Harry Potter and a Very Different Goblet of Fire
Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters and locations belong to JKR and her agents, I'm only playing in her sandbox.
Rated: M for violence, language and sexual situations.
Ships: Harry/Fleur, Neville/Cho, Hermione/Charlie.
Genre: Romance/Drama
Warning: Major character OOC.
A/N: This is an unusual look at what might have happened in the Goblet of Fire Tri-Wizard Tournament when too many people meddle.
A/N2: This is a reposting of the original chapter with some minor changes and corrections.
Chapter Two: Getting To Know You: The Second Task.
Hermione had cornered Fleur and Harry right after the ball and ushered them into an unused classroom. After casting every privacy, locking and silency spell she could think of, Hermione confronted the couple. "What's going on? Have you two bonded? I ask because I noticed the just shagged look you two had when you returned from outside. That, plus Harry's tie is backwards. Details, Give!" she demanded.
Both teens blushed a bright red and nodded.
"Oh no! Fleur, did you take precautions?"
Fleur sadly shook her head. "I- zat is we… um, had no idea zat would 'appen."
"FLEUR DELACOUR! Were you not warned? Surely your mother told you what would happen? I've been studying Veela bonds, since I figured this would eventually happen. Harry's much too young to be bonded; you should have waited at least a couple of years. You better hope you're not pregnant. Foolish girl, I know Harry could support you, but what about his schooling? What about Voldemort? Harry said he's not really gone. You'll have to keep this very quiet. If Voldemort's Death Eaters find out, you won't be safe, never mind if you have a baby, it will be difficult to hide that from the world."
Changing tact's, she pleaded, "I'm sorry if I sounded too harsh, please let me help in any way I can. You can trust me to keep quiet about this."
Hermione's rant over, she looked at the couple, hoping against hope that they would keep her in the loop so she could watch out for them.
"Hermione," Harry began, "we didn't plan this, but I've asked Fleur to be my wife and she's accepted."
Hermione gasped at this. It was too soon, much too soon. "Harry, I know you want to do the right thing, but this could get complicated very quickly. At least wait until the end of the tournament."
Fleur stepped in at this point. "'Ermione, we can't wait. Maman will know as soon as I see her and Papa will know seconds later as they also are bonded. 'Arry and I will go zrough a period of adjusting our magic to each ozzer, 'ee will be able to know what I know and feel what I feel and vice versa. Initially, we will need to be in constant contact, or at least 'ave sex once a day, maybe more."
Harry blushed at this, but felt happy in that piece of knowledge. Life for Harry Potter had suddenly gotten much better.
Fleur continued. "Arry will be staying wiz us zis summer and by zat time our magic should 'ave stabilized. We are already magically married, but Maman will insist on a proper wedding. We cannot keep zat a secret."
Harry continued to learn more about what had happened a mere hour ago. Already he could start to feel the changes taking place in his body. A whisper in his mind, a tingling that started deep inside, slowly worked its way to his core and suddenly he was screaming in pain as a wave of magic passed through his body. He vomited and collapsed.
Fleur screamed as well and passed out. Hermione saw what could only be described as a massive wave of magic thunder through the classroom, knocking her down and blasting loose objects away from Harry and Fleur. Desks splintered, chairs flew against the stone walls and shattered, windows blew out and the door was reduced to kindling. Deep pits etched their way into the solid floor. Hermione remained untouched but shaken.
Feet could be heard running to see what had happened. The first to arrive was Professor McGonagall and a look of awe was on her face when she witnessed the devastation. "Merlin's sakes! What happened?" were the first words out of her mouth when she spotted Hermione, the only conscious person in the room. "Mr. Potter, Miss Delacour… are they… alive?"
Hermione, quickly taking stock of the situation, assured her that they were. "We have to get them to Madam Pomfrey, quickly, I'm not sure what happened but I think Harry broke though a magical block on his core."
Minerva blinked at that. "Why would there still be a block on his magical core? That should have been removed years ago, in fact, before he reached puberty." 'Albus, what have you done?' she thought. Quickly levitating the couple she hurried them to the hospital wing just as the Headmaster puffed his way to the scene, demanding to know what happened.
