Ninja Wizard IV: Goblet of Fire 09
By David
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry potter. Harry Potter and co belongs to Miss JK Rowling.
Author's Notes: these marks [] indicate Japanese spoken.
Ninja Wizard IV: Goblet of Fire 09
'Second Task'
Nothing had changed over the Christmas Holiday. People still gave him a hard time about cheating to get into the tournament. Harry soon retreated to his flat hidden behind the painting of the samurai Miyamoto. The only time he came out was for his classes and lunch. For the rest of the time he stayed inside his flat. His crew knew where he was and visited him nearly every evening and Harry appreciated it.
"I'm not hiding," Harry said. "Just committed a strategic retreat. I do need to figure out the egg to get the clue out of the thing."
"The others didn't crack theirs?" Neville asked.
Harry sighed. "Nope. That's why we met on Wednesday last week. We also discussed other things as well. Viktor told me that Karkaroff is starting to act weird and he doesn't know why. Sirius did tell me over the holidays that Karkaroff used to be a death eater and to be careful around him. He thinks that Snape hasn't changed either."
"I sometimes wonder if he is even human," Neville said. "He makes me damn nervous with that creeping around the room in potions."
"Dumbledore seems to be settling down now that he's actively doing something," Ginny said.
Harry nodded. "He does, but that doesn't make him any less dangerous. I still think he's up to something but I can't prove it."
"His mind is still infested with the fairy bugs," Luna said and Harry smiled at that as the others laughed.
Harry had learned long ago that Luna's strange talk was a way to deal with stress and she seemed to like it when people laughed at the strange things she said. Harry had convinced her long ago that she wasn't strange, but just saw things a bit differently than most people. Harry's introducing Luna to Neville had been a good thing because it seemed like the both of them got along so very well. Harry hoped they would continue to be friends and maybe become more than just friends. Time would tell.
"I'll be fine," Harry said. "I really do need to crack the egg and get the clue out of it. Just don't know how to do it."
"There's no mention of a golden egg in any of the books I went through in the school library, Harry. Sorry," Hermione said.
Harry leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. "It's okay love. I'll figure it out sooner or later."
Neville decided it was time for a change of subject. "Moody's class on defensive shields was really interesting the other day."
"It was and led me to wonder if it was possible to lay down a shield and have it powered by a rune," Hermione said.
"That would be an interesting project," Harry said and the rest of the evening was spent discussing it.
Cedric bumped into Harry in the charms corridor later in the month of January. Harry looked up as Cedric stumbled against him.
"Oh hi Cedric," Harry said as he managed to steady himself and Cedric. He felt Cedric slip something into his left jeans pocket.
"Oops! Sorry Harry," Cedric apologized. "I seem to be all over the place today."
The onlookers laughed at that as Harry grinned at the joke.
"That's okay Cedric. I have days like that too," Harry said.
Harry helped Cedric pick up his books. "Looks like McGonagall's keeping you busy," Harry indicated the stack of transfiguration books.
"Trying to decide what my end of the year project is to be," Cedric said as he got the wobbling stack of books under control. "Should have used my backpack today."
"Good luck," Harry said and headed into the charms class.
He took a seat halfway back and stuck his hand into the left hand pocket of his jeans to see what it was that Cedric had given him.
"Harry, go check out the prefect's bathroom on the second floor just down the hall from Ravenclaw tower. The pass is pine fresh. Take the egg under the water and open it. You will hear the clue. Viktor discovered it by accident when his egg fell off the dock when he set it down to retrieve something for a fellow Durmstrang student. On a whim he opened the egg and heard the clue. He's already informed Fleur. I told him I would tell you. Cedric," Harry read to himself.
He smiled as Hermione slid into a seat next to him. He showed her the note and Hermione smiled brightly. Unfortunately there wasn't any chance to talk as Flitwick showed up and started the class. Discussion would have to wait for later.
Hermione turned to Harry right after class ended and people were going out the door. She read the note once more and then looked up at Harry.
"Why didn't we think of that?" she demanded.
