Mistakes and Second Chances

by lisbeth00

I took a flying leap through the Veil of Death. Gonna' be honest, not the smartest thing I've ever done. OOC, fem!Harry, dark!Harry. Elemental and Black Magics. Femslash. Rated M for language, violence, and mature topics.

37. Jǫrmungandr

Disclaimer: The rights to the Harry Potter series go to J.K. Rowling. All original ideas present in this belong to me.

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Chapter Thirty-Seven | Jǫrmungandr

I duck as a burst of light whizzes past my head, the raw energy crackling loudly in my ears before it splashes against the wall behind me, chunks of stone peppering my back as I pull into a roll. My knees scrape painfully against the floor, and I rest on them for a fraction of a second as I return fire, quite literally, a massive gout of blistering magical flames streaming from the end of my wand towards Fleur.

She curses loudly in French, rapidly throwing up a familiar, massive, nigh impenetrable shield. I take a second of reprieve, empty lungs filling with dry, hot air as I watch the flames billow over the glimmering construction and dissipate into nothingness.

I fire off a slew of cutting, concussion, and blasting curses, a plethora of multicoloured lights roaring towards Fleur like the salvo of a rocket. The majority of them burst harmlessly against her shield, but I can see that they have an impact, a thin, shining splinter crackling across the surface like that of broken ice. With a deep breath, I let off one more blasting curse, twisting my wand and contorting the magic as it leaves the weapon, causing the spell to spiral like a drill and shatter the shield upon impact, a thousand glittering fragments melting away into thin air as it carries on through. Fleur flips head over heel backwards as the curse strikes her, hitting the ground hard and sliding a few feet.

I hold my wand steady, smiling in relief as she dexterously flips herself back onto her feet, wand already twirling in maddening patterns as spell after spell is hurled towards me. I duck again, sweeping my wand in front of me in an arc, corrosive black smoke pouring from it in waves and ebbing out across the Room.

Fleur spins, wand twirling above her head before punching downwards, a screaming arc of wind exploding outwards in every direction, nullifying my acrid attack. With a grin, Fleur turns her hand like one would turn a doorknob, an orb of water materializing in front of her and spinning rapidly. Thrusting her hand forward, the sphere shoots towards me at an incredible speed, catching me in the shoulder and sending me spiraling backwards, my collarbone very much broken.

I ignore the burning pain in my shoulder and push my hands behind me, a gust of air halting my dizzying fall and softening the blow as I skid to a halt on the floor. As soon as I feel the grit of stone on my back, I'm twisting back upwards, legs spinning like a dancer as I fling myself back to a standing position, wand arcing downwards as my fist pulls up. Flecks of blood cling to my hand as they race toward the tip of my wand, a thin, dangerously sharp needle of the shining liquid flying almost impossibly fast towards Fleur, just as an open palm of stone bursts out of the ground underneath her.

She leaps, hands stretched outwards, Holy Fire streaming over the earthen palm, so hot as to outright melt the stone. Grimacing, Fleur takes a grazing shot of the bloody needle, the projectile shattering upon impact into thousands of crystalline pieces of shrapnel, cutting thin, shallow slices across her flank and underarm.

"Should we call it there?" I shout, bringing our duel to a momentary halt.

Fleur grits her teeth as thin rivulets of blood pour down her side, the hand held to her waist rapidly turning a bright, angry red as her blood begins to collect, the many, many thin streams forming together, truly showcasing how severely she was injured.

Eyes wide, I rush forward, a healing spell already on the tip of my tongue. Fleur puts her hand up, halting me.

"Thank you, but I've got everything taken care of," she says, murmuring softly as she passes her wand over her wounds, the smattering of small, angry cuts closing one by one as the soft white light emanating from her wand pulses over them. It takes only a few moments for her to clean herself up, scourgifying the not so insignificant amount of blood from her clothes before repairing the cuts in her top.

"I think we should call it here," she breathes, shoulders rising and falling heavily as she collects herself. "That was quite intense."

I nod my agreement, placing my wand against my shattered clavicle and gritting my teeth as I heal it, the displaced shards of bone tearing skin and muscle as they're returned to their rightful place. I let out the breath that I've been holding as I knit the tissue back together, giving myself one last check over to make sure that I'm not running around with a compound fracture.

I mean, I did go to bed once without a hand, so I wouldn't put it past me to be caught out in the halls with a chunk of bone sticking out of my neck.

"Damn good fight," I agree, looking down at my sweat soaked clothes. "I really could use a shower."

I smirk, sending a silent thank you to the Founders as the Room immediately begins to rearrange itself into a large bathhouse reminiscent of ancient Rome. Stone sliding over stone, silent, like cogs in a machine, a massive depression forming in the centre of the room that rapidly fills with opaque, steaming water.

"This magic never fails to amaze me," Fleur mutters, blinking slowly at the incredible feat of conjuration, transfiguration, enchantment, and all else in between.

It really is the most impressive piece of magic I can think of, and I amaze myself at how I take it for granted.

"If only it gave us some swimwear," I lament.

Fleur cocks an eyebrow, smirking slightly. "It's a bath, is it not? What do we need swimwear for?"

I pale as she begins to strip, and I turn around, blushing furiously. Fleur giggles at my reaction but doesn't move to do anymore. I stand there waiting, breathless, until I hear the soft sound of splashing water, turning to see Fleur floating at the far end of the bath, hair wet and shining like sterling.

"Are you coming in?" she asks, a playful smile on her face as she treads water, the bath apparently being much deeper than I thought it was.

I find myself both annoyed and thankful that I can't get a view of her under the water at this angle.

I glance around, eyes locking onto an array of faucets situated just a few feet in front of me. I walk towards them, sighing in relief when I realize that they're near identical to the ones found in the Prefect's bath, and I immediately turn on the one that I know will cover the water in enough bubbles that I'll feel comfortable jumping in.

"You're no fun," Fleur pouts, swimming towards me as the surface of the pool begins to dance, a thick, yet short layer of bubbles rapidly covering it.

"Excuse me for not being super comfortable with my own nudity. Remember, I'm not French," I say, huffing when I realize how harsh that sounds. "Sorry, I'm just not… well, this is new to me."

Fleur shrugs, a soft smile on her face. "I tend to forget that others aren't as comfortable with themselves as I am. Would you like me to turn around?" She inclines her head pointedly towards me.

I nod hurriedly. "That'd be great, thanks."

Acquiescing, Fleur turns her back to me, humming quietly. Blinking a few times, I remove my dirtied clothes, blushing from head to toe as I stumble towards the edge of the bath, dipping my toe into the water to test it, happy to find that it's just bordering on too hot, a temperature I find to be quite perfect.

I take a moment to just study myself as I look downwards. The curves of my body, how my hips flare just enough, the modest swell of my chest… and I can't help but compare myself to the imagined image of Fleur that dances through my mind. I find my eyes flicking over to her, her wet hair trailing off into the water, clinging to her glistening back, a few floating strands visible overtop the thick foam.

I wonder what she looks like. Whether she's broader or narrower than me, softer, or more muscular…

"God damnit," I whisper, trying to turn my mind away from those tempting, tempting thoughts. It's not like I don't want to be with her, but goddamn does the prospect of it terrify me.

Would I panic? Would I embarrass myself? What would happen?

I think it's damn likely that I'd be a touch scared, but the question is how scared? Are we talking panic, as in worry for a test panic? Or would it be panic? Sobbing, messy, catatonic panic?

"Are you alright?" Fleur asks, her back still turned.

"Y- yeah, I'm alright," I respond, closing my eyes and taking the plunge, slowly stepping into the deliciously hot water. I hum as I step deeper and deeper into the bath, feeling like I've been wrapped in liquid comfort. The water somehow tames, if just a little, my anxious heart. "I was just thinking about some things."

"What things?"

I duck my head under the water, thin waves running out across the bath as I pull back up and breach the surface, sitting down on a surprisingly soft ledge and letting the bottom of my chin rest just underneath the bubbles.

"Us."

"Us?" she continues, turning around and wading over to take a seat next to me, eyes slightly drooped and looking quite relaxed. "What about us?"

I shrug, feeling a bit odd. "Well, about whether or not I want to… well, you know."

Fleur frowns, before her eyebrows raise, her cheeks slightly flushed. "Oh. Oh." She coughs, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. "Well… know that I won't push you into anything, alright?"

I nod, smiling at her. "I know you wouldn't push me into anything, and thank you for that, I just… don't really know how to go about all this, you know? Not the emotional," I say, gesturing between the two of us. "But the physical."

"I understand you completely," she says, resting her head on my shoulder.

I breathe in sharply at her being so close to me in our current state of undress, shutting my eyes tight. "Can you… can you kiss me?"

Fleur lifts my chin with one finger, and I open my eyes, finding myself staring into her own. She presses her lips against mine, softly, tentatively, one hand resting lightly on the back of my neck, the other still cradling my jaw.

