A/N and I present to you, the Second Task. I own nothing associated with Harry Potter. To all my American readers, Happy Thanksgiving!
"Fucking Hell!" Echoed down the hall and was followed by multiple crashes and booms. Sirius stumbled out of his room and was about to make a snide remark when he caught sight of a worried Ironclaw hurrying up the stairs. A small explosion shook the Vault.
"Ironclaw, you didn't let the Weasley twins stay the night did you?" Sirius chuckled.
"I'm afraid not, Lord Black. This is all your godson and we are at a loss as to how to calm him down."
"Harry?" Sirius ran a hand through his hair. Maybe he should cut it? "Why isn't Hermione soothing the savage teen?" The Marauder snarked, not quite catching the atmosphere.
"Because Miss Granger is missing currently."
"WHAT?! How is that even possible? Did she leave the Vault?"
"We are unsure what happened and Mr Potter is in no condition at the moment to answer our questions."
When the pair reached the sleeping area they were greeted by the splinters of Harry and Hermione's bedroom door along with what looked like a pile of feathers and fluff. Several guards stood by with axes ready but didn't enter the room. More wood flew out the door as Harry yelled again.
"Right." Sirius drew a breath and looked over at a worried Remus. "Time to earn my title of Godfather." Transforming into Padfoot, Sirius carefully picked through the destruction to reach around behind his godson. Transforming back into the marauder, he grabbed Harry's shoulders in a hug.
"Harry, you need to breathe. Deep Breaths."
"She's gone, Sirius." He sobbed out.
"I know, pup, but we have to find out how first and then we can get her back. But you're scaring everyone right now and I've never seen a scared Goblin and I'll tell you what, that scares me more than you do."
Sirius took in the room while his godson trembled and finally collapsed in his arms. The book shelves were wrecked, little more than firewood. Same with the bed, it was cracked down the middle. If he wasn't looking at the mess, he wouldn't believe a 14 year old wizard capable of it, his magic just wouldn't or rather shouldn't be stable enough yet. All of the Goblin trainers said Harry excelled far beyond their expectations in practical work. Hermione was behind him but worked hard to keep up, pushing herself and her magic to gain the strength and control to go head to head against him. She was, however, the best researcher they ever had the pleasure to teach and she excelled in theory when given the chance.
Now to figure out how she got out of their safehouse.
"Ironclaw, did anything unusual happen last night?"
"No, my lord. The teens came back from dinner with a few friends, a Mr Longbottom and a Miss Lovegood, I believe, as well as Mr Creevey and Miss Weasley. The Prophet was looking for pictures of the champions and our participant for the promotion of the second task and Mr Creevey was showing off the photos he sent. He was supposed to assist at the second task before this occurred."
"Pup, can you tell me what happened? Anything?"
Harry struggled to pull himself together. He ALWAYS knew where Hermione was. It was just like a dull buzzing in the back of his mind, sort of like a fan blowing that you never notice until it's quiet. It bothered him more than anything else.
"We stayed up late, until midnight, a bit later, to go over everything for the task. It was quiet, normal. She didn't sleep on the couch in the common room or anything. And I didn't hear her get up. Can anyone get in here, Ironclaw?"
"No one from the castle unless they come in from the front door. We have anti apparition and antiport key wards up."
Harry thought for a moment. "But Dobby came when I called."
"A house elf's magic is different from a wizards."
"What are you getting at pup?"
"Could they have sent a house elf in to take Hermione?"
"Take Hermione? Take Hermione for what?"
"What I'll sorely miss. Maybe the riddle didn't mean something but someone." Harry trailed off. "It's something Luna thought of…"
Ironclaw looked offended and angry. "A person! But that's barbaric. You especially being underage. When was permission for this atrocity given?"
Harry snorted. "Like they would get permission. They didn't bother getting mine."
"Your idea is sound. A house elf should not under normal circumstances be able to kidnap a student from their bed. But with a strong enough master and phrased just right so it doesn't sound like kidnapping but for a task…yes, it could be possible.
"Then she's at the bottom of the lake and we need to go now!" Harry struggled to pull away from Sirius.
"Hold on, it's only eight and the task doesn't start until nine thirty. We have to think this through."
"No, we have to go and get her. Screw the task, Sirius."
"We don't know what that will do to your magic."
