Chapter 18: The Second Task
Now it was really crunch time! There was barely a week to go and Harry had finally mastered his metamorphmagus gillyweed mimicking transformation on Saturday. Not to mention that Hermione was really pleased that after much practice, Harry's inking of the Rune Sequences she had worked out for him was flawless. All that remained was to practice inking himself.
And that was the problem!
After skimming through the Charms textbooks for every year, Hermione had searched endlessly in the library for a spell which would make it easier for Harry to practice tattooing the runes on himself. Then she remembered the row of ancient looking tomes on the bookshelf in Harry's private quarters. Hermione gnawed her lower lip as she blew the dust off the cracked leather binding of one which looked promising while Harry was diligently revising his Arithmancy homework in his sitting room.
"Hmm... Charmes for the Boudoir of the Moste Beauteous," she muttered to herself. "I wonder..."
Hermione began leafing through the pages. Her eyes widened and she gasped at a number of scandalous spells complete with illustrations. Clearly the book was intended for every possible activity in which one might engage in a Boudoir. Flushing, Hermione lingered on some of the pages, imagining how they might be put to use with a certain someone she had fallen head over heels for.
It took every effort for Hermione to tear herself away from that chapter. Her heart still racing, a tingly sensation still rushing through her veins, she flicked through the pages of the next chapter, one regarding bedroom furnishings which looked much more likely to contain something useful for her most immediate needs... well, for Harry's most immediate needs anyway. The others might come in handy at a later date.
On the fifth page of the chapter, Hermione's eyes lit up when she finally spotted a spell which was exactly what she needed. It was surprising really that she hadn't found the spell in more recent advanced Charms books. Hermione peered up at the mirror on Harry's dresser. She wasn't sure that it was large enough or low enough for Harry to see more than his head and shoulders.
She popped into Harry's bathroom and beamed. Perfect! The mirror was wide and tall, and the sink counter in front of it was low enough that Harry would be able to see his entire torso.
Hermione uttered the incantation, "Speculo Imago Novis," as she precisely executed the wand movements. When the desired result was achieved she gleefully bounced on her toes.
"Harry! I've done it! I've done it," she squeaked loudly. "Come and see."
Harry cautiously peeked through the door. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"If I wasn't decent, I wouldn't have called, silly." Though Hermione wasn't entirely sure if that was true - especially after perusing the chapter preceding the one in which she had found the spell.
"Erm... What am I supposed to be looking at?" asked Harry, looking puzzled.
"The mirror - look."
"Erm..." Harry said again, still looking bewildered.
"Come here and look," said Hermione, grabbing his arm and pulling him closer.
"Er..." it still took Harry a few moments to register what he was seeing in the mirror. He gasped. "It's reversed - I mean it's the right way round... er... I'm not sure what I mean. How...?"
"The spell - I found it in a really old book - these quarters must have originally belonged to a professor who was a witch. The book is especially geared for Boudoirs."
"Er, what's a Boudoir?" asked Harry.
"A woman's bedroom," said Hermione, rolling her eyes again. "Honestly, Harry, haven't you ever read a...?" Then she trailed off, turning pink with embarrassment. "Of course you haven't! I'm sorry, Harry - it's not very likely that you've ever read a romance or a women's magazine."
Harry smiled wanly and shook his head, looking slightly abashed himself. "No, I haven't! Aunt Petunia never left anything like that lying around. And even if I'd seen one in my primary school's library, I probably would've never looked in it. ... I preferred fantasy and science fiction stories to tell you the truth. It's kind of weird come to think about it... I always loved stories with wizards and witches and elves and unicorns - stuff like that."
"That's not that odd, really, I suppose," said Hermione, looking thoughtful. "Anyway, now you'll be able to practice inking yourself with the runes..."
"Wow! Of course! That's brilliant, Hermione!" I'd better hop to it then..."
"Well, you probably won't have time tonight," Hermione pointed out reasonably, "I mean, it'll be curfew for me in about forty five minutes, and you really ought to get to sleep at a sensible hour. You can practice in the afternoons after practicing the combat spells and fighting underwater with Fleur. You're really good at the calligraphy, so I expect you'll only need two or three days to get it right - which is really good because the Second Task is on Friday. And don't worry about homework for any of your other classes this week - I'll help you catch up next week..."
Hermione finally paused to take a breath and Harry took the opportunity to kiss her. She melted into the kiss and when they both came up for air, she felt breathless and tingly again.
"I take it you have a plan for how to occupy ourselves before curfew then?" said Harry, grinning.
"That I do," Hermione agreed, blushing and feeling a bit nervous and hopeful.
Moments later, she was vigorously kissing Harry again, this time on the sofa in front of the fireplace in the sitting room, bathed in the warm orange glow of the crackling flames. She sensed Harry's passion rising; Harry suddenly turned pink and pulled back...
"Er... m-maybe... erm... perhaps we should take a break," he stammered.
Feeling emboldened, her heart pounding, Hermione took a chance. She trailed her fingers across his chest and leaned in close again.
"We don't have to stop, if you don't want to," Hermione whispered breathily in his ear.
"Er... really?"
"Yes, really!" said Hermione, planting a little kiss on Harry's neck just under his ear.
"You're absolutely certain, then?"
"Does this answer your question?" she murmured, giving Harry another kiss a bit further down his neck, her fingers now slipping inside his shirt as she wriggled slightly on his lap.
Harry gave Hermione a lopsided grin, his breath quickening. She could feel his heart racing under the palm of her hand as it rested on the bare skin of his chest under the shirt.
"Y-yeah, I g-guess it does," said Harry, clearly still nervous, probably wondering how far she was planning to go. "Alright then... I'm game if you are - just say when you, er... when you want to stop."
"Mm, you're very sweet Harry!" Hermione undid a few buttons on his shirt, then undid a few of the buttons of her own blouse.
"Go ahead, Harry," she said breathlessly, undoing the rest of the buttons of her blouse before undoing some more of Harry's buttons. "We don't have to - you know - go all the way. I'm not sure I'm ready for that either, but I... I'm definitely ready for a bit more now..."
~o0o~
Harry couldn't believe it! They had been a bit more handsy the last few weeks, but never strayed too far beyond the hips or the curves of their backs. Though come to think of it, Hermione had certainly been rubbing up against him a lot, slipping her thighs between his, her hands roaming his chest and occasionally "accidentally" grasping his bum for leverage.
Ever since she'd started showing herself off in her two piece piece bikini, in fact!
Harry suddenly realised that Hermione had been hoping for him to reciprocate and was now making it absolutely clear what she wanted by partially undressing him and herself. He wasn't exactly sure where he should put his hands, but he knew where he wanted to put them - but he was still very anxious about putting them there.
Hermione made it even easier for him by shifting her torso slightly until her blouse gapped a bit more, her hands roaming further than they ever had before. Harry gasped at Hermione's touch and, with trembling hands, he reached out to reciprocate.
When she didn't leap off him in horror and run away screaming, smiling at him instead, Harry felt a surge of relief and grew bolder as the sultry look she was giving him through half-closed eyelids made her intentions very clear.
~o0o~
Harry's touch was electrifying. Hermione bit her lip, a flood of pleasure rushing through her veins. She arched, a little moan escaping her lips as she and Harry continued showering their affections upon one another. Finally, the heady rush of bliss took Hermione by storm and she slumped against Harry panting heavily, feeling his own hot, ragged breaths against her skin.
~o0o~
Harry woke suddenly, hearing the ding of the clock striking on the hour, Hermione still laying atop him. Her slow, gentle breathing told him that she was still fast asleep. Already alarmed for Hermione that it was probably well past curfew, he listened for the number of dings.
When the clock stopped at six dings he started to panic. It was morning! It was bloody morning and Hermione had been asleep on top of him, both of them half-naked, all night!
Harry hated to wake Hermione but they didn't have much choice; he tried to extricate himself and she began to stir.
"Mm, that was nice, Harry," she murmured sleepily, her eyes still closed, "What time is it? I might need to borrow your invisibility cloak if it's after curfew."
"No time for that!" Harry gasped. "It's morning - six o'clock in the morning and breakfast starts at seven."
"What?" Hermione's eyes shot wide open and she bolted right up.
"Oh no!" she squealed when she saw the time for herself. Then she began to calm down when she realised that Harry was panicking even more than her.
