Chapter 36

Neville's Saving Grace

Harry didn't touch the egg until the end of the Christmas break. He was too busy with his friends, and mailing Remus and Sirius Terence's and Adrian's proposal on the pregnancy potion. The couple accepted, Sirius very happy to try something new, and the two older Slytherins had made plans to deliver the potion by the end of January. It was the last day of the break and he was staring at the egg on his night stand. He was laying on his bed, a book in front of him, and he just looked up and stared at the egg that was mocking him during the Christmas Break. Harry decided that enough was enough, and that night he planned to listen to Cedric's advice and go to the prefect's bathroom. Harry thought to take the Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's map, to make sure that nobody saw him and he had a fair warning of anyone else. He told Draco his plans, and though the Malfoy wanted to come with him, Harry convinced him that it would be easier if it was just Harry, as he just wanted to get in and out.

Harry put on the cloak in the dormitory and crept down the stairs, avoiding the older Slytherins as they joked with each other. Harry could have sworn he heard several insults about the other Houses and him including. He walked out of the entrance, no one noticing the stone wall opening and closing, and started the trek upstairs. It was awkward moving under the cloak as he had the heavy egg in one arm and the map held in front of his nose with the other. However, the moonlight corridors were empty and silent, and by checking the map at strategic intervals, Harry was able to ensure he wouldn't run into anyone he wanted to avoid, such as Filch. When he reached the statue of Boris the Bewildered, a lost-looking wizard with his gloves on the wrong hands, he located the right door, leaned close to it, and muttered the password. "Pine fresh."

The door opened open. Harry slipped inside, bolted the door behind him, and pulled off the Invisibility Cloak, looking around. Maybe he should have brought Draco with him, he thought as he did so. It was softly lit by a splendid candle-filled chandelier, and everything was made of white marble, including what looked like an empty, rectangular swimming pool sunk into the middle of the floor. About a hundred golden taps stood all around the pool's edge, each with a different colored jewel set into its handle. Long white linen curtains hang at the windows, a large pile of fluffy white towels sat in a corner. Harry looked at personal lockers and grew curious. It appeared that Cedric was the last to use it, and that he had forgotten to lock his locker as it hung open. On top of a change of clothes was an object that Harry was sure was given by Fred and George. Harry remembered the twins talking about it with him when he turned thirteen, part of their "adult" products that Harry was still a bit too young for.

It was flesh-like in color, appearing lightly tanned, though when Harry touched it, it changed into a pale skin-tone that reminded Harry of Draco. The object was about ten inches in height, and Harry assumed that it was about five inches around. It vibrated to his touch. Embarrassed, Harry set it down and closed Cedric's locker. Harry's footsteps echoed as he moved away from Cedric's locker, wondering how he was supposed to solve the egg. He placed the egg and map at the edge of the pool and made sure his cloak was a fair way away so that it wouldn't get wet. He undressed and, naked, he walked to the taps and knelt down and turned a few on. He waited till the pool was filled with hot water, foam, and bubbles and slipped in the bath. It was so deep his feet barely touched the bottom, and he decided to try swimming along the pool, remembering what Draco had taught him during any time they got together to swim. He then swam back to the side and stared at the egg. "What am I supposed to do with you?" he muttered to himself.

"I'd try putting it in the water, if I were you."

Harry swallowed an amount of bubbles in shock. He stood up, sputtering, and saw the ghost of a very glum-looking girl sitting cross-legged on top of one of the taps. It was Moaning Myrtle.

"Myrtle!" Harry said in outrage, "I'm—I'm not wearing anything!" The foam was so dense that this hardly mattered, but he had a nasty feeling that Myrtle was spying on him from out of one of the taps ever since he arrived.

"I closed my eyes when you got in," she said blinking at him through her thick glasses. "You haven't been to see me for ages. Should have known, nasty Slytherin."

"Yes, well I'm going into a girl's bathroom voluntarily." Harry said.

"You didn't use to care," Myrtle said miserably. "You used to be in there all the time."

"Still, there's no reason to go there now is there?" Harry said.

"Oh…I see," Myrtle said hurtful. "Well…anyway…I'd try the egg in the water. That's what Cedric Diggory and that red-headed boy did."

"Have you been spying on them too?" Harry said. "What'd you do, sneak up here in the evenings and watch the prefects take baths?"

"Sometimes," Myrtle said shyly, "but I've never come out to speak to anyone before. You should see the things some of them do in here… very naughty."

