K A T E
I was getting ready for bed when there was a slight tapping on my window. Rosie came up from beside me, having just got back from the ball. She walked up to the window and opened it, snow came blowing in and Barney landed on a shelf with a letter in her talons. I grabbed the letter and then quickly shut the window before it grew to cold. I opened the folded piece of parchment and read it.
A little bird told me that you haven't solved the clue. So, I've decided to help you out. A siren's song is hard to hear above water. Have fun with the second task and don't tell anyone about this hint. I'll be seeing you soon.
-L.V
"What is it?" Rosie asked as she came closer to me. I frantically folded up the note and put it in the pocket of my night gown. I trusted Rosie, I really did. But I couldn't have her knowing about the hint I had just gotten. And who was L.V?
"Just- It was a note from Snape asking if I had figured out the egg yet." I made up an excuse. Rosie seemed to buy it as she nodded her head.
"Alright, any clue on how to solve it?"
I thought back to what the note had said. Then I got an idea. "I was thinking that maybe I could hear it underwater, where sound is muddled up. That way the screeching won't be as bad."
"That's actually a good idea. We should try it out tomorrow in the prefects bathroom." She replied and got under her bed covers. "It's a good thing I'm the Slytherin prefect or you'd be screwed."
"Yeah I suppose. Or I could just try it in the lake."
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After breakfast, Rosie and I hurried to the prefects bathroom and locked the door. We stripped down to our bathing suits that we had underneath our robes and filled the bath up with water. Once it was filled, we stepped in and I was about to place the egg in when we heard a voice.
"What are you doing?" A girl's voice said from by the toilets.
"Myrtle, you scared the magic out of us!" Rosie exclaimed, splashing the water with her arms.
"I'm not sorry. I like scaring people." She said as she floated closer and dived into the bath, even though it made no noise because she was a ghost. "So what are you doing?"
"Trying to figure out this egg. So if you would be so kind as to be quiet whilst we go under, it would be much appreciated." I explained and grabbed the egg from the side of the bath.
"Oh alright. I'll leave you alone."
"Thank you."
"But only if you promise to visit me from time to time. People find me annoying and I don't have that many friends beside Harry Potter."
"Yes, fine. Okay, now leave us." Rosie brushed off and tied her hair up. I left mine down and then placed the egg at the bottom of the bath. We held our breath and went under the water as I opened the top of the egg. Just as I thought, the egg didn't make the screeching noise and was replaced by a soft melody.
Come seek us
Where our voices sound
We cannot sing above the ground
An hour you'll have to look
To recover what we took
We came up for breath and I moved my wet hair from my face. Rosie looked as if she knew what it meant and she climbed out of the bath.
"Do you know what it means?" I asked to her as we got changed.
"Yeah, Mermaids in the lake. I used to have a fetish for them when I was younger. I was so obsessed with them that I knew where they were located and everything." She explained and we unlocked the door.
"Oh. I have to find Cedric and tell him, if he didn't already know." I told Rosie.
"Okay, I'll see you later."
After a few minutes of walking around the grounds, I spotted Cedric talking to one of his Hufflepuff friends.
"Cedric!" I shouted as I walked closer to him. He turned to look at me with a big smile on his face.
"Katheryn, hey. What is it?"
"Have you figured out the egg yet?" I asked, panting for breath. I was really unfit.
"No, not yet. Why are you wet?" Cedric asked. I grabbed his hand which seemed to make my cheeks go warm.
"C'mon I'll show you."
"Wha- Katheryn, slow down!"
"Prefects bathroom, come on!"
◙ ◙ ◙
"How'd you even get in here?" He asked as we came through the bathroom doors. We had made a stop at his dorm to grab his egg and I requested him to put on some swim trunks. I didn't answer as I turned away from him and took off my robes to reveal my green swimsuit that I had on earlier. Of course, it was no longer wet because I had cast a spell that made it dry.
"Um, wha- what are you doing?" Cedric asked flustered. I turned around and I saw him staring at me with wide eyes and red cheeks. And because I'm me and I was in a swimsuit in front of my crush, I blushed furiously.
"We have to go in the water for this to work." I explained, pointing at his egg. "Go on, get undressed. We have to get underwater to hear it."
"That's why you told me to get my swimming trunks as we came here!" He realised. I nodded and then climbed into the bath for the second time that day. Cedric soon came in after and I did my best not to look at his bare chest. Cedric seemed just as uncomfortable as I was, but I still caught him a few times looking at my body.
"Put the egg under the water and open it." I instructed. Cedric tore his gaze away from me and did as I said. I could hear the song again and I told Cedric to go under and listen to it. I didn't need to go under, I already knew what it would sing. He came up about a minute later and sucked in all the oxygen into his mouth that he could.
He turned to me with his mouth agape and asked: "How did you figure it out?"
"Well I thought about how water messes up with sound. You know like when you try to talk under water, but you can't hear a thing. And then I was like, 'what if I opened the egg underwater?' and with the help of Rosie, we got in here and opened it."
"So you had a little help did you?" Cedric asked me playfully as he splashed the water in my direction.
"So did you! You'd be lost if I didn't show you this." I laughed back whilst splashing him like he did. We kept splashing each other for about half an hour until our fingertips pruned and then got out.
"We have to tell Harry." Cedric stated as we got changed. "He helped us with the dragons so we have to help him with this.
"Okay."
◙ ◙ ◙
"Hey, Potter!" Cedric shouted as we spotted Harry on a bridge with Hermione. Harry turned around once he heard us.
"Potter!"
"Cedric. Katheryn."
"How--? How are you?" I asked out of breath. Once again cursing myself for not being fit.
"Spectacular."
"Look, we realise we never really thanked you properly for tipping us off about those dragons." Cedric began. I saw Hermione walk away behind us.
"Forget about it. I'm sure you both would've done the same for me." Harry brushed off.
"Exactly." I said, stopping Harry from walking away. I leaned in closer to him as I continued: "You know the Prefects' bathroom on the fifth floor?" Harry nodded.
"It's not a bad place for a bath." Cedric said for me and we began to walk backwards. "Just take you egg...and mull things over in the hot water."
" 'Mull things over in the hot water'? What sort of clue was that?" I asked Cedric as we walked away from Harry.
"I don't know! How else was I suppose to word it without giving too much away?"
"No, you're right. Now we just have to figure out how to hold our breath for an hour." I sighed. "Oh wait! Rosie said something about how she was obsessed with Mermaids, maybe she knows something about staying underwater."
"That's a good idea. Let's go find her."
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R O S I E
I was called into Dumbledore's office along with Hermione Granger, Ron Weasely, Cho Chang and a little girl who looked alot like Fleur Delacour.
"Ah come in, come in children. We have alot to talk about." He greeted and we took a seat infront of his desk.
"What's this about Professor?" Hermione asked.
"If were to be patient Ms. Granger, you'd find out that I was just about to tell you." Professor Dumbledore replied as he sat down in his chair. "You've all been called here to take part in the second task. You are what is precious to the champions."
He looked at us and said, "You Ms. Smith were Katheryn's first fried. Mr. Wesely, you were Harry's. Hermione is dear to Mr. Krum, Ms. Chang is a good friend of Mr. Diggory's and Ms. Delacour to her sister Fleur."
I took what the Professor said to heart. I was Katie's first friend and I had no clue.
"What do we need to do Professor?" Cho questioned.
"We're going to put all of you under a spell that allows you to sleep underwater. Once you are retrieved by the champions and your head is above the water, you'll wake up."
He gave us no time to argue or question as he lifted his wand and put us under one at a time.