Raylynx's POV

I re-read the parchment in my hand. I'd had Harry write down the words to the mermaid's song he'd discovered from the golden egg. The song went:

Come seek us where our voices sound,

We cannot sing above the ground,

And while you're searching, ponder this:

We've taken what you'll sorely miss,

An hour long you'll have to look,

And to recover what we took.

But past an hour- the prospect's black

Too late, it's gone, it won't come back.

I was still clutching the parchment in my hand when I went down to the staffroom. I was going at an unusual time, just after lunch, which was during my free period (I'd had three back-to-back classes in the morning), so I figured that it would be empty.

However, to my surprise, it wasn't. As soon as I saw someone standing at the counter, I jumped and shoved the piece of paper in my pocket. The person at the counter also started, and hastily put something away. Then, I realized that it was Moody, shoving away his flask at the sight of me.

"Oh, Merlin, Moody," I said, clutching at my chest. "You scared me."

"What're doing down at the staffroom at this hour?" Moody grunted at me.

"It's my off period," I replied. I nodded at his pocket and said, smiling a little, "And don't worry, Moody, I won't report you for drinking on the job."

Moody's face suddenly split into a grin. "You won't, eh? Knew I could count on you, Kingsley."

"And what were you looking at?" he asked me. "I saw you shove something in your pocket when you came in. What was it?"

He lowered his voice as he asked me, "Was it a letter from Black?"

I shook my head. Then, pulling out the paper, I told him, "It's the song from the egg. I've been trying to figure it out – what it might mean and how one might prepare for it."

"Let me see."

I set the paper down on the counter, and Moody and I read it together again.

"Harry said it had to do with mermaids, which makes the first two lines obvious in meaning," I thought aloud. "Mermaids, so it'll be the Black Lake." I thought of the Black Lake and what was down there… I shuddered.

Pointing to the next two lines, I asked Moody, "What do you think they'll take from the Champions?"

"Does it matter?" Moody countered. "I think the next line is far more relevant. 'An hour long you'll have to look, And to recover what we took.'"

Moody looked over at me as he interpreted, "Looks like the Champions have got to be able to hold their breaths underwater for an hour."

"The Bubble Head Charm," I said at once.

"That's N.E.W.T. level, though. Diggory could do it, but probably not Potter," Moody replied.

"He could do it. Harry's mastered the Patronus Charm, too," I said defensively.

"Oh, yeah?" Moody snorted, unimpressed. "And how long did that take him?"

"Er – months," I admitted. "But he was only a third year."

"I'm not saying the boy doesn't have the ability to cast the Bubble Head Charm," Moody responded. "I'm saying he doesn't have the time. The Second Task is mere weeks away."

"Well, I can't think of anything easier than the Bubble Head Charm," I said, wracking my brains. "Human Transfiguration is also N.E.W.T-level and comes with a whole other set of risks."

"It'll have to be something simpler," Moody agreed. "Much simpler."

Suddenly, Moody's magical eye swirled onto me and he asked me, "You're actually focusing on the task itself this time. Does that mean that you've given up on breaking the magical contract that the Goblet creates?"

"No," I replied. "But I'm starting to feel that I haven't got the magical strength to perform the magic to break the contract. I can feel myself getting close, but then the Goblet will lash out at me and throw me back, preventing me from completing the spell. I think it realizes that I intend to break it."

I sighed. "I was thinking of asking Dumbledore to do it for me. I figured I should play on his good side for a while – stay in the castle, tame the sphynx, and so on… Then, I'll ask him."

Moody's eyes narrowed. "And if you succeed, does that mean Potter won't have to compete in the Second or Third Task at all?"

"Precisely," I replied. "After all, that's always been my goal."

Moody said nothing, but he seemed highly displeased with my answer.

"Anyways," I said, "have you thought at all about Crouch? What did Dumbledore say when you told him?"

Moody paused. "Dumbledore said he reckoned Crouch was in over his head."

"What does that mean?" I wondered.

But Moody, instead of answering me, merely muttered, "I reckon he's right."


That evening, I returned to the sphynx again. I opened the door and then stepped back. She came out, stretching out her huge wings and raising her magnificent head.

"Just so I know," I said to her, "have you been given permission to eat me if I can't answer your riddles? You nearly stumped me a couple of times last time."

"If I were to eat you, it would hardly matter if I were given permission or not. I bow to no one," she answered regally. Her tail flicked as she spoke.

"All right," I replied. "Then, are you planning to er – eat me?"

The sphynx smiled. "Normally, I do eat those who cannot answer my riddles. It's the only method of fair killing that I believe in. I give each unwary traveler three chances. If they cannot answer three questions, then, they die."

"O-Oh." I swallowed nervously.

"But I do consider you an exception. You are not an unwary traveler, but a willing witch, sent to amuse me. I'm ill-favored to kill off my toy so quickly," the sphynx whispered, and her voice seemed to echo, even though we were in a vast forest, where there was nothing for her voice to echo against.

"Oh, good," I said wryly, conflicted over the fact that she simply considered me her toy, but also relieved that she hadn't any plans to kill me off soon.

"Besides," the sphynx murmured, "I remember you…"

"You do?" I gazed up at her wonderingly. "You remember our encounter from the TriWizard Task?"

She nodded. "You attempted to see directly into my mind. You are the first who was bold enough, or perhaps foolish enough, to try to do so."

"You nearly killed me," I whispered.

But she said flippantly, "A small price to pay, for seeing into a sphynx's mind."

"I didn't know the answer to your riddle," I recalled. "So, I was hoping to find the answer in your mind."

"But your mind works differently than humans' do," I said, looking up at her wise face. "Your pathways and the speed at which everything moves within your mind is completely different. It was as though…" I hesitated, trying to put into words what I had felt. "As though for you, myth was reality. The very bending of space-time that we humans would consider the ultimate paradoxes were all as natural and instinctive as breathing for you."

I shook my head in awe. "It stunned me. I didn't know how to react."

"But you managed," the sphynx said, lying down and putting one paw above the other. "You remained alive, and you escaped from the labyrinth of my mind."

"You could have crushed my mind then, if you wanted to," I said knowingly.

