Marauder's Daughter (Eventual Tom Riddle X OC)

Chapter 46: Second Task

Harry was stubbornly determined to try and find the answer for himself on the water breathing. He claimed he wanted to not have to rely on me for everything, but he hoped I would help him in the end if he failed. I will, and I already got the Gillyweed ready for him for the big day. 

Alexei and I spent a day in Hogsmeade together one weekend, and we shopped around the different stores hand in hand. He also took me aboard the ship the Durmstrang's came in, and showed me around and introduced me to his friends. I had met a few of them already at the ball and they were good people to be around. 

I've now met all the students he came with, and I found I got on well enough with all of them, even if a few of them were clearly on track to be dark wizards. The girls disliked me at first, no doubt for stealing away such a gorgeous and talented man, but they didn't do anything bad about it, only huffed lightly before dropping it the first time I came. With how smart and skillful not only Alexei is, but also the other Durmstrang students are, it actually makes me question if Viktor was legitimately the champion for them, or if Karkaroff tampered with the cup as well.

An article from Rita Skeeter came out shortly after the ball, and it outed Hagrid as being a half giant. I was surprised to see quotes from Crabbe in the article too, saying how he got bitten by a Flubberworm and how a friend of his got attacked by a Hippogriff. I have a feeling Draco may have stepped in to keep himself anonymous, and when I asked him directly about it, he said he walked away completely from the interview and didn't participate, not wanting to bring up that part of his past. 

Draco's really been growing since the hippogriff incident, and realizing he's happier when not being petty. I remember in the stories he was the one actively leaking all the information to Skeeter, so this has been a pleasant change of tactics for Draco. He's really only done the buttons against Harry this year. Hermione mentioned he's been keeping to his friends and hanging out with them, both Slytherin and Ravenclaw, not really going out of his way to taunt the golden trio anymore, just taunting when there's a convenient opening to do so. Harry and Ron still hate him on principle, but Hermione at least has seen Lucius treating Draco poorly, so she understands why he acts out on them at times.

I chatted with Tom and got his advice on how to trap an Animagus, and he was again surprisingly forthcoming with spells and information for me. He helped me craft a jar that can hold Skeeter magically, one where she can't break out of at all. I know her next appearance will be in Hermione's hair after the second task, so I'll catch the cockroach then.

"Abby?" Cedric came up to me a couple of weeks before the second task. "Got a minute?"

"For you? Always!" I say cheerily to my friend and follow him to an empty classroom. "What's up?"

"Did uh... Harry figure out his egg?" He asks sheepishly.

"He got the clue, still working on implementing it." I tell him vaguely.

"Oh good. I wanted to make sure." He says genuinely to me. "Um, are you busy tonight? I wanted to go and test out my spell, to see how well it works in the lake. Care for a swim?" He offers up to me.

"Ah, swimming in a lake in Scotland in January..." I grimace sarcastically, then grin at him. "Sign me up, let's go!"

"Meet me down there after dinner?" He grins in response to me. I agree, then head to dinner and back to my dorm to grab a swimsuit and towel, sending Bruce off with a letter to Dad since it's been about a week since I last sent him one, then head down to the lake in the darkening night.

"Alright, I'm going to do the Bubble Head charm, do you know it?" Cedric asks me once I arrive.

"Nope, but I do know a body warming spell I can show you." I offer up. He teaches me the Bubble Head charm, and I teach him the body warming spell which both are easy enough to learn.