Ello there readers! Dr Bayou here with an update! I really hope you enjoy it! I know it's been a while...If any of the know what applying to college is like, that is where 100% of my effort is going right now...ugh! But I'm happy and proud to get this out to you! I hope you enjoy!
It was maddening. It really was. A small 'tink' resonated throughout the library as Harry gave the golden egg a flick. The oval shaped mystery glimmered softly in the sunlight as an icy breeze swept across Hogwarts lake. Harry shifted as he sat on the edge of the boat dock and set the egg in his lap to more closely examine it.
He had come down to the boat house almost two hours ago in an effort to attain some peace and quiet. The Second task was still weeks away, but Daphne had urged him to try and figure out now. He had almost gotten away with putting it off, but Hermione had jumped right on his case as well. He grumbled slightly.
While he was both relieved and overjoyed that Hermione and Daphne got along well, he had begun to think it might be a little too well for his own personal well being. The two had rounded on him, told him to quit procrastinating and that he was forbidden from returning to the castle until he had figured it out. Hermione had even confiscated his Marauder's Map and Invisibility cloak for good measure.
Agitated and cold, Harry had stormed out for the dock house, golden egg in hand. Two hours later, little progress had been made. He had discovered the egg opened. However, every time he did the most horrific screeching sound rang out. Harry frowned and rubbed his still ringing ear drum.
What would it take to crack this damn thing?
Harry sighed and slumped back against the pier and let out a weathered sigh. He tried to silently think of what to do, but the squawking of birds out over the lake proved the foil to his attempts.
Lazily, he sat up and watched the rats with wings as they dove headlong into the water after fish.
Splash.
Harry's eyes widened and a wicked grin grew over his face. Picking up his wand and walking over towards the shore, he whipped out his wand.
"Wingardium Leviosa." he proclaimed, leveling his wand at the egg. The golden oval slowly lifted off the ground, hovering at Harry's wand level.
He wasn't exactly sure how this would help him solve the puzzle, but watching the birds dive from dozens of meters up had inspired him.
Harry flicked his wand upward and the golden egg soared into the air, hovering mysteriously. Then Harry flicked his wand with a confident smirk. The spell, broken by the motion, released the egg from its magical charm.
Harry's maniacal grin grew as gravity ran its course. Harry found the loud clang the egg made as it hit the sand on the shore immensely stress relieving. That would show the blasted contraption for outsmarting him. His satisfied smirk, however, soon turned to panic.
"No, no! Do not do that! No! Bad egg, Bad Egg!"
Harry had forgotten all shores slope towards the water.
He sprinted after the rolling golden relic as he quickly gained speed, the steep incline forcing it just out of Harry's reach. Harry watched in horror as the egg ramped off a rock and plunged into the icy cold water below.
"Damn it!" he roared, scaring a small flock of birds that had been curiously watching the scene.
"Accio, Egg." he heaved, slightly winded from his sprint. The egg, however, never re-appeared.
"Accio, Golden Egg. Accio clue." he huffed, trying any variation he could think of before giving a loud, exasperated cry and collapsed on the rock by the shore. Realization dawned on him that accio would prove to be entirely worthless, the eggs had anti-summoning charms still on them from the first task.
Well just bloody perfect. At least no one was around to see him make an ars-
"Are you alright, Harry?" came a dreary voice to his left. Cursing his luck, Harry turned to his left to see a smiling blond haired girl looking at him. She looked a year younger than Harry, and the blue in her robes identified her as a Ravenclaw. Harry also noted she had the most peculiar earrings.
"Yea, I'm fine. I'm sorry, I don't think we've met before. Who are you?" he asked, slowly recovering from his earlier exertion. The girl have a lopsided-dreary smile.
"I'm Luna. Luna Lovegood. I heard a commotion over here and I thought a Nargal might have gotten you?"
"A what?"
"A Nargal. Their very territorial. I'm so relieved that you're safe, the spell I know to remove them might have taken off all of your hair." she slowly replied. Harry blinked. He had been expecting a pretty far out explanation, but...wow.
The girl seemed oblivious to Harry's confusion and walked towards the water.
"The egg went down here you know, You're going to want to go after it. The merpeople might take it away if you don't soon." she noted. Harry rolled his eyes.
"Yes, yes I realize I'm going to have to go and- Wait." Harry paused as he replayed what the girl had just said in his mind. "Merpeople?"
