Title: Professor McGonagall - Part III: The Second Task
Author: Rita Screecher
Author email: ritascreecher@excite.com
Category: Humor/Romance
Keywords: Fourth year, Professor McGonagall
Spoilers: All four books, especially the fourth book (obviously)
Rating: PG
Summary: A retelling of Harry Potter and Co's fourth year, from Professor McGonagall's point of view. Of course, I took a few "creative liberties"…:)
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
A/N: *point* Look, my nose hair grows in ringlets! *cough* I also take no responsibility whatsoever for my poor representation of a French accent anywhere in this fic.
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This is the third part of a planned five part series, detailing the events of the Triwizard Tournament during Harry Potter's fourth year at Hogwarts, from Professor McGonagall's point of view.
Part III: The Second Task
"Gabrielle Delacour," McGonagall read aloud. "Her sister, I presume?"
Dumbledore gave a brief nod in reply. "Would you like to do the next, Minerva?"
"I'd be honored," and she took the proffered piece of parchment and dropped it into the Goblet of Ice. The paper disappeared in a burst of light, the words "Viktor Krum" flashing brilliantly before fading out of sight. A few seconds later, the same slip of parchment was tossed back out of the Goblet, and McGonagall caught it.
"Hermione Granger." McGonagall raised her eyebrows at Dumbledore. The headmaster smiled a half smile and dropped in the third parchment. A few moments passed, and the paper came back out of the Goblet. McGonagall dusted shards of ice off of the paper before reading, "Cho Chang."
The final parchment bore Harry Potter's name. Dumbledore slipped it in, and the two watched silently as his name flashed once, then faded. Slowly, another name appeared on the parchment, and McGonagall reached out and grasped it as it shot back out of the Goblet.
"Ronald Weasley," she read.
"Well, there we go," Dumbledore said briskly, collecting up all the scraps of parchment and placing them in a box which he carefully locked and put away on a shelf. "Now, what do you say we go to dinner now?"
"I say that sounds like a fine idea," McGonagall replied. "I'm starving."
"After you," Dumbledore smiled, holding the door open for McGonagall. They headed out of his office and stepped onto the spiral staircase.
"Are you excited about this next task, McGonagall?" he asked as the staircase moved down smoothly.
"Yes," she said, but hesitantly. "I suppose I'm just worried. I mean, there's grindylows down there, and the Giant Squid...suppose they get hurt or knocked out while underwater, and drown?"
"They won't drown," Dumbledore reassured her. "No one will, neither the champions nor the hostages. I've personally seen to that."
"How?"
"My dear, you worry too much. But just to reassure you, I've stationed mermaids throughout the lake to patrol. If, by chance, a champion gets knocked out underwater, they'll rescue them and bring them to the surface. Otherwise, they'll stay out of sight. I've told them to help only if the champion is visibly struggling to breathe."
The staircase stopped moving, and Dumbledore and McGonagall stepped off and into the hall.
"I'm happy to hear that," McGonagall said finally. She pressed a hand to her forehead.
"Are you all right?"
"I think so," she replied, wincing. "I've got this enormous headache, however. Would you excuse me? I'm going to go to the staff room and lie down for a while, maybe drink some hot chocolate the house-elves leave out. I'll be down to dinner in a minute."
"Of course," Dumbledore replied, and continued on towards the Great Hall, where delicious smells of dinner were already wafting down from. McGonagall, on the other hand, hurried off towards the staff room. When she arrived, she found that someone had already beaten her to the drinks.
"Professor Moody!" she said in surprise. He turned quickly, sloshing the hot chocolate out of his mug and onto the ground.
"My goodness, I'm so sorry," McGonagall stammered, and quickly drew out her wand to clean up the mess. However, a little house-elf had already jumped out of nowhere and was currently on his hands and knees, scrubbing the floor.
"Are you all right, sir? Miss?" the house-elf squeaked. "You didn't get burned, did you? Dobby is so sorry."
"I'm fine," McGonagall and Moody replied automatically. "Thank you," McGonagall added.
Dobby finished cleaning up and bowed deeply. He scurried off to tend to a pile of dirty robes in the adjacent closet. Meanwhile, McGonagall walked over to the long table against the wall and picked up a mug of her own. She sipped deeply.
"Has the Goblet of Ice chosen yet?" Moody said abruptly.
"Yes," McGonagall answered, savoring a star-shaped marshmallow. She poked around her cup for more.
"Who?"
"Fleur Delacour's hostage is her sister Gabrielle, Viktor Krum's is Hermione Granger, Cedric Diggory's is Cho Chang, and Harry Potter's hostage is Ronald Weasley. I wish I had more marshmallows in my cup," McGonagall said petulantly. The house-elf, who had apparently overheard, hurried over with a plateful of star-shaped marshmallows. McGonagall smiled and took a handful. The house-elf bowed and scampered back to the closet.
"So," Moody finally said, clearing his throat. "What sort of methods do you think the champions will use to breathe underwater?"
"I'm not sure," McGonagall said slowly. "I think some might try to actually Transfigure themselves - that, I think, is the worst idea; so many things could go wrong - but in my opinion, the Bubble Head Charm would be the best way."
"What about gillyweed?" Moody said.
"I hadn't even thought about that!" McGonagall laughed. "That's an even better idea. If any of the champions think to use gillyweed, I'd bet they'd be the first to recover their hostage. Not only does it allow one to breathe underwater, but it helps one to swim as well." She sipped some more of her hot chocolate and continued, "I don't think any will, however; it's not a very common plant. First of all, I doubt any of them have heard of it, and second, if they do decide to use it, where will they get it?"
"Snape has some in his office, doesn't he?"
"Yes, but that's in his private store," McGonagall said distractedly. "No; I don't think any of the champions will use gillyweed. Pity. It's the best method out of all of them."
"Indeed," Moody growled, smiling. McGonagall looked at him, confused. Though his normal eye was staring straight at her, his glass eye was looking somewhere else entirely. McGonagall turned to see what he was looking at. It was only the house-elf, however, still busy collecting up the dirty robes in the closet.
