Chapter 38: The first OWLs
AN: I hope you enjoy this chapter.
There were still a couple of small projects I needed to write about, before the start of the second task.
After that we can continue with the tournament.
Chapter 38
January 2nd, 1995
Harry was positive that the last week had been one of the best in his life. Finally, he and Fleur were officially dating. Now, they could hardly keep their hands off each other. They usually managed to behave themselves in public, only showing small displays of affection, like a quick kiss, hugs, and holding hands.
However, as soon as they felt alone, both couldn't contain their excitement and desire to become more intimate. Still, they had not gone any further than the things they did the night of the Yule Ball, but this wasn't a problem for Harry.
As usual, both were still quite busy but made sure to spend some time together, each day. Be it a common workout in the ROR, a walk around the lake, or simply some studying for OWLs together. Today, Harry would make a trip to Diagon Alley and pick up his Pensieve. Over the last month, Borgin had sent him regular updates on the status of the negotiations and logistics.
Harry had kept his end of the bargain and delivered the necessary ingredients and materials, including the vial of venom, and the heart and hide of the dragon. Now it was just a matter of getting the Pensieve to Hogwarts and down into the Chamber. It was quite a heavy device and it would probably take Dobby and Kreacher to apparate it together.
"Mr. Borgin," Harry greeted his former employer. "A pleasure to see you."
"I have expected you, Mr. Potter. Your delivery is here, of course. How do you intend to get it back to Hogwarts? I would advise against trying to apparate with the Pensieve by yourself."
"I came to the same conclusion, which is why I wanted to ask you for permission first. Two of my elves could pick up the Pensieve here in your store and deliver it to me at Hogwarts."
Borgin nodded: "Two elves shall be more than enough to transport such a unique magical device. Beware that the Hogwarts wards might notify your esteemed Headmaster, though, Mr. Potter. The rune-work in a Pensieve is among the most complex in the world. I suggest having a valid excuse and a well-protected place to hide it in."
"Your advice is, as always, appreciated, Mr. Borgin. My elves shall pick up the device early this afternoon. If you will excuse me, I have further business to attend to."
Harry took his leave and made his way over to Gringotts. It was time to properly visit his family vault. Upon verifying his identity, one of the goblins took him on a wild cart ride to his vault. As one of the oldest families in magical Britain, the Potter vault was located very deep underneath the bank and was protected by ancient spells.
The goblin opened the vault door for him and granted him entrance. Harry took a look around. The vault was larger than his trust vault but smaller than Harry would have guessed. Perhaps it magically adjusted to the space it needed. A reasonable amount of galleons had been added from his former trust vault a few months ago. Therefore, the golden mount in the center of the vault looked admittedly somewhat impressive.
Harry, however, was far more interested in what else he might find here. Over in the corner, were boxes and a shelf with books. Deciding to see what the boxes might hold first, Harry approached the nearest and opened the lid.
Its contents were pages upon pages of parchments in neat handwriting. Harry frowned when he noticed the name under something that looked like an essay for charms.
Lily Evans
Harry gulped, took out the entire stack of parchment, and went through them one by one. His mom's owl results had been very impressive. She had taken the same subjects as him. However, somehow she had also gotten her NEWTs in Muggle Studies. Well, it must have been easy for an actual muggle-born to achieve that.
Among the parchments were also letters from friends, very few photos, and some other documents. He was about to head over to the next box when something caught his eye.
Dear Lils,
The Slytherin Common Room is located under the Black Lake, can you believe it? How are things over in Gryffindor? Do you have your own dormitory or do you share it with others? Even though we have been sorted into different houses, I hope that we will still remain friends.
I know there is a lot of rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor, but as long as we don't both start playing for the house teams we should be fine, right? I can't wait for classes to start. I am especially excited for Potions and Defense against the Dark Arts. Let me know what you are looking forward to the most.
Talk to you tomorrow,
Your friend Sev
Harry gulped. He recognized this handwriting. He had seen it countless times in the snarky comments that had been on any of his potions essays and the instructions on the board in class. His mother, a muggle-born, had been friends with Severus Snape even before the start of school?
How was that possible? Was this another reason why Snape hated James Potter and therefore Harry? Because Lily ended up marrying him and somehow their friendship became the second rate? Harry would have to ask Sirius about it later.
The box right next to his mother's contained the same content except it had been his father's. Harry laughed when reading a couple of letters addressed to his grandparents from McGonagall, describing in detail what kind of pranks and mischief have landed the boy in detention. His grandmother Dorea Potter née Black and McGonagall seem to have been good friends.
He moved over to the Bookshelves. There were a couple of old Hogwarts books but one very old tome caught Harry's attention.
