Hello my beautiful readers! I have just recently become obsessed with the teenage mutant ninja turtle 2012 series (don't judge me) and I've just had to write for the Aprtitello pairing (Donatello and April O'Neil), So I'm sorry if this chapter is a little late. I would like to give a shout out to all of my wonderful reviewers/followers/favoriters! I would also like to thank ThePadfootPretender, who has helped me though writer's block (YAY!). Without any further ado, I own nothing but the plot and here's the chapter!.
A week had flown past faster than she could have ever imagined. Viktor had continued to diligently escort her everywhere she needed to go. Although it was starting to get cumbersome, it was a burden she could deal with if it keep his mind at peace.
She found herself strangely calm as she carried her bag of stuff to the headmaster's office. It felt almost causal. Hesitantly, she walked up the staircase from the already open entrance. All of the other participants had already arrived.
"Just to be sure, is everyone alright with this?" Dumbledore asked. They all nodded. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a few people's pupils dilate with unspoken fear. Everyone was handed a goblet of a silvery potion.
"I need all of you to drink you're potion. It will insure that you stay asleep for the duration of the task. It's effects will immediately wear off if you are brought to the surface."
She glanced down at the liquid, slightly apprehensive. Shrugging away her fear, she downed the potion in one, long draught. Before she knew it, darkness covered her like a warm blanket and she was floating.
He practically jumped out of bed at about five o'clock in the morning, having just awakened from a nightmare. It couldn't remember the details, but he vaguely remembered it involved being snared and held below the surface of the lake while he frantically tried to reach something that was just out of his reach. It was valuable, too. He had woken up right as the water began filling his lungs.
He shook off the memory. It was probably just stress-induced, product of his curiosity of what was going to be taken from him; the song said that if he failed, he wouldn't get it back. Remembering the fact that something had been stolen from him, he scoured his cabin for missing objects. After many minuets of vigorous searching, he could find nothing out of place. His broom, his notes from Hermione, his drawings from his little cousin, and his special blanket that his grandmother had made for him when he was a baby were all still safe and sound.
He simply decided it must have been something from home that was being held captive, although his mind was still clouded with uneasiness. Blindly, he pulled on his uniform, leaving his cape. It would do him no good; all it would do would be to weigh him down while he was in the water. The fur would be like a deadweight.
Stuffing his wand into his pocket, he walked up onto the prow of the ship. Taking a deep breath, he pulled out his wand and said the spell before he jumped overboard. It was an odd tingling sensation, as he transformed. His eyesight became fuzzy, but he could identify every smell on the grounds and suddenly, it felt like there wasn't air to breathe.
Relief came in the form of icy water, which felt only mildly cold to his skin. He dived deeper into the water double checking that everything would go fine. After he was certain his plan would work, he swam to the shore and spoke the reversal spell in a voice that sounded like he'd eaten gravel; a voice that was not his own, but one of the predatory great white.
After his limbs were his own again, he cast a drying spell to dry his now sopping wet clothes. It wouldn't have bothered him, but he did have appearances to keep. There was no doubt in his mind that photographers would be swarming the place like flies on a rotting carcass. He hoped that enough of them would be focused on him so that Hermione would be left alone.
Hermione, He thought. I wonder where she is, and if she's even up yet. He checked the time. It was only five forty-five. She probably wasn't up yet; he should just let her sleep. Even if she was up, she was probably helping Potter. Potter, he growled in this thoughts. He didn't like it one bit. They were far too close for his liking. He didn't like it almost as much as he didn't like the Weasley.
His paranoia was almost surely nothing, he was probably just overacting, but the knowledge didn't do anything to stifle the feeling. He didn't like how they used her, either. They had eyes, hands, and brains, or at least he thought they had brains, so they could do it themselves if they tried. He grinned to himself; He was a man, and could solve his own problems, not that he wouldn't love her help, but he didn't need it like they did.
He still had several hours before the task started, since it was at nine o'clock. He couldn't speak with Hermione at the moment, she'd be asleep or busy, and it was way too early to go wait at the task area. Since he had nothing left to do, he practiced different spells. He made sure to go up to the prow of the ship again, so he wouldn't be disturbed by the hordes of simpering females following his every move.
His practice ranged from shielding spells to stunning spells. Only the heavens knew just what was down there, it was best to be well prepared for any form of attack. He doubted that the merpeople would be friendly, either.
