An American at Hogwarts: Book Two

Chapter Forty-Three

I was in the middle of some incredibly aggressive sprinting, heading back towards the castle, when I caught sight of Cedric running towards me just as fast, somehow managing to carry the golden egg with him as he ran.

I slowed a little, feeling confused. He was yelling for me like a crazy person, so I sped back up, meeting him as close to the school as I could. His hair was still soaking wet, and he apparently hadn't bothered to grab the appropriate winter coats to come outside, so he was shivering like a leaf. Even so, he barely seemed to notice the cold as we came to a stop facing each other, Cedric jumping up and down like a maniac.

"Alexa! I got it! I got it! I mean, it was your idea- I wasn't even going to do it, but then Professor Moody said something in the hall-"

"Cedric! Calm down!" I put my hands on his shoulders to stop him jumping, then met his wild eyes. "What the hell is going on? And can you tell me about it inside, so you don't freeze out here?"

"Yes! Yes, Alexa, I know what the clue is. I mean, I haven't completely puzzled it out yet, but- Alexa, I took it in the bath. I opened it underwater and it worked!"

"Wait, what? Seriously?"

"Yes! Get your bathing suit and meet me at the Prefect's bathroom, you have to hear this."

"You don't have to tell me twice."

I was almost as insanely excited as Cedric now. I made a quick sling portal that landed us just outside the Prefect's bathroom just to get Cedric inside, then I made another one to my dorm and changed as quickly as humanly possible. As soon as I was changed, I made another sling portal back to Cedric, and he opened the door to the most unreal and amazing bathroom I'd ever seen in my life. There was literally a swimming pool in the middle of it, with golden taps lining the edge.

"This is insane," I said, stopping in my tracks and completely forgetting why we were there for a second.

"Alexa, come on, you have to hear this."

Cedric was already back down to his swimsuit, climbing into the massive swimming pool that he must've left filled. I realized it was probably supposed to be a tub, but come on. A body of water this size was a swimming pool, not a tub.

"Alright, hold your breath and just stay under with me when I open it. You're not gonna belileve this."

Cedric started to go under, but I put one hand out and grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Ced, I love you, and I totally trust you, but I need to hear you say this isn't gonna be a prank where the egg still screams when we go underwater. I know that's not usually your style, but I really think I'd smash the egg at this point."

"Alexa, I promise. Just trust me."

"Alright."

Cedric grinned, and with that we both sank under the surface. Cedric opened the egg, and instead of the horrible ear-splitting screech we'd been hearing for the last week, I could hear a chorus of voices singing.

I could hear voices singing!

"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."