𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗻, cedric diggory

˗ˋ 23

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
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-: sixth year :-

── IN WHICH THEY VISIT THE PREFECT BATHROOM

. . .

Rosie was nervous. Nervous about meeting Cedric that night. She didn't exactly know why - her, Fred and George had been sneaking out past curfew for years, so it couldn't be that. 

Maybe because she was going into the prefect bathroom whilst not being a prefect. But upon thinking that Rosie mentally cursed herself, telling herself that there was no way it could be that, that hadn't stopped Rosie the multiple times she had snuck into the bathroom before. 

But what else was it that Rosie could be so nervous about. She had never been nervous to be around Cedric before, so that couldn't be the reason why. Maybe she was nervous that the idea wouldn't work, and they would be struck with a screaming egg. 

She couldn't just tell Cedric what it was saying - she would have to explain to him that she was half mermaid, and Rosie didn't exactly think she was ready for that just yet, or whether she trusted Cedric enough. 

Maybe she would end up having to write him a note, and somehow slipping it into his bag or a book or something. Either way, if the plan for that night didn't work, Rosie didn't know how else she could help him.

A gentle knocking noise could be heard, and Rosie shot to her feet, clutching her towel. When she had changed for bed, the Kersey girl had worn a swimsuit under them, and at around quarter to twelve, she had slipped out of her dorm unnoticed, and waited for that very knock. 

"Hey." Rosie smiled, as soon as she saw Cedric outside. The sound of someone clearing their throat could be heard, and the pair looked around, before their gaze landed on the Fat Lady. 

"Make sure you don't get caught." The woman looked rather motherly as she observed the two teens in front of her. "I've had enough lectures from Professor McGonagall about letting students out at night. Have fun." The Fat Lady resumed her position, laying down on her futon. 

Rosie took Cedric's arm, dragging him away from the common room entrance, and hurrying down the steps in front of her. She was just gratefuly that the stairs were frozen at night, and they could get down them quickly.

"How will you get back in?" Cedric questioned, glancing back at the fast asleep woman. Rosie shrugged.

"There's various methods we've used over the years. Knocking on her frame, tapping on the parchment, just saying the password makes the door swing open sometimes. We've even just yelled at her sometimes." Rosie told him.

"We being you, Fred and George?" Cedric asked and Rosie nodded noticing the rather large bag that was swinging from Cedric's shoulder. "I'm guessing you've broken curfew more than a few times."

"Ever since first year. Rarely been caught, which is a plus." Rosie shrugged. "It's pretty easy to do when you find half the hidden passages within the beginning of your first year."

"Is that why you always used to look exhausted?" Cedric asked, and chuckled when Rosie nodded. They approached the door to the corridor, and Cedric cleared his throat. "Pine-fresh."

The door swung open in front of him, and it was Cedric's turn to drag Rosie into the room, the door shutting just as Rosie got in there. 

Cedric placed the bag down carefully next the baths, which were conveniently empty. He stripped down to his bathing suit, and Rosie did the same, the girl hesitating before getting into the rather large pool of water. 

"So what do I need to do?" Cedric asked, and Rosie, attempting to stare either at his face or the egg, and not at the set of abs that she had always figured he had. 

"Um.." Rosie blushed and stared down at the water. "Put it under water and open it, I guess?" She looked up, and Cedric was holding out his hand. 

"Come on, let's do it together." He offered, and Rosie panicked. She couldn't go to the deep end, because with that much water, she would start changing into a mermaid form. 

She didn't even know if she could repress it. She had never needed to, and didn't even know if she could. The general message was, that if she ever was going to go into deeper water, it was because she was going to transform. 

So instead of saying anything, she just stared at Cedric's hand, and the boy retracted it. "You don't have to, it was just a suggestion." He smiled, and Rosie felt a pang of guilt. 

"Sorry.. I'm not keen on deep water." She lied, making her feel even worse. 

"It's alright, don't worry about it." Cedric told her. "You can duck your head under here, right?" He asked, and she nodded. 

Cedric tread water as he held the egg in the deep end. "Ready?" He asked her, and Rosie nodded, watching as he ducked his head under, and she copied him, eyes screwed shut. 

Soon, she could hear a lilting melody, just like how she heard it when Harry had opened it after the first task. 

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.

The egg sang, and Rosie thought she could recognise it - perhaps it was her cousin, or something. But soon enough, Cedric was resurfacing. The pair would take turns to scribble down the line with the quill and parchment from his bag. 

And with that out of the way, all they had to do was figure out the meaning of the poem. 

Which was easier said than done, if Rosie was honest.

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