Chapter 22: The Second Task aka Drowning

The next two months had come in a blink of an eye and everyone was buzzing about what the second task would be. It was happening soon and Harry had divulged to Hermione who told me that Harry hadn't even figured out the clue yet. I almost threw a fit when I saw him in Charms. Harry had told us that he had it worked out weeks ago! I felt like crying when he dismissed my concern. He wasn't invincible! Someone had died in this tournament before!

Then, a miracle happened. Cedric told Harry to take a bath with the egg. When Harry had opened the egg above the water, it screeched something terrible. When he opened the egg underwater, he said beautiful singing voices pulsed from the liquid gold center. It said: 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. It was Hermione who cracked it. The second task was going to be where the Merpeople lived; in the Black Lake.

So we set to work helping Harry figure out how to survive underwater (in below freezing temperature no doubt) for an hour. Ron, who had his heart in the right place, wanted to use a Summoning Charm. Like that would do any good. Harry told us about a No-Maj product called Aqua-Lungs. We decided against summoning that device rather quickly. It wasn't work breaking the International Code of Wizarding Secrecy. Hermione suggested he Transfigure himself into a submarine. I shot that one down saying human Transfiguring could go awfully wrong if you didn't know what you were doing. We spent every spare time we had searching. We found absolutely nothing. Professor McGonagall and Madam Pince were more than willing to help as well. But nothing came up. There was no spell nor potion we could find in our search to help Harry survive an hour underwater.

The night before the task, we started to go into panic mode. Harry was in a daze as the four of us were, once again, combing the library for something useful. Hermione was tearing through page after page of spell books while Ron sat behind a tower of close-to-toppling potion books. Ron would make a noise every time he saw the word water on a page. But it was a false alarm every time. My eyes were so focused on the small print of Olde and Forgotten Bewitchments and Charmes that everything started to blur together. It was ridiculous. If Hermione had just let me ask Fred and George if they had any products useful…but no. My mind began to drift as Hermione started up a rousing speech of encouragement.

Fred and I had been spending some of our free time together since the Yule Ball. We weren't dating. But we weren't actively pursuing other people either. Honestly, I didn't know what we were. There were too many feelings on my part for us just to be friends anymore. My birthday was on a school day so there wasn't much time to celebrate. After everyone had gone to bed that night, Fred and I sat in front of the fire with butterbeers and Honeydukes he and George had gotten that morning. We didn't talk much but I enjoyed being in his company. I had wanted to ask him the question, but before I could, he kissed my forehead and went up to bed. A kiss on the forehead was meant for friends and relations, not for romantic interests.

"Are you three even paying attention," Hermione huffed, pulling me out of my thoughts. Ron blinked at her, blurry eyed, and Harry sighed. "The four of us can figure this out if we focus!"

"I know how I can figure this out," Harry muttered as he rubbed his eyes under his glasses. "I should have learned to be an Animagus."

"Yeah," Ron yawned as he picked up the golden egg, examining it. "You could turn into a goldfish."

"Or a frog."

"It takes years to be an Animagus," I yearned sadly. "The registration process alone takes most of the time." Hermione threw me a questioning glance. "What? I asked my dad."

"Hate to break up the scholar session," a voice came from behind some bookshelves. Moody hobbled down the aisle we were in. "Professor McGonagall would like to see you in her office."

"See you guys," Harry muttered as he began to stand.

"Not you Potter," Moody stopped Harry. We all looked at each other in confusion. "Just Weasley and Granger."

"But sir, the second task is only hours away and –"

"Exactly. Presumably Potter is well prepared by now and could do with a good night's sleep. Go," Ron and Hermione continued to stare at Moody. "Now!"

Ron jolted, handing me the egg. Hermione was frowning, "We'll meet you back in the common room."

When the two left, Moody followed. He turned and narrowed his eye at Harry. My friend started frantically turning the pages of Weird Wizarding Dilemmas to make it look like he was still reading. Moody's magic eye whizzed around and then locked in on me. I stared at it with wide eyes. Moody grumbled loudly, "Longbottom!"

Neville appeared from behind some floating books. I had no idea he had been in the library. "Y – Yes," Neville asked nervously.

"Why don't you help Potter and Maguire put their books back."

Moody sauntered off as Neville approached me and Harry. He looked at one of the books on the table as Harry and I started rearranging things in their proper order. "You know, if you're interested in plants you'd be better off with Gorshok's Guide to Herbology. Do you know there's a wizard in Nepal who's growing gravity-resistant trees?"

I smiled at Neville's enthusiasm. But Harry didn't seem to care. "I really don't care about plants. Now, if there's a Tibetan turnip that will allow me to breathe underwater for an hour, then great."

"I don't know about turnip," Neville frowned. "But you can always use gillyweed."

