Hello again, friends! I'm proud to say it didn't take that long to upload the next chapter. Holidays inspire me. I wish I had more. You may encounter some familiar dialogue in this chapter, and so I just wanted to make clear it was taken directly from JK's book. All of the other content came out of my head. Enjoy!

Chapter Thirteen

Back in the Game

"Well, I don't know about you, but I am so glad that gamekeeper is no longer teaching class." Emma was telling Violet when Lorena caught up with them after their Care of Magical Creatures class.

"So, what's today's latest gossip?" Lorena asked jokingly.

"You've read the paper, haven't you?" Emma said, "Rita Skeeter found out that Hagrid is a half-giant"

"Oh, that," Lorena said, her smile fading.

"Honestly, Emma, I can't understand how can you read that Skeeter's articles" Violet said, "Although I can't do anything but agree with you. A man like that couldn't possibly be a teacher. At least now we know why is he so fond of monsters"

Lorena said nothing, not because she was angry with them, but because she secretly agreed. Hagrid's taste in creatures was a bit too dangerous to be considered class material. She remembered how angry Harry had been about it, though.

Violet brushed away a strand of hair, "Still, that Skeeter woman is full of…"

The three girls jumped in surprise when Mad-Eye Moody suddenly appeared from around the corner. The magical eye turned wildly before setting on each of the girls, staying a bit too longer on Lorena. Moody then grumbled and left with a huff, the thump of his wooden leg still echoing after he'd left.

"That man gives me the creeps," Violet whispered, but Lorena didn't hear because in that moment, the Weasley twins were passing by, and when George winked at her, she couldn't do anything but smile at him, not noticing Emma watching her closely with narrowed eyes.

The girls kept walking when Lorena saw Abril and her friends crossing the hallway and decided to go with her since they hadn't time to speak during class.

"I have to go. See you later!" Lorena told her friends and grabbed her bag tightly as she ran to catch up with her. She saw Abril telling something to her friends and then turning to meet her.

"Hey!" Abril exclaimed happily.

Lorena raised her eyebrows at her enthusiasm and at the suspicious smile Abril wore.

"Why so happy?" Lorena asked. The cold January wind was blowing, and so Lorena had to tighten her scarf around her neck.

"I passed all morning with Cedric" Abril told her excitedly, not noticing the chilly weather.

"Aww, were you cuddling?" Lorena teased her.

Abril snorted, "Hardly. We were in Potions class. But you know, it was cold and cramped, and we partnered up and it was amazing."

"Oh yes, I can imagine how romantic it was, both of you doing doe eyes at each other while you chopped frog brains," Lorena said dreamily and both girls laughed.

"Hey!" Abril suddenly said, hitting Lorena's shoulder, "I'm angry with you!"

"Whatever for!" she asked outraged.

"At the Yule Ball, you gave Ron the chocolates Fred and George gave us."

"Oh, that," Lorena smiled innocently, "I thought that way you'd be more willing to spend time with him."

"It didn't work" Abril said, not wanting to admit his voice and his scent had almost driven her crazy.

"Well, I redeemed myself, didn't I?" Lorena told her happily, "After all, I sent Cedric to talk to you."

Abril's eyes widened.

"You did that?" she asked, then hugged her friend tightly, "Aww, you're the best friend ever!"

Lorena's smile dropped a bit, and she broke the hug.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. And I did punch Cedric for what he did, you know?" she said, then frowned, "But, Abril, please don't forget that…"

"I can't believe this!" a voice said behind them and suddenly Harry pushed himself between the two girls, tightly holding a crumpled copy of the Daily Prophet in his fist.

He opened it violently and pointed an accusing finger at one side of the paper, "Can you believe what that harpy wrote about Hagrid?"

Abril nodded, showing she was aware of the article, "But you can't deny class with professor Grubbly-Plank is wonderful! In fact, we just had class with her, and I even liked most of the creatures she showed us! And…"

Abril stopped abruptly when she saw Harry's enraged look.

"I don't care about the new teacher, we have to have Hagrid back!" he said.