Harry chuckled. "I really don't know. So now that I know how to get the clue I'm sneaking in there tonight for a swim. I've heard the tub in there is the size of a small pool and it would be nice to soak in a hot tub for a bit."
"Please be careful Harry, especially with Miss Norris and Filch out and about," Hermione said.
Harry nodded. "I will. Those two aren't stopping me from completing my mission."
"Where are you headed next?" Hermione asked.
Harry checked his watch. "I have a few minutes before my next class. Let's go get something hot to drink."
They went down to the great hall and took their usual spot at the end of the Ravenclaw house table. Harry tapped on the table and asked for hot chocolates to drink. People were coming and going as they sipped their hot chocolate.
"I've been thinking, Harry. About a lot of things," Hermione started. "It amazes me how you can be not affected by your lordship title. It hasn't gone to your head like people have been saying it would. You don't seem to be bothered by the fact that you have money. You're not constantly bragging about it or throwing it around. You seem just so… normal."
Harry nodded as hr considered Hermione's words. "I have better things to look after and to be doing, Hermione. Think about Malfoy and then you'll understand why I don't act like that. It's nice to be a lord and have lots of money but they don't mean anything to me if I don't have the most important things in life."
Hermione smiled. "Friends and family."
Harry smiled as he laid his hand on top of hers. "And you. I'm glad to have you in my life. You have accepted me for me and that makes me happy. Other girls would be trying to make a big deal out of being Harry Potter's woman and trying to suck as much money out of me as they can but you've never done that and that makes me happy. I am more than willing to share with you what I have. You make my life good."
Harry wished he could just lean across the table and kiss her but they were in public and the Hogwarts rumor mill would go into overdrive if word of that ever got out. Hermione solved that problem by taking Harry by the hand and leading him out of the great hall to move into the shadow of a statue. There they kissed, and Harry felt like he was floating on top of the clouds. Maybe falling in love was a great thing after all.
Harry sneaked down the hall much later that night towards the prefect bathroom just down the hall from the Ravenclaw tower. He paused in front of the painting and whispered the password to the sleepy mermaid. She yawned and opened the door for Harry and he stepped inside and stopped. The place wasn't just a bathroom, it was a freaking indoor pool room! Harry set down the egg by the side of the small pool as the pool started to fill up. Off to one side was a wall with the stools and hand showers. The room had given Harry a Japanese style bath house to be in. Harry turned to the little bench and set down his towel. He hung up his kimono and pulled off his fundoshi. He took his small bath caddy and went over to a stool and sat down on it. He took his time getting wet first, and then soaping up. He rinsed off and then headed to the pool. He slid into the water and then reached for the egg. He held it as he went under the water. Harry opened the egg, and instead of a screeching sound, he got a soft female voice singing to him. Harry had to dive a few times before he got it memorized. He closed up the egg and set it on the side of the pool. Then Harry spent the next hour of so floating around in the pool on his back and doing slow laps back and forth until the water got cold. He got out of the pool and the water drained out. Harry got dressed once more and collected his bath items and the egg. He slipped back inside his private flat as Miyamoto was watching for him.
"Mission accomplished," Harry reported. "Got the clue."
Miyamoto sighed. "Good. Now write it out and we can try to decipher it tomorrow."
Harry went to his desk and wrote it out. As he looked it over he had the feeling that Hermione would find it very interesting.
Hermione looked it over and then passed it down to the others at lunch the next day. Harry held his opinion until the other had seen it.
"I think it refers to Black Lake," Neville said.
Ginny took a bite of her beef stew and nodded. "Taking the egg under the water in the bath is a huge clue. The second task is going to be under water, and the biggest place is Black Lake. So now Harry needs to prepare himself for diving into Black Lake."
"Harry will be fine," Luna cut in. "He will find what it is he is supposed to be looking for. You do not have to worry, Hermione."
"The time limit is what worries us," Fred spoke up.
"What is it that he has an hour to find?" George asked.
Neville took a bite out of his roast beef sandwich. "An hour? I think I know of something that might help. I remember reading about a special plant in the book Professor Moody gave me at the start of the year. I'll get back to you when I know."
