▌𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲-𝐄𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ━︎━︎ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐚𝐬𝐤 ▌

━︎━︎━︎━︎𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐏𝐄𝐑 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐄 didn't mention the Yule Ball, in fact Hermione seemed to avoid the topic at all cost. Now, a few weeks later, Hermione was yelling at Harry because he had yet to figure out the message from the golden egg and the next trial was only days away. "Harry, you told me you'd figured the egg out weeks ago. The task is only two days from now." Hermione, Harry, and Juniper were all standing on the bridge, looking out at the surroundings and the snow that was covering the ground.

     "Really? I had no idea." Harry sarcastically remarked.

     "Alright, Harry, the sarcasm is unnecessary." Juniper commented with the roll of her eyes.

     "Says you," Harry scoffed. "June, you're the most sarcastic person I know."

     Juniper smiled. "Why thank you, Harry."

     "Back on task." Hermione snapped.

     Harry sighed. "I suppose Viktor already figured it out. And Fleur."

     "Wouldn't know." Hermione replied. "We don't actually talk about the tournament. Actually, we don't really talk at all. Viktor's more of a physical being." Juniper scrunched her nose up at that. Hermione chuckled. "I just mean he's not particularly loquacious. Mostly, he watches me study. It's a bit annoying actually."

     "Well, you can't blame him for that." Juniper hummed, causing the two to look at her. "What? You look cute when you study."

     Hermione's eyes widened and she quickly looked away, a blush forming on her cheeks. Harry looked down to the ground as he smiled in amusement before looking back at Juniper. "And Fleur?"

     Juniper smiled. "Oh, she's lovely. She's figured it out, hasn't told me what it is. I could ask if you'd like?"

     Harry shook his head. "No, I should probably figure this out on my own."

     Hermione had to force away the frown at Juniper's words as she asked, "You are trying to figure this egg out, aren't you?"

     Harry looked at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

     "It just means that these tasks are designed to test you in the most brutal way. They're almost cruel. And I'm. . . I'm scared for you. So is Jay." Hermione nodded her head towards Juniper.

     "Almost cruel is an understatement." Juniper muttered. "And I don't like to admit when I'm scared so I say this with the greatest disrespect of myself when I say that Hermione's right, I am scared. I'm terrified for you, Harry."

     Hermione continued, "You got by the dragon mostly on nerve. I'm not sure it's going to be enough this time."

     "Hey, Potter!" Cedric's voice drew them from their conversation. Harry glanced at him before walking the opposite way from him, Cedric chased after him.

     Hermione and Juniper stood there in silence, staring out at the grounds in front of them. Hermione cleared her throat. "So, you and Fleur? Is that a, um, is that a thing? An official thing?"

     Juniper closed her eyes as she smiled slightly in amusement. "'Mione, are you trying to ask me if Fleur and I are dating?" Hermione didn't answer. "Because if you are, the answer would be no." She opened her eyes and looked at Hermione who kept staring straight ahead. "Are we going to avoid it forever?"

     Hermione swallowed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

     "Yes you do." Juniper disagreed, shaking her head.

     "There's nothing to talk about, Jay."

     "Clearly there is." Juniper softly said.

     "Juniper!" Juniper turned her head to see Fleur.

     "You better go." Hermione mumbled.

     Juniper closed her eyes and sighed. "This isn't over." She pushed herself away from the side of the bridge and walked towards Fleur with a smile on her face. She spent the rest of the day with Fleur as well as the following day, mostly studying and talking, soft laughs emitting from Juniper's mouth here and there. The two of them were in the library, sitting at a table in the far corner and softly conversing among themselves when Hermione showed up.

     "Uh, hi." Hermione said, clearing her throat. Fleur offered her a kind smile. "I-I'm really sorry to interrupt, but we need June."

     Fleur nodded her head. "Of course." Fleur stood, kissing Juniper on the cheek. "I'll see you later."

Juniper blushed and nodded her head before watching Fleur leave. She looked at Hermione who had watched Fleur go before turning back to Juniper. Juniper grabbed her things and walked with Hermione, only for Hermione to leave her into a different section of the library where Harry and Ron were. Ron looked bored out of his mind, and Harry had his head on a book. Juniper rose a brow as she took a seat on top of one of the tables.

     "Harry, tell me again." Hermione said.

     "'Come seek us where our voices sound.'"

     "The Black Lake. That's obvious." Hermione answered.

     "Wait, before we continue, what are we deciphering?" Juniper asked.

     "The egg. He finally figured out what it said." Hermione answered.

     Juniper nodded. "Okay, continue."

     "'An hour long you'll have to look." Harry continued.

     Juniper shrugged. "Well, obviously you'll have an hour to find something."

