Usual disclaimers, no rights to existing characters, this is not JKR's HP, the real world or a Disney Princess story and there will probably be a few changes in the first hour or so after it's posted because things invariably look different in the published version and I don't always like the way it came out.
Harry's egg with the clue for the Second Task had been blasted out of existence because no-one could stand its horrendous screeching when it was smashed open going through the judges' box after he competed the First Task, but he wasn't too worried because he was banking on the fact that every 'Champion' would get the same clue again so he could use Fleur's. They found that they didn't even need Fleur's egg though, because the clue was exactly the same as it had been in the other timeline.
Even if she was an arrogant little Pureblood bitch, they didn't want to see Merula Snyde or her hostage die needlessly though, so Dora passed a piece of parchment to her in class that Harry had written the clue on. Unfortunately, surrounding himself with the most exceptional people in the Magical world had made Harry forget the maxim that applied to this world… 'There's nothing common about common sense'…. Or perhaps 'You can't fix stupid' or the variation of 'You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink' that often came to mind when he was exasperated with these people…..'You can lead a whore to knowledge but you can't make her think' were more applicable, because he'd believed that handing her the clue would have been enough to at least get her pointed in the right direction to work out what she'd need to survive, if not succeed, in the Second Task. What they were hearing from Snyde and the people she was turning to for help though was increasingly ridiculous theories that had less and less to do with what the clue actually said.
In the end Harry got so frustrated that he stormed across the Great Hall to shout in her face. "What is it with you people? Are you incapable of thinking? The clue means that you will have an hour to rescue something, or more to the point someone..." At that he turned to send a look Dumbledore's way that promised bloody retribution if any hostages ended up at the bottom of Black lake in this task this time. "you care about from the Merpeople's village at the bottom of Black Lake!"
She just stared at him. "What? How could you know that? Any why would you tell me? I'm your competition in the tournament."
"I know it because unlike you, we actually took the time to sit down to work out what the clue that we passed on to you so everyone in this stupid thing will have the information they need to face it meant, instead of just tossing out any and all crazy ideas that came into our heads. I'm telling you because unlike the organisers of this death trap I was dragged into against my will, I don't want to see anyone die needlessly, not even a stupid, arrogant little bitch like you! And competition? Please! Even if I did have any interest in doing anything more than surviving this stupid bloody tournament…. Have you forgotten that You're. Dead. Last? Didn't you get the point when you almost died in the First Task going up against the easiest dragon that you're way out of your depth in this thing? Look... find a way to breathe underwater for an hour and fight off the creatures you'll find in Black lake and if you're lucky you, and whatever poor fool they put down there for you to save if they're actually stupid enough to try that, might have some chance of surviving this."
With that he turned and stormed off, the ones at the High Table catching his eye as he did so. Dumbledore was looking angry because he'd just told everyone in the Great Hall what was planned for the Second Task, but the main emotion he was showing was terror at the prospect of what that look had promised if they went ahead with their plans to kidnap people important to the champions to use as hostages to be rescued from the bottom of Black Lake…... Peder, Ludvig and Olympe were nodding approvingly at him for doing this to try and make sure the silly girl knew what was in front of her….. and Minerva and Julius Selwyn, Slytherin's House Master, were looking grateful that he'd made the effort to give that stupid little witch a chance because they felt responsible for her as their student.
He also heard someone at the Slytherin table behind him saying "He's right! If you actually read this, that's exactly what it's saying!", but what he missed was Ivan Krum looking furious, because while he'd been trained to retrieve something from the bottom of the lake, Karkaroff had never said anything about it being a person who was important to him, and Dumbledore's reaction to the look Duke Potter shot at him was telling him that this was exactly what they were planning.
He was grateful to Duke Potter for uncovering this, and decided to try and do his part to convince the tournament's organisers that going through with that plan would be a very bad idea, so he stood and walked to the High Table.
"Headmaster von Moltke."
"Yes, Mister Krum?"
"The statement Duke Potter just made was a revelation to me Headmaster, and after re examining the clue given for the Second Task…. I find myself being forced to agree with his view that the organisers' intention is in fact to place someone important to us at the bottom of Black Lake to be rescued in this task..."
