The girls were chatting in the room when suddenly Calista started to give eye signals to Dahlia. Young noticed so she frowned, glancing at both of them, "What's up with you both?"

Dahlia shook her head, "Nothing."

Calista's eyes widened while smirking as if saying 'really now?'

"Okay something is definitely up. Spill it, you two." Lyra said, crossing her arms. Dahlia shot Calista a warning glare, making it more obvious to the others.

Primrose chuckled sarcastically, "You both make it too obvious."

Dahlia scoffed while staring at Calista, "Well clearly not me."

Calista shrugged, "I mean... it's a good news?"

"What's the good news?" Young asked. Dahlia wrapped her face with her palms while Calista made a face to encourage her to speak up. Dahlia shook her head slightly, "It's nothing."

Calista groaned, "Oh God, just tell them God damn it!"

"Tell us what?!" Lyra asked, starting to get impatient. Calista shrugged, "Fine, I'll do it for you. Dahlia is hmpfhmphfhmfph!"

Dahlia cupped her mouth, making Calista muffle her words.

Then it hit Primrose.

Any sound could be muffled when it's contained. Voices can be deafen by pressure—though not completely, just like how Dahlia applied pressure to Calista's mouth to avoid sound from coming out.

Perhaps she can do the same thing on the golden egg.

With water.

Submerging it into the water would apply pressure. Maybe that way, Primrose could actually see what's inside the egg without the ear-piercing sound coming out from it.

Calista pulled Dahlia's palm and quickly said, "Dahlia and Samuels are dating!"

The girls looked at Dahlia in amusement. Her face turned red and she looked down instantaneously. Primrose tilted her head to the side, "Why are you being hesitant to tell us about this?"

Dahlia shrugged, "I don't know... I guess I'm just afraid that it won't work. I don't know."

"Why?" Lyra asked. Dahlia sighed, "I like him but deep down... I'm not ready for this yet. I accepted him because I don't want to lose him."

Commitment issues, I see.

"What makes you not ready when you like him too?" Primrose asked. Dahlia shrugged, "I guess I'm just scared that I won't be good enough and it'll ruin everything, you know."

Ah so not commitment issues. She's just insecure.

"Why do you think you're not good enough?" Calista frowned. Primrose nodded in agreement, since she was going to ask the same thing.

"You see... there are lots of other girls that have the hots for Samuels and... they're all really pretty and everything."

"But you're pretty too." Young commented and the rest nodded in agreement. Dahlia chuckled dryly, "Thanks. But I still think I'm not."

"Nonsense. Dahlia, take your insecurity and shove it up your ass. You are pretty and Samuels chose you." Young crossed her arms.

Agreed.

"Come on, Dahlia. Don't overthink it. Enjoy it." Lyra said happily while spreading her arms out. Dahlia laughed, "Thank you... thank you, guys."

Primrose smiled. She had never thought Dahlia would be insecure about her beauty. As a female herself, she definitely think Dahlia was a beautiful woman.

Her smile faded as her mind went back to think of the golden egg. She hoped that the method would work but the thing was...

Where would she do it?

_____

"Quinton." Tom greeted at the garden when she saw Primrose playing with her cat there. Primrose looked up and smiled at him, "Riddle."

"Have that Russian guy shared the information on how to open the golden egg?" He asked, making her frown, "No... not yet. Why do you ask?"

"Because I know that he knows how to." He said, his lips curled up into a small smile that was definitely not too obvious. Primrose frowned deeper, "Oh... well... he didn't tell me anything yet."

"I doubt he would tell you. It has been three days since I saw him do it." Tom shrugged.

Uh huh.

It left Primrose speechless. Honestly, it had been days since she figured that out too. But she hadn't had the chance to tell Konstantin since she had never seen him around that much in the area.

Of course, she would tell him if he were spotted anywhere near her.

Tom crossed his arms, "I tell you what, you go ahead and ask him whether he knows something or not. Let's test his honesty and... loyalty shall we?"

Good idea she thought.

"I don't know about that, haven't seen him around for quite some time." She sighed. Tom lifted his eyebrows, "Disappointed, Quinton?"