Luna nodded, "Oh yes, the Merpeople hate it when their gifts are returned." Harry slowly walked over to the girl and gazed into the water.
"That egg was a gift?" he asked, dazed. Luna sat down on the edge of the rock and began swaying he feet over the water.
"Why of course, the Headmaster wouldn't have stolen one of Merpeople's message carriers, they abhor thieves." she responded. Harry looked baffled.
"That thing was a message carrier? When ever I opened, I only heard screeching!" he cried, absently scratching his ear as the memories of the sonic assault returned to him. Luna giggled softly at him and patted the seat next to him, beckoning him to sit.
"Well of course it did, silly. You can't speak Mermish outside of water. I'm sure it sounded dreadful!" she whimsically replied.
"Mermish? So that was in another language?" Harry asked. Luna nodded in affirmative.
"It's a rather beautiful language, I'm told. They do love music."
Harry stared into the icy blue water below him.
"So I should listen to it underwater, and I'll understand it?" he asked, noticing a small glimmer of gold deep beneath the surface. Luna smiled.
"Might I join you so I can hear it? She asked. Harry tilted his head to the side, surprised by the request. Thinking it over, he shrugged. If she was right, then she had just as much right to hear the message as he did.
"Sure, I've just got to figure out how to get it. I don't exactly- What are you doing?" Harry scrabbled away from the girl as she proceed to remove he jacket, shirt, and skirt until she was left in nothing but a sports bra and gym shorts. She looked at him quizzically.
"Is something wrong?" she asked lazily looking at him.
"Is something wrong? Why did you take off all your clothes?" Harry exclaimed.
"Well I'm most certainly not going to get my school clothes soaked." was her curt response as if it was the most simple answer in the world. Though still disturbed by the notion of a third year he had known for less than thirty minutes stripping in front of him, Harry agreed.
Robes didn't dry well.
Stripping to his shorts, he shivered against the mid-January chill. Luna squinted slightly at him.
"Do you not have a heating charm on you?" she asked. Harry blinked as he wrapped his arms around himself in an effort to conceal heat.
"A what?" he shivered. Luna giggled to herself and pulled out her wand.
"Insularia" she quietly said, weaving a simple pattern with her wand. Instantly, Harry felt a soothing warmth flood his body. He held his hand out in awe as a particularly icy gust whipped past but failed to cause even the slightest chilling sensation.
"Luna...you have got to teach me this." he slowly said, amazed. Luna smiled dreamily, but didn't respond. Turning back to the water. Harry took a deep breath. Nodding in Luna's direction, Harry jumped off the rock and into the icy water below.
Daphne slowly turned the page in her potions book, a look of boredom plastered to her face. A loud thud brought her attention up to find Neville Longbottom dropping a rather large stack of books on the library table. Daphne raised an eyebrow at the multiple tomes and turned to Hermione. Said girl was buried in a massive book, obstructing the entirety of her facial features from the world.
"Hermione." Daphne began. Quickly, a small bushy brown hair of hair burst up from the book.
"Hmm?" was the half-interested reply.
"How long ago did we send Harry outside?" Daphne asked, glancing at the sun which had begun its decent into the horizon. Hermione never looked up, but took a moment to think.
"Hmm, probably around three hours ago. Why?"
Daphne slowly shut the book she had been reading and sighed.
"He still hasn't come back. I'd be lying if I didn't say I'm slightly worried he might have done something stupid." she explained. Hermione finally looked up from her book and gave the thought serious consideration.
"That," she began as she slowly nodded in agreement, "Is probably a good idea, let's go check on him. Neville, put these up please." she finished, flicking a book towards Neville. The poor boy, however, had just finally managed to heft all of the other books he had dragged out. The unexpected addition threw off the boys balance, causing the entire stack to crumble to the ground.
"Aw Come on!" he cried as he bent down to start picking them up. Hermione shook her head sympathetically as Daphne laughed to the side. Once they finally had the books put up, the trio left the library for the school ground.
"Wait," Neville asked, "How are we going to find Harry?"
Smiling to herself, Hermione pulled out a small piece of paper and began to unravel it.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
Water rushed around him as Harry slowly opened his eyes. Looking to the left, he found Luna already plunging deeper into the water after the small golden glint they had seen earlier. Diving deeper into the abyss, Harry and Luna quickly reached the egg. Harry reached out for the egg, but gasped as a coiling water serpent emerged from it's nearby cave and latched onto the egg. Harry could see Luna visibly frightened by the creature. Turning back to the serpent, Harry racket his brain for what to do.
