4th January 1995
A few days later, we were all flung into the new term at Hogwarts. It had been snowing constantly for the last three days, to the point where the majority of the Gryffindors and I had spent our time huddled in front of the fire. It gave George and I ample opportunity to sit and chat to our heart's content. This morning however, I found myself in Greenhouse three at 9am, shivering violently, trying to get heat back into my body.
We all groaned at the thought of going to Care of Magical Creatures at the bell. Ron suggested that if we kept ourselves busy by running after the Blast-Ended Screwts then we would be alright. He even joked that they might be big enough, and dangerous enough now to set fire to Hagrid's cabin, which would certainly keep us all warm. We braved the cold as we trod through the snow. He seemed to be in better form after chatting with Hermione, reserving the odd dirty look for either Hermione or me.
On arriving at Hagrid's cabin we realised that our class was gathered in front of someone different, "Who're you?" Ron asked as he got a good look at the woman, who had closely cropped grey hair and a very prominent chin, "Where's Hagrid?" he demanded.
"My name is Professor Grubbly-Plank and you are five minutes late."
"Where's Hagrid?" Harry repeated.
The woman turned to face Harry and spoke with grace, "I am your new Care of Magical Creatures Professor, never you mind about your old teacher."
"But I do mind." Harry insisted.
"He is indisposed." Professor Grubbly-Plank said shortly.
Laughter sounded from behind as Draco, Crabbe and Goyle joined us. He looked delighted to have been assigned a new teacher. "This way, please." Professor Grubbly-Plank directed us past the Beauxbatons carriage, towards the Forbidden Forest. Harry caught up with our new Professor and questioned her about Hagrid. The curtains in his hut were shut tight, he didn't want anyone disturbing him, if he's in there, that is. Turning my head around to where the class had gathered brought me a stunning sight – we were in the presence of a unicorn. The unicorn was a magnificent bright white colour and was a vision of absolute beauty.
"Boys keep back!" barked Professor Grubbly-Plank, throwing out an arm and catching Harry hard in the chest, "They prefer the woman's touch. Girls to the front and approach with care. Come on, easy does it."
I jumped up and down on the spot excitedly and clapped my gloved hands before making my way towards the tree where the unicorn was tethered. "Can I touch it?" I asked inquisitively.
"Yes, you may, but be very gentle, you don't want to scare her." Grubbly-Plank spoke.
I slowly reached out my hand and let the unicorn smell me before gently stroking her face, "Oh aren't you gorgeous?" I said, "Do you have a name?" I asked.
"I was thinking of calling her Peggy!" Grubbly-Plank had now made her way beside me, "Her father was called Pegasus."
"Perfect!" I smiled, stroking Peggy some more.
Professor Grubbly-Plank then addressed the class as she began teaching us all about unicorns and the powers they possess. She mentioned that drinking the blood of a unicorn would prolong a person's life, but would cause them to live a half-life, a cursed one. At that moment Hermione and I caught eyes with each other and remembered Professor Quirrell in first year.
At the end of the lesson, Harry and Ron were in deep conversation with Parvati about Hagrid. Harry shoved a newspaper article at Hermione and me, written by Rita Skeeter about Hagrid being half-giant. Apparently being a half giant is like being a werewolf, something that is deeply frowned upon and regarded as impure in the wizarding world. The question on the tip of our tongues was, "But how did Skeeter get the information in the first place?" I asked.
"Surely Hagrid wouldn't have told her?" Hermione asked.
"No!" Harry said, as we sat at the Gryffindor table for lunch, "He never even told us, did he?"
"Maybe she heard him telling Madame Maxime at the ball?" Hermione whispered.
I felt a little bit lost, "Huh?"
Ron's eyes widened, "I forgot we didn't tell you… We heard Hagrid confess to Madam Maxime during the Yule Ball, whenever Harry and I went out for some air…" He explained happily, probably delighted to have known this information long before me, "But surely we would have seen Skeeter in the garden? Besides, she's not allowed into the school grounds any more, Hagrid said Dumbledore banned her…"
"Perhaps she's got an invisibility cloak?" Harry said, ladling chicken casserole onto his plate, splashing it everywhere in the process, "Sort of thing she would do, isn't it? Hide in the bushes, listening to people's private conversations!"
"Like you and Ron did, you mean." Hermione pointed out.
I smirked as Harry and Ron tried to explain themselves. As they spluttered I tried to reason, "Maybe Hagrid could have chosen a better place in which to spill his deepest secrets? Have you considered she might be an invisibilia?"
Harry and Ron looked up from their dinner, but they were looking behind me as George put a hand on my shoulder, "Invisibilia's are really rare! I'd love to be one! Could you imagine how much information you could find out? How many dirty secrets? Lies? Deception? Cover-ups?"
Ron tried so desperately to hold back his laughter as my face went pink, "You would quickly rise through the ranks of being an Auror."
"George!" I said distracting him from Ron's mischief, "I've decided in future that I want a pet unicorn."
He looked taken aback, "You have? By any chance did you learn about them in Care of Magical Creatures this morning?" he smiled, "They're magnificent, aren't they? But I'm not sure they'd appreciate being kept as pets, I'm sure in the next 8 months I'll find something better for you." He kissed my cheek gently and took a seat beside Fred and Lee as Harry, Hermione, Ron and I went to see Hagrid, who was nowhere to be found…
5th January
It was freezing down in the dungeons of the castle as well as I sat in potions for an hour, glad to be doing a practical session with the cauldrons warming up the room. Snape was in his usual foul form and Draco seemed to adopt this demeanour.
"Did you have a good new year?" I asked Draco, but got no response, I followed this up by, "Thanks for the dance at the Yule Ball, I really enjoyed myself, where did you learn moves like that?" Nothing. "Can I borrow that knife after you?" I asked, as he was chopping up some roots. He didn't even acknowledge me, setting the knife down by the side of his cauldron, expecting me to reach over him to get it, "What's wrong with you today, Mr Grumpy Pants?"
"Miss Pink if you are wanting a detention this morning, you are going the right way about receiving one." Snape snapped from his desk.
"Apologies, Sir." I said, spending the rest of the lesson in silence.
20th January
"Are you two coming with Ron and me into Hogsmeade this morning?" Harry said to Hermione and me at breakfast.
"I'll be there!" I smiled at him.
Hermione looked rather surprised, "I thought you'd want to take advantage of the common room being quiet, Harry! You'd have a great chance to work on the egg!"
"Oh, I – I reckon I've got a pretty good idea what it's about now…" he said, but I was 90% sure it was a big fat lie: he twitched as he spoke.
"Have you really?" Hermione looked impressed, "Well done! Shall we go, then?"
I caught eyes with George, "Two minutes, guys." I said to Harry, Hermione and Ron, who said they'd meet me at the doors, then I directed my attention back to George, "Ermm…" I began.
"You want to go to Hogsmeade with them?"
"Kinda?" I pulled a 'please don't be annoyed at me' face, "Is that okay?"
George nodded, "Of course it is! You don't have to ask me permission! Fred and I were going to buy some supplies and go to the Three Broomsticks. Can I buy you a drink if I see you?"