A soft, shuddering breath snakes its way through my mouth as hers leave mine, and I can feel her smiling against me, soft lips curled upwards. "Yes, yes I can," she whispers, pressing another, needier kiss to my lips and pulling me against her.

My hands float outwards, cradling her hips awkwardly, one wrapped up and around her back. I stifle a giggle as she nips at my bottom lip, tugging on it playfully before pulling away. I lean forward, and Fleur leans back, and I just know that she's grinning at me.

"Damned tease," I mutter, threading my fingers through wet, silky hair and pulling her towards me.

Fleur pulls away again, laughing. "Tease? Why, you've hurt me, Helene, right here," she says, taking my hand and pressing it against her chest.

I inhale sharply, and I can practically feel my pupils dilate. Fleur smiles at me, a simple, perfect expression full of equal parts humour and want. "Right there?" I echo, feeling her soft skin beneath mine, the way it almost melts into my hand.

Jesus Christ.

"Right there," she whispers throatily, lunging towards me, tongue flicking across my lips.

I find myself lost in the sensation of her body pressed against mine, the way our curves – the ones I was so curious about – mould together. Her lips pressed softly to my neck, her tongue dancing over the dip of my collarbone, her fingers sliding along the crook of my spine… her. Just her. A myriad of touches and feelings that all culminate into something that is so simply Fleur.

I bite just below her ear as her fingers, tentatively, trail over my chest. A shudder runs through my whole body at the dull shock her touch brings, a whimper escaping my throat as she pinches in just the right way.

Heat suddenly floods through me, something that I find shocking, considering my body is absent of a beating heart. My breath catches in my throat, not in a good way, but in a thick, cloying manner. I can feel the phantom sensation of a fluttering in my chest, and a tinge of nausea dredging up my throat.

"F- Fleur," I groan hoarsely, the sound stuttered and unsure. Anxious.

"Yes?" she replies, breath hot against my skin.

"I- I think we should slow down," I mutter, shaking my head, trying to push away the sudden bubbling pit of fear in my stomach.

"Are you alright?" Fleur asks, holding me at arms length and looking me in the eyes.

I nod shakily. "I'm fine, I think. Just… well, what I was worried about, you know?"

She sighs deeply, a sad look on her face. "You panicked, yes? Panicking?" she adds worriedly.

"Something like that."

"Well, we can stop there. Remember, you're the one who calls the shots here," she says, tapping my forehead with one slender finger.

"Thanks for being so understanding."

Smiling, Fleur wraps her arms around me, nestling my chin against the crook of her neck. "There's no need to thank me ma dulcinée, it's what anyone would do."

I bury my face deeper, nose squashed against her shoulder. "I don't think they would… they'd be more annoyed than anything. Most people aren't as accepting as you are."

"What do you mean?" Fleur asks, eyebrow raised quizzically.

"You really don't know, do you?" She shakes her head, confused. "You're kind, damned kind, much more kind than I am… and you're perfectly accepting of the fact that I'm a Necromancer, and that I've killed on numerous occasions."

"You forget that I fought in a war, however brief," she argues.

"But we're not technically at war right now. I mean, we are, but we're not, right? Everything I've done has been a precursor to the true battle to come." I pause, trying to properly put my thoughts out in the way I'd like. "What I'm trying to say, is that you didn't need to be as accepting of my… flaws as you have been, and I'd like to say thank you… for being you."

I start as Fleur bites her bottom lip, trying, yet failing to stifle tears.

"Are you okay?" I stammer, wide eyed.

She nods, a cracked smile appearing on her face. "Yes, yes… I'm alright. I… things were truly that bad for you, weren't they?"

I blink in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You can barely wrap your head around someone liking you for you, and not in the hopes that they can use you in some way." She puts her hand up, pressing one finger against my lips. "No, you don't see it, but I do, and I think everyone else does. You've had a hard life Helene, always have, and a life like that leaves a mark on you. I'm ecstatic to have your trust, and I promise you that I'll never break it."

"See what I mean?"

Fleur snorts, smacking me on the head playfully. "Quiet you."

"Never," I argue, kissing her on the cheek.

She pulls me closer, our bodies pressed together, and for a brief moment my worried thoughts are stilled.

-::-

The weeks up to the second task slip on by, a confusing daze of quiet bigotry interlaced with even more silent support, the school seemingly divided right through the centre.

On one hand, there's a definite group that has mine and Fleur's backs… at least, in a manner of speaking they do. Sort of. These are the students who nod at me if I make eye contact, the ones who still smile kindly in the halls, or the younger students who sit near me in the common room and ask for help on their papers.

Like I said, it's a silent form of support, but it's support nonetheless. All I want is to be treated as if nothing has changed. Pretty simple when you get down to it.

The bigots and the hateful? Well, for the most part they're quiet. Draco and his goons are loud enough that I could consider them to be a faction of their own. Padma seems to have fallen in line with the rest of this crowd, casting disdainful glances my way when given the chance.

So, to make a long story short, I've cut her out of my life.

No big confrontation, nor any massive, dramatic fight. I just stopped talking to her, simple as that. It's not like we were friends for any incredible length of time, and there's also the fact that I'm probably a good five years older than her when you get down to it. Although, I might be a bit stunted considering the fact that the only friends I've had for the last four years have been quite a bit younger than me, and the only true conversations I've had have been with a man I once detested to an impressive degree.

Eh, little details.

All in all, things have been better than I thought they'd be. It might be due to me being, again, a considerable amount older than most of the students here. That, and I've dealt with things that make this an absolute walk in the park. Why worry about the words of children when you've got a Dark Lord to kill?

But, ignoring all that, the second task is now looming ahead. In fact, it's going to take place in about an hour and change.

Cedric nearly had a heart attack when I told him that the second task was going to be even more dangerous than the last, while Viktor simply scoffed loudly, and said something along the lines of 'Bulgarians never quit.'

Needless to say, if the two don't stick behind me and Fleur during the task, I'm going to stun them and leave them on the shoreline.

Speaking of which… "Who do you think our hostages will be?" I ask, Fleur shrugging.

"Well, I know for a fact mine won't be my sister…"

Oh yeah… Fleur's sister. I halt for a moment, remembering how dangerous this upcoming task will be. It doesn't take more than a second for me to be absolutely and utterly furious.

"I swear to every fucking god in the world that if they've taken my sisters for this damned task, I will rain down an unholy hellfire upon every last one of those bastards at the Ministry!"

Fleur places a calming hand on my shoulder. "They'll be fine, yes? With you and I together, no harm will come to them."

I inhale sharply, nostrils flaring. "They'd better be, otherwise heads will roll."

I hear the scuffling of feet on dirt and panting behind me, turning to meet Colin Creevey, hands on his knees, trying to regain his breath.

"You alright there?" I ask, walking over to him.

He nods, still desperately drinking in the air. "I'm- I'm alright," he gasps, wiping his face with his hand. "You're wanted back at the castle; Professor Dumbledore said your family was here."

I look to Fleur. "Want to meet the family?"

Her eyes widen, throat bobbing as she swallows nervously. "Y- your family? Are you sure?"

"If you don't want to, that's fine. I just thought that they might be over here to meet you is all."

I can see the thoughts whizzing through Fleur's head as she stares off into space, brow furrowed. After a moment of consideration, she nods. "If I can handle sea monsters, I can handle meeting your family."

I laugh, Colin's eyes dancing between the two of us anxiously. "Well, let's head back in then," I say, leading the three of us back inside, up the sodden, wintry grass until we finally find solitude from the crisp midday air and walk through into the school.

I still don't know why this task takes place at the end of February. Could they not have swapped the first and second, or are they just that damned sadistic?

I see Professor Flitwick standing by the doors to the Great Hall, and he beckons me over.

"Hello Professor, I heard my family was waiting for me?"

He smiles kindly at me. "Yes, I'll take you to them now," he says, bringing us into the Great Hall, towards the little side room in which we were originally brought during the drawing ceremony. "It's been quite a while since I've talked to you Miss Potter. Don't take this as an underhanded compliment, for it's nothing but praise… you seem to be doing much better magically than I'd have assumed you would."

"Well, after you gave me that charms lexicon – which I'd like to say thank you for, once again – I got hooked. I've been practicing damned near everything since then."

"And it shows," he says proudly, his tiny little chest puffed out. "You gave me quite a fright back in November, but by god you put on a show. If I may ask, would you be able to tell me what kind of spell you used to defeat the Chimera? I've never seen anything quite like it."

I inhale sharply through my teeth. "I'm sorry Professor, but that's a spell of my own design, and until the end of the tournament I'd prefer to not have it get out."

He inclines his head in understanding. "Fair enough. Now, if you ever need any help with spells unrelated to the tournament, please come and see me." He winks at me, waving towards the closed door in front of us. "Your family is just through here. I'll be seeing you in class Miss Potter. Take care!"

I wave goodbye to him, squeezing Fleur's arm briefly before opening the door and treading inside.