"I'm sure it'll be all right, Harry," she said soothingly. "Lavender and Parvati won't tell on me, and I don't think the other girls in my dorm will either."
"Okay! ... Okay," Harry nodded, trying to slow his wildly beating heart. "Good... That's good then!"
Harry began to calm down... except for one part of him which was all too aware of Hermione's presence still on top of him. He groaned.
"Bloody hell! I'll need a cold shower now!"
"There's really not enough time for us both to take separate showers," Hermione said in her pragmatic tone of voice. "And I'mnot taking a cold shower! Now come on, and we'll kill two birds with one stone..."
"What?" Harry squeaked, not sure he'd heard correctly. "Y-you mean...?"
"I mean I'm going to take care of your little problem while we're showering," she stated firmly as she clambered off him and grabbed his hand. "Now get up! You've already seen me half-naked anyway - a bit more won't kill you."
Harry wasn't so sure about that. What if he had a heart attack? He tried to shake that idiotic thought from his head as Hermione dragged him to the bathroom. He goggled as she quickly stripped down, giving him an unrestricted view of everything she had to offer.
Hermione turned to look at Harry and rolled her eyes.
"You'll have plenty of time for that in the shower! Now hurry up and get out of those clothes - speaking of which, I really hope you have some briefs I can borrow. I think boxers might make my skirt look a bit lumpy... though it'll probably be wrinkled anyway, but still..."
Hermione began yanking at Harry's shirt; and though Harry was thrilled to be showering with a nude Hermione, after he dropped his trousers he still hesitated to tug off his boxers, embarrassed to be completely naked in front of Hermione.
Of course, Harry could hardly back out now that Hermione was completely undressed. Seconds later, he was in the shower with Hermione behind a shower-curtain, the steam rising from the spray of hot water...
Harry felt giddy after the shower, unable to help grinning like an idiot, his "problem" solved. It was lucky they had both showered together, because by the time they had dried off, cleaned their teeth, brushed their hair, and dressed (fortunately Harry did have a pair of clean briefs for Hermione to wear), straightening out their rumpled clothes to the best of their ability, it was quarter to seven.
Harry managed to wipe the grin off his face just in time. He opened the door of his private chambers, hoping that he and Hermione would arrive in the stone passage before Dora exited her own quarters, looking like they had just met and were ready for their "secret escort." But just as Harry and Hermione stepped into the corridor, Dora emerged from the entrance of her private chambers with Fleur.
Everyone stared at each other for a moment, eyes wide!
Then there were furious blushes all the way around; Fleur tittered nervously.
Dora managed to pull herself together first. "Erm... Your secret is safe with us, guys!"
"Er... Yours too," blurted out Harry. "I mean yours is safe with us."
"Ees okay," said Fleur, smiling. "For Dora and I - there ees no trouble."
"Oh, right! Of course," said Hermione.
"But with a bit o' luck, no prefects spotted you weren't in your dorm last night," said Dora wryly. "Anyway, t'tell you the truth, it makes my job a bit easier if I don't have to divide my attention between Gryffindor tower and Harry's quarters," she added with a conspiratorial wink.
When they all arrived in the Great Hall for breakfast, Lavender and Parvati burst into giggles when they spotted Harry and Hermione. Taking their seats, Harry and Hermione both turned pink, hoping that nobody else had noticed that Hermione had been missing from her dormitory all night.
Ron and Neville looked up from their breakfasts, almost oblivious to Harry and Hermione as their attention was focused on Lavender and Parvati, who were still giggling madly.
"What's that all about?" Neville wondered.
"No idea, mate," Ron shrugged. "Like I said - girls - mental!"
~o0o~
Harry focused intently on preparations for the Second Task, trying his best - and failing miserably - to keep Hermione out of his mind. It was particularly difficult as she was with him for nearly every waking moment - when she wasn't in her dorm like clockwork every night. Not to mention that every time Harry practiced painting the runes on himself in the mirror, it was impossible to forget their shower together.
The last night, before dinner, Hermione gave Harry a once over to check the runes. They were perfect. But the sight of shirtless Harry, his torso more chiseled from swimming and all of the Moody workouts sorely tempted her.
Harry could barely eat a bite during dinner. He moodily chased his peas around the plate with a fork, his stomach churning at the thought of Hermione being trapped underwater for who knew how long. She gave him a wan little smile when Professor McGonagall beckoned her following the feast.
Harry couldn't help noticing the rather taut expression on McGonagall's face as she led Hermione away, and he felt like he might throw up, glad now that he hadn't eaten anything. If McGonagall was looking so grim, as if she didn't approve of the situation, what did that mean? Did she know something that he didn't?
Harry tried to reassure himself that she was probably just worried because she too suspected that Harry would probably have to face some extra obstacles in the lake, and found that wasn't helping at all.
Dora looked subdued herself as she and Harry traipsed back to their quarters, and he knew she was worried about Fleur. They both lingered for a few moments in the corridor outside their doors, looking at each other. Then Dora gave him a hug and a peck on the cheek.
"I'll see you in the morning, Harry. Try to get some sleep, alright?"
"Yeah, you too," Harry muttered. "G'Night."
But sleep seemed like a distant possibility as Harry tossed and turned. And to top it off, his scar kept throbbing and prickling; he had the distinct feeling that Voldemort was brooding in anticipation of the outcome of the Second Task.
One o'clock ticked by...Two o'clock...Three o'clock. Harry almost gave up trying to sleep, but the next thing he knew there was a knocking on his door. Apparently he had managed to get a few hours sleep after all.
"Time t'go, Harry," Dora called through the door.
"Er... be right there," Harry shouted back. He hurriedly tugged on his swimming trunks and a black t-shirt, and threw his robes on over the lot.
"Sorry about that," Harry panted as he flung open his door. Then he noticed the dark circles under Dora's eyes and reckoned that she had barely got any sleep too.
As they walked past the stands, Harry caught the POTTER STINKS badge flashing on the lapel of Malfoy's robes. He rolled his eyes and considered flipping Malfoy the bird, but decided that wouldn't be very "Championish" and continued on his way, stepping onto the wooden gangplank leading to the platform on the lake. Fleur, Cedric and Ludo Bagman were already waiting and Viktor was trailing behind Harry.
It was a bright clear day, just a few puffy clouds in the sky and a chilly breeze. And though there were still some patches of snow on the grounds, this late in February the ice on the lake had largely melted, only a few chunks floating like little icebergs on the shimmering surface of the Black Lake.
Bagman gave Harry a sly wink as Harry took his place next to Fleur, who was in her powder blue wetsuit, and Cedric who was wearing a black and gold wetsuit. Harry frowned; in his black swimming trunks and black t-shirt, he wasn't representing Gryffindor very well, but he didn't have anything in scarlet and gold which was particularly useful for swimming. He reckoned that he'd look quite ridiculous jumping in the lake with his uniform, not to mention he wouldn't be able to swim very well in waterlogged clothes.
Once all the Champions were assembled, Cedric swinging his arms around to loosen up and Viktor standing stiffly next to him in a burgundy t-shirt and black swimming trunks, Bagman raised his wand and addressed them.
"Right, when I shoot a flare from the wand, that will be your signal to enter the lake - not before. I am assuming that you have all worked out your clues by now, but nonetheless I would be remiss not to tell you that you have one hour, and one hour only, to retrieve something that you will sorely miss.
"Now, on your marks...get set...GO!" A bright red flare shot up from the end of Bagman's wand, soaring high into the air. Viktor and Cedric dove into the lake without hesitation, followed immediately by Fleur; Harry stuffed a large pinch of Gillyweed into his mouth, making sure that all the judges could see before plunging in after the others.
Once under the surface of the freezing water of the lake, Harry spat out the Gillyweed and used his metamorph powers to transfigure himself into the form he needed. He sped like a dolphin into the deep, murky waters, lighting his way with his wand. He was glad for the runes protecting him from the cold and hoped the other runes would be just as effective, also hoping he didn't run into any creatures for which there had been no runic protections.
Harry wondered how the others were faring when he spied a forest of light-green water weeds just up ahead within the range of his wand-light. There was no going around them so he swam above them, keeping a sharp eye out for anything hiding below as he passed through a large school of trout which broke around him.
