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Chapter 25 – Cwealmdréor / Blood shed in Death
Harry sat next to Malfoy on the frozen grass at the edge of the lake, Harry still in slight shock while the blond leaned back and enjoyed another cigarette. The words of the egg that he'd heard minutes before still echoed in his freezing ears. ''They'll take something from me? And if I don't get it within an hour they'll take it away forever?''
Draco threw him a 'look'. ''Don't be stupid Potter, it's a song. I doubt that they're actually allowed to steal something precious from you, that would go entirely against the law. That line is probably only there to add the sense of time pressure for you and tell you the official time limit for the task. I suppose they'll only dock points if you don't make it within an hour.''
''How come you speak Mermish anyways?''
Draco regarded his cigarette stump with disdain and then lit it on fire with his wand, watching as it burned away completely. ''My family has had ties to the Merfolk ever since the arrival of the first Malfoy in Britain. Armand Malfoy arrived with the Muggle King William the Conqueror in 1066, back when magicians and Muggles occasionally still worked together, certainly in royal families. My ancestor was the King's personal magician and eased the Crossing of the Channel. The first attempt to cross did not go well at all, you see, and many men drowned. Thus, Armand was called and he made a pact with the Merfolk there... they called forth a fog so thick that the ships were impossible to see even on the narrow Channel. In exchange, the Malfoy line was chosen to serve as ambassadors for the Merfolk all around Britain, to protect their waters from the influence and claims of wizards and witches. We've done so ever since, and as ambassadors, all Heirs of the Malfoy line of course must speak their language.''
''I've never heard of this.''
''We don't shout it from the towers, obviously'' Malfoy spoke on a berating tone. ''Having connections with non-humans isn't seen favourably nowadays. Even Dumbledore got shunned for protecting Centaurs and Merpeople here, and he's a light wizard! So, now you know.''
''And it took you a week to tell me to hold my head underwater to listen to this song?'' Harry asked incredulously. Malfoy shot him an annoyed look.
''It took me a week to get everything necessary to teach you how you'll get to the bottom of a lake and stay there for an hour without dying. If you're not interested...?''
''No!'' Harry exclaimed as Malfoy was already in the process of getting to his feet. ''Wait!''
''You'll give me your Firebolt for at least one Gryffindor vs. Slytherin match next year,'' the boy said, smirking. ''Let's see you win without it.''
''Fine,'' Harry agreed, gritting his teeth. Parting with his Firebolt was hard, the thought of Malfoy using it almost unbearable, but this was more important.
''Perfect. See? Making deals with me isn't so hard as you think,'' the other smugly commented. ''Now, the only thing that you have to realise is that this will be dark magic. Considering your stunt during the last Task I suppose this won't be a problem?''
''No, as long as it's not implausible for me to have found it somewhere myself.''
''I suppose, with enough digging, you could have found mentions of this ritual in the Restricted Section of the library.''
''Would the Blacks have anything that relates to it?''
Malfoy frowned. ''Oh yes, Sirius Black is your godfather right? If he didn't throw much out, then yes.''
''Then let's get started.''
''Mind you Potter, I'm not going to teach you step-by-step. This will make you able to breathe for a while underwater, nothing else. You will have to deal with the problems of the cold, water pressure and darkness yourself. Not to mention whatever creatures are in that lake.''
''No wonder the others said that solving the riddle was only the first step... At least there was nothing mentioned about wands not being allowed.''
''While true, I don't think that most spells work the same underwater. It's sure to affect you. Also, I'll have to warn you: this thing was designed for short meetings with Merfolk. It won't last a few hours. To be on the safe side, I'd say fifty minutes at most, meaning that you will definitely have to keep it within the set time limit.'' Harry eyed the book that Malfoy took from his bag with suspicion. None of this sounded very great. Then again, he hadn't heard of any other spell that would make him able to breathe underwater either. It was his best shot. ''We'd better go a bit further away from the castle still,'' the boy suggested. ''I'm sure that our dear Headmaster wouldn't want to see me teaching you this.''
Harry returned to the lake three times a week, always on different days and times to not let his friends notice that he was up to something. It was a carefulness that was probably unnecessary since Ron and Hermione still gave each other the cold shoulder. Harry often went to Hagrid instead, whose house was not that far away from the small stony beach he always practised at now. He hadn't told anyone about the conversation he'd heard between the man and Madame Maxime and didn't plan on changing that. It was quite mortifying to him to have witnessed such a personal scene. Another thing he was glad for was that there had been no further shaming articles published about Harry or people around him since that first one in October. Rumour had it that Rita Skeeter was missing, which Harry was very happy about if he was honest. Meeting her once had been quite enough.
