Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter
Chapter 14: The second Task
"I still don't know how I am supposed to breath underwater for an hour." Harry complained as he sat across from Rigel and Teddy, they were hanging out in the Gryffindor common room, Ginny was in detention, so Harry was waiting untill she was out before starting his homework, so he could do it with her.
"Don't ask me, mate." Teddy said, "I have no clue."
"I guess you could always try transfigure yourself into a fish." Rigel said. Harry rolled his eyes.
"There has got to be a spell or something." Harry said. "I would ask Jesse, but he's been gone all day."
"Where to?" Teddy asked.
"I don't know." Harry said. "If Cody knew he didn't say, all I know is he got a letter from Bill Weasley this morning and went to meet him somewhere for something."
"Ginny's eldest brother?" Rigel asked. Harry nodded.
"Yeah, it surprises me a little." Harry said. "Bill and Jesse were good friends in school and Jesse even planed to go to Egypt with Bill to work as a Curse-Breaker, but then the attack happen and Jesse had to stay here and take care of me and Cody, he even dropped the idea of working for Gringots and instead became an Auror like dad had been when he died. Bill went on to Egypt by himself, him and Jesse wrote each other for a little bit, but then they both got too busy with work and stuff and their letters became fewer and fewer untill they stopped all together. What Bill whats now I have no idea, Ginny didn't know either."
Rigel frowned in thought. "You don't think he wanted to talk to Jesse about that story in the paper, the one about you and Sassy do you?"
"Merlin I hope not." Harry said. Once that story had left everyone's minds. Skeeter had come up with others, the most recently showed Harry and Ginny kissing in the Ravenclaw common room, with Ginny on Harry's lap. It was the day after the Yule Ball. Harry had no idea how she got a picture of that, they had been the only two in the common room, he was sure of it. Or how Skeeter would even get into their common room. She didn't seem to have enough brains to answer one of the riddles. And the headline across the top of that paper had read: Potter's girlfriend threatens to run away if he dumps her.
"Skeeter and her damn stories are really starting to get on my nervous." Teddy said. "She keeps on about you two and I might just..."
"Do what? write her an angry letter?" Rigel snorted. "There is nothing you can do, Skeeter will just keep on untill people start getting tired of the stories and she moves on to the next victim."
"You think she would get in trouble for sneakig around the school." Harry said. "She's not suppose to come here, Sirius told me, after the first stories started Dumbeldore banned her from the castle."
"Yeah, well the funny thing is she's never seen." Teddy said. "What's she doing hiding under an invisibility cloak?"
"Maybe." Harry said, thinking about it. "But, you would think she would've been seen by now. A slip of the cloak or someone bumping into her."
"I don't think it's a cloak." Rigel said. His eyes suddenly got big and he jumped up. "I'll be right back. I'm going to go talk to Uncle Siri." He then left the room.
"What's he got to talk to Padfoot about?" Teddy demanded. Harry shrugged.
"Who knows." He said. Then he got down in the floor to play a game of wizard chess with Teddy.
As the days got closer to the Second Task, Jesse was disappearing more and more from Hogwarts, and what ever he and Bill was up to, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley was now involved, and Cody still swore he had no idea what was going on. The stories in the paper had slowed, since Harry and Ginny was barely got to spend time with each other, with him trying to figure out the egg clue and her detentions, it got better though when the week of detentions was over, Ginny spent her time trying to help Harry.
About three days before the second task Harry and Ginny was in the library going through books on water spells but weren't having any luck. They had just given up and walked the books back to the self.
"This is useless." Harry said. "We're never going to figure it out."
"Yes, we will." Ginny said. "We've just been looking in the wrong place. Maybe there is a book on breathing spells or something?"
"Maybe." Harry said, looking doubtful.
"Hey, are you doubting me?" Ginny asked. She turned to Harry, and hit him playfully. Harry smirked and started tickling Ginny.
"Stop.." Ginny laughed, as Harry tickled her, "Stop...stop.." Harry finally stoped the tickling and pulled Ginny to him and they begin to kiss, but soon pulled apart at the sound of someone clearing their throat. Harry and Ginny turned around thinking they would see Madam Pince standing there, but it was Neville Longbottom with a red face.
"Hey, Neville." Harry greeted. "Something you need?"
"I just wanted to tell you.. that umm." Neville said, "I've read this book Professor Moody gave me, and well... I didn't mean to over hear you... and well, if you need to breath under water for an hour you can always try gillyweed."
"Gillyweed?" Harry asked. Neville nodded. Harry looked to Ginny to see her thinking, then her eyes lit up.
"That's it." Ginny said. "Of course we should have thought of that, thanks Neville." She grabbed Harry's hand and dragged him out of the library, and down the corridor.
