The night before the task, I sat in the library with Draco, pouring through books, trying to find a way to help Harry. I was frustrated, because while I knew a lot about water and water related spells, I'd never had the need to find a way to breathe underwater before.
I glanced at a table near ours, where Ron, Hermione, and Harry were all also searching for the solution to Harry's problem. They seemed to be having about as much luck as I was. Harry was glaring down at his book, Ron had slumped over the table, and Hermione's eyes were so tired that she had her face about an inch away from her book.
"This sucks," I groaned, letting my head fall against the table.
"Everything will turn out fine," Draco said, glancing up from his blueprints. I didn't know what he was designing, but it looked like another cabin. "You guys will figure something out. Worst case scenario, you just stab things and make a bubble around his head."
"That's the problem," I grumbled. "It'll be hard to stab things and put a bubble around his head."
Before Draco could say something, Fred and George appeared in the room.
"What're you two doing here?" Ron asked his brothers. I figured they didn't show up here too often, unless coming up with a new prank idea.
"Looking for you," George said. "McGonagall wants you, Ron. And you, Hermione." He glanced back at my table. "She also asked for him." At first I thought he meant me, but then I saw them staring at Draco. He looked like a deer caught in headlights.
"Why?" Hermione questioned as Draco shoved his stuff in his bag.
"Dunno... she was looking a bit grim, though," Fred said.
"We're supposed to take you down to her office," George said.
I felt my stomach drop. I had a bad feeling they were in trouble for cheating. Ron and Hermione helping Harry, and maybe they thought Draco was helping me. Then I realized that that couldn't be it, cause I had also been helping Harry.
"I'll catch you later, I guess," Draco said to me, frowning slightly. "And, hey, you'll figure it out."
That night, I tried to fall asleep. I had offered to help Harry look through more books, but he'd kicked me out of the common room after I fell asleep and drooled all over An Anthology of Eighteenth-Century Charms.
I couldn't fall asleep. Normally, I slept with Draco, but he hadn't shown up. Ever since first year, we'd been keeping the nightmares away from each other. It was difficult to not have him by my side. It made my bed feel much to big, and my blankets weren't enough to keep me warm.
Finally, after what seemed like ages, I decided to just get up. It wasn't quite light outside yet, so I wandered around Hogwarts, pretending I wasn't worried, and that I was just taking a nice walk.
My nice walk was interrupted by a squeaky house elf.
"Mister Jackson!" Dobby squeaked, appearing suddenly in front of me.
"Ah!" I squeaked, just like he did. I quickly controlled my voice. "Er, hello, Dobby."
"Mister Jackson, Dobby has been looking for Harry Potter, but he's not in his bed!" Dobby told me, and I frowned. "Do you know where he is? The second task starts in fifteen minutes!"
I choked. Had I really been walking around that long? It didn't seem like it.
"Ah, if he's not in the common room, he might be in the library," I supplied, watching Dobby smile happily.
"Thank you, Mister Jackson!" Dobby snapped his fingers, then disappeared with a loud POP. I stood there for a moment, worried about Harry. Then I remembered that Dobby had told me that the second task was about to start, and I bolted down the stairs, out the castle, and around the lake, and stopped in front of the judges seats, where the other champions were already waiting.
"Nice pants," Cedric told me, an eyebrow raised. I looked down, and realized I forgot to change out of my pajamas. I was wearing black pants decorated with Nemo and Dory. At least I was wearing my Camp t-shirt.
"Nice face," I muttered back, still a little out of breath.
"Deed you just wake up?" Fleur asked, sounding amused.
"No, quite the opposite, actually," I said. "Couldn't sleep."
"Where was Draco?" Cedric asked. He was used to seeing Draco leaving my room in the mornings.
"He didn't come by last night," I shrugged. "I think McGonagall might have killed him."
I glanced up, and saw Harry running around the side of the lake, just like I had done minutes before.
"I'm... here..." Harry panted once he skid to a stop beside me.
"Where have you been?" A bossy voice I recognized snapped. "The task's about to start!"
I looked up, and pouted. Perry Weasley had apparently taken Crouch's position as judge, and was glowering down at me and Harry.
"Now, now, Perry!" Bagman said, looking relieved to see Harry. "Let him catch his breath!"
Chiron trotted over to me, looking unimpressed, "Pajamas, Percy? Really?"
"Don't you know," I grinned, "that pajama bottoms help increase swimming speed?"
Chiron sighed, "No they don't."
"Well, I'm the one who's all about water, so I think I'm right," I said.
"All about water?" Krum voiced, looking confused. I noticed Madame Maxime and Karkaroff looking suspicious.
"Don't worry, dude," I grinned. "My unfair advantage in my element has been nerfed. The monsters under the water are meant to attack me, not you." It was clear he had no clue what I was talking about, but I figured that he would soon enough.
"Percy," Harry pulled me aside, and spoke quietly. "The things they've taken, the stuff we're supposed to sorely miss — it's Ron, Hermione, and Malfoy."
I froze, then turned to glare at Dumbledore, simply saying, "Not cool, dude. Not cool." His eyes gleamed, and I got the feeling that everyone would be fine.
Before I could voice these thoughts to Harry, we were forced to spread out at intervals of ten feet. Bagman said some quick words to my friend, then pointed his wand against his throat, and said a quick spell. His voice boomed across the lake and into the stands where the students sat, "Well, all our champions are ready for the second task, which will start on my whistle. They have precisely an hour to recover what has been taken from them. On the count of three, then. One... two... three!"
Sorry this chapter is late, but I get to post on Father's Day! The day of appreciating your fathers, giving them gifts and cards and making sure they know they can always mow the lawn at 5 AM. Even if they're not always the best fathers, they still do okay some of the time, and we should all say thanks for that. Cheers to our fathers, we would not exist without them.
Anyway, I hope you guys have a fantastic Sunday/Father's Day, and I'll see you tomorrow! Love ya!