"I could have," the sphynx agreed, nodding her great head. "But I never kill if I can. I don't enjoy it. It's simply in my nature. There can only be so much myth and question released into the world until it is my responsibility to balance it and rationalize the becoming of the world."

"So, to you, death is but transformation," I realized.

"Yes, except, if the legends are true, short of physical death, I am to live forever," the sphynx said. Her voice sounded weary.

But, only a second later, she piped up, "Now. Come! I must have my amusement for the day. And no cheating."

"Don't worry," I assured her. "I'll never try to look into your mind again."

Her lips curled upwards at the corners and she purred softly, "Pity."


Afterwards, I checked in with Dumbledore. Exhausted, I let myself fall back on the purple pouf in the corner of his office.

He chuckled. "A hard day at work, Professor Kingsley? Sphynx got your tongue?"

I shook my head at his terrible play on words.

Dumbledore, seeing my reaction, smiled and said, "Do you know, if I could have had my choice of intelligence, it would have been in the arts. I would have loved to have been a great poet, or storyteller. But alas, I fear I have been designated to the realm of practical magic – for example, discovering the uses for dragon's blood."

"Well, you can't have everything, Headmaster, can you?" I breathed out, finally sitting up.

Dumbledore's blue eyes twinkled behind his glasses as he replied softly, "No, I suppose not."

"Dumbledore," I said, "you've asked me to stay in the castle, and I have. But there are two things that are weighing on my mind."

"Do tell."

"The first – I believe that I have discovered a way to break the magical contract between Harry and the Goblet that would enable him to withdraw from the Tournament -"

"Raylynx." Dumbledore held up his hand.

"Please, listen," I begged him. "The breaking of a magical contract depends in large part upon the strength of the one who seeks to break the contract. I do not have that strength -"

"Nor do I," Dumbledore told me.

"Headmaster, surely you -"

"I fear you underestimate the Goblet of Fire. It is an ancient relic of our most magical ancestors. To destroy the Goblet may very well be equivalent to destroying the concept of a magical contract altogether."

"What are you saying?" I asked, my brow furrowing.

"I am saying that it is not only impossible, but undesirable to break this Goblet. You do not know what else you would be undoing were you to succeed."

"But Harry -"

"The fight we are living through now is only one iteration of the light versus the dark. Do you truly wish to sacrifice all merely for our single iteration? It would be equivalent to burning all language to write a single poem."

"I would do it," I said firmly, my eyes flashing. "The right action is the one that saves what is in the moment."

Dumbledore's eyes dimmed. "I used to believe that, too. But time has shown me otherwise."

He sighed and closed his eyes. "Besides, there is another reason why I do not wish to take Harry out of the Tournament."

"I already know," I said coldly. "You want to train the boy up."

Dumbledore, with his eyes still closed, nodded. "Yes. Precisely."

"Well, then," I remarked in a clipped voice, "I see our positions have not changed. If so, this conversation is entirely pointless. I wish you a good day, Headmaster."

I turned and left the Headmaster's office. Dumbledore finally opened his eyes just as I exited. Leaning his head back in his chair, he stared up at his ceiling, which reflected the movement of the twinkling starry skies above.

"Could I but…" he murmured to no one in particular.

Besides him, Fawkes gave a low, somber cry.


Jasper Riley's POV

"The Ministry is disappointed in you," Shacklebolt told me.

"Are they ever not?" I asked lightly.

Shacklebolt frowned. "We put our reputation as Aurors on the line for you, to justify your warrantless search, and now, you tell us that you have no leads."

"Because it's the truth," I pushed back.

"Is it, though?" Savage's voice rumbled from the corner, where he was sitting in a chair.

We were all in the Auror's office, after having been told off soundly by the Wizengamot for exceeding our authority in ransacking a "Muggle's house."

Although we explained to them about the bunker and the Runes, none of us were able to recite any of the Runes, for they were a form of magic that none of us recognized with any depth, and the Wizengamot members had been unsatisfied. Emmeline Vance, for her part, had tried to explain the Runes that she had seen, but she ended up being told off for being there in an "unauthorized" manner, as she was a prison guard and not an Auror, and technically should not have come along with the other Aurors. Emmeline had now been put on "probation" and told to "stick to her job." As had I.

"There's something you're not telling us," Savage accused me. "How did you know Sirius Black was injured?"

"Because I was interrogating Tarren Krawley every single day," I told him, which was part of the truth. "It was made very clear that someone had Black in their grasp and meant to kill him and sell his corpse on the black market. When that didn't happen, one could only assume that Black could escape, and if you've ever been in the hands of a Dark Wizard trading on the black market, you know you couldn't escape without earning a few scratches."

"Have you?" Shacklebolt suddenly asked. "Have you been in the hands of a Dark Wizard trading on the black market?"

I fell silent.

"Or perhaps," Savage said, and his voice was deadly thin, quite the opposite from his normal growling timbre, "you've been one yourself."

I remained quiet, keeping my eyes on the floor.

Shacklebolt sighed. "Riley, I respect you quite a lot. You know that. And I don't know what's going on in that head of yours at the moment. But I hope you find the right answer to all this."

With that, he and Savage left.


I remained sitting there for a long time afterwards, only leaving once everyone else in the Auror office had left. Or so I thought. To my surprise, Emmeline Vance was walking down the hallways of the Auror Department.

"Ms. Vance?" I said, surprised. "What are you doing here? There's no one here at this hour."

"Well, you're here," she replied, "and you're the one I was looking for."

"Me?"

"Yes."

"Oh, I suppose I owe you an apology," I realized. "I'm very sorry for this mess that I've dragged you in. You only meant to help when you testified as to the Runes you recognized, but the Ministry then saw fit to put you on probation. If I'd done my job right, you wouldn't have been disciplined. I'm sorry."

Emmeline was blinking very hard by the time I finished my apology.

"Er – no," she said. "That wasn't it at all."

"Have I committed some other grievance against you?" I wondered, surprised. I thought hard. What else did I do wrong? It's hard to keep track these days, honestly.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to go for a drink," Emmeline said bluntly.

"Hm?"