"Hasssha Ahsieth, Sha ha!" he hissed, struggling to keep air in his lungs. The serpent rounded on him in a flash. For a moment, Harry could have sworn he had seen the snake bow its head in reverence before slithering off into the deep. As it departed, Harry heard it hiss a response. Shocked, but beginning to run out of oxygen, Harry grabbed the egg and swam to the surface.
When they breached, he noticed Luna staring at him.
"Harry. You're a Parseltongue?" she asked in between breathes. Harry nodded.
"Yea, it just sort of happens. I'm sorry if I scared you I just didn't know another way to get the snake to leave." he said, trying to run damage control. Luna, however, shook her head and quickly returned to her dreamy state.
"No, no it's perfectly fine. What ever did you tell it?"
"Well," Harry said, "I told it I needed the egg, and asked it to please move." he trailed off. Luna noticed he seemed to have more to say.
"Did it respond?" she asked. Harry looked down into the water where the snake had been and nodded.
"Yea," Harry began. "Just as it was swimming away. It said, 'Your servants await your next command, speaker." Harry finished, still trying to understand what was said. Finally, he just shrugged.
"Well I'll worry about that later. Now, let's see if we can get this damn thing to work." he said, hoisting up the egg. Taking a deep breath, the two sank back under the water. Once totally submerged, Harry unlatched the egg, and with a soft click, it opened. Harry stared in wonder as the once unearthly wail became an elegant and beautiful tune.
"Come seek us where our voices sound, We cannot sing above the ground. An hour long you'll have to look, to recover what we took."
After the song was finished, Harry and Luna both swam back to the shore and got out.
"So, I guess that means the Merepeople stole something of mine, and I have to go get it back?" Harry said. Luna nodded.
"Oh I do wish they won't steal any of my Crumple-Horned Snortlax catchers. They are ever so hard to make." she replied. Harry blinked, not entirely sure how to respond to that. Unluckily for him, he didn't have to.
"Out for a swim are we?" came a soft, slightly irritated voice next to him. Harry turned to find Daphne standing there with her arms crossed and a suspicious look on her face. Behind her, Hermione and Neville seemed equally perplexed. Harry, realizing what the scene looked like and remembering he was still in his shorts blushed and scurried to put his robes back on.
"Wait, wait this isn't what it looks like I –"
Daphne silenced him by holding up her hand.
"Did you figure out the egg?" she demanded. Harry nodded.
"Yes, I did. But listen Daphne I –"
"Harry, I believe you. Granted, You do now owe me lunch and dinner at Hogsmeade tomorrow in return for how understanding I'm being right now. Now put your damn clothes on, introduced me to your new..." Daphne paused to give the oblivious blond haired third year a once over. "Friend, and then tell me what you found out." she instructed before walking back onto the shore and sitting on a bench. Harry sighed.
"I like her. She seems nice. Is she your girlfriend, Harry?" Luna asked whimsically. Harry slapped his hand to his forehead.
Why him?
"...And then you lot showed up." he finished. The blank stares he received in response made him shift awkwardly in his seat. After a moment, Daphne gave an exasperated sigh.
"Why can you not do things simply, Harry?" she asked, breaking the tension. Harry gave a chuckled.
"Well because that way isn't as fun." he cheekily responded. Hermione, however, was caught in deep thought.
"Harry, do you realize what that snake told you?" she asked. Harry shrugged.
"I haven't really given it much thought, honestly."
"That snake offered you it's allegiance. This is amazing! You can communicate with a whole group of beings living in the lake! The implications of this are absolutely breathtaking." she cried, jumping up and grabbing Neville by the wrist, dragging the poor boy back to the castle.
"Wha!" he cried. "Hermione, where are we going?" The bushy haired witch just continued her rush towards the castle.
"To the library of course! I have to research this!"
Harry stared at the retreating duo and rolled his eyes. Staring up at the slowly forming storm clouds, he gave a small grin.
"Some things never change."
"Honestly, Potter. I don't understand why we can't just take the normal way." Came the slightly agitated voice of Daphne Greengrass as she followed Harry James Potter through a winding stone passage way. Harry, who's eyes had remained glued to the Maurauder's map, waved his hand dismissively.