"You don't get it, I can't feel her anymore, Sirius. She's always there, this little buzz in the back of my head. And it's quiet. I don't know if she's alive or dead and I can't handle it. We need to go now!
Sirius looked to the Goblin in charge. "I will contact my Father. He should be informed. If Mr Potter loses his magic, we need to see if it will affect the Potter will and lineage."
"I don't care abo-"
"I understand that, Mr Potter, but you must understand there are repercussions for your actions that may be bigger than just you and your Miss Granger. I strongly suggest you get ready for the task. Contact your friends in the castle; gather them to you. We will make our plan and head to the lake once my Father agrees it's the best course of action. Can you hold on until then? I strongly believe that whoever placed Miss Granger in the lake will want her alive - at least at the start of the task."
Harry nodded. "I'll wait until Ironfist gets here but that's it. I don't care about honor or the task or my magic. I need to get Hermione back." With a lazy wave of his hand, the door put itself to rights as he walked back into his room. Sirius shook his head then called for Dobby.
"Harry Potter's Dogfather called for Dobby?"
"Ah, just the elf we need. Dobby, Hermione is missing. Is it possible for other house elves to enter here? Could one have been ordered to take Hermione?"
Dobby's little bat ears twitched. "It's not being easy to enter Harry Potter sir's Vault but an elf could do it, sir. And it would take a strong Master to have an elf obeying taking Harry Potter sir's Mi."
Remus struggled through the elf's explanation. "But a Hogwarts elf could have taken her?"
Dobby nodded.
"I must apologise, Lord Black, we never anticipated the Headmaster or the other representatives of the Tournament using a house elf to remove Miss Granger for the second task. We never would have considered a person outside the participants being placed underwater, the legal challenges alone pertaining to that should have ruled the possibility out."
"The tournament never asked permission from any of the families of the hostages, that is how this happened," snapped an angry Ironfist as he, accompanied by Ragnok himself, informed them as they came up the stairs.
"Families?" Remus asked.
"Yes. It appears there are four Hogwarts students missing this morning and from what we can understand, Miss Granger is not even Mr Potter's hostage."
"Then who the hell's hostage is she?" Harry spat as he reentered the hallway dressed in a muggle drysuit emblazoned with the Gryfindor and Potter crests.
"It appears she was chosen as the Durmstrang champion's hostage. Mr Ronald Weasley is under the lake as well as Miss Cho Chang and Mr Roger Davies. I believe the idea was to choose among the Yule Ball dates as what or rather who the Champions would sorely miss. An added advantage - at least as far as international cooperation is concerned - is that all the hostages are from the host school."
"Then how the fuck is the ginger headed toe rag mine? Arse. All he does is insult us. And Krum is walking on thin ice with Hermione for laying hands on her in the library."
"I believe the Headmaster is attempting to return to your good graces. He may be hoping the shock of seeing your former friend at the bottom of the lake will prompt you to repair your once strong friendship. The Durmstrang champion expressed interest in Miss Granger and asked his headmaster to consider her for the task."
"At the expense of Mi? Not bloody likely. And why would Krum think…he wants to get on Mi's good side. She still won't give him the time of day. Sirius, Remus I need to go down there as soon as possible. I don't care about my magic."
"Mr Potter, due to your participation in the tournament as well as the incident with the Daily Prophet and hate mail, we at Gringotts have filed your emancipation papers. Since just after the first task, officially, though it should have happened when you were chosen to participate in an adults only tournament, you have been an adult in the wizarding world. You have full control over both of your family vaults and can take up your Head of House at sixteen. Until then, your godfather stands Regent." Ragnok stated. "If you lose your magic, you lose the inheritance of House Potter."
"I don't car-"
"Pup, you don't know much if anything about your family legacy. Remus and I know a bit since we had to sit through those lessons with James but we didn't really pay much attention. What it does mean is that we also filed for Hermione to be a vassal of House Potter. Meaning Dumbledore needed permission from YOU, even though you are under age, to have her participate in this thing. We have options but not if you lose your magic."
Harry turned to the Goblin leader. "It's not that I don't appreciate everything the Goblins are doing for me but you have to understand something. I always know where Hermione is, I feel her in my head. And right now that spot is silent. I even know when she's asleep. And it scares me more than I can tell you that I don't feel her. That's why I think we need to go now. There's something wrong going on."
