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WARNING: This chapter contains elements of the Horror variety, and some gruesome details of... well, violence. Proceed at your own risk, especially if you're susceptible to night terrors lol.

Hogwarts

Walking into the classroom felt eerily similar to that of wandering into a graveyard - there was an air of sullen silence about the place, a calm that could only belong to those who had already shifted off their mortal coil. A room of walking corpses, who were already dead – they just hadn't realized it yet.

Fleur was the first to notice him enter. She sent him a half-hearted smile, that did nothing to alleviate the tension he felt surging through his veins. He appreciated the gesture though, even if it meant little in the face of their coming demise.

Ludo Bagman stood at the front, a beaming grin on his lips, looking like a man out of time and place. To his credit, his suit was immaculate – not a crease nor blemish to be seen, fitted just right to hide the less flattering aspects of his physique. But Harry had never seen him look anything other than pristine, so it was hardly a surprising sight.

"Ahh, Harry! We were waiting for you!" he said, eyes lighting up with excitement. "Such a great day, don't you think?"

"Not particularly, no," Harry replied, looking none too impressed with the man's enthusiasm. To him, this entire thing was more akin to a funeral than a celebration, after all.

"Well, let's see what we can do about turning that frown upside-down!" he joked, laughing heartily at his own joke. "Why don't we gather around, and I'll inform you all of your coming task?"

Okay, Harry sighed to himself. Here we go then.

"Good, good…" Ludo Bagman smiled once they had formed a semi-circle around him. "As you all know, you were tasked with retrieving a Golden Egg in the last challenge. This Golden Egg held a clue – a clue which could only be discerned if you first submerged the egg in ice prior to opening it."

He shot an inquisitive look at each of the Champions, eager to see the effects of this revelation on their faces. To his disappointment, however, he was met with nothing but unimpressed stares, as all of them had managed to work out that much on their own prior to this meeting.

"The clue went like this…" he continued, in a somewhat muted fashion. "Come seek us where our voices boom. It echoes from within the confines of our tomb. And while you're searching, ponder this: we've taken what you'll sorely miss. A week long you'll have to look, to recover what we took. But past the week – the prospect is black. Too late, it's gone, and won't come back."

This too had profoundly little effect on the gathered Champions, as they had all heard the clue before – and quite a few times, at that. Harry probably would have been the only one with an interesting reaction, had he not been taken aside by Fleur for that hot-tub rendezvous in the Prefect's Bathroom with Hermione.

"In essence, what this means is that… you'll have an entire week to solve the task!" Ludo Bagman exclaimed, regaining some of his passion. "Isn't that exciting?!"

Not so much as a single sound came in response. All four of them looked at him like he'd just spat in their food and called them stupid.

"… A-Anyhow…" he coughed, his spirit once again cowed by their lack of engagement. "The task will take place underground… thus the tomb reference in the clue… and your objective is to recover the item… or the person… we have taken from you, and bring it back to the surface. Once you do that, you'll have cleared the Second Task, and be through to the final challenge of the Triwizard Tournament."

"Wait… Did you just say person?" Cedric Diggory frowned.

"Yes, I did," Ludo Bagman confirmed. "What of it?"

"Well, I mean… we have a full week to do this thing, right?" Cedric said, furrowing his eyebrows. "So that means that… any person abducted for us to find, would have to wait down there for seven days… How will they survive? Have they been given enough food? Are there any guards on duty to watch over them?"

"Oh, you needn't worry about that, young Mr. Diggory," Ludo Bagman smiled. "Rest assured that the Department of Magical Games and Sports have taken every precaution necessary to ensure that this will be a fun and engaging competition. The items and hostages are safe – you just focus on clearing the challenge."

To his left, Fleur's features had taken on a decidedly more sickly complexion. Her eyes were wide in horror, and her bottom lip was trembling ever so slightly. For a moment, Harry was surprised by this – until he remembered that she had once told him she had a little sister, whom she loved more than anything. Combined with Ludo Bagman's recent statement of potential hostages to be rescued, her reaction made a lot more sense.

