XXII. FLOWING THROUGH WATER
01:03 ─❁────────── 01:80
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❝Even so it starts a one way race
Even if we start to separate, that's okay❞
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WHILE LUCIA WENT ON TO ponder over Moody and Crouch, Harry took the chance to tell both Ron and Hermione about what occurred the night she and him snuck into the prefects' bathroom to solve the clue — of course, minus the part where Lucia went along with him.
Neither wanted to tell their friends about the night they had swimming together purely to spare themselves from their own embarrassment. They weren't embarrassed of each other per se; however, they were embarrassed to be bombarded by questions that neither of them wanted or know the to answers to.
As days passed since their little midning rendezvous, the day of the second task approached them like a snake slithering stealthily for its prey. The four Gryffindor spent most of their free time trying to find away for Harry to not drown during this task. However, nothing came up at all; danger was written evidently on Harry's forehead at this rate. If they don't find an answer soon, Harry would end up drowning trying to find the thing he would miss the most under the thick and cold water of the Black Lake... and Lucia didn't fancy seeing her friend drowning.
By the evening before the second task, Hermione, Lucia, Harry, and Ron sat together in the library, book scattered everywhere around them. The sun was setting outside as they each one of them tearing feverishly through page after page of spells, hidden from one another by the massive piles of books on the desk in front of each of them. There were still no answers for their predicament.
"I don't reckon it can be done," said Ron's voice flatly from the other side of the table. "There's nothing. Nothing. Closest was that thing to dry up puddles and ponds, that Drought Charm, but that was nowhere near powerful enough to drain the lake."
"There must be something," Hermione muttered, moving a candle closer to her. Her eyes were so tired she was poring over the tiny print of Olde and Forgotten Bewitchments and Charmes with her nose about an inch from the page. "They'd never have set a task that was undoable."
"They have," said Ron. "Harry, just go down to the lake tomorrow, right, stick your head in, yell at the merpeople to give back whatever they've nicked, and see if they chuck it out. Best you can do, mate."
"Lovely suggestion. Let's just hope that the merpeople don't get irritated by him doing that and stuck a pitchfork up his nose," smiled Lucia.
"Maybe you need a pitchfork shove up your arse..." mumbled Ron.
"What?" Lucia quirked a brow at him.
"What?" Ron acted dubiously.
Lucia narrowed her eyes at him, in which Ron merely responded by flipping to another page with the book he was reading.
"There's a way of doing it!" Hermione said crossly. "There just has to be!"
She seemed to be taking the library's lack of useful information on the subject as a personal insult; it had never failed her before.
"I know what I should have done," said Harry, resting, facedown, on Saucy Tricks for Tricky Sorts. "I should've learned to be an Animagus like Si —" but before Lucia could hear what he was going to say, Ron and Hermione had kicked his shins below the table, causing him to yelp and catch himself on the act. He quickly saved himself, "like Professor McGonagall," he said with a nervous laugh.
Lucia simply stared at the three, who looked back at her with an airy smile. She was too tired to even question them, as she rubbed her temples. "Being an Animagus could indeed be helpful for this type of stuff..."
"Yeah, you could've turned into a goldfish any time you wanted!" said Ron.
"Or a frog," yawned Harry. He was exhausted.
"It's a bit unfortunate you couldn't have even if you try," said Lucia serenely, leaning back. She covered her face from being exposed to the blinding candlelight. "Professor McGonagall said that it's terribly difficult to become one... You're clever, Harry, but you're not that clever. Not even a rather powerful wizard could become an Animagus in a span of a month only. Even then, you mostly need either dedication or luck — and that's rare..."
Harry hid his face under his book, smirking slightly. He like the fact that she had practically complimented Sirius without even knowing it, since Sirius was one of the only ones aside from Professor McGonagall, he knew to have successfully become an Animagus. He and his dad of course, and even — even the rat...
