VIII.

The morning of the Second Task was warm for late February. The Black Lake had thawed enough that the ice threatening to sink the ship of Durmstrang had melted and cracked overnight. Helen marched down to the banks of the Lake, her purse five sickles lighter and an hour worth of gillyweed safely tucked away. Professor Snape had told her, after paying for the magical plant, to, "Only consume two-thirds of this. Should you need the full hour, finish it off. You seem like less a dunderhead compared to your brother, so perhaps you will return within your time limit."

What a pleasant man, she reflected with distaste.

"Ah, there you are Helen!" Ludo Bagman shouted. The man still wore his terrible yellow and black costume and she was tempted to ask if he were a bumblebee animagus. Given what she knew of animagi, it would match with everything she had come to assume about the man. Everyone, even Zoë, said he had been a Quidditch star. Unless he played Keeper, he has clearly let himself go. Being that round would only serve to make blocking the rings easier.

"Yes, yes, I'm here," she said, looking around for the other champions. Cedric and Krum stared at the Lake, though the Bulgarian looked like he was about to throw a tantrum for the history books. Fleur, in a first for any of the French magicals, displayed true emotion. Helen was disturbed by how disturbed the Beauxbatons Champion appeared.

Helen stared at the girl, ignoring Ludo's preliminary rambling, and a horrifying fact struck her: veelas and merpeople—that had to be what made the horrendous sound—hated each other more than Greek and Roman demigods. If the merpeople in the Lake thought they could get away with it, they'd kill the veela champion. Or worse, if what we must recover are hostages.

"Can everyone hear me?" Ludo asked, his voice loud enough to be heard by Muggles in Glasgow. "Welcome to the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament! Someone precious to our champions has been stolen, taken down to the bottom of the Black Lake. Our Champions have an hour to retrieve and safely bring them back to the surface."

All four champions approached the shoreline, tense and ready. Small waves brushed at Helen's feet as she separated the gillyweed she would start with. As Ludo began to count down, she stuffed the last bit into a pouch in her body suit, a thick suit of silver that stretched from her neck to her shoulders and down to her knees, leaving her arms and calves bare. Zoë had given her the knife the Hesperides had received from Artemis upon joining the Hunt. It was strapped to her left thigh. A cannon boomed and they all moved forward. Helen shoved the gillyweed into her mouth, chewing at the slimy plant. The others had already disappeared into the water when she finally got the weed down.

"What is Helen Potter doing?" Ludo asked, his commentary reaching her as the magical plant took hold. She rushed forward, diving into the Lake, and water raced over the gills growing into her neck. They drew oxygen to relieve her lungs of their sudden struggle and she felt the other changes come upon. She reached forward with webbed hands and dove, the fins on her calves and feet driving her with a powerful grace. The chilly water turned lukewarm and her vision was nearly perfect. I wonder if this is how diving is like for the children of Poseidon.

The dive to the merpeople village was short and uneventful. From the stories she'd been told, Helen had hoped to encounter the giant squid and discover if it was as friendly as everyone insisted. Colin, who continued to buzz around Harry like a nervous, hungry mosquito, had told her that his little brother had fallen into the Lake before the Sorting and had been lifted back into a boat by said squid.

As she approached the village, the song Harry had sung filled her ears. It was eerie, almost spectral, and Helen wondered if the village was to Atlantis as a rural town was to a big city. There was a prickling on her neck and she paused to look around for watching eyes. She continued on through the village, taking in the simple stone buildings that were practical over decorative. It was only when she reached the loudest of the singing that she came upon a magnificent sight.

A great gate with several soaring pillars—Corinthian in design and decoration—were raised high above four still bodies, floating in the water. Each was bound to the lake floor with sinewy rope and Helen gritted her teeth as she got close enough to see them.

While she barely knew Cho, the girl Cedric took to the Yule Ball, and little Gabriel Delacour, she was familiar with the other two hostages. Hermione, still dressed in her thick Hogwarts robes, had to be Krum's hostage, for on the far end was her hostage to save. Harry looked cold and still, too much like a corpse for her liking. His hair, for the first time since meeting him, looked controlled and she wanted to smile at how his glasses glided along his nose as the water swept around him. Yet her veins pounded with roiling fury.