***
"Has anyone seen Granger or Weasley?" McGonagall finally shouted. It was the night before the second task, and the hostages had to be brought to her office and put under a bewitched sleep. However, though Gabrielle and Cho were already waiting in her office, she had been searching for Ron and Hermione for an hour by now, apparently nowhere to be found. Impatient, she had finally entered the Gryffindor common room and shouted her predicament, hoping that someone, anyone, knew where they were.
The common room fell silent and everyone looked around.
"Now that you mention it, I haven't seen them," Parvati said slowly. "Not since dinner, that is." She looked at Lavender with raised eyebrows, and the two girls began to titter.
"Oh, for heaven's sake," McGonagall said, irritated. "Stop that inane giggling."
"We'll help you look," George Weasley called from a corner of the room. Fred, who was sitting beside him, looked up from a letter he was composing.
"Oh yeah, we'll definitely help," he said, in complete sincerity. "They're probably in some unused room...erm...studying. We'll scout out all the linen closets for you. You're not to worry, ma'am."
The twins grinned at one another and hurried out of the common room.
"Linen closets?" McGonagall wondered aloud as she followed them out of the portrait door. "What on earth...send them to my office if you find them!" she shouted to their retreating backs. The two waved back and disappeared around a corner. McGonagall returned to her office, a bit anxious.
"Ah, Professor!" Dumbledore greeted her, standing up as she entered the room. His face fell a bit. "I take it that you haven't found Ms. Granger or Mr. Weasley?"
"No, Albus," McGonagall replied wearily. "Fred and George Weasley volunteered to go and find them...something about linen closets?"
Dumbledore gave a faint smile. "Ah, Fred and George Weasley...ever the pranksters. Well, I suppose they'll find them soon enough. Now," he said, clapping his hands together. He turned to Gabrielle and Cho, who were sitting in chairs in front of McGonagall's desk, both looking a bit uneasy. "I imagine that the two of you are a bit uncomfortable, and maybe curious on why exactly we called you here?"
The two girls nodded.
"We're not in trouble, are we, Professor Dumbledore?" Cho spoke up timidly. "If this has anything to do with Cedric and I last week during Charms-"
"No, Ms. Chang," Dumbledore interrupted, "but it is about Cedric Diggory. And Fleur Delacour," he added with a nod in Gabrielle's direction.
"Oh, are zey all right?" Gabrielle gasped, her hands flying to cover her mouth. "Did something happen to zem?" She looked to be on the verge of tears.
"They're perfectly fine, Ms. Delacour," Dumbledore reassured her. "What I'm trying to say is that you two, as well as - ah, here they are," and everyone turned to look at Hermione and Ron, who had just burst into the office, both panting heavily as though they had just ran a marathon.
"Sit down," McGonagall said, conjuring up two more chairs. ""You're just in time."
They sat. And looked at Dumbledore apprehensively.
"You're not in trouble," McGonagall added.
The two looked visibly relieved.
"Then why are we here, Professor?" Hermione asked.
"I am about to explain, if I can be given the chance," Dumbledore said, raising his voice slightly. "Now that you all are here, I can begin.
"The second task involves the champions, the Lake, and you four," he began. At these words, realization began to dawn on Hermione's face, and then Ron's. Cho and Gabrielle, on the other hand, looked bewildered.
"We will be putting all four of you under an enchanted sleep," Dumbledore continued. "Then we will transport you down to the bottom of the Lake. There, the merpeople will protect you from any outside harm. The second task, if you haven't guessed yet, is for the champions to rescue you, the person the champion will most sorely miss."
Gabrielle nodded. "Of course, my sister will miss me ze most. No surprise zere."
"Cedric Diggory," Cho breathed, smiling.
However, it wasn't so clear for Ron and Hermione.
"Harry!" both said. Then they frowned at each other. "You?"
"No, no, Hermione, you've got it all wrong," Ron said impatiently. "It's got to be me, because -"
"Says who?" Hermione retorted. "He likes me better. He barely tolerates you!"
"Then you're saying that I'm what Viktor Krum will most sorely miss?" Ron shot back.
Hermione looked stunned, but quickly recovered. "Then - well, of course, Viktor Krum will most sorely miss me, and Harry as well, but since I was already chosen, you were second in line, so he's got to rescue you. It all makes sense."
Ron glowered. "You just can't bear to have the thought that Harry likes me better than you."
"You wish!" Hermione shouted.
"Silence!" McGonagall yelled. They quieted immediately, but shot nasty looks at one another in consolation.
"Thank you, Minerva," Dumbledore said. "Now the catch is, the champions must rescue you in under an hour. Of course," he added hastily, "the spell on all of you will last for as long as needed - until your head breaks the surface of the lake, that is. However, if your champion does not reach you, the merpeople will bring you up. Any questions?"
"Any last words?" Ron muttered. Hermione glared at him, but kept silent.
"All right, then. See you tomorrow," and Dumbledore cast the spell upon the four of them. They instantly fell into a deep slumber. Ron's head lolled to the side and onto Cho's shoulder, and Gabrielle curled up into a little ball. McGonagall poked them repeatedly to make sure they were asleep and wouldn't wake.
"Well, let's head on down to the Lake," she said, and conjured the four, still on their chairs, up and out the door. Dumbledore followed.
It was bitingly cold outside, and McGonagall shuddered as the first blast of wind hit her face and whipped around her robes, making them fly out behind her.
"I don't fancy going into the Lake in this sort of weather," she said to Dumbledore, who was standing beside her and gazing off into the clear night. He grasped her arm firmly and led her down the stone steps.
"The students will be fine," he reassured her. "I put an extra warming spell on them. They won't even get a runny nose."
"You think of everything, don't you," McGonagall said, in half exasperation and half admiration.
"Not everything," Dumbledore said, and McGonagall shivered a bit, not knowing if it was at the icy wind or at his grave tone.
"Here we are," he said, and knelt at the edge of the Lake. Its surface was stormy, and kept throwing up sprays of water onto the bank. Dumbledore checked his pocket watch. "The merpeople should be here any moment now."
They waited, standing there in their heavy cloaks, McGonagall occasionally stamping her feet or blowing on her hands to keep warm. She was just about to suggest going back in for a cup of hot chocolate when the surface of the Lake quivered in a rapid movement.
"Ah, here they are," Dumbledore said delightedly, and sure enough, a moment later five heads popped out of the water. They had gray skin and long green hair that was currently tangled and wild. Their eyes were yellow, and when the first opened her mouth to speak to Dumbledore, McGonagall saw that her teeth were yellow as well.