Ludvig nodded, interested to see where Ivan was going with this. "I have not seen this clue myself Mister Krum, but presuming that you are correct, is there a particular reason for bringing this to my attention?"
Ivan nodded curtly. "Yes Headmaster. As you may be aware, the branch of the Krum Family that I recently became head of as a result of my father's death is not one of Noble branches of the family, but where we can prove that we have a valid reason to do so, the heads of every branch of the Krum family have the authority to declare blood feuds on behalf of the entire Krum Family. Therefore I hereby swear an oath that if any living person is used for what I must recover from the bottom of Black Lake for the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament, this will be taken as an attack against the Krum Family and therefore the Krum Family will be formally declaring blood feuds against each and every member of the Triwizard Tournament Committee who were responsible for organising this tournament!"
Ludvig nodded solemnly. "Your terms for declaring blood feuds against members of the Triwizard Tournament Committee have been noted and accepted Mister Krum..." He turned to look at Dumbledore. "Professor Dumbledore, as the only member of the Triwizard Tournament Committee actually present, do you have any response to the terms that Mister Krum has stated?"
"What? No! He can't do that! He has no grounds to declare a blood feud on us!"
"I can see that your removal as the Chief Warlock of Magical Britain's Wizengamot and Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards was justified if you are this ignorant of the traditional laws of the Magical World Professor Dumbledore…. For a start, Mister Krum has not declared a blood feud at this time, he has merely stated the terms and conditions that will result in the Krum Family determining that they have been attacked, which will in turn result in the Krum Family declaring blood feuds against the members of the Triwizard Tournament Committee who were responsible for organising this tournament. Some may try to argue that this definition should be restricted to members of the Krum Family and their betrothed, but my understanding is that Mister Krum is taking the position that he would be honour bound to risk his life to do whatever necessary to try and rescue any person who may be placed at the bottom of Black Lake to be used as his hostage, and therefore he would be put at greater risk if a hostage was used in this task?"
He looked at Ivan and he nodded. "Yes Headmaster."
Ludvig nodded again. "On that basis I find these terms and conditions reasonable and justified…"
He looked at Peder. "Do you concur with my interpretation of this issue subject Lord Brännvin?"
Peder nodded. "Yes Headmaster von Moltke. It is my understanding that Mister Krum's life would be placed at greater risk as he would believe himself to be honour bound to do everything in his power to try and rescue any hostage he was responsible for being placed at the bottom of Black Lake in the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament, even more so if the hostage was a family member or loved one, and I am confident that any court in Magical Europe would accept that the Krum Family had valid grounds for declaring blood feuds against the organisers of the Triwizard Tournament…. Especially given the tournament organisers' demonstrated willingness to ignore the safety of the competitors and other parties purely to put on more of a show in the First Task of the tournament….. and for that matter I dare say that the Potter and Delacour Families would most likely be declaring similar blood feuds against them on the same grounds."
Sirius called out "And the Black Family as well!", and Peder caught Harry's feral grin and nod of thanks for throwing that little titbit in to stir the pot out of the corner of his eye.
Ludvig had caught all that but schooled his expression as he went on. "Those are valid points Lord Brännvin, Lord Black….. Professor Dumbledore, I would strongly recommend that you and the other members of the Triwizard Tournament Committee seek proper legal advice on this matter, because the indications are that any attempt to use hostages in the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament would result in multiple blood feuds being declared against every one of you by some of the most powerful families in the Magical world.…And as you are apparently unaware of much of the significant history of the Magical World, I feel compelled to point out to you that the Krum family that Mister Krum is part of are the most powerful family in Magical Bulgaria, as they are descended from one of the most famous rulers of Bulgaria."
Those with a strong sense of smell could tell that Dumbledore had just wet himself, and that it was only the charms on his robes that prevented him making a spectacle of himself as he hastily excused himself and hurried out of the Great Hall. Sirius was put out that he couldn't get anyone to take his wager that Dumbledore would be on his knees desperately making Floo calls the moment he reached his office, but he wasn't that surprised, because it was too easy a call.
