Chapter Seventy-Nine - The Second Task

"Ask them what they plan on taking from me."

Harry was sitting in the common room with Colin Creevy and Herb Pandey. Blaise and Millie waited patiently nearby. After recounting the adventure of the previous night to his friends, he had quickly located the two underclassmen and enlisted their help. Pandey in particular was needed to interpret with the merpeople.

Pandey's classes had grown larger, and there were quite a few of the underwater creatures gathered outside the window, watching his deliberate gestures with fascinated eyes.

"They're glad you finally figured it out," Pandey commented after interpreting the movements of the nearest merman.

Harry rolled his eyes, "I'm sure they are. But did they say what they're going to take?"

Pandey huffed. "You know, if you learned to sign, you could do this yourself."

In spite of his irritation, Pandey faithfully turned back to the window, pressing his audience for more information as Harry turned back to his friends. Colin had been chatting with them, sitting on the arm of one of the leather sofas, his short legs kicking a beat against the side as he shared his theories with the others.

"It'd have to be something important, wouldn't it?" he suggested, "What about your broomstick, Harry? You did use it in the first task, after all."

"But how would they plan on getting it?" Harry mused, "First they'd have to sneak into the castle, find the common room entrance, locate my dormitory… Can they grow legs? I thought that was just in fairytales…"

It was Millie's turn to roll her eyes as she reminded Harry, "The tasks were organized by the Ministry. The merpeople won't be taking anything from you. It'll probably be a faculty member or Bagman."

"Will it be the same for each champion, then?" Blaise asked, "What is something you all have in common? If it's something important that you all have, then… They can't possibly mean to take your wands! Won't you need them to complete the task?"

The clue had simply been too vague to narrow down. Harry had hoped that with some indication, he could simply stop the merpeople from taking anything in the first place. Then he'd have no reason to go into the lake. But Millie was right. The judges would not let him avoid participating in one of the challenges.

Pandey turned around, a look of confusion on his face. "I think there must be some mistake," he said.

"What's wrong?" asked Harry anxiously.

"They aren't making any sense," Pandey replied, "I've been asking them to be more specific, but they just keep saying the same thing. Not what. Who. "

"Who?" Harry repeated, a chill running down his spine, "Then they're planning to take… a person?"

Pandey turned back to the window and made a quick sign. In the dark water of the Black lake, a dozen pairs of hands waved themselves back and forth in silent applause. He had guessed correctly.

A brief moment of silence fell as Harry turned back to Blaise and Millie. He looked between his two friends in horror before saying, "But if they're taking someone important to me… which one of you will it be?"

Blaise, with a slight smirk, exchanged a glance with Millie before he replied, 'We're flattered, Harry. But you have a bigger problem. How are you planning to stay underwater for an hour?"

The merpeople were less helpful with this part of the riddle. After signing that they couldn't help, they swam out of sight. With no inspiration at hand, the trio continued this conversation throughout the day and into the next. Eventually, they found their way to the library, where Hermione, Neville, and Eleanor joined the brainstorming. Hermione, expressing her pride that Harry had worked out the clue himself this time, agreed to help with an emergency study session. Harry conveniently forgot to mention that Cedric had supplied him with the idea to take the egg underwater.

"What about a charm?" he asked Blaise as the others scoured various textbooks.

Blaise gave it some consideration before replying, "I've heard of one that could work. The Bubble-Head Charm. But it's difficult to master, and I've never tried it before. I don't think I could teach it to you before the second task."

Shaking his head sadly, he then added, "It's a shame we don't have an Aqua Lung."

Millie stopped reading a book on obscure spells and stared at him, "What's that?"

Blaise's eyes lit up with excitement, "It's this thing Muggles use to breathe underwater! I learned about it in Muggle Studies. Honestly, the things they can do without magic…"

"That's nice, but where do you propose I buy scuba equipment in February? Hogsmeade?" Harry asked impatiently before turning to Hermione for a second opinion, "What do you think of using a polyjuice potion?"

Hermione had once brewed a potion that enabled her and Neville to transform into exact copies of Blaise and Millie. Harry wondered if it could be used to change him into a merman?

But Hermione shook her head, "That potion is only meant for human to human transformations. If you tried to become something non-human like a merperson, there could be irreversible side effects."

"There must be a spell I could use!" Harry cried desperately, "If not a charm then… then maybe I can use my wand to transform myself?"