Dumbledore talked to the mermaid for a while before turning to McGonagall and saying, "All right, they're ready to take the hostages."
"Are you sure this is safe?" McGonagall whispered, staring at the merpeople in fascination and fear. "They look rather savage."
Dumbledore laughed at McGonagall's timidness. "I'm sure," he smiled, and flicked his wand at the four students. They rose out of their chairs, their heads bobbing strangely and their limbs flopping uselessly. Dumbledore flicked his wand again, and they floated up and over the Lake.
"Ready?" Dumbledore said in Mermish, and the merpeople nodded, apparently prepared to catch them. With another flick of his wand, the hostages dropped, and McGonagall gave a little scream. However, the merpeople caught all of them neatly, and the first waved goodbye to Dumbledore and McGonagall as they turned and dove back into the water, the four students cradled in their arms.
McGonagall gave a great sigh. "I suppose we'd better head back and catch a few hours of sleep," she said. Dumbledore didn't reply. He was still watching the spot on the Lake where the merpeople disappeared.
"I suppose you're right," Dumbledore finally said, shaking from his reverie and looking up at her. He stood, dusting off his hands, and together they walked back up the path towards the castle.
***
"Where is Potter?" McGonagall cried, pacing up and down the bank next to the judge's table. "How could he miss the second task? What is he doing?"
"Minerva, dear, calm down," Dumbledore said mildly. "I'm sure he's just getting ready. He'll be here."
"Well, I say we start without the boy," Karkaroff said nastily. "If he can't show us respect by coming to the task on time, he doesn't deserve to be champion. Not that he deserved to be champion in the first place," he added as an afterthought.
"Igor," Dumbledore said warningly, and Karkaroff subsided.
"There he is!" someone in the stands shouted, pointing up towards the castle. Everyone turned to look, and sure enough, there was Harry, running flat out across the lawn, his robes trailing behind him. Karkaroff looked ready to kill. Ludo Bagman looked immensely relieved. Fleur sniffed in disapproval.
"I'm...here..." Harry panted as he reached the judges' table. He skidded to a halt, accidentally splattering Fleur's robes with mud. Fleur gave a little cry of dismay.
"We're going into the Lake in a few minutes, Fleur," Cedric said impatiently, "I doubt that bit of mud is a devastating loss to your robes compared to what the Lake and the creatures in it will do to them."
Fleur glared at him and whipped out her wand anyway, cleaning up the mess on her robes.
"Where have you been?" Percy Weasley said from his seat on the judge's table. "The task's about to start!"
"Now, now, Percy!" Ludo Bagman reproached him with a grin on his face. "Let him catch his breath!" He stood and walked around the table to where the champions were grouped. He grasped each by the shoulder and maneuvered them to the edge of the Lake, spacing them 10 feet apart, Fleur first, then Cedric, Krum, and Harry at the very end. Then he returned to the judges' table and pointed his wand at his throat.
"Sonorus!" His voice suddenly boomed out across the water to where the stands were on the other side of the Lake. "Well, all our champions are ready for the second task, which will start on my whistle. They have precisely an hour to recover what has been taken from them. On the count of three, then. One...two...three!"
The shrill whistle pierced through the air, and the stands shook with cheers and applause. The champions all pulled off their shoes and socks, as though it was some odd relay race, and waded into the water. Cedric and Fleur were the first to act, and both cast Bubble Head Charms on themselves. Enormous globes materialized around their heads, which stretched their feature to almost unrecognition. They dove into the water and disappeared; not even bubbles appeared on the surface of the water to mark where they had vanished. Krum had Transfigured himself into a shark, but did a poor job: only his head was a shark; the rest of his body had stayed the same. However, he decided that the head was good enough, and plunged into the water shortly after Cedric and Fleur.
Now only Harry was left standing on the very edge of the Lake. Once or twice he slipped in the water and nearly fell, amid laughs and jeers from the Slytherins in the stands. They saw him stuff something into his mouth and swallow. He was waist-deep in the water, and still nothing was happening. Everyone watched, and expectancy gave way to impatience. There was laughter first, then catcalls and jeering, and then suddenly gasps from those who had Omnioculars.
"He's got gills!" one shouted, peering through their pair, and everyone began grabbing for them. There was a mild tussle, and during that space of 15 seconds or so when all were busy trying to get the Omnioculars, Harry dove into the water, making a loud splash. Everyone froze, then promptly began yelling themselves hoarse at each other.
Ludo Bagman was looking very delighted. "Well, now that all the champions have left, I might as well announce what exactly we took from them. It is what each will most sorely miss - or in this case, who." The stands fell silent, expectant. "Fleur Delacour will most sorely miss her sister, Gabrielle Delacour." A group of boys who were carrying "We loff you, Fleur" signs began wailing in dismay. "Cedric Diggory's hostage is Cho Chang. Harry Potter's hostage is Ronald Weasley. And Viktor Krum's hostage is Hermione Granger.
"Now, as you all have just seen, Fleur Delacour and Cedric Diggory both performed Bubble Head Charms. Viktor Krum did a partial Transfiguration - you all saw his shark head, I presume? I, for one, am taking a few points off for the rather shoddy Transfiguration work." He ducked as Karkaroff flung a textbook at him in fury. "Young Harry Potter, on the other hand, used gillyweed. To those of you out there who are unknowledgeable on magical plants, gillyweed, when eaten, allows one to breathe underwater by giving them gills and fins. It basically turns one into a human fish, if you will. Now all we've got to do is wait for the champions to return, hopefully with their respective hostages. Hope you all dressed warmly, we're going to be here for a while."
***
50 minutes later...
"Someone's coming!" Ludo Bagman shouted. The drowsy stands stirred awake and everyone craned their necks to watch the Lake intently, vainly trying to peer through the water in order to discover whom it was, who was the first champion to return. The surface of the water rippled and suddenly broke, and there were audible gasps from the stands. All instantly recoiled at the sight of...
"Fleur Delacour!" Bagman cried. "She's unconscious...the merpeople have brought her up!"
The boys burst into heavy sobs for the second time that day.
"Let's find out what happened, shall we, Albus?"