After breakfast the next day, the whole school rushed out to the lake to watch the second task. Ron and Hermione hadn't showed up to the common room last night and they hadn't been at breakfast either. In fact, no one had seen them since after we left dinner last night. Making our way to the Black Lake we saw that the seats from the first task were now towering in tiers in the middle of the lake. The stands were already filling up and we could hear the crowd from the shore. From behind us, I heard the twins shouting for bets again.

"Bets! Bets! Any bets?"

"Three lads –"

"– One lady –"

"– Four go down!"

"But do four come up?"

As we got closer to the docks to take us to the stands, everyone wished Harry luck as they passed. Each person sounded just as cheerful and confident as the last. Harry could only nod. It got to the point where I was thanking them for Harry as he walked between me and Neville, unease written all over his face. But, we had a solution to the breathing underwater problem now. Gillyweed, when eaten, Neville told us, would make a person grow gills and webbed fingers and toes. I almost kissed Neville for his brilliance. From out of his pocket, Neville discretely pulled out the gillyweed. It looked like slimy, rubbery seaweed.

"You're sure about this," Harry breathed.

"Absolutely."

"For an hour?"

"Most likely."

"Most likely," Harry and I paled.

"Well, there is some debate among Herbologists as to the effects of freshwater versus saltwater –"

"Oh my god," I gulped.

"You're only telling me this now? You must be joking!"

Neville frowned at the tone of Harry's voice, "I only wanted to help."

"Well that makes you a sight better than Ron and Hermione. Where are they?"

"I don't know," I said as we heard a horn blast. "But if we don't go now you're going to be late."

"You seem a little tense, Harry," Neville considered as the three of us got in a boat.

"Oh, do I?" I rolled my eyes.

"Welcome to the second task," Dumbledore announced over the roaring audience. When the three of us had arrived at the platform, Moody was there to greet us. Harry was allowed to have four supporters with him on the stand. Seamus, Dean, Neville, and I crowded around each other as Crouch addressed the four champions. I was given a fluffy robe while Seamus was given a dark towel for Harry to use after the task.

The champions were all lined up on the edge of the wooden platform. Fleur, who was wearing a light blue bathing suit, was first. I vaguely heard her asking her friends in a panic where her sister was. Next was Viktor in trunks and a shirt with the Durmstrang crest. His supporters were rubbing his shoulders and speaking to him in what sounded Swedish. Cedric, dressed in trunks and a yellow shirt, was adjusting the time on his wristwatch. I mentally smacked myself. That was a very smart idea on his part. Harry had just handed Dean his Gryffindor windbreaker when Moody pulled him away from us.

"Put that in your mouth," he muttered. I guessed he found out about the gillyweed.

I pushed passed Moody and took Harry's hand. He was trying not to choke on the slimy green plant. "You can do this, okay? Don't panic. Keep steady. You got this." I felt like I was trying to calm myself down more than calm Harry's nerves.

"Last night something was stolen from each of the champions. A treasure, of sorts. These four treasures, one for each champion, now lie on the bottom of the Black Lake. In order to win, each champion will need to find their treasure in order to return to the surface. Simple enough. Except for this, they will have one hour to do so and one hour only. After that, they'll be on their own. You may begin at the start of the cannon."

Harry doubled over, coughing. Moody slapped him on the back as Cedric looked over, concerned. The cannon went off and cheers erupted from the crowd. Fleur, Viktor, and Cedric all dove simultaneously into the water. Harry was scratching at his neck when Moody pushed him in. My shouts of fright were drowned out by the applause. As Harry sank, Dean and Seamus joined me at the edge of the platform. We saw the other three swim off, but Harry was nowhere to be seen. They looked around frantically.

"What's the matter with him," Seamus frowned.

"I dunno," Dean said. "I can't see him."

"Oh my God," Neville cried out in complete shock. "I've killed Harry Potter!"

"I swear, Neville Longbottom! If you really have –" I started to threaten the boy. Just then, something burst out of the water. I turned around just in time. It was Harry! He let out a joyous shout and did a flip in the air, landing in the water again. I rounded on Neville, engulfing him in a hug. "You're brilliant, Neville!" Seamus and Dean were laughing as Neville let out a confused chuckle.

"The Beauxbatons champion, Miss Delacour, has been unfortunately forced to retire," Dumbledore announced to the audience. It had only been ten minutes in when Fleur's head breached the surface. "She will take no further part in this task."

The French teen looked absolutely gutted. As her friends helped her out of the water, she kept saying the word sister in French over and over. Madame Maxine placed a towel around her as Fleur got more and more upset. She started to cry. I heard her say "Gabrielle" a few times through her tears. Dumbledore had walked over to the Beauxbatons group and placed a hand on Fleur's shoulder. Something occurred to me then. A treasure was taken from each of the champions. What if the treasure wasn't an object? Fleur had been asking about her sister who was absent. Funny. Her sister was always at her side. Ron and Hermione would have never, ever left Harry's side. What if – the treasure – not an object – but a person.

