The Second Task

Once Harry had told the others about what he had seen on the Marauder's Map, Ron's speculating once again turned to suspecting Snape of putting Harry's name in the Goblet.

'For the last time, Ron, it's not Snape,' John insisted, while they were discussing the matter in the back of Charms class.

'How do you know? It's not like you can see it.'

John's cheeks reddened.

'Ron!' Hermione hissed. 'Don't be so rude.'

John shook his head. As much as he disliked having it pointed out, it was true that he still couldn't see who had put Harry's name in the Goblet. Since forcing himself all the way back to Malfoy's ferret adventure, John had been a little more optimistic about his power and had tried once again to see who had done it. Much to his dismay, he found the same odd barrier around it as he had the tasks. Even the second task had slipped back out of his grasp, much to his frustration. He looked up at Sherlock, who was sitting next to Castiel. Neither of them were practicing the Banishing Charm they were supposed to be practicing. Sherlock was thinking hard, his brow furrowed. He was clearly in his mind palace, sorting through all the spells and charms he knew, trying to find something that would help Harry.

Cas was harder to read. He appeared to have recovered from whatever it was, but he was still withdrawn and staring into space. He had returned to the hospital wing to assist Madam Pomfrey, but didn't talk much. John wished there was something he could do to help, but he was still unable to see the problem, although Dean keeping up a relentless stream of jokes whenever he was around Cas produced a small smile every now and again.

John sighed. What was the point in having this power if he couldn't see anything useful?

After the lesson, Sherlock grabbed Harry and dragged him into an empty classroom. 'I've got it!' he said. 'It's been so long since I used it, I'd filed it away under "Minor Usage".' His eyes shone in excitement. John, Ron and Hermione had followed them into the classroom, but Cas had disappeared.

'What is it?' Hermione asked eagerly.

'The Bubble-Head Charm.'

'Of course!' Hermione said, slapping her forehead. 'But I've never used it; is it difficult?'

Sherlock stalled for a moment, trying to work out whether or not it would be difficult for them.

'It's not difficult for him,' John said, translating the silence. 'Ah, okay, it's relatively simple to cast, but takes a lot of concentration to keep it going. Right?'

Sherlock nodded. 'Perhaps a demonstration…' He pulled out his wand and pointed it at his own face. 'Papula Caput,' he said, slowly and clearly. An array of bubbles flew out of the end of his wand, encircled is mouth and nose, and came together to form one big bubble on his face. He beckoned for them all to come closer to get a good look.

John looked at it carefully, but the only thing that occurred to him about it was that it would be difficult to do any kissing past it.

Sherlock turned slightly pink, and John hid his smile behind his hand; once again forgetting that Sherlock knew perfectly well what he was thinking.

Sherlock released the spell, and Hermione tried it next.

It wasn't as steady a flow as Sherlock's, and the whole thing wavered when it came together around her face. She let it go and frowned. 'It seems a bit thin,' she said. 'Some practice would help though. You try it, Harry.'

Harry's was even worse than Hermione's. The bubbles didn't all join up into a whole, and it all popped almost immediately.

'Well, we've got time to practice,' Hermione said uneasily.

Despite how much they practiced over the coming weeks, Harry still couldn't get the spell to work. They used the Prefects' bathroom to test it in, but he couldn't keep it going for more than a few minutes.

'Maybe we ought to come up with some sort of backup plan,' John said nervously, as Harry resurfaced for the third time in ten minutes.

Sherlock nodded, and sent Ron and Hermione back to the library.

Harry's nerves did nothing for his spellwork, and even made his Bubble-Head Charm worse, rather than better.

Five days before the task, they discarded the spell altogether, and frantically went back through all the books they could find in the library. Harry half-heartedly tried the spell a few more times, but with no motivation left for it, it only lasted five minutes at the most.

Two days before the task, they hadn't found anything else, and Harry had gone off his food.

All of them, now including Sam, Cas and Dean scoured the library for anything useful at all.

Harry had sent Sirius a letter, detailing what he had heard from Moody, but the only response he got was Send date of next Hogsmeade weekend by return owl. Harry obliged with a sigh.

'What's he want to know about the next Hogsmeade weekend for?' said Ron.

'Dunno,' Harry said dully. 'Come on… Care of Magical Creatures.'

Since there were now only two Blast-Ended Skrewts left, Hagrid had decided to continue Professor Grubbly-Plank's lessons on unicorns since he had returned to work. It turned out that he knew as much about unicorns as he did about monsters, though it was clear that he found their lack of venomous fangs disappointing.

That day he had managed to catch two foals. Unlike full-grown unicorns, they were pure gold.