"Thanks Neville. Appreciate that," Harry said.
He returned to his lunch as the others speculated on what it was Harry was supposed to find in the one hour time limit. Harry had no idea either and he was sure he would find out in time. He just needed to be patient. Harry finished his lunch and was leaving the great hall when something ran into him and knocked him down. Harry looked to see who it was and much to his surprise it was Percy Weasley. Harry got to his feet and went to check on Percy. Percy blinked at him and then recognized him.
"Lord Potter," Percy said.
Harry smiled. "Hey Percy, haven't seen you in some time. Let me help you with all of these papers and books."
Harry helped Percy collect everything and followed him into the great hall to the head table. He set them down on the table as Percy set down his pile.
"They really got you snowed under, don't they?" Harry commented.
Percy sighed as he sat down. "Well I'm literally carrying the department now as Mr. Crouch has stopped coming into work. Why I have no idea. But he is on top of things as I send him a daily report of what's going on. He sends me owls at least three, four times a day and I follow his directions to the letter."
"That's not good, Percy. Are you up to the challenge of running a department by yourself?" Harry asked.
"I do have help, as there are ten other employees in there," Percy said.
"Wow. Mr. Crouch must really like you if he trusts you to run things," Harry said, instantly deciding to hit the greenhouses and collect ingredients for a calming tea for Percy's nerves and blood pressure.
Percy smiled. "It is a lot of work but I'm handling it. It's a matter of deciding what's priority and what's not. The tournament is the big priority and I need to make sure it's running just how the tournament officials want it."
"I wish you luck," Harry said. "Excuse me, I do need to get to potions. You know how Snape gets if someone is late."
"Does the words fire breathing dragon ring any bells?" Percy tried to joke.
Harry laughed. "Everybody thinks he's part dragon as he does seem to breathe fire."
And with that Harry left the great hall.
Snape was standing in the hall as Harry arrived, the other students filing into the classroom. Snape sneered at Harry and Harry gave him a bright smile. Snape snarled as Harry's cheerful smile and Harry now knew a great way to annoy the greasy sourpuss. Harry grinned as he thought of a great prank for the dour man and he planned it as Snape set them to brewing. He needed to do a bit of research before trying to pull it off. Harry proposed the prank to the group during dinner in his private flat and got an enthusiastic response. Snape would never know what hit him. The timing had to be just right. The idea was for Harry to spike his tea during a detention and then while Snape was under the influence he would tell Snape what to do and when to do it. The plan worked better than Harry hoped as Snape jumped all over him during class for a mistake in his potion.
"I didn't make a mistake," Harry defended himself.
Snape spun around and growled at Harry. "Detention with me tonight, Potter. Seven o' clock. Don't be late."
That had gone better than Harry had planned on. Now all he had to do was to get the potion into the teacup that Snape drank out of. The Weasley twins delivered the potion to Harry prior to his going down to Snape's classroom for his detention.
"Just four drops is all you need," Fred informed Harry.
George grinned. "When his eyes glaze over then you need to act quickly."
Harry grinned as he slid the vial into his pocket. "Thanks guys. This is going to be fun."
They laughed as Harry headed on down into the dungeons for his detention with Snape. He entered the room at one minute before seven. Snape looked up and glared at Harry.
"On time, Potter. You are to scrub out those cauldrons without magic," he pointed to the stack of cauldrons in the far corner.
Harry nodded and went to work. He kept observing Snape and waited for opportunity and got it. Snape got up from his desk and headed into the storeroom. Harry moved quickly and spiked the tea that Snape had been drinking and was back to work in a flash. Snape walked back into the classroom a moment later and went back to work grading essays. He sipped a bit of tea and sighed as he went to the next one. Harry kept on watching Snape until the man swayed a bit. That was Harry's cue and he rushed up to the man and looked into his eyes. Sure enough, Snape was now under the influence of the potion. Harry grinned as he leaned forward and started whispering into the man's right ear. This was going to be fun.
