Three Hallows, Two Weasleys and One Broken Girl

Chapter 18: Water's Going On?

I'm back! Hopefully consistently from now on in.

Progress update: I'm finished writing the battle of hogwarts, and am officially past canon plot lines, making my way toward forty chapters. Not quite as far ahead as I'd like in case I have ideas and want to go back an rewrite like I usually do...but still!

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"You're going to regret this."
Dumbledore sighed tiredly, and Hermione continued to eye her suspiciously.
"That as may be, your participation in the second task is requested, Miss Lovegood."
Ron leant down and signed the document without even reading it. Hermione did look it over, but the sweet babies were very trusting.
"I won't sign anything, but I grant Professor Flitwick my verbal permission, as an adult, to stun me, charm me to be able to breath underwater and put me in the merman village for Cedric to rescue," Delphi crossed her arms, and looked directly at her head of house, "and nothing else headmaster."
She was surprised that Flitwick nodded very seriously, but she supposed he probably had been teaching here long enough to know, child safety wasn't that high on Dumbledore's priority list.

They headed to Madam Pomfrey's where they would spend most of the night stunned, and it was a decent comfort that Flitwick was the one to send the stunner at her.

She woke, wet, cold, and gasping for breath. That was expected.
She wasn't rescued by Cedric though, which was also expected, to her at least.
One of Archie's - the giant squid's - tentacles squeezed her waist in what she took as a comforting gesture as he carried her out of the water, and deposited her with a screaming French girl, a whimpering Ron Weasley, and a completely terrified Hermione Granger, on the pier.

Whilst Archie relinquished the other 'hostages', his tentacle remained around her as another tentatively probed her face for injuries. She petted the closest tentacle in reassurance, and raised her stern stare to the dumbstruck Hogwarts headmaster. She didn't need to say, I told you so.
Archie liked her a lot, so obviously he had 'rescued' her from the mervillage within minutes of her abandonment down there. Mermaids did tend to enjoy bending rules to mess around witches and wizards, so of course Archie would panic finding her there.

Laughter broke out and Delphi turned to grin at Cedric, the only person present who seemed capable of seeing the humour of the situation. Fleur was comforting her sister and hissing angrily in french to her headmistress, Krum seemed very confused and Harry appeared relieved, gillyweed still clutched limply in his hand.
Karkaroff was taking the opportunity to yell at Dumbledore, and naturally Bagman was joining in the fun. They were going to be here for quite a while it seemed.

"I thought you were joking when you said you played Gobstones with the Giant Squid!"
Cedric had appeared to have drawn the same conclusion, leaving the other champions to sit beside her, nervously stroking the tentacle that came his way.
"Archie introduced himself to me back in '89." She told him conversationally, Gabrielle and Fleur listening attentively. "He loves gobstones but most students scream when he asks to play. He hates the mermaids, used to drown students whenever they got the chance."
Madam Pomfrey fetched Gabrielle then, Fleur following and leaving them alone with the squid.

Cedric shifted awkwardly, "I want you to know that you shouldn't read into being my chosen hostage..."
Delphi leaned into him, trying to physically comfort him, "I know you don't feel that way. You're allowed to love people platonically you know. Many people live rich lives without ever kissing another person. You need not worry regardless...my heart lies elsewhere."
"Your type has redder hair I believe." The taller boy teased, relaxing after clearing the air.
Delphi couldn't help a blush. "That they both do."
Her polyamorous heart seemed to have surprised him, but their conversation was interrupted by Bagman announcing the alternative task. They had decided that the champions would just need to reach the posts which the hostages had been tied to, and return, relying on the mermaids to vouch that they'd gotten there.