Chapter 3 Harry and the Second Task

It had been almost a month since the end of the first task and not one of the four Champions had a clue as to what their Golden Egg's message was. To three of the Champions, the opening of the Egg just released a high scream of meaningless sound that didn't do anything but set everyone's ears on edge. To Lord Voldemort however, it was a wonderful excuse to randomly incite fear and pain, as he applied a silencing spell to himself and opened his Egg anytime he felt like roaming the halls of Hogwarts. The short red wizard started laughing when students from the three schools turned and ran away from him whenever they saw him coming.

Harry and the twins did have a nice time one Saturday in taking and hiding the Egg away from Lord Shortypants. They "Accio"ed the Egg away from the grip of Lucius Malfoy numerous times and hid it in such interesting places as the pudding bin in the Hogwarts kitchen, under the owl droppings collection pile in the owlery, and in Peeves personal supply of toe jam (Ewww!). Of course, Malfoy was the one that had to search the school as Voldemort blamed him for the loss every time.

It was the last place that it was hid that created the unfortunate incident for Mr. Malfoy Sr and caused poor Draco to cry. No one wanted to fess up to placing He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named's Golden Egg between the feather mattress and the box springs of Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall's bed. When she caught Lucius Malfoy reaching beneath her in the middle of the night, she transfigured him into a 6 foot tall cheese sculpture. She then left him there, in her bedroom, to go find Dumbledore and the unspeakable named SOB that Malfoy worked for.

Peter Pettigrew, who been sent to find Malfoy by Voldemort, tracked him down to Professor McGonagall's quarters. Unable to resist the smell and sight of six feet of sharp cheddar cheese, Peter transformed into his animagus form and began making up for the supper he had missed. By the time Voldemort, Dumbledore and McGonagall returned, Wormtail had eaten three toes, one ear and the tip of the nose off of one very upset Lucius Malfoy. When he was returned to his living form, Malfoy had to spend the rest of the weekend in the infirmary drinking a number of untasty potions under the supervision of Madame Pomfrey.

The discovery of the actual message of the Eggs was quite accidental and the result of a simple act of vexation by a Champion's girlfriend. Cedric Diggory was walking along the shores of Black Lake, casting any and every number of translation spells he knew on his Egg. His girlfriend, Cho Chang was bemoaning the fact that she had lost four of her beautiful eyelashes that morning while applying her makeup. Cedric, over the course of their dating, had become accustomed to her ongoing catastrophes and was paying more attention to the Egg than he was to her.

Cho broke off her crying long enough to seize Cedric's Egg and throw it into the Lake. She immediately broke down crying because she knew she had done something horrid to the man she loved. The ever patient Cedric patted her on the back and pulled out one of the sixty five handkerchiefs he habitually carried with him for their dates. He waited until she had dried her tears (temporarily) and then waded into the cold lake to retrieve his prize from the First Task. He was amazed when he ducked his head under the water to look for it that he could hear a very beautiful voice singing. Cedric resurfaced just long enough to tell Cho to write down what the Egg was saying. Cho, smiling bravely through her ongoing trauma, conjured up a quill and some parchment to write down what Cedric kept popping up to tell her. The message itself was very strange:

Here we live, you Champion snots

We don't breathe air like you lot

As we've taken that what you'll sorely miss

Some special spells you'll need to avoid anguish.

Sixty minutes you'll have to look

Rescue them not and you'll be a shnook

Bait they are, make no mistake

You'll have to stage a fine jailbreak

But only an hour is ours to give

For after that, they might fail to live.

It was pure happenstance that Fleur Delacour and Viktor Krum happened to be nearby to hear what Cedric was yelling across 25 feet of water. The two Champions from the Durmstrang Institute and Beauxbatons Institute of Magic were still carrying on their romantic encounters at every opportunity. Today, they were engaged in a very risqué version of "Me Tarzan-You Jane" 20 feet above the ground in a walnut tree. They stopped their careful balancing conjunction to try and memorize what the Hufflepuff prefect was yelling.

Harry Potter by a weird set of circumstances was also within earshot on that day. He, Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley were playing a special game of strip Gobstones in a sheltered spot in the midst of a couple of pine trees, well-hidden from most eyes. Harry suspected that the girls were losing hands (and clothes) intentionally but he was too much a gentleman to actually accuse them of that or ending the game (and the sights) prematurely.

Hermione (or His-moan-ey as Harry had reason to call her) dutifully wrote down what Cedric was calling out to Cho and the three sat around topless for about an hour discussing the warning. (To be truly accurate Harry was mostly nodding wordlessly at Ginny and Hermione while they figured out that the four champions were going to have to rescue a captive from the merpeople.)

Secrets being what they are, it only took about an hour for the news to become common knowledge around Hogwarts. Of course the version that Lucius Malfoy passed on to Lord Voldemort was 'slightly' different from the message that the people near the lake heard from Cedric.