"Sorry… it's just, Hogsmeade and I don't tend to get on particularly well and I just need to have a visit that doesn't involve, well…"
"Go!" George smiled, I fluffed his hair and planted a kiss on his head, waved and caught up with the other three. The three of us got on the road, along the way we watched as Krum jumped into the Black Lake for a swim. I could tell that secretly Ron wanted Krum to drown, I think Hermione could tell, too, as she defended him. Harry insisted that we had a peak in every shop to look for Hagrid, so when in Honeydukes we bought a few sweets, Hermione bought a new quill in Scrivenshafts, and Ron bought a few dung bombs in Zonkos. Our final destination, forty-five minutes later was the Three Broomsticks. On entering, we soon discovered that Hagrid wasn't there either. Hermione suggested getting a butterbeer, and the boys agreed, but I saw Ludo Bagman sitting in a shadowy corner with a number of goblins who did not look one bit happy. My curiosity took the better of me…
"'Mione…" I said quietly, "If anyone's looking for me, cover for me, there's something I need to do…"
She looked suspiciously at me but I was already half way towards the ladies' bathroom before she could answer. As soon as I closed the door I made myself invisible and walked over to Ludo Bagman.
"We've given you plenty of time, where is our money, Bagman?" one of the Goblins said fiercely.
He stuttered, "I- I don't have it."
"And don't think about giving us Leprechaun gold again, we were not best amused. We do not stand for lying and cheating."
"I- I'll get the money to you when I can. My pockets are empty, I swear!"
"Making poor choices when gambling again?"
Ludo's face lit up, "Perhaps you don't remember the bet that still stands between us? Or do you not have faith that Harry will win the tournament? I, for one, think he makes an excellent candidate. Real promise!"
I gasped.
"Yes, your debt to us will be paid in full, should Mr Harry Potter win the triwizard tournament, but there are a number of months until that has been decided and you know well that Mr Potter may fail, the odds are stacked against him! The tasks are not designed for young boys! You need to think of different ways to repay us, Bagman."
"Harry will win."
The lead goblin leaned forwards threateningly, "We will receive payment from you by any means necessary."
A second goblin, who looked particularly fierce spoke, "Excuse me, where do you think you're going?"
Ludo Bagman turned on his seat to leave, wiping his brow with the cuff of his robes, he looked around the Three Broomsticks and stood seemingly staring directly at me. He looked back over his shoulder and said impatiently, "In a moment, in a moment!" My heart started thudding as he stood with a smile on his face. I froze on the spot, "Harry! I was hoping to run into you! Can you spare me a few words?" he reached out for Harry, his arm going through my body and pulled Harry off to the other corner of the room to speak. I followed as Ludo dismissed Ron and Hermione and congratulated Harry on the win for the first task.
The goblins behind me were getting more restless by the second as Ludo managed to hold them off. "Absolute nightmare, their English isn't too good… it's like being back at the Quidditch World Cup… but at least they used sign language another human could recognise. This lot keep babbling in Gobbledegook…" LIES. I thought. As Ludo then told Harry that they were looking for Barty Crouch. LIES! I didn't think I could get any more prepared to pull my hair out until Ludo changed the topic again, lowering his voice he asked, "How are you getting on with your golden egg?"
"Er… not bad." Was Harry's response.
Ludo didn't seem to think Harry was being truthful and said, "Listen Harry, I feel bad about this… you were thrown into this tournament, you didn't volunteer for it…. And if…" Ludo's voice got progressively lower so that I could barely hear, "if I could help at all… a prod in the right direction… I've taken a liking to you… the way you got past that dragon! ...Well just say the word."
I felt stuck. I thought that if Ludo gave Harry help, then Harry might have a clue where to start with the egg. I want Harry to win the tournament, I do, but in the right way. I also don't want Harry to die in this tournament and Ludo's help might just prevent that, considering his future with the goblins depended on it… but at the same time I was conflicted, thinking that Ludo was a lying, cheating, son of a b*tch and I wanted bad things to happen to him. I looked down at my hands and saw them clenched, my teeth were grit tight and I was breathing fast.
"We're supposed to work out the clues alone, aren't we?" Harry said casually.
Ludo looked taken aback, but was desperate, "Well… yes, but – come on, Harry – we all want a Hogwarts champion, don't we?"
"Have you offered Cedric help?" Harry enquired.
No, Harry, because he has bet that you would win. Just so that he can get himself out of a hole.
Ludo got progressively more desperate, another bead of sweat appearing on his forehead, "No, I haven't… I – well, like I say, I've taken a liking to you. Just thought I'd offer…"
"Well, thanks." Harry dismissed Ludo and made his way back to Ron and Hermione.
Ludo looked between the doors and the Goblins and hesitated. I then realised why. "Hello, Mr Bagman," Fred said brightly, "Can we buy you a drink?"
I saw George look over to the table with Harry, Ron and Hermione, his eyebrows furrowed. Ludo looked disappointed as Harry walked away and replied to Fred, "Er… no… no thank you boys…" he surveyed Harry one last time, "Well, I must dash… Nice seeing you all. Good luck, Harry." He called over. Harry ignored him.
George called over to Hermione, "Have you seen-?"
Before he could finish she replied, "She said something about supplies…"
"Was she upset?" George seemed concerned, but before I could listen to Hermione's response, I decided to follow Ludo and the traipse of Goblins out the door.
"I hope you weren't trying to cheat, Mr Bagman." One of the goblins said.
"Cheat?" Ludo let out a booming laugh, "Of course not! I was just wishing the boy luck! Am I not allowed to do that?"
The goblin eyed him up suspiciously. They could see right through him. "We have been discussing amongst ourselves, the 24th of June is the deadline to pay your debt by. By then you will owe us a lot more money." A third goblin smiled eerily.
"Er-" Ludo said, cleaning his brow with his sleeve once again. Rita Skeeter and another man approached Ludo and attempted to engage in conversation.
"Mr Bagman, how good to see you!" Rita said happily, "How would you like to join me for a drink in the Three Broomsticks to discuss your recent firing from the Head of Magical Sports?" her quick quotes quill was jotting down notes as she spoke.
"Not today, Rita." Ludo said in frustration whilst surrounded by the increasingly impatient goblins.
"Mr Bagman, is it true that you only started the search for Bertha Jorkins within the last few weeks? Hasn't she been missing since the summer? Is that why you lost your job?" she delved further and further.
Ludo closed his eyes and turned on the spot and disapparated. The goblins quickly followed suit. Rita tutted to herself and gestured for the man with her to accompany her into the Three Broomsticks.
I stomped my foot into the ground, then tapped it repeatedly, trying to work out what to do. I figured that either way, I'd have to go back into the Three Broomsticks.
"I wouldn't come near you with a ten-foot broomstick?" Harry said loudly to Rita as I made my way through the door, visible once again. I had clearly missed the beginning of their conversation. The individuals in the pub quietened, "What did you do that to Hagrid for, eh?"