"Ah, But Daphne, where's the fun in that?" was his cheeky reply. Daphne's glare pierced into Harry's back.
"There is nothing fun in following a debatable lunatic into a..." Daphne paused for a moment, ducking under a particularly large cobweb. Her eyebrows furrowed in anger.
"Potter. Get me the hell out of here."
Sensing his eminent destruction should he not comply to his irate date's wishes, Harry quickly folded the map and pulled on a archaic black torch. A loud creak echoed throughout the cavern the due had been walking through as a small exit slowly moved from the wall. Shielding his eyes slightly from the incumbent rays of sunlight, Harry gave a cheesy grin.
"And presto! I give you, Hogsmeade!" was his triumphant declaration. Rolling her eyes and shoving into the open alley of the small, winter village, Daphne dusted her jacket off idly.
"Yes...Well at least we're here." she noted, glancing around the bustling town. Behind her, Harry shoved the opening closed and walked up next to Daphne.
"So," he began, turning to the blond. "Where would you like to go?"
Daphne pursed her lips in thought for a moment. It had never honestly occurred to her. She and Harry had been hanging out almost constantly, much to the frustration and confusion of their fellow classmates. This, however, was something fairly new to both of them. Daphne felt an odd sensation as a small smile forced its way onto her lips.
This was their first official date.
Taking a brief moment to relish in the feeling, Daphne tilted her head slightly to the side. She furrowed her brow in concentration as she mentally mapped out their options.
"Well I was thinking we could-" Daphne paused mid-sentence as a loud gurgle rumbled from her stomach.
Harry blinked. Turning towards Daphne, he watched the usually calm and cool girl flush a brilliant crimson Harry had never seen on the girl.
He found he rather liked it.
Chuckling to himself and rubbing his own stomach, he smiled.
"Well! Daphne's stomach has spoken! Food it is! How about the Three Broomsticks, then? Sound good to you?" he asked. Daphne, violently fighting her own blush, nodded and trudged ahead. Harry jumped right behind her, jogging slightly to catch up.
The snow had begun to fall softly from the heavens when Daphne and Harry exited the Three Broomsticks. Stepping outside, however, the two were assaulted by an icy cold gust. Their facial features bearing the brunt of the cold, they quickly darted across the street into the closest shelter, a small sports equipment shop called Mendel's Merchandise.
Quickly calming the the safety of the store, the two took the opportunity to browse around the shop. Like a mouth to a flame, Harry found himself in the Quidditch section looking at the hundred of brands and designs. Daphne, who was an avid skier, had moved towards the store's selection of goggles. Trying on a few in a mirror with a funny face to compliment the image, she stumbled upon what seemed to her to be a scuba mask. Fingering for the tag, she called Harry over.
"Hey Harry, come here." she said. Sensing no-one coming, Daphne craned her neck to scan the store to find the missing boy.
"It's a bird, It's a plane. No! It's Harry Potter!" exclaimed Harry as he jumped in front of Daphne and struck a pose. The blond glanced at the flashing cape that adorned his shoulders and raised a suspicious eyeball. The cape was flickering brightly for other quidditch players, doubtlessly with the intention of distracting them.
"I'm not sure that's legal." she giggled. Harry waived a hang dismissively and grinned wider.
"Nonsense! Harry Potter catches the snitch, distracting the whole other team in the process! And the crowd goes wild! Augh!" he cheered. Daphne rolled her eyes and tossed the goggles into Harry's chest. Startled, the boy fumbled with the goggles, but eventually made the catch.
"What are these?" he asked, glancing at the goggles.
"They're wizard swimming goggles." she said, pointing towards the tag.
"Hmm." Harry began, reading the disclaimer. "Sorcery Scuba Goggles, the best wizarding goggles on the market. With built in air purification charms and anti-fogging wards, Sorcery Scuba Goggles are a must for any witch or wizard with a nautical fancy. Be sure to try all our scuba products." he mumbled. Daphne rolled her eyes.
"Well at least you can read." She droned. Harry stuck his tongue out at her which earned him a hearty punch on the shoulder. Harry looked thoughtful for a moment.
"These might actually be pretty useful. I wonder if they sell flippers too." he mused. Both teenagers heard a shuffle behind them.
"Actually, we do! And if you buy both I'll take 15% off, just for your young man." came a voice from behind the two. Turning to face the newcomer, Harry idly wondered if he had ever seen a stereo-type more fulfilled.