"This just doesn't make sense Lucius" Voldemort said. "Go fetch Potter; he might have heard something a little more believable." Malfoy Sr. frowned; he didn't really like having to deal with the Potter brat much. Strange things happened when the two of them were close together and Lucius invariably ended up looking foolish or being injured. Yelling at his son to go fetch Potter, Lucius sat back and waited. It wasn't too long before the young Potter strolled into the dungeons. Alone. Lucius sighed wearily but had to ask the question. "What's happened to Draco?"

Harry tried to look apologetic. "Mr. Malfoy, your son tried getting my attention by aiming a Blasting spell at my back. I notice my shoe was untied and while bending down suddenly, his spell missed me. Unfortunately it hit Mr. Filch who was talking to the Headmaster about the arrangements that had to be made for the Yule Ball on Christmas Eve. Isn't that great, we're having a big dance to celebrate the Tournament and the three schools cooperation. I've already got two dates; now I just have to find out a spell that teaches me how to dance."

Lucius rolled his eyes. "And Draco?"

"Yeah, right. After Madame Pomfrey wheeled the parts of Filch away and said she could rebuild him from scratch, Dumbledore unfastened Draco from the ceiling. I think the headmaster put him there just until the mess was cleaned up. Anyway Draco and the Headmaster are having a nice long talk in his office. That reminds me, you'll have to take Draco to get another wand. Dumbledore snapped his before he made a call to the Aurors."

Lucius swore and started hurrying away. "My Master wants to talk to you. I have to go to Gringotts and then go bribe… see Minister Fudge. If I find you had anything to do with this travesty…."

"I know, I know – you'll get back at me. Bye-bye Mr. Malfoy."

Harry turned and knocked on the door and walked into Professor Snape's old quarters. Snape had decided after much deliberation that the lodging in one of the cells in the sub-dungeon would be vastly preferable to having Lord Short and Stout as a roommate.

"Hi Tom. What's up?"

"I wish you would stop calling me that Potter. Even the house elves are starting to lose their fear of me since you let it be known that my first name is Tom."

"So is it my fault that you couldn't make a decent first name up to go with that 'I am Lord Voldemort' arrangement? Couldn't you come up with something a little direr? How about 'Mortimer Vlodd' for example or 'Devilard Trom'? Of course, I am coming up with those names off the top of my head and may have missed a letter or two."

"This from someone who's given first name is 'Harry'? There's a name to inspire someone."

"Okay, point taken. What do you want Mr. Riddle?"

Voldemort snarled. "Don't tempt me Potter. I'm just waiting for this Tournament to end so I can deal with you. Word has reached me about the contents of the Eggs."

"So how come a mad mastermind like you couldn't figure it out for himself?"

"That's what I have minions for. Mine has told me that the Second Task involves rescuing a lot of fish from a needy missing link wearing an hourglass. I thought that cavemen were extinct? That just doesn't sound right; I wonder at the believability of the Ministry of Magic."

Harry tried really hard not to laugh at the Dark and Tiny Lord. Voldemort was still only waist high to Harry but was still capable of incredible tantrums and mood swings. Harry carefully explained what almost everybody else thought the message meant and slipped out the door while Voldemort was destroying some more of Professor Snape's clothing and other possessions.

Xxxx xxxx

The Yule Ball was a time for celebration and dressing up. The wizards from Durmstrang of course had lots of robes in basic black but a Formal Ball was an occasion for them to dredge up the fancy fur collars and swashes to look even more impressive than normal.

The ladies from Beauxbatons were giddy to have a chance to display their best gowns and physical beauty to the wizards from the other two schools. There was a fierce competition that developed between the witches from Hogwarts and the ladies from the French school to end up with the most impressive dates. Harry was especially glad that he had asked both Hermione and Ginny to be his dates as soon as he heard about the occasion.

The only wizard that really couldn't get a date was Ron Weasley. Because of his ongoing comments about Harry Potter's unfairness to him, a lot of the girls at Hogwarts thought he was a bully and a lout. The only girls that seemed interested in his attitude were in Slytherin and Ron was too biased to try asking one of them to accompany him to the Ball. As for the refined girls from Beauxbatons, they all had seen Ron Weasley eat and none there wanted to have their reputations or gowns damaged by being anywhere near him. (There was one 'gentle'man from Durmstrang that asked Ron Weasley to go to the ball with him but by the time the two were pried apart Ron Weasley was injured and had enough detentions to not worry about getting a date any longer.)

The Great Hall at Hogwarts had been decorated as a fantastic winter wonderland. Garlands of pine and holly ran across the ceiling. Frosty icicles decorated the walls and holly wreaths surrounded the miniature decorated Christmas trees on every table. There were two huge Christmas trees set up on the hall framing the stage where the musicians were to sit and perform. The teacher's table had been expanded to include a few more dignitaries as well as the heads of the two visiting schools. Harry had felt very proud to be walking in with Hermione and Ginny. His deep green dress robes seemed perfect to accompany the vision of periwinkle that Hermione had worn and the dark red gown that Ginny had found to complement her auburn locks. More than a couple of their Gryffindor classmates couldn't believe the transformation of the three and privately thought that Harry was a very lucky bloke. Draco Malfoy for once was shocked into silence as the three entered the Hall and received a small round of applause from Harry's friends.