"Later, Albus, we have to get them to Madam Pomfrey right away. I'll have a word with you later about this, and I promise you, you won't like it!" she replied angrily.
Albus Dumbledore knew what was coming and didn't like it one bit. He'd have to control this somehow. Obliviating everyone would present problems, but it was an option he seriously considered. He hated to have to do it to Minerva, but it seemed increasingly likely that he'd have to. Miss Granger, Mr. Potter and Miss Delacour would be easy, but Poppy Pomfrey would be a problem. Perhaps he could avoid that by delaying until the teens were released, but Miss Granger would have to be done immediately as soon as she left the hospital wing. Yes, that would work. Then he would reapply the block on Mr. Potter's core. He couldn't allow him to reach his full potential. That would be disastrous to his plans.
As Madam Pomfrey examined the couple, she was startled to discover a bond firmly in place between her two unconscious patients. Further examination yielded the uncomfortable fact that Harry's core had suddenly released a block that had been in place since he first attended Hogwarts. What was the Headmaster playing at? Finally, a thorough examination of Fleur, detected semen in her vagina and the beginnings of a pregnancy when the semen had apparently fertilized an egg, splitting it. She was going to have twins! Harry would be the father by the looks of it. Oh this wouldn't end well. She'd best keep this from everyone. Fleur and Harry would need to know, but no one else could be trusted with the information, especially the Headmaster. Merlin only knew what he would do if he found out. Time to call in a few favours to protect the couple.
Hermione had been having suspicions about the Headmaster and they were now confirmed. He had bound Harry's magical core and would no longer have her trust. In fact, she suspected he might try to obliviate her and everyone else that had seen what happened. Time to run. How was she going to protect Harry though? A plan began to form in her mind as she watched the unconscious couple.
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Charlie had missed Hermione and wondered if she had retired before bidding him goodnight. He'd asked around and found someone had spotted her entering the hospital wing. Thinking that odd, he walked to the wing, only to spot the Headmaster waiting suspiciously outside the doors. Ducking into a classroom, he pondered what was going on. Hermione was inside, the Headmaster was outside loitering as if waiting to pounce on someone. He suspected that someone might be Hermione. How to get her out of there without the Headmaster knowing? Then he thought of the twins. George and Fred were experts at causing distractions and mayhem. He just hoped that Hermione would stay put until he could find the twins.
Meanwhile, the twins were saying goodnight to their dates, Angelina and Alicia. They had just spotted Charlie running toward them. What's up Bro?"
"Quick, I need a prank distraction to draw the Headmaster away from the hospital wing. Something funny is going on and Hermione's in there."
Glancing at Fred, the pair quickly had an idea. "Leave it to us, dear Brother." And they quickly disappeared. Moments later a loud explosion could be heard just around the corner.
Charlie ducked into the classroom again as the Headmaster came running past. When he was out of sight, Charlie ran through the doors of the hospital wing as Hermione almost ran into him.
"What's happening, Charlie?"
"Quick, I think the Headmaster is planning something. He was loitering suspiciously around the doors, probably waiting for you. I've got to get you out of here. I don't know what's going on, but it looks fishy to me."
"Yeah," Hermione agreed, "something happened earlier to Harry and Fleur. We have to help them."
Madam Pomfrey overheard them and replied, "You two skedaddle, I'll take care of them. I'm calling in a few favours. Go!"
Charlie almost yanked Hermione with him as they exited the hospital and hid in a classroom one floor down. "We should be safe here for a few minutes and then we're leaving. I trust Poppy; she'll look after Harry and Fleur. What happened anyway?"
"Not now, Charlie. I can't tell you. Harry and Fleur will have to tell you. Needless to say, the Headmaster is interfering in their lives."
