Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. Reviews are Welcomed, Flames are not. Sorry for the long delay. Enjoy. --GF and The Frau
Chapter 31: Water Sports?
The rest of the dance went smoothly. The Weird Sisters were a hit as usual, however, many were still talking about the unusual music played by the Hooligans. Many of the half-bloods and muggle-borns had to explain some of the songs to their peers.
After they had put away their instruments, Harry and his brothers joined the other students on the dance floor. None of the boys lacked dancing partners.
Meanwhile, Albus Dumbledore stood in the shadows stroking his beard in contemplation as high in the rafters, a grey barn owl watched over all.
0o0o0o0
To many of the students, the Yule Ball had been a big hit. Harry and his brothers were the topic of conversation for a long time. Some hadn't realized that the Boy-Who-Lived had been adopted or that he had brothers.
Christmas gave way to the New Year and the New Year gave way to the new school term. The students' focus turned to their studies and the Second Task, which was scheduled in February.
It took Harry just one examination of the egg to identify the language that blasted out of it. Since he was a student of languages, he recognized mer-tongue when he heard it. He didn't know much, but he knew enough to figure out that the task had something to do with the lake. He dreaded the idea. Ever since he broke his legs in that stunt diving when he was a kid, he was terrified of deep water.
'Well,' he thought, 'there was nothing I can do about until it 's time, so why worry about it? Maybe I should talk to Professor Flitwick? Merlin knows McGonagall would be no help!'
The day before the Task he overheard Moody and McGonagall talking about the properties of gilly-weed. 'Well, that cinches that,' Harry thought, rolling his eyes as he headed for class. 'They couldn't be less obvious if they tried. Wizards just don't do subtle.'
The night before the Second Task, Harry noticed Hermione was missing. She'd been missing all day and it wasn't like her to skip classes. And her's wasn't the only absence he had noticed.
He'd been expecting a visit from his brothers. After the Yule Ball, they had expressed a desire to see him perform in the Second Task and even gone so far as getting permission from their father to attend. However, neither Garrod or Jarrod showed up that night.
When he asked a goblin to check with his mother, Harry received a note back that the boys weren't home either. It wasn't like them as Father was strict on letting him know where they were at all times.
Harry frowned. When he checked with the house elves, they seemed nervous, avoiding his gaze and slipping away as soon as they could, even Dobby was a bit vague. A clear sign that the Headmaster was involved.
When Harry queried his little goblin friends, they informed him that the princes were 'sleeping' and were unharmed but they couldn't get to them as the room had no shadows for them to hide in. They must go and tell His Majesty about this and hope He wouldn't kick them.
Harry closed his eyes to calm himself. "O wretched fool, that lov'st to make thine honesty a vice!" he whispered into the night. "If you have done what I think you have and used one of my brothers . . . You don't know what forces you are toying with!"
Harry knew his father would, and could, level Hogwarts and nothing any wizard could do would stop him. Harry shuddered. He doubted even Magic itself could stop the Goblin King's wrath if harm came to one of his sons.
0o0o0o0
The day started out bright and chilly as everyone gathered in the stands around the lake.
Harry stood with the rest of the champions waiting for their Task to begin. A sinking feeling weighted his stomach as he peered into the deep, dark water before him. A cold shiver ran up his spine. He couldn't do this! Each champion had a professor standing nearby for support. Harry had asked Professor Flitwick to stand by him much to McGonagall's chagrin.
"You are to retrieve someone precious to each of you," Bagman announced. "you will find them chained at the bottom of the lake and you have only one hour to find them and get them out safely."
Harry's eyes widened. They didn't! They couldn't! Oh Danu! Oh Merlin! The fools! He started to swear in gobbledygook.
"Mr. Potter!" Filius Flitwick scolded sternly. "Now isn't the time for such language!"
Harry turned to the diminutive professor, his eyes glowing. Still speaking in the language of the goblins he said, "They used a son of the Goblin King in this task and I can't swim! There is no way I could manage this task without getting both of us drowned. "
Turning to the judges, Harry quoted solemnly in English, "O, what men dare do! What men may do! What men daily do, not knowing what they do!"
The small professor's eyes widened as his skin paled. He started to swear as well as he ran to Dumbledore and the Task committee.
