Chapter 15
Acceptance
It was extremely early on Sunday morning when Harry quietly left his dorm room with his small mirror in hand. He remembered Sirius talking about a room in the castle that was hidden, providing someone what they needed when it was accessed the correct way. Harry wished now he had paid better attention to the stories involving this room with the pranks the Marauders set. It had just seemed too impossible to be true but should have known better. Sirius never lied about anything. If he couldn't tell Harry something, he admitted as much.
Sitting down in front of the fire in the Common Room, Harry looked at the mirror and called for Sirius. He waited for a few moments but received no answer. It was still early so Harry figured Sirius must still be asleep. He remembered the last time he woke his godfather early and was seriously contemplating on waiting until noon at least to try again. Sirius always loved to sleep in although rarely got the chance to, something he blamed Remus for since the man was such an early riser.
"Harry?"
Pulled out of his thoughts, Harry looked down at the mirror to see not Sirius but Remus. It wasn't that he was disappointed to see Remus but surprised. Sirius had always said he would have the mirror on hand in case Harry needed anything. "Moony, is Sirius okay?" he asked instantly.
Remus smiled. "He's fine," he said. "You know how Padfoot is in the mornings, dead to the world. Since I rise at the crack of dawn, I have the mirror in the mornings and Sirius has it attached to his hip for the rest of the day. Do you want me to wake him?"
Harry shook his head. He knew Sirius would probably overreact the moment Remus woke the canine Animagus up. "I just wanted to ask him about something he mentioned in the stories he told me about the Marauders," Harry said. "Sirius told me about a room here that could provide whatever you needed. I don't remember what he called it or where it was."
"The Room of Requirement," Remus answered with a grin. "If my memory serves me correctly I believe it is on the seventh floor opposite that tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. You have to walk past it three times, focusing on what you need. A door will appear. Open it and enter." He gave Harry a moment to take in everything he said before continuing. "So what do you need that only the Room of Requirement can provide?"
"Er—well—I sort of need to learn to swim before the second task," Harry said uncomfortably.
Remus let out a sigh as he smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand. "Of course," he said softly. "I'm sorry, Harry. It never occurred to me that you didn't know how although I can't say I'm surprised. I take it the Dursleys never thought of arranging lessons for you."
Harry nearly laughed at the comment. The thought of the Dursleys willingly spending money on him was too ridiculous. "Remus do you remember the clothes they gave me?" he asked. "Those were Dudley's. I wasn't worth the time or money to them." Seeing Remus' face harden at the comment made Harry regret even saying anything. Even though Vernon Dursley was in jail, Sirius and Remus still considered cursing them every time Harry let something about his life with them slip. "Am I doing the right thing?" Harry asked, changing the topic.
"What do you mean?" Remus asked in confusion.
"Should I even be trying to win?" Harry clarified. These thoughts had plagued his mind ever since he had become the fourth champion, brought to the surface again by the article about Hagrid. Somehow Harry was always receiving attention then others deserved it more. "I wasn't supposed to be in the Tournament and I'm in first place. I feel like I'm taking something away from those who earned their spot in this. Cedric should be winning…not me."
Remus stared at Harry sympathetically. "I understand, cub, I really do," he said. "Tell me something…before, during and after the first task did the thought of winning the Tournament ever enter your mind?"
Harry shook his head. "I was more concerned about surviving," he admitted. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"It has a lot to do with it," Remus said. "It's not your fault that you are leading in the Tournament, Harry, You just happened to think of the best solution for the task. There are still two tasks to complete. There are plenty of opportunities for one of your fellow champions to pull ahead of you, especially if you can't swim."
"I know the basics," Harry said defensively. "You move your arms and kick your legs. I just don't know if I can do that efficiently."
Remus tried to hold back a laugh but eventually failed. "It's a little more complicated than that," he said candidly. "Don't worry. I'm sure you can find someone to help you. Just be careful who you show the Room of Requirement to. I don't think your teachers need another set of troublemakers causing as much trouble as your father and Padfoot caused, especially with two schools visiting."
Harry had to admit Remus did have a point. If the Room of Requirement could provide whatever the person wanted, Fred and George Weasley could have an endless supply of materials for their pranks. Although they had been rather quiet on the pranks lately, Harry knew Professor Dumbledore wouldn't be too pleased at the start of a prank war.
"Don't worry Moony," Harry said sincerely. "I won't say anything to them. I promise."
"And I'll hold you to that promise no matter what Padfoot may tell you," Remus said with a smile then turned serious. "So how are you doing, cub? Don't take this the wrong way but you look exhausted. Are you even sleeping?"
