Chapter 10: Strength Over Weakness.
Nadia entered the common room on the morning of the 2rd task, wearing nothing but a bikini and shorts under her Gryffindor cloak. She was freezing and she was dreading entering the cold February air, on the way to the lake.
She glanced up at Harry, to find he looked just as cold as she did and just as nervous. Neville however looked rather excited, which made Nadia realise that this was all entertainment for everyone else, the champions that was a different matter.
She shivered slightly at the thought of people enjoying the champions nerves and fears as they tackled the dangerous tasks. Tasks that could ultimately kill them if they played them wrong.
It seemed all a bit morbid.
The two boys and Nadia began walking through the castle and down towards the black lake. With each step, Nadia's heart began to beat faster and her stomach started to knot more with nerves like a tightly clench rope. Sweat travelled down her temple despite the cold and her legs were shaking like jelly, causing her to have difficulty walking.
She could do this, Nadia thought to herself, she could prove to everyone that she could overcome her fear and succeed in completing the second task.
Even though Nadia was thinking these thoughts her body had a different perspective on things.
The walk to the lake was anything but quiet, with annoying 1st years running around with excitement and groups of older students gossiping about which champions would win and which wouldn't. She shuddered slightly when she heard a few mutter her name. Even Fred and George were making business by selling bets to students willing to spend their money on something so stupid.
Although, despite the chaos and the loudness, Nadia still couldn't find Ron, Hermione, or Ginny. Surely, they would've found her by now and wished her good luck, right?
Eventually they made it to the lakeside where they started to line up for the boats. The air out here was colder and the wind was biting against Nadia's skin, causing her to grip her robes tighter around herself for warmth. As they were waiting Neville decided to give both herself and Harry, the Gillyweed he had promised to give them.
"Are you sure about this Neville?" Harry asked, despite Harry doubtfulness, she had every bit of faith in Neville. He was top of herbology after all.
"Absolutely!" Neville replied enthusiastically, which made Nadia feel even more better about Neville's suggestion.
"For an hour?" Nadia had to ask, just to be hundred percent sure, she wouldn't go in the lake if there was any risk of her not coming back out again.
"Most likely." Neville seemed a little unsure of his answer and Nadia's eyes began to bulge in fear. What happens if the effects wear of and she drowned? She would be stuck at the bottom of the black lake forever.
"Most likely!" Harry shouted in response, it seemed Harry felt the same way she did.
"Well there is some debate among herbologists as to the effects of freshwater versus saltwater." Which means this Gillyweed could last an hour depending on the type of water it is. Let's hope it works well with freshwater then.
"You're telling us this now! Ohh my I don't think I can do this Harry!" Nadia shouted with fear lacing through her voice. She didn't want to give up but she also didn't want to die. Panic began to course through her, causing her breathing to become erratic. Nadia's vison started to become hazy and she slowly felt dizziness happen. Suddenly she felt Harry's hands grip her shoulders and her vision righted to show Harry's face before hers.
"Nadia, it's ok deep breaths you've got this ok, don't panic." His words slowly started to calm her and she began to take deep breaths in and out. Miraculously her breathing evened out and her dizziness subsided.
"I was only trying to help." Neville interjected quietly, causing Nadia to feel guilty at snapping at him. He was just trying to be a good friend.
"I know, thank you Neville." Nadia replied attentively, which seemed to lighten Neville's mood.
Suddenly the line moved forward and Neville, Nadia and Harry stepped into the wooden boat and began to sail towards the centre of the black lake. As they got closer it all started to become real for Nadia and she took a deep breath and told herself
I can do this.
After they had exited the boat, Harry and Nadia were swiftly escorted to the front of the stand with the other champions and a select few professors. Nadia was a little disappointed that she wasn't given the chance to seek out Hermione for a quick chat. Or even seek out Draco, because quite frankly this could be her final moment to say goodbye and she wasn't given any time.
However, there was time to talk to Cedric, she quickly glanced around and eventually her eyes sought out said person.
"How you feeling?" She asked quietly, she refrained from using banter, this was strictly not the time or place.
"Nervous, you?" He replied honestly, also giving her a sympathetic smile.
"Absolutely terrified. I still don't know if I can do this." She whispered back just as honestly.
