It was finally the night before the Second Task. Hermione had done all she could to prepare Harry. The gillyweed had been acquired and the Boy Who Lived was able to cast a decently strong warming charm that should last the full hour. They had been practicing in the Lake each evening ever since the night Harry solved the egg riddle. With almost a full month of swim conditioning and spell practice, there wasn't much more to be done, so she had sent him to bed early to get a good night's rest.
Like so many nights before, Hermione stayed up late watching her copy of the Marauder's Map, her curtains drawn and silencing wards in place. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Dumbledore was pacing in his study. Snape was taking House points away from students he caught out of bed. Moody was in his room, looking frustratingly innocent. Rita Skeeter was… Wait! What?
She gripped the map tightly when she saw a set of footprints with Rita's name floating below them in the Great Hall, right by Cedric Diggory, presumably eavesdropping on the Hufflepuff Champion. How could she have forgotten!? It was perfect! She had just found her spy, in the form of a tiny green beetle shifter. Now all she needed to do was catch the nasty reporter while she was in her illegal Animagus form. That would give her the leverage she would need to 'coerce' her into helping.
She hopped off her bed and grabbed her bewitched knapsack from her trunk, grabbing a vial with a cork stopper from inside. She tucked the vial into her robe pocket and wiped the Map, shoving it in the pack. She figured if she hurried she could get down there before the beetle disappeared.
She was stepping out of the portrait when she heard someone calling to her.
"Oi, Granger!" Fred and George were strutting down the hall.
"Hey you two… is something wrong?" Hermione raised an eyebrow at them as they launched into their classic 'twin speak' of finishing each other's sentences.
"If there is then we take full credit…" Fred started. Or was it George? Freorge spoke.
"But sadly no, nothing's wrong, we were just coming to get you..."
"Cuz McGonagall wants you in her office…"
"Right away, she said…"
"No lollygaggin' or going to the library."
Hermione's blood froze. She had missed a key detail. She had assumed that Ron would be Harry's treasure this time and she would be off the hostage hook. But clearly that was not the case. Probably because of the gigantic iceberg currently wedged between two-thirds of the Golden Trio and the remaining member.
"Oh, thanks for letting me know. I'll head that way then." Hermione quickly recovered from her shock and hurried to meet the Gryffindor Head of House. Shit, shit, shit.
Just as before, once she was with McGonagall, she was escorted to Dumbledore's office, where Ludo Bagman and Barty Crouch were standing with the three schoolmasters. Hermione noted that the hostage line up was different this time around.
The first time she had been Viktor's treasure. Seeing as she had no reason to be his this time, she assumed that the Ravenclaw girl he went to the Ball with was his new treasure. Next to the mystery Ravenclaw sat another Ravenclaw girl, Cho Chang. Cedric's treasure, that was the same at least. She was surprised to see Evangeline sitting there, too, looking rather confused, trying to catch Maxime's eye.
Hermione felt a surge of something when she saw the Frenchwoman. Fleur's treasure, she thought, slightly bitterly. That could have been her. She shoved down the pang of jealousy and gave Evangeline a soft smile. It was a shame, she had actually liked hanging out with Evangeline.
"Ah, perfect, Miss Granger, a lovely evening to you!" Bagman chirped excitedly and launched into his spiel, explaining why they had been summoned there and what the task entailed. They were all reassured that even if their Champion failed to retrieve them, they were in no danger, the Merpeople would release them after the Task ended.
The perky game overseer went down the line, getting verbal confirmation that each hostage willingly submitted to be a part of the Tournament, then placing them under the paralyzing charm.
After that, it all went black.
"Come seek us where our voices sound,
We cannot sing above the ground,
And while you're searching, ponder this;
We've taken what you'll sorely miss,
An hour long you'll have to look,
And recover what we took,
But past an hour — the prospect's black,
Too late, it's gone, it won't come back."
Fleur listened to the Egg's song one more time as she took a bath. The Second Task was the next day and she wanted to relax. She felt pretty confident in her strategy and had a backup plan in place. So she decided that it would be best to go to sleep early and be well-rested for the next day.