Ragnok stared at the young human before him. The boy was restless but firm in his determination. Both the young witch and his scholars felt the magic of the Goblet was most likely tied to the one who put Harry's name in the cup. If Harry didn't participate then that person should lose their magic. Something that would seem logical to do right at the start of the tournament if they weren't so certain the individual was just a cog in a bigger wheel. To take such a risk for one person…though the emotional and magical connection between the two was fascinating just as the werewolf said. It could be equally detrimental to have the witch perish.
"Mr Potter, it is not that I am trying to dissuade you from rescuing your friend but I do believe you are still not fully aware of just how expansive the Potter estate is. You stand to inherit, fully, one of the largest wizarding fortunes, including land and investments, in the British wizarding world. There are also voting seats on the Wizengamot up for control when you take up your Head of House. While the Potters are not a traditional 'Sacred 28' family, simply due to their progressive views, it may be detrimental if you were to lose your magic in a moment of haste. This is a completely different matter than if you simply died."
Harry shook his head. "It's not haste. And it's not my 'saving people thing'. This is Hermione we're talking about. Every minute I can't see her is like my skin is going to crawl off. If I need to change the will I wrote out from the first task before I go, I'll do it. I still want an equal split of everything between Sirius, Remus and the Grangers, after all, if something happens to Hermione it will be because of me she was in danger in the first place. What do I have to put if I lose my magic?"
"Wait a minute, Pup…"
"Harry, now see reason…"
"Standard Ministry procedure is to lock down your account until a Potter with magic comes of age to claim it. With your account and holdings being so vast, the Wizengamot may make a motion for the Ministry to seize your assets. While this is extreme, I believe there are wizards who will see this as the overreach it is and some Purebloods will be outraged that old family money is being seized by Ministry rule. Other Purebloods will think that because they are the ones voting for it, it will never happen to them. Same with your lands. Potter property will be unavailable to you and your family until a magical Potter comes of age. "
Harry nodded. "I never had anything before I got my Hogwarts letter and Hagrid took me to Gringotts the first time. It won't be any different. Money and things can be replaced."
"Your argument is sound, Mr Potter." Ragnok confirmed. "I believe if you begin the task on time, you will be prevented from rescuing Miss Granger in some way."
A commotion at the door interrupted them as the Weasley twins, Ginny, Colin, Dean, Neville and Luna all came racing up the stairs.
"Harrikins!"
"What happened?"
"Dobby popped in…"
"Then Hedwig showed up with your note!"
"What happened to Hermione?"
Harry held up his hands to stop the Weasley speech since it was happening between the three Weasleys instead of just the twins and the Goblins were getting restless.
"Guys! Hermione is missing. That dumb fuck -"
"Harry Potter!"
"Sorry Remus, but you know it was Dumbledore who did this. He had to sign off on all the Hogwarts students being used as hostages…"
"Wait, hostages? What are you talking about, Harry?" Ginny asked, taking a seat on the sofa.
"I think what has Harry so consumed by Wrackspurts is that his Hermione is part of the tournament and she is not supposed to be," Luna said softly as she drifted over to drop down beside the redhead.
"Luna's right guys. Somehow they got Mi out of here while we were sleeping and I have a bad gut feeling about all of this. We're going to the Black Lake now, I don't care what happens to me but I need to get Mi back here."
"We're coming with you."
"Guys -"
"Don't even think about it, Harry." Neville said. "We're going down there with you. Someone might try and stop you."
"Thank you. All of you."
The morning was freezing, with temperatures hovering just above zero and frost causing the grass to crunch under foot. Mist rose up off the Black Lake in the early morning sunlight as it bounced off the newly erected stands for the crowds. A handful of Aurors stood by at the dock where the Champions would start the task.
"Hey! You there! Task doesn't start for another 45 minutes! You should be in the Champions tent."
"Sorry to disappoint you but I won't be participating in the task, gentlemen. And lady."
The pink haired Auror smiled at Sirius.
"Wotcher, cuz."
"Hello Nymphadora."
"Tonks. It's Tonks. And what are you doing here if you're not participating?"
"Oh, taking an early morning swim."
"Wait…What?"
Before the four Aurors could stop him, Harry had swallowed a ball of gillyweed and dropped backwards off the deck into the water. The first few seconds took his breath away, the water was so frigid. Once he felt the gills beginning to appear on his neck and his fingers web, the water started to warm a bit.
"Sirius Black what did you just let him do?"
