PARALLEL {Cedric Diggory | Harry Potter}

Seventeen

Lori put her things on one of the shelves after closing the door behind her, sitting down next to him with her legs crossed, "If anyone can figure out what this egg means, it's you."

He grimaced, throwing the egg into the water, spinning as it disappeared below the scented liquid, "Thanks for the faith, Lori, but I'm all out of ideas."

He put his head in his hands, rubbing his eyes with the base of his palm. Lori put her hand on his shoulder comfortingly. A faint chiming was coming from near them, small bubbles floating to the surface.

"What the hell is that?" Cedric asked, pulling him and Lori to their feet.

She smiled at him, "I think it's coming from the egg."

They looked at each other in excitement, as Cedric pulled his scarf off and threw it to the side. Still clothed, he dived straight into the water.

He surfaced, smiling triumphantly, "Lori, you better see this.

With a confused expression, she pulled her boots and red cloak off, leaving her in her red and gold jumper and her beige flying trousers, before slowly slipping over the side. She swam over to him, his expression one of glee as he held the now open egg underwater.

Both taking one last deep breath, the pair dipped their heads under the water.

"Come seek us where our voices sound, we cannot sing above the ground. An hour long you'll have to look - to recover what we took."

The voice was oddly eerie and calming at the same time, coming from the opalescent interior of the egg. Under the water, they looked at each other, their hair fanning out from their heads and wearing smiles.

They surfaced, hair plastered to their face and clothes tight around their bodies as Cedric climbed out, offering his hand to Lori and pulling her onto the side.

"I thought you said you were all out of ideas?" Lori smirked.

He swept a hand through his drenched hair, "Maybe it's just because my lucky charm turned up."

*

Katie sighed as she fell into the empty chair beside Lori at lunch, grabbing a piece of bread and buttering it.

"Leanne still won't tell me who she went to the Yule Ball with." the Chaser mused through a mouthful, "I've been asking for days."

"Maybe she thinks you don't know them? Or maybe she just doesn't want us to know?"

"We're her best friends, why would she care?"

Lori shrugged her shoulders, turning her attention to her copy of the newspaper, "It's gonna be windy when we go against Ravenclaw."

*

It was, indeed, very windy when they went against Ravenclaw. Cho caught the Snitch as Lori had said, but made no goals, while Katie, Ginny and Alicia had managed to score eight.

The twins had been correct when they said Hufflepuff would get flattened by Slytherin, the Badgers only scoring three goals to the Serpents' six and their catching of the Snitch, overtaking Gryffindor in the tables by over a hundred points.

The likelihood of the Lions lifting the Cup was becoming more and more a dream before their very eyes.

The second task was looming ever closer, like a great shadow over Hogwarts. Every Tuesday night, Lori found herself in Moody's office, practicing various spells.

It was one particular Thursday, the day before the second task (when they had has to reschedule due to an incident involving a dungbomb in classroom, likely put there by Fred and George) when he had asked her to stay later than usual.

It was around midnight, when he stopped her progress, "Miss Weasley, come with me."

Confused, but obedient nonetheless, the two of them made their way down into the classroom, before hiking up to McGonagall's office.

"Ah, Miss Weasley," she had mused when they arrived, "do take a seat. Do you happen to know where Mr Potter, Mr Weasley and Miss Granger would happen to be?"

Lori thought for a moment, "They're probably working on the second task in the Library, Professor."

"Very good," she nodded, "Professor Moody, if you may?"

It was a few minutes of silence, seeming to stretch for an eternity when the door opened again and Madame Maxime led in a small Beauxbatons girl. It took Lori a few seconds before she recognised it as Gabrielle Delacour.

It was another few minutes, unbroken by the two girls who sat terrified in their seats, until Ron and Hermione were chivvied in, Professor Moody, Professor Dumbledore and Igor Karkaroff joining Madame Maxime in standing behind McGonagall.

The Gryffindor Head of House smiled, "Now that the four of you are here, we may begin."