Harry was, he had to admit, completely lost. It didn't help that Matthew expected him to know his way around the Tardis as if it wasn't just one giant maze. All he knew was that his friend wanted to kickstart his training with his untapped magical powers, especially with the Second Task beginning to loom ever closer. So he was supposed to meet him in some sort of room that would help the process. Hermione had described it as best she could, but even she was at a loss for words most of the time when it came to the ship. The biggest issue was that the Tardis had a lot of rooms and hardly any of them had labels. He was going to suggest investing in signs to help weary travellers wandering the hallways for an eternity.

He knew that was actually happening here, of course. It was a test. If he located the room, then it would be some sort of sign that he was ready for this. Matthew tended to do things like this without expressly saying so. It had the potential to be rather annoying, especially when it led to moments of pure confusion like this. Harry had been working on his self control and meditation, but this was understandably the biggest step yet. Harry could picture himself producing magic without the need of a wand, thinking about the way Hermione had described it with fiery passion. He really wanted to do that. For ages now he had still been sore that Matthew and Hermione had been able to share this bond but his inclusion was imminent. He just had to find the blasted room.

More than anything, Harry was viewing this as a delay that he couldn't necessarily afford. The next stage of the Triwizard Tournament was on the horizon and he still hadn't figured out how to make the golden egg work properly. It was still screeching whenever he opened it like a horrendous alarm. Trying to hit it had only made things worse and he didn't want to risk using a spell on it. His tactic of leaving it alone had been abandoned, instead going in the completely different direction. He was now carrying it around everywhere he went, as if inspiration could strike at any moment. Including now. Yes, it was silly to be taking the egg with him to training but you never knew what passing comment could ignite the perfect realisation.

He was beginning to talk to the Tardis as he wandered around. Harry had seen Matthew do the same when he was in the console room, as if the ship was somehow a sentient being. Maybe that was the trick. Maybe he just had to ask nicely for directions and they would suddenly appear on the wall. No such luck. Making conversation with the egg was the next option, proving just how insane he was gradually growing. Shouting for help didn't do anything either. He'd hoped that Matthew would come running in that eventuality but it seemed that he was too deep within the innards of the ship to actually be heard. That was a troubling thought. He could imagine his friend watching him through a security feed, laughing with every wrong turn he took. Or perhaps he would never be seen again and people would ask what had happened to the famous, heavily burdened boy. He wondered what the response would be.

The one tactic Harry had, adding to the amount of time he'd spent down there already, was looking in every room he came across. If the situation had been different, he might have spent more time investigating, marvelling at the hidden gems the Tardis had to offer. He was sure that he had walked past the library twice already and, unless Matthew had three cinema rooms, he was definitely going in a mind-bending loop. Soon, even the process of opening and closing doors was becoming tedious.

Until he turned the handle of one and discovered a swimming pool inside. Harry was sure that he'd lost his mind. Of all the things he'd been expecting to come across, it certainly wasn't this. He ventured inside, still gripping his prize from the First Task, just having a nosy around. He was owed that at least. It was a gorgeous location, mind-boggling to say the least. The water looked pristine and crystal blue, making Harry wonder whether Matthew had to clean it out every so often or whether there was a spell to do that job. The pool itself was surrounded by pearl tiles. Harry wanted to know whether his friend actually used this place a lot. Did he sit on top of the lifeguard's chair despite no one else swimming there?

He was so distracted that he didn't notice that one of the gorgeous tiles was wet from the water. His hands latched onto the egg, they were unable to help him balance as he slipped over the solitary patch and he went flying into the water. It was colder than he'd been expecting, a shock to his body. And yet it wasn't the most surprising thing he found under the depths. There was music playing, a soothing voice singing some sort of melody. At first, Harry thought it was coming from the walls of the pool, before noticing that the egg had clattered onto the floor upon being dropped, opening it. The golden glow was still there but the wailing was no longer present, replaced with the ethereal sounds.

Breathing quickly became a pressing necessity so he dragged himself back to the surface, gasping for air greedily. Harry could just about make out that the music was still playing and so he dived down once again, this time focusing on the words being sung.