'Easier ter spot than the adults,' Hagrid told the class. 'They turn silver when they're about' two years old, an' they grow horns at aroun' four. Don' go pure white 'til they're full-grown, round about seven. They're a bit more trustin' when they're babies… don' mind boys so much… c'mon, move in a bit, yeh can pat 'em if yeh want… give 'em a few o' these sugar lumps…'

John cautiously approached them. The last time he had been near a unicorn, he'd ended up on his back in the snow. The foals saw him and their ears pricked up. He put a hand on one warily, but all he felt through his fingers was warmth and a vague sense of familiarity. They knew who he was. He patted the one he was closest to slowly, slightly disconcerted. The centaurs and unicorns now all knew of his existence, and he wondered what else did.

By the evening before the second task, every one of them was feverishly sorting through books, except John who had passed out at the table after pushing himself too far. Sherlock paced up and down the shelves, deep shadows under his eyes. Even if they could find something else that Harry could use, there was no chance he would be able to master it overnight. Even Dean had lost his usual joking manner.

'I don't reckon it can be done,' said Ron's voice from behind a stack of books. 'There's nothing. Nothing. Closest was that thing to dry up puddles and ponds, but that was nowhere near enough to drain the lake.'

'There must be something,' Hermione muttered, poring over the tiny print of Olde and Forgotten Bewitchments and Charmed with her nose about an inch from the page. 'They'd never have set a task that was undoable.'

'They have,' said Ron. 'Harry, just go down to the lake tomorrow, right, stick your head in, yell at the merpeople to give back whatever they've nicked and see if they chuck it out. Best you can do, mate.'

'There's a way of doing it!' Hermione said crossly. 'There just has to be!' She seemed to be taking the library's lack of useful information on the subject as a personal insult; it had never failed her before.

Dean leaned over to look at the book Cas was reading. 'You got anything?' he asked.

Cas shook his head, but didn't elaborate, ignoring Dean's hopeful expression.

'Oh, this is no use,' said Hermione, snapping Weird Wizarding Dilemmas shut. 'Who on earth wants to make their nose hair grow into ringlets?'

'I wouldn't mind,' said Fred Weasley's voice. 'Be a talking point, wouldn't it?'

They looked up. Fred and George had just emerged from behind some bookshelves.

'What're you two doing here?' Ron asked.

'Looking for you,' said George. 'McGonagall wants you, Ron. And you, Hermione.

'Why?' said Hermione, looking surprised.

'Dunno… she was looking a bit grim, though,' said Fred. 'Is he okay?' he added, nodding at John.

'He will be,' Sherlock said, adjusting the cloak he'd folded up under John's head.

'Come on, we're supposed to take you down to her office,' said George.

'We'll meet you back in the common room,' Hermione told Harry, as she got up with Ron. 'Bring as many of these books as you can.'

'Right,' Harry said uneasily.

By eight o'clock, Madam Pince had extinguished all the lamps and came to chivvy the rest of them out of the library.

Sherlock gently roused John, who jolted awake.

'What? Where am I?' he said, looking around blearily.

'Hush,' Sherlock murmured. He reached into his bag and grabbed the belt that made books weightless out of it.

'What time is it?' John asked, alarmed. 'Did you find anything?' But one look at Harry's face told him all he needed to know.

'We're going back up to the common room,' Sherlock said, stroking the back of John's head. He strapped the belt around as many of the books as possible, and Harry picked up the rest.

Dean walked with Cas on their way back, and noticed that Cas was shaking. He put an arm around Cas, but Cas shrugged it off, then moved away, widening the gap between them. Dean just sighed.

They pulled out a table in the common room and continued searching.

'Let me try again,' John said, despite the fact that his head was throbbing and felt infinitely heavy.

'John, no, you'll hurt yourself.' Sherlock said, closing the copy of Dreadful Denizens of the Deep he was reading.

'So?' John said. Before Sherlock could say anything else, John closed his eyes and looked forward. It was easy to find, but the barrier was still there. He searched for any sort of weakness in it, but it resisted. He could feel it trying to throw him back. He pressed his palms to his temples and kept trying, but he was tired. A familiar wetness dripped down his face and the common room swam back into focus. He winced at a cloth being pressed to his face. 'I'm sorry, Harry,' he said thickly, taking hold of the cloth himself.

Harry shook his head miserably. 'It's my fault. I should have listened to Cedric.'

John froze. 'What do you mean?'

'Cedric told me ages ago I should put the egg in the water.'

'I'm sorry, when exactly was this?'

'Er- Christmas.'

'Christmas!' John exclaimed. 'Is this a joke?'