'Europe's purest' by Bathilda Bagshot
A small note fell out as he opened the leather-bound tome.
For James' 20th birthday, old Bathilda gifted him her research on the oldest pureblood families in Europe and their living descendants. She has been working on this for almost a century. Apparently, the Potters are mentioned somewhere as well. Well, thanks to dear old me, that blood is not as 'pure' anymore...
Harry chuckled, apparently his mom had been just as sarcastic as him. He carefully closed the tome and decided to take it with him, along with a few of the photos he found. A small part of him was disappointed. He was hoping to find an old family portrait down here, but Sirius had already warned him not to get his hopes up.
Potter Manor had lots of old family portraits, but the entire manor was destroyed when Voldemort ripped right through the wards during his attack on his grandparents in 1980. The man had taken too much from him and he refused to allow him to take anymore.
Harry exited the bank and called for Dobby and the elf apparated them back to the first floor at Hogwarts. From there, Harry went down into the Chamber. He really wanted to read a bit in the old tome.
"I think I found a treat in my family vault." Harry greeted the portrait.
"I'll leave you to it, then," Salazar replied. He knew that there was nothing else for Harry whenever the boy got his hands on a new book.
Harry quickly found the section about the Potters. Their origins were nothing new to him. He was also distantly related to many other British magical families, via his grandmother. Previous generations of Potters had preferred to marry pureblood women from the continent to diminish the risk of mixing blood with relatives too much. A smart decision, Harry thought, thinking about Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle.
His great-grandfather William Potter for example had married a Swedish pureblood girl from a very esteemed family. His grandfather Charlus broke that tradition and for the first time in five centuries, a Potter and a Black had been wed. Bathilda also mentioned his connection to the Peverells, however, there was no note of the Hallows. Deciding to follow the reference to the pages on the Peverell family, Harry flipped a couple of pages back and began reading.
The first time the name Peverell was mentioned in history, was during the Roman invasion of Britain under Hadrian in AD 120. Apparently, they were some very old Celtic Lords that resisted the foreign invaders.
The Peverells had always been very secretive but gifted in magic. Even Bathilda had been unable to trace back the entire line up to the point where three Peverell brothers lived at the same time. Antioch, Cadmus, and Ignotus. Here, the link between the great-granddaughter of Ignotus and the Potters was described in detail.
Antioch, who must have been the first Brother and owner of the Elder Wand, died first. He was probably killed only a few days after the legendary wand had been in his possession, Harry thought. However, the second brother had married at some point and had children. Was it with the same girl that he tried to bring back to life later?
Bathilda had spent several years tracing back the lineage to the second brother and found two family names. Harry hastily flipped the pages to the first name.
However, to his great disappointment, the family Ambly des Ayvelles had died out in France over 400 years ago and no living descendants were known. He checked the name of the second family. Gaunt. He shrugged, Harry had never heard of them, but it couldn't hurt to look them up, could it? He started reading.
"The House of Gaunt was a pure-blood family, and one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. They had a tendency of marrying their cousins to keep their blood pure and to retain the traits of their ancestor, most notably the ability to speak Parseltongue."
Harry frowned. How come he had never heard of Britain's most notorious parseltongue family?
"Salazar?"
"Yes, Harry."
"Does the name Gaunt ring any bells?"
"Let me think, there was an Octavian Gaunt during my time at Hogwarts. A very old British pureblood family. Proud and admittedly magically powerful. Why are you asking?"
"It says here that the Gaunt family descended from the second oldest Peverell Brother. It also says that they were notorious for being Britain's only Parselmouth family."
"Well, Octavian Gaunt can't have been a Parselmouth during my time, so one of my granddaughters must have married into his family. Are there any living descendants left of them?"
Harry turned to the last page. "No, apparently the family died out after Morfin and Merope Gaunt died childlessly. Their father, Marvolo…" Harry trailed off and stared at Salazar wide-eyed. A couple of seconds passed.
"Harry, I swear, Tom never told me, he never spoke about his family, no matter how often I asked." Salazar explained.
Harry frowned: "Well this can't just be a coincidence. Tom Riddle claims to be a descendant of Slytherin, speaks the tongue of the serpent and his middle name is identical to a known member of a Parseltongue family.
Back in my second year, he told me that his father was a muggle. 'Tom Riddle' must have been his father's name. That means Merope Gaunt was his mother. Ironic that Voldemort and I are somehow related via the Slytherin and Peverell line.
What if the second Hallow has been passed down in Voldemort's family. I need to find out where the Gaunt family lived…" Harry mumbled.
"Actually, this is a perfect opportunity to rewatch a memory, don't you think? Dobby, Kreacher!"