The man's plump figure barely squeezed in between the aisles, his cheap, polyester suit stretched to its limits. A plump finger rolled through his greasy black hair as a Cheshire grin spread on his face. He held out his hand to Harry.
"Vincent Claude, at your service."
Harry smiled politely.
"Harry Potter, charmed."
Daphne watched in amusement as the man's eyes widened and his handshake became so vigorous, Harry found himself being shaken.
"Ah Mr Potter! What an honor! How can I assist you today?" the man eagerly asked. Harry, recovering from the handshake, steadied himself and replied.
"Er- Yes. Well, I'm in need of some gear for some...Well scuba diving, I suppose?" he asked, looking at Daphne for confirmation. The girl nodded in agreement.
Vincent scrunched his large eyebrows in concentration.
"Well," he began, "You've got the goggles...Now what else went with that set?" he quietly muttered to himself. Revelation shot through his eyes and he snapped.
"Ah yes! One moment!" he declared before retreating into the storage room. Harry and Daphne simultaneously raised a curious eyebrow at the actions. A few moments later, Vincent returned with a matching set of flippers to go with the mask.
"This is our scuba set! Top of the line!" Vincent praised. Harry raised an eyebrow.
"Well what does it do?" he asked. Vincent eyes lit up, and Daphne held a giggle to herself as she watched the man enter sales pitch mode as he held up the goggles.
"Well, these beauties will keep breathing like a mermaid in any brine! Triple sealed to ensure a tight air tight mask with anti-water charms lining the outside to ensure no leakage. Also fitted with anti-fog charms and anti-pressure for no additional charge!" the man spewed before hoisting up the flippers.
"And these lovely bits will keep you faster than a marlin in any water! Fitted with acceleration runes and enhanced-mobility charms, I can guarantee you'll out swim any fish!"
Harry looked, mesmerized by the merchandise. This was exactly what he needed for the task. His eyes narrowed slightly as he gave it more thought.
Something as extravagant as this was likely to have a price tag to match.
"How much is it?"
The smile on Vincent's face didn't falter, and Harry idly mused on the notion it got slightly more sinister.
"Thirty-Seven Galleons for the set."
Harry whistled. "That's mighty steep."
"This is an incredible deal, I assure you! You simply won't find a better value anywhere." Vincent added. Harry chewed on his tongue for a moment, mulling the deal over. Slowly, he began to reach for his wallet –
Harry gasped as he felt a swift kick to his shin.
"Ow!" he cried out. Vincent blinked owlishly.
"I'm sorry?" he asked. Harry grumbled and shot a glare at the source of his pain only to find the blond innocently turning back towards Vincent without skipping a beat.
"Thirty-seven Galleons is a mighty steep price." she tersely added to the conversation. Vincent's smile receded the slightest bit.
"Oh Madame, I would challenge any Brit to find a better deal anywhere else"
Daphne raised an eyebrow. "Is Harry Potter 'any Brit'?" Vincent shrugged.
"Well No but then again it really-"
"Would you really want Harry Potter to think your shop is over-priced? Surely that wouldn't be good for business."
"Now see here! I would never, ever insinuate that!"
"Twenty Galleons." Daphne replied. Vincent gawked.
"Twenty Galleons! That's nothing short of highway robbery!" he declared. Daphne shrugged and tugged on Harry's arm.
"Well, alrighty then. Have it you're way. Come along, Mr. Potter. I'm sure we could find a store your willing to provide free publicity too. I mean you are the Harry Potter." Harry's eyes were wide as saucers and he was turned around by the small girl and led towards the door. They had almost reached the handle when...
"Wait!" Vincent cried. Daphne and Harry turned around.
"Yes?" Daphne asked innocently. Vincent sighed and held his head in his hands.
"Let's...We can work something out..." he slowly replied. Harry watched as a smile spread across Daphne's lips and he couldn't decide whether he was intimidated or incredibly attracted to her.
It was probably both.
The icy cold air chilled the duo the moment they stepped out the door. Harry clenched his gloved hand over his bag and slung it over his back.
"Well, that went well!" he cheerfully declared. Daphne rolled her eyes but nodded in agreement. Leaving the store, they continued to stroll aimlessly down the lane, perusing in different shops and stall and generally passing the day away.
The sun had begun it's decent into the horizon when a blinding flash left both teens seeing stars.