"Our readers have the right to know the truth, Harry, I am merely doing my-"
"Who cares if he's half giant?" Harry shouted, louder than before, "There's nothing wrong with him!" At that, the whole pub went silent. I quietly made my way over to their table, placing my hand on Harry's shoulder. Shouting at the woman who can make your life a nightmare, was never a good way to go.
"Ooooh, Harry, need your girlfriend to calm you down?" Rita commented, "What's your name sweetheart? You could make first page news if you're lucky!" I didn't budge, I merely stared at her, tilting my head to the side, daring her to say something else. Seeing that she was getting nowhere with me, Rita turned her attention back to Harry, "How about giving me an interview, Harry? About the Hagrid you know? Your unlikely friendship? Would you call him a father substitute?"
I gently squeezed Harry's shoulder. But what I did not expect happened next. Hermione stood abruptly from her seat, her butterbeer clenched in her hands as though a weapon, ready for use at the push of a button, "You horrible woman!" Hermione yelled, "You don't care, do you? Anything for a story, and anyone will do, won't they? Even Ludo Bagman-"
I turned to look at Hermione, her face was flushed, "'Mione, this will not end well…"
"Sit down, you silly little girl, and don't talk about things you don't understand." Rita bit back, "I know things about Ludo Bagman that would make your hair curl… Not that it needs it-"
"Let's go," Hermione said, grabbing her things, "C'mon, Harry – Ron – Ka-?"
I stood in the same spot and stared at Rita coldly with deadpan expression.
"Do you have something you'd like to say, missy?" Rita challenged me, she felt intimidated. Good.
In the background I could see both Fred and George stand. I took a few steps towards Rita, the entirety of the Three Broomsticks looking at me. My eyes did not leave hers. The feather of her quick quotes quill brushed my cheek gently. I lifted my hand and grabbed it tightly. I placed both my hands on the quill and snapped it in half and dropped it on the floor. I put my face right up and close into hers and smirked. I could see her lip quiver slightly. I turned my back on her and signalled coolly to Fred and George to join me outside. I took a look at Rita over my shoulder and smiled as she looked taken aback.
Once out of the vicinity, Fred and George both put an arm around me, "Where did you learn that?" Fred asked, looking impressed.
I looked up at him and stared, just like I had with Rita.
"Stop it!" he said, looking away.
"Stop what?" I smiled.
"She's good Georgie." Fred commented, talking over my head, "I wonder what Rita will have to write about you?"
"Probably nothing since Katy broke her quill." George laughed.
Fred joined in with George laughing, "Oh the look on her face was priceless. She was scared!"
George nudged me, "I don't imagine she'll mess with you any time soon!"
"Rita doesn't know who you are, or anything about you, and she can hardly write in an article-" Fred began.
"Gorgeous brunette-" George played with my hair.
Fred continued, "Who says everything with her penetrating brown eyes."
"Not a good enough excuse to use the word penetrating, mate." George chuckled, "Perhaps piercing or… intense?"
"Either way, Skeeter got owned." Fred said enthusiastically, attempting the 'Z' motion with his hands.
"You're very quiet, Katy, are you okay?" George squeezed me before grabbing for my hand.
I nodded. My mind was racing.
"I can-" Fred began.
"Can I trust you two with something?" I asked, "Like, I know I can trust you, but… this is big."
Fred and George stopped in their tracks.
"Not here."
Back in the castle, Fred and George were restless to find out what I knew. George tugged my arm towards the Gryffindor Common Room, but I knew there was too much of a risk telling them in there. I brought the two of them up to the deserted seventh floor corridor and began, "Okay, so erm… I just – You know the predicament you are in with Ludo Bagman?"
The twins took a step closer to me, "Yes?" they said in unison.
"So I saw Ludo in the Three Broomsticks with a bunch of goblins."
"Goblins?" Fred repeated.
"Yes." I said, "They were talking in whispers and, so I … listened in and…"
Fred was impatient, "What do you know?"
"He owes the goblins a lot of money. He gave them Leprechaun Gold at the World Cup, too. Then they came and took all the money from the bets. They're not very happy. He's gambling. He's bankrupt. And now he's apparently lost his job?"
"Foul git." George said, putting his hand in mine.
I leaned against the wall and sank to the floor, "It gets worse."
Fred and George sat down beside me, "How could it get any worse?"
"More importantly," Fred said matter-of-factly, "How did you manage to listen in without being caught? Ron, Harry and Hermione were at the other side of -"
Fred stopped mid-sentence and jumped on his feet, and rightly so, footsteps sounded from the other end of the corridor. George and I got up quickly as well, he took my hand and held it tight. "Who is lurking in this corridor?" I heard the familiar voice of Professor Snape. I put a finger to my lips, signalling for the boys to be completely silent. I held my breath as I took Fred's hand, making the three of us invisible. Snape rounded the corner, he stared directly through us. Fred and George stared down at me, eyes wide, mouthing words like 'how?' and 'what?'. Snape looked disgusted as he turned on his heels and returned the way he came. A minute or so later I let go of Fred and George's hands and they lit on me.
"What did you just do?"
"He looked straight past us!"
"It was like we were invisible!"
George took my arm and faced me, "Kathryn?"
I screwed up my face, bearing my teeth and said, "Surprise?"
George clasped his mouth with his hands, "I can't believe it."
"She's an-"
George nodded, "I know."
Fred smiled brightly, "That's so cool."
"I can't believe we didn't work it out." George scratched his head.
"I can't believe you didn't tell us!"
"Could you imagine how much fun we could have? How many pranks we could-"
"Oooooh. That's how you-"
"How many private conversations have you listened in to?"
"Not many." I said matter-of-factly, "Now are you two quite done?"
George nodded, "How many people know?"
I held up my hand and said, "You two," I lifted two fingers, "Harry, Ron and Hermione." I waved all five fingers at them and begged, "Please don't tell anyone! Ange is still in awe of my pranking skills and I would like to leave it that way. And before you ask – I am not getting you out of awkward situations, detentions or assisting you in any of your mischievous deeds."
"But could you imagine how -?"
"I'm being serious! Pranking you guys was fun, listening into Ludo's conversation has given me information I don't want to know. He's made a bet with the goblins that Harry will win the Triwizard Tournament! That will clear his debt with them! Ludo was offering Harry help, to cheat! He's a dangerous man, he's willing to do just about anything to protect himself." I concluded.
"But, Kathryn, don't you know what this means? You can-" Fred began.
I shook my head, "No."
"But-" George said.
"No!" I snapped, "Unless you two are going to help me figure out what to say to Harry, then I don't want any input."
The three of us stood in silence for a minute. I could tell both the twins were bickering with each other using facial expressions. Blocking them out, I sat back down on the ground and put my head on my knees. Do I tell Harry or do I not? Do I warn him about Ludo? Do I just pretend I heard nothing?
"Katy?" George said carefully, getting down onto his knees beside me, "Let's not worry about it now… Let's go get dinner."
"I'm sorry…" I whispered as George gave me a hand up.
"What do you have to be sorry about?" he replied.
I threw my hands up in the air and ran down the corridor, "Welcome to my life and how complicated it can be."
"Honestly Fred, she never fails to surprise me."
