In Between Two Worlds (HP/PJO Crossover)

Chapter 142: Figuring Out The Egg.

Harry and I had no idea how long a bath we would need to work out the secret of the golden egg, so we decided to do it at night, when we would be able to take as much time as we wanted. We also decided to use the prefects' bathroom; far fewer people were allowed in there, so it was much less likely that we would be disturbed. I could tell that Harry didn't want to use Cedric's advice though. I think he was still bitter about the Yule Ball.

Harry and I planned our excursion carefully, because we had been caught out of bed and out-of-bounds by Filch the caretaker in the middle of the night once before, and we had no desire to repeat the experience. The Invisibility Cloak would, of course, be essential, and as an added precaution, I thought we should take the Marauders Map, which, next to the cloak, was the most useful aid to rule-breaking at our disposal.

On Thursday night, Harry and I sneaked up to his dormitory, put on the cloak, crept back downstairs, and, just as we had done on the night when Hagrid had shown us the dragons, waited for the portrait hole to open. This time it was Ron who waited outside to give the Fat Lady the password ("banana fritters"), "Good luck," Ron muttered, climbing into the room as Harry and I crept out past him.

It was awkward moving under the cloak tonight, because Harry and I each had the heavy eggs. However, the moonlit corridors were empty and silent, and by checking the map at strategic intervals, I was able to ensure that we wouldn't run into anyone we wanted to avoid. When we reached the statue of Boris the Bewildered, a lost-looking wizard with his gloves on the wrong hands, we located the right door, leaned close to it, and muttered the password, "Pine fresh," just as Cedric had told us.

The door creaked open. Harry and I slipped inside, bolted the door behind us, and pulled off the Invisibility Cloak, looking around.

"Woah..." I muttered.

My immediate reaction was that it would be worth becoming a prefect just to be able to use this bathroom. Of course, that would never happen. I caused too much trouble with Harry, Ron, Bailey and Hermione. And Fred and George. I probably caused more trouble with them.

The room was softly lit by a splendid candle-filled chandelier, and everything was made of white marble, including what looked like an empty, rectangular swimming pool sunk into the middle of the floor. About a hundred golden taps stood all around the pools edges, each with a differently colored Jewel set into its handle. There was also a diving board. Long white linen curtains hung at the windows; a large pile of fluffy white towels sat in a corner, and there was a single golden-framed painting on the wall. It featured a blonde mermaid who was fast asleep on a rock, her long hair over her face. It fluttered every time she snored.

I moved forward, looking around, my footsteps echoing off the walls. Magnificent though the bathroom was now that I was here I couldn't quite suppress the feeling that Cedric might have been having us on. How on earth was this supposed to help solve the mystery of the egg? Nevertheless, we put the cloak, the map, and the eggs at the side of the swimming-pool-sized bath, then knelt down and turned on a few of the taps.

I could tell at once that they carried different sorts of bubble bath mixed with the water, though it wasn't bubble bath as I had ever experienced it. One tap gushed pink and blue bubbles the size of footballs; another poured ice-white foam so thick that I thought it would have supported my weight if I'd cared to test it; a third sent heavily perfumed purple clouds hovering over the surface of the water. When the deep pool was full of hot water, foam, and bubbles, which took a very short time considering its size, Harry turned off all the taps. I took of my robe to reveal my swimsuit. Harry did the same and we got into the water.

"This is so cool." he said.

"I know! I almost want to be a prefect!" We both laughed.

"No offense but that's never gonna happen!" Harry said.