PRANKSTER [1] ↝ C. DIGGORY

forty-three

Clary didn't remember the hours she'd spent hundreds of feet underwater in the middle of winter, chained to the bottom of the Black Lake and waiting for her champion to save her. She never saw the shock on Cedric's face as he reached the center of the merpeople's undersea kingdom, Clary's long red hair as bright as a beacon in the murky water as it finally sank in that his treasure was actually the girl he'd spent the entire morning missing, and wondering if she was okay when she didn't show up with the rest of their friends for the task. She didn't feel him dragging her up to the surface, the confident yet determined grin on his face as he attempted to keep the lead in the race and get them back above water. She simply remembered laying down in the headmaster's office the night before, and Professor McGonagall uttering a charm as she slowly lost consciousness.

In what seemed like the next moment, she was breaking through the surface of the freezing cold water, cheers ringing in the stands surrounding them as she forced her eyes open, spluttering and gasping for air as she felt Cedric's tight hold on her arm, and her vision finally focused on his triumphant smile and low chuckle.

"And here I thought you ditched me this morning," Cedric smirked as he helped her swim to the ladder near the end of the stands, pushing Clary up ahead of him to climb onto the dock, where Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan waited with fluffy robes and towels for them to dry off, Cedric's name being chanted over and over by the spectators.

Clary's eyes searched the stands for any sort of sign of the other champions and their treasures, but they were nowhere to be found, save for Fleur standing at the edge of the docks surrounded by her fellow Beauxbatons students, staring worriedly out onto the water. Clary used the towel to dry off as best as she could, though her Hogwarts robes still hung drenched and heavy around her. She quickly pulled off her school robe, pulling the fluffy gray robe over her gray sweater and black skirt in an attempt to warm up.

"You did it," Clary said to Cedric in awe. "You won. Harry and Viktor aren't back yet, and Fleur's sister isn't here."

As Cedric accepted his robe, another cheer broke out through the stands, and Clary peered over the edge of the dock to see Viktor and Hermione both breaking the surface of the water, the Bulgarian boy's head transforming from that of a shark back to his usual self.

"That doesn't make sense," Cedric said, his voice tightening, and Clary's eyebrows furrowed together as she looked back at him in confusion.

"What doesn't make sense?" Clary asked, worry lacing her tone.

"Harry made it down to you before I did." Cedric explained. "And was right behind me when I left. If Krum made it back before he did, then something's wrong."

As Cedric spoke, the clock began to chime above the stands, signaling that the hour was up. Meanwhile, there was no sign of Harry or Ron, though she knew that if the headmaster kept his word, Ron and Fleur's sister would both be okay. For Harry, she couldn't quite be sure.

"Is that it, then?" Cedric asked. "If the hour's up, what does that mean for Ron and the little Delacour girl?"

"We were never in any real danger, Ced." Clary assured him. "If we weren't saved, they'd bring us back up. Ron and Fleur's sister will both be fine. Harry, however..." she trailed off as three figures broke the surface of the water, her heart hammering in her chest as she sighed in relief, taking in the faces of the three missing students.

"Let's go, get them up!" Dean exclaimed as he and Seamus raced to the end of the docks, first helping up Fleur's sister as Fleur ran for the ladder, extending a hand to the little girl.

"Gabrielle!" Fleur exclaimed in relief, followed by a string of French words Clary couldn't understand as the little girl, Gabrielle, climbed the ladder and launched herself into her sister's arms, both of them sobbing in relief, clinging tightly to one another.