Chapter 114: Gillyweed

"So you're saying your family have house-elf too?" Chris asked.

"Yeah. For almost hundred years. It's nice you know, my mother doesn't feel very much lonely with them. They're very faithful." Jason said eating some Every Flavour Beans.

It was Saturday afternoon, Chris and Jason were talking, sitting under a tree, a little far from the lake.

"They? How many house-elves you have?" Chris asked, taking some Every Flavour Beans from Jason.

"Two. Fib and Kat." Jason replied. " I always prefer Fib to do my works."

"Why?"

"Kat is female elf. She is over protective in every way, she'll report every time she finds something weird in my room and she is also very bossy; 'young master Jason shouldn't do that. Young master should eat healthy food. Young master should do that... shouldn't behave like this.' It's too much for me." Jason said with a sigh.

Chris laughed and put another one from Every Flavour Beans in her mouth.

"You only brought the sweet and salty ones, didn't you?" She asked raising her eyebrows.

"I don't like the other flavours. So I always separate them first." Jason said casually. "Easy spell. It'll take two days to learn."

"Great. Teach me later." Chris smiled and looked at the lake. On the other side of the lake Ron and Hermione were helping Harry with his bubble charm.

"Isn't that Potter and gang?" Jason asked, also looking at them.

"Yup."

"What're they doing?"

"Practicing the bubble charm." Chris replied. "For the second task."

"Bubble charm? Nice. Effective way to breath under water." Jason replied. "But it takes months to master and the second task is just one week away."

"I know I'm also worried about him." Chris said with a sigh.

"You're always worried about others." Jason said rolling his eyes.

"They're my friends Jason and Harry's luck is too bad to trust." Chris replied.

"Whatever. You should be safe." Jason said. "Well do you still have the dagger I sent you, when we were in first year?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Keep it. It's made by Kat. It'll never fail you." Jason replied.

"It's made by a house-elf?"

"Yes. Elf magic is really different from us. Technically they're more stronger than us, that's why wizards made them slave and trained them like this so they never could be a threat to wizards." Jason said seriously. "I think they did the right thing. I mean do you know they can even Apparate and Disappearate in places where other's can't. It can be really dangerous if they decided to go against wizards one day."

"Like even in Hogwarts?" Chris asked curiously.

"Yeah. Even inside the castle."

"Wow." Chris replied, as she was deep in thoughts about the elves.

"Hey, what're you doing on next Hogsmeade trip?" Jason asked after sometime.

"Are you asking me out to Hogsmeade, Fawley?" Chris asked raising an eyebrow.

"Kind of." Jason smirked. "You know I can't hope that everytime I'll bump into you in Hogwarts grounds and you'll decide to stay and talk to me under a tree."

Chris laughed.

"Fine. But you've to say hi to my friends."

"What kind of condition is this?" Jason asked.

"It's just a hi, Jason." Chris replied.

"Alright." Jason said rolling his eyes. "For you."

"That's cute." Chris chuckled.

Jason rolled his eyes again.

___________________________________

"This is hopeless." Hermione slammed a book on the Gryffindor table at lunchtime, looking frustrated. "I don't know what to do."

"What happened?" Ginny asked.

"Harry is still struggling with his bubble charm." Hermione said sitting beside Chris. "His bubble is still weak to survive one hour."

"But the second task is in two days." Colin said looking shocked.

"Exactly how will he..?" Luna said.

"No idea." Hermione said breathlessly. "He is nervous too. He is still working with Ron near the lake."

"We should've thought about some backup plan." Ginny said. "Is it too late now?"

"Maybe." Chris said cooly. "It's time to visit the library again, I guess. Let's see if there something which can help him. Today after dinner?"

"Ok." Hermione replied.

But they found nothing. Nothing at all which can help with this sort of situation. Harry went off food again. He tried to practice the bubble charm day and night but he couldn't breath inside the lake more than twenty minutes or thirty minutes. If thats how Harry goes in the lake for the task, he was going to drown.

The evening before the second task, as Harry was still working on his bubble charm with Ron; Chris, Ginny, Luna, Colin and Hermione sat on the library to find something else. Though they didn't found anything in last two days, Hermione was still hopeful.

"I don't reckon it can be done," said Ginny's voice flatly from the other side of the table. "There's nothing. Nothing. Closest was that thing to dry up puddles and ponds, that Drought Charm, but that was nowhere near powerful enough to drain the lake."

"There must be something," Hermione muttered, moving a candle closer to her. Her eyes were so tired she was poring over the tiny print of Olde and Forgotten Bewitchments and Charmes with her nose about an inch from the page. "They'd never have set a task that was undoable."

Chris was checking a charms book and Luna and Colin were looking into Weird Wizarding Dilemmas and Their Solutions.

"Oh this is no use," Hermione said, snapping shut another book. "Who on earth wants to make their nose hair grow into ringlets?"

"I wouldn't mind," said Fred Weasley's voice. "Be a talking point, wouldn't it?"