Harry and his dates quickly found and sat at table occupied by Neville and Luna, Seamus and Lavender, and a couple from Ravenclaw – Padma Patil and Terry Boot. The people around the table complimented each other about their choice of robes, gowns and dates while they watched the Headmaster and the other professors come into the Hall and take their places at the head table. The few Ministry officials that had been there for the sorting also appeared and took their seats. Harry and the other wizards were about to go fetch their dates some refreshments when a loud fanfare of trumpets echoed around the hall.

Everybody gasped and ducked, expecting another unwanted appearance by Minister Fudge but the Great Doors opened for the Four Champions and their dates. The first pair through the door was the Hogwarts Champion, Cedric Diggory and his girlfriend Cho Chang. Cedric had a set of impressive black robes with the Hufflepuff and Diggory family crests displayed on his chest. Cho's gown was baby blue with a few black highlights to match Cedric's robes. She would have looked breathtaking but unfortunately she was still shedding tears. "It's way too bad" Hermione whispered to Ginny. "Even when she's happy she has to carry a couple of handkerchiefs with her."

"Maybe she'll settle down by the time they get a few dances under their belts" Neville said.

"I wouldn't count on that" Terry Boot said. "I have it on good authority that Cedric went and special ordered those robes. They're drip-dry and cry resistant."

"He is a smart wizard" Harry said as he watched Cedric and Cho go to a spot on the dance floor. It was the honor and tradition that the Champions led off the festivities with the first dance. Everyone was very surprised when Viktor Krum walked through the door with someone other than Fleur Delacour on his arm. They had been dating, snogging, etc. since locking eyes upon one another in the fall. Tonight, however Viktor Krum had a Beauxbatons student that looked way too young for him.

Hermione nodded in understanding when the next Champion, Fleur Delacour, appeared with her escort for the evening. It was Reggie Mantle, a first year Ravenclaw who looked totally stunned and overwhelmed to be in the position he was in. "I bet Madame Maxine and Headmaster Karkaroff told them that they needed to find other dates for tonight and weren't allowed to bring each other. They've found dates they can switch with and therefor spend the evening dancing together."

Ginny chuckled. "I think that's a nice plan but I bet you those two go excuse themselves after the second or third dance and see if they can get out and back into their clothes in ten minutes."

"Why Miss Weasley, are you entertaining ideas of entertaining some other people in a similar manner?"

Ginny flushed and hid her head in Harry's shoulder. Harry patted her back and apologized for kidding her. Hermione leaned closer to her date and whispered just loud enough for Harry to hear. "Sorry but that was my idea but I think there's too many other couples here for us to try that."

Harry's mouth dropped open to the amusement of the other people at his table. They were so busy watching Harry being flummoxed that they missed the initial sighting of the last Champion. There was a gasp of total surprise and everyone at Harry's table turned to look at the Great Doors. Coming through them was Lord Voldemort in a blood red leather set of pants and a jacket. He was accompanied by someone Harry had never seen before but it was obviously someone Neville knew. "How dare they?" Luna had to act quickly to grab Neville's arm to stop him from rushing over and assaulting both Voldemort and his date.

Luna whispered some quick words into Neville's ear and then him quickly off to the side and out from the Hall. "What was that about?"

It was Terry Boot that answered Harry as the spectacle slowly made their way to the dance floor. "That's Bellatrix Lestrange, You-Know-Who's top female Death Eater. She's the one that tortured Neville's parent and drove them crazy. I can't believe she's here."

Bellatrix Lestrange was here. She was dressed in a tight, low-cut black corset top that displayed her shoulders, a lot of cleavage, and a tattoo just on the upslope of her right breast of a Care Bear with a small rainbow behind it. Harry shook his head as he saw the rest of her outfit. Her black feathered skirt was fastened with big brass buttons down the middle and was open to just above her knees. A long train was also part of the skirt and it ran back about 6 feet and was made up of feathers also. Five inch high translucent spiked heels completed Bellatrix's outfit. Harry saw that some of the young ladies from Beauxbatons and Hogwarts were quickly applying modifying spells to their own dresses to make them more revealing. Harry tried to avoid seeing what Ginny and Hermione were doing and he looked away. He saw something then that made him feel very sorry for Lucius Malfoy.

Lucius Malfoy was the train attendant for Bellatrix Lestrange this evening. He had to hold the end of Bellatrix's train off the ground to keep it from dragging, getting dirty or interfering with her turning or dancing. Harry could not believe that Voldemort had made him wear roller skates for this duty but that's what he had on his feet. Harry looked over and saw the shock and horror that appeared on Draco's face as he regarded his father. Voldemort and Bellatrix finally got to their place on the dance floor and the music started. Eight people were suddenly gliding and turning around following the steps of the formal dance. Sadly, one of those eight was not Lord Voldemort. He stood very still holding up his right hand as Bellatrix glided around and made the appropriate steps near the steadfast Dork Lord. That kept Lucius very busy as he wobbled and rolled this way and that while Voldemort smiled and tapped his toe in time with the music.

