Castle Turret overlooking the lake
"So the second task is in the lake." Harry said as he watched the preparations being made to build the arena just days shy of the actual date. "Indeed Harry." Dumbledore agreed as they stood on one of the turrets of the castle overlooking the lake and the forest behind it.
"Is there anything expected from me?" Harry asked neutrally. "Aside from that you are expected to sit beside me? No. There is also no room for miss Granger I am afraid." "Hermione told me to expect that." Harry admitted with a hint of defeat. Dumbledore's good natured chuckling at his misery did not lift Harry's mood. "It heartens me that you remain as pure hearted despite your ascension Harry."
Harry shot a glance to the side and saw that the old headmaster was completely serious. Uncertain what to say he decided to say nothing to the admittance. He was relieved that Dumbledore decided to switch subjects. "How is your training fairing?" he asked instead. "I am actually holding my own now against Mia." Harry said with a hint of pride at his own progress.
"Very impressive. Do you think you progressed that fast because you are a Campione?" he asked curiously. Harry nodded instantly. "Yea. The more pressure I am under the better I am." Harry leaned forward on the parapet. "I kinda understand why Campione likes to fight so much. It is so easy to get the blood pumping and pick a fight with someone." he admitted to the Headmaster.
"Is it a problem?" Dumbledore asked gently. "Huh?" Harry replied surprised. "No.. not at all. Not with how everyone tiptoes around me. I suppose that is the reason why the general advice regarding Campione's is to stay well clear."
Dumbledore hid a smile at the reply. "Indeed Harry." The pair spend a few moments in a comfortable silence. "Did you find time to try a spell from the book?" Harry smiled again "I did, Cressida thinks I have a wind affinity with how easy I got the hang of that spell." he turned to Dumbledore again. "Why don't the teachers cover affinities at Hogwarts?"
"That is because for most people it hardly matters." Dumbledore replied calmly at the concealed criticism. "For example your Head of House is a master in transfiguration. Although it is still debated whether that is aligned with the earth of water element. I know Minerva's magic is aligned to the element of fire. It is said that those in favor of the element of water are good at potions, yet Severus's element is earth."
His eyes started to sparkle and for some reason Harry feared for a moment he would soon be dissected for the sake of knowledge. "I suspect Miss Layla is correct however. Your skill on a broom is incredible so it is more than likely that your wind affinity is far more powerful than most."
Dumbledore slightly cocked his head in thought. "I wonder if your ascension has anything to do with that…." Harry saw the man slip into the kind of crazy researcher mode he had seen earlier and decided to leave the old headmaster with his thoughts.
Judges tribune
"Headmaster." Harry greeted Dumbledore as he saw man approach. The other judges had already seated themselves and Bagman was in the process of explaining the task. Harry had already spent his thoughts on the idiocy of a spectator sport involving watching the placid Black Lake while the events played out in the depths below.
"Mister Potter, I hope I am not too late?" He asked cheerfully. "Not at all headmaster. You seem to be in a good mood considering the place you have been to." he probed as he knew that morning from the deputy headmistress that the headmaster had gone to Azkaban to all places as 'something' requiring his attention had propped up.
Dumbledore hummed thoughtfully. "I suppose I am rather cheerful considering the environment I came from. The thing I was called up for was a false alarm so that is quite a relief." "That is good to hear." Harry replied. No bad news from Azkaban was good news on its own, Harry thought satisfied as he turned his attention back to the task he once was supposed to do.
Bagman gave the starting signal and Harry watched with interest as the champions dived into the cold lake. After the ripples of their entry had dispersed "Well this is certainly thrilling." Harry said in a dry tone.
"I had my own objections." Dumbledore said just loud enough for Harry to hear while he kept a critical eye on the gathered crowd. "I do hope the crowd does not get impatient. Minister Fudge already has my considerable displeasure with his reticence to cooperate with the Wittagamot and the issues you asked me to look into."
"But if his actions make a mess of your castle's lawn you are going to throw him out like a cranky old man?" Harry filled in cheekily. Dumbledore gave the youngster a hard look and for a moment Harry would be thrown over the old wizard's lap and spanked like a naughty child for his cheek. "I am many things mister Potter, cranky is not one of them."
Harry barely held back a giggle at the sheer affront Dumbledore managed to put into his voice. He turned his attention to the crowds as well and for a moment he thought he saw a hooded form toss something in the water. "Did someone just throw something into the water?" he asked Dumbledore.
"Not that I saw my boy." Dumbledore replied with a puzzled look. "If they meant to interfere with the task they would need to throw something more towards the center of the lake instead of the edge." "It must have been my imagination then." Harry conceded as he returned his attention to the nearly still lake.
A handful of minutes later a battered, bruised and bleeding Fleur Delacour emerged near the starting point and Madam Pomfrey wasted no time fishing the poor veela out of the water. The young woman wailed something in despair and it took Harry a moment to mentally translate. "Her sister?" he asked curiously even as he wondered how he knew.
"Yes. Another point I objected to." this time the baleful stare in the direction of the ministry organisers of the task was not concealed. "Each champion has someone important taken from them. A younger sibling in the case miss Delacour and mister Krum. Miss Chang for mister Diggory. They are in no real danger as the merman are looking out for them but I still find it distasteful in the name of spectacle. Sadly the other parties disagreed."
"You were outvoted?" Cressida asked softly and Harry nearly startled by the reminder his near permanent extra shadows had seats behind him. "Indeed I was, miss Layla." Dumbledore confirmed. Harry pondered for a moment if he should stick his Campione oar in and decided to shelve that question until after the task. He could discuss it with Cressida, Hermione and Mia later. 'It is too late to do something now.'