Primrose lifted her eyebrows too, "No..."

Tom nodded in approval, "Well, he's just at the corner, speaking to the French girl. Go ahead."

She turned her head to the corner and saw Konstantin and Fiore between the walls. Primrose nodded, "Thanks."

She walked towards them and greeted, "Hi guys."

"Primrose." Fiore and Konstantin greeted simultaneously. Primrose smiled, "Sorry for disturbing but I need to borrow Konstantin for a few seconds, is that alright?"

Fiore smiled, "I don't mind."

The girl's heads then turned to Konstantin, waiting for his answer. He then answered, "Sure."

"Thank you. Just for a few moment, he'll be back." Primrose said to Fiore. She just nodded.

Konstantin followed Primrose from behind as she started walking a few steps away from Fiore and other crowds. Konstantin noticed the earrings she was wearing and complimented, "The earrings look perfect on you."

Primrose ignored.

"Kostya, I'm wondering whether you've already found anything on the golden egg."

Konstantin looked around before shaking his head, "I'm sorry, Primrose. I have not."

Liar.

Primrose chuckled dryly, "If you say so, Indrakov."

Konstantin frowned to the tone while tilting his head to the left slightly, "You don't sound like you trust me."

Primrose shrugged, "Maybe it's the right thing to do." Konstantin opened his mouth after shifting uncomfortably, but she turned around and left him alone there. Primrose made her way back to Tom, who was waiting for her with his arms crossed. When she approached, Tom raised his eyebrows, "Well?"

"You're right." She sighed. Tom's lips curled into a small smirk, showing his satisfaction. She then asked, "How did you know though?"

"I saw him in the prefect's bathroom. He submerged the golden egg in the bathtub." Tom said. Primrose clapped her hands once, "I knew it! I was right! If you open it normally, only loud shrieking would be heard, but if you apply pressure to it... the loud noise would be suppressed." Primrose then cupped her own mouth before she spoke into her palm, mumbling muffled words, "It wouldhmn soundhm like this."

Primrose let go of her mouth with a grin, "I'm not that hopeless after all."

Tom only smirked at the sight.

She then stared at him, "But I don't know where to do it. A bathtub, you said?" Tom nodded once, "Prefect's bathroom. Use it after midnight. You wouldn't want to bump into any prefects in there."

Primrose nodded enthusiastically, "Thank you so much, Tom!"

He looked quite taken aback by her excitement. Genuine grin plastered on her face which was directed to him and only him at that time. She looked really grateful and by the way her tone slightly went higher, it was obvious that she was really happy.

Tom quickly regained his normal expression back and he nodded once, "My pleasure."

Primrose turned away from him, a smile still plastered on her face. She didn't know why but she was confident that she could trust Riddle on that one. Konstantin was the liar here—from the way he talked, the way he looked at her, not making eye contact just as much and on how his body language gave him away such as when he was shifting uncomfortably.

Too obvious, Indrakov.

She touched the butterfly earring on the right side that was hanging on her right ear then scoffed.

Friendship sign, my ass.

I never knew friends would lie like that.

_____

It was the weekend so Primrose decided to go to the prefect's bathroom. She peeked inside, trying to find any movement in there.

All clear.

She filled the big ass bathtub with warm water until it's full. She pulled out the golden egg from her robe and put it on the floor. She looked around before letting her robe fall onto the floor, leaving her with her grey tight shorts and sports bra.

She got into the bathtub and took the golden egg inside it with her. She inhaled deeply with a hopeful face, "Here we go."

She opened the golden egg and her face lit up with joy, "Yes!" The light that was once too blinding could finally be seen clearly and the sound that was once too loud was deafen in the water.

Primrose inhaled deeply once again, holding her breath before sinking her head into the bathtub. Her eyes widened in shocked as a song was playing from the golden egg.

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 recover what we took,
But past an hour—the prospect's black,
Too late, it's gone, it won't come back.

She frowned, What does it mean?

Primrose rose from underwater and took a deep breath. She understood the part where something had been taken from her. But what exactly?