The pace of the music picked up and unfortunately also did the speed and changes that Bellatrix made in maneuvering around Voldemort. It only took a second but a misstep or a piece of inattention on Lucius Malfoy's part suddenly launched him away from the pair and clutching the end of Bellatrix's skirt/train.

A lot of very confusing things happened in the next five seconds but Harry's quick Seeker eyes reported the correct order to the absent Neville and Luna when they returned a little later. The first thing that happened is that Lucius couldn't stop his frantic movements with the back end of the train. He had somehow launched himself in a direct line toward a table that was filled up with Slytherins. He didn't let go of the material and that resulted in the skirt coming apart and being ripped off from Bellatrix's waist.

Girls hurried to cover their date's eyes as the skirt was torn from Voldemort's date. There was a sigh of relief when everyone saw that Bellatrix was wearing a pair of black hot pants under the skirt. When she twirled around in an effort to keep her balance on those stilettos Harry saw a very familiar logo. It was in orange and turquoise and was prominently displayed across the seat of Bellatrix's pants. One side said Chudley while the other side said Cannons. (Harry thought it was an awful shame that Ron Weasley wasn't in attendance. Who knew that Death Eaters followed professional Quidditch teams?)

Mr. Malfoy had totally loss any control he might have had over the roller skates and hurtled directly toward the table that held his son. Draco and his date, Pansy Parkinson, could not get out of the way in time to miss the impact of Lucius with their table. Goblets, silverware, napkins all went flying – along with three bodies. When the dust settled there was a shocked silence from almost everyone in the hall at the carnage that had happened. Draco had been knocked into the nearest refreshment table and was wearing an empty punch bowl on his head and had a number of jelly doughnuts and lady fingers staining his wet, expensive Italian silk dress robes.

Draco's date was knocked over and hit the wall pretty hard. When she came to her senses she looked around her and screamed. Everybody shuddered and looked away from the scene. It was just too horrible to look at or even think about. Lucius Malfoy had wiped out a table and all its settings but that wasn't the worst of it. Lucius had slid face first forward afterward until his progress was abruptly stopped. He ended up with his face deeply and firmly wedged between Pansy's legs and under her long gown. Luckily Madame Pomfrey was close by and applied a Silencing spell to Miss Parkinson to stop her hysterical screaming.

Once the screaming was over, Madame Pomfrey levitated the mortified girl up and toward the exit as Pansy probably needed some immediate potions to help her get over the trauma. The band had stopped with the impact of Lucius and the table and there was silence in the Great Hall.

Suddenly an unexpected chuckle was heard. Two, in fact. One was Lord Voldemort who was bent over double at the sight he had just witnessed. He and Bellatrix started applauding the unconscious Lucius for the fine amount of entertainment that he had just given everyone. Voldewart bowed to Dumbledore and he and Bellatrix just exited the Great Hall with as much dignity as they had entered it.

The other person laughing was an even bigger shock. It was Cho Chang, who had never been heard laughing before by anyone. The waterworks had stopped and she just leaned against Cedric, just barely holding herself upright in her amusement. It was very infectious, soon the whole room was just laughing and it increased even more as Lucius lurched to his feet and staggered widely out the door, falling twice more as the roller skates came out from under him.

Everyone ran up to congratulate Cho on finding her sense of humor but she just smiled, turned around, leaped into Cedric's surprised arms and gave him a very enthusiastic kiss.

The representatives from the Ministry of Magic, Barty Crouch Sr., Ludo Bagman and Percy Weasley were trying very quietly to sneak off the raised dais and disappear. All the pomp and circumstance and good press that the Yule Ball was supposed to generate had evaporated in a matter of seconds and they wanted to get away from the screwup. Harry saw what they were doing and quietly sent a tripping spell to catch the sneaky officials. The ensuing tumble allowed the press from the various countries to quickly corner and start questioning the Deputy Ministers and Minister Fudge's personal assistant.

The band began playing again suddenly and Harry noticed that Viktor Krum and Fleur Delacour were totally absent from the dance floor. Harry gave no more thought to them as he was tapped on the shoulder by Hermione. "I believe I'm supposed to get the first dance with you Harry."

Harry smiled and did a deep bow before Hermione Granger and suddenly noticed what she had done to her dress. There was now a slit up one side that almost went to Hermione's hip. Hermione flexed her knee just the little bit and Harry saw that she was wearing a pair of black fishnet stockings and that the one he saw was held up by a very lacy black garter belt. Harry choked on his own spit and Ginny pulled out a chair for him to sit on while Hermione thumped on his back. Harry was bent over for about thirty seconds trying to get his breathing back to normal. When he straightened up he found himself staring at Ginny's exposed knees that were just below the hem of her dress.

The redhead had altered her hemline so that the front of her dress was much higher than the rear. Harry swung around to see where Fred and George were but they were busy ogling their own dates altered gowns. Harry knew he was staring but only could get out a choked "Urfglked!" as he pointed.

Hermione leaned over and spoke to Ginny. "I think that means he approves of the changes Gin. Wasn't it lucky that Lavender knew those altering spells so well and had time to teach us? Harry, I hope you like our dresses better now? I just loosened a seam in mine but Ginny's is called mulleting for some reason or other."

