Problem Solving

Luna glanced down at her mum's notes for the third time. She held her wand at the ready, checking one last time to ensure that she had the pattern right.

Her forehead tingled as she traced the runes with her wand. She'd traced the pattern dozens of times before drawing it on herself, so she was confident she could do it.

"Runic tattoos are tricky magic," her mum's notes read. "Your body will power them on its own, so long as you power your body. I made the mistake of not exercising when I first used them, and went through what I've dubbed 'runic withdrawal'. That's when your body spends all its energy powering the runes, and there's none left for you. I noticed increased appetite (Xene and Moon were thrilled that I ate whatever they cooked), and of course, less energy."

Luna paused for a moment, checking her reflection against the reflection of the runic cluster she was tracing. When she was satisfied, she continued, letting her mind wander back to her mum's work.

"This cluster I've found most fascinating. Some runic tattoos will have different effects depending on where they're placed on the body. This one only seems to do anything (that I've noticed) when placed on the forehead. I noticed my sight, hearing, and smell were all heightened when I applied it. I thought it would improve my sense of touch if placed on my hands, but I didn't notice anything. Perhaps if I place it on my fingers. Placing on fingers did not work. Do not try. IT DOES NOT WORK."

The pattern resembled the Shield Rune, but with different dips and grooves on the interlocking circles. There was also a single dot in the center of it, which her mum said needed to be drawn last. The moment she jabbed her forehead with her wand, a loud ringing shot through her ears. The lights in the bathroom flared for a moment, then died back down. She shielded her eyes as they adjusted.

What overwhelmed her most were the smells. The dominant smell was that of stone, but she could smell the copper pipes, residual soap from her roommates' showers, and four distinct smells she suspected were her roommates.

Luna turned the page of her mum's notes, and found that two of them had stuck together.

"Warning: Takes time to adjust to heightened senses. People gave me strange looks. Probably shouldn't have done this right before attending a conference. Can now smell what Xene makes for dinner before opening the door. Moon, if you're ever reading this, marry a man (or woman, I'm not picky) who can cook. Or learn to cook yourself. Better to marry a cook. There's nothing more satisfying than coming home from a long day and having a handsome man and beautiful little girl waiting for you with your favorite meal prepared. Your smiling faces helped me push forward in the worst of times. Now must find pain killers before headache gets worse."

Luna smiled through her own headache. Princess's smile cheered her up too. So did Carolina's, when she was lucky enough to dream about her. At that particular moment, she had a worried homunculus to keep her spirits up.

<Are you alright, Moon?>

<I'm okay. Mum says this is normal. I think I know how Rose feels sometimes.>

Luna struggled to her feet, shielding her eyes from the bright lights around her.

"Off, please!"

The light in the bathroom faded away, giving her relief from one of her newly heightened senses. She picked up her mum's notes, still having a clear idea where everything was, and left the bathroom. She returned her mum's notes to the safety of her pack, then slung it over her shoulder.

"Right." Luna looked down at Tutela. "Now I need to start exercising. Wanna go for a walk?"

Tutela's ears perked up.

<Must I wear the leash again?>

"Oh no, not in Hogwarts."

Tutela wagged her tail.

<Then yes. I would greatly enjoy a walk.>

At the same time, a group of Gryffindors were also awake. With the common room devoid of other people, they had free rein to sit around the fire, or on the couch, or anywhere else they desired.

"Ginny, I swear, if you climb that bookcase, I'll get Professor McGonagall!" Sally-Anne snapped.

Almost anywhere. Ginny pouted as she stopped her attempts at climbing the bookcase to see what was on top of it.

Neville glanced away from the riddle to see why Sally-Anne was shouting at Ginny, then returned to it. It seemed like years ago after everything with Hermione. He was still a little worried about her. If something happened to him in the tournament, it wasn't as if they were losing anyone important. If anything worse happened to her, he hated to think what Rose would do. It would tear her apart.