"Well, I'm honored," Harry said darkly ignoring the last part. "Now would you do me a favor and get out?"

"You don't want to see me? After it's been so long!?" Myrtle said, Harry could feel that she was about to prove her namesake any second now.

Harry tried his best to ignore her and grabbed the egg from the edge. "Underwater…" Harry said to himself. He submerged the egg under the bathwater and opened it…and this time it didn't wail. A gurgling son was coming out of it, a song whose words he couldn't distinguish through the water.

"You need to put your head under too," Myrtle said, she seemed to be enjoying bossing Harry around, despite him telling her to leave. "Go on!"

Harry took a great breath and slid under the surface—and now, sitting on the marble bottom of the bubble-filled bath, he heard a chorus of eerie voices singing to him from the open egg in his hands:

"Come seek us where our voices sound,

We cannot sing above the ground,

And while you're searching, ponder this:

We've taken what you'll sorely miss,

An hour long you'll have to look,

And to recover what we took,

But past an hour—the prospect's black,

Too late, it's gone,, it won't come back."

Harry let himself float back upward and broke the bubbly surface, shaking his hair out of his eyes.

"Hear it?" Myrtle asked.

"Yeah," Harry said. "Wait…" he took another breath and sank down again, listening to the song. It took him three more underwater renditions of the egg's song before Harry had it memorized; then he trod water for a while, thinking hard, while Myrtle sat and watched him.

"I've got to go and look for people who can't use their voices above the ground…" he said slowly. "I can only hear the song underwater, so that must mean I need to go underwater? But what sort of creatures live underwater besides the giant squid?"

"Oh loads!" Myrtle interrupted. "I sometimes go down there…sometimes don't have any choice, if someone flushes my toilet when I'm not expecting it…"

Harry blanked Myrtle's voice out and thought, speaking to himself. "There must be some sort of creature down there that can have a human voice—wait a minute, what about merpeople? The second task is going to include merpeople, we have to find them and…and recover something that we'll sorely miss. What can I sorely miss? There's my Firebolt, the map, my cloak… the presents Draco gave me… my necklace,"—Harry's hand rose to the necklace that he always wore, the emerald 'M' glittering in the moonlight. Draco had reinsured Harry that there were many protective spells on the necklace so that it couldn't be ruined by anything—"but I don't think they would take something materialistic. That means—they wouldn't! Would they?"

"What Harry?" Myrtle asked, her voice dreamlike again as she floated on top of the foam and bubbles, her hand dipping into the water, but obviously not breaking the surface.

"I'm supposed to save Draco from the merpeople! But Myrtle, how am I supposed to breathe? How is Draco supposed to breathe!?"

At this, Myrtle's eyes filled with sudden tears again.

"Tactless!" she muttered, groping in her robes for a handkerchief.

"What's tactless?" Harry asked, bewildered.

"Talking about breathing in front of me!" she said shrilly, and her voice echoed loudly around the bathroom. "When I can't…when I haven't…not for ages…" She buried her face in her handkerchief and sniffed loudly. Harry remembered how touchy the ghost had always been about being dead, but none of the other ghosts he knew made such a fuss about it.

"Right, sorry." Harry said. "I forgot."

"Oh yes, very easy to forget Myrtle's dead," said Myrtle, gulping, looking at him out of swollen eyes. "Nobody missed me even when I was alive. Took them hours and hours to find my body—I know, I was sitting there waiting for them. Olive Hornby came into the bathroom—"

Harry stopped listening to her, and retreated to his own thoughts, wondering how he was supposed to save his love from merpeople. Myrtle continued to rant about how awful her death and loneliness' was, but Harry just could not care at that point. His mind was on the most important person in his world, and various ways on how he could save him. He needed to get out of the tub and sleep on it, before talking with Draco about it tomorrow. "Myrtle, I'm getting out, turn around." Harry interrupted. She huffed and turned around as Harry got the egg out first and then himself. He dried himself and the egg and redressed in his pajamas.

"Will you come and visit me in my bathroom again sometime?" Moaning Myrtle asked.

"I'll try," Harry lied as he put on the Invisibility Cloak. Without saying goodbye, he left the bathroom with the egg under his hand and map held open to his nose. He saw that Mrs. Norris and Filch were moving safely in their office, so the coast was clear. Nothing else seemed to be moving, except Peeves, but he was bouncing around the floor above near the trophy room. Harry had taken his first step back to the dungeons when something else on the map caught his eye…something distinctly odd. A single dot was flitting around a room in Snape's office, but the dot wasn't labled "Severus Snape" it was Bartemius Crouch.

