January 1947

"And that's how you mend a broken rib," Madame Quinine finished.

Poppy looked up at the Matron from where she had hastily scrawled a few notes down on a spare piece of parchment, sat on a stool next to Ro's bed in the Hospital Wing. The Gryffindor vs Durmstrang Quidditch game had been put on hold while both Seekers had their injuries attended to, and she could vaguely hear Ravenclaw playing against Beauxbaton in the background. The rest of the Quidditch Team had tried to tag along in support of their injured Seeker, but they'd barely come through the double doors before Madame Quinine had declared them too rowdy for her patients to cope with and sent everyone back to the changing room. Since Septima was playing both Irma and Millicent had stayed to watch the game, so it was just her and Ro sat in the Hospital Wing.

Ro was looking a great deal more comfortable now that she didn't have two broken ribs bothering her, leaning over the edge of the bed to read Poppy's writing once the Matron had finished checking her work. "Costae Emmendo, does that work for every bone or do you have to change it up? Because I'm sure it's Episkey for a broken nose."

"You're quite right Miss Hooch, as I'm sure Poppy will be able to explain," Madame Quinine said, patting Poppy's shoulder before leaving them to it.

Poppy watched for a moment as she started tending to Nadezda Kucera in the opposite bed, before turning back to meet Ro's expectant eyes. After giving an amused huff she explained "A nose isn't technically a bone which is why Episkey will work for it. Emmendo is the keyword for mending bones, and Costae is the latin term for ribs. You'd change that depending on what bone needed menting; a shattered kneecap would be Patella Emmendo, a cracked skull something like Cranium Emmendo. But for more complicated injuries like those you'd still need to use Skelegrow."

Ro pulled a grimacing face. "I remember that stuff from- well, y'know," she broke off awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck with one gloved hand in a hesitant gesture. Poppy hummed softly as she placed a hand atop Ro's for comfort. Her accident was still something she struggled to talk about, a testament to the immense psychological blow it had been for her. "Anyway, it's not so much the taste that was sickening, it was the texture. Felt like cold porridge."

"Well unlike you I have a relatively low chance of needing it on a regular basis," Poppy commented as she rolled her eyes.

She'd meant it to come across lightly, but clearly something had snuck into her tone since upon looking back at Ro she was met by a distinctly concerned expression. When Poppy tilted her head in a silent prompt she looked away quickly, letting out a sigh before asking "Are you angry with me?"

Poppy's eyes widened in shock. "Angry? Wha- no, of course not Ro. What did I say?"

"You sounded angry when we were on the pitch. Well, not angry but… not happy with me. When Nancy said we'd be playing again after Madame Quinine patched us up," Ro explained slowly, before groaning and slumping back into her pillows to stare at the ceiling.

Poppy watched her twisting her hands together for a moment, one of Ro's habits that only came out when something was truly bothering her. "Alright, move over a little," she sighed, waiting for Ro to shuffle up so she could sit down beside her. "I know I get snappy sometimes but it's me worrying more than anything else, I'd never be angry." She was suddenly regretting her choice of words and tone; as much as Ro liked to be outwardly brash, Poppy knew better than most that she did have a surprisingly sensitive side that didn't come out often.

It took a minute or two of quiet for Ro to say anything, resting her head on Poppy's shoulder. "I do feel bad for scaring you all the time, 'specially cause of what happened," she started, uncertainty creeping back into her tone as she brushed over the accident again. "But I can't not do this. It makes me feel so alive, it's unlike anything else. I don't even know how to describe the feeling because I know you don't get it."

"Just because I don't understand what you feel it doesn't mean I don't understand how much you feel it," Poppy started, smiling gently when Ro dared to look up at her. "I can sense it when watching you play, just how natural you are. You were destined to fly, Ro, you could never live without it and I'd never want you to." She hesitated slightly before continuing "I'll try to not sound so frustrated with you, I just get scared."

Ro somehow snaked her arm between Poppy's back and the pillow to pull her into a side hug, squeezing her tighter as Poppy let out a shaky breath she didn't realise she'd been holding. "Yeah, I know you do. But I'm not going anywhere. Pinky promise?"

Poppy laughed, shaking Ro's little finger with her own and smiling when Ro didn't let go of her hand afterwards. They stayed curled up together on the bed until the Hospital Wing doors were pushed open by a boy and girl dressed in Beauxbaton colours, one she recognised as Reynaud Lemay and the other wearing a Quidditch uniform and cradling what was clearly a broken wrist. Madame Quinine had vanished into her office, so Poppy untangled herself from Ro before hurrying over with Ro just behind her.

