A Change in Fate || Cedric Diggory [1]

Chapter 16: Date Drama

"Ugh, boys."

Hermione walked into the dorm she shared with Analeigh, dropping her bag on the side table and flopping down on her four poster bed. Analeigh, who had been reading to kill time after she and Cedric worked on the clue together in the prefect's bathroom, closed her book and raised her eyebrows questioningly at the bushy-haired girl.

As if sensing Analeigh's curiosity, Hermione sighed. "After years of being stuck with Harry and Ron, they never fail to annoy me."

Analeigh laughed, scooting towards the edge of her bed and letting her legs dangle. "How was the rest of the Hogsmeade trip?"

"Same old, same old. Went around, looked at shops, and drank Butterbeer. How about you?"

"Well, Cedric and I figured out the clue."

"You did?" Hermione gasped, sitting up. Crookshanks, who had just settled himself beside her, hissed loudly and jumped off the bed, walking out of the room. "How? Where? What is it? Why is your hair so wet?"

Analeigh felt her face grow warm a bit. "Oh, that's the thing. We had to open the egg underwater."

"Don't tell me you swam in the Black Lake."

"Is it that bad? Viktor Krum swims there for his morning workout — of course, you would know."

Hermione blushed. "Actually, I wouldn't. I don't watch his every move unlike some of the girls here. Now, back to the topic: did you really swim in the lake for that? Cedric too?"

"Well, no..." Hermione stared at her expectantly. "We went to a bathroom —"

"What?"

"The prefect's bathroom. It's huge and there's a tub the size of a pool in there."

"So, were you, you know, nake —"

"No!" Analeigh exclaimed. "Of course not. Anyway, while the egg just screeches on land when you open it, it actually sings underwater. It was the voice of merpeople, and the song is pretty... chilling. It said that they've taken a treasure of some sort and that we have an hour to take it back."

"But, if merpeople took this treasure... then you'd have to search underwater?"

"Exactly."

★ ★ ★

Days had passed since Analeigh and Cedric worked out the clue, and it was already the day before the Yule Ball. Analeigh had told Harry how to open the golden egg. Cedric said it was only fair that they tell him considering it was he who told him about the dragons before the First Task. However, Harry wanted to hear the song himself, so he planned on sneaking into the prefect's bathroom sooner or later.

During study period, many students were gathered in the Great Hall. Snape was watching over them, ensuring that everybody did their work and preventing anybody from talking.

"This is mad," Ron whispered to Harry. "At this rate, we'll be the only ones in our year without dates."

Analeigh, who sat in between Hermione and Dean, glanced up from her work in mild interest. However, Snape, who could hear Ron despite his efforts to whisper, briskly walked towards the boy and whacked the back of his head with his pocket book. The redhead grumbled in annoyance, but continued talking when the professor left anyway.

"Well, us and Neville."

"But then again, he can take himself," Harry joked.

"It might interest you to know that Neville's already got someone," Hermione interrupted, taking offense in part of the shy boy.