Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. It and any characters from the franchise that may appear in this fanfiction are the intellectual property of J.K. Rowling. This story was written for entertainment purposes only and no profit is made from this story.
Author's note: Eternal thanks to my beta, GeekandProud (AO3) a.k.a. AnimeIsMyCrack (FF) who also made the cover image for this story.
- The Headmaster's office, 23rd of February 1995 -
Draco hesitated at the threshold of the headmaster's office. He'd been summoned just ten minutes earlier. What could this be about? He hadn't discovered what Draco had done, had he?
He was surprised to be addressed by the oldest Weasley brother, Bill, when he finally entered the room. His arms were folded defensively and a scowl marred his usual gentle face. He was wearing his signature jeans vest and biker boots. A silver earring shaped like a dragon's fang dangled from his left ear.
"Draco," Bill gestured, inviting him further in. "Perhaps you can help us solve this conundrum?"
He surveyed the room and looked at the other occupants. Why were Hermione, Daphne, Ginny, and- oh. Of course. The second task. The thing the champions would miss the most. Hermione would be Viktor's victim to save. He swallowed deeply, not wishing to think about what that might mean.
Their heads of houses, McGonagall and Snape, were also present. Neither one of them looked very pleased. McGonagall's lips were pursed. Snape's occlumency skills made it nearly impossible to read his mood, but Draco knew him well enough to see that he wasn't happy. At all.
Draco walked over to Mione and Daphne, unsure why he had been called in.
"What can I do for you?" The blond wizard inquired.
Bill's frustration was palpable. "The headmaster intends on sending innocent children , no offence ladies but you are underage, to the bottom of the Black Lake for the second task."
Dumbledore waved his concerns away, a grandfatherly twinkle in his eyes. "They will be perfectly safe, Bill. The Merpeople-"
"Are not to be trusted!" Bill cut him off sharply. His tone biting as he faced off against the Headmaster. "You are gambling with the safety of minors, Headmaster. As Lord Prewett, and on behalf of my father Lord Weasley, we forbid Ginny's involvement in this circus. If you had dared to inform Hermione's and Daphne's parents and Lord Delacour earlier, they would be standing here right next to me, protesting your decision."
"Your concern for your sister is understandable. But what about the others? They do not belong to your house. Especially young Miss Delacour… They are not under your protection, are they?" Dumbledore asked, an inquiring smile on his face.
"That is irrelevant, Albus." The cursebreaker retorted firmly. "You are lucky that I was visiting with Professor Lupin when you decided to take my sister and her friends away from their respective common rooms. Ginny will not be taking part in this. If you need a victim for Harry, then ask Draco as his best friend if he would be willing to volunteer to be part of this madness."
Oh. Draco finally understood why he had been summoned. He knew all too well the scars and trauma caused by war, and the thought of Ginny, who had suffered at the hands of Lockhart in her first year… It was unsettling to think she would have to be dragged down to the lake. She had enough demons already. Before he could agree to Bill's request, the four adults in the room started arguing again.
Hermione's consciousness tentatively brushed his for the first time in months. " Bill stormed in about twenty minutes ago ." She said, looking at her feet so the Headmaster would not notice their silent conversation. "He's quite displeased with the fact that we are being sent down to the Lake for the second task. But we'll be fine. Right?"
He wished he could promise her that. But things had changed so much that he could no longer be certain.
"You are Viktor's to save? " he asked, trying not to let his unease seep through. "Doesn't he have any friends at Durmstrang he would miss?"
Hermione had made it abundantly clear that Viktor was nothing but a friend and that she'd felt honoured that he wanted to take her to the Yule Ball. Apart from their interest in reading, the two didn't have a lot in common. Yet, they had established an easy-going friendship and could often be found in the library together.
Hermione turned her head and frowned at him. " Viktor has always been quite lonely due to his status as an international quidditch star… His fame isolates him. I think I've been one of the few he has been able to genuinely talk to. "
"I don't like the thought of you in danger down there. What if something happens to you? " He grasped her hand in his, looking down at their intertwined hands. He'd had another growth spurt and he noticed her hands were starting to feel so much smaller in his again.
"Then you and Harry will be there to protect me ." She smiled up at him as she squeezed his hand, a slight blush reaching her cheeks. "Just be careful. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you get hurt because of me. "
"If I get hurt trying to protect you, that will be for me to deal with, love." He answered, surprising both of them by using such an affectionate nickname for her.
McGonagall's indignant voice made them jump apart, the moment lost. The Gryffindor was defending her cubs like the lioness she was, actively opposing the Headmaster. "What were you thinking when you decided to send one of my lions, two of the school's star pupils, and a first-year girl to the bottom of the Black Lake, Albus?"