It was Nell who disagreed with this proposal. "We won't learn human transfiguration until sixth year. If you tried it without proper training, it could be just as bad as a poor polyjuice potion."

"Shame you didn't become an animagus," Millie lamented as she turned the pages of her textbook hopelessly, "You could have become an octopus or something."

Harry, frustrated with everyone and everything around him, replied shortly, "Well there's not enough time for me to give it another go, is there?"

Millie shrugged and closed her textbook with a heavy thud. There was nothing there to help him, anyway.

Finally, Neville spoke up, "There's always gillyweed."

Everyone looked up from their books and stared at him.

"What in Mordor is gillyweed?" Blaise asked.

Neville, blushing slightly at being the center of attention, showed them all the book he had been reading. It was an herbology textbook - Neville's best subject.

"It's a plant that allows you to temporarily breathe underwater," he explained, "You don't even have to do anything to it. Just swallow a handful and you'd be all set."

Even Hermione was impressed by Neville's insight, though she, like the others, wondered where they were going to come across gillyweed on short notice.

Neville had an answer for this as well.

"Snape has some in his office," he said, "I saw it when I was serving detention for melting that cauldron."

"Brilliant!" Blaise cried, much to the displeasure of Madam Pince, the librarian. Blaise gave her a cheeky grin and a wave before leaning back in his chair and folding his arms behind his head. "You and Snape are chums now, right Harry? Just ask if you can borrow some."

Harry didn't bother to correct Blaise's misunderstanding. He was too busy realizing that this plan, like the others, was doomed to fail. He had made a bet with Snape just before the first task. He had no idea if the Potions Master would hold up his end of the deal if Harry won the tournament, but he had no doubt in his mind that Snape wouldn't help him succeed if he could help it. Snape wouldn't let Harry die, of course, but he would certainly relish the sight of Harry remaining helplessly on shore while the other champions pulled ahead of him in points.

Harry informed his friends of part of his doubts, though he did not elaborate on why he didn't think Snape would help him. Blaise suggested asking for the gillyweed himself, but this was also out of the question. Blaise and Millie were his best friends. They were inseparable. If either of them came round asking for a weed that would help them breathe underwater, Snape might suspect they were helping Harry with the second task.

He was about to give up, when Neville once more came to the rescue.

"I'll ask him," he announced, standing up from the table as if he intended to find the Potions Master that very moment.

Hermione gasped and said, "Neville! You can't!"

"It'll be fine, Hermione," Neville replied with a reassuring smile, "I'll just tell him it's for an herbology assignment. If it's me, then he won't have any reason to suspect it's to help Harry, will he?"

As if worried that they would talk him out of it if he stayed, Neville gathered his things and marched straight out of the library. Harry was thankful for his assistance, though he wasn't sure why Hermione was so distressed. Was talking to Snape really so terrible?
"Remember the boggart in Professor Lupin's class last year?" Hermione said when Harry asked her about it, "Well, Neville's turned into Professor Snape."

After the initial shock passed away, Harry felt proud of Neville. It was very like a Gryffindor to face their worst fear in the service of a friend. He wondered how he would ever pay Neville back?

Neville's bravery had not been spent in vain. The evening before the second task, Harry had the gillyweed in hand. This did not stop him from fretting. He paced the common room, reflecting on everything Neville had told him. He said it would be easy to use. All he had to do was swallow a handful. Harry would have felt more comfortable giving it a test run, but Snape had only spared a small amount of the weed, and Harry wasn't sure how much he would need for an hour underwater. He didn't dare ask Neville to go back and request more. He had already done enough.

"Do you think Crouch will turn up tomorrow?" Blaise asked, breaking into Harry's reverie.

"What?" Harry asked, distracted, "Oh, I don't know. He was in the castle the other night, wasn't he? I suppose that means he's feeling well enough to come back to work."

"But has he been back to the castle since then?" Millie asked, "I still can't believe you gave the map to Moody, Harry. We could have used it to see what Crouch is up to!"

Harry didn't reply. He had resumed his pacing. In his stress over the second task, he'd forgotten that he told his friends about Moody, the map, and Mr. Crouch's odd behavior.

Blaise watched him move back and forth before he added, "She's right, you know. Has it occurred to you that Mr. Crouch could have been the one to put your name in the Goblet of Fire? Maybe he's creeping around the castle to… I don't know… sabotage you in the tournament or something."

"But that doesn't add up…" Harry said, "What would Mr. Crouch gain by entering me in the tournament? It's not like Bagman making bets on me…"

They would have to settle the mystery another day, for at that very moment, Draco Malfoy approached, his chest thrown out and looking important.