Charlie and Hermione managed to make their way down to the main floor without being spotted and exited the castle. Quickly running to the main gates, they left the school grounds and Charlie side-along apparated them to the place where he was staying in Hogsmeade. "We can stay here for a bit, but I suspect we'll have to move soon. The Headmaster is no dummy, he must have noticed that I escorted you to the Ball and now we're both missing. Time to run. Just let me get my things. I'm sorry that you'll have to leave yours behind for now. I'll have Ginny retrieve them for you. In fact, maybe I should return to the Ball and be seen without you. That should throw the suspicious old goat off your trail. Be careful, and if something goes wrong, hide."
"Thanks Charlie, you're a good friend." She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek as he left, leaving his belongings behind.
Arriving back at the Ball, he wandered around, making sure to ask where Hermione was. Nobody seemed to know, although Fred and George knew he'd secreted her to his place.
Albus had finally noticed that Hermione was gone and preceded to where she was last seen at the Ball. "Charlie, have you seen Miss Granger? She was dancing with you and if I'm not mistaken, was your date."
Charlie played it cool, wondering aloud where Hermione was as well. "I haven't seen her for about an hour Headmaster. I was getting worried, as she seemed to be here one minute and gone the next. I've asked around and nobody has seen her. Somebody said they thought she was in the hospital wing, but I looked and she's not there. I so wanted to wish her a good night. We had a good time together. Maybe I'll see her tomorrow. I should get back to my room soon, it's been a long day."
Albus looked at Charlie suspiciously, but could detect nothing. It seemed that working with dragons had caused his Occlumency shields to lock out his best surface Legilimency probe. Not wanting to alert Charlie to an illegal probe, he backed out. Still, Charlie was here and Hermione was obviously not. This was bad. He would mount a full-scale search tomorrow, hoping it wasn't too late. Poppy refused his request to visit Mr. Potter and Miss Delacour, stating that they were her patients and under heavy sedation.
Obliviation was becoming a moot point with Miss Granger missing. He'd have to somehow find out what happened and bind Harry's magic before he got too powerful. Minerva had already reamed him out about the block on Harry's core. He'd sidestepped that one, by claiming Harry was much to dangerous left without the block. Minerva had glared at him, not at all convinced. He'd have to do more damage control later. He was actually frightened whenever she got truly mad.
x-x-x-x-x-x
An hour later, Charlie apparated to his room to find Hermione's wand pointed at him. She quickly lowered it and flew into his arms in relief. "Charlie, I was so worried," she whispered as she buried her head in his chest. "When you didn't return I expected Dumbledore to show up any minute."
Charlie stroked her head, calming her fears. "That old bastard tried Legilimency on me. I felt the tickle of his probe, but I shut him out. What's going on Hermione? I need to know in order to protect you."
"Oh Charlie," she sobbed. "It's… it's Harry and Fleur. The Headmaster is trying to control Harry somehow. He's placed a block on Harry's magical core and Harry just blew through it. I can't really tell you more, it's Harry's story to tell if he decides to trust you enough. Right now it's dangerous to know, that's why the Headmaster is after me; he suspects something."
Charlie reacted in shock. "HE WHAT? That's illegal. Harry's in danger, if that block had continued another year, his core would have exploded, killing him and anyone close to him. What's the Headmaster playing at?" He would talk to Harry when he next saw him. If he saw him, he reminded himself. Meanwhile, the witch on his shoulder demanded all the attention he could give. They would have to move very soon. He was developing strong feelings for this smart brave girl, never mind he was seven years older than her.
x-x-x-x-x-x
Neville had bid goodnight to Cho, receiving a good snogging before parting. As he walked up to the Gryffindor tower; the Headmaster approached him.
"Good evening Mr. Longbottom. I trust you had a splendid time at the Ball?"
'Smarmy git,' he thought, 'He didn't even try to help me with the Tri-Wizard Tournament.' "Yes, Headmaster, Cho and I had a wonderful time. Did you see the brilliant display Harry and Fleur put on at the dance?"
"I must have missed that. Unfortunately I had a rather pressing item I had to take care of first." In truth, the old man hated dances; they bored him and he found an excuse to absent himself from this one, asking Minerva to fill in for him while he visited his brother Aberforth in the Hogshead.
"Mr. Longbottom, did you happen to know what happened to Miss Granger this evening? She seems to be missing."