He told both of his friends about the task separately as well, Hermione instantly dragging him to the library and calling Ginny and Dixie to help. Funnily enough, the first thing that was cleared was what Harry didn't need: another way to breath underwater in the form of a Bubblehead Charm that was taught during the sixth year at Beauxbatons. Harry could have slapped himself when she mentioned it: it wasn't the first time he'd heard of the spell, Barty had mentioned it in summer too. It had been the first accidental magic the man had done as a child. Harry still chalked it up as a reserve option as Malfoy had said that his method might not last as long as necessary. Thankfully Dixie saw nothing wrong with her option only coming second, telling Harry instantly that she was sure that Fleur would use it, and being original might give more points, although she was a bit too curious about what method he was planning on using. Afterwards, they focused on ways to see underwater and to tackle the freezing cold of the lake. Hermione even ordered a book on Muggle free-diving to give useful tips on how to swim and how to cope with pressure. It was a good thing too, he'd never known that rising up too fast from the depths could make his lungs explode.
Ron handled the task entirely differently, practising useful spells with Harry for duelling whatever obstacles might be lurking in the deep waters and trying to find out what could be taken and where it would be taken to. ''There is supposedly a village or something in the lake,'' Ron told him. ''Merfolk are very social creatures, so. You could avoid a lot of trouble by finding the village way before the task starts, so then instead of diving instantly and maybe getting lost, you swim as far as you can above water and then dive. That would enable you to avoid Grindylows and such, which hide in water plants close to the ground like Lupin told us last year, and also give you more time since you can swim way faster when you're still above water.''
He discussed those options with Malfoy later on, who unfortunately did not know the exact location of the village, although he could confirm that it existed. ''I do not recommend swimming above water though,'' the boy dryly spoke. ''Unless you want to suffocate yourself. '' Harry had thought the same. the method he was going to use would leave him unable to breathe air for a while. ''Can I take on other properties too?'' he speculated. ''Like the eyes or so?''
''Maybe, I've never tried. First you still have to get this down,'' the Slytherin remarked. Harry sighed and agreed, starting the ritual once again, washing the blood off his hands ten minutes later in irritation. Another failure. Malfoy wasn't a good teacher. He desperately wished that Barty would speak to him again.
Around the end of January, his friends finally started to talk to each other again, Ron a bit reluctant since Hermione still hung out with Viktor very often, and Hermione with relief that Ron's 'phase' seemed to be over. Harry wondered if he had accidentally prolonged his friends' time of silence by bringing Viktor to search Hermione out after the ball. Perhaps the girl would have shrugged the Bulgarian off as 'just a dance date' if Viktor hadn't ran after her. Now, there seemed to be something more blossoming even if she tried to hide it well. The three of them were on their way to Hogsmeade when they saw the Bulgarian swimming in the ice-cold lake, most likely to practise whatever spells he was using for the task, Hermione making a fond comment and Ron looking hopeful that the Champion of Durmstrang would meet his untimely end as the next meal of the Giant Squid.
They escaped the icy wind by diving into the Three Broomsticks as fast as possible, ordering some Butterbeer. Harry had vowed to himself to only stick to that until he was seventeen at least, he'd had a massive hangover the day after the Champion party. Bagman was here too, sitting in a corner surrounded by Goblins, looking as if he was having a hard time. Harry wouldn't have cared much about it if the head of Magical Sports wouldn't have come to Harry himself and requested a conversation in private. Considering the Goblins, Neville might have been right about Bagman having placed a bet on Harry winning. He politely refused, not wanting anyone to think that he could be cheating by interacting with one of the Ministry judges alone. Bagman tried to offer his help nonetheless, only heading off when Hermione loudly asked if he'd also talked to Cedric Diggory.
''I really don't like him,'' Harry muttered to his friends. ''I don't know what his aim is in trying to help me.''
''Yeah, he's also really slimy about it,'' Ron replied. ''Good thing that you've already solved the egg.''
''I still wouldn't have been tempted to accept help from a total stranger, certainly not one who is part of the Ministry.''
They drank out their mugs and left, going from shop to shop to refill their school supplies, sweets and prank items. Afterwards, the three of them spent a nice long afternoon at Hagrids' place. Hagrid finally agreed to listen to Harry's enthusiastic talk about the upcoming task when Harry made clear that he wasn't there to get hints or help, so it was entirely safe for the man. It was absolutely great to see Hagrid beaming with pride and spurring him on to win this Tournament. He promised to do his best and followed up with that by having another practice session with Ron and a swim in the lake to test the warming charms he'd been practising. Until his ritual succeeded, he had no idea how his body would be affected by the water, so it was better to be safe than sorry.
