CONSTRICTED/ ✓

13 / Night of The Second Task

Within the weeks after the Yule ball, the second challenge had lurked menacingly, only to pounce on the unprepared champions. With it being the night before the second challenge, Harry nervously paced back and forth in the halls of the library, mumbling to himself about who-knows-what. Hermione and Ron had done all they could think of to calm his nerves, but nothing they did seemed to reach him.

Harry had heard the horror stories of how a student drowned in a previous year because of the kraken, and he was less than enthused to be facing the dark waters tomorrow. He already had enough to deal with considering Voldemort and all his loyal followers, the Death-eaters, were coming after him and everyone he cares for. He did not need the extra threat of dying in a ruthless tournament of glory to add to that.

Hermione suggested that they go to the Library to look for something that could assist him in the challenge and hopefully give the poor wizard enough peace of mind to sleep that night. With that in mind, Ron, Toby and Willow aided Hermione in her quest for such a thing.

"Ron and I will look for potions and spells in this section. Toby and Willow, you look for artifacts and history on the Black Lake over there. Harry, you stay right there, we are going to figure this out."

The four gave their nods of understanding to Hermione before splitting up to tackle their assigned task.

Pulling out a large dusty old book from the shelf, Toby turned to Willow, "Wait, why are we helping Harry when he is Oak's competition? I thought you were rooting for your brother?" Toby asked before taking a deep breath to blow off the collected layer of dust on the book to reveal its title, 'Unusual Facts About the Black Lake'.

"Because, Toby," Willow started. "Harry is our friend and we don't want him to drown down there now do we? Besides, Oak claims to have it all figured it out already, but won't say."

"Fair enough." Toby concluded.

'His pride would never allow me to help him anyways' She kept to herself.

Oak had never been one to ask for help, he had the stubborn mindset that he would have to do it himself or not do it at all.

Willow still could picture her brother vividly in her mind the time when he almost got himself killed when they were kids; he had broken his leg doing some crazy stunt and because of his pride, he didn't tell anyone so that he wouldn't be taken to the St. Mungo's. His leg then later gave out on their home staircase, leaving him with a concussion and six stitches across his forehead; he still has the scar to this day.

Willow shook her head at the memory.

Toby tore through the traumatic memory to say, "Did you know there's mermaids in the black lake, Will?" She whipped her head around to face him.

"There are?" She asked surprised. Granny Fern used to tell her stories about how Fairies and Mermaids would get into all kinds of trouble together back in her time. "Wow, I'll have to go down and say hi sometime."

He smiled, with slight alarm. "They're not as friendly here as you'd think."

They stood in silence as they continued to search, a question burning at the back of Toby's mind. A question he wasn't sure he'd ever be brave enough to ask.

'I should just say it,' he thought to himself. 'Yes, come on Toby, you can do it.' He opened his mouth to speak but the words that came out were not the ones he expected, "Hey, do you think--Uh--do you think there would be anything that could help us in herbology?"

Willow thought, she racked her brain for anything that might help, anytype of seaweed or plant or reef that would give Harry any kind of advantage underwater. Or anything to keep him from dying for that matter. She knew there was something, she just needed to find it.