"Hi Harry!" came the slightly squeaky voice of Collin Creevy from behind the camera. Harry rubbed his eyes and gave a strained smile.
"Err, hey Collin. Did you need something?" he quickly asked. The small boy, flustered at the bluntness of the response stuttered.
"I uh, I mean, she-" he attempted before sighing. Closing his eyes and inwardly bracing himself, he turned his body towards Daphne.
"Professor McGonnagall needs to see you right away."
Daphne blinked in confusion.
"Did she say why?"
Collin opened his mouth to respond, but finding the gaze of the two older teens resting heavily on his shoulders, he found the pressure too much and just shook his head in a 'no' before waving his goodbye and scampering off. Daphne watched the poor boy retreat down the lane with amusement.
"Friend of yours, Potter?" she giggled. Harry rolled his eyes.
"He's a nice kid, he's just...well a little bonkers." he joked before turning to face her. "So you think you need to get back to the castle?"
Daphne shrugged, "I probably should. I can't imagine any reason for her to call me if it wasn't important." Harry felt a sinking feeling in his chest at her response. Daphne noticed and smiled.
"Why are you looking so down, Potter? I'm certainly not going to walk all the way back up to the castle by myself." she said, latching onto his free arm. The grin that exploded onto Harry's face was instantaneous at her contact.
"Well then Mrs Greengrass" he loudly declared, bowing slightly, "Shall we?"
He couldn't tell if he saw the icy wind on her cheeks or the smallest blush form when she nodded in affirmative.
He chose to think it was a blush.
"Who" Harry growled in between shivers, "the hell thought it would be a good idea to go swimming in the middle of the freaking winter?"
Next to him, Neville Longbottom shrugged from inside his winter coat.
"Why don't you use that warming charm Luna showed you?" he asked. Harry grumbled under his breath in a sour way.
"Champions can't use magic until the trial begins." he scowled, shooting a piercing glare at the judges of the tournament who stood on their special heat charmed platform looking quite comfortable. Tearing his eyes from the, Harry looked around.
"Nev? Where's Daphne? Or Hermione for that matter?" he asked, slightly saddened by the absence of the two. Neville shrugged again.
"No idea, mate. I know Professor McGonnagall called Hermione to her office earlier today, I haven't seen her since breakfast. Come to think of it, that's the last time I saw Daphne too." he droned off as both he and Harry thought where their friends could possibly be.
Their train of thought, however, was cut short by the booming voice of Albus Dumbledore.
"Good morning friends! And welcome to the Second Task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament." he declared, pausing for the crowd to give a rousing cheer. Waving a hand to quiet the masses, Dumbledore continued.
"Yes, yes. We are in for quite the treat today, ladies and gentlemen. Our brave champions have had something precious taken from them this morning. Their task is to dive into the murky deeps to recover what was lost! Champions will have only one hour to find what was taken from them!" he boomed and the crowded gasped in awe at the challenge. Cutting off his spell, Dumbledore turned quietly to the champions.
"Well, champions, your task has been laid out before you. At the bottom of this lake, you will find what you seek." he said with a twinkle in his eye. "But make haste! You have but one hour."
Harry, however, was hung up on one small detail.
"Wait, Professor...this "thing" that was taken from us. It isn't a person, is it?" he tentatively asked. The other champions, eyes widening as they too connected the dots, stared at the judges in disbelief. Dumbledore, much to his credit, didn't budge. He simply pushed his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose and rose to his full height.
"You have one hour, are you prepared?"
"What the hell! There are people down there? That's kidnapping!" came the scandalized voice of Cedric Diggory.
"Surely," Fluer cried, noting the absence of her sister. "'Zis cannot be legal!"
Ludo Bagman, who had until now remained silent, stepped forward.
"Your consent was in your application to the Goblet of Fire," he droned in a nasally voice, taking an extra glance at Harry. "Now, the start approaches, please advance to the starting platform."
In a flash, Harry turned on his heel and stormed to the platform with a panicked rush quickly followed by the other three.
"Dis ist criminal." came the gruff voice of Victor as the four stood on the starting platform. Cedric nodded.
"I don't even understand how this is ethically O.K. What if something happened to them?" he added. Harry shook his head and began to put his flippers on.
"We'll just have to get there before anything happens." was his final response. The champions nodded in agreement, determination solidifying in their composure. From the main platform, the voice of Dumbledore rang out.