But Dumbledore needed no prompting. He had already stood from his seat at the judges' table and was striding quickly towards the group of merpeople. One merman gently laid Fleur on the bank of the Lake and another began talking rapidly to Dumbledore. Madam Pomfrey, in the meantime, rushed up and carried Fleur away to a nearby tent. Madame Maxine hurried after her.
After a few minutes of conversing, the merpeople left, waving their tails at the stands. Dumbledore returned to the judges' table and began talking to the rest in a low voice.
"The merpeople have informed us that Fleur Delacour was attacked by grindylows," Ludo finally said. The boys burst into fresh tears. "She did not reach her hostage."
This announcement brought a heavy silence upon the stands. The only sound was Fleur's Bulgarian fans crying in abject misery.
***
10 minutes later...
"At this time, it has been exactly one hour since the champions first began the task," Ludo Bagman's voice rang out. "None have returned successfully. This means no one will receive the full fifty points, and the judges will now base their marks on how much longer each champion takes to rescue their hostages."
But no one was paying attention to Ludo anymore. The surface of the Lake was trembling once again, and everyone watched in apprehension. Was this champion returning victorious or beaten up and knocked out, carried back by merpeople?
"I present you Cedric Diggory, folks!" Ludo cried, as Cedric's Bubble Head broke the surface. "And yes, he returns with his hostage, Cho Chang!"
Cho was awake and clinging to Cedric for dear life. He seemed to have trouble swimming back to the bank, now with Cho conscious and attached to him like a leech. However, he managed to reach the edge of the Lake and gently set Cho down on her feet. The stands erupted into cheers at the sight of Cho pulling Cedric's head down and giving him a long kiss. Cedric went scarlet, but kissed her back. Madam Pomfrey hurried over and actually had to pry the two apart to give them each a Pepper-Up Potion and a blanket.
"Well!" Bagman said when the applause finally subsided. "Well!" Apparently he, as well as everyone else on the judges' table, was speechless. Where had they learned to kiss like that?
Shortly thereafter, Viktor Krum arrived, also triumphant. Hermione, on the other hand, didn't reward her rescuer with a kiss, to apparent disappointment from both Krum and the audience. However, Hermione did give him a very chaste hug before accepting a Pepper-Up Potion from Madam Pomfrey.
"Viktor Krum also returns successfully with Ms. Hermione Granger," Bagman announced, "ten minutes outside the time limit. Now we just have to wait for Harry Potter to return...it won't be long now, I reckon..."
But much to Bagman's dismay, five minutes passed with no sign of Harry. Then ten minutes. Then fifteen. The crowd was beginning to murmur impatiently when suddenly, Harry's dark head burst out of the lake, visibly gasping for breath. But with him were not one, but two hostages!
"Harry Potter has returned with both Ronald Weasley and Gabrielle Delacour!" Bagman shouted, as flabbergasted as anyone else. The stands were on their feet, shouting and screaming. Fleur Delacour, at this announcement, burst out of the tent and ran to the bank, apparently prepared to fling herself into the water to see her sister. However, Madame Maxine was restraining Fleur with her massive arms, though with some difficulty.
Meanwhile, twenty merpeople emerged out of the water beside Harry, and they beamed as they sang in their screechy voices and escorted the three back to the bank. Dumbledore, Ludo Bagman, and Percy all stood up. Dumbledore and Bagman walked to the edge of the Lake, beaming at Harry, but Percy actually ran from his seat at the judges' table and into the water. The second Percy got close enough to Ron, he grabbed him and dragged him back to the bank, amid loud protests from poor Ron. Dumbledore and Bagman pulled Harry upright and Fleur, in one last tug, broke free of Madam Maxine and hugged her sister tight.
"It was ze grindylows...zey attacked me...oh Gabrielle, I thought...I thought..." And Fleur burst into tears. Gabrielle began to cry as well, and the boys in the stands sighed at the adorable sight.
Madam Pomfrey swooped down on Harry and wrapped him tightly up in a blanket, pulling him over to the other champions and hostages, and forcing a Pepper-Up Potion down his throat, making steam pour out of his ears. Hermione was busy talking to Harry, and Krum looked surlier than ever at this sight. Madam Pomfrey then rescued Ron from Percy, led him over to Harry and the others, gave him a blanket and a liberal dose of Pepper-Up Potion, and then went to fetch Fleur and her sister. Fleur was in bad shape; she had cuts on her face and arms and her normally impeccable robes were torn; yet she didn't care, nor did she allow Madam Pomfrey to tend to them.
Dumbledore was crouched at the edge of the Lake, talking to the chief merperson in rapid Mermish. Finally he stood, turned to the other judges, and said quietly, "A conference before we give the marks, I think."
The judges went into a huddle. The crowds were buzzing excitedly, and the group of boys began furiously waving their fists at the sight of Fleur kissing Harry and Ron.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Ludo's voice boomed out suddenly, "we have reached our decision. Merchieftainess 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, as follows...
"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.
"Cedric Diggory, who also used the Bubble-Head Charm, was first to return with his hostage, though he returned one minute outside the time limit of an hour. We therefore award him forty-seven points."
The Hufflepuffs in the crowd were cheering themselves hoarse.
"Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of Transfiguration, which was nevertheless effective, and was second to return with his hostage. We award him forty points.
"Harry Potter used gillyweed to great effect. He returned last, and well outside the time limit of an hour. However..." Here Ludo Bagman paused, and the stands fell silent, expectant. "The Merchieftainess informs us that Mr. Potter was first to reach the hostages, and that they delay in his return was due to his determination to return all hostages to safety, not merely his own. Most of the judges," Bagman paused and turned to give Karkaroff a nasty look, "feel that this shows moral fiber and merits full marks. However...Mr. Potter's score is forty-five points."
The crowd erupted into cheers and applause. Even Fleur was clapping, though Krum didn't look at all pleased. He was too busy trying to get Hermione to pay attention to him.
"The third and final task will take place at dusk on the twenty-fourth of June. The champions will be notified of what is coming precisely one month beforehand. Thank you all for your support of the champions."
"What'd I tell you, eh?" Moody said over the cheers. "Didn't I say Potter would pull ahead this task?"
"Well, Moody, he didn't exactly pull ahead," McGonagall replied. "He's tied with Diggory, however."
"Yes, I know," Moody growled. "Well done, Potter."