Harry stared at the dot and wondered why Crouch was in Professor Snape's office alone at one in the morning. Although, now that he thought about it, Crouch wasn't at the Yule Ball was he? No, he was sick he sent a replacement… Harry tried to remember who the replacement was, his eyes and ears were too preoccupied on Draco at the time, but shrugged. He should at least investigate and make sure that Snape's potion supply was alright. Professor Snape always kept a close count on his supply. Harry also admitted to himself, that he was a bit curious to what Crouch was doing there so early in the morning.

Harry walked down the stairs quietly, though some portraits turn at the squeak of a floorboard, the rustle of his pajamas. Harry crept down the stairs, taking a shortcut that that would take him down two floors, and wondered as he watched Mr. Crouch's dot. It wouldn't be right for the law-abiding wizard to be sneaking around somebody's else's office this late at night…

And then, halfway down the staircase, not thinking about what he was doing, Harry's leg suddenly sank right through the trick step that Blaise sometimes forget to jump. He gave an ungainly wobble, and the golden egg slipped from under his arm. He leached forward to try and catch it, but it was too late. The egg fell down the long staircase with a bang as loud as a brass drum. When it reached the last step it opened up and began wailing loudly in the corridor below. Harry quickly gathered his Invisibility cloak and Map and tried to get the egg closed but immediately as he took a step—"PEEVES!"

It was the unmistakable cry of Filch the caretaker. Harry could hear his rapid footsteps coming nearer and nearer, his wheezy voice raised in fury. "What's this racket? Wake up the whole castle, will you? I'll have you Peeves, I'll have you, you'll…what is this?"

Filch's footsteps halted, there was a clink of metal on metal and the wailing stopped as Filch picked up the egg. Harry started to panic as he took a step back up the stiars, Filch is going to look up expecting to see Peeves, but nothing will be there.

"Egg? My sweet! This is a Triwizard clue! This belongs to a school champion!" Filch said to his cat Mrs. Norris. "PEEVES!" Filch roared gleefully. "You've been stealing!"

Filch looked around and said "Hiding are you? I'm coming to get you Peeves." Filch started to climb the narrow staircase and Harry started to panic again as he pressed himself as close to the wall as possible.

"Filch? What's going on?"

Filch stopped a few steps before Harry and turned. Snape was at the foot of the stairs, wearing a long gray nightshirt and looking livid. Harry didn't know if he should be grateful for his Head of House's appearance, or scared of the repercussions of Snape finding him.

"It's Peeves, Professor," Filch whispered malevolently. "he threw this egg down the stairs."

Snape climbed up the stairs quickly and stopped beside Filch. "Peeves?" Snape said softly, staring at the egg in Filch's hands. "But Peeves couldn't get into my office…"

"This egg was in your office, Professor?"

"Of course not," Snape snapped. "I heard banging and wailing—" Filch tried to interrupt Snape, but a good glare stopped him—"I was coming here to investigate and when I passed my office, I saw that the torches were lit and a cupboard door was ajar! Somebody has been searching it!"

"But Peeves couldn't—"

"I know he couldn't, Filch!" Snape snapped again. I seal my office with a spell none but a wizard could break!" Snape looked up the stairs, straight through Harry, who somehow was able to sneak a couple of steps ahead, and then down into the corridor below. "I want you to come and help me search for the intruder, Filch."

"I—yes, Professor—but—"

Filch looked yearningly up the stairs, reluctant to forgo a chance of cornering Peeves. Just go, Harry thought. Go with Snape…

"The thing is, Professor," Filch said, "the headmaster will have to listen to me this time. Peeves has been stealing from a student, it might be my chance to get him thrown out of the castle once and for all—"

"Filch, I don't give a damn about that wretched poltergeist; it's my office that's—"

Clunk. Clunk. Clunk.

Snape stopped talking very abruptly. He and Filch both looked down at the foot of the stairs. Harry saw Moody limp into sight through the narrow gap between their heads. "Pajama party, is it?" he growled up the stairs.