She got out of the bathtub, wore her robe and just walked out of the the prefect's bathroom, heading straight to her room, not caring that it's wet, cold and uncomfortable. While walking, she pulled out her wand and gave it a complicated little wave until hot air streamed out of the tip. She then pointed the wand at her robes, which began to steam as they dried out.

_____

The girls were doing their own thing when Primrose spoke up, "Girls, what creature can't sing above the ground?"

The girls looked at her before Calista answered, "Merpeople?"

Primrose frowned, "Merpeople as in mermaids?" Calista nodded, "Yep."

Primrose hummed, "Hm... well tell me about merpeople."

Calista smiled, "Well, Merpeople are divided up into various sub-species or races, depending on where they live. The earliest merpeople lived in Greece and known as sirens. The thing is, merpeople living in warmer waters take on a more beautiful appearance, while those in colder waters are less attractive."

Yikes.

"Oh, we have merpeople living in the Black Lake on the grounds of Hogwarts Castle. Isn't that amazing?" Lyra said.

Hold up now.

"Here?!" Primrose asked, shocked. Lyra nodded, "Yeah!"

Primrose nodded slowly before sitting up straight on her bed, "Okay guys so I figured out what to do with the golden egg. I submerged it in the water and I heard singing."

Primrose read out the lyrics and the girls listened to her attentively. They shifted and sat up straight on their beds as well, clearly interested with the conversation.

Dahlia spoke up, "First of all, it's definitely about merpeople. Come seek us where our voices sound, we cannot sing above the ground—it's definitely about merpeople. They can't speak... or sing like us above the ground, hence the loud noise when you opened the egg."

The rest nodded in agreement. Then, Young spoke up, "So they took something from you and you have to get it back. An hour long... holy crap, you have to dive into the Black Lake!"

"I have to stay underwater for an hour?!" Primrose's eyes widened in horror. Calista shrugged, "Looks like it."

Primrose scoffed, "How am I supposed to do that?"

Calista sat beside her on the bed, "Don't worry about that. There are some ways. You can try the bubble-head charm."

"What is that?" She lifted her eyebrows. Young chuckled, "The Bubble-Head Charm is used to allow a person to breathe underwater, Prim. There will be a bubble around your head, giving you a continuous supply of oxygen."

"Oh." Primrose's lips curled into a small smile.

Dahlia then frowned, "But what's missing though?" Primrose shrugged, "I don't know... I checked my stuffs but I didn't notice anything gone missing?"

"Maybe not yet?" Lyra asked. The others looked like they agreed by their expression and Primrose tilted her head to the side, "Possibly."

She then laid on her bed, thinking about the tournament. The second task was happening in a few days and Primrose somehow felt ready although nervous.

She had never felt motivated to join the Triwizard Tournament, not even when she was going to do the first task. However, this time, she's determine to do it properly. Ever since Tom helped her with the information, that's when she started to feel motivated. She appreciated him for telling her about it and even when he first asked whether she was sure enough to trust Kostantin.

Primrose was still confused on why Tom helped her. Was he slowly accepting a friendship?

Accepting Primrose?

Was he letting her in? Throwback at the den of snakes, he opened up about his childhood. So, Tom was definitely letting her in to see the world in his point of view.

His experience.

But still, Primrose can't help but doubt him a little bit although she was at a point of not doubting him at all since he helped her.

What's his agenda?

_____

All three Champions assembled on the shore of the lake and were told that they had one hour to retrieve that which had been stolen from them from the merpeople's village, and return.

Primrose could feel Konstantin's eyes glancing over her a few times but did not say anything. She would've ignored him anyway if he greeted.

So much for him to 'have not found anything yet'.

She straightened her white tank top that revealed her neon pink sports bra underneath—as if the straps weren't obvious enough. Then, she did the same to her black tight shorts before casting the bubble-head charm.

The champions entered the water, and she was the last to do it. As she opened her eyes in the water, the minor anxiety crippled inside of her due to the colour of the lake that's almost dark. She didn't want to swim deeper—at least not yet. Instead, she swam straight ahead until she saw the merpeople's village.

Fascinating.

Primrose gasped when she saw the merpeople. Green hair, yellow eyes, grey skin, and silver tails.