During classes, his attention was waning more than he'd wanted. There were so many factors to take into account when diving into the lake that he spent most hours of his more useless classes -History of Magic and Divination- studying pages on Merfolk culture that Malfoy had recommended he read. Proper etiquette was everything, the Slytherin had said. Harry had to admit that, if he was going to waltz into their village to reclaim whatever treasure had been stolen from him, it would be good to adhere to their rules. -not touching the very bottom of the lake for the ground was where their dead rested, bringing an offering from the land above, not damaging the ecosystem unnecessarily and other snippets of information that he would not have thought of-. That was about the only thing that Malfoy was useful for though, as Harry was getting very fed up with the boy's 'teaching method'.
''Just do it right!'' Malfoy screamed at Harry, who was standing to his stomach in the freezing water with a fish in his hands. ''You're such an idiot!''
''Wow,'' Harry spoke on a bored tone. ''What original insults Malfoy. Did you get that from your dad? Step up your game.'' He let the fish slip back in the water, watching as it splashed away. ''You know, I have to say that this ritual doesn't make much sense. Weren't Merfolk all about 'not damaging any of our plants and animals?'''
''Maybe, but they also like dragging people down and eating them so there's that,'' Malfoy grinned. ''Be careful of their teeth.''
''Great. I'm done here for today, I've got other places to be. You also don't have to come here with me every single time you know? I know I'm irresistible, but get a life Malfoy.'' He ruffled his hair to get the water out and trudged back on land. ''I'll manage.''
''Fine,'' the blond huffed. ''Not sure why I even bothered, you're obviously not up to such advanced magic.'' He stomped away in a very un-Malfoyish manner. Harry thought it was taking a toll on the boy to try and be nice to anyone in his life for once. Good, even Voldemort wouldn't tolerate this kind of behaviour and if Malfoy wanted to have a chance of following in his father's footsteps, he'd better stop with being so childish. Harry sat down on the beach, watching the sun glitter on the water as he let his shorts dry. Only a few weeks left... he wasn't overly worried anymore. Even if this ritual failed -which would be a shame since it was the only dark spell that he currently had in his repertoire for this task- he could always switch to using the Bubblehead charm that Dixie had taught him. It was a bit smaller than it should be, but considering the fact that it was a spell two years above his current level, he was satisfied with the result.
He wondered if Cedric had solved the clue by himself or if he'd gone to Fleur. Unlike last time, he hadn't felt like he had to tell the Hufflepuff of his own findings, knowing that Cedric wouldn't be left in the dark either way. He hadn't met with the other Champions an awful lot anymore, with the exception of Viktor, who often accompanied Hermione. He raked his hands through the wet pebbles, liking the sound of the small stones clicking against each other.
''You're relaxing a lot more than you ought to.'' Harry whirled around at the rough voice, not knowing how to react when he saw Barty standing behind him, leaning on his heavy walking stick. ''No need to get up,'' the man spoke, shuffling closer. ''So, things are going well?''
''Mostly,'' Harry curtly said, picking up a stone and skipping it across the surface of the water. ''I found out what the task is and two different ways to breathe underwater, one of which would suit His purposes better. Unluckily, Malfoy is a shit teacher and I cannot seem to grasp the right moment in which to use my magic for it to succeed.''
Barty remained silent for a very long time before he finally spoke again. ''I've missed you kid. I'm sorry for blowing up at you. I made myself guilty of exactly what I despise in others, completely forgetting about the part where nothing in this war was or should be on your shoulders until you grow older and actively decide to. Forcing you to prove yourself in this tournament... perhaps I should have tried to change His mind about it.''
Harry clenched and unclenched his fists. He'd had such a great angry speech prepared for when Barty would come back, and now the man had taken away all incentive to deliver it with his apology. ''All good,'' Harry softly said instead. ''I've come to terms with it. And what better way to prove that I am capable? I'm in the middle of this, whether I want to be or not. Even if He would tell me I could move to a sunny island and live out the rest of my life there, Dumbledore sure as hell isn't going to let me, nor will the rest of the Wizarding World if word ever spreads that He is back... And word will spread eventually. I'm not the only person who can slip up, nor is Dumbledore blind.'' He moved to make room for Barty, who had trouble sitting down due to his wooden leg. ''Promise me that we'll have a snowball fight next year and I'll forgive you,'' Harry smiled.
''Promise. Even if that means I'll have to kidnap you from Hogwarts and have a one-on-one battle under our Lord's nose.'' Harry laughed out loud at that. ''And before you ask, I managed to cover for your slip-up at Yule. Karkaroff forgot those last few lines you've said and is back on guard like before, hoping against his better judgement that the Dark Lord will never return. We'll see how long it lasts until he gets information from other sources.''