Glancing around, I spot Octavius and Terra, as well as Sirius sitting patiently on couches that weren't here the last time I was, a wide table between them filled with biscuits, tea, and small sandwiches.

"Hey everyone!" I say, grinning at them. I put my arm around Fleur's waist, bringing my nervous girlfriend in close. "I'm sure you've already read the paper, but this is Fleur."

She smiles nervously. "It's good to meet you all."

Sirius and Octavius look at me oddly, before Sirius pats the couch next to him. "It's good to meet you Fleur. Please, come on and sit down, have a bit of tea."

Fleur and I acquiesce, taking a seat and pouring ourselves a cup of tea. I grab a biscuit and nibble on it slowly, looking back up as Terra speaks.

"So, how long has this been going on?" she asks, pointing between the two of us, a smile on her face.

"Since the first task I'd say? So… a little over three, maybe four months?"

Fleur nods, already looking a bit more comfortable. "Around there."

"You two look absolutely lovely together, I wish I could have been there to see you two open the ball."

"I think you would have been more entertained to see me shoot down a drunken Malfoy."

Octavius snorts, while Sirius simply laughs aloud, slapping his knee. "I would have paid to see something like that," he chuckles, grinning sheepishly at Terra's faux scandalized expression. "Never been a fan of that family."

"Hard not to when they're all bastards," Fleur blurts, eyes suddenly widening. She slaps her hand over her mouth, blushing furiously.

Everyone laughs, even Terra joining in with an undignified snort, a closed fist pressed to her mouth. "Good god there's two of them," Octavius despairs, leaning onto one hand.

"Quiet you." Terra scolds, slapping him playfully on the arm.

Sirius wipes a tear from his eye, another dry chuckle escaping his lips. "Gods, I haven't laughed that hard in a while." He groans, holding a hand to his chest. "You find yourself a feisty one there Helene. Hold onto her."

I smile, resting my head on Fleur's shoulder for a moment. "I'll do my best."

Octavius glances between Fleur and I, smiling slightly before sighing. "Well, as much as I'd love to joke around for the next hour, we were hoping to discuss the events of the first task with you. Your mother was quite curious about the magic that you used." He looks at me pointedly, eyes once more flitting towards Fleur, before he tilts his head towards the door.

Oh. Fuck.

He wants me to tell Terra about my powers.

Well, only one thing to do.

"Fleur knows everything," I say, Octavius and Sirius' brows raising in surprise, while Terra frowns in confusion.

"What do you mean by that? Fleur knows everything?" she asks, turning to Octavius, frown growing deeper. "You obviously know what she means… what have the three of you been keeping from me?"

I put my hand up, wand waving in a well practiced pattern as I scan for any magical bugs, both figurative and literal. I nod in relief as nothing comes back to me, quickly putting up a heavy slew of privacy charms interlaced over one another in a way that makes Mad Eye Moody look perfectly trusting.

"Could someone tell me what on earth is going on?"

I sigh heavily, Fleur placing her hand on my back reassuringly. "Mum… I- I've something to tell you." She cocks an eyebrow, arms crossed. "I… Christ, you know this isn't easy dad."

"I know that, but Terra deserves to know what's going on, now more than ever," he states.

I can't really find it in me to argue with that.

"It's alright, if anyone will understand, it's Terra," Sirius mutters so that only I can hear. "She may freak out, but she'll get it better than any of us."

"Thanks," I whisper back.

I take a deep breath, Terra looking at me with concern. What the fuck am I supposed to say? 'I'm a time traveler, but wait! It gets worse!' Like that would go over well.

"Mum… I don't really know how to explain everything, so I'm just going to come out and say it. I'm a time traveler, I'm a Necromancer, and I'm destined to kill Voldemort."

Terra sighs loudly, rolling her eyes. "Really? You get me all worried for this? Some sort of practical joke?" She turns to Sirius, a scowl on her face. "Did you put her up to this?"

"Mum," I interrupt, catching her attention. "I'm not lying, and I'm not playing a joke on you. I died in the year 1996 and Death himself brought me back five years to 1991. Because of that, I'm the first Necromancer in a few centuries, and that fire that I used to kill the Chimera? That was quite literally Hellfire."

"Why are you joking about this?"

"I'm not. I would never joke about something like this."

Terra swallows heavily, turning back to Octavius. "Is this really true?" She gestures to me shakily, voice warbled. "Is… is Helene really- really telling the truth?"

He nods solemnly. "Every word of it."

"Circe…"

She gets up out of her seat, practically bounding around the table. I squeak awkwardly as she pulls me into a hug, my back cracking loudly.

"Helene… dear, gods- you've been through so much more than I ever imagined," she mutters, rocking me slightly.

I return the hug, staring over her shoulder at Octavius, who simply shrugs.

"It's not that big of a deal," I reassure her quietly. "My life here has been a thousand times better than my old one."

She pulls back, still holding me. "It doesn't matter, whatever happened to you still happened. Dying? Gods, I can't imagine the terror you must have felt." She sniffs quietly, wiping a tear from her eye. "You weren't with us in your last, were you? You were with your mother's family the whole time."

I sigh. "Yeah, I was stuck with he Dursley's the whole while."

"Cunts, the lot of them," she curses, my eyes widening in shock. "What? They are. Self righteous, holier-than-thou bastards. I met them once, at your parents wedding. Didn't like them one bloody bit. Whole time they acted like their shite didn't stink."

"Is that how you always curse?" I ask, incredulous.

Terra blushes somewhat. "I blame my father for my language when I get this way. He was born in a little village near Glasgow, and even though he appeared to be the poshest of purebloods through and through he always swore like a sailor." She chuckles to herself. "I learned from the best."

"So… you're not mad? You're not disgusted?"

"No, and how could I be?" she says, squeezing my shoulder. "Yes, I'm disappointed that you didn't tell me, but I understand the why of it. A secret like that? I would tell as few people as possible if I was in the same position. It's going to take me a while to get used to, no way around that…" she pauses, looking at me in a different light. "So… you're an adult then, huh? Not taking advantage of this lovely girl next to me, are you?"

I gawk, mouth held open in silent protest, before it slams shut as Fleur giggles loudly.

"Mon dieu, your family is interesting." She lets out a slow breath, shaking her head. "Madame Greengrass, Monsieur Greengrass and Black, I would like to confess to the three of you that I have dealt with a similar… predicament, I would say."

Once more, my mouth drops open. "Fleur?"

She puts her hand up. "It's alright, if they know about you, they should know about me."

"Are you a Necromancer as well?" Sirius interrupts, leaning forward, his eyes shining with interest. I almost snort at his reaction. Of course he'd take something like this in stride.

Fleur shakes her head. "No, I am the opposite. An Albumancer."

"Wait, wait. Did the two of you know each other in your last lives?" Octavius asks, trying to keep a track of things.

"We both competed in the tournament in our last lives as we are now, although it was a hell of a lot easier then," I explain. "Fleur and I didn't know each other all that well."

She inclines her head, nodding slightly. "We were friends, but only for a short year. We didn't get to know each other until this life, where we met once again at the World Cup."

"Hold on a second," Terra mutters, slowly beginning to connect the dots. She gasps, looking up at me with a hint of fear in her eyes. "You? You two killed those people?"

I sigh. I knew this was going to happen. I get it, I really do, but it doesn't make it hurt any less.

"Yes, we did. Those Death Eaters died at mine and Fleur's hand. It was the least they deserve for their actions in the last war, and the one to come."

"War to come!?"

I rub my eyes with one hand, holding in a sigh. I completely forgot about how hard it is to explain the whole war thing.

Is this what Basil felt like?

"Yes, war to come. Voldemort isn't dead, not truly, and it's been prophesized that I'm to be the one to kill him."

Terra releases me, her face set into a worried grimace. "Tell me that isn't true. Please, tell me that isn't true."

"I'm sorry, but it is," I intone, shaking my head sadly. "A genuine prophecy backed up by a God. Nothing I can do about it except fight the genocidal bastard with everything I've got."

Hands over her mouth, Terra breathes heavily, tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes. "Gods… Helene…"

"It's okay mum, really, I've done a lot of preparing for this."

"Terra, dear," Octavius interrupts, having made his way over when I wasn't paying attention. He rests his hand on her shoulder calmingly. "Trust me when I say that I have the utmost confidence in Helene and her skills. While I don't approve of everything she's done, I can't deny that she's prepared, and prepared well at that. Why do you think I got back into politics?"

Terra hiccups, back of her hand pressed to her mouth. "To support Helene." She lets out a soft, exasperated breath. "It's all obvious in hindsight, but how do you know if you'll be safe?"

"Death itself told me that I will be. If I can't trust a primordial being that has the actual date of my death written into a massive magical book when it comes matters related to safety, who in the hell can I trust?"

"Wait… you weren't joking when you said Death?"

"Not once," I swear.

