, never mind, I reckon that's him over there!" I said airily, pointing off in some random direction. After all, I didn't want to worry her...at least not yet... I didn't know what was going on yet. I was sure Finn had a perfectly good reason for not coming back to the ship the previous night. "Thanks, anyway, I'll see you around!"
"Yeah, see you! Good luck!" she beamed.
Once I'd returned to the judges table, there wasn't really any time for Cedric to question me on what had just happened, because we'd all suddenly spotted Harry on the other side of the lake, sprinting toward us.
"I'm...here..." he panted, skidding to a halt in the mud and accidentally splattering Fleur's robes. Had it not been for my tightly wound nerves, I probably would've snickered at her outraged expression.
"Where have you been?" came the bossy, disapproving voice of Percy Weasley. "The task's about to start!"
"Now, now, Percy!" said Ludo Bagman, who was looking intensely relieved to see Harry. "Let him catch his breath!"
My hands began, absentmindedly, fiddling with the locket and I couldn't seem to pay attention to much of anything else except the crowd. I just kept hoping Finn's face would suddenly pop up and I could relax but, unfortunately, Ludo Bagman was now moving among the champions, spacing us along the bank at intervals of ten feet; I was in between Harry and Cedric. This was it.
I stared down at the water and hoped I had time to transform once I hit the water. Though I didn't remember being dragged under the last time I was in the lake, I knew I probably didn't have very long. But once I Transfigured, I would be safe...right? I had to calm down and focus if I wanted the Transfiguring to even happen, though. I closed my eyes for a moment and pretended I was back in the prefects' bathroom with Viktor. This was just another training session.
"Sonorus!" I heard Ludo Bagman cast upon his voice so it boomed out across the dark water toward the stands.
"Well, all our champions are ready for the second task, which will start on my whistle. They have precisely an hour to recover what has been taken from them. On the count of three, then. One . . . two . . . three!"
The whistle echoed shrilly in the cold, still air; the stands erupted with cheers and applause; I didn't pay any attention to what the other champions were doing, and I certainly didn't dare to check the stands again. After taking a few steps into the freezing water, I began my transformation, exactly the way Viktor and I had practiced. All at once, my entire body disappeared below the surface, not because I'd been dragged, but because I dove...but not before I heard a few gasps from the crowd. I was a selkie.
The icy water didn't bother me much when I was human, but it certainly didn't affect me at all once I had Transfigured, quite successfully, might I add. I knew that the lake was dark, practically pitch-black, so the other champions would most likely be having a hard time with seeing ten feet in front of them, but I, as a selkie, was able to see much more. I continued breathing in the frigid waters and calmly exhaling, diving a bit deeper as I cut forward through the water. I wasn't entirely sure where I was going or what I was even supposed to be looking for; I could only hope that I would knew when I found it.
Continuing forward, through rippling, tangled black weed and wide plains of mud littered with dull, glimmering stones, didn't seem to be the right way to go, so I began swimming at a bit of a diagonal, but even that seemed hopeless after a while. This lake was bloody enormous... Were we expected to scour every inch of it?
I realized I was probably just being impatient... After all, the odds of stumbling upon whatever I was looking for within the first ten minutes were slim, so I pressed on, taking more of a turn and careful to avoid the weeds below. And that was when I heard it...
". . . your time's half gone, so tarry not
Lest what you seek stays here to rot . . ."
That was it! I continued on, though careful not to rush and draw attention to myself. After all, I wasn't a champion out to reclaim whatever was taken from me, I was a selkie. In the distance, I could detect a large rock, and upon closer inspection, I saw it had paintings of merpeople on it; they were carrying spears and chasing, what I assumed was, the giant squid. So it was real... I was suddenly very thankful that with all of my careless swimming about, I hadn't run into it...not yet, anyway...
The mersong continued and I followed it until I happened upon an entire cluster of selkies, all with the same grayish skin and long, wild, dark green hair as me; yellow eyes, broken teeth, silver fish tails, exactly what I'd seen in the library, and I blended right in. The selkies paid me no mind as I made my way through, what appeared to be, their dwellings. Further still, I came upon a whole crowd of selkies floating in front of the houses that lined what looked like a mer-version of a village square. A choir of them was singing in the middle, calling the champions toward them, and behind them rose a crude sort of statue; a gigantic selkie hewn from a boulder, and Harry was already there, swimming towards it. It looked as though four selkies were bound tightly to the tail of the stone merperson. Wait, those weren't selkies... Oh my Godric, they were people! And one was Finn!