"You can do this Nadia, you're a strong girl. Although, I will help you whenever I can ok?" His words were like a comfort to Nadia and she was about to say 'thank you' but the sound of a voice reverberating around the stands distracted her.
"Welcome to the second task. Last night something was stolen from each of our champions. A treasure of sorts. These five treasures, one for each champion, now lie on the bottom of the black lake. To win each champion need only find their treasure and return to the surface. Simple enough. Except for this, they will have one hour to do so and one hour only. After that they'll be on their own." The task seemed simple enough, however Nadia knew it wouldn't be, especially for her. She followed the other champions and began to line up at the edge of the stand overlooking the water. She glanced over at Cedric and gave him a quick smile, which he returned.
"Give me your robe dear, and eat the Gillyweed quick." Professor McGonagall whispered to her and she proceeded to follow her instructions. She took her robe of and turned to pass it to the professor, suddenly a blonde-haired guy grabbed her attention from the stand above and she flickered her eyes towards him.
"Good luck" He mouthed and gave her a heart melting wink. She then turned away and ate the Gillyweed whole. However, this seemed to be a rather bad idea because it was the most horrific thing she had ever tasted, she would've thrown it up if it wasn't for the professor, who helped her keep it down.
"You may begin at the start of the cannon." Dumbledore boomed through the overhead speaker causing Nadia to jump and collect her thoughts. She was ready.
"Good Luck" She felt the professor McGonagall squeeze her shoulder and then,
BOOM!
Then she jumped, just after Cedric, she hit the water with an almighty splash. The water was freezing, shocking Nadia to the bone, she gave herself a few seconds to regain herself.
Although it took longer than she thought because the sudden impact caused Nadia's fear to surge and she rapidly began to panic. Her heart began to thrum quickly and she started to doubt she could do this, the lake was deep, deeper than any lake she'd ever been before. The creatures were a different matter, there could be a range of animals below that she wouldn't even know off. She was done for, she should have quit when she had the chance.
Suddenly a figure loomed before her vison and her stomach clenched in fear, then she relaxed when she realised it was just Cedric.
"You're Ok, you've got this." He mouthed to her and even though she wanted to give up she decided to keep going. So, she began to swim slowly at first and then faster once she realised her easy it was for her. Cedric stayed with her the whole time, keeping with her pace, and never pushing her to go faster. It felt like they had been down here for hours and Nadia was relieved that Cedric didn't urge her to hurry up. Maybe he didn't want to win that badly.
The area around them was murky and grey and made Nadia feel nervous, nothing this colour meant anything good. Discoloured green weeds slithered through the water like snakes and trailed along there body's like chains, ready to claim them as prisoners. Shrieks of un-known creatures echoed through the water, that made Nadia wonder what they were and what they were doing. All the things that were happening would've made Nadia panic if it wasn't for Cedric. He was like an anchor, anchoring her to bravery.
After an age of swimming they eventually made it to an underwater ruin, it was empty apart from five still bodies tied to the lake floor with rope.
5 bodies.
5 Treasures.
Then from behind the many toppled pillars emerged mermaids of all different shapes and sizes. Although, what shocked Nadia the most was that they weren't as beautiful as the mermaid painted on the stained-glass window. In their hands, were long sharp tridents, that made Nadia squirm slightly in fear. However, they seemed to know Cedric and Nadia were there, yet they made no attempt to attack, which meant they were safe for now.
Then, a swimming body emerged from the colourless weeds and she identified it to be Harry. Relief flooded through her when she released he was safe. He stopped at the bodies and began to observe them, suddenly Cedric started to swim again and she swiftly followed.
Up closer she could identify the people before her. Cho Chang was the first she saw which was clearly Cedric's treasure. Then her eyes sought out three people that made her heart twist in fear.
Hermione, Ginny, and Ron.
They looked so pale and lifeless, which made Nadia's heart drop in sadness, but she knew they weren't dead. They couldn't be right? Dumbledore wouldn't kill them, she knew that, which meant she had to save them. However, the hardest question of all was. Which one was hers? It could be Hermione her best friend, or Ginny and Ron her two other closest friends. She couldn't take them all, which meant she had to choose.
Her hand moved towards Hermione's rope and she quickly began untying the knot around her ankle.
