"Morning, El."
Delighted to have her soulmate's attention solely on her, Eleena allowed a giggle to slip past her lips as she moved to occupy the empty seat beside Harry. She cuddled close against his right side, accepting the chaste kiss that he planted on her cheek as his way of greeting. The Ravenclaw was all too happy to reciprocate with a peck of her own, despite her plan to sneak up on him having been ruined by his increasingly keen perception towards her and her presence.
"Good morning." Eleena chirped, "You're getting better at sensing me."
"I've had a lot of chances to practice." Harry pointed out, indirectly verbalizing his and Eleena's frequent interactions.
"It's not my fault that I want to be around you so often." Eleena light-heartedly argued.
"I'm not complaining." Harry rectified, "Our bond's easy to notice when you know what to look for."
Eleena was inclined to agree with his statement. Perhaps it had something to do with her elevated experience with soul bonds, given that she and her twin were magically bonded as well, but the feeling she got whenever Harry was near was certainly recognizable. It was similar to the tug she and Salem shared, or like the pull mortals felt around her inborn charm—an inescapable warmth, a kind of sensitivity, that drew your attention no matter the time and place.
"No appetite today?" Eleena remarked, eyeing the little food on Harry's plate.
"Yeah..." Harry grimaced, fiddling with his spoon.
"Why is that? Don't you think you need the energy for later? The second task is today, I'm sure you know."
"Exactly. It's not the smartest decision to eat before going swimming."
Though Harry had a point, there were several hours left before the second task's commencement. He had loads of spare time to eat. Eleena understood that the idea of undergoing yet another part of a tournament he'd unwillingly been put into was undoubtedly nerve-wracking. However, she refused to let him go about his day without eating a single meal. Breakfast, after all, was the most important meal of the day, and she was more than willing to feed him if necessary.
Making up her mind, the Ravenclaw swiped Harry's utensils from his hands and catered to him in his stead. For a moment there, she figured she must've embarrassed him, given how red he turned as he gaped at the spoonful she was offering him. However, he quickly proved her wrong by sending her an appreciative smile, welcoming her doting with open arms (or an open mouth, in this case).
"I've been keeping track of my things since we got the hint." He spoke after swallowing his third bite, "Nothing's missing yet."
"They'll probably do it today. They have the time. The second task isn't due until this afternoon. It's only 8:00."
"That's what I'm worried about... I have a really bad feeling about this."
Eleena lowered the spoon in her hand, greatly disliking the sight of her darling soulmate so upset over something out of their control. She wondered if there was something she could do to make him feel better, but aside from abandoning the tournament right then and there—which they couldn't possibly do after all the effort they put into ruining the first task and the fact that they had to wait for Riddle to reveal himself—she couldn't think of an actual solution. She mused on the subject for a few seconds longer, eventually coming to the conclusion that perhaps it wasn't his involuntary participation that was bothering him. Maybe it was the object that he would be temporarily losing for the sake of the tournament.
"What is there to worry about? Whatever goes missing, I assure you, you'll have it back before the end of the day." Eleena guaranteed.
"What if I don't? If something goes wrong... " Harry trailed off, chewing on his bottom lip.
"Let's not be so pessimistic." Eleena chided, "What do you even think they'll take from you?"
"You." Harry answered without hesitation.
Harry was nothing if not blunt, and that in itself resulted in the butterflies currently fluttering within Eleena. Though she allowed a delighted giggle to slip past her painted lips, she refused to act like a schoolgirl who had just been confessed to by her longtime crush. Harry was already her boyfriend. He was her soulmate, even. She was well aware of his feelings for her, but the way he expressed them, so confidently despite the fact that he would normally be shy in such a public setting... Well, it made her want to scream—in a good way. However, she was certainly more mature than that, and she had a reputation to uphold. Still, Harry seemed to want to push her limits.
"I love you." He continued, "I'd miss you the most."
"Harry," Eleena swooned, "I-"
"Miss Morningstar." A familiar drawling voice interrupted.
Resisting the urge to glare menacingly, Eleena turned to face the source of the unwanted interruption—one Professor Severus Snape. The man seemed to be making it his lifelong mission to interfere with Harry's personal business in the worst ways possible. Eleena had finally gotten the full story about the Slytherin from Remus (with whom she frequently exchanged letters), but that did not excuse his actions toward Harry. Bullying a child for either of the parents' mistakes? How utterly pathetic...
"The headmaster requests that you see him in his office. Urgently, if you will." Snape informed them, scowling.