"And he knows that, Harry" Lorena tried to calm him, "If he feels like you and others want him back, there's no reason to worry about. He just needs a little time."

"But you don't believe what Skeeter says, do you?" Harry asked them, "About giants being bad?"

"Don't look at me," Abril said, raising her head, "I can't say anything about giants. I know Hagrid wouldn't hurt a fly, but that's it."

Harry look at the ground, angry and gloomy. Lorena, not wanting to see him sulk, tried to change topic.

"So, how's the egg going?"

Instead of cheering up, Harry seemed to deflate even more as they sat in a frozen stone bench.

"Fine…it's fine."

Lorena looked at him confused.

"You haven't figured it out, yet? But I thought Cedric had already told you at the ball!"

This time, Harry was the one who looked up at her confused.

"Why would he tell me anything?"

Abril blushed when Lorena looked at her.

"Maybe he forgot," she said, diverting her eyes.

"Maybe you distracted him," Lorena told her, then, she turned to Harry, "You have less than a month before the second task, you know?"

"Oh, you don't say?" Harry said sarcastically, his mood definitely darkening.

"Well, tell us about it, maybe we can help," Abril offered, patting Harry's arm.

Harry sighed, "I'm as lost now as I was the day I caught it from the dragon. The bloody thing just wails and screeches like it's a banshee or something."

"Maybe you do have to fight a banshee," Abril said.

"Or Peeves," Lorena said with a smile.

"It could be a poltergeist," Harry nodded thoughtfully.

"A Mandrake."

"Or even Werewolf."

"Or George told me about Percy's singing in the shower sounds like that."

"Am I supposed to attack Percy while he's showering?"

"Ugh, mental image. How about some kind of demon?"

"Maybe Inferi!"

"That's illegal"

"A rhinoceros!"

"…What?"

"Hey, we have to think about all our options!"

"A giant."

At this, Harry stared at Lorena.

"Oh, ha, ha. Very funny" he said, making Lorena smile but shrug.

"Moaning Myrtle?"

"The Giant Squid?"

"Maybe a kelpie."

"Or a mermaid," Abril said casually.

Harry frowned.

"Aren't mermaids supposed to sing beautifully?"

"Not if they are on the ground, they don't" Lorena told him, "We were just studying them with Grubbly-Plank."

"Yeah, they can sing underwater, but on the surface their shrieks can pierce your ears," Abril said with a nod.

At the mention of Grubbly-Plank, Harry had frowned, but when he heard about the singing underwater his face lit up.

"That must be it!" he said, jumping on to his feet, then frowned again, "So…I have to shower with the egg?"

"You try that and tell us if it works, all right?" Lorena said, both girls standing up too.

Harry smiled at them.

"Okay," he said, then adjusted the strap of his bag on his shoulder and turned to leave, "You're the best, you know that?"

Harry waved them goodbye and left, visibly more calm.

The week passed without any significant incidents, except Lorena kept avoiding Lorcan every time he wanted to talk to her after the Yule Ball. She was tired, really, that the boy would be so insistent. Couldn't he just leave her be, already?

On Friday morning, Lorena and Abril sat together for breakfast, Lorena munching a piece of toast gloomily. Or as gloomily as you can look while you are munching a piece of toast.

"We should get started on our Transfiguration project, Sabine," Lin Mei said pointedly at the girl, who looked up at her from the cereal she was eating.

"Sure, we'll get started right away," Sabine said with a bright smile, but Lin Mei only stared at her, making her smile falter, "What?"

"Have you already made research about the topic you got?" Lin Mei asked.

Sabine eyes widened, "We were given topics?"

Lorena, Abril and Mariah laughed, to Lin Mei's annoyance.

"I'm glad your friends are funny. I can't stand the girls in my dorm," Lorena told Abril.

"Are they really that bad?" Abril asked curiously.

"The other day I put on a baggy sweater to go to the library and Emma wouldn't stop saying that how was it possible I owned such a thing. Said it should be slimmer," Lorena told her, rolling her eyes, "Because I'm so concerned about looking sexy while I'm reading."

