It was freezing, and Harry shuddered involuntarily as he drew his cloak a little more snugly around himself. The wind was whipping up into a frenzy around the lake, and as cold as it was around the castle, it was even worse down by the water. His hand unconsciously closed a little more tightly around the wad of slimy weeds in his pocket.
Several weeks had passed since the Yule Ball, and the time had finally arrived for the Second Task. A fresh snow had fallen the previous evening, lightly dusting the grounds in a thin layer of white powder, and the temperature was shockingly low, even for this time of the year. Harry's eyes drifted over to the lake once more, and he felt a pang of apprehension in his chest. He really hoped that Neville had been right about the effects of the Gillyweed.
Otherwise, Harry might very well freeze to death in the lake before he ever drowned.
In the wake of Harry's discussion with Neville about the plant in Harry's pocket, the pair of them had spent some time together, along with the help of Ron and Hermione, tracking down and ordering a shipment of the invasive weed. Over the last couple of weeks, Harry had been getting shipments of the plant sent to the school. Both day and night, Harry had begun to skiff off of his lessons and private sessions with Professor Jackson, and kipped down to the Lake with his pockets stuffed to the overflowing with the plant and he practiced getting used to its effects. More importantly though, was that Harry had needed to learn how to swim. The effects of the Gillyweed would have been useless if he couldn't actually utilize them well.
So, in the times that Harry normally would have been in class, or practicing with Professor Jackson, Harry had instead been down at the lake, working with Ron, Hermione, and Neville at practicing and getting used to the weed and learning how to swim through the water.
His practice with the weed, at least he believed, had been bearing fruit. He felt that he was about as comfortable with the effects and with swimming as he would be for the task. He still wasn't strictly sure whether his use of the weed would be legal, but he was well beyond the point of caring any more.
Oddly enough, Professor Jackson hadn't said anything to Harry about his abandoning of their private lessons. Whether because he knew that Harry had all but stopped trying, or the wedge between them had grown so immense that it wasn't worth bridging, Harry wasn't sure. But he was grateful for the separation.
For Harry, the Second Task meant more than just being a step closer to the end of the Tournament. To Harry, it was a way to prove not just to Professor Jackson but also to himself, that he was capable of looking after and taking care of himself. He wanted to prove to Professor Jackson that he was wrong, for all kinds of reasons. Sure, it was petty, and it didn't make too much sense, but for Harry it was perfectly symbolic. If he could win the Task without Professor Jackson's help, then that meant that Professor Jackson was wrong about how to approach training, the world, everything.
At least that was how Harry viewed it.
Tremendous stands had been erected around the beach of the lake. Looking up into the stands and bleachers, Harry could see a number of prominent and familiar faces looking down at him and the other Champions. He recognized some individuals from the Minister's Box at the World Cup, and he even saw that Anna and Camila were there. Camila, as had been the case at the World Cup, was flanked on multiple sides by burly looking men in finely tailored suits.
He flushed slightly as Camila smiled and waved at him, and he nervously waved back. Bidding goodbye to Ron and Hermione, Harry trudged up to the large dock that had been constructed at the edge of the lake. He sighed in relief, as he stepped up onto the dock and realized that it was charmed to emit a pleasantly warm heat. It was a wonderful reprieve from the otherwise biting cold of the winter morning.
Harry was quickly joined by the other champions, and they joined him as Harry began shucking off clothing. He was wearing a bathing suit and charmed t-shirt under his clothing. As the others stripped down to their own bathing suits, Ludo Bagman's voice boomed out across the water.
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" He announced with no shortage of bravado or excitement, "Welcome, to the Second Task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament!" The surrounding crowd roared in excitement, and Bagman was forced to wait for a moment before continuing,
"Today!" He announced, "Our champions will be plunging deep below the depths of the Black Lake. Their mission? To recover something precious to them! Each one of our Champions, have had someone precious to them stolen away in the night, and are now being held hostage at the bottom of the lake!"
Harry watched as Fleur shuddered violently, her eyes locked worryingly at the lake. She must have had a pretty good idea of who was sitting down there.