In the beginning of February she added an hour swim in the Lake to her daily fitness routine. She had strategically waited to add swim training because she didn't want to give away the fact that she already knew what the Task was, practicing her aquatic spells in the privacy of her bathtub. So for the time being she stuck to her daily run and various exercises like pushups and crunches to stay in shape. Once she saw Viktor and Cedric start their training, she went full steam ahead.
She was grateful for the Underarmour that Hermione had given her. It made her exercises more pleasant in the frigid winter weather. Whoever thought of making teenagers swim in a giant lake in February in the Scottish Highlands really was a sadistic bastard. Probably Ludo fucking Bagman.
After her bath she got ready for bed and burrowed into her warm blankets. She fell asleep with a slight smile. This time she wouldn't get stopped by the grindylows. This time she would save her sister. This time she wouldn't fail.
The next morning Fleur woke to a soft body bellyflopping on her as she slept.
«Fleurrrrrr! Wake uppppp! It's tournament day!»
Fleur blinked, but when her eyes met her sister's, she felt a rush of dread course through her body. She immediately knew the truth in her heart before her brain could fully process it. She jumped up so fast she practically threw Gabrielle off the bed.
Valadarian, the miniature Horntail, hissed in displeasure from its place on Gabrielle's neck. She had ordered the tiny dragon to essentially babysit her sister and keep her in line, but it seemed that the two had bonded. Fleur didn't mind. She was glad that Gabrielle had a friend to keep her company when she was away in class during the day. The tiny reptile also provided a little protection for her sister.
No, no, no, no! Fleur thought, pacing around her room, borderline panicking.
«Fleur? What's wrong?»
«I overslept. I wanted to have time to stretch and prepare.» Fleur lied quickly, glad that her sister believed it without question. «Sorry, Gabrielle. Thank you for coming to visit me, but I need a little time right now. Why don't you take Valadarian with you and make your way to the observation stands. I'll be there soon and will be sure to come find you before the task. I promise.» She kissed her sister's forehead and gently shoved her toward the door. She was barely keeping it together.
«Sure, Fleur… whatever you need.» The young girl nodded, pouting sadly but left her sister alone to her thoughts.
«It's not Gabrielle this time… They have her!» Fleur wailed. How did they know? It had been over two months since she and Hermione had interacted! There was no reason to suspect that Hermione meant so much to her!
«Who?» Her Veela responded
«They took Hermione. She is my treasure to save.»
«Are you sure? It could be anyone.»
«Non, I can feel it in my heart. The assholes take the most precious person to us. Incentive to do well.» Fleur spat bitterly, her anger bubbling up inside. It had been bad enough thinking it was Gabrielle… but her mate?! She hadn't even considered the possibility.
Her Veela was beside herself at the thought of her mate being on the bottom of the Lake, thrashing and screeching inside her head, telling Fleur to get her ass into the water right away and save their mate.
Fleur sighed and paced around, trying to calm herself down. Getting panicked wasn't going to save Hermione. No, she needed to focus. She would only be successful if she kept control and in a clear state of mind.
She took a deep breath and went to her wardrobe to get her bathing suit. She looked at the one piece and decided it needed some adjustments. Once it was in pace, she transfigured deep blue fabric into a sort of neoprene-spandex blend, getting the idea from her Underarmour outfit. It was light and breathable, though in this case, waterproof, and flexible to make moving easier. She modified the suit to cover more of her body, extending the legs to cover her thighs down to her knees. She repeated the same spell on her arms to the elbow. She made sure to cast a strong concealment charm over her hips. She did not want to have to explain that surprise to anyone.
Next she strapped a leg holster to her thigh and set her wand in its place. She decided to pull her hair up into a ponytail rather than leaving it down like last time. As she stood at her vanity fixing her hair, a flash of blue caught her eye.
She looked down and saw her gift from Hermione sitting on the little pillow. She picked it up and put it in a pocket that she quickly added to the side of her suit, illusioning it away and out of sight. She had no intention of using it, that would be cheating. But the marble made her feel connected to the brunette and kept her grounded. A good luck charm.
