In Shadow and Signal (Book 2)

Harriet Potter's POV

The lake had never looked darker.

It stretched out under the pale grey sky like something ancient and asleep - cold and full of secrets. And somewhere beneath its surface, I knew, was the next task.

The one they wouldn't tell us anything about.

Not directly.

But whispers had started.

Gillyweed. Bubble-Head Charms. Breathing spells. Drowning.

It wasn't hard to guess.

Something was waiting in that water.

And I'd have to go down and get it.

-

I trained harder this time.

Not just for speed or spells - but for stamina. Endurance. I swam laps in the prefects' bathroom when I could sneak in. I studied magical pressure resistance. I practiced dueling under timed constraints, forcing myself to cast while short of breath.

I couldn't rely on broomwork this time.

And worst of all?

I couldn't rely on Oliver being nearby.

His bracelet - the one I'd fastened to his wrist the morning he left - had returned the next night.

Worn. Warm. Tied around my own wrist now like a pulse I could still hold onto.

If they take something from you, his note had said, I'll find a way to bring it back.

But I wasn't worried about things.

I was worried about people.

Because the whispers about the Second Task didn't just involve the lake.

They involved something else.

They'll take what you'll miss most.

I lay awake that night with that sentence repeating in my skull.

And only one name came to mind.

⸻

The contract flared softly under my skin.

No warning.

Just a reminder.

That magic, like love, didn't always ask for permission before it bled.