Chapter 18
"Ease up, mate. She's probably sleeping in, it is Saturday!" Lucas muttered, his eyes still heavy with sleep as Cedric forced down another bite of their breakfast, his eyes flickering towards the doorway every few seconds.
"I s'pose." He nodded, though his mind was searching over their last conversation the night before at dinner, in this very spot. Had he said something wrong? Upset her somehow? He forced his mind back to their last words, to her beautiful smile, the memory of her wishing him a good nights sleep...
"Diggory!" Mark kicked him from beneath the table, pulling his friends attention back to breakfast. "Head in the game. No more second place."
"When I win this tournament, none of you can expect a knut." He forced down a final bite before shoving his plate towards the center of the table, where it disappeared at once. "I think I'm just going to run upstairs and check on her before-"
"Are you mad?" Lucas's eyes were wide now, despite the fact that he had been fast asleep not thirty minutes before. "All the way up to Gryffindor and back? You're going to be late and they won't let you compete-"
"You think they'll start without one of the champions?" John pointed out.
"I think they'll start without this one." He jabbed one finger towards Cedric. "They've got two Hogwarts champions and one's the boy who lived."
"Alright." Cedric shot him an eye roll, chugging down the rest of his coffee in one go.
"Look, you get down there and figure out what the hell it is you're even supposed to be doing today, and I'll go check for blondie." Lucas offered, Cedric running over the offer in his mind. Lucas was probably right, she had just overslept. It was the weekend, and knowing her roommates habits of sleeping in, it really wasn't that far out of reach.
Just as he was about to agree, his eyes flashed to the doorway, Taylor's voice ringing over the hallway easily, though Ella seemed still half asleep.
He didn't offer his friends a goodbye, hurrying towards the girls and blocking their path to the Gryffindor table at once, Taylor's eyes lighting up as she spotted him.
"Diggory! I'm so excited, are you excited?" She began to ramble, though Ella's eyes flickered back to the Hufflepuff table before returning to his.
"Where's Corinne?" She asked, cutting through Taylor's sentence without a second thought.
"What do you mean?" His voice was low as his stomach sank. "That's what I was coming to ask you."
"She didn't come to bed last night... We thought the two of you-" Taylor muttered.
"No." Cedric shook his head, his eyes already scanning down the Gryffindor table, searching for the all too familiar burst of red hair. "Where is he? I swear to God, if he-"
"Fred wouldn't..." Ella trailed off, Cedric's eyes flashing back to hers. "He's left her alone... since the stairs. He felt really bad-"
"Yeah, I'm so sure." Cedric scoffed, his gaze settling once again on the slow stream of students flowing into the Great Hall before it clicked.
And while you're searching, ponder this:
We've taken what you'll sorely miss,
An hour long you'll have to look,
And to recover what we took.
"For Merlin's sake..." He muttered, rubbing over his eyes with two fingers and letting out a deep sigh. "I think I know... I'll see you guys later, I've gotta go-"
"Wait, Diggory! Do you need help?" Ella called, and Cedric tried for a small smile, noting the worry lining Ella's gaze.
"Nah, I've got it handled." He promised, already starting towards the exit as they both wished him luck before hurrying to their seats for breakfast.
He shoved through the heavy doors and out onto the grounds, the freezing air stinging his face at once. Cedric tried to steady his heart rate, though he couldn't stop the eerie chant repeating in his mind.
But past an hour - the prospect's black
Too late, it's gone, it won't come back.
He had known all along he would only have an hour to search through the Black lake, though when he had thought it would be a watch or possibly his broomstick, he hadn't been as worried. Certainly not the freezing cold fear that had now gripped his lungs.
Surely Dumbledore, surely the Ministry of Magic, would never have allowed something truly dangerous... he shook the thought of the dragons from his mind. It didn't matter. If she was... if she was in the lake... They would keep her safe. Even if he couldn't find her. Even if he couldn't get to her in time...
"Ah, Diggory! There's our third... Just waiting on Mr. Potter." Ludo Bagman's voice rang through the stands as Cedric drew closer. He scanned over the judges, his eyes lingering on Mr. Crouch's assistant, who's name he couldn't remember, though he knew he was one of the twins brothers.
"Sorry I'm late." Cedric nodded towards Krum and Fleur, who, despite the freezing winds, had still opted for a pale blue, thin set of robes.
"Not as late as Potter." The red-head spoke, sounding as if Harry's tardiness was a personal slight to him. "Might have to disqualify-"
"Nonsense, Percy! Look, here he comes now!" Bagman grinned ear to ear, spotting Harry as he raced over to the stands.
Once they had all gathered, Percy crossed over to the champions, passing out different colored uniforms as Ludo began describing their task, though as soon as he began speaking, Cedric knew he had been correct.
"Now, remember! Only an hour. Once the time's up, er... what did it say again, Weasley?" He muttered, Percy glancing down at the file of papers before him.
"Prospect's black. Too late, it's gone, it won't come back." Cedric answered for him, the words still echoing through his mind.