"Now what?" Harry snapped, already at his wits' end and not needing another distraction, "If you're looking for more material to sell your best friend Rita, you've come to the wrong Triwizard Champion."

Draco's look of self-importance soured slightly as he replied, "Not everything is about you, Potter. I'm here for Blaise."
"Me?" Blaise asked, sitting up taller in his chair.

"Professor Snape wants to see you," Draco informed him, "You're needed in his office."

Harry stopped pacing abruptly. He turned and met Blaise's eye. There was only one explanation for why Snape would call Blaise to his office this late the night before the second task. He was the one chosen as bait.

He could tell from the look on Blaise's face that he understood this as well, though Blaise looked perfectly at ease as he unfolded from his chair and followed Draco out the common room entrance. Harry was less sanguine.

"What am I going to do?" he said, nearly working himself into a panic, "What if the gillyweed doesn't work? What if Blaise is stuck at the bottom of the lake forever? How is he supposed to breathe?"

"Harry, relax," Millie said forcefully, "Do you really think Mrs. Zabini would consent to anything that would endanger her son?"

"But the riddle said…"

"Scare tactics," Millie interrupted, "That's just to make sure you say within the time frame. They wouldn't actually leave Blaise at the bottom of the lake."

Harry, realizing she was right, felt himself grow calm. Still, he couldn't help but wonder what enchantment they would put Blaise under while Harry spent an hour searching for him.

The following morning, Harry made his way down to the Black Lake early. Millie, Neville, and Nell wished him well at breakfast, but Hermione was curiously absent. Neville explained that he hadn't seen her since the previous night, when Professor McGonagall summoned her from a late study session. Harry knew what this must mean, though he didn't say anything that might distress Neville. Hermione had been taken too.

Harry gave Krum a closer look as they lined up before the gold-draped judges table. Like the other champions, Krum had changed into a wetsuit that had been provided for this task. If Hermione were somewhere submerged in the lake, then she was obviously intended for Krum. He had taken Hermione to the Yule Ball and continued to sit with her during various library study sessions, but Harry didn't think they had been spending more time together than usual. Still, he must like Hermione a great deal if she was chosen as his hostage. Viktor's expression as he stood before the judges was unreadable, however. Harry wondered if he had figured out the second half of the clue. Did he know Hermione was hidden somewhere in the lake?

A complicated and unpleasant feeling was growing in the pit of his stomach, and he wasn't sure it had anything to do with nerves. To distract himself, Harry turned his attention to Fleur and Cedric, wondering who had been chosen as bait for the two of them. He then glanced at the judge's table, and noticed that once again, Mr. Crouch was absent. Percy Weasley was in his place next to Ludo Bagman.

Harry wasn't sure what to make of this. He was sure that Mr. Crouch had been in the castle the other night, but if he was well enough for midnight excursions, why wasn't he there today? Was there something inside the castle he was looking for? Could he at that very moment be inside Hogwarts, using the opportunity provided by the second task to complete his search while the school was empty?

He didn't have long to speculate. The stands that had been erected around the edge of the lake were soon filled to burst, and Bagman rose to his feet. Seated not far behind him, Harry noticed Mrs. Zabini. She met his eye and smiled at him. Harry smiled back in a way that he hoped was reassuring. He was certain that Bagman had warned her about this task, and he only hoped that he could find Blaise within the time limit to make her proud.

"Greetings everyone! And welcome to the second task of the Triwizard Tournament!" Bagman said, his magically amplified voice booming over the crowd to welcome cheers from the audience. "Each of our champions have had something important taken from them. Their task is simple - search the bottom of the Black Lake and return with the stolen item. Champions, you have one hour… On my whistle…"

He raised a silver whistle to his lips and blew hard. Its shrill ring was as loud as his magnified voice. It echoed across the eerily still water of the lake. Harry wasted no time. He lifted the gillyweed concealed in his clenched hand and popped it in his mouth. It was awful. The gillyweed had a slimy, rubbery texture that was like nothing Harry had ever eaten before. He wasn't sure it was entirely meant for human consumption, but he chewed as fast as he could manage without gagging, hoping to get it over with quickly. It was only then that Harry realized he had never asked Neville how long it would take for the effects to kick in… Or even how he would know they were working.