Emmeline paused, wondering if I was hard of hearing. Slowly, she enunciated, "For – a – drink."

"Ah." I stared at her.

She waited patiently for an answer.

"Yes, all right," I finally replied.

She smiled. Then, as we walked out together, I found myself looking at her curiously. Why is she asking me to come along for a drink? I wonder if she hopes to be an Auror, and is seeking to transfer to our department.

"Anyhow, you don't need to apologize for my probation," Emmeline said. "I deserve to be disciplined. I was on watch, actually, and I deserted my post to go help you."

"Why did you do that?" I asked, frowning.

"Well, first of all, Raylynx Kingsley is an old friend of mine. I wanted to make sure the Aurors weren't going to gang up on her," Emmeline replied. "But second…" Her voice softened as she admitted, "I heard your name, and I wanted to help you, if I could."

Something clunked inside my brain, and the gears began to whir as I realized, Oh, this isn't about becoming an Auror at all, is it?


Raylynx's POV

When I went back down to the Trophy Room behind the Great Hall to try my hand once more at destroying the Goblet of Fire, I found that it was gone. It had been taken elsewhere.

My hand curled up into a first in anger. Dumbledore, I realized. God damn it.

That night, I had another nightmare.

A stag was moving through a dark, winding forest pathway, chased by a sphynx. Suddenly, the forest floor, covered by foliage, gave way to a deep black lake. The stag fell in. It neighed loudly, and thrashed, but it slowly sank in. The sphynx jumped in after it, and the weight of both creatures made it sink.

A giant squid wrapped its tentacles at once around the stag, and the sphynx and squid fought valiantly over who would get to eat the stag. The stag was still struggling, but as the bubbles around it disappeared, it could make out the floor of the lake, and saw that it was comprised entirely of dead serpents and the pale white bodies of corpses…

The squid whispered in the stag's ear, "You made a vow with me…"

The sphynx snarled, "He's mine! He's for my amusement!"

The words echoed in my mind: "my amusement… my amusement…"

The stag couldn't breathe and was going limp. He closed his eyes. As the stag lost consciousness, it seemed to him that both the sphynx and the squid were disappearing. Instead, of the pale corpses drifting below suddenly flashed open pale-white eyes. It floated up to the stag and embraced the stag most gently, whispering, "Oh, welcome home…"

Home? This isn't home, the stag thought.

"Of course it is," the hollow voice replied knowingly, "for you are one of seven…"

Seven… Seven… Seven…!

"Ah!" With a scream, I sat up in bed, drenched in cold sweat.

I put my hand in my face and tried to regulate my breathing.

Then, I peeked from between my fingers to see the clock on my bedstand. It was only three in the morning. I groaned.

Then, a soft burping sound made me look over to Quincy's tank. Quincy was very tired, with little rings of crimson under his eyes that normally weren't there.

"Oh, Quince," I murmured, getting up from my bed and walking towards him. "I'm so sorry. I woke you up, didn't I?"

I reached into the tank and with one finger, I stroked his back gently until he fell back asleep.


As soon as I opened the door to the staffroom, I was greeted with the snarky comment of, "You look a right sight."

"Thanks," I said sullenly to Moody.

"Aren't you still young? The bags under your eyes seem to fit several generations, though."

"Shut up."

"You are looking rather unkempt," McGonagall said, shooting me a severe look. "Looking tired is one thing. We can't help that. But the state of your robes…" Her eyes lingered over my misbuttoned buttons and the wrinkled hem.

I knew what she was thinking, I did not take you into my house and raise you for several months to have you dress like this.

"Well, consider it something of a tradition," I replied wryly. "Professor Maudrick was unkempt, too. I think Ancient Runes needs a bit of roughhousing, to compensate for its seemingly quieter nature."

"But what keeps you up so?" McGonagall asked me. "It can't be grading papers. It's only February."

"Second Task?" Moody grunted at me.

"Something like that," I said vaguely. I had no doubt in my mind that the Black Lake appearing in my dreams was influenced by my knowledge of what the Second Task held.

I looked up at McGonagall and asked, "Do you think a fourth year could master Human Transfiguration, or the Bubble Head Charm?"

McGonagall thought about it. Then, she sighed and admitted, "No. Not in a few weeks. There are too many basics that must be mastered before either of those would make sense to a fourth year."

I slumped back against the counter. "You know why I'm asking, don't you?" I asked McGonagall tiredly.

"Yes," she replied. "But Raylynx, you know you're not allowed to help Potter."

"I haven't," I said quickly.

Under her stern gaze, I admitted, "… Much."

McGonagall glanced around the staffroom. Sinistra and Vesper were in the far corner, chatting away. Flitwick was sitting at one of the tables, feet hanging far above the floor, as he made notes to his already brilliant lecture notes.

McGonagall pulled me away a little further, towards where all the tea and coffee was stored. Moody followed us discretely.

"The Headmaster requested that Severus and I concoct a Spell or Potion that will put people to sleep, but be able to breathe for the duration of their slumber – all while underwater."

"That's what the Champions must recover, isn't it?" I realized. "People… Friends, loved ones…"

McGonagall nodded. "While Severus and I were pondering what to do, Severus mentioned that gillyweed, cut and diluted in moon-powder water, would allow one to breathe underwater. Although, the moon-powder water would also send the drink to sleep."

McGonagall hesitated as she said, "Not being a Potions Master myself, I'm not sure how the gillyweed affects the moon-powder water and vice versa, or what happens if one takes undiluted gillyweed. I admit that my knowledge is rather limited to – to the consumption of gillywater at the Three Broomsticks -" McGonagall suddenly blushed.

"Say no more," Moody grunted. "We can figure out the rest. Can't we, Kingsley?"

I nodded, though I was waggling my eyebrow at McGonagall at her admission of her alcoholic drink of choice.

"Stop that at once," McGonagall snapped at me. "And bear in mind that, as I said before, you are not to help Potter."

"Oh, Professor," I replied cheekily, "you insult my honor."

She snorted loudly. "Off with you."

As I began to step away, McGonagall took out her wand and pointed it at my back. I gasped in surprise as my buttons suddenly rearranged themselves and my untucked shirt slipped inside my trousers, and my trousers were yanked up – quite high.