That was when the first danger made its presence known. Rapidly emerging from the water-forest below were a horde of water sprites. Harry desperately hoped the runes would work, as the creatures were just as deadly singly as they were in swarms. They didn't look like much, as small as they were, but they were far more dangerous than Grindylow. One bite was enough to kill.
There was no doubt that someone had introduced them to the lake since he had last swum in it, only a few days prior. Harry's heart began to pound in his ears when it occurred to him that the others might not be prepared for such lethal creatures. Fleur had an inkling at least, as they had discussed the possibilities during their combat practice together in the lake.
Harry swam faster but the sprites were quick and surrounded him on all sides; a sizable group broke off the rest of the horde and were nearly on him, less than a metre between them and him. He began to panic, thinking that somehow he had made a mistake with the runes. They were almost a foot away when the nearest began shrieking in agony, their skin blistering, the sound of their echoey cries piercing his eardrums painfully before they swam away.
Dozens more came at him, but none of them managed to break through the invisible shield radiating from Harry's rune-warded body. After several minutes of the sprite horde ineffectively swirling around him, they gave up the ghost and disappeared into the murk. Harry heaved a sigh of relief, or at least an approximation of it as the icy water rushed through his gills.
That was when he felt a strong ripple against the current and spotted an enormous shadow - then it was gone. But Harry could still feel the shifting currents and his heart started racing again. He sensed it was now behind him and whirled around just in time to see the gigantic shadow disappear into the darkness once more.
Harry's gills flared; he whipped around to see it vanish into blackness again. It was playing cat and mouse with him, and judging by its size Harry surmised it was probably a sea-serpent. Fantastic Beasts claimed they had never hurt humans despite muggle legends to the contrary, but Hermione had disputed that based on reading multiple alternate sources in ancient dusty tomes she had found in the Restricted Section of the library and it seemed that she was right.
Harry was beginning to wonder if those Viking Runes she had discovered in the more recent book - by which she meant a hundred and fifty years past rather than a thousand or more - would actually work. The Sea Serpent didn't seem particularly threatened considering how it was toying with him.
Maybe the runes would only work if it got close enough, like the water-sprites... or maybe the book just hadn't been old enough have an accurate representation of the Viking Runes. Even Hermione had said they might be a gamble.
Crap, crap, crap, he thought! It was coming at him again, and this time the massive head of the beast emerging from the gloom sped toward him faster than he thought possible, its undulating body trailing behind. Harry tried to dodge the head of the beast only to be slammed in the back of his own head by the tip of its tail which had wound around him, invisible in the murk, and hit him from the rear.
As Harry tumbled through the water, seeing stars, he knew he should have been prepared for the gigantic water-snake's feint. The sea beasts could grow upwards of a hundred feet in length. Harry tried to spin around with his flippers, reckoning that the creature would try to take advantage of his dizziness.
Not a moment too soon! Harry was still too dazed to see it properly, but he could just make out through his blurred vision the shape of its head which seemed to grow larger, and guessed that its maw was opening widely enough to swallow him whole.
"BOMBARDA MAXIMA!" Harry mouthed in the equivalent of a submerged bellow, taking a chance as he aimed his wand right at the center of the fuzzy dark shape swimming toward him rapidly.
His eyesight cleared just in time to see that he had hit the bullseye as the bright blue spell shot down its throat. Harry was propelled backwards by the force of the water rushing at him when the spell exploded in the Sea-Serpent's gullet.
Harry was shaking badly when his tumbling halted; he glanced back to see a long dark shadow sinking into the black depths of the lake. He didn't know if it was just stunned or dead; he just wanted to get out of there as fast as he could. Harry fled through what appeared to be a forest of vines reaching up from the bottom of the lake, slashing his wand again and again, mouthing "Diffindo," multiple time as he sped away.
Spying the decaying wreckage of a vessel, Harry swam inside and took a moment to calm down. Then he swam out of the other side and headed towards the centre of the lake again, hoping he wouldn't run into any more lethal creatures. If he came across a Kelpie herd, he reckoned he might be done for as they were known for ripping their victims apart, leaving nothing but entrails behind.
Hermione hadn't found any Runes for those, and the only known way of subduing them was to use a Placement Charm to strap a bridle around the water-monster's head. He had practiced the Charm, but he had no idea where the hell to find a bridle - it wasn't like Hogwarts had any stables - and he figured there was no way Accio would bring him one in time.
Harry felt a clutch of trepidation when he saw what appeared to be another swarm of creatures up ahead. His gills flared with a sigh of relief when he saw they were Grindylows. They could be very dangerous in swarms with their razor sharp teeth and clawed fingers, but at least his Runes would protect him from those.
He swam right through their midst and the swarm parted as they fled away from him, screeching. Finally, he saw what looked like misshapen houses built from boulders in the near distance and was sure he it must be the Merpeople's village.
Harry put on a burst of speed hoping to reach the village before anything else untoward could happen. Then he saw them... a number of shadowy humanoid figures swimming towards him, trying to cut him off. Harry groaned. He should have known that something else would try to stop him at any cost.
The figures raised their arms, holding... something. Harry's eyes widened in shock. He tried to dodge what appeared to be half a dozen arrows whizzing towards him, but they were too fast. Four flew right past him, but one ripped through the sleeve of his t-shirt, opening a gash on his shoulder; he almost dropped his wand. Harry only barely managed to avoid being skewered in the belly by the other one, by twisting his torso in the the nick of time. The arrow (?) tore through his t-shirt, slicing through the skin of his abdomen.
Harry grit his teeth in pain as blood seeped from both wounds, clouding in the water. The figures drew nearer, readying their weapons for another shot. His eyes widened in surprise when the dark silhouettes became clearer. What - or who - the hell were they? They were wearing what appeared to muggle diving gear, masks, wetsuits, rubber flippers, even oxygen tanks.
That's when Harry realised that the arrows weren't arrows, they were spears from spearguns, of the sort he'd seen in a documentary the teacher had shown the class in primary school once. But what sort of wizard would be trying to kill him with muggle gear? He could hardly imagine that a pureblood like Mr Malfoy would hire muggles to do the job.
They raised their weapons again, having quickly reloaded. Harry didn't care who they were, he wasn't going to let them assassinate him. Professor Moody had told him to be prepared to kill if it was necessary to save his life, and knew this was such a moment, no matter how much the idea of killing someone repulsed him.
"Bombarda Maxima," he mouthed for the second time, aiming the blasting curse into their midst.
The explosion sent shockwaves through the water, even knocking Harry himself back. At least three of the divers appeared to have been knocked out or killed by the blast. Three spears immediately followed, shot by the divers who had managed to escape the curse in time.
Two of the spears went widely off their mark as the divers were probably still dazed by the explosion, but the other came right at Harry and grazed his thigh, opening another wound. The divers had shaken off their dizziness and were swimming even closer; they seemed a fair bit shorter than most muggles. Two of them now brandished what appeared to be swords, the blades and jeweled hilts glinting in Harry's wand light, while the other reloaded his speargun.
The design of the swords seemed somehow familiar to Harry, but he didn't let the divers get close enough to use them.
"Diffindo," he mouthed several times as he slashed his wand.
A scream echoed through the water as the sword hand of one of the divers separated from his wrist, blood billowing from his stump. The other one was nearly on Harry now as another spear zipped past Harry's head close enough to give him a haircut. That momentary distraction was all the other diver needed to get the drop on him.
The sword came right at Harry, nearly stabbing him in the gut. That's when he recognised the blade as being similar to the one sitting on the wall in Dumbledore's office - the Sword of Gryffindor which Harry had obtained in second year. He barely managed to escape being stabbed by twisting again, another gash opening across his abdomen.
Harry was prepared for the pain though this time. He dodged the swipe of the sword aimed at his neck and seized the diver's wrist. They both grappled for a moment, each trying to disarm the other; Harry kicked out, landing a sharp blow right in the diver's belly. The diver was briefly incapacitated, the air knocked out of him.
Harry slashed his wand 'yelling,' "Diffindo" again. The diver's sword arm separated at his elbow and Harry grabbed at his mask, hoping to confirm his suspicions. Sure enough, the long pointy nose and features of a screaming goblin became apparent.
Having taken that goblin-diver out of the equation, Harry looked around wildly for the last one with a speargun. He spotted the other goblin swimming out of range rapidly. There was no way Harry was going to give the goblin another chance to kill him; he aimed his wand and shot another blasting curse at him.
