NOTE: Hey guys! Sorry this took longer than usual. I'm quite busy with school projects and I don't seem to have enough spare time for updating this chapter. Anyway, this not-much-time-to-update problem will last until March 12. I'm really sorry. And maybe until March 15 because I have to get my clearance signed. I suppose I'll try too write the chapters bit by bit, but it'll still take long. I don't even have much time to read Insurgent.
So, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter, and I hope that I'll have time to write the upcoming ones.
Disclaimer: There are some parts in this chapter which I got from the Goblet of Fire. I'd just like to remind you that I don't own any of the Harry Potter or Percy Jackson characters. All credits go to J.K. Rowling and Rick Riordan.
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*Hogwarts*
~Shadow's POV~
I wake up with an aching back and a throbbing head. Staying up late in the Ministry and asking everyone what happened to who and what's wrong with what sure is tiring. I get up and, looking at the mirror, brush my hair and wipe the sleep out of my eyes. Man, I look like shit, I thought. Bags under my eyes, a crack on my lower lip, oil in my face, a tint of red in my eyes; I look terrible. Good thing no one was in the dormitory at this time. Wait. If no one's in the dormitory... I slowly check the clock in the upper left corner of the room, my face struck with horror.
"SHIT!"
--
"Did you have a nice sleep, Miss Malfoy?" Professor Snape asked me with a cold glare. My lower lip trembled. His eyes look like it's piercing through my soul; like a snake's eye. Well, I'd say it's normal to feel this way with Snape. If you don't feel scared with him reprimanding you at all, I'd say there's something wrong with you. My Slytherin classmates at the back snicker, but I notice Draco give them a glare. They stop snickering and look forward with their normal expressions. Harry and Ron look scared for me, but at the same time, amused. I could do something to embarass Snape. You know, revenge for Harry. As I thought about the idea, Hermione must have read my mind because she shook my head, sighed deeply, and pinched her nose bridge like a mother.
"Why, yes, I did, Professor," I said with enthusiasm.
"Oh?" Snape said, his right eye twitching.
"In fact, sir, I dreamt of a guy who looked like you," I smiled. "Only, his hair was cleaner and less greasier." I heard a couple of 'ooes' and 'ohs' among my classmates. Most of them laughed. Seamus was slamming his fist on the table to conceal the rest of his laughter. Harry and Ron were laughing as hard as they can. Hermione wasn't laughing, but she hid the smile on her face with her hair. Professor Snape turned around and gave the class a death glare, and everybody shut up. Most of them looked like they still wanted to laugh, though. Snape turned to me, his lower lip twitching. Probably trying to avoid ranting.
Instead of trying to do anything, he growled quietly and stood straight, looking as calm as he could. "Go to McGonagall's office, young lady," he ordered. I grabbed my bag and ran off, out of the classroom, and to the hallway, where I laughed as I ran.
As soon as I stood infront of Professor McGonagall's office, the door creaked open. Absentmindedly, I went in and closed the door behind me. Seated in her chair was Professor McGonagall, a quill in her hand, signing some documents. She looked at me through her spectacles and gestured me to sit at the spare chair infront of her desk. Instead of sitting, though, I stood behind the chair, both of my hands on its backrest, and leaned on my arms. "I was expecting you, Miss Malfoy," she said, gently dropping her quill and resting her arms on the table. "I was just joking around with Professor Snape, Professor," I reasoned. "I didn't mean any-"
I stopped as soon as I saw her expression. She looked confused, amused, and stern all at the same time. "What might that joke be, Miss Malfoy? I didn't expect you here because of a joke you played on Severus earlier. In fact, I don't even know anything about the joke you are talking about," she said.
My mouth dropped and I clear my throat nervously. "O-Oh. Right. S-So, w-what might I be here for, Professor?" I ask in the calmest tone I could produce. McGonagall laces her fingers together and rests her chin on it. "It is about the second task."
As soon as those words slip out of her mouth, I became dead serious. Not a tint of laughter or happiness can be seen in my expression. I stood straight and sat properly on the chair. "What about the second task?" Professor McGonagall let out a huge sigh she, I suppose, was suppressing before she started explaining.
"Professor Dumbledore has spoken to me about this earlier this morning when you were still sound asleep. He asked me if I had any idea about the next task the champions will be facing," she said. "I told him I don't know what it is, but I have some clues. Lately there were Ministry people under Barty Crouch who were sneaking in and out of Hogwarts and heading for the Black Lake. Then, they would get some merpeople to rise up to the shore and instruct them about hiding and guarding a certain number of people. I've also heard from Mr. Diggory about the song he heard when he opened the egg in the water. I asked Albus what the second task was. He instructed me to get a few people and to give them a potion for them to be unconscious in the water, but once they come up, they will regain their consciousness.