The thought of that made him wonder what they could have taken from him – after all, there were precious few people in his life he'd be sufficiently motivated to rescue. And it couldn't be Hermione, because she'd been with him since they woke up. She was standing right outside the classroom, in fact.

So it had to be an item, then… But what item could it be? What did he have in his possession that would serve as a suitable stand-in for a hostage? He couldn't think of anything, other than perhaps…

A cold shiver ran down the length of his spine, and he felt the hairs on his arms rise. There was one thing. A thing he hadn't checked on since last week. But surely that would be impossible? He hadn't told anyone where he kept the book, except for-…

Nicolas.

Harry closed his eyes in defeat.

… Fuck.

"Now then… the task will begin in 30 minutes," Ludo Bagman continued, once it became clear there were no more questions. "To get there, you will use this Portkey." He gestured to an old boot standing on a nearby table. "It will activate in 15 minutes. Until then, we'll unlock the doors to the classroom, and allow your friends and family to come wish you good luck. The other students are already at the location of the task, waiting for you to appear."

Harry and Fleur shared a look – seeking each other for resolve and affirmation. It had been months since the first task, and now, the time of reckoning was upon them once again. The last one had nearly cost Harry his life, and put him in a two-week coma. He was not holding out any hope that things would be different this time around. But at least he'd have an ally with him in there, someone he could rely on. That was more than could be said of the Horntail.

"Alright then, my esteemed Champions! For now, I shall bid you adieu," Ludo Bagman concluded with a deep bow. "But fret not, for we shall see each other again at the end of the task! Oh, and remember… watch the shadows. You'll not be alone in there. Take care, now!"

And with that ominous warning, he was gone, striding through the door leading in to the classroom. A rush of people came streaming to in his wake - worried parents and excited classmates, here to wish their respective Champions good luck. One in particular caught Harry's eye, a silver-haired, blue-eyed woman, whose very presence sent a magically-induced shiver through his body.

It didn't take a genius to guess who she was, given the striking resemblance between her and Fleur.

"Maman!" the French Veela exclaimed, eyes lighting up with surprise. "Vous êtes ici!"

"Hello, mon ange," the older Veela smiled, spreading her arms wide to accept a hug from her daughter. "It's been too long."

"I've missed you, Maman," Fleur breathed, pulling her mother into a tight embrace. "How is Gabi?"

"Your sister is well, mon ange," Apolline Delacour nodded, running a loving hand through Fleur's platinum hair. "She's got a new boyfriend. His name is Emilien."

"I know," Fleur smiled, pulling back to look her in the eyes. "She writes to me every week. I feel I know Emilien better than I know myself by now."

"Oui, it is the only thing she talks about at home," Apolline laughed, before her gaze suddenly landed on Harry, who had been less than subtle with his staring. As soon as they made eye contact, he felt a powerful tug at his magic, urging him to worship her and the ground she walked on. It was many times stronger than Fleur's passive Allure, and magnitudes more seductive in nature. For a brief moment, he struggled with the desire – before the Obscurial part of him woke to life, rearing its rageful visage to the intruding source. The urge subsided quickly after that.

Apolline raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Impressive self-control," she said, a touch of approval in her voice. "You must be Harry Potter – Sirius has told me much about you."

"Has he now?" Harry replied, closing the distance between them somewhat to make conversation easier. "Good things, I hope?"

"Mostly," she said. "I'm Apolline Delacour – Fleur's mother."

"I know," Harry smirked. "Sirius has told me much about you, too."

A knowing smile tugged at her lips. "Good things, I hope?"

"Mostly," Harry said.

"… I feel like I am missing something in this conversation," Fleur blinked, looking at the two of them with apparent skepticism.

"Nothing to worry about, mon ange," Apolline waved, before diverting her attention back to Harry again. "Though I will say this – the Boy-Who-Lived is just as sharp as I expected him to be."

"Well, I try," Harry shrugged, before noticing Hermione on the other side of the room. She was holding two very essential objects in her hands – objects he had asked her to bring. "… However, I'm afraid we'll have to pick this up again later – it seems I have a girlfriend to appease."