The goblin-diver was caught in the shockwave of the explosion and floated towards the surface of the lake. Dead or knocked out, Harry didn't care at that moment. He sped away and dove into a meadow of long yellowy grasses. Gritting his teeth in pain, Harry tore off ragged strips of his t-shirt, binding the wound on his arm with one, and strapping the others around his middle to stem the bleeding from his abdomen.
Gills flaring angrily, Harry pushed on towards the village and hoped the merpeople weren't going to give him any grief. He was startled to see that they looked nothing like he had imagined; they were silvery grey with wild looking dark green hair, yellowy eyes and jagged looking teeth.
The several Harry passed backed away from him when they saw his furious features as he brandished his wand at them. He swam on through the rough hewn houses, paying no attention to the gardens of water weeds and the merpeople emerging from their dwellings to watch him passing through.
Harry swam into what appeared to be the village square, his heart hammering the wall of his chest so hard that he half expected it to burst out. A crowd of singing merpeople flourishing spears and tridents surrounded the base of a gigantic statue of a merperson carved from solid rock.
They parted quickly and got out of his way, looking shocked at Harry's expression of rage. Harry spotted them, three figures bound to the base of the statue with slimy ropes of weeds. Lavender was already gone and Harry reckoned Viktor had already collected her. Still tied to the statue were Hermione, Gabrielle, and Cho, their faces deathly pale, eyes closed, hair floating around their heads like clouds.
Panic gripped Harry's chest when he saw no sign of Fleur and Cedric.
What if water-sprites or Grindylow had got them - or goblin assassins? Harry couldn't bear the thought that maybe one of them had been swallowed whole by the Sea Serpent and that he had possibly blasted them with the Bombarda.
He peered around frantically, hovering near the three captives. The merpeople hung back, appearing to know better than to get in his way or hurry him along.
After several minutes of dread, Harry heaved a 'sigh' of relief when he saw Fleur, scratched and bleeding, swimming toward him; he noticed numerous bite marks as well.
"What happened?" Harry mouthed. Fleur seemed to understand him, her features looking a bit stretched by the surface tension of the bubble surrounding her head.
"Ze Grindylows - so many!" she replied, her voice sounding muted as it rippled through the water. "And ze ozzers?"
"Viktor's already been here," Harry answered. "But there's no sign of Cedric. You should take the hostages and go - I need to look for him."
"Non!" said Fleur, shaking her head, her long silvery hair flowing. "We mus' both go! You are bleeding badly. Ze 'eadmasters ... we will tell them, and zey must find heem."
Harry peered at his makeshift bandages, shocked to see how much blood had seeped through, clouding up the water. As he began to feel a bit lightheaded, Harry knew Fleur was right, but it gnawed at his gut to leave a man behind.
"All right then," Harry mouthed resignedly, slashing his wand at the weedy ropes binding the hostages without another word.
He grabbed Hermione and Cho and made to swim to the surface, but Fleur, who had Gabrielle under one arm, slipped her other arm under Cho's shoulder. Together, Harry and Fleur ascended, carrying their own hostages and Cedric's between them.
Everyone gasped and sputtered when their heads broke the surface as the hostages came out of their bewitched sleep. There was much splashing as Harry and Fleur tried to make for the shore with all three of them.
"I'm okay, Harry," Hermione gasped, spitting out lake-water, "You can let me go - I'm wide awake now. I can swim for myself."
"All right then," said Harry, taking Cho - who still looked dazed - from Fleur. "We'll be right behind you."
Harry swam for the lakeshore with Cho, Hermione at his side, and Fleur nearby with Gabrielle clinging tightly to her. As they neared the platform they spied a sodden Dumbledore, water dripping from his saturated beard, and Madame Maxime, who was stripping off her robes, both apparently preparing to dive into the lake after their students.
The relief on the headmasters' faces couldn't be more profound when they spied their charges approaching the platform. Each of them hauled a hostage onto the platform from their students' arms.
"Cedric!" Harry shouted, his chest heaving from exertion and anxiety, "He's still down there..."
"No, Harry," said Dumbledore, "Mr Diggory is quite safe now, I can assure you. I retrieved him myself from the clutches of an unusually large swarm of Grindylows, and was just about to return to the lake for..."
"Someone probably tossed a load more into the lake," said Harry furiously, cutting Dumbledore off as he and Hermione clambered onto the platform. "Maybe the goblins..."
"Goblins? ... What goblins?" asked Dumbledore, looking extremely surprised.
"Harry!" Hermione shrieked when she saw the state of him. "There's blood everywhere!"
Dumbledore and Madame Maxime both looked shocked when they saw how much blood was running down Harry's legs from the barely covered gashes on his abdomen and dripping from his upper arm and thigh, pooling on the platform.
Harry looked down at himself, feeling woozier than ever as the adrenaline began to ebb. Dumbledore caught Harry as he collapsed, then swept him up into his arms and sprinted down the gangplank to the shore. Hermione ran after them, wiping tears from her face.
They burst into the tent to find Madam Pomfrey still dabbing Essence of Dittany onto Cedric's many bites and claw-marks.
"Good Heavens!" she screeched, bolting upright from leaning over Cedric. "Get Mr Potter on the table now!"
Dumbledore lay the unconscious Harry down carefully on the surgical table and stood back as Madam Pomfrey poured the entire bottle of Dittany Essence onto his deep gashes. Then she grabbed a towel and soaked up as much blood as possible before waving her wand over Harry muttering incantations.
"Miss Granger," she called out, "on the bench beside you - the Blood Replenishing potion, quickly!"
Still crying, Hermione grabbed the bottle right next to her and darted across to the surgical table. She watched, on the verge of hyperventilating as Madam Pomfrey poured a little bit into Harry's mouth and then a bit more. Madam Pomfrey continued to drizzle small amounts of potion at regular intervals into his mouth.
Finally, after a few minutes, Harry sputtered, potion dribbling from his lips. He tried to push himself up as he came to.
"Wh-what happened?" he asked as the interior of the medical tent spun around him. "What's that awful taste in my mouth."
"Lie back down, Mr Potter." said Madam Pomfrey. "You lost a lot of blood and passed out. You'll be downing a lot of that 'awful' potion for the next few hours, and then you'll be spending the rest of the day and the night in the hospital wing.
"But the goblins..."
"You can tell us all about it, Mr Potter, but I must insist that you lie back down."
Harry was so dizzy, he didn't resist as Madam Pomfrey put a gentle hand on his shoulder. Resting his head back against the pillow which Madam Pomfrey placed under it, Harry began to regale everyone with his story.
Dumbledore and Hermione weren't the only ones looking shocked; Dora had been dabbing Essence of Dittany on Fleur's injuries, and her face grew darker and darker as Harry's tale continued.
"...the only thing I don't get," said Harry as he was concluding his tale, "is why goblins would be wearing muggle scuba-diving equipment."
"Because goblins who have magical abilities aren't allowed wands by the Ministry," said Hermione before anyone else had a chance to reply. "Goblins are like humans in all the ways that matter. Most don't have any inherent magical abilities - the magic they have is largely due to their artifacts - but some goblins do. So without access to wands or much magic of their own, they're forced to rely on Muggle technology for a lot of things."
"That makes sense," Harry muttered, thinking back to his visits to Gringotts; the goblins had by and large seemed to be attired in modern muggle business suits.
"Bagman!" Dora hissed when Harry had finished. "I'll bet you anything that Bagman had something to do with it!"
Professor Dumbledore rubbed at his furrowed brow and sighed. It was one thing to consider the possibility of the involvement of outside forces unrelated to Voldemort, and another thing altogether to have some of it confirmed. Sea Serpents, Water-Sprites, and Goblin Assassins - none of them were supposed to be in the Black Lake.
"We need to get on this right away, Professor," Dora went on, scowling. "We need to collect any evidence we can to support Harry's story."
"Quite so, Miss Tonks," Dumbledore agreed. "If you would please accompany me. There is no time like the present."
Harry watched Dumbledore and Dora exiting the tent while Hermione sat beside him, clasping his hand, his eyelids began feeling heavy again...
Chapter 19: In the Serpent's Wake Part 1
"Bloody hell!" Ron moaned when an hour and twenty minutes had gone by and there was still no sign of Harry. "What's taking so bloody long?"