"Right! That's it." Ludo grinned, obviously finding this whole situation much more exciting than Cedric was currently. "Alright, you lot... go get changed. Students will be arriving soon along with the rest of your professors."
Cedric shot one final look towards the frozen lake before stepping into one of the small tents at the side of the stands. He hurried to pull on the uniform and left his robes in a pile on the floor, wanting to waste no time to get into the water as soon as the task had begun.
He hardly noticed the freezing temperature anymore, though Krum and Fleur had pulled their own robes back on, watching as the stands began to fill with students and professors, Dumbledore, Karkaroff and Madam Maxime taking their places at the end of the judges table.
After what felt like ages, Bagman returned to the students at the edge of the deck, gripping each of their shoulders and moving them along the edge until there was equal space between the four of them, Cedric's eyes searching over the frosty ice covering the lake.
"Well, all our champions are ready for the second task, which will start on my whistle. They have precisely an hour to recover what has been taken from them. On the count of three, then! One... two... three!"
Cedric felt as though he could still hear the whistle long after he was sure it had stopped, the sound ringing through his mind as he watched the stream of red light blast through the ice before them seconds before he dove through, Fleur following quickly after.
Cedric glanced to Harry, spotting a small ball of what looked like seaweed in the younger boy's hand and offered him a quick nod before jumping into the hole in the ice. He wasted no time, aiming his wand near his own neck and muttering the charm he'd been practicing with Corinne for days now. He could feel the difference, the warmth of the air trapped inside the bubble surrounding his nose and mouth, and he dove quickly beneath the ice, stowing his wand in the waistband of his suit as he swam deeper.
The water was murky, which he should have expected. This explained why you couldn't see through the water even in the summer time. Why they called it the Black lake. Still, the worry began to deepen in his chest as he glanced around through the green water. He could hardly see ten feet in front of him and he tried to picture the shape of the lake from the stands he had just left. Where would they be keeping them? Surely not along one of the edges... Surely they would be in the center.
He dove forward again, the water gliding past him as he kicked, starting towards where he hoped the deepest part of the lake would be. His original idea had been to keep near the lake floor, though after his first encounter with a group of Grindylows, he decided to swim a bit farther up. He scanned madly over the seaweed and algae as he passed, anxiety flooding his brain every few minutes. He could be going totally the wrong way, and by the time he figured that out, it would be too late.
Cedric glanced at his watch, the pocket of air before him shaking as he cursed. It felt as though he'd been swimming for far over an hour by now, and he was sure he must nearly be at the other end of the lake by now...
All at once, he decided he had to turn. He had to have passed the center of the lake by now, and he had seen nothing. He floated in the center of the lake, glancing side to side before he heard it... the music in the distance. He had thought it was in his head, but now he was sure. It was real.
He kicked hard, following the eerie sound, arms pulling the water as fast as he could until small underwater huts began to leap out from the murky depths before him, one by one. This was it. Of course. The mer-people would have them close to wherever they lived. His heart jumped excitedly for the first time all morning.
As he swam, the huts began to grow more and more clustered, some statues carved into ancient looking stones surrounding the villages, and he finally spotted one of them. He had known what to expect: no fairytale mermaids. They were selkies, and he hurried to force his gaze away before he made eye contact with any of them. He was fairly certain they were okay with them being down here, though he didn't feel much in the mood to anger any of them. His eyes caught onto the dull metal spears that most of them held and he kicked harder past the small huts.
His heart skipped again as he saw the flash of red emerge before him, the dark hair fading into the murky water. He wasted no time scanning around Harry, noticing Ron floating, seemingly unconscious at his side, before, at last, his eyes landed on the blonde.
He kicked off from the slimy floor, glancing again to Harry, who was watching him wide eyed.
Got lost. He mouthed, unsure if the boy could even see him in the dark water. Krum and Fleur will be here soon.
He had reached Corinne at last, wasting no time to pull the small knife from his pocket, immensely grateful for his decision to bring it, and that he hadn't had to use it on anything... alive. The thick ropes that tied Corinne to the statue before him broke fairly easily, and Cedric was thankful for whatever sort of sleep Dumbledore had put her into, tucking her into his side and kicking off the statue towards the faint flicker of sunlight above them.
It felt like ages before he felt the freezing air once again, the sunlight blinding him for a moment as he gasped in a breath of fresh air. It stung as it filled his lungs, though he hardly noticed, eyes finding Corinne's blue ones at once.
"It's okay." He sputtered. "You're okay. I've got you." He watched as the realization sank into her face before her lips curved into a smile, hey eyes scanning over the water and towards the stands, the crowd's applause and cheers echoing across the lake.
"You d-did it." She grinned, and relief settled into Cedric's chest as she kicked beneath the surface, keeping herself afloat and starting towards the stands.
Cedric reached for her hand, tugging her back into him and wasting no time before his lips were on hers, the cheers erupting even louder from the stands as he pulled her closer into his arms, only pulling back when he felt the goosepumps lining her skin.
"Come on, it's freezing." He said, pushing her towards the judges which was only a short swim away. They had hardly reached the wooden deck before hands were reaching down, plucking the both of them from the lake as if they weighed nothing, water cascading from Corinne's clothing as oversized towels were draped over their shoulders.