"Lucia's right. It takes years to become an Animagus, and then you must register yourself and everything," said Hermione vaguely, now squinting down the index of Weird Wizarding Dilemmas and Their Solutions. "Professor McGonagall told us, remember... you've got to register yourself with the Improper Use of Magic Office... what animal you become, and your markings, so you can't abuse it..."
Lucia's eyes widened. Hermione was droning on and on about the necessities of becoming an Animagus, but she believed that even Hermione herself hadn't noticed that she was dragging on. She must've been that tired...
"Luce, Hermione, I was joking," said Harry wearily. "I know I haven't got a chance of turning into a frog by tomorrow morning..."
"Oh, this is no use," Hermione said, snapping shut Weird Wizarding Dilemmas. "Who on earth wants to make their nose hair grow into ringlets?"
"I wouldn't mind," said Fred Weasley's voice. "Be a talking point, wouldn't it?"
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Lucia looked up. Fred and George had just emerged from behind some bookshelves.
"Reckon Erin would love that," George mused, causing Fred to roll his eyes.
"Erin?" Hermione looked at them, puzzled.
"No one," said Fred immediately.
"Eridani," said George, smirking.
"That's the girl we saw you with during the last Hogsmeade trip!" Ron gasped.
"Tell the whole world will you," said Fred sarcastically, smacking Ron's head.
"What're you two doing here anyway?" Lucia stated as she placed down Spells for Unnecessary Use 0.2.
"Heh, surprised that you picked up a book," remarked George, which only resulted in him being glared at by Lucia. He held his hands up in defence. "Okay, okay... geez. No one can take a joke these days... well, McGonagall wants you, Ron. And you, Hermione."
"Uh oh..." Lucia clamped her hand over her mouth before she sang, "Someone's in trouble..."
Hermione sent Lucia a glare, in which the latter merely shrugged. She then turned to the twins, "Why?"
"Dunno... she was looking a bit grim, though," said Fred.
"We're supposed to take you down to her office," said George.
Ron and Hermione stared at Harry and Lucia. Was Professor McGonagall about to tell Ron and Hermione off? Perhaps she'd noticed how much they were helping him, when he ought to be working out how to do the task alone? but that didn't make much sense since Lucia had been helping him as well, so what was the occasion?
"Did she... not ask for me?" Lucia asked.
Fred and George shook their heads. "Nah, just them."
Lucia couldn't help but think that this was certainly weird of Professor McGonagall. She didn't know about Ron and Hermione, but it would be more logical for their Head of House to call her in instead of them. Especially after the recent owl attacks... and maybe even when she had snuck out some prawns for the giant squid... and what about when she had snuck some more pus out of the Greenhouse when she shouldn't have? But then again, she had reasons for all of them... nonetheless, it weirded her out that Professor McGonagall haven't called for her yet.
"We'll meet you guys back in the common room," Hermione told them as she got up to go with Ron — both looked very anxious as they glanced at Harry. "Bring as many of these books as you can, okay?"
"Right," said Harry uneasily.
"Aye, aye," chirped Lucia.
By eight o'clock, Madam Pince had extinguished all the lamps and came to chivvy the pair of Gryffindors out of the library. Staggering under the weight of as many books as they could carry, Harry and Lucia returned to the Gryffindor common room, pulled a table into a corner, and continued to search.
"They're not back yet," said Harry through the silence between them.
"I'm fully aware," Lucia said serenely, flipping through the pages of Madcap Magic for Wacky Warlocks. "This one's useless too," she set the book down on the chair beside her.
Harry ruffled his hair in distress as he almost threw A Guide to Medieval Sorcery because there was nothing in it. Thankfully, Lucia caught it swiftly before it could hit the wall and put a dent on it.
They could not afford to be punished by Madam Pince because they brought back a book from her library in terrible condition. "Why aren't they back yet?" he asked wearily.
Lucia glanced up from reading about the underwater exploits in An Anthology of Eighteenth-Century Charms, "It's still early, Harry. I'm sure they'll be back. You know they would never leave you to do this alone," she said reassuringly. "They're not like that..."