"Ow!" I reached back and grabbed my buttocks.

"Professor!" I said indignantly.

McGonagall merely sipped her tea as she passed by me and exited first.


After my next class, I went straight down to the Hogwarts Library. I went over to the Herbology section and pulled out a couple books on underwater plants.

"Hydrilla, Eurasian Watermilfoil, Alligatorweed, Purple Loosestife, Water Chestnut, Guppy Grass, - Ah, here it is, Gillyweed!"

I bent over the book and read:

"Gillyweed was first discovered by Herbologist Beaumont Marjoribanks some time before 1845. However, the magical properties of Gillyweed remained unknown until Elladora Ketteridge ate the plant and nearly suffocated, recovering only when she stuck her head into a bucket of water."

"Oh dear," I muttered.

"This is so because the effect of gillywater is to essentially transform the human's basic organs into those of a merperson's or a fish's. The consumer develops gills in place of lungs, webbed extremities in favor of unwebbed ones, unblinking eyes as opposed to our usually blinking and lidded eyes…"

"Perfect!" I said. Putting the book under my arm, I hastened down to Professor Sprout's office, out in the grounds and down by all the Herbology greenhouses.


Professor Spout was hard at work, squeezing out buboter pus into buckets.

"Oh…" I said, wrinkling my nose.

"Who is it?" Sprout said, looking up. "Oh, it's you, Professor Kingsley."

"Hello, Professor Sprout," I greeted her.

"Yes, hello. Now, you've never been down to see me before. You must have something in mind," she said straightforwardly, but not at all offended. Sprout was about as cheerful and straightforward as people could come.

"Right," I said. "I was wondering, Professor Sprout, about…" I hesitated for a moment, wondering if it'd be far too obvious to simply ask her for gillyweed. After all, over the years, all of the staff knew that I favored Harry just as much as Snape hated him.

But I went ahead anyways, "… gillyweed."

"Gillyweed?" Sprout frowned at me. "Why would you need that?"

"For – For Ancient Runes," I said lamely.

Sprout gave me a most bewildered look (and rightly so), but after a moment, she said, "Well, child, I'm afraid I don't have much use for gillyweed. Although it is a magical plant, it grows only in the Mediterranean Sea. Conditions here are far too unfavorable for such a plant, so we never grow it here."

"We don't?" I said, highly disappointed.

"No. If you really need some, your best bet would be to ask Severus for some. I'm sure he has some. Most Potioneers have a small bottle or two. But as I say, it's bought and not grown."

My best bet would be Severus? Oh, this is rich, I thought, barely keeping from rolling my eyes. But I said politely, "Thank you, Professor Sprout."

I left the greenhouse. I took a moment just to breathe in fresh air.

Then, I heard Hagrid's rumbling voice not too far ahead. I turned my head to see none other than Hagrid and Harry coming up the pathway.

"You know what, Harry?" Hagrid was saying to Harry. "When I first met you, you reminded me o' me a bit. Mum and Dad gone, and you feelin like you wouldn't fit in at Hogwarts. An' now, look at you, Harry! School Champion!"

Harry gave a somewhat awkward grin as he mumbled, "Yeah, yeah, I guess so…"

Hagrid put his large hand on Harry's shoulder, and Harry's knees buckled for a moment.

"You know what I'd love, Harry?" Hagrid said gruffly, with his eyes misting over. "I'd love you to win, I really would. It'd show 'em all. That you don't have to be pureblood to do it. You don' have to be ashamed of what you are. It'd show 'veryone that Dumbledore's righ,' lettin' in anyone s' long as they can do magic. How are you doin' with that egg, Harry?"

"Great," Harry replied. "Really great."

Hagrid's expression broke into a wide, watery smile. "That's my boy. You show 'em, Harry, you show 'em. Beat 'em all."

The two of them traveled up the path. I let out a deep breath, tucking the book back under my arm. Well, if Harry's already got an idea, then maybe I don't have to face Snape, after all. Good.

Although, I thought, I'll have to check in with Harry later. Maybe he just said that to Hagrid to cheer Hagrid up. I need to be sure.


Later that evening, I called Harry to my office.

"Harry," I said, "is it true you've got a good grasp on the egg?"

"Oh… yes." Harry nodded.

"You sure?" I asked him.

He nodded again.

"All right," I said. "That's good to hear. Good job, Harry."


Harry Potter's POV

I sat in the Gryffindor common room, staring numbly at the flames.

Why did I do that? I wondered to myself. Why did I go and lie to Hagrid and to Professor Kingsley? I haven't got a clue how I'm supposed to solve the egg, and the Second Task is in a week.

I groaned.

"You all right there, Harry?" Dean called from a nearby table.

"Yeah, I'm all right," I replied. I got up from the couch and headed up to my bed, still thinking to myself.

It's just… Seeing Hagrid finally coming out of his cabin, ready to teach again, and then looking at me all teary and wanting me to win, I didn't have the heart to tell him I didn't know what I was doing.

And with Professor Kingsley, she's always looking after me. She always has her hands full because of me. Like she said the other night, I'm always making her worry about me. I don't want to. I'm grateful for her. I don't want her to always be worrying because of me. So, I wanted her to think that I could do things on my own.

But the truth is, I don't know at all what I'm doing. I lay in bed for about ten minutes. Then, with a sigh, I dragged myself out of bed and headed for the Hogwarts Library.


A week later, I was still desperately searching through books in the library. It was the night before the task, and I was still coming up empty. I couldn't believe it.

Echoing my thoughts, Ron said flatly, "I don't reckon it can be done."

"Of course it can!" Hermione snapped at him. "They'd never set a task that was undoable." She seemed to be taking the library's lack of useful information as a personal affront.

"Well, they have," Ron said. "Harry, just go down to the lake tomorrow, stick your head in, and yell at the merpeople to give back whatever they've nicked, and then see if they chuck it out. Best you can do, mate."

"I should've learned to be an Animagus," I muttered.

"Yeah, become a goldfish," Ron agreed.

"Or a frog," I thought, yawning.