"On the day the task will be carried out, the champions will have to dive into the Black Lake and retrieve the selected students from the merpeople and bring them back to the shore. Once they did, their task is complete."
"You could have just said that," I mumbled, obviously tired from hearing her story. "Did Professor Dumbledore tell you who these certain people are?"
Her expression turned grim as she said their names. I was only left at a state of shock.
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~Harry's POV~
"Hermione, I was joking," I said warrily. "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 the Weird Wizarding Dilemmas. "Who on earth wants to make their nose hair into ringlets?"
"I wouldn't mind," I heard Fred say. "Be a talking point, wouldn't it?"
Ron, Hermione, and I looked up. Fred and George had just emerged from behind some bookshelves.
"What're you two doing here?" Ron asked.
"Looking for you," George said. "McGonagall wants you, Ron. And you, Hermione."
"Why?" Hermione asked, looking surprised.
"Dunno... she was looking a bit grim, though," Fred said.
"We're supposed to take you down to her office," George said.
Ron and Hermione stared at me. I felt my stomach drop. Was Professor McGonagall about to tell Ron and Hermione off? Perhaps she'd noticed how much they were helping me, when I ought to be working out how to do the task alone?
"We'll meet you back at the common room," Hermione told me as she got up to go with Ron - both of them looked very anxious. "Bring as many of these books as you can, okay?"
"Right," I told her uneasily.
I looked at all the books I had to scan on the table. Where's Shadow when you need her?
By eight o'clock, Madam Pince had extinguished all the lamps and came to chivvy me out of the library. Staggering under the weight of as many books as I could carry, I returned to the Gryffindor Common Room, pulled a table into a corner and continued to search. A shuffling noise behind me stops me from reading. I turned to see who it was.
"Percy?"
"Harry! Hey, where've you been all day, man?" Percy asked.
I sighed then shrugged tiredly. "Been in the library. Looking for spells that would help me for the task, you know. Of course, Hermione helped," I said.
"That's not a surprise." He stared at all the books on the table. "Woah, woah. That's more than a handful. Let me try helping you. It's a shame Annabeth's already asleep, though."
Crookshanks crawled into my lap and curled up, purring deeply. The common room emptied slowly around Percy and me. People kept wishing me luck for the next morning in cheery, confident voices like Hagrid's, all of them apparently convinced that I was about to pull off another stunning performance. I couldn't answer them, I just nod, feeling as though there were a golf ball stuck in his throat. By ten to midnight, Percy and I were the only ones left. Oh. And don't forget Crookshanks. By this time, the number of books on the table was cut in more than half.
One by one, the remaining books on the table lessen, until only one was left. "Dude, let me look through the last book, okay? Close your eyes for a bit. You've been doing this all day," Percy offered. I nodded and put my head on the table. After he scanned it, I looked at him expectantly, but he just shook his head in disappointment.
It's over, I thought. I can't do it. I'll just have to go down to the lake in the morning and tell the judges...
I imagined myself explaining that he couldn't do the task. I pictured Bagman's look of round-eyed surprise, Karkaroff's satisfied, yellow-toothed smile. I could almost hear Fleur Delacour saying, "I knew it... 'e is too young, 'e is only a little boy." I saw Malfoy flashing his POTTER STINKS badge at the front of the crowd, saw Hagrid's crestfallen, disbelieving face...
Forgetting that Crookshanks was on my lap and Percy was beside me, I stood up very suddenly; Crookshanks hissed angrily as he landed on the floor and Percy looked alarmed as he, too, suddenly stood up. I started stalking away to the boys' dormitory to get the Invisibility Cloak and go back to the library.
"Harry! Where you at, bro? Hey! Wait up!" I heard Percy say, but I did not reply. I will stay in the library all night if I have to. My pride will not be scarred.
"Lumos," I whispered fifteen minutes later as I opened the library door, covered up with the Invisibility Cloak. Percy was yawning tiredly beside me.
Wand-tip alight, we crept along the bookshelves, pulling down more books - books of hexes and charms, books on merpeople and water monsters, books on famous witches and wizards, on magical inventions, on anything at all that might include one passing reference about underwater survival. I carried half of them over to a table, Percy carrying the other half, then start to work, searching them by the narrow beam of my wand, and Percy, by a flashlight. I occasionally check my watch.
