422 Prep work

A couple hours after breakfast Harry and Hermione make their way to the classroom where Reima usually tutors them. The enter the room but quickly stop when the see someone they weren't expecting.

Harry "Fleur?" Said person stops firing spells at Ciri for a moment to turn at look at him.

Fleur "Yes?"

Hemione glances at the two who were throwing spells at one anther a moment ago and asks "Is this because of Reima?"

They hear someone chuckling in the corner and see Reima with his feet up on a desk stroking Snuffles. "I admit watching them fight is hot but this is for training."

Harry "Er, ok? Glad to have you with us Fleur." he says, wondering if it's normal for three of the four competitors to train with one another...

Hermione glances over the girls, "I'm still unsure about how you two are comfortable with dating the same guy." she says.

Fleur shrugs, "I am not dating 'im..."

Hermione "Then-"

Fleur "We are just lovers..." she cuts her off.

Hermione "How can you be someones lover without dating?" she asks in confusion.

Fleur blushes "Oh leetle one, zer are many wayz to show your affection."

Harry's cheeks go red but he shakes away the embarrassment "S-shall we get started Reima?"

Reima nods slowly, "I was thinking that the second task isn't far off, have any of you opened your eggs?"

Ciri "Egg?"

Hermione "Your golden egg... The one you grabbed after killing the dragon..."

Ciri "Ohhh... I was using it as a door stop... Hinky! Can you grab my golden egg for me?"

It isn't even a couple seconds when a golden egg appears on the floor in-front of her, she gives the house elf her thanks and starts examining it.

Reima "Wait so you haven't even looked at it?"

Ciri shrugs, "I didn't think it was important in the moment..."

Fleur "'Ave you figured out ze way to use eet yet?" she asks them all.

To Reima's surprise Harry speaks up, "Er yeah, it's Mermish right?"

...

Reima "How did you know that?" he asks wondering if Moody was being more proactive than in the books of movies.

Harry "Well, I recognised the screeching from the egg from that time we were fishing and caught a merman"

Reima nods in realisatsion, "Huh... We did do that didn't we? To be honest I forgot that actually happened."

*SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH*

The sound abrubtly stops and they all look to where it originated from... Ciri stands there with a sheepish expression still holding the egg.

Ciri "...I just wanted to see what would happen..."

Fleur ignores her and questions Harry "Do you know what ze puzzle iz?"

Harry shakes his head, "I haven't found a place to check the egg... For mermish you need to listen to it under water, the lake is a bit too cold for my liking..."

Fleur gives Reima a look, it seems she wants him to reveal the room of requirement to Harry and Hermione but he just shakes his head. He retrieves a large inflatable pool from his Folded Space, sits down on the floor and starts slowly blowing it up.

Ciri "What is that?"

Reima stops blowing for a moment and looks up, "An inflatable pool... Give me a couple minutes..."

Hermione "For a pool that size it will probably take half an hour..." she says.

Ciri shrugs, "Let's just continue sparring until he's done."

Harry and Hermione look at each other before following the other two in sparring.

ten minutes later Reima is finally done with the pool, it stands in the middle of the room looking incredibly out of place, especially with the small unicorns decorating it...

Ciri "Do I want to ask?"

Reima ignores her, and blasts the pool full with a strong aguamenti charm which also happens to spray the other with it. Of course this was on purpose... Pay back for no one offering to help... "Ciri, your egg?"

She hands it to him and he looks at everyone, "Stick your heads underwater and I'll open the egg for you to hear the puzzle." he says.

They do as he says, with a few complaints about how long it took to do their hair. With everyone submerged Reima puts his own head in while opening the egg, which releases a calming voice along with what sound like chimes.

"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."

Harry and Hermione are the first to emerge from the water, breathing slightly heavily to catch their breathes back. Reima comes out and gives them a look. "You guys get the riddle?"

Harry nods grimly, "They'r going to steal my firebolt!" he exclaims.

...

Reima "You serious?" he asks, his previous thought on Harry being smarter this time around immediately vanish.

Hermione "Well.. It's obviously going to be underwater, hence the Mermish."

Fleur "You 'ave an hour to retrieve it or it will disappear forever?" she mutters, growing slightly concerned at it's implications.

Reima "Whatever it is, you guys don't have to worry... I've got another trick to anger the judges, I'll give it to Ciri so you will retrieve whatever is taken from you." he says making them all look relieved, however Ciri looks apprehensive.

Ciri "Can't I try to complete the task without your help?" she says.