"I've been trying to figure out the clue," Harry said with a shrug. "Once I figured out how to understand what the voices in the egg were saying. I wanted to cover all the areas in trying to breathe underwater: Transfiguration, Charms, Potions…I should have known the easy answer was one I overlooked. I never thought to look in Herbology."
"Ah," Remus said thoughtfully. "You found out about Gillyweed. Congratulations Harry. How did you figure it out?"
Harry explained what happened in the potions store to Remus. He suddenly remembered his encounter with Rita Skeeter and stopped talking. He remembered what had been said in the article in the 'Daily Prophet' and mentally cursed himself for not contacting Remus and Sirius sooner. The article had been more damaging to them than to him. How could he have been so selfish?
"Harry?" Remus asked gently. "Are you all right?"
Pulled out of his thoughts, Harry looked at the mirror to see Remus' concerned face. "Something happened yesterday," he said as his gaze fell. "Rita Skeeter cornered Hermione and me. She kept asking about what it was like for me to live with a werewolf. I didn't tell her anything but it still made me so mad. How can people be so mean? Do they really think Sirius and Professor Dumbledore would let you anywhere near me if you were dangerous? You would never hurt me…I just know you wouldn't."
"Harry, listen to me," Remus said calmly. "You can't take everything Rita Skeeter writes to heart. She doesn't care that we have taken precautions to make sure I am harmless during the full moon. She's just trying to cause problems. I have a feeling she's also trying to make you angry and say a few things to her so she can twist your words around in her next article. You did the right thing yesterday. Don't give her the satisfaction in knowing that she got to you. There will always be people who fear me, cub. I know this. I've accepted it. Rita Skeeter is just playing on that fear. Don't worry. No one is going to take you away from us."
Harry let out tired sigh. Remus was of course right. Despite what Rita Skeeter or anyone else said, Harry was legally Sirius' charge giving Sirius the right to allow or deny access to Harry to whomever he wanted. "I know," Harry said softly. "It's just…all my life I've wanted a family and now I have one. I can't explain it—"
"—you feel that it's only a matter of time before someone takes your family away again," Remus concluded. "I wish I knew what to say to convince you that Padfoot and I aren't going anywhere, cub. If we have to take up residence in the Marauder Quarters again we will just to prove it to you. You're finally with us, where you belong…where you've always belonged."
Harry couldn't help but smile at the comment. He had to admit that something just felt right about having Sirius and Remus as his guardians. He didn't know why he just felt like they knew and understood a part of him that few ever saw. There was no easy way to put that into words. "Thanks Moony," Harry said gratefully. "For everything. Can you say hello to Sirius when he wakes up?"
"Will do," Remus said with a nod. "It sounds like you have everything for the second task taken care of. You still have quite a few weeks to learn how to swim. Try and get some rest. Try to have some fun."
"I'll try," Harry said even though he doubted he would be able to with all of the homework his teachers were giving him. He didn't know a single fourth year student who wasn't stressed out. After bidding farewell to Remus, Harry relaxed in front of the fire, enjoying the peace and quiet. It was a rare occurrence these days. It was strange that something that annoyed him this summer was so soothing now.
Leaning back against a chair, Harry stared into the fire but not really seeing anything. Was it really that obvious that he wasn't sleeping? Was it obvious that he had so much on his mind that he felt like he was going to explode? Remus had always been observant but he was rarely as blunt as he had just been. That was usually Sirius' forte.
Deep in thought, Harry didn't realize he wasn't alone until a hand grabbed his shoulder causing him to jump in shock. He turned and looked up to see Ron looking down at him with a concerned look on his face. Harry instantly let out a sigh of relief and relaxed. He didn't know why he had been so jumpy. No one in the Gryffindor Tower would ever harm him.
"Are you okay Harry?" Ron asked. "I've been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes."
Harry rubbed his eyes underneath his glasses. "What?" he asked in confusion. Why would Ron be trying to get his attention? Wasn't Ron still mad at him? "I—I'm fine," he said softly. "Sorry if I woke you."
Ron let out a sigh as he sat down next to Harry on the floor. "I know I've been a real git," he admitted. "I had no right to be jealous. I know there's nothing I can do to make things right but I want to try."
Harry looked at Ron for a long moment before returning his gaze to the fire. "Do you have any idea what it feels like to have nothing, to have no one that even remotely cares about you?" he asked. "Before Hogwarts I actually believed I was a freak. I believed the Dursleys—who made their hatred of me quite clear—were the only family I would ever have. I believed I wasn't worth someone's love."
