glow. // cedric diggory

25

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

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Cedric had long since found out what the Golden Egg would be used for in the next task, and when Ellie heard about it, she was not happy in the slightest.

"What do you mean you're going to have to 'go underwater to recover what they took?'" Ellie demanded as she paced back and forth across his bedroom.

"I mean exactly that," Cedric said. "Want me to tell you what the egg said exactly?"

"Yes, please." Ellie sighed and put her hand over her head.

"Come seek us where our voices sound," Cedric began to recite. "We cannot sing above the ground. While you're searching, ponder this: we've taken what you'll sorely miss. An hour long you'll have to look to recover what we took. But past an hour the prospect's black. Too late, it's gone, it won't come back."

"Yes, because that's not intimidating in the slightest," Ellie grumbled. 

"Dumbledore's not going to put us in danger, love," Cedric said softly, trying to reassure her. It didn't work. She shot him a narrow glance. "He won't. Harry Potter's in the tournament. Can't endanger the Chosen One, now can he?"

He had a bit of a point there.

"Still, you heard what Dumbledore said the night the tournament was announced," Ellie argued. "He remarked about it's each task and their dangers, how the tournament was not for the weak or faint of heart."

"Am I weak or faint of heart to you?" Cedric asked, furrowing his eyebrows and crossing his arms.

"No, Cedric, you know that isn't what I meant," she sighed. "I'm just worried about this task. You'll have an hour to recover something that was taken from you, something prized and special to you. You've got to find a magical solution, because unless you've been hiding the fact that you're a mermaid from me, you won't last an hour underwater without coming up for breaths every thirty seconds."

"So we'd better start trying to find a magical solution," he said.

Ellie closed her eyes and shook her head. "I don't like this whole tournament thing one bit, Cedric."

He stood up from his bed and grabbed her hand as she passed by, pulling her back to him. "I know you don't like it, Ellie, but can you imagine the kind of glory we'd have after if I win? How much money we'd earn? It's a dream, Ellie, an absolute dream," he said softly, squeezing her fingers.

"It's so dangerous," she replied.

"I know but I'm being careful," he responded. "I need you to trust me, okay? I know what I'm doing."

"Fine, but I don't want you consuming anything," Ellie said, jabbing him in the chest with her pointer finger. "Harry Potter's using Gillyweed, and I've read about the side effects it can cause and I'm terrified for the boy. Promise me you won't do anything like that."

"How do you know Potter is using Gillyweed?" Cedric asked, tilting his head with furrowed eyebrows. "And are you even allowed to tell me?"

"I'm your girlfriend, Cedric, I'm allowed to tell you," Ellie deadpanned. "And Hermione told me."

"I promise, I planned on finding a spell to use anyways, so you don't have to worry about it," he said reassuringly. "Look, Ellie, you can help me look if you'd like. Would that make you more comfortable with this whole thing?"