Skyler sneaks into the bathroom of the Slytherin House. It's around midnight, and no one's there. She fills the tube and undresses herself. Once the tube is filled with water, Skyler lets herself glide inside the warming liquid. She takes the egg from the ground and puts it in the water, where she opens it. Skyler quickly goes under water herself and hears the clue for the Second Task:
'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.'
"Alright, why are these things never clear?" Skyler mutters out loud, as she listens again. And again, and again. Eventually, she knows the entire rhyme as she knows the back of her hand. Drying herself and the egg, Skyler instantly goes to the library. She has to figure this out, and she needs to write this down.
∞∞∞
"Alright. The Second Task happens in the Black Lake. So, what lives in the Black Lake that sings?" Skyler whispers, as she searches through the books.
"Lakes over Europe... Lakes and their dangers... Ugh! Nothing about the Black Lake! Damn it. Another student must've taken it." Skyler says, talking to herself. 'But the other question,' she thinks, 'how am I going to hold my breath for an hour?' At the moment, she's standing Second Place in the Tournament, together with Cedric. 'But second isn't first, so it's not good enough.' She thinks bitterly, as she continues her search through the library that has never failed her before.
∞∞∞
"Damn, you look awful." Blaise says when he sees Skyler in the morning with breakfast. Skyler glares at him.
"Thanks, Blaise. That's exactly what a girl likes to hear when she's slept bad." She tells him sarcastically. Theo and Draco join them at the same time.
"Wow, Sky... you look... eh, did you have a good night sleep?" Theo asks, subtle as ever.
"You see, Blaise? At least try to make it sound nice?" Skyler says. Blaise just puts his hands in the air.
"You honestly think that I care about your appearance, Sky? I just wanted to know what happened to you to make you look so... tired?" He says in defense.
"The library failed me." Skyler mutters. The three boys gasp dramatically.
"Oh, no! The library failed you," Draco states worriedly, "with what?" He adds curiously.
"The Second Task. Someone is going to steal something from me, something I can't miss, and take it into the Black Lake." Skyler breathes out, looking down at her food.
"How did you find out?" Theo asks seriously. Skyler sighs and hands him the paper with the indication.
"The high screeches from the egg, if you put it under water, it's sung by beautiful voices. I've searched every book in the library. Hogwarts: A History, Hogwarts and Its Secrets, Lakes in the Wizarding World. Nothing! What could be in the Black Lake that is able to sing, talk and steal something probably?" She exclaims softly, as she puts her head in her hands, rubbing her temples.
"Well, I know everyone's heard of the Giant Squid. But you also have Grindylows and the Merpeople Colony." Blaise says simply.
"There are Merpeople? As in mermaids?" Skyler asks shocked. Blaise, Theo and Draco nod, causing Skyler to groan.
"I'm going to die! How am I supposed to keep my breath for an hour andfight all those creatures in the Lake?!" She says.
"Can't you just transform into a fish or something?" Theo shrugs.
"A fish?!" Skyler scolds him shrilly, "You know what Grindylows and Merpeople eat, Theodore Nott? They eat fish, of course! And how am I supposed to grab something that has been stolen from me, with fins?"
Theo shrugs, "Just trying to help, Sky." Skyler groans again, letting her head fall on the table, hard.
"Ouch. Yes, I know Theo. It's just... I hate this Tournament so much... and it drives me crazy. All these impossible tasks make me go crazy!"
∞∞∞
"Ta-da! Here's your dress, Skyler!" Tracy Davies exclaims three days later. The Ball is in two days and everyone is going absolutely crazy about it. Skyler still has to reject everyone, telling them she already has a date. She'd joked to Fred and George that she'd asked an Avenger, and that escalated quickly.
"Oh, my Merlin, Tracy, it's beautiful! Thank you so much! Here, I know you said that you don't want any money but see it as my sign of gratitude." Skyler hands her a small pouch of Sickles. "Just be happy it aren't Galleons." She adds with a wink.
Skyler puts her renewed dress in her wardrobe and puts a few protection spells on it, just in case a Draco Malfoy- fangirl finds out Skyler's going to the dance with him.
"Oh, my Merlin!" Pansy screams as she walks into the girl's dormitory, followed by Millicent Bulstrode and Daphne Greengrass.
"What's wrong?" Skyler asks confused.
"Skeeter wrote a new article about you! Haven't you read it yet?" Pansy says, handing her the Daily Prophet.
.
SKYLER FOSTER AND HER "FORBIDDEN" LOVE
Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen. Whilst Skyler Foster is haunted by boys who'd like to take her to the Yule Ball, she already has someone. And it's no one else than Draco Malfoy, member of one of the oldest Pureblood bloodlines. What are the reactions of their friends? And what would the parents of the Malfoy Heir say? – Not only Skyler is a favorite to be asked to the Yule Ball, for Draco Malfoy is popular as well. Is this a relationship, or a publicity stunt? And is poor Draco aware of the crimes Skyler has committed in order to survive The Battle of New York?
There's a lot of drama going on at Hogwarts this year, and the sweetest rumor of all, is the newest couple. After dating her fellow Champion, Cedric Diggory, and playing with the feelings of Anatoli Krum – brother of – and Blaise Zabini, Skyler Foster has seduced her newest victim, Draco Malfoy. Even though this boy is far from naïve and unexperienced on the project called 'Love', we're all not sure if this is a true relationship.
.
There's even a picture of Skyler and Draco kissing in the alley. Both their faces are clear, but the most horrible thing that goes through Skyler's head is: 'How in the name of Odin did she find out? And what does she mean with "crimes"?' Skyler's heart stops a second when she lets it sink in. 'No, I haven't told anyone but Snape!'
"Why... the stupid..." Skyler growls.
"Is it true?" Daphne squeals, clasping her hands together.
"No of course it isn't true! Not this way... we had to escape from the herd of squealing girls and begging boys." Skyler defense herself, looking at the paper again.
"I've got to show this to Draco. His parents are going to be fuming, well, his father is probably going bizarre." She says, running out of the dormitory.
"And again, Tracy, many thanks for making my dress so beautiful, I really appreciate it." Skyler says, before closing the door and running towards the Great Hall where Blaise had said they'd be. A few Slytherins look at her and send daggers at her.
'Maybe teleporting is better.' Skyler thinks, as she walks out of the common room. She imagines the doors of the Great Hall and feels herself teleporting. 'That's the first time it worked without snapping my fingers!' Skyler thinks. She enters the Great Hall and walks over to the Slytherin table.
"Have you seen it?" Skyler asks as she stands behind Draco and Blaise, throwing the Daily Prophet on the table.
"Goddamn, Skyler, can you at least make a little noise?" Blaise asks, startled. Skyler ignores his comment and gestures him to make place. Draco's already reading the Prophet carefully.
"How in the name of Salazar Slytherin?" He mumbles out loud.
"What?" Blaise asks, taking the Prophet out of Draco's hands. "What crime is she talking about, Skyler? And, you didn't play with my feelings, I played with yours." He adds with a smirk.
"You didn't, as didn't I commit any crime." Skyler denies, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, I don't know why, but this woman wants you crushed at her feet, Sky." Draco states, and both Blaise and Skyler look at him like that is obvious.
"Anyway, I need to look in the library, again, for a solution of my problem. See you later, dinner, I guess." Skyler lightly kisses Draco's cheek and heads off to the library.
______
Thank you very much for reading, I promise you that the next chapter is going to be wonderful, as will the others that follow be... well, at least the two after this one. Because our little Skyler is going to suffer some loss, I can tell you that. BUT enough with the spoilers, what did you guys think? Are you satisfied for a while? ;) -x