'Guys, we don't have time for this,' Dean said, briefly looking up from the book he was thumbing through.

John pressed his lips together, his headache and nosebleed making it hard not to be irritated with Harry. 'Fine,' he said, grabbing another book.

Eventually, everyone began to filter out of the common room and into the dormitories, until they were the only ones left at the table.

John was the first to fall asleep. Odd images and disembodied voices swirled around his dreams. There was nothing clear, but they pressed in on John, closer and closer until an image of the Dark Mark burned his eyes and he sat up, screaming. Something touched him and he screamed again, until he saw that it was Sherlock who had grabbed his hand.

It was the next morning and John, Sherlock, Cas and Dean had all fallen asleep at the table. John had woken them up with his screaming.

'Where's Harry?' Dean said, straight away noticing he was missing.

'The library,' John said, doing a quick scan of the castle. 'What time is it? We should be down at the lake by now.'

'What about Ron and Hermione?' Dean frowned.

'We'll have to meet them down there, come on,' Sherlock said, pulling John to his feet.

They all hurried down to the lake, where the stands that had surrounded the dragon enclosure had been moved to.

Cas went to the first aid tent that had been erected close to the edge of the water, leaving them all on the shore.

John fell back a little, clutching Sherlock's arm. 'He's coming back,' he mumbled. 'He's coming back, I can feel it.'

'Who?'

John thought about his dreams the night before, the only thing he could remember from them being the Dark Mark, which was still seared into the back of his eyelids.

'Oh. Maybe we should speak to Dumbledore.'

'And tell him what? I still can't see who did it, I can't see how he's going to come back. I just know that he is, and what can Dumbledore do with that? Let's just get some seats.'

'Where is Harry?' Dean said again, staring back up at the castle.

John groaned and looked for Harry again, and saw him sprinting through the castle with something clutched in his hand. 'He's coming. Come on.'

They sat down in the stands, and John put his head in his hands. It was still pounding even though he'd slept, and he felt oddly teary.

'You're just tired,' Sherlock said.

John nodded.

At last, Harry skidded to a halt next to the other champions, and Bagman strode out beside them.

He pointed his wand at his throat and announced to the audience, 'Well, all our champions are ready for the second task, which will start on my whistle. They have precisely an hour to recover what was taken from them. On the count of three, then. One… two… three!'

The whistle echoed shrilly through the still, cold air.

Sherlock watched the champions intently. Both Cedric and Fleur produced a perfect Bubble-Head Charm, and dived into the water. To his surprise, Krum Transfigured his top half into a shark and followed Cedric and Fleur. Meanwhile, Harry pulled off his shoes and socks and waded into the lake up to his thighs. 'Hold on,' Sherlock muttered. 'I think he's got something.'

'What?' John said, beginning to think that Ron's idea the previous night was all Harry had.

Harry put something in his mouth and chewed hard, then he too ducked under the water.

'How on earth did he manage that?' John said.

Sherlock watched the spot Harry had disappeared intently. 'That's a good question,' he said slowly.

After about fifteen minutes, Dean stretched widely.

'This isn't really much of a spectator sport, is it?' he said, watching the surface of the water. He wasn't the only one that thought so, in fact it seemed that almost everyone was beginning to get bored. 'Where are Ron and Hermione?'

John looked around, realising that they still hadn't turned up.

'Oh, you missed it,' Sam said, climbing over to them. 'Dumbledore told us that the champions had to rescue a hostage each. I guess Ron and Hermione are down there.'

'In the lake?' John said incredulously.

'Yeah.' Sam regarded him with interest and John rolled his eyes.

'You might as well ask. We've got an hour to waste.'

Sam grinned. 'Awesome. So, no offense, but you don't look so good. What's going on?'

John shrugged. 'I've just been pushing it too much recently.'

'Okay, so you get sick if you do that? How much have you been pushing it?'

But before John couldn't answer, Dean patted Sam on the shoulder, his face slack in shock. 'Is that who I think it is?' he said, pointing down.

John looked where he was pointing and saw an older man with dark hair that he didn't recognise. The man appeared to be arguing with Gabriel.

'Oh my God it is,' Sam said, mouth dropping open.

'Who?' John asked.

Dean didn't answer, instead getting up and bounding down the steps to the bottom of the stands.

'That's our dad,' Sam said, frowning. 'But what's he doing here?'

Dean stumbled off the steps and jogged over to his father and Gabriel.

Gabriel was standing with his arms firmly crossed, glaring at John Winchester.

'Dad!' Dean called. 'I didn't know you were coming to watch the Tournament.'

'I'm not. I'm here for work.'

'What work?'