Harry was at lunch the next day where the prank was to happen. Those in the know kept watching for the moment that Snape was to make his appearance and hoped that it would work. They were not disappointed. Suddenly the doors to the great hall were flung open and Snape came running into the great hall and leaped up on the Hufflepuff house table and struck a dramatic pose. People blinked at the sight of the normally snarky professor dressed in purple tights, wearing a black cape, a big yellow smiley face in the center of his chest, and a yellow mask covering his head and his eyes.
"Have no fear, friends!" Snape crowed. "I, the superhero Happy Man, is here to save you from the evil forces of sadness!"
There was total silence in the great hall for a moment and then Sirius broke. He had come calling on Auror business and McGonagall asked him to stay for lunch. He threw back his head and roared in laughter. Remus joined him a moment later, having shown up just because Sirius was coming to Hogwarts and was invited to lunch as well. Flitwick was next followed by Hagrid and it wasn't long before the entire hall was cracking up with laughter at the sight of Snape. Even the people from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons thought the sight of Snape was funny and joined in on the hilarity. Even Dumbledore was smiling, something he hadn't done in some time after all that business with Harry. Snape then jumped off the table and looked around.
"I see I have been successful in beating back the evil forces of sadness! Then my work here is done!" he declared and then turned to run out of the great hall.
Harry was sure that Snape would be extremely pissed once the effect wore off. If he got busted over it Harry would gladly pay the price for it. It would be worth it.
Harry turned back to his crew as lunch started up once more. They were grinning and slapped hands with Harry. Hermione just shook her head and turned to the paper in front of her.
"Okay. What I got out of this is that you have to dive into Black Lake. You have one hour from the moment you hit the water to find and rescue the thing you lost. That's it," she announced.
Neville was next. "I went through my plant books and I found an entry in the book that Professor Moody gave me back in September that I hope will work. It's called gillyweed and a certain amount of it will give you gills on your neck that will allow you to breathe underwater. It will also give you webbed hands and feet that will enable you to swim underwater. Harry, do you know how to swim?"
Harry nodded. "I do. Learned when I was six back home in Japan."
"Good. You will need a wetsuit as the water will be very cold," Hermione said. "I went down to Black Lake and took readings. I know of a dive shop inside the big sports store down the street from the Leaky Cauldron. You need to get one rated for freezing temperatures. Don't forget a dive watch as well."
Harry cracked his knuckles. "When is the second task?"
Hermione checked her papers. "Second Saturday in February. That's two weeks away."
"I can find out what kind of creatures that live in the waters," Neville offered. "You might have to fight off a few of them."
"Harry will need defensive spells against them," Ginny said.
Neville made a note of that.
"The spells are energy based so they should work fairly well. I am taking a knife or two with me," Harry said. "Just in case. Never know."
"Harry needs to sneak out of the castle to go get what he needs," George said. "We need to come up with a plan to cover for him in the event that someone needs to talk to him. How long will you need?"
Harry thought for a moment. "Two hours?"
Fred and George grinned. "Not a problem, my brother."
Harry had the feeling they wouldn't have any trouble distracting people if it came down to it. The Weasley twins were the undisputed masters of mayhem.
Harry planned on making his run to London on a Thursday as he had a free period after lunch. It was simple. He would complain of needing to get something done and would go up to his private flat. From there he would sneak out of there using a glamour spell over him making him look like somebody from Slytherin. He would leave the castle and head down to Hagrid's on the pretense of needed to study one of the creatures that Hagrid had down at his hut. From there into the Forbidden Forest, portkey out to Gringotts in London, and from there out into London to the sports store. That plan worked out very well. Running into trouble in the form of DE's hadn't been in the plan and Harry managed to escape them without a lot of trouble. They chased him into a nearby alley and it was a muggle police car that saved Harry. He managed to get over the fence leaving the DE's behind. As Harry was on a time constraint he did not have the time to deal with them so he let them be for now. He was sure he would get the opportunity to get them at a later time. His current mission to London was far more important. Harry found the sports store exactly where Hermione said it would be. Harry casually strolled in and went to the back right corner where the dive shop was. Hermione had advised him on the wetsuit ratings so he had no problem finding the one he needed. It was your basic black suit, perfect for what Harry wanted as he wanted to be able to avoid the unfriendly creatures that Neville was advising him on. Harry got one that was his size and then went to the glass case where the dive watches were. He got one that he was told the SBS (Special Boat Squadron, England's version of the American Navy's SEALS) used that one because it was considered to be the best. It had everything on it, from lighted numbers and hands to the backlit compass on the wristband that was removable. This was a watch that Harry would use for when he went into combat situations. He bought them and a set of cyalume light sticks, twelve in a package thinking they would come in handy. Then Harry got out of there and back to Hogwarts fast. The plan had worked better than he hoped. He hung the wetsuit up in the closet after Hermione had approved of it. Now he was ready for the second task.