'NO! Not yours's girl!" Someone hissed from deep within the wilting weeds and fear began to grip her body, maybe the mermaids could harm them.
So, if it wasn't Hermione, it must either be Ron or Ginny. And then she figured it out Ginny. It couldn't be Ron, because Ron was Harry's treasure, they were best friends after all. So, she began untying the rope and she let out a sigh when she didn't hear the toe-curling hiss of the mermaid. She was too preoccupied with saving Ginny's life that she had no idea what Cedric and Harry were doing and if they had received their 'treasure'.
Eventually, the rope broke and Nadia began swimming up with Cedric to the lake's surface, she glanced down towards Harry when she discovered he wasn't following and wasn't making any move to un-tie Ron's rope.
"Go Nadia don't wait for me!" He mouthed from down below, but Nadia wanted to stay she couldn't leave her friend behind. Yet, Ginny was getting heavy and she couldn't put Ginny's life in anymore danger, so she began to swim upwards after Cedric.
After a while though Ginny started to become increasingly heavy, making it harder for Nadia to swim and she began to get more sluggish. Although, Cedric looked like he wasn't having any trouble at all, maybe Cho was light or maybe Cedric was stronger. Suddenly, Nadia was going so slow that her and Ginny were started to drift down rather then up, making Nadia start to alarm.
No! she had come this far, she couldn't give up!
She then started to use more energy than she was ever doing before, but it was no use. All she was doing was exhausting herself. Then at the worst possible time she felt like she was having a panic attack. All she kept thinking was that she would end up at the bottom of the lake looking lifeless and alone. Her breathing then started to become ragged and tight and her heart began beating unsteadily.
No, no, no!
She kept thinking.
But it was no use, images of herself and Ginny drowning just kept replaying over and over in her head, making her brain feel painful and fuzzy. She couldn't do it. She was going to die but she wouldn't let Ginny die to. So, with every bit of energy she had she pushed Ginny with all her might towards the surface. Relief flooded through her when she saw her break the surface along with Cho. However, Cedric didn't, because the last thing she saw before she blacked out was Cedric swimming back down towards her.
Draco POV.
It seemed like hours, but it had only been 45 minutes. His head and heart were aching as he thought increasingly about Nadia, his Nadia. He knew she was safe she had to be, she hadn't been disqualified like that stupid French girl, which meant she was still in the game.
His worrying only seemed to increase as the minutes ticked by, what if she panicked down there and there was no-one there to help? He kept glancing at the clock every so often, he watched as every second ticked by. He began to clench and un-clench his hands, a stupid habit he does out of nervousness.
The crowd also weren't helping matters, they were chanting and cheering, oblivious to the events happening below water. Someone could be in trouble down there and they were up here celebrating. They were celebrating his Nadia's pain.
He only cared about Nadia's safety though.
Not that stupid to proud, goody-toe shoes Diggory.
Or that Bulgarian celebrity Krum.
Or that stuck up stupid French girl.
And especially not Harry bloody Potter.
He only cared about Nadia, his beautiful Nadia.
Suddenly, the quietness of the stands alerted Draco from his thoughts and he leaned over the railing at the black lake below. Ripples were travelling along the surface of the lake for a few seconds before two heads emerged from under water.
Ginny and Cho.
They began coughing and spluttering and then the slowly started to swim towards the stand where they were pulled from the water and wrapped in towels. Then, the stand erupted in cheers and shouts as Cedric's head exited the water, but he wasn't alone, in his hands were an unconscious Nadia.
The students and the professors seemed to notice her the same time Draco did because they all began gasping and whispering about what they thought happened. But in that moment, he didn't care about them, all he cared about was Nadia, all he wanted to do was run down to the bottom of the stairs and grab Nadia in his embrace. Yet, he couldn't, because he knew that Nadia wouldn't want him too, so he stayed where he was and observed from the balcony above. Seconds, later Viktor Krum, and Hermione emerged from the water and Draco watched as she looked at the stand, when her eyes landed on Nadia her face dropped in fear. She was wondering the same thing he did.
He averted his eyes back to Nadia, who was now laying on the stand, surrounded by Cedric, professor McGonagall and Ginny. He held his breath as McGonagall moved her wand over Nadia's face, uttered an enchantment and watched as her eyes snapped open and she coughed up the black lake's water.
