It was either Snape, Aquila, or Draco be used as Phoenix's hostage. I considered Snape but… decided to mess with Draco and give Phoenix a reason to be protective of him for a change.

The Second Task

Phoenix shivered the second she looked at the lake but then froze, her eyes going wide. Snape misunderstood and started to rub her shoulders, knowing that cold brought back the memories he wished he could make disappear.

"Snape… where is Draco?" Phoenix asked slowly.

Karkaroff went rigid, stopping mid-sentence when he was talking with Victor. "You didn't…" He muttered, turning to look at Dumbledore.

"I had to use someone, Igor!" Dumbledore sighed. "And I was fairly certain that using Aquila would get me killed without question."

"Igor…" Phoenix called slowly, now knowing that she was sensing correctly.

"It vasn't me!" Karkaroff cried as he put Victor between him and the girl. "I know not to test vou, Angel."

"Explain." Phoenix demanded, looking seconds away from killing someone.

"Each champion had someone taken from them, Phoenix. It's a part of the challenge." Dumbledore stated. "They are that which is to be reclaimed. But they are in no danger. I swear it."

Fleur's eyes went wide and she had to be restrained to keep from jumping in early. "My sister is down zere?" She shrieked. "She cannot swim! Madame Maxine, how could you allow this? How could you?"

"Where is my Her-My-Knee, Karkaroff?" Victor snarled slowly, causing the headmaster in question to edge away from his own student in fear.

"We'll get them." Phoenix called, looking at the other champions. "The sooner we get them the sooner they'll all be out of the freezing water."

The same thing they'd been told a minute before was explained by Bagman who was yet again commentating. All but the champions left the platform, the five of them crouching down to get ready upon command.

Phoenix wore a tight spandex short dress that had large slits going up both sides. There were no sleeves. Her scarred arms were plane for everyone to see. The other champions were momentarily distracted when Phoenix took off the cloak that kept her warm, but regained their senses and looked back to the water.

"Champions, at the count of three!" Bagman called. "Please perform all charms needed before entering the water at this time."

Phoenix looked down at her right hand. A seal had been etched into her skin the night before and would disappear without a trace once used. She shrugged and slammed her palms together. She crouched down with her legs together, the two eventually bonding into one single long scaled appendage. Her neck tingled as gills appeared.

"And, ladies and gents, we've got ourselves a mermaid!" Bagman announced. "Now. Three. Two. ONE!"

Phoenix dove in and didn't dare slow for anything. All she would let herself think about was her brother. How long had the wimp been in this cold water? She kicked her powerful fin like a lunatic, leaving all the other champions a slowly fading trail of air-bubbles. She didn't even realize she was at her destination until her hands were on her brother's lifeless face.

"I've got you…" She whispered. She pulled out her wand, using a cutting-charm on the ropes that bound him.

She wrapped her arms around his body, yet again working her fin like mad. Every incoming creature that tried to stop them was either fin-slapped or blasted by a wand. Their fangs, claws, and tridents dug into her though never once touched Draco's body. And when she finally broke free of the plants down there, they went back to torture some other champion.

Draco woke up when they got to the surface. It took him a second to realize what was going on but then completely forgot that he was freezing his ass off. Blood. He wasn't hurt at all so that meant the blood was Phoenix's.

"Are you alright?" Draco asked quickly.

Phoenix couldn't help but laugh at the stupid question. "You've been tied to the bottom of a damn lake and you're asking if I'm alright?"

"PHOENIX!" Snape yelled. When Karkaroff attempted to restrain him, he may have broken a couple ribs with an elbow-jab. "Over here, Phoenix. Come on!"

Draco attempted to grab his sister and pull her to dry land but it was Phoenix that grabbed HIM and swam faster than he could even dream of. They were both pulled onto the platform, Snape attempting to wrap his goddaughter in a blanket but nearly getting punched in the face as she bolted to wrap her arms around her brother again.

"I'm fine, Phoenix." Draco whispered as he took a potion from Madam Pumfree and brought it to her lips. "Drink. It'll help."

Phoenix didn't even realize until then that she was freezing, shaking like she was having a seizure. She drank the potion but then went right back to clinging to her brother. She couldn't get the image of his lifeless face out of her mind.

"Gabrielle!" Fleur got Phoenix back to reality. "Gabrielle! No, she's still down there! Gabrielle!"

Madame Maxine spoke quickly in French though it barely calmed Fleur who had to be restrained so she wouldn't jump in again.

Snape knelt next to his goddaughter, carefully rubbing her shoulders through the blanket. "The girl will be fine, Phoenix. If the champions do not get their hostages, the Merpeople bring them up. They're completely safe. They remain unconscious until they get to the surface."

Phoenix muttered something no one understood but when the fin that made up the lower half of her body morphed back into two legs, everyone assumed that it was some sort of counter-spell to change her back. The bleeding in her legs from the wounds that they had when they were a solid fin nearly tripled and Madame Pumfree nearly tackled the girl as she dashed forward to heal her.

"I'm alright, Phoenix…" Draco whispered because his sister was still clinging to him as if he was crying hysterically. "I'm completely safe. Everything is fine."

Slowly, all outside the hour-time-limit, the other champions came up. Cedric and his hostage came up first, both wrapped up like mummies and having potions shoved down their throats. Phoenix covered her ears because of the deafening roar, having been too out of it before to really hear the one her own arrival had caused.

"No more bringing my family into this competition." Phoenix stated when she sensed Dumbledore was close enough to hear.

"Understood." Dumbledore stated with a nod.

Harry, having taken the egg seriously, brought up both of the remaining hostages because Fleur hadn't shown up. Though it made him last, it also earned him the respect of all the other judges. Phoenix, because of the stunt she pulled and the fact that she was well within the time-limit, got a full fifty points. Harry and Cedric both tied with 45-points. The screaming cheers were so loud that Phoenix didn't hear the other champions' scores.

Draco picked his sister up easily, carrying her all the way to the castle. Phoenix tried to refuse but then ended up falling asleep in his arms. Skeeter and several other reporters danced around the champions but Draco managed to evade by hiding his sister under his blanket and having his friends be a human-wall to shield them.

He left her just long enough for Pansy and some other girls to get her into some dry clothes before picking her up again and sitting down in front the fire. He sat down with her asleep in his arms, safe in his arms.

Hopefully, Phoenix sleeps off her bad mood… maybe. Do you wanna see Phoenix's temper get lethal on Dumbledore or someone else when she wakes up? Review and you may see what you want!