Just Add Love

☆ chapter nine ☆

Soleil's POV

Soleil and Neville were sitting in the library, the room only being lit up by a lantern they had found. "You just love this place, don't you?" Neville asks, smiling. She just nods, her face deep in thought as she read closely to the book she had picked out off the shelf.

It almost seemed like Soleil hadn't even realized that Neville was talking to her. She was very focused on this specific book. Neville was feeling dejected.

"What are you reading?" He asks, moving her hand off the cover of the book to read the title. This act of contact bought Soleil's attention. His hand was warm, unlike her own. He was the one closer to the lantern, of course, his hands were warm.

The book was titled 'Herbology: The Study of Magical and Mundane Plants and Fungi'. "Why are you reading this book?" Neville asks, sitting on the table she was reading on.

"Harry asked me to do some research for his next task." She mumbles, focused on the book. "About what?" Neville asks, looking down at her. "You're just full of questions, aren't you?" She teases, shaking her head softly.

Neville is slightly taken back by her comment. "I was just asking..." He mumbles before standing up off the table.

"Wait, I'm sorry," Soleil says, grabbing his arm, stopping him from leaving. "I didn't mean to be rude. I'm just..." She realizes she had been holding onto his arm for a little while and lets go. "...stressed." Neville chuckles, "Do you need help? What are you looking for? That is if you're allowed to tell me..." He says, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"...I'm not sure, does Harry trust you?" She asks, smiling up at him.

"Pfft. Does The Harry Potter trust me? Of course, he does!" He jesters.

Soleil laughs and says, "Alright. The next task is in the Black Lake. He said it has something to do with the mermaids living there. He's not sure what's planned just yet, but he knows for a fact it has to do with mermaids. And being under water. For an hour."

Neville looks down at the book. "Why are you worried about the mermaids? You should be more worried about Harry!" He exclaims. Soleil cocks her head, looking confused at Neville.

He says, "I mean, those mermaids are beautiful creatures, but very dangerous nonetheless. Harry needs to worry about staying in the water with them; To never let them sneak upon him."

She nods, "Okay, well, what do you suggest? What is something he can use to stay underwater for a while?" She ponders for a second with Neville. "What about the bubble-head charm?" She suggests.

"That's too easy. Plus it would only last for a half hour, if he's lucky." Neville says, biting on his thumbnail. A nervous habit of his that Soleil had noticed.

"I think I have something that will work. It's gnarly nasty, but it would work." Neville says, standing up to go to the Herbology section of the library.

ฅʕ•̫͡•ʔฅ

The day of the second challenge had come way too quickly, according to Harry, who was sitting with Soleil and Neville on a boat out to the grandstands in the Black Lake.

"Are you two sure about this? Has this been tested?" Harry asked frantically, poking at the green and slimey substance resting on his palm.

Neville just nods his head. "This is the best possible choice of herb for breathing underwater for long periods of time. Trust me. Trust us!" He gestures to Soleil and himself. Soleil gives Harry a reassuring smile.

Harry sighs, his shoulders relaxing. "I can't thank you guys enough." He says. Soleil smiles and says, "No problem. We know you would do the same for either of us. We're your friends, Harry."

"Thankfully I have you two. Where are Ron and Hermione, by the way?" Harry asks worriedly. Soleil shrugs as Neville says, "I'm not quite sure..."

"Welcome to the second task. Last night, something was stolen from each of our champions. A treasure of sorts. These four treasures, one for each champion, now lie on the bottom of the Black Lake. In order to win, each champion need only find their treasure and return to the surface. They will have but one hour to do so, and one hour only. After that, they'll be on their own. No magic will save them. You may begin at the sound of the cannon. Until then, you may-"

The Headmaster is cut off when a loud cannon is fired, encouraging all of the champions to jump into the lake. Harry struggles, his hands scratching and his neck, when he is pushed into the lake by Professor Moody.

"Oh my god!" Neville turns around to face Soleil, hands on the top of his head in terror. "I've killed Harry Potter!"

Soleil shakes her head and looks up at Neville. "No, you didn't! Look!" She points his attention towards the lake where Harry is flipping out of the water, cheering.

"Oh, thank Merlin..." Neville grumbles under his breath, giving Soleil a relieved hug. She hesitates at first, taken off guard. She melts into the hug, smiling. She pulls away from him, and says, "I'm going to go find Ezra and Iris, okay? I'll meet up with you before the hour's over." She says as she pulls away from him.

"Sure, yeah, give them my best, I'm going to wait over here with Seamus and Dean." He says, gesturing over his shoulder at the two boys gawking at the water in wonder.

She nods as she turns and walks over to Ezra and Iris, who were sitting with a couple of Ravenclaws they were friendly with. "Hey, guys." Soleil states as she sits down next to Iris.

"Hey there. So, what did you and Neville have to hide?" She asks bluntly, pulling herself, Soleil, and Ezra away from the small group of people. Soleil turns to Iris, a look of confusion on her face.

"What? We didn't hide anything!" Soleil says defensively.

"We saw you two slip something to Harry before the tournament," says Iris, crossing her arms across her chest. "You two have been spending a lot of time together recently..."

Soleil cheeks flush at Iris' comment. She had been seen with Neville a lot, and didn't want that to jeopardize the amazing friendship she has with these two; they have been with her since the beginning. "You're right, we have been talking and hanging out a lot, and I'm sorry for being more busy than usual. Do you guys want to hang out this weekend? Maybe go to Hogsmeade?" She asks, light-heartedly.

She sees the annoyance leave Iris' face and get replaced with forgiveness. "Of course. Ezra, you in?" She says, turning to Ezra, who was still focused on the water.

"A date with two lovely ladies? How could I decline?" He says, eyes glued to the water.

The girls share a smile, and Soleil sits down next to Iris, talking and watching the water.

ฅʕ•̫͡•ʔฅ

After the tournament, Iris, Soleil, and Ezra are walking back onto the school grounds. Ezra is going on about the mermaids that live in the Black Lake, when Soleil gets lightly yanked by the arm. She turns around, annoyed by the sudden jerk of her arm, and looks up at the source.

Viktor Krum.

Soleil mumbles out, "Uh...Can I help you?"

~

hey!! ik it's been a while, and idk if anyone is still reading this, but here is the very long awaited chapter nine. if you didn't check out my announcement on my profile, i will be continuing this fanfic after a year long break. sorry for the gap, it's explained in the announcement, but i'm back and ready to write. i hope you enjoyed chapter nine of Just Add Love! :)

word count: 1292