Nadia's POV
"OMG! You're ok, thank god." She heard Ginny say, rather quietly which Nadia found was because of her water blocked ears. She felt Ginny throw her arms around and squeeze tightly. "Thank you for saving me" She whispered in Nadia's ears and she gripped Ginny more tightly in response.
She then nearly toppled over as a very wet Hermione joined in with their hug.
"Ohh Nadia I was so worried when I came up and you were unconscious! Are you ok?" Hermione asked frantically as she brushed Nadia's plaits away from her face.
"Hermione I'm fine I just panicked at the end, I had Cedric to help me all the way, he saved my life. And Hermione I tried to save you, I really did but you weren't mine to save so they wouldn't let me!" Nadia babbled at Hermione, as she hoped she would forgive her.
"Ohh Nadia, I understand, were all ok? Wait where's Ron?" Hermione jumped up and began to scan the stands and the ones either side, her face was clear in that she couldn't find him.
"Hermione, he was Harry's treasure." Nadia whispered as she grabbed Hermione's hand in comfort. Hermione's face turned to a look of worry but was quickly replaced by a look of joy when Ron emerged coughing and spluttering with a small blonde girl. However, there was no Harry.
The clock chimed, signalling that one hour was up, Harry was on his own.
No, Nadia couldn't let Harry die, she had to do something, so she threw of her towel and was about to jump back into the lake. Although, Ginny and Hermione sharply pulled her back.
"Are you mad! You could've died in there if it wasn't for Cedric! Harry will be fine, we don't need you dying in the process of trying to save him." Ginny whispered sharply and Nadia knew she was right, what she was trying to do was stupid.
While she was waiting she quickly stole a glance up at where she thought Draco was and was met with a sympathetic expression from said person.
"Are you ok?" He mouthed and Nadia's heart melted as she realised how caring he was. She nodded in response and she watched as his face exploded in a smile, damn he looked hot.
"You're looking good in that." He mouthed back and ended in a wink, causing Nadia's stomach to knot with butterflies.
Suddenly a splash of water reverted her thoughts and she watched as Harry shot from the water and landed on the stand, safe and well. The stand then erupted in cheers and shouts and Nadia couldn't help but clap in response.
They had survived.
All 5 Champions had finished the 2nd task.
Nadia had faced her fear and won.
"I want all the judges over here now!" Dumbledore shouted over the noise of the crowd and Nadia watched as the judges followed Dumbledore. She couldn't see where they were going because they were soon swallowed up by the crowd.
Nadia then followed Hermione who was approaching a very cold Harry with a towel.
"Harry!" Hermione shouted.
"Hermione, Nadia." Harry responded as best as he could while his teeth were chattering away. He looked so cold, that Nadia couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He could've come first, he was there before Nadia and Cedric. He would've of won but he saved someone that wasn't his to save.
"Are you all, right? You must be freezing! In all honesty, I think you behaved admirably." Nadia said proudly and she watched as Harry's face lit up with a smile. Hermione then kissed his forehead, causing him to look rather bewildered.
"I finished last guys." Harry said, looking rather detached.
"Next to last" Hermione corrected but Nadia noticed it didn't lighten Harry's disappointment in the slightest.
"Attention, Attention everybody the winner is Cedric Diggory!" The crowd began to cheer at Dumbledore's words and Nadia couldn't help but feel rather pleased for her friend. He saved her life, he deserved to win. "For showing unique command of the bubblehead shark, and for saving another champion in need. The way I see it, Mr Potter would have finished first had it not been for his determination to rescue not only Mr Weasley but the others as well. We've agreed to award him joint second place! For outstanding moral fibre." The crows began to cheer even louder and Nadia, Hermione, Harry, and Ron joined into a four-way hug.
"Well done Harry! You definitely deserve second place!" Nadia squeezed Harry extra hard to show how proud she was of him.
"But Nadia, aren't you a little upset that you have to share your second place?" Harry asked quietly, clearly unsure whether he should be celebrating.
"Of course, not! You and I both know I don't want to win this stupid tournament, I'm happy you got second place." She replied happily, and quite frankly she was glad she enjoyed sharing second place with one of her best friends.
She had completed the 2nd task now all she had to do was make sure Cedric of Harry won the 3rd.