"Thank you for informing me, Professor. I'll go right now." Eleena responded with a polite smile.
"Oh, and may I remind you that this is a school setting? Keep your affections to yourselves." Snape admonished, regarding the couple with disapproving eyes.
"We'll keep that in mind." Eleena nodded.
Internally rolling her eyes, she watched Snape walk away with a narrowed gaze. She was in no mood to deal with his brooding behavior, so it was great that he didn't linger. Not that having to speak with Dumbledore was any better. What could that old bastard want with her, anyway? Besides immortality, power, and status, she didn't think she had anything worth bargaining for. Unless... Was it related to the tournament?
Well, she wouldn't be learning anything just by sitting there. Whether she wanted to or not, she was required to show up at Dumbledore's office. The sooner it was over, the better. However, just as she moved to stand, she was met with some resistance in the form of Harry's hand grabbing her wrist.
"Eleena..."
Her name spilled out as nothing more than a mere whisper as his grip tightened ever so slightly, his vivid green eyes pleading for her not to go. It seemed that she'd underestimated how much anxiety the looming task was bringing him. Smiling reassuringly, she rested her hand over his as she let her magic flow outwards, wrapping him up in a cocoon of comfort only they could see.
"It's okay, Harry. I'll be right back."
Hesitantly nodding, Harry backed down, only returning Eleena's smile once she planted a kiss on his forehead, right on his lightning bolt-shaped scar. He truly appreciated how she still accepted that accursed part of him, even after finding out that he had one of Riddle's lost soul fragments living within him. It made him feel secure in ways no words could, ensuring that he would not lose Eleena no matter what. So, he let her go, ignoring the sense of dread lingering in the back of his mind.
"Little sister!" Salem exclaimed, appearing beside Eleena, "What a coincidence. Am I right to assume we're heading to the same place?"
"I'm afraid so." Eleena sighed, exasperated, "I can only wonder what Dumbledore could possibly want from us."
"Well, it doesn't really matter, does it? We've always been good at improvising."
"Right you are, brother dearest."
Salem kept up with Eleena as they moved languidly through the castle corridors. The paths were almost completely void of other students, so even with their slow pace, they were able to reach the general area of Dumbledore's office in mere minutes. However, just as they were about to turn the last corner, Eleena caught sight of two couples exiting the same office alongside Professors McGonagall and Flitwick, causing her to stop herself and her twin in their tracks.
"What is it?" Salem raised a curious eyebrow.
"Be quiet and look." Eleena instructed, shifting so Salem could peek over her shoulder.
"Those are the Weasleys. The Edgecombes, as well." She continued, gesturing towards each couple as she named them.
"Ginny and Marietta's parents... They sure do look upset." Salem commented.
"You're right, which can only mean my plan worked. Ginny and Marietta are officially out of Hogwarts." Eleena smugly deduced.
"Great! I'd suggest we celebrate, but unfortunately, we have a meeting to attend." Salem groaned, wishing he had his alcohol stash on hand.
"Oh, we have time." Eleena brushed off, "Let's go introduce ourselves to the Weasleys first. They're Harry's family too."
Linking arms with Salem, Eleena proceeded towards the Weasleys, purposely bypassing the Edgecombes without sparing them a single glance. She'd done her research on their family, had gotten their background and whatnot. She knew now that their line descended from one of her grandmother's first original students, which explained Marietta's overall behavior. Still, Eleena couldn't care less about the identity of their ancestors or how close they'd been to one of the four founders. The House of Ravenclaw was hers. Furthermore, she refused to respect a woman who raised her child on the basis of entitled delusions.
"Good morning. I apologize if I'm interrupting." Eleena greeted, donning a sheepish expression.
"No, you're fine, dear." Mrs. Weasley smiled and said, "Is there something you need?"
"Nothing at all. I just thought we should introduce ourselves. You are the Weasleys, correct?" Eleena clarified.
"Why, yes. We are." Mr. Weasley confirmed.
"I'm Eleena Morningstar. This is my brother, Salem." Eleena formally introduced.
"You must be Harry's Eleena!" Mrs. Weasley gasped, "It's lovely to finally meet you! Harry mentions you in every letter he writes to us."
"How sweet. I hope he didn't write anything too bad. My sister can be quite a handful." Salem joked, earning a side-eyed glare.
"Oh, all good things." Mrs. Weasley promised.