"My name's Poppy, and I'm a healer," she introduced herself to the girl, taking her gently by the elbow to guide her to the nearest bed. Once she was sat down she carefully removed her leather glove so she could take a better look at her wrist, hushing softly at her pained noise when Poppy felt the break. "Oh I'm sorry, I know it must hurt. What's your name?"

"Clarisse Lemay," she replied softly. "Can you 'elp me?"

Ro let out an 'ahh' as Clarisse said her name, coming round to sit on the bed beside Poppy. "That explains why you're here too Reynaud. And course she can, Pops here can fix anything," she added to Clarisse, patting Poppy on the shoulder.

"She was 'eet by ze Bludger when reaching for ze Sneetch," Reynaud explained, putting an arm round his sister's shoulders. His lip curled slightly as he continued "Rideeculous game, I zink. Why put yourself in danger for a game? Ze Tournament is different, eet is to challenge you, but zis is just stupid."

Clarisse jumped slightly when Ro burst out laughing, though she quietened down a little when Poppy shot her a gentle yet warning look. "Take it you're not a Quidditch person then? I think Poppy'd agree with you on that one."

Poppy hummed in agreement before pulling her wand from her coat pocket to aim at Clarisse's wrist. "Carpus Emmendo," she said clearly, watching with baited breath as the air turned silver around the broken bone. Clarisse's gasp had Reynaud tightening the hold around his sister's shoulders, but their concerned expressions were short lived as she bone started to visibly straighten itself out. Poppy waited until Clarisse gingerly lifted her arm of her own accord before taking the girl's hand again, gently manipulating her wrist as she asked "How does that feel?"

"Fantastique! Merci beaucoup!" Clarisse exclaimed with a beaming smile; Poppy still remembered enough French from her old school to be able to translate.

Ro's grin was just as bright as she gave Poppy a proud look. "Didn't I tell you she was brilliant? Hey, just out of curiosity, are you the Beauxbaton Seeker? I saw you earlier before the match."

Clarisse nodded, sitting up tall and looking a lot more mature as she did. "Oui, I am ze fastest Seeker Beauxbaton 'ave ever 'ad. I 'ope to play professionally one day."

Nodding, Ro held out a hand which Clarisse shook after a moment's hesitation. "Ro Hooch, one of the Hogwarts Seekers. And same here, maybe one day we'll end up playing each other."

"I warn you, she is very good. Beat ze 'ogwarts Seeker even with broken wrist," Reynaud said, laughing briefly.

"Septima won't be happy then," Ro laughed to Poppy, before her expression suddenly sharpened. "Wait, is the match over then?"

Reynaud nodded. "Oui, zey want to continue ze Durmstrang match soon. Zere will be someone coming to fetch you and 'er," he said, inclining his head in Nadezda's direction.

Just as he finished speaking the Hospital Wing doors opened again to reveal Professor Dumbledore, who looked around briefly before heading towards them. "Ah, it's good to see you mended Miss Hooch. And you too Miss Lemay, I assume this is Miss Pomfrey's handiwork?" he asked, his eyes twinkling as he smiled.

"Course it is sir," Ro answered on Clarisse's behalf.

Poppy felt heat rising in her cheeks as Professor Dumbledore looked warmly at her. "Excellent as always Miss Pomfrey, 15 points to Gryffindor for your work." At Ro's quiet cheer he turned his attention to her before continuing "It's you I've come to see though, Miss Hooch, Madame Douglas would like to continue your match if both you and Miss Kucera are back in one piece.

Ro glanced at Poppy first, waiting until she nodded her permission. "Yep I'm all good."

"Then I suggest you head down to reunite with the rest of your team and get ready to play. I believe Miss McGonagall has your broomstick safe." Professor Dumbledore said, giving her a last smile before walking over to Nadezda's bed.

Ro wasted no time in rushing back to her bed for her cloak and gloves, holding her gloves in her teeth as she fastened her cloak before tugging them on too. "You coming?" she asked Poppy.

"Of course," she replied, both of them bidding quick goodbyes to Reynaud and Clarisse as they headed out of the Hospital Wing.