"Professor Snape and I heard noises, Professor." Filch said at once. "Peeves the Poltergeist, throwing things around as usual—and then Professor Snape discovered that someone had broken into his off—"

"Shut up!" Snape hissed to Filch. Moody took a step to the foot of the stairs. Harry saw Moody's magical eye travel over Snape, and then, unmistakably, onto himself. Harry's heart gave a terrible jolt as he wondered if Moody could see him. "Someone broke into your pantry?"

"Office. And yes, a student must have stolen ingredients for a most…illicit potion. It had happen before." Snape said. Moody grunted and said "Then you better go with him Filch. Wouldn't want any students blowing their fingers off. Now, if you'll give me that egg—"

"No!" Filch said, clutching the egg as though it was his firstborn son. "Professor Moody, this is evidence of Peeves' treachery!"

"It's the property of the champion he stole it from," Moody said. "Hand it over, now."

Snape swept downstairs and passed Moody without another word. Filch made a chirruping noise to Mrs. Norris, who stared blankly at Harry for a few seconds before turning and following her master. Filch handed Moody the egg and disappeared from view too. A door slammed. Harry was along with Moody, who placed his staff on the bottommost stair and started to climb laboriously toward him, a dull clunk on every other step. "Close shave, Potter." He muttered.

"Err—thanks," Harry said weakly. Moody returned Harry the egg and said "Right, bed Potter, come on, now…"

They climbed up the stairs together, Harry holding the map and egg close to his chest. They walked in silence to the door of Moody's office, where he stopped and looked at Harry. "You ever thought of a career as an Auror, Potter?"

"No," Harry said taken back.

"You want to consider it," Moody said nodding and looking at Harry thoughtfully. "Yes, indeed…and incidentally…I'm guessing you weren't just taking that egg for a walk tonight?"

"Er—no," Harry said grinning. "I've been working out the clue."

Moody winked at him, his magical eye going haywire again. "Nothing like a nighttime stroll to give you ideas, Potter. …See you in the morning. …" Moody closed the door behind him.

Harry quickly made it to the dungeons and to the stone wall which held the Slytherin Common Room. He said the password, and climbed in relief that it was empty. He made his way to his bed and took the cloak off, placing the map and egg next to his bed as he climbed in, Draco still in deep sleep as Harry took off his glasses and closed his eyes.

The next morning, as soon as Harry and Draco woke up he told Draco about what happened last night, including the song from the egg and someone stealing from Snape's supply closet. "You already worked out the clue?" Draco asked.

"Yes, but more importantly why do you think Mr. Crouch was in Professor Snape's office at one in the morning?" Harry asked as they made their way from the Great Hall to Charms class.

"I don't know, I've written to father, and he mentioned that Mr. Crouch was ill. Don't you remember Percy Weasley was at the Yule Ball instead of him?" Draco said.

"No, I was too busy trying not to trip over my own feet." Harry said. "But it is weird, Mr. Crouch being in the castle now, but not well enough to go to the Yule Ball." Harry and Draco were silent for a moment, deep in thought. Professor Flitwick had thee class practice the opposite of the Summoning Charm, the Banishing Charm, having the Slytherins and Gryffindors banishing pillows to the opposite wall of the room. Harry and Draco had decided to write to Sirius and Remus, looking for advice while the two searched for a way for Harry to survive underwater for an hour. They got permission from Professor Snape and Madam Pince to look in the Restricted Section. They found nothing whatsoever that would help Harry, and he started to feel familiar flutters of panic as he found it difficult to concentrate in class again. The lake drew his eyes whenever he was near a classroom window, a great, iron-gray mass of chilly water, whose dark and icy depths were starting to seem as distant as the moon. Time seemed to pass by faster and faster, and before he knew it there was only one day till the task and Harry was in the library stressing out.

It was night and Harry was about to tear the book in front of him as he found nothing useful again. "Hey Harry," Neville said surprising him. Harry turned around and looked at the taller Gryffindor. "Sorry to be short Neville, but unless you have a way I can breathe underwater for an hour I don't want to hear it." The Slytherin said to the shyly smiling Gryffindor.

"Well… I might know a way." Neville said. "You see, I was reading the book that Professor Moody gave to me after the first lesson? Well there's a plant in it that I found really interesting, it can be used in many potions and—"

"Neville, if it isn't going to help me—"

"But it will Harry! It's called Gillyweed." Neville said.

"Gillyweed…" Harry said.

"Yeah, and I know where to get it! I'll meet you tomorrow in front of the lake just before the tournament start." Neville said.