"I'll do it, Professor," Draco interrupted her, trying to calm down her fury. "I'll take Ginny's place. And I'll make sure to protect the other three if anything goes wrong."
"Mr. Malfoy." Her expression softened. "That is very noble and brave of you. But none of you should be risking your lives. It is the Headmaster and Mister Bagman's fault that this is necessary."
Another round of shouting ensued, but in the end, Dumbledore was set in his ways. The four of them would be put in stasis and moved to the Lake tonight. Right until the end of the second task.
"I will inform Lord Greengrass, Lord Delacour, and Hermione's parents of what has happened here," Bill stated, barely containing his anger, as he took Ginny by the hand forcefully.
He gently touched Gabrielle's cheek, telling her everything would be alright, and nodded at the three Slytherins before the two Weasleys left the Headmaster's office, smacking the door closed with a bang.
Severus caught Draco's elbow as the blond stepped forward to have the stasis spell put on him. "Your father will not be pleased with your decision," he warned.
Draco merely grinned at his godfather.
- The Second Task, 24th of February 1995 -
Draco gasped for air as soon as he burst through the water's surface. The stasis spell released its hold. Thinking on his feet, Harry waved his wand and put a featherlight charm on Draco's wet robes, making it easier for them to swim to the shore.
"Of all the beautiful witches I could potentially save, I end up having to save this wanker." Harry joked as he smacked Draco on the back a few times, helping him to cough out the leftover water that had reached the blond's lungs.
"Didn't know you were into boys, Potter?" Draco wriggled his eyebrows suggestively, playing along. "I knew you couldn't miss me."
Harry's laughter echoed across the water, reaching all the way to the edge as he jokingly dunked Draco. "Maybe in your wet dreams, Malfoy."
As they swam to the shoreline, Draco noticed his mother's worried face as she stood next to Madam Pomfrey. She was anxiously waiting and ready to help them instantly out of the water.
"Ginny told me this morning about what you've done for her. I couldn't be more grateful. Some days are still difficult for her. I can't imagine what her being dragged down to the cold wet darkness of the Lake would have done to her." Harry said, catching his breath.
"That's what friends are for, mate," Draco replied as they finally reached the edge of the water.
Both he and Harry were pulled out of the Lake. To his surprise, it was his own mother who had pulled him out. She was usually so calm and collected, the epitome of elegance. Not a hair out of place. But now she was pulling her drenched son against her body, embracing him tightly.
"Since when did you become so noble?" she whispered in his ear before she dared to let go of him. With a flick of her wand, she dried off his robes and cast a warming spell at him. "Your father has been threatening Bagman the whole morning. He couldn't believe they allowed the Malfoy heir to participate in something as dangerous as this. Dumbledore, that old codger, then told your father you'd basically offered yourself on a silver platter. His ire has turned on you, Draco. You do not want to cross him anymore today."
Daphne ran over and hugged him only a second after his mother had let him go. She too was glad that was alright. Cedric handed her another towel, which she draped over Draco's shoulders gently.
"Where's Mione?" Harry asked, turning around in a circle and scanning the small crowd that had gathered around them. "I swear Krum passed me underwater, even if he looked more like a shark than a human."
Fleur Delacour, who had been attacked by grindylows like in the first timeline, started screaming before any of them could answer the Boy Who Lived. There, in the water, floated Krum's body. He was bleeding. Hermione was nowhere to be seen.
Healers waved their wands, getting Krum to safety and rushing to his aid, when Draco suddenly felt a familiar consciousness brush his. Panic gripped him. No. She shouldn't be waking up. Not now. If Krum had failed to save her, then she was still underwater, she-
"What time is it?" Draco urgently asked as he grabbed onto McGonagall's shoulders frantically, making the Scottish witch jump in surprise.
Severus intervened and peeled his hands off the Deputy Headmistress' shoulders. "A pepper-up potion and a calming draught are in order," he suggested.
"It's been nearly an hour, Mr. Malfoy," McGonagall answered, frowning at the apparent urgency in his mannerisms. "We will retrieve Miss Delacour and Miss Dagworth-Granger in just a minute, as Mr. Krum sadly cannot continue either."
"How long was the spell supposed to last, Professor? Underwater?" His hands shook as he took the pepper-up potion Snape had handed him, but he declined the calming draught. He needed to be able to react quickly. "How long were we supposed to be in stasis for?"
"For the duration of the task, Mr. Malfoy. What is with all this questioning?" The witch scowled.
