My thanks to all reviewers! I notice, read, and appreciate every review that is left.
Also, any suggestions you wish to make would be welcome! Anything you thought was good, or parts that were a little weak or ideas for what would be a good inclusion... That's the best way to make a better story, get constructive criticism from readers.
That, and I would ask readers to review if they like the story. Last chapter had 900 views, and only 11 people left a review? Lol, come on, a little more feedback would be nice.
Oh, and to ElizabethAnneSoph,who thought it was almost spooky/mysterious how Percy and Annabeth show up at the right time, thanks, haha. I really liked that comment.
The song, that played in Deathly Hallows Part 1, that Harry and Hermione danced to after Ron left…
Hey, little train, wait for me,
I once was blind but now I see…
I'm hanging in there don't you see
In this process of elimination…
Wouldn't that have summarized the story well, if it had taken the proper turn?
I was outright panicking. Hermione was nowhere to be seen. I had woken up on time, gotten dressed, double-checked the gillyweed Neville had gotten me, and simply could not find her. She was going to miss breakfast at this rate.
"Fred, George!" I called, seeing the twins going back up to the boy's dorm. "Have you seen Hermione?"
"Not since yesterday." One of them said. "You two have a fight?"
"No!" I protested. "Everything was fine. We were going to go down to the lake together." I saw Ron walk down into the Common Room. Desperation overtook me. "Ron, have you seen Hermione anywhere?"
"No." He said shortly, heading through the portrait. The twins sighed at his attitude.
"Well, it shouldn't be too hard to find her." Fred said. (Or was it George?)
"As long as you're up to no good." The other twin winked. "If you'll excuse us, we have to finish betting slips. We're giving you good odds, after that dragon." They vanished to the boy's dorm. I hesitated a moment, then charged after them a moment later.
"He catches on fast enough." One of them laughed. I rummaged through my trunk, looking for the Marauder's Map.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." I muttered, tapping the paper with my wand. The familiar spider-web of lines appeared, forming a detailed layout of Hogwarts. I scanned the map in silence for a minute or two. "She's not here." I said loudly to the twins.
For one of the first times ever, they appeared a little surprised.
"You're barking." One said, taking the map. Two pairs of eyes scanned over the map, then flipped a page. "Just check down near the edge here, at the lake…" They fell silent.
"That's a little strange." One of them admitted. "Maybe she's on one of the lake platforms early, out of sight."
"Why would she go out without waiting for me?" I wondered. They shrugged.
"Just get out there. Champions head to center platform." George? Said. "And good luck!"
"Try to get first or second place." Fred chimed in. "Half the bets will be for Krum, so make sure he doesn't get better than third."
"If you could sink him in the lake we'd be much obliged." George smiled. "Well, see you down there!"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx
Still no Hermione I could barely eat. Most of Gryffindor was supportive, though. Ginny wished me luck. I was feeling ill.
"Harry!" A voice called outside the Great Hall. The Americans, looking bright and energetic.
"Do you know where Hermione is?" I asked immediately.
"Trust me, don't worry about it right now, she's fine." Percy said firmly. "Look, if anything a little odd happens in the lake, go with it. Shouldn't be anything too dramatic, but keep your eyes open. I did some negotiating, you'll be watched over while you're in the water, and her. I'll explain later." I didn't have time to wonder what in the world he meant.
"And take this." Annabeth added quickly, holding out a knife in a leg holster. It looked like something a soldier would carry—not flashy, but serious. "Just in case. It's one of my spares, so don't worry too much if you lose it."
"Will I be needing it?" I asked, accepting. It felt very heavy, very solid.
"Annabeth doesn't loan things that don't come in handy." Percy said, smiling. "Good luck. Do your part and get back to the surface quickly. Don't worry about anyone besides you and your goal."
"Okay." I mumbled, fumbling with the weapon. I already had a holder for my wand on one leg. Percy sighed, then crouched and helped secure the dagger on my calf. "Was Hogsmeade good?" I asked.
"It was amazing." Annabeth grinned. "Percy and I had a great time."
"You get to go next week, right?" Percy asked, standing.
"Yeah." I said. "Maybe Hermione and I will see you two there."
"We can go together, at least for a while." Annabeth smiled. "There's some things that we should talk about. And good luck out there!"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"You ready for this?" Moody growled, pulling me out of the boat and onto the platform. I held up a fistful of gillyweed, which looked like green rat tails. He gave a satisfied nod. I glanced over at the other champions. Fleur looked nervous. Krum was just surely. Cedric glanced over and nodded a greeting. Even he looked anxious.
"SILENCE!" Dumbledore called, from one level up on the platform. I was reminded of a muggle oil drilling station. "Last night, something was stolen from each of our champions… a treasure, of sorts. Something each champion would miss very dearly. Now, these four treasures, one for each champion, are on the bottom of the Black Lake. Each champion has one hour to find their treasure, and return to the starting platform." I glanced at the gillyweed again.
"Put that in your mouth." Moody growled under his breath. I obeyed, and started chewing…
…and immediately had to fight the urge to vomit, while going over Dumbledore's words again—and felt a jab of fear clench my gut.
Hermione was on the bottom of the lake! I forced the gillyweed down, intending to demand answers, only to start choking. I couldn't breathe!
The cannon sounded, and the other champions dived neatly into the water. I grabbed my throat, kneeling, trying to breathe, get Professor Moody to help me.
Moody noticed my distress, and helped by promptly shoving me off the platform. I splashed in, gagging…
And then suddenly, I was fine! I looked at my hands. Webbed. Feet had become flippers. It had worked! Triumph beat back the fear I had felt a few minutes earlier. I charged at the surface and flew ten feet into the air, shouting gleefully as I spun back towards the water.