Hermione's focused voice snapped up again sharply, "Harry! Tell me again!"

Holding back a groan, I recited dully:

"Come seek us where our voices sound,

We cannot sing above the ground,

And while you're searching, ponder this:

We've taken what you'll sorely miss,

An hour long you'll have to look,

And to recover what we took.

But past an hour- the prospect's black

Too late, it's gone, it won't come back."

"Right," Hermione said smartly. "Mermaids, Black Lake… One hour – again, obvious. Though admittedly, potentially problematic."

At this, I lifted my head up at her in despair. "Potentially problematic? Hermione, when's the last time you held your breath underwater for an hour?"

Hermione opened her mouth to start to respond, to reassure me, but just then, a loud clumping sound announced Moody's arrival.

He stopped at the end of the bookshelf where we'd been pulling out books all evening. His eyes flickered to stacks of books around us to my hopeless, exhausted face.

"Professor Moody!" Hermione said, surprised.

"Weasley, Granger, go to Professor McGonagall's office at once," Moody told her.

"Oh… But sir," Hermione said, "the Second Task is only hours away and -"

"Precisely," Moody said, cutting her off. "Presumably, Potter is well-prepared and could use a good night's sleep."

Hermione and Ron exchanged looks, but neither of them moved, wanting to continue helping me.

But Moody barked at them, "Now!" and they scurried off.

As they left, Hermione called to me, "Bring as many of these books back to the common room, Harry!"

Moody stood there for a moment longer, watching up pile up books to head back to the common room.

Staggering, I made to walk past him with my books. He neither said nor did anything, but I had a funny feeling that his magical eye had swerved around in his head to watch me leave.


Raylynx's POV

A week later, the night before the Second Task, I was sitting late in my office, staring at the pile of wood charms on my desk, when Moody stomped in.

"You!" he growled at me. "Thought you said Potter had it all figured out!"

I looked up at him. "He does. He told me so last week."

"Then, why, when I went to track down Granger and Weasley, did I find the three of those numbskulls still poring over books in the library at this hour?"

My mouth dropped open. "What?"

"The boy hasn't a clue what he's doing!" Moody said furiously.

What? Harry, did you lie to me? Why…? But there was no time to ponder.

I don't have the gillyweed. I thought it wasn't needed. What do I do now?

"He's as good as forfeited this match," Moody groaned.

"No, wait…" I said, trying to pull myself together. "I looked up gillyweed. It is the answer to all of our problems."

"Well, do you have it?" Moody questioned me tetchily.

"No. But I know where to get it."


Severus Snape's POV

"What?" I hissed unwelcomingly at Moody, who had pounded on my door for Merlin knows what reason at two in the morning.

"I need a word with you," Moody grunted at me.

"Well, if you didn't, I suspect you wouldn't be knocking on my door at this unearthly hour," I snarled at him. "What do you want?"

"I need you to examine something in my office," Moody told me.

"What? Now?"

"Yes, now," Moody replied, not in the least bit abashed.

"However insolent you may be, Moody, I am not at your beck and call!" I growled.

"So, even if I tell you that I found an artifact oozing with Dark Magic left in my office, you won't come?" Moody asked me.

I paused. An artifact of Dark Magic…?

"Yeah, thought that might get your attention." Moody grinned at me.

"Fine," I said stiffly. "Lead the way. But it had better be worth my time."


When I reached Moody's office, I saw a Foe Glass sitting on his desk. Foe Glasses showed your enemies, and the clearer they appeared, the closer they were to you…

I frowned. "What is the meaning of this? This is a Foe Glass. Hardly an artifact of Dark Magic. You know this, Moody."

My temper growing, I said furiously, "If this is your idea of a joke -!"

"No, it's not," Moody grunted. "Sit."

"I will not."

"Fine," Moody replied. "I… will." With a low groan, he sat down and eased his wooden leg off.

"What I want to know, Snape, is why I keep seeing your face in my Foe Detector," Moody said shortly. "Karkaroff, too. Now, Karkaroff, I understand. That slimy git would go running to or from the Dark Lord depending on what he thinks will save his worthless life."

"But you." Moody's eyes flashed up to my face. Despite the dim lighting of his office, I swore that his magical eye was nearly crackling with some secret energy. "If you're truly aligned with Albus Dumbledore, why do you keep appearing in my Foe Glass?"

I paused. I licked my lips slowly before I said, "What are you suggesting, Moody?"

"You know perfectly well what I'm suggesting," Moody growled. "Your allegiance is still with the Dark Lord, isn't it?"

At his words, the Dark Mark on my arm suddenly burned.

I grimaced and suddenly flinched. My right hand flew to my left arm as I grabbed my arm instinctively in response to the sudden flash of pain searing through the inside of my arm.

Moody suddenly laughed. "Well, never mind. Why would I trust a word of what you say to me, anyways?"

Then, he murmured, cryptically, "You're a pathetic man, through and through. You don't even know what you stand for."

Fuming, I turned on my heel and left Moody's office. That demented ex-Auror! What does he think he's playing at?

I marched back down towards my chambers, passing by my office without a thought as I was lost in anger and humiliation.

However, I slowed to a stop.

The door… The usual locking enchantments have been disturbed. I can tell.

I turned back and ran my hand over my office door. The magical traces left behind conveyed to me that it had been opened and locked again only minutes ago.

I ground my teeth in frustration. It seemed that I could not a single night's rest without having my wares broken into!

Hogwarts is crawling with thieves and idiots, I thought, through gritted teeth, as I furiously whipped out my wand and doubly fortified the magical locks on my office door.


Harry Potter's POV

No, there's nothing in the 'Madcap Magic for Wacky Warlocks' about breathing underwater. Nothing in 'A Guide to Medieval Sorcery,' either. Nor in 'An Anthology of Eighteenth-Century Charms' or in 'Dreadful Denizens of the Deep.' Not a single mention of underwater exploits in 'Powers You Never Knew You Had and What to Do with Them Now You've Wised Up'…

One in the morning. . . two in the morning . . .