''And Snape?''
''He doesn't believe a word about you being intelligent or powerful enough to do anything by yourself, least of all aid your supposed enemies without Dumbledore noticing. I'll still keep an eye on him during the school year though. Speaking of Yule, here, your very late present.'' Interested, Harry took the package that Barty had just dug up out of his pocket. ''I cannot always be here with you, when the school year ends I'll have to go. This ensures that you can still ask for my help, I've enjoyed teaching you and would like to continue doing so.'' Harry unwrapped the cloth to reveal a small hand mirror. ''Two-way mirrors. I have the other half of the pair. If you ever want to see me, just call my name and my mirror will flash to signal me.''
''That... wow, thank you. I hadn't even thought of that you wouldn't be staying at Hogwarts forever.''
''The job is cursed,'' Barty shrugged. ''That's a fact, not merely a rumour. If I wouldn't have told Dumbledore that I'd only be staying for a year up front, who knows what would happen at the end of the school year. I'm surprised that the Headmaster never tried to rebrand the course to erase the problem.''
''Would that work?''
''It looks to me as if a mixture of the taboo curse, a fate ring and identifying spells are in play, so yes, the most obvious way to get out of it would be to erase the subject and create a new, similar one. I don't think Dumbledore ever tried.''
''Strange, one would think that he'd get tired of hiring different teachers every year.''
''Perhaps. Then again, I've heard rumours in the staff room that at least on several occasions, the curse was used to get rid of certain individuals. McGonagall still swears by that Dumbledore knew that this Lockhart fellow was a fraud and only gave him the position to reveal his true nature, which happened.''
''It doesn't make sense though, why would he have hired professor Lupin then?'' Harry wondered aloud.
''Oh, what could possibly be the reason for Dumbledore trying to get rid of a werewolf that was close to the person who had just broken out of Azkaban, who was in Azkaban in the first place partially due to Dumbledore?'' Barty snorted. ''It wasn't a coincidence that Lupin was hired right after news of Black's escape leaked. Sure, he may have sold it to the man as a way to keep safe from a murderer, but then why put him in a teaching position that is sure to enable him only a single year of protection with a possibly deadly end? As I recall from the review, Lupin mainly focused on creatures, being highly specialised in that. Did the job for Care of Magical Creatures not also open up that year? Would Lupin not have been far better suited for that than Hagrid?'' Harry stayed silent. He'd never thought about any of those things. If it had really been Dumbledore's intention to get rid of the one person who could believe in and perhaps prove Sirius' innocence, then the man was one hell of a slick manipulator.
''And what about Moody himself then? I've heard that he has been old friends with Dumbledore.''
''He's become more paranoid over the years, often causing trouble that the Headmaster had to get him out of. I figure that Moody was becoming too much of a risky factor to keep running about. Of course, as I said, I can hopefully avoid any negative consequences since I said from the start that I wouldn't be staying.''
''And if not?'' Harry asked with worry. Barty grinned and ruffled his hair.
''No worries about that kid, I'll do anything for our cause.''
''That is exactly what worries me!'' he got up, upset at even the thought of something happening to the Death Eater. ''Whatever happens, you just promised me that we'd have a snowball fight next year so that means you'll have to live beyond summer and be in good shape, okay?'' Harry didn't care how childish that sounded, he couldn't lose Barty.
The man let out a rumbling laugh. ''Alright kid. Now how about you show me what Malfoy was trying to get through your thick skull and I see if I'll do a better job at teaching it to you?''
The crowd roared as Harry ran along the edge of the glistening lake, towards the large grandstands that, rose upwards on the other side like colourful towers. How could he have overslept on a day like this? And why hadn't Ron woken him up? He finally arrived, tongue on his heels, trying to get some air. Percy threw him a scornful look for being late, and Ludo Bagman of all people tried to save the situation. Harry quickly took his place among the other Champions, who were all already shivering on the beach. He couldn't see either Ron or Hermione anywhere, which was slightly disheartening. Only at this very moment did Harry realise that he'd forgotten entirely to figure out what he would actually need to find. Before panic could take over, he focused on stripping down to his swimming trunks and then waited, feet digging into the unpleasantly cold, wet sand, sharp pieces of stone cutting into skin and grains of sand wedging their way in between his toes.
