The Golden Egg

After a heart to heart conversation with Hagrid and Hagrid encouraging Harry to win the Triwizard Tournament, the four of them walked back to castle. On the way back Harry and Ron told Chris that they overheard Hagrid and Madame Maxime's conversation at the ball. There Hagrid told Madame Maxime that he's a half-giant but Madame Maxime took it as a insult and said that she's not a half-giant at all, which Chris didn't believe. Then after Ginny, Luna and Colin promised that they'll not tell anyone else, Chris told them about the conversation with Sirius, Rita and Hagrid.

"But it means she'll write bad about you... again." Colin said after listening.

"So what? I don't care." Chris shrugged.

"Sirius gave pretty serious informations though," Ginny whispered. "What're you planning to do with them Chris?"

"For now nothing. He only asked us to be careful." Chris replied. "And by us I mean you three too."

"Hmm.. but I'm glad you managed to convince Hagrid to come back." Luna said smiling.

"Tell me, how was your day?" Chris asked.

"Oh nice." Luna replied. "Shawn and I went to a walk around the Hogsmeade. We almost saw every store there."

"Mine was also nice. We spent time in a tea shop." Ginny said blushing.

"I was with Alex and William. We were having fun in Zonko's joke shop." Colin grinned. "I also met Susan there. She was with her friends so we didn't talk much but I guess we're going to be good friends."

"What about you? Met Jason there?" Ginny asked.

"Nope. And also he doesn't like to talk much in front of people." Chris replied casually.

Sunday morning Chris woke up late as usual. She jumped out of the bed and stretched. Ginny came in.

"Orning." Chris said yawning.

"Harry is looking for you." Ginny said urgently. "He said it's really important. He said he'll wait for you in the Great Hall."

"Al-ri-ght." Chris said slowly.

Chris got ready fast and walked towards the Great Hall with Colin and Ginny. As soon as they sat down, Harry got up and pulled her aside.

"Chris. I need your help." Harry whispered furiously. "I haven't figured it out, I was lying. Please help me. I can't let so many people down. I want to win it for Hagrid."

"Relax relax." Chris replied smiling. "I knew you were lying."

"You did?" Harry said surprised.

"Oh c'mon Harry, Hermione only believes you because you're her friend and she have faith in you; other than her, the people, who know you really well, also know that you're brave but not intelligent." Chris said cooly. "I'll not say you don't have common sense but to solve a riddle? Nah."

Harry stared at her blankly for few moments then looked confused then embarrassed then amazed.

Chris chuckled.

"I'll help you. Give me the golden egg, will you?" She said grinning. "I was just teasing you."

"Alright." Harry grinned. "Though you're right."

Later that day Chris took the egg from Harry and went to Moaning Myrtle's out of order bathroom, where she was doing making new potions nowdays. She sat down on the bathroom floor and stared the golden egg. It was beautiful golden colored egg, plain and smooth. Chris stared at it for almost ten minutes then she dug her fingernails into the groove that ran all the way around it and prised it open, and the loud and screechy wailing, filled the bathroom. Chris shut it thinking if someone heard it, then she remembered she already put a silencing charm on the bathroom door. She sighed. There was no sign, no marks, nothing. Just the empty beautiful egg with a screeching noise.

"Chris is that you?"

A ghost of a very glum-looking girl came out from the last stall. It was Moaning Myrtle.

"Hey Myrtle. Didn't mean to disturb you." Chris said rubbing her forehead.

"It's alright." She said a little less gloomily. "You're the only student who comes here a lot and also doesn't mind me. You're like a friend."

"We're friends Myrtle." Chris looked up smiling.

It was true; from her first year, Chris was always friendly towards this teenage ghost, who was the glumiest of all ghosts in Hogwarts. Also after Chris started to come into this bathroom to make potions or practice spells, she always talked with her. Turns out Myrtle was a very bright Ravenclaw, she clearly remembered the things she learned and read fifty years ago in Hogwarts. So it was a great help for Chris as she informed her many things.

"I know we're." Myrtle answered a little more brightly. "Well what're you up to this time?"

"Oh! Just trying to figure out this egg." Chris said showing the egg.

"It's the champions' egg, isn't it? Part of the tournament?" Myrtle said coming close and sitting beside Chris.

"Yeah. It's Harry's. He asked for my help. I said I'll help," Chris sighed, "but honestly I've no idea what...."

"Put it in the water." Myrtle interrupted.

"What?" Chris looked surprised.

"Put the egg in the water." Myrtle said smiling. "I saw Cedric Diggory doing that in Prefect's bathroom."