Harry just nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Hermione smiled and held out her hand for Harry to take. He grasped it and Hermione led him out to the dance floor for a slow dance. Harry was a little nervous as Hermione pulled him closer but she smiled up and winked at him. "Ginny and I are going to make sure that you really enjoy this evening Harry." For some reason, Harry's glasses immediately fogged up. Hermione giggled and Harry felt her press herself into him a little tighter.

The Yule Ball was a huge success and the stuff of rumors, tall tales and legends for many years at Hogwarts.

Xxxx xxxx

The Second Task was scheduled for February 24th and speculation ran wild in the weeks before the event. Everyone knew about the small merpeople colony below Black Lake so where the task was going to take place was a given. What everyone was guessing about is what or who was going to be held captive for the Four Champions to rescue. Money was split almost evenly on Diggory's hostage – most of the girls thought it would be Cho Chang while a good number of the wizards from Durmstrang and Hogwarts thought that Cedric's Quidditch broom would be what was spirited away.

For Fleur and Viktor, almost no one had a decent idea about what "they would sorely miss". Viktor had a Nimbus 2000 that he used for competition and it was something that Harry could attest to that would be highly valued. There was a rumor that Fleur might have had a relative or two attending the Tournament but nobody at Hogwarts knew for sure.

And as for Lord Voldemort, neither Harry nor his friends could think of anything that the evil-mannered miniature Terror would actually go looking for. Ginny Weasley and a few others thought that it might be Bellatrix after the 'closeness' they saw at the Yule Ball. Ron, who Harry had half-way forgiven, hoped that it was Malfoy – "either one would be a good wanker to drown."

The night before the Second Task, Harry received a message to report to Professor McGonagall's office. When he got there, he started worrying about his own safety. Other visitors that got there before him were Madame Maxine, Headmaster Karkaroff, Cho Chang, a young girl that was the spitting image of Fleur Delacour, and a young man wearing one of Durmstrang's dark uniforms. They looked as confused as Harry was about being summoned and he thought about going and asking Cho Chang about what was going on.

Before he could do that however the door opened again and Dumbledore came into the office along with Barty Crouch, Ludo Bagman and Percy Weasley. Ginny had told Harry that her brother had become a personal assistant to Cornelius Fudge and was going to represent him at Hogwarts until the Tournament was over. Evidently, Minister Fudge was concerned (scared) about the possibility of meeting Lord Voldemort again. Harry and the others greeted the headmaster and he strangely stopped and waved back. Harry felt himself getting sleepy and he saw the other youngsters falling down from where they stood. There was a short period of unconsciousness and then Harry was being lightly slapped to be awakened. He looked up to see the Hogwarts Headmaster kneeling beside him.

"I'm sorry Harry but that spell was intended to take care of anyone under the age of seventeen. It put you into stasis for a few moments."

In struggling to regain his feet, Harry 'accidentally' kicked the Headmaster. "And I'm equally sorry you have to limp for a while. Why did you need us unconscious?"

Percy Weasley, being what he was, couldn't resist insulting his sister's friend. "Even an idiot like you Potter should know what day it is tomorrow. It's obvious that the other youngsters present are going to be the ones to be held captive for the Champions. Miss Chang for Mr. Diggory, Gabrielle for her sister Fleur and Viktor Krum's young cousin Ernst."

"Thank you Mr. Weasley for educating me. I'd already guessed that. Please don't tell me that I'm not to be the one being held for Lord Moldyshorts to rescue? I think he'd just as soon as leave me to drown rather than rescue me."

Ludo Bagman answered Harry's question. "No Mr. Potter, you are not to be the fourth captive. Arrangements have been made for that role but we have a favor we'd like for you to do for us."

"Us? Which us?"

"The Right Honorable Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, commands you to help us root out some cheating in this tournament."

Harry didn't have to think about his reply. "That was indeed heartfelt and subtle Percy. You can tell your boss to commit a physically impossible act upon himself and find another flunky to do his dirty work for him."

It was Professor McGonagall that spoke to Harry then. "Would you at least listen to what they have to ask you Mr. Potter? It concerns the safety of the school and it's students?"

Harry sighed. They would appeal to the one thing he couldn't ignore – his friends. "I'm listening."

Barty Crouch came up close to Harry. "None of us in this room trust He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named."

"Well, duh! Do you suppose? So how does that involve me?"

"What we've obtained for Voldemort's captive is very dangerous itself. It is his pet snake Nagini. What we'd like you to do is follow Voldemort tomorrow and make sure he doesn't turn the snake on the other captives or release it onto the school grounds."

"Since when did I suddenly become an Auror or the Headmaster or even Professor 'Madeye' Moody? I would think that that would be right up their respective paid alleys."

Dumbledore came up right next to Harry. "Not one of us can speak Parseltongue or has an undetectable Invisibility Cloak Harry."

Harry sat down and scratched his head for a few seconds. "Okay" he said finally.

Percy clapped his hands together. "I knew you wouldn't turn down a direct order from the Minister."

"Stuff it Weasley, I'm definitely not doing it for him or you. Did you know you have a lot of brown on your lips and nose?"