"The Champions!" Continued Bagman, "Will have one hour. One hour to search the depths of the Black Lake for those who have been taken from them. And that hour begins…now!" There was a loud 'BANG,' like a gunshot going off. Harry scrambled forward, his hand darting to the pocket of his swim trunks as he pulled the slimy Gillyweed out and shoved it down his throat. Having grown used to the foul tasting, and horribly squishy weed, Harry dove readily into the water as his body began to morph and change. For a moment, swimming beneath the waves was a slow and laborious effort.
However, as his breath began to disappear and his began to grow cloudy, he felt the familiar tingling and stinging along his neck. Then, almost as though he had breached the surface of the water, he was able to breathe again. The transformation had worked, as it had many times before, as gills and fins had grown along his body. With a burst of speed and power, Harry raced through the water.
He knew where the hostages were being held, and thanks to his several weeks of swimming and practicing in the Lake, he knew where the mere-people village was located. However, he did not make it very far before his journey was interrupted.
He had just been swimming through a wall of kelp and weeds, when he heard the screeching, high-pitched cry of the Grindylow. He only just managed to glide out of the way, as the small tentacle monster screeched past him. A moment later, there was anything keening cry and Harry looked down, just in time to see another pair of the little horrors scream through the water, and latch around both of his legs. He tried kicking out, in a vain attempt to shake the vile creatures off of him, but to no avail. As three more of the small monsters tried to latch onto him, Harry raised his wand and roared,
"Revulso!"
Streaks of white-hot flames scorched from the tip of his wand. The flames slammed into the Grindylow, which screamed louder in misery and panic, as they were burned alive in the water. It was a strange phenomena with the Revulsion Charm. When used above water, it simply repelled objects, however once under the water, it turned the relatively harmless charm into something far more dangerous and deadly.
The Grindylow attached to his legs and chest relinquished their grip, and floated down through the water. Dead and still.
Knowing that he didn't have much time before another round of the little monsters tried to attack him. However, just as he was about to make his way out of the water, he heard a scream of horror. This time, it was different to the noise emanating from the tiny monsters, and was most definitely human.
Without thinking, Harry spun towards the sound of the noise and shot off like a rocket in its direction. Breaking through a cluster of weeds before him, Harry came into a clearing just in time to watch as Fleur was dragged down towards the depths of the lake. She had been swarmed by a mass of Grindylow. Four of the little devils had wrapped themselves around her and her bubble-head charm had snapped. Harry was about to dive after her, when she managed to free her arm and throw up a jet of red sparks through the water. Less than a second later, a flurry of bubbles materialized around Fleur. The Grindylow were swept up and violently thrown free from her writhing form, as Fleur was wrapped up in the flurry of bubbles. A moment later, Fleur had disappeared.
Harry blinked in surprise, but ultimately decided that it wasn't his problem. He trusted Dumbledore enough to make sure that the students weren't in too much danger after all. Turning around, Harry swam out towards the center of the lake.
As Harry swam deeper into the lake, a strange noise reached his ears. He had to stop for a second, as he considered whether his mind was playing tricks on him. But as he strained his ears, he realized that he wasn't actually mistaken. There was music playing. Coming from quite some distance away, but still audible. Furrowing his brow, Harry took off in the direction of the song, coincidentally in the direction of the middle of the lake.
The more he swam, the louder the music he got. Cresting a small ridge, the landscape suddenly changed. The mass of tangled sea vegetation disappeared and Harry found himself floating along the edge of a large village. Built into the rock of the sea floor, several homes had been constructed out of the lake itself. Harry could see small yards, fences, even what looked oddly like trees. It was strangely surreal, and yet familiar environment. As though he had somehow happened upon a warped and twisted version of Privet Drive.
The singing had grown louder, and as Harry's eyes tracked along the landscape, they landed on several large pillars jutting up into the horizon towards the center of the village. Taking off at a faster pace, the singing grew louder as he drew nearer and nearer to the towns center. As he swam into what had to be the village square, he paused and looked up in astonishment. In the middle of the town square were the four pillars. Several stories high and ending in large jagged points several yards from the surface of the lake. The pillars were made of a strange black stone, that seemed to almost glisten in the dim light of the lake.