"Of course," Apolline smiled. "We wouldn't want to get in the way of that. Best of luck to you in the Task ahead, Harry. Oh, and… please do look out for my daughter in there, won't you? She's liable to get herself into all kinds of trouble."

"Maman, I can take care of myself," Fleur scoffed. "You should be asking me to look after 'im, not the other way around."

"I know, I know," Apolline said, moving to assuage her daughter. "I'm just a mother worried for her child, that's all."

"I'll do my best, Mrs. Delacour," Harry replied, before wishing them both good luck, and walking off.

"I've got the bag," Hermione started as she came to a halt in front of him. "And the lantern, like we discussed."

"Good," Harry said, eyeing the items in her hands. "That'll be a real lifesaver, especially since I'll be gone for a full week. You sure we packed everything?"

"Positive," Hermione nodded. "I double-checked it myself right before I came here. There shouldn't be anything missing."

"Alright then," Harry sighed. "Guess I'm good to go."

"Yeah…" Hermione breathed. "Take care of yourself in there, okay? We don't know what the Department of Magical Games and Sports have in mind for you, so you'll need to be ready for anything. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"So don't participate in the first place then. Gotcha."

"Idiot," she sighed, though the word was not uttered with malice. If anything, it sounded more frail than stern. "I… I can't have you dying on me now. Not after-…"

"Hermione," he said, pushing his forehead against hers so their eyes were only inches apart. "I'm not going to die. I promise. I will come back to you, no matter what."

A shuddering breath ghosted across his skin.

"Okay…" she whispered, before pressing a kiss to his lips. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"It's time," a black-robed Ministry official said, his voice magically enchanted to carry across the room. "Champions will have to line up in front of the Portkey."

"Wish me luck," Harry said, drifting away from her at last, and up towards the front.

"You won't need it," she replied with a smile. "Oh, and remember – if you ruin my Bag of Unlimited Holding, you're buying me a new one when you get back!"

"Yeah, yeah," he waved, before she was swallowed entirely by the throng of people, and he was on his own once more.

Alright then. Here goes nothing…

Pasting a fake smile onto his lips, he faced the world with newfound resolve, and with a reason to make it back home again.

Scottish Highlands

A bitter wind howled through rugged cliffs surrounding an extensive cave opening. Having arrived through Portkey, Harry stood at the mouth of the beast, his eyes fixed on the foreboding darkness that beckoned up ahead. Around him, a congregation of students and professors alike cheered him on from wooden stands arranged in a half-moon, as the final contestant to enter the depths of the mountain. The other Champions had already disappeared into its underbelly, not to be seen again until the dawn of the following week. Whether they would survive the journey or not was another matter entirely.

Harry's focus was scattershot – bouncing at once between Hermione, his friends, and the task at hand. He was not afraid of the dark, nor was he claustrophobic… but he had to admit that the thought of wandering for days through the innards of a crushing behemoth of stone did not sound entirely pleasant. He could only hope that his extensive training with Nicolas had prepared him adequately for what lay ahead.

A shrill whistle tore through the morning air, sending a wave of excited shouts through the crowd. At last, it was his turn to descend.

"And he's off!" the voice of Ludo Bagman sounded. "The Fourth Triwizard Champion, representing Hogwarts, Harry Potter! May the winds carry him to victory!"

Harry took a deep breath, casting one last glance at the skies above him. It would be the last time he saw daylight for seven days. And then, armed with Hermione's bag slung over his shoulder, and a magically powered lantern clipped to his belt… he began striding into the unknown.

Leaving the safety of the outside world behind, he was immediately assaulted by the musty and damp air of the cave. It tore at his nostrils, eliciting a grimace from the young wizard. He soldiered on to the sound of his own footsteps, echoing through the winding tunnels, a constant reminder of his own loneliness in this dark underworld.