Come seek us where our voices sound

We cannot sing above the ground

And while you're searching, ponder this

We've taken what you'll sorely miss

An hour long you'll have to look,

And to recover what we took

But past an hour, the prospect's black

Too late, it's gone, it won't come back

He repeated the process four more times, doing his best to memorise each line. After all, he didn't know whether this was a one time thing. Why had it been activated by the water? Was it something to do with that or the Tardis? Why did the voice sound strangely menacing? Probably because, whoever or whatever it belonged to, it was threatening to take something from him. He shuddered at the thought, his shiver not solely down to the fact that he was now standing out of the water. He found a towel floating next to him, appearing out of thin air, and he took it gratefully.

Buoyed by his discovery, Harry raced through the Tardis corridors. It was almost as if the breakthrough had cleared his mind, making it easier to navigate the correct path through the hallways. When he eventually, much to his relief, stumbled across the right room, he found Matthew sitting in the middle of a rather bland looking space, sipping a cup of tea. It was a sight that wouldn't have made much sense to people not used to his friend's behaviour. Had he created the hot drink from scratch or had he conjured up a kettle and made it properly? It probably wasn't the most important question.

Matthew looked up at the sound of the door opening. "Ah, there you are! Took you long enough! It's typical that you arrive just as I made myself a drink…" He paused, seeming to scan Harry properly. "Is there a reason why you're soaking wet? Did you guys have a water fight without me? Wait, don't tell me. It'd hurt less not to know."

WIthout saying a word, Harry simply held up the egg, which answered the question for Matthew. He placed the cup down slowly. "Oh. I guess we're going to have to postpone the training, hey?"

xxxxxxxxxx

"Run through it again for me."

Hermione had been all too eager to learn about the latest development as soon as the pair had made it back to Gryffindor Tower. The three of them had selected one of the tables furthest away from the crowds, wanting to keep this to themselves. And people would be attracted by the sight of the egg, wanting to know everything they could about the tournament and the second task. As it was, they just looked as if they were having an extremely focused study period, which was always going to be enough to keep everyone else away from them.

Harry sighed. "I've already recited it twice."

"And I want to hear it again! This is important! This is the only help we're going to get."

"What happened to wanting to do the bare minimum and just surviving?"

"Trust me, that's exactly what I'd like to do. That's definitely what my parents want. You should have heard them after the First Task when they found out I was forced to compete. Dumbledore was taken to town by my mother. They don't understand the magic behind it, which isn't really their fault. They'd prefer it if I didn't take part but I think they've resigned themselves to the fact that they can't get that wish. The next best option would be to just make it through unscathed."

"I'm sensing a 'but' coming," Matthew commented.

" But …I'm concerned about the wording of this clue," Hermione admitted. "Really concerned, which is why I just need you to read it again, so I can make sure I'm not jumping to the wrong conclusions."

Harry had scribbled down the short poetic song, pretty much from his memory after listening to it in the swimming pool. It wasn't something that he was likely to forget soon, with the strangely terrifying voice still singing away in his head. He passed the piece of parchment towards his friend, sliding it across the table as if it was something top secret. He watched as Hermione's eyes darted from side to side as she read it, worrying at her lip more and more as she did so.

"What's the bit that's worrying you the most?" Harry asked. There was plenty in such a short collection of words to increase his heart rate with nerves.

"Mainly where it says they're going to take something from us," she answered. "Something valuable. Something we wouldn't want to lose."

"Are you thinking of some sort of personal belonging?" Harry wondered what would be chosen for him. His wand? That wouldn't really be fair because there would be no chance of him making it through the task. Unless that was the point, to really test his skills without magic. He really needed to start his training with Matthew if that was the case. Maybe they would take the photo album of his parents, the only real physical connection he had left to his deceased family. Would they be that cruel? They had just put him up against a dragon so they evidently didn't have many limits.

"What if it's a person?" Hermione put to them nervously. "Would an object be a real incentive to do this? Most things can be replaced. But someone you cared about…well, I know I'd be willing to do anything to save them." She glanced over at Matthew quickly, but was also thinking about her parents. Would the organisers really bring them into this chaos? She wouldn't put it past them.

"Surely they wouldn't risk people's lives. Dumbledore wouldn't allow that!"