There were nearly a hundred of the merfolk in the square, all neatly wrapped around the pillars in a large circle. Their hands joined together and their heads bowed, as though in prayer. A deep, soothing melody escaped from their mouths and Harry realized with a start that the singing he'd heard had been coming from them.
His attention drifted from the merfolk and back to the pillars. Hanging from wrought-iron chains that were attached to each of the pillars was a person. Each figure was vaguely familiar. Harry could see Cho Chang and the girl that Krum had taken to the Ball. There was even a small girl, maybe only eight or nine years old, her eyes closed and her body swaying gently as though she were asleep. But Harry's attention was focused solely on the fourth figure.
Sirius.
Like the others, his eyes were closed, and his long hair drifted in the water. Suspended, as though being plucked high by invisible strings. He looked almost peaceful. Darting forward, Harry drew his wand from the holster on his leg and pointed it at the chains binding Sirius to the pillar. A jet of silver light shot from the tip of Harry's wand, and the chains blew apart. Harry snagged Sirius around the shoulder, and was just about to head off back to the surface, when he hesitated. He cast a worried glance around him at the other hostages.
It felt…wrong, to leave them there. To abandon them and finish the task on his own. Common sense dictated that they weren't in any real danger, and that nothing would happen to them if their Champion didn't get to them, but it still felt wrong to Harry. His eyes darted back to the little girl, slumbering peacefully against the pillar. Her long blonde hair danced in front of her eyes, and Harry could have sworn that she looked like a miniature Fleur.
It felt doubly wrong to abandon the girl, knowing as he did that Fleur had abandoned the challenge. He glanced back at the merfolk in the lake, and he made a decision. He was about to swim after the girl, when a hand rested on his shoulder. Whirling around in confusion, Harry drew his wand, and suddenly found himself face to face with Professor Jackson.
"Professor?" Harry blurted out, the noise coming out as little more than a collection of bubbles.
Professor Jackson looked…unwell. It was the closest Harry had been to the man in several weeks. He had large, purple shadows under eyes, which were baggy and ragged. The frown lines on his face were more pronounced, and there was a weariness to his expression that had never been there.
Curiously as well, was that he was floating in the water unaided. He didn't have a bubble around his head like the others, and he didn't seem to be using any sort of spell or transfiguration magic to enable him to breathe under water. In fact, he looked like he was doing nothing at all.
"Don't worry about the others, Harry," said Professor Jackson, his voice coming across clean and even. "I'll grab whoever is left when the Task is over. Now go ahead and finish the Task."
Harry hesitated for another moment, his eyes darting back to the sleeping girl. It still felt wrong to abandon them here, but if Professor Jackson was there…well he supposed he could still trust the man that much.
Turning around, Harry tightened his grip around Sirius, and shot high up to the sky. He could feel the effects of the Gillyweed beginning to fade, as he drew nearer to the surface. As the light of the morning sun began to glare through the surface, Harry gave one final powerful kick, as he cast a counter-spell to dispel the effects of the Gillyweed. Harry and Sirius broke the surface in a splattering of spitting and gasping. Sirius had awoken the moment that his head had broken the surface of the water, and he flailed around violently for a moment in disorientation. After a few seconds, he seemed to remember where he was and what was going on, and a wide, beaming grin spread across his face as the crowd in the stands erupted into cheers of jubilation.
"I bloody knew it!" Howled Sirius happily, slapping the water in celebration as he wrapped an arm around Harry in a sort of half-celebratory, half-desperate hug.
"I knew you'd be the first one done! Well done kid! Well done! Now let's get the hell of this water, freezing my damned bits off in here."
Harry could only grin and nod his head excitedly. As the Gillyweed was dumped from his system, the cold water had started to play its part. By the time Harry and Sirius got to the nearby dock, and were hoisted out of the water by an excitable Ron and Hermione, Harry's teeth were chattering and he couldn't feel his toes. A pair of thick, wooly blankets were quickly thrown around both Harry and Sirius, as Madam Pomfrey strode over to the both of them. She cast a quick drying and heating charm on both of them, before promptly scampering away to the edge of the dock to greet an equally disheveled Cedric and Cho, who had just emerged spluttering to the surface.