"The task is over now, Professor," Harry answered, his voice strained. He too had come to the same realisation as Draco. Hermione and Gabrielle could be waking up any second now. Even the Merpeople wouldn't be fast enough to get them up to safety if that happened.
Draco's eyes fixed on the judges. They were still scribbling scores down on a piece of parchment… Perhaps, they had a chance to save them.
An overwhelming feeling of dread ran through him. He might have gotten rid of the marriage vow, but one thing was still strong. The life-bond. Not that he would need his magic to urge him to go and save Hermione. He'd always save her. Bond, or no bond.
"I've got leftover gillyweed. But only for one person," Harry said, rummaging through his pockets. "Can you manage a bubblehead charm?"
Draco nodded absentmindedly as he started stripping off his robes and uniform, leaving him only his undergarments and a t-shirt. He muttered a warming charm to protect his body.
His mother gasped at his display of wandless magic. "Draco. You cannot go into the water. You're only a fourth-year. You might be brilliant, son, but a bubblehead charm! Besides, your father-"
"Don't. Even. Think. About. It." Lucius Malfoy warned him. His face was crimson with fury, and he smacked Draco on the shoulder with his snake-headed cane, its teeth piercing his skin. "You are the heir to the House of Malfoy. I will not see my son risk his life, our legacy, for a filthy little mudblood."
"Lord Malfoy!" McGonagall protested. "Such foul language! I hope that you-"
He pushed the Deputy Headmistress out of the way, reaching for his son who was walking towards the water now, Harry and Cedric in tow.
"I command you as Lord Malfoy, to stop this nonsense. You are off my blood, and you will do as I say!"
Draco could feel the familiar pull of his family magic. He even saw the lordship ring on his father's hand pulse for a second. But the life-bond he owed Hermione was stronger than the bond he had with his father.
"Lucius!" His mother yelled, appalled that he had dared to force his son into submission.
"Listen to me, boy! " The elder Malfoy nearly spat, as he was putting more and more of his magic into the command.
"I don't think I will." Draco snarled at his father, pulling himself free with a burst of magic that made even McGonagall and Snape stumble backwards. "Let's go, Harry. Cedric. I can feel Mione slipping into consciousness. She's already waking up."
Harry didn't need to be told twice and started chewing on the gillyweed as fast as possible before he plunged back into the Black Lake.
Both Draco and Cedric cast a bubblehead charm and followed suit. With a flick of Draco's wand, his hands and feet were transfigured, allowing him to swim nearly as fast as his Harry.
"He… can feel her?" Narcissa breathed out in disbelief, shaken by the power display she'd just watched. Draco should have never been able to disobey his father's command, unless… Someone else held a stronger hold on his magic.
"Mr. Weasley! The Tournament officials will come soon! Where do you think you're-"
Bill rushed past his former Head of House and jumped into the water, seemingly having partially transfigured himself into a black marlin. McGonagall was barely in time to jump out of the way of the upcoming waves he'd made.
Unaware of Bill's presence in the Black Lake, the three boys swiftly swam down. Thank Merlin that the Gillyweed also helped Harry to navigate underwater better. He didn't want to think about what would happen if they wouldn't make it in time.
The Merpeople prodded their tridents at their chests as soon as they came near the two girls.
" Only one may leave with each champion !" They hissed telepathically to Draco, Harry, and Cedric. " And you, you are not one of the champions. Be gone!"
Hermione's panic filled him when her eyes suddenly opened. The oxygen immediately left her lungs and a stream of bubbles engulfed her as she screamed. Draco reacted instantly and aimed his wand at her, casting a Bubblehead charm to save her from drowning. Cedric had done the same for Gabrielle.
One of the Merpeople attempted to distract him and poked him more harshly, drawing blood this time. He could see it trickle out of him, like a red mist in the dark waters of the Hogwarts grounds.
"Draco!" Hermione yelled, reaching out for him.
"Don't use your oxygen," he warned her in her mind. " Just, stay calm ."
"The task is over." Cedric tried to reason with one of the other Merpeople. "They should be returned to the surface, as was promised."
One of the fish-like humanoids grinned and sang. " But past an hour — the prospect's black. Too late, it's gone, it won't come back."
"That's just a riddle for the champions to solve," Draco argued.
"Wizards too stupid to make deals," one of the other creatures grunted. "They stay with us now."
Gabrielle started crying, understanding barely enough English to realise she was in big trouble. Due to her veela heritage, she was probably as uncomfortable underwater as her sister had been. Another bloody fuckup by the Tournament organisers. Sending an underage veela girl underwater. He wished he could see Lord Delacour's rage when he finally got wind of what had happened to his youngest daughter.