As he stood on the dock, chewing furiously, he watched as one by one the other champions dove into the water. Cedric and Fleur appeared to cast a charm around their heads before jumping straight in, while Viktor dove head-first into the slate-gray surface. Harry hadn't seen him cast a spell at all, though his wand had been clenched tightly in his hand.

Harry could hear laughter as he was the only one left on shore. He ignored it as best he could, but eventually he too hopped into the water, if only to appear to be doing something.

It was ice cold. Harry let out an involuntary gasp as his body plunged into the frigid water. A wave of panic rushed over him as he expected his lungs to fill with the brackish water, but to his surprise, there was no choking, no feeling of being suffocated or drowned. Instead, he felt only a piercing pain on the sides of his neck. With one hand gripping his wand, Harry used the other to feel the source of the pain. To his surprise, there were two large slits just below his ear, gently moving in and out as they filtered the water around him, filling him with much needed oxygen. He had gills.

This was not the only change that had come over him. Harry looked down at his hands and noticed that they were webbed. His feet also had webbing between the toes. They now resembled flippers more than feet. Harry had taken his glasses off and left them on the shore, but even his eyesight seemed improved underwater. He wasn't cold anymore. The first shock had ebbed away, leaving him pleasantly cool.

Swimming came easily in his form. Slipping his wand into a sort of holster that had been provided along with the wetsuit, Harry took a few test swirls under the water's surface. He would have liked to test out the full capabilities of this new form, but it was time to return to the task at hand. He had wasted enough time chewing on the gillyweed, and the other champions were long gone. The lake was large, and he didn't have much time.

He swam further down into the depths of the water. It wasn't much different than he expected, having seen the bottom of the lake from the windows of his common room many times before. There were rocks and clusters of seaweed, but no real landmarks he recognized.

Then he had an idea. The merpeople were often seen swimming outside the windows while taking lessons with Pandey. Perhaps they lived close to the school? Harry had become disoriented under the water, and considered swimming to the surface to get his bearings when he heard a snatch of mersong. It sounded like the lyrics he'd heard from the egg, only now it was sung by many voices instead of one.

He struck out in the direction of the voices, and before long came across a cluster of crude stone buildings. If it hadn't been for the music, Harry might have swum right by. Covered as they were with algae, Harry might have mistaken them for large boulders.

The merpeople of the Black Lake were the ones Harry was used to seeing, though they bore little resemblance to the blond mermaid in the prefect's bathroom. Here they had grayish skin and long, dark green hair. Their teeth were as yellow as their eyes, though the former were also razor sharp. As he swam past several of their dwellings, Harry saw these familiar faces peering at him from windows. He wasn't afraid. When he first saw such a specimen, swimming past one of the windows with a swish of their powerful silver tail, he'd been rather alarmed, but now they were like welcome friends.

He was amused by their quaint village. Some kept gardens of kelp. In front of one dwelling he even saw a pet grindylow. A few of the villagers carried sharp spears, but their behavior was non-threatening. They seemed equally amused by the modifications to his body as he was by their town. A few, perhaps recognizing him from the common room window, waved a friendly greeting as he passed.

Harry continued to follow the song until he reached what appeared to be a town square. There was a large statue of a merperson in the center of the clearing, with a chorus of merpeople singing their haunting song. Behind them, four figures, apparently unconscious, were tethered to the lake floor.

Harry had been right about Hermione. She was tied right next to Blaise. On his other side was Cho Chang, Cedric's choice, apparently. The fourth was a young girl with silvery blonde hair. She bore such a strong resemblance to Fleur that Harry felt positive they must be sisters. With all four of them still held captive, Harry knew he was the first of the champions to arrive.

Harry stared into Hermione's serene face. Her eyes were closed, and no bubbles escaped from her nose or closed mouth. For a moment, Harry wondered what would happen if he saved both Blaise and Hermione. Would she be grateful? Harry shook these thoughts away as quickly as they formed. He knew he wouldn't be doing Viktor a service to steal away the person whom he was supposed to be rescuing.

He swam over to Blaise, expecting to meet with resistance, but the merpeople let him pass without a move to stop him. Blaise had been tied to the lake floor by a thick rope made of seaweed. Harry drew his wand and tried to fire a spell at the bindings, but only a thick cloud of bubbles escaped his parted lips. Of course, he couldn't speak underwater, and he had never learned to cast wordless spells.

Harry thought about the knife Sirius and Remus got him for Christmas, sitting uselessly in his trunk in the dormitory. Why hadn't he come prepared? He could have hidden it on his person somehow, or tucked it into the same leather straps that had been provided for their wands.