24th January
I decided (for now) to keep my mouth shut about Ludo Bagman. Harry was already stressed enough without knowing that Ludo was betting everything on him winning the Triwizard Tournament. I did, however, casually tell Harry that I didn't trust Ludo one bit. Harry looked at me and nodded. In charms class today, Harry told Ron, Hermione and me about two things: his progress on the Golden Egg and that he saw Barty Crouch in Snape's office on the Marauders Map the night before. I was unfortunately unable to join the rest of the conversation as Professor Flitwick had me partnered with Neville as we performed the banishing charm. I certainly had to have my wits about me as Neville's aim was shocking. At one point, Neville aimed the spell at me and I flew across the classroom and nearly went out the window! I could see Ron laugh and I suppose that was one positive of the day. Flitwick flew across the classroom at one point, too, and he walked around with a cushion in hand, to protect himself from the bump should there be a next time.
After the day's classes however, Harry sent a letter to Sirius. He explained that Mr Crouch had broken into Snape's office and explained the conversation between Moody and Snape. Mentioning specifically that Moody reminded Snape that he was given a second chance with Dumbledore. Then Harry mentioned his more pressing issue – how to breathe under water for an hour exactly a month away. The letter was sent and the discussion began.
Harry, Hermione and I discussed the use of aqua-lungs, a muggle invention where Harry could summon them from a muggle shop, and hope that no muggles see the oxygen cylinders flying across the country! Hermione toyed with the idea of Harry transfiguring himself into a submarine or something. That was something that was highly experimental and Harry didn't fancy having a periscope sticking out of his head. Concluding that our only chance was to find a charm that allowed an individual to breathe under water, as always we headed to the library.
31st January
George sat down in front of me at breakfast this morning, looking slightly concerned, "Katy, is everything okay with us? Have I done something?"
I set my coffee down, "Everything's fine? I'm happy! Aren't you happy?"
"It's just… I haven't seen you in a week! You've been distant, you've been in the library every day for the last week, you're hardly eating and when you're seemingly free, you're talking to Harry, Ron or Hermione... You'd tell me if I'd hurt you, right?" George extended his arm across the table and took a hold of my hand.
"Georgie…" I felt terrible, "I'm so sorry…" I let go of George's hand, ducked my head and climbed underneath the table, popping up on the other side, "I'm so so sorry…" I wrapped my arms around him and held him close, whispering "I've been in the library helping Harry with the second task. We have a massive problem and we're trying to sort it. I'm sorry for not being there for you… Are you okay?"
"I'm alright now I know we're good!" George smiled, "Is there anything I can help with? Has Harry worked out what that screeching sound means?"
I nodded slightly, "Tell you what, I'll tell you all about it after dinner tomorrow night. I'm all yours. They can do without me for one night."
George's cheeks went slightly pink. His hand went behind his neck, "Erm…"
I raised my eyebrows, "What have you done?"
"I have a detention tomorrow night with Snape for pouring some shrinking solution on Tony Irvine." George spoke with enthusiasm, as though he was proud of himself, "His ego is massive and needed deflating slightly, Snape and Tony somehow didn't find it funny…"
I shook my head at him, rolling my eyes, "Somehow. Be a good boy today then and I'll see you tonight then, I'll have to excuse myself from library duties." I looked at my watch and saw it was two minutes to the bell, "I've got to fly!" I grabbed my bag under the table, stood and kissed George gently before making a quick dash.
George left me with instructions to meet him in the Common Room ready to go for a walk outside after dinner. I sat, waiting expectantly in front of the fire with my coat, hat, scarf and gloves sitting on the seat beside me. Looking out the window, I decided to run up the stairs to put on my boots instead of my trainers as it had just started snowing again.
"Coat on, Miss Pink." George said in an awfully formal voice.
I looked around at him and shook my head, he had his coat and bauble hat on already and was smiling at me, "You're such a dork." I teased, quickly getting ready, George placed a hand on his chest and pretended to be saddened by my statement, so I added, "But you're my dork." I took his hand and we climbed out the portrait door, "You smell good!" I said after getting a waft of his cologne.
"If you keep complimenting me like this, I don't know if my ego will be able to take it."
"Make sure you two are back inside by 8pm, or I will be forced to detain both of you tomorrow, or in George's case the following evening." Professor McGonagall said in a threatening, but happy sort of way, "Oh, and have fun!"
"McGonagall approves!" George tapped my nose gently as we hopped down the stairs, "So tell me, how are you?"
"I'm fine!" I nodded, "Harry has worked out exactly what the message from the egg means, it has just brought us a few more problems than we initially imagined."
George squeezed my gloved hand, "You can tell me, I'm not going to tell anyone, well I might tell Fred, but he'll not tell anyone either, I promise!"
"I know, I know…" I assured him, "The next task takes place in the Black Lake, Harry has to find the Merpeople and find what it is they have taken and rescue it, or it will be lost forever."
George threw his hands up in the air, "Dramatic."
I poked him, laughing, "This is serious! Have you worked out our predicament?"
George was deep in thought and it was as though he had a lightbulb moment, "How is Harry going to breathe down there for the full hour? There's bound to be a spell? Or he could transfigure himself into a fish or something? Can you do a full body water repellent spell, so he could walk into the lake and…? That sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?"
"Completely." I nodded, "The four of us have searched half the library looking for answers, and we have come up with nothing! Nothing! It's not as though we can go and ask McGonagall or Flitwick for help! The fact that the three of us are helping him is completely frowned upon! We've got twenty-three days left to work this out."
"Having both you and Hermione working on the case will determine success in no time!" he said with confidence as we were half way around the Black Lake, "But for now…" George took a hold of my other hand and twirled me on the spot, "We dance."
I burst into laughter as George dipped me down, completely unprepared. He raised me up to him slightly, so that he could kiss me. Then in one swift motion, I was back on my feet again and my body was pressed tight against his. We started mucking about, George danced like an Egyptian, I jumped up and down, following the routine for 'Can't touch this' by MC Hammer, George chased me around the lake, wondering if he could indeed 'touch this'. The two of us landed in the snow as George caught up with me. Whilst I made a snow angel, George pulled a few poses as though a Vogue model.
"Oh, Georgie, you're so pretty!" I laughed. Getting up off the ground, I attempted to do Michael Jackson's signature pose where I then broke out into the moonwalk. In the process of doing so, I slipped backwards, screamed and landed in the Black Lake with a splash. Swimming back up to the surface, I gasped for breath.
"Katy! Are you okay?" George didn't know if he should laugh or try and save me. There was no doubt now that he was in stitches.
I laughed, "It's bloody freezing in here! Give me a hand out!" I stuck my hand up into the air and George got onto his knees and reached out to grab me. As I got a good grip on him, I gave an almighty tug and George landed in the water beside me, "Wrong decision." I stuck out my tongue. As George raised his head above water again, I wrapped my legs around his stomach, put my hands on each of his cheeks and kissed him gently, "Sorry, I had to! I couldn't miss the opportunity!" The two of us giggled. "If it was a little warmer, I would totally stay in here, but…" I swam back over to the edge and hoisted myself out of the lake, pouring water all over the place. Even though I was perfectly alright getting out of the lake on my own, George sneakily placed both hands on my hips and gave me an extra lift before getting himself out of the water. The two of us giggled ourselves breathless at how stupid we were being, and then our teeth started chattering. I wiped the excess water off my face and rung out my hair. "I bet I look like a drowned rat!" I looked up at George who laughed again.