''The Champions have one hour to find what was taken from them!'' Bagman shouted, apparently not willing to make it any easier. ''On your marks. One. Two, Three!'' The three other Champions dove in to the lake and started swimming. Harry only waded into the water part of the way and drew his wand, first casting warming charms and then pointing it at the surface. ''Accio Perch!'' he shouted. In his past visits to the lake, Harry had become rather good at catching fish. He knew now which species were most abundant and where their favourite spots were. The bright red fins lit up in the sunlight as a fish shot out of the water and landed in Harry's hand, scales gleaming in the sun. After getting used to it, holding a slippery fish bare-handed wasn't that different from catching a struggling snitch at the speed of a hundred miles per hour. The crowd in front of him murmured as he trudged back up to the beach, grasping the fish tightly still in one hand as he started drawing a circle of laguz runes in the rough sand.
It was a strange sensation, Harry found. During practise, he'd done this a dozen times already, yet now that he had hundreds of eyes on him, he was aware of how severe of a taboo he was breaking. Sweat broke out on his back, as he was fully aware of the backlash this would bring. With the last Task he had been subtle, yet still not subtle enough for Dumbledore. This was on a whole different level that had made Harry wonder if Voldemort would even agree to how openly he practised dark magic. Barty, of course, loved it. With a quick slash, Harry cut open the fish from head to tail, its blood instantly being sucked up by ground, forming large blooms on the sand. He could hear gasps, cries of outrage, then a pressing silence. Hypocrisy, the boy decided. How many dead animals did each of them have to use every day when brewing potions? How many people had wished for Hagrid's monstrous creatures to be killed? How many more did they eat?
Harry considered himself to be a compassionate person. He still could not find it within himself to feel very bad for the perch in front of him. Ever since Aunt Petunia had brought him a bucket with live fish for Harry to freshly prepare for one of her fancy dinner parties, he'd seen the animals as little but food. And whether one killed for food, or killed to practise magic wasn't so different... though he would still draw the line at animals that he otherwise also would not eat. He wished to look up, to see what face Malfoy was making now, whom Harry had entirely replaced as a teacher with Barty. Perhaps unfair to the Slytherin... well, he shouldn't have been so abhorrent at teaching then.
'' Thes cwealmdréor, eftfléwende ionna waeter.''His voice carried far, rolling over the lake, each syllable pronounced with the perfection that Barty had drilled into him. Words from a thousand years ago, the first line in Anglo-Saxon that had been given to Armand Malfoy by the merfolk to complete their contract, sung by those few who had mastered the human tongue. Bloodied hands were withdrawn from the corpse and lifted to his face, the sharp tang of the liquid filling his nose as Harry smeared it over his cheeks and neck. It was oddly warm for having come from a cold-blooded creature. Perhaps it was due to the icy February wind being even worse, which now picked up, chilling him to the bone despite his warming charms. Turning to the water again, he spoke the second line, in Latin this time, a sign of two cultures that had mixed for the first time in history. ''Mutatio to huius animalis corporis.''
The surreal experience started as quickly as always. Vivid shades bloomed in a world that turned hostile. Water embraced newly formed skin, enclosing over the strange creature it had greeted so often in the past weeks, sleek scales covering and replacing skin. The current was palpable in a way no human could ever have imagined as Harry shot through the water, his fresh shimmering armour sparkling as he glided just below the surface. Everything here was astonishing, from the spectrum of new colours that was now visible, to the way he could see an entirely different kind of earth unfold beneath him. Harry was flying without needing a Firebolt, without feeling the cold anymore, propelling himself forward with such speed and freedom that bubbles of laughter escaped from his mouth. The leftover oxygen was rendered superfluous due to his newly acquired gills.
As hard as it was to control the excitement rushing through his veins, Harry managed to calm down after a few wasted minutes. There wasn't enough time to play around, not now. Thus, he began to head into the direction where he knew the village should be roughly located. It was still very much guesswork, as many spells, including this one, became useless underwater in the first place. Since the Black Lake was, well, a lake, there wasn't an incredibly strong movement in the water, but there still were currents caused by deep springs and several brooks that flooded to and from it. That, combined with the increased pressure and heaviness of the water, ensured that his wand didn't move one bit when asked to spin around. Instead, he'd used a skill called 'triangulation' that Ron had heard of from Charlie and which was used to find the location of missing dragons. He'd gone to several spots all across the lake and used the spell to point his wand into the direction of the village every time, drawing up a map to find out where the points crossed. Combined with a new friend that Harry had found while being a fish - a sense of direction -, he hoped that he'd be able to find what he was looking for in the short amount of time he had before he'd need to resurface.