Harry sighed feebly. He'll just have to believe that as he looked through Dreadful Denizens of the Deep and Powers You Never Knew You Had and What to Do with Them Now You've Wised Up, but neither of the three gave him the answers he needed.
The common room emptied slowly around them, and people kept wishing Harry luck for the next morning in such cheery tone that sounded more mocking than encouraging to them both, as all of them apparently was convinced that he was about to pull off another stunning performance like the one he had managed in the first task.
Harry of course didn't answer them. He just couldn't, only nodding as he felt as though there was a golf ball stuck in his throat. By ten to midnight, he and Lucia were alone in the room with Crookshanks. Ron and Hermione had not come back, and they were starting to lose hope.
The lost of hope merely doubled when they were slowly running out of books to read. Whilst Lucia was beyond exhausted, she didn't want to leave Harry to carry the burden of the task on his own. Instead, she stayed and hoisted Crookshanks into her arms, cradling the cat like a baby in her arms as she sang a familiar lullaby to the cat, trying to busy her mind from falling asleep.
"Two little tigers..." Crookshanks responded with a deep purr. The sound of her soothing foreign lullaby was the only thing that filled the empty common room. It was supposed to diminish the feeling of stress, yet Harry couldn't find that it was working.
"It's over," he said, causing Lucia to look down at him, halting her lullaby.
"What do you — ?"
"I can't do this. I'll just have to go down to the lake in the morning and tell the judges..." He imagined himself explaining that he couldn't do the task. He pictured Bagman's look of round-eyed surprise, Karkaroff's satisfied, yellow-toothed smile. He could almost hear Fleur Delacour saying "I knew it...'e is too young, 'e is only a little boy." He saw Malfoy flashing his POTTER STINKS badge at the front of the crowd, saw Hagrid's crestfallen, disbelieving face —
"Forgive me, Harry," Lucia suddenly said as she placed Crookshanks down on his lap. Harry merely looked at her incredulously.
"What —"
But before he could finish, there was a loud sound of SLAP that echoed so deafeningly around the room. Harry was in shock. Everything happened so fast that he couldn't take the chance to comprehend it, but it snapped him out of his impending thoughts.
He turned back to Lucia, who had a satin glove in her hand. He touched his burning cheek before uttering his slow reaction — "OW! What was that for?!"
"I warned you..." she said. Crookshanks curled up and purred on Harry's lap, as though finding the whole scene funny.
"How?!"
"I said, 'Forgive me'" Lucia said, stuffing the glove inside the pocket of her robes.
"Do you just keep that around just in case?!" Harry said, incredulous by her action.
"I have it in case I start to act up and bite my nails again... It's a habit I adopted in the past, and I'm still recovering from it..." she told him bashfully.
"I-I see... hold up, but why did you slap me for?!"
"It was necessary."
"No!" Harry gazed at her as though she had grown two heads like a hydra. "No, it was not! Bloody hell do you slap good!" he said, still touching his burning cheeks, astonished.
"I practice," she shrugged, her tone ominous, which left Harry wary as to what she meant. Lucia sighed and untied her ribbon, letting her short hair fall, relieving her scalp. "Listen, you can't give up now, Harry. We can still do this on our own..."
"How, Luce?" his broke slightly. "How?"
"Nothing is impossible if you —"
"Yeah, well, we tried our hardest trying to find a way for me to not drown in that bloody lake —" his words were short-lived as Lucia shoved a strawberry inside his mouth. He chewed it with an odd glance at Lucia, who merely forced him to lean back as she went behind him and soon, he felt the tiniest bit of relaxation as she massages his tensed shoulders.
"There... doesn't it feel good?" she asked. "I've always been told that I'm a good unlicensed masseuse — geez, Harry, have you ever relaxed in your life? You shoulder's too tense. It feels like I'm massaging a rock..."