I physically stopped swimming and just floated there, frozen in one spot. They'd taken our friends?! How could they do this?! Surely, no actual harm would come to them...right? Bloody hell, I didn't know how I could possibly free Finn and still make it out undetected. I began scanning the area for maybe a way to cause a distraction, and that's when I took notice of the three other people tied there as well. They all appeared to be in some kind of deep sleep, heads lolling onto their shoulders, and fine streams of bubbles repeatedly issuing from their mouths.
Ron Weasley was there beside Finn, obviously for Harry to rescue, and a young girl, who looked no older than eight, had the same silvery hair as Fleur, so I was nearly positive that was her sister... But for Cedric, they'd given him Cho Chang to rescue. I found it odd for just a split second, but I remembered they probably appeared close considering they were dates to the Yule Ball.
I quickly swam over and observed the ropes of weed tying the hostages to the statue were thick, slimy, and very strong. Taking a quick glance around, it didn't seem as though any of the selkies really cared about what I was doing. It clearly had nothing to do with the fact that I was disguised as one of them, because Harry was as close as I was and they didn't do a thing about that either. And speaking of Harry, I noticed he managed to give himself gills.
I decided then that it was highly unlikely that any of these people were in any real danger, considering this task was presumably handled by McGonagall, one of the most reasonable people at this school.
Harry had retrieved a rather jagged rock from the lake's bottom and began hacking at the ropes which binded Ron. I followed suit and dove to the bottom to find my own sharpened rock, but when I returned to the statue, Ron was freed and Harry had raised the jagged rock to Finn's binds.
At once, several pairs of gray selkie hands seized him. Half a dozen of them were pulling him away, shaking their green-haired heads and laughing.
"You take your own hostage," one of them said to him. "Leave the others..."
Harry was clearly trying to shout something, but nothing except bubbles came out of his mouth.
"Your task is to retrieve your own friend...leave the others..."
I used the distraction to saw at Finn's ropes before any of the others could stop me, although just before he was free, one of them did...
"What are you doing?!"
I froze and turned to them, but my response was not directed at the selkie. I looked at Harry, who was eyeing me very cautiously. "They're not in any real danger," I assured him, though the voice that came from my mouth was obviously not my own. It was very harsh and croaky. "They'll be fine."
I made the final cut in Finn's rope and freed him. The selkies released their grip on Harry and grabbed me instead.
"No, it's okay! I'm a champion!" I assured them, but they didn't appear to believe me. That was, until one of them caught sight of my locket.
"Light," was all the selkie said.
There was a split second of quiet and stillness — a calm before the storm, if you will — because what came after, was definitely a storm.
They began dragging me down to the bottom of the lake, dragging me, just like what had happened the last time! These Godric-damned selkies were the danger that kept me from practicing in this lake! They were screeching animatedly and when they finally pinned me down against the lake's floor, some released me in order to jab me with their spears. The screams of pain that came out of my mouth were unlike anything I'd ever heard. It sounded more like the shrieking they continued to do, which was probably why Harry didn't come to try and save me.
These selkies clearly weren't aiming to kill me, or at least they weren't yet. Their spears never pierced an organ or reached all the way through me to the other side, they just continued to torture me with pricks all over my body. I wasn't sure why until I realized I'd lost my concentration. Transfiguring, particularly self-transfiguring, requires a certain amount of constant focus... Focus, which I had just lost.
Suddenly, it was me, Demetria, a human, writhing and wriggling against the bottom of the lake. But as soon as they saw it was me, the selkies began dragging me again, except this time, it was towards something. I tried my best to hold my breath for as long as I could, but when one of them pierced their spear into my side, I let out a cry of pain, though only bubbles were emitted. The frigid water was beginning to fill my lungs, so much so that I imagined water flowing in and out of every part of my body, which was what it felt like. I was panicking, I was kicking and twisting every way I could; every time, it earned me another stab in the same spot; the lake was definitely dark to me now but the reason I couldn't see anything was because my vision grew blurred, my eyes closing. I wasn't sure how much longer I would be awake, or even alive, but the selkies continued to screech as they stopped swimming and held me in place before what appeared to be a rather giant cave...and something even larger was coming out. The selkies released me and left me to float to the bottom of the lake; they left me to whatever this creature was. There was no fight left in me, I couldn't even keep my eyes open...