"You look like those guys in that muggle rock band."
My eyes widened as I realised my mascara must be running, "Kiss?"
"Kiss you? Don't mind if I do!" George leaned in and hungrily locked his lips to mine, moaning slightly.
"Sneaky." I winked as he pressed his forehead against mine.
"You should definitely consider doing your makeup like that more often." He joked.
"Oi." I alleged, but George had already started running. We ran up the hill, back to the castle and continued running up the stairs towards the Gryffindor Common Room for fear of Filch giving us detentions for soaking the floors. As soon as we reached the Portrait door, I wiped as much of the mascara off my face before being greeted by Fred and Ange, who were lounging in front of the fire.
The two of them jumped out of their seats at the sight of me, "What happened?!" Ange asked.
George and I looked at each other and started giggling again, then George spoke, "This one was showing off and fell into the Black lake. Then as pay back for laughing, pulled me in with her." He put his hands through my wet hair, messing it up further.
"If you don't mind, I'm going to get myself dried off." I gave him a dirty look which was followed by a cheeky smile. I then made my way up to my dorm room where I took off all my wet clothes and put them on the radiator as I dried myself off before getting changed into my lovely warm pyjamas, fluffy slippers and dressing gown.
Back in the Common Room, George looked up at me looking slightly disappointed, "You're so… dry."
"And here's me hoping you were still wet as well." I said sarcastically.
"That can be arranged." George smirked, pulling me onto the seat beside Fred and Angelina's, where he laid down cuddling me.
"GET A ROOM." Fred and Ange coughed loudly as I found a comfortable position with my head resting just above his heart, eyes closed listening to every beat. I felt like I was experiencing a little bit of heaven.
10th February
George and I didn't have more than about twenty minutes together from our 'date' at the end of January. He was really supportive and knew that I felt I had to be there for Harry. We had just under two weeks until the task and Harry was getting progressively more nervous. Hermione, Ron and I were giving every spare minute to finding out how to breathe underwater for an hour.
Shortly after 6pm, the four of us heard Madam Pince raise her voice, "I told you, Mr Weasley, you are banned from this library for the next month. Please leave."
Seconds later, George appeared at the top of our isle, stopped and walked towards us carrying four mugs of hot chocolate and a selection of biscuits. He held his finger up to his lips and smiled.
I mimed the words, 'Thank you!" to him and next thing he disappeared.
"I've decided that I like George being your boyfriend." Ron said, taking a cookie.
"I like him being my boyfriend, too!" I smiled.
14th February
I climbed out of bed this morning feeling a little nervous as I looked at the gift I handmade George the night before.
"It's so cute, Kathryn! I'm sure he'll love it!" Parvati said with a huge smile.
"Can you be my girlfriend?" Lavender joked.
"Kathryn, honestly, there's no reason to stress out, it's a lovely idea!" Hermione ensured me, "You and George are perfect together!"
"Do you really think so?" I asked.
"Yes!" Hermione grabbed my hands and pulled me off my bed into a standing position, "Now get yourself down those stairs and go see him! He's sitting down there looking like a lost puppy without you!"
I carefully lifted the massive card I made and carted it down the spiral staircase towards the Gryffindor Common Room, which at this time had emptied significantly with everyone going down for breakfast, "Hey." I said, turning the card to face away from him. George's eyes lit up on seeing me with the card and his curiosity took over. I could see him setting something down at the window seat and he hopped over to the bottom of the girl's dorm stairs, he reached over the card excitedly and kissed me gently, "So… this is the first time I've ever done anything like this, so if you hate it, I'll go hide up in the dorms for a few hours to let my embarrassment wear off…"
George shook my head and said, "I am so excited to see what this is!" he jumped up and down on the spot.
"Okay, okay!" I beamed at him, walked over to the window seat, directing him to take one side of the card as I took the other.
"Oh my goodness. You have covered this in muggle sweets!" his smile got wider as he read aloud, loud enough for only me to hear,
Dearest Georgie,
This card has been the main TOPIC on my mind for a while now, so I thought I'd be a SMARTIE pants and be a bit RANDOM, in the hope that it makes you SNICKER. Let me WISPA something to you... They say men are from MARS, but I often find you in my DREAMs. I feel as though I'm on the MILKY WAY or in another GALAXY when I'm with you.
Happy Valentines' Day! Have a MUNCHIE on me! I love you lots, like JELLY TOTS!
LOVE HEARTS and MISTLETOE KISSES,
Katy xxx
"I LOVE it!" George carefully set down the card and wrapped his arms around me, "Thank you so much!" he jumped up off the seat and handed me a carefully wrapped package and a card, "Happy Valentines, Katy!"
I ripped the paper off the present to reveal a fold-out double picture frame. I opened it up to reveal the two pictures Colin took of us at the Yule Ball – I gasped in pure excitement, "YOU DIDN'T!" The pictures were one with me placing a hand on George's chest, leaning in close to him, looking back at the camera and the other where George wrapped his arms around me from behind in a loving embrace and then placed a soft kiss on my left cheek with little to no warning. I pouted at George and kissed him, "Have I told you that I love you?" I asked. "I will put this on my beside cabinet! Thank you so much!"
"It was my pleasure!" George smiled, "I love you, too!" he bit his lip, "Cringey couple stuff over now?"
"As agreed, Mr Weasley! It was a joy being cringe-worthy with you." I laughed. That didn't stop George from treating me like a princess all day, though.
On seeing my present to his brother, Fred pretended to act disgusted, "I can't believe I didn't ask you to be my girlfriend!" he joked, "I want muggle chocolate!"
"Luckily for you, Freddie, I prepared for this eventuality." I smirked.
"You did…?" he asked as I bolted up the stairs to my dorm room and grabbed a twin twirl bar and chucked it to Fred.
"Didn't want you feeling left out!" I gently messed up his hair.
"I'm definitely the favourite twin, Georgie." Fred elbowed his twin, before giving me a hug. George looked at me and mimed the words 'thank you' before rolling his eyes at Fred. When Fred released me from his grip, he pointed at me, looking at George, "I reckon you can keep this one."
16th February
As usual, the four of us spent out lunchtime in the library, just as we had done so for the last few weeks still searching for answers, begging for clues. Hermione and I went into the transfiguration section as the boys combed through the charms section.
"Hermy-own-ninny." Came the familiar voice of Viktor Krum, "I have not seen you in a long time. I woz wondering if you wood be able to talk for a while?"
Both Hermione and Krum looked at me, "Okay, guys, I know when a hint has been dropped. I'll make like a tree." I rolled my eyes and went into the next section and started looking there for books.
With a pile of books, I returned to the desk the four of us were working at, "Where's Hermione?" Ron asked.