Without any other option, Harry agreed and closed the book in front of him. He decided that the best thing he could do now was to sleep and build up his strength for the task tomorrow. Sirius' and Remus' letter sat on the table next to his bed, offering many suggestions that Harry had looked up, all of them either too complicated or just not practical for the fourteen year old to do. Also, Sirius had gleefully added after Remus was gone that Remus had swallowed the potion the two Slytherins had sent them and they proceeded immediately to the "baby-making process" and that they are now constantly owling Adrian and Terence about their progress. Exhausted Harry sat down on his and Draco's bed and looked at the empty space in front of him. He knew that it would happen, but still seeing that Draco was now missing still filled Harry with fear. He tried his best to fall asleep. He had a nightmare about merpeople dragging Draco to the depths of the Lake, Harry screaming for them to give him back as he tried to swim after them, his lungs filling with water as his vision became black.

"Harry!" Blaise's voice yelled. Harry jerked awake and looked around, sunlight pouring into the room. "Harry! Draco's gone! And the tournament's in an hour!"

"WHAT!?" Harry yelled as he jumped out of bed.

"Draco's gone and—"

"I know he's gone." Harry said quickly, trying to recollect himself, knocking the sleep out of his mind and eyes. "He's part of the task, I have to rescue him. He's in the Lake." Harry said, dressing in his robes. He had a pair of swimming trunks underneath along with a Slytherin-green shirt that stuck to his skin. Harry grabbed his wand and said "I have to go get ready! I'll see you guys after the tournament!"

He ran up the stairs from the dungeons, past a few last-minute stragglers entering the Great Hall, and some leaving to watch the second task. Harry pushed by them and ran as fast as he could, down the lawn and towards the lake. Neville was waiting for him near the gold-draped table the judges were sitting, the other champions already there. "Harry!" Neville said, running to meet him. Harry slowed to a stop and was out of breath as Neville gave him a slimy ball of greens that was wet to touch. "Just eat that and you'll be able to breathe underwater for an hour." Neville said beaming, looking very pretty that particular morning.

"Thanks….Neville…." Harry breathed as they walked back to the table. "I'm …here…" he panted.

"Where have you been?" said a bossy, disapproving voice. "The task's about to start!"

Harry looked around. Percy Weasley was sitting at the judges' table—Mr. Crouch had failed to turn up again.

"Now, now, Percy!" Lugo Bagman said, who looked intensely relieved to see Harry. "Let the boy catch his breath! Besides, we still have time now, let's see… ah yes! A whole twenty minutes!"

Harry bent over, hands on his knees, gasping for breath; he had a stitch in his side that felt as though he had a knife between his ribs. "Right, we'll like Harry here catch his breath and we will begin!" Lugo Bagman said.

Neville helped Harry to a chair, and Harry slumped down as he took off his robe. "Nice to see you arrived momche." Viktor smirked as he walked up to Harry. He was also wearing a pair of swim trunks and shirt. Harry could see his muscles and inklings of chest hair on his huge and well-defined chest.

"Nice to see I made you smile tren'or." Harry breathed. Viktor gave a deep chuckle and his eyes shifted to Neville, who was nervously standing next to Harry. "And who do we have here?" he asked. "Harry, you did not tell me that this school was filled such pretty people?"

Neville blushed at this and Harry looked between them. "Tren'or, I mean Viktor, this is my friend Neville Longbottom. Neville, this is Viktor Krum. He's been helping me with Quidditch. He's a really great coach!"

Viktor smirked at this and said "Harry, I am only as great a couch as my student. And you are the best, my momche."

Harry and Neville blushed and Viktor said "Neville… come talk with me for a bit." Neville blushed and nodded, the two walked away from Harry. Harry just sat there and caught his breath as the crowd increased. Before Harry knew it, it was time to begin and Viktor whispered something to Neville that made him blush. Harry couldn't help but wonder if the merpeople had took the wrong person for Krum by the way the two boys were interacting. Lugo pulled Viktor away from Neville, who wished him good luck, and placed Viktor, Harry, Cedric, and Fleur ten feet from each other along the bank.

Bagman gave Harry's shoulder a squeeze and returned to the judge's table; he pointed his wand at his throat as he had done at the World Cup, said, "Sonorus!" and his voice boomed out across the dark water toward the stands. "Well, all our champions are ready for the second task, which will start with the sound of the cannon. They have precisely an hour to recover what has been taken from them. On the count of three, then. One …two…three!"