"No, I've never had the chance to lay back and relax," said Harry sardonically, as he closed his eyes, shoulders slacking. "Also, don't remind me that you're unlicensed, 'cause it's just making me realise that you could accidentally unintentionally hurt me with just one wrong move,"
"You say that, yet you seem to love this," Lucia hummed alluringly. "If you don't I can just..."
"Nope, stay there," he said immediately, propping her hand on his shoulders. She chuckled melodiously next to his ear. Harry heaved out a sigh, "What am I going to do, Lucia?" he grumbled. "I'm doomed."
As much as she wanted to assure him that he'll be fine, it sounded more like she was just making empty promises with him. She kept telling him to not give up, yet she had no answers as to how to solve this case. They were stuck in a dead end in a maze. At this rate, she rather try and solve a riddle and do Arithmancy or solve a Math equation just to not do this.
Victory seems so far out of reach, and she hated it.
As she was in a daze of her own, she was startled when Harry had stood up so abruptly, forgetting that Crookshanks was on his lap; Crookshanks hissed angrily as he landed on the floor, gave Harry a disgusted look, and stalked away with his bottlebrush tail in the air. But before Lucia could say anything, Harry was already hurrying up the spiral staircase to his dormitory. Not long, he came back downstairs in a hurry.
"Where are you going?" she asked, noting the Invisibility Cloak in his hands.
"Library."
"Now? Aren't we supposed to do more research?" Lucia said, worried.
"Can't do research without more books now, can we?" Harry said, adrenaline coursing through him.
"But it's pass curfew!" she said.
"When have I ever cared about curfew?" Harry said slyly. But just as he was about to pull the Invisibility Cloak over him, he saw the wary expression from Lucia. He heaved out a sigh, "Look, how about you go up and sleep?"
"I can't do that!" said Lucia, who's eyes reddening as she tried her best not to yawn. "I can't just leave you to deal with this on your own,"
"I'll be fine, and maybe I'll see Ron and Hermione on the way?" Lucia was about to protest when Harry gave her a look. "I know you haven't been sleeping well these days because you were worried for tomorrow. Hermione told me. So, please go to sleep. That's the least you could do for me,"
"But —"
"No buts!" Harry pushed her toward the girls' dormitory stairway. "I'll be fine," was all he said before he shut the door behind her.
Lucia was left alone. Again.
She sighed as she went up the stairs to her dormitory, not even bothering to change from her school attire as she plopped backwards on her bed. She turned sideways, immediately engulfed by the light of the moon. She fluttered her eyes shut.
She had never wished to be more useful than now. However, right now, she was completely useless.
As per usual...
Lucia sighed to herself. It was apart of herself she wished to change, yet could never.
༻❁༺
When she woke up the next day by the blinding daylight that shone so evidently through the window, Lucia immediately noticed how she was the only one that seemed to be awake, whilst the rest were snoozing like their lives were depending on it.
It wasn't like it was not normal, it was actually like any other day. However, what wasn't normal was the fact that Hermione's bed was almost untouched since yesterday. It was as though Hermione never returned...
Lucia's heart raced in a dangerous pace as she frantically dressed herself up for the day, tripping on carpet midway out of the door. She needed to find Harry, fast.
She raced up the boys' dormitory and into his room, only to be met by two of the beds, empty.
"Lucia?!"
She whirled around, and there was Neville. He blinked with incredulity by the sight of her. Before she could shush him, Seamus and Dean immediately sat upright, waking up from their slumber. They held their blankets up to their chest, as though they had something to hide.
"What are you doing here?!" Dean pointed at her, flustered.
"That doesn't matter," she waved them, "Have you seen Ron and Harry?"
Neville, Seamus, and Dean looked at one another, then turned back to Lucia. She swallowed the growing lump in her throat.
"I think neither of them got back — Oi! Where're you going?!" Seamus asked.
