A Dozen Fallen Roses // Cedric Diggory

chapter thirty-four. the second task.

Nobody slept a wink last night except for the twins that still seem to be sleeping when Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and I gather in the common room drinking hot chocolate. We barely speak as the tension in the room is at an all time high.

"Harry, tell me again what you heard from the egg," Hermione finally breaks the silence.

"Come seek us where our voices sound," he recites.

"The Black Lake," she states. "That's obvious."

"Obvious?" I laugh. "How does your mind work?"

"You'd know too if you'd done the assignment on mermaids last week," she snaps at me. "Wait, Harry, that's it! It must be mermaids!"

"An hour long you'll have to look," he continues, remembering the song he heard.

"An hour?" I ask, growing worried about both Harry and Cedric.

"Again, obvious, though potentially problematic," Hermione thinks.

"Potentially problematic?" Harry raises his voice. "When was the last time you held your breath underwater for over an hour?"

"I'm sure we can all think of something," Ginny assures as Professor Moody enters the common room.

"Hate to break up the scholar session, but McGonagall needs to see you in her office. Well, just Weasley and Granger," he says, gesturing to our whole lot, then to specifically Hermione and Ron.

"But, sir, the task is only hours away..." Hermione argues.

"Exactly, Potter is well prepared by now," Moody replies. We all look around confused as Hermione and Ron slowly stand and follow him out of the room.

"What was that all about?" I ask Harry and Ginny.

"Not a clue, but this isn't good. How am I supposed to figure this out without Hermione?" he worries.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Neville asks, coming down the stairs from his room in a matching striped pajama set.

"Don't worry about it Neville," Harry shakes his head. "Not unless you know how to breath underwater for an hour."

"Wait, stay there," Neville says, running back up the stairs.

"Not really going anywhere," I laugh. Neville comes running back down the stairs with a herbology book in hand and sits down by us, opening the book to a page titled Gillyweed.

"Gillyweed?" I groan.

"You grow gills and can breathe underwater!" Neville reads.

"And you just have some laying around?" Harry asks skeptically.

"Well, I'll have to talk to Professor Sprout, but I think so," he nods.

"I'm trusting you Neville," Harry still seems unsure about the idea, but eventually agrees because it's all he's got.

"I think I need to go see Cedric," I say, standing.

"Yes, go," Ginny encourages. I meet eyes with Harry and I flash him a slight smile as he gives me a nod.

The Hufflepuff Common Room is warm from the heat of the fire and Cedric is the only one in the room, sitting with his head in his hands on the couch with his back to me.

"Hey," I say softly, getting his attention. He turns around and the look of worry on his face is halfway wiped away with the gleam of hope in his eyes as they meet mine. I cross around to his side of the couch, pulling him into a warm hug. We hold one another for a while with no words, comforted solely by the presence of each other.