Mr. Filch had fired the canon, the bang echoing in the cold, still air; the stands erupted with cheers and applause. Harry, who was already out of his socks and shoes, pulled the handful of gillyweed out of his pocket, stuffed it into his mouth, and waded out into the lake.

He was chewing the gillyweed as hard and fast as he could ; it felt unpleasantly slimy and rubbery, like octopus tentacles. Waist-deep in the freezing water, he swallowed the gillyweed and dived inside the water. He clasped his hand onto his neck and felt two large slits just below his ears, flapping in the water as he breathed. He had gills! The first gulp of water was like a breath of life. He stretched out his hands and saw that they looked green and ghostly, becoming webbed, as well as his feet and toes. The water didn't feel icy anymore either, on the contrary, he felt pleasantly cool and very light—Harry struck out and marveled at how far and fast his flipper-like feet propelled him through the water, and noticing how clearly he could see, and how he no longer seemed to need to blink. He soon swum so far into the lake that he couldn't see the bottom.

Silence pressed upon his ears as he soared over a strange, dark, foggy landscape. He could only see about ten feet around him. Small fish flickered past him like silver darts. Once or twice he thought he saw something larger moving ahead of him, but when he got nearer, he discovered it to be nothing but a large, blackened log, or a dense clump of weed. There was no sign of any of the other champions, merpeople, or Draco, which worried Harry. Harry swam on in the darkness for what seemed like twenty minutes untile he heard a snatch of haunting mersong.

"An hour long you'll have to look,

And to recover what we took…"

Harry swam faster and soon saw a large rock emerge out of the muddy water ahead. It had paintings of merpeople on it; they were carrying spears and chasing what looked like the giant squid. Harry swam past the rock and followed the mersong. A cluster of crude stone dwellings stained with algae loomed suddenly out of the gloom on all sides. The merpeople looked at him as Harry swam towards the village square, where the hostages were kept. Four people bound tightly to the tail of a large merperson statue.

Draco was tied between Hermione and Fred. There was also a girl who looked no older than eight, whose clouds of silvery hair made Harry feel sure that she was Fleur's sister. All for of them appeared to be in a very deep sleep, their heads lolling onto their shoulders, and fine streams of bubbles kept issuing from their mouths.

Harry sped toward the hostages, half expecting the merpeople to lower their spears and charge at him, but they did nothing. The ropes of weed tying them to the statue were thick, slimy, and very strong. Harry looked around, many of the merpeople surrounding them were carrying spears. He swam swiftly toward a seven-foot-tall merman and mimed a request to borrow the spear. The merman laughed at him and said "We do not help."

"Come ON!" Harry said fiercely, but only bubbles issued from his mouth. He swam back to the statue looking for something sharp. There were rocks littering the lake bottom. He dived and snatched a particularly jagged one He began to hack at the ropes bounding Draco, and after several minutes' hard work Draco floated, unconscious, a few inches above the lake bottom. Harry looked around, wondering where the others were. Why didn't they hurry up? He turned back to Hermione, raised the jagged rock, and began to hack at her bindings too—

At once, several pairs of strong, gray hands seized him. Half a dozen mermen were pulling him away from Hermione, shaking their green-haired heads and laughing.

"Only one! Leave the others!"

"No way! They're my friends too!" Harry said furiously, large bubbles coming out. There came a sound and the merpeople pointed excitedly over his head. Harry looked up and saw Cedric swimming toward them, an enormous bubble around his head. Feeling enormously relieved, Harry watched Cedric pull a knife out of his pocket and cut Fred free. He pulled his Weasley upward and out of sight.

Harry looked around, waiting. Where were Fleur and Krum? Time was getting short, and according to the song, the hostages would be lost after an hour…

The merpeople started screething animatedly. Those holding him loosened their grip, staring behind them. Harry turned and saw something monsterous cutting through the water toward them: a human body in swimming trunks with the head of a shark. …It was Krum, he appeared to transfigured himself—but badly. The shark-man swam straight to Hermione and snapped the rope. Within seconds, Krum cut the rope and swam with Hermione towards the surface, glancing back at his student. Now what? Harry thought desperately. If he could be sure that Fleur was coming… but there were no sign. There was nothing to do but swim to the girl's rope and start cutting the rope. The merpeople shook their heads at him, but he pulled out his wand.