"I'm sorry, Professor, the last time I saw her, she had wanted to talk to Harry and Fleur. I don't know why and I haven't seen any of them since. Is something wrong?"
"Not to worry, Mr. Longbottom, I'm sure she'll turn up."
"What about Harry and Fleur, sir?"
"Oh, they're fine, they should be back tomorrow. They had a little accident and wound up in the hospital wing. I'm sure it's nothing serious."
Neville glanced at Dumbledore suspiciously. Nothing with Harry was ever "nothing serious". He decided to investigate on his own: later, of course.
x-x-x-x-x-x
The next day, Hermione was still missing but Harry and Fleur were slowly reviving.
"Mr. Potter, Miss Delacour, how are you feeling?"
Harry reached for his glasses and identified Madam Pomfrey waving a wand over him.
"A little groggy, Madam Pomfrey, but pretty good considering. Fleur?"
Shh, Harry, he heard in his head, I can hear your thoughts now. It's going to take some time to filter out all the background sound. We can talk mind to mind now. It's part of the bond.
Harry almost fell out of the bed when he heard his bonded in his head. Fleur? We…we can communicate silently now? That's brilliant!
Madam Pomfrey noticed the apparent lack of speech between the two and correctly guessed that a mental link had been established. "Alright you two, I'm guessing you two have formed a mental link with the new bond. I know what's happened generally, but I'd like a few more answers before I give you some answers you'll surely need. First, when did this bond happen and second, I'd like you to describe everything that happened since."
Harry and Fleur were distinctly unhappy to learn that Madam Pomfrey knew about the bond. "We need to keep this quiet, Madam Pomfrey. Only Hermione knows so far. It's dangerous to know as much as you apparently know," Harry pleaded.
"Yes, yes, Mr. Potter, I've taken a healers oath of confidentiality, so no one will know what you don't wish to be known."
"Does that include the Headmaster?" Fleur enquired.
"Yes, Miss Delacour, or should I call you Mrs. Potter?"
Both Fleur and Harry groaned when they heard this. Obviously the secret was out. We might as well tell her, Harry, he heard from his new wife.
Harry recapped the events of the evening from the moment they left the dance floor until they collapsed. Both were blushing furiously at the end.
"So, it's a new bond, then. Well that's interesting. Harry, your magic was bound before puberty. How you were able to function at this school is beyond me. You must have been operating at a tenth of your capacity. This has all the earmarks of the Headmaster I'm afraid. What he did was illegal and I for one want to know why."
"The Headmaster bound my magic? Why? What possible reason would he have to do that?"
"Unfortunately I can't answer that, but your magic has broken through, probably due to the bond. If it hadn't happened now, I shudder to think what might have happened. By the way Mrs. Potter," she smirked when she said that. "You're definitely pregnant with twins. I'll be able to tell if the pregnancy is viable in about a month. You could deliver by next September if all goes well." Smiling, she waited for the inevitable reaction.
"Pregnant, well we both suspected that, but twins. That's a definite surprise. There hasn't been twins in the Veela population as far back as Merlin knows when," Fleur replied, smiling.
Harry was ecstatic. Twins, he was going to be the father of twins! This was even better than he'd hoped. "The Headmaster can't know about any of this. If he found out, I hate to think what he'd do."
"Mums the word, Mr. and Mrs. Potter, or I should probably still refer to you as Miss Delacour for now. You will invite me to the proper wedding, I hope." She smiled at the happy couple. "You know, I delivered you from Lily, Mr. Potter. James was over the moon when he first saw you."
Harry smiled. He had always liked the healer.
"Madam Pomfrey, I'll make sure you get an invitation and you will be delivering our babies," Fleur promised.