"But that's—"
"Let me finish," Harry interrupted Ron. "When Hagrid rescued me and told me the truth I couldn't believe it. There was a place I could belong, a place where I could be myself with others who were just like me." Harry paused as he pulled his legs to his chest. "But that quickly turned out to be a lie. Even here I was different. Even here I was a freak but it wasn't so bad because at least I had friends here that didn't see me the way everyone else did. My friends didn't care what the scar on my forehead gave me but sympathized with what having it took from me."
Closing his eyes, Harry forced himself to remain calm. It wouldn't help to have a shouting match right now. "I don't think I need to remind you of the events that happened before the previous school year began," Harry continued. "You have no idea what it's like to be in constant fear, never knowing when the very man who is supposed to keep you safe starts taking his anger out on you. I can still hear him yelling, telling me that I should have died with my worthless parents."
Out of the corner of his eye Harry could see Ron staring at him with wide eyes. Apparently Ron hadn't bothered to think of what Vernon Dursley had done besides what Harry had told him.
"I then met Moony who was willing to give me everything I ever wanted…but it couldn't happen because of the prejudice the wizarding world has on werewolves," Harry said evenly. "I did everything I could think of to make us a family. I desperately wanted the one thing you've had since the day you were born: an actual family that kept you safe and loved you no matter what. When Sirius and Remus became my guardians, I could hardly believe it. Sometimes I still have to remind myself that home isn't a place to fear anymore. I thought all of my problems would go away but they didn't. I can't go anywhere without people wanting to know about my life, wanting to know what it's like to live with an ex-convict and a werewolf."
"Why didn't you say anything?" Ron asked quietly.
"What could you do?" Harry countered. "This is the price of all the fame I never wanted. I have no privacy. I am under constant scrutiny. I have to be perfect because everyone expects it from the-boy-who-lived. It doesn't help that the entire school knows everything we've done in the past. They expect me to pull off the impossible when I'm just trying to do what I can to survive. Is that what you really what?"
Ron's shoulders slumped forward as he bowed his head in shame. "What do you want me to say?" he asked. "I'm an idiot. I should have known better than to think you would get caught up in the excitement of the Tournament. I was scared. I thought once you became friends with Krum and Diggory you wouldn't want to spend any time with me."
Harry stared at Ron in disbelief. Hermione had warned him but it was still a shock to hear Ron admit it. "Is that what you thought?" asked Harry. "Ron, this isn't a competition. I'm being friendly with Viktor because I understand what he's going through. Cedric helped me out of a bind with Rita Skeeter at the Wand Weighing. They don't know me like you do and probably never will. You were the first friend I ever had who was my age. You sacrificed yourself for me in a giant game of chess, Ron. I don't turn my back on people because others enter my life."
Ron let a relieved smile appear on his face. "I'm really sorry Harry," he said. "What can I do to prove it to you?"
Harry thought for a moment then smiled. Truthfully, he missed Ron so much that he was ready to accept the fact that Ron may always be jealous of the-boy-who-lived's celebrity status just like the majority of the students at Hogwarts. He didn't agree with it but knew there was nothing he could do to change it. "Do you know how to swim?" Harry asked his friend curiously.
Over the next few days Harry filled Ron in on what he had discovered for the second task. Hermione was ecstatic that Harry and Ron had reconciled and jumped at the chance to teach Harry how to swim with Ron. The three of them agreed to sneak off to the Room of Requirement every other night after their schoolwork was finished until Harry could swim well enough for the task.
Following Remus' instructions, they found the Room of Requirement and could hardly believe their eyes when they entered. The room was large with a swimming pool in the center, larger than the one in the Prefects' Bathroom. Piles of towels were folded neatly at one end of the pool just waiting to be used. The walls were decorated with various Muggle and magical inflatable objects to be used in the water. In the back of the room there were three doors labeled 'Harry', 'Ron' and 'Hermione'. These doors opened to reveal changing quarters with a swimsuit for each of them to change into.
It was during their time in the water that Ron and Hermione noticed the shiny black necklace that Harry had been wearing since Halloween. Since it had been around his neck for so long Harry had completely forgotten about it. Not wanting to tell them about his out of control magic, Harry was forced to lie and say it was a gift from Sirius and Remus. He hated lying but he had just made up with Ron. He wasn't about to do anything that would frighten him or Hermione away.
Most of the time in the Room of Requirement was spent helping Harry but certainly not all of it. Ron and Hermione's bickering matches turned into full water fights which Harry made a point to stay out of. Whatever end of the pool they were splashing water at each other was they end Harry stayed away from. Harry had found that whenever Ron and Hermione had an argument he was brought in to settle it which meant choosing one side over the other…something Harry hated doing. It always left one person angry with him.
