We cannot sing upon the ground.
When you search, think carefully:
We have taken your most cherished treasure.
You have only one hour,
to seek and retrieve what we have taken,
and after one hour, hope will be all gone,
it will have vanished completely, never to be seen again."
Harry let himself surface, emerging through the bubble-covered water.
He shook his head, flicking his hair out of his eyes.
"Did you hear it?" Cassandra asked loudly, "I think this is the correct way to open the Golden Egg, right? Harry?"
"I heard it." Harry replied, repeating, "'Find us where our voices sound...', wait, I forgot the rest, I need to hear it again."
He dove into the water once more.
He let the Golden Egg play on loop several times until he memorized the lyrics.
He leaned against the edge of the pool, pondering all possibilities, while Cassandra watched him from the shore.
"I must search for those who cannot make sounds on the ground..." Harry muttered, "Hmm... who could that be?"
"You're just as foolish as ever, Potter..."
Cassandra looked at Harry with a scornful gaze.
"Remember the story I told you before?"
"You mean..." Harry suddenly realized, "You mean the Sirens? Dumbledore found Sirens as the test for the second task? Like the dragons in the first task, we have to pass the Sirens' challenge?"
Cassandra rolled her eyes; she had really had enough of Potter's foolishness.
She couldn't figure out how Grindelwald managed to endure his stupidity.
"Not Sirens." Cassandra said, "Aside from Sirens, many creatures can survive underwater in the Magic World, like Grindylows, like Merfolk..."
"You mean it could be the Merfolk?" Harry scratched his head, "It's not impossible..."
"I've already told you." Cassandra said softly, stepping to the edge of the pool, "How much longer are you going to bathe, Potter?"
"Aren't you coming in?" Harry asked, "Remember what you promised me?"
Cassandra paused, she really forgot about that compensation request to bathe with Harry together.
Although she didn't agree to it, appearing here meant she tacitly approved of it all.
She closed her eyes, sighed, lifted her skirt, and slowly walked to the steps beside Harry.
Harry was mischievous; he stood up and unexpectedly pulled Cassandra into the pool, causing her to lose her balance and fall in with a splash.
"Potter!" Cassandra exclaimed, face flushed with anger.
"It's what you promised me." Harry raised an eyebrow, "Or are you going to renege?"
As he spoke, he reached his unruly hand toward Cassandra's waist.
Cassandra's thin lips quivered, and after a moment, she slowly said, "Potter! This is the last time!"
Whether it was the last time, Harry didn't know, but he did know this was the first time.
And if there's a first time, won't the second, third time come easily?
After thoroughly discussing life aspirations with Cassandra, Harry left the pool contentedly, not leaving Cassandra to idle in the bathroom but gently taking her back to her bedroom.
Evidently, the saying 'familiarity breeds comfort' held true, for after today, Cassandra became noticeably softer, at least not being so confrontational with Harry before.
At least when seeing Harry, she didn't show obvious resistance anymore.
Almost while classmates were still fondly reminiscing their holidays, the new semester quietly approached, for Christmas vacation wasn't eternal.
The semester wouldn't entertain the idea of a never-ending love affair with holidays, only mercilessly crushing anyone trying to slack off.
Of course, this lazy attempt refers to not finishing Professor Snape's assignments.
Usually, no one would dare to be so reckless, for everyone knew the consequences of angering Snape.
Yet, there always seemed to be a couple of students naïve enough to challenge Snape's authority and get swiftly dealt with by him.
"They have no sense of danger." Ron commented gleefully to Hermione, "Look at me, I know to at least finish Snape's homework."
"Oh shut up, Ronald!" Hermione rolled her eyes and said, "If you forget how your assignments got done, I can help remind you."
Ron shrugged, saying nothing.
He was afraid that if he spoke, Professor Snape might suddenly appear behind him and dock a point from him.
Even after the Christmas holiday, the grounds were still covered in thick snow, and condensation covered the windows of the greenhouse, making it impossible to see outside during Herbology class.
Nobody wanted to attend Care of Magical Creatures class in this weather, even though Ron said the Blast-Ended Skrewts might warm them up, either chasing them around or sparking many sparks setting Newt's tent on fire.
"Students, this is a necessary experience." Newt said while soothing the Skrewts with Hagrid, trying to comfort the students as well.
But no one believed Newt's words, as those Skrewts were fierce-looking and hardly seemed friendly.
Especially the crackling sparks cemented the students' beliefs.
"Have you figured out what the Golden Egg is about?" Hermione asked with concern, "I heard the Beauxbatons champion has already solved the Golden Egg's mystery..."
Harry told Hermione about the lyrics he heard, knowing she excelled in this area.
"Hard to say." Hermione wrinkled her nose, "I don't know either, but... hmm, the problem is, what is the most precious thing... what's your most precious thing?"
"Fire Crossbow Arrow?" Harry suggested testingly, "You know how much I love Quidditch; the Fire Crossbow Arrow really is my favorite thing."
"Hard to say." Hermione shook her head, "In theory, it should be something inseparable from you. Excluding your Magic Wand, since you need it for the Triwizard Tournament... let me think... could it be love? But unlikely... they'd hide the treasure; I don't believe anyone could sneak Vivi out of the Great German Ministry of Magic's office, knock her out, and toss her into the lake... though if anyone could, I'd call them the twentieth century's strongest carbon-based lifeform..."
"But now, I think the key concern is how you'll survive an hour underwater." Hermione said again, "That's the critical part, don't you think?"
"Oh, that's easy, Bubble Head Charm." Harry shrugged, "The Bubble Head Charm can last over two hours, even longer if the magic strength is sufficient, up to weeks without fading."
"If that's the case, then there shouldn't be any problem." Hermione cheerfully said, "I trust in your ability, Harry. As long as you can stay underwater for an hour, no matter what your most precious thing is, it won't stop you... The only difference is the time it takes, don't you agree? Harry?"
"Thank you for the compliment." Harry thought, not really considering the second task a big deal.
"So..."
Hermione suddenly leaned close to Harry, glanced at Cassandra quietly eating beside him, and lowered her voice, "What's up with Miss Malfoy? I remember she used to be at odds with you and even disliked you? Why is she now so... um, obedient?"
"Because she's already been subdued." Harry spread his hands.
Subdued?
Hermione scrutinized Harry up and down, thought for a moment, but refrained from voicing any hurtful words.