All that had just been a week ago. He hadn't told the others anything about the riddle; he'd hardly looked at it since figuring out what it said. Every time he did, he'd think about Rose and couldn't focus. He'd hardly seen her either, but with a week to go before the second task, he had to work on it.

"Any luck?" Sally-Anne asked.

Neville looked up at his friend. He enjoyed feeling that someone cared, even if it did feel fake from her. She only cared because she had to, not because she actually cared.

"Thanks to Luna, I know what it says," Neville said. "Now—"

"How did she know?" Ginny snapped from her new spot in front of the fire.

Neville shrugged. "She said she just knows about codes and things."

"It's just another Luna thing," Sally-Anne said. "No reason to shout."

Neville looked from Sally-Anne to Ginny, then back to the paper in front of him.

"Now I've got to work out what it means."

Sally-Anne read over the riddle. She frowned at it for a moment, then turned to Ron.

"Ron, I think we could use your help."

Ron looked up from the chess match he was apparently playing against himself.

"What for?"

"You're good with logic, and I think that's just what we need."

Ron looked back to his game, made another move, then stood up and joined Neville on the couch. He scanned the riddle, then pointed to the first line.

"I am pale with grief, but I never weep. That first part probably just means white. Or something with a face. I fade in the light, but thrive in the dark. That second part's a bit confusing."

"How would you figure it out?" Sally-Anne asked.

"Probably just list off everything that fit one of the clues, and then use that to figure out what fits both."

"There you are, Neville," Sally-Anne said. "Why don't we all try that?" She turned to Ginny. "Ginny, would you like to help?"

"No."

"What's white with a face?" Neville asked.

"Clocks are used in these sort of riddles all the time in stories," Sally-Anne offered.

"But that doesn't 'fade in the light'," Neville said. "What does that?"

"Candles fade in brighter light," Ron said.

"Why would it be candles?" Ginny snapped. "That's stupid!"

"Oi!"

"If you're not going to help, then go to your room!"

"You can't make me go to my room!"

"No, but if you're going to be disruptive, I can fetch Stacy, and she'll make you go to your room."

Neville tried to tune them out. Ron had a good point; the only thing he could think of that faded in light was another light. Maybe it was fire? No, it wasn't "pale with grief". The stars faded in the day. Maybe…

"I've got it!" he exclaimed, breaking through the noise of the others' bickering.

"What is it?" Sally-Anne asked.

"No time to explain!"

He raced up the stairs to his room where he housed the orb itself.

"If you learn my identity, I will show you your next task," he recited. "I bet I need to let it hit the orb."

When he reached his room, he grabbed the orb out of his pack. Then he ran over to the window and flung it open, allowing the light of the full moon to reach it.

The orb glowed blue when the moonlight touched it, then images began to appear.

First, he saw a clock indicating eleven o'clock, which faded to an image of the Great Lake. In the image, he descended into the depths of the lake, coming to an abandoned underwater civilization. A platform stood at the middle of the ruins, upon which there were four people tied to poles. He couldn't see the faces of the people, but they weren't struggling, so he assumed they were unconscious.

The people became smaller as the view changed to show the ruins again, revealing underwater mines around the ruins. The four prisoners vanished from the platform, and a large vortex descended on the ruins, taking the mines with it. It all grew smaller and smaller as he returned to the surface, then the clock reappeared showing twelve o'clock. The moment the minute hand struck twelve, the whole thing was washed away, leaving the orb as it was.

When it finished, Neville muttered one word to summarize his opinion on the second task.

"Dürah."

Luna learned that her mum hadn't been kidding. While it was fun having heightened senses, she quickly learned that she couldn't easily be around people. At least, not the Great Hall.

She smelled breakfast long before she reached the Great Hall. She'd never thought an ordinary breakfast would smell so wonderful. Not just the food, but she could pick out the spices they'd used. Her mouth watered, and her stomach growled. Odd, considering she didn't need to eat.

