Diamond In The Rough

"Only twenty minutes late Potter. Tell me, do those Muggle schools neglect to teach how to tell the time, or were you just too dense for that?"

Draco, resplendent in his jet-black shirt and trouser, narrowly avoided a less than amused Harry giving him a broken nose. Lyca managed to calm his temper with a warning look. She wore navy leggings and a loose T-shirt. A tiny leather scabbard clipped at her waist held the pure silver dagger of Rowena Ravenclaw.

Now calm and controlled, Harry gave Draco, who leant lazily on his yew staff, a very withering look. "Believe it or not Malfoy, I thought that taking Gryffindor’s sword might be useful. Anyway, I’m here now. Where’s Hannah?"

Hannah, who wore plain Muggle clothing, stepped out of the trees that stood by the lakeside. "I was just saying goodbye to Terry."

"Terry?" asked a confused Harry.

"Terry Boot, my fiancee."

Draco sighed irritably. "If you two are quite finished with niceties, I’d rather get going than watch you gossip. The sooner I go, the sooner I get back. And I don’t plan to stay down there all that long."

Professor McGonagall, with Hermione and Ron at her side stepped forward. "The time has come for you to go on your way. Hermione here has managed to unearth four enchanted black cloaks. They have waterproofing and Heating charms on them. They’ll survive the lake, and serve as blankets later on. Anyway, you should really get moving. The longer you leave it, the stronger Voldemort gets. I’d use the Bubblehead Charm to get you down there. And for Merlin’s sakes come back alive, all of you."

Hermione gave out the cloaks to each of them. When she gave Harry his, she hugged him tightly. "Good luck Harry. And be careful."

Remus, who had been taking a low profile ‘til that point, walked over to his daughter. He kissed her on the head, and whispered some words of encouragement in her ear. She nodded and turned away. Though Lyca was as stout-hearted as an Gryffindor, looking at her Harry could see the fear in those golden eyes.

The four of them waded into the lake. Even though it was summer, the lake was bitterly cold. The freezing water climbed higher and higher up Harry’s legs until it reached his hips. There he stopped, the others stopping beside him. Each pulling out their wand, they performed the Bubblehead Charm upon themselves. Harry turned so he could see their faces; Lyca’s pale but serene, Hannah’s uncertain and Draco’s covered by his permanent sneer. "When I lower my hand," he told them, "We dive."

He plunged his hand down into the lake and dived down.

* * * * *

As Harry went down, he remembered the only other time he’d been in the lake. The water was still the same misty green as it had been on the cold February morning all those years ago. Harry kicked on towards the bottom of the lake, beckoning the others to follow him.

The going was harder this time round. Even though he was older and strong than he had been in fourth year, he knew he was working much harder this time round. But then, he didn’t suppose that fingers and toes did as half as good a job as webbed hands and feet did. The bubble round his head felt strange. He felt sure he would run out of air and that the bubble would mist up with his last struggling breaths.

But it didn’t happen. After a long while, they reached the bottom of the lake. It was then they realised. The entrance could be anywhere. They could search for years and still never find it. As Draco muttered curses within his bubble, Harry sat on the lakebed and pondered. He knew that there were merfolk in the lake. But even if they got them to understand their mouthed pleas, would they know the place? And so his internal battle went on.

As everyone watched Harry struggle to find a solution, no one saw the lone merman approaching. As if he were wearing an invisibility cloak he came up quietly and was forced to cough loudly to gain their attention. However, as soon as he had done so, all four pairs of eyes; grey, green, blue and golden; were fixed upon him in surprise.

He bowed to them. "Greetings to you, true seekers of the Forgotten Curse. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ledare. My family have long been bestowed one honoured task amongst merfolk. We have been known merely as ‘The Guides’ yet to us, no duty could be as honourable. For it is our job to direct the four true seekers of the Curse to the entrance of the Chamber. To think you came in my time. Anyway, we must be off..."

The merman turned and started to swim off to their left. After a couple of moments, when he realised no one was following him, he turned back and came to stand in front of their gaping faces again.

"Dont just stand there, we need to go! Come on!"

Harry was the first to find his voice, though no sound was emitted. "I’m sorry Lezar-"

"Ledare."

"Ledare, sorry, but, why do you want to show us the way to the chamber?"

Ledare threw his hands up in frustration. "Honestly! Haven’t you been listening? This task is bestowed upon my family. It’s my duty to take you!"

Draco raised an eyebrow in scorn. "And why should we trust you?" he asked suspiciously.

"Fair question young Slytherin. But the answer is simple. If you dont follow me you will never find the entrance. Now will you follow me?"