Harry wondered what it was he was supposed to find that was important to him. Harry continued on with his daily routine of working out hard in the mornings in his gym and training rooms down inside his trunk, going to classes, meeting Hermione for lunch, and keeping a low profile. Skeeter by this time had been banned from the Hogwarts grounds because of all the articles she had been writing about Harry, Dumbledore, the other champions, and anybody ever remotely connected to the tournament and Harry. McGonagall had seriously gotten all fluffed up about an article that criticized her ability to run Hogwarts and McGonagall had gotten into her face and told her she wasn't welcome anymore. People in the great hall had stood up and applauded McGonagall for having stood up to the garishly dressed harpy as Harry thought of her. Skeeter had retaliated in the one way she knew how and penned a scathing column against McGonagall and Hogwarts, declaring the school to be second rate and a disgrace to the wizarding world. Hermione then organized a letter writing campaign against Skeeter and the Daily Prophet, definitely one of her much better ideas. It was now going into the third week. Harry decided that he did not to ever get Hermione upset at him. It would not be worth it. He knew he wouldn't survive the encounter.
Hermione spent Friday evening with Harry in his private flat, sitting on the couch in front of his fireplace talking about nothing in particular and enjoying being with him. Just before curfew started at eleven, Harry offered to walk her up to Gryffindor tower and Hermione accepted. They held hands all the way up to the Gryffindor tower where Harry left her in front of the portrait after they had kissed goodnight. Hermione was humming happily as she entered the common room to find nobody there. Thinking nothing of it, she headed towards the stairs leading to the girl's rooms. She never made it as a red light came out of the shadows and touched her in the back. Hermione immediately collapsed on the floor as a smiling Dumbledore came out of the shadows. Phase one of Operation Granger had been a success. Dumbledore waved his wand over her and floated her out of the common room through a door that had been well hidden that led into a passage that would take him out of Gryffindor tower and to a small room further down. He settled Hermione down on a long table and began waving his wand around her head while muttering spells. If, for some reason she was to survive tomorrow, she would turn on Harry and tell him she was breaking off their friendship because he didn't protect her from being used as a hostage. Then after a suitable period of suffering, another girl under Dumbledore's influence would approach Harry and offer him comfort. Harry would fall for her and under Dumbledore's careful manipulations, would manipulate Harry in Dumbledore's direction and if everything worked right, Dumbledore would have Harry under his complete control. He would then use Harry to fix things and then hopefully be back in his rightful places of power. He smiled as he finished his work on Hermione. He stood up and looked down at the sleeping form of one Hermione Granger. It was too bad she had to be sacrificed for the Greater Good of the Wizarding world. Such great intellect. She would have been a great asset. Dumbledore then waved his wand over her and floated her out the door and down to the lake where the other 'hostages' were waiting. He laid her down on the table next to the others and patiently waited for the dawn as they were to be given to the merpeople for the second task. Everything had been arranged, and he was very pleased with himself. Harry Potter's world was about to be changed in a way that he hoped would break the boy.