"Nowhere! S-See you guys at breakfast!" was all she said as she ran out of the dormitories and out of Gryffindor Tower.
Her legs had a mind of their own, her feet thundering the fairly empty corridors. She turned a corner with a speed of lightning, her mind going through a series of thoughts as she multitasked.
Where's Harry? He couldn't still be in the library, could he? Actually, most importantly... where are they?
Where's Hermione and Ron?
Even as she sat through breakfast, neither of the three came down, which merely doubled her worrisome attitude. It didn't help of the fact that the tournament was about to start in just half-an-hour from now. Lucia took it upon herself to find Harry, and whilst at that, Hermione and Ron. But surely, they were all fine, right? Professor McGonagall would never try to harm them...
Ha... ha... ha...
Right?
Lucia had looked through the whole castle, but there were still no signs of the three. For Hermione and Ron, it was as though they vanished into thin air. Harry, however, was a different story. With ten minutes left to spare, Lucia hurried up to the library.
Sneaking into the library without the Invisibility Cloak somehow proved to be harder than it had been before she knew the existence of Harry's treasure. Perhaps it was because Madam Pince doubled the security for her beloved books, or the fact that she had grown accustomed to the cloak's function.
Lucia had to cursed herself for growing accustomed to the piece of fabric when she shouldn't have. Especially knowing that she could never used the cloak once her friendship with Harry somehow deteriorates... but that was something she didn't want to think of right now. She had to relish the time she has with him, while she could.
Because life is always fleeting, and anything could happen at any given time.
"Harry?" she called for him as quietly as she could, but there was no response. She called for him again, "Harry!"
"Lucie?"
Lucia yelped in startlement from the voice that suddenly came from behind her. She almost had a heart attack, but she was thankful she didn't as it was Harry Potter that stood behind her.
"Harry! Where've you been? Never mind that, let's go!" she said, seizing his hand and dragging him out of the library. "Were you in the library the whole night? You should've put an alarm, now we're not even sure we can get down in time —"
"They've got Ron,"
She halted suddenly. "W-What?"
"Look, I don't got much time to explain the entire story," they began to tore down the corridors in a hurry, Lucia just barely catching up to him. Harry continued, "but long story short: Dobby came out of nowhere recently and gave me gillyweed, saying that —"
"It can make you breath underwater?"
"Yes, how did you know?" he asked, not stealing a glance at her as much as he wanted.
"W-Well, it's a rumour that you can eat gillyweed and you'lll be able to breath underwater," said Lucia conflicted. "I would've... you know... given you the suggestion if it weren't for it being, well, a rumour. And plus, where could someone get gillyweed with a snap of a finger anyway?"
"Seems like Dobby did it," said Harry. He then swallowed hard, "Is it really just a rumour?"
"I'm not quite sure, but it's suicidal to try it out yourself. Especially with how cold the Black Lake is." she said meekly.
"I don't need clear answers right now," he said breathlessly. "All I need is your reassurance. Do you think I can use this and still make it out of the lake alive?"
Lucia glanced down at Harry's hand where the gillyweed was. She gulped at the sight of it. If only Hermione was here — or even Ron. She had never been one to be confident on anything, especially when it comes to having to be decisive. But what Harry needed wasn't an answer, but reassurance. The two were completely different, right?
She took a deep breath and braced herself as she said, "Yes. I believe you can still make it out alive. But... but you have to be careful about these type of stuff since it usually has a time limit."
"How long?"
"That, I don't know," said Lucia meekly. "I'm sorr —"
"There's nothing to apologise for, Luce," said Harry. She glanced up at him, only to be graced by the warmest smile she had ever had the chance to meet. "You did great,"
Those words made her heart fuzzy. Did she really do great? She barely did anything, yet it was nice to hear that she had done something right. For once.
The entrance hall contained a few last-minute stragglers, all leaving the Great Hall after breakfast and heading through the double oak doors to watch the second task. They stared as Harry flashed past, sending Colin and Dennis Creevey flying as he leapt down the stone steps and out onto the bright, chilly grounds with Lucia closely behind him, shouting out apologies to all of them in his stead.
