Dark Magic

Submerged

January felt like the longest month of my entire life; between Hermione and I working tirelessly to take down Rita Skeeter and figuring out what the second task might be, I found myself struggling to keep up with my everyday classes. Most of the students had now forgotten the events of the Yule Ball, allowing normality to resume. I, however, was finding my time at Hogwarts more difficult than ever; struggling to find ways to continue my classes without bringing attention to my lack of magic. Potions was now my toughest feat, my grades dropping to 'Needs Improvement'. Whenever Draco, Harry and Hermione could cover for me with their own magic, they would. But it was getting harder to conceal. As much as it sickened me to come to terms with, I was starting to feel like Hogwarts was no longer somewhere I fit in; rather the opposite. I feared it would be my last year...

Towards the end of the month, Harry finally figured out how to crack the Dragon's egg in the girl's bathroom, thanks to none other than Cedric Diggory giving him a nudge in the right direction. After submerging the egg underwater, a song commenced told by the fabled merfolk that lived in the Black Lake; the location of the second task. Currently, it was the night before said task, the four of us scouring the library for a way to allow my brother to breathe underwater for an hour.

"What was it again, Harry?" Hermione's voice spoke monotonously as she paced back and forth, in deep thought. Harry rolled his eyes, but recited the clue, for the hundredth time.

"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."

I let out a low and angered grunt, tossing one book aside and opening another one; sixth year spells. Suddenly, something struck me, as I allowed a small gasp to escape my lips. "I've got it!"

"SHH!" Madam Pince hissed, which we all ignored as the trio gathered around the book I had opened as I began to skim through it. Ignoring their questioning, I found the page and pointed my finger triumphantly at the spell I had been looking for. "The Bubble-Head charm!" Once more, another reprimand emitted from Madam Pince, which we ignored for the second time.

"Right, Em. And How is Harry supposed to perform a Sixth-year spell?" Hermione tusked.

"Well, he managed the Accio charm. What's to say he can't do this as well?" Ron argued, to which I nodded eagerly in response. Hermione, however, was not so convinced. "That was when he had a few days to practise and with somebody who could actually do the spell, Ronald." She spoke, notioning to the time I spent days helping Harry learn said charm in preparation for the first task.

Something in my chest cracked just a little, the realisation quickly hitting me that I could have helped my brother learn the advanced charm, if I had my magic. Hermione sighed, realising what she had said in an instant, "Em, I'm sorry." Shaking my head quickly in retaliation, I dismissed her apology, "It's fine, honestly. Don't worry about it." I concealed my hurt very well with a smile, standing up from the desk and reaching for another book. Except...

"Ah, thought I'd found you lot in here." The disgruntled voice of Alastor Moody sounded as he appeared from around one of the shelves, eyeing the four of us. His blue, bewitched eye lingered on me for a moment longer than humanly comfortable, before averting onto my brother, "Preparing for the task tomorrow, eh?"

"Yes, Professor." Harry nodded in confirmation, but Moody merely shrugged in response. "It's getting late. You'll need your sleep, tonight. And I'll need to borrow you three." His words made a slight chill traverse my spine, his disjointed finger pointed at Ron, Hermione and I as I folded my arms and turned squarely to face him, "Why?" My brows furrowed, but Moody merely retorted just as confidently, "Dumbledore's orders." And I knew, then, we didn't have much of a choice in the matter.

Glancing at my brother, I placed a hand on his shoulder, his own hand covering mind and giving it a tight squeeze, "Good luck, tomorrow. I'm sorry I won't be there." Harry merely nodded in response, "Thanks, Sis." For this conversation had already been shared; the both of us coming to the quick conclusion I would not be attending. The Slytherin Common Room still gave me slight anxiety; I wasn't sure how being atop the very centre of the Black Lake would make me feel. Ron and Hermione wished Harry a goodnight, before we all made our way to Dumbledore's office...

3rd Person's P.O.V

As Luck would have it, none other than Neville Longbottom had overheard the Quartet's conversation in the library the night prior to the second task. Having read a few passages on a plant called Gillyweed, he shared his knowledge with Harry that said herb would allow him to breathe underwater for an hour. Harry had finally found his answer and no spell learning was required.

Most students, say for a select few including Ron, Hermione and Emerald Potter, were not present for breakfast that very morning. Harry could only assume the task Dumbledore had given them must have been very important. After a very lonely breakfast, Harry and the rest of the students from each of the schools made their way towards the docks, where they paddled to the centre of the Black Lake and waited for the task to commence...

Ludo Bagman stepped forth onto the main Podium, holding his wand to his throat as the echoe of his voice boomed across the dark lake. "Well, all our Champions are ready for the second task, which will start on my whistle. On the count of three then..."

Harry had tried to phase out the cheering crowd and focus solely on his mission to retrieve something that had been taken and placed into the Black Lake. But a monotonous, serpent-like voice calling his name through the crowd suddenly distracted him. "Potter!" Snape, cloaked in black, suddenly emerged from the crowd, worry evident in his dark eyes as he grasped the boy by his collar a little harsher than anticipated. Harry tried not to wince as the Potion's Master addressed him, his voice slightly too frantic for comfort, "Where is your sister?"

Harry's stomach dropped slightly as his words, "I don't know. I haven't seen her since last night." Snape's eyes suddenly turned from worry to sheer, unmistakeable terror as they averted from the boy's and onto the Black Lake. Harry's blood turned cold. "Oh my god." He gasped, barely above a whisper. Snape looked just about ready to jump in himself, but Dumbledore softly placed a hand on his shoulder, preventing him from leaping into the dark water.

"One..."

Harry placed the Gillyweed into his mouth, realising hitting him like an ice bucket as he waited, less eagerly than the rest, to jump in and save his sister's life. "Severus. What's the matter?" Dumbledore asked the man calmly, whose breathing was becoming more and more panicked with each passing moment. He turned to face the older headmaster, his eyes ablaze, "I told you not to do that to her!"

Harry began to choke on the Gillyweed, Alastor Moody stepping forth and patting him on the back in the hopes of forcing the herb down before the whistle sounded.

"Two..."

Dumbledore's evident confusion did not provide any relief to Severus Snape, the all-powerful Wizard at a loss for words, "And I did as you asked." The calmness in his voice did not waver. Moody turned to face the two, leaning on his walking stick, "Perhaps she is in her Common Room, Snape. Did you think to look there?"

The Potion's Master looked as though he could launch himself at the Auror at any given moment; or perhaps, even better, shove him into the lake with his bare hands. But that wouldn't bring him any closer to finding Emerald Potter.

"Three!"

The whistle sounded, Professor Moody turning to shove Harry into the Lake, commencing the second task...