Percy reached into his robes and produced a small mirror. "I just don't see it and you're the fourth one today to say something like that."

"Let me amend that. How did you get most of your head clean after having stuck it so far up your own arse for so long?"

"Well, I don't have to stay here and be insulted. I'll go inform the Minister that you're on board with the plan." Percy left the room as Harry rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry about young Weasley" Luda Bagman said. "He means well but…"

"He's an idiot." Harry smiled at Professor McGonagall's remark and stood up.

"Here's what we'd like you to do tomorrow Harry. When…"

"Hold on Mr. Crouch. You haven't heard or agreed to my terms yet."

"Harry" cautioned Dumbledore.

"Do you want my help or not?"

"Yes" said Bagman. "What do you want?"

"I want what you've offered the other Champions. Free passage through the end of the year exams with automatic "O" grades."

"I guess that's doable since you were originally picked."

"Illegally picked, but I want it for me and two other students."

"Miss Granger and Miss Weasley?" said Dumbledore.

"Yes, and I get to be the one to give Professor Snape a heart attack by telling him that."

Dumbledore's jaw dropped but Professor McGonagall looked to be almost on the verge or laughing. "I'll accompany you for that detail Mr. Potter."

Harry stared at Crouch and Bagman for a long time while they made their decision. The finally shook their heads yes.

"Now, I'll listen to your plan but you have to realize I might just alter it if I have too."

The adults and one fourteen year old wizard stood around McGonagall's desk until everybody understood what Harry was to do in the Second Task.

Xxxx xxxx

With all the excitement and anticipation of observing the Second Task, hardly anyone missed the presence of one green-eyed wizard on the morning of the test. Harry had of course told Ginny and Hermione of his bargain with the Tournament officials. Both were certainly concerned about his safety but Ginny hugged the stuffing out of her best friend's boyfriend when she found out. Hermione looked disappointed at first but Harry pointed out she could still take the exams and try to improve her scores anyway. Hermione smiled and made yet another note in her planner.

Harry had been up at dawn and had been taken down to the dock where he was to meet one of the merpeople. The captives had long ago been transferred and Harry had learned that Nagini was trundled up in a big burlap bag as nobody wanted the snake to even have a chance to become loose.

Just before he entered the water, Harry swallowed some of the Gillyweed that Professor Snape had provided. Harry had initially gagged at just smelling the weird looking plant. Professor McGonagall suggested that it be baked up in a cheese quiche to remove the awful taste and Harry was glad to pass that chore on to the house elves. They had come back in about two hours with three small pies that were guaranteed to keep Harry breathing underwater until the task was over for everyone.

Harry had also been given a communication bug to talk to Ginny or Hermione with. It was only about an inch long and bright blue with some green stripes. Dumbledore said it would allow him to talk and listen to the other person. Harry had grumbled but allowed the insect to go into his ear and fasten itself to his eardrum. Hermione had blanched at the long wavy feelers and legs of the insect but allowed Dumbledore to insert it into her ear. It had been a little weird at first talking to each other but Harry insisted he really needed to know what was going on at the surface.

At noon, the trumpets sounded again and unfortunately Minister Fudge arrived with the Deputy Ministers, Percy Weasley and a full contingent of press and photographers. He approached the raised platform to make a speech but somehow the trumpeters thought that was the signal for another fanfare. As Cornelius's voice was overridden, the four Champions appeared and made their way to the dock edge. Three were in bathing suits; one was not. Voldemort walked with a still weaving Lucius Malfoy but he had his regular clothes and a red cape about his shoulders.

"Harry, it's about to start up here" Hermione whispered.

"How's everyone doing?"

"Ginny and I are holding hands to keep from chewing on our fingernails. Cedric and Fleur look nervous to but Viktor looks like he's anxious to get going and rescue Cho. Vol… Volde…. Tom just looks very bored. How are you doing down there Harry?"

"Very pruney in spite of the water repellant spell. The merman escorted me down here and then left me alone. I'm just kind of treading water watching the four or walking along the bottom for a change. I haven't seen much of anything except a few grindylows. Oh and Niallghast swam by once. He came over and looked at…"

"Who's Niallghast?"

"Knock me over with a feather! I know something Hermione Granger doesn't know? Wow! Niallghast is the giant squids name; Hagrid told me that. He calls him Nigel for short. It obviously wasn't in Hogwarts: A History."

"So are the captives really being held in a jail?"

"No, they're floating tied to some ropes on the bottom of the lake. It's nowhere near the mermish village. We went by there on our way here."

"Sorry to interrupt you Harry but Barty Crouch is informing the Champions of the rules. I guess they're about to start. Please stay away from trouble!"

"I'm just here to watch and make sure Tom doesn't cheat."

Harry quit talking then and Hermione started describing what was happening at the dock. Three of the Champions got close to the edge; Fleur and Cedric dropped the robes they had been wearing to hear quite a number of gasps. Cedric had been hiding a very impressive, muscular torso and a lot of the witches in the Hogwarts and Beauxbatons sections were suddenly wishing that the handsome prefect was rescuing them.