"Demetria."
I heard someone saying my name over and over...
"Demetria, you can't stay here." It was my mum.
"It's not your time yet."
I opened my eyes. I was back in the white, empty space underneath the swimming pool in the prefects' bathroom. Getting to my feet and turning around, my mother was there, once again, with a golden glow surrounding her.
"Mum," I said, voice strained. I felt so weak but I began walking toward her. "Mum, I'm so tired..."
"Demetria, fight," she encouraged, backing away.
"I want to be with you," I told her, near-tears. "I miss you so much."
Someone appeared then, beside my mother. "We miss you too."
"Dad! It's you!" I forced out; it felt as though my throat was closing up. I tried to run, but it hurt too much, so I continued trying to limp over. Though, every step I took toward them, they moved farther and farther away.
"Please, Tri," my dad said, softly. That was a nickname I hadn't heard in years...
"Grandad doesn't call me Tria anymore," I told them, my voice sounding very low and rough. "It makes him too sad...'cause you used to..."
Out of no where, a wall appeared and my parents were backed against it.
"You can still fight!" Mum told me, fervently.
"I can't," I practically whispered. "I love you."
I was so close . . . nearly there . . . I reached my arms out around both of my parents and closed the final gap between us.
"I'm cold..." I murmured.
My head dropped and I could see a golden glow surrounding my feet and slowly beginning to rise. And though it looked like it should've been warm...it was very cold. It climbed up my legs, leaving them weak and freezing...
"Demetria!" Mum cried out. "Please! You can't stay!"
"C'mon, Tri, fight!" exclaimed Dad. "You can do this!"
"Remember your Light!"
I unwrapped my arms from around my parents as quickly as I could manage, though it was actually incredibly slow, and dropped to my knees, fumbling for the locket around my neck. The glow had reached my waist, as I pried at the clasp. I took one last look up at my parents.
"I love you," I could only mouth, my voice gone.
I opened the locket, a great beam of white light jetting out and blinding me . . .
"We've got a pulse!" someone cried out. "She's alive!"
. . . then I could see again, and I saw...orange... It was the first aid tent. Someone I didn't recognize was hovering over me.
"This is a bloody miracle! You gave us quite a scare, Miss Harris!" the man said. He appeared to be a...mediwizard...
I tried to sit up but was stopped both by the mediwizard and the incredibly sharp pain in my left side. "I wouldn't do that just yet, if I —
"Ne moga da go povyarvam!" Viktor came running in. I'd never seen or heard him like this... He was crying... He helped me up and was careful to gently wrap his arms around me, though the embrace itself was tight. "Tova e neveroyatno! Ti si zhiv! Moyata krasiva sestra, ti si zhiv!" He planted kisses on my head between every sentence. (I can not believe it! This is amazing! You're alive! My beautiful sister, you're alive)
"What's going on?" I asked. "What happened?"
"We dunno what happened down in the lake," the mediwizard began explaining, Viktor still not releasing me. "but every champion had returned except for you. The hour passed and you were still no where to be seen. Harry Potter and that Cedric fellow dove back in and brought back the other two hostages, a little girl and your friend, 'cept Harry Potter said your friend had already been cut free —"
"Harry said he saw you free me, disguised as a selkie!" Finn came bursting into the tent; he was immediately following by Grigor, both of them also crying.
"We can't have too many in here at once," said the mediwizard. "Mr. Krum, you might want to let her go." Viktor reluctantly released me.
"I s'pose I should handle crowd control. I'm sure one of you blokes can finish the story. Try not to be too long, though, if you wouldn't mind. I'm sure there are plenty of others who'd like to see her."
The mediwizard stepped outside of the tent, Finn and Grigor both automatically wrapping their arms around me.
"Ow!" I cried out, my hand reaching to caress my side. That was when I noticed a rather large bandage in place, there, under my shirt. The blokes immediately backed away.
"Ve are sorry, ve are just so happy!" Grigor gushed.
"Still trying to piece together what happened..." I told them.
"Right! So, Harry said you freed me right after he cut Ron loose and then the selkies starting attacking you for some reason, but he didn't know it was you," Finn continued, though clearly still reeling. "They were about to send a search party in to find you but all of a sudden —"
"Gigant·ski kalmar!" cried out Grigor, fervently. (Giant squid)
"Yeah, it's actually real!" confirmed Finn, though still in disbelief.