They pounded down the lawn and saw that the seats that had encircled the dragons' enclosure in November were now ranged along the opposite bank, rising in stands that were packed to the bursting point and reflected in the lake below. The excited babble of the crowd echoed strangely across the water as Harry ran flat-out around the other side of the lake toward the judges, who were sitting at another gold-draped table at the water's edge, whilst Lucia hurriedly made her way beside the Weasleys — minus Ron.
She panted, out of breath as she watched Harry sprinted toward Cedric, Fleur, and Krum that were standing beside the judges' table, also watching him.
"I hope we... we made it on time," panted Lucia, a hand over her heart.
"Where were you and what were you both doing? Snogging?" said Ginny.
George smacked the back of Ginny's head lightly. "I did not think our little sister would know that word,"
"I have six older brothers," said Ginny with a snarky tone. "I known words similar to that since I could walk,"
"The puppy is barking again," said Fred, yawning in boredom.
"I hate you two," scoffed Ginny.
"We love you too," they chorused.
Lucia shook her head in amusement before looking down to where Harry was. Subconsciously, she picked the skin of her fingers, anxiety overwhelming her as she bounced by the balls of her feet.
"Stop that," Astoria appeared beside her, seizing Lucia's hand. "You're going to ruin your fingers," she said worriedly.
"Astoria..." Lucia greeted. "But... But I don't care what happens to me, what I care is Harry's well-being. I'm afraid for him... Wait, you shouldn't —"
"I don't care anymore," she said with a stultified expression. "I rather be insulted than being alone,"
Lucia glanced at Astoria endearingly, eyes gentle.
Astoria, however, waved her off and said, "But really, I don't think you should be all that worried. He passed the dragon, I'm sure he can pass merpeople," said Astoria, taking the satin gloves out of Lucia's pocket and helping the wary girl wear it. "What does merpeople have against dragons anyway? Nothing. If Potter can stand a chance against a large beast, he can stand a chance against humans with gills and fins."
"It's not only that, though," Lucia began, squeezing Astoria's hand. "Merpeople are much more intelligent than dragons. Like you said, they're humans with gills and fins, meaning they have an entire advantage against Harry underwater and with whatever knowledge they have, they can use it against him. He knows nothing of what goes on in the Black Lake, whilst for them, it's basically their backyard..."
Astoria stared up at the babbling girl in worry. Potter better get out of this alive, she thought, because there was no way Lucia can handle it if he doesn't.
"I'm... here..." Harry panted, skidding to a halt in the mud and accidentally splattering Fleur's robes.
"Where have you been?" said a bossy, disapproving voice. "The task's about to start!"
Harry looked around. Percy Weasley was sitting at the judges' table — Mr. Crouch had failed to turn up again.
"Now, now, Percy!" said Ludo Bagman, who was looking intensely relieved to see Harry. "Let him catch his breath!"
Dumbledore smiled at Harry, but Karkaroff and Madame Maxime didn't look at all pleased to see him... It was obvious from the looks on their faces that they had thought he wasn't going to turn up.
Harry bent over, hands on his knees, gasping for breath; he had a stitch in his side that felt as though he had a knife between his ribs, but there was no time to get rid of it; Ludo Bagman was now moving among the champions, spacing them along the bank at intervals of ten feet. Harry was on the very end of the line, next to Krum, who was wearing swimming trunks and was holding his wand ready.
"All right, Harry?" Bagman whispered as he moved Harry a few feet farther away from Krum. "Know what you're going to do?"
"Yeah," Harry panted, massaging his ribs.
Bagman gave Harry's shoulder a quick squeeze and returned to the judges' table; he pointed his wand at his throat as he had done at the World Cup, said, "Sonorus!" and his voice boomed out across the dark water toward the stands.
"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!"