She looked at her reflection in the mirror, nodding her approval at her appearance.
"I'm coming, Hermione…"
Fleur made her way toward the tournament 'arena' by the Black Lake. She had opted to wear a thick robe to keep her warm and covered until the Task actually started. She arrived at the same time as Cedric and Harry, both coming down the hill from the castle. Krum was already there, having the shortest distance to go from the Durmstrang ship.
The four Champions all looked at each other, their eyes all full of worry and dread. It seemed they had figured out that something important had been taken last night.
«Fleur!» Gabrielle jumped down the stands and wrapped herself around Fleur's waist. «Be safe okay?»
«I'll do my best. Why don't you sit with Evangeline and Valadarian and wait for me.»
Gabrielle furrowed her tiny brow «Evangeline isn't here. I thought she would be with you.»
That caught Fleur off guard a little. She looked into the stands where the Beauxbatons students were sitting in their distinct powder blue uniforms. Sure enough, no Evangeline. She didn't have time to think because Bagman came striding over, his usual "excited child at Christmas" grin plastered on his face.
"Perfect, Champions! Come with me." He led them down the dock that jutted out about 15 feet into the Lake, with a long perpendicular section of dock at the end like a large T. Unlike the first time, the spectator stands had been built on land on the edge of the Lake, rather than on giant stilts over the water.
At the end of the dock, Bagman put them in position, each spaced about 10 feet away from the next Champion. "Champions, please remove all outer robes and prepare yourselves."
While they were removing their warm layers, the game maker turned to address the spectators.
"Welcome to the Second Task. Last night, something was taken from each of our Champions…"
Fleur closed her eyes and took several deep calming breaths, listening in the back of her mind, but the majority of her focus was on the inky expanse of water in front of her. Somewhere out there was her mate.
"They will have one hour. After that they are on their own. Champions, at the sound of the cannon!"
Fleur dove as soon as the cannon signaled the beginning of the Task and grains of sand started flowing in a giant hourglass, starting the countdown. On the way into the water, she started silently casting her enchantments. First was a heating charm so her muscles didn't seize up. Then she dealt with the issue of breathing underwater for an hour. She decided to try a different tactic this time than the Bubble Head charm she used last time.
Her new plan was risky, but since she had the luxury of a head start, she took full advantage of her extra time. She had the Bubble Head charm as a back up plan in case her original idea failed.
She had started by researching sirens, drawing inspiration from the Merpeople themselves. According to Veela history, there was a time when there was a unified race of land-dwelling sirens. Over time, the Veela and Merpeople evolved from this race and split off to become separate species, one taking to the winds and the other to the waves. Various tales explained the cause of this split but one thing remained. They were once one race. She wondered if she could draw on their shared ancestry and find a way to transfigure her Veela strengths and anatomy to be more suited to water than air.
Next she had learned a complicated transfiguration that would temporarily give her similar qualities to her watery distant relatives. She cast the spell and felt the changes coursing through her body.
Her eyes grew a second membrane that kept the water out and granted her dark vision in the murky depths. Her nose became two long slits that filtered oxygen from the water. Her hearing became more tuned to the watery environment and she could hear with surprising clarity. She sprouted small fins along her forearms and calves, which is why she hadn't made a full body suit.
Once the transformation was in place, it was time to test the waters. Of course she had practiced extensively but it only had about a 75% success rate. But if she could get it to work, it was much more efficient than the Bubble Head charm, which was bulky and cumbersome and would slow her down.
It went against her every instinct to breathe water but she calmed her inner Veela and took a tentative breath. She had her wand ready in case she needed to cast an emergency air bubble.
She felt water rush in one side of her elongated nostril and out the other. No sputtering or inhaled liquid. Perfect.
Satisfied with her work, she took off to look for her mate, following her Veela instinct and the distant sounds of the Merpeople's songs.
At the 30 minute mark, Fleur heard a loud banging noise echo through the water, like someone hit a large drum or a gong. She picked up the speed and kept pushing on.
She saw the kelp forest ahead, her downfall the first time. She gave it a wide distance, swimming about 20 feet above the tops of the dark green fronds. She saw little beady eyes staring up but the grindylows stayed in their habitat. Not this time you little shits!
