Harry Potter: Raised By Roses

Chapter Seventy-One: Diving Into A New Problem... Literally

A task in the Black Lake was not something that any of them had wanted to do. Sure, they could all swim, but why would anyone want to ever swim in a lake filled with psycho mermaids, a giant squid, and who even knows what else could be down there. It was probably one of the most unexplored places at Hogwarts, second only to the Chamber of Secrets. And since Viktor and Atem's magical powers had nothing to do with water, they were having a more difficult time than the others.

Harry was certainly worried about who they would choose for their hostages. He was not sure if it would be one of his siblings or one of the twins. But if it was any of them, those that put them down there would have hell to pay. They better be able to run fast, or magically get away, since he would be coming for their heads. Nothing is worse than an animal whose pack/herd/flock was threatened. Plus, he, Fred, and George were really just starting to blossom into an actual boyfriend relationship and he did not want either of them to be hurt. And it was the same with Cedric and Krinos.

"I am still not sure if I will even be able to go down into the lake," Viktor admitted to the group as they all sat down in the library. "I am a fire mage. It's like asking for something to go wrong."

"Being completely honest, I am surprised that nothing has gone wrong already," T'challa stated.

"You are not helping, cat boy," Harry groaned as he hit his head against the table in front of him.

"I should have made more headache potion," Krinos had run out of it over an hour ago.

"I certainly could have used some more," Cedric groaned.

The older boy basically collapsed as he sat down next to Krinos. They were all in the library portion of the Crystal Rose tree. And yes, there was an actual library inside of the three that Lily had grown for when they traveled to Hogwarts. Since the students did have to continue with their classes, they needed more than just the books that they had packed when they were chosen to come with the other potential champions.

It was definitely not as big as the library at Crystal Rose, but it still worked and had all of the information that they needed. And even if they did not have the right books, there was usually a student or two that did have that type of knowledge in their head. Weilan was proving very helpful given that she was a mermaid mage and knew almost everything about the creatures that live around or in the water.

"What up with you, Mister Grumpy," Melody giggled.

"Cho Chang, the Ravenclaw seeker, has been getting on my nerves," Cedric answered.

"Wasn't she one of those that was shouting insults about mystic souls when all the schools arrived here," Harry asked.

"Yeah, she was," Cedric says.

"What about her is bothering you," Krinos asked his boyfriend.

"She seems to have gotten it into her mind that we are 'perfect' for each other," Cedric rolled his eyes. "She was not very happy when she saw you and me at the ball together."

"Well, too bad for her," Krinos snuggled up to his boyfriend. "You are very much taken."

"Does not seem to stop her from trying," Cedric was definitely annoyed. "She is one of those girls that thinks just because she is pretty means that she can get any guy that she wants simply because she wants him."

"She is one of those that pick on you, right, Luna," Melody asked the blond.

"She is simply close-minded," Luna says. "The nargles have clouded her mind and prevented her and most of those at Hogwarts from thinking outside of the box."

"I really would like to know how you know about those creatures and where you get your information from," T'challa asked her.

But Luna only gave him a soft smile and did not reply. That was certainly another thing about mystic souls that was better than wand-users. They were more accepting of those like Luna and her odd creatures. They did not act like she was crazy like others usually did. Luna might still be crazy, but it was a good kind of crazy like with Fred and George.