After he felt an adequate amount of time had passed, he went back to his cabin and hunted for the paper crane Hermione used to send him notes. With shaky hands, he wrote on the piece of parchment. "Hermione, What time are you going to the task? " He watched carefully and followed the crane as it fluttered away, towards Hermione.
Strangely enough, the crane started nose-diving out in the middle of the lake. He wondered if he had done the spell wrong, or messed something up. He thought back, and realized that he hadn't done anything to mess up the spell; it should have went straight to her.
His blood turned to ice in his veins as it dawned on him just why the crane spiraled down to the lake. That's where Hermione was. She was at the bottom of the lake. He couldn't quiet wrap his head around it, but it horrified him.
The thing you would miss the most, The line of the song echoed in his head. She was being held captive! If he didn't rescue her, he might lose her forever! Panic flared in his chest, and adrenaline flooded his system. They won't hurt her, they'll make sure she gets back, even if you fail. The logical part of his brain tried to reason, but it didn't work. It was drowned out by his irrational sense screaming about tragedies that could result from defeat.
Keep yourself together! He mentally slapped himself. If I let the panic overtake me, I'll have no chance. He managed to calm the panic to a dull ache in his chest. He checked the time again. It was about eight thirty, a suitable time to go down and wait.
He numbly double check that he had everything he needed and trudged down to his girlfriend's watery cell. The anxiety was like a physical weight upon his shoulders, brining him down with its burden.
Time stretched on seemingly forever before the last champion arrived. It was the Potter boy. He looked haphazardly put together, and carried a handful of a slimy substance. He wrinkled his nose, and scowled deeper. They had almost had to delay the task for this kid. He and the red head were probably running around like chickens without heads when they discovered Hermione wasn't there to help them.
Speaking of the red-headed git, where was he? He quickly searched the stands and couldn't find his fiery red hair amongst the crowd, although he spotted several of his family members. Weasley must be the thing Potter would miss the most. He thought absentmindedly.
Finally, after an eternity of waiting, the buzzer sounded, and someone spoke using a magically magnified voice. He didn't pay too much attention to it, all that he cared about was that it told him he had about an hour to rescue her. Cedric and Fluer used a bubble head charm, and upon a closer look at Potter, he had gilliweed clutched in his hand. He went right after Fluer, and he heard the crowd gasp as he used his partial-transfiguration spell to transform into part of a shark.
The water was murky, even to his newly adapted eyes. The entire lake was a cloudy, dusky color, filled with debris of some sort. Tentatively, he started to swim down to the bottom to begin his search. Underwater weeds brushed his skin, giving him the creeps. Things felt even more eerie when he reached the point of when the sunlight stopped filtering down through the water. How deep was this lake, anyways? He must have swam down almost a mile already.
He froze when a bright pair of yellow eyes swam past him. From what he could tell, it appeared smooth-skinned, but vaguely horse shaped. He decided it must be a hippocamp. He breathed a sigh of relief; hippocamps were generally friendly rather than dangerous.
He continued swimming down, and finally reached the bottom. More lights floated in front of him, dancing in his vision. He foolishly followed, one, and he felt a clawed hand snake around his ankle, it's talons digging into his skin. He harshly kicked at it, and he felt it's brittle fingers snap. Grindylows he growled to himself.
He learned not to fall for that trick again, although it was tempting to follow the lights. He swam for what felt like hours. Time had no meaning below the surface, where the light couldn't be seen. Something else brushed against his leg, and began to snare him in it's clutches. By the time he had realized what was going on, the plant had already wrapped around his legs and was creeping for his torso.
What in the world is that?! Are those underwater Devil's Vine? I think they are. He struggled for a moment before he remembered that resisting only makes it worse. Come on Viktor! Think! This was some kind of a cruel joke. The dream that had haunted him in the night was becoming a reality, only there was no light for him to reach for. His light was somewhere, tied up along the merciless depths of the lake.
Inspiration hit him like a bolt of lightning. He remembered the wand in his hand and shot what normally would have been sparks at the vines, but because it was underwater, a stream of boiling water. He could have sworn he heard the plant give an angry hiss as it flinched and released him.
That was way too close for comfort, He thought uneasily. He was still no better off than he had been in the beginning; he still had no clue as to where Hermione was tied up. He continued to search, although he move a little further away from the bottom, wearing of the creatures that lurked there.