One in the morning... two in the the only way I could keep going was to tell myself, over and over again, next book... in the next one... the next one... I look over at Percy who stopped yawning. He looked alert, wide awake, like he's used to staying up all night. I snap back to reality as soon as I realize he was finishing the books faster than I was. I went back to my work and read as fast as I can, but ensuring that I read every single detail.
--
~Shadow's POV~
Where is he?
In ten minutes, the second task will start. Where in the world could Harry be? I look behind me and over the crowd, scanning each face.
"Shadow," Nico said, walking to me. "Where's Harry? He's the only one missing down there." I looked at him worriedly and continue searching. "Percy's not here, too!" I hear Jason yell, jogging to us. With me, are Ginny, Fred, George, Annabeth, Hazel, Frank, Jason, Piper, and Nico. Ron and Hermione were... well, I think it's best if I don't say. But Harry and Percy are supposed to be here.
"We're... here..." someone panted behind us. It was Harry with Percy behind him. My chest started to breath normally. He was here. Nothing bad happened to the both of them.
"Where have you been?" a bossy, disapproving voice asked harshly. "The task is about to start!" It was Percy Weasely. Percy was sitting at the judges' table. Mr. Crouch had failed to turn up again. This is starting to get fishy, I think. Harry looks at us worriedly. He was holding a green, weedy thing on his right hand. "Is that... gillyweed? Where'd you get that?" I ask. "Oh, this? Yeah, it's gillyweed. Dobby gave one to me this morning," he replied.
"Come on, man," Jason said, tapping Harry's shoulder. "You can do this. Get down there!"
"Goodluck, Harry!" Nico shouted.
"Get them, Potter!" I shouted.
"We'll be supporting you, Harry!" Ginny shouted.
"We're betting on you, Harry!" Fred and George shouted. I gave them a 'Really?' look. They just looked at me innocently and shrugged.
I observed what's happening below. Dumbledore smiled at Harry as he passed by. Karkaroff and Madam Maxime certainly didn't look pleased to see him. From the looks on their faces, they were hoping Harry wouldn't turn up today.
"Sonorus!" a voice boomed across the dark water and through 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!" Ludo Bagman shouted, blowing his whistle harder than usual.
The whistle echoed shrilly in the cold, still air; the stands erupted with cheers and applause; without looking to see what the other champions were doing, Harry pulled off his shoes and socks, pulled the handful of gillyweed out of his pocket, stuffed it into his mouth, and waded into the lake.
"I hope he'll be alright," Ginny said worriedly. She has a lifetime crush on Harry. So, I understand why she's worried. Actually, everyone is. I put a hand on Ginny's shoulder and said, "He'll be fine, don't worry." To tell you the truth, I myself am not even sure about what I'm saying.
Fleur Delacour gave up on the task half an hour later. I don't know what happened, but she had scratches all over her legs and purple spots on her arms. She looked traumatized. Madam Maxime and a few other Beauxbaton girls when down to help her, and Ludo Bagman announced her pull back.
I checked Nico's watch. An hour had already passed and yet no one else returned to shore. But after 1 minute, Cedric appeared with Cho in his arms and swam to the nearest stand he could find. He looked panic-striken, but at the same time, he looked confindent and proud. Once he got out of the water, he looked at me, smiled, and winked. I gave him a small smile and turned my gaze upon the water. After a few minutes, I realized that Cedric still hasn't taken his eyes off me. I tried to hide my irritated look with my hair. Nico gave a small, but dangerous growl behind me.
"If he continues to do what he's doing, I swear..." he said dangerously in my ear. I gave him a hug and because of that, he was silenced. Part of me was scared, part of me was all giddy and happy. Giddy? I don't know. Happy? Maybe because what he's doing is a sign of how much he loves me.
"Trust me, Death Boy," I whisper. "I'm all yours, okay?" His expression softens and he takes a deep breath. He nods and I give him a kiss on cheek.
Krum came up with Hermione a minute ago. And just now, Ron came up with a girl who looked about eight years old. They were both panting. Everyone gasped to see it was Ron when they were expecting Harry. Cedric and Krum helped Ron and the young girl to shore and Hermione rushed over to give Ron a towel. Fleur jumped off her seat and ran for the girl, despite her foot injuries. Fleur gave the girl a hug and tears stream from her eyes.
Finally, Harry came up from the water. He was gasping and thrashing and swimming. Harry was able to swim swiftly to the shore. There, he spat all the water that welled up inside him and gasped for air. Hermione gave him a towel, and seeing that he can't wipe himself, wiped his face, legs, and arms. Then, she hugged him.
"Let's get down there!" Annabeth said, running towards the stand.
Everyone was congratulating Harry. Everyone was relieved to see him.
The second task was over.
All was well.