𝒄𝒐𝒐𝒍 𝒌𝒊𝒅𝒔 - pjo x hp

xlii. the first task

𝐑𝐀𝐘𝐀 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐄 𝐈𝐓 𝐀 𝐇𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐀𝐘 𝐇𝐈 𝐓𝐎 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐘.

After he'd ranted to her and Sirius about how everyone seemed to be against him, Raya wanted to show him some support. Her friends who were walking with her also said hi, occasionally holding a short conversation.

"D'you find out what spell he meant?" Raya asked once, referring to the simple one Sirius was talking about.

"Not yet," he shook his head.

"I'll look too," Raya told him. "I'll let you know if I find anything. Also, did you tell him yet?"

This time Raya was referring to Cedric, and the first task being related to dragons. She'd been on her way to tell Cedric the next morning, when Harry told her he was going to do it. Something to try and convince Cedric he was on his side.

"I told him," Harry nodded. "Not sure just how much he believes me. Hopefully, enough."

"I'll talk to him about that too," Raya promised. "See you later."

"See you."

She continued to Potions, the last class of the day. 

Over the course of a few weeks Raya managed to change the color of Snape's robes pink, draw an irremovable moustache on his face, and even stick veritaserum in a box of cake she'd sent to him. It had been a beautiful day.

Today, she'd given him a break, doing her best to space out the pranks. They were small, but they annoyed him endlessly.

"What happens if you are too heavy handed with the ingredients when brewing the Draught of Peace?" Snape began.

Raya raised her hand, answering once Snape nodded in her direction, "The Draught of Peace is a very complicated potion, and adding too much of the ingredients can cause the drinker to fall into a permanent sleep. It may be irreversible."

"That is correct. Five points to Ravenclaw." Snape turned to the rest of the class, "I expect all of you to be very careful when making your potions. The Draught of Peace is extremely strong. Madam Pomfrey has asked me to stock up for the end of the year O.W.L.s. You all will be the ones to take this potion, so do a good job. Open your textbook to page seventy. You'll find all the instructions you need."

Cedric opened his textbook — shooting Raya a nervous look as she began to gather ingredients.

"Uh... don't you want to read this first?" he asked.

Raya searched the shelves for some powdered porcupine quills, "I'm good. I already know what we need."

"Have you been reading the potions textbook in your free time again?" he asked.

"I always do that," she shrugged, setting the ingredients on the table.

Cedric shot her a knowing look.

"Okay, maybe I've been doing it a little more than usual," she muttered. "But it's only because Viktor Krum is always in the library, and so are his worshippers. I can't even enter the library to take out a book without getting strands of my hair chopped off."

"Strands of your hair chopped off?" Cedric repeated in horron.

"Some of the kids at this school are crazy," Raya muttered. She handled the stirrer to Cedric, "But Harry's not one of them."

Cedric stirred the potion, tilting his head at her — his eyes widening slightly as he realized what she was getting at, "He told you? Never realized you two were close like that."