"You're the first ones back!" Said Ron happily, slapping Harry on the back in excitement, "Well, technically Fleur was the first one back, but she was disqualified so I don't think that counts,"
"I figured as much," nodded Harry, "I saw her get attacked by a bunch of Grindylow, but she shot up some red sparks and she disappeared in this weird wall of bubbles."
"Oh yes!" Nodded Hermione excitedly, "It was the strangest thing. There we were, just staring at the lake waiting for something to happen, when this weird spiraling sphere of bubbles just appeared out of nowhere! It dropped Fleur on the dock and then it disappeared!"
She was about to say more, but never got the chance. As though summoned by the mere mention of her name, the French Champion barreled her way towards Harry. Her hair was still wet and matted, and she had a frantic, half-crazed look on her face. She gripped Harry around the front of his shirt and began babbling incoherently in French at him. Harry, more than a little terrified, looked desperately around at Hermione for support. His friend had once spent a summer on Holiday in France, and Harry knew that she spoke at least enough French to get by.
She was staring curiously at Fleur for a moment, before her eyes widened in understanding,
"She's asking if you saw her sister and if she's all right," translated Hermione,
"Gabrielle!" Cried Fleur desperately, her thick accent making the word nearly incomprehensible "Is she okay? Did you see her? Please, tell me she is okay!"
"She's fine!" Said Harry quickly, desperate to get away from the manic-looking French woman, "Professor Jackson is down there! He said that he'd bring up any of the hostages who weren't rescued!"
Fleur seemed slightly mollified, and she loosed her grip on Harry and darted over to the edge of the dock. Harry shared a befuddled look with Ron, who shrugged at him.
They didn't have to wait long for the remaining Champion. Only a few minutes after Cedric and Cho resurfaced, Krum and his hostage broke the surface. Krum had apparently gone with a more…interesting approach to the challenge. He'd transfigured his head to be that of a shark's, which was an impressive bit of magic if Harry were being honest.
As Krum and his hostage were busy getting dried off, Harry's attention was drawn back to the lake, where a small commotion was ensuing. Fleur, who had been waiting anxiously at the dock, had begun screaming herself hoarse at something out in the waves. Craning his neck to look above the ensemble of medi-witches and wizards on the dock, Harry could just make out the form of Professor Jackson, calmly walking up the beach. He was miraculously dry, and was chatting quietly with the small girl, Gabrielle, who was tucked safely in his arms. Fleur darted off the dock at a dead sprint towards the pair, babbling in French as she snagged the smaller girl from Professor Jackson and held her close.
The byplay was once again interrupted, as Ludo Bagman's voice echoed around the lake.
"And thus concludes the Second Task!" He announced excitedly, to cheers of excitement from the crowd. "The judges have finished conferring with one another, and we have the newest scores! In first place, with a clever application of Gillyweed, is Mr. harry Potter! Who rescued his hostage in only twenty-four minutes, giving him a score of forty-eight points!"
"Forty-eight?" Cried out Ron and Sirius together,
"That miserable bastard Karkaroff," grunted Professor Jackson, who had somehow meandered his way over to Harry's side, "Bet you anything that's 'cause of him,"
Harry could only agree, but was distracted as Sirius thumped him hard on the back, and wrapped him up in a grand embrace.
"Proud of you kid." Whispered Sirius hoarsely, "So damn proud of you."
"Thank you," said Harry back, meaningfully, he missed the announcement of the next set of scores, distracted as he was by the parade of well-wishers thumping him on the back, or in Katie's case, giving him a hug and kiss on the cheek that left him flushed and embarrassed.
Harry felt flushed with success. A thrill of excitement and pride in what he'd managed to do and accomplish. It felt…it felt beyond good. He hadn't felt this way after the First Task. Sure, he had felt good about passing the Task and getting by the dragon, but that had been all thanks to planning and training from professor Jackson. This…this had been all Harry. It had been his idea, his initiative, his training and drive. He had even stopped seeing Professor Jackson for late night tutoring sessions entirely so he could focus solely on his own plan.
It filled him with a sense of accomplishment even greater than when he'd managed to cast his first patronus. For the first time, it felt like he had accomplished something of his own accord, and hadn't been riding on the backs of coattails of others, an issue he hadn't even been aware he'd been having.