Harry woke up at his usual time and went about his normal morning routine, not knowing that anything was wrong. He whistled something from Eric Clapton as he showered in icy cold water. Harry had been doing cold showers and swimming in cold water in the pool up in the room of requirement to prepare for the second task. He came out of the shower and dried off. He stepped into a black Speedo before stepping into the black wetsuit and pulling it up his body. A tap of his wand on the zipper at the base of his spine made it zip up the wetsuit. Harry reached for the black webbing belt that had snap pockets attached to it to hold the things he knew he was going to need down there. Then he got into a set of sweats with the Hogwarts name and logos on them and then pulled on his black tabi boots. He pulled on a heavy winter cloak and he was ready to go. On the way down to the great hall he ran into a very worried Ginny with the rest of the crew trailing behind her.
"Harry!" she shouted when she saw him. "Hermione's gone missing!"
Harry stood there for a moment as what Ginny had said got processed by his mind. "Oh kuso. Hermione is the thing I'm supposed to retrieve from the bottom of the lake!"
Harry headed towards the great hall as his crew followed him. He stormed up to the head table and by the look on McGonagall's face knew he was right. He wasn't sure if she was pissed off or worried.
"Lord Potter," she said softly, "Miss Granger is the hostage you have to rescue."
Harry turned to Dumbledore and looked at him. Dumbledore seemed a bit too cocky this morning and he had a slight smirk on his face. Harry knew that making threats to Dumbledore would be a very bad move on his part. Harry turned and headed down to the lake. Neville was already there and he was saving a boat for Harry. They headed out to the center of the lake where several barges were floating there on the water for people to be on as they were to witness the event. Viktor, Cedric, and Fleur were there already. They didn't look happy at all.
"They have Gabrielle, my sister," Fleur said.
Cedric looked at Harry. "Cho."
Viktor growled as he cracked his knuckles. "One of the Durmstrang girls I had an interest in. Karkaroff knows I will not hesitate to strangle his ass if she is harmed."
"They took Hermione, didn't they," Cedric asked Harry.
Harry nodded. "They do. There are a number of deadly underwater creatures to deal with. Grindylows for starters. Stay clear of the grasses down there. Water snakes. God knows what else is down there. The biggest possible obstacles are the Merpeople. They could be unfriendly to us. Just be aware of what is going on around you. No heroics, grab your person and get topside."
People were showing up now and the stands on the barges were filling up. Dumbledore looked very pleased with himself as he strolled out onto the barge next to the one the champions were standing on. He waved his hands and people got quiet.
"Good morning to all of you. Welcome to the second task!" Dumbledore beamed as the crowds applauded. "For the second task, the champions have to dive into the lake and retrieve the hostage assigned to them before the hour is up."
That set the crowd to talking as Harry began stripping off his cloak and then his sweats. Neville handed him a small ball of gillyweed and Harry stood there for a few minutes until filch fired the cannon to start the second task. Harry got the gillyweed into his mouth and chewed fast. It didn't taste that bad. Almost immediately it began to affect him. He staggered forward and dropped into the water. Once he was in the water he suddenly discovered he could breathe a lot better. He raised his hands and saw the webbing appearing between the fingers. Harry grinned and headed downward. He had a mission to run.
It didn't take Harry that long to get down to the bottom. He worked his way around the grass growing from the bottom of the lake along with assorted plants. One of the deadly creatures popped up in front of Harry and attacked. Harry pushed his hands away from his chest as he cast a blasting hex silently in his head. Harry had started exploring the ability to cast silently under the direction of Sirius and had a little bit of success. It worked as the creature went flying backwards away from Harry. Harry kept on moving, looking around constantly for potential trouble. Harry now started seeing what looked like wrecked buildings, tall pillars lying on their side and bits of flat white stone. Harry moved cautiously now, knowing that the debris made wonderful hiding places. A pair of grindylows popping up from what looked like a wrecked roof verified Harry's thought about hiding places. They charged Harry immediately with spears. Harry wondered where they got them and assumed they probably stole them from the Merpeople or found them someplace as the Merpeople did hunt extensively in Black Lake. The second theory sounded better to Harry. He pulled up short and waited for them to attack. Harry grabbed the first spear thrust as him and attempted a right foot kick into the face. He found out that it didn't work out too well. He was forced to resort to spell work and that worked a lot better. Harry used expelliarmus and stupefy to fight off the Grindylows. After picking off the three others that showed up Harry moved on. He needed to get to Hermione before time ran out.
