A/N: Sorry about the late posting! I've been at a con and was having such a good time that I couldn't take a moment to pull out my laptop and post. But now you have both chapters! Hope you enjoy! Make sure to post your reviews and comments! I read them all!
"Have any of you seen Cho this morning?" Cedric asked, as the Champions met up in the Sphinx Club room the morning of the Second Task. "She was supposed to meet my by the greenhouses this morning to help psych me up for the task, but she never showed."
"I haven't seen Luna this morning either." Harry said. "I asked her dormmates, but they said they hadn't seen her after she finished brushing her teeth this morning."
"Ivan has also gone missing from our room." Viktor said, his tone concerned. "I have a sneaking suspicion, Fleur, given Harry is here, are you missing someone?"
"Gabrielle vanished after breakfast, you don't think?" Fleur asked, knowing the response.
"Taken what we'll sorely miss. It's not a thing they were looking to grab. It's people. They grabbed mine and Cedric's Yule Ball dates, since we don't have any siblings at the castle, and your siblings." Harry said, gritting his teeth a bit. "I knew there was less value placed on human life than I'd like in this tournament, but these aren't even participants. All of them are minors, and Gabrielle isn't even old enough to be a student yet!"
"I believe giving them a piece of our mind after this task is done is in order." Cedric said. "I know if I tell my father about what has happened he'd be happy to lodge a complaint in the Wizengamot."
"Sirius would as well." Harry added. "I'm sure I could also convince Susan's aunt and Daphne's dad. Probably others, but we need to deal with this first. One hour to get there and back. Everyone have their plans worked out?"
"Yes, I wasn't able to make the Bubblehead charm work well enough for me, so I believe I will be transfiguring myself some gills. The initial magic is harder, but I do not need to concentrate on it." Viktor said, his gaze determined.
"I got the bubblehead down I think. I also grabbed some Gillyweed for emergencies." Cedric said, revealing the vial of the plant in his pocket.
"You are aware of my plans 'Arry." Fleur said.
"Alright, I'm not after points, so I'm using Gillyweed the entire time. Might not score well, but it's the most effective thing I can do. Fleur and I are teaming up because she can't handle the water well. Do you guys need any assistance?" Harry asked, looking to the other two champions.
"I'm going to try and manage on my own, but I appreciate the offer." Cedric said. While Harry was only concerned about surviving the tasks, he knew that the other three actually cared about their scores, and wanted to win the competition, not just make it through.
"I am much the same." Viktor said, nodding.
"That's fine. I'll be trying to get there as fast as I can obviously, but I'll hold off until I see both of you grab your hostages before I leave the village, as long as we get there before the hour is over, I'm assuming whatever charm they're using to stop them from drowning before we can save them is in effect. If we're lucky, the poem is an exaggeration, and they aren't in REAL danger of drowning." Harry said.
"For their sakes, that better be the case. If something happens to Gabrielle, I expect your 'ospital to suddenly need to treat many burns." Fleur said, a fireball forming in her hand.
"I'll make sure anyone who is still there when the hour stops gets brought up to the surface. I've got three hours worth of Gillyweed by Neville's estimation, more than enough to let me deal with this." Harry said. "Now, let's head on, before they worry about us conspiring against the tournament."
"I don't know, I think some conspiracy is good." Cedric said, trying to joke about the situation.
Arriving at the lake, the four competitors angrily looked at the water, their eyes narrowing. The booming voice of Ludo Bagman came over the still waters. "Ladies and Gentleman! Welcome to the second task of the Triwizard Tournament! Our competitors were each give a clue during the first take that if they solved it would give them information for how to prepare for the task, and it seems each of them figured it out! For those in the audience, under the water, in the village of the merfolk are four individuals: Ivan Krum, Gabrielle Delacour, Cho Chang, and Luna Lovegood. Each of them are under a stasis spell. Contestants have one hour to make their way to the Merfolk village, free their designated captive, and return to the dock they are standing on. We will begin when the cannonfire sounds!" Bagman said, as silence washed over everyone.
In a flash, the cannon sounded. Cedric, Viktor, and Fleur all jumped into the water, while Harry incanted "Accio Gillyweed!" and summoned the vial of the plant from Hermione's hands. He too followed into the water after that.