As for Fleur, what she was wearing could barely be considered a proper swimsuit. It seemed to consist of a lot of string and a few patches of triangular material that didn't cover up a lot of Fleur's body. Everybody had seen the French Champion naked during the First Task and a lot of photographs were suddenly being taken by the press and any wizard that could afford a camera. Hermione secretly was glad that Harry wasn't with her and ginny to see Fleur exposed like that.

Viktor Krum had on a sleeveless tunic and shorts that came to his knees. Hermione heard more than a few whispered comments from the girls around her about the handsome Bulgarian seeker.

All of a sudden a gunshot went off and the Champions dived into the water. At least three of then attempted to dive. Cedric and Victor sliced into the water and came up pointing their wands at themselves. Cedric waved to the crowd, created a bubble of air around his head and then dived downward.

Viktor resurfaced and the Durmstrang contingent rose to their feet. They began chanting. It wasn't words and only the muggle born on the Hogwarts side knew what it meant. "Da-duh, Da-duh, Da da da da da-duh!"

The chant repeated four or five times, getting louder and faster with each repetition until Viktor was satisfied. He turned his wand upon himself and Hermione saw his upper body and head transform into a shark. Everyone saw a powerful tail flip once and then Victor was gone.

Hermione turned back to the dock and then groaned. "Harry, Fleur slipped while trying to dive and fell, hitting her head! She's completely unconscious. Madame Pomphrey and Headmistress Maxine are both trying to revive her."

"I bet they won't let her back into the water. Head injuries are tricky. I'll try getting her hostage out of here after the others are rescued."

"That's good Harry but You-Know-Who hasn't moved yet."

"Uh-oh. No way am I helping him; I'm not getting close to that snake."

Ginny grabbed Hermione's arm and pointed. Ludo Bagman was talking rapidly to Malfoy senior and pointing out at the lake. Lucius was emphatically shaking his head 'No' and trying to push Bagman to where Voldemort was standing, examining his fingernails to see if they had been sharpened enough. Crouch came over to join the argument and the two eventually picked up Malfoy and tossed him toward Voldemort. Lucius fell sprawling at Voldemort's feet and got to his knees. He started talking to his Master and then pointing at the Ministry officials.

Voldemort erupted in anger, cursing in Parseltongue and actually turning dark red in the face. Stray lightning bolts started erupting from around him and unfortunately hit a few people. Ron Weasley ducked under the one coming at him but turned when he heard a very familiar voice. Draco had just arrived at the lake, fresh out from the Hogwarts infirmary. Unfortunately he would be going right back in. The lightning bolt struck him, knocking him unconscious, and burning the clothes off his body. Crabbe and Goyle tried to cover him up quickly but all the Slytherin witches had seen the size of his 'wand' and were laughing hysterically as they made their way back to their seats.

Meanwhile down below, Cedric had gotten enough information from the Hogwarts teachers (and Hagrid) to guess the location of where the hostages were. He swam rapidly toward the location and saw Harry lighting his wand up as a beacon to guide him in. Harry technically wasn't supposed to help anyone but there was nothing to say he couldn't use his wand to take a good look around the murky bottom. Cedric used his wand to cut the rope holding Cho anchored to the bottom and then spun around to give Harry a quick thumbs up before he started ascending back up to the surface with his girlfriend.

Meanwhile, in another part off the lake, Viktor Krum was having some difficulties. He had somehow wandered into an area full of tall weeds and Grindylows. They clutched at them until he had bared his formidable rows of teeth at them and scared them away. One thing that hadn't occurred to Viktor Krum, Igor Karkaroff, or anyone else from Durmstrang was the number of species that inhabited Black Lake. Picking a predator for its speed, power and ability to breathe underwater was certainly a good idea for Viktor to take. It might have worked except for one small detail. The natural enemy of sharks was (everybody say it with Hermione) - giant squids! Twenty five minutes into the task Viktor's sleek form attracted the attention of the lake's largest inhabitant.

All the students on shore, the Minister of Magic and his attendants and the Tournament officials and judges were very surprised when a giant tentacle came out of the lake holding a struggling shark. The tentacle whipped around once or twice and then released Viktor into a high arc toward the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid was out of his seat before the distant thud of a landing made everyone wince. Karkaroff was only steps behind him as they went to find the wayward Bulgarian.

"Harry, Viktor's out. Nigel didn't like him being in the lake with him. He threw him into the Forbidden Forest."

"That's got to hurt. Hope Viktor thought of some way to slow himself down. On the bright side, Cedric has got to be close to being back to the dock. He was here and left a while ago."

"He's just surfacing now with Cho. They're both being helped out of the water and into warmed blankets. Tom hasn't calmed down yet to start getting into the lake."

"I am not going to save that snake. Or Nagini either."

Hermione chuckled at Harry's joke but suddenly saw The Dark Lord had quit screaming and was staring at the surface of the water. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at the lake. Hermione barely had time to warn Harry before Voldemort shouted something and the water between him and the hostages levitated up into the air, leaving a dry path for him to walk on.