Terra blinks owlishly, lips pursed. "Death exists? Death?"

"And Life," Fleur adds, raising her hand on reflex.

Sirius snorts loudly, causing Fleur to blush. "I know we're in a school, but you don't need to raise your hand to speak Fleur."

A crisp knock on the door tears us away from the conversation at hand. I stand up, glancing behind me as I walk towards the door. "We can finish talking about this after the task?"

"You bet your arse we are," Terra retorts, before a frustrated look settles over her. "It's time already?"

I flick my wand, taking a quick glance at the ethereal numbers that pop into existence. "Looks like it," I affirm, opening the door to see Dumbledore standing in the entrance, hands raised to knock.

"Miss Potter, Miss Delacour," he intones, smoothing out his robes and inclining his head in greeting towards the others in the room. "Hello to you as well, Lord and Lady Greengrass, Lord Black. If you would all come with me, it's time for the second task."

"Headmaster," I reply coolly, frowning. I wonder why Dumbledore came to fetch us, as opposed to Flitwick.

He tilts his head, and I remember the silencing charms. I put my hand up, a single finger held high, and he nods briefly as I shut the door.

I glance behind me, locking eyes with Terra. "Don't trust Dumbledore. He's firmly under control, but I'd like to let you know that he's the cause of much, if not most of the grief in my past life. Anything that he says you should take with a grain of salt, if not the whole cellar."

"Really?" she asks, looking past me to the door.

"Really."

"I've never liked the man all that much, but… really?" She gets a dangerous look in her eyes, her gaze burning a hole in the door. "He put you with the Dursley's, didn't he?"

I nod. Terra's lip curling up in contempt. "Hey, mum, trust me. I've got everything well in hand."

"Well in hand? How is he not in prison for his ineptitude? Putting you with Petunia and her twenty stone limp pricked bastard of a husband?"

I feel a bout of laughter coming on, quickly directing it away with a forced cough. Terra really does have a way with words.

"He's quite literally my slave right now. He can't do anything without my say-so."

"What? You better explain that when we talk after the task," Terra states as I take down the layered array of silencing and privacy charms.

"I promise I will," I reply, pulling the door open to once more be met with the sight of Dumbledore. We stand there for a brief, curious moment, Dumbledore scanning the room with an odd look in his eye, while I try to figure out just what it is that he's thinking. He looks almost… nostalgic? I can't quite place his expression, but it just strikes me as odd.

He clears his throat quietly, covering his mouth with a polite fist. "Please, if you would come with me," he repeats, waving behind himself.

Fleur, Octavius, Terra and I follow behind him, while Sirius strides forward to walk in line with Dumbledore, chatting his ear off about something asinine.

I smirk as I see Dumbledore glance at Sirius out of the corner of his eye with no small amount of awkwardness as the conversation moves from Sirius' supreme political power, and what an absolute shame it is that Dumbledore's throne has crumbled so, to the uncomfortable intricacies of house-elf breeding.

"Is he always like this?" Fleur whispers, hand cupped over her mouth.

"When the mood strikes him, yeah," I reply, holding back a laugh as Dumbledore turns an odd shade as Sirius moves on to the wonderful muggle invention of hypertension medication, and their happy little side effects.

"Is he… is he talking about-?"

"Yes, yes he is," Octavius quietly interrupts, a tense smile on his face. "He's always been a hell of an actor."

"Actor?"

He nods. "Whenever Sirius gets frustrated, tense, or he just plain doesn't like someone, he goes on a little tangent like that," he explains, inclining his head towards the verbal chaos occurring not ten meters away from us. "I've always wondered if the constant hooliganism of his was some way of lashing out."

I frown, remembering how I had to confront Sirius a short while after he'd been released from Azkaban because his constant pranking had gotten out of control. "I think it's his way of getting his stress out," I say, pursing my lips. "This is the first time you two have been in close contact with Dumbledore since you learned about what happened to me, right?"

"It is. At least, we haven't really interacted with him outside of Wizengamot meetings," Octavius confirms, holding out a hand for Terra as we walk down a particularly slippery patch of grass.

"I don't how he doesn't just thrash him," Terra offers, a sharp look on her face as she stares daggers at Dumbledore's back.

"That's his way of thrashing him."

She sighs quietly, shaking her head slightly. "That man will never grow up, will he?"

"No, but we love him for it anyways."

I squeeze Fleur's hand as the packed stands come in to sight, a flickering of yellow and red further along denoting Cedric and Viktor, the two shivering on the impromptu dock that sits at the edge of the lake.

A cheer sweeps through the crowd as they catch sight of us, Dumbledore raising his hand to greet them, eagerly taking his chance to escape Sirius' verbal clutches.

He sweeps forward without a word, quickly taking his place on the stands with the rest of the judges, Karkaroff wearing his usual fetid scowl, Maxime's large shadow cast over the crowd behind her, and Bagman blabbering some sort of nonsense in Percy Weasley's uninterested ear.

Crouch Sr. must be off locked up somewhere. Doesn't Jr. kill him some time soon? I'm pretty sure that was before the third task, but I'm not too sure on that.

My eyes flicker off through the crowd, locking onto the faux Moody, who jabs his gnarled cane into the dirt and raises his chin at me respectfully for a fraction of a second before he's off again, magical eye whirring madly as he patrols the stands.

If Sirius is a great actor, I don't know what Crouch Jr. is. He may be a Death Eater who is very close to meeting his timely demise at my hands, but I can't deny that he has a talent in impressions.

"Greetings, everyone!" Dumbledore booms, his voice carrying out across the grounds.

The crowd roars again, and I turn back to everyone.

"I'll see you in a bit," I say, hugging my parents in turn, Sirius squeezing my shoulder reassuringly and giving me a sturdy clap on the back.

"Kick some scaly arse down there," he grins, although it doesn't quite reach his eyes.

"I'll be safe," I say, glancing over at Cedric and Viktor, the first of which is waving the two of us over. "I've got to get going."

Fleur and I quickly jog over to the platform, waving goodbye one last time to my family. As soon as we make it to the makeshift dock, we take a healthy chunk each of gillyweed from our robes before shedding them. I grimace at the sudden sting, quickly casting a copious amount of warming charms on myself to stave off the frigid winter air, Fleur following suit.

Funny how my heart doesn't beat, yet I still feel the cold. Magic is an odd, odd thing.

"You two are right on time," Cedric says, glancing towards the stands, Dumbledore continuing to build up the audience's excitement as he begins explains the events of the task, and the nightmares we'll be encountering beneath the lakes surface. He looks back over to the two of us, before groaning in annoyance. "Gillyweed? I should have thought of that."

"I've got some to share," I chirp, stooping down and reaching into my robes, taking out another two viscous globs of the unappetizing herb and handing one each to Cedric and Viktor. "And if you're wondering, we just got back from meeting my parents."

Fleur smiles as she crosses her arms over her chest in a way that serves to be quite distracting, shivering slightly against the cold even through the warming charms.

"How did that go?" Viktor asks, his face blank but his voice carrying a slight tinge of humour.

"I think it went quite well," Fleur replies, placing her hand on my waist and pulling me close. "You?"

"Quite well," I echo.

"That's good to hear," Cedric says, before he rolls his shoulders, his demeanour rapidly shifting from playful to serious. "You two ready?"

"Funny you should ask that. Fleur and I want you two to stay close to us during the task. We don't want you two to get in any danger, considering the monsters in the lake are just as bad, if not worse than the ones we had to deal with in the last task."

Viktor scowls at that, while Cedric just looks thoughtful.

"You two are powerful, that I can't deny, but… what makes you think I will not be fine on my own?" Viktor queries stubbornly.

"Hydra, Beisht-Kione, Lusca, Kelpies," I say, ticking off a finger for each creature I list off. "You think you can outswim them? And don't tell me that you think a partial transfiguration would be enough," I add, putting an immediate stop to Viktor's oncoming argument before it can even begin. "I know about your little shark trick. These creatures are some of the worst of the worst, and we're already at a disadvantage since we have to deal with them on their ground. It's going to work."

"I'll stay with you two," Cedric offers, glancing at Viktor. "If not because we should just work together on this, but also because I know that we'll be safest if we work together."

Grunting, Viktor shakes his head. "No, I'm sorry, but I do things my way."

I groan, looking to Fleur, who nods at me, the silent message sent clearly. We stun the two of them and send them back up to the docks.

"Fair enough," I say, sticking my hand out towards Viktor. "May the best win."

He smirks, clasping my hand firmly and shaking it once as he cocks his head to the side. "Suglasuvan."

I let go, huddling up and resting the back of my head on Fleur's shoulder, her arm still wrapped snugly around my waist. "I think this one is going to be all you. You're better with water than I am," I whisper, Fleur humming in response to my thinly disguised statement.

She kisses the top of my head softly. "You can count on me."

"Oh, don't I know it."

"Quiet," she scoffs, squeezing my waist and pointing towards the stands. "I think we're about to begin."

