Last First Kiss {HP Next Generation}

Chapter Eighty One

"99 Butterbeers on the wall, 99 butterbeers, you take one down, pass it around...98 butterbeers on the wall...98-" 

"Hope, if you don't stop that singing right now, I swear, I will stick you inside a bottle of butterbeer and leave you there for all eternity," Stella threatened Hope as the girls sat in an empty classroom. Nixie had allowed the girls to use the Transfiguration classroom during the off class hours, as a place to get some peace and quiet so they could think about the next and final upcoming task.

However, it seemed Hope didn't get the memo about the peace and quiet as she began singing, much to the irritation of the twins.  After Stella's threat, she fell silent before glancing back and forth at the two.

The obvious stress was getting to the two of not being able to figure it out and with the final task falling upon them so soon, even Eliza was losing her usual calm approach to everything. 

"Look, if you guys are going to be cranky, I'm leaving," Hope told them. "I can find far better things to do in the castle then sit here and be yelled at."

"Yeah, like what?" Eliza challenged.

"Like Henry," she said but suddenly, her eyes became wide including her cousins' as they looked at each other. "I meant that in the sense of I can find him and do better things with my time...I'm really not making this better for myself. On that note..."

She pushed herself up from one of the tables and grabbed her things.

"Where are you going?" Stella questioned turning around in her seat as Hope walked towards the door.

"Oh come on, guys, it's been weeks and weeks since we were given the clue and we are no closer to figuring it out," Hope said throwing her bag over her shoulder. "All it's doing is making us all stress out. It's ridiculous! Eliza, you're losing hair and Stella, I'm pretty sure you've lost five years on your lifespan stressing over this, so I ask you both, is it really worth it?"

The two looked over at Hope as she stood in the doorway.

"Who cares if we don't win," she shrugged her shoulders. "I don't want to end up going mental thinking this over, not when I could be having a good time. It's just not worth it. We can forfeit at the final task, no questions asked."

Without saying anything else, Hope walked away leaving Eliza and Stella alone in the classroom.

"She's right, you know?" Eliza sighed. "I can't believe I'm saying it, but she is right. We're sitting here losing our minds when we could just be enjoying the rest of the school year. I mean, look at the other groups, there no closer to figuring it out than we are."

"How do you know that?" Stella asked folding her arms. 

"Hello? Have you seen what they look like? They look just as stressed out as we are all the time."

"Maybe that's because they've figured it out and they know it's going to be bad," Stella pointed out. "They probably figured it out ages ago."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and the girls looked over to see the Ilvermorny group standing in the doorway. They looked at each other through the corner of their eyes before giving their full attention to the other group.

"Can we help you?" Stella asked them.

One of the boys rubbed his arm awkwardly before looking at them. "We...we were just wondering if you had figured out the third task," he said. "Because at this point, we're getting desperate.'

A triumphant smirk appeared on Eliza's face as she had been right with her assumptions while Stella rolled her eyes.

"You mean you guys haven't figured it out either?" She asked them.

"No, how could we?" The girl cried out. "They gave us a key and a coin, it doesn't make any sense. Everything we've come up with makes no sense and it's going to be happening soon. We don't want to be running in blind...and...and you guys don't know what it is either, do you?"

The twins shook their heads causing the other team to groan. Suddenly, there was another knock at the door as the Durmstrang students appeared looking just as lost and confused as the rest of them.

"Well," Stella said looking at her sister. "At least we know that we're all equally screwed at this time."

Henry was returning from getting extra help in the greenhouses with Professor Longbottom when he was nearly knocked to the ground by someone jumping on his back. 

"Wh-"

"Moo bubble bubble!"

He let out a laugh as he automatically knew who it was.

"Hope, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be with Stella and Eliza figuring out the final task?"

Hope slid off his back as he turned around to face her.

"I'm so done with this tournament, I don't care what the final task is. I told Stella and Eliza when the time comes that we can easily forfeit, I don't want to be bothered with it anymore. At this point, I rather take exams and that's saying a lot. Especially for me."

"Oh yes, that's saying plenty," Henry smiled. "But you know, I think that's a good idea, I don't think you guys need to work yourselves up about it anymore. It's a bunch of nonsense at this point."

"Right, it is a bunch of...of...nonsense..."

Hope became still as her eyes darted back and forth as she became entranced with her thoughts. Henry looked at her and poked her shoulder and forehead but she didn't even flinch at his touch.

"Hey! You guys-" Fergus ran over to them with a happy grin, until he saw Hope's face. He looked at Henry with a bit of concern. "What's wrong with her?"

"I dunno, if she were a muggle toy I would say that her batteries finally ran out of juice, but I think it's safe to say that she's broken."

Suddenly, both boys jumped as she let out a high-pitched laugh. She wrapped her arms around their necks dragging them into her before kissing them both of them on the cheek. 

"I love you guys so much!" She said before releasing her hold on them and running off. Henry had a smile on his face as he lifted his hand to his cheek where she had kissed him.

Meanwhile, Fergus was aggressively rubbing at his face where Hope had kissed him mumbling things under his breath. He quickly looked over at Henry who was giving him a weird look.

"She kissed me!" He told Henry causing the boy to put his hands up.

"Alright, alright, no need to get defensive about it, I was there, remember?"

Remus was rubbing his forehead as he looked over one of the essays he had received, wondering what the student was thinking or smoking as they were writing it, when Hope burst into his office startling him. 

"Hope-"

She didn't say anything coherent as she made a million exciting little noises before she ran back out of the office.

"Don't ask, Remus," he muttered to himself. 'Just don't ask....good on you, Remus. Good on you."

He jumped again as he heard Hope's battle or celebration cry from down the corridor. 

"It's almost the summer. It's almost the summer. It's almost....hurry up summer!"