Underwater, sound was dampened, and the only thing that stopped Harry from shivering was the warming charm on his wetsuit Harry popped the gillyweed into his mouth. It was disgusting, slimy and tasted somewhere between brussel sprouts, cabbage, and used gym socks. The effects were quick though, after only a few seconds, Harry felt webs growing between his fingers, and his feet expanding into flippers. Painfully, gills grew on his neck, but once they finished, Harry could breathe easily. Looking over, he saw Cedric and Viktor well on their way into the lake, Cedric using his bubble-head charm, and Viktor having transfigured his head into a shark's head. Fleur waited for Harry, holding the small anchor she would be enlarging to serve as their mode of transport.
Harry conjured the rope, a variant of the incarcerous spell he had learned, and Fleur embiggened the anchor. Harry tied the rope securely through the hole at the top, and the pair each used a sticking charm to attach the rope to them.
Harry and Fleur nodded at each other, and Harry banished the anchor. The force of the anchor flying pulled them with it, sending them rocketing through the cool depths of the lake. As the tug of the anchor decreased, a sign that it was slowing, Fleur took her turn and banished it as well. Fleur's casting was notably weaker, not only than Harry, but than her usual self. The water was suppressing her magic, something which made Harry very upset. She was at a disadvantage here, one that was decidedly unfair. Even more so, this worried him for Gabrielle. She was a little girl, but also a Veela. Stasis charms were imperfect, if for some reason it failed and she woke up… she would drown in the water and no one could save her. Ivan, Cho, or Luna could at least attempt to free themselves, but Gabrielle had no such means.
Harry took his turn banishing the anchor again, overpowering his push to send them further and faster. After this push, they allowed the anchor to sink to the bottom, give them a chance to gather their bearings.
Fleur cast a pointing charm for Gabrielle, and saw that they needed to alter their course a little bit. She moved them to the correct position, when suddenly they were attacked. A swarm of gindylows shot up from the lakebed, their nest disturbed by the anchor. The white sinewy creatures surrounded them, their bodies knocking the pair about.
Harry felt a grip on his leg, and a pulling motion. The grindylow was pulling him down, trying to trap him in the soft sediment at the bottom.
"Expulso!" Harry incanted, blasting away a large portion of the creatures. Looking down, he saw them recovering, he needed something stronger.
Harry wracked his brain, he had always been so careful in his duels, his spell choices perfectly suited for causing the least amount of harm. In this instance though, he needed something. Something big, something loud.
Harry cast a spell he had seen in a household charms book, It made small amounts of wax, meant to be used to extend the life of candles, here though, it was going to be earplugs. Putting some in his ears, and then banishing the Grindylows from Fleur, Harry put them in her ears, before miming that she needed to put her hands on her ears. Fleur nodded, and Harry incanted "Pulsare!"
The shockwave from the spell immediately incapacitated the Grindylows, and knocked the wind out of himself and Fleur. The Grindylows descended to the bottom, and Harry looked over at Fleur… her bubble-head charm had burst.
Harry panicked for a moment, before he quickly cast the charm on himself, bringing Fleur into it.
"Fleur, can you cast your charm again?" Harry asked, his voice sounding strange as the air came from his gills and not his lungs.
"I will try." Fleur said, pulling out of the bubble and trying to cast the spell. After two fails, she pulled back into the bubble. "Non, I cannot."
"I'm so sorry Fleur, I messed up your spell." Harry said, mentally kicking himself.
"Make it up to me by saving my sister." Fleur said, with a smile. "I would 'ave not made it even this far without you mon amour. May I take the anchor?"
"Oui." Harry said jokingly. Fleur smiled, cutting Harry free of the anchor, and transfiguring it into a balloon, bringing her up to the surface.
Harry watched her ascend, before turning his focus. He had two hostages to save now, and had to move fast. Kicking off with his flippers, Harry shot through the water like a torpedo. A quick casting of the point me charm revealed that he was heading in the right direction, so he barrelled through the water.
The merfolk village was strange, it almost looked like the sunken ruins of another civilization. Statues and archways filled the space, and buildings lined what appeared to be streets, but everything stood at odd angles, the slope of the topography changing how the place was used. Harry had no time to marvel at the architecture though, he glanced at his watch, 45 minutes had passed, that'd mean they had 15 minutes to get the hostages to the surface. Harry didn't care if they expected them to make it to the platform in time, all that mattered was getting the four of them out of here.