"And docile!" Viktor added.
"It reached its tentacles out of the water and brought you to the shore!" Finn continued. "You were bleeding so much... They rushed you to the tent. Madam Pomfrey kept you stable for as long as she could until the mediwizard arrived. You were barely hanging on, and then...you just..."
"Demetria, you died..." Viktor gravely told me.
I remembered being with my parents, the cold glow swallowing me up...
"I...I actually died?" I said, softly.
"Please, you've got to let me see her!" I could hear Cedric shouting from outside the tent. "That's my girlfriend in there!"
Viktor, Finn, and Grigor all exchanged a significant glance with each other.
"We'll see you later, Dem," Finn said, evidently speaking for all three of the blokes.
"Okay..." My voice sounded distant, even in my own ears.
I thought back to the empty space with my parents, my hand instinctively reaching around my neck for the locket, but it was gone...again. And I hadn't even noticed the trio leave, but I saw Cedric rush in through the tent flaps, and as soon as he did, I completely broke down.
"Oh, Demetria, it's alright, sweetheart," Cedric cooed, instantly by my side, holding me as I wept. "Y'know, I thought I'd be the one crying."
I actually cracked a smile at that. As sad and frustrated and confused as I was, this bloke managed to get a chuckle out of me. He seized the opportunity to release me from his embrace and just look me in the eyes; I noticed he definitely had been crying, his grey orbs still glossy from the tears.
"I know it seems stupid...I mean, I should be happy to be alive — I am happy," I assured him; he held both of my hands in his. "It's just...I saw my parents. They were standing right in front of me and I wanted to be with them, I wanted to hug them... But when I did...I died, I was...dead. That was...selfish..."
"Hey, don't talk like that," he told me, but not in a disappointed way...in a very sad way. "You are one of the most selfless people I know, and look! — you came back!"
Another smile escaped from me, until I decided to tell Cedric the other reason I was just crying. "It's not just that," I began, taking a breath. How to explain... "I have absolutely no idea who I am...and I'm starting to think there's something really wrong with me."
"What d'you mean?" Cedric was gravely concerned.
"Those selkies nearly — well, actually — did kill me," I spoke fervently. "They didn't attack anyone else... But when they saw the locket I was wearing, they attacked," And I could see he was about to mention that I wasn't wearing the locket, so I stopped him. "I know I don't have it anymore, but I did... This is something I don't have a logical reason for, and it sounds mad but...it started a few months ago..."
And so I told him. I told him all about the first dream I had where my mother came to me in the graveyard (excluding the Death Eater details, of course. Oh, relax, we weren't that close just yet), and first gave me the locket. I told him about the word Light inscribed on it in Greek and how it disappeared after another dream; how Finn and I went to Trelawney for answers, how the last two times I went into the Black Lake I ended up in the hospital wing; the morska sirena, the flashes of light, absolutely everything I could think of.
"...but now it's gone again, and I have no idea if or when it'll come back," I said. He looked as though he wanted to try and give me answers, but I knew there wasn't much he could say. "Thank you for listening."
"Of course," he said as though it wasn't even a thought. "I just wish there was something I cou —"
I placed my lips on his. "You could help me get down from here."
We grinned at one another and he lifted me, careful not to disturb my battle wound, off of the bed and on to my feet. But when I took the first step toward the tent flap, he stopped me.
"You're sure you want to go out there?" he asked. "It's a rather massive crowd..."
"I'd rather just get it all over with now," I told him, honestly. He nodded, taking me by the arm and helping me walk over.
The mediwizard noticed my exit attempt and turned to speak to me. "Make sure you take it easy, Miss Harris," he advised. "I've never had to perscribe anything for coming back to life, but that gash should heal up as long as you get your rest; no strenuous activity..."
My mouth broke out into another small grin. "Right, thank you so much for everything," I told him, whole-heartedly.
"It wasn't all me — You're a fighter." He grinned and move past Cedric and I into the tent.