I follow her gesture, my eyes landing once more on the judges, Dumbledore's hand raised high into the air, wand pointing skyward.

I stuff the gillyweed in my mouth pre-emptively, flinching slightly at the hideous texture as it lays thickly against my tongue, Fleur following suit and grimacing noticeably. Cedric clumsily stuffs his cheek with the disgusting herb, choking loudly as he forces himself to swallow it, eyes watering as he attempts to keep it down.

"Stick your head in the lake Cedric, otherwise you're going to suffocate," I state, patting him once on the back. Cedric nods hurriedly as the expanse of skin just below his jaw begins to ripple and twist, gills slowly forming where muscle once was. He dunks his head in the water just as Dumbledore fires off the signal, a loud crack emanating across the grounds followed closely by the excited cheers of the spectators.

Not much of a spectating sport when they're watching an empty lake, but that's just my opinion.

Viktor immediately leaps into the water, Cedric toppling forward and disappearing into the lake with a swift kick that sends him downwards.

Fleur and I both swallow the gillyweed. Well, she does, I make a valiant attempt. It feels like I'm trying to stuff a dead octopus down my throat whole, but I somehow manage, coughing in revulsion as it manages to finally make its way down.

"I fucking hate that stuff," I groan, Fleur chuckling as she jumps into the water.

Stomach of iron, that one.

I leap in after her, the telltale scratching working its way up the side of my neck signaling that the gillyweed has begun to work. I shut my eyes as the water washes over me, cracking them open and letting out a bubbling sigh when I find that I can look around just fine, smiling at the ethereal sight of Fleur floating in front of me.

Her hair dances around her like a living thing, thin strands of silver laid fluttering slowly in the soft surface current. She smiles back, pointing behind me. I turn, spotting Cedric a few meters off, floating absentmindedly while he waits for the two of us.

Before he can even react, Fleur's stunned him. She quickly follows our plan, setting a timed sleep and stick combo that will release him once the gillyweed wears off, placing him against one of the dock supports with his head just a foot or so below the surface.

Suddenly, she grabs my arm, pulling me towards her once more. I frown as she spins me and wraps her arms around my waist, Fleur only raising an eyebrow at me in return.

The hell is she doing?

I find out quite quickly, letting out a muted, burbling shriek as we fire off, Fleur kicking strongly while manipulating the water around her, using it to launch us forward towards Viktor so that we can knock him out and drag him to safety.

I can the rise and fall of her chest on my back, Fleur obviously finding my sudden terror incredibly entertaining. I huff, the expression coming out as nothing but a rush of water, the few remnants of air trapped within my neck and lungs jettisoned from my body and left in our wake, trailing off towards the surface.

Keeping my wand trained in front of me, I silently cast a point-me spell, the wood turning like a dowsing rod, down and slightly to the right, off through a small forest of seaweed.

With a jab, I send a flurry of low powered cutters through the thick, subaquatic underbrush, garnering a series of high pitched, keening squeals. A smoky cloud of leaden-blue blood announcing the death or maiming of a good dozen or so grindylow, the tentacled creatures floating off towards the surface, a smattering of limbs and greenish, leathery skin trailing behind them. A few of them flee, hissing their defiance as they disappear into the murky depths of the lake.

"Where are the Kelpies? The other creatures?" I hear Fleur say, her voice somehow incredibly clear.

I try to ask her how she's speaking, but my words come out in an indecipherable mess of bubbling nothings, Fleur chuckling at my sudden annoyed frown, the sound once more carrying through the water with ease.

"I found out that I can… project better because of my ability to use water," she explains.

Makes sense. Does that mean I'd be able to speak with a mouthful of dirt? I have to say, I'm not all that eager to try that.

I mumble unintelligibly, shrugging my shoulders. Thankfully, Fleur manages to figure out what my water addled grunting means, and whispers, "They've got to be hiding somewhere. Keep an eye out and pinch me if you spot anything."

I nod in response, Fleur once more squeezing me reassuringly before we kick off in the general direction of the point-me, this time at a slightly more cautious pace.

I keep my eyes peeled for a sight of any horrific creatures, particularly ones that are covered in tentacles, have row upon row of terrible, serrated teeth, or the equine equivalent of a water nightmare.

A water nightmare that has terrible, serrated teeth, and may or may not be covered in tentacles. Got to keep with the pattern of course.

Fleur freezes suddenly, and I jump to, wand held out in a tight, webbed grip. I try my best to listen, but my ears are flooded with the quiet, yet overwhelming sound of slowly churning water. I flick my eyes left and right, rapidly scanning the dark, imposing environment, my muscles tense as I feel the metaphorical walls closing in.

This would be so much less worrisome if I could just fucking see more than twenty feet in front of me.

Just as that thought strikes me, I catch a flurry of movement off in the distance. Reflexively, I send a burst of compressed air hastily fashioned into spinning needles towards the disturbance, gritting my teeth in frustration when nothing happens. No screams, no blood. Nothing.

I breathe heavily, the tension getting to me as we both float stock still, back to back.

My eyes are suddenly filled with a bright, golden light, a massive shield having erupted from Fleur's wand and surrounded us. I blink the afterimage away, thick blotches of ever shifting colour dissipating just as the shield flashes, a Kelpie bouncing off the indomitable barrier with an outraged shriek.

The creature is large and covered in shimmering, sickly green scales. It bares long rows of thick, angry teeth, the yellowed bone jutting out of its mouth in every which way. The Kelpie kicks angrily with its two hooved legs, its muscled tail flicking out and striking at the shield, the light shuddering under the impact, yet still holding strong.

Fleur sticks her hand out over my shoulder, fingers bowed forward and tendons stretching the skin underneath.

I watch in amazement as she cooks the Kelpie from the inside out, the creature screeching as the water around it begins to boil furiously, thrashing about as its scaled hide colours darkly while every bit of water within it superheats, eyes bursting in their sockets. With a last, heaving gasp, it dies. I catch sight of a few other Kelpies in the distance, watching as their brethren floats off to the surface, a thin gelatinous trail in its wake of boiled viscera.

'Jesus Christ,' I mouth silently, the other Kelpies apparently following suit and retreating into the darkness, not at all interested in fighting the creature that just killed one of their own in but a brief, horrifying moment.

Fleur lets the shield hang for a few seconds, scanning her surroundings before letting it drop, the light flickering out and allowing the darkness to seep back in.

"Well, that's the Kelpies taken care of… I hope," she mutters, wand still gripped tightly.

I try to mention the fact that there's still probably a good dozen of them out there still, not to mention the Beisht-Kione and the Lusca. Again, I curse the fact that I can't get a word out.

I feel Fleur's hand press to my neck, the water within morphing and feeling somehow more malleable. "What were you trying to say?"

"There's still the Beisht-Kione and the Lusca, we have to watch out for them," I reply, eyes widening when I actually hear myself speak. "How did you do that?"

She shrugs. "I have no idea, I just wanted you to speak, and so you do."

"That's a relief," I say, feeling a bit more comfortable about the whole task now that we can properly communicate. "Should we just keep an eye out for Viktor while we make our way towards the Mermish Village?"

"That sounds like the best plan to me. I just… I don't feel as comfortable about this task as I was with the first."

"You were comfortable with the first?"

Fleur rolls her eyes. "Of course not! I just feel even less comfortable about this one."

"Well… let's get out of here, wands at the ready."

I can feel the water in my throat shift again as Fleur removes her hand from my neck, taking a hold of me before she continues on forward, checking every corner, crag, or crevice for any sign of other aquatic monsters.

I grow more and more tense as we come across absolutely nothing. No sign of the Beisht-Kione or the Lusca, only a dead silence that permeates the entirety of the lake.

It reminds me of the time I read about how one can recognize danger in a forest. It's when you can hear no birds chirping, nor any other animal scurrying about in the underbrush. The only sound that greets you is the dull roar of absolute and total silence.

So, I'm understandably stressed as can be.

We start to pick up pace, ambling deeper and deeper into the lake with extreme trepidation, eyes and ears working in overtime as we listen and scan for any and all signs of Viktor, silently praying that we don't find him in more than one piece, or don't find him at all.

My ears perk up as I start to hear the distant, muted notes of Mermish singing, the normally discordant sounds instead are soothing, yet haunting in their own right.

Like some sort of twilight zone suburbia, we swim past silently watching Merpeople as their daily routines are disrupted by the task. A mother with ribbon-like tentacles flowing softly behind her scaled head places a hand on her child's shoulder as we move by, the two floating behind a stone rendition of a fence. The kid - a little boy - smiles at us, sharp white teeth glimmering softly in the murky, magical light that glows evenly across the village.

I smile awkwardly back, the child squealing in surprise as he tugs on his mums arm and points at us excitedly. She shakes her head at him, inclining her head in our direction as she pulls the protesting boy back into their home.