Krum's sharklike body emerged through the murky waters first, his newly serrated teeth biting into the rope that dangled off of Ivan's Leg, he seemed to have some issues, so Harry swam over and cut it for him with a knife. With a nod, Viktor swam directly to the surface, Ivan in tow.
Cedric arrived soon after, a cutting charm severing the rope that bound Cho's leg to the lakebed, with a flick of his wand, they too, ascended.
Harry checked his watch again. 50 minutes, 10 minutes left. Plenty of time. Harry pulled out his knife and cut the rope that bound Luna, sticking it to him with a sticking charm. As he swam over to Gabrielle however, a merfolk darted out from one of the buildings. "Take only one." It said, it's voice hoarse, it's tone rough. It didn't seem to make the noises that English used very often. It's likely a miracle it spoke it at all.
"Her Champion isn't coming. I promised to save her." Harry spoke, his voice carrying better through the water than he imagined it would. Likely a side-effect of Gillyweed.
"No matter. Take only one." The merperson said, brandishing their trident. It was a wicked thing, formed from chips of flint and shells, a haft of gnarled driftwood. Harry knew one thing about it, it was a weapon designed to kill, it might normally only be used on fish, but it would kill Harry just the same.
"I can't leave her here. I am sorry. Expelliarmus!" Harry incanted, disarming the merperson before slicing into Gabrielle's rope. He stuck it to his waist and began to swim upwards, a quick incantation of "Ascendio!" assisting in the movement. A horde of merfolk swarmed under him, coming to take their revenge. Harry shot back bursts of water with the Aquamenti charm, using it like a percussive bullet. Unlike the Grindylows, Merfolk were sapient. They had thoughts, wants, and idea beyond simply survival. It would be a shame to snuff out their lives for the sake of this tournament, so Harry avoided it. After a moment, the Merfolk gave up their chase, recognizing the futility. They were faster than Harry in the water sure, but they lacked the ability to get close, Harry's magic outranged them significantly, and they had seen the spells he had cast earlier. They knew he was holding back.
Breaking the surface, Luna and Gabrielle woke up, gasping for air. Harry kept his gills in the water, but brought his mouth above the surface. "You're safe now, we just need to swim to the dock." Harry's voice was hoarse, a strained sound. His body wasn't sure what to do with his lungs while he had gills, and operated them clumsily. His Gillyweed would wear off in a few minutes, but he had more if he really needed it. Swimming these two to safety though wouldn't require it.
Pulling them up to the docks, Harry had to wait in the water for a moment for his Gillyweed to expire, he pulled himself up, the cold catching up to him. This entire task was a terrible idea Harry thought. Kidnapping individuals to use as hostages, the seeming lack of a plan to rescue them if their champions failed to, and having a task take place in a Scottish lake in the middle of February were all ludicrously stupid ideas. He fully intended to have several people lodge complaints to the Ministry about this. The tasks were meant to be dangerous yes, but only for the competitors, there is no way that any of their parents signed off on allowing them to be used as hostages.
Actually thinking about it, from what Viktor and Ivan have spoken of their father, he might have.
As Harry pondered this, several pairs of hands wrapped him in towels, attempting to dry him off. Looking up he saw Daphne and Susan attending to him, while Hermione and Padma did the same to Luna. Fleur was doing much the same to Gabrielle, having dried herself several minutes before. Harry couldn't help but smile a bit. Everyone was safe and accounted for, Ivan, Viktor, Cedric, and Cho were already waiting by the shore, shivering a bit in the cold, but none the worse for wear.
Dumbledore's voice came over the lake. "With the return of all of our champions, it is time to begin the awarding of the points. In Fourth place, for exceptional use of the bubblehead charm and commendable performance despite outstanding circumstance, we award Fleur Delacour five points. In Third place, for unconventional but nonetheless effective solutions to the underwater environment, and for exceptional character, we award Harry Potter 16 points. In second place, for practical thinking and contingency planning, we award Cedric Diggory 17 points. And in first place, for his impressive partial transfiguration, as well as his exceptional speed in recovering his target, we award Viktor Krum 18 points."
Harry had to admit the points were effectively distributed. As much as he hated to admit it, Fleur had failed the task, even if it was partially Harry's fault. She didn't look to torn up about it though, he imagined like him, she was just glad this was over. All that remained between them and the end of this tournament was one task. They would handle it together.