Upstairs on the floating barge, Neville was pacing back and forth as he considered his next set of actions based on what was going on down there. If Harry returned with Hermione unharmed, he'd only write the letter to his Gran and leave it in her hands. If she was injured, he would involve the family lawyers on her behalf. Luna came up behind him and leaned against him. People noted that and the word quietly spread that Neville was dating Luna the Loony.
"Our friends will make it back," Luna said just as Fleur broke the surface of the lake and crying in distress.
Neville didn't hesitate. He dived into the lake and struck out for Fleur. He brought her in and Madame Pomfrey was right there along with Madame Maxime. Fleur had a nasty cut on her leg and another one on her left shoulder. Luna immediately wrapped Neville up in blankets as Pomfrey healed up Fleur and then wrapped her up in blanket. Neville turned his gaze back to the lake and hoped that one of the champions would bring Gabrielle back with them as there was no way to get a message to them. Neville then turned to look at Dumbledore and the old man shivered as he saw the fire in Neville's eyes. It was obvious that Harry had been working with Neville on his self confidence issues. The young Longbottom would be someone to contend with fairly soon. Neville broke the gaze and turned his attention back to the lake, scanning the surface for any clue to what might be going on down there.
Harry was now tangling with a group of the young mermen that were assigned to stop the champions from penetrating the village. So far Harry had taken out two of them with his magic and he was now moving in and around the wreckage he found on the bottom of the lake. The only weapons they were carrying were spears and tridents. As they were throwing weapons Harry knew he could deal with them as they had to travel through the water to reach him. Throwing the spears and tridents wasn't that hard to do, it was the rate of speed during the travel that the water could hamper. If you applied pressure to the spears and tridents through mechanical means, that would be come a problem as they would travel considerably faster. That meant Harry had to be a lot more aware of the immediate area around him. Harry kept on moving, staying close to the wreckage around him in hopes of avoiding the mermen after him. Harry felt a disturbance in the flow of water and peeked over the bow of a sunken powerboat and saw what the disturbance was. Cedric was fighting to get to Cho. Cedric managed a bubble head spell and Harry hoped he had plenty of air in there before it collapsed on him. Harry ducked back down and worked his way in closer and popped up just as Cedric used a concussion spell to knock his opponents backwards. Cedric then used the cutting spell to free Cho. Cedric grabbed her and started for the surface. Harry moved in and just as he reached the other three, Viktor came out of nowhere and snapped at the rope holding the girl from Durmstrang. Harry blinked as Viktor came back into view. Viktor had attempted to turn him self into a shark and had managed only the head. Viktor bit into the back of the girl's robe and headed upward. That was two for two. Harry stayed hidden in the plants that dotted the bottom of the lake and waited for Fleur to show.
Upstairs on the surface, Cedric and Viktor both surfaced seconds apart. Their hostages woke up as soon as they broke the surface of the lake. The Durmstrang girl clung to Viktor as she got emotional. Cho got emotional once she snapped out of her sleep. Both Viktor and Cedric reacted when they saw a crying Fleur up on the barge reserved for the champions. Luna was trying to calm her down.
"What the hell!" Viktor shouted as he helped the Durmstrang girl up.
Neville grabbed Viktor's hand and pulled him up. "Fleur got attacked and wounded badly, she came back for help."
Cedric nodded to Viktor and both men posed at the edge of the barge getting ready to go back down when Karkaroff stopped them.
"There is no way the both of you will make it in time," he said to them. "Potter is their best chance."