As the second task drew closer, the entire school was bursting with excitement again. Endless theories of what the task may be were the main topic of conversation. Countless students approached Harry for a hint of what he would have to do, wondering if it would be anything like the first task. Harry declined to comment, stating that if the students were supposed to know they would have been told. Ron and Hermione made it their duty to talk about anything and everything but the Tournament when in Harry's presence to get his mind off of the pressure people were putting on him.
The night before the second task seemed to be one that was trapped in time. Although Harry was prepared he couldn't help feeling nervous. He was continuously going over everything in his head over and over again just to make sure he was ready. He could swim just as well as Ron and Hermione and he had his Gillyweed ready. The only problem he could possibly think of was that he didn't know where the merfolk would be in the lake. That thought made Harry even more nervous. How was he supposed to find them?
Desperate for something to do than just wait, Harry started glancing through his charms book again. He was forced to take a break after an hour by Ron who dragged him to a nearby table with a waiting chess set. After a long game in which he of course lost to Ron, Harry was about to return to his Charms book when he noticed Professor McGonagall standing in the portrait entrance looking at the three of them.
"Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley, please come with me," Professor McGonagall said sternly.
Harry, Ron and Hermione instantly looked nervous. What could they have possibly done? Ron and Hermione had rarely left Harry's side for the past few weeks. They only thing they had done was the swimming lessons in the Room of Requirement and Harry had been there so wouldn't Harry be in trouble with them?
Seeing the looks on their faces, Professor McGonagall tried a different approach. "You are not in trouble," McGonagall assured them. "I promise Mr. Potter will be fine with out you two for a while."
Hermione touched Harry's arm and waited for her friend to meet her eyes. "Try to get some sleep, Harry," she said gently. "You've been working on the task for months. I don't think you could be any more prepared than what you are now."
"She has a point, Harry," Ron added. "We can't have you falling asleep in the middle of the task."
"I'll try," Harry said although he had a feeling he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. He was just too nervous to even consider it right now. Once Ron and Hermione had left with Professor McGonagall, Harry sat down in front of the fire and returned to breezing through his Charms book. He figured his friends wouldn't be gone for long and knew they would explain everything when they returned.
The problem was they didn't return.
By the time dawn broke Harry was now extremely nervous but for a completely different reason. Ron and Hermione should have come back hours ago. Professor McGonagall said they weren't in trouble so what could have possibly kept them for so long. He had been up the entire night so he knew they hadn't come in without him knowing about it.
Fearing that something had happened to them, Harry hurried up to his dorm room and pulled the Marauder's Map out of his trunk. After activating it, Harry scanned through the map to see Ron, Hermione, Cho Chang and someone called Gabrielle Delacour in Professor Dumbledore's office with Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick. Ludo Bagman, and Percy Weasley. Harry wanted nothing more than to barge into Professor Dumbledore's office and find out what was going on. Why were so many people there? What was going on?
After putting the map away, Harry sat on his bed and rubbed the tiredness out of his eyes. He knew he would be paying for staying up all night later. His stomach felt tight with nerves, reminding him what would be happening in a few hours. Not wanting to sit around and dwell on it, Harry changed clothes, grabbed his wand and set off for the Room of Requirement. There was no way he was going to eat anything this morning so going to the Great Hall was completely pointless.
He spent an hour in the Room of Requirement attempting to cast the Lumos spell without words since he wouldn't be able to speak under water. He had managed a small light about the size of a tennis ball but at least it was something. He had also practiced the heating charm he had used last year and refreshed on the lessons he had received from Professor McGonagall from the summer before his third year on how to transfigure clothes. He didn't think it would be smart to go into the lake with pants and a jumper on.
Although Harry really didn't want to see anyone right now another hour and a half in seclusion was even less appealing. The last thing he needed was to dwell on the many ways he could possibly mess this task up. Strolling through the halls, Harry tried to focus on anything but the second task but found it impossible. Where were Ron and Hermione when you needed them?
That thought made Harry stop abruptly. Where were Ron and Hermione? Why had they been gone all night? Were they looking for him? Surely Professor Dumbledore wouldn't keep them so they missed the second task, right?
Harry suddenly remembered what the egg had said: 'We've taken what you'll sorely miss'. What if it wasn't referring to an object but a person? There had been three students in Dumbledore's office and one person he didn't recognize the name of totaling to four…one for each champion. Fear instantly flooded Harry. Was Professor Dumbledore completely out of his mind? Probably.
Desperate to prove his train of thought false, Harry took off running for Professor Dumbledore's office. He ran past students on their way to the Great Hall, ignoring the calls from those who wanted to wish him luck. He had accepted that he had to participate in this Tournament but that didn't mean Ron and Hermione had to. The thought of either of them being put in harms way because of him wasn't something Harry could handle.