Not knowing what else to do, Draco and Harry raised their wands in a threatening manner.
" Careful, Draco." Deandra said. "You do not want to anger the Spirit of the Lake. The Merpeople are his subjects after all."
"The what now?" He asked, totally perplexed.
Suddenly, a half man, half black marlin, swam straight at them.
"Enough!" He thundered at the Merpeople, transfiguring back into his human self, a bubblehead charm around his head. Bill's ponytail had gotten loose and was floating around his face like a halo. "Your lord does not approve of what you are attempting to do here. He has sworn to the four founders to protect the students of Hogwarts and their loved ones." He stated authoritatively.
"This one not a Hogwarts student or their family!" One of the Merpeople grinned, pointing his trident to Gabrielle, making the little girl flinch.
"She will be," was all the eldest Weasley supplied. "Kanaloa, some help here, please?"
"Who the bloody hell is Kanaloa?" Draco asked Deandra.
A darkness so vast it bathed them all in shadow came near. Its tentacles covered every ray of sunlight that had managed to get through to the depths of the Black Lake. They couldn't see a thing, except for two giant dumbbell-shaped pupils in a set of deep purple eyes.
"Impossible!" Cedric gasped.
"Wicked!" Harry grinned.
"Hello, old friend." Bill greeted the giant squid. "Glad you could join us."
The Merpeople started whimpering and scattering about as the spirit of the Black Lake got closer, his tentacles flicking them away from both Hermione and Gabrielle.
" Come now, my children ." An ancient, deep, and rumbling voice said in their minds as he grabbed all six of them carefully with one of his tentacles.
"How is this possible?" Hermione asked Bill, as the water started to clear up, meaning they were nearing the surface.
"My first year, I fell out of one of the boats on my way to Hogwarts. The giant squid, Kanaloa, picked me up from the water and put me back on the boat. We've been friends ever since." Bill chuckled at the memory.
" Friends might be an overstatement, William ." The old spirit said as he put all six of them down next to a stunned McGonagall, Snape, and Pomfrey.
Draco's parents seemed to have been long gone. That was not a good sign.
"Don't be a stranger!" Bill waved to the Lake as the last tentacle hid itself underwater again after it had saluted at the redhead.
Fleur ran straight past them and hugged Gabrielle to her, whispering comforting words to her in French as she kissed her wet forehead.
Cedric clapped Draco and Harry on the back, telling them they did well. The Hufflepuff picked up Daphne in a tight hug and swirled her around as she ran straight at him.
Snape took a towel and transfigured it into a pair of black sweatpants. Draco gratefully accepted them. He didn't feel like standing in just a shirt and his boxer briefs for much longer.
Pomfrey started waving her wand at Hermione, trying to get out any water that might have entered her lungs as she was still coughing.
Draco kneeled down next to his best friend and took her hand in his, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. Thank Merlin she was alright. That the flicker of a bond that was between them was still there. Neither one had needed to sacrifice their life for the other. "Are you alright?" He whispered.
She stared at him and nodded dumbly.
A flash went off right next to them. Some photographer had captured their intimate moment. For fuck's sake.
Another flash went off as Bill was dragging his hand through Fleur's hair, trying to calm her down.
Fleur's body was still trembling, but her voice was steady as she said: "House Delacour owes you four a life-debt. Lord Prewett. Lord Slytherin. Heir Diggory. Heir Malfoy."
"It's alright, love," Bill whispered to her, planting a kiss on her hair.
"You know each other?" Harry motioned to the pair.
"We met each other at Gringotts in Paris last summer." He chuckled, wiping away one of her tears. "I was hoping to meet Fleur again. Albeit not in such circumstances."
"Viktor!" Hermione interrupted their conversation as she saw the Bulgarian stumble out of the medical tent. Another camera flash went off.
"Hermyown." He coughed, holding onto his side. "I vas so worried. Are you alright? I don't knov vat happened ven I got struck by the Grindylows…"
"I'm fine." She said, hugging her friend, glad he too was alright. "My friends came to save me."
Draco and Viktor exchanged a glance, and the Bulgarian smirked at him. "Draco. Of course. I vould not have expected anything less from you."
What was that supposed to mean?
Hermione suddenly wavered, her strength leaving her after all the excitement. Harry was by her side in a flash and told everyone he and Viktor would take her inside the medical tent to get her checked over.
Draco wanted to follow them inside, as he saw a suspicious-looking beetle nestle itself in Hermione's curly hair. He opened the side of the tent, but a hand grasped onto his shoulder, stopping him.
"Not. So. Fast. Son."