A few days after the announcement that the Ministry would be holding a Yule Ball at Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament, their breakfast in the Great Hall was interrupted by shouting, and when they looked to see what the disturbance was, they saw Ivan Krum looking as though he wanted to hex the Hogwarts and Beauxbatons witches he was shouting at into oblivion. As he stomped past them furiously, Harry called out to him in Bulgarian. "Ivan Krum, would you care to join us?"
Ivan stopped and looked at him, miles away, then nodded curtly and came to sit across the table where a space had been made for him. "I could not help noting that you were angry Mister Krum, is this something that we can assist you with?"
Krum shook his head angrily and then remembered who was talking to him. "I apologise for my lack of manners Duke Potter, it is just…." he slumped "These witches have no shame! What they are offering to do, to let me do to them if I chose them to take to this Ball… It is disgusting! I would never dishonour my betrothed by doing anything like that with any of those harlots!"
Just then, something else caught Harry's eye, Merula Snyde looking very uncomfortable as a Seventh Year Slytherin wizard was leaning very close to speak to her. He remembered how the hostages had been selected last time, and a solution came to mind that could be good for both of them so he asked Dora, as her classmate, to see if she could get Merula to come over and join them.
Merula didn't take much convincing, she would have agreed to just about anything that would have gotten her away from those wizards who were making it quite clear what they would be expecting from her after they escorted her to the Ball, and a couple of minutes later, she was sitting beside Ivan. Harry addressed her.
"Miss Synde, I apologise for interrupting your breakfast, and forgive me if I am presuming too much, but would I be incorrect in believing that you are receiving inappropriate suggestions from the wizards who are offering to escort you to the Yule Ball?"
She was obviously about to deny that, as Slytherin business wasn't to be discussed outside their house, but then she slumped and nodded. "Most of them aren't actually saying it, but they're making it quite clear what they're expecting, yes."
Harry looked at Ivan, who nodded as he cottoned onto what Harry was doing here. "Mister Krum is having a similar problem with witches who are making very inappropriate offers to him in an attempt to get him to take them to the Ball, but he refuses to dishonour his betrothed by agreeing to what any of those witches are offering him. Seeing how uncomfortable both of you have been made by these witches and wizards, it occurred to me that the solution that Baroness Delacour and I have come up with may suit the two of you as well, as we are going to the Ball as each other's official dates. Our situation is a little different from your's of course, with our being betrothed, but I have other betrothed who I will be sharing my time with at the Ball as well, so this just means that we will share the opening dance required of the champions and after that we will be spending the rest of the Ball with our friends, who I invite the two of you to join as well."
Neither Ivan or Merula were idiots, and they could easily see the benefits of this suggestion. Ivan caught her eye and she have a hesitant nod, so her turned to her and asked in a voice that carried across the Great Hall. "Miss Snyde, vould you do me the honour of allowing me to escort you to the Yule Ball being held for the Triwizard Tournament?"
She made sure her answer was heard as well. "I would be delighted to accompany you to the Yule Ball Mister Krum, thank you."
They both turned back to give Harry grateful looks before Ivan escorted Merula back to their normal spot at the Slytherin table. No-one could really argue that they would be better dates to the Ball than their fellow champions, so this effectively got the heat off both of them.
What Harry didn't mention was that he'd already told Abbot that everyone from the Druids Tower would be attending the Ball with their guests, and that they'd be sharing a group of tables together where their guards could protect them from attacks. Abbott tried to say that only the Champions had an exemption from the Ball's restriction to Fourth Year and older students and Harry shrugged. "Then you won't have half of your Champions at your stupid Ball, because Baroness Delacour and I will not be attending without the rest of our family!"
Abbott started to puff himself up and say that they'd do what they were told or else but Minerva laughed at him. "Or else what, you fool? Duke Potter only agreed to attend this ball because he didn't want many of the other students to miss out on would be a rare chance for them to attend a function like this. He can quite easily change back to going to the family party that he'd much rather be at if you try to push him at all….. And I can assure you that I will take great pleasure in informing Minister Bagnold just who was responsible for the Ball she is trying to use to improve her image losing half of its special guests if that happens!"