It had been a good decision to keep swimming close to the surface. He came across no trouble at all. No monsters that could drag him into the weeds, no ambushes as he swam in an open space with clear visibility, and also no other Champions. This might well be the easiest Task yet, Harry decided. Grinning, he started diving when he thought to have arrived at the correct location. Having never tested out the result of Malfoy's ritual to its fullest extent, Harry was surprised by just how deep the waters were. There seemed to be no end to the pit that he sank deeper into...
A movement below caught his eye. Had that rock just moved? And the one next to it? Hesitantly, Harry halted, knowing full well that he could not afford to lose much time. Still, he spread his arms, the bright red fins and webs between his fingers that he'd stolen from the perch stopping his descend. It was a good thing too, for the next moment, Harry witnessed the entire ground move. It rose up in waves, stones tumbling over each other, sand being thrown around and drifting up into the water. Harry gripped his wand tightly and positioned himself so that he could still decide between attacking and fleeing. If he could have accidentally swallowed water, that certainly would have happened when the teen finally realised just what was happening. Ever so slowly, a part of the bottom of the lake shifted and unfurled, revealing to be a very muddy tentacle of such a size that Harry wouldn't be shocked if it could encase the entirety of Gryffindor Tower. He was atop the Giant Squid.
This was not a situation that he was very prepared for. Ron had practised spells with him against smaller, aggressive targets, instantly ruling out the Squid as a threat as it did not attack humans. The only problem was that Harry wasn't fully human anymore. Harry ducked under a tentacle that was swung his way, realising that he knew little to nothing about Squids. Where was its mouth? how many arms did it have? What was its preferred food?
He had not expected to get an answer on all three of those questions at once, but luck was always a fickle thing when it came to him. The squid positioned itself so that the teen stared right into its sharp opened beak that sat in the middle of its eight arms that attempted to cage him, while two much longer tentacles with barbs at the end blocked the way behind. With horror, Harry watched the rows and rows of moving suckers come closer, trying to keep him in place, a silver confinement of doom. The only thing he could do was trying to slip through the opening in between the arms and trying to blast his way out when they closed too tightly. His explosion turned into a jet of boiling water, which still fulfilled its intended purpose, but also hurt Harry himself when he was forced to swim through it to escape. His heart beat wildly in his chest as he rocketed away as fast as he could, not caring about exhaustion. Ending up as a squid meal was not a way in which he'd like to leave this earth. The massive beast behind him cried, and the noise sounded as if it came straight from hell, more terrifying than a banshee and certainly louder than the wailing that had come from the egg. Harry had never heard it make any noise before apart from a couple of blubbers in the water as it begged for food from students. This, this sounded as if it didn't belong on this earth. Nothing in existence could possibly produce such a howl. Terror overwhelmed the teen, who froze as he watched the arms flail about as the squid distanced itself, swallowed up by the muddy waters.
From that moment, Harry flinched at any shadow, afraid of that it would be another tentacle trying to grab onto his tail. A curl of kelp burned under his wand the instant it drifted too close, the touch reminding him too much of the monsters that lurked in these waters. The stunning habitat had turned ugly as soon as Harry's illusionary bubble of safety had burst. When the rocks finally turned into something more than mere pieces of stone and singing became audible, Harry had to hold himself back from attacking all that moved. Fish flashed around here, possibly seeking the protection of the inhabitants of the Merfolk's village. Harry found that the shaggy buildings looked more like temporary nests than anything else, gigantic rocks having been hollowed out here and there, the natural shape of the stone kept intact. The only sign of intelligent design were the gardens, plants flowering further below the surface than actually possible, kept upright with the aid of sticks, low driftwood fences showing what belonged together. He tried to calm himself down, tried to not think of the fact that he had only completed half of the journey and chances of running into that again were very present. Swimming over to a rather flat stone, he reached into the sides of his swimming trunks and pulled out his gift from 'the world above' as was proper: a small crystal ball that he'd only used once for Divination before he'd decided that he never would have the Seeing eye and only made up his visions from that point onwards whenever required for homework.
''An hour long you'll have to look...''
And how much of that hour had passed now? He'd lost count of his precious minutes... A shiver went down his spine as he swam past a large rock with carvings of the Giant Squid, hunted by Merpeople. At least they had one common enemy now... Wary eyes followed him from cavities in the rocks. With thudding heart, he came ever closer to the centre of the unexpectedly large village, more and more Merpeople daring to venture out. All of Harry's illusions of pretty mermaids as seen in Muggle fairytale books at his elementary school had already been disillusioned by both Malfoy and Barty, but mere descriptions could not have prepared him for the alien sight in front of him. Harry could see why the creatures would have protested the Ministry's description of them being 'humanoid'. They might have heads, a torso and arms, to call them human in any form was too much of a stretch to be believable. Their skin had sickly grey, green and yellowish tints that blended in with the algae and aquatic mosses that covered their homes, their faces resembled that of a fish far more and their hands were as webbed as Harry's in the teen's current state.
