Chapter 85: 6-1

The day of the Second Task was approaching. Harry seemed to have lost his appetite completely, muttering, "Breathing... an hour... breathing..." with a face pale enough to put a ghost to shame. Even though he’s my brother, he looked absolutely sick.

And I, too—was in a similar situation to Harry.

"What should I do... I can't think of anything... what should I do..."

The target is underwater, and we are in the spectator stands. My future sons apparently managed a brilliant sabotage by inflating Cedric or something, but they were only able to pull that off because they could immediately disappear from that era using a Time-Turner. If I, living in this era, were to attempt such blatant sabotage, I'd instantly find myself in the custody of Ministry of Magic officials.

—It's just too impossible.

Today again, just Draco and I gazed out at the lake where the Giant Squid was languidly waving its tentacles.

"...Why don't we just pass on the Second Task? The point is simply to keep him from touching the cup, right? In other words, we just need Harry to outscore him."

"You mean dump everything on Harry? Someone's life is on the line here."

"Then, can you fire a spell at Diggory underwater without anyone noticing? Without even using the Invisibility Cloak?"

"......"

Fruitless hours just kept passing by. In the end, no matter how much time we spent wracking our brains for a plan, we always hit a dead end. I fell backward onto the ground, where traces of snow could still be seen.

"...I'll look for a way. Right up until the very last minute. I refuse to just sit back and watch Cedric's tragic fate unfold. That's practically leaving him to die. We were able to save Sirius, so surely Cedric—surely—"

Suddenly, Draco covered my eyes with the palm of his hand. My body heat quickly transferred to his hand, which had been chilled by the winter air, creating a slow, spreading warmth.

"Draco?"

"......"

"Hey, what's with the hand?"

"...───"

"Huh? I didn't catch that, say it again?"

"...It's nothing important."

When the warm darkness receded, my eyes were scorched by the winter sun. Light danced and flickered before my eyes.

"Draco?"

"You'll catch a cold. Let's call it a day and think about it again tomorrow."

"...You mean, again today."

I took Draco's hand and stood up. My impatience merely took the form of a sigh. Tomorrow probably won't yield any answers, either.

—The day of the Second Task was approaching.

"—Don't look at me with the eyes of a hero, Maria."

It was the day before. Finally, Harry's Second Task was only a day away.

Apparently, Harry still hadn't figured out how to hold his breath underwater for an hour, and had been practically living in the library with Hermione and Ron's help. As for me...

"It's tomorrow... tomorrow... This is so like me... always procrastinating... This is why Hermione is always scolding me..."

"...Are you okay, Maria?"

I was groaning, hugging my knees in the common room. Neville, a kind-hearted boy, was hovering around me nervously. He looked like a bewildered puppy, which actually soothed me a bit.

"Are you worried about Harry's task?"

"...Yeah, well, something like that..."

"I see... I wonder what the task is, to make you worry this much. It must be incredibly difficult."

"Ugh, my conscience hurts."

"Eh, Maria!?"

Neville's pure concern piled a heavy guilt right on top of my exhaustion. If I had time to agonize over the Yule Ball, I should have been taking this far more seriously. Now Harry is paying the price for that too. I really never grow up—'I' really don't.

I looked up at Neville, resolving to at least sort out the immediate problem in front of me.

"Hey Neville, do you know a way to breathe underwater?"

"How would I know? Is there a spell for that?"

"It doesn't have to be a spell. For instance, a potion—or a plant."

Upon hearing the word "plant," Neville's round face went blank for a second, then his eyes widened in sudden realization, and he dashed off to his dormitory. As expected of Neville, the future Herbology Professor.

"I know just the thing! Here, look at this—oh, Professor Moody lent me this book, by the way."

"Yeah, yeah, that's great, Neville."

I nodded, smiling brightly at Neville, whose eyes were sparkling as he pointed at the Gillyweed page. Among all the kids I've seen, Neville is remarkably pure-hearted. Talking to him somehow makes me feel like a father or a grandfather. Luna is also honest and pure, though in a different way.

"Neville, could you go and tell Harry what you just told me?"

"About the Gillyweed?"

"Yes. It might be an unexpected help to him."

