A/N: This chapter is from the POV of Allen and Viktor.  Keep reviewing.  I'm trying to get this stuff on the computer but now it's getting a bit harder with final exams and I'm working on the fourth sequel to this offline.

The Potters and the Goblet of Fire

By Ron Potter

Chapter 10: The Second Task

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Allen's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*****************The night before the Second Task**********

          I barely had to do any work to figure out the second task.  Viktor already knew and before we got into our little argument he told me about the second task.  Brainless jocks are so easy to manipulate.  Yet the hard part was figuring out what they'll take and how to retrieve it back.  Then it struck me…they were taking my date to the Yule Ball…Charlotte Black.

          I decided to take a swim after dinner to the bottom of the lake.  I thought maybe I could pay a merman to save her for me.  I have plenty of gold galleons to give.  But that would look weird to the audience if they see me paying a merman to do my dirty work and I'll look really selfish.  I could always swim down, pay the merman, and swim back with Charlotte. 

          I swam down to the bottom of the lake.  The mermish village was at the ocean floor with many small homes.  Sea Weed practically covered the entrance to the castle and the village.  One of the Hogwarts ghost made her way to the lake as well or maybe it was a student that got mixed up in baking powder.  Either way the kid looked no older than maybe 14 so she'd be easy to manipulate.  I tried to talk to her but I couldn't since I was under water.

"Impervious!" I shouted aiming my wand at my mouth.  It felt like a gas mask was pushed hard on my face.  I could talk but it would wear off once I reach the bottom because it can only go a certain amount of water pressure.  "Hey can you hear me!"

"What do you want?" the girl ghost moaned.

"You're looking kind of cute tonight," I lied.  "Could you do a big favor for me?"

"I'm sorry I'm already taken," the ghost girl moaned,  "by Harry Potter."

"I need your help," I pleaded.

"Alright," the ghost girl said cheering up.  "What do I have to do?"

"You see that mermish village over there?" I asked pointing beyond the seaweed.  "I'm thinking of paying a merman 50 galleons to rescue my hostage."

"Mermen don't use galleons, they use Knuts," the ghost girl replied.

"Well 100 Knuts," I corrected.  "Please just do it for me."

The ghost girl glided or swam beyond the seaweed to the mermish village.  She disappeared into a mermish house.  I could see her in the window of the cottage talking with a merman.  Everything was going great until "tears" showed up on her face.  She burst out crying retreating through the plumbing tube that lead to her bathroom.  Then I went down to give him and confirm the job.

****************The Beginning of the Second Task*************

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Viktor's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

          Everyone had arrived for the second task on time except the Potter kid who ran in at the last minute.  The eccentric Bagman explained the clear-cut rules in the task.  Each of us seemed like we had exactly what we were going to do down right.  Harry Potter had wiggling gillyweed in his hand.  Allen seemed overly confident yet ignored his wand and looked like he was only prepared to swim.  Doesn't he know how far deep the lake goes?

          "Champions, get ready…set…go!" Ludo Bagman shouted.

          "Transmogrify Animagus Shark!" I shouted as the top of my body turned into a shark while the rest stayed the same as dove a feet in.

          "Bubblio!" Fleur and Cedric shouted using the bubblehead charm diving into the cold icy waters.

          "Transmogrify Animagus Dolphin!" Penelope shouted as she performed a successful transformation into a dolphin, diving off the quickest into the lake.

          Harry swallowed his gillyweed and Allen dove right in with his wand out.  He's so stupid, how's he suppose to do magic underwater?  I could hear faint laughter from the audience as Potter and Blacksberry dove in without any signs of magic.  This wasn't right.  I was a shark and Penelope was a dolphin and she was reaching the bottom before me.  I was supposed to be moving faster.  Cedric and Harry were closing in on me.  Allen wasn't anywhere near the big stone but I saw him pay a merman with a ton of bronze coins.  Time was running out, I bit open the ropes tying Hermione and swam quickly to the shore.  Cedric and Penelope already had their hostages but got caught by angry mermen warriors.

          "Expelliarmus!" Allen shouted as I was hit heard backwards.

          "Flipendo!" I shouted back as a flame ball hit Allen hard.

          "Flipendo…Flipendo!" Allen shouted at both Cedric and Penelope knocking them away from the surface as his merman came to close to the shore with Charlotte Black.  Allen grabbed her by the arm and dragged her up but not before Cedric and Penelope reached the surface.

          I swam faster and faster.  Harry came behind me carrying Ron Weasley and Gabrielle Delacour.  I kicked hard enough where it leads me up to the surface faster.  Fleur then came behind Harry taking her sister and swimming up with him.  Luckily I beat Fleur and Harry but Allen, Penelope, and Cedric came in before me.  The merman king was talking in mermish to Karkaroff and the other judges.  After a while of discussing the events, they finally came to a decision.

          "We have reached a decision!" Ludo Bagman shouted.  "Harry Potter used gillyweed but also Fleur's hostage for her so is awarded 20 points…Fleur Delacour did a successful bubble head charm and rescued her sister from Harry for 16 points…Penelope Clearwater did a successful animagus transformation and is awarded 29 points…Cedric Diggory also did a bubble head charm and is awarded 32 points for he was the only who made it back in time…Viktor Krum did an unsuccessful shark transformation and is awarded 17 points…Allen Blacksberry hired a merman and is awarded 5 points because he did nothing. That makes Cedric Diggory our second task winner!"

          The yellow and blue parts of the stands roared with applause for Cedric and Penelope. Professor Karkaroff ignored us completely…like we were giving Durmstrang a bad name…he didn't even seem to support me anymore but I didn't care.  Hermione taught me to do stuff because I love it not to make others proud.

          The school nurse wrapped Hermione and me in about 15 blankets by the shore.  Luckily neither one of us was hurt.  The other champions hadn't been covered with blankets yet but were looking toward other ways of keeping warm.  Allen ignored his girlfriend Charlotte Black's feelings and almost beat her.

          "Hermione…would you like to visit me over the summer?" I asked pulling out a beetle in her hair.

          "I'd love to," Hermione replied.

          That night on the Durmstrang ship Karkaroff kept himself locked up in his chambers or was out somewhere.    Allen or me couldn't reach him. No Durmstrang student could get in.  Allen and I staged really loud conversations of killing each other then killing Professor Karkaroff but that didn't seem to get him out. Every student came up with an idea to reach him but all won't work.  Allen and I dueled for hours with the most horrible of curses but Karkaroff still wouldn't come out.