The noise became unbearable before she got there. She forced herself inside, lest she risk worrying her friends. After a quick check that her hair was covering her forehead, she went inside and found a seat at the Ravenclaw table.

She gathered food for herself, hoping to sate her appetite before going to class. History of Magic was always harder on an empty stomach. After she'd had a bit to eat, Luna sat and listened. She could hear everything, everyone. Even the small whispers the teachers gave one another. She was glad to have avoided conversation; she doubted she'd have been able to hear anyone talking to her.

Her sense of smell was still the most important. According to her research, animals communicated through smell, sight, and sound, in much different ways than humans did. With her improved senses, she'd have an easier time communicating with the animals in class. That thought stayed in her mind through History of Magic, which she found a peaceful change from the Great Hall.

They didn't do much with animals that day in Care for Magical Creatures. While she was a little disappointed, she knew she'd get her fill soon.

"Ms. Lovegood, I'll be seeing you Wednesday morning," Professor Hagrid said as she was leaving. "Remember, nine o'clock sharp. They don't like to be kept waiting."

Luna smiled and nodded.

"What's that about?" Firecracker asked.

"I'm helping Professor Hagrid tend to the thestrals. He says I've got a knack for animals."

"Of course you have," Firecracker muttered.

Had Luna not had the rune, she would've missed it, along with a new smell. She wrinkled her nose at the stench. It was unfamiliar and foul, but faded away into the background of the castle's smell.

"Professor Sprout, have you got any gillyweed?" Neville asked at the end of class on Tuesday.

"I personally haven't, but I believe Professor Snape does," Professor Sprout said. "Why?"

"Because it's the best thing I can think of that would let me breathe underwater," he replied.

"Has this got anything to do with the Triwizard Tournament?" Professor Sprout asked.

"I'm not allowed to say."

"Well… Your best bet for gillyweed is with Professor Snape."

Neville frowned and let out a low grown.

"I understand your sentiment," Professor Sprout said. She gave him a sympathetic smile. "Best of luck."

"Thanks."

He walked out of the greenhouse where his friends were waiting for him.

"What was that about?" Sally-Anne asked.

"Just checking if she had something."

"What's gillyweed?" Harry asked.

"It's–"

"It's a plant that allows a person that eats it to breathe underwater," Ron said.

"That," Neville said.

"Is that the next task?" Sally-Anne asked. "You never said."

"Why else would he need gillyweed?" Ron asked.

"I just thought I'd ask, but she hasn't got any," Neville said. "It's the only thing I can think of that would help me breathe underwater for an hour."

He winced as he realized just how much of the task he'd let slip.

"Why not ask Rose?" Sally-Anne asked. "My dress lets me breathe underwater forever. She could–"

"No," Neville said faster than he'd intended. "I don't know if I'd have taken any from Professor Sprout if she'd had any. I don't know how I can get some, but I'm sure I can just figure out a spell for it."

"So you're going to ask Hermione?"

"I don't know," Neville said. "I've got a free period now, so I'll have to think of something."

Neville wasn't sure if he wanted help. He wasn't supposed to have help, but he'd had so much already, it didn't seem like anyone cared. It wasn't as if he could work it out on his own.

He spent his free period in the library with Ron, who listed off every solution known to Wizardkind that he could use. The only solution that didn't require his wand was gillyweed, which they'd already determined wasn't possible.

"Any luck?" Sally-Anne asked when she and Harry arrived for Potions.

"No," Neville said.

"There might be runes you could use," Sally-Anne said.

"Ron already thought of that," Neville said.

"They'd either have to be carved into the sword," Ron said, "which is impossible, drawn on the sword, which wouldn't last, or drawn on Neville, which he couldn't power long enough. Even if he charged them, the charge likely wouldn't hold for an hour."

"And you can't use jellyweed–"

"Gillyweed," Ron corrected.

"–because you can't get it."