The merpeople stopped laughing and stared at the wand fearfully. Still holding his wand, Harry cut the rope binding the little girl and grabbed both her and Draco and kicked off from the bottom. He swam as fast as he could, his hands and feet becoming normal again as the gillyweed lost its affect. Harry looked down and saw the merpeople chasing him, spears raised to attack and Harry forced himself to swim faster. He fixed his eyes skyward, though he knew they were still deep in the lake. He was drawing breath with extreme difficulty. He could feel pain on the sides of his neck again, he was becoming very aware of how wet the water was in his mouth…yet the darkness was thinning now, he could see daylight above him.

He kicked hard with his feet, water flooding through his mouth into his lungs…he was starting to feel dizzy, but he knew light and air was only feet away. He had to get there, he had to.. Harry kicked his legs so hard and fast it felt as though his muscles were screaming in protest; his very brain felt waterlogged, he couldn't breathe, he needed oxygen, he had to keep going, he could not stop—

And then he felt his head break the surface of the lake; wonderful cold, clear air was making his wet face sting; he gulped it down greedily. Panting, he pulled Draco and the little girl up with him. All around him, wild green-haired heads were emerging out of the water with him, but they were smiling at him. The crowd was making a great deal of nose; shouting and screaming, all on their feet. Harry had the impression that the little girl and Draco were dead, but was thankfully wrong; both of them opened their eyes; the girl looked scared and confused, but Draco simply spit out a bit of water and smiled at Harry. "Took you long enough love." He said. He looked at the little girl and sighed, "Had to play the hero?"

"Fleur didn't show! I couldn't leave her!" Harry panted.

"Love, you didn't take the song seriously did you? Dumbledore wouldn't have let us drown!" Draco said as they swam to the bank with the judges' table. "The song was just to make sure you get back in the time limit."

Harry felt dreadfully embarrassed and stupid. The two helped the little girl back towards the bank where the judges stood watching, twenty mermen accompanying them like an honor's guard, singing their horrible screechy songs. Harry could see Madam Pomfrey fussing over Hermione, Viktor, Cedric, and Fred, all of whom were wrapped in thick blankets. Dumbledore and Ludo Bagman stood beaming at Harry and Draco from the bank as they swam nearer, but Percy just looked at them annoyed. Meanwhile Madame Maxime was trying to restrain Fleur Delacour, who was quite hysterical, fighting tooth and nail to return to the water.

"Gabrielle! Gabrielle! Is she alive? Is she 'urt?"

"She's fine!" Harry tried to tell her, but was too tired to speak. Dumbledore and Ludo pulled Harry and Draco out of the water, as Fleur broke free and pulled her sister. "It was ze grindylows…zey attacked me…oh Gabrielle, I thought….I thought…." Fleur and her sister hugged while Madam Pomfrey dragged Harry to the others, Draco following, both boys shivering. They wrapped a blanket around both of them and Madam Pomfrey forced a potion down Harry's throat that was very hot and made steam gush out of his ears.

"Harry, well done!" Hermione cried. "You did it, you found out how all by yourself!"

"Yeah, I did…with some help from Neville." Harry said.

"You haff a water beetle in your hair, Herm-own-ninny," Viktor said pulling out the bug. Hermione brushed the bug away and kept looking at Harry and Draco. "You're well outside the time limit, thought Harry…did it take ages to find us?"

"No, I found you okay…" Harry said, that feeling of stupidity raising. Now he was out of the water, it seemed perfectly clear that Dumbledore's safety precautions wouldn't have permitted the death of a hostage just because their champion hadn't turned up. Why didn't he just grab Draco and left? He would have been first back…Cedric and Krum hadn't wasted time worrying about anyone else; they hadn't taken the mersong seriously…

Dumbledore was in deep conversation with the chief of the merpeople, apparently he can speak Mermish, and finally he straightened up, turned to his fellow judges, and said "A conference before we give the marks, I think."

The judges went into a huddle. Fleur walked up to Harry and said breathless, "You saved 'er, even though she was not your 'ostage."

"Yeah," Harry said.

Fleur bent down, kissed Harry twice on each cheek, and said to Draco, "And you too—you 'elped—"

"I only carried her to the bank." Draco said. Fleur kissed his cheeks too and thanked them again.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our decision. Merchief Murcus has told us exactly what had happen at the bottom of the lake, and we have therefore decided to ward makrs out of fifty for each of the champions as follows…

"Fleur Delacour, though she demonstrated excellent use of the Bubble-Head Charm, was attacked by grindlylows as she approached her goal, and failed to retrieve her hostage. We aware her twenty-five points."