Author: Rita Screecher
Author email: ritascreecher@excite.com
Category: Humor/Romance
Keywords: Fourth year, Professor McGonagall
Spoilers: All four books, especially the fourth book (obviously)
Rating: PG
Summary: A retelling of Harry Potter and Co's fourth year, from Professor McGonagall's point of view. Of course, I took a few "creative liberties"…:)
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
A/N: *point* Look, my nose hair grows in ringlets! *cough* I also take no responsibility whatsoever for my poor representation of a French accent anywhere in this fic.
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This is the third part of a planned five part series, detailing the events of the Triwizard Tournament during Harry Potter's fourth year at Hogwarts, from Professor McGonagall's point of view.
Part III: The Second Task
"Gabrielle Delacour," McGonagall read aloud. "Her sister, I presume?"
Dumbledore gave a brief nod in reply. "Would you like to do the next, Minerva?"
"I'd be honored," and she took the proffered piece of parchment and dropped it into the Goblet of Ice. The paper disappeared in a burst of light, the words "Viktor Krum" flashing brilliantly before fading out of sight. A few seconds later, the same slip of parchment was tossed back out of the Goblet, and McGonagall caught it.
"Hermione Granger." McGonagall raised her eyebrows at Dumbledore. The headmaster smiled a half smile and dropped in the third parchment. A few moments passed, and the paper came back out of the Goblet. McGonagall dusted shards of ice off of the paper before reading, "Cho Chang."
The final parchment bore Harry Potter's name. Dumbledore slipped it in, and the two watched silently as his name flashed once, then faded. Slowly, another name appeared on the parchment, and McGonagall reached out and grasped it as it shot back out of the Goblet.
"Ronald Weasley," she read.
"Well, there we go," Dumbledore said briskly, collecting up all the scraps of parchment and placing them in a box which he carefully locked and put away on a shelf. "Now, what do you say we go to dinner now?"
"I say that sounds like a fine idea," McGonagall replied. "I'm starving."
"After you," Dumbledore smiled, holding the door open for McGonagall. They headed out of his office and stepped onto the spiral staircase.
"Are you excited about this next task, McGonagall?" he asked as the staircase moved down smoothly.
"Yes," she said, but hesitantly. "I suppose I'm just worried. I mean, there's grindylows down there, and the Giant Squid...suppose they get hurt or knocked out while underwater, and drown?"
"They won't drown," Dumbledore reassured her. "No one will, neither the champions nor the hostages. I've personally seen to that."
"How?"
"My dear, you worry too much. But just to reassure you, I've stationed mermaids throughout the lake to patrol. If, by chance, a champion gets knocked out underwater, they'll rescue them and bring them to the surface. Otherwise, they'll stay out of sight. I've told them to help only if the champion is visibly struggling to breathe."
The staircase stopped moving, and Dumbledore and McGonagall stepped off and into the hall.
"I'm happy to hear that," McGonagall said finally. She pressed a hand to her forehead.
"Are you all right?"
"I think so," she replied, wincing. "I've got this enormous headache, however. Would you excuse me? I'm going to go to the staff room and lie down for a while, maybe drink some hot chocolate the house-elves leave out. I'll be down to dinner in a minute."
"Of course," Dumbledore replied, and continued on towards the Great Hall, where delicious smells of dinner were already wafting down from. McGonagall, on the other hand, hurried off towards the staff room. When she arrived, she found that someone had already beaten her to the drinks.
"Professor Moody!" she said in surprise. He turned quickly, sloshing the hot chocolate out of his mug and onto the ground.
"My goodness, I'm so sorry," McGonagall stammered, and quickly drew out her wand to clean up the mess. However, a little house-elf had already jumped out of nowhere and was currently on his hands and knees, scrubbing the floor.
"Are you all right, sir? Miss?" the house-elf squeaked. "You didn't get burned, did you? Dobby is so sorry."
"I'm fine," McGonagall and Moody replied automatically. "Thank you," McGonagall added.
Dobby finished cleaning up and bowed deeply. He scurried off to tend to a pile of dirty robes in the adjacent closet. Meanwhile, McGonagall walked over to the long table against the wall and picked up a mug of her own. She sipped deeply.
"Has the Goblet of Ice chosen yet?" Moody said abruptly.
"Yes," McGonagall answered, savoring a star-shaped marshmallow. She poked around her cup for more.
"Who?"
"Fleur Delacour's hostage is her sister Gabrielle, Viktor Krum's is Hermione Granger, Cedric Diggory's is Cho Chang, and Harry Potter's hostage is Ronald Weasley. I wish I had more marshmallows in my cup," McGonagall said petulantly. The house-elf, who had apparently overheard, hurried over with a plateful of star-shaped marshmallows. McGonagall smiled and took a handful. The house-elf bowed and scampered back to the closet.
"So," Moody finally said, clearing his throat. "What sort of methods do you think the champions will use to breathe underwater?"
"I'm not sure," McGonagall said slowly. "I think some might try to actually Transfigure themselves - that, I think, is the worst idea; so many things could go wrong - but in my opinion, the Bubble Head Charm would be the best way."
"What about gillyweed?" Moody said.
"I hadn't even thought about that!" McGonagall laughed. "That's an even better idea. If any of the champions think to use gillyweed, I'd bet they'd be the first to recover their hostage. Not only does it allow one to breathe underwater, but it helps one to swim as well." She sipped some more of her hot chocolate and continued, "I don't think any will, however; it's not a very common plant. First of all, I doubt any of them have heard of it, and second, if they do decide to use it, where will they get it?"
"Snape has some in his office, doesn't he?"
"Yes, but that's in his private store," McGonagall said distractedly. "No; I don't think any of the champions will use gillyweed. Pity. It's the best method out of all of them."
"Indeed," Moody growled, smiling. McGonagall looked at him, confused. Though his normal eye was staring straight at her, his glass eye was looking somewhere else entirely. McGonagall turned to see what he was looking at. It was only the house-elf, however, still busy collecting up the dirty robes in the closet.
***
"Has anyone seen Granger or Weasley?" McGonagall finally shouted. It was the night before the second task, and the hostages had to be brought to her office and put under a bewitched sleep. However, though Gabrielle and Cho were already waiting in her office, she had been searching for Ron and Hermione for an hour by now, apparently nowhere to be found. Impatient, she had finally entered the Gryffindor common room and shouted her predicament, hoping that someone, anyone, knew where they were.