"'Mione?" I asked, "I left her in the first row, I imagine she's still looking." I smirked, I wondered what the two of them were up to. My imagination ran wild and I forced myself to reign it back in again.
As Hermione returned ten minutes later, she smirked at me and got stuck into the first book in her pile. The look of mystery on her face was mesmerising and I couldn't concentrate. With books piled high, separating the two of us from the boys, I placed my hand on hers, "What just happened?"
"Nothing." Her cheeks went bright pink.
"Nothing," I mimicked, "Hermione, I'm your best friend, did he kiss you?"
Trying to hide her emotion and failing miserably, Hermione beamed at me, "Maybe?"
"EEEP!" I let out a very high pitched noise I couldn't quiet explain in the excitement, "I can't believe it! I hope you kissed him back! Is he a good kisser?"
"Kathryn!" Hermione's eyes widened, "He kissed me at the end of the Yule Ball as well. Today he just said that he missed me and was wondering how I was. Then it just… sort of… happened."
"Yeah…" I said, sighing deeply, thinking about my first kiss with George, "It's an amazing feeling, isn't it? You kind of feel like the rest of the world has stopped and nothing else matters, you feel invincible."
"You should go see him, Harry won't mind! You've spent so much time with us lately and hardly any with George." Hermione stroked my hand gently with her fingers, "I know you're missing him!"
I shook my head, "We've only half an hour left here, and then I'll tackle both him and Fred when we get back to the Common Room." When Hermione raised an eyebrow at me I said, "Tackle Fred off the window seat and tackle George for a cuddle!" I smiled.
In the half hour we had left, Hermione and I managed to look through another three books each. When Madam Pince signalled for us to leave the library, Hermione walked behind us all, stating that she was having a meeting with Professor McGonagall about her recent test grade, when secretly she was going off to see Krum or should I say Viktor.
Back in the Common Room, I found Fred and Ange sitting on the window seat and George sitting in front of the fire in my usual armchair. He seemed to be in a world of his own, "Missing me?" I asked.
George jumped slightly, "You have no idea how good it is to see you!" he said with a wide smile. I slid down into the armchair beside him, swinging my legs over him and wrapping my arms around him.
"What's up?" I asked, caressing his hair.
"I guess I'm just tired." He said, he wasn't his usual smiley, energetic self, "And, yes, I miss you!"
I snuggled into him, "Eight days and the task will be over and I'll be yours again, until the final task comes along that is! But straight after that its summer and I'm all yours again."
"I like the sound of that." George gave a small smile.
"What ever will you do with me for two whole months?" I tapped his nose.
"Oh, I can imagine a few things." He bit his lip, "Best keep it clean though, for all the kids around... I'd love to take you camping."
"I'm sure your mother would definitely let us go camping on our own." I smirked, "We could go to the seaside?" I suggested, "Go for a swim where it's a bit warmer?"
That got George to smile, "We could climb-"
"Climb? Are you aware-"
"Yes, climb. I want to show you an amazing view!" George insisted, "I climb up there every year and it never ceases to amaze, much like you. You always find a way to surprise me, I find out new things about you all the time!"
"What was the most recent thing you've learnt?" I asked curiously.
George acted all mysteriously, so I tickled him into submission, "You're surprisingly strong and I don't mean that just in the physical sense, you pulled yourself out of the lake the other day after using some brute force to pull me in! I also mean that you've been through so much and you still manage a smile."
"I smile because I'm happy." I said simply.
He looked surprised, "You are?"
"Yeah, I'm with you, you idiot." I placed a hand on his chest, "and you make me happy."
George wiped a fake bead of sweat of his brow and grinned, "High praise indeed."
The two of us talked for the next couple of hours about nothing in particular. At one point, Hermione sauntered past us, ruffled George's hair and attempted to do the same to mine. She put her hand on my hand and said, "I just can't believe he wants me."
"Hermione, you're gorgeous, funny and intelligent, any guy would be lucky to have you! You've just got to believe that someone out there actually wants to be with you."
"But he's famous, I just don't understand, he could have anyone."
"He chose you."
"Me, though?"
"He's a world class seeker, 'Mione, he's trying to catch you before anyone else can get their hands on you." I mimicked Krum's large hands grabbing Hermione's frame, then I blew her a kiss. She blushed heavily and jokingly cat-walked to the dorm stairs.
"What was that all about?" George asked.
"You don't want to know."
23rd February
It's the day before the second Triwizard Tournament task and we still hadn't figured out how to get Harry to breathe under water for an hour. At breakfast, Harry received an owl from Sirius. Taking the piece of parchment from the brown owl, Harry was full of hope, but immediately felt deflated as the letter simply said,
'Send date of next Hogsmeade weekend by return owl.'
"Oh, gee, thanks for the help." I muttered under my breath as George gently stroked my hair as he walked past. But he stopped in his stride and looked at me, cocking his head to the side slightly. I shook my head at him and gave him a small smile. Looking at the porridge and selection of cereals in front of me made me feel queasy, so I grabbed a slice of toast, knowing I needed my strength today.
"Weekend after next." Hermione answered the question. Harry sent a returning letter and we went to Herbology with the Hufflepuffs. My mind was completely taken off any worries as Hagrid (who had taken over teaching us again) showed us two baby unicorns he had caught in Care of Magical Creatures. They were golden in colour and more trusting than their bright white adult counterparts, allowing the boys to pet them as well. I still wanted an adult unicorn, though.
I increasingly saw the panic in Harry's eyes as we spent every free minute in the library, I even dedicated my free period to Harry's case. I was nervous, we had spent so much time looking through so many books with no luck. I adopted the practice of 'it'll be in the next book' in the hope that if I just kept looking, something would pop out and give me an answer. With Harry, Ron and Hermione now joining me after class, I had a new source of energy.
At 7pm, Madam Pince's hushed voice, which despite her attempts at being quiet, was the loudest voice in the entire library said, "Mr Weasley and Mr Weasley, I have already told you, you are banned from the library!"
"But Madam Pince, McGonagall has sent us…" Fred explained.
"You're going to see that girlfriend of yours, Mr Weasley, who, if she was any wiser would, de-boyfriend you." Madam Pince said.
"Thanks for the advice, I'll let George's girlfriend know." The four of us were in stitches, seeing Madam Pince's face go very red indeed.
When Fred and George approached us I, with my nose still in the book said, "And what are you two doing here? I heard I should be breaking up with you, George. Shame, I liked you."
"Liked?" he was jokingly disgusted.
"We're here for Ron and Hermione. Professor McGonagall wants to see you both."
"You've got to be kidding me." I set the book down.
"No joking." Fred said, "Come on."
Hermione looked uneasy, "We'll meet you both back in the Common Room, bring as many books as you can, okay?"
George looked at me apologetically as I felt like my eyes were going to pop out of my head in panic. He told the other three to go on as I went to grab more books, I felt myself tear up, "Hey! Everything's going to be okay!" he said.
Trying to hold my emotions in, I turned to George and blinked back tears, "This is less and less in our control. We've looked through hundreds of books!"