"They risked our lives by sticking us in a confined space with dragons!" Hermione argued. "You would have been eaten if it wasn't for Matthew getting lucky with his timings."

"Or maybe I'm just that good," the boy in question retorted.

She glared at him. "Now isn't the time for jokes. This is serious. As for Dumbledore…we've already seen that, as powerful and influential as he is, he doesn't have as much control over the tournament as we'd like. Otherwise we wouldn't still be a part of this mess. If the Ministry wants drama and, dare I say it, entertainment value…having that element of danger would definitely increase public engagement." She hated thinking like those in charge, having such a cynical view of the world, seeing the Champions as pawns in their diplomatic game.

"Say that they do take people we care about the most…then what? We have an hour to rescue them?" Harry felt the time limit was the most clear cut thing about the clue.

"And the wording makes it abundantly clear that that's all you get. Nothing more."

"I've already figured out that this has something to do with underwater creatures. That has to be why the egg only works in that environment. Whoever is involved can't be heard above ground. The obvious location would have to be the Great Lake. I'm not that clued up on what lives down there. I doubt the Giant Squid can sing, or at least that well."

"Merpeople can though," Matthew said. "And I think there's a decent sized population in the lake. Dumbledore might have been able to convince them to take part. I certainly wouldn't want to mess with them though."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

Matthew patted Harry on the back. "You're welcome. It's what I'm here for."

"So…we have to reach the spot where the merpeople live and…take back what they stole from us."

"Before they die," Hermione added gravely.

"Are Merpeople the sort of creatures to just hand something back if you ask nicely?"

"Maybe if you sing them a song?" Matthew suggested.

"I reckon that'd just make matters worse with my singing voice."

Hermione tapped the scrap of parchment impatiently. "We're overlooking something important though."

Harry could easily tell what line of the song she was pointing to. "The time limit of the task. An hour. Not very long to find the colony and rescue our target"

"But an extremely long amount of time to be swimming underwater."

Harry's face went pale. "I was worrying so much about someone being taken that I didn't even think about that." His head was spinning. He wasn't even that good of a swimmer. He'd never had lessons. That had been a luxury solely reserved for Dudley. The Dursleys weren't exactly going to spend money on him for something like that. How was he supposed to swim for an hour, let alone without breathing? And the Great Lake would be freezing cold, especially in February. The task had become a little more daunting already. "There has to be some sort of charm to help you with that, otherwise how would they expect you to do this?"

"There isn't exactly a spell to ward off dragons and they still expected you to survive in those conditions," Matthew reminded him.

Hermione's brow was furrowed. "The perfect thing to do would obviously be to transfigure ourselves into something that can last underwater. Perhaps a submarine. But we haven't learnt human transfigurations yet, another reason why the other champions have that advantage over us."

"It'd be too risky to attempt it with only a couple weeks' notice. It could go spectacularly wrong and fail whilst you're at the bottom of the lake. Not to mention the lasting damage if you got the spell slightly off."

"I don't especially want a periscope forever attached to my head," Harry said. "We saw what Moody did to Malfoy earlier in the year. Maybe if we annoy him enough right before the task, he'll do the job for us."

"Ferrets are just as poorly suited for long distance, underwater swimming as we are," Hermione replied, as if she had truly considered it as an option. She was distracted by the sight of Matthew leaning back in his chair, a smile on his face. "What has gotten you so happy? I wouldn't expect you to be excited about the prospect of us drowning."

"That's not going to happen," Matthew assured her. "Because I just had a brilliant idea that those judges will never see coming."

xxxxxxxxxx

The library was slowly becoming their primary home with the amount of time they were spending there. Harry sat in their usual corner with Hermione, books spread out between them, all left open on various pages. Matthew was currently absent, who had been strangely tight-lipped about his plans for the Second Task. It was annoying them both, especially since it meant they were left still rifling through hundreds of spells, searching for one that might help them if he didn't come true. Hermione would huff whenever she came to the end of her latest book without any major discovery. It was becoming the first time that books had ever let her down. And with only two days left until the task, she couldn't afford to fall at this stumbling block.