It took fifteen minutes for Voldemort, followed by Malfoy, to walk to where the remaining hostages and a squirming bag lay on the slightly damp bed of the lake. Harry took the antidote to the Gillyweed and stepped through the invisible wall that separated the lake from the area that had been opened up. He looked up and saw where the water had gone; it was floating in a sort of big bubble about 75 feet above where the rest of the surface was.

"So what are you doing here Potter?" snarled Malfoy as soon as he got close enough.

"I'm backup just in case any of the Champions didn't get to their hostages."

Voldemort pushed Malfoy forward. "Quit wasting time with the boy. There's something wrong here; I can't sense Nagini. Get to the bag and open it."

Lucius looked at the squirming bag and carefully untied the rope that sealed it. He grabbed corner of the burlap and dumped it out. Instead of a giant snake, dozens of wriggling black eels came flowing out and lay about the ground. Voldemort screamed loud enough to be heard back at the dock. Everyone, including Harry, wondered what was going to happen next. The little but powerful wizard raised his arm and pointed it at the water floating lazily over their heads. Harry started inching toward the still motionless pair of remaining hostages.

"Master, no! There's a note." Lucius was waving a small piece of waxed parchment that had been lying in the midst of the all the eels. He brought it quickly over to Voldemort who unrolled it. He scanned it briefly and then slapped Lucius across the knee a number of times. "I… DON'T… READ… MERMISH, YOU IDIOT!" Lucius bent over to rub his knee and Voldemort slapped him up on side of his head.

"Dumbledore does" Harry said as he finished unfastening Gabrielle and Ernst. He cast a Mobilicorpus spell on the pair and started the long walk back to the dock.

"You best not be lying to me Potter" Voldemort said. He was very upset about the missing Nagini. Harry paused and turned back to address Voldemort and Lucius. "I don't know what happened to your pet. I didn't touch the bag and as far as I know Dumbledore is the only one that can tell you what the note says."

Voldemort grumbled but lowered the wand he had pointed at Harry. "Very well. Proceed."

It was a long quiet walk until they got within sight of the dock and the stands. The witches from Beauxbatons identified Gabrielle first and started cheering. They were soon followed by the contingent from Durmstrang and the students from Hogwarts who hadn't left the stands yet.

The cheering stopped when everyone saw the raw hatred on the face of Lord Voldemort. Harry climbed off the lake bed and he and his two charges were immediately surrounded by members of all three schools. Dumbledore fought through the crowd of people along with Bagman and Crouch. He woke up Gabrielle and Ernst and the pair were quickly whisked away to be checked by their schoolmates.

The crowd dispersed quickly as a furious Voldemort approached the place where Harry, Dumbledore and the officials were standing congratulating Harry. (Strangely enough Cornelius Fudge was nowhere to be found.) Harry was pushed aside as Voldemort started waving the note about in Dumbledore's face. The splash that the suspended water made as it crashed back into the hole in the lake was stopped by the wards around the dock.

The little red wizard was hopping up and down in fury. "My pet was not there! Just this note; Potter says you can read it. I want to know what happened!"

Dumbledore reached into one of the many pockets in his robes and brought out his spectacles. He put them on just as Hermione and Ginny came up to hug Harry and see on his condition. He reassured them that he was fine just as Dumbledore started reading the note.

"Let's see … it says: To the Champion with the snake… Your hostage woke up from the stasis spell… but didn't want to stay around. She… swam away, heading for the nearest dry land… We provided enough… eels for a couple of pies as compensation… We couldn't stop her."

"She's alive. She's alive. Quickly Lucius we must go locate her." Voldemort and Lucius hurried away heading for the path that lead around the lake. Everyone watched the tall and short person head away quickly but only Harry saw the sigh of relief that Dumbledore let out once they were gone.

Harry approached the Headmaster with Ginny and Hermione only a couple of steps behind him. "Tom's not going to get any points today, is he?"

Dumbledore chuckled. "I'm quite sure only Mr. Diggory will be scored as he was the only one to actually bring his hostage back. Thank you Harry for rescuing Miss Delacour and Mr. Blofeld. I'm sure that both schools will want to praise and honor you for your efforts after all the excitement has died down. I have been told that both the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang Champions will make a full recovery. I expect that they would like to see you and thank you personally for helping them out."

"Thanks sir but I just couldn't leave the hostages there. I'm just glad that everything turned out ok even though Voldemort has to go searching for his pet. Hopefully, he'll take better care of it from now on."

"He will be looking for the snake for a while. It's too bad that Tom doesn't know mermish." Dumbledore made a pass with his hand over the note and handed it to Harry. "We shall see you around Mr. Potter. Thirty points to Gryffindor for your assistance and bravery."

Dumbledore winked at Harry and nodded to Hermione and Ginny before hurrying to catch up with the other officials. The girls came up to look at the note with Harry and the three quickly began giggling. The giggling turned into outright laughter as they read the note that Dumbledore had translated for them.

"To the Champion with the snake… Your hostage was quite impressive in size and strength… although the sleep spell rendered her helpless. The evil spirit within her was released during breakfast. Thank you for the gift…. She was delicious !"