After nearly another hour of play in which Poppy nearly squeezed the feeling out of a very endurant Irma's hand, the match finally ended with Ro catching the Snitch and turning a mid-air cartwheel in celebration. Since Ro, Minerva, and Septima had played all their matches for the weekend it meant Poppy could finally stop thinking about Quidditch, but that didn't mean she was able to relax fully. The Second Task was still on the horizon, which meant their attentions were turned to brewing the Polyjuice Potion.

While they'd been able to get the cauldron brewing in their dormitory with the first ingredients, there was still the matter of somehow raiding Professor Slughorn's store cupboard for the ingredients required during the later stage of the potion. It took a combination of Irma's cunning and Ro's recklessness to come up with a plan that had a chance of working; Ro had joked that it had brought out the House traits in them both, with Irma adding that it was the first good thing that had come of her being a Slytherin. But even their resolute confidence couldn't stop the nerves from creeping up on Poppy when the day of their chosen Potions class arrived.

That particular lesson had been chosen since Professor Slughorn had told them in advance that they'd be making Fatiguing Fusions, an assignment that provided the perfect distraction from Minerva sneaking into the store room. Reading ahead in their textbook told Poppy that the potion produced fumes once brewing was complete which could cause sudden exhaustion if their potions weren't stoppered quickly enough after completion; Ro's idea was that by filling the classroom with fumes they would buy Minerva plenty of time to sneak out in her Animagus form and take what they needed while everyone was too exhausted to notice her. And since Ro was notorious for her lack of potion-making talent she'd offered to take the blame when Slughorn questioned them afterwards.

For the first half of the lesson Poppy kept herself occupied by focusing solely on her and Ro's potion, making sure she brewed as fast as possible while making sure not to miss anything out. Once all her ingredients had been added and her cauldron simmering happily she glanced to her left where Minerva and Irma were working on the next bench, waiting for her nod of acknowledgement before picking up the stirring spoon. Five stirs in the wrong direction had their potion bubbling at an alarming rate, and Ro barely had time to give an exaggerated shout of alarm before a cloud of steamy fumes burst out from the cauldron.

Poppy's head was reeling almost instantly as she choked on the fumes, and the panicked cries from around the classroom told her that the plan had worked perfectly. With a sudden loss of balance she found herself on the floor slumped against their workbench, and she just about noticed a cat leaping over her splayed legs before all her senses faded into nothing.

A hand shaking her shoulder was the first thing she noticed upon regaining consciousness, opening heavy eyelids to see Professor Slughorn bending over her. He sighed with relief when she met his worried gaze, wiping his brow with a handkerchief as someone helped her sit up. "Good gracious Miss Pomfrey, you must have taken quite a lungful there," he fretted before asking "What in Merlin's name happened?"

"It was my fault Professor, think I stirred it too much," Ro's groggy voice said from somewhere next to her, and Poppy slowly turned her head to see Ro sat on the floor leaning heavily into Minerva's side. Minerva gave a curt nod when Poppy glanced questioningly at her, and she closed her eyes again for a moment in sheer relief that their efforts had been worth it.

A hand tightened around hers as another voice whispered "Still with me?" in her ear, and Poppy glanced up to see Irma crouched next to her. She didn't seem too badly affected compared to the rest of the class, though she supposed Irma's part in the plan meant she'd had enough warning to cover her nose and mouth beforehand. And the fact that Poppy's head had been bent over the cauldron when the fumes exploded was probably why she was still feeling so awful.

Poppy's sleepy nod left Irma looking less concerned, both of them looking over as Professor Slughorn caught her attention by saying her name. Clearly her confusion must have shown on her face since he quickly repeated "I think you ought to go back to your dormitory, Miss Pomfrey, to wait out the rest of the effects. Miss Hooch can stay and clear up."

"Irma and I can take her, Professor, we're feeling ok," Minerva offered quickly. If Professor Slughorn was surprised he didn't show it, nodding his permission as they helped Poppy clamber unsteadily to her feet. Minerva picked up her bulky-looking satchel before taking Poppy's other arm, supporting her on each side as they left Ro behind in the dungeons.

Once they were back in Gryffindor Tower, Poppy let herself be laid down on her bed without complaint as Minerva and Irma worked on the Polyjuice Potion. Ro's arrival a while later was announced by her throwing open the dormitory door in her usual boisterous manner, falling back onto Poppy's bed and jostling her back into wakefulness. "How're we doing?" she asked, and Poppy couldn't tell if the question was directed at her state of recovery or the cauldron tucked behind Minerva's bed.

