A/N: Thanks to my reviewers of the last chapter, and to everyone who listed me as a favourite/alerted me!
These are missing moments from the chapter The Second Task in Goblet of Fire, and obviously I don't own any of the bits you recognise. It's from Ron's perspective and is a bit more jokey. Also a bit fluffy towards the end, sorry, can't help myself…
Hope you like it :)
Chapter Two: The Lake
Ron
Ron was having one of those private moments where he wondered whether his life would've been simpler if his best friend wasn't Harry Potter.
He heaved a sigh as he put aside yet another useless spell book, mentally cursing whoever had put Harry's name in that goblet. His optimism had long passed and he was sure the task simply couldn't be done. When he'd voiced this opinion aloud Hermione insisted there must be a way of doing it, but Ron thought she was slightly deluded and just couldn't accept that the library had failed them. He was glad for her persistence though, he and Harry probably would've given up hours ago without her.
But even Hermione had her limits.
"Oh, this is no use," she said, snapping Weird Wizarding Dilemmas shut. "Who on earth wants to make their nose hair grow into ringlets?"
"I wouldn't mind. Be a talking point, wouldn't it?"
Ron looked up at the sound of his brother's voice to see the twins emerging from behind some bookshelves.
"What're you two doing here?" Ron asked, perplexed. In his four years at Hogwarts he had never witnessed either Fred or George in the library.
"Looking for you," said George. "McGonagall wants you, Ron. And you, Hermione."
"Why?" asked Hermione, looking surprised.
"Dunno…she was looking a bit grim, though," said Fred.
"We're supposed to take you down to her office," George told them.
Ron turned to look at Harry anxiously, and he could tell they were thinking the same. Was this why McGonagall wanted to see them; were they in trouble for helping Harry so much with the tournament?
"We'll meet you back in the common room," Hermione told him. "Bring as many of these books as you can, OK?"
"Right," Harry replied, sounding uneasy.
Hermione gave him an encouraging smile before following Ron after Fred and George. Once outside the library, they exchanged a bewildered glance.
"What's this all about d'you reckon?" Ron whispered, hanging a pace or so behind Fred and George.
"No idea…" she replied nervously, glancing back to the library. "Let's just get it over with. Then we can get back to help Harry…if we search all night…there must be something…"
Even as she said it Ron could hear the defeat in her voice. He didn't know how to comfort her; if Hermione couldn't find an answer, who could? He swallowed. The task was hours away and they still had no clues – it looked like Harry was going to have to pull out of the tournament. Maybe that's a good thing, Ron thought, safer…
"Here we are chaps," Fred said merrily, coming up to McGonagall's office. He knocked smartly, calling out, "Oh, Minnie! We've brought you Hermione and Ron, just like you wanted!"
"Weasley!" she responded irritably, appearing in the doorway wearing a scowl.
"Time to go," George said quickly, giving them a final smirk before hurrying off down the corridor with his twin. McGonagall glared after them, but as soon as she caught sight of Ron and Hermione's faces her expression became more sombre. "Miss Granger, Mr Weasley…do come in."
As they stepped inside they found themselves in the company of not only Professor McGonagall, but also Dumbledore, Ludo Bagman and Percy's boss, Crouch. They were all talking in low voices to one another – but there were two girls there too; Cho Chang, and a younger girl with silver-blond hair and a beautiful face. Looking at her Ron took mind of a miniature Fleur Delacour, and grinned to himself.
"Have a seat," McGonagall said briskly. Hermione and Ron shared a look of bemusement at the strange assortment of people as she ushered them to two chintz armchairs alongside the girls.
He had been sure they were in trouble for helping Harry when he'd seen Bagman and Crouch, but now he couldn't understand why Cho and the little girl were here. He could feel Hermione's agitation as she checked her watch, and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He was impatient for this meeting to be over; Harry must be going mental looking through those bloody books by himself…
At that moment, Dumbledore turned to them all. "You may have guessed that you are all here because you have a friend or relative competing in The Triwizard Tournament."
Out of the corner of his eye Ron saw Hermione's eyes widen with realisation. Sometimes he really wished he could make a window into her mind, he still had no idea what was happening.
"The champions have each been given a clue from the first task. Assuming that they have successfully understood the riddle, they will have surmised that something has been taken from them by the merpeople of the black lake, and that they must seek it out 'where their voices sound'. In the second task each of the champions must attempt to recover the one whom they would most 'sorely miss' from the merpeople in the lake, within the time of one hour."
Ron felt vaguely sick; the things the merpeople were taking from the champions were people? He was also confused. Before Dumbledore could go on, he spoke up;
"So if each champion has to rescue one person," he asked, "how come both Hermione and me are here, Sir?"
Dumbledore surveyed the two of them, his eyebrows slightly raised. Hermione was biting her lip, looking determinedly at the floor.