"And our champions are now ready! We wish them luck, and may their magic be strong and their nerves like steel!" he cried out over the roar of the crowd. Harry brought his scuba mask over his mouth slowly, the background starting to fade out as his focus narrowed.
"Begin at the bell, champions! Three!"
Victor pointed his wand at his face as did Fluer and Cedric, obviously planning to cast a spell.
"Two!"
Adrenaline began to build in Harry's veins, the countdown fading amidst the boom of his own heartbeat.
"One!"
All four champions crouched as they prepared for their jump. Cedric looked over at Harry and gave a nod. Harry reciprocated.
"Begin!"
Splash!
Harry squinted in pain as he dove deep into the icy water. As quick as he could, he brought out his wand and cast the warming charm on himself. He gave a shudder of relief as the cold slowly gave way to glowing warmth. Scanning around the murky depths, Harry cautiously took his first breath through his breathing apparatus. Finding oxygen flowing normally, he allowed his muscles to relax.
Satisfied by his ability to continue breathing, Harry checked down at his flippers. Tentatively, he gave a small kick in the water. The rush of water that he passed through caused him to gasp. With just one flip, Harry quickly found himself over ten feet from where he had just been. Grinning wildly, Harry slammed his legs together and began kicking. Like a bullet, he shot out through the water, doing a few loops to show off to himself.
After a fully adjusting to his new found mobility, Harry settled back on his task. Looking around the briny deep, he spotted he spotted a large chasm. Without a moments hesitation, he surged forward towards the space. After a couple minute of searching, he reached a small cliff. Settling softly on the edge, Harry gasped as he looked over the side.
Seaweed, long and slimy, wriggled slowly in the deep water currents. Buried in the forest of kelp, Harry spotted four figures anchored by a long strand of rope to the rocky bottom. Swimming closer, the details of the figure became clear. Hermione, Cho Chang, Gabrielle Delacour, and Daphne Greengrass floated in a state of suspended animation. Harry swam closer towards Daphne and waved his hand in front of her face, but the blonde made no sign she noticed.
A rush of water alerted Harry to the arrival of Cedric and Fleur, enshrouded in their bubble-head charm. For a moment, Harry's heartbeat quickened as he noticed rows of razor sharp teeth and a fin behind the other two champions. As the would be jaws turned slightly, however, Harry sighed in relief when he realized it was the partial transfigured face of Victor Krum. As the four huddled around the bodies, Cedric pulled out his wand and pointed it at the rope that anchored Cho, prompting the other champions to do the same. A simultaneous blast from each wand severed the rope, and the bodies slowly began to rise to the surface.
Fleur looked at the other champions, confused by the simplicity of the task. Next to her, Victor and Cedric seemed to share the same sentiment. Shrugging, not willing to argue with providence, Harry simply pointed up and began his ascension. He had made it almost twenty meters from the sea bed when his blood ran cold as an ear-splitting screech echoed through the water. Whipping around, Harry gasped.
A massive, pinkish tentacle had shot out from the seaweed, twisting silently through the water and wrapping tightly around Fleur's foot. Victor pulled out his wand and turned to blast the tentacle away, but before he could get the spell off, a second massive tentacle shot through the water and slammed into the Bulgarian, knocking him violently into the sea bed..
Harry bolted in the water for Fleur to try and free her from the monster's grasp, but, before he could, a bundle of four tentacles shot out to intercept him. Turning hard to the right, Harry pulled out his wand and shot two stunning charms. The first one struck a tentacle, freezing it in it's tracks. The second grazed the creature's skin, but shot off into the abyss. Harry's mind raced.
Stunners wouldn't be enough to stop this beast. He saw Cedric, struggling blindly against a lash of tentacles. Krum lay motionless, knocked unconscious by the impact of the tentacle. Fleur's struggling had been slowing, the constricting tentacles ripping the life from her. Harry's breath was ragged as his mind raced. He couldn't die, not here. Not now.
Another snake-like tentacle wrapped its way towards Krum's unconscious body as six more lashed around Cedric, fully restraining him. Harry shot three severing charms in a flurry. Two of the charms raced into the dark abyss, but the third found its mark. The neon yellow energy crashed into a rouge tentacle and the water lurched with the agonizing wails of the creature. Before Harry could react, a tentacle wrapped around his torso and wildly flailed in the water. Harry's vision began to blur as the violent shaking began to force him into unconsciousness. Gasping, Harry felt his face mask rip from his head and Harry struggled to hold his breath. His mind raced blindly as he clenched his eyes closed in an attempt to save his breath.