Turning the corner, Harry skidded to a halt, nearly running into Professor McGonagall in the process. "Har—Mr. Potter!" she exclaimed, catching herself before anyone heard her calling Harry his first name. "What is the meaning of this?"
"Where are Ron and Hermione?" Harry asked instantly. "They never came back last night."
Professor McGonagall's stern face melted as she let out a sigh. "Follow me," she said softly then turned and walked into a nearby classroom. Once Harry entered, she closed the door and turned to him. "Harry, I shouldn't be saying anything but I know unlessI do you won't concentrate on the task. Your friends will be participating in the task today." Harry moved to protest. "They are perfectly safe," McGonagall assured him. "Professor Dumbledore would never allow anything happening to those participating. He has taken measures to assure that."
Harry couldn't help but stare at Professor McGonagall with a raised eyebrow. From the tone of her voice it sounded almost like she was trying to tell him something without actually saying the words. Knowing that nothing he could say would sway the teacher in talking to the Headmaster, Harry bid farewell and hurried back to the Gryffindor Tower. He didn't stop until he reached his trunk in his dorm room, opened it and pulled out the penknife he had received for Christmas from Sirius. He had a feeling it would come in handy. Harry also pulled the Gillyweed out of the jar and placed it in his pocket. He surely didn't want to forget that.
As the time for the second task drew near, Harry alternated between nervousness towards the task and nervousness towards Ron and Hermione's part in the task. He went down to the lake early, sitting on his heals with his head bowed and his eyes closed. The message had said something, not some things. Did that mean he had to choose between Ron and Hermione? No, Dumbledore wouldn't do that.
There had been four people in Professor Dumbledore's office. It was obvious that Cedric had to rescue Cho Chang. If Harry remembered correctly Gabrielle Delacour had the same last name as Fleur. He had to assume that Gabrielle was Fleur's sister. Viktor Krum, on the other hand, had rarely been seen in the company of others except during the Yule Ball and the times he sat with the Gryffindor threesome in the library. The Bulgarian's date had been Hermione. She must be the one Viktor had to rescue meaning Harry had to save Ron.
The cold gentle breeze brought Harry out of his thoughts. Opening his eyes, Harry looked up to see Cedric Diggory standing in front of him and nearly jumped back in shock. He hadn't heard anything at all let alone someone approaching. "Er—morning Cedric," Harry said unsure of what else to say as he rose to his feet. "Are you ready for this?"
Cedric was wearing his cloak but was still shivering. Harry could only assume whatever Cedric was wearing underneath wasn't exactly suited for February weather. "As ready as I'll ever be," Cedric said honestly. "What were they thinking scheduling something like this in February?"
Harry could only shrug his shoulders since he wondered the same thing. Professor Dumbledore probably wanted to start the Tournament off with a bang, he mused. After glancing around to make sure no one was listening in, Harry took a step closer so no one could hear. "Thanks for the tip by the way," he said gratefully. "I can't believe I was so thick not to think of submersing it in water in order to understand mermish."
Cedric waved it off. "I owed you one anyways," he said. "So what have you planned for this task?"
Harry reached in his pocket, pulled out the Gillyweed and showed it to Cedric. "I figured this was more dependable than a Bubble-Head Charm or self Transfiguration," he said. "It took me forever to find it though."
"What is it?" Cedric asked hesitantly, not even attempting to hide his distaste of the small object in Harry's hand.
It was extremely difficult for Harry to keep a straight face with Cedric acting like he was. To an observer it almost appeared that Cedric was frightened of what was in Harry's hand. "It's Gillyweed," Harry said as he put it back in his pocket. "You eat it and you can breathe under water. I got it during the last Hogsmeade trip."
Cedric let out a frustrated groan as he hit his forehead with the palm of his hand. "I completely forgot about it," he said. "We learned about Gillyweed last year in Herbology. And here I thought you would be struggling through the Tournament." Cedric reached out and ruffled Harry's hair earning a scowl of annoyance from the fourteen-year-old. "Good luck today, Harry, although I doubt you'll need it."
Harry tried to smooth out his hair but knew it would be a battle he wouldn't win. Why did everyone feel the need to mess his already messy hair up more? "Good luck to you too," Harry said sincerely. "Are you using the Bubble-Head Charm?"
Cedric nodded but the sound of others approaching prevented him from saying anything. Looking over his shoulder, Harry saw Viktor Krum come into view and nodded as a sign of greeting, receiving a nod from him in return. The judges arrived next and took their designated spots at the judge's table. Harry couldn't help but notice Percy Wesley's attendance and Mr. Crouch's absence. This was the second event of the Triwizard Tournament Crouch was missing, the first being the Yule Ball.