I kept telling myself, the next one, the next one will have an answer – keep going, keep at it…

I imagined Hagrid's crestfallen face, Dumbledore's disappointed expression, and Malfoy's exuberant one. I saw a crowd of people flashing their "POTTER STINKS!" badges at me. Behind them all, my godmother was looking at me with pitiful eyes, but she, too, was slowly shaking her head…

I tried to call her name, to try to explain myself, but nothing came out. I had no excuse. I'd just failed…

"P-Professor… Kingsley…" I mumbled. My head dropped down onto my arms, and the book slipped out of my hands and onto the floor. "Professor…"


Something soft, but quite frantic, was violently pawing at my shin.

"Meow! Meow!"

"Stop it…" I mumbled, drawing my leg away.

"Me- OW!" Tiny claws sank deep into my shin.

"Ouch!" Crying out, I suddenly jolted awake. My head snapped back, and I was abruptly sitting upright.

Something large and fluffy jumped into my lap. It's head poked into my chest for a moment.

I cracked open my tired eyes enough to realize that it was – "Crookshanks?" I whispered. "Professor -!"

Crookshanks – or rather, Professor Kingsley – put her paw on my mouth to quiet me. Then, leaping down from my lap for just a second, only to leap right back up, I saw something dangling from her cat mouth. I looked closer to see that it was a Potions bottle. She's managed to bite onto the thin string around the neck of the capped bottle. It was labelled: "Gillyweed."

"What is this?" I croaked.

Crookshanks shook her head. Then, she leapt onto the table and raced over to the clock. She nudged it with her head.

I looked at the time.

"Oh Merlin," I breathed out. "It's only ten minutes until the Second Task. I should – I should go down to the Black Lake. Only… Only I haven't…" My voice swallowed up in my throat, as the utter shame of having failed everyone so brilliantly washed over me. I'd been so confident that I would solve the egg and figure it out, but…

Suddenly, Crookshanks did a very strange thing. With some difficulty, she managed to bite onto the end of her own fluffy tail.

I stared at Crookshanks, unsure of what Professor Kingsley was trying to tell me.

Crookshanks, with her beady yellow eyes, stared intently at the bottle in my hand. Then, with a muffled but frustrated growl, she bit down on her own tail again.

"Am I supposed to eat this?" I wondered, holding up the bottle again.

Crookshanks, letting her tail fall from her mouth at once, nodded excitedly. Then, leaping back up, she got onto her hind feet and scrabbled lightly at my arm, telling me to Go, go, go!

"Thanks!" I said, with relief coursing through my veins, relief so sharp it literally felt like ice.

Crookshanks nodded her head frantically, and she repeated her message of pushing me to get going.

Clutching the bottle in my hand and trusting Professor Kingsley, as I would with my life, I raced all the way to the Black Lake, with not a minute to spare.

Crookshanks, with some difficulty, managed to open the Gryffindor common room door after me, and slip out.

As soon as leapt out of the common door opening, however, she skidded to a stop – for Mrs. Norris had just turned the corner and had noticed her.

Mrs. Norris eyed her most curiously. She sniffed Crookshanks. Familiar, but unfamiliar, Mrs. Norris thought. Then, she realized, Haven't seen you for a year, you fat cat.

Crookshanks sat nervously, fidgeting a little. Will you let me by?

No. Mrs. Norris said resolutely, hissing loudly and with her tail stuck straight up in the air. Tell me why you are here again, or I will go get my master. If you were a student's pet, you wouldn't be gone for a year.

I – I had a problem with my - my tail. Crookshanks' ears twitched.

Liar. Mrs. Norris suddenly sank into an aggressive position, ready to pounce. And worse – Intruder! She pounced.

With a frantic "yowwww!" Crookshanks went streaking down the hallway, with Mrs. Norris in hot pursuit.


I barely made it to the Black Lake in time for the start of the Second Task. Skidding to a stop, I bent over and panted hard as I said weakly, "I'm… here…!"

Dumbledore smiled at me, but Karkaroff and Madame Maxime could not be more disappointed to see me, as they had plainly hoped I would simply not show me at all. Bagman had us all line up at ten-feet intervals along the dock from where we would be jumping off. I saw that Krum was ready, wearing swimming trunks and holding his wand. I suddenly felt very stupid, as I was still in my school shirt and pants from yesterday I pulled out the bottle of gillyweed and stared at it. Slowly, I uncapped it and took it out. It smelled very salty, and it felt all slimy in my palm.

Ugh, I thought. Am I really supposed to eat this?

As Bagman began his commentary to the crowd, calling out, "Our Champions will begin the Second Task at the sound of the cannon…!", each of the headmasters and headmistresses approach their Champions for a last-minute check-in. Dumbledore approached Cedric with a kind smile. To my surprise, Professor Moody thumped up to me. Seeing me holding the gillyweed, he grunted, "Put that in your mouth, Potter. Now."

I did as he said. Unfortunately, right when I put it in my mouth, the cannon went off. I choked in surprise – gagged, but then managed to swallow – I felt someone shove me from behind, and I fell, clumsily and face-first, into the water.

I had no idea what to expect. All I knew was that the water was everywhere, clogging up my senses, and I wanted so badly to cough after choking on the gillyweed, but I couldn't breathe – only… only…

Wait, I can breathe! I felt something growing at the side of my neck. I raised my hand and felt gingerly along my neck. My fingers traced along two large slits… Merlin, I have gills!

Then, my fingertips seemed not to be fingertips anymore. I paused. Then, I stretched my hands out in front of me, only to discover that they were now webbed. My feet, too, were webbed, and what was more, they had become elongated – flippers.

I struck out, and found that my flippers easily propelled me forward. I was gliding through the water, cutting through it like it was fresh, thin air in the high mountaintops. I marveled at how fast one kick of my feet could take me.

All right. Now, focus, I reminded myself. I've got to find the merpeople. Where could they be? At the bottom of the Black Lake, I suppose.

I swam forward, through forests of swaying underwater reeds and coral. I angled my swimming downwards. The water became to grow opaque – heavy, almost, and grey, instead of clear. I tried to focus my vision, looking for any sight of merpeople.

Too intent on what was in front of me, I failed to notice the grindylows gathering below me until one of them grabbed my ankle – and pulled.