The common room fell silent and everyone looked around.
"Now that you mention it, I haven't seen them," Parvati said slowly. "Not since dinner, that is." She looked at Lavender with raised eyebrows, and the two girls began to titter.
"Oh, for heaven's sake," McGonagall said, irritated. "Stop that inane giggling."
"We'll help you look," George Weasley called from a corner of the room. Fred, who was sitting beside him, looked up from a letter he was composing.
"Oh yeah, we'll definitely help," he said, in complete sincerity. "They're probably in some unused room...erm...studying. We'll scout out all the linen closets for you. You're not to worry, ma'am."
The twins grinned at one another and hurried out of the common room.
"Linen closets?" McGonagall wondered aloud as she followed them out of the portrait door. "What on earth...send them to my office if you find them!" she shouted to their retreating backs. The two waved back and disappeared around a corner. McGonagall returned to her office, a bit anxious.
"Ah, Professor!" Dumbledore greeted her, standing up as she entered the room. His face fell a bit. "I take it that you haven't found Ms. Granger or Mr. Weasley?"
"No, Albus," McGonagall replied wearily. "Fred and George Weasley volunteered to go and find them...something about linen closets?"
Dumbledore gave a faint smile. "Ah, Fred and George Weasley...ever the pranksters. Well, I suppose they'll find them soon enough. Now," he said, clapping his hands together. He turned to Gabrielle and Cho, who were sitting in chairs in front of McGonagall's desk, both looking a bit uneasy. "I imagine that the two of you are a bit uncomfortable, and maybe curious on why exactly we called you here?"
The two girls nodded.
"We're not in trouble, are we, Professor Dumbledore?" Cho spoke up timidly. "If this has anything to do with Cedric and I last week during Charms-"
"No, Ms. Chang," Dumbledore interrupted, "but it is about Cedric Diggory. And Fleur Delacour," he added with a nod in Gabrielle's direction.
"Oh, are zey all right?" Gabrielle gasped, her hands flying to cover her mouth. "Did something happen to zem?" She looked to be on the verge of tears.
"They're perfectly fine, Ms. Delacour," Dumbledore reassured her. "What I'm trying to say is that you two, as well as - ah, here they are," and everyone turned to look at Hermione and Ron, who had just burst into the office, both panting heavily as though they had just ran a marathon.
"Sit down," McGonagall said, conjuring up two more chairs. ""You're just in time."
They sat. And looked at Dumbledore apprehensively.
"You're not in trouble," McGonagall added.
The two looked visibly relieved.
"Then why are we here, Professor?" Hermione asked.
"I am about to explain, if I can be given the chance," Dumbledore said, raising his voice slightly. "Now that you all are here, I can begin.
"The second task involves the champions, the Lake, and you four," he began. At these words, realization began to dawn on Hermione's face, and then Ron's. Cho and Gabrielle, on the other hand, looked bewildered.
"We will be putting all four of you under an enchanted sleep," Dumbledore continued. "Then we will transport you down to the bottom of the Lake. There, the merpeople will protect you from any outside harm. The second task, if you haven't guessed yet, is for the champions to rescue you, the person the champion will most sorely miss."
Gabrielle nodded. "Of course, my sister will miss me ze most. No surprise zere."
"Cedric Diggory," Cho breathed, smiling.
However, it wasn't so clear for Ron and Hermione.
"Harry!" both said. Then they frowned at each other. "You?"
"No, no, Hermione, you've got it all wrong," Ron said impatiently. "It's got to be me, because -"
"Says who?" Hermione retorted. "He likes me better. He barely tolerates you!"
"Then you're saying that I'm what Viktor Krum will most sorely miss?" Ron shot back.
Hermione looked stunned, but quickly recovered. "Then - well, of course, Viktor Krum will most sorely miss me, and Harry as well, but since I was already chosen, you were second in line, so he's got to rescue you. It all makes sense."
Ron glowered. "You just can't bear to have the thought that Harry likes me better than you."
"You wish!" Hermione shouted.
"Silence!" McGonagall yelled. They quieted immediately, but shot nasty looks at one another in consolation.
"Thank you, Minerva," Dumbledore said. "Now the catch is, the champions must rescue you in under an hour. Of course," he added hastily, "the spell on all of you will last for as long as needed - until your head breaks the surface of the lake, that is. However, if your champion does not reach you, the merpeople will bring you up. Any questions?"
"Any last words?" Ron muttered. Hermione glared at him, but kept silent.
"All right, then. See you tomorrow," and Dumbledore cast the spell upon the four of them. They instantly fell into a deep slumber. Ron's head lolled to the side and onto Cho's shoulder, and Gabrielle curled up into a little ball. McGonagall poked them repeatedly to make sure they were asleep and wouldn't wake.
"Well, let's head on down to the Lake," she said, and conjured the four, still on their chairs, up and out the door. Dumbledore followed.
It was bitingly cold outside, and McGonagall shuddered as the first blast of wind hit her face and whipped around her robes, making them fly out behind her.
"I don't fancy going into the Lake in this sort of weather," she said to Dumbledore, who was standing beside her and gazing off into the clear night. He grasped her arm firmly and led her down the stone steps.
"The students will be fine," he reassured her. "I put an extra warming spell on them. They won't even get a runny nose."
"You think of everything, don't you," McGonagall said, in half exasperation and half admiration.
"Not everything," Dumbledore said, and McGonagall shivered a bit, not knowing if it was at the icy wind or at his grave tone.
"Here we are," he said, and knelt at the edge of the Lake. Its surface was stormy, and kept throwing up sprays of water onto the bank. Dumbledore checked his pocket watch. "The merpeople should be here any moment now."
They waited, standing there in their heavy cloaks, McGonagall occasionally stamping her feet or blowing on her hands to keep warm. She was just about to suggest going back in for a cup of hot chocolate when the surface of the Lake quivered in a rapid movement.
"Ah, here they are," Dumbledore said delightedly, and sure enough, a moment later five heads popped out of the water. They had gray skin and long green hair that was currently tangled and wild. Their eyes were yellow, and when the first opened her mouth to speak to Dumbledore, McGonagall saw that her teeth were yellow as well.
