Harry and I were rinsing the love potion off of the egg. We turned the water on and started rinsing it off. The other potions I put on the egg were less dangerous, but the love potion was clearly in need of a more thorough rinse. I run it under the water when I notice some potion got into the egg. I open it under the water. It sounds less screechy. Almost like words...
"Harry. We need a tub of water. Where can we get a tub of water?" I ask.
"Prefect bathroom?" He suggests.
"...Grab Percy. Now," I dry off the egg.
"Aren't you friends with him? You get him. He's with Oliver in the library right now," Harry argues.
"So I'm his friend but YOU know his immediate location? Suspicious....Fine."
I leave the common room in a rush. I pass Fred and George on the way out.
"Meet me in the prefect bath okay," I run out to find Percy.
The two of them exchange looks. I run down the halls and run into the library. I look around and see Cedric, Percy, and Oliver.
"Percy, come with me," I say.
I didn't really want Cedric to know about the hint yet.
"Why the rush Ash?" Oliver looks up at me amused.
"Just busy winning Oli," I wink at him.
"And Percy is going to help you do that?" Cedric butts in.
"Perhaps, or maybe I knew the three of you would be here and this is to distract you," I look at Cedric.
I drag Percy out.
"What is it that you need Miss. Blue?" Percy asks.
"For you to not talk in tongues for one... can you please give me access to the perfect bathroom?" I plead.
"No. That is against the rules," Percy says.
"I'll kiss you if you don't. In front of Penelope. I know a spell to make you kiss back too," I threaten.
"You wouldn't..."
"I would. I just kissed Fred, what's one more Weasley," I stare at him.
"It's still against the rules... but you'll probably be a prefect anyways. Fine, the password is Pine Soap," Percy huffs and walks back.
I celebrate my win and run to the prefects' bathroom.
"Did the prick tell you anything?" George asks.
"Just the password," I smile.
"How did you do that?" Fred looks skeptical.
"Told him about how I kissed you," I give the door the password.
"Ew. Did you describe it or something? I'd give you the password to make that stop too," George fake gags.
"I bet he blabbed when she mentioned tongue," Harry agrees.
"Oh, buzz off. But no. I didn't do that," I run the bath, and Moaning Myrtle joins us.
"Talking about a kiss? I remember my first kiss," Myrtle says.
"Not exactly," Harry answers.
"So what did you do to make the great Percy give up the password?" Fred smirks.
"I... threatenedtokisshim," I admit.
"..." Fred stares at me in utter surprise.
"I just-" George starts but before he can get a word out I plunge the egg and my head into the water.
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.
I see Harry duck his head underwater. We listen together. Later Fred and George join us. I couldn't help but wonder what the two said while my head was under water.
Where our voices sound, underwater. Can't sing above ground, a magical creature, we'll ask Hermione about it later. Take something of value. Time limit. Something of value is what you have to save.
"I'll create a spell to breathe underwater. Harry go ask Hermione about the creature that can only sing underwater. Fred... George go with Harry. Fred..." I plan.
"Go with you?" he asks hopefully.
"Did George ask Angelina to the ball?" I ask.
"...yeah," Fred says.
"Ok yeah, you can come with me."
"Did you just pity invite me?"
"Had to. Especially since you have that huge crush on me," I joke.
"Hm."
"What's wrong Freddie? You aren't denying it like usual," I worry.
"I actually wanted to talk-"
"Ash! Are you okay?" Axel runs up to us.
"Of course, I am, just a little incident with the Amortentia. In other news... we figured out the egg," I smile.
"They're gonna take away my most prized possession and I'll have an hour to get it back," I explain.
"Suppose I'll have to get ready to be submerged underwater for an hour then," Axel laughs.
"Hopefully it doesn't take me the full hour. Fred and I were going to figure out a spell so I can hold my breath for an hour and I should probably find out what means the most to me too," I kiss Axel on the cheek and he waves goodbye.
"Don't forget about the yule ball tomorrow," Axel turns away.
I had forgotten. Thankfully I already had a dress.
"Lot of kissing today," Fred says bitterly.
Ash doesn't notice and takes it more as a joke.
"Definitely out of the ordinary," I laugh.
"You can usually think of spells off the top of your head. Why is it different this time?" Fred changes the subject.
"The spells constitution is different. Witches aren't meant to breathe underwater. I don't feel like swapping my lungs for gills or becoming a fish either. Then I also have to make sure it lasts for an hour. The spells I come up with on the spot are too unpredictable. I'd rather not die," I smile.
"I would rather you not die either. Clearly, your important thing is me though, I'll be fine," Fred smirks.
"Hmm, I will have to take into account that the object I'm to retrieve might be a person. I definitely need to also be able to talk underwater. Perhaps if I use greek roots or... what language did they speak in Atlantis, a language of water would work swimmingly in the right conditions it might even strengthen my spell..." I think.
"It's cute how passionate you are about this," Fred looks down at me and grins.
"Sorry, what'd you say? I was thinking about what language to use. Atlantis is the underwater city and I don't want to be drowned out like it was. Maybe just an island language."
"To the library?"
"Ah.Mhm"
We make our way to the library hand in hand. We were always this close and we were usually together, so why have I been getting butterflies around Fred recently? Not recently, ever since last year really but it's been more obvious to me recently. I liked him. We make our way to the library and I get a book on water, bubbles, and the human respiratory system. I sit down and we read.
I was going to create a bubble just over my mouth that allowed the water around me to transform into air.
"Aere Bulla Horis Oxygeny," I cast.
Nothing changes but I know it worked. I run to the prefects' bathroom again. I dunk my head underwater. It worked. I was breathing underwater. It was straight oxygen. The freshest air I've had, probably not great to have for a prolonged amount of time, or maybe the opposite.
"Now we just figure out the thing you can't live without," Fred hands me a towel and uses another to dry my hair.
"Well, they can't take away my wand.."
"You can do wandless magic," Fred states.
"Still love that thing though. I'm tired, Freddie. I'm just gonna go back to Ravenclaw and sleep. We've got a big day tomorrow anyway. Whatever it is I'll save it."
"Even if it's me?"
"Especially if it's you," I roll my eyes.
"I love you."
"And I you."
"Actually I've been wondering, what do you smell in your Amortentia?" Fred asks.
"You go first."
"Sparks, some sort of dessert, parchment, and a bludger bat," Fred grins.
And me. He smelt me. I know he did, he said I poured my perfume on the egg. If he was going to lie, so would I.
"Linen, Ink, George, Books," I smirk.
"GEORGE!? You fancy my twin???" Fred gasps.
"I like his height, and face. The muscles don't hurt either," I wink.
"We are the same height. We have the same face. We do the same things so we have the same muscles," Fred states glumly.
"They just look better on him," I shrug, "You lied about what you smelt, shouldn't I do the same?"
"...How'd you know?"
"Ar Ar Ash I dorn't think pourin yur perfume on the egg is gonna work," I imitate him.
"I do not speak like that," Fred crosses his arms.
"So you love the smell of parchment because it remind me of you but you don't actually smell desserts. Orrrrrr this ominous 'random dessert' is the walnut loaf I baked for you at my house because well I'm amazing and the parchment was wrong," I tease.
"Second one is true," Fred smiles back all goofy.
"Then I'll be sure to bake it again," I hum.
"Please don't I loved the smell but it tasted worse than the dung bomb chews George and I tried to make."
We laugh and part ways. Halfway back to the common room Fred realizes he forgot to ask Ash what she actually smelt. He shivered at the thought of her actually smelling George.