It was McGonagall who answered him. "You, Mr Weasley, are Potter's friend. Miss Granger is the one whom Viktor Krum would most sorely miss."
His mouth fell open and he spun in his seat to stare at Hermione incredulously. She refused to meet his gaze and continued studying her shoelaces, her face flushing scarlet.
And there it was again, that irrational anger.
He was suddenly considering ways in which to get his revenge on Viktor Krum. Fred and George could teach him that curse for boils…or better, hadn't he heard them discussing that spell for castration? Or maybe he could put a curse on the tosser's broomstick…yes…he could die of a tragic "accident" in his next Quidditch match…
No, maybe that was too much, a simple Ton-Tongue Toffee might do it…
But wait, why did he want revenge on Krum? So he was into Hermione - why did that matter to him so much?
"Now," Professor Dumbledore continued, his eyes darting between Hermione and Ron in faint amusement. "You will each be given a form of sleeping draught, and will remain unconscious until the time when your champion brings you back above water."
Ron gulped loudly, his attention diverted. He felt Hermione's anxious gaze on him and he understood why. They had never found a way for Harry to breathe underwater. He was having visions now of his emaciated body lying at the bottom of the lake…
"Rest assured," Dumbledore's voice interrupted his thoughts, "every precaution has been made and none of you are in any danger. Should your champion be unsuccessful in rescuing you, of course we have many highly trained wizards overseeing the task and we will ensure you are safe. The merpeople will watch over you while underwater, and before you know it you shall be back safe and dry within the walls of Hogwarts!"
No one spoke.
"Excellent! Wonderful, wonderful!" Ludo Bagman broke the silence, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. "If no one has any immediate objections, we'll be off to fetch your potions and then we'll go on with the task!"
As soon as they were left alone with only Cho and Fleur's sister, Ron rounded on her.
"You're the one Krum would sorely miss?" he began in an angry whisper.
"Oh, Ron, don't start-" she pleaded.
"What is this? Krum's more important to you than Harry?"
"You want to talk about Harry, Ron?" she seethed, "You're not even thinking about Harry right now, are you? He's upstairs, he has no idea how he's going to get through the task and we're not there to help! And all you can think about is yourself!"
Ron coloured considerably and began muttering under his breath, glancing around at the girls. Hermione went on;
"And that's ridiculous!" she spat, "This has nothing to do with Harry! I'm the one who Viktor would sorely miss; it doesn't mean he's the one who I would!"
Ron looked up slowly, meeting her gaze. He found himself desperate to know…
"So who is?" he asked her quietly.
Hermione was spared having to answer, because at that moment Bagman and Crouch wandered back into the room, followed by Dumbledore, who was deep in whispered conversation with McGonagall-
"He will be alright, Minerva," he raised his voice, silencing her.
Hermione nudged Ron, tilting her head in McGonagall's direction.
As Bagman began handing out their potions, they saw Moody approach McGonagall and murmur something in her ear. Whatever he'd said, it seemed to ease her concern. She wheeled about to look at him meaningfully, and he raised his eyebrows in return. Ron frowned in concentration. "But surely that is a direct violation of the rules, Alastor," he heard McGonagall mutter, eyeing Crouch warily from the corner of her eye.
Moody's magical eye swept the room, and winking briefly at Ron and Hermione with the other, he guided McGonagall through the door into the corridor outside. Hermione and Ron looked at each other.
'Were they talking about Harry?' she whispered.
"I dunno," he shrugged. "Who's the one you'd sorely miss?"
"Who's yours?" she shot back.
Both turned beetroot, and looked away from each other.
"Why do you care so much anyway?" she persisted, heating up. "Forget us; we need to be thinking about Harry right now!"
"Us?" he echoed. He felt an odd mix of awkward and pleased at her referring to them as one entity.
She shook her head, seeming dazed. After a few moments of silence, to Ron's slight annoyance, she changed the subject:
"I think Moody's given Harry some help. And Dumbledore knows...he wouldn't leave Harry to do this alone."
"You sure?" he asked her, focussed now, "…if I had to go out there in front of all those people, and I didn't know what I was doing…"
The corners of her mouth twitched. "I'm pretty sure," she told him.
"Well, then," Ron said, looking down at his sleeping draught. "I s'pose we'd better drink up…"
She sighed, "Yeah…"
She looked scared. Ron wanted to do something…to take her hand in his? No, he couldn't do that…Should he put his arm around her? He half reached out, but thought better of it.
Instead he raised the goblet to drink, and then hesitated.
"Hermione?"
She looked up.
"Just so you know…I think you're the one I'd sorely miss."
He didn't know quite what had made him say it, and to escape the embarrassing moment he gave her one last grin and drained his goblet. Seconds later his eyes drooped wearily and his head lolled as he fell into a very deep sleep.
A/N: Reviews pleeease