Harry should have been more focused on the task at hand. It was, after all, a possible life or death situation. Not just for them, but also potentially for their closest loved ones, if it was indeed designed in the way they'd understood it. Yet he found himself occasionally glancing around the old, large room, distracted from his efforts. He told himself that it was just because they'd made absolutely no progress and the work had become incredibly boring, which was definitely true. But he secretly knew that he also wanted to see Margot, a reason why he had been so eager to return to the library.

Since they were in such close proximity, Hermione was quick to pick up on the fact that he wasn't being as studious as her, even though she was losing her patience as well. She looked up, watching him for a few moments as his eyes darted around the room. She might have considered telling him off for not doing as he'd been told since it was crucial that they found a solution to their most recent problem, but she chose to smile instead. She understood that look on his face. It was the look of a boy who was completely clueless when it came to things away from academia.

"Have you spoken to her since the ball?" she asked quietly, abandoning the books for now.

Harry was obviously startled by her voice, jumping up in his chair and looking at her sheepishly. He was doing his best to appear composed, which he was failing at miserably. "What are you talking about?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Boys," she muttered disparagingly under her breath. "You're obviously trying to see if Margot is here."

"I thought I was being discreet," Harry said with a dejected pout.

"You've been looking around for at least half an hour."

"You noticed it for that long and didn't say anything?"

"Who am I to stand in the way of a crush?"

Harry's cheeks turned red. "I wouldn't…I mean…I don't think…it's that."

"Harry…we're facing something incredibly dangerous that could have serious ramifications for people we care about…and yet you're still focused on her more than anything. I'd call that a crush for sure."

"No…to answer your earlier question."

"Pardon?"

"I haven't spoken to her since the dance. I've tried to! But, whenever I catch a glimpse of her in the corridors, she's always surrounded by other Beauxbatons students…and I get nervous."

"What does a dashing young man like yourself need to be feeling nervous for? Those girls would love to talk to you. And I'm sure Margot would want you to be a bit braver and more confident. You have to show her that you like her. She's probably in a similar position as you right now, waiting for you to finally make a move."

"Easier said than done."

"I wouldn't be too quick to dismiss the idea. After all, it's what attracted me to you in the end. How brave you were in the face of adversity."

Harry waggled his eyebrows. "So you were attracted to me, huh?"

"Maybe I chose my words poorly there."

"Nuh uh! Hermione Granger never does that. I'm not letting you off the hook that easily. Wait until I tell Matthew about this…"

"Don't you dare!"

"I wonder how he'll feel when he finds out. He'll probably understand. I mean, who can blame you for not being able to resist my charms?"

"The same charms that are preventing you from talking to the girl that you actually like?" Hermione gave him a sickly sweet smile that held a sharp dose of venom. It wasn't enough to deter him, meaning he was either being incredibly cocky or extremely stupid. Or both.

"Don't get all defensive just because I've found out you secretly like me more than him."

"I'm not choosing one out of either of you."

Harry's smile dropped slightly. "I think you did that a long time ago, 'Mione, maybe without ever realising it. You've always had a soft spot for him."

"That doesn't take away the love I have for you though." Maybe it was strange for people their age to talk about platonic love but how else could she possibly describe her emotions after everything they'd been through?

"I know, I know." Harry held up his hands. "I just saw the way you two were dancing at the ball."

"I also danced with you, remember."

"Yeah but not like that . When we danced, it was fun and carefree. But when I saw you two…it just looked right."

She couldn't help the delicate smile forming on her face. "And if you can see that, then it really must be obvious."

Harry frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're very intelligent when it comes to a lot of things but not nearly as much when it comes to matters of the heart. As has been shown by your inability to talk to the girl who you clearly enjoyed spending time with."

"I can be good with stuff like this!" he argued, feeling the need to defend himself. "I'll have you know that I gave Matthew some great advice when it came to…" Harry came up short.

Hermione looked at him with wide eyes. "He asked you about me, didn't he?"

"I'm not allowed to say."

"Because you're scared of him?"

"That's a factor, yes."

"But you're not scared of me as well?"

"Can't I be terrified of you both?"

"What did he say to you, Harry?"

"Probably the same as he's said to you!"

Hermione hummed. "And what did you say to him?"