With glances at the others, Harry nodded, and kicked on behind their guide.

* * * * *

The followed the flicking tail of Ledare for what seemed like hours. Harry could feel his own limbs beginning to fail. Every now and again he would look over his shoulder to see how the others were getting on.

Draco wore a look of grim determination as he dug continually at the murky water. Hannah too seemed resolved to make it, lip bitten in concentration. But Lyca lagged behind, as if pulled back by leaden weights. It pained Harry to see her struggle so. This close to the full moon, she was bound to find it hardest.

As he looked back for the twelfth time, Harry bumped into a clammy object. Looking up, he smiled sheepishly at Ledare, who was gazing at his with eyes greener than his own. Not keen on finding out just how unnerving emerald eyes could be, Harry went swiftly back to Lyca, towing her exhausted body the last few strokes.

Ledare had brought them to the edge of the lake. This edge, instead of being a slope up to a beach like the shore they’d set off from, was a sheer drop from the waters edge. Straight ahead of them lay a hard earthen wall, with rock outcrops and water plants growing on it. Harry glanced over it before mouthing. "Where’s the entrance?"

The merman brushed away an overhang of weeds to reveal four hand prints in the wall. They glowed faintly, each in a different colour. Slytherin green to the far left, the Ravenclaw blue next to it, then the canary yellow of Hufflepuff followed finally by the red of Gryffindor. The four travellers looked at them in amazement until Ledare spoke again

"To enter the chamber, you must place your hands on those prints, the one for your house. If you are the true four, which you are, then a hole should appear to let you through. You’ll swim that hole into a pool. When you climb out of that pool, you’ll be inside the Chamber. You will only be able to get back into the lake if you all put your hands on the prints the other side of these ones."

Hannah, who stood nearest to the wall, looked round at her three companions. She gave them a weak smile. "Shall we go in then?" she mouthed through her bubble.

After a few moments of worried looks, nervous glances and the odd gulp, each of them walked over to their correct hand print. Apprehensive, they all hesitated before gingerly positioning their palms.

At first, nothing happened.

Then, a great rumbling started to grow within the wall. It grew louder and louder, shaking the earth as long still magics started to awaken from their slumber. Harry felt his whole body vibrating from the surface beneath his fingers and his teeth began to rattle painfully.

But before he had time to wince, the sound stopped as suddenly as it had begun. They all looked up. Above them was a large hole, just big enough for them all to fit through.

Harry turned to thank Ledare. The merman waved his hand. "No need to say anything. It was an honour. Fare thee well noble questers!"

Harry caught sight of Draco muttering under his breath, no doubt complaining about something. With a shake of his head, Harry swum upwards towards the hole. At it’s entrance, he beckoned the others to follow, before swimming into its depths.

* * * * *

Harry burst up from the pool with one last thrust with his legs. Pulling himself out, he crawled a few feet, before collapsing on his back. He gulped the air down, a faint smile on his lips.

Hannah was next out. Flopping against a wall, she breathed in deeply. "Never has the air tasted so sweet." She said, squeezing the water out of her clothes.

Draco surfaced third, with Lyca moments behind. As Draco walked around, stamping to get his feet adjusted to standing, the Ravenclaw slumped next to Harry, "We ought to read the writing on the door I suppose."

He sat up wearily. "What writing? What door for that matter?"

He looked around. The pool was at one end of a small room. The walls, floor and ceiling were carved inside the earthen covered stone expanse they’d come to by the guidance of Ledare. At the other end stood a huge wooden door covered in glowing gold lettering. This and a crackling torch in a wall bracket lit the room. Getting up, he went to read the writing. Again, it was a riddle like rhyme. Harry read it out loud.

"Alhomora will get you in

Alhomora will get you out

But the simplicity of this journey

Is something I would doubt

First comes to group chamber

Together you face the test

Many evils you will have to face

On this part of the quest"

Draco groaned. "Potter, I will not move now for love or money."

"Then its a good thing I didn’t suggest it then," Harry snapped, "I haven’t got a death wish you know."

"You could have fooled me."

Harry walked over to Draco and fixed him with a cold stare. "Listen Malfoy, if I had a choice, I wouldn’t be here at all, let alone with you. For once in your life, do us all a favour and shut the hell up!"

Lyca spoke up from where she sat. "Leave him be Harry. If he wants to waste his energy by giving snide little comments, let him. I suggest we all get some sleep now, and set off when we’re all awake, seeing as we have no idea of time here."

With one last glare at Draco, Harry nodded and settled down beside Lyca. Within minutes, he was asleep.