I let out a cry of surprise, but instead of any sound, a large bubble issued from my mouth.

Grindylows were attacking me left and right. The first grindylow was still holding tight to my ankle and was pulling me down, down, down…

I managed to grab my wand from my back pocket. I yelled out, "Relashio!" Another large bubble came out of my mouth, but thankfully, a jet of boiling water flew out of the tip of my wand. It hit the first grindylow's hand. The grindylow floundered and then, with an angry hiss, pulled back its hand. I quickly swam away, brandishing my wand at any grindylow who came near. A couple grindylows tried to chase after me. I sent more jets of hot water at them over my shoulder. One grindylow managed to catch up with me and made to snatch at my ankle again. I instinctively kicked out. My foot connected with the grindylow's head. I saw the grindylow's eyes become cross-eyed and he floated away, rather dazed. I would have felt quite sorry, if it weren't for the fact that he'd been trying to sink me for the past ten minutes. I quickly swam out of the reeds.

My heart sank when I saw nothing but a vast expanse of grey water before me again. Where on earth are the merpeople? I only have an hour…

"How are you getting on?"

Startled by the voice, I whipped around to see – Moaning Myrtle.

Myrtle giggled at my astonished face. "You want to try over there!" she said, pointing. "I won't come with you. I don't like merpeople very much. They always chase me when I get too close…"

I gave her a thumbs-up before swimming away once more, though I swam high above any more patches of weed where grindylows might hide.

I don't know for how long I swam on. Time seemed distorted underwater. But then, finally, I heard it – that haunting mersong. "An hour long you'll have to look…"

I swan faster. Soon, I saw a large rock emerge out of the muddy floor of the Black Lake. The rock had been sculpted to depict two merpeople on either side of what I now recognized was a towering arch. I passed through the arch, following the singing.

After a moment, I finally spotted them – the merpeople. Quite opposite from the painting of the mermaid in the prefects' bathroom, the merpeople had gray skin and seaweed-like hair. Their scaly silver tails looked extremely powerful. To make the picture look quite unwelcoming, each held a spear of some kind.

However, they allowed me to pass through their kingdom. I finally came to the group of merpeople who were singing. They had all gathered together before what appeared to be a large sunken, moss-covered cathedral of sorts. In front of the cathedral, there was a stone statute, with four figures bound to it.

Ron! I recognized at once. Hermione!

I had to swim around to see the two other figures. I recognized Cho immediately. The fourth figure took me a moment to place, but with her cloud of silvery hair blossoming around her in the water, I would guess that she was Fleur's sister.

All of them were sleeping deeply. I hesitated. The ropes of weed tying the hostages to the statue were thick, slimy, and very strong. I thought of using Relashio again, but I was a bit nervous. On land, Relashio didn't emit boiling water. It simply released, invisibly, whatever was holding onto you. I felt very hesitant to try spells on the binds on the hostages' legs, because I didn't want to accidentally douse them with burning water or anything of the like. Finally, spotting the stones littering the bottom of the lake, I dove down below and snatched up a particularly jagged one before returning to the statue.

I started to hack at the ropes binding Ron. After several minutes, the rope broke apart. Ron floated upwards a little, still unconscious, but now free in the water.

I turned back to Hermione and began to hack at her bindings too. But several merpeople seized me and threw me back.

"Only one!" the closest merperson hissed at me. "Leave the others!"

"What? No way!" I tried to say, but the only thing that came out of my mouth was another large bubble.

Still, the merperson seemed to understand me, for he shook his head and pointing his spear at me, reiterated, "You take only your own hostage!"

"She's my friend, too!" I shouted back, and another silver bubble emitted from my lips. "And I don't want the others to die either!"

I struggled against the other merpeople holding me back, but they merely laughed and held me back.

Then, the choir of merpeople who had been singing let out an excited shout, for another Champion had arrived – Cedric.

Cedric swam down to the statute. He was still in his human form, but he had a bubble encasing his head. He saw me. The merpeople let me go.

Cedric mouthed at me frantically, "Go! The others are coming!"

Then, using his wand, he somehow knew which spell to use to release Cho. Grabbing her arm, he pulled her up and away.

Thank Merlin, I thought, Cho's safe. But where are Fleur and Krum? Time's ticking, and according to the song, the hostages will be lost after an hour!

The mersong broke once more, and the merpeople began to screech animatedly.

I turned and then gasped loudly – but not really, for it was just another silver bubble rising from my mouth – as I saw what appeared to be a massive shark headed our way. I made to raise my wand, but then, I saw the swimming trunks. Krum?

Krum appeared to have Transigured himself, either aiming for partial Transfiguration of Transfiguring himself quite badly, for he had a human body, but the head of a shark. He swam straight to Hermione and grabbing her ropes, yanked her hard enough that the statute began to keel to one side – the ropes snapped, and Hermione was free. Krum yanked at her rope again, taking her back to the surface.

I let out another long brief of relief, and a long silver bubble issued from my mouth and floated above my head.

Where's Fleur? She's the only one left, I thought.

But as the minutes ticked by, there was still no sign that she was coming.

With a sinking feeling, I looked back at her little sister, still tied to the statue. She can't be more than eight or nine.

There was nothing else to be done. I raced forward and hacked at the ropes furiously. After only a few hacks, she was free.

But the merpeople had noticed, and they made to stop me again. Dropping the rock, I pulled out my wand. Who cares if I don't know the exact spells? I'll try everything I've got until they let me go! I thought, determined. But I can't just leave her here!

The merwoman nearest to me tried to pin me down with her trident.

"Relashio!" I shouted. Sure enough, another jet of boiling hot water flew out of my wand. The merwoman hissed and deftly dodged. But, scared of magic, she didn't challenge me again. Neither did the other merpeople. Though they scowled and hissed at me, they let me take both Ron and Fleur's sister. Putting my wand in my teeth, I grasped both of them by their upper arms and tugged them away.

It was incredibly tiring to swim all the way back up to the surface while dragging both of them with me. And what was worse, the gillyweed effects were starting to fade away. I could feel the webbed part of my hands inching away, back to my normal human fingers…

A few minutes later, my flippers, too, were returning to being normal feet.