"Dora, darling, do you know what is waiting for the champions under the water?" She shook her head. "The headmaster has decided to allow the tournament to place four students - sans parental permission or even knowledge - under the Lake. Harry is rescuing the young witch he seems to be magically tied to. Dumbledore and the tournament broke Goblin law by placing her underwater."
"Heh, who cares about goblins?" One of the Aurors smirked, stepping back when one Goblin began fingering their ax.
"Considering they hold all your money, I would be careful what I said around them if I were you," Remus replied while keeping his eyes on the Black Lake's surface.
Harry, meanwhile, was carefully making his way to the easternmost side of the lake. The mervillage was almost directly across from where the Durmstrang ship was docked but the platform the champions launched from was well south of there. He tried to avoid the sea weed beds, his reading with Hermione and Neville told him there were grindylow swarms there and he had no desire to have one munching on his ankle while he was trying to swim.
Hermione gifted him with a new waterproof watch and he was making good time before he came up on some sort of water demon their research said specifically did not dwell on Hogwarts lands due to how dangerous it was. A each-uisge or water horse was swimming a few feet to his left. The demon didn't see him, and Harry was hoping it stayed that way. The only way to kill one of these creatures was with silver and he only had his silver infused potion knife on him. He watched it seem to sniff the water before swinging towards him.
He was unprepared for how fast the beast was and it plowed into him before he was ready. Its greyish skin was tacky, like it would stick him fast to it if he touched it too firmly. It rounded again and Harry drew out his knife, dragging it over its side as it passed by. The purple blood in the water drew a swarm of grindylows and they began to circle the water horse. A few swam towards Harry but he ignored them and continued on his way. Finally, a faint singing drew his attention.
The mervillage was in the middle of a rocky outcropping and the hostages were tied to a statue in the square. Harry could see Hermione and Cho's hair floating in the murky water. He gave Ron a glance before going to Hermione and touching her cheek gently. Her ankle was tied to the rock by seaweed so he began to saw at it with his knife. A merman tapped him with his trident.
"You must take your hostage."
Harry shook his head. He didn't know if the merpeople would understand him but he wasn't leaving without Hermione.
"No. I'm taking her. She's mine."
Just as the merman was about to gesture with this trident again, Harry felt a tug on his shoulder. He looked up, shocked. Hermione's eyes were open and filled with fear. She was awake and couldn't breathe!
Harry looked around frantically before with one sharp tug he broke the seaweed. Gripping Hermione's shoulders, he put his lips to hers.
A moment later, she separated and nodded as they began to swim towards the surface. Harry felt a pain in his neck and pulled out another ball of gillyweed to get the two of them to the shore. He knew the other Champions must be in the water by now but he didn't look for them, he concentrated on breathing for Hermione and getting them to the surface.
The moment their heads broke the water, hands reached out to pull them up. Harry only had to wait about a minute for his gills to recede before Remus pulled him up beside Hermione who was on her hands and knees coughing up water. He dragged himself to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to sit on his lap. Madam Pomphrey was hurrying over beside Dumbledore, Snape and Karkaroff but a Goblin healer was already beside them waving a hand to dry them and wrap them in blankets.
"Mr Potter, care to explain why you did not wait for the appointed time to begin the task?" And also why you chose to rescue Miss Granger when Mr Weasley was clearly there for you?"
Harry was up in a flash, gently setting Hermione aside before he punched Dumbledore in the nose, satisfied by the loud crunch that followed.
"You fucking lunatic. You egotistical arse. She was awake! Did you know that? Awake! If I had fucking waited until the task started she would be DEAD!" The last word caused a magical blast that rocked the three back a few feet.
"Why you insolent little…" Snape started.
"SHUT UP! Why are you even here? And why the hell would I rescue Weasley? He's been nothing but an arrogant bully since my name came out of the Goblet. No. I'm done. Hermione and I are going back to the Vault. We aren't waiting for your stupid scores. We aren't waiting for your little after task feast. If you're lucky, you'll see us in the castle tomorrow. If not, maybe you'll find out we're half way to Hermione's parents house."
Hermione wrapped the other end of the blanket around Harry as he gave her a kiss on the head. He kept his other arm around her shoulders as the Goblins escorted them and the 'uncles' as well as Auror Tonks back to their quarters leaving Dumbledore with a fuming Karkaroff and a confused audience.