All of them looked up from their books, Fred and George had just emerged from behind some bookshelves.

"What're you two doing here?" Ginny asked.

"Looking for Hermione," said George. "McGonagall wants you, Hermione."

"Why?" said Hermione, looking surprised.

"Dunno … she was looking a bit grim, though," said Fred.

"We're supposed to take you down to her office," said George.

Hermione looked at Chris then to Ginny.

"It's alright. You go, we'll continue." Ginny said. "We're going to take these books to common room."

"Ok. I'll see you in the common room, then." Hermione said getting up.

"Do you reckon where Ron is?" George asked. "We're supposed to take him there too."

"He's near the lake.." Hermione said as they left.

At eight o'clock, Madam Pince had extinguished all the lamps and Chris, Ginny and Colin took many books to the Gryffindor tower. Luna said she'll check her Ravenclaw common room books.

They sat in a corner and started looking into the books.

"Harry should come back." Colin said worriedly. "It's too late to go inside the lake."

"Go call him if you can." Chris replied. "A extra pair of eyes will help."

"Ok." Colin said as he and Ginny ran outside to call Harry.

Crookshanks crawled into Chris's lap and curled up, purring deeply.

"Hey Chris." Neville said as he sat on the opposite chair to Chris after some time.

"Hey Neville." Chris yawned.

"You look tired." Neville replied. "What're you looking for in so many books?"

"Something to help Harry in tomorrow's task." Chris said.

"What is it?"

"He have to go down the lake and bring back something they took from him. But the tricky part is he have to breath under water for one hour." Chris replied.

"Oh. So he needs something to help him breath under water?" Neville asked thinking.

"Yup."

"Oh I know how to... wait." Neville said suddenly and ran to their dormitory.

Chris looked up surprised and waited as Neville emerged from the stairs.

"Look." He panted as he held up the book: Magical Water Plants of the Mediterranean.

Chris looked at it as he opened a page.

"Gillyweed?"

"Yes. It creates gill in you, to breath under water." Neville grinned. "I was just reading it today. Professor Moody gave it to me few days ago, as Professor Spourt told him that I'm good in Herbology."

"Professor Moody?" Chris looked more surprised.

"Yes. But I don't know where you will get that." Neville said not noticing Chris's surprised face.

'There's definitely something wrong here. Why's Professor Moody so keen to help Harry?' 'He also helped Cedric.'

"Chris!"

"Oh yes. I think Snape have it." Chris said. "I heard him talking about it the other day."

"But you can't ask from Snape. He'll never..." Neville looked frightened.

"Ask Snape what?" Harry asked as he, Ginny and Colin returned to the common room.

"There's a plant which will help you breath under water." Chris said. "If only your bubble charm doesn't work."

"I'm working on it." Harry said, looking nervous. "I'm going to work all night."

Chris sighed.

"Snape have the Gillyweed which will help you. Now how do I get that from Snape." She muttered. "He'll not give it if we ask... we can't break into his office.... but...."

"It's impossible." Harry collapsed on a chair.

"Harry you haven't eat anything." Ginny said. "You skipped lunch and dinner. If you continue like this then you'll not have strength to go under water tomorrow."

"Ginny's right Harry. Let's go to the kitchen and..." Colin said.

"Wait. Kitchen." Chris's face lit up. "Kitchen. We need to go to the kitchen."

"What?" Neville asked.

"Dobby. Harry do you think Dobby will do anything for you?" Chris asked.

"I don't know. Maybe yes." Harry said. "Wait. What're you...?"

"No time to explain. It's already nine o'clock. Get up. We need to go to the Kitchen." Chris said getting up, forgetting that Crookshanks was on her lap. Crookshanks hissed angrily as he landed on the floor, he looked at Chris in disbelief.

"Sorry Crookshanks." Chris muttered as she scratched his ears, bending over him.

Crookshanks purred happily then walked away, with his bot­tlebrush tail in the air.

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Chris, Harry, Ginny, Colin and Neville ran towards the Great Hall. From there went down to the fruit bowl painting, tickled the pear and entered the kitchen.

As soon as they entered the kitchen, a squealing voice came running, "Harry Potter, sir! Harry Potter!"

It was Dobby. Almost instantly other house-elves gathered around them. Chris understood the reason behind this much attention, first the house-elves just finished their work and second they saw The Harry Potter.

"Do Harry Potter need anything, sir?" Dobby squeaked loudly. "Would Harry Potter like a cup of tea?"

"No.. It's..." Harry looked at Chris.

"Dobby, I need to talk to you and can you all give us some cakes, every kind of cakes." Chris said to the other house-elves.

They all started working hurriedly. Chris pulled Harry and Dobby aside and ask Ginny and Colin to look around so no one can eavesdrop.

"What's it Miss?" Dobby asked.

"Dobby! Harry Potter needs a big help. Will you help him?" Chris whispered.

"Dobby will do anything for Harry Potter, miss. Dobby is free because of Harry Potter."