"Now you must rest for a few days to stabilise your new magics. I'll keep the Headmaster away from you. I suspect you'll both share your magic; Harry will be able to do some things that Fleur can do, and Fleur will become much more powerful and will learn many of the things that Harry alone can do. I suspect you'll be able to cast a Patronus now if you weren't able to before, Miss Delacour. What that form will take, I can only guess, but it should be compatible with Mr. Potters. I'll keep you two together and I think I remember that Veela bonds must touch or have sexual intercourse frequently to stabilize the bond, so for now you should try to restrain yourselves and only hold hands. Rest now! That's an order."
x-x-x-x-x-x
Albus tried repeatedly to access the pair but were rebuffed each time. She wouldn't even let him look at them. The last time, she had quite literally escorted him out, telling him in no uncertain terms that this was her hospital and he'd be playing by her rules, or there would be hell to pay. Albus grumbled, but acquiesced.
Three days later she released the teens and Albus was waiting. First he tried Legilimency, but found a solid wall he could not penetrate, even with full force. A frown from Harry and a deep scowl from Fleur warned him against trying that again, that and a severe headache from the attempt.
"Headmaster, what are you trying to do?" Harry asked coldly. "We could have you arrested for what you just tried! Don't try it again! Now what do you want?"
"We Harry, as in you and Miss Delacour? I'm sure I don't know what you mean," he blustered. The headache was getting worse; he'd have to head to Poppy soon.
"You know very well, Professor. I've had enough experience with Snape to know when someone is using Legilimency against me. Oh, yes, I found out about that late last year when the "good professor" tried to read my mind after we rescued Sirius. I was barely able to repel him then. I'm much better now. Miss Delacour, being Veela is naturally immune to mind magics. Didn't think I knew that, did you?"
"Now Mr. Potter, I'm only trying to find out what happened a few days ago when you were brought to the hospital," he smiled insincerely, eyes twinkling like mad.
"Well, Headmaster, it seems someone had bound my magic several years ago, again illegally. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?" he asked casually.
"Why no," Albus lied smoothly, "I'm appalled that anyone would do that. Perhaps you aren't as safe at your relatives place as I thought. I'll see if I can arrange better accommodation over the summer." 'If you live that long,' he thought.
"No thank you Professor, Miss Delacour has invited me to spend the summer with her and her parents. Fleur tells me that her father is the Deputy Minister for Magic in France and has excellent protection for his family."
Albus ground his teeth at that, but that was a card yet to be played. As Harry's magical guardian, he could simply forbid him to go, but that card was held in reserve in case the second or Merlin forbid, the third task failed to rid him of this bothersome brat. He merely smiled and bid them a good day, wishing Miss Delacour the best of luck in the second task.
x-x-x-x-x-x
Hermione and Charlie had moved to another place outside Hogsmeade. He'd contacted his brother Bill at Gringotts and clued him in to some of the facts, stating that they needed protection. "Can you cast a Fidelius, Bill? That would be the safest for us. I can cast glamours, so we can move about a bit, but I'd like Hermione to stick close to this place. It's nice and isolated from both Hogwarts and Hogsmeade."
Bill contemplated for a bit, sizing the house up and decided it was doable. "What have you two got yourselves into little brother? It sounds serious if you're hiding from Albus. You know how much he's done for the family. Does this have anything to do with what's happening at Hogwarts at the moment?"
"Not really Bill. I only know Albus is involved in something shady. Hermione knows more but can't say anything at this time."
Hermione pleaded with Bill. "It has to do with Harry and Fleur Delacour, but I promised not to tell anyone. The knowledge is too dangerous."
Bill didn't like the sounds of that, but Harry had saved Ginny and had always been a good friend to the Weasley family. "All right, but it'll take a few hours to complete. I'll have to map the place first before I cast the spell. Who's going to be the secret keeper?"
I think Hermione should be, that way she'll feel safest. It really is about her safety, after all."
"How did you meet Hermione, Charlie? I heard that she is a close friend of Harry's. Are you cutting into his turf?" he asked with a grin, knowing full well that Charlie would never do that to Harry.
Hermione huffed. "Bill, it's not like that. Harry and Fleur are together and I consider Charlie a very good friend who wants to protect me."
Bill looked at the pair, deciding it was probably more than friendship that drew Charlie out of his shell. He was seven years older than Hermione, but it could work. He'd keep an eye out for them and try to protect them as best he could. Harry Potter and Fleur Delacour… hmm now there's an unlikely couple. I wonder how that happened, and her one of the Tri-Wizard champions.