The water was disturbed again. A large froghead shaped into the form roughly of a human head popped out of the water and seemed to sniff for something. "What is that?" Harry demanded with an edge in his voice as it set off his instincts something fierce. "It is not a magical creature I know." Dumbledore said as he rose from his seat and palmed his wand.
The unknown creature meanwhile took in the crowd and a malicious smile overtook its visage. The water stirred and lit up which soon revealed three girls bound underwater in a merman village. None of its inhabitants were home however. It was clear that the merfolk had sensed the approaching danger and fled with all due haste without informing the air breathers above.
"The wards are disturbed… That must be a divine being." Dumbledore whispered in disbelief. That was all the confirmation Harry needed and the fire in his blood roared to live. "Noble white steed born from a monster's blood. Thunder forth and bless the earth with spring again. Carry a hero aloft once more to victory!" He chanted and gave Victoria the few moments she needed to materialize before leaping off the edge of the stands.
Mia had the presence in mind to offer the sheathed sword of Gryffindor handle first and Harry drew it as he jumped. With wand and sword in hand on Victoria's back he charged towards the creature. The crowd watching the task was stuck between fleeing for their lives or watching the spectacle.
The frog faced being gargled something and raised two human-like hands. There was webbing between the fingers and each finger tip sported a wicked tip more suited for spearing a fish. With a gesture the water of the Black Lake responded and Victoria was forced to abort her charge. In a mighty clap of her wings she dodged towards the center of the lake to avoid the reverse waterfall emerging from the lake.
"Stupify!" Harry intoned and a fat red blob launched from his wand and struck the being on the temple. But as he expected it was utterly unaffected. With a swipe of its hand it retaliated and Victoria avoided the bullets of water without further prompting from Harry. "Victoria!" Harry cried out at the beast and immediately understood what he wanted.
She started a horizontal loop "Eurus interauilonem ettelum imperator!" Harry incanted. Finishing the incantation as he was upside while aiming his wand to his target from Victoria's side. Wind coalesced into a shimmering spear and rocketed to the creature. It blinked in surprise and formed a wall of water to block the incoming attack. The spear tore through it like wet paper and smashed into the frog faced man, the force of the impact slammed him under.
It popped out again with an indignant roar. Its seaweed like beard had been cut off but it had suffered no other damage from the head on impact. The being chanted something in a language that Harry did not understand and he wearily increased his attitude lest he be caught into something as he charged in.
That water shimmered and Harry tensed in preparation to react as he gazed down. "Mom.. Dad?" he asked flabbergasted as he saw his parents sink peacefully into the depths of the Black Lake. He willed Victoria to dive down so he could rescue him but his steed refused. Tearing his eyes away from the sight below he prepared to shout his ire at his rebellious steed when it hit him like a sledgehammer.
His parents were dead.
"An illusion." The growl containing those words from Harry's throat promised a particular painful time for the person responsible. A loud bang below shook him out of his rage by sheer surprise. He took a deep breath as he remembered Mia's warnings about losing his temper in battle. "Bastard." he spat as he gazed down and saw a pandemonium down below.
Judges tribune
Dumbledore had snapped out a few instructions to the ministry personnel to evacuate the crowd and then had turned all his attention to the creature Harry just fired his air lance at with no effect. Mentally he gave the boy five points for the execution of the spell. Keeping in mind that the formation could have harmed his steeds wings as he had to shoot it downward.
"I do not recognize this heretic god." Miss Layla said tersely and Dumbledore had to give a reluctant nod in agreement. "Vodyanoy" the Durmstrang headmaster declared in an equally terse tone. Dumbledore hid his surprise that the man knew "How are you sure?" he asked instead.
"Voban laid out a commandant to inform him immediately if someone spotted the beast. It was cunning enough to evade the hunting wolf." Igor Karkaroff answered. The beast chanted something and the water glowed ominously. "Arianna?" the wizened headmaster gasped as he saw the form of his sister sink into the depths
His occlumency slammed down like a falling fortress gate. The way Igor lurched forward was enough information for Dumbledore that this heretic god 'Vodyanoy' had no benign plans for those it lured underwater. In a single swish his wand let out a bang a full muggle artillery barrage was hard pressed to match.
Igor collapsed clutching his ears and so did those nearest to Dumbledore. The old wizard himself had protected himself and those further mostly snapped out of their shock. It was sadly not on time to save all of those entranced. Dumbledore spotted more than one shape diving into the depths.
He looked around and saw that his spell had not cleared the minds of all affected although it heartened him that several witches and wizards were trying to help their fellow magicians despite the danger. "Vodyanoy… Vodyanoy…" He heard Miss Layla mutter as she flipped through the pages of a book with an intensity that would have Irma quite upset had it been a Hogwarts library book.
"Hermione, read this. Summarize it." the young lady commanded to miss Granger. "Mia. Run distraction while I try to get Harry's attention." "Got it." the swordswoman called out as she set out. He didn't pay attention to her chant but did take note of the bastard sword she pulled out of thin air.
Albus Dumbledore took one moment to loathe the fact that despite his impressive repertoire he did not have a method to meaningfully interfere in this fight. He could hinder or even perhaps temporarily bind the heretic god. He however knew that his magic was better spent on saving as many as possible and with a terrible sweep of his wand the very wood of the stands rose up. Preventing anymore wizards and witches from seeing the water and jumping in. A loud sonorous soon had him thunder out instructions like a displeased god.
As he organized a withdrawal from the lake into either the castle or the plains surrounding it he hoped Harry could defeat this opponent.