"Where are we going?" Harry demanded.
"To find Rigel." Ginny said. "If anyone can get their hands on gillyweed at such short noticed it would be him."
Just as Ginny said, Rigel somehow got hold of some gillyweed, the day before the second task. That night Harry kissed Ginny before going to bed, where it was hard for him to sleep, he was so nervous.
The morning of the Second Task Harry got up early, and dressed, then went down to the common room where he waited for over an hour for Ginny to come down, but she didn't show, he even whistled for Chaser and sent a note up for Ginny and she still didn't come down. Harry called for the dog again and when it came back down, it still had the letter in his collar. So he thought maybe she already left, and headed to the Great Hall. Both Rigel and Teddy told him they hadn't seen her, he asked Cody, he hadn't seen her either. So he left the Great Hall looking everywhere, he couldn't find Ginny anywhere, he asked everyone he passed if they had seen her and everyone said no.
By the time Harry gave up looking for his girlfriend, he was going to be late getting down to the lake for the Second Task. So he had to run all the way down there.
"Where have you been?" Demanded a bossy voice from the judges table, as Harry skidded to a halt, accidentally splattering Fleur's robs with mud. Harry looked up to see Percy Weasley sitting with the judges.
"I was..looking for Ginny." Harry panted, and Percy scowled. "Can't find her anywhere." Behind the judges table Harry saw Jesse and Sirius glance at each other. Harry wondered if they knew where Ginny was. He hoped she was alright. But before he could ask Ludo Bagman stared moving among the champions, spacing them along the bank. Harry looked all around but didn't see Ginny anywhere. But he did see Rigel and Teddy, they waved at him from a few yards away.
"Alright champions you ready?" Bagman asked, Harry stopped looking around and dropped his gaze to the black lake. He would have to find Ginny when he got done with finding whatever it was the mermaids had taken. Harry pulled the gillyweed out of the pocket of his swimming trunks, getting ready to take it. He was cold. And wished the task was already over. He wished he could say who cares what the mermaids took and refuse to jump into the lake, then it hit him, Ginny was missing and he knew there was no way his girl would miss the Second Task if she could help it, and the mermaids took what he would surely miss. Anger suddenly crossed Harry's face. Ginny better not be down in that lake.
"The champions are ready for the Second Task, they have precisely one hour to recover what has been taken from them. On the count of three I will blow my whistle and the task will start." Harry slipped the gillyweed into his mouth and swallowed. "One, two, three."
The whistle blow and Harry jumped into the lake It was so cold it felt as if his skin was on fire, then, quite suddenly, Harry felt as though an invisible pillow had been pulled over his head. He tried to take a breath, but it made his head spin; his lungs were empty, and he suddenly felt a piercing pain on either side of his neck-
Harry clapped his hands around his throat and felt two large slits just below his ears. He had gills. He flung himself forward into the water. And swum like he never had before. His hands looked green and ghostly in the water and they both now where webbed. He twisted around to look at his feet-they had become elongated and the toes were webbed too; it looked as though he had sprouted flippers.
The water didn't feel icy anymore either... on contrary, he felt pleasantly cool and very light, and he could see pretty clearly, so he moved on searching for Ginny, because he was pretty sure that's who he had to find. They had taken his Ginny, he knew she wouldn't have missed showing up for the Second Task nor would she had avoided him all day unless she wasn't able to show up. Someone was going to get an earful once he found Ginny and made it back up top.
Small fish flickered past him like silver darts. Once or twice he thought he saw something larger moving ahead. There was no sign of Ginny nor merpeople or even any of the other champions and who they would be looking for. Without warning something grabbed hold of Harry's ankle.
Harry twisted his body around and saw a grindlylow, a small, horned water demon, poking out of the weed, its long fingers clutched tightly around Harry's leg, its pointed fangs baraed-
Harry took his other foot and kicked the grindlylow in the face, the thing let go of his ankle to grab its nose, and Harry took that chance to swim away. Harry turned and started swimming another way and he started to hear the words from the song that came out of the egg, so he swim fasted and at last he found her.
Ginny's fiery red hair flouting up in the water was the first thing he saw, she looked like she was in a deep sleep, bubbles was issuing from her mouth, and she had on a white tank top and red pajama pants, like she was taken from her bed, which made Harry even madder. She was going to freeze when he got here out of the water. On either side of Ginny was Cho Chang and Hermione Granger, on the other side of Cho was a girl only about eight, with the same long silvery blonde hair as Fleur which made Harry believe she was her sister. All around them swum dozens of merpeople, carrying spears, Harry excepted them to stop him as he swam up to Ginny, but they didn't.