The twins spent a few more minutes chatting with the couple before they had to go. They didn't want to keep Dumbledore waiting that long. As irritating as his presence was, they'd still been raised with manners. Thankfully, they weren't too late. Though they couldn't have cared less about Dumbledore's reaction, they apparently had fellow guests that were waiting on them.
"Ah, Mister and Miss Morningstar. Would you like to join us for tea?"
"Well, you did invite us, Headmaster. It'd be a shame not to."
"Sit anywhere you like."
The twins sat themselves across from the two other individuals in the room—besides Dumbledore, of course. They easily recognized Hermione, but the little girl beside her was definitely a new face. However, her features were familiar in a sense. Silvery-blonde hair, deep blue eyes, and an undeniable charm... Every part of her reminded the twins of a certain part-Veela. Perhaps she was the younger sister Fleur mentioned ever so often? If memory served them right, Gabrielle was her name.
The question was: what in Hell's name was Gabrielle doing at Hogwarts? The castle was a long way from France, and Fleur hadn't been expecting her arrival. Dumbledore hadn't kidnapped her, had he? Either way, Eleena could only concur that they were all there for the tournament. Four people in total, one for each of the four Champions. For Dumbledore to invite them over for something as mundane as drinking tea together, there had to be a trap in place, seeing as the old man had the gall to excuse himself from the premises.
"What is it?" Hermione asked, noticing Eleena sniffing her teacup.
"There's something in our tea. A sleeping potion, if I were to guess." Eleena divulged, narrowing her eyes in distaste.
"A sleeping potion? But this is... This is illegal! He's practically drugging us." Hermione protested.
"Why would he do this?" Gabrielle fretted, the worry in her voice as distinct as her accent.
"It's for the tournament. We're the bait." Salem stated clearly, removing any possibility of misunderstanding.
While Gabrielle nearly dropped her teacup in shock, Hermione was triggered into a rant highlighting Dumbledore's dishonorable and downright evil nature. She did it quietly, of course. She knew Dumbledore could return at any second, so she didn't want to risk him overhearing. Salem was more than happy to sit and listen to her. Eleena, however, was busy plotting. She hadn't expected to be a part of any task, but now that she and Salem were... well, that changed things.
"Miss Eleena?" Gabrielle reluctantly called, "What should we do?"
"We drink." Eleena casually shrugged.
"Is that safe? And if we do this, how will we know how the second task goes?" Hermione questioned.
"Sal and I have everything under control. Have faith in us. We would never leave the Champions to fend for themselves."
"...If you say so."
With that, the group drank their tea in a synchronous fashion, leaving their cups about half empty. Hermione and Gabrielle felt the effects of the potion almost instantly, causing them to slouch in their seats as the drowsiness took over. It took longer for the potion to settle within the twins since their magic instinctively fought back, but eventually, they yielded as well. The dark consumed them just as Dumbledore entered, his pleased expression being the last thing they saw. However, unbeknownst to the headmaster, two spirits withdrew from their still bodies as he checked their consciousness.
"It's been so long since we've done this. Hell, I nearly forgot how odd it feels to exist outside my body."
"You may relish the feeling later, Sal. We have a tournament to ruin."
Quickly adjusting to the lack of physical forms, the twins went their separate ways to find their respective soulmates. As expected, Eleena found Harry secluding himself in one of the unused classrooms they frequented. The guilt seeped in as soon as she sensed how bothered he was with her absence, a feeling that only intensified when she realized he would be feeling much worse when she enacted her plan. Although, that was a problem for later. Her goal now was to pull him out of his head, but before she could make her move, he suddenly whipped around in order to face her direction.
"El? Is that you?"
Harry stared intently at the door, as if willing it to open and reveal his girlfriend, oblivious to the fact that she was already inside. In a solid effort to reach out, the Ravenclaw channeled her magic and cut through the spirit realm, popping out with only the upper half of her body visible and startling Harry in the process.
"What...?" Harry squeaked, "What happened to you?"
"Dumbledore slipped us a sleeping potion." Eleena huffed.
"Us?" Harry echoed, perplexed.
"Salem, Hermione, and Fleur's younger sister were there with me. Our unconscious bodies are most likely on their way to being dumped into the lake." Eleena assumed.
"Then, how are you here?" Harry asked, unused to seeing her so... transparent.
"Technically speaking, I'm a Spirit. I am Lust embodied, which means I'm able to leave my physical form and enter the spirit realm. My body is in stasis until I go back. The same goes for Salem and the rest of our siblings." Eleena explained.