"Right," Neville said. "Only one person in Hogwarts has got any on hand."

"Who?" Sally-Anne asked.

"Prof–"

"If you'd care to stop your mindless chatter, Longbottom, the rest of us would like to deal with real problems."

Neville spent Potions thinking of ways he could steal gillyweed from Professor Snape. He didn't want to, but it was his only option for getting it.

He also let his mind wander to Rose's whereabouts. She hadn't been in class all day, nor had she told them where she was going. Hermione wasn't there, otherwise she would've told them. He was a little disappointed that she wouldn't be there to watch the next task, but as it stood at that moment, that was probably for the best.

Sally-Anne sat down with Professor Dumbledore in his office the next morning. It felt like she'd only just been there talking to him, and she was already being called back.

"How's your work going?" he asked.

"I've got teams for Beauxbatons and Durmstrang," Sally-Anne said, pulling out her roster, "but I'm stuck on Hogwarts."

She handed him the list, then sat quietly while he reviewed it. The seconds turned into minutes, and Sally-Anne began to feel nervous. She reminded herself that she'd done a good job collecting the information, even if she hadn't finished.

Cho's name isn't there. She's one of the best.

She had names from Durmstrang thanks to Viktor, and names from Beauxbatons thanks to her new friend Jean, Beauxbatons's Quidditch expert. For Hogwarts, she had Madame Hooch's expert opinion, along with Lee Jordan and unexpected help from Eugene Jenkins, a member of Slytherin and Jean's Quidditch buddy.

According to all of them, Cho was the ideal choice from Ravenclaw. That was because they didn't know how the game would be played in her case; Cho was a Seeker, not a Chaser.

Then put Angelina for Gryffindor, not Harry.

"I see," Professor Dumbledore said at last, bringing her out of her thoughts. "You have Mr. Potter and Ms. Johnson under Gryffindor, and the three Chasers under Ravenclaw." He turned his gaze to her, his eyes digging into her mind and unraveling her thoughts. "That isn't because you're jealous that Mr. Potter liked Ms. Chang and not you, is it?"

Panic and embarrassment rushed to the surface, followed soon after by nausea. Emotion threatened to consume her, but she fought it all back down. Sally-Anne closed her eyes and breathed, forcing herself to calm down.

"You've got to tell me how you're doing that," Sally-Anne said.

I can do that, but I can read minds. Wait, can Professor Dumbledore read minds? It wouldn't surprise me if he could.

Dumbledore looked left, then right, ensuring that no one apart from his bird was listening to them.

"I've been headmaster here for a long time, Ms. Perks, and a professor before that. I've watched the students carefully in that time, and I've learned that people aren't necessarily that different from one another. There are many telltale signs in people that betray even their darkest secrets. Adults may be able to hide such signs, but students such as yourself and your friends aren't aware of most of them. That's how I know. It's how I knew that Mr. Potter would be spending breakfast with Ms. Langley, and how I knew that Mr. Weasley would be sulking about Ms. Granger. And it's how I knew that you would hesitate before placing Mr. Potter on the team, despite your feelings for him."

Sally-Anne averted her gaze and hoped her blush didn't show too much.

"It's also how I knew you'd feel upset by not performing the task properly."

Dumbledore eyed her over his half-moon spectacles. Sally-Anne felt the sudden urge to shrink down in her chair. She hadn't screwed up that much, had she? No, she had. Her stupid crush on Harry had gotten in the way of her performing her duties, but no more. She straightened her posture, despite feeling like a 10-year-old again.

"My apologies, but if I may, I'd like to make it up."

"I figured you would."

"Cho Chang would make an exceptional pick for the team. According to Eugene, she's one of the best. Harry thinks so too, but he's got… ulterior motives."

"Well said." Dumbledore wrote Cho's name on the roster and circled it. "Anything else?"