Neville shrugged, looking extremely anxious; Ginny and Luna were both highly agitated, fidgeting as they perched on the edge of their seats. Parvati would have no doubt been squirming with alarm too, but she was currently with Lavender and Viktor Krum in a tent near the stands.
Krum was the only one who had returned with his hostage within the time limit. After another ten minutes passed, when no one else had returned, Dumbledore dove into the lake and reappeared ten minutes later with Cedric under one arm. But there was still no sign of either Harry or Fleur. Dumbledore looked like he was about to dive back into the lake and Madame Maxime looked like she was preparing to join him.
"Looks like your loser pal snuffed it, Weasleby," Draco gloated.
"Shut your mouth, Malfoy," Ron snarled. "Or I'll shut it for you."
"Probably got eaten by a Sea Serpent," said Draco, laughing. Crabbe and Goyle both sniggered sycophantically.
Ron leapt to his feet, ready to punch that smarmy bastard, but Neville grabbed him.
"Look," said Neville, pointing out at the lake, "That's him isn't it? ... and Fleur too. Looks like they've got all the rest of the hostages too."
Malfoy looked disappointed.
"Hah!" said Ron. "Looks like you're the loser if you bet on Harry's death, Malfoy!"
"We'll see," Malfoy sneered. "It's not over yet, Weasleby."
The entire stands went quiet as the crowd watched the lake, waiting with bated breath while the last two Champions drew nearer to the shore. When Harry and Fleur finally arrived at the platform and Madame Maxime and Dumbledore started hauling hostages from their arms the throng let out a collective sigh of relief... mostly.
The Slytherin contingent remained relatively unconcerned either way, and Malfoy openly scowled when Harry and Hermione clambered onto the platform. Ron was about to let out a cheer, but as Harry began talking to Dumbledore, blood started pouring from Harry's middle, puddling on the platform, and he keeled over.
Malfoy let out a loud whoop as they watched Dumbledore carrying a limp Harry to the medical tent.
"I told you, Weasleby!" Malfoy gleefully crowed. "He's a goner!"
"Potter's dead... Potter's dead... Potter's dead..." Malfoy began hollering, as if he was trying to coax the rest of the Slytherins into a chant, but only Crabbe and Goyle and a smattering of Slytherins were idiotic enough to join in.
The fourth chant of "Potter's dead..." were the last words out of Malfoy's mouth when he was bowled over by Neville.
"Harry's not dead!" Neville shouted, punching Malfoy on the nose. "You take that back!"
Ron was taken by surprise, having thought that he would be the first one to get a punch in, but his momentary hesitation ended when Crabbe and Goyle entered the fray. Ron launched himself into their midst, pummeling anyone in reach.
At least three older Slytherins joined the melee, and when Fred and George managed to push their way through the throng of onlookers they furiously piled on top, pounding away while Ginny and Luna both yelled at everyone to stop.
Finally, Professors McGonagall and Flitwick managed to make their way through the crowd - who were mostly cheering on the outnumbered Gryffindors - to put a stop to the brawl.
"THAT IS ENOUGH!" McGonagall bellowed, amplifying her voice with a Sonorus Charm.
All the fighters immediately came to a halt.
"Right then," she yelled, "I know who started this ruckus, but who threw the first punch?"
"Erm... That would be me," Neville moaned miserably, waving a hand from under Crabbe who was still sitting on top of him.
"I am very disappointed in you, Mr Longbottom," said Professor McGonagall severely, but the barest hint of a twinkle in her eye and the slightest upward curve at the corners of her pursed lips suggested otherwise. "But it was very brave of you to own up to it. Very well, I am afraid that will be twenty points from Gryffindor."
Then McGonagall turned her hardened gaze and sharp tongue on the rest of the combatants.
"For the rest of you, that will be ten points lost apiece. Seven Slytherins, and four Gryffindors - you do the math!" she snapped "There will also be five detentions for every participant... and fifty points from Slytherin for Mr Malfoy's deliberate provocation."
Cries of "But that's not fair," rose from the Slytherins involved in the altercation.
"Care to make that a hundred points, lads?" shouted Flitwick just as Snape managed to break through the crowd.
"Now, now, Filius," Snape hissed, his eyes narrowed at the diminutive Charms professor, "let us not be hasty until we determine the true cause of this mess. Surely you and Minerva wouldn't want to be accused of favouritism."
"Oh, that's rich, coming from you, of all people!" said Flitwick, bristling angrily.
"And I think I will make it a hundred points from Slytherin for Mr Malfoy's disgusting behaviour!" said McGonagall, drawing herself up haughtily. "Never, in all my years... And perhaps you should check yourself into the hospital wing to have your hearing and eyesight checked, Severus!
"There are well over two hundred witnesses in the immediate vicinity who will attest to Mr Malfoy's appalling lack of respect for a possibly fatally wounded student - including me! Everyone saw and heard him attempt to instigate a chant gloating over the fate of Mr Potter. ... I am the deputy headmistress of this school, and I'm not having it!" McGonagall thundered. "... Is that clear, Severus?"
"Crystal!" Snape snapped before spinning around in a furious whirl of robes and stalking away through the crowd, which quickly parted to allow the angry professor passage.
Everyone had been so distracted that nobody had noticed Dumbledore and a pink haired girl diving into the lake, joined by a tall Auror with a shaved head. So they were very surprised to have to wait for another hour and a half to find out what on earth was going on.
~o0o~
Ludo Bagman tugged at his collar nervously when a very soggy Dumbledore approached the judge's bench, leaving a trail of puddles in his wake. Percy Weasley frowned in puzzlement at the headmaster.
"What's going on, Professor?" asked Percy, in an officious tone. "Why can't we just get this over with? Krum is clearly the winner of this round, isn't he?"
"Ah, well, that is a very interesting question indeed, Mr Weasley," said Dumbledore gravely. "All is not quite as clear as it seems. And perhaps Ludo can help provide some answers..."
Dumbledore raised his bushy white eyebrows at Bagman and Ludo gulped.
"What on earth do you mean?" asked Percy. "What does Ludo have to do with it?"
"Well, for one thing, perhaps Ludo can give us a reason for the presence of a Sea Serpent and Water-Sprites in the Black Lake. None were scheduled for this task."
"Oh, that's easy!" said Percy, ignoring Bagman's frantic waving at him to get his attention. "Either Ludo or I can answer that. The Senior Undersecretary suggested that we add them to this task."
Bagman cringed and Dumbledore looked shocked.
"After how easily the Champions handled the Dragons, the Senior Undersecretary thought that we should up the stakes a bit - make the Champions actually work for it," Percy continued, looking very pleased with himself. "And she thought we ought to make them last minute additions to discourage cheating."
"Indeed!" said Dumbledore, his gaze growing icier by the minute. "And if a Champion had died, after we had made so much effort to minimise the risk of fatalities, what then?"
"Well, Britain is indemnified in that case. All contestants were informed that there were still some risks," said Percy, who was starting to become annoyed.
"Mr Potter was neither informed, nor was he a willing participant," Dumbledore pointed out coldly.
"Well that's hardly the Ministry's fault," Percy snapped. "I don't see how that changes the outcome of this task."
Bagman slunk back, as if trying to make himself as invisible as possible, his eyes darting around shiftily.
"Well, then perhaps you or Ludo can tell me why Harry Potter was the only contestant targeted by the Sea Serpent and the Water-Sprites."
"Er..." Percy was briefly taken aback, but it didn't last very long. "Now look here, Dumbledore," he responded indignantly, "you can't seriously be insinuating that the Ministry had anything to do with that! That's preposterous! ... They're just beasts - subject to their own natural instincts! How would the Ministry have any control over that?"
"How indeed, Mr Weasley... How indeed? That is the first sensible point you have raised," said Dumbledore sadly. "Of that, Madame Maxime has agreed to invite the French authorities to conduct an independent investigation as a third party without any conflicts of interest. I have no doubt that Amelia will consent to the arrangement.
"In any case, the Sea Serpent and the Water-Sprites were hardly the only obstacles targeted specifically at Harry which he was forced to contend with. But on this next question, I doubt the Ministry had any involvement. However, I expect Ludo could offer his counsel, given his acquaintance with a certain... unsavouryelement of the Goblin Nation."