"Excitable little boy, isn't he?" Fleur wonders aloud as we venture quickly towards the centre of the village. I nod in reply, taking note as the small clusters of civilians start to become more and more interspersed with trident wielding warriors, glowering in our direction.

The vaguely familiar barnacle encrusted statue finally shimmers into view, and we quickly sweep forward to retrieve our hostages.

I instantly recognize the shock of bright red hair that belongs to Ginny, as well as the round, smiling eyes of Luna, Cho floating between the two. I scowl angrily. Of all the people they could have illegally brought down here, they had to take the girl whose brother was killed but a year ago, as well as the one who still is trying to come to terms with witnessing her mother's sudden, violent death.

A garbled 'bastards,' slips out from between my lips as I move to cut Ginny free, but it's quickly interrupted by a sudden crash that nearly overwhelms me, a shockwave thundering out across the lakebottom as something is destroyed behind me.

I turn around, a slew of deadly curses held on the tip of my tongue as I'm met with the sight of thick, writhing tentacles snatching Merpeople out of the water and swinging them about, the Merpeople screaming in fear before they're swiftly broken, bodies unnaturally bent and golden eyes vacant. The cloud of dust begins to settle, revealing the rest of the Lusca, the creature looking much more hideous than I imagined it to be based on the illustrations I'd found of it.

That's one big fucking shark.

Three gaunt, demonic faces thrash about as crooked needle-like teeth tear into the mutilated remains of a Merman, a smoky cloud of blue-green blood swinging this way and that as the three heads snap at each other, one keening angrily as it's headbutted by its companion.

The keening quickly morphs into a roar of pain as a trident is violently thrust into its flank, the offending warrior quickly snatched up and torn in two by the distended jaws of the Lusca, one of the three mouths having launched forward of its own accord, independent of the rest of the monster.

With a strong kick I launch myself forward, a violent barrage of spells bursting from the tip of my wand and impacting the creature heavily. It roars once more as it's skin blisters and bubbles from the combination of rotting curses I've struck it with, a few of the blisters popping and releasing a foul looking ichor.

Unfortunately, my magic doesn't seem to be enough, as it releases its mutilated capture and lashes out at the nearest threat.

Me.

Electricity visibly explodes off the creature, causing my limbs to seize up and shake as I'm struck by the sudden shock. My eyes widen in fright as the Lusca rears back, tentacles flowing towards me in one solid, writhing mass.

A sudden burst of superheated water shatters the world between us, my eardrums nearly popping as the Lusca screams its outrage. The roiling bubbles clear, revealing a very burnt, very angry looking hybrid, beady black eyes shining with a frighteningly intelligent rage.

"You will not touch her!" Fleur shouts, having suddenly appeared right in front of me, wand cutting through the water at a blistering pace as spell after spell rockets out and towards the Lusca. She clenches her fist, drawing it down sharply as a suddenly condensed chunk of brightly shimmering water violently crashes into it from above, grinding it against the floor of the lake.

The displaced Merpeople warriors take quick advantage of Fleur's attack, burying fanged tridents in the creatures hide, immediately releasing their weapons so as to not get dragged away as it bucks against its watery restraints. A wall of stone houses crumble as it rolls onto its side, fins thrashing as it attempts to swim towards me, three sets of maddened, marble black eyes locked onto my paralyzed form.

With a sudden burst of strength, the Lusca escapes its bonds, an almost human grin of pleasure spreading across its three gnarled heads. I try to move, to do anything to get out of its path, but my limbs are are still frozen uselessly at my side, muscles addled by the electric shock and refusing to respond to my frightened commands.

The water superheats as a torrent of fire bursts out from underneath the Lusca, the creature suddenly blanketed in a cloak of Holy Flame that defies the everpresent press of the water around it, refusing to succumb.

Just as suddenly as the fire appears, it disappears, leaving a charred, hideous mess floating in its wake. Burnished, warped spear handles jut out of the broiled corpse, glinting softly in the dim, now flickering light, the magical sconces that line the village having been twisted and cracked by the force of the Lusca's attack.

Fleur sets her webbed hand on my shoulder, and I can feel her trembling even through the water, fingernails digging into my skin as she catches her breath.

I open my mouth to speak, and her hand climbs up the nape of my neck and presses up just below my jaw, that same sensation of the water morphing inside my throat both unsettling and reassuring.

It tells me that she still has control.

"Are you okay?" I ask, the sound coming out oddly between a shaking jaw and still semi-paralyzed tongue.

"Y- yes, that just took a lot out of me," Fleur admits, slightly wide eyed. "That was more water than I'm used to."

I nod. "Looked like a couple of tonnes or so," I guess, trying to do the mental math before suddenly realizing that I don't really know how much water weighs, nor how difficult it is to compress it. So that's right out.

Judging by how exhausted Fleur looks, it's probably incredibly difficult. My reasoning being, if we're about the same when it comes to power and I can compress stone and air without too much difficulty, that must mean that water must be horribly draining.

"Thank you for saving me."

She shakes her head, and I'm sure she would have let out an audible sigh were we not a few hundred feet below the surface. "Don't mention it, you would have done the same."

"Doesn't mean that it wasn't impressive, nor deserving of thanks," I argue, stifling her with a kiss, Fleur smiling tiredly against my lips.

I jerk my head to the side, towards the hostages. "I think we should get this nightmare of a task over with, before things get even worse."

Fleur nods in response, a bit more steadily this time as I take her hand and quickly lead us towards the three of them. With a flick of my wrist their bonds are cut and they begin to slowly float towards the surface. I reach out and grab Ginny, Fleur doing the same with Luna and Cho.

We turn to go back the way we came, and I absentmindedly fire off as many reparo charms as I can without draining myself, a good chunk of the damage done repairing itself before my eyes.

I freeze up as we come across the ruins of a familiar looking home, crumbled chunks of stone that once made up a ramshackle fence strewn about, no sign of the mother and child that we met upon entrance to the village to be seen.

I can feel a dull fury building up inside me at the sight of it. The death of bystanders, innocents, made to play host for a contest that the participants can't even see. And they'll probably write it off just because they're not human.

All that over a fucking competition.

"I'm going to find out who allowed this," Fleur says icily, a grim look on her face. "I'm going to take each and every one of them aside, and find out why they thought this was okay, and if their answers aren't to my liking..."

I nod, fully understanding and in acceptance of her promise to most likely murder whoever let this all happen.

What can I say? We both have pretty lackadaisical approaches to morality, mortality, and all else in between. Comes with the territory of being us, I guess.

I wave my hand in an intricate pattern as I pull the errant chunks of stone and begin to twist them together, moulding them into a likeness of the mother and child. It's a bit rough around the edges, but it's the best I can do given the situation.

With another flick of my wrist the monument is buried in front of the ruins of their home, fused with the rock that lies just beneath the coarse sands that cover the bottom of the lake . Without a backwards glance, I tighten my hold on Ginny as we begin to ascend towards the surface, still somewhat shaken from the sudden attack by the Lusca.

Fuck.

If that fiasco back there was just the Lusca, I can't imagine how difficult fighting the Hydra will be, or the Beisht-Kione for that matter. Fleur took a lot out of herself there, and she's the best of us when it comes to fighting underwater.

We continue on, each kick bringing us closer and closer to what I imagine to be the fight of a lifetime. I don't know why, but I just have a feeling that things are about to get even worse.

I notice as light begins to trickle in from above, thin slices of it cutting through sparse seaweed forests that stretch up dozens of feet. I catch a glint of a soft green shine in the distance, pale gray stone covered in thick layers of mossy algae denoting the slow, steady curve towards the shoreline

I also notice as a current that shouldn't exist begins to pick up, tugging us along to the surface and towards the distant roar of battle.

Two massive creatures shadow the lake. One is composed of a large, thick trunk of a body covered in sharp, stony projections that jut out every which way. Powerful limbs dangle underneath it, the muscled legs quickly morphing into flat, webbed fingers that bear claws the size of a small child, the crystalline appendages glinting dangerously. Nine miniature dragons heads rest atop long, prehensile necks, knotted together and wrapped tightly around the writhing body of an eldritch monster.

The Beisht-Kione is even more horrific than Dumbledore, or anyone else could have described it. A single, massive serpent covered in tentacles, each of which are littered in tiny, glittering teeth. Its body looks as if it's ever-shifting, the mass of limbs constantly trying for purchase on one of the many necks that bind it, tearing chunks of flesh from the screaming Hydra. Its bottom is just as told, a thick, coiled tail that resembles that of a seahorse, except for the barbed spike that adorns the tip.

A long, bony face extends from the end of a thin, scaled neck. An angry cluster of needle-like teeth rip and tear the armoured hide of the Hydra, while the enneadic seadrake continues to constrict it.

I gape at the sight of the titanic creatures grappling, eyes widening as one of the Hydra's heads is mercilessly torn from its body, a thick trail of spine and sinew dangling from the now deceased head.

Eight lives to go, it seems.

