Pick Your Poison | Tom Riddle |

Chapter Twenty One: Breathing Underwater

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"Just keep swimming."
-Dory

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The thick white clouds rolled over the the lake dark in contrast, its black surface reflecting the white clouds and making their color match with the water. Three wooden posts were situated in the water with four floors each, enough to fit all of Hogwarts.

Eleanor stood at the bottom of the middle post, her mostly bare skin shuddering under the leftover cold weather in February.

She stood still at the dock while her parents and siblings talked around her with encouraging words and tips. Everything was a blur.

The only thing on her mind was the various creatures in the lake and all the possibilities of what she'd face down there. This time around, Lacey had slipped to her what the task would bring her: the merpeople.

"Come on darling, let's take a picture." Eleanor's mother said, wrapping a warm arm around her shoulders.

Eleanor allowed herself to be pulled into her mother's hold while her siblings and father squeezed into the picture with her. Of course, behind the camera was Josie Eddington.

"I thought we didn't like her." she whispered up to her father.

"After the Tournament I paid someone off to send her off to America." her father replied, a silly grin on his sweet face like a child plotting against his friends. "She will think she's got the opportunity of a lifetime but it might be the most dreadful thing she ever faces." he chuckled.

Eleanor then found the energy to smile for the camera now and enjoyed the warmth her family radiated because she was absolutely freezing.

"Are you ready?" James asked, standing with Evelyn who looked down at her with a pleasant smile.

They both dressed professionally in their nicest suit and dress. Probably to impress the professors who came by to watch.

"Define ready." Eleanor exhaled through chattering teeth. "I'm bloody freezing."

The siblings weakly laughed at her comment and James stuffed his hands in his pockets. Just as he began to speak again, Eleanor's eyes caught something over his shoulder and she felt her heart sink just a little.

James raved about some of the Slytherins he got to speak with when he arrived but she could only focus on Nikolai who seemingly spoke in secret to Josie on the other side of the dock.

Without a second to consider it, she marched over to see Josie's bewildered look carry her away and she faced Nikolai who wasn't at all surprised to see her.

"What did you just tell her?" Eleanor asked, all of her demeanor forcefully calm in the presence of the Durmstrang students as they packed together on the wooden boards.

Nikolai raised his chin up at her and she looked up at his knowing stare. He knew exactly what he was doing.

"You're coming off quite accusing for someone who was standing on the opposite side of the deck." Nikolai cunningly said, his face remaining hard as concrete.

Eleanor then wiped off the calmness and a fuse lit inside of her.

"You look a little pleased for someone who just spoke with Josie Eddington. So come on, spill it. It's not like she'll print your version of what you said anyway." Eleanor shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest.

But then, Nikolai let out the driest laugh that sounded quite horrible for someone with such a grim face. Yet it was still enough to make her skin crawl.