'I'm investigating Lucy Edlund.'

Gabriel narrowed his eyes.

'Have you seen - what was his name - Castiel Edlund?'

Dean blinked in surprise. 'Cas? What do you need him for?'

His father avoided the question. 'You know him? Where can I find him?'

'Probably with Madam Pomfrey-'

'That tent over there?'

'Yeah, but, Dad-'

But he wasn't listening, and marched right over to the first aid tent. Dean and Gabriel hurried after him. He burst into the tent and immediately confronted Cas.

'Are you Castiel Edlund?'

'I - yes. Who are you?' Cas said, speaking for the first time in days.

'John Winchester.'

'John Winchester?' Cas repeated, glancing at Dean as he came in.

'Good, you know who I am. I'm here about your sister.'

Cas paled.

'Have you had any communication with her recently.'

'I already told you, she disappeared years ago,' Gabriel said angrily.

'I didn't ask you.'

Cas shook his head stiffly.

'Do you know where she is now? Do you know what her plans are, what she wants?'

But Cas had frozen completely.

'Answer me.'

'Dad-'

'Stay out of this, Dean.'

Cas still couldn't force himself to say something.

'Well?'

Cas bit his lip so hard it started to bleed.

John grew impatient. He grabbed the front of Cas's robes. 'If you think you can lie to me, boy-'

'Whoa, whoa, Dad, stop!' Dean said, stepping forward and pushing his father's arm away.

'I said stay out of it, Dean. I need to know what he knows; people have been killed.'

'No,' Cas whispered, his hand hovering over the spot John had grabbed him. 'She wouldn't.'

'She has.'

'All right, Dad, just stop. Just go outside a minute, let me deal with this.'

'I don't think so.'

'I'm not asking.'

John scowled but went outside.

Gabriel went to Cas and rubbed his back reassuringly.

'She wouldn't,' Cas said again, shaking his head. 'She wouldn't hurt anyone.'

Dean and Gabriel exchanged confused looks.

'Cas, she - she hurt us, remember? She hurt you,' Gabriel said gently.

'That's different.'

'Why?'

'You know why.'

Dean looked between them both, bewildered. 'What am I missing here?'

They both looked at him as though they just realised he was still there. Neither of them replied, so Dean went outside to John.

'Jesus, Dad, what the hell was that about?' Dean said furiously.

'She's leading the Demons, Dean, and he knows something.'

'He doesn't know anything! Even if he did, why would you speak to him like that? What, did you lose all your social skills or something?'

'Dean-'

'Come on, Dad, Lucy used to hurt him. A lot. He still has a scar on his damn face from what she used to do to him. Why the hell would he know anything? Why would she tell him anything?' It wasn't until Dean finished his rant that he realised he was yelling.

'I didn't know.'

'Well then maybe you should get your facts straight before you go attacking fifteen year-olds, huh, Dad?'

John didn't say anything else, and Dean opened his mouth again, but Sam came bounding across to them.

'Dad!' he called.

'Sammy!' John grinned, turning him.

'Why didn't you tell us your were coming? Are you gonna stay for the task?'

'It was kind of a last minute thing, and I can't stay.'

Dean rolled his eyes. He left them to it and went back inside the tent.

Cas was sitting in a chair, clutching it tightly and struggling to catch his breath.

'Cas, I am so, so sorry,' Dean said, kneeling beside him.

'You should be,' Gabriel snapped.

'Gabriel, stop,' Cas gasped.

'Remember, just how I taught you,' Dean encouraged. 'Do you need me to count?'

Cas shook his head, closed his eyes and slowed down his breathing until it was level and rhythmic.

'You okay?'

'Yes.'

'Good, 'cause it sounds like the first champion just got back,' Dean said at the loud cheering and clapping coming from outside the tent. 'Sure you're okay?'

'Yes.'

'You got it?'

'Yes.'

'Okay, well I'm gonna get out of here before Madam Pomfrey has me whipped.'

Cas let himself smile at that.

'Come on then, Gabe,' Dean said pointedly.

Gabriel sighed and left the tent with Dean.

Sam was still outside looking dejected. Their father was gone.

'He left,' Sam said.

'Jerk,' Dean muttered. 'Listen, Gabe, do you know anything about what's going on with your sister? Anything at all?'

'No,' said Gabriel. 'I already told your psycho dad that I don't know anything.'

'He's not psycho, he's just… enthusiastic.'

'I don't care what he is, Dean. He better not come near my brother like that again, understand?'

'What, you think I have any control over what my dad does?'

'I don't care. Keep him away from Cas. He's getting him all confused.'

'All right, jeez, I'll do what I can.'