He decided he needed more information but it could wait. "Best get started then," he replied. "I'll need you to be on the premises when I cast the charm, so don't wander."
When he was done, Charlie and Hermione thanked him and he left.
x-x-x-x-x-x
Neville and Cho were planning on a Hogsmeade visit as soon as one was announced. Neville wanted to get Cho a promise ring and Cho was excited. She'd have to take him to meet her parents soon. They'd both figured that Cho would be the thing he'd miss the most and it looked like the Black Lake would be the place he'd have to rescue her from. It was a good thing that he knew about Gillyweed. That would be the only way he could rescue her. So now they were practicing spells to protect themselves from the denizens of the lake. Grindylows were the biggest problem and Neville wasn't sure he could cast spells underwater, so it was back to the Prefects Bath to practice. Of course there was a fair bit of snogging and touching involved as well, hormonal teenagers being well… hormonal teenagers.
x-x-x-x-x-x
Harry and Fleur were studying the best way to survive underwater. Fleur was sure she could cast the bubblehead charm, but Harry insisted on a backup plan as well. After considerable thought, Fleur remembered Gillyweed. She'd used it when she went swimming in the Mediterranean last summer. Now all she had to do was figure out how to protect themselves from the creatures known to inhabit the Black Lake. Hopefully the Giant Squid would leave them alone, but Grindylows would be a problem. Fleur, being Veela, a person able to cast fire, would be at a disadvantage underwater. Harry could lend her some of his magic, but he probably wouldn't be conscious at the time. It was a vexing problem. They also decided to practice in the Prefects Bath.
Concentrate Fleur. You need to be able to cast silently underwater, Harry reminded her. They were in the Bath and Harry kept being distracted when Fleur would brush up beside him. His other wand was fully hard and he had a difficult time thinking about anything other than sex with his wife. It didn't help that she was of the same mind and after several such forays, they figured the more they did it, the more they wanted. Both were insatiable until they finally wore each other out. Then they could finally concentrate.
Silent casting was something Fleur was just learning at Beauxbatons and she wasn't very good at it yet, but with Harry's patient help (and a couple of good snogging and shagging sessions), she was finally able to cast a stunner underwater. It wasn't much, but she could cast it reliably. They were now working on a Reducto spell, but that was much harder and although the spell did cast, it was very weak. The spell would travel about two feet and then disperse, and that was with Harry lending his magic to her. They had figured out how to pass magic back and forth between them, purely by accident. Fleur had been trying to levitate Harry from the floor of the Beauxbatons carriage onto her bed but couldn't quite lift him. Harry concentrated on her, and suddenly she was levitating him. A proper amount of appreciation soon ensued, with her bed groaning under their exertions.
A week later, she had it down properly and with Harry's help her Reducto was effective for thirty feet underwater. Now she had to figure out how to do it without him lending her his magic.
Constant practice over the following weeks, with frequent proper rewards, had her casting wandlessly as well as silently. Harry also improved dramatically, considering he also had a full school course load of homework to do. Fleur had helped him with it and he was able to balance the workload with practice sessions.
A month later, the second task had come. The contestants were to meet at the Black Lake at nine o'clock that morning. Harry, Cho and Lavender had already been taken the night before and put in a magical sleep. Minerva had kept a close eye on the Headmaster, but in the end, Barty Crouch did the spell work. Albus conversed with the Merpeople and the three hostages were taken into the lake that morning.
Albus figured his plan was foolproof. He had asked the Mermen to place the hostages far apart so the contestants could not see the others. That way, when Fleur tried to rescue Harry, she would not be able to find him, as he'd cast a confundus spell on Harry. To be sure, he had instructed the Merman taking Harry to be sure to hide him well, nowhere near the other two and as far away as possible. An hour would not be enough to find him, much less retrieve him. He'd also set traps to ensnare Fleur on her way down. As a Veela, he knew her powers would be useless underwater. Satisfied that he'd taken care of the problem, he sat back to await the sad news that both champion and hostage had died underwater.