I can feel a rush of raw cold fear wash over me when I see something that I'd missed, the battle having so effectively distracted me.

A tiny body floating just upon the surface of the lake, a cloud of crimson, human blood surrounding it.

Fleur notices as well, immediately shooting off towards the surface. I follow behind, unable to keep up with her as she rockets forward, her feet disappearing from sight as she breaches the surface at such a speed that she's launched out of the lake.

As I get closer, I recognize the sodden, curly brown hair of Hermione splayed out across the water, my mind racing.

What happened to her? And where the fuck is Viktor?

I breach the surface, gills shrinking away painfully as I readjust to the use of my lungs. Fleur has one arm wrapped around a spluttering Luna, with her other pressed to Hermione's chest. Cho treads water next to her, looking slightly panicked. My eyes widen as I catch sight of the damage done to Hermione, muscle peeking out from between a long, jagged tear that stretches from collarbone to navel, blood leaking from the gaping wound.

Ginny coughs loudly, a few drops of water spattering the surface as she glances around wildly. "What the hell is going on? Why are we in the lake? Is tha- Hermione!" Ginny shrieks, reaching forward and attempting to paddle towards the unconscious brunette.

"Wait a second. Wait damnit!" I shout, shaking her slightly. "We need to move, now. I don't know how long those two bastards are going to take, but if we don't get out of here we're fucked!"

They all turn, Cho gasping in fright when she sees the turmoil occurring just a couple hundred or so feet behind us, the two sea monsters having now breached the surface. I quickly notice that only five of the Hydra's heads are remaining, and push down the fear that threatens to overtake me.

"My God," Cho mutters, shaking hand held over her mouth. "That… has that always been in the lake?"

"No, the Ministry brought the nightmares in. Fleur, did you learn any of your new healing magic?" I ask, ignoring our usual secrecy and cutting straight to the point.

She shakes her head. "It's restoration magic, not healing," she replies, her voice hoarse. "I need grass, trees... plants to get her knitted up. Kelp won't do."

I pause for a moment, mind racing as I try to figure out what to do.

"Fleur, you need to get her back to land since you're the fastest out of the two of us. I'm going to make sure everyone gets back in one piece, alright?"

She looks up at me, jaw clenched tight. "I'll grab Cedric on the way… stay safe," she breathes, handing Luna to me and ducking under the water, her arms wrapping around Hermione's waist from underneath before she begins to race towards the stands, a burst of water splashing over me in her wake.

I wait until she's a good distance away, freezing a large section of the lake and quickly pulling the three of us on top of it, sighing in relief when it doesn't tip over under our weight.

"What's going on?" Ginny asks, teeth chattering as she clumsily pulls herself to her feet, nearly slipping on the ice. Luna stands beside her, arms wrapped around her chest as she shivers violently. Cho places a steadying hand on my back, both for her sake and mine as we stand shakily on the slightly shifting ice.

"The second task is what happened," I growl, quickly glancing behind me as I hear the Beisht-Kione's muted roar, watching in horrified silence as it tears the final head from the Hydra, a thick torrent of blood gushing out of the stump and spreading out across the water, painting it an oily green. "As you can see, they brought a bunch more monsters, and we're going to have to get the fuck out of here right this second."

I wave my wand as quickly as I can, casting a warming charm over all of us before conjuring boots over the three girls feet as well as my own, steel teeth lining the bottom so we don't slip and fall across the ice. With another flick, the boots are tied snugly.

"We're going to have to run, alright? Can you three do that for me?"

They all nod, their mouths open as they breathe heavily, thin, wavering puffs of condensation emanating from their mouths with every breath. I hit them with a mild calming charm, just enough so that they don't lose themselves.

"Well, let's get to it. I'll be right behind you every step of the way, alright?"

We start to move, and I freeze the water in an expanse in front of us, constantly providing a path for us to run. My eyes narrow in focus as I try to judge the distance between us and the stands, assuming it to be about three hundred feet.

Too damn far.

I push as much magic as possible into my next freezing spell, forcing the ice to spread out across the lake. I have to pause to catch my breath as a loud crackling fills my ears, ice forming rapidly and rushing forward like an avalanche, the frost going so far as to creep up and over the distant rocky shores.

I fall to my knees, waving the three girls off as they go to pick me up. "Just run, I'll be right behind you, alright?" I say, a tired smile making its way across my face.

Ginny and Luna open their mouths to argue, but are quickly interrupted by Cho. "We'll be waiting for you," she says, grabbing the two girls and pulling them along, the group sprinting towards the stands.

It takes me a moment to collect myself, but I pull myself back up to my feet, inhaling sharply as the path behind me erupts, ice peppering my back as I stumble and fall once more, quickly flipping over to see the gaping maw of the Beisht-Kione rushing towards me, the inside of its mouth and throat bristling with short, curled fangs.

I cast a bludgeoner at the ice next to me, launching me a good dozen feet away from the serpent as it strikes at empty air, burying its head through the ice and into the water, a high pitched screech echoing out of the hole and reverberating across the frozen lake.

"Run! Run god damnit!" I shout, throwing up a wall of ice between the girls and the serpent as I lay prone on the ground. I catch a momentary glimpse of Luna's wide, frightened eyes as the barrier climbs upwards, standing proud and tall.

Legs scraped, I jump back to my feet as quick as I can, jabbing my wand towards the pool of inky green blood far to my left and twisting it. I pull, a shining emerald spear flying towards the Beisht-Kione and skewering it, sloughing off a line of tentacles in its wake like shaven hairs.

The monster pulls itself back up as I let the spear melt, instinctively knowing that I shouldn't leave any evidence of Blood Magics in the open as I prepare for the beast to lunge.

Looks like I was successful in getting its attention.

Its eyes spin like those of a chameleon, before locking on mine. They're tiny little things that rest in deep, wrinkled sockets, a shine in them speaking of hunger for both food and blood.

It roars, the sound itself cracking the ice and popping my eardrums. I grimace in pain as I feel the tiniest trickle of blood freezing against the cold air as it makes its way down the side of my neck.

Before I my regeneration even begins to kick in, it's lunged again, tentacles flaring out across its body and writhing madly.

I react instinctively, a burst of explosive hexes erupting from the end of my wand just as a sharp whirlwind is formed with my free hand, hundreds upon hundreds of tentacles falling from the shrieking creature like leaves from a tree, heavy thuds echoing as they drop to the ice.

I dive just as it collides with the ice next to me, already replacing the open water in its wake with more ground for me to work with, not wanting to be sequestered back into the water where I know I won't last more than two seconds.

A burst of Necromantic magic lances out from the tip of my wand and impacts the creature, rot and pus spreading out across it's hide like the ice across the lake. I grimace as the spell thins out, the creature's magic too strong for it to go any further.

It strikes the ice in front of me, launching me into the air. I shout in fright as I sail up and over the monster, crashing into the ground and wincing in pain as my left shoulder shatters from the impact, the shards of bone tearing through muscle.

I heard myself shout at least, that means my ears are back in action.

Panting, I stand back up, arm hanging uselessly from my side as I throw spell after spell after the Beisht-Kione as it slithers towards me, using its tentacles to grab the ice and pull itself forward faster than I can react.

Just as it's about to reach me, the creature roars once more as a massive, wintry sword slices deeply into its hide, nailing it to the ice below.

I blink at the sight of Dumbledore, as he waves his wand above his head, conjuring more blades and skewering the creature along its length.

Am I hallucinating?

"Don't let it get back up! What are you staring at me for?" he shouts.

I shake my head clear, drawing a line in the air with my wand, pulling it up towards the sky and watching as a trail of the creatures murky red blood follows with it. Gritting my teeth, I fashion the blood into a glaive, thinning out the point of the blade so that it's sharper than anything as I drop it down on the Beisht-Kione's head.

The serpent gives out one last, furious roar as its head is cloven from its body, blood gushing from the neat stump and quickly forming a macabre puddle. I let the glaive melt, the weapon joining the growing pool of burgundy liquid.

I curse as I hold my arm, pushing magic into it and feeling as muscle and bone begin to settle into place. Dumbledore begins to draw closer, and I point my wand at him, my throbbing arm momentarily forgotten.

"Don't be a fool, I couldn't hurt you even if I wanted to," he states, waving his wand at me.

"Fuck!" I shout, as a sling is conjured around my arm and tied snugly around my body. "You could have warned me!"

"Well, it looks like I can hurt you, unintentionally at that," Dumbledore muses, looking on curiously.

I stare at him, mind racing. "Why did you help me?"

"You're not who I imagined you to be."

I blink, shaking my head once in disbelief. "What?"

"You're not a monster," he admits, brow furrowed. I continue to stare at him, completely incredulous as to what's happening.

Did I die? Am I in the Hospital Wing right now experiencing the fever dream of a lifetime?

"Not a monster," I say drily, my words heavily laced with disbelief. "So what, you finally believe me when I say that I have no interest in taking over the world? Or is this just another one of your ridiculous plans?"