"I think Harry would be the right choice from Gryffindor. Angelina gets competitive about Quidditch, but Harry's had loads of practice teaching and working with others. He's brilliant at it, and you've got to go no further than Professor McGonagall for proof. He may not be the better flier, but he'll be the better person."

Professor Dumbledore noted this on the roster as well. She waited for his reaction, hoping he'd catch it if she'd made a mistake, but none came.

"That takes care of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw," he said. "Now, on to Slytherin."

"They don't get along with anyone," Sally-Anne said. "The way Eugene described it, it's sort of like their team's just an arrangement. They don't like each other, but they do what they've got to so they can win."

Dumbledore folded his hands in front of his face and stared off in thought.

"That poses a problem." He placed his hands on his desk and smiled his practiced, loving smile. "But not one we need to deal with right this second. Thank you, Ms. Perks, for your hard work."

Sally-Anne stood up, instinctively straightening her dress. She curtsied, then turned to leave.

"One more thing, Ms. Perks."

Sally-Anne turned back to Professor Dumbledore.

"Don't tell anyone about my secret. Particularly Ms. Peta-Lorrum. I enjoy her look of exasperation when I do that to her."

Sally-Anne pressed her lips together and brought a hand to her mouth. It was all she could do to stop from laughing out loud.

"Your secret's safe with me, Professor," she said once she'd composed herself.

While Sally-Anne was talking to Professor Dumbledore, Luna was enjoying feeding thestrals.

"No sudden moves, now," Professor Hagrid said. "They startle easy."

Luna could smell their hesitation, and if she listened hard enough, hear it in their heartbeats. She crouched down, making herself less intimidating. Slowly, they came to her, and she offered them pieces of raw meat.

"Well done," Hagrid said. "I knew you had the gift."

Luna smiled as more of the thestrals approached her. She tossed each of them some food, which they happily took before trotting off.

She glanced behind her and saw Tutela pacing along the outside of the forest. Her loyal companion was charged with keeping an eye out, and that's exactly what she did.

One small thestral tottered over to her. Another larger thestral stood nearby. Luna got a new array of smells, which she figured was something to warn her that she was dealing with a parent and its child.

"It's alright," she whispered. "I'm nice."

The young one nuzzled her with its snout before taking the meat back to its parent. Luna looked happily on at the content thestrals.

A twig snapped and Luna, Tutela, and the thestrals looked in the same direction. The parent thestral moved between its child and the sound, and Tutela crept up next to Luna.

"Something's got them spooked," Hagrid said.

"Someone's here," Luna whispered, sniffing the air. The intruder didn't smell of stone and dust, unlike everyone else from the castle. They didn't smell of lavender and honey, as the Beauxbatons students all did, or of wood and ash, which lingered around all the Durmstrang students. They were new.

Another twig snapped, farther away. The smell disappeared, but the tension remained.

"Where are they?" Hagrid asked. "I don't see anything."

"They're gone."

"How do you know that?"

"Tutela told me," she said quickly as Tutela padded over to the edge of the thestral herd. She sat down and watched the forest.

"I think we're about done for today," Hagrid said. "Good work, Luna."

"Thank you, Professor. I was happy to help."

Whereas Sally-Anne and Luna met with professors they liked, Neville had received a summons by Professor Snape. He dreaded to think why. Neville tried shoving the thought out of his head; it couldn't be too bad. Like Rose had told him, Snape couldn't do anything outside of class.

Professor Snape sat at his desk. The only decoration on it was a single case, no bigger than Neville's fist.

"You… you wanted to see me?" Neville asked.

Professor Snape opened the case.

"Do you know what this is?"

Neville glanced at the tangled mess of seaweed. It was the one thing Neville needed more than anything.

"Gillyweed."

"I've had this particular specimen for three years, and have never once had reason to use it," Professor Snape said. "From what I've heard, you've got quite a reason to want it."

"I guess."

"Unfortunately for you, I'm not allowed to help you, so I can't give you this one."