Not wanting to waste time, she changed the subject and brought up her plan instead. Due to the details of said plan, she couldn't allow Harry to know the full gist of it. She could only warn him of the plausible hazards and brief him over how he was required to behave. She left it at that, knowing that any more information would hinder the plan. They couldn't afford setbacks. This was their only shot at staging a proper accident.
Blowing Harry a goodbye kiss, Eleena retreated back into the spirit realm and reunited with her twin at one of the banks of Black Lake. Together, they descended into the dark depths of the water and searched for their bodies. They found them past a large field of tall plantlife, anchored to the bottom of the lake and guarded by the local merfolk. Fortunately, the creatures weren't too sensitive to magic outside their expertise; thus, the twins were able to easily sneak past them.
"Are you sure about this? Harry doesn't even know. You'll be giving him a heart attack." Salem warned as Eleena removed the warming charm from her body and weakened the ones for the rest.
"He'll understand." Eleena insisted, "I'm not really risking my life, am I? This won't kill me."
The key to any successful sabotage was an event that no one could possibly remedy in a given period of time. In this case, it would have to be an injury. It was simply the best course of action if the goal was to discredit both the tournament and Dumbledore. The twins couldn't have enacted this plan during the first task, since their soulmates and friends were the ones who had to risk their lives. However, now that both of them were involved, there were no actual threats. The audience just had to think that there was.
Hours later...
"Welcome to the second task!" Dumbledore cheerily announced.
The crowds in every bleacher erupted into thunderous cheers and hollers. As Dumbledore went on to describe the mechanics of the task, the Champions were being guided to the dock they would be diving from, preparing themselves by casting the prerequisite warming charms. Meanwhile, the twins watched them from the water, hovering above their bodies to later guide the Champions to their whereabouts. At the sound of the cannon firing, the Champions jumped into the water, but much to everyone's surprise, they stayed by the dock—idle yet alert until the water's surface began rippling, centering around a certain area.
"Over there!" Viktor yelled, pointing towards the obvious occurrence.
"That must be the signal. Let's hurry." Cedric urged.
At his behest, he and the rest of the Champions began swimming. Just as they arrived, the bodies of their missing people floated up to the top, the rope holding them down having been severed by the twins. The merfolk, inclined to follow through with Dumbledore's orders, rushed to stop them, but the twins swiftly blocked the creatures with a barrage of strategically-placed whirlpools, using their element against them. The Champions took the opportunity to head back to the dock and immediately got to work on drying their companions. Hermione and Gabrielle were the first to wake, followed closely by Salem. That was when they noticed that Eleena had not moved since her retrieval, her skin ice-cold and her lips bluish in color.
"El? El, hey, can you hear me? Eleena!" Harry desperately cried.
"What's wrong, Harry?" Fleur inquired, concerned for Eleena even as she tended to her own sister.
"Eleena isn't waking up!" Harry panicked.
"What do you mean she isn't waking up?!" Salem snapped.
Despite the shivers wracking his body, the Slytherin moved towards his twin with the help of his soulmate. The two of them, including Harry, attempted to rouse Eleena from her unconscious state, but in spite of their effort, Eleena showed no signs of life aside from her shallow breathing. At this point, Harry was on the verge of tears, that earlier feeling of dread finally making sense. He knew... He knew something would go wrong. He couldn't help but think that he should've stopped her when he had the chance. Regret filled his entire being as he was nudged away from Eleena, collapsing into Cedric and Salem's arms as Madam Pomfrey took his place.
"What's wrong with her, Poppy?" Professor McGonagall fussed, hands clasped over her heart in horror.
"I'm afraid she's suffering from hypothermia. She must be moved someplace warm, or else her condition will worsen. She's barely breathing as it is." Madam Pomfrey firmly asserted.
With a swish of her wand and a wordless spell, she lifted Eleena up into the air to transport her to the infirmary with ease. She also directed the staff to bring the Champions and their companions to the infirmary with her. Although, the rest of her would-be patients were determined to avoid treatment, desiring to ultimately divert the Healer's attention to helping Eleena recover. All, except Salem, were in the dark regarding how Eleena was actually semi-conscious and able to hear their clamor as she kept an iron grip over her magic, halting her body's natural healing process. Thus, she sensed Harry's inner turmoil through the hand that held onto hers. As much as she wanted to comfort him, she couldn't blow her cover like that.
She could only hope Harry would be able to forgive her for what she'd done to herself.