"G-g-goblins?" Bagman stammered, managing to look both surprised and guilty at the same time. "Wh-why would you say that, Dumbledore?"
"Ah, you were witnessed at both the World Cup and in Hogsmeade consorting with known goblin bookmakers... whom are believed to have associations with elements of the goblin criminal underworld."
"Oh! Th-them," said Bagman, a bit too brightly. "Just a bit of harmless wagering - all perfectly legal and aboveboard, I can assure you. But what does that have to do with the Second Task?"
"That is another mystery which I intend to solve," said Dumbledore, "And I have no doubt that Madam Bones will insist on heading up the investigation. ... You see, Auror Shacklebolt and I discovered some evidence of a goblin kill-team - no doubt associated with some of the criminal elements to which I was referring - which attempted to assassinate Harry before he reached the Mer-village."
"I had nothing to do with that!" Bagman blurted out, looking honestly shocked.
"Hmm," said Dumbledore, his expression pensive, "We shall see. If, however, your bookie associates are connected to the criminals responsible for the attempt on Harry Potter's life, you may still be facing an inquiry to determine the extent of your involvement."
"Come on!" Percy sputtered in outrage. "This is getting ridiculous! You're seeing conspiracies everywhere now, Dumbledore. Ludo's reputation is unassailable!"
"You really have no idea, do you?" said Dumbledore, smiling for the first time, albeit somewhat wryly. "Well, I'm sure it will all come out in the wash, Mr Weasley. Now, to discuss how this all affects the Second Task..."
"Look," said Percy sharply, "the decision is clear! Viktor Krum won fair and square."
"I concur wholeheartedly!" said Karkaroff, his eyes narrowing at Dumbledore.
"No doubt!" Dumbledore retorted. "Though, I fail to see how any of this is fair and square, and I am sorely tempted to call upon the Triwizard Committee for a nullification of all scores for the Second Task and call it a draw."
"You can't do that, Dumbledore!" Percy barked. Bagman looked like he thought it best to stay out of this entirely.
"Can't I?" Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. "The rule-book gives any headmaster the right to challenge the results of any event. However, just because I am tempted, does not mean I shall. ... Mr Krum did indeed fulfill all requirements of the Task, and it would be unfair to deprive him of his well earned victory."
Karkaroff immediately relaxed, though Percy still looked wary.
"So all that remains is to determine how to score the remaining contestants."
"But they didn't return within the time limit!" Percy burst out. "They should all be disqualified!"
"And yet, of your own admission, Mr Weasley, the Ministry saw fit to introduce dangerous elements to the tournament without notifying the headmasters of any changes - a matter which I will be taking up with Cornelius and the Triwizard Committee by the way - which were clearly directed at a single target. So you are hardly in any position to be adhering to previously established rules.
"Not to mention the additional factor of outside forces arrayed against Harry Potter. So at the least, in regards to Harry, the time limit should not be considered a factor. ... However, as it would be unfair to disregard the time factor for a single contestant, I propose the time constraint should be dismissed altogether."
"Yes... yes! Of course, Dumbledore," said Bagman, dabbing at his sweaty brow with a hanky. "I quite agree."
Percy goggled at Bagman in surprise; then he turned towards Dumbledore and opened his mouth as if to object, then shut it again and scowled, apparently thinking better of disagreeing with his colleague.
"Very good!" said Dumbledore, "Olympe, who will be here momentarily, has already indicated her approval of my suggestion... Ah, yes - there she is now..." Dumbledore nodded gratefully at Madame Maxime as she took her seat. "Now, all that remains is for Igor to offer his thoughts on the matter."
"By all means, Dumbledore," said Karkaroff magnanimously. "You have my consent."
"Excellent! Then let's get down to it, shall we?" said Dumbledore. "Olympe was willing to cede the second place position to Mr Potter, given that he was the second to arrive at the hostage site and waited until Miss Delacour also arrived safely - at great risk to his own safety I might add - and was preparing to conduct a search for Mr Diggory until Miss Delacour persuaded him to return with her.
"However, Harry would hear none of it, stating that he might have never made it back with all three hostages without Miss Delacour's assistance. Therefore, if everyone agrees, I propose that we award both Mr Potter and Miss Delacour a tie for second place, and Mr Diggory third place as he was not able to complete the task."
Dumbledore paused for everyone to murmur or nod to indicate their assent. Percy didn't look very happy about it, and he was the last to agree after Bagman enthusiastically offered his support. Which was no doubt an attempt by Bagman to deflect any possible criticism of his role in the turn of affairs.
"Very well then," said Dumbledore, "Ludo, if you would be so kind as to announce the score."
Still wiping his brow, Ludo Bagman sighed with relief and picked up his bullhorn. At least he hadn't lost his shirt on this round.
~o0o~
Hermione felt much better now that she knew Harry was out of the woods, but she was still very concerned.
"Are you sure you can manage this, Harry?" she asked.
"Yeah... it's not like I really care about who won - but I ought to make an appearance with the others."
"All right then," said Hermione dubiously.
Harry groaned dizzily as he sat up in the cot. Hermione put an arm around him to help him up while Madam Pomfrey looked on in disapproval. Pomfrey wasn't pleased about it, but she had agreed that Harry could join the other Champions when the scores were announced.
Hermione helped Harry stagger outside to be assailed by a roar of cheers and applause from the stands. He blinked in the bright sunlight as he and Hermione stood next to Fleur, Cedric, and Viktor while Bagman's voice echoed across the grounds of Hogwarts with the results of the Second Task.
"Well done, Harry!" Cedric smiled wanly at Harry when the second place winners were announced and looked very embarrassed.
Viktor, with Lavender in tow, shook Harry's hand. "I hear vot happened - I am thinking zat you deserve first place - to defeat a Sea Serpent, zat alone is most deserving."
Hermione, still practically holding Harry up, smiled proudly at him. Fleur beamed radiantly at them both. Numerous cameras in the stands were flashing.
"Bien joué, 'Arry," said Fleur, giving Harry a kiss on the lips. "Zat ees for being so brave and waiting for me." And then, much to Hermione's surprise, Fleur gave her a kiss on the lips as well. "And zat is for being my friend, bon ami."
Hermione blushed furiously, turning redder than Harry. She gave Dora an apologetic look, hoping she wouldn't be cross, but Dora was just laughing.
"You two oughta see the expressions on your faces - Priceless!" Dora chortled. "Mind you, there'll probably be loads of pictures..."
~o0o~
Grimnut was trembling badly while he waited in his office for Chief Bloodaxe to arrive. He briefly wondered if he should make a break for it, but he was dead for sure if he tried to do a bunk. It was better to take his lumps, even if it did mean being demoted from a top lieutenant to a foot soldier in the Kruella Syndicate.
He didn't know how it had all gone so wrong. Potter had gone up against one of the best Kill Teams the Syndicate had. He had fought harder and more skillfully than most wizards twice his age. Potter had clearly been trained by a Master highly skilled in non-magical fighting techniques and tactics.
That was the only logical explanation. Grimnut just hoped that Chief Bloodaxe would see it the same way.
One Executioner dead, three badly injured - one of which was now missing a hand. The other two had been lucky to escape with their lives, and if Potter had been more ruthless and finished the job properly, they would not have.
Thankfully their survival gave them the opportunity to clean up most of the evidence. It would be nearly impossible to link the attack to the Kruella Syndicate in particular - whatever evidence was found could just as easily be attributed the Magmatok Gang or the Ragnagorok Clan, or any of a dozen minor gangs even if the National Inquiry Unit assigned a team of investigators to the task.
And at least Potter hadn't come in first. The Syndicate had at least recouped their losses from the the First Task, even if they hadn't come out ahead by making sure Potter came in last - if at all. So it wasn't a dead loss, Grimnut reassured himself.
~o0o~
Upon flooing back to the Ministry, Ludo Bagman made his way through the labyrinthine passages to the Senior Undersecretary's office after a rickety elevator ride, still wiping sweat from his forehead. He waved off everyone who tried to stop him and ask about the tournament.
"I'm sure there'll be something in the Prophet tomorrow, Bentley," he muttered to a Ministry accountant, hoping that Dumbledore would maintain his propensity for keeping things close to his vest. It wouldn't do to have all of his accusations spread across the front page of every newspaper.