"Why–"

"Sometimes, these things go missing. If this one were to vanish if I turned my back for a moment, as I said, I wouldn't miss it."

Neville couldn't believe what he was hearing. Professor Snape was all but telling him to steal something.

"Now I've got some important inventory to assess, which will only take a few seconds. I don't expect to see you here when I'm finished."

Professor Snape turned to the back of the classroom.

Neville grabbed the gillyweed and ran out of the room as fast as he could. He bolted down the corridor and out of the Dungeons. He only skidded to a halt when he nearly ran into Sally-Anne. A few floors up.

"What's the hurry?" Sally-Anne asked.

"Nothing." Neville looked behind him, half expecting to see Snape floating after him. "How'd your meeting with Professor Dumbledore go?"

"Alright, I suppose. What about Professor Snape? What did he want?"

Neville considered telling her about it, but decided against it. He wasn't sure if he'd done the right thing, and Sally-Anne was always self-righteous about everything. Or was that Hermione?

"Just to tell me how horrible I am at Potions," Neville said.

"Seems odd that he'd want to call you down just for that," Sally-Anne said.

Neville offered a shrug.

"While I've got you here, what's going on with you and Ginny?"

Neville froze for a moment, thinking about her question. He couldn't think of anything, and he was still on edge from his "meeting" with Snape.

"Nothing. Why?"

"You two went to the ball together."

"Oh, that. We just went as friends. I couldn't go alone, since I'm a champion, so I asked Ginny, like you said."

Sally-Anne looked at him, expecting more to his answer. He frowned at her, not sure why.

"And the rest of it?"

"What else would there be?"

"Are you two dating?"

"What? No! We're just friends. I just needed a date, that's all."

She gave him a stern look, but not nearly as menacing as McGonagall always did.

"Does she know that?"

"I think—"

"Did you tell her that?"

Her expression hardened, and Neville got a bad feeling. He took a step back, adrenaline beginning its course through his body.

"No?"

"Then I doubt she realizes it. I can't tell you who to like, but I can tell you all about pining away for someone who will never return your feelings."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean, I think you're still hung up on Rose, and I can tell you from experience, it's only going to hurt you more the longer you hold on."

Grief came over him and he sank back a little.

"I suppose you're right."

Sally-Anne smiled at him. "It's alright. It's not the end of the world." Her smile broadened. "Trust me, we've nearly faced that, and we all came out alright. The person you like not noticing you…"

The smile faded from Sally-Anne's face. Neville didn't know what he'd done, but he liked seeing Sally-Anne smile. It didn't inspire confidence in him like Rose's did, but it let him know he hadn't completely screwed up, even if it was mostly out of pity.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Her smile returned. "I was thinking of something else. Never mind that, how's your work going on the next task?"

For once, Neville was happy to talk about it. He decided it'd be alright to tell her.

"I got gillyweed from Snape."

Sally-Anne's eyes narrowed.

"How?"

He then decided he'd been wrong.

"Erm… that's hard to explain."

"You didn't steal it, did you?" she hissed.

"No. I mean, probably not. Is it stealing if–"

"Yes!" she hissed. "If you've got to ask if it's stealing, then it's stealing!" She pointed in the direction from which he'd come. "March back down to the Dungeons, apologize, and give it back!"

"I don't think he wants it," Neville said. "He can't give it to me, so he told me he'd turn his back and wouldn't care if it was still there when he looked again."

Sally-Anne narrowed her eyes even more, giving her a remarkably and terrifying resemblance to Professor McGonagall.

"Promise?"

"Promise. I don't know why he helped me. I mean, he hates me."

"He also hates Rose, but let her hide in his office last year," Sally-Anne said. "Perhaps he's nicer than he seems." She furled her brow in thought. "Which gives me another idea, but I won't worry about it now."

They returned to Gryffindor Tower together. Neville had two days left before the second task, and he actually felt that he might stand a chance.