Large, opened eyes and grinning mouths with spiky teeth followed his every move as he finally reached where he'd been led to: a chorus of armed Merpeople swimming around a gigantic statue of one of their kind, people tied around its tail. So this was why neither Ron nor Hermione had been cheering him on: both were part of the event. So was Cedric's girlfriend, and a little girl that could be none but Fleur's little sister Gabrielle about whom she'd talked at a few points during the after-Yule party. What were the requirements for the people they had picked, Harry wondered. The song had spoken of something precious, and he could certainly see why Ron had been chosen for him if that was the case, but he was confused about the rest. Viktor and Cedric had both not been together with their new crushes for very long, it would be strange if a truly deep bond could have developed. On the other hand, Fleur had friends here as well like Lovette, and was generally liked by those who weren't busy being jealous, so if only a shallow bond was required, surely they could have picked someone else than her sister? He concluded that either Viktor and Cedric had fallen harder for their girlfriends than Harry could imagine, or Fleur had a very lonely life indeed that the only person she could truly care about was her sister. Had they had to get the girl all the way from France since not even Fleur's best friends turned out to be important to her?
Harry stared at Gabrielle's sleeping, angelic face, the water turning her skin a pearly white that didn't look healthy. Bubbles trickled from her mouth, few and far between. Harry's hands trembled as he reached out, hissing as a sharp spear prodded in his side. ''Not yours!'' A single bubble drifted past the girl's bluish lips again, and Harry became frantic, not knowing what to do. He'd finally read about Veela in order to find more about Fleur. They were a type of shape-shifting nymph that could live on both land and water, preferring deep lakes and streams. Like most magical creatures, spells on them did not always work the same as on humans either. And while instincts would pull them to water, partial-Veela like Fleur and Gabrielle were not able to breathe anything else than air.
As fast as he could, Harry went to Ron and used his wand to try and cut the slippery ropes of kelp. The Merfolk would surely hinder him if he tried to free Gabrielle, so he needed to ensure that his 'own' person was freed first. He cursed as his cutting spell didn't come as easy in this environment, though knew better than to try and touch anything on the ground, no matter how tempting that sharp-edged stone below him looked. After another few minutes, Ron finally was free, and Harry ensured that the sleeping redhead would not drift away by keeping a firm grip on the end of the ropes. As he turned to Gabrielle again, he saw that her eyelids were already fluttering dangerously. He frantically looked around, having no idea what was taking the others so long. Sure, he was fast in his current form, much faster than they would be if they really did only rely on a bubble-head charm and swam with their normal bodies. Looking back, he checked on Cho and Hermione. This was a task, he tried to tell himself. Only a test for all of them, there was no way that these people would be left here as prisoners of the Merfolk. Malfoy's words: ''Don't be stupid Potter, it's a song'', rang clearly through his mind. That was only his rational side however, his emotions went wild as he saw pictures in his mind of a dead, drowned Hermione, Ron screaming at Harry for not saving her when he had the chance.
Was it possible to hyperventilate with gills? Harry's vision got darker, almost as if he had a tunnel-view, and he felt a sharp sting in his lungs. He needed to calm down, look at Gabrielle again, perhaps wait here for the other Champions and debate what to do...
''Your time is almost gone'' the choir sang, and Harry's heart sank. He hadn't been able to keep track of time anymore at all. This had not been planned... the ritual had taking ten minutes tops, so he'd spent perhaps half an hour already in his current form? Or forty minutes? This was bad, very bad. Why had he always broken off the spell soon after succeeding it? Why had he not listened to Barty's advise of trying to see how long it would last exactly instead of being afraid of being seen? Malfoy had said something about fifty minutes though, hadn't he? So Harry should still have a bit of time. A second sting in his chest followed that told the teen otherwise. Water rushed through his gills once more before he was left in pitch-black water that turned so cold that it nearly paralysed him, with nothing to breathe.
Something large swam past Harry, something that he couldn't properly see now. Not in this light, certainly not without his glasses. He struggled to lift his wand to his face now his body had lost its webbing and tail, making all of his movements sluggish, the unbearable pressure of the water also working against him. ''Sanu...spirant...'' he managed to blubber out, desperately hoping that he wasn't wasting his last bit of oxygen on this. In the next moment, his lungs filled with gorgeous air as the bubble-head charm enclosed over his face. Or well... better said, a tiny bubble barely covered his lips. The charm, which was understandably only taught to sixth years, was incredibly difficult to manage and unfortunately not one that Harry could miraculously perform well like the Patronus Charm. He'd managed a much better one before, easing his worries... perhaps he should have practised more. Now, under water and under pressure -both literally and figuratively- his previous results appeared laughably unmanageable. With a bitter taste in his mouth, he had to admit that his current bubble did not hold enough air to last for the trip back. Attempting the charm again was also out if he wished to bring both Ron and Gabrielle to safety, leaving no room for holding his wand anymore. He would need to strap it to his arm while keeping the tip lit to see anything.