He caught his first break, finally. He saw the glint of a spear and he followed the merperson who carried it. It eventually brought him to some sort of a base camp, where four figures were anchored to the bottom. He could make out three other figures, two merperson and one human. He swam closer, hoping to identify the champion. Upon closer inspection, he could tell it was Potter, and he appeared to be arguing with the merperson guards.
He wondered how much longer should he wait. The time could be running out any minute. Deciding he needed to get Hermione out of there as soon as possible, he surged forward, prepared to fight the guards. To his surprise, they allowed him to approach, and he went in to bite the ropes that constrained Hermione. Potter swam in front of him though, and handed him a jagged rock. Since he couldn't thank him, he attempted to nod his head. Grasping the rock, he slashed through the ropes that bound her. He lightly grabbed her arm and swam up to the surface. Maybe Potter isn't so bad after all. He thought as he broke the surface.
He transformed himself back and looked down at a newly awakened Hermione.
She blinked open her half-blinded eyes, and looked up. For a split second, she thought there was a shark carrying her, but after she blinked again, it was only Viktor who helped her stay at the surface while she recovered. They swam back, Viktor towing her while she paddled to keep her head up. After a few minutes, they finally stumbled back onto the shore.
They were immediately brought back to their own private little tent, where Madame Pomfry was waiting for them. She examined them, and used a drying spell to get their clothes not so drenched and made them each drink a pepper-up potion to get them warmed up from the inside.
She almost asked Viktor to step outside for a moment, but then she saw the curtained sections of the tent set aside for them to change. Peeking her head into one, she found her stuff waiting for her. She changed into a chocolate brown cashmere dress that her grandmother had bought for her and pulled on the cape. Luckily, the burgundy outside and the tan fur lining and collar matched the dress decently. Then, she put on her jewelry, and as a last minute decision, left her tiara stowed in her bag.
She listened, and Cedric had returned. Shortly afterwards, Fluer was disqualified. It felt like ages before Harry returned to the surface. When he did, he was praised for rescuing two instead of one, and had tried to rescue all.
Shortly afterwards, Viktor's parents entered the tent. Mrs. Krum was a medium height plum woman, with a soft face and warm eyes. It was obvious Viktor looked more like his father, who was tall and broad with a square face and a serious expression.
"Aye, my boy!" Mr. Krum rumbled. "Great job getting top score!'
"Ve're so proud." Mrs. Krum smiled. "Is this the girl you vere talking about."
"Yes, mama. This is Hermione, my girlfriend." Viktor announced proudly.
"Vell, I like her alveady." Mr, Krum shook her hand. "I am Mr. Krum, Viktor's father, and this is my vife, Mrs. Krum, Viktor's mother."
"It's nice to meet you, dear." Mrs. Krum gave her a brief hug.
Viktor's father turned to him. "Ve vill see you later. Bye,'
Viktor simply nodded. His parents turned and left the tent. She could have swore she saw a hint of a flash from behind the tent's doors. He must have noticed this too, because he looked at her, slightly panicked and whispered. "Ve need to get out of her, quickly."
He grabbed her hand and tried to lead her out of the back entrance of the tent, but it was no use. Swarms of reporters waited by the entrance like vultures waiting for their next victim. A sea of cameras and flashes blinded them, while an onslaught of questions made them all but deaf. One reporter had wormed their way right next to her.
"Miss Granger, is it true that you and Viktor Krum are having an affair?"
"W-what?! No!" She yelled, and stumbled backwards. A camera flash startled her and she fell back into a muddy puddle and hit her head on a metal pole that was used to support the tent. It felt like her ears were ringing. Her vision was cut off when Viktor sidestepped in front of her and a loud thwack echoed in the now silent clearing.
FINALLY, IT'S DONE! Here's a bit more detailed excuse as to why I am so horribly late, and hopefully, you'll forgive me. First off, my mom had a hernia, and I had to help her, and it just got fixed today, so I'll have to continue to help her. Second, I visited my sister who lives about two hours away from me for about four days, and Finally, I have become obsessed with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. (Like I said, don't judge me) and I've just had to write about the Aprtello couple (Donatello and April O'Neil). It's been all I can think about. My inner writer has been just screaming ideas at me for them. Hopefully I've gotten enough of it out of my system that I can concentrate on this again. I am sooooo sorry about the wait. If you want to yell at me, or make me feel better, let me know what you think in the reviews!