Merula publicly accepting Ivan's offer to escort her to the Ball put an end to both of them being hounded by the opposite sex to be their partner to the Ball, so things settled down a little after that.
Abbott was told in no uncertain terms by Bagnold what would happen to him if Potter and Delacour weren't at the Ball because of his bloody minded pettiness, so arrangements were made for the corner of the Great Hall near the High Table dais to be reserved for the Druids Group and their guests. Harry and the others had a good laugh about what the Ministry's reaction was going to be when all four Champions deserted the Head table for the Druids corner as soon as their official duties to open the Ball had been completed.
As they led the crowd into the Great Hall, Harry shared the fact with Hermione and Luna that either Abbott had decided that if the Druids Group could bring younger children to the Ball, so could he, or they were making another attempt to use Sue to worm their way into the group, because Abbott's nine year old daughter Hannah was there with him. Hannah had been Sue's closest friend up until the children of the Most Ancient Houses started preparing themselves to face the Magical world, so she was one of the 'Traditional' Houses' best bets to get an outsider into their group.
They'd been half expecting something like this, because Abbot had had Hannah tutored in magic over the past year so she that could be enrolled early at Hogwarts, but at best she was struggling with the First Year classes so she had no chance of getting into the advanced Second (and Third Year after they tested out of Second Year) classes that Sue was in and they had nothing in common to talk about any more. Daphne's best friend Tracey Davis had also started at Hogwarts early, but Tracey had had enough intelligence and magical ability to test out of First Year and join the Druid Group's classes (and had been moved into the tower because even with the changes to the wards it still wasn't safe for a girl without any support to be in the Slytherin dorms when she was siding with the Druids).
Luckily, the Champions' waltz to open the Ball was right at the start, so they managed to avoid having to suffer inane small talk with the Ministry people at the Head Table by heading straight to the tables in the Druids Corner after their dance finished. Xeno and Hagrid (the current Care of Magical Creatures Professor and his Assistant Professor), Pandora, Olympe and Filius soon joined them because of the bile those Pureblood bigots were spewing, which made very obvious gaps at the Head Table. The Ministry idiots like the Minister's Undersecretary were making sure their comments were heard by half the people in the Great Hall and Luna finally reached her breaking point while she was dancing with Harry near the Head Table.
She suddenly whipped out her Heirloom dagger and sent coloured sparks at Umbridge as she cried out "Forma vero revelare!", then stopped, cocking her head in confusion. "Oh I'm sorry Miss Umbitch, from what Daddy, I mean Professor Lovegood, told me about them I was certain that you were an Each Annis, a variant of the Each Uisge….. But he said that the Each Annis' true form was a toad beast, not a hag?"
She turned to look at Xeno, who struggled to keep a straight face as he replied. "Yes that's correct Moonbeam, but didn't I also tell you that the Each Annis are believed to be extinct?"
"Oh yes! I forgot about that…. Sorry Miss Umbitch."
By this stage, Umbridge was on her feet, screeching something about about 'Filthy Beasts!' and Harry was watching her closely. He pulled Luna out of the way of the first "Crucio!" Umbridge threw at her, but someone else behind them wasn't as quick because they screamed when they were hit by it, luckily she was such a weak witch that even in her rage the curse didn't have that much power. Harry had his Heirloom dagger in his hand when she tried to follow the Crucio with a Confrigo! and batted it back into her.
Harry kept the dagger in his hand and his eye on the Ministry people as he called out. "Mistress Pomfrey?"
Poppy paused as she hurried towards the witch now sprawled on the floor. "Yes Duke Potter?"
"We need that creature to be kept alive until judgement has been made on it, I will not countenance it being allowed to expire as a comfort prior to that."
Poppy nodded, saying "Yes Duke Potter." before she resumed hurrying towards her patient.
"Countess Black?"
"Yes My Lord?"
"Is my understanding that, as the Ministry of Magic is responsible for that creature's presence at this Ball…. They can be required to make reparations as well as it correct? And my understanding that after casting both the unforgivable torture curse and the blasting curse at the Head of one Noble and Most Ancient House, the Heir to another and betrothed to the Head of two more, there can be no question that under Druids Law the Umbitch creature must be put to death?"