I shouldn't be surprised they kidnapped people and stuck them at the bottom of the lake. From what I have learned, this was clearly designed by someone from the British Ministry. Though I wonder if they would do this task the same if they had known my brother would be down here as a hostage.

A dozen merpeople guarded the hostages, drifting about with sharp tridents, ready to spear the champions—and the little veela girl, too. Helen approached them, watching for a hint of aggression. She swam past them, wary of the two nearest her, and reached Harry. She waited until it was clear they would ignore her and then drew the knife and sliced the rope. Harry drifted up until she could firmly grasp the rope he was bound with.

As she made her way away from the village, she spotted first Krum, who had transfigured his head and neck into that of a shark's, and then Cedric, who'd performed the Bubble-Head Charm, heading for the village. There was no sign of Fleur.

Some thirty or so minutes after diving into the water, Helen Potter emerged. She kept her neck under, pulling Harry up. When his head broke the surface, he gasped in a deep breath and opened his eyes.

"Helen, thanks for getting me," he said, still pale. He shivered. "The Lake is bloody cold. Let's get out."

She nodded and supported him as they swam to the shore. They stepped out of the lake to thunderous applause. A bubble of water remained around her neck, waiting for the gillyweed to run its course. Madam Pomphrey descended upon them in a flutter, wrapping them in warm, thick towels. Helen pulled her's tight around her body and watched for the others. Soon enough, Krum and Hermione emerged. The Bulgarian returned to his normal self and smiled at Hermione as the two came to join Harry and her, waiting for the rest.

"Oh, that was rather dreadful," said Hermione to Helen. Krum said something to her, soft and quiet, and the muggleborn girl turned away to speak with him.

"I think you're the favorite to win now," Harry said, standing beside his sister. He glanced at her. "How did you get the gillyweed? I can't imagine Snape actually giving you some."

"I did get it from Professor Snape," Helen said. "But I had to pay for it." Her brother scowled; displeased she had paid his least favorite professor.

"You know," he began, staring at the calm surface of the Black Lake. "I was wondering if I could visit you in America. After this is all over."

Helen turned to him, shocked. "Really? You wish to visit?" He nodded and she grinned. "That would be amazing. I think you could pass through the boundary at Camp Half-Blood, though I should check with mother first. From what I have heard of Camp, I think you'd like it. Zoë was right when she said you were like a hero of legend. Plus, I have always wanted to meet Chiron."

"Chiron, as the Chiron? He's still alive?" Harry asked. "I thought centaurs only lived a few centuries if that."

"The gods made him immortal so he could continue to train heroes," Helen said. They paused to watch Cedric and Cho surface. At some point, Fleur had emerged from another tent, a towel wrapped around her while she stared at the Lake with utter terror.

"And with that, the Second Task is over!" Ludo Bagman declared. "Fear not, though, for the Beauxbatons Champion's hostage shall be safely returned." And, to Helen's great shock, the little girl was safely delivered to the surface. She rushed to her sister, babbling in French while glaring at the Lake. The merpeople, clearly unhappy letting the girl go, turned to speak with Dumbledore. After five or so minutes, they departed and Dumbledore made his way to the other judges.

He brought the comments from the merpeople and after a couple heated minutes of deliberation, Ludo announced their decision. "The first to return was Fleur Delacour, Champion of Beauxbatons." Helen raised an eyebrow. She didn't remember seeing the French girl when they emerged, but the part Veela must've remained in the tent until the end. "While she showed excellent use of the Bubble-Head Charm, her failure to reach her hostage means that she failed the Task. The judges have decided to award her with 15 points."

The French onlookers muttered. Helen wished she knew French if only to know what terrible things were being said about Bagman, or whoever was putting on this insulting spectacle. "Next to return was Helen Potter, with her hostage. She used gillyweed to not only reach her hostage first but also bring him back within the time limit. She is granted a full 50 points." A mix of the Hunters, Gryffindors, and Ravenclaws roared their approval with polite applause from the rest of the Hogwarts students. Bagman gave points to Diggory and Krum, but Helen didn't hear it over the echoing roar of cheers in her ears.

Two Tasks down, one to go.