Abril laughed.

"She doesn't sound very bright, if you ask me."

Lorena swallowed some pumpkin juice.

"That's the problem. Violet is bright, so Emma does everything she does."

"Isn't their another girl?" Abril asked.

Lorena nodded, "Melissa. She doesn't quite "fit" in Emma or Violet's standards. Quiet girl. The only time I've seen her smile is when there's a plate of food in front of her."

"That sounds like a nice person, then." Abril said smiling.

Lin Mei and Sabine stood up.

"We're going to the library before class starts, so we can get ahead with the project. Wanna come?" Sabine asked, and the girls followed.

"Hey Lorena?" Mariah called as the group of girls headed to the library.

"What's up?"

"What's with that Slytherin guy that follows you around everywhere?" Mariah asked not knowing the reaction that would have.

Lorena grunted and let her head fall down.

"He doesn't follow me. He's just persistent, that's all."

"Oh, now you're defending him?" Abril teased.

Lorena narrowed her eyes at her.

"Well… he's been walking behind us since we left the Great Hall," Mariah said casually shrugging.

"What!" Lorena exclaimed, but before Abril could stop her, she turned around and her eyes met Lorcan's.

Lorena flipped her head back and clenched her fists.

"I'm getting tired of this shit," she mumbled and turned around to face Lorcan, "You go on, I'll catch up in a second," she told the girls.

Abril glared at him and left with her friends.

Lorena saw Lorcan chuckle.

"That Hufflepuff friend of yours doesn't like me too much," he said in a low voice.

"She's not the only one" Lorena said, lifting her chin.

That made Lorcan stop and stare at her, then, his brow rose.

"You're not angry at me, are you?" he asked surprised.

Lorena snorted but didn't answer, "Ok, I'm here. What do you want?"

"Ok, so if I want to transfigure one thing into something else… it's easier to do it if it had something in common to what it would be converted into," Sabine said slowly while Mei Lin nodded.

"Exactly," Mei Lin said, relieved, "That's what we are going to do with the little stone flowers that we've got."

"Oh, this isn't too bad!"

"Sure, you say that because your project doesn't involve disgusting creatures that could bite you at any minute," Mariah said looking up from the notebook she was writing on.

"I don't mind. It's interesting" Abril said shrugging, then closed another book she had been eyeing and placed back on the shelf.

She went to sit next to Mariah and wondered what Lorcan and Lorena were talking about. She didn't have to wonder long.

Abril and Mariah jumped in their seats when Lorena violently placed her bag on the table, making Madame Pince glare at her, but Lorena ignored her.

"That guy. Is. Impossible," Lorena said, and then sat heavily on a chair.

"Was it that bad?" Abril asked amused.

"Yeah, tell us!" Lin Mei exclaimed, leaning over the table.

"I thought we had come here to do the project," Sabine said with not much conviction, then sighed and turned to Lorena.

"The guy just stares at me and smirks and crosses his arms while I'm just stupidly explaining to him in a civilized manner that I don't want anything to do with him," Lorena summarized quickly then pausing to take a breath.

"He sounds a bit…rude," Sabine said quietly.

"Tell me about it; and then he's all "oh, I'm so handsome, you should fall for me"", Lorena said, letting all her anger out, "And the worse part is the girls in my dorm tell me I should do it! Well, I don't know why I broke up with him in first place, but I'm glad I did it."

Mariah snorted, "You don't know why you broke up?"

"I…well," Lorena stammered, "I don't really…remember…but whatever the reason was, it was a good choice. I can't stand the guy!"

"But you can't deny his handsome," Mei Lin told her with a wink.

"That's…completely beside the point," Lorena said, crossing her arms as the girls laughed.

A sound of books falling and someone cursing on the other side of the shelf behind Lorena made them turn around only to see Harry adjusting his glasses as he turned the corner.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," Harry said a bit embarrassed. He took the books he'd been trying to take out and left to seat in a table near a corner.