But there was something more, lurking in the back of his mind as he trapped with the others up to Gryffindor Tower for a celebratory party. What did this mean for his relationship with Professor Jackson? It went without saying that Harry wouldn't be where he was without the help and guidance of the man, but had Harry been relying too much on him? Was there even anything else the man could teach him? Harry of course knew the answer to that. Of course he could. Harry wasn't so thick-headed as to think that he was anywhere near Professor Jackson's mastery of magic in any respects. But what did this all mean for their relationship moving forward?
For Harry, it felt as though his relationship with the man had been forever tainted. He could hardly look at the professor these days without some mild form of anger or revulsion seizing up inside his stomach. Harry didn't want to train with the man any longer, and he was growing more convinced by the day that any more time spent working with the man would be an exercise in futility. It wasn't as though Harry had no one else to turn to either, as Sirius would always be around for help and guidance. Moreover, it wasn't as though Harry did not have any experience with self-teaching. He had managed to teach himself two years' worth of material last year had he not? Sure, the process had been slower, but he had still managed it. The more Harry thought about it, the more convinced he became that he could distance himself from Professor Jackson.
At least most of the time.
But then there were moments where it became unavoidable. Such as that evening. Long after the party had died down in the Gryffindor Common Room, Harry was snuck out of the Tower by his godfather and led up to the Headmaster's office. Professor Jackson and Dumbledore were already there, waiting for him.
"You did exceptionally well, Harry," praised Dumbledore brightly, "I must confess, I had never considered the possibility of someone using Gillyweed. Truly a rather brilliant solution to the problem." Harry couldn't help himself and he smiled brightly at the praise.
"Thank you, sir," said Harry happily, noticing out of the corner of his eye as Professor Jackson shifted in his chair,
"But unfortunately, we have more to do tonight than praise your cleverness, Harry," said Dumbledore, gesturing for Harry and Sirius to have a seat. "We need to discuss preparations for the Third Task."
"Preparations, sir?" Asked Harry,
"Preparations, yes." said Dumbledore, "Up until now, we have been able to control the environments of the different Tasks."
Perplexed by the statement, Harry frowned, and Dumbledore chuckled,
"It may not have felt like it at the time," said Dumbledore, "But we have been able to control the environments to an extent. In the first task, we had enough people around that we would have been able to jump in and assist should something occur. In the last Task, Perseus spent the entire event under the water where he was able to monitor the situation, and you, closely."
Harry frowned at that particular revelation.
"It's not that we doubt your ability to look after yourself, Harry," consoled Dumbledore, "But you must remember the bigger picture. The reason you are in the Tournament in the first place,"
"To draw Voldemort out into the open," nodded Harry,
"Precisely," said Dumbledore, "We know that he has an active interest in you for one reason or another," he cast a brief glance at Professor Jackson, "And we know that he needs you alive. We therefore have been monitoring the events closely to ensure that he does not get his hands on you. However, the Third Task will not be so easily observed." Dumbledore sat a little straighter in the chair and leaned forward,
"The Third Task will be a race through a maze, filled with traps and obstacles. I'm sure you can understand the difficulty of observing your progress through such a Task."
Harry nodded; he understood the implication well enough. In a place like the maze, it would have taken little effort to have Harry swept away without anyone being any the wiser.
"You want me to give up then?" Asked Harry, though not bitterly,
"Yes," said Dumbledore, "We believe that it is in your, and our, best interest to enter the maze and then immediately disqualify yourself. This will put back into safe hands, and ensure that whatever plans Voldemort might have for you, will be disrupted."
"But then…what was the point of me entering the Tournament?" Harry asked, confused.
"We didn't know what we were looking for originally," explained Professor Jackson, "we just had the suspicion that Voldemort was behind everything. So, we needed to play his game until either he, or one of his people slipped up. Crouch Jr. did just that, and now we know his plan, at least, as much as we can at any rate. That means that your job here is done, and there's no point in risking you any further than we have."
"That makes sense," said Harry. At the end of the day, he didn't have a problem with disqualifying himself from the event. He hadn't wanted anything to do with the Tournament in the first place, beyond dealing with Voldemort. So, if his disqualification meant that someone who actually wanted to win got the chance, then he was content with that.