Just then, Madam Pomfrey rushed past them with a pile of steaming towels in her arms. Gabriel followed her back into the tent, and Dean grudgingly went back up the stands to where Sherlock and John Watson were sitting. John had fallen asleep against Sherlock's shoulder, and Sherlock looked about ready to nod off too.

'What'd I miss?' Dean asked Sam as they sat down.

'Fleur came back up but she didn't have her hostage. Something about Grindylows.'

'How long left?'

'About twenty minutes.'

Dean groaned. 'This is really boring.' For a while, he considered having a short nap like John and Sherlock, but decided that he wasn't tired enough to be able to sleep through all the noise like they were.

Nothing much else happened until Cedric resurfaced with Cho Chang, then Krum with Hermione. It was still a long time until Harry returned with both Ron and a young girl that looked a lot like Fleur, who must have been her hostage.

Once Harry had come up, Dean and Sam rushed down to the shore to meet him, Hermione and Ron, leaving Sherlock and John to sleep in the stands.

'How'd you do it, man?' Dean asked, clapping him on the back.

'Gillyweed,' Harry grinned.

'Where on earth did you get Gillyweed?' Hermione said incredulously.

Harry didn't answer, and Dean suspected that he'd acquired it by less than honest means.

Dean looked up and saw Cas go into the first aid tent with Fleur. 'I'll be right back.' He went over to the tent, but he heard Cas and Fleur chatting in French and thought it best not to intrude. Instead he watched Dumbledore talking to a few of the merpeople that had poked their heads up past the surface of the water, if it could be called that.

They were all still waiting for the scores, which would be forthcoming when Dumbledore had finished speaking with them.

'Dean?'

Dean jumped. Cas had appeared next time him. 'Nearly gave me a heart attack.'

'What are you doing?'

'Just came to see if you were okay. Didn't want to interrupt.'

Cas shrugged. He was still pale, but focusing on his healing work helped.

'Well, I suppose that's the best we can hope for right now,' Dean joked weakly.

Cas considered him carefully. 'Dean, I appreciate your concern, really, but I have Gabriel. I'll be fine.'

Dean nodded. 'I know.'

Cas smiled again, a little colour returning to his cheeks. 'I should go. I have to give out some Pepper-Up Potion.'

'Did you make it?'

Cas smiled again. 'No.'

Finally, Bagman's magnified voice spoke again.

Sam shook John and Sherlock awake. 'You'll probably want to hear this,' he said when they both have him dirty looks for waking them up.

'Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our decision. Mer-chieftainess Murcia has told us exactly what happened at the bottom of the lake, and we have therefore decided to award marks out of fifty for each champion as follows…

'Miss Fleur Delacour, though she demonstrated excellent use of the Bubble-Head Charm, was attacked by Grindylows as she approached her goal, and failed to retrieve her hostage. We award her twenty-five points.'

Applause from the stands.

'Mr Cedric Diggory, who also used the Bubble-Head Charm, was first to return with his hostage, though he returned one minute outside the time limit of an hour.'

Enormous cheers from the Hufflepuffs in the crowd, including Sam.

'What?' he said at Dean's questioning look. 'I'm still a Hufflepuff.'

'We therefore award him forty-seven points,' Bagman' continued.

'Mr Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of Transfiguration, which was nevertheless effective, and was second to return with his hostage. We award him forty points.'

Karkaroff clapped particularly hard, looking very superior.

'Mr Harry Potter used Gillyweed to great effect. He returned last, and well outside the time limit of an hour. However, the Mer-chieftainess informs us that Mr Potter was first to reach the hostages, and that the delay in his return was due to his determination to return all hostages to safety, not merely his own.'

Harry got exasperated looks from just about everyone in his vicinity.

'Most of the judges feel that this shows moral fibre and merits full marks. However… Mr Potter's score is forty-five points.'

'Nice!' Dean yelled over all the cheering.

'There you go, Harry!' Ron shouted. 'You weren't being thick after all - you were showing moral fibre.'

'The third and final task will take place at dusk on the twenty-fourth of June,' continued Bagman. 'The champions will be notified of what's coming precisely one month beforehand. Thank you all for your support of the champions.'

John was relieved to hear that the champions would be told what was coming, and held Sherlock's hand. He could already feel the tension seeping from his body and was ready to sleep for a long time. He watched Cas and Madam Pomfrey herd the champions and their hostages back up to the castle for dry clothes, then he and Sherlock slowly went back up to the Gryffindor dormitories, sleeping right through the raging after party.

Welcome back everyone! Thanks to VegasGranny and DaughterofMagic3 for the reviews! Hope you all enjoyed it and I'll see you soon!