Fleur arrived shortly after the judges followed by the students who filled the seats that had been used during the first task that were set up along the opposite bank. Harry did his best to ignore the echoing chatter. His nerves were back at full force, having decreased slightly while he had been talking to Cedric. He wasn't too concerned about how he would do, just finding Ron in time. "Professor Dumbledore would never allow anything happening to those participating. He has taken measures to assure that."
Professor McGonagall's words replayed in his head over and over again, silencing the chatter from the crowd. Realization finally hit Harry like a blast of wind. McGonagall had been trying to reassure him that those needing to be rescued will be fine no matter what. If he didn't succeed in his task, Ron would be safe. If one of the other champions didn't succeed, their hostage would be safe too. Hermione would be safe.
Noticing Cedric pulling off his cloak, Harry pulled off his shoes and socks before transfiguring his clothes into a pair of swimming trunks and a formfitting long-sleeved shirt specifically made for swimmers. He then cast a heating charm before returning his wand to his wand holster. Warmth instantly surrounded him, pushing away any coldness the air could possibly give.
Ludo Bagman's loud voice broke into his thoughts. "Welcome to the second task," he announced. "Once the whistle sounds, the champions will have one hour to recover what has been taken. Ready champions? Three…two…one…"
The loud whistle sounded. Harry quickly pulled out the Gillyweed from his pocket and put it in his mouth as he walked into the lake. The water felt a little cool, alerting Harry that it must be in realty freezing since his heating charm was working. He continued walking deeper into the lake as he started chewing the Gillyweed. To put it bluntly, it tasted absolutely gross and felt even worse as it slid down his throat.
With a leap of faith, Harry dived into the lake hoping that the Gillyweed would work. As he started to swim, Harry suddenly felt a sharp pain on the sides of his neck followed by relief. He could breathe. He had gills now underneath his ears. Knowing that he had little time, Harry continued swimming, amazed how much easier it was now than all his time in the Room of Requirement. He figured the Gillyweed must have something to do with that and kept swimming.
Darkness surrounded him. Instinctively, Harry flicked his wrist as he continued to swim and had his wand in his hand. Concentrating with all of his might, Harry focused on the Lumos spell and smiled when a small light appeared at the end of his wand, allowing him to see what lie ahead. He saw long black weeds, mud and shiny rocks. Fish noticed the light and quickly swam away.
He entered a section where weeds of a light-green color covered everything below him. He started to move on when something in his head screamed. Quickly, Harry turned around and held out his left hand as if to force away whatever may be attacking. A flash of light appeared from where his outstretched hand was, hitting a Grindylow, a water demon with horns that he had learned about when Remus had been the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Harry's eyes widened in alarm. How had he done that?
Focus on the task!
Not wanting to run into any other creatures, Harry turned back around and continued on his path. He noticed his source of light was gone again and focused once more on the right spell. Another light appeared at the end of his wand. Looking around, Harry noticed a faint light in the distance to his right and decided to follow it. He swam as fast as he could in case he was wrong. His muscles screamed in protest but Harry ignored it. He had no idea how much time was left in the allotted time but knew it was at least half gone.
The green weeds underneath him were replaced with blackish mud. The dim light slowly brightened as eerie voices filled his ears. Harry knew those voices. It had been the same voices that had been in his egg. He continued to push his body as he re-holstered his wand. Suddenly a large rock appeared from the murky water in front of him. There were paintings of the merpeople all over it.
Swimming past it, Harry followed the voices and the light to find himself surrounded by stone sculptures that had green stains all over them. It was then that Harry noticed moving figures that didn't look anything remotely like what the myths depicted merfolk to be like. Their skin was grey, their hair was long and green, their eyes and teeth were yellow, and their tails were of the silver color. He continued swimming, ignoring the pointing the merpeople were doing. Turning the corner, Harry saw a large group of merpeople who were hovering in front of houses on the outskirts of what could only be their 'village'. A smaller group of merpeople were singing in the center of it all, telling the champions where to go…directly behind them to a large statue of a huge merperson where four people had been bound to the stone figure's tail.
If it would have been possible Harry's breath would have been caught in his throat at the sight. Hermione, Ron, Cho and a girl who had to be only eight year's old looking exactly like Fleur appeared to be in a deep sleep. Bubbles floated out of their mouths reassuring Harry that they were still alive. He had no ideahow they were able to breathe but decided not to waste time in worrying about that now.