The world was slowly going out of focus. The black water, still comfortably warm thanks to Luna's charm, coiled tighter around him than the tentacles did.
Coiled like a snake.
Snakes.
As conscious slowly began to slip away from him, Harry's eyes opened wide in realization. Then, Harry began to hiss. The creature froze as if it understood the call. It's tentacles loosened around Harry and the other champions, but it was too late. Out of the abyss a massive black rocket slammed violently into the squid. A screech bellowed through the depths as a massive black mass constricted itself around the squid's head. From squinted eyes, Harry saw a massive set of fangs plunge into the squid's fleshy body.
All of a sudden, Harry's hand clasped around his mask, which had long since sunk to the bottom. Looking down, he found a small, yellow sea snake had swam it up to him. Quickly putting the mask back on, Harry's lungs heaved a sigh of relief as oxygen once again flooded back into them. Regaining his senses with each breath, Harry turned to find the massive squid squirming it's last, a black, scary body squeezing the life from it. Harry heard a sickening crunch, the squids beak cracking, and watched in awe as the black serpent released the corpse and let it sink down into the abyss.
Getting a good look at his savior, Harry felt his heart skip a beat. The serpent was of gargantuan size, likely the size of four Night Buses. It's black skin held orange stripes down the side and it's forked tongue danced curiously in between rows of fangs.
"The massssster hass called." it hissed into the depths as it gave a slight bow of its head. Harry, unsure of how to handle the situation, removed his mask to respond.
"I thank you for your help." he hissed. The giant snake tilted its head slightly to the side and flicked its tongue.
"Thank me, Masssster? It iss usss who sshould thank you." it responded, flicking its tail towards where the caracas of the squid has been.
"The beassst wass not ever sssso unprepared for an assssault. But your dissstraction made our victory abssssolute."
Harry blinked. The discovery that such massive creatures were actively having a war right under Hogwart's lake was...unnerving. However, Harry had no time to worry about that. Quickly darting his head around for his fellow champions, Harry felt his heat clench when he couldn't find any of them. The massive serpent seemed to sense his panic and spoke.
"Worry not child." it hissed as it swung its massive body around to reveal the other three champions resting on the creature's back, held secure by other smaller serpents. "Your companionssss are ssssafe. I will take you to the ssurrface."
Harry blinked as he exhaled deeply in relief. Nodding to the serpent, Harry swam over to his head and latched onto his scales.
"Thank you, er...Giant serpent." he hissed. The snake's tongue flickered in what Harry thought was laughter before it responded.
"Lissgant, speaker. My name isss Lisgant. No thanks are necesssaarry massster." it hissed. Harry nodded to himself softly as the beast, no- Lisgant, slowly ascended to the surface.
Above the water, the crowds of onlookers had become worried. Those taken had surfaced perfectly fine almost ten minutes ago. The champions, however, did not.
"Albus...Should we be worried?" Professor McGonnagal whispered. The aged wizard made no response, but instead stared deeper into the flat surface. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a lone bubble pop. Shoving the other judges out of the way, Albus rushed down to the pier as more bubbles began to surface. Daphne, Hermione, Neville, and all those who had been rescued rushed towards the dock to try and see what was going on.
The bubbles grew larger and larger until the crowd erupted into screams as a massive serpent burst from the water and raised almost forty feet in the air. Dumbledore and the other teachers all leveled their wands at the beast and prepared a spell until Daphne Greengrass stepped forward, he eyes brimming with tears and confusion as she noted one gold and red spec on the back of the creature's head.
"Harry?" she cried. The whole crowd gasped at the outburst and looked on as jet black hair of Harry Potter appeared on the creature's back. The serpent lowered it's head and brought it's body up to the level of the pier, allowing a semi-conscious Fluer and Cedric help drag a dazed Victor onto the pier. Harry jumped off the serpent's head and stood by the champions breathing heavily.
"Who..." he wheezed as he tried to help Cedric to his feet. "The HELL put a giant bloody squid in a lake students swim in?"
Wow. Well hey guys! It's been a while! I'm sorry. It actually wasn't writers block! I'm currently in the college application process...and it's stressful. Very stressful...But y'all don't need my excuses! Here's the update! I hope you enjoyed it! As always, Read and Review!
-Dr Bayou