The lake wasn't cold or dark anymore. It was as comfortable as the halls of Hogwarts. I took off away from the platforms, towards the deeper part of the lake. The merpeople had to have Hermione, according to the clue, and they wouldn't be in the shallows. I went deeper, but never started getting that painful feeling of pressure.
It started feeling otherworldly, after a few minutes. Like a part of the earth locked away, or maybe like floating around inside a giant tent… I was losing track of time. I glanced at my watch, but it had stopped.
I had been swimming for a while, when it happened. The water… a current became visible, where none had been a moment earlier, right in front of me. It was flowing off to my right. The water itself had changed color slightly. Not normal.
I swam past it.
And another current formed in front of me, flowing in the same direction the other had. I paused, reached out a hand. It was like a river had formed in the middle of the lake, heading definitely in one direction. I wondered if it was part of the task. Or if there were ghosts, or some sort of spirits on the water...
I went along with it, swimming quickly. I didn't need to waste time if this was a dead end, or just some weird thing that happens in lakes.
As faint merman song drifted towards me, I quickly realized it wasn't a waste. I stared as an underwater city came into view. A merpeople town. I saw houses, mermaids and mermen going about. Several patches looked like gardens, and I even saw a grindylow tied in front of a hut like a pet dog. I looked ahead, and my heart almost stopped. Hermione, Cho, a little girl who looked like Fleur, and one of the Durmstrang students were tied to a statue, thick ropes around their legs. They looked asleep, though a tiny stream of bubbles were coming from their noses. I swam harder, noticing that the current ended at the hostages. Fear and rage coursed through me, anger at the tournament judges, even Dumbledore. They would risk other student's lives for a tournament they hadn't even entered?!I yanked furiously at the rope, before remembering the American girl's gift. The knife slid easily out of the sheath. It didn't seem magical, but it cut through the rope easily enough. I sheathed it, but still couldn't undo the knot around her ankle. I grabbed Hermione's hand, and then paused, looking at the other hostages. How many could I take up at once? I had made good time, following that weird current. Not far off, a flash of yellow caught my eye.
Cedric, with a huge bubble around his mouth like a diving mask. A small beam of light shot through the water from his wand, and the rope around Cho disintegrated. His eyes widened briefly at the sight of my transfiguration. I point at the other two hostages, making an alarmed face. Cedric shook his head rapidly, pointed adamantly at me and Hermione, then pointed up. His meaning was clear. Take her and go!
I nodded, then grabbed Hermione and started swimming, up. Cedric was maybe ten yards away, doing the same. The faint light above us became brighter and brighter, until our heads broke water. Hermione woke up the moment the air hit her face.
I immediately started choking. I looked at my hands. Still webbed—I was still too merman to breath air. I dunked my head under and took a breath, then surfaced again.
"You found me!" Hermione tried giving me a hug while in the water. She noticed the gills on my neck. "Gillyweed?"
"Yeah." I managed to gasp, dunking my head under again, resurfaced.
"Harry, you alright?" Cedric called. He and Cho had surfaced a short distance away. Instead of swimming towards the platform, though, he had stopped.
"Fine!" I panted, waving him off. "Get going!" He paused for a moment, but nodded and set off with Cho. The platforms were maybe a hundred yards off, in a more shallow part of the lake.
"The effects haven't worn off yet, have they?" Hermione studied me.
"What happened? What about the others?" I gasped, looking back down. If Fleur and Krum didn't make it…
"Don't be ridiculous, Harry." Hermione shook her head. "It's a spell. They won't drown. If champions don't find their treasures in time, the merpeople will bring them to the surface before the charm wears off." She paused to catch her breath, and reached down to undo the rope still tied to her leg. "Can we please get back to the platforms? I'm freezing!"
"Grab my shoulders." I managed to pant. "Like a person on a dolphin. " Hermione laughed, but put her hands on my shoulders. I kicked with flippered feet, and we took off. We went under the water for a few yards, then I kicked into the air, trying to give Hermione enough time to get air. We neared the platform, and I could hear shouts go up from the spectators, along with some laughs at the sight we were. Three quarters of the way there, I could feel the gillyweed fading away. My feet shifted, fingers returned to normal, and I almost drowned myself trying to breathe underwater. Hermione noticed immediately and let go, treading water next to me as I gagged.
"Can you make it?" She asked. I nodded.
We resumed swimming, slowly. Well, Hermione was swimming, I was doing a weird sort of doggy paddle. I didn't have the strength left to freestroke. We made it to the platform amid excited shouting. Moody reached down and yanked me up, while Cedric pulled Hermione onboard.
"Not too shabby." Moody growled, thumping me on the back.
"You were brilliant!" Hermione chirped, hugging me. I kissed her. "Second place by four minutes!"
"Nicely done." Cedric congratulated me. "I almost thought you were a merman, at first."
"Thanks. You were great, too." I told him. Cho was shivering and trying to dry off. Someone handed me and Hermione a towel.
I scanned the platforms. With Hermione and I, along with Cedric and Cho back, all the houses were cheering wildly except one. Draco and the Slytherins were rooting for Krum, and seemed highly disappointed that Cedric and I were alive.
Another shout went up, and Fleur surfaced a short distance away, holding the little girl. The Beaubaxtons let up a cheer.
"Harry, where'd you get that?" Hermione asked curiously, looking at my leg. I had almost forgotten about the knife.
"No prizes for guessing…"