Pushing his already sore body, Harry hurried to the hostages. Reaching in his pocket, Harry pulled out the knife Sirius had given him and pulled out the blade. As quickly and carefully as possible, Harry cut Ron free, catching his sleeping friend with his free arm while closing his knife and placing it back in his pocket with the other. He glanced over at Hermione, let out a breath of regret before swimming upwards, holding Ron under the arms as he kicked his legs, forcing them to work harder and faster. It felt like he was moving so slowly and Ron was so heavy.
A sudden warmth filled his body followed by a surge of energy, pushing away any exhaustion or aches he may have felt. It didn't take a genius to know what was happening. Harry knew he was having another outburst. He could feel something uncontrollable rise in him but vanished just as quickly, absorbed into his necklace. Not now! Please not now!
The dark waters above Harry slowly started to lighten. He kept kicking while he held on tightly to Ron like his life depended on it. He was almost there. He knew it. He could feel it. He could hear it. Wait a minute…hear it?
Voices suddenly filled his years speaking some language (if it could be called that) Harry had never heard before. Nevertheless, Harry knew what they wanted. They didn't want him to break the surface. He could feel it. They were following him, waiting for the right moment to do whatever they wanted to which couldn't be good.
This was all the incentive Harry needed to kick harder than he thought possible. In no time Harry reached the surface, Ron appearing through the water a moment later. Cheers filled his ears but that was the last thing on his mind now. Breathing had become difficult until Harry remembered he still had gills from the Gillyweed. Resting on his back so that the gills were underwater, Harry swam to shore while holding onto Ron with one arm. He didn't get far before he heard Ron groan.
"Harry?" Ron asked groggily as he looked around and noticed where they were. After a moment, Ron pried himself out of Harry's arm, signaling that he could swim the rest of the way himself. "What are you waiting for?" he asked with a grin. "Let's go!"
Harry would have laughed if something hadn't grabbed his right ankle. Fear suddenly flooded him as something grabbed onto his left ankle. "Ron!" he shouted as he was pulled underwater at an unbelievable speed. Something latched on to each of his wrists, pulling him down even faster. Harry flicked his wrist and grabbed his wand. He needed to get free. He needed to concentrate.
Closing his eyes, Harry tried to focus but found it difficult with the biting pain flaring up his body from his ankles. Ignoring it the best he could, Harry focused on anything but the pain. Once again Harry felt a wave of power flood his body and started to panic. He couldn't lose control now, not with the other three champions and their hostages still in the water. He couldn't risk hurting anyone but he couldn't just do nothing either.
Pointing his wand at his right ankle, Harry focused on the stunning spell. His eyes were closed tightly as he forced the power he was feeling through his wand. A moment later the grip on his right ankle vanished and Harry wasted no time before doing the same to his left ankle and left wrist. Once those limbs were free, Harry switched hands then did the same to the mysterious creature that was still pulling him down by his right wrist. Now completely free, Harry re-holstered his wand and quickly swam to the surface. His breathing was starting to become difficult as a familiar pain shot through his neck. Harry knew the Gillyweed was wearing off. He suddenly felt exhausted, making his swimming more and more difficult but continued to push himself towards the surface. He needed air. He needed his muscles to stop screaming at him. He needed to pass out.
Breaking the surface, Harry took in a deep breath of air never feeling as relieved as he did right now. His arms and legs felt like they were about to fall off but Harry desperately wanted to reach the shore and get out of these waters as soon as possible. It seemed to take forever for him to reach the shore where he was quickly pulled out of the water by Professor Dumbledore and Professor Karkaroff. Harry winced in pain as his right foot hit a rock. He looked down and saw both of his ankles were bleeding freely.
Professor Dumbledore seemed to notice this too, quickly picking the small fourteen-year-old up and carrying him over to where Madam Pomfrey was stationed under a tent that had been set up near the shore. Too tired to do anything, Harry felt his head fall against Dumbledore's chest as his eyes closed. A soft voice was telling him it would be all right as he felt himself lowered onto something soft. The pain from his ankles vanished before he was covered with a warm blanket. He felt his mouth being pried open as something cool and bitter was poured down his throat.
Slowly, Harry opened his eyes to see Ron, wrapped in a blanket, looking down at him nervously. "You okay, Harry?" he asked. "I tried to go after you but I couldn't find you and Dumbledore pulled me out of the water before I could go deeper. What happened?"
"I don't know," Harry answered truthfully as he tried to sit up but his arms wouldn't cooperate. Ron noticed this and helped. "Thanks," Harry said as he swayed a little. "I didn't see what it was but I have a feeling it was Grindylows. One tried to attack me before I found you…" The memory of how he dealt with that particular Grindylow made Harry stop in his explanation. Looking out at the lake, Harry had to wonder what had happened out there. The necklace had worked for the first burst but not the second. Harry had to wonder if he had been wrong in putting all of his faith in a piece of jewelry. It wasn't like Harry was upset that the necklace had failed. He had fought off whatever was pulling him under because of it. He just didn't like the fact that he didn't know that could happen.
