"The brightest flame will defeat the deathly chill of seven Decembers."
Castor and Pollux Jones, transfer students from Ilvermorny, are now attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. After the unexpected death of their mother, they move t...
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Harry led them through the murky depths of the Black Lake, scouting out their path through the water. They couldn't see much beyond the vines of seaweed and vegetation that grew out of the rocky outcrops and coral clusters. Schools of small fish seemed to follow them as they followed the siren call of the mermaids. Harry glanced back at her, waving her forwards. She swam after him, choosing not to look twice into the dark corners of the underwater world.
She wondered if she was making a mistake diving further down away from the water's surface. It only meant that she would be further from being able to breathe when her potion eventually wore off.
Harry paddled through the forest of seaweed, trying to not touch more of the slimy plants than he had to. Castor caught sight of Fleur swimming not far ahead of them, her powder blue bathing suit almost blending in with the backgrounds. The only reason Castor and Harry had spotted her was the bright blonde strands of her hair that, even underwater, seemed to shimmer in the minimal light. Castor continued to swim after Harry, keeping a close eye on the bright red colors of his uniform.
She felt eyes watching her, and she barely managed to avoid the long tail and lithe form of the mermaid that swam right past them. Harry looked back at her, nodding his head to see if she was okay. She nodded back and paddled forward to swim alongside him. The siren's call was much clearer now, and they followed after the alluring song.
~
Above the water, Pollux watched as Professor Moody checked his watch as he paced along the platforms. He shivered against the breeze, and shuffled closer to the edge, looking down into the depths of the water below.
"The Beauxbatons champion, Miss Delacour, has unfortunately been forced to retire, so she will take no further part in this task." Professor Dumbledore's announcement set him on edge. Pollux tilted his head, kneeling down on the platform, reaching out to dip his fingers in the water. He shivered again at the temperature. The excited chatter and inner thoughts of the spectators were becoming overwhelming, and he did his best to ignore their thoughts. Someone clapped a hand on his shoulder as they kneeled beside him.
"She'll be alright." Remus assured him. "She's smart."
"I can't hear her down there." Pollux turned to meet his old professor's gaze. "I don't know how deep she is. What if something happens?"
Remus opened his mouth to respond when Professor Moody clunked by them again. Instead, he continued to kneel beside Pollux, watching the surface of the water for any signs of Harry or Castor.
~
They had finally emerged from the forest of seaweed, and Castor found herself drawn to the schools of mermaids the seemed to surround a large stone archway. Harry swam towards the stone monument, paddling faster when he spotted five figures chained down to the bottom of the lake, four of them dressed in Hogwarts robes, while the last one was wearing the same powder blue uniform as the Beauxbatons students.