Abril noticed he had forgotten a book and went up to give it to him.

"Weird Wizarding Dilemmas and Their Solutions?" she asked as she read the cover, sitting down next to him.

"Yeah. Better check everywhere I can," Harry said, his voice muffled by the huge book he was reading.

"Check what?" Lorena asked as she too joined them in the narrow table, then told Abril, "The girls are going to continue the project. Sabine better have it finished if she wants Mei Lin not to get angry with her."

Abril nodded sympathetically and then turned to browse the pages of the book she'd retrieved.

Harry sighed as he looked at the Hufflepuff girls with envy, "I'd give anything to have a silly project as my only worry right now."

Lorena leant over to read the book's cover in Harry's hands, "Madcap Magic for Wacky Warlocks. That doesn't sound to safe."

"If only I could find anything!" Harry said frustrated, running through the pages desperately.

Lorena placed a hand on his head, stopping him abruptly to look up at her in surprise.

"Harry. If you tell us whatever you are looking for, we could be of assistance, you know?"

"Oh," he said sheepishly, then perked up, "I tried what you suggested. About putting the egg in the water," he then turned to Abril, "Actually, it was Cedric who told me a couple of days ago I could use the prefects' bathroom, so last night I went to the fifth floor…"

Harry went on telling them about the baths, the picture of the mermaid, how Moaning Myrtle had stalked him and finally the strange song that came out of the egg.

"So, after what you told me, I thought the part that says "Come seek us where our voices sound, we cannot sing above the ground" must be the Black Lake" Harry said, then his face fell, "What worries me though is the part about taking what I'll sorely miss."

"And you have and hour to retrieve it," Abril said thoughtfully, "It sounds…potentially problematic."

"Potentially problematic?" Harry croaked, "When was the last time you held your breath underwater for an hour, Abril?"

"Hey, don't worry, you still have a few weeks before the task. I'm sure we can figure out something during that time," Lorena said, reading through the pages of the books.

Harry sighed for the umpteenth time as he closed Dreadful Denizens of the Deep.

"Maybe I really should go with Moody to ask for advice," he said, leaning on the back of the chair.

At this, Abril and Lorena turned sharply at him.

"Professor Moody?" Lorena asked slowly.

"Yeah," Harry said, sitting up, "He has offered me his help a few times, and did so last night when I ran into him. Saved my ass from Filch and Snape when I was coming back from the prefects' bathroom."

"And what did you tell him?" Abril said, her tone cautious.

"That I've been working out the clue quite well because of you," Harry told them with a smile.

Harry had thrown caution to the winds; he raised his arms under the cloak and waved furiously at Moody to attract his attention, mouthing, "It's mine! Mine!"

Snape had then reached out for the Marauder's map, but to Harry's relief, Moody snatched it first, and then sent Snape and Filch on their way.

"Merlin's beard," Moody had whispered, staring at the map, his magical eye going haywire, "This…this is some map, Potter!"

"Yeah it's… quite useful," Harry said.

Moody searched the map for a few minutes, looking for Mr Crouch, the intruder that had broke into Snape's office just moments ago, and had finally asked Harry if he could borrow it, to which Harry complied. They climbed to the top of the stairs together and walked in silence to the door of Moody's office.

"You ever thought of a career as an Auror, Potter?"

"No," said Harry, taken aback.

"You want to consider it," said Moody, nodding and looking at Harry thoughtfully. "Yes, indeed… and incidentally… I'm guessing you weren't jus taking that egg for a walk tonight?"

"Er – no," said Harry, grinning. "I've been working out the clue. Fortunately a couple of friends helped me out on time."

Moody raised a deformed eyebrow, "Am I guessing then that it wasn't Weasley or Granger?"

"No, they are sixth years. Abril and Lorena."

"The Hufflepuff and the Ravenclaw?" Moody asked sharply.

"Yeah. They've been helping me since the beginning," Harry said, a sly frown appearing at Moody's sudden harsh tone.

"Have they, now? And did you know them before? Or did you just met them this year?" Moody kept asking, his magical eye now spinning madly.

