The Girl Who Was A Secret - George Weasley

Chapter 17

Sarah's POV

We've all been back at school for about two weeks, the second task was next week and all that the contestants had gotten was a golden egg. As far as I know, none of them really knew what it meant. At least Harry didn't. All he got was some clue with water.

"You said you'd already worked out that egg clue!" I said.

"Keep your voice down!" said Harry crossly, "I just need to sort of fine tune it I guess."

Harry, Ron, Hermione and I were sitting at the very back of the common room by ourselves. We were supposed to do our homework but all we could really talk about was that egg.

"Just stop talking about the egg for a minute, all right?" Harry hissed.

"But Harry, we should really start thinking about some ideas on how you're going to survive underwater for more than an hour next week," I said.

He sighed but nodded his head, "I know."

Ron quite liked the idea of using the summoning charm again. Harry had explained about aqualungs, and Ron couldn't see why Harry shouldn't summon one from the nearest muggle town. Hermione squashed this plan pointing out that, in the unlikely event that Harry managed to learn how to operate an aqualung within the set limit of an hour, he was sure to be disqualified for breaking the International Code of Wizarding Secrecy. It was too much to hope that no muggles would spot an aqualung zooming across the countryside to Hogwarts.

"Of course, the ideal solution would be for you to transfigure yourself into a submarine or something," I said.

"I don't fancy walking around with a periscope sticking out of my head if that goes wrong," said Harry.

"I think your best chance is going through some books," George said.

We all turned around facing him.

"How long have you been standing there?" Hermione asked.

"Long enough for me to know that you guys still haven't figured out how to make him breathe underwater for longer than an hour."

"George is right though," Hermione said, "We don't have time to go to the library anymore, but we can go tomorrow."

We all agreed and went to bed.

The next few days were spent in the library looking through every book on every shelf until Harry finally found the word 'water' on a page, but it wasn't more than 'Take two pints of water, half a pound of shredded mandrake leaves and a newt, ...'

"I don't reckon it can be done," said Ron.

"There's nothing. Nothing. Closest was that thing to dry up puddles and ponds, that Drought charm, but that was nowhere near powerful to drain a whole lake," George replied.

"There must be something," I muttered, moving a candle closer to me. My eyes were so tired I was poring over the tiny print of Old and Forgotten Bewitchments and Charms with my nose an inch from the paper. "They would never set a task that was undoable."

"They have," said George, "Harry, just go down to that stupid lake tomorrow, right, stick your head in, yell at the merpeople to give back whatever they nicked and see if they chuck it out. Best you can do, mate."

"There's a way of doing it! There just has to be!" I said crossly.

I took it as a personal insult that the library lacked the useful information we needed.

"I know what I should've done," said Harry, resting his face on some books, "I should've learnt to be an Animagus like Sirius."

"Yeah, you could've turned into a goldfish any time you wanted!" said Ron.