Dumbledore talked to the mermaid for a while before turning to McGonagall and saying, "All right, they're ready to take the hostages."
"Are you sure this is safe?" McGonagall whispered, staring at the merpeople in fascination and fear. "They look rather savage."
Dumbledore laughed at McGonagall's timidness. "I'm sure," he smiled, and flicked his wand at the four students. They rose out of their chairs, their heads bobbing strangely and their limbs flopping uselessly. Dumbledore flicked his wand again, and they floated up and over the Lake.
"Ready?" Dumbledore said in Mermish, and the merpeople nodded, apparently prepared to catch them. With another flick of his wand, the hostages dropped, and McGonagall gave a little scream. However, the merpeople caught all of them neatly, and the first waved goodbye to Dumbledore and McGonagall as they turned and dove back into the water, the four students cradled in their arms.
McGonagall gave a great sigh. "I suppose we'd better head back and catch a few hours of sleep," she said. Dumbledore didn't reply. He was still watching the spot on the Lake where the merpeople disappeared.
"I suppose you're right," Dumbledore finally said, shaking from his reverie and looking up at her. He stood, dusting off his hands, and together they walked back up the path towards the castle.
***
"Where is Potter?" McGonagall cried, pacing up and down the bank next to the judge's table. "How could he miss the second task? What is he doing?"
"Minerva, dear, calm down," Dumbledore said mildly. "I'm sure he's just getting ready. He'll be here."
"Well, I say we start without the boy," Karkaroff said nastily. "If he can't show us respect by coming to the task on time, he doesn't deserve to be champion. Not that he deserved to be champion in the first place," he added as an afterthought.
"Igor," Dumbledore said warningly, and Karkaroff subsided.
"There he is!" someone in the stands shouted, pointing up towards the castle. Everyone turned to look, and sure enough, there was Harry, running flat out across the lawn, his robes trailing behind him. Karkaroff looked ready to kill. Ludo Bagman looked immensely relieved. Fleur sniffed in disapproval.
"I'm...here..." Harry panted as he reached the judges' table. He skidded to a halt, accidentally splattering Fleur's robes with mud. Fleur gave a little cry of dismay.
"We're going into the Lake in a few minutes, Fleur," Cedric said impatiently, "I doubt that bit of mud is a devastating loss to your robes compared to what the Lake and the creatures in it will do to them."
Fleur glared at him and whipped out her wand anyway, cleaning up the mess on her robes.
"Where have you been?" Percy Weasley said from his seat on the judge's table. "The task's about to start!"
"Now, now, Percy!" Ludo Bagman reproached him with a grin on his face. "Let him catch his breath!" He stood and walked around the table to where the champions were grouped. He grasped each by the shoulder and maneuvered them to the edge of the Lake, spacing them 10 feet apart, Fleur first, then Cedric, Krum, and Harry at the very end. Then he returned to the judges' table and pointed his wand at his throat.
"Sonorus!" His voice suddenly boomed out across the water to where the stands were on the other side of the Lake. "Well, all our champions are ready for the second task, which will start on my whistle. They have precisely an hour to recover what has been taken from them. On the count of three, then. One...two...three!"
The shrill whistle pierced through the air, and the stands shook with cheers and applause. The champions all pulled off their shoes and socks, as though it was some odd relay race, and waded into the water. Cedric and Fleur were the first to act, and both cast Bubble Head Charms on themselves. Enormous globes materialized around their heads, which stretched their feature to almost unrecognition. They dove into the water and disappeared; not even bubbles appeared on the surface of the water to mark where they had vanished. Krum had Transfigured himself into a shark, but did a poor job: only his head was a shark; the rest of his body had stayed the same. However, he decided that the head was good enough, and plunged into the water shortly after Cedric and Fleur.
Now only Harry was left standing on the very edge of the Lake. Once or twice he slipped in the water and nearly fell, amid laughs and jeers from the Slytherins in the stands. They saw him stuff something into his mouth and swallow. He was waist-deep in the water, and still nothing was happening. Everyone watched, and expectancy gave way to impatience. There was laughter first, then catcalls and jeering, and then suddenly gasps from those who had Omnioculars.
"He's got gills!" one shouted, peering through their pair, and everyone began grabbing for them. There was a mild tussle, and during that space of 15 seconds or so when all were busy trying to get the Omnioculars, Harry dove into the water, making a loud splash. Everyone froze, then promptly began yelling themselves hoarse at each other.
Ludo Bagman was looking very delighted. "Well, now that all the champions have left, I might as well announce what exactly we took from them. It is what each will most sorely miss - or in this case, who." The stands fell silent, expectant. "Fleur Delacour will most sorely miss her sister, Gabrielle Delacour." A group of boys who were carrying "We loff you, Fleur" signs began wailing in dismay. "Cedric Diggory's hostage is Cho Chang. Harry Potter's hostage is Ronald Weasley. And Viktor Krum's hostage is Hermione Granger.
"Now, as you all have just seen, Fleur Delacour and Cedric Diggory both performed Bubble Head Charms. Viktor Krum did a partial Transfiguration - you all saw his shark head, I presume? I, for one, am taking a few points off for the rather shoddy Transfiguration work." He ducked as Karkaroff flung a textbook at him in fury. "Young Harry Potter, on the other hand, used gillyweed. To those of you out there who are unknowledgeable on magical plants, gillyweed, when eaten, allows one to breathe underwater by giving them gills and fins. It basically turns one into a human fish, if you will. Now all we've got to do is wait for the champions to return, hopefully with their respective hostages. Hope you all dressed warmly, we're going to be here for a while."
***
50 minutes later...
"Someone's coming!" Ludo Bagman shouted. The drowsy stands stirred awake and everyone craned their necks to watch the Lake intently, vainly trying to peer through the water in order to discover whom it was, who was the first champion to return. The surface of the water rippled and suddenly broke, and there were audible gasps from the stands. All instantly recoiled at the sight of...
"Fleur Delacour!" Bagman cried. "She's unconscious...the merpeople have brought her up!"
The boys burst into heavy sobs for the second time that day.
"Let's find out what happened, shall we, Albus?"
