19- Mermish

                                    

                                          

Celia really was prepared to spend the rest of the day hiding in the owlery, skipping classes. But someone came along that afternoon, to interupt her solitary confinement.
"You're the one sitting in my seat this time" teased Harry.
Celia looked up and smiled, "Hello Harry. What are you doing up here?".
"Trying to figure out what the second task is going to be" sighed Harry, as he threw his golden egg into the air, before catching it and sitting down beside Celia.
"You mean you haven't figured it out yet? You haven't got long left, you know" replied Celia.
"You sound like Hermione".
"Have you actually been trying to figure it out, or have you just left it until the last minute?" Asked Celia.
"What do you think?" Sighed Harry.
"Well, leaving it to the last minute is kind of your thing. But you're running out of time" admitted Celia.
"I know. But I've tried everything. The egg just wails at me every time I open it. I've shouted at it, used magic on it, and even thrown it against the wall. But nothing I do has any effect on it"
"Can I look at it?".
Harry frowned, "Haven't you looked at Cedric's loads of times?".
"No. I held it on the day he got it, but I didn't have time to examine it or anything. Me and him don't talk to each other at Hogwarts, so I haven't helped him figure out what the egg does" answered Celia.
"Well then, you can help me, because I'm out of ideas" groaned Harry, as he handed the egg over to Celia.
Celia carefully took the egg from Harry, and began to examine it.
When she opened it, a loud wailing sound erupted from it, startling all the owls.
"That's what it does every time I open it" sighed Harry, once Celia had closed it.
"Well, let's not open it again then, until we know what to do with it" replied Celia.
"Deal... It's got all these funny symbols around it, but I've got no idea what they mean. I don't suppose you do?" Asked Harry.
"Well, I am good at Ancient Runes, so I can have a go at deciphering them".
Celia began inspecting the symbols in silence for several minutes.
"These aren't runes, and they aren't symbols either. They're letters" announced Celia.
"They don't look like any letters I've seen before" admitted Harry.
"That's because whatever is written on here, is not in English" informed Celia.
"Then what language is it?"
"I'm not sure. But I don't think it's a language spoken by humans... If I had to make a guess, I'd say it was Mermish"
"Mermish?"
"Yes. The dialect spoken by mer-people. I've only seen Mermish writing a handful of times, so I can't be sure. But looking at the art on the egg, and the curvature of the writing, I would guess that it's in Mermish".
"So, you think the second task has something to do with mermaids?" Questioned Harry.
"Possibly" answered Celia, as she handed the egg back to Harry.
"What have I got to do? Wrestle a mermaid?" Asked Harry.
"I think that's highly unlikely, given how aggressive mer-folk are. Did the co-ordinaters of the tournament not give you any hints about what the second task could involve?"
"No, none. The only person who's given me any advice is Cedric".
Celia frowned, "My brother gave you advice?".
"Yeah, after the Yule Ball. I did warn him about the dragons in the first task, so he was just repaying the favour" informed Harry.
"Well, what exactly did my brother say?" Quizzed Celia.
"He told me to go to the Prefects bathroom, and take my egg with me" answered Harry.
"Cedric told you to take a bath with the egg?" Questioned Celia.
"Yeah, not exactly very helpful information, especially as I told him precisely what the first task would be"
"I expect he wanted to give you a hint, but still allow you to work it out for yourself"
"That's mean, since I'm already at a disadvantage, being younger than everyone else".
"I think you should follow my brother's advice. Sneak into the Prefects bathroom tonight, when no-one else is around, and try to work out the egg. I think it has something to do with mer-people, so perhaps milling things over in the water isn't a bad idea. There's also a painting of a mermaid in the bathroom, which might help you work out the clue" admitted Celia.
"Alright, I'll go tonight. Wait, hang on, how do you know what it looks like in there, since you're not a Prefect?" Asked Harry.
"Cho told me and our roommates the password, so that we could use it if we wanted to. I also already knew it, because I heard Cedric say it" answered Celia.
"I never took you for a rule breaker" grinned Harry.
"I have many hidden talents" beamed Celia.
"So I see. Thanks for helping me with the egg"
"You're welcome"
"I didn't think that you'd want to help me, since you're Cedric's sister"
"I don't want to make things too easy for him, so I might as well help out the competition"
"Well, whatever the reason, I'm grateful... I'm sorry about what Rita Skeeter wrote in the paper this morning".
Celia stood to her feet, "I don't want to talk about it".
"That's understandable. But if you ever did want to talk, you could always come to me" informed Harry, as he stood up.
Celia rolled her eyes, "Why is everyone offering to be my confidant at the moment? I don't want to talk about any of this, with anyone. Why do I have to keep repeating myself?".
"I guess I'm not the only one who wants to help you" replied Harry.
"What makes you think I need help, from you or anybody else? I'm fine being on my own, just as I always have been"
"Alright. Forgive me for saying this though, because I don't think you are O.K. I think you've become so used to saying that you're alright, because you think no one cares. And you've forgotten how to let people in. It's O.K to not feel O.K, you know".
"You don't know about anything" snapped Celia.
"Maybe not, but I know what it's like to feel alone, and have family members that don't love you. I grew up with my aunt and uncle favouring my cousin, and not giving me any attention. So, I know what it's like to be you" admitted Harry.
"Perhaps you do. But when you come to Hogwarts, everybody loves you" replied Celia.
"You know that's not true. You saw how everyone turned on me when my name was put in the Goblet"
"You have Ron and Hermione. And even though you fight, you know that they will always be there for you. I don't have any one in my life like that".
"I thought you were dating that Beauxbatons boy?" Questioned Harry.
"I haven't spoken to him since the Yule Ball, when everything went a bit wrong" admitted Celia.
"Well, maybe you should try to fix things, because he seemed like someone who really wanted to be your friend" replied Harry.
"I don't think I'm brave enough to face him, especially after this news story"
"That's exactly why you should face him, you need to clear the air"
"Maybe you're right. Perhaps hiding away is not the answer... I guess we both have tasks to do tonight. You need to figure out the egg, and I need to talk to Benjamin"
"I will see you here tomorrow morning then, once we've both completed our tasks"
"Sounds like a plan".