"It will be ready in two weeks," Irma responded, sounding pleased.

At Ro's impressed sound Poppy rolled over to take a look herself, watching the potion bubble and froth as Minerva gave it a final stir. "And considering its three weeks until the Second Task, we should have no trouble at all," she said, turning the heat down on the burner before looking over at the empty jars next to her. "We should return these to the store cupboard before someone notices it's looking sparse."

"I'll come with you if you like," Ro suggested, hopping off Poppy's bed to gather an armful of jars. Minerva picked up the couple she hadn't managed to carry, opening the door and following her out onto the landing.

Silence filled the space they'd left for a couple of seconds, before Irma looked up at where Poppy was still collapsed on her bed. "You're too quiet. Are you still tired or are you thinking about something?"

Poppy considered for a moment before sighing slightly. "Both really," she said, not even bothering to pretend otherwise with how Irma was eyeing her intently. "I don't want Minerva to have to face the lake but it won't stop bothering me that we shouldn't be doing this. It breaks every rule in the book, and yes Minerva's more important than that but it doesn't make it right." She paused before adding "Does that make sense?"

"It does," Irma nodded, moving from the floor to sit on the edge of Minerva's bed. "When you all told me your plan I was surprised for that exact reason. But I decided that it would be worse to force Minerva to do the task herself when there's no way she could manage it. Being blunt, it would disadvantage us irreparably. It's nothing against her abilities, but something that happened to her that isn't her fault."

The strained tone that Irma's voice took towards the end caught Poppy's attention, concern on her face as she sat up to regard her properly. "It was over a year ago, don't tell me you're blaming yourself for that?" she said, voice firm but gentle. She'd spent many an hour talking Ro out of that particular mindset but she knew that Irma's self-blame tended to be harder to spot and harder to disprove.

Irma shrugged. "We should have told you all about the Time-Turners, it would have stopped it from ever happening. I think that's when I realised that you were all more important than keeping to traditions, hence why I'm not being plagued by what we're doing here."

Poppy hummed in acknowledgement but not quite agreement. "It still plays on my conscience," she argued weakly.

"Here's what I concluded," Irma said, interrupting Poppy's jumbled thoughts. "Ro and Minerva both entered the Tournament, and Minerva was chosen. The Goblet must have taken every aspect of them both into account and all the Tasks but it still chose Minerva. So substituting her for someone she was picked over can only mean Hogwarts will be at a disadvantage, therefore we're not exactly cheating."

Poppy's thoughts on Irma's point of view were well and truly interrupted by the door being flung open. "Who's cheating?" asked Ro, flopping back onto Poppy's bed to land with her head in Poppy's lap.

"Not us, apparently," Poppy laughed as Ro grinned up at her. Irma had been right, she knew, whatever she thought about the matter wouldn't change the fact that she'd put Minerva's wellbeing over anything that the rules said.

She tried her best to keep that in mind as the last three weeks progressed, as the Polyjuice Potion was finished and Minerva started to teach Ro the Transfiguration spells she'd need to be able to breathe underwater. That involved a few very amusing sessions with the three of them in the Prefects Bathroom in their pyjamas, with Ro doing several lengths of the enormous bath underwater as Minerva helped her with her spellwork and Poppy joined in whenever she got tired of just watching. It was a surprisingly good distraction from remembering that they were preparing for the Second Task, but she still couldn't help her jolt of nerves whenever she thought of Ro diving in that lake as Poppy could only watch and hope.

By the evening before the Task they had everything prepared to perfection, a sample of the potion complete with Minerva's hair already poured into Cleatus' borrowed hip flask so they would have nothing to worry about in the morning. But it was a sudden struggle to get everything out of sight when there was an unexpected knock on the door, Ro hurdling the bed to answer it as Minerva and Poppy carefully pushed the cauldron back behind the bookcase.

"Sorry to bother you this late, but Professor Dippet's asked to see you in Dumbledore's office Ro," said the voice at the door, Poppy looking over to see Anthea Newton looking apologetic but not in the least bit suspicious.

Ro glanced back at Poppy and Minerva as if looking for an explanation, but when Minerva shrugged she turned back to Anthea with a nod. "Alright thanks, I'll go down and see what he wants. Don't wait up for me." The last comment was accompanied by another glance back into the dormitory before closing the door behind her.