"Oh no," I whispered. Moody, who had been pacing, stared at me with his spinning eye. I looked at it, my chin quivering. "Hermione and Ron are down there, aren't they?"

Moody huffed roughly and went back to pacing.

The clock boomed ominously at exactly one hour. No other champion had emerged. The excited chatter became nervous. But not a minute after an hour, Cedric's head burst out of the water. At his side was a very confused looking Cho Chang. The roar was thunderous. Even I let out a little sigh of relief. Cedric's friends helped the two out of the freezing water and wrapped them in towels which were charmed to keep them warm. A few seconds after the two were safe on the platform, another head popped up. Hermione gasped for air as a fully formed shark head appeared next to her. I almost screamed if it weren't for the fact that I knew it was Viktor. The Durmstrang boys chanted his name as he gently led my friend to the ladder.

I shouted for my friend as she was pulled up. I pushed my way through the thick-coated teens to get to Hermione. She was sitting next to Viktor, still panting. I removed her heavy wet cloak and draped two towels around her. Even though they were warm, I rubbed her arms up and down to keep her blood flowing.

"Where's Harry," she asked as her teeth chattered. "Hasn't he come up yet?"

The crowd in the stands started cheering again. Hermione and I looked over to see red and blonde heads pop out of the water, sputtering. Fleur rushed to the ladder to grab her sister. Ron was gently pushing the younger girl towards the older one. It was then that a body shot out of the water and landed on the wooden platform with a loud thud. More shouting and screaming happened as people started stomping on the wood, making way more noise than before. Dumbledore had rushed over to Harry, patting his back to make him spit up water. Seamus and Neville were right behind him with towels. Seamus took my lead and started rubbing Harry's arms while Fleur rushed to him with her sister in tow. Fleur kissed his cheeks and then Ron's as well. Hermione, who had been looked over by Madam Pomfrey, rushed to Harry's side while I was at Ron's.

"I think you behaved admirably," Hermione told Harry as she placed another towel around him.

"I finished last," he said dejectedly. Hermione grabbed his head which made Harry groan in pain. She kissed the very top of his head, laughing.

"You were next to last! Fleur never got passed ze Grindylows."

Over all of the shouting and stomping, Dumbledore placed his wand to his neck and shouted for attention. The winner had been Cedric who had, not only emerged first, but used the Bubble-Head Charm to survive underwater. Second place went to Harry. Not only did he save Ron, but apparently he had almost attempted to save all four of the treasures. Dumbledore called it "outstanding moral fiber". Viktor was third and Fleur brought up fourth place.

Barty Crouch, pressing his wand to his neck, looked around at the stands. "The third and final task will be held at dusk on the twenty-fourth of June. The champions will be notified of what is coming precisely one month beforehand. Thank you for your support of the champions," he said brusquely.

Harry seemed dazed as we were steered back to the castle. Ron, Harry, Hermione, and I shared a boat while Seamus, Dean, Neville, and Ginny were behind us. The twins, who rushed down as quickly as they could, stole a boat from a few Slytherin girls to be near us. I knew they were worried about Ron but they were good at not showing it. They had managed to reach the dock before we did and started helping us out of our boat.

"Well done moral fiber," George slapped Harry on the back.

"Blimey. Even when you go wrong, it turns right," Ron said in amazement.

I chuckled as Fred took my hand to help me. The chilly February air made me shiver. Fred, who had not let go of my hand, gave it a gently squeeze. His face was flushed. But I couldn't tell if it was from the cold or something else. Ginny smirked at me as Dean helped her out of their boat. "We should get you two warm before you catch a cold," she said to Hermione and Ron.

As we started to leave, Barty Crouch stopped Harry. We walked a little ahead to give them privacy. Hermione and Ron, who said Hagrid would want to see us, left down the path to his hut. The twins stood on either side of me as I watched Harry and Crouch walk off around the shore. George coughed.

"I, uh – I'll just go count these."

When he left for the castle with their bets, Fred stood a little closer to me. "There was something I've been meaning to ask you," he said as I started leading Fred down the path to Hagrid's hut. I nodded for him to go on. "Come to Hogsmeade with me."

I smiled to myself. There was a Hogsmeade trip in March. Hermione already promised Viktor she would show him around and Harry and Ron weren't likely to go. "Are you asking me out on a date, Fred Weasley?"

"I might be."

"What about George?"

"George is actually going to be occupied. With a certain Chaser."

"Oh, I see," I smirked. "You're just asking me so you don't have to go alone."

Fred's face paled. "No," he said quickly. "That's not it at all. I –"

"I'm teasing," I laughed as I turned to face him. "It so happens that I don't want to go alone either."

"Then it's a date," Fred smiled.

I stood on my toes, placing my free hand on his cheek. "It's a date," I whispered as I placed a light kiss on his lips. As I continued down the path to Hagrid's, I did not miss the boisterous Weasley laugh that came from behind me.