"'Afternoon, Margaret," Bagman said with a nod to the Senior Undersecretary's secretary upon reaching her office.
"She's already waiting for you, sir," the secretary beamed.
"Yes, thank you," he said, forcing his face into something approximating the grin he was known for.
Bagman swallowed nervously, and halted briefly in front of the Senior Undersecretary's door. He took a deep breath to steel himself and pushed it open, marching boldly into the lion's den. Bagman nodded in greeting at the platinum haired Warlock seated in front of the Senior Undersecretary's desk.
"Afternoon, Lucius, Dolores," Bagman took another deep breath. "I think we've got a problem..."
Chapter 20: In the Serpent's Wake Part 2
"Pomfrey should reserve a bed in here for you," Ron sniggered at Harry. "Seems like you're always in here for something or other."
Hermione glared at Ron and was about to yell at him for being so callous when Neville got a word in edgewise.
"But we're both just glad you're alive, Harry! We were really worried that you might actually die."
"Yeah!" said Ron, nodding and getting more serious. "And Malfoy was gloating about it. I was going to punch him but Neville beat me to it. He socked Malfoy right on the nose. You should've seen him... Neville was bloody brilliant!"
"But then Ron jumped in to help me when Crabbe and Goyle piled on," said Neville, turning pink at Ron's high praises. "We lost a lot of points for Gryffindor though."
"Who cares!" Ron retorted. "It was bloody worth it! And besides, Malfoy and his lot lost loads more for Slytherin." Ron grinned again. "Fred and George helped us out - there were like, ten of them and only four of us."
"So that was why Malfoy was in here with a bloody nose and a black eye a little while ago," said Harry, grinning back at Ron. "I wondered what that was all about."
Hermione frowned, looking a bit torn. "Well, it's all well and good you both sticking up for Harry, but you really shouldn't have been fighting. Someone could have got seriously hurt."
Ron choked out a cough which sounded suspiciously like, "Third year!"
Hermione flushed, remembering how she had slapped Malfoy when he had been mocking Hagrid for crying about Buckbeak being sentenced to death. Harry raised his eyebrows and gave her a little smirk.
"Oh, shut up!" said Hermione, swatting him on the shoulder.
"Ooow!" moaned Harry teasingly. "I'm not Malfoy!"
Ron and Neville peered at each other slightly awkwardly. Neville gave Ron a little nudge as if to suggest that it might be time to leave, but Ron let his curiosity get the best of him.
"Er... Is it true, Harry? Did you really fight a Sea Serpent?"
"Yeah, I did actually. How did you know?" asked Harry
"Malfoy," said Ron. "That's more or less how it all started. When you were gone so long, Malfoy said you'd got eaten by a Sea Serpent."
"Oh!" said Harry, shooting Hermione a dark look.
"It might be a coincidence, Harry," she said worriedly. "Malfoy could have just made a lucky guess. You shouldn't read too much into it."
"You don't really believe that, do you?"
"I don't know," Hermione admitted with a sigh. "I suppose, if Draco's father really is involved with Bagman or someone else high up at the Ministry, he could have told Draco. He did tell Draco all about the tournament before anyone else was supposed know, after all."
Neville caught Madam Pomfrey's steely gaze and gulped. He gave Ron another little nudge. Ron shot him an annoyed look.
"Erm, maybe we should let Harry get some rest," said Neville. Ron suddenly got the hint and spotted Madam Pomfrey glowering at them.
"Oh, er... Right. I suppose you can tell us the rest of what happened later, Harry."
"Yeah, of course. No problem!"
"Bye, Harry," said Neville.
As Neville and Ron departed the hospital wing, Hermione swiveled around to give Madam Pomfrey a hard stare as if daring the school nurse to turf her out, but she was surprised to see Madam Pomfrey smiling shrewdly at them.
"Well, Mr. Potter, it is time for your Blood Replenishing potion..."
Harry groaned and made a face.
"...and I do believe it is time for lunch," Pomfrey continued, "You must keep up your strength to maximise your recovery. I presume you missed breakfast this morning." She gave Harry a stern questioning look.
"Er, yeah, actually," said Harry nervously, wondering if she was going to be angry with him. "To be honest, I felt a bit too sick to eat."
"I would be very surprised if you hadn't, Mr. Potter. Very well, I shall send for a House-Elf to bring you both a lunch tray."
"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," said Hermione, feeling relieved, and very hungry.
"Not at all, Miss Granger," said Madam Pomfrey. "I would hardly be a very good Healer if I didn't feed up my assistant now, would I?"
"Oh, er..." Hermione wasn't really sure how to respond to that.
"You are going to make sure Mr. Potter takes his Blood Replenishing potion on the hour every hour aren't you? And you will inform me if Mr. Potter requires anything else, will you not?"
"Oh, yes! Of course I will." Hermione nodded vigorously.
"Very good!" said Madam Pomfrey briskly. "I shall be in my office should you need me, and your lunch will be arriving shortly."
"Brilliant!" said Harry, grinning at Hermione as Madam Pomfrey marched back to her office, her heels clicking on the tiled floor.
~o0o~
Draco Malfoy fumed as he picked at his lunch, not feeling very hungry. It was so unfair! Not only did he have five detentions, he had also personally lost Slytherin a hundred and ten points, just because Weaselby and Longbottom couldn't take a joke. And even worse, Potter and his pet Mudblood were still alive!
Draco savagely speared a piece of steak and gnawed on it just to give himself an excuse to grit his teeth. He had been so sure the Sea Serpent would eat Potter and he had been hopeful it would get Granger as well.
Despite his father's schemes, Potter kept getting lucky somehow. Draco tried to mollify himself with the thought that his Killing Curse and Cruciatus Curse were improving every day. If the Third Task didn't finish off Potter, he'd do it himself. As for the Mudblood - he had other plans for her now...
"You gonna eat that?"
"Huh?" Draco snapped out of his reverie to see Goyle staring blankly at him.
"Your steak," said Goyle thickly. "It's the last piece on the table. You gonna eat it?"
"It's all yours," said Draco, pushing his plate towards Goyle. Then he got up fron his seat and marched out of the Great Hall.
~o0o~
Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement Amelia Bones washed down her kippers and toast with a cup of tea, then dabbed at her lips with a white linen napkin. She was just about to clear up and get back to work when there was a knock at the door and her secretary poked her curly head through.
"Sorry to disturb you Ma'am! It's the Minister and Dumbledore to see you. Are you available?"
"Yes, yes! Of course!" said Madam Bones in a clipped voice. "Send them in."
Madam Bones lifted her monocle from her mahogany desk and screwed it firmly into place. She peered shrewdly at the Minister and the Headmaster of Hogwarts as they entered her office. There were less twinkles in Dumbledore's eyes than was usual, and Fudge was scowling and twirling his lime-green bowler hat nervously. They were clearly disturbed.
"Good afternoon, Cornelius, Albus. Please, sit - would either of you like some tea?"
"That would be delightful, Amelia," said Dumbledore as he took a seat.
"Oh, er... Yes, all right. Thank you," said Fudge.
"So, to what do I owe this visit?" asked Madam Bones as she poured everyone cups of tea.
Dumbledore added a teaspoon of honey and a twist of lemon to his tea and took a sip. Fudge added a sugarcube and a splash of cream to his own before beginning.
"Hm...ahem!" Fudge cleared his throat. "I would like you to open an investigation, Amelia. ... But it shall have to be taken with great care, as Dolores, Ludo, and possibly Lucius Malfoy are all to be subject to certain aspects of the investigation, as will be criminal elements of the Goblin Nation."
"Good Heavens!" Madam Bones's monocle fell into her teacup with a splash when she raised both eyebrows in shock.
"Does this have anything to do with the Triwizard Tournament, perchance?" she asked as she retrieved her monocle and wiped it on her linen napkin.
"Indeed so," Dumbledore replied, taking another sip of tea. "The Second Task has been tampered with and Harry Potter was very nearly murdered."
"And you believe that two senior Ministry officials, a Warlock with a proxy on the Wizengamot, and Goblin criminals are all involved?" Madam Bones gave Dumbledore a skeptical look. "That seems quite a stretch - even for you, Albus!"
"Well, Percy Weasley, assistant to the Senior Undersecretary, and Ludo Bagman himself confirmed that at the very least, Dolores and Ludo had conspired to alter elements of the Second Task without informing the headmasters. I will of course also be addressing my concerns to the Triwizard Committee later today.