Despite the unusual request from the Headmaster, Poppy assumed it was to do with Ro's Quidditch arrangements so didn't think there was anything to be worried about. Knowing that they'd all need their sleep she chivvied Minerva into bed after a glance at Ro's alarm clock, leaving one of the wall lamps lit for Ro when she came back before getting some sleep herself.

She was dragged into wakefulness an unknown period of time later, almost screaming when she opened her eyes to see Minerva's terrified expression only a foot or so above her. "Ro's still not here!" she blurted out as soon as their gazes locked.

Poppy was instantly awake, quickly pushing herself into a sitting position. "She never came back last night?" she asked, her own concerns growing.

Minerva shook her head frantically. "She's not here, I've checked in the Common Room and no-one's seen her. The Task starts in an hour!"

A cold weight settled in Poppy's chest as she took in Minerva's last statement and the hysteria building in her expression. Of course she knew Minerva was worried about Ro's whereabouts but the thought of having to do the task herself was probably the only thing occupying her mind at that moment. Poppy wasn't entirely sure what was unnerving her most; the fact that one of her best friends was missing, or that the other was physically falling to pieces right in front of her.

"Minerva, shh, look at me," she said softly, taking Minerva's hand and brushing a few strands of hair out of her face. "Ro will be fine, Professor Dumbledore will know where she is. We'll find her and she'll be fine."

Minerva swallowed heavily, shaking her head frantically as her green eyes shone with panicked tears. "But what if we don't find her in time? I can't do the Task, I can't, they can't make me do it!"

The sound of Minerva's sobs was enough to break Poppy's heart. She stayed silent and still for a few moments, staring at nothing while her courage wrestled with her conscience, before she eventually came to an unsteady conclusion. "I'll do it instead."

"Oh God thank you," Minerva managed to say through her tears, shuffling forwards to throw her arms around Poppy's neck.

Poppy didn't dare allow herself any second thoughts as she rubbed soothing circles into Minerva's back, only taking a minute to wonder what her life had become. Considering how much she'd been dreading the Triwizard Tournament she was getting more involved in it than most willing people were, a fact that she'd probably find ironically amusing after the Task was over. Letting out a sigh she gently pushed Minerva out of her embrace, brushing her hair out of her eyes as she said "Come on then," with exaggerated conviction. At that point she didn't really know who's benefit it was for.

Going down to the Great Hall for breakfast was out of the question, so Poppy made do with the pumpkin pasty Ro had brought in Hogsmeade the week before while making a mental note to buy her another to make up for it. After calming down from her panicked episode Minerva managed to pull out a vest top and shorts from her Quidditch uniform for Poppy to wear, and after getting changed their attention turned to the Potion. Minerva ladled a dollop of potion into the glass she kept on her bedside table, cutting a few strands from the end of her plait and adding them to the potion. They both watched with anticipation as it turned a deep plum purple, not too dissimilar to the colour of her Yule Ball dress, which Poppy supposed was better than the mud-like appearance it'd had beforehand.

"Ready?" Minerva asked, taking a step back.

Poppy nodded grimly before taking a gulp of the potion and forcing herself to swallow. Immediately her stomach gave an uncomfortable lurch that reminded her too much of when she and Ro had drunk the ipecac potion, hurriedly giving the glass back to Minerva as she hunched over with her arms wrapped around her middle. She couldn't restrain her gasp as her skin felt like it was burning, there was an odd sensation in her scalp as her hair grew to twice its length, her spine was in agony for a second as she gained several inches in height. Then it stopped as suddenly as it had started. She stayed doubled over for a moment longer until she deemed it safe to slowly stand up again.

The gasp from Minerva when they locked gazes was a clear indication it had worked, as was the fact that her sight was now so blurred that she could hardly make out Minerva's form at all. But out of curiosity she walked over to stand in front of their mirror, her hands lifting to her face instinctively as she took in the sharpened jawline and thin nose. "Wow," was all she could say, but broke down into laughter seconds later as she heard her Scottish accent.

"Well it's me to perfection," the real Minerva said, coming over to stand beside her and holding out a pair of glasses that she'd duplicated from her own. The sensation of the glasses on her nose was an odd one, but Poppy pushed it to the back of her mind as she focused back on Minerva. She still looked anxious but it was an improvement from her full blown hysteria, and her voice only trembled a little as she added "You haven't got long though, it's nearly 9 o'clock."

