For the Houses Competition.
I'm a Hufflepuff
[Speech] It seemed like a good idea yesterday
AU: What if Harry hadn't waited until the last second to figure out the clue to the Second Task and comes up with a different solution to breathing underwater.
Please note that assembling scuba gear is slightly more complicated than I make it seem, but I will not go into immense detail because this is a story and not a How-to guide. Harry will probably make mistakes as he has not gone diving before. Please practice extreme caution when scuba diving and, if you're a novice, take lessons with an instructor first.
Word Count: 683
Beta: Aya Diefair, Jetainia
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The Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament was fast approaching. Harry had no idea what he would be saving, but whatever it was, he wanted to save it fast. The only problem was that he couldn't breathe underwater.
No human could.
But then again… humans had technology to help them breathe underwater.
So, using Hedwig, Harry subscribed to a scuba gear catalogue and ordered everything he needed so he could be prepared. He spent another couple days figuring out how the gear worked with the help of Hermione. She wanted to make sure he knew how to put it on by himself. Just in case.
He'd have to get to the docks early since it could get awkward to carry, but it was a solution.
If Hermione approved, then it couldn't have been a terrible idea.
The day of the Second Task came, and everyone crowded down to the docks where they took small boats out to the middle of the Great Lake where stands had been constructed. Harry snagged one of the last ones with Neville, Fred, George, and Ginny. As the boat carried them, Harry pulled his gear on, Ginny helping him put on his buoyancy control device. Fred hooked up his regulator set and console to the tank attached to his back.
It seemed a little silly to Harry that they had everyone there like this and was annoyed with the entire Task in general. How was the audience supposed to see anything beneath the surface? The lake wasn't exactly Caribbean clear.
A blustery wind was blowing and three of the Champions were shivering in their swimsuits at the edge of the dock, staring down into the murky green depths.
"And where is Mr. Potter?" Bagman asked rhetorically to the audience.
"Present!"
Harry waddled over awkwardly and hoped he had hooked up everything properly like he'd practiced. He had to take high steps to make sure he wouldn't trip but whatever he did made him look all the more ridiculous. Several Muggle-borns cheered when they saw Harry's clever solution to facing the Black Lake.
"Harry, what are you wearing?" Percy Weasley asked incredulously, yet again attending the Tournament in the place of Mr. Crouch.
Harry's answer was muffled by his snorkel. He spat it out and repeated himself.
"Scuba diving gear. It's muggle made." He tried to raise an eyebrow, but the weight of his goggles prevented him from doing so.
"And you're using this instead of magic?" Ludo Bagman asked.
"It seemed like a good idea yesterday…" said Harry uncertainly. "But… I got a free knife with it." He removed a wicked looking blade from his calf-holster and held it up.
"We did not specify that the Champion must use magic to accomplish this Task," Dumbledore, with an amused gleam in his eye, said reasonably.
Harry stuck his snorkel back in his mouth feeling slightly smug at how Fleur and Cedric were eyeing his wetsuit enviously. He'd be much warmer than them. Viktor was from Bulgaria, so this water was probably going to be very pleasant for him. Even so, the world-famous Seeker was eyeing the gear with confusion.
Probably.
Harry had never seen someone so straight-faced before.
"Er… right!" said Bagman. "Now, the treasure lies at the bottom of the lake! Our Champions have only one hour to retrieve this treasure, or it will be lost to them forever."
Harry readied himself on the very edge of the dock, flippers flapping in the wind.
"Ready… GO!"
A cannon blasted, and Harry pushed off, flopping awkwardly into the water. It took a moment for him to situate himself, but he did and was making his way through the lake, able to breathe and definitely not drowning. He swam through the seaweed with his wand in hand. Seemed he did everything right. He could breathe, he wasn't sinking directly to the bottom or floating on the surface, his goggles weren't fogging up, though they were pressing uncomfortably around his face and against his glasses.
Wait…
How was he going to cast spells with a snorkel in his mouth?
Oh, bother...