"Well…I'd seen them before, but we'd never talked until this year…" Harry tried to explain.

"How convenient," Moody interrupted, now both of his eyes fixed upon Harry. He had then turned around sharply and went back into his office, staring down at the Marauder's Map again, and closed the door behind him, leaving an extremely confused Harry in the middle of the hallway.

"And so now I'm wondering if Moody's here not only to teach, but to keep and eye around here, as well," Harry said, finishing the tale of last night's escapade; the task of looking for a solution to the egg's clue now completely forgotten. "He was suspicious of Snape. Maybe he thinks Snape put my name in the Goblet of Fire!"

But neither Lorena nor Abril was listening to him. Instead, they both looked at each other in utter horror, as the reality of what Harry had told Moody dawned on them. The thought they had left that problem in the past, but now, Moody knew exactly who was helping Harry.

"I wonder what Snape did with his first chance, if he's on his second chance according to Moody," Harry kept saying, unaware of what he had caused. He decided to mention this Ron and Hermione as well as he opened another book. "At a time like this some Aqua-Lungs could come in handy, don't you think?"

"Yeah, aqua-lungs," Lorena repeated automatically. Her face had turned pale.

"Oh, of course, you don't what they are," Harry said, "They are a muggle invention. They work by…"

"Forgive us Harry, but we should get going," Abril suddenly said, and both girls jumped out of their seats and left hastily from the library.

"Where are they going!" someone asked Harry. He looked up and saw a confused Mei Lin in front of him," We've got class right now!"

"I haven't the foggiest," said Harry stunned.

"This is bad" Abril said when Lorena and her were out of the library.

Lorena nodded, "My stomach hurts."

Abril grunted and she walked back and forth with her hands in her hair. Lorena had leaned against the wall so as not fall down, and quietly stared at the floor.

"We've…it can't be..." Abril tried to say, desperately.

"I knew this wasn't a good idea," Lorena said quietly, making Abril stop and look at her sharply.

"What?" asked Abril.

Lorena looked angrily at her friend, "I told you we shouldn't have gotten involved with Harry! Now Moody's going to come after us and it's all your fault!"

Abril stared dumbfounded at Lorena.

"How on Earth is this my fault!" she screeched, "We couldn't just watch things happen like…"

"Yes, yes we could!" Lorena exclaimed enraged. "We could have happily stayed out of this mess without having to worry about anything else but our grades, but no! You wanted to help Harry when he's done it quite well on his own until now and because you think you're going to save that bloody boyfriend of yours!"

"If there's a chance for me to change the outcome, how can you think I'm going to waste it!" Abril shouted, "Hasn't it occurred to you that maybe we were sent here to do just that? To save a life?"

"And how do you plan on doing it, huh?" Lorena asked, waving her arms, "Go to the graveyard and fight Voldemort? Yell "Look behind you!" and then Avada Kedavra him? Is that you big plan?"

"Of course not! But we could manage to make him not touch the Triwizard Cup, or…or even send him to the hospital wing so he would be indisposed or unmask Moody!"

"That's where you're wrong" Lorena told her, suddenly very serious, "I agreed to stop Moody from putting Harry's name in the Goblet, and still, Harry was chosen. Now he knows who his next targets are, and believe me, I don't want to end up dead like Crouch Senior. So, if you want to support Harry with the Tournament and save Cedric, by all means do it. But I'm not helping you."

Abril was left speechless. Shocked, she saw Lorena turn around and leave without looking back. Abril's eyes filled with tears as she kept looking at the place Lorena had turned the corner and disappeared. They were best friends! She couldn't just say such things and… and… It was then when Abril felt truly alone and afraid in this strange world.

"Tsk, tsk, what a terrible little argument that was," a voice said behind Abril, making her jump and turn around abruptly.

In front of her stood the massive figure of Ludo Bagman, his arms crossed behind his back.

"It would be a pity…if old Alastor heard everything you just said, don't you think?" Bagman asked her, his baby-blue eyes shining with a malicious twinkle.