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A week passed. The burn on Marina's leg had become a pink scar, and the pain of it was gone.
She had been reflecting on what she did right and wrong in the task, flashbacks of the scene playing in her head. She still could not understand why her father had not come to help her. Junior had promised her he would.
Draco and Blaise had sat by her side on the couch in the Common Room every day, showing their support of her; Pansy had run to get her food three times each day; some first-years had tried to make a charm to heal her leg, but she had to stop them as they almost made it ten times worse. Nonetheless, Marina was grateful for the support she got from them when her father wouldn't talk to her. It was just the thought of how much the members of her house expected of her that brought her down.
Snape had announced that Hogwarts was going to host a Yule Ball this year. A dance for the student and staff was going to take place right before Christmas break. As Marina sat in the library, she could hear a group of girls walking toward the door talking about how beautiful their dresses were going to be. She shook her head. The only thing she could think of was how she was going to persuade Harry to be her date for the ball... They would be the perfect champion duo.
"Are you alright?"
Marina jumped. Someone was suddenly standing over her, casting a shadow over the table. She tilted her head upwards. The boy in front of her had blond curly hair reaching to his shoulders. His blue eyes were glued to her face, and his pale cheeks were slowly becoming pink as she looked back at him. His red and brown uniform consisted of many layers of both silk and fur. A Durmstrang student, he was.
"What?"
"It looked painful," he said with a heavy Scandinavian accent, "your leg."
Marina didn't answer. She had come to the library to be alone. The first lessons of the day had started, and all students were gathering in classrooms. She had skipped Snape's class just so she could find peace, but he was ruining it.
He looked at her for a moment with pursed lips. Then, he hurried to sit down on a chair. "I've wanted to talk to you for a while." He spoke slowly, making sure he pronounced every word correctly. "I was thinking of approaching you yesterday, but... Anyway... My name is Isak."
First then, she recognized him. He was the Durmstrang student she had locked eyes with during the opening ceremony at the start of the year, and talked to about Dark Arts at Durmstrang. The one she had tried to read multiple times.
"I read about you in the paper and watched you in the First Task. You're very talented, Marina." Hoping that he would soon leave and let her be, she rolled her eyes and bit down on her lip. When he saw it, he quickly said, "I'll let you be. I was just wondering if you needed any help with the Second Task."
Marina leaned over the table. "And how can you, who's not even a champion, help me with that?"
"I know what the Golden Egg is telling you," he answered, smiling. "You just hear screams, right? Horrible sounds?"
She nodded. "And what is it telling me?"
Isak leaned back in his seat. "I obviously can't tell you that now. Who knows if anyone is listening."
Marina looked around the library, then back at him. "Are you thick? We're completely alone here."
"I want to show you how you can get the information you need from the egg. But you have to trust me first."
Would she even need his help? She had Junior and her father on her team. "I've just met you," she told him.
"I have a proposal for you. If you let me take you to the Yule Ball, I will tell you how you can win the second task."
They looked at each other in silence, the sound of his steady breathing being the only thing one could hear in the library. Marina needed to persuade Harry to go to the ball with her. She didn't need or want Isak, but she needed the clue to the second task.
"You know," he licked his lips, "my dad has a lot of power, both here and at home. People in the north admire my family in the same way people here care about you Blacks. I bet we could make some headlines if we went to the ball together. Wouldn't that be nice? The Daily Prophet has already written good stuff about you. More love and fame wouldn't be so bad."
The way he spoke about her family name made chills go down her spine. It was clear that he knew much about her family. If what he said about his own family was true, they would surely make heads turn at the ball. "I don't know..."
"Trust me, Marina Black." He grinned and leaned closer to her. "You want to know how I found out about the Second Task? My father is one of those creating the tasks for you. I'm not supposed to be speaking to you about this, but I couldn't resist. All I want to do is help you."
He got to his feet again, and automatically, she got up from her chair, too. He was much taller than her. She looked up at him. The witchery of his beautiful eyes would have been enough to blind any girl of his words. Marina tread carefully, not wanting to make any mistakes. She couldn't afford that. Isak was charming, celebrated, and handsome, but she still wanted Harry. She could not get lost and forget about her mission. The reason why she was competing in the Tournament in the first place, was, after all, to befriend Harry and bring him with her to the Third Task.
"It will be wonderful," Isak finished. "You don't have to give me your answer now, but know that I'm ready to spoil you."
Leaving the library and Isak, Marina couldn't stop thinking about Harry. She needed to ask him to the ball. Maybe they could figure out how the Golden Egg worked together. Then, she wouldn't need Isak.
But how was she going to ask Harry to the Yule Ball?