"And Aurors Shacklebolt and Tonks will be providing you with physical evidence of Goblin involvement this afternoon. Whether all conspired together or separately remains to be seen."
"And Warlock Malfoy, what does he have to do with all of this?"
Fudge drained the rest of his tea with a gulp and his cheeks reddened with embarrassment.
"Well, erm... ahem..." he began nervously. "Until very recently, Lucius and I... well, let's just say we had a certain understanding, and after the whole Crouch debacle, we...erm, parted company. Dolores however, is close to the Malfoy family and Lucius continues to have her ear. I wouldn't be so concerned, but I have come to question Lucius's accounting of his involvement with You-Know-Who during the war."
"Indeed!" said Madam Bones dryly. "I'm glad to see that you are not wholly immune to common sense, Cornelius."
"Er... quite!" Fudge gave her a sheepish little smile. "Better late than never, right?"
The upward curl of the corners of the dour looking square-jawed witch's lips suggested the barest hint of a smile.
"Quite so, Cornelius. Well then, I shall await the evidence provided by Kingsley and Auror Tonks this afternoon, and I'll put an undercover task-force together. I presume that Head Auror Scrimgeour is to be kept out of the loop due to his own ties to Dolores?"
"That would be a wise course of action," Dumbledore agreed, twinkles returning to his eyes. "There is just one other thing - if you would allow the French authorities to conduct an independent investigation of the Sea Serpent and Water Sprites..."
Madam Bones's monocle fell in her tea again.
"Sea Serpents and Water Sprites?" she sputtered, "In the Tournament? Why didn't you say so to begin with? All measures were taken to minimise the risk this time - that alone is enough to warrant an investigation of Ludo and Dolores."
"My thoughts exactly," said Dumbledore as he serenely took another sip of tea. "However, the creatures appear to have posed no threat to any of the other contestants - only to Harry Potter. ... Madame Maxime assures me that the French Authorities are willing to perform an independent investigation to determine if the creatures themselves were tampered with in any way. All their findings would be turned over to you."
"Yes - yes! Very sensible, Albus." Madam Bones nodded as she wiped off her monocle yet again and wondered if she shouldn't just get a pair of half-moon spectacles and be done with it.
~o0o~
Severus Snape stormed through the drafty stone corridors of Hogwarts, his sallow face a mask of fury, his black robes billowing, looking very much like a hungry, angry vampire seeking prey, Flitwick and McGonagall's dressing-down still burning in the pit of his stomach.
For the umpteenth-thousandth time Snape wondered why he had ever allowed himself to be talked into helping to protect James Potter's son.
Harry Potter was a constant reminder of James Potter - arrogant, attention-seeking, contemptuous, self-righteous, the spitting image, stealing Lily right out from under his nose... Lily had belonged to Snape, not to Potter. Snape had lost her twice, once to Potter, and again to the Dark Lord's wand.
If Harry Potter had never been born, Lily would still be alive today, and Snape would have had the opportunity still to show her whom she really belonged with.
Snape had never even wanted to protect James or his son - he would have been just as happy if they were both dead as long as Lily was alive and in his arms. And retribution against the Dark Lord and Wormtail for their part in the death of Lily hardly required protecting the reincarnation of James Potter.
But Dumbledore had manipulated Snape, had used his deep sense of loss at Lily's death against him, had convinced him that protecting Harry Potter would salve his broken heart. But instead, protecting Potter's son had proved to be little more than pouring salt and bitter lemon on an open wound.
It was too late to turn back now; he would complete the task that he had allowed Dumbledore to foist upon him. But Snape was determined to make Harry James Potter pay dearly every step of the way for putting him in this position by living while Lily remained a cold corpse six feet under.
Snape's rageful reverie was interrupted by an appalling sight; he spied an undeservedly happy looking couple snogging on an elm-wood bench under a wide bay window.
"Fawcett, Stebbins!" he barked at the startled pair.
"What did I tell you about open displays of affection at the Yule Ball?" he snarled. "That's fifty points from Ravenclaw and fifty from Hufflepuff. And if I catch you at it again you'll both be in separate detentions till the end of the year."
Fawcett, the Ravenclaw girl, burst into tears and ran down the hall while Stebbins shot Snape a mutinous glare and sprinted after her.
Feeling slightly better, Snape whirled around and stalked back to his dungeon lair to pour himself a stiff drink.
~o0o~
As the sun crept lower towards the mountainous horizon, Hermione sighed happily, stroking Harry's messy black hair. He looked so peaceful as he slept, nightmare free for the time being. And he had been very good, taking his Blood Replenishing potion like clockwork on the hour without any fuss.
Hermione glanced at the cot near the door, where Dora - who was guarding the ward - and Fleur were chatting in hushed whispers.
Her eyes wandered, catching Lavender and Parvati's bouquet of flowers in a crystal vase sitting next to a box of chocolate frogs from Ginny and Luna and a magazine which Luna had left to keep Hermione occupied while Harry napped.
Hermione lifted The Quibbler from Harry's bedside table and flipped through the pages, rolling her eyes at an article on the mating habits of Blibbering Humdingers; she snorted mirthfully at an article regaling the health benefits of Crumple-horned Snorkack venom in small doses and shook her head at an article about pig/gorilla/goat/mongoose/human hybrids.
Then Hermione turned the page and her eyes caught a photograph of tents in flames and hooded Death Eaters at the World Cup. The article which accompanied the photo purported to describe a vast conspiracy of Death Eaters who had escaped prosecution after the war and which threatened to take over the Ministry.
Perking up with great interest, Hermione began to read. She was so caught up in the riveting article that she almost missed hearing the clock on the wall strike five o'oclock. Hurriedly, Hermione set The Quibbler back down on the table and pressed her lips to Harry's.
Harry stirred, returning Hermione's kiss, his eyelids fluttering open.
"Time for the next dose of Blood Replenishing potion, is it?" he said with a grin.
~o0o~
Clouds crawled across the darkening sky, blocking out the stars, and raindrops began pattering on the decaying rooftop of a manor slowly falling into ruin. The wind picked up, howling under the eaves and driving the increasingly heavy rain against the broken and boarded up windows.
Inside the manor, the bowing stairs creaked under the feet of a rat-like man slowly climbing up to the next landing, brushing aside cobwebs as he passed. The man was trembling, afraid to be the bearer of bad news, and hoping the Dark Lord would see the news more as a boon than not.
"M-Master?" he called through the open doorway, warily eyeing the enormous viper coiled near the threshold.
"Enter, Wormtail," said the high, cold voice of the Dark Lord.
Wormtail scurried inside and prostrated himself before the threadbare armchair that contained the homunculus which his Master was currently inhabiting.
"What news have you of the Second Task, Wormtail?"
"My - my Lord! Harry Potter still lives. Th-there is rumour that he almost died, only barely surviving an encounter with a Sea Serpent."
"So, Potter survives yet again!" the Dark Lord hissed venomously. "Dementors, Dragons, Sea Serpents. The boy grows in power with every passing year. I cannot allow this to continue, lest the Prophecy come to pass. Yet I cannot openly make a move until I have regained my true form and my followers.
"As much as it pains me to do so, it shall indeed have to be done with another. Go forth and bring me a boy, Wormtail - a Pureblood boy unsullied by adolescence. We shall use an alternate ritual upon the next full moon at midnight. Then I shall call back the unfaithful and see who is brave enough to return.
"But do not forget, you must return each day and milk Nagini to nourish my current form."
"Of course, Master! It shall be done." Wormtail quivered with eagerness and relief.
The alternate ritual did not call for the flesh of a servant, and a tingle of excitement rushed through his veins at the prospect of killing again. Having milked Nagini early that morning, Wormtail chose to waste no time scouting for a young Pureblood.
He already had some ideas of which Pureblood families might have some young children, and it would take surveilling and planning to accomplish the task without being caught.
"I shall leave at once, Master, and return in the morning."
"Very good, Wormtail," said the Dark Lord, sounding impressed with the diligence of his servant.
Gleefully, Wormtail hastened back down the stairs and slipped on his long, black cloak. Out the front door he went and pulled his hood over his head, unfazed by the downpour and the flicker of lightning in the distance.