The second task of the tournament brought quite a bit of excitement, the students gathered out on the platforms, except for Harry. Harry and his friends had been surprised when he had been chosen, thinking Hermione would have been picked for Viktor. Hermione and Viktor had a decent time at the ball but it had ended there, and since Draco and Harry were close friends with him, it had been a choice between them. Though he had some friends among his classmates, he looked at Harry like almost a little brother since that summer, practicing quidditch with him all year, and he had been the choice. Gabrielle had sure enough been needed, as the person her sister was set to rescue, and Cedric's date for the ball, Ravenclaw quidditch seeker Cho Chang, was his person to recue from the lake. Severus was concerned about his son being used and had tried to convince the headmaster to use Draco or one of the Durmstang students but Harry had been chosen instead.
Draco looked worried for his boyfriend, as did their friends, as they sat up in the platforms as the event started. They had been assured that it would be no risk, that if the competitors failed to rescue their person, the merpeople would bring them up. But Draco did not like the fact that his boyfriend was down there, like Harry's dads he was concerned for things always seemed to happen to Harry, and they did no like it was Moody who had been all for Harry being down there. If there was anyone who worried them around Harry any more then the headmaster, it was Moody. He had known Harry for years, but h seemed more and more different, lately.
They noticed with shock that Fleur had to be rescued from the water, and that Viktor and Cedric were the only two left. Draco hoped more then ever that Viktor would finish this quick, both for the fact that he was kind of hoping their friend would win, and he of course wanted his boyfriend safe above the water again.
They were all shocked when someone on another platform called. "The two champions are coming up together."
Draco looked over the railing and sure enough they could see four heads about to break the surface. "What are they doing?"
The question was running through the group for it seemed strange that the champions would be coming up together, but everyone fell to silence. They could see that Cho was swimming on her own and that the two champions had the third body between them. Draco's heart went through his chest as he realized that Harry was completely unconscious between the two of them. They had been told they would be out, and they would wake when their heads hit the surface, put under a charm so they would not drown when they were down there, but they had hit the surface and Harry was out.
Viktor screamed for help as he paddled them towards the platform. "I need help, he isn't breathing. His oxygen bubble failed."
Draco ran down to the lower platform with Harry's dads. "This can't be happening."
As Harry was brought up onto the platform Severus sunk down to perform CPR on his son, Remus holding Draco back in is arms, Draco wanting to go to his boyfriend but he was kept in place. Remus was no less anxious about his son of course then Draco was, his heart was plummeting as he watched his little boy there, but he knew his husband and Sirius who had knelt to give them a hand, needed room to perform cpr and if Harry was going to make it, they needed to work fast. Draco clung to his Uncle in desperation, praying that it would work.
Both Cedric and Viktor were shaken, admitting they had got to their captives around the same time. Cedric had been about to leave when Viktor alerted him to the fact that Harry's bubble had burst, and that he had woken, starting to panic. Cedric had remained behind to help him, knowing the two of them, even with Cho, was quicker and knowing what was happening, the merpeople had made sure they had a clear path back to the surface.
Severus sighed in relief s his son began coughing up the water and breathing on his own. "Oh thank Merlin cub, you had us so worried."
Harry was slipping into unconsciousness fast but clung to his father. "Dad, what happened?"
Though they all wanted answers they took an unconscious Harry back to the school, and the infirmary. The boys had almost scored the same, but Cedric had been rewarded, as Viktor argued for it, extra points for staying behind and helping with Harry. As Poppy was checking Harry out, getting potions in him and putting him on oxygen for the night as a precaution, Severus and the two marauders demanded answers from the headmaster at how this could have happened to their son.
Albus sighed. "Unfortunately there are always risks with those kinds of spells, there is a chance when the boys were freeing their captives, they burst the spell."
Severus snarled at the old man. "I told you I did not want my son down there and you swore there was no risk to him. You call nearly drowning, no risk?"
The headmaster at least seemed to have the sense to know he was not wanted there right now and he slid away. Poppy assured them Harry would be released the next day when he woke but she suggested he go home to their rooms, and spend a few days getting some rest, till his energy was back to normal. Everyone was just relieved he was okay, especially Draco who had been barely breathing until he heard that.
Severus put an arm around his godson. "He will be okay Draco. You know we will make sure he remains safe."
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
It was well past midnight and Severus and Remus were asleep in chairs next to his bed, fed sleeping draughts in their food by Poppy, as she knew they would not. She had assured them their son would be okay, but she knew they would always worry, and she assumed if she was a parent, she would have been the same. She had come to care about Harry quite deeply, and knew he wanted or at least was thinking of becoming a healer one day, and she too was shaken by his close call. She had reminded them he would be out till morning, and she would be here, and though they got Draco to go down to bed, they would not leave their son.
Two figures slipped into the room and looked down at Harry lying in the bed, not worried about the dads, they were alerted they had been put out for the night. They watched the boy sleeping and one placed a hand down on him and caressed him for a moment.
He turned to look at his companion. "You were just to scare the boy, not almost kill him. If not for the Diggory boy, he would likely have died."
His companion smirked. "You know I need him alive as much as you do, I knew the boy would be rescued. Do not lose sight of what we are doing."
The two men slipped away for they knew that Poppy would soon come to check, relieved their plan had worked, the second man not as sure as he let on that Harry would have survived. They both had very different motives, the first man not knowing his companion's true motives, but Harry's little brush with death had worked out perfectly and they knew their plans were right on track.
The first man turned to the other before he headed to his tower. "No more such close calls. We can't always count on the children being as quick as today."