Harry grabbed hold of the robes tying Ginny's legs down and gave them a pull, nothing happen, he pulled out his wand and tried to do a spell, but no sound came out. Harry looked around and thought about asking to barrow a merman's spear, but figured they wouldn't let him, so he looked around for something sharp, all he find was a pointy rock laying down on the bottom of the lake, so he picked it up and started rubbing it across the robes, slowly, but surly they started to come undone. Finally after a few minutes Ginny's robes came apart and she floated, unconscious, a few inches above the lake bottom, drifting a little in the ebb of the water.
Harry looked around, but there was no sign of the other champions, fearing Cody would be mad at him if he just left Hermione down here and hs couldn't just live the others behind, he felt he had to help them too, after waiting a few seconds Harry turned to Hermione's binding and started hacking away at them too-
At once several pairs of strong gray hands seized him. Half a dozen merpeople pulled him away from Hermione, and was shaking their green-haired heads.
"You take only your hostage." one told him, "you leave the others."
Harry wanted to tell them his brother would kill him if he left Hermione tied to the bottom of the lake, but only bubbles came out. But then Cedric came swimming up.
"Got lost." He told Harry. " Fleur and Krum are coming now." Harry felt relived as he watch Cedric pull out a knife and cut Cho's ropes free and grabbed her hand and swam toward to top of the lake. Harry waited and just a few seconds later Krum came up his top half transfigured into a shark, Harry winced watching as he took the long sharp shark teeth and chewed away at Hermione's binds, he was sure Krum would end up chewing off Hermione's legs, but he didn't as the ropes broke and Hermione flouted up like Ginny had, Krum swum away grabbing hold of Hermione's arm.
Harry waited and waited but Fleur never showed up and time was running out; Harry needed to get to the top, he needed to get Ginny out of here. But he couldn't just leave the little girl either, she was not much younger than Teddy's sister. So not caring what the merpeople thought Harry turned to the little silvery hair girl and began to hack away at her binds, and like before, dozens of hands seized him and pulled him away. Harry pulled out his wand and the merpeople's yellow eye grew wide with fear.
"Get out of the way" Harry tried to say, but only bubbles came out, but the merpeople guessed at the meaning. "You've got untill three." Harry said, holding up three fingers, "One." He said and put one finger down. "Two," he put the second finger down and the merpeople scattered. Harry began to hack away of the little girl's binds, and finally they came loose. Harry grabbed her around the waist, then grabbed hold of Ginny's waist and then kicked off from the bottom. He tried to go as fast as he could, but the affects of the gillyweed had worn off, and Harry had to take a breath, before water filled his lungs, it seemed like an eternity, before his head finally broke the surface of the lake; panting he pulled Ginny and the little girl up with him. All around him, wild green-haired heads were emerging with him, and they were smiling at him.
All around him the crowd cheered, the happiest moment for Harry was when Ginny opened her beautiful sapphire eyes and grinned at him. Then her eyes saw the little girl who's deep blue eyes was looking around confused.
"Harry," Ginny rolled her eyes. "What did you do?"
"Fleur never showed up." Harry said. "I couldn't just leave her." Ginny opened her mouth to say something, but then shook her head with a smile.
"Harry, did you really think Dumbeldore would let any of us drown?" Ginny asked. Now that she asked, he felt stupid. "Don't worry about it." She kissed his cheek. "Just shows how sweet you are." She swam over to the girl. "Come on, sweetie, it's okay, this way." And Ginny began to help the girl swim toward the bank.
Harry swum toward the bank along with Ginny, Percy Weasley and Harry's two brothers came running over to meet them, Percy ignore the little girl all together as he grabbed hold of Ginny's arms and pulled her up out of the water. Jesse helped the little girl though as Cody pulled Harry up on the bank. Now that he was out of the water Harry could feel just how cold it was, him, Ginny and the girl stood their shivering. Harry looked between his brother's.
"I want to know whose bloody idea was it to take Ginny and tie her up in the bottom of the lake." He demanded. "Anything could have happened to her." Jesse and Cody's eyes widen for a moment.
"Harry, calm down." Jesse said. "Nothing happened to her."
"It could have." Harry said. "What if I hadn't made it to her on time."
"But you did." Cody said.
"But what if she had gotten hurt." Harry demanded. "I want to know who thought it a brilliant idea to take my girlfriend a hostage, if I find out who is was I'm going..."
"Harry, you can't threaten he judges." Jesse said. "Just calm down before you end up getting yourself disqualified."
"Do you think I give a damn." Harry asked.
"I'm fine, Percy." Harry heard Ginny snapped. "You can live me alone." She got loose of her older brother and went over to Harry and took his hand.
"Look, I'm fine okay." Ginny said, before she giggled. Harry raised his eyebrow up at her.
"And what do you think is so funny?" He demanded.