     "Again, obvious." Hermione agreed. "Though, admittedly, potentially problematic."

     Harry looked at her in disbelief. "Potentially problematic? When's the last time you held your breath underwater for an hour, Hermione?"

     "Alright, calm down." Juniper chuckled. "No need to be so defensive."

     "Look, Harry, we, we can do this." Hermione assured him. "The four of us can figure it out. Juniper was potentially a Ravenclaw, so if anything she can solve riddles easily."

     "Hate to break up the skull session." Mad-Eye Moody appeared, causing the group to turn and look at him. Professor McGonagall would like to see you in her office." Harry went to stand but Moody stopped him. "Not you, Potter, just Weasley, Black, and Granger."

     "But sir, the second task is only hours away—" Hermione started.

     Moody interrupted her. "Exactly. Presumably, Potter is well prepared by now and could do with a good night's sleep. Go. Now!"

     "No wonder they call you Moody." Juniper muttered, snickering at her own joke. Hermione grabbed her arm and quickly pulled her away to stop her from saying anything else. "Wonder what Minnie has in store for us."

     "Minnie?" Hermione asked. "When did you start calling her that?"

     Juniper cracked a smile. "When I found out my mom and dad used to call her that when she was their professor. It's only fair of me to continue the tradition."

     "You and your family traditions." Hermione scoffed, shaking her head although a smile of amusement was pulling on her lips.

     They made it to McGonagall's office only to find Cho Chang there as well. Juniper let out a breath. "Oh. . . I do not have a good feeling about this."

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

━︎━︎━︎━︎𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐈𝐒 friends were there, and Harry was panicking. The canon for the second task has gone off and he was diving into the water. He was surprised when he grew gills and could suddenly breath underwater. His hands and feet became webbed and he could swim faster and easier. Harry swam and swam, hesitating when he heard voices singing. Quickly, he followed the sound. He was the first to find them, all three of his friends and Cho were floating in the water, unmoving.

He quickly went for them, looking at the three before going for Ron first. He wasn't sure how he'd get all of them back, but he would. He untied the vine around Ron's leg, turning his head when another person was headed his way. It was Cedric. He watched as the boy use his wand to free Cho before looking at Harry and tapping a wand to his wrist, indicating he was running out of time. He then took Cho and started pulling her to the surface.

     Harry went to use his wand to free Hermione next but one of the sirens placed her trident against his neck. "But they're my friends too!" Harry explained.

     The siren hissed at him. "Only one!" Fear overcame the creatures face and all of them quickly swam away from Harry. He turned and his eyes widened when he saw a shark coming straight for him.  He quickly moved out of the way watching as the shark—who he realized was Krum—grabbed Hermione and started pulling her up to the surface.

He swam up and grabbed Ron, pausing to look at Juniper. He looked around, trying to find any sign of Fleur, but he didn't see her. He would be damned if he left Juniper here, he didn't care if it disqualified him, she was his family and he wasn't leaving her behind. He used his wand to free her before quickly grabbing both Ron and Juniper and swimming towards the surface.

He was struggling, fighting to swim only with his legs, only to realize that the gillyweed was beginning to ware off. He could see the sun shining on the surface, he was so close. However, the creatures of the see had a different idea. They quickly grabbed at Harry's legs, trying to stop him. He pushed Ron and Juniper up towards the surface and the creatures started attacking him from all angles. He tried to push them back but they wouldn't stop. He quickly grabbed his wand, blasting them away from him. The creatures quickly scurried away and Harry swam up.

Juniper let out a gasp as she broke free from the surface, coughing up water as she struggled to breathe. She looked at Ron with wide eyes before they started swimming to the platform where all the students were cheering. Juniper pulled herself onto the wood, coughing as she pushed the wet hair from her face. A moment later Harry shot out of the water and landed on the platform.

     Ron pulled Juniper up and they walked up to the second level where they were handed towels. Hermione immediately ran towards Juniper, eyes wide with fear before she flung her arms around her. "When I saw Fleur was up here and you weren't, I just knew." Hermione told her, voice shaking. "I was so scared."

     Juniper hugged her back. "Well if it makes you feel better, I probably would've drowned in peace."

     Hermione pulled back and slapped her arm. "That's not funny, Juniper!"

     Juniper chuckled. "I thought it was. Where's Harry?" Hermione quickly led her to him and Juniper kneeled in front of him. "You alright?"

     Harry nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm alright."

     Fleur pushed her way through, tears in her eyes. "Juniper, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." She turned to Harry. "You saved her, even though she wasn't yours to save. Thank you." She pressed a kiss to both of Harry's cheeks.