It was useless to lament his lack of foresight now. Harry swam to the nearest spear-toting merperson and used what little sign language he'd picked up from Pandey to ask for their spear. The merman merely laughed and replied, "We cannot help. Only watch."

The merpeople apparently had no issues speaking or singing underwater. Harry was frustrated. The gillyweed had given him plenty of useful advantages to life underwater. Couldn't it have given him the ability to speak, as well? Furious with himself and at the merpeople for refusing to help him, Hary swam back to Blaise. After a few unsuccessful attempts to untie the ropes that bound him, he resorted to his wand again.

He thought of everything Professor Nobilis had said about wand lore in his classes on wand-making, hoping that there might be some information that could help him fire a spell without words. Nobilis was always saying that the wand was an extension of its owner - a way to direct their will. Right now, Harry's will was to cut this stupid rope.

Focusing as hard as he could on that one desire alone, Harry directed his wand at the seaweed bindings and shouted the spell. Once more, his words were lost in a plume of bubbles, but this time his intention came through. The severing spell worked, and Blaise immediately began to drift free, his body rising slowly toward the surface of the lake.

Harry grabbed one of his arms and began speeding up their progress, propelling them upward with his free arm and flippered feet. The water quickly grew less gloomy the closer they drew to daylight. Harry found himself squinting against the sudden glare when they broke the surface. Blaise regained consciousness immediately, blinking back the water that fell into his eyes.

"Alright, Harry?" he said with a broad smile as all around them cheers erupted from the waiting crowd. Blaise spotted his mother among the onlookers and gave her a cheery wave. "Have a nice swim?"

Harry showed his friend his new gills as they paddled slowly toward the dock where the judges were waiting. He thought he was the first to arrive, but then he noticed Fleur. She was wrapped in a thick blanket and appeared to be crying.

"It was ze grindylows!" she moaned to Madame Maxime as Bagman helped Blaise onto the dock, "Zere were too many of zem! I couldn't… I couldn't…"
Maxime appeared to be doing her best to reassure her champion, but Fleur was too distraught to listen to reason. Harry, still treading water as his flippers and gills had not faded away, looked to Blaise on shore.

"I'll get her," he said simply.

Blaise started to shout something at him, but Harry had already dove beneath the surface once more, enjoying the spray of water he kicked up with his long, webbed feet. It was much more comfortable under the water, anyway. The cold air had stung his gills and made breathing difficult.

It would be much easier to find the merpeople the second time. Along the way, Harry passed Cedric, who had some kind of bubble around his face. Cedric gave him a strange look and pointed to his bare wrist as if he were reminding Harry of the time, but he was too busy with Cho to stick around. Harry waved him off and continued toward the bottom of the lake, where the voices of the merpeople were still singing.

The merpeople did not seem happy to see Harry return. Several of the spear-wielding variety followed Harry to the center of town, where they used their powerful fins to outstrip him and closed ranks before the two remaining hostages. Harry pointed to Fleur's little sister, hoping to make his intentions clear, but the merpeople shook their heads and jabbed their spears toward him menacingly.

"Only one!" they hissed.

Harry tried sign language again, hoping that he could make them understand that Fleur wasn't coming. But either his broken sentences were not making sense, or the merpeople chose not to understand him, because they steadfastly refused to move.

Harry was just starting to wonder if he shouldn't use his wand to threaten them when Krum arrived. At least, Harry hoped it was Krum. Viktor seemed to have transformed himself, but very badly. His head resembled something close to a shark, while the rest of him had taken on a rather odd color and appearance. The strangeness of it didn't seem to inhibit his abilities, however, and with the same speed he would have used on a broomstick, he swooped down and severed Hermione's bonds with his sharp teeth.

The merpeople were scattered by his sudden appearance. While they were distracted, Harry fired the severing charm at the rope holding Fleur's sister. Grabbing onto her slight form, he quickly followed Viktor to the surface.

He was worried the merpeople would try to stop him again, but to his surprise, though a few of them began to swim to the surface, they were smiling at him. Even without their interference, Harry's ascent was harder this time. It seemed no matter how hard he kicked his feet, he wasn't travelling as quickly as he would like. His free hand reached upward, trying to pull his body through the water, but the webbing between his fingers appeared to shrink before his eyes. He hadn't considered how long the gillyweed would last. Its effects were fading away and he was still struggling under the water's surface, dragging the weight of another person along with him.

