Chapter 12:

Two days before the second task, Harry was ecstatic.

"I can compete properly, Hermione, don't you see? Snape told me, well, Dumbledore told everyone, but Snape told me that Crouch had been arrested. That he was the one who… entered me into the competition." He was about to say 'cursed my egg', but didn't because he didn't want to think about that anymore.

"You actually want to compete?" asked Hermione, "Properly?"

"Well, think of it like this," said Harry, "In the first task I was ill-prepared and didn't know what I was doing, but this task, I've prepared, I've found out answers. At least I won't look like a total tit in front of the whole school."

"What does Professor Snape say?"

"He says I'm only a fourth year and I should curb my expectations," said Harry, doing his best Snape voice.

"He's got a point," said Hermione, smiling at the impression. "Krum is twice your size, and we've all seen him diving in the lake."

"Yes, you have, haven't you?" said Harry.

"Oh grow up," said Hermione, but with no bite.

"I got a letter from Sirius. He said he'd read about everything in the paper, and he wished me luck too."

"Did he say anything else? Like 'Be Careful!'?" asked Hermione.

"He told me to keep an eye out for Pettigrew, and that Pettigrew is dangerous," said Harry. "But he can't get onto Hogwarts grounds without being detected, can he?" asked Harry.

Harry couldn't find Hermione the evening before the task. He even asked Ron. It was the first time Harry had instigated a conversation with Ron in a while.

"Ron?" Ron looked up. He was sitting with Neville doing Herbology homework.

"Harry," said Ron, awkwardly.

"Have you seen Hermione? I can't find her anywhere."

"Not since she was with me at dinner, no. McGonagall asked to speak to her after."

"Oh. Thanks." Harry turned to go.

"You two both need your heads knocking together," said Neville. Harry spun back round and glared. "Really, my gran would not have put up with either of you being this ridiculous."

"Neville!" exclaimed Harry.

"No, Harry. Hermione puts up with you both. I don't get why. Tomorrow you're going to do some stupid task that you actually now want to do properly, which is genuinely dangerous and the pair of you are acting like your eight."

Neville looked over to Ron.

"Ron, do you believe, given everything we've been told by the Headmaster, Harry entered himself?"

Ron shook his head, embarrassed.

"You don't like Snape, I get it, I do, believe me, but given he was the one who stopped Crouch, do you think he's actually out to harm Harry?"

Ron reluctantly shook his head. Harry looked smug.

"Harry?" said Neville. Harry looked at him.

"Apologise to Ron for telling him to, you know."

Harry opened his mouth to argue.

"Well this is getting sickly," said Fred to George. Both twins had been listening to the whole exchange. "How about they both apologise for being morons or we just hex them?"

"I rather like that idea," replied George.

"Hey!" said Harry, "Stay out of it."

"Your funeral," said George.

Both Ron and Harry were hit in the backside by very sharp sting hexes. Both boys yelped. Ron rubbed his bum. That had stung.

"Well?" asked Fred.

"Sorry," murmured Ron.

"Me too," said Harry.

"Now that that's over," said Fred, "Where did you both lose Hermione?"

They all looked all evening. They didn't find her.

Next morning Harry woke up early. He felt refreshed. Ready. There was a pop.

"Harry Potter, sir," said Dobby, "I have something for you. Something to help you get your friend back."

"Pardon?"

"An hour to find what's lost, sir. The merpeople have your Hermione. You'll need this."

Dobby held out his hand.

"So that's what it meant!" said Harry, understanding the rest of the rhyme. "She's OK though, right? They wouldn't hurt her?"

"She is sleeping, Mister Potter, sir. Her and the little girl and someone from the ship. You'll need this." He moved his hand closer.

"Thank you, but I have some Gillyweed myself, Dobby," replied Harry.

Dobby smiled. "Mister Harry Potter is a great wizard for one so young."

Dobby popped away.

Harry got dressed with swimming trunks underneath his robes. He didn't bother with a shirt. He didn't mind shrugging off his jumper and robes in front of anyone watching. At least he'd have dry clothes afterwards, he thought.

Most of all, he enjoyed walking down to the lake with Ron. There wasn't the same fear as with the first task. This was more like a quidditch game. Nerves, definitely, but not fear. Ron left him with a clap on the shoulder and went to the stands. Harry went to the water's edge with the other competitors. Krum was already there with Karkaroff. Cedric and Fleur were just arriving.