As he navigated the twisting passages, he noticed one thing in particular – namely, just how silent it was down here. Not a single noise outside of that produced by his own boots hitting the ground could be heard, and so before long, his imagination started filling in the void. Minutes turned to hours as he wandered in sparse lantern-light, the source casting deep shadows across the rocky walls that surrounded him.

At the dawn of the second hour, he could feel himself beginning to grow paranoid, as his brain showed him images of creatures and beings lurking in the darkness that weren't really there. He took a short break near a patch of luminous cave mushrooms, which offered him some extra light to see by. The strange fungi emitted a yellowish sort of shine, indicating to him that they probably weren't safe to eat, no matter how pretty they looked. He opted to nibble on a bit of dry meat that Hermione had packed for him, making sure to limit himself to just a little. His food supplies would have to last him the entire week, after all.

Trailing deeper still, the air grew colder and the passages more treacherous. His heart raced in his chest as the walls seemed to close in around him, whispering secrets lost to time. Every step felt like an invitation to awaken some long-dormant entity, and he couldn't quite shake the feeling that someone… or something... was watching him. But every time he turned around to look, he saw nothing but empty space behind him, forcing him to move on without closure. In the depths of this place, his lantern was but a fleeting glimmer standing against an engulfing dark.

He secretly began hoping that he would run into some of the other Champions, if for no other reason than the briefest flash of companionship. Even Victor Krum would do, boring as he usually was to spend time with. But fate did not entertain his wishes, and he continued on in silence, delving through labyrinthine shafts and crosscuts.

He sensed the creature before he saw it. Akin to a weight settling on his shoulders, he felt it in the darkness of the tunnel ahead. Some presence that… could not be explained, nor understood. The unmistakable scent of copper wafting through the air, mixed with bile and rotting flesh. The muted thuds of bare feet against rock, and the faintest wheezing for air.

His breathing grew anxious as a surge of magic rushed through his bloodstream, his body making ready for combat. Ludo Bagman's warning rang loud and clear in his mind, heightening his senses. The enemy waited ahead – and it would not hesitate to kill him.

At last, the unknown creature stepped within the radius of his lantern, revealing its visage to the light. Lean muscles wrapped in grey skin staggered into view, followed by a rusted mace clutched in a rotting hand. Bloodshot, veiny eyes stared at him from a malnourished, elongated face, whose lips had been drawn back into a twisted smile, stretched wider than humanly possible. A closer look revealed two iron nails driven into the apex points of its lips, forcing the perpetual grin to never waver. Yellowed bone peered out from a voluminous ribcage, protruding from the skin to form an imperfect arch.

Harry felt his limbs freeze up in terror, cursing him with indecision and doubt. His eyes refused to look away from the hideous smile on the creature's lips, and the unblinking stare that accompanied it. He understood at once that it was no ordinary Inferius – this was something else entirely. Something wicked. Something evil. And it wanted him.

Ever so slowly, the creature began opening its mouth, exposing a darkness behind the teeth so vast, so endless, that it was like staring into the abyss itself. A boundless void that would swallow the world, casting all into shadow and obscurity. As he stood in petrified silence, a sound like distorted radio static emerged from the creature's throat, reverberating against the walls of the cave.

He could not help his reaction. He screamed. A terrified, shaking thing of pure terror. And then he called upon his magic, conjuring flames in his hand – for if he did not kill this abomination, then surely it would kill him.

As soon as the creature laid eyes on the open flame, it emitted a shriek of such volume, it caused Harry's ears to bleed. And then… it charged at him, rusted mace swinging wildly from its rotted limb.

Harry allowed the chaotic power in his hand to reach its zenith, before he unleashed it upon the monster in a burst of pure fire. It washed over the creature in a billowing wave, melting its skin like candle wax – and yet it did not slow down, running at him with its body in flames, an abominable smile shining at him through the inferno.

The sight of it was so frightening that he could not help but take a few staggering steps backwards, panic welling up in his heart. There was no time to second-guess himself, yet Harry was fighting a battle against his own fear. At last, however, he managed to will his muscles into action, and ducked low just in time as the mace came swinging through the air, cleaving the space he had been standing in just moments prior.