Once again, Neville blinked his eyes childishly, leaving the book open to the Gillyweed page. Then, he gave a big smile and nodded.

After sending Neville off to the library where the trio was likely waiting, my next stop was the kitchens. —I just hope I don't miss him.

"Dobby!"

My target, a small friend wearing cheerful socks and a tea cozy for a hat, was in the corner of the kitchen, taking care of his drunk colleague.

"Maria Potter! Maria Potter has come to see Dobby! Dobby is so happy, Dobby will serve Maria Potter tea!"

"Oh, miss... ohh..."

Seeing me, or Harry, Ron, or Hermione—anyone involved in that night must remind her of her precious young master. In stark contrast to Dobby, who looked ready to hum a tune, the drunken Winky had tears welling up in her tennis-ball-sized eyes.

"Maria Potter, Winky is always like this, she is. Dobby tells Winky she must not, but Winky keeps drinking."

"Ah, right... Winky, let's, um... let's talk another time when you're up to it. That is—if you want to, of course."

Winky covered her eyes with her hands, though I wasn't sure if they even covered half her face. It pained my heart, but Winky would have to wait.

"Dobby, do you have a minute? —Could I ask you for a favor?"

The groundwork for procuring the Gillyweed for Harry was complete. Now, next was—

"...Cedric."

"Yes, Maria?"

An unexpected response to my unintentional muttering made me jump. Turning around, I saw Cedric tilting his head with a refreshing smile.

"Were you not talking about me?"

"Ah, no. I was..."

"Good. What about me, Maria?"

Cedric gave a faint smile, his handsome, kind face as charming as ever.

"Um—it's about the Second Task, just a little."

"Ah. ...Is Harry still stressing over it, by any chance?"

"Yeah. But he'll be fine. Harry will manage. More importantly—"

You are in far more danger—Cedric.

"Cedric, why did you..."

It seemed his destination wasn't his dormitory; we passed by the kitchens and the dorm entrances, naturally ending up walking down the corridor together. Cedric was smiling gently, but out of guilt, I could only glance at him from the corner of my eye.

"—Why did you put your name in?"

His grey eyes went round like a child's.

"You mean the Triwizard Tournament?"

"Yes."

"Because I was confident, of course. I wanted to test my abilities. ...Though, I admit I almost regretted it when we were pitted against dragons."

The young man, who was only a step away from adulthood, shrugged boyishly. Ever since the day we reunited three years ago, he had remained the same kind person.

"And also—I thought it would make my father happy. He's proud of me."

Cedric stared straight ahead with eyes like glass beads filled only with beautiful things. My feelings were complicated. I wanted to root for him. I respected his stoic ambition. But—was this really okay?

"Do you want to win? Not for your father's sake—do you want to win, even if it means risking danger?"

Even if it means risking your life—?

"Of course. As long as I put my name in, I think it's only right to aim for the cup. ...Except for Harry, who was forced into it, of course."

Taking a single step ahead of me, Cedric declared with absolute resolve.

"I am going to win."

As an individual—it was the face of someone looking toward the future.

"—I see. I understand. You really are Cedric Diggory."

"Of course, I'm Cedric Diggory."

Feeling as though the biggest splinter in my heart had vanished, I shared a bright smile with Cedric.

—I see. Right from the start, there was only one thing I had to do.

On my way back to the common room after parting with Cedric, I ran into a flushed Neville. Judging by his demeanor, I could safely assume his errand of passing on the Gillyweed information was successfully completed. Feeling like I was praising a puppy, I gently patted his fluffy head.

"Whoa—Maria? Ah, perfect timing! Professor McGonagall was looking for you."

"Professor McGonagall was?"

"Yeah. She came to the common room just now, and said she'd wait in her prep room so you wouldn't miss each other."

Huh? I tilted my head. What could she want? I should have handed in all my homework—was it about the Patronus Charm? I thought she had let that go. Or maybe the communication parchment? Or perhaps she found out about the illicit use of the Time-Turner?

I had so many guilty secrets that my stomach started to ache sharply.

"Maria?"

"...I'll go see her."

Why now, right when it's such a critical time for Harry—even as I felt resentful, the realization suddenly hit me.

—Ah. Don't tell me.