As soon as we were on the other side of the tent, that massive crowd began cheering and applauding, and all I could think was: Am I really going to have to talk to every single person? And I did...some of whom I'd never even met before! But I was also approached by people I was rather close with, or at least familiar with. All of my Durmstrang brothers either hugged or high-fived me; even Nikolai gave me a rather cordial handshake. Hermione and Ginny hugged me, both sort of hysterical, Ron and Harry also did, though Harry tried to apologize for not knowing it was me and helping me; I told him not to blame himself. Karkaroff nearly reopened my wound with how tightly he'd held on to me; Draco, Adrian, and my Slytherin acquaintances approached me; Hogwarts professors and students, Beauxbatons students (Fleur included), and finally, Lee, Fred, and — Oh, it was just them...
"Princess, you scared the shite out of us!" Fred exclaimed, wrapping me up in a hug. I groaned as he pressed against my bandage. "Sorry, sorry!"
"I can't believe this!" said Lee. "Demetria Harris, back from the dead!"
"You read my mind, dreadlocks," came a painfully familiar voice. I turned around and, sure enough, there she was — Rita Skeeter. She was wearing obnoxuously bright, lime green robes and was, of course, accompanied by her paunchy photographer. "So, Demetria, how about a quick interview? Here's what I'm thinking: front page — The Girl Who Lived."
"Not interested," I seethed.
"You're probably right, you'll need an entirely different name," she gabbed, retrieving her Quick-Quotes Quill from her crocodile-skin handbag. "Perhaps something along the lines of a Phoenix! Harris rises from the ashes; it practically writes itself —"
"Piss. Off." I spoke through gritted teeth before immediately turning on my heels to leave.
"I reckon it's time to give out the scores!" shouted Ludo Bagman.
"The tournament was just cancelled," came Percy Weasley.
"Ah, but Demetria is back — alive and well!" Bagman pressed. "Surely we can continue?!" He turned to his fellow judges who were clearly all deciding what to do.
"Very well," declared Dumbledore. "A conference before we give the marks, though, I think."
The judges went into a huddle.
"Just wanted to let you know George is also thrilled you're alive," said Fred, now standing right beside me. "Went back to our dormitory though, he wasn't feeling too well."
"Right," I said, rather despairingly. "Well maybe I could stop by and —"
"Probably not tonight, dunno how contagious it is and you can't afford to get sick," was his excuse.
"Okay," was all I replied with. After all, I was sure Fred knew that I knew he was lying. George didn't want to see me because now I was officially dating Cedric and he didn't want to see me. I knew it was hard on him, but he seemed alright with it the previous week... Probably just putting on a front for my sake, though...
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our decision. In light of the circumstances, we have decided to award marks out of fifty for each 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."
Applause ensued.
"I deserved zero," said Fleur throatily, shaking her head.
"Cedric Diggory, who also used the Bubble-Head Charm, was second to return with his hostage, though he returned one minute outside the time limit of an hour." Enormous cheers from the Hufflepuffs in the crowd; I saw Cho practically drooling over him, clearly very pleased she'd been his hostage. "We therefore award him forty points."
I was no longer standing anywhere near Cedric, but we caught eyes and I gave him a thumbs-up; he smiled graciously.
"Harry Potter used gillyweed to great effect," Bagman continued. "He returned first, and well inside the time limit of an hour. We award him the full fifty points."
More applause.
"Demetria Harris not only perfectly executed the challenging task of self-Transfiguration, but also was resurrected after being killed by the merpeople. And had that incident not occured, she would have been the second to return with her hostage, also well inside the time limit. We award her forty-seven points."
I knew Durmstrang would absolutely explode with cheering and clapping, but I didn't expect nearly the entire crowd to do so. All of a sudden, there came a thunderous roar and after a moment, I could hear almost everyone chanting, "HARRIS! HARRIS! HARRIS!"
"I thought I'd get about as many points as Fleur!" I said to Finn, who'd rushed over to me during the chaos.
"What're you mad?!" he shouted above the cheering. "You came back from the dead!"
"And you and Harry are tied for first place!" Viktor added.
Tied? Karkaroff couldn't've been too thrilled about that... It was fine with me, but I knew he would've preferred it if I were still the only one in the first place ranking.
"The third and final task will take place at dusk on the twenty-fourth of June," said Bagman when the chanting died down. "The champions will be notified of what is coming precisely one month beforehand. Thank you all for your support of the champions."
Madam Pomfrey immediately appeared, herding the champions and hostages back to the castle to get into dry clothes. All I could think throughout the entire walk, was how glad I was that this particular task was over, and that I never had to venture into the Black Lake again.