"You are mostly correct My Lord. The Ministry's records show that her name is Miss Delores Umbridge, not Umbitch. All appearances aside, she is reportedly a human witch, a half blood like yourself and the last known member of the common Umbridge family but other than that, yes. As Miss Umbridge was representing the Ministry of Magic in her official capacity at this Ball, they can legally be held responsible for her actions here and be made to make reparations for them… And there is no question that casting both the unforgivable torture curse and blasting curse at Countess Hufflepuff was an attempt on her life and therefore under Druids Law she must be put to death. Reparations will also have to be made to Laird Weasley, Heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Weasley, who was hit by the torture curse Miss Umbridge cast when you pulled Countess Hufflepuff out of its path and he shielded his companion from it."
Harry had forgotten all about the person who had been hit by the torture curse in Luna's stead and turned to Bill but Bill waved away the apology he was trying to make. The potions to calm the effects of the torture curse had been immediately called and administered and were starting to work so he managed to get out. "N.. n… no H… Ha… Harry. Y… you di... did th… the r… right th… thing pu... pu… pulling Lu…. Luna out of the w… way of th… that curse. I wa… wasn't fast enough t… to pull Angie out of the way so I go… got in front of her..."
Patty made him shut up at then because struggling to talk like that was interfering with the potions' effectiveness, but she looked up at Harry.
"He's right Harry, you did the right thing, pulling Luna out of its path, just as he thought he was doing the right thing, shielding Angie from it, even though she'll be telling him off for doing that when he's better."
That got a laugh from everyone who knew Angie as they knew that she was right about that. At the moment Angie was on her knees beside Bill, doing what she could to help him, but once he'd recovered enough there was no question that she'd be giving him a talking to about interfering with her doing her duty, which included protecting him, as one of the students in their group at Hogwarts.
Harry's expression hardened as he turned back to the Head Table. "Very well, under Druids Law, what is required here is clear. Everything belonging to Delores Umbridge will be forfeited to Noble and Most Ancient Houses of Hufflepuff and Weasley and Delores Umbridge will be put through the Veil of Death immediately. With Countess Hufflepuff's permission, I call for Delores Umbridge's position as Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic at the Ministry of Magic to be forfeited to Baron Arthurus Weasley, Head of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Weasley, who is currently employed as the Head of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement?..."
Luna nodded. "I agree with this position being given to Baron Arthurus Weasley."
"And we will forego additional monetary penalties which may seriously interfere with the operations of the Ministry of Magic if the role of Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures is forfeited, effective immediately, to Baronet Amos Diggory, Head of the Minor House of Diggory."
That confused Bagnold, Dumbledore and just about everyone else who thought they knew the way things worked, because most people believed Diggory to be a bombastic fool who was a dyed in the wool Dumbledore supporter. Bagnold jumped to formally accept the forfeiture of the role of Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures to Amos Diggory though, because she'd caught the inference that the threatened monetary penalties would be quite likely large enough to cripple the Ministry.
The Stone that was used when the Great Hall was the original court of Magical Britain still existed, it was just out of phase with the normal world, so it blazed into existence behind the tables in the Druids Corner as soon as there was a use for it to accept the penalties under Druids Law. That was another shock for Bagnold and most of the others, because most of Magical Britain ignored anything that pre-dated their own families (or themselves to a large degree), so they hadn't known that the Great Hall was in fact the original court. Bagnold had been banking on being able to quietly reshuffle the Department before it was handed over to Diggory, but she couldn't get out of doing this here and now after Harry had stipulated 'effective immediately' when he called for the forfeiture of the position, so Harry placed his hands on the Stone and repeated his requirements under Druids Law, and then Bagnold accepted the forfeiture of the position on behalf of the Ministry of Magic.
Those who hadn't been in Wizengamot sessions where the Stone was used were surprised when its voice rang out to confirm the list of irrevocable actions under Druids Law. The fact that Druids Law could not be overridden by Wizengamot Law was explained to those who didn't know that much about the history of Magical Britain, and that in turn prompted discussion among the Ravenclaws present as to the true origins of the term 'Laws that are set in stone'. Until now, they'd accepted the usual interpretation of them being recorded on stone tablets, but this stone was used as a direct interface with the magical laws, which put that interpretation into question.