Poppy gulped at that, knowing she had just over half an hour before she'd be jumping into the Black Lake in search of goodness knows what. Already feeling cold, she fastened Minerva's outer Quidditch robe around her neck in the hope it would offer her some sort of warmth as she waited by the lakeside. Minerva handed her Cleatus's hip flask which she strapped to her thigh so it was concealed beneath her shorts, glancing up to ask "And this'll definitely have enough in?"

Minerva nodded. "Don't forget your wand – oh, no you'll have to take mine," she suddenly amended, handing it over to her.

Poppy held it in her hands for a moment, trying to get used to the sturdier wood compared to her more flexible wand, lighting it up with a quick "Lumos" to check she could use it before extinguishing and pocketing it. There was no guarantee she'd find it as easy to transfigure herself like Ro had been practising, but with time running out and her nerves already rising she didn't want to waste time and effort trying it now.

"Ok, I think I'm ready," she said, taking a deep breath to calm herself before turning to Minerva. "If you wait here then I'll come straight back after the task so we can look for Ro."

Nodding, Minerva stepped forward to embrace her tightly again. "Thank you," she breathed, voice shaking again, then switched into her Animagus form as Poppy headed for the door. After exchanging one more glance with the black and silver cat cowering beneath her bed, Poppy forced herself to shut the door behind her and head on into the Common Room.

Thankfully it was relatively empty, since she wanted to speak to as few people as possible while acting as Minerva in case someone pinpointed that she was acting differently. The people she least wanted to come across were Larry Spencer-Moon or one of Minerva's brothers since they were so close with her, but she guessed that they were already waiting at the lakeside as she hurried past the few lingering Gryffindors to climb out the portrait hole.

Irma, Septima, and Millicent were waiting next to the Fat Lady's portrait as they'd promised the previous night, but they all gave Poppy looks of confusion when she emerged alone from Gryffindor Tower. "Where's Poppy?" Millicent asked first as Septima hummed in agreement.

"I'm Poppy. Ro's gone missing," she explained hurriedly, her own lingering concern over Ro's disappearance reflected in her friends' faces.

"We'll have to look for her after the Task, we're running out of time," Septima said, glancing worriedly between them.

Poppy nodded, letting Millicent take the lead as she walked beside Irma down the Grand Staircase to the Entrance Hall. "How are you feeling?" Irma asked quietly as they headed out into the castle grounds.

"Fine," Poppy said, but relented before Irma had even turned to glance her way. "Ok, I'm really really nervous that either this isn't going to work or I'm not going to manage the Task. Either way I'm terrified."

Irma merely gave her a tight-lipped smile in return, falling silent as they neared the lake. The stands from the First Task stadium had been repositioned around the lakeside with the judges' table on a raised platform by the pier, where she could see Svetlana and Reynaud stood with Professor Rykov and Madame Marguerite. After being hugged briefly by Irma, Septima, and Millicent, they all hurried to the stands as Poppy continued towards the rest of the Champions.

"Ah hello Miss McGonagall," greeted Professor Dippet, Poppy reminding herself to react to Minerva's name if she didn't want to draw suspicions towards herself. "You're just in time. I think Madame Crickerley will be giving you your instructions… ah yes here she comes."

Madame Crickerley was hurrying towards them with her robes billowing out behind her, flashing Poppy a blinding grin. "Minerva, Svetlana, Reynaud, good to see you all again," she said, beckoning for them all to follow her down the pier as the three Heads joined Mr Rabnott at the judges' table. "Now, you'll all be entering the water at the same time regardless of the rankings from last time but we'll still stand you in order for the audience's benefit. Reynaud, you won the First Task, so we'll stand you here." She broke off to steer Reynaud by the shoulders to one corner of the pier. "Minerva, we'll have you in the middle, then Svetlana can stand on the other side."

Poppy gave a wordless nod as she took up her position, taking off Minerva's Quidditch cloak when Svetlana and Reynaud did the same with their outer robes. Almost immediately she could feel the chilled breeze from the lake and she shivered, pulling Minerva's wand from her pocket to cast a warming charm on herself. The wand obliged without complaint, giving her hope that she'd be able to manage the transfigurations after all.