"Really?" Chris asked. "Wait Myrtle! What were you doing in the Prefect's bathroom? And why were you watching him?"

"I go there sometimes when the Prefects take bath." Myrtle said shyly.

Chris stared at Myrtle for few moments in amazement then she burst into laughter.

"And they've no idea about it, do they?" She asked laughing hard.

"No. I've never went out to speak to anyone." Myrtle giggled.

"Perks of being a ghost I guess?" Chris said still giggling.

"Why? You want to see them too?" Myrtle said looking at her, still giggling.

Chris abruptly stopped, she coughed.

"No Myrtle. Why will I'll try to see the boys when they're taking baths." She said and shook her head, to dismiss the thoughts as she was getting red.

Myrtle giggled again.

"Ok so back to the point Myrtle." Chris said seriously. "I just need to put it in the water?"

Myrtle nodded. Chris got up pulled her cauldron out from a stall, filled it with water and put the egg inside it.

"Now open it." Myrtle ordered as soon as Chris put the egg inside.

Chris opened it … and this time, it did not wail. A gurgling song was coming out of it, a song whose words she couldn't distinguish through the water.

"You need to put your head under too," said Myrtle.

"But I can't put my head into the cauldron, Myrtle." Chris said thinking.

"But then you can't listen to the song." Myrtle said gloomily. "Cedric Diggory put his head under the pool. That's how he understood."

"Pool?" Chris looked up.

"Yeah there is huge pool inside the Prefect's bathroom." Myrtle answered.

"Great. I can use the pool." Chris said getting up. "The other option is the lake, but if I went there and someone or some judges saw me with this egg, it'll create problem. Specially if Karkaroff saw me."

"But it's Prefect's bathroom, Chris. You're not a Prefect."

"Oh I'll manage." Chris said closing the egg and putting it inside her locket box. "See you later Myrtle."

"Bye." Myrtle said as Chris ran out from the bathroom.

"Cedric! Cedric!" Chris called as Cedric went to sit on the Hufflepuff table for dinner.

"Hey Chris." He smiled and came towards her.

"I need to talk to about something." Chris whispered.

"Alright." Cedric said and they went out of the Great Hall and stood in a corner.

"Cedric, I need a little bit favor." Chris said.

"You told me about the first task. I owe it to you." He smiled. "Ask away."

"Can you tell me, how to access the Prefect's bathroom?" Chris whispered.

"It's about the second task, isn't it?" Cedric grinned. "You figured it, didn't you?"

"Yeah.. actually..."

"I got help from Professor Moody this time. Or else I was going to ask you for help." He said cooly. "Like you said."

"Really? Professor Moody helped you?" Chris asked surprised.

"Yes. Not directly but he gave me enough hints to get the point." Cedric answered. "By the way, fourth door to the left of that statue of Boris the Bewildered on the fifth floor. Password's pine fresh."

"... oh... thanks." Chris said thinking.

"Welcome. See you." He winked and walked away.

Chris walked towards the Gryffindor table distracted. 'Why Professor Moody helped Cedric? The teachers are not allowed to help.' 'Maybe he's trying to help a Hogwarts Champion. That's all.' Said another voice in her head. 'He's Dumbledore's friend. Stop suspecting him, will you?' 'But what if he did that for another reason?' Said the usual voice in her head. Chris's head was a mess.

"CHRIS!"

"Huh?" Chris looked up and only then her surroundings came to focus. She was sitting between Harry and Ginny. Luna, Colin, Ron, Hermione all of them were watching her.

"What?" She asked them.

"You're licking the empty spoon for last five minutes." Ron grinned.

"What?" She looked down and yes, there was spoon in her hand. "Oh!" She hurriedly put it down.

Ron laughed, expecting others to do the same but no one did. In fact, Hermione and Ginny glared at him, so he stopped laughing.

"You ok Chris?" Luna asked, looking concerned. "You're tensed about something, aren't you?"

"Chris, is it about the egg?" Hermione said. "Harry confessed earlier that he was lying. We can figure it out together."

"No. It's not the egg. I almost figured it out." Chris replied.

"Really?" Harry asked surprised.

"Yeah. We're going to sneak into Prefect's bathroom tonight and with your invisibility cloak, it'll be easy." Chris said quietly. "We'll understand the rest there."

"What?" Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna and Colin said together.

The other students looked at them.

"A little quietly please." Chris said rolling her eyes.

"Sorry. But are you sure? The bathroom will help." Harry asked.

"Positive. Now eat. We'll leave at half past twelve." Chris said as she finally started eating.