Everyone wanted their own bit of space. They were far enough apart that the conversation between Krum and Karkaroff was inaudible. Harry was surprised when Snape came over to him looking for all the world to see like the Bat of the Dungeons coming to goad Potter.

"Potter."

"Sir."

"No theatrics? I expected a beach ball, an inflatable dinghy, at the very least a rubber duck."

Harry laughed despite his nerves. "I'm going to compete properly instead, sir."

Suddenly there was no trace of humour on Snape's face. Not that there had been before, unless you looked at his eyes.

"Excuse me?"

"Well, Crouch has gone, so I'm safe. I can compete properly."

Snape took a breath. "I'm not even going to address the stupidity of that statement, Potter. But let's just for a moment assume you were actually safe, which you're not, how on Merlin's green earth do you expect to stay underwater for an hour?"

"This," said Harry, producing Gillyweed from his pocket.

Snape snatched Potter's wrist. "Where. Did. You. Get. This?" he snarled.

"Let go! You're hurting me," cried Harry, pulling his hand.

Snape let go. "Tell me! You stole this from my stores, you thieving, arrogant child!"

"I bought it!" snapped back Harry angrily.

Both of them were glaring at each other. The crowd was beginning to notice, even though they couldn't hear.

"How long have you known about Gillyweed, Potter?" growled Snape.

"About a week," admitted Harry.

"You deliberately didn't mention it in our last two sessions then?" Snape snarled.

"No, because you'd do this!" snapped Harry. "I just wanted, for once, to be normal. I researched, I studied, and now I get to not look like a fool in front of the school. Which is watching, by the way. They will be wondering what the hell you're doing here."

"Two things, Mr Potter. One. Your credit is up. Two. Pride goes before the fall." Snape spun on his heel, flicking his teaching robes behind him towards Harry. Harry didn't notice Snape's wand out, or the silently cast pushing charm until it was too late. Harry landed face down by the shallow water of the lake edge.

Harry entered the water. He hadn't noticed in the prefects' bathroom that the Gillyweed transformation negated the need for a heating charm. He was glad about that. But the webbing didn't exactly help a lot with his inability to swim well. It'd been alright in a bath, but this was different.

It was dark under water, the visibility low. Harry realised he didn't know which way to go. He hadn't seen any of the other champions. He was angry about Snape's reaction. Focus, Harry, not now. But he couldn't let it go. Snape still wanted him to fail, even when he was able to do well. Bastard.

Harry was now thoroughly lost.

"You're going the wrong way, you know." Harry spun round to the reedy voice of Myrtle. He tried to speak but no sound came out. "The squid lives down here. And the electric eels. You don't want to meet those."

No, agreed Harry, I don't want to meet those.

He turned around. Or at least thought he did. In the blackness he had no idea which way he'd turned. He swam in that direction anyway. The water became a bit brighter, greener. Just enough to see shadows by. That didn't help. He saw electric eels. And Grindylows. Harry knew how to defend against a Grindylow after Sirius had told him they lived in the lake.

"Relashio!" he cried, aiming at the nearest Grindylow. The trouble was, the electric eels were swarming. His spell hit one of them instead. So now Harry had two problems, angry electric eels and angry Grindylows. An eel stung his foot. He yelped in pain. Two Grindylows grasped his other ankle and tried to pull him down. He lashed out with his stung foot but couldn't get in a good kick. He started to panic. The eels got closer. One caught him on the ribs. Harry hissed. That was going to leave a mark. "Relashio!" He pointed his wand, but it was knocked from his hand by an eel, stinging his fingers. He ducked down to swim after his slowly sinking wand. He focused on reaching his wand. Hard to do with two Grindylows hanging off your feet. He didn't see the eel that stung his neck. His fingers had just grasped his wand when he passed out.

An hour had gone by.

Cedric emerged with Cho. The crowd went wild, especially the Hufflepuffs. Krum emerged not much later with a boy from Durmstrang. The crowd waited. No Fleur. No Potter. There was tense silence.

The surface of the water rippled. Five merpeople emerged. One empty handed who went to speak to Dumbledore, and the others carried four students. Gabriel and Hermione woke as soon as they broke the surface, the charm lifted. Harry's Gillyweed wore off part way to shore. The merman holding him in the water lifted his head out when the spluttering started. Fleur was crying for her sister, panicked.

Harry sat on the shore with his back to the school. Hermione brought him a towel, put it round his shoulders and sat next to him.

Hermione turned briefly to look at the stands when there was a sudden increase in noise.

"You'll be pleased to know Ron just punched Justin in the nose. Did you two make up last night?"