"One book will give you the answers you need! I'll see you in the morning!" he kissed my forehead, "I have to go…"
We didn't leave the library until we were chucked out at 8pm by Madam Pince, grabbing as many books as we could carry. Harry and I were no further on than we were when we went in…
Back in the Common Room, Harry had many well-wishers approach him. Crookshanks crawled up on Harry's knee and curled up. Lucky to be so calm and relaxed. Was all I could think. "You don't think you could just use 'accio', Harry?" I said to break the tension and hide the fact that I felt like I could throw up. Harry barely smirked. By 2350, we had already searched through every available book and both Ron and Hermione weren't back. Harry looked as exasperated as I felt. "We can do this." I stated, "We're going back to the library. Give me your hand."
A few minutes later, the two of us were in the library, sitting on the floor looking through a pile of books, one at a time, using the light from our wand tips. The two of us fought sleep and continued looking well into the night. We looked through books on hexes, charms, merpeople, water monsters, magical inventions- anything and everything really. We carried books over to a table and sat in complete silence, only broken by Harry saying one in the morning, two in the morning, three in the morning…
24th February
"Miss! Miss! You need to wake up, Miss." I looked at my watch, it was 0920.
"SHIT." I jumped out of my skin, seeing Dobby's big watery eyes looking up at me, "HARRY! WAKE UP!" I shouted. The two of us had fallen asleep in the library.
"Harry Potter must wake up, Sir." Dobby poked Harry who sitting asleep beside me.
I gave him an almighty shove which woke him up in a similar fashion as I did, "We need to go!"
Harry was startled, but quickly caught up with the conversation, "There's no point! I can't breathe, Kathryn!"
"Harry Potter will do the task. Dobby knew Harry had not found the right book, so Dobby did it for him!" Dobby grabbed Harry's attention.
"What?" Harry said hurriedly, "But Dobby, you don't know what the second task is!"
Dobby smiled, "Dobby know's sir! Harry Potter has to go to the Lake and find his Wheezy-"
"My what?"
"They've got Ron!" I gasped, "The merpeople have Ron and Hermione!"
"The thing Harry Potter will miss the most, Sir!" Dobby squeaked quickly, "And past an hour-"
"- the prospect's black…" Harry recited, panic-stricken, "What have I got to do, Dobby?"
Dobby handed Harry a slimy green plant, "You has to eat this, Sir! Right before you go into the lake, Sir. Gillyweed."
"Dobby, are you sure about this?"
Dobby nodded, "Dobby is quite sure, Sir. Dobby hears things, Sir."
"Oh, Dobby, I could kiss you." I got down to the level of the House Elf and placed a massive kiss on his cheek. "Thank you!"
"Good luck, Harry Potter, Sir." Dobby called.
Harry placed the Gillyweed in his pocket, gave me his rucksack and the two of us sprinted. Taking three or four stairs at a time, Harry and I ran out of the front doors of Hogwarts, ignoring any stragglers, all the way down the hill to the Black Lake. The seats that had previously surrounded the Dragon enclosure had now been situated at one side of the lake. As we got closer, the judges were sitting at a gold-draped table – Dumbledore, Karkaroff, Madam Maxime, Ludo and… Percy Weasley.
Completely out of breath, Harry and I arrived at the stands, with the other champions at exactly 0929. Between the two of us, we were hunched over, hands on knees, heaving for our breaths sort of exhausted. Taking a few seconds to regain ourselves, Harry and I stood straight and I wrapped my arms around him, "You can do this! Go find your Wheezy! Good luck, Harry!" I whispered to him, before Dumbledore directed me to join the rest of the spectators in the stands. Harry handed me his socks, shoes and jumper and nodded.
"Thank you, Miss Pink." Dumbledore said with a sparkle in his eye.
As Dumbledore turned his back on me, I got eye contact with Harry, pointed at my pocket and gestured picking out the Gillyweed and eating it. Harry nodded. Looking up into the stands I quickly caught sight of Fred and George who were waving at me frantically. Taking two steps at a time, I caught up with them and squeezed into the space they had saved for me.
"Katy! Where have you been? Talk about close to the line." George wrapped an arm around me with an expression of exasperation.
"Harry and I woke up ten minutes ago." I said looking down at my watch. The boys looked at each other and decided to ignore all the connotations that could bring. There was a sound of a whistle and the spectators surrounding us cheered as the second task began. Krum, Fleur and Cedric all took a run at the water whilst I saw Harry reach into his pocket and ate the Gillyweed, wading through the water. There was a resounding laughter that built up as Harry gradually became submerged. I prayed that the Gillyweed would do its job, and sure enough Harry took a dive into the water and that was the last we saw of him.
"Where are Ron and Hermione?" Fred asked looking around.
"In there." I pointed to the Black Lake, "You two brought them to McGonagall last night and they never returned. Basically, Harry has to rescue Ron and I'm guessing Krum has to rescue Hermione." I said simply.
George continued the conversation, "And when did you work all this out?"
"Erm…" I looked down at my watch again, it was 0935, then I looked out to the water again, "about 15 minutes ago?"
"Do I want to know how Harry is managing to breathe down there?" George asked.
I shrugged my shoulders, "A good friend of ours managed to source some Gillyweed."
I think my lack of concentration and my sheer ambiguity left Fred and George bewildered to the point where they decided not to ask any more questions. My eyes were focused on the water, looking for any ripples or signs of life. At 10am, a nearby watch beeped. I hated not knowing what was going on. I started rocking from side to side on the balls of my feet. As time flew by, my stomach gradually filled with butterflies that knotted and made me feel extremely nervous. At one point, Ginny approached us as I heard her voice. George asked her if she thought I was okay, she assured him that this is exactly how I acted during the first task. George linked his fingers with mine, his warmth made me feel slightly better.
I nearly threw up as a competitor lunged out of the water, coughing and spluttering. It was forty minutes into the task. They were immediately surrounded by Madam Pomfery, Dumbledore, Karkaroff, Bagman and Madam Maxime and I could see nothing. I squeezed George's hand tight, "I've got to go down there, I've got to make sure they're okay… I can't stand up here!" I let go of his hand and bounced down all of the steps, pushing past the surrounding students to see Fleur Delacour looking as though she was in shock. "Give the girl space to breathe! Goodness me!" I said, reiterating what Madam Pomfery was saying.
"Ah. Miss Pink, I'm surprised I haven't seen you sooner, you always like to be in the thick of it!" Madam Pomfery smiled as she saw my face, wrapping Fleur in a massive fluffy blanket, "Pass me one of those towels, would you?"
"You can't expect me to stand there and do nothing, could you?" I said, grabbing a towel and walking back over to Madam Pomfery, wrapping it around Fleur's hair and gently drying it off for her.
"Gabrielle…" Fleur kept repeating, her robes were ripped and her arms and legs were covered in cuts. She refused to let Madam Pomfery treat her.
Bagman took a few steps towards the spectator stands and announced, "Miss Delacour was forced to retire due to an unexpected attack from a number of Grindylows."
"I'm very sorry to hear that, Fleur." I consoled her, "Grindylows can be vicious creatures… I'm sure you gave them a good run for their money." I said as Madam Pomfery was telling Fleur to slow down her breathing, "Is Gabrielle your sister?" I asked.