Of course, as soon as they were back in the privacy of the Druids Tower and they were sure that Bill would be OK most of the family burst into laughter.
"Forma vero revelare? That was the best you could come up with Luna?"
"What? Reveal true form would be the valid incantation for showing what she really was!"
"OK, but making up the Each Annis and saying 'But he said that the Each Annis' true form was a toad beast, not a hag' was a bit much, don't you think?"
Luna shrugged. "The bitch was pissing me off with all her stupid ranting about how creatures like us shouldn't be allowed to mix with proper witches and wizards. There was no way she could ever be mistaken for an Each Uisge, even if there was a female form for them, because the description of its human form is a handsome man, so I just used the Each Uisge as a basis for a mash up of the Eachy and the Black Annis..."
She turned to Bill. "I'm so sorry Bill, I never mean for you to get hurt, if she'd tried something lethal on the first cast Harry would have stopped her then."
Bill was still having trouble talking normally so he just waved her apology away, being hit with a relatively weak torture curse was worth it for what they'd gotten out of the incident, and getting the Department of Magical Creatures as well as Umbridge's Undersecretary position out of Bagnold's control had been a major bonus.
What most people didn't know was that they had shown Amos Diggory proof of the price his family had paid for his blind devotion to Albus Dumbledore in the other timeline. Amos wasn't a fool, in fact he was quite intelligent and had a great deal of integrity to boot, it was just that his loyalty and overblown pride in the accomplishments of those close to him was normally all most people saw. They'd been working with Amos to ultimately get the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures out of Bagnold's minions' control and impose the same oaths as what the DMLE and International Cooperation staff had had to take on everyone in Magical Creatures, but Bagnold had given them an opportunity they couldn't pass up when she had that foul hag attend the Ball in her official capacity as the Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic, and Harry had jumped at the chance to move up the timetable.
This didn't change the Second Task of the Tournament much, as Dumbledore and the others on the Triwizard Committee had already dropped their plans to kidnap hostages for the Champions to rescue and negotiated with the four families to acquire objects that were important to the Champions that would be retrieved. They'd also made sure that the instructions given to the Merpeople were to put on a show of threatening and intimidating, but not actually attacking, the Champions, because they'd remembered about the automatic death sentence for any attempts against the lives of the Heads and Heirs of the Most Ancient Houses and their Betrothed, which applied to the ones that they really wanted to get rid of, Potter and Delacour.
While some of the committee knew that a number of Kelpies had been introduced into Black Lake (or more accurately Loch Dubh) for this, they were sure that that couldn't be traced back to them, and none of them knew about the wizards who had been hired to use Mermen's tridents to kill Potter and Delacour, and anyone else who saw anything they shouldn't down there. Using the Mermen's tridents would put the blame on the Merpeople, and if they were questioned about it, the instructions given had been to intimidate but not attack, so that couldn't come back to the people behind it.
As they were standing on the dock on the shore of Black Lake waiting for the task to start on that cold morning in February, Harry couldn't help quietly singing along to the song that was going through his head, Otis Redding's Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay, which led to the others asking him what it was because they liked it. He laughed when he realised that he'd actually been singing it and explained that it was a song from the non-magical world, promising to play it for them after this was over.
They were all relatively comfortable that they were ready for this, Ivan assured them that he had a solution that would work for longer than the time they'd have to be under the lake, and Merula had come to apologise to Harry after some of her House mates pounded a few home truths into her head about what he'd said in the Great Hall, so they'd put her onto the use of Gillyweed when she found that she couldn't hold a bubblehead charm for long enough to use down there. Fleur had also loaned her the original impervioused leather suit and flying helmet that they'd used to create the templates to make her dragonskin ones from as they wouldn't get waterlogged and hold her back down there and the leather could be magically adjusted to her size to make them to work for her. Harry was using his metamorphmagus ability to turn himself into a Merman for this and while she'd need to take more along with her because her Veela blood meant it didn't work as long for her as it did for most humans, Gillyweed worked well enough for Fleur to make it a better solution than bubblehead charms as well. Harry had had dragonskin robes made for him that were cut to allow his tail enough movement to swim effectively (though Hermione and Luna had fun winding him up about having to go commando under the robes so that he could transform) and a dragonskin hat based on the early pilots' flying helmets. Fleur had the dragonskin suit that left her gills and webbed hands and feet free and gave her plenty of freedom of movement, and flying helmet like his. This meant that for the most part they would be protected against physical or magical attacks and the dragonskin was slick enough to reduce their drag through the water.
