Mischief - Book Two of the RP Saga

26. The Murky Waters of the Black Lake

Harry was angry. Harry was furious. Harry could not believe they'd do this to him. They left him, Rachel, Ron and Hermione had left him. When he had finally returned to the common that night, discussing gillyweed with Neville, he actually felt quite excited at the prosper of the second task. He was dying to tell the others he had figured out how to do the second task.

But they weren't there.

Harry couldn't find them, even after he had asked around. He assumed simply they were still with McGonagall, which was true, they were with her currently. Though they were wishing they weren't. In a strop, Harry got dressed and threw himself beneath the covers of his bed, drawing the curtains around him. For hours he lay awake, listening out for Ron to creep back in.

But he never did. Well, not while Harry was still awake.

He slipped into a deep slumber, which he would have been surprised by if he hadn't been so tired. But only ten minutes after Harry had fallen into a sudden dream state did Ron walk in. Quietly, as though not to wake the others he reached his bed and pulled out his uniform from his trunk and left just like that. When he reached the door, he looked back over at where Harry's bed was and sighed.

"Good luck, mate." He said barely above a whisper and went out the room.

He slowly padded down the steps, wishing he could just quickly shake Harry awake and tell him what was happening. But he couldn't. The consequences would be unbelievable and it wasn't worth the risk. Hopefully Harry would figure out that they were the 'object of value'. Once the stairs had ended, Ron met up with Rachel and Hermione. Basking in the darkness, they squinted to see each other better, all of them now holding uniform in their hands as they had been instructed to. 

"Is he asleep?" Rachel said, her voice sounding as though it was ready to break into a cry.

"I think so." Ron replied, nodding though it would be near impossible for her to see his head move.

"I wish I could ju-"

"We can't, Rach." Hermione quietly spoke, not meaning to worry her or upset her even further.

"Yo-you're right." Rachel cleared her throat a little. "We better go."

And so they did, down to the hospital wing where they were to greet McGonagall as well as other Professors, Gabrielle Delacour and to take a potion. A potion that would send them into a sleep deeper than Harry's where they'd then be placed under the murky waters of the Black Lake to be retrieved.

Quite suddenly, Harry's eyes shot open to be greeted by a haze of sunlight streaking through a gap in his hideous bed drapes. Screwing up his face, he sat up and put his glasses on his face before chucking open the curtains. Ron's bed lay just as it had when Harry had entered the previous night; scruffy and unmade.

It then hit Harry, today was the task. 

After dressing in an appropriate attire, he made his way down to breakfast alone. Unaware of the fact that his three closest friends were not having any and were not in any way conscious. So when he walked into the hall, he was very reluctant to where he was going to sit.

Cedric sat, swarmed by many Hufflepuff's and anyone who opposed Harry being in the games, at his table looking rather happy. But then there was Harry sat alone, prodding a bit of porridge with a spoon. He was however not alone for long before Seamus, Dean, Neville and some others joined him; smiling encouragingly and Neville looking over at Harry with an expression of extreme severity.

"Where's Rachel?" Aspen piped up, she had quite frequently sat by the Gryffindor's these days seeing as her and Seamus were together, they were quite the cute couple everyone would agree behind their backs.