Fleur looked at me and nodded, "She will be taken by ze Merpeople!" she started breathing more heavily again.
"No, she won't!" I said confidently, even though I felt anything but confident, "Three of my best friends are down there, between them they'll look after Gabrielle and bring her back up here! You'll be able to cuddle her in no time!" I nodded. Madam Maxime had been giving me a couple of strange looks, but as I talked to Fleur she seemed to back off a bit. "You have beautiful hair." I complimented her, using my fingers to brush it out of her face, struggling to make conversation with someone I don't know, "Mine's a curly mess when it gets soaked!"
Fleur reached out and touched one of my curls but said nothing. Madam Pomfery handed her a strong cup of tea and told her to drink up, having added the pepper-up potion to it, to make her feel warmer. I heard the crowd murmur that the hour was up. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach. I looked around and saw Percy standing on the balls of his feet, nervously waiting. He must have been standing in for Mr Crouch. It was quite unlike him, looking so pale and far from composed.
Next thing, I saw Cedric and Cho's heads emerge from the water. Madam Pomfery sprang into action again as Cedric hoisted himself out of the water and gave Cho a hand. He gave Cho the blanket before taking one for himself and insisted that Madam Pomfery saw to her first. I got this warm feeling watching them together, he clearly deeply cares for her.
"Well done!" I whispered to Cedric, handing him a cup of tea infused with the pepper-up potion.
"Thanks!" he nodded, "Last time I saw Harry, he was doing just fine."
"Good." I said, looking out at the Black Lake again, the two of us sat in silence for a minute as he caught his breath back, "Cedric?"
He looked up at me as I looked out at the water, "Hmmm?"
"I'm sorry for yelling at you before the Quidditch World Cup…"
"It's fine, it's forgotten about, I shouldn't have been so insensitive…"
"I had a few broken ribs, not that you were to know…"
"Oh... I'm sorry."
"As you said, it's all water under the bridge." I said, "I just wanted to apologise." Cho nosily came to Cedric's side and I said, "You've got a great guy, here, keep a good hold of him." I smiled.
Before either Cho or Cedric had a chance to respond, Hermione and Krum were visible above the water. Krum's face appeared to change from that of a shark to his own. His arm was around Hermione and brought her to the side of the stands, I put a hand out and helped pull her up as he got out, grabbing two blankets from Madam Pomfery. Hermione wrapped her arms around me and held me tight. She looked around, "Where are Harry and Ron?"
"Not back yet…" I said, "you two are already twelve minutes over…" I took the blanket from Krum and wrapped it around Hermione as I filled her in, "I'll have to fill you in about this morning where there aren't as many people listening."
Hermione beamed, "So you figured it out?"
"Harry figured it out all on his own." I said carefully, Madam Pomfery came over with some pepper-up potion and a towel. "So… you are Viktor's most sorely missed person." I pouted slightly.
"Shut up, you." She chuckled, her cheeks going pink.
"Herm-own-ninny." Krum interrupted, holding two cups of tea, beckoning Hermione's attention. He took her off to the side, out of earshot of everyone else. Karkaroff looked over at them with a look of displease. I left them to it, sitting beside Fleur, who I was feeling increasingly like, looking out at the Black Lake expectantly.
A nail-biting ten-minute wait saw Ron, Gabrielle and finally Harry arise out of the Black Lake. "Oh, thank goodness!" I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding. The crowd around us erupted in cheers! Ludo Bagman clapped loudly behind us.
"Gabrielle can't swim!" Fleur yelled, trying to get up from her seated position, but Madam Maxime held her back, Fleur had enough injuries without getting any more going into the water after her sister, "Someone, please, save 'er!"
I crawled to the edge of the stands and saw Gabrielle struggling, grabbing Harry and Ron's attention, I pointed to Gabrielle and both boys put their arms around her, guiding her towards me, where I pulled her out of the water, wrapped her in a blanket and passed her over to Fleur who was about to rip though Madame Maxime's grip. The look on her face was one of gratitude as she hugged her sister tightly.
Percy jumped into the water and waded out, grabbing hold of Ron and wrapping him in one of the blankets. I took a hold of Harry when he got close enough to me. After wrapping the blanket around him and giving him a dose of the pepper-up potion I wrapped my arms around him and held him tight, "You did it! I'm so proud of you!" Harry smiled at me. I saw the Merpeople all crowding around Dumbledore who was in deep conversation with them, no doubt finding out what exactly happened down in the depths. As soon as Hermione was able, she grabbed Harry and started questioning him on what had happened.
"You haff a water-beetle in your hair, Herm-own-ninny." Krum said, trying to grab back her attention. Hermione put her hands through her hair and got rid of the water-beetle impatiently. Madam Pomfery went to rescue Ron from Percy's clutches after seeing to Gabrielle.
I found myself made redundant in the situation and sat down beside Krum, "Don't worry, they're like brother and sister." I ensured as Krum was about to turn green with envy. I imagine he was a little annoyed that Harry was getting all of Hermione's attention, even though he was the one who rescued her. "Congrats, by the way!"
"Thanks!" Krum gave me a small smile.
Fleur made her way to Harry and Ron, who had now been sorted, "You saved 'er!" she said to Harry, "Even though she was not your 'ostage."
"Yeah…" Harry said, looking awfully embarrassed with himself.
Fleur bent down and kissed Harry, twice on each cheek, "And you, you 'elped!" she said to Ron, kissing him twice on each cheek, as well.
It took everything I had not to cheer.
Hermione did not look one bit amused.
Ludo Bagman then stood, raising his wand to his face and made his announcement, "Ladies and Gentlemen, we have reached our decision. Merchieftainess Murcus has told us exactly what happened at the bottom of the lake, and we have therefore decided to award our marks out of fifty for each of the champions, as follows… Miss 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."
This was followed by applause from the stands.
"I deserved zero." Fleur said throatily, shaking her head, her hair floating effortlessly.
"Mr Cedric Diggory," Ludo continued, "who also used the Bubble-Head charm was first to return with his hostage, though he returned one minute outside the time limit of one hour, we therefore award him forty-seven points!"
Cheering erupted from the stands, more so from the section of Hufflepuffs holding up many banners branding Cedric's name.
"Mr 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." Karkaroff was the individual who clapped the most.
"Mr Harry Potter used Gillyweed to great effect," Ludo continued, "He returned last, and well outside of the time limit of one 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 the hostages to safety, not merely his own."
Ron and Hermione gave Harry half-exasperated, half-commiserating looks. I sat where I was and laughed. That was definitely our Harry. Ludo continued, "Most of the judges feel that this shows moral fibre and merits full marks. However… Mr Potter's score is forty-five points."
"WHOOOOOOO!" I cheered, "MR MORAL FIBRE!" applauding with the rest of the crowd.
I got a tap on my shoulder on the way back to the castle, "You alright now?"
I smiled, taking a hold of George's hand, "Oh yeah, I'm back to being me again, no more crazy, worried girlfriend… until 24th June, that is."