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"What do you reckon the second task is?" Fred asked me at dinner the night before the second Triwizard task. I shrugged, along with Angelina.
"I think the champions will have to battle some insane wizard dueler underwater," Lee exclaimed his idea, and we all laughed at the absurdity.
"I think they'll have to conjure some difficult spell to unlock a box with a friend inside," George suggested, and Fred patted his brother on the back at the good thinking. Or at least better than Lee's.
"Well, I do not know what it will be, but I best get off to the library to study for an upcoming charms exam," I greeted everyone the same goodbye except for George, who I kissed on the cheek. I had made it out of the hall and walked to the second floor when I was stopped on the stairs by Headmistress Maxime.
"Nadeleine," she called to me, and I turned around. "Walk with me."
"I am sorry, Headmistress, but I must be going to the library," I said and pointed up the stairs.
"The library will wait for you. For now, please walk with me," I sighed and followed her down the stairs, not wanting to disobey. I figured she would either scold me or warn me about tomorrow's task. But she stayed silent the entire journey back down the stairs.
We walked as far as the lake you could see through the windows of Hogwarts. George had told me that when you first arrived here, you would ride across this lake. It was immensely dark, and it didn't bring me the comfort I thought it would based on George's descriptions.
When we got closer to the small pebbles and grass surrounding a dock, I saw more than half a dozen people standing on the pier.
"Here is the final treasure, Albus," Maxime spoke up, and everyone turned to look at us. There stood Dumbledore, Severus Snape, Minerva McGonagall, Mad-Eye Moody, Igor Karkaroff, and three Hogwarts students. Two I knew already; Hermione and Ron. In contrast, there was an Asian girl with Ravenclaw robes and silk black hair. I recognized her as Cedric Diggory's Yule Ball date.
"What's going on, Headmistress?" I asked, a lump growing in my throat as I looked at Maxime.
"It'll be alright, Nadeleine. None of you are in trouble," Dumbledore soothed and opened his arms subtly to bring comfort to all the worried students. "For the second task, the champions have to use the egg they acquired in the first task to figure out a message. Tomorrow morning, the four champions will be diving into the Black Lake you see before you to retrieve a treasure. You are their treasure. Because you four are some of the dearests people each champion knows."
Dumbledore's knowledge never brought any student more comfort but brought me a sense of understanding which calmed me. "Ms. Chang, you are Mr. Diggory's treasures. Ms. Granger, you are Mr. Krum's. While Ms. Delcaour is her sister's treasure and Mr. Weasley is Mr. Potter's," the headmaster continued, and the younger students glanced at each other.