Up ahead she saw the distant outline of what looked like a sunken city. Huge columns and domed buildings appeared out of the haze. As she approached she saw the Merpeople watching her curiously. She heard them muttering quietly about her Veela but they allowed her to pass, brandishing their tridents.
She saw a bubble trail up approaching from her left side and realized it was Harry. She smiled to herself, relieved that he had done so well. His feet looked like giant fins and his hands were webbed, propelling his body through the water with grace and ease. Long rows of gills had grown on his neck.
Fleur kicked harder to intercept him and they approached four shapes. Each looked like it was connected to a sort of rope attached at the ankle. From a distance they reminded her of balloons bobbing along. Human balloons. Their robes and hair were billowing in the water around them, but otherwise they all looked peaceful, as if they were asleep.
As they got closer, Fleur could see the faces. Hermione was the easiest to recognize because of the mess of brown hair, but she also saw Evangeline, Cho, and the Ravenclaw girl Viktor took to the Ball. Oh, they just used their Yule Ball dates! Fleur felt relieved that it was such a superficial reason. It meant that her secret about Hermione being her mate was still safe. But she couldn't help feeling unconvinced that the reason was so simple. She still felt doubt niggling at the back of her mind and she still felt uneasy about the situation.
She looked over at Harry, who simply nodded and jutted his chin toward her then Hermione. He seemed to understand that Hermione was her treasure. He, on the other hand, went straight for Evangeline without missing a beat, untying her kelp rope with his webbed fingers. Fleur withdrew her wand again and cast Bombarda to sever the thick bonds connected to Hermione's ankle.
Once they had their hostages, Fleur and Harry made their way to the surface together, pulling their treasures along.
The first thing Hermione felt was the cold air stinging her face, followed by a very unpleasant feeling of heavy, wet clothes clinging to her body. Ugh, not this again. At least Harry rescued her. She coughed and took several deep, desperate breaths, trying to kick her feet to stay afloat.
She had breached the surface facing away from the shore and she flailed around a moment in her disorientation as she tried to get her bearings, but she felt a firm hand on her arm.
"I've got you… you're safe now, 'Ermione."
"Fl-Fleur?" Hermione sputtered, stunned when she heard Fleur's voice. She had been certain that she had been Harry's treasure. She was Fleur's treasure? But… everything they had said at the Yule Ball? It didn't make sense. Her head was pounding, a mix of coming out of her paralyzed state and trying to process this rather shocking turn of events. Did she mean so much to Fleur? More than Gabrielle, her own sister?
She spun around in the water, convinced that her mind was playing tricks on her.
Sure enough, Fleur was bobbing in the water next to her, her face slowly morphing back to her usual features. It appeared that she hadn't used the Bubble Head Charm this time around. "B-but... Evangeline?"
"She was Harry's. Can you move your legs? We need to get to shore quickly. We don't want hypothermia."
"Yeah…" Hermione nodded shakily, her teeth starting to chatter, but she felt a wave of warmth wash over her. A heating charm. She was grateful that Fleur was so thoughtful. She was swimming her way back to shore when she realized that the spell had been cast completely nonverbally and without a wand, since one of Fleur's hands was still on her arm and the other was empty. Impressive indeed. Well beyond the requirement or expectations for a 7th year. Perhaps Beauxbatons was more demanding of their upper class students. Or maybe Fleur was just that good.
A few minutes later, both women were back on the dock, wrapped up in warmed, fluffy towels. Harry and Evangeline were there as well, having arrived slightly ahead of Fleur and Hermione.
Bagman came and returned wands to Hermione and Evangeline while Madame Pomfrey did quick inspections on the four of them, but they all seemed to be in good health, aside from being wet and cold.
Hermione quickly cast a drying spell on the four of them, but it did little to fight off the bone-chilling numbness she was currently experiencing, even with the various heating charms. This cold went straight to her core, gripping her tight and chilling her from the inside out. A side effect of being in her state of suspended animation for so long.