"I only agreed to be your hostage because I knew you would flip out like this." Ginny explained. Harry's eyebrow went farther up. "I thought it would be funny to see you flip out over me." Harry rolled his eyes as his anger faded away. Jesse looked between the two of them.
"You two have got to be the weirdest couple." He said.
"Thank you." Harry and Ginny said at the same time, before they both burst out laughing.
They were led over to the other hostages and champions, where Madam Ponfrey stood fussing over them. All of thim was wrapped in thick blankets.
"Come here, you." Madam Pomfrey said. She seized Harry and pulled him over to the others, and wrapped him in a thick blanket, she also wrapped Ginny and the little girl in one.
"Gabrielle!" Fleur cried running to the little girl, Harry watched her hug the little girl. Ginny sat down next to Harry. He saw even though she was wrapped in the thick blanket she was still shivering pretty bad. So Harry took his off and wrapped it around her shoulders too. Ginny looked at him and grinned. She then wrapped her arms around Harry's arm and laid her head on his shoulder.
Fleur came over with her sister. "You saved her, even though she wasn't yours to save." She bent down and hugged Harry and kissed either side of his cheeks. Harry felt his face turn red along with Ginny's nails now digging in his arm as Fleur walked away with her sister.
"Gin, you can stop digging your nails in my arm." Harry said, as he shivered. "You know I'm yours, you have nothing to be jealous about."
"I'm not jealous." She denied, but still let go. Harry felt something drop over his shoulders and looked behind him to see his godfather Sirius had wrapped his leather jacket around him, he looked down at Harry with a grin and a wink.
"Nice tattoo." He whispered. Harry grinned at him, just remembering the griffin tattoo that was on his back. He should have left a shirt on when he jumped in the lake. He helped Jesse didn't see it. He didn't know how he would react to Harry having a tattoo.
Cody and Jesse stood on either side of him, watching the judges whispering about something. Teddy and Rigel was now in front of them, Teddy had sat down on the ground but Rigel stayed standing.
"I wish they would hurry." Ginny complained. "I would like to get out of these wet clothes." Harry slipped his fingers through her.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our decision." Bagman shouted.
"About time." Ginny grumbled.
"Merchieftainess Murcus has told us exactly what happen at the bottom of the lake." Bagman went on. "And therefore decided to award marks out of fifty for each champion that followes...
"Fleur Delacour, though she demonstrated excellent use of the Bubble-Head charm, she was attacked by grindlylows and failed to retrieve her hostage. We award her twenty-five points." everyone clapped or cheered.
"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." The Hufflepuffs cheered, and Harry looked over at Cedric to see Cho giving him a kiss, all the while her eyes glanced toward Harry, as if to see his reaction to it. Harry just rolled his eyes and looked away.
"Therefore," Bagman was saying. "We award him forty-seven points." Harry's heart snake if Cedric was out of the time limit he sure was.
"Victor Krum used an incomplete form of transfiguration, which was nevertheless effective, and was second to return with his hostage. We award him forty points." Harry looked over at Krum he showed no emotion at all to his points as he stood off to the side talking to Hermione. Harry glanced behind him to see Cody glaring over at them.
"Harry Potter used gillyweed to great effect," Bagman continued. "He returned last, and well out of the time limit of an hour. However Merchieftainess informs us that 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." Ginny smiled and gave his hand a squeeze. Cody grinned and patted Harry on the shoulder, and Rigel rolled his eyes.
"Most of the judges," and here Bagman gave Karkaroff a very nasty look. " feel that this shows moral fiber and merits full marks. How ever... Mr. Potter's score is forty-five points."
Everyone started to cheer, and Sirius bent down and whispered in Harry's ear. "Whoever put your name in the goblet is probably kicking themselves right now." Jesse and Cody both hugged Harry squeezing him so hard he could barely breath. Teddy was shaken his head with a smile.
"Moral fiber my..." He started to say.
"Teddy." Tonks had popped up out of nowhere and gave her son a stern look. He just smiled and waved at her. She then patted Harry on the back. Harry saw Krum trying to talk to Hermione, but she was too busy cheering him on to listen.
"I have just one more thing to say, then you all can go do as you please." Bagman called over the crowd. He waited into they crowd was silent. "Okay, the third and last task will take place at dusk on the twenty-fourth of June, the champions will be notified of what is coming precisely one mouth before hand. Thank you all for the support of the champions."
Harry breathed a sign of relief as his brothers and godfather stood him up, he didn't have to worry about another task to June and he had just got past another one. He slipped his arms through Sirius's jacket sleeves, then grabbed Ginny's hand as he was led toward the castle to change into warm and dry clothes. The two thoughts on his mind was, he'll have a lot of time to spend with Ginny and that maybe he could win this tournament after all.
A.N. There is was the second task, hope it was good.