     "Well, she is my sister." Harry replied, making eye contact with Juniper. Juniper smiled brightly at him.

     Fleur turned to her and Juniper stood. "Juniper—"

     "You've already apologized." Juniper chuckled. "It's okay."

     "Attention!" Dumbledore yelled. When no one listened he put his wand to his throat. "Attention!" His loud voice silenced them. "The winner is Mr. Diggory who showed innate command of the Bubble-Head charm. However, seeing as Mr. Potter would have finished first had it not been for his determination to rescue not only Mr Weasley but Miss Black as well, we've agreed to award him second place for outstanding moral fiber!"

     Juniper smiled wide. "Yes!" She quickly hugged Harry who was shocked, hugging her back.

     They went back on the boats and Juniper and Hermione walked together. "Can't believe I was left to die."

     Hermione looked at her. "I would've came back for you."

     Juniper smiled. "Oh, I'm sure. But sirens are very possessive over their things."

     "I'd like to see them try and stop me." Hermione scoffed and Juniper laugh, wrapping her towel around both of them as they started towards Hagrid's. Hagrid offered Ron, Hermione, and Juniper a warm cup of tea as they waited for Harry and the three gladly accepted it. When Harry got there it was starting to grow dark and the five of them began their trek through the woods.

     "Now, I remember, I remember when I first met you all." Hagrid explained. "Biggest bunch of misfits I ever set eyes on. Suppose you remind me of meself a little. And here we all are, four years later."

     Ron had a smile on his face. "We're still a bunch of misfits."

     Juniper chuckled. "You got that right."

     "Well, maybe, but we've all got each other. And Harry, of course." Hagrid said, motioning to Harry who was walking a little distance away from the rest of them. "Soon to be the youngest Triwizard champion there's ever been! Hooray!" Juniper burst into a fit of giggles at that, almost tripping over a branch causing Hermione to grab her and steady her, making the girl laugh harder. When Hagrid started singing the Hogwarts theme song Juniper groaned and covered her ears, sharing a look with Ron who had joined in and was smiling at her with amusement.

     Juniper ran away from them, running towards Harry. "Harry, get me away from these lunatics!" She said with laugh. Her laughter died when she noticed Harry frozen in place. "Harry?" She joined his side and a gasp fell from her lips. On the ground in front of them was Bartemus Crouch. He was dead. "Oh my—oh—Hagrid! Hagrid, get over here quick!"

     Hagrid, Hermione, and Ron quickly made their way over to them and they all came to a stop. Juniper swallowed. "Who could've done this?"

     "You lot should head back to the castle." Hagrid said. None of them moved. "Go. Go on." They listened.

     They made it back to their common room. Harry was sitting directly in front of the fire, Juniper was sitting on the couch with Hermione standing beside her, keeping a hand on her shoulder and Ron was sitting at the other end of the couch. Ron spoke first. "They'll cover this up, you watch. Fudge'll sell his soul before this gets out in The Daily Prophet."

     "Why?" Harry asked.

     Ron joined him on the floor. "Look, nobody liked Crouch. I know this from my father. A lot of people wanted him dead. But, he was a Ministry official. It's not like he even turned up stiff in Knockturn Alley. He was murdered at Hogwarts. This is a big deal."

     Hermione shook her head, taking a seat on the floor as well. "it can't be a coincidence. Harry's dreams, his scar hurting. The Dark Mark. . . his name coming out of the Goblet of Fire."

     "Why can't we just pretend it's a coincidence?" Juniper softly asked, causing the three to look at her. Juniper stood and walked over to them, taking a seat beside Hermione. Juniper closed her eyes. "I know we can't. I'm just tired. It's always something. It's always us. It's always Harry. I just. . ." Juniper took a breath. "It's starting to become exhausting."

     Hermione wrapped and arm around Juniper as the girl leaned her head on Hermione's shoulder. "Surviving the tournament isn't the answer anymore, Harry." Hermione said, looking at him. "It's bigger than this. And I really think you should go to Dumbledore."

     "Yeah," Ron agreed.

     "I can go with you," Juniper softly offered.

     Harry turned to look at her, shaking his head. "No, you need rest. I'll go alone." He reached over and squeezed Juniper's hand before standing up and leaving the common room.

     "Come on," Hermione softly whispered. "Let's get you to bed." Juniper lifted her head off of Hermione's shoulder as the girl stood up. She held out her hands and Juniper took them, allowing Hermione to pull her up. "Goodnight, Ron."

     "Goodnight," Ron replied.

Hermione led Juniper up the stairs and into their shared room, closing the door behind them. Juniper changed into her night clothes before slipping under the covers. Before Hermione could even say goodnight, Juniper was fast asleep.