But Dumbledore needed no prompting. He had already stood from his seat at the judges' table and was striding quickly towards the group of merpeople. One merman gently laid Fleur on the bank of the Lake and another began talking rapidly to Dumbledore. Madam Pomfrey, in the meantime, rushed up and carried Fleur away to a nearby tent. Madame Maxine hurried after her.
After a few minutes of conversing, the merpeople left, waving their tails at the stands. Dumbledore returned to the judges' table and began talking to the rest in a low voice.
"The merpeople have informed us that Fleur Delacour was attacked by grindylows," Ludo finally said. The boys burst into fresh tears. "She did not reach her hostage."
This announcement brought a heavy silence upon the stands. The only sound was Fleur's Bulgarian fans crying in abject misery.
***
10 minutes later...
"At this time, it has been exactly one hour since the champions first began the task," Ludo Bagman's voice rang out. "None have returned successfully. This means no one will receive the full fifty points, and the judges will now base their marks on how much longer each champion takes to rescue their hostages."
But no one was paying attention to Ludo anymore. The surface of the Lake was trembling once again, and everyone watched in apprehension. Was this champion returning victorious or beaten up and knocked out, carried back by merpeople?
"I present you Cedric Diggory, folks!" Ludo cried, as Cedric's Bubble Head broke the surface. "And yes, he returns with his hostage, Cho Chang!"
Cho was awake and clinging to Cedric for dear life. He seemed to have trouble swimming back to the bank, now with Cho conscious and attached to him like a leech. However, he managed to reach the edge of the Lake and gently set Cho down on her feet. The stands erupted into cheers at the sight of Cho pulling Cedric's head down and giving him a long kiss. Cedric went scarlet, but kissed her back. Madam Pomfrey hurried over and actually had to pry the two apart to give them each a Pepper-Up Potion and a blanket.
"Well!" Bagman said when the applause finally subsided. "Well!" Apparently he, as well as everyone else on the judges' table, was speechless. Where had they learned to kiss like that?
Shortly thereafter, Viktor Krum arrived, also triumphant. Hermione, on the other hand, didn't reward her rescuer with a kiss, to apparent disappointment from both Krum and the audience. However, Hermione did give him a very chaste hug before accepting a Pepper-Up Potion from Madam Pomfrey.
"Viktor Krum also returns successfully with Ms. Hermione Granger," Bagman announced, "ten minutes outside the time limit. Now we just have to wait for Harry Potter to return...it won't be long now, I reckon..."
But much to Bagman's dismay, five minutes passed with no sign of Harry. Then ten minutes. Then fifteen. The crowd was beginning to murmur impatiently when suddenly, Harry's dark head burst out of the lake, visibly gasping for breath. But with him were not one, but two hostages!
"Harry Potter has returned with both Ronald Weasley and Gabrielle Delacour!" Bagman shouted, as flabbergasted as anyone else. The stands were on their feet, shouting and screaming. Fleur Delacour, at this announcement, burst out of the tent and ran to the bank, apparently prepared to fling herself into the water to see her sister. However, Madame Maxine was restraining Fleur with her massive arms, though with some difficulty.
Meanwhile, twenty merpeople emerged out of the water beside Harry, and they beamed as they sang in their screechy voices and escorted the three back to the bank. Dumbledore, Ludo Bagman, and Percy all stood up. Dumbledore and Bagman walked to the edge of the Lake, beaming at Harry, but Percy actually ran from his seat at the judges' table and into the water. The second Percy got close enough to Ron, he grabbed him and dragged him back to the bank, amid loud protests from poor Ron. Dumbledore and Bagman pulled Harry upright and Fleur, in one last tug, broke free of Madam Maxine and hugged her sister tight.
"It was ze grindylows...zey attacked me...oh Gabrielle, I thought...I thought..." And Fleur burst into tears. Gabrielle began to cry as well, and the boys in the stands sighed at the adorable sight.
Madam Pomfrey swooped down on Harry and wrapped him tightly up in a blanket, pulling him over to the other champions and hostages, and forcing a Pepper-Up Potion down his throat, making steam pour out of his ears. Hermione was busy talking to Harry, and Krum looked surlier than ever at this sight. Madam Pomfrey then rescued Ron from Percy, led him over to Harry and the others, gave him a blanket and a liberal dose of Pepper-Up Potion, and then went to fetch Fleur and her sister. Fleur was in bad shape; she had cuts on her face and arms and her normally impeccable robes were torn; yet she didn't care, nor did she allow Madam Pomfrey to tend to them.
Dumbledore was crouched at the edge of the Lake, talking to the chief merperson in rapid Mermish. Finally he stood, turned to the other judges, and said quietly, "A conference before we give the marks, I think."
The judges went into a huddle. The crowds were buzzing excitedly, and the group of boys began furiously waving their fists at the sight of Fleur kissing Harry and Ron.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Ludo's voice boomed out suddenly, "we have reached our decision. Merchieftainess 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, as follows...
"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.
"Cedric Diggory, who also used the Bubble-Head Charm, was first to return with his hostage, though he returned one minute outside the time limit of an hour. We therefore award him forty-seven points."
The Hufflepuffs in the crowd were cheering themselves hoarse.
"Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of Transfiguration, which was nevertheless effective, and was second to return with his hostage. We award him forty points.
"Harry Potter used gillyweed to great effect. He returned last, and well outside the time limit of an hour. However..." Here Ludo Bagman paused, and the stands fell silent, expectant. "The Merchieftainess informs us that Mr. Potter was first to reach the hostages, and that they delay in his return was due to his determination to return all hostages to safety, not merely his own. Most of the judges," Bagman paused and turned to give Karkaroff a nasty look, "feel that this shows moral fiber and merits full marks. However...Mr. Potter's score is forty-five points."
The crowd erupted into cheers and applause. Even Fleur was clapping, though Krum didn't look at all pleased. He was too busy trying to get Hermione to pay attention to him.
"The third and final task will take place at dusk on the twenty-fourth of June. The champions will be notified of what is coming precisely one month beforehand. Thank you all for your support of the champions."
"What'd I tell you, eh?" Moody said over the cheers. "Didn't I say Potter would pull ahead this task?"
"Well, Moody, he didn't exactly pull ahead," McGonagall replied. "He's tied with Diggory, however."
"Yes, I know," Moody growled. "Well done, Potter."