"We've already established that I shouldn't be listened to when it comes to stuff like this." He was definitely sweating. He could feel it dripping from his forehead. He felt like he was under interrogation. Was she shining a light in his face? No, that was just the sun, staring through the windows at him almost intently as Hermione was.

"Harry James Potter."

"I can't believe you expect to make me spill the beans just because you used my middle name."

She was glaring at him now. "Fine. Don't tell me. But don't expect any help when it comes to Margot then. Because you obviously don't want the opinion of someone who understands the way girls work."

That was tempting. Hermione was right. She had the best insight into how Margot must have been feeling. But then could he betray Matthew just for this? Was it really a betrayal when the pair of them had basically gone on a date already? Maybe he could run for it. He was faster than his friend and the door was fairly close by. Once he made it to the staircases, he would be able to lose her. And then all he would have to do was hide from her. Forever. Maybe not as good of a plan as he'd first thought.

Harry let out a long sigh. "All I told him was that…he deserved to be happy after all he's been through. More than anything, he was worried about how I would feel about the situation."

"And how did you respond?" she asked quietly, sensing an opportunity to discover how he felt as well.

"Respond to what?"

Matthew was standing by the table, having somehow crept up on them. He had a large bag hanging over his shoulder that he inelegantly dropped to the floor. They weren't very good at hiding their guilty expressions, though he didn't seem to notice. He was smiling, at least, giving Harry hope that they'd gotten away with it. As long as the boy hadn't heard the rest of the conversation.

"We were just talking about…my inability to talk to Margot," Harry bluffed, giving Hermione a pointed look to make her play along. "I thought Hermione would be able to give me some advice."

"I'm hurt that you didn't come to me but I can't deny that Hermione is a lot smarter than me, especially in this field."

"Yeah…um…we were discussing…how she hasn't seemed to want to have any alone time with me since the ball."

Matthew patted him on the shoulder. "I'm sure she'll come around. And, if she doesn't, you'll always have us two. Or is that not as reassuring as I think it is?"

Harry laughed far too loudly for what was a rather tame joke, prompting the librarian to send a piercing gaze in his direction. Matthew appeared confused by his overreaction, looking at Hermione for some sort of explanation, but she was too busy trying to take a peek inside the bag he'd brought to be helpful.

"What on earth are you carrying in there?" she asked, grateful to move on from the previous discussion. It was making her head spin. Maybe talking about the tournament would be better for her heart, which highlighted just how flustered she'd become.

Matthew grinned. "This…is how you're going to make it through the task." With a loud grunt, he picked up the bag and shifted it onto the table, which seemed to groan under the heavy weight. He undid a strap, allowing the sack to fall away, revealing some strange-looking clothes and silver canisters with nozzles on the top.

"Are those…oxygen tanks?"

"You bet. And swimsuits to go with them. I may have popped out in the Tardis to do some shopping."

"How did you pay for this stuff?" Harry wondered, as if it were important right now.

"Who said I did?" Matthew's expression was playfully unreadable, messing with his friends with a great deal of relish.

"Surely the organisers won't allow this," Hermione protested.

"That's the thing…I went to Dumbledore to run through the rules, suggesting this hypothetically , and there was nothing that said you couldn't use this sort of equipment. Remember, wizards are completely tone death when it comes to Muggle contraptions. It never even occurred to them that this was a viable option."

"But…don't they give you a score based on the magic you use to survive?" Harry pointed out.

"We've already established that we don't care about the points. All that matters is that you both survive, which I'm helping with. A thank you would be nice!"

Hermione smiled at him gratefully. "It's a very good idea, I have to give you that."

"I do have one every once in a while."

"How long can you go underwater with them though?"

Matthew looked less eager to answer that. "Well…the guy on the counter said that it depends how deep you go. Obviously, we have no clue where the merpeople live so we can't account for that. But it seems that it should be around about an hour."

"About an hour isn't very good if it stops before sixty minutes," Harry said warily.

"A very good point, of course. But that's just a guide! They always underestimate stuff like this just to cover their bases! I have strong faith that this will work. And if it doesn't…well, I was going to say that I could pick you up in the Tardis again but she's never been a big fan of water."