Skill and Seclusion [2] || Harry Potter x OC x Draco Malfoy

144. Figured It Out

DISCLAIMER

I do not own Harry Potter ... but if I did I would go ahead and write another series and get Tom Felton to star in it so he could talk about something else for once

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It was now the night before the second Triwizard Tournament challenge.

Three days had passed, and with them had passed Harry's remaining brain cells.

Following Cedric's advice, he had made his way into the prefect's bathroom and, for once, actually figured something out.

The golden egg, when held underwater, opened to not emit a deafening symphony of high-pitched shrieks, but rather a riddle in the form of a song.

Come seek us where our voices sound. We cannot sing above the ground. An hour long you'll have to look. To recover what we took.

Having acquired that knowledge, Harry's joy of discovering it was short lived when he realized it didn't really help him at all.

Not if he couldn't work the riddle out.

So that was what he had spent the remaining small amount of time he had doing. Unsuccessfully, one should say.

Turning to Bel was still very much off the table.

The Hufflepuff girl was still on bedrest in the hospital wing, being closely monitored, and improving with every passing day.

She had been visited as much as she was allowed to be by pretty much everyone. But no one had visited her more than Harry.

However, each time he had visited her, she had turned him away when he admitted to not having solved the riddle yet.

She was keeping his priorities in order. Primarily motivated by the fact that she wasn't going to be present at the challenge itself, meaning she wouldn't be there to save Harry's arse if he got himself into the same predicament as the first challenge.

His safety was really in his own hands this time.

Well, his, Hermione's, and Ron's.

His two other closest friends had been recruited to try and help him as much as possible.

Which is exactly what they were still doing right now.

The three Gryffindors had been in the library all day, skimming through piles of books, searching for a solution.

Now it was dark, the challenge was practically at the door, and Harry was starting to get tired.

Evident in the way his head was resting on the most recent book he had open on the desk in front of him.

But before he could drift off into a sleep, Hermione's voice stopped him.

"Harry, tell me again."

Over the sound of Ron's snoring (someone who hadn't been successful in staying awake), Harry lifted his head to repeat the riddle for what felt like the millionth time.

"Come seek us where our voices sound", he started.

"The Black Lake. That's obvious", Hermione recounted as she paced up and down, pausing beside Ron to shake him back awake.

"An hour long you'll have to look", Harry continued.

"Again, obvious. Though, admittedly, potentially problematic", Hermione said.

"Potentially problematic?" Harry repeated in disbelief as he turned his head to look up at her.

"When's the last time you held your breath underwater for an hour, Hermione?" he followed up with his biggest concern.