Applause from the stands.

"I deserve zero points," Fleur said throatily, shaking her head.

"Cedric Diggory, who also used the Bubble-Head Charm, was first to return with his hostage, though he returned one minute outside the time limit." Enormous cheers from the Hufflepuffs in the crowd; Harry saw Fred give Cedric a glowing look, kissing his cheek. "We therefore award him forty-seven points."

"Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of Transfiguration, which was nevertheless effective, and was second to return with his hostage. We award him forty points.

Karkaroff clapped particularly hard, looking very superior. Harry looked and saw Neville standing just out of view of the stands, clapping hard too, a blushing smile on his face.

"Harry Potter used gillyweed to great effect," Bagman continued. "He returned last, and well outside the time limit of an hour. However, the Merchief informs us that Mr. Potter was first to reach the hostages, and that delay in his return was due to his determination to return all hostages to safety, not merely his own."

Draco and Hermione gave Harry half-exasperated, half commiserating looks.

"Most of the judges," Bagman gave Karkaroff a very nasty look, "feel that this shows moral fiber and merits full marks. However…Mr. Potter's score is forty-five points."

Harry's stomach leaped. He was tied for first place! Hermione and Draco looked surprised, but Draco recovered fast, hugging his boyfriend tightly. "I knew you could do it love!"

The crowd clapped, as did Fleur, who was clapping very hard.

"The third and final task will take place at dusk on the twenty-fourth of Junes," continued Bagman. "The champions will be notified of what is coming precisely one month beforehand. Thank you all for your support of the champions."

It was over, Harry thought dazedly, as Madam Pomfrey began herding the champions and hostages back to the castle to get into dry clothes… it was all over, he didn't have to worry until the end of the year. He and Draco quickly made their way to the dungeons, exhausted, and stripped out of their wet clothes in the fourth-year dormitory. Naked, they didn't even glance at their lover's body as they climbed into bed, Draco casting a warming charm on their mattress and comforter. Draco sat up and held Harry to his chest, letting his little champion get some well deserved rest as he watched, playing gently with his hair.

A/N: Now isn't that a cute ending? Can you readers guess what is happening next? If you say the Third Task, the answer is nope. We're going to have a breather before the horrors of that chapter. In the meantime, thank you all for your reviews and everything!

Animesaki: Yes! Thank you for taking three whole days to read this! That doesn't mean you're slow, it just means you're reading carefully. I cannot believe that I'm the only one who used that connection, seriously? Cool! I hope this one will be just as epic, and I really hope you're here for the end! It's to die for.

Yukino76: Yes they will need it! Especially with the skrewts running around.

Shebajay: here you go

Jeremy-Toombs: HIGH FIVE! And yes, I am cute aren't I? After all, I'm just an innocent kitty in a TARDIS lol. But seriously, you make me blush.

Temnaya Koroleva: I await the next review to! I hope it includes the word "snozzberries"

FanficLover557: Sorry, no Draco for bath time fun. Maybe next time?

Kigen Dawn: Yes breaks are nice, especially before the shit hits the fan. And isn't that a nice pairing? If you really want I guess I could do a side one-shot of the things they do… and with Fred and Cedric…and maybe Neville and Krum if they get together.

WinterShield13: Yay! I'm so happy I'll see you again! I like replying to reviews, I get to drop hints and everything. Yes, Neville's crush on Ron was precious, but now he's moving on to bigger and stronger men. Emphasis on bigger. Was Viktor on your list? Or were you thinking of a Hogwarts student like Terry Boot?

Kiera Jones: he was, you thought right. George and Colin will take their relationship as far as Colin wants. George is a gentleman. A pervy gentleman, but a gentleman none the less!

SimbaRella: Yes! Baby on the way! Baby on the way! And I know his name! Oliver and Marcus are out of the story… sorry.

Vampiremom1221: Mom! What are you doing here? Yes, that was a better experience for Harry and no he had bath time alone, but we now know that Cedric likes toys. And ugh! I'll do my homework later, gees! …was that a good impression? Or no?

Okiniiri-Hime: I will take your SasuNaru and raise it KibaNaru! And I don't watch the show enough to write a fic. Just know from the pics… so many pics.

Ern: Thanks for your support buddy!