Fleur would be weaker down there because the Veelas' powers were Air and Fire oriented, so being underwater took away from them, and there was always a chance that the Merpeople had been told that she was a Veela, as the Veela and Merpeople were ancient enemies. It was a feud that had begun back in Ancient Greece and no-one knew the reason for it any more (though Hermione had a theory that it was because the Merpeople were actually mutated throwbacks of the water sirens and therefore hated all sirens, be they water or air), but it often led to friction and violence when Veela and Merpeople came together, so it was quite likely that the other side would have told the Merpeople about Fleur being a Veela to stack the deck against her.
They had both confirmed that they could cast the type of spells they'd need in the forms they were using for the task, but as Fleur lost a lot of her power underwater, Harry would be staying with her as long as they were under the lake to protect her. They would also have some of their people in ships' boats covering them down there. Their ships' boats had the same capabilities to travel underwater and be magically armed, armoured and disillusioned as their magical pirate ships (one of which, the Garuda, would also be down there, but further off to avoid being discovered), and they would be staying just close enough to keep an eye on them. If nothing happened, no-one else would ever know that they had been down there, but if Harry or Fleur were attacked they'd be coming in at full speed, throwing everything they had at their attackers.
When Bagman set off the cannon blast to start the task, everyone but Harry threw off their robes and Ivan jumped into the water and transformed his head and shoulders into a shark's head. Seeing that, Harry thought that he would have been better off talking to them about what he had planned, as while that would allow him to breathe underwater, aside from reducing the drag in the water a fraction it did nothing to help him move down there. Fleur and Merula swallowed the Gillyweed and then jumped into the water to be ready when their gills and webbed hands and feet grew and Harry jumped in with them, transforming into a Merman when he did so.
Ivan finished his transformation and took off first, knowing where he had to go because they had shared the location of the Merpeople's village. The others left together, but Harry and Fleur soon left Merula behind because she hadn't been training for this for over four years in real time like Harry had, or even a year or so like Fleur had. It didn't take them long to pass Ivan either, but they expected that Merula would stay with him after she caught up with him if she had any sense, because he was more powerful than she was, even if he was slower through the water.
They saw a couple of Kelpies on the way to the Merpeople's village, but the Reductos that Harry cast their way convinced them that these smaller creatures were more trouble than they were worth. Harry's form caused quite a bit of confusion among the Merpeople when they arrived to collect the items they were supposed to retrieve. They could tell that he wasn't a Merman of course, but they could also tell that he was one hell of a lot closer to a Merman than they would have ever believed a human could become. As a result, they weren't threatened as they were supposed to be, but Harry had to waste time answering their questions. The Mermen were so focussed on Harry that they didn't notice that Fleur had cut his item to be retrieved free for him until she handed it to Harry. In the end, the only way that Harry could get away was to promise to come back and talk to them after the task was finished, and they missed Fleur swallowing more Gillyweed to make sure that she could get back to the shore without the effects failing before they got there.
Their would-be wizard assassins struck on their way back to the shore. Only about half of them struck at first, because they thought for some reason the Veela was being escorted by a Merman (the bubblehead charm does nothing to improve the user's underwater vision like the Gillyweed and other transformations do, and nor does trying to stay out of sight in the weed beds), but the others joined the attack when they realised that the supposed Merman was casting spells at the attacking wizards. What they didn't work out until it was too late was that at least half of the spells hitting them weren't coming from the two figures they were attacking.