Harry was pulled out of his thoughts by the return of Cedric and Cho who were immediately wrapped in blankets. The moment they entered the tent they both saw Harry sitting on a bed with his ankles bandaged heavily. Madam Pomfrey followed them in and also noticed Harry. "Mr. Potter," she scolded. "Lie back down this instant. Your reaction to the Pepper-Up Potion was enough to know you need rest."
"When did you give me the Pepper-Up Potion?" Harry asked in confusion.
"My point exactly," Madam Pomfrey said as she moved to Harry's bedside and pushed him back down on the bed. "You lost quite a bit of blood and with these conditions you are bound to catch something. Now stay there or you will spend a week in the hospital wing."
That was all Harry needed to do whatever Madam Pomfrey said. The last thing he wanted was to spend a week in the hospital wing. His blanket was once again pulled up to his chin. He felt another blanket placed over his feet before he saw Madam Pomfrey moving on to check over Cedric and Cho. Ron pulled up a chair and sat down at Harry's bedside, unable to keep his worry off of his face.
"Madam Pomfrey, is Harry okay?" Cedric asked quietly but Harry heard him anyways.
"Once his ankles heal and he rests Mr. Potter will be just fine, Mr. Diggory," Pomfrey assured the Hufflepuff student. "I think it was the sight that scared us more than anything. Professor Dumbledore wants to make certain there are no other injuries."
"Sight?" Cho asked in confusion.
"We started swimming to shore when something pulled Harry under," Ron answered with a hint of annoyance in his voice. It was clear that he didn't like Cedric and Cho talking to Madam Pomfrey when Harry was right there. "He vanished for ten minutes. The judges were about ready to call off the task when Harry came back to the surface gasping for breath with deep cuts on his ankles and bruises on his wrists."
Cedric moved over to Harry's bedside and sat down by Harry's feet. "How are you feeling, Harry?" he asked.
Harry shrugged his shoulders. His muscles still felt like they were on fire but he wasn't about to start complaining about it. "I can't move my arms and legs but that's probably a good thing since Madam Pomfrey doesn't want me to move," he said candidly.
Madam Pomfrey rushing out of the tent with two blankets in her arms caught everyone's attention. A moment later they heard Madam Pomfrey ushering a soaked Viktor and Hermione into the tent. Hermione took one look at the scene and hurried to Harry's side. Ron quickly explained to Hermione why Harry was in a bed. Despite Harry trying to reassure Hermione that he was fine and everyone was just overacting she still felt it was necessary to pull Harry into a fierce embrace which Ron and Cedric had to jump in to pry them apart.
Viktor decided to step in and keep Hermione away from Harry's bedside while Ron and Cedric covered Harry back up. They were all saved from starting a conversation when they heard Fleur ranting loudly Cedric and Cho stepped out of the tent to find out what the commotion was only to come back and tell everyone that Fleur didn't find her hostage in time and wants to go back looking for her sister. A few minutes later Fleur had ended her ranting and entered the tent, holding on to her sister tightly. Everyone just let the sisters be and stayed by Harry. It seemed odd that three of the Champions had become friends and one had not. Harry couldn't help but feel slightly guilty since he had been the one to make the effort with Cedric and Viktor. Perhaps I should make the effort with Fleur.
Ludo Bagman's magnified voice pulled Harry out of his thoughts. "Ladies and gentlemen, our champions have returned and now for their marks out of fifty," he announced. "Miss Fleur Delacour used the Bubble-Head Charm and was attacked by Grindylows preventing her from retrieving her hostage. She is awarded twenty-five points." Applause broke out. When it decreased Bagman continued. "Mr. Harry Potter used Gillyweed and was the first to return with his hostage. Despite also being attacked by Grindylows, he returned within the hour time limit. Mr. Potter is awarded forty-seven points." Loud cheers and applause rang out from the crowd. Once again when the noise decreased Bagman continued. "Mr. Cedric Diggory used the Bubble-Head Charm. He was the second to return with his hostage but returned five minutes outside the time limit. Mr. Diggory is awarded forty-five points." Loud cheers once again broke out. "Mr. Viktor Krum attempted self Transfiguration which was incomplete but effective nonetheless. He also returned with his hostage but was outside the time limit. He is awarded forty points."
There was another round of applause for Viktor but by now the excitement had come and gone. Harry just closed his eyes and let his exhaustion consume him. Once again he had managed to come out on top when all he was trying to do was survive. He was still in first place, the last place he wanted to be.