(Author's note: Guys, please… if you can spare some power stones, I'd really appreciate it.)
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Some time earlier…
The night before the second task of the Triwizard Tournament, the Great Hall was alive with restless energy. Dinner felt almost secondary as conversation rolled from table to table, every word circling back to tomorrow's challenge. Laughter rang out more easily, voices rose above the usual noise, and glances kept drifting toward the champions' table, as everyone wondered what exactly they would be made to do.
Some speculated it would be a duel between the champions underwater, while others, in fact most, believed it would be a battle against some kind of water monster, since dragons had featured in the first task. Who knew, perhaps it would be a water dragon, a massive shark, or even a whole swarm of them. It might even be a monstrous squid, as everyone knew the lake was home to a giant squid already, so it could very well be that.
Hermione put down her fork beside her plate and rolled her eyes, something she had been instinctively doing for the past half hour listening to the speculations around her.
"Best you don't listen to all that. It'll only give us a bigger headache," Harry, sitting beside her, said, noting her reaction.
"I dunno, mate. I mean, the squid part sounds pretty likely to me."
"I sure hope not." Harry turned the other way, looking at his best friend devour a chicken leg.
"And with only the Bubble-Head Charm, it will be a nightmare trying to beat that monster," Hermione added.
"Hmm." Harry swallowed the food in his mouth and turned to her, then pulled a clump of grey green plant from his pocket and dangled it in front of her. "Do you know what this is?"
"Is that Gillyweed?" she asked, her eyes lighting up as she leaned closer to examine the slimy plant carefully.
"Brilliant. That's the stuff we read about last week that lets you breathe underwater when you eat it, right?" Ron also leaned in, looking at the clumpy thing in Harry's hand.
"That's right. Neville managed to get some, although I dunno where exactly he managed to."
"But are we sure it works?" Hermione narrowed her eyes skeptically. "The description in Magical Water Plants of the Mediterranean and Their Properties says that if you take it within an hour before entering the water, you will grow gills, and your hands and feet will become webbed. It sounds pretty unbelievable. And there were no side effects listed in that book."
"Maybe because there aren't any. And it definitely works," Harry nodded firmly. "Neville said he tested it personally."
"Did you ask him how?"
"Uh… he didn't give the details."
The champions and their teammates all sat separately in the Great Hall tonight, Dumbledore insisting they not be disturbed by other distractions to keep their minds ready for the event tomorrow.
After their bellies were full, Harry, Ron, and Hermione did not linger long in the Great Hall and made their way out, heading toward the common room to get a good night's sleep, but halfway there, they were suddenly stopped when a shimmering corporeal Patronus in the shape of a cat appeared in front of them.
Professor McGonagall's voice rang from it, and even though she was not personally there, they could still feel the stern energy in her tone just from listening.
"Miss Granger, Mr Weasley, please come to my office immediately."
The trio were taken aback by the sudden order.
"Professor, what happened?" Harry asked.
"It is not your concern, Mr. Potter. Kindly return to your common room and see that you get a proper night's rest. You have a demanding day ahead of you tomorrow. I require only Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley," the Patronus spoke its message and offered no further explanation.
The three exchanged glances.
"It's fine. Head back and get some sleep like Professor McGonagall said," Hermione said to Harry, then glanced at Ron, who looked like his mind was somewhere else.
"Ron?"
"Ah… I'm thinking if we've done anything to break school rules recently."
Hermione rolled her eyes, then turned to Harry again. "Go."
"Fine. Wake me up when you guys get back."
"Sure," Hermione replied, pulling Ron. "Let's go."
Harry stood there for a while, watching their backs as they turned the corner, inexplicably feeling a little uneasy.
They hadn't done anything wrong recently, of that he was… well, almost certain. And even if they had, it should have been the three of them, not just Ron and Hermione. He shook his head thoughtfully, then began walking alone toward the Gryffindor common room.
Back inside his dormitory, he did not know when it happened, not long after he laid his head down, he was fast asleep.
When he woke, the sun was already up, and the first thing he did was glance at the bed across from him, only to find it empty.
Probably already up freshening up, he guessed.
But soon he realized that might not be the case. He waited until breakfast was nearly over, and still Ron had not shown up. He could not find Hermione either, and no one seemed to have seen them.
At last, he went to the Great Hall for breakfast, but they were not there either. At the teachers' table, he only saw Filch, the school healer, and the old bat. If McGonagall had been there, he would have asked why his friends had been summoned the night before, and what had happened afterward.
He even went looking for her at her office, but she was not there. Unfortunately, it was getting late. The time for the competition was approaching, and he had to be there early.
When he stepped outside, the shore of the Black Lake was already bustling with students packed tightly together, excitedly discussing the upcoming competition. The worry on his face did not fade and he immediately began searching the crowd for his friends.
He saw Fred and George moving through the crowd, setting up a betting pool while Professor Caeser and Professor Flitwick tried to control the students like they were a flock of sheep out of control. But everywhere he looked, he couldn't find the people he was looking for.
"Oi mate, where are your two buddies?"
"I've been wondering the same, Terry," he replied worriedly. "Last night, when we were heading back from dinner to the common room, Professor McGonagall sent a Patronus. But it was only for Ron and Hermione. It told them to come to her office. That's the last I heard from them."
"What a coincidence…" Terry Boot rubbed his chin and turned to Michael beside him. "Didn't Cedric tell us something similar?"
"What? Are you saying Jean and Roger are missing too?"
"Apparently… he said the same thing about a Patronus finding them and taking them away."
That can't be a coincidence, Harry immediately thought, and he wanted to find the other champions to confirm it. But before he could, he heard Professor Caesar calling him, and then, without any explanation, he was led to the tent meant for the champions.