They stood down knowing that Karkaroff was right even though they didn't like it. People turned their attention back to the lake and hoped that Harry would get out of there with the two girls. Harry was having problems at the moment, having been discovered by a group of the mermen as they searched the area for anymore of the champions. Harry had his back to the rock wall behind him and using defensive spells to fight them off. Harry paced himself so he wouldn't wear himself out. Harry's mind was racing to come up with a plan and when he moved one of the pockets on the belt he wore rubbed against his hip he had the flash of inspiration. The flash bang grenade he had. It was perfect. He wouldn't get the sound but the bright flash would stop them for a few minutes, long enough for him to cut both girls loose and swim like hell for the surface. He pulled it and yanked the pin out of the grenade and tossed it into the middle of the attacking group and closed his eyes. A second later he saw the bright light through his eyelids and knew it had gone off. He pushed off from the wall as he drew his knife. The knife slid through the ropes holding Hermione and Gabrielle with ease. Harry grabbed the back of their robes and began kicking his feet hard to get the hell out of there with the squad of pissed off mermen hot on his tail. Harry gave it his all as he kicked his feet hard. He was moving, but not as fast as he wanted to. He could see the squad of the mermen coming for him once they recovered from the flash grenade. Harry moved Gabrielle to his other hand and reached for a concussion grenade this time. He let go of it the moment he pulled the pin on it. Not only did the shock wave knock the mermen senseless, but the shockwave gave Harry the extra push he needed to move faster. The surface of the lake was now just above him, and in time too, as his ability to breathe underwater was fading away. The three of them broke the surface of the water just as the buzzer went, setting off the crowd. Gabrielle got hysterical and clung to Harry just as Cedric and Viktor hit the water and swam out to Harry. Viktor got hold of Gabrielle and brought her in. Cedric got a dazed Hermione and started back in and Harry took up the rear. The second task was done.
Dumbledore was angry that Hermione didn't suffer 'an accident' while she was down there. Now he wanted to see what happened when she told off Harry and left him there. He watched them get checked over by Pomfrey and wrapped up in blankets. He watched as they recovered from the swim down there. He was eagerly anticipating the famous Granger temper exploding at any second. Hermione looked up and saw him watching them eagerly. She smiled as she turned to Harry and reached out for him. Then she did something that wasn't part of his great plan. Hermione wrapped her arms around Harry and kissed him to the great delight of the crowd. Dumbledore's jaw drooped in shock and surprise. What the hell had gone wrong? Dumbledore was sure he had cast all of the right spells to make his plan work. She had eagerly told him everything about Harry, or did she lie to him? He watched in amazement as Fleur kissed Harry, and then Gabrielle had her chance. Then Hermione stepped back in and gave Harry a kiss that he was sure curled up the boy's toes. He sagged against the steel poles of the overhead canopy. Another grand plan down the drain. He looked up as the judges were conferring about what had just happened. Dumbledore no longer cared about the points or the tournament. He wanted Harry in his grip. He wanted the boy firmly in his control. His rage flared up and he managed to contain it. He put on a happy face and strode towards the group of judges. There were things that needed to be done.
The crowd headed back to the castle chattering away about what they had seen as the judges went to talk to the chief of the Merpeople. Harry held Hermione to him as the boat left the barge. Another boat took Viktor and his girl back to the Durmstrang ship. Fleur and her sister had joined Harry and Hermione. Neville steered the boat as it sailed for the Hogwarts docks. Harry wanted to get Hermione back to the castle so she could get into dry clothes and rest. Harry decided on a quiet evening in his flat. Dinner and a few hours in front of a warm fire should put her right. He would call a meeting of his crew in the next day or two to discuss the second task and what happened. Harry hadn't seen Dumbledore's reaction to Hermione's appearance or her kissing him. Hermione had, and Dumbledore's reaction had confirmed something she had suspected for the longest time. Dumbledore was out to get Harry, in any way he could, and wanted revenge on him in any way possible. The boat arrived at the Hogwarts docks and Harry led Hermione off the boat and up the stairs back to the castle. People were congratulating him as he passed them and that slowed them down until Harry got inside the castle. From there he was able to give people the slip by using secret passages to get back to his flat. He found clean clothes waiting for Hermione in the bathroom and left her alone to enjoy a hot bath. Harry sat down in a chair and stared into the fire for a time as he thought about the day's events. Harry had the feeling that the worst was yet to come.
To Be Continued