"Albus!" Filius shouted. "What in the seven hells were you thinking? You used a non-student for this task! And without parental permission. You've doomed us all!"
Dumbledore turned to his frantic professor and smiled, his eyes twinkling merrily. "Oh my dear Filius, why do you say that? All Harry has to do is enter the lake and retrieve his brother and no harm will come to either of them. I have great confidence in the boy."
"That's just it, Albus," Filius sputtered. "Harry can't swim! He has a deep fear of water. He told me himself in our talks. He had a swimming accident as a child and almost died. He is deathly afraid of deep water."
Albus' eyes stopped twinkling. "Then Harry. . . "
"Isn't going to go into the lake," Filius snarled at his employer, "even to save the life of his brother. It would serve no purpose if both of them died. Now, do you have parental consent or not?"
Albus looked sheepish. Filius swore again in gobbledygook, then switched back to English. "Albus, you fool! You better pray to whatever deities you hold sacred that nothing, and I mean nothing, happens to that child or you will have wakened the fury of forces that are best left undisturbed."
"But the child is a muggle! There was no need to get consent," Bagman interjected, with a sneer. "Muggles have no say in our world."
Before Filius could protest further, a grey owl screeched in rage overhead before it dove into the lake. Everyone stared in shock. Owls do not dive into water! Harry pressed close to Filius, shivering and muttering in gobbledygook so low that not even Filius could understand him. All the tiny professor could do was comfort the boy and pray that the Goblin King's wrath was focused on those that were responsible rather than everyone here.
A few minutes later a large spray of water shot upward like a geyser. The champions, along with their precious cargo, erupted out of the spray, landing on the shore in front of the judges. As soon as the water settled, a very irate merfolk clan chief appeared shaking his trident and screeching at Albus. Few could understand what he was saying, but his actions spoke for themselves.
Madam Pomphrey was going over the champions and their partners checking for injuries. "Albus!" she screeched, when she discovered one was missing. "Where is Mr. Potter's partner? Who did you use?"
0o0o0o0
The night was finally quiet. The students were asleep, but the professors and Task Committee were still frantically searching for the missing boy. Harry was silent on the subject.
Harry's two brothers were never found and when Harry was queried on their disappearance and the owl that dove into the water, all the boy would say was "Father came for them and you better pray that mother manages to calm him down. Personally, I'd rather play patty cake with Voldyshorts than be in the Headmaster's shoes right now."
Undaunted, Albus and the judges finally managed to calm everyone's fears. The Task was deemed a draw and would not be rescheduled. No points were awarded or subtracted. No one noticed the grey owl that seemed to hover in the shadows.
0o0o0o0
The next morning, Albus Dumbledore came down to breakfast, looking like he hadn't slept at all.
"Are you alright Albus?" Minerva asked, as she fixed her morning cuppa.
The aged headmaster rubbed his forehead gingerly, flaring his nostrils a bit. "I had a nightmare, that's all." And he had, all night long, he sighed as he reached for a pastry. "It was the same nightmare over and over again. I dreamed I was suspended on a single fraying rope over the vilest, smelliest, the most disgusting bog that could ever be imagined. The rope that held me was breaking, strand by strand, and when it finally broke, and I started to fall, I would jerk awake! The most horrible part of the whole damn thing is I can't get the stench out of my nostrils! Even my lemon drops have a nasty taste to them," he whimpered with a shiver as he took a bite of the pastry, only to gag on the taste. It tasted like the bog of his nightmare smelt.
Filius snickered into his tea cup. The man deserved it. He wondered how long the King deemed sufficient for Albus' stupidity.
0o0o0
I know I mentioned in earlier chapters that Frau and I weren't going to rehash the books but some scenes just demanded their own say. We do try to stay as close to canon as possible but sometimes it just doesn't work! So sue us, wait don't. We don't own anything and are just poor hausfraus that like to dabble in fanfiction.
Sorry it took so long in updating this story but spring and summer took us by surprise. We are back now and hope to be more regular in our postings.
The quotes were from "Othello" Act 3, scene 3 and "Much Ado About Nothing" Act 4 scene 1.
Thanks for the Reviews. Until next time. --GF and The Frau.