---
Some time later, the stands were packed to the brim with students and spectators, their voices blending into a restless roar. Then, cutting clean across the lake, the commentator's voice boomed through the air, "Ladieeees and gentlemen, witches and wizards, welcome back to Hogwarts and to the next thrilling round of the Triwizard Tournament!"
A thunderous cheer erupted at the declaration. The noise, despite the crowd being smaller than the last round, was just as electric, surging through the air.
"Without further ado, let's get straight to it and talk about what our six brave champions will be facing today!"
The crowd gradually settled as his voice carried across the lake.
"As you all remember, in the first task, each champion had to retrieve a golden egg from the grasp of a fire breathing dragon. Not an easy feat by any measure. But that egg was more than just a trophy. Hidden inside was a clue, a puzzle the champions had to solve on their own. And if they solved it correctly, they would uncover exactly what awaits them in this second task."
"Now, I cannot say how many of our six champions managed to crack the egg's clue," the commentator carried on, energy in every word. "But solved or not, there is no turning back now. The second task begins here... and... now!"
Another wave of cheers rolled through the stands as his voice echoed over the water.
"Now, ladies and gentlemen, if you would kindly look up at the large screens in front of you..."
At his cue, the underwater feed changed. The images flickered and rotated, each screen cutting to a different scene from the depths of the lake.
"What you are seeing now is the heart of today's challenge. As you can see, each champion's most cherished possession, the very friends who stood by them during the first task, has been taken by us and placed in the Merpeople village at the bottom of the lake."
The video feed changed with each flicker, revealing a different pair each time. They hung unconscious beneath the water, bound tightly with ropes, while fish darted past and mermaids and mermen circled through the murky depths.
The announcer continued, "The objective of today's task for our champions is this… each of them must dive into the depths of the lake, find what was taken from them, and return to the surface within one hour. Fail to do so, and…"
He deliberately paused, as if building up the audience's anticipation. "Who knows? They might lose them... forever!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the video feeds flared with light once more, and the screens changed showing another region of the Great Lake.
Dense forests of seaweed stretched in every direction, their long strands swaying slowly in the cold water like something alive. Shadows moved between them, large silhouettes gliding just out of clear view.
The silhouettes gradually sharpened into view, revealing giant sharks gliding through the underwater jungle, their massive bodies cutting silently between the swaying weeds, their eyes cold and unblinking as they circled the area like patient predators waiting for the right moment.
One camera drifted lower, brushing past a curtain of weeds, when suddenly a massive shark lunged forward from the gloom and opened its jaws wide enough to swallow a person whole.
Its rows of teeth filled the screen before the image abruptly cut to black, then a heartbeat later, the feed returned from another angle, showing the same monster jerking its head back and spitting out what looked like a chunk of enchanted metal.
A wave of gasps rolled through the stands, the sound spreading across the lakeshore as the reality of what waited beneath the surface began to sink in.
"Merlin's smelly socks!"
"Bloody hell, that looks even more dangerous than the first task."
"Who in their right mind came up with this?"
A buzzing wave of shocked remarks swept through the stands. The audience leaned forward, many pointing at the screens while others exchanged uneasy looks. Even the commentator seemed momentarily at a loss for words.
"My goodness… are Ron and Hermione going to be all right?" Ginny whispered, sitting with her fellow Gryffindors. She clasped a hand over her mouth as the horrifying scene played out, just before the feed changed again to show the champions' friends suspended beneath the water.
They were bound to a rock beneath the water, eyes closed, their hair drifting around them in slow waves. How in Merlin's name they were not drowning, their lungs filling with water, she had no idea.
Under each duo, there was also a line of golden text indicating which champion the pair belonged to. In the first task, they had stood at the sidelines to support the champions in achieving their goal, but this time they were the goal themselves, and the champions would have to face the dangers alone.
While the commentator continued explaining the details of the task to the crowd, inside the champions' tent the six of them were receiving their final instructions, and soon were escorted out and led toward the small pier set at the center of the arena.
They looked well prepared, at least at first glance. Each of them was dressed in swimwear, but that was about the extent of it.
Mavrick and Flitwick walked over to them.
"Old rules, children. We won't act unless you're in danger of losing your life. Each time we intervene, you will lose points until there are none left, and you will be out of the competition."
After Flitwick finished, Maverick stepped forward, "Before we begin, is there anyone among you who does not know the Bubble Head Charm, or an alternative spell that allows you to breathe underwater… or," he paused, raising a brow, "wants to quit?"
No one raised their hand or even showed an unsure expression. Their faces looked confident and navigating underwater didn't seem to be a problem that would occur.
"Good." Maverick nodded, smiling approvingly. "We will place each of you at different entry points over the lake." As he said, he lifted his hand, and six identical objects resembling wristwatches appeared above his palm. They hovered there for a moment before gliding toward the champions one by one.
"Please fasten it to your wrist. It is an alchemical device designed to help you keep track of time and provide a general directional guide toward your bound teammates underwater." He paused, then added for emphasis, "It is not a map, and it will not lead you to them with perfect accuracy. Use it wisely."
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Time seemed to crawl as the final minutes ticked away. At last, noon arrived, the sun hanging directly overhead, casting a bright glare across the lake.
Finally, the commentator's voice rang out across the arena, signaling that the moment had come. "Champions, take your positions!"
The six stood on the diving platforms by the lake, their expressions solemn as the cheers swelled into a deafening uproar, their names echoing across the arena. The large screens captured their faces from every angle, magnified for all to see, but the champions couldn't care less. Their focus was fixed entirely on the dark water below as they waited for the signal.
"Three, two, one. BEGIN!" With a whistle, the competition officially began.
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Author's Note:
🔥 Drop those Power Stones! 🔥
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