"Good luck," said a voice next to her that nearly made Poppy jump. She glanced over to see Svetlana smiling at her from her left; after returning the sentiment she turned towards Reynaud with the intention to do the same, but his gaze was fixed resolutely on the lake. From where she stood she could see one of his fists closed around what looked like a plant, making her wonder if that was his plan for breathing underwater for the hour.

There was no time to contemplate it any further though, since Madame Crickerley's magnified voice rang out from the judge's table and silenced the chattering crowds. "Wizards and Witches, our champions are ready for their Second Task! They will have one hour to scour the lake for something that was taken from them during the night before time is up. Champions, on your marks!"

Poppy tried to look somewhat prepared as Madame Crickerley counted down, and as soon as the whistle blew she had Minerva's wand out and ready. Pointing the wand at her own neck she shouted the incantation, both reassured and alarmed when sharp pain sliced just below each ear. After taking a last deep breath with her lungs she plunged into the lake seconds after Svetlana made the jump, gulping in a mouthful of water and grinning when her transfigured gills took over her breathing. Another splash announced Reynaud's arrival into the water, but Poppy didn't waste time finding out what his handful of plant had been for before she started swimming away from the shore.

With absolutely no clue what she was looking for, Poppy just focused on keeping her eyes peeled and swimming in the same direction. It didn't help that the water was so murky she could barely see further than ten feet in any direction, meaning she had a horrible shock when a slimy-looking creature suddenly came towards her out of nowhere. She whipped her head around to face the Grindylow, raising her wand and feeling incredibly glad that she'd chosen to take Care of Magical Creatures as one of her elective subjects. "Relashio!" she said in a stream of bubbles, sending a jet of boiling water that warded off the Grindylow.

A sudden pain in her non-dominant hand made her cry out, thrashing her arm through the water in an attempt to throw off another Grindylow that had its teeth buried in her thumb. Panic threatened to rise when she saw yet another two blurs in her peripheral vision, assuming they were Grindylows too since they were beyond the rims of Minerva's glasses. But panic turned to fury as she raised her wand again, using the severing charm over and over until the creatures left her alone. A glance at her thumb revealed a row of neat puncture marks and the faint red of blood dissolving into the water, but she restrained herself from healing them after remembering that Minerva wouldn't know how to. All she could do was grit her teeth against the pain, take an awkward gulp from Cleatus' hip flask, and carry on.

She didn't know how long she'd been in the water by the time she saw Reynaud swimming past her incredibly fast, spotting webbed feet and hands as he pulled away from her and realising that was probably why. While half-tempted to ignore him and continue her own search there was something about the intense look in his face that drove her to follow him, cursing her slow pace as he grew further and further away. After pushing through a clump of weeds she saw him again, hacking away at a rope tethering something to the lakebed. Her chest clenched when she glanced up and realised it was Ghislaine, his partner from the Yule Ball, and for a moment her heart felt like it stopped entirely when she looked next to Ghislaine and saw Ro.

Reynaud was already floating to the surface by the time she had frantically paddled closer, placing a tentative hand on Ro's shoulder before touching her cheek. Her skin felt clammy and cold, and Poppy realised that she had to be in some sort of charmed sleep. Suddenly the clue from the golden egg made sense; they'd come so close to losing Ro two years ago that of course she was what Minerva would miss most of all. There was no-one else there beside her – clearly Svetlana had arrived beforehand and taken her hostage – meaning that the hour had to be nearly up and Poppy was undoubtedly going to be in last place.

Attempting to think logically, she was about to fumble for the hip flask again before realising she had an audience of merpeople watching her from behind. There could be no witnesses to what she and Minerva had done, so instead focused on working out a way of freeing Ro and getting back to the surface. The jagged rock Reynaud had used was the obvious choice, but upon catching sight of Minerva's wand sticking out her pocket she realised that Reynaud must not have been able to use his with his webbed hands.

"Diffindo," she yelled, desperately hoping that the severing charm would work underwater. Her hopes were rewarded when the rope around Ro's ankles snapped, leaving Poppy to swim behind her and grab under her arms before swimming desperately for the surface.

The sound of cheering was instant when her head broke above the surface, taking a few deep breaths to fill her lungs with air after so long breathing through gills. Ro suddenly jerked in her arms, breaking out of Poppy's grip to turn and face her while blinking water from her eyes. "Min?" she asked, her voice a mixture of confusion and wonderment.

Poppy shook her head. "Not quite!" she just smiled, figuring Ro would catch on.