Dumbledore sighs heavily, a forlorn look on his face. "I… I'm not sure that I can properly put into words an apology that even remotely covers the wrongs I've committed against you. I've done a lot of thinking these last few months, and after seeing you fight that creature so that young Miss Weasley, Lovegood, and Chang may survive... " He trails off, a wry chuckle escaping his lips. "I don't believe I've ever been so wrong in my entire life."

I gape at him, trying to simply compartmentalize all that he's just said.

"I guess selflessly throwing myself against another nightmare snake the size of a house is a way to make a good impression," I mutter, Dumbledore huffing goodnaturedly.

"So it seems."

I shake my head in disbelief. "Now of all times? Now? Is this some way to alleviate your guilt or something?"

"I can assume why you would come to that conclusion," Dumbledore states. "I still am… coming to terms, you could say, with the magic that you wield and the circumstances behind it. I don't believe that it's something that I can ever, or will ever be wholly comfortable with." He drags his hand through his frostbitten beard, tilting his head. "But, even after all that, I've come to the conclusion that your motives are not that of destruction, but that of peace. You truly do wish to see the end of Tom, don't you?"

I laugh, my shoulder still stinging a touch. "Oh my god... that… wow," I breathe. "So… what does this mean then? The enemy of my enemy is my friend?"

Dumbledore nods after a moment. "Yes, I believe that would be acceptable."

I snort. "Un-fucking-believable. Absolutely unbelievable." I point at him aggressively. "Don't think this gets you out of what you've done. The Stone, Lockhart, Ron, Sirius, me. You've fucked with a lot of people's lives, and you're going to answer for it once this is all over with."

He inclines his head in understanding. "Once more, I believe that would be acceptable. I… I have much to answer for."

I stride forward, walking past him. "Well, as long as you know it. Now, I want to know if Hermione's okay."

Dumbledore pulls up beside me, and I realize once more how damned tall the man is. "Miss Granger is hurt, but stable. She will make a full recovery."

I breathe a sigh of relief. "That's good." I take a quick glance back at the massive corpse of the Beisht-Kione, twenty feet of it stretched out over the ice floe.

"Viktor."

"Mister Krum… gave his life to save Miss Granger," Dumbledore says, answering my muttered question.

I grit my teeth. "This fucking competition is a travesty." I turn back to him. "Who's idea was it to bring in the creatures?"

"That would be Ludo Bagman, Barty Crouch, as well as Cornelius Fudge," he states.

I raise an eyebrow. "You know I'm going to kill all of them for this, right?"

He swallows heavily. "I… assumed as much."

"Are you going to do anything about it?"

"There's nothing I can do about it. You have me well and truly under control, Miss Potter."

I shrug my shoulders. "I know that, but you could always tell someone, make them go into hiding if I don't command you not to."

Dumbledore sighs heavily, looking much older than he normally does as he gazes off in the distance, the two of us slowly making our way towards the stands. "Another thing I've come to the conclusion of, is the fact that there's some people you can't, and shouldn't save."

I whistle. "The great pacifist has changed his mind?"

"I never have been a pacifist," he argues. "I fought and killed more than I could keep track of in the war against Grindelwald. It was because of that… so much senseless, needless slaughter, that I hoped to preserve as much life as possible during the next war."

"At the expense of others."

He nods solemnly. "Yes, at the expense of others, something I deeply regret."

I turn to him, slightly shocked. "Really?"

"Yes, really," he echoes. "Now, let's get you back and healed," he adds, inclining his head towards my arm.

"Oh yeah, that," I say, running my hand over my shoulder and giving it one last burst of magic. "Fuck," I groan as the bone and muscle flip over one another, putting themselves back in their original place and knitting together.

"Incredibly impressive… is that the same magic that you used after our battle?"

"No, something different."

Dumbledore pauses for a moment, looking as if he's about to question me. "Regardless of the type of magic, it's still an impressive sight," he admits, deciding not to press the issue. "I never would have imagined that such a field would extend to the healing arts."

"I mean, it's not quite healing per se... but I guess that's close enough."

"I guess so."

I vanish the sling, rotating my newly healed shoulder and smiling happily at the result. My mobility isn't as good as it used to be, but that should be gone within the next few hours.

Magic is wonderful.

We walk in silence, slowly but surely making our way back to shore.

The stands are still crowded, but they're silent, a solemn hush having fallen over them as they recognize that only three champions have made it back, as opposed to the original four.

Nobody cheers as Dumbledore and I walk back onto solid ground. Instead they gape at us, at the magic we just so casually threw about. "Will there not be a fiasco because you helped me?"

"The task was over once all the hostages were retrieved. Fine print," he explains. "I took advantage of the fact once I realized it and went out to retrieve you."

"Retrieve? Is that what you call skewering a giant sea serpent to an ice floe?"

"What else would you call it?"

"Well, I sure as shit wouldn't call it rescuing," I gripe, smiling awkwardly as I catch sight of my family, as well as Fleur rushing towards me.

"I hope to talk to you soon, Helene," Dumbledore says as he walks away, leaving me to reassure them.

I'm quickly swept up in a crushing hug by Terra, my adoptive mother crying on my shoulder in relief. "We were so worried!" she gasps. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Mum, mum, I'm alright," I croak, the air being squeezed out of my lungs.

She lets go of me, wiping the tears from her eyes and sniffling quietly. "I know… I just… God, you had us so worried."

"I told you I'd come back safe," I say.

"How the hell do you use magic like that?" Daphne interrupts. "Where do you learn that kind of shit?"

"Daphne!" Terra chides.

"What? That was even more ridiculous than the first task! She just froze the whole lake!"

Tracey and Astoria stand next to Daphne, silent, yet the awe is still written all over them.

"I… practice, a lot," I explain, Astoria scoffing loudly.

"Practice? That's from practice? You're powerful Helene."

I shrug. "Haven't we always known that?"

Daphne jabs her finger towards the lake. "That is not normal."

"Like I said, since when have I been normal?"

She purses her lips, a deeply curious look in her eyes. "You're going to have to explain everything to me, hell, all of us someday. That just doesn't happen from training."

"Look, can we not do this here?" I exclaim, Daphne noticing the exhaustion in my voice as she quickly settles down, looking slightly ashamed.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, I just… I was so damn scared."

"It's okay," I say, setting my hand on her shoulder.

Fleur stands amidst everyone awkwardly, fingers laced together as she fidgets with her thumbs.

"Hey, get over here," I instruct, waving her over with one hand.

She smiles nervously, pulling me into a tight, fearful hug. "You have no idea how terrified I was," she whispers, her voice shaky. "After that… thing broke out of the ice and came after you… I couldn't leave Hermione to help, she was too injured."

"It's alright, you were saving her." I kiss her neck softly, her skin cold against my lips. "Just like you saved me at the bottom of the lake. And speaking of which, where is she? Did Pomfrey get to her?"

She snorts quietly. "Yes, her and Cedric were brought up to the Hospital wing. And… I guess so, I just hate that I couldn't do anything to help you."

"Hey, you did everything you could," I argue, pulling back and placing my hand on her cheek. "Let's get out of here, okay?"

She nods, and I turn to my family. "Hey, I'm sorry, but I… we, need to go and rest. Today has been… well, it's been a little fucked up," I say pointing towards the lake.

"It's okay, you go and do what you need to. We can walk you in," Octavius says, squeezing my shoulder.

"Thanks dad."

We all start to walk back to the castle, ignoring the crowds as we trek up the frosty grounds.

"Fleur," I say, after a few minutes. "Did you hear about-"

"Viktor? Yes, I did." She exhales softly, before biting down on her cheeks. "He… he shouldn't have died. We could have stopped him."

"We could have," I admit. "We made a mistake, a massive one, and next time something like that happens, we will stop them."

She gets a sharp glint in her eyes, equal parts grief and anger. "We will."

I smile sadly at her. "Let's get out of here."

---

I'm back! Sorry for the incredibly long wait, school has been more than intense. So, to make up for it, we have this whopper of a chapter. Hope you enjoyed it!

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Bearmauls: F-bombs are the mandatory response to lesbian cuteness. And yeah, I know, but it's sort of necessary for the rest of the story.

Aftermath Man: Yep! I wanted to play with the idea of the two having diametrically opposed, but complementary powers, and that's going to be more fleshed out later in the story.
Hermione is also my favourite supporting character, mainly because I can see a ton of myself in the awkward little bookworm.

Digitize27: Thanks for ripping my shit apart, I really needed that.
If I ever have the time, I'll go back and try to properly rewrite that whole opening sequence and get rid of the tropetastic bullshit that makes it up. Unfortunately, that probably won't happen for a year or so.

exillion: Just makin' a joke bud. I understand that other historical religious figures were resurrected before Jesus, but the majority of the readerbase will be more familiar with the Christian mythos, and in turn make that little joke more funny.