As decided, Chris and Harry met at half past twelve in the deserted common room, put on the cloak, and climbed out of the Gryffindor tower.

"Harry what're you doing?" Chris asked as Harry pulled out a parchment from his robes. He opened it in and hold it out. It was the Marauder's Map. The map showed the whole of Hog­warts, including its many shortcuts and secret passageways and, most important of all, it revealed the people inside the castle as minuscule, labeled dots, moving around the corridors.

"It'll help. I thought." Harry whispered. "Where's the egg?"

"I've it." Chris replied.

The moonlit corridors were empty and silent, and by checking the map at strategic intervals, Harry and Chris were able to ensure that they wouldn't run into anyone they wanted to avoid. When they reached the statue of Boris the Bewildered, a lost-looking wizard with his gloves on the wrong hands, Chris located the right door, leaned close to it, and muttered the password, "Pine fresh," just as Cedric had told her.

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

"Beautiful." Chris said at once.

The bathroom 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 pool's 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.

Harry moved forward, looking around, his footsteps echoing off the walls. He tried out a few of those taps. It was like he almost forgot why he came here in the first place. He started to fill the pool, by turning the taps on and off, particularly enjoying the effect of one whose jet bounced off the surface of the water in large arcs. Chris chuckled seeing him like a kid who just got a new toy. Only then Harry realized Chris's presence and looked back at her.

"Sorry." He went red with embarrassment.

"It's alright." Chris grinned. "Though it would've been fine with the normal water."

"Oh. What're we doing here?" Harry asked.

"Solving the egg, what else?" She said. "Accio."

The golden egg came out from the locket box.

"How? What?" Harry looked more amazed.

"Sirius gave it to me, this Christmas. It's enchanted. Anything will fit into it." Chris replied.

"No. How did you summoned it without your wand." Harry asked.

"O. I practice some wandless magic sometimes." Chris said casually as she put down the egg and pulled off her robes.

"Chris what're you doing?" Harry said looking away.

"I've my t-shirt and shorts on." Chris answered rolling her eyes. "Now c'mon, we're here for you."

"Sorry." Harry said again looking back.

As Chris slid into the water taking the egg. It was so deep that her feet barely touched the bottom,

she signed Harry to do the same. Clumsily Harry jumped in with his all clothes on. Chris didn't say anything and just took a great breath and slid under the surface with the egg. Harry followed her then Chris opened the egg — and now, sitting on the marble bottom of the bubble-filled bath, she heard a chorus of eerie voices singing to them from the open egg in her hands:

"Come seek us where our voices sound,

We cannot sing above the ground,

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,

But past an hour — the prospect's black,

Too late, it's gone, it won't come back."

They float back upward and broke the bubbly sur­face.

"Hear it?"

A voice said. They looked up and saw Myrtle sitting cross-legged on top of one of the taps.

"Myrtle!" Harry said in outrage, "What're doning here?"

"Shut up. She's the one who told me to open this under water." Chris snapped.

"Oh. Really? Sorry Myrtle." Harry said quietly.

"Oh it's ok. But you haven't seen me in ages, Harry." Myrtle said gloomily.

"Yes... actually... I..."

"We can discuss that later Myrtle." Chris said. "First, Harry did you get that riddle?"

"Yeah... Come seek us where our voices sound … and if I need persuading … hang on, I need to listen again. …" Harry said and sank back beneath the water. It took three more underwater renditions of the egg's song before Harry had it memorized.

"I've got to go and look for people who can't use their voices above the ground. …" he said slowly. "Er … who could that be?"

"Slow, aren't you?" Myrtle snapped.

"True." Chris sighed as she sat on the edge of the pool, her legs inside the water. "The first line is Come seek us where our voices sound. So where are we seeking this voice right now?"

"Underwater." Harry replied after thinking few moments. "So it's inside the lake."

"Good." Chris said smiling. "And there's only one creature inside our lake which have human voice."

"..... er..." Harry looked more confused.

"It's mermaids Harry. You never got interested in that lake before?" Chris said surprised.

Chris was great fan of the black lake, from the moment she arrived at Hogwarts, so she searched everything she could find about the lake.

"Oooh, very good," Myrtle said, her thick glasses twinkling, "it took Diggory much longer than that! You're really talented Chris."

"Thanks Myrtle." Chris replied. "But you helped the most."

"So that's it? I've to go down the lake... find the merpeople... get back what they took from me..." Harry said excitedly then his face fell. "How am I going to breath under water for one hour. I'm not a good swimmer."