"Honest to Merlin, this school... well, you think you've seen everything... frostbite never occurred to anyone... going to give me an aneurysm- here you go... probably frozen solid." Madam Pomfrey muttered, dishing out a tablespoon of what smelled like pepperup potion for each of them.
"C'mere." Cedric muttered, pulling Corinne into his own towel as well and hurrying to cast a drying spell on the both of them. "Bloody crazy..." He chuckled, scanning over the stands of cheering students, the murky lake water before them before his eyes landed on the Fleur who was weeping profusely beside the judges, her silvery hair still sopping wet along her back, though she too was wrapped in a towel.
"Second again..." Cedric muttered, and Corinne leaned her head into the crook of his neck.
"I'm sorry..." She whispered, his shoulders moving beneath her as he shrugged.
"S'alright... least I didn't drown." He smiled, pulling her towards the empty bench to wait for the rest of the champions.
"All that swimming practice really paid off, huh?"
"What would I do without you?"
"Hmm." She hummed, snuggling closer into his chest and watching her breath fog up before them.
"You can go up and get warm. You don't have to stay." He said under his breath.
"I'm f-fine." She folded her arms over her chest, looking out over the water just in time to watch the head of a large shark shrink away, revealing Krum and a nearly blue Hermione Granger tucked under his arm.
"How is Harry last? He was there before I was." Cedric's eyebrows knotted together as he watched everyone pull the students from the water, a low murmur now filling the stands.
There was a long spell of near silence as everyone watched the water for any sign of movement, and just when Corinne was beginning to wonder if someone should go down and check on Harry and the other two hostages, there was a great amount of splashing and Harry, Ron and a small girl who looked nearly identical to Fleur emerged from the lake, coughing and sputtering out water.
It seemed as though everyone launched into action, Percy reaching to pull Ron from the water, Fleur racing over towards her sister, and Dumbledore and Bagman hoisted Harry onto the ledge with ease.
Madam Pomfrey pushed her way in once again, surrounding the final three students in their own towels and forcing the steaming potion down their throats as Dumbledore crouched before one of the greenish merpeople.
Finally, after Corinne was sure her fingers and toes were going to freeze off, Ludo Bagman stood up once again, his magnified voice ringing over the stands.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our decision. Merchieftainess Murcus has told us exactly what happened at the bottom of the lake, and we have therefore decided to award marks out of fifty for each of the champions, as follows... Fleur Delacour, though she demonstrated excellent use of the Bubble-Head Charm, was attacked by grindylows as she approached her goal, and failed to retrieve her hostage. We award her twenty-five points."
There was a rather polite applause from the stands, and Corinne's eyes flickered up to Cedric's. "She didn't finish!" She could already see the realization in his eyes, "You were first!"
"I deserved zero," Fleur whimpered, though hardly anyone was listening anymore.
"Cedric Diggory, who also used the Bubble-Head Charm, was first to return with his hostage, though he returned one minute outside the time limit of an hour." Cedric's eyes were wide as he waited for his score, glancing down at his watch which was still stuck at 9:32. "We therefore award him forty-seven points."
"Forty-seven!" Corinne grinned, shaking him excitedly as if he were deaf and hadn't heard the score the same as everyone else in the stands, who were now screaming so loud that Bagman had to pause to let them calm before continuing.
"Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of Transfiguration, which was nevertheless effective, and was second to return with his hostage. We award him forty points."
There was another burst of applause which Karkaroff too joined in, a proud look gracing his face, though Krum's lips hardly moved from their thin line.
"Harry Potter used gillyweed to great effect," Bagman continued. "He returned last, and well outside the time limit of an hour.However, the Merchieftainess informs us that Mr. Potter was first to reach the hostages, and that the delay in his return was due to his determination to return all hostages to safety, not merely his own."
Cedric's mouth fell open slightly, and Corinne watched as Hermione and Ron shot Harry pointed glances.
"Most of the judges," Bagman shot Karkaroff a very nasty look, "feel that this shows moral fiber and merits full marks.However... Mr. Potter's score is forty-five points."
There was another roar from the crowd, and Corinne spun around to place George and Lee near the top of the stands, hands clasped over their mouths to amplify their voices.
"The third and final task will take place at dusk on the twenty fourth of June," continued Bagman, though hardly anyone aside from those on the ledge were listening now. "The champions will be notified of what is coming precisely one month beforehand. Thank youall for your support of the champions."
"You did it!" Corinne grinned, keeping her voice to an excited whisper as Cedric herded her up ahead of the cheering students, following the worn path to the castle.
"Yeah, yeah." His lips curved easily, unable to hide his smile. "Let's get you into something warm."
"And hot chocolate." She added, and he chuckled, nodding a thank you to practically everyone they passed by who were clapping their hands onto Cedric's back excitedly or reaching out an arm for a handshake.
"Yep, and hot chocolate." He glanced down at the blonde before him, her hair still hanging down the towel behind her in stringy knots. "Whatever you want."