A panicked wail escaped his lips as the creature's body crashed into his, carried by its momentum, and toppled them both over onto the ground. The writhing mass of grey horror landed on top of him, pinning him down on the rock. It kicked, swung, clawed and tore at him with all of its limbs, ripping bloody tracks into his arms as he attempted to defend himself. His cries of pain mixed with the radio static sound coming from its throat, resulting in a hideous symphony of death and horror.

Realizing that he was losing the grapple, Harry readjusted his hands in a moment of pure hysteria, grabbing onto either side of the creature's elongated face. The terrifying smile was only inches away from him now, filling his vision with nothing but dread, and he screamed at the top of his lungs as he summoned fire in his palms once again, burning the creature's grey skin at the touch. It shook violently as the flames seared its face, causing boils filled with dark-red blood to rise to the surface. They exploded in Harry's face, spraying him with crimson liquid and filling his mouth and nostrils. He gagged and retched to clear his airways, but did not take his hands off the creature.

At last, the fire reached its brain, burning out the soft flesh and causing it to jerk one last time before falling silent. Harry felt the cold grasp of unconsciousness beginning to creep into the edges of his vision, yet fought it off as he pushed the creature to the side, its body falling limp on the stone. The smile on its lips remained even in death, however, haunting him from a blackened face.

Getting up on unsteady legs, Harry rested an arm against the wall to support himself – and promptly emptied the contents of his stomach onto the floor, vomiting in gasping bursts. His head was pounding something fierce, and his nostrils clogged with the stench of blood.

Something… is wrong… he thought, scanning the cave through blurry eyes. The Ministry… wouldn't put monsters like these in here with us… would they?

As he considered the implications behind this, a warbling sound made its way down the tunnel, coming from somewhere up ahead. Somewhere close. A shiver of fear ran through him, as he felt a new presence draw near.

Oh… Oh please no… No…

The entity came closer, and closer, and closer… until finally, an elongated face wearing a grisly smile peered at him from the darkness ahead. And not just one – two more soon followed, hideous grins lurking just beyond the edge of light.

Harry felt his blood turn to ice in his veins, a sobering realization dawning on him – he was going to die here. Alone, in this cave. And the last thing he would see were those… smiles. Those haunting, mind-rending smiles.

Somewhere in the depths of his soul, he felt the Obscurus part of him wake to life – whispering in hushed voices, coaxing him to let go. Visions of his mangled body flashed before his eyes, of creatures with wide smiles feasting on his flesh.

He rolled his head backwards, and closed his eyes. Memories of his life unfolded before him, of his time with the Dursleys, and everything that had come after. Of the darkness he had once nurtured within himself, secluded in the cupboard under the stairs.

The last thought to touch him was of Hermione. And then… he surrendered himself to the madness, allowing the Obscurus to take him.

A maddening laugh resounded throughout the tunnels. It came not from the creatures with the smiles.

A/N: Does the content warning make sense now?

I hope you enjoyed this first part of the Second Task. I told you I would make it different from Canon, and I believe I have delivered on that promise. This won't just be a two-parter, either... we might make it to three, or even four parts before I'm done with this task. So plenty of good, horrifying stuff to look forward to! Yay!

The last chapter didn't exactly go gangbusters in terms of reader engagement, so I'm hoping more of you are willing to leave reviews and comments this time around, seeing as the story took some... interesting turns with this one lol. As usual, this does not apply to my beloved squad of dedicated commenters - Waffles, Nain Tarlow and Erinnyes - you guys continue to be awesome, and the main motivators for me to continue work on this fic. And even you, DarkRavie, is owed a thank-you, even if you copy-paste the exact same review for every chapter lol. At least it shows that you are still reading, which I am eternally grateful for.

No promises on a specific date for the next chapter, but I'll try to have it out in two weeks time or so. I'll be going back to work again starting Monday (kill me) so my creative writing time will once again plummet - but I'll try my best to make do, especially now that I'm seriously working on my original fiction story again.

As always, much love from me to you. And I'll see you again in the next chapter.

-Twisted