Ugly as fuck.

She then turned her head when she heard a distant scream. She looked down to see Fiore being attacked by some creatures. Primrose squinted her eyes to get a clear view of the creatures and when she finally did, her eyes widened in horror.

Grindylows.

She had read about them in the Dark Arts book. The Grindylows were sickly green colour, with green teeth and small pointy horns on their heads. They had long, strong fingers which they used to strangle their prey.

Primrose sighed in relief when Fiore was finally free from the creatures. However, she retreated and it made Primrose felt sorry for her. She faced front again and blinked her eyes a few times to make sure that it was not a hallucination.

Three figures floating in the water.

She approached them and as she got closer, she recognised one person.

"Tom?!" Her eyes widened.

These are the 'stolen stuffs'?!

She scanned the other two figures. A boy her age and a little girl. Primrose recognised both of them. The boy was from Durmstrang, the one that Konstantin always hung out with while the girl was a Beauxbaton's student.

She saw Konstantin approached and grabbed his friend, quickly swam back to the surface. Primrose was about to grab Riddle too, but then she remembered—

But past an hour—the prospect's black,
Too late, it's gone, it won't come back.

It made Primrose scoffed in anger. Not only the tournament was dangerous for the participants—but also to people around them.

What a fucking stupid tournament!

She reached out her right hand to take the girl but a merperson slapped her hand harshly.

"Ouch!" Primrose scoffed. The merperson scowled, "Only one."

Heh, try me.

She grabbed the two of them by the neck at the same time, and fast as lightning, she pushed the two up until they reached the surface.

The merperson looked at her angrily but Primrose just grinned before she pushed the merperson away with her telekinesis. She scoffed when she saw a group of merpeople coming after her. She looked away and pushed herself up to the surface with her telekinesis. When she finally reached, the bubble around her head was gone and she saw both Tom and the girl were already conscious.

The three of them swam to the platform, and some of the audience held their hands out to help them three. Fiore ran towards Primrose and kneeled in front of her, "Thank you! Thank you for taking my sister!"

Primrose nodded vigorously, not able to talk after the tiring swim. She glanced at Tom who was already staring at her. She didn't know what to say so she just turned away.

The result came out. Konstantin scored first, followed by Primrose and then Fiore. After the judges summed up the total for all champions from both tasks, Konstantin and Primrose were tied in the first place. They looked at each other and Primrose just looked at him up and down before turning her head away.

Konstantin swallowed his saliva at the sight, seeing that Primrose had really hated him so much.

Primrose glanced at Tom who was just drying his hair with the towel at the corner. Her mind quickly recalled the line of the song.

'We've taken what you'll sorely miss,'

Why him?

_____

"I think it's because one of the judges saw the both of you talking to each other and assumed that you guys are close." Dahlia said. Primrose nodded in agreement, "I think so too. I feel bad for Riddle, he had nothing to do with it but..."

"Don't be, Quinton." Tom's voice cut in as he sat at his usual spot in the class. Both of the girls turned to him and Dahlia was the first one to look away, doing her own thing as if she understood that the conversation was meant between Primrose and Tom only.

He continued, "It's not like we both asked for it."

Primrose nodded, agreeing to the truth.

When the class ended, the students went to the great hall for lunch. The sound of an owl made all attention went to it. It flew directly above Primrose.

She then noticed there's a small parcel in its grasp. When it flew pass her, the parcel dropped on her head and she caught it before it fell onto the floor.

"Ouch." Primrose groaned softly. All eyes on her but she had decided to ignore them. Her friends leaned in closer to take a look. Lyra squinted her eyes, "What is that for?"

Primrose shrugged. She scanned the parcel before tearing the wrapping paper, revealing a small jewellery box. She opened the box and gasped.

A silver bracelet with small charms attached. The stones were white in colour—the ones that she saw in the jewellery shop in Hosgmeade when she went out with Konstantin.

Then it hit her.

Could it be him? An apology for somehow betraying her?

"It's so pretty! Who gave it to you?" Dahlia looked at it in awe. Primrose shook her head, "I don't