Harry nodded.

"Good."

They sat in companionable silence while the judges read out the scores.

"25 is better than zero. Gillyweed was a good find," said Hermione.

"Mmm," said Harry.

"The crowd are going back inside. Seems like the show is over."

"Uh huh."

"Ron and Justin are being escorted in by Flitwick. Justin looks worried about that."

Harry shrugged.

"Snape is standing by the castle. I think he's waiting for you."

"Does it look like he's holding a ruler?"

Hermione giggled. "No, he's just wearing his best Bat of the Dungeons face."

"That's kind of worse somehow."

Harry picked up his clothes and quickly put them on. The lake shore had emptied pretty quickly. February wasn't a month for lingering outside. They made their way up to the castle. Snape was waiting.

"My office, Potter. Miss Granger, you can have him back at lunchtime, assuming he's not Potions ingredients by then." Hermione took one look at Snape's expression and although his words had been dry, his face said he wasn't pleased.

They reached Snape's office and went inside. Harry took a closer look at Snape's face. "This isn't a mentoring session is it?" he asked.

"Fortunately for your backside, Mr Potter, it is." Snape was rummaging in the back of a cupboard. Holding a jar, he came to where Harry was standing in front of the desk. "Lose the robes and jumper, Potter."

Harry was non-plussed.

"Healing salve for burns, Potter," said Snape shaking the jar. "That's an impressive stripe down the back of your neck, and I presume there are more."

Harry took off some of his clothes. His torso had two burn stripes on it, and his neck was really painful now he came to think about it. Harry wouldn't be able to reach any of them. Considering how pissed Snape looked and was, he very gently applied salve to Potter's injuries.

"Thank you."

"Anywhere else?"

"Left foot, right hand." Snape passed him the jar.

"Sit down before you fall down, Potter. Hopping isn't going to work."

Harry sorted himself out, got dressed again and sat back down.

Snape was watching him coldly.

"Mr Potter, what you did today was arrogant and foolhardy. Explain yourself."

Harry opened his mouth in anger.

"If the second word out of your mouth is 'off', Mr Potter, so help me I will tan your backside so you eat lunch standing up, whatever I just said about this being a mentoring session."

Harry closed his mouth.

Snape summoned a parchment and quill and cleared the little writing desk in the corner.

"Sit. Don't speak for the next half hour. In half an hour I'm going to ask you why you thought you could safely compete today. Make notes if you wish. You will be explaining yourself."

Time slowed down for Harry. Fortunately he was looking down at the parchment so he didn't see Snape's eyes boring into him.

He had been so sure. He had Gillyweed. He'd chosen it over the other two charms. He'd found out what lived in the lake. They'd looked up how to subdue them. Harry had tested what he was going to do.

He'd been excited when Dumbledore had told the school Crouch had been arrested. He'd been really excited when Snape had told him Crouch was responsible for entering him into the contest and for cursing his egg. That freed him up to compete.

Harry had wanted to compete. To not be the loser in this competition.

He had ignored the things that he hadn't wanted to hear. Pettigrew was out there. But what danger was an animagus rat to a competition held in a lake surrounded by dozens of trained wizards? Crouch hadn't given up all his plans under interrogation. Who knew what he might have left set in motion? Even Sirius had warned him about Pettigrew. Harry had ignored that too. Harry didn't swim too well either, but didn't think to improve in the two months he'd known about the task. He'd had no weapon. He'd had no voice. He hadn't even been able to even retrieve his own bloody wand! He'd been carried out of the water unconscious by the merpeople.

Harry felt warm tears well up in his eyes. He didn't move. He just sat there. A tear landed on the parchment.

Snape watched impassively. The boy would reach full realisation soon.

Harry could have died. All because he joined in a stupid game he hadn't wanted to play in the first place. Just so he didn't come last.

Snape got up and went over to Harry when the actual tears started. Potter was a hugger.

"You survived then?" asked Hermione.

Harry nodded. "I should have told him what I'd found out."

"I thought you had done, else I'd have told you to tell him. Why didn't you?"

"I don't know, I just wanted… something. I don't know what."

"Did he lose it? Detention for a month? Anything else?"

"He set me an essay to write. Three feet. He says he wants 'analysis and examples pertinent to recent events'. I didn't know how to tell him I don't know what the word means that he wants me to write about."

"Oh? What's the word?"

"Hubris."

"I'm sure there's a dictionary in the library," said Hermione, fighting to keep her face straight. She was beginning to understand that Professor Snape had a very particular sense of humour.