Fleur waited with Neville and Viktor for the start, certain that she had learned enough to quickly rescue Harry. As the judge's magically magnified voice boomed out to start the clock, the three champions dived into the water.
Neville had already swallowed the Gillyweed and was streaking away, breathing the water through gills and his webbed feet and hands gave him a good head start.
Viktor had partially transfigured his head into a shark and dove deep, but was unable to keep up with Neville.
Fleur, figuring that Neville had the right idea, also swallowed Gillyweed and was soon close behind Neville. Neville figured Cho would have been taken to the deepest part of the lake where he imagined the Merpeople had their village. As he swam, Moaning Myrtle accompanied him, guiding him to Cho. He was well ahead of Viktor but couldn't see Fleur.
Fleur was having trouble already. Grindylows had attacked and although she managed to elude them at first, they swarmed her, grabbing her legs with their sharp fingers, digging into her soft flesh. On the verge of panic, Fleur called on all her magic and shot a powerful Reducto at them. The water boiled with the force of the spell and she was free once again. The Giant Squid, attracted to the blood from Fleur's wounds closed in. 'Merde,' she thought, 'Ow do I fight zis monster?' But the Giant Squid merely blinked its eyes at her and started to escort her to where Harry was hidden. The squid had remembered the acts of kindness in years past when Harry and others had fed and played with it.
The Merman tasked with hiding Harry had taken him to a small cave, well beyond the village. Fleur, now suspecting foul play on the part of the Headmaster, swam faster. The squid paused outside the cave and with one of its tentacles, reached in and snared Harry, handing him over to Fleur.
The Merman guarding the cave was enraged. This was not part of the deal he'd made with the long beard. Brandishing his trident, he jabbed at Fleur, who returned with a solid Stunner. Bouncing away, the Merman regained his senses and tried again, charging boldly at Fleur and Harry. A point of the trident cut deeply into Harry's arm awakening him. Fleur panicked at that and fired a Reducto at the Merman, blasting a hole though his chest. As the body floated away, Fleur saw that Harry had regained consciousness but was unable to breathe. Hastily she cast the bubblehead charm on Harry and holding him, desperately headed for the surface a hundred feet above, She had almost made it when the Gillyweed gave out. Harry, realizing what had happened, took a deep couple of breaths and placing his mouth against hers, shared with Fleur until they reached the surface. Unfortunately, they were well past the middle of the lake, but the friendly Giant Squid gathered them up and surged back to the starting point, flinging them toward the makeshift dock. Professor McGonagall watched in horror as the two teens flew through the air, threatening to kill them if they landed at that speed. Fleur, showing great presence of mind, remembered the lifting lessons Harry had helped her with and borrowing from his magic, slowed their decent with a levitation spell to a comfortable landing.
Albus was beside himself. He had failed in his perfect plan and now one of the Mermen was screeching at him. It seems one of their number was dead because of the girl. He thought that only he could understand Mermish, but it turned out Barty Crouch could as well.
"Dead? What do you mean the girl killed one of you? Nobody was supposed to get hurt. Albus, what do you know of this?" Crouch exclaimed. "I want to question Miss Delacour."
Albus knew he was in trouble and tried to cover it up. "It must have been a rogue Merman, Barty."
"And why was the hostage recovered from well outside the possibility of a timely rescue, Albus? Why would a rogue Merman take the boy in the first place? You assured me that it was perfectly safe. Something is fishy here and I don't mean the denizens of the lake. There will be an official inquiry into this incident."
Albus gagged at the thought. How could everything go so wrong? Potter and the girl survived. Well, there was always the third task. He'd make doubly sure this time.
Meanwhile the scores had been assessed with Neville gaining first with an almost perfect 47 points, Viktor received 45 and Fleur also got 47, in spite of being a bit over the time limit. She was awarded extra points for sheer bravery under adverse conditions.
Harry didn't care, he was just glad they both survived the harrowing experience. They figured someone was out to kill them and the suspicion fell squarely on the Headmaster. But why, was the unanswered question.
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