Cursing himself for his Gryffindor-like chivalry, Harry pushed Fleur's sister toward the surface with as much force as he could. Fortunately, they were not far from the surface. The girl floated gently upward, and soon awakened with her face above the water. Harry, his gills now completely sealed, used both arms to strike out to the surface again. He was just in time to clasp onto the young Delacour, who seemed confused by the sight of Harry and not her sister. She asked him something in French, but Harry was powerless to answer. He merely shrugged and pointed to the dock, where Fleur was leaning over the water and eagerly crying, "Gabrielle!"

While Fleur joyfully embraced her little sister, Harry was helped out of the water by Blaise and Hermione, who were both wrapped in very thick blankets. Madame Pomfrey had soon administered the same treatment to Harry, who was very grateful for her assistance. When his gills vanished, he had suddenly become very aware of the frigid water, and the cold February air had not helped matters. The hot potion that was offered next was a lifesaver. Steam gushed from his ears as Hermione began singing his praises.

"Well done!" she cried, "Everyone is saying you were the first back! But why did you go back down? You weren't back within the hour, you know. They might dock you points if…"

"You haff a water beetle in your hair, Herm-own-ninny," said Viktor, drawing closer to Hermione's side. Harry had the impression that Viktor was attempting to draw her attention back onto himself. He couldn't blame him. Viktor had just saved Hermione from the bottom of the lake. But Hermione merely brushed away the beetle with impatience before resuming, "Fleur was complaining about the grindylows, did they give you any trouble?"

"Er, no…" Harry said, darting an apologetic look at Krum, "No, I didn't see any."

He was thankful for the cold air. With Hermione looking at him so proudly, he needed a plausible excuse for why his cheeks had turned so red.

Dumbledore crouched near the water's edge. He seemed to be conversing with one of the merpeople who had followed Harry to the surface. It was impossible to guess what they were saying, however, as Dumbledore was speaking in a sort of squawking, screeching language. Finally, he turned around and called for a conference with his fellow judges.

While Madame Maxime was busy, Fleur took the opportunity to approach Harry. She had never bothered to direct a single word at him before, so he was surprised when she said, "You saved 'er, even though she was not your 'ostage."

"Don't mention it," Harry said, "I'm sure she wasn't in any real…"
He could not finish his sentence. Fleur had dipped down to bestow a kiss on each of his cheeks in thanks before returning to her sister, who was being attended by Madame Pomfrey. Blaise laughed at the expression on Harry's face while Harry stared. He couldn't help but notice that Hermione did not look pleased.

"Well, at least if Harry gets last place, he'll have earned a reward for that stunt!" Blaise said, still laughing.

"Was that really necessary?" Hermione asked no one in particular. But before Harry could gather his thoughts to respond, Bagman's magically magnified voice boomed across the stands, causing everyone to jump and the crowd to fall silent.

"Ladies, gentleman, and everyone in between," he began, "We have reached our decision. Merchief Murcus has told us exactly what happened at the bottom of the lake, and we have therefore decided to award marks out of fifty for each of the champions.

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

Fleur shook her head at the announcement and hugged her sister closer. It was clear she thought she deserved less.

"Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of Transfiguration, which was nevertheless effective. He was third to return with his hostage, though outside the hour time limit. We award him thirty-five points.

"Cedric Diggory, who also used the Bubble-Head Charm, was second to return with his hostage and made it within the hour mark. We therefore award him forty-seven points."

Enormous cheers erupted from the Hufflepuffs in the crowd. Cho Chang gave Cedric a glowing look. Harry wasn't sure what to expect. His was the final score to announce.

"Harry Potter used gillyweed to great effect," Bagman continued, "Although he was the first to return with his hostage, he returned to the bottom of the lake to retrieve the last hostage on behalf of Ms. Delacour, who was unable to continue the task.

"Most of the judges," and here, Bagman gave Karkaroff a very nasty look, "Feel that this shows chivalry that does a credit to Hogwarts. We would award him full points, but for returning the second time outside of the hour time frame, he is awarded forty-eight points."

Harry's heart leapt. He could hardly believe his luck. He had come in first place in both the first and second tasks. With only one task to go, Harry was in the lead.

Blaise wrapped his arms around him as to Harry's surprise, the whole crowd cheered. Hermione was clapping for him ecstatically, as was Fleur, but Viktor did not look happy. He tried to engage Hermione in conversation again, but her attention was fully directed at Harry.

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