Paradox Number 23

I'm so sorry it has taken me awhile to update. I have no reason really just didn't feel like writing but I'm back now for a while I hope.

There may only be one or two more chapters after this one. I don't have any plans at the moment to go passed fourth year. Maybe one day I will come back and write further but consider it finished after fourth for now.

Not Beta-ed. If you find anything let me know so I can fix it.

Fourth Change:

The second challenge had finally arrived. It was now about six weeks after Christmas and Cedric and Harry had been on a few official dates. Things were going well for them. They may be moving slow but they were getting to know each other very well. There was not much need for them to move to fast as Harry was only fourteen and Cedric wanted the younger boy to feel comfortable before anything got too physical.

The stands by the black lake were full of students and official guests waiting for the champions to arrive. The champions were currently being told the last minute details of the event. They were told that they had one hour to find and retrieve their important person from the mer-people. They were all to start at the same time and that their scores from this task would determine their placing for the final task in two months. They were to bring back only their required person and no one else. They were assured that the people under the water were very safe and would be returned at the end of the hour if they had not been collected by their champion. With a few more words of encouragement they were told to take their places on the platform and get ready to start.

Harry stood with the other three champions at the edge of the dark water. He was nervous. He had no idea who was in the water waiting for him to get them. His most important person was standing next to him so it clearly wasn't Cedric. He wondered who they thought was also important to him. Maybe it was Hermione or maybe the organisers still thought he was friends with Ron or Ginny. He thought he might just lose on purpose if it was one of the Weasley's down there.

Cedric gave him a reassuring smile just as the cannon went off and they all jumped into the freezing water. Harry and Hermione had come up with a plan over the last few weeks, once they had managed to find out the message from the golden egg. He hadn't told Cedric what he had planned as he didn't want to give the other schools any more ideas about them working together to cheat and win. Cedric had been okay with it but he had still worried about his safety. Harry had told him not to worry and that he would be safe, even though Harry hadn't had time to test out the plan.

The plan was for him to eat some gilly-weed just as he jumped into the water. If he ate enough he should be able to breathe underwater for an hour if not he had some more in him pocket just in case. Hermione had found this usefully herb in a book she had borrowed from Neville. Last Hogsmead weekend Hermione had gone and gotten as much of the herb as she could for him as he wasn't able to go due to a detention.

As Harry swam into the deeper part of the lake he saw Krum swim passed him with a transfigured shark hard. He would have looked pretty funny if it wasn't for the fact that they were in a deadly tournament. Cedric was next to swim by him with a very strong bubble head charm keeping from form drowning. He winked as he swam passed and motioned for Harry to follow him. As Harry didn't have a clue where to go, it was a good idea to follow the older boy. Fleur soon caught up to them but was soon caught in a fight with some sea creature she had swam into and disturbed from its rest.

Soon a glowing light came into view and it quickly turned into a large village. There were mer-people everywhere. They was watching them as the slowly swam by heading towards the village centre where four people were sleeping and tied to four pillars. The mer-people didn't move to attack, they were just watching like all the people above the surface of the lake. Victor was already there and had gotten his important person free. Victor had Hermione in his arms and was preparing to swim up to the surface again. Cedric made his way over to his best friend Cho Change and next to her was a blonde girl they had never met. She must have been there for Fleur who they could see was just entering the village with a sluggishly bleeding left leg.

Harry turned to the last person and he was not happy at all. Sleeping soundly was Ginny Weasley. She must have gotten the person deciding the captives to believe that they were engaged or something. There was no way he was going to save her. He was going to wait out the time and come last. He was not going to give the girl any ideas just so he could get a good score. He was happy to be in last place. It was much better than having Ginny believe that she still had a chance with him.

He waved Cedric on and gestured that he should go up when he saw the older boy come closer with his friend still sleeping in his arms. The older boy nodded when he saw Ginny, understanding what Harry was doing. Fleur left for the surface not long after and Harry was left alone. The mer-people watched on curiously when he left and didn't take the last girl with him. They had tried to tell him that he had to take her but he wasn't going to do it. He looked at his watch that was charmed to work and glow underwater and saw that he only have fifteen minutes to return to the surface. He slowly made his was up towards the platform again. Just as he reached the surface the gilly-weed started to fade and be took a big breath as soon as his head was above water. He was close to the platform and swam over. He helped onto the platform by some of the officials and wrapped in a warm blanket.

He looked up just in time to see the clock run out. He was relieved to be out of the freezing water. The judges starting added up the scores as the announcer was talking and Ginny was brought to the surface by some mermen. Harry was then directed to stand with the other champions as the scores were given out. He was shivering as he stood next to Fleur and her sister as it turns out. He just wanted to get inside where it was warm before he got sick.

Victor came in first. As he had arrived first with a score of 18 out of 20, Cedric was next with 15 out of 20. Fleur was third. She was given a score of 12 because she had been injured and her fight with the sea creature. Harry had come last as he had expected. He had scored only 5 points. It was more than he had expected but he was fine with it. It seemed the points were giving for his use of gilly-weed and for arriving back to the platform before the time us up. He lost a lot of points though since he hadn't brought Ginny back with him. Once the announcer finished his speech the champions were lead to the medical tent for treatment and then they were free to go. The crowds on onlookers had moved into the castle where it was warmer to celebrate. Only the families and friends of the champions had waited for them.

Ginny had not been happy that she had been left behind. When she had found out that Harry could have saved her she was vivid. She had tried to complain about it to some of the officials but they ignored her. Harry hadn't done anything against the rules and she did lie to them about how important she was to Harry so they pushed her aside and continued with their congratulations.

Cedric was swept away as soon as they reached the Great Hall. He was the Hogwarts champion and had placed second. The Hufflepuffs were going to be throwing him a big party in the common room as soon as they could. Harry had made his way up the Gryffindor common room alone. Hermione had been pulled away by some girls to talk about her experience in the lake and her attachment to Krum.

The common room was pretty empty when he had arrived. A few people waved to him as he walked passed and tried to ask him questions but he kept on walking to his dorm. Once he was alone he made his way to the showers to warm up and then he crawled into bed to sleep. He didn't care that is was only three in the afternoon he was tried and very cold still. The potions he had been given after the task had not done a very good job at warming him. They were to stop him from getting sick but that didn't mean that they always worked.

When Harry woke it was very early the next morning, the first few rays of sun were just breaking up the dark sky. When he failed to go back to sleep, Harry decided it was easier to get ready for the day. It was still a few hours before classes started for the day, so he made his way to the Great Hall to get some food. When he arrived a few teachers were already there, slowly picking at their food while a handful of students were sleepily munching on toast. Harry was surprised to see that Cedric was there. He was looking very tired but happy. It seemed that he had had a good time at his party last night.

When Cedric saw Harry enter the Great Hall he waved him over. Harry sat next to the older boy and accepted the hug he received as soon as he was settled.

"Good morning sweetie. Did you sleep well?"

Still not gotten used to the names Cedric called him, Harry blushed a little as he replied, "Morning. I did. Did you get much sleep? You look pretty tired."

"Not really. It was a pretty wild party last night. I was happy just to get the little sleep I did."

Harry and Cedric spent the rest of breakfast chatting about the task and the after party. Cedric kissed Harry goodbye as they separated to go to class. Harry spent the rest of the day trying to avoid question after question about what had happened in the lake the day before.

TBC