Between the powerful 'Stupefies' and 'Reductos' that they were being hit with from Harry, Fleur and the four ships' boats, the would-be assassins were all out of action in less than a minute. Harry and Fleur had allowed themselves to be lulled into a sense of false security by how well it had gone up to that point and they hadn't kept as much distance between themselves and the weed beds as they should, something Harry knew that Uncle Alastor would be taking him to task for when he had the chance. This meant that when the would-be assassins burst out of the weed beds, they were on them in ten or fifteen seconds, but Harry's daggers and Fleur's wand were out and they were casting in the blink of an eye when they saw them, and they had an advantage in that their attackers couldn't use magic against them as that would leave a trace which would expose the fiction of their being attacked and killed by rogue Mermen.
As soon as the danger to Harry and Fleur was gone, their attackers and the tridents they'd been carrying were all summoned into the boats, because their bubblehead charms had of course failed when they were stunned or knocked unconscious by the explosions in the water near them and they couldn't afford to let them drown, they needed them to identify who had hired them to the DMLE before they died.
Amelia had a visible Auror presence at the Second Task, and even more Aurors who were dressed in the casual robes to hide their presence. She'd been watching Harry and Fleur's progress on the mirror that was linked to another mirror on one of the boats had been shadowing them, so she demanded that they bring as many of the attackers as possible back alive. She also had her people watching the spectators with omni-oculars to record the reactions when Harry and Fleur arrived, and the boats surfaced and handed over the attackers and the weapons they used.
The general reaction to their arrival was applause, but the watching Aurors caught the dismay and anger on the faces of some, and how that turned to fear once the boats arrived at dock and had started handing over the prisoners to the DMLE. The British and French Ministry people on the Judging Panel tried to claim that Harry and Fleur had had outside assistance in completing the task and therefore must be disqualified from the tournament, but they changed their tune quick smart when Amelia responded with. "I don't think so! I have recorded proof that Duke Potter and Baroness Delacour were given no assistance in anything that could have been part of this task…. Though I will be looking into how long the kelpies they repelled down there have been in Black Lake because they are not part of the recorded inhabitants of the Lake….. So unless the Triwizard Committee is claiming that these two dozen wizards who suddenly came of of hiding to attack Duke Potter and Baroness Delacour with Merman tridents were actually part of the task, the Duke and Baroness were given no assistance in completing the task."
Abbott went white at that, stammering. "No! No, of course not Madam Bones! The Committee would never be part of Champions being attacked like that… I apologise for the inference, it was just the shock at the sudden appearance of these boats that we knew nothing about!"
Amelia gave him an evil smile. "That is a relief Director Abbot, and I'm sure the Triwizard Committee won't have any objections to being questioned under Veritaserum to confirm that fact for us?"
Abbott was getting desperate. "Proposing that the Noble members of the Triwizard Committee be questioned like common criminals would be an affront to our honour Madam Bones! An insult like that will not be countenanced!"
"Come now Lord Abbott, where is the insult to your honour in officially confirming the facts that you've given us? This is standard procedure in serious matters of this nature….." Her face and voice suddenly hardened as she continued. "And in case you've forgotten, you have no choice in the matter! The Wizengamot passed the law requiring Veritaserum to be used on anyone and everyone called to confirm the facts of any criminal proceedings eighteen months ago….. And this obvious attempt to murder Duke Potter and Baroness Delacour and lay the blame on the Merpeople most definitely qualifies as criminal proceedings!"
Everyone was still in an uproar when Ivan and Merula returned to the dock, and the judges had to remind Bagman to stop the clock and officially confirm that they had returned well inside the hour that they were allowed.
Unfortunately, while Amelia managed to have everyone of interest who was present at the Second Task detained for questioning, some of them had obviously managed to get word out to their superiors, because by the time the ones who'd hired the would-be assassins could be picked up, they'd been obliviated of everything to do with the Triwizard Tournament.
The Champions rankings after the Second Task didn't change, but the gap between Fleur and Ivan had now widened to the point that the tournament was down to either Harry or Fleur in the Third Task unless something in there killed both of them before Ivan and Merula began the task.
The bigger problem was that they were so focussed on Bagnold and the Triwizard Committee that they missed the fact that Bagman was suddenly having a lot of trouble maintaining his usual false bonhomie and was in fact looking like a rat caught in a trap if you managed to catch him in an unguarded moment.
