Chapter Twenty Five
A/N: Thank you to X-Sammii-X, Elizabeth Grace Santos and LauraB90 for reviewing the last chapter.
Allie's heart was pounding against her chest, the sound resonating through her ears as it did through the water. For the first time since the beginning of the Task, she froze, unable to move. The idea of the Second Task had always been to use the competitors' feelings against them. She had never thought it was effective; not until now.
Seeing Harry so lifeless, so vulnerable, sent a shock of pain coursing through her veins. An image came to the front of her mind, the memory of Voldemort's army gathering in the courtyard, Harry lying limp in Hagrid's arms as his followers looked on in despair, devoid of hope or happiness. She had felt her heart shatter that day; now the same was happening all over again.
Allie tried to concentrate on the task at hand, banishing all thoughts of the Battle of Hogwarts to the back of her mind, as best she could manage to. She had to get Harry free and return to the surface. Then everything would be fine again.
Swimming a full circle around him, the young woman surveyed the ropes binding him to the bed of the lake. They appeared to be made of seaweed and flimsy at best. She gave them an experimental tug and felt them give a little under the pressure. 'I can do this.' she thought. 'I can do this.'
Allie planted both hands firmly on the rope and began to pull it apart. The rope, it appeared, was not as weak as she had first thought and the task was difficult, but she persevered. 'If I don't,' she thought. 'Then I've lost Harry, and I will not let that happen.'
Precious minutes trickled away, and the girl was so focused on what she was doing that she did not notice another competitor pass her until they had begun to swim away. Seeing a flash of blonde hair, she turned, hoping to see that Draco had taken their mother. But Narcissa was still there, still trapped. Instead, it was her aunt who had been taken. 'At least Monique is safe.' she thought, trying to remain positive. It was becoming more difficult by the second.
She turned her attention back to the ropes and began to shake her head. She had barely undone one of the ropes; there were still three remaining and time was running out. Allie had no idea how long she had remaining of the Task, but she was sure that she did not have as long as she wanted. 'I have to hurry up.' she told herself, and cursed the useless voice at the back of her mind. She knew that she had to be faster. She just did not know how to be.
Another movement caught her attention, as she saw Neville swimming slowly towards the rocks. He looked exhausted and Allie felt her heart break for him. She still had most of her energy left and was finding the Task extremely difficult to accomplish. She truly did not know if Neville could succeed when he was so tired. Allie gave the boy a smile, not knowing whether it was visible or not, but the nod he gave her seemed to imply he appreciated the gesture.
With a renewed strength, Allie pulled the ropes, swimming away with the ropes in hand to aid in pulling them apart. The fibres beginning to split apart motivated her further and she pulled with all her might until finally they gave, the movement sending ripples through the water. Allie gave a small sigh of relief, wrapping Harry in her arms, taking a brief moment to relish the feeling before she began to swim to the surface.
After just a couple of minutes, she broke the surface, cheers erupting from the stands at her victory. She was the third Champion to return to the surface, true, but at least she had managed to complete the Task. Beside her, Harry spluttered, spitting water he had somehow managed to inhale while they were on the surface, and Allie could not help but laugh. The relief in the air was palpable, her achievement indescribable. She looked to the stand in front of her and met her father's eye. She could see his happiness clearly, the brief respite from his worries, but his smile did not quite reach his eyes. It took Allie a moment to realise why.
There were only six minutes remaining in the challenge. And Draco and Narcissa were nowhere to be seen.
Harry had reached the side now, accepting Ron's hand to get out of the water and holding a towel tight around him, just as he had done after completing the Task four years earlier. The irony was not lost on the girl considering what she would have to do now.
Allie met her father's eye once more, whispering words of love that she knew he could not possibly here. She ignored his shaking head and pleas of protest as she dived beneath the water once again.
Allie had swum halfway to the bottom of the lake before she realised her Bubblehead Charm had already popped, but she had no time to fix it now. In just five minutes, Draco's magic would run out as well, and their mother would drown before she even realised she was breathing water. 'They're more important than me now.'
So she fought her burning lungs, grateful for the ability she had to hold her breath for so long. She had never thought the skill would be tested in quite such a way, but she was grateful for it nonetheless.
It did not take long for her to find her brother, tugging violently at the ropes binding their mother to the lake bed. He had managed to snap all but two of them and was clearly becoming frustrated. She could not have cast a shadow upon them before Draco looked up to see her. 'Perhaps it's something twins can do.' she thought. 'Even those born and raised apart.'
With no time for relief or pleading, the two set to work destroying the final two ropes, barely managing to drag their mother upwards before a set of sparks exploded like fireworks above the surface. Allie winced, gesturing to her brother to hurry, before the last minute of the Task was complete. Reluctantly, Draco swam ahead, knowing he was the best chance of getting their mother out of the water alive. Allie followed close behind him, but her lungs were aflame with such force that it seemed to be weighing her down. Impulsively, Allie released the breath she had been holding, immediately feeling herself grow lighter.
The last thing she saw was the flicker of sparks as her eyelids drifted closed and her body drifted slowly towards the lake bed.
A/N: Waited two years for an update and I give you this cliffhanger, I never realised I was actually that evil! I'm so sorry guys, but I promise that this will be updated very soon! Hang in there and please review!