It took mere seconds for her to do just that, surging forward to hug her tightly despite them both still treading water. "You're a saint Pops," she said in Poppy's ear, before moving back and taking her hand as they swam for shore.

Madame Crickerley waded out to meet them in her shirt and trousers, beaming warmly at them both. "Good job Minerva, now let's get you both to Matron," she said, taking Poppy's hand and hauling her to her feet before helping Ro up. Ro looked practically starstruck as she regarded the woman who was her Quidditch idol, but Madame Crickerley just winked at her before striding off towards where Poppy could see Madame Quinine with Reynaud, Svetlana, and their two hostages.

"Over here you two," she beckoned, and Madame Crickerley patted Poppy's shoulder as she headed back to the judges' table. Suddenly feeling exhausted, Poppy let Madame Quinine wrap a thick blanket around her shoulders and hand her a glass of what she instantly recognised to be Pepper-Up Potion. She drank it without complaint as Ro received the same treatment, relishing the warmth that gushed into her as she sat down with the other Champions.

Svetlana gave her a warm smile in greeting, her mostly-dried ginger hair telling Poppy that she'd probably finished some time ago. "You here at last zhen," she said with humour in her thick voice, before her eyes widened. "Your hand, Minerva."

Poppy glanced down at her hand, remembering the Grindylow attack when she saw the bite marks slowly oozing blood. "Oh, yes," she said vaguely as Ro flagged down Madame Quinine again.

The Matron was back by Poppy's side in an instant, taking hold of her injured hand with a frown on her face. "I'm surprised Miss Pomfrey isn't here, she usually beats me to it when you two end up in Quidditch scrapes," she commented, soaking a length of gauze in Dittany and wrapping it around Poppy's hand.

Poppy tried to keep her features calm at Madame Quinine's harmless words, thinking fast as she replied "She wasn't feeling well this morning so I told her to wait in the dormitory."

The lie clearly worked as Madame Quinine just nodded, tapping Poppy's hand as she said "That will still take a while to heal, Grindylow bites are nasty business. I trust Miss Pomfrey will keep an eye on it though."

As she turned away to check up on Reynaud and Svetlana, Poppy managed to take another quick sip of the Polyjuice Potion while no-one was looking. Ro saw everything though, taking the hip flask and hiding it in her own robes so that Poppy wasn't left with the responsibility of looking after it.

"I'm proud of you," Ro whispered. Poppy smiled up at her before resting her head on Ro's shoulder, content to wait for the judges' scores as she let herself for the first time that day.

Author's Note
A wild author appears!

So it's been a good 6 months since my last update, and that was because I wanted to just put everything into my last few months of A-levels. But exams are all done now and I've got another couple of months off before I'm away to uni in September, so hopefully I can get a couple more updates out while I've got plenty of time on my hands. Getting fifth year done before September would be the dream but let's wait and see.

I did really enjoy this chapter, like I said the last time Poppy had a POV chapter I do really enjoy narrating from her perspective. That first scene in the Hospital Wing basically wrote itself in one hit back in January (everything after that scene was written in the last week), and I honestly love it so much. Poppy and Ro have such a wonderful friendship that's always a joy to write, they have such conflicting personalities but they manage to find common ground so easily and they care so much for each other. And there was also a fair amount of Poppy/Irma interactions in this chapter too; I don't think they're as close as Minerva and Irma are, but Irma still trusts her enough to be honest with her which makes for a nice dynamic.

I hope you're all satisfied with the outcome of the second task, since you all seemed intrigued about what my plan would be after the last chapter. It seemed logical that Ro would be the person held hostage after what Minerva and the others went through after her accident in third year, and with Poppy's quiet bravery she of course offered to take her place. Even though she isn't reckless like Minerva and Ro she's still undeniably a Gryffindor, her way of showing courage is just a lot softer than most people in her House. Several of you very rightfully pointed out the fact that this solution was cheating in the strictest sense, but I hope Irma and Poppy's conversation managed to justify it even a little. I'd be the first to agree that it isn't following the rules by any means, but if I'm really honest I always thought that Harry using his broom in the First Task ought to be against the rules so I'm sticking to my guns!

Can't think of anything else to add so I'll leave it here, though I do just want to say thanks to all of your for your patience. And more thanks to everyone who favourited this fic during my absence - there were loads of you! Hopefully I'll be back with a new chapter a lot quicker than I was with this one :)