"Wonderful," said Dumbledore happily, clapping his hands together. "With that taken care of, I believe now is an excellent time to begin discussing your summer plans."
"Summer plans, sir?" Said Harry, sharing a confused and concerned glance with Sirius. The last time Dumbledore had brought up Harry's summer plans had not been a pleasant conversation.
"Yes, Harry," said Dumbledore, "I have made some progress in my research, and there are several inquiries I believe that we need to make over the summer. If it is all right with you, I would like for you to join me and Perseus as we run a few…hm, well errands doesn't seem the proper word, but for lack of a better one we shall call them errands."
"Erm…" said Harry uncomfortably. He didn't know how to ask if it would be all right for Professor Jackson not to join them on whatever these errands were. Thankfully, Professor Jackson seemed to know precisely what Harry was thinking,
"Actually Albus," said Professor Jackson, "Why don't we have Sirius be the one to tag along. If we're being serious about bringing your old friends back together, then there are some people I should start talking to. Besides, I think Harry would be more comfortable having his godfather along for the ride, rather than me."
Harry felt his ears burn a little at being found out so easily, but Professor Jackson was right nonetheless.
Dumbledore glanced over at Professor Jackson, and hummed in thought.
"I suppose if Harry and Sirius have no objections-"
"No, sir," said Harry quickly. Dumbledore stared at him for a moment, his gaze penetrating and unblinking. It felt a lot to Harry as though he were being x-rayed, and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. After a moment, Dumbledore sighed and nodded his head.
"Very well then. Either way, prepare to spend most of your summer away from your home. I believe that there is much for us to uncover and many questions we will need to find the answers to."
"Such as what, exactly?" Said Sirius, "And when Jackson said your old friends, did he mean…"
"Yes," said Dumbledore solemnly, "I have already been making calls and sending correspondence to some of our old comrades. The sooner we begin planning, the sooner we can take action and begin taking preventative steps."
Sirius arched an eyebrow, "You seem to be approaching this a little more proactively than I was anticipating,"
"Yes," said Dumbledore, looking uncharacteristically uncomfortable, "Well it has come to my attention that my previous approach was…less than successful. With the help of some trusted advisors, I have decided to learn from my past mistakes."
Professor Jackson snorted, but otherwise stayed silent.
"Nevertheless," said Dumbledore, "We will be taking a more active approach, and that will begin this summer, unless there are any objections,"
"No sir," said Harry excitedly. He was greatly looking forward to having an opportunity to take an active role in fighting back against Voldemort.
"Wonderful," said Dumbledore happily, "Well, unless there are any objections, Harry you have had a long day, so why don't you head on back to your Common Room."
"Yes sir," said Harry as he and Sirius got out of their chairs. Professor Jackson looked for a moment like he wanted to say something to Harry, but thought better of it and simply slouched down into his chair some more.
With a final glance at his professor, Harry and Sirius descended the staircase down into the hall.
"I'm so proud of you, kid." Sirius' grin threatened to split his face in half, before faltering and becoming a touch more somber. "Your parents would be even more proud though."
"You mean it?" Asked Harry. It was one of his deepest insecurities. One of life's questions that he would never receive the answer to.
"Of course, I mean it," said Sirius. "I knew your folks better than anyone." He chuckled and wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders. "You should have seen it when you first started to walk. Thought James was going to sprout wings and fly, and it was all Lily could talk about for weeks." He squeezed Harry's shoulder gently, "They would be more than proud with how you've been handling everything. Trust me on that."
Smiling happily, they walked back to the Common Room, chatting happily the entire way. Harry didn't know what the days ahead of him held in store, but he knew that as long as he had Sirius and his friends at his back, he could handle anything Voldemort would throw at him.
AN: Got a couple of chapters for you guys which will be coming out weekly for the next month or so! Thanks for being patient on this one, I know it's been a minute but hopefully what I've got cooked up makes it worth the wait! As always shoutout to Double for being the best, and I'm on Discord now, you can find the link in my profile. Come hang out and ask me questions, more likely to respond on there than I am here, and it's where my schedule ends up. Thanks for the love, support, and patience guys, you're the best!
Love,
LilDB