No, I thought desperately, once my gills are gone, I'm a goner, too.

I kicked as hard as I could, trying to make the most use of the gills I could before they disappeared… Please let me be close to the surface! Please!

Water began to flood through my mouth into my lungs. I swallowed, and I immediately regretted it. I felt sick, and dizzy, but I could see the light above me. I'm close! I'm close! Keep going! A voice in my head was shouting at me. It sounded like Remus, and Sirius, and Professor Kingsley, all yelling at me – Harry, don't give up! Go! You're almost out of the water!

My head burst through the surface of the water.

Air – cold, pure, wonderful air – coursed through my lungs. I gasped and tried my best to breathe in lungfuls of air.

I could hear the crowd screaming and cheering.

Then, besides me, I heard Ron's voice… "Wet, this, isn't it?"

"R-Ron!" I managed to gasp out.

Then, Ron spotted Fleur's sister just behind me, also opening her eyes and blinking awake. "Harry, what did you bring her for?" Ron asked me.

"Fleur didn't – didn't turn up, and I couldn't leave her," I panted, explaining myself.

"Harry, you great big prat!" Ron groaned. "You didn't take the song thing seriously, did you? Dumbledore wasn't about to let any of us drown! I hope you didn't waste time down there acting the hero!"

I suddenly felt the truth of Ron's words hit me. Right. What the hell was I thinking? Of course Dumbledore would never sacrifice a student's safety for the sake of a Task. Why did I get so caught up – as Ron said – acting the hero?

But, I also thought defensively, Ron wasn't down there with me. He didn't know how eerie it all was!

Before I could think any further, wild, green-haired heads were popping out of the water all around us. The merpeople had swam up to shore, only now, they were smiling at me.

I heard another splash nearby. A moment later, a very familiar voice was saying, "You're all right! Don't panic. Come with me, now."

I turned my head to see that Professor Kingsley had joined us in the water. Some students were whooping, shocked to see their always unkempt Ancient Runes Professor suddenly dive into the water with surprising agility. Professor Kingsley had noticed that Fleur's sister, being only eight, was struggling to stay afloat. She put her arm around the girl's waist and pulled her along. As she did, she looked back at me and shouted, "Harry! Ron! You boys all right?"

"Yes!"

We started to swim back to shore with her. But suddenly, Professor Kingsley stopped. Then, she said, in an unexpectedly tense voice, "Harry, Ron – take Gabrielle, now. Take her back. Go."

I shot Professor Kingsley a confused look, but she had already draped Gabrielle's arm around my shoulders and gave me a little push. Ron shrugged at me. The three of us swam the rest of the way back. I tried to turn my head to see Professor Kingsley, but I couldn't see over Gabrielle's arm on my shoulder.

As I exhaustedly climbed up onto shore, Fleur sprinted over to me. She dropped to her knees and hugged her little sister in her arms. "Gabrielle! Gabrielle!"

"She's all right," I managed to say. But that was all I managed before Madam Pomfrey swooped down on me, covering me with a huge fluffy towel and then forcing a very hot Potion down my throat. Steam left my ears, but I was extremely thankful for Madam Pomfrey's care. Madam Pomfrey turned her vicious love onto Ron and Gabrielle next.

For a moment, I caught a glimpse of Dumbledore, crouching at the water's edge, in a deep talk with the chief merperson – a ferocious-looking female with a crown of seashells on her green hair.

Then, Hermione had bounded forward. Her half-dried hair completely obscured my vision as she threw her arms around me. Seeing me, she'd come and talk to me, leaving Krum behind her.

"Harry!" she said excitedly, beaming at me. "Well done!"

Krum followed Hermione. Then, reaching out, he said, "You have a water beetle in your hair."

He plucked it out for her, but Hermione was still talking to me, saying, "You're well outside the time limit, though, Harry -"

Just then, Bagman's magically magnified voice boomed out. "Ladies and gentlemen! We have decided upon each Champion's scores!"

Then, he recited, "Fleur Delacour, who demonstrated excellent use of the Bubble-Head Charm, was nonetheless unable to reach her hostage, due to the grindylows' interference. We award her twenty-five points out of fifty!"

"Next, Cedric Diggory, who also used the Bubble-Head Charm, not only managed to return with his hostage, but he returned first. However, he was one minute outside of the one-hour time limit. As such, we award him forty-seven points!"

"Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of Transfiguration, and he was second to return with his hostage. We award him forty points!"

"Now, Harry Potter used gillyweed to great effect and, as we all saw, he returned last. However, the Merchieftainess informed us that Mr. Potter was actually the first to reach the hostages, and the delay in his return was due to his determination to save all four hostages, not merely his own. In consideration of this display of moral fiber, Mr. Potter's points are – forty-five points!"

Hermione and Ron applauded loudly, with Ron cheering, "There you go, Harry! You weren't being thick after all. You were showing moral fiber!"

Fleur, too, clapped hard, and turning to Harry, she said, "You saved my little sister, even though she wasn't yours to save! Thank you!"

"Oh, er, not – not at all," I replied, taken aback by her gratitude.

"And you!" Fleur said, noticing Ron. "You helped!"

"Yeah, uh, a bit," Ron replied hopefully.

Fleur laughed and leaning forward, she gave him a kiss on his cheek.

Hermione's exuberant expression at Harry's high marks soured considerably when she saw Fleur kissing Ron, but she didn't have a chance to say anything, as Bagman's voice rang out again. "The third and final task will take place at dusk on the twenty-fourth of June. Thank you all for your support of the champions!"

I let out a huge breath of relief. I made it. I survived. I don't have to worry about the Third Task until June.

Suddenly, I let out a loud shout of surprise, for Fred and George had taken it upon themselves to grasp my legs. They hoisted me up on their shoulders and chanted out loudly, "Mr. Moral Fiber! Mr. Moral Fiber!"

I was mortified at first, but the chant picked up among the Gryffindors, who surrounded me, clapping and cheering. It felt great, to be honest, but that wasn't what really did it for me. It was seeing Hagrid's large, beaming face, over the crowd, clapping together his large hands before wiping away a tear, that finally made me break into a smile.