Commotion sounded in the direction of the statue and Harry lit up his wand with a Lumos, which worked surprisingly well. It only held three people now: The shape he'd seen before must have been Viktor, for Hermione's place was empty. Harry had far more pressing matters however, for Gabrielle was awake and struggling, eyes opened wide in blind panic. Racing towards her, he conjured a bubble over her face as well, momentarily being shrouded in darkness again. He wished to speak to her, to calm her down somehow as soon as he could see her again, but no regular words left his lips despite the bubble. The Merfolk, possibly scared of the spells on Gabrielle failing, did not stop him this time as he loosened her ropes, several scaly hands even joining in to untangle the thick, slimy plants.
Another shape appeared now. Cedric. Harry sighed in relief and waited, realising far too late - after Cho had been cut loose and Cedric was already turning around to leave, that the older boy of course couldn't see much either and Harry's wildly waving wand wasn't helping much. Thus, he completely missed his opportunity, even as his bubble rapidly dwindled. Finally, Gabrielle was loose and Harry started dragging the both of them behind him, struggling to swim upwards now he no longer had a tail and was weighed down by two bodies, one of whom was awake, panicking and clearly not able to swim, clinging onto the ropes. Harry felt tears of frustration welling up in his eyes -having had no idea that such a thing was even possible underwater-. He ignored the Merfolk, who were swimming with them now, watching passively as he cried out and dragged the ropes, knowing very well that he would never make it to the surface in time.
Then, in a sudden moment of clarity, he stilled and turned to face the nearest creature, gazing into the staring, glazed-over eyes. He hooked his legs around the ropes to have his hands free, shot a mental prayer out to everything that was holy and moved his hands so that his left one was flat and his right on top of that with a thumb stuck in the air, which he then slowly moved to his chest, only to move it to his chin and away from him in a sharp motion with open hand. One long moment, all of them stilled, as if he was suddenly drifting amidst a school of fish that had frozen over and were stuck in invisible ice. Then, they burst apart in excitement, one grabbing the kelp ropes and another taking hold of Harry's torso. A necklace of plants and engraved teeth was thrown over his head. Harry closed his eyes as he felt water enter his mouth again in the same moment that they started to move, propelling him towards the surface. Shouldn't his lungs explode by now?
He came to on the beach, surrounded by concerned faces. Groaning, he tried to sit up but was pushed down again. Garbled screeching was to be heard and Harry turned his head, only to see three different Merpeople lying in the water close to him, Dumbledore kneeling next to one who looked like their leader, a female who was adorned with many more decorations than any he'd seen before. Turning his head once more to search for Ron and Gabrielle, the first person in view was actually Malfoy, who was listening in on Dumbledore's conversation with open interest. Really, trying to be a little less obvious would do some good... Not that Harry was one to talk. The sand was still red with blood from his ritual.
He barely noticed anything that happened after, as he was rushed into the medical tent. He vaguely heard something about Fleur being disqualified. Madame Pomfrey rushed about while Harry had the feeling that he was sinking in and out of consciousness, barely able to lift his head and think, every single sound reaching his brain as if through a filter, slower and slower until he sank into a much deeper state of drowsiness, where even the memories of the wailing Squid couldn't haunt his ears anymore.
So, hope you guys liked my take on the Second Task and that it wasn't too rushed, I really didn't want to split this into two chapters.
Since my Bèta was wondering: The thing with the background story of the Malfoy family is half canon, half tumblr headcanons. Armand Malfoy did indeed arrive in Britain with William the Conqueror, but their connections with Merfolk isn't canon anywhere.
About Fleur's sister: I know that this isn't a Veela trait in canon, but since Veela come from the slavic Vila, which are water spirits and also live in water, I thought it would make sense for her as a Part-Veela to have some problems.
As for the ritual: Thes cwealmdréor, eftfléwende ionna waeter, Mutatio to huius animalis corporis means something along the lines of 'This blood shed in death, flowing back within water, change into this animal's body.'. Forgive me for any mistakes, I speak neither Anglo-Saxon nor Latin and this was the result of spitting through online dictionaries and grammar explanations for a couple of hours.
Please Read and Review!
xx GeMerope