As she stood there shivering, Hermione looked curiously between the other couple, raising a subtle eyebrow at Harry, who sheepishly shrugged. She turned to Fleur, who was being squeezed to death by Gabrielle. They were both speaking in rapid French. "Ermmm… thank you, Fleur. For rescuing me."
"Eet was nozzing." Fleur's stunning blue gaze flicked up to meet hers. As she extracted herself from the tiny part-Veela, she offered the brunette witch a small smile. "I told you I would always be zere for you eef you needed eet."
Hermione slowly but something caught her eye. A tiny beetle on Fleur's shoulder. She couldn't believe her luck! She subtly reached into her pocket, grateful to find that the vial was still in there. She turned and faked a sneeze, using the motion to extract her vial and unstopper it. In a swift motion, she turned back around and reached toward Fleur's shoulder. She quickly scooped the little green beetle into the vial, hastily shoving the cork onto it. She held up her prey, grinning victoriously.
"What was zat about?" Fleur raised her eyebrow, confused by Hermione's actions.
"It's a rare kind of beetle I've wanted to study… Really one of a kind."
"You are interested een beetles, too?" Fleur looked closer at the contents of the vial "Eet looks like an ordinary beetle to me..."
Harry chimed in and unintentionally gave her the perfect excuse. "Yeah, if it exists, you can guarantee that Hermione will know about it or be studying it…"
Hermione chuckled at her friend's innocence, tucking the vial into her pocket. "Yeah, you got me…" She was interrupted by a huge roar from the crowd as Viktor emerged, his head mid-morph from a shark to human. It was a grotesque and deeply unsettling image. Cedric emerged with Cho as the final grains of sand fell in the timer.
Hermione watched as the two men returned to shore and the judges all huddled to discuss scores. She noted that both looked like they had been in a fight. Cedric was bleeding extensively, as was Krum, and a dark bruise was already shining prominently on his cheek. She huddled next to Harry, who was standing next to Evangeline. She was disappointed and relieved that Fleur had taken position with Gabrielle on the other side of Evangeline.
Curiously, a humanoid figure breached the water near the dock and Dumbledore went over to speak to them. She couldn't hear what was being said, but it was clear that the two were conversing, probably in Mermish because she couldn't decipher their lip movements as anything resembling the English language. Dumbledore was suddenly looking rather upset about something and he stood and gestured for Karkaroff to join them.
Being down two judges, the Champions, hostages, and spectators had to wait to hear the final verdict for the Task. After the secret meeting on the dock concluded, Karkaroff stormed back to the judging station muttering angrily under his breath, glaring daggers at his Champion.
The judges resumed their huddle and moments later, Bagman took a step away to announce the results. Holding his wand to his throat, his voice amplified so loudly that people in London could have heard the announcement.
"In first place, for arriving first and an impressive use of gillyweed, Harry Potter, with a score of 45." The crowd cheered loudly and Hermione couldn't help but scowl at them because just months ago the majority of those students had turned their backs entirely on Harry. Now that he was doing well they seemed to forget about those dumb buttons and were full-on Team Potter again. Ugh.
"In second place, arriving second and displaying a masterful use of full-body transfiguration techniques, Fleur Delacour, with a score of 43." A more subdued applause was given for Fleur.
"Now, it has come to our attention that there has been some infighting between the other Champions. While Viktor Krum of Durmstrang finished third, it has been reported that he attacked the Hogwarts Champion, Cedric Diggory in an unprovoked strike. As such, he has been penalized and the results now stand with Mr. Diggory in third place with a score of 37 and Mr. Krum in fourth with a score of 31."
Bagman waited for the applause and boos to die down before finishing his speech
"The overall scores stand thus… Currently, we have a tie for first place between Miss Delacour and Mr. Potter, with Mr. Diggory in third and Mr. Krum in 4th. Thank you for coming out to show your support for these Champions and we shall all see you on June 24th for the action-packed conclusion of this fantastic tournament!"
Hermione looked over at Fleur and Harry, offering them her congratulations and politely excused herself to go warm up and change. Harry bid farewell to Fleur and Evangeline and hurried after Hermione, eager to get away from the crowd and into something dry.