"Harry Potter, sir?"
"Dragon Slayer Master?"
Harry chuckled at Kreacher's greeting: "I would like you both to go to Borgin and Burke's and let Mr. Borgin show you the Pensieve. Then I want you both to hold on tight to it and apparate with it down here in the Chamber. Do you understand?"
The two elves nodded and vanished with a POP. It should not take too long now.
"What memory are you going to show me?" Salazar asked curiously
"My conversation with Tom Riddle and fight against your Basilisk," Harry replied with a smirk, just as the two elves reappeared in the middle of the chamber with a large stone basin covered in complicated runes in between them. Salazar let out a groan.
January 9th, 1995
"Are you sure the memory is strong enough?" Salazar asked.
"It was the happiest I have ever felt. I felt invincible and finally at peace. I could have taken on the entire world at that moment." Harry had a foolish grin on his face and his eyes became ever so glassy.
"Very well, give it a try then. It might just give you some extra points for your OWLs." Salazar rolled his eyes at the boy's face.
"Are you sure it's going to be a Thestral, as well?" Harry asked curiously.
"It definitely should be, it's your spirit animal and you already have a deep connection to it." Salazar explained
Harry flicked his wand into his palm and concentrated on the night of the Yule ball with Fleur. The memory came back in an instant. Him and Fleur dancing in the Great Hall, their eyes deeply lost in each other's, pulling her in a tight hug in ROR and the feeling of her warm body pressed against his, her hands entangled in his hair and her hot, soft lips on his...
He closed his eyes and whispered:
"Expecto Patronum."
A rush of energy surged through him. Unlike with his Inimicus, this one felt exceptionally warm and pleasant, like an imprint of the sweet memories he had made with Fleur. A bright white light erupted from the tip of his wand and formed into the familiar ethereal Thestral. However, this one shone a bright silvery-white, instead of the blackish flame he was used to. Harry also noticed that the winged horse's eyes were a sparkling deep blue, just like Fleur's…
"Well done, Harry." Salazar nodded proudly.
Harry stretched out his hand and his Patronus nudged its pout gently against his fingers:
"Well, to be honest, I will stick to my Inimicus when fighting Dementors. Why would I fight off Dementors with something that can only repel them, if I have a tool to kill them? But a Patronus is pretty useful to exchange messages. Should I send one to Dumbledore and tell him that I finally found the path to the light?" Harry joked.
Salazar shook its head: "No, keep the ability hidden for now, but you should be on your way. Don't you have a couple of OWLs to sit, right now?"
"Shit," Harry groaned, as he took a look at his new wristwatch: "Dobby!"
The elf appeared next to him.
"Take me to the Transfiguration Classroom."
A few seconds later, Harry opened the door to the classroom and was greeted by McGonagall, Flitwick, and Moody.
"I am glad you are putting your godfather's gift to good use, Mr. Potter. You are barely on time." McGonagall greeted him with a stern look. "Today you will take your theoretical OWL exams in Transfiguration, Charms, and Defense against the Dark Arts. Are you ready?"
"Certainly, Professor. I even brought my own quill." Harry flushed her smile.
"Try not to take too long, Mr. Potter. My colleagues and I have papers to grade and there are a lot of things I'd rather do, than watch you take an exam on my free Sunday, after I am done grading." McGonagall replied and pressed her lips thinly together. "We will grade your exam later tonight so that tomorrow afternoon Professor Marchbanks can examine the practical part. Do you have any questions?"
Harry shook his head. "Well, on you go then, Mr. Potter." She gestured for him to take a seat.
Harry decided to start with the charms exam and read the first question:
a) Give the incantation, and b) describe the wand movement required to make objects fly.
Harry had a fleeting memory of a sharp sword soaring high into the air and penetrating the thick skin of a troll. Smiling slightly, he bent over the paper and began to write.
Almost three hours later he was finished with all three exams. It was just as expected. None of the questions were troubling and Harry enjoyed giving detailed answers to a couple of them. He should easily be getting Outstandings in all of them. Really the hardest part was stopping his hand from cramping up.
The next day in the late afternoon, Harry again made his way to the Transfiguration Classroom. After knocking and being granted entrance, Harry approached McGonagall who seemed in light conversation with an ancient-looking woman. That must be Professor Marchbanks.
The examiner turned towards him:
"Well, Mr. Potter. I must admit I was surprised when Minerva asked to examine one of her students early, for his OWLs. At first, I thought there might be a very bright fifth-year student, who feels confident enough to take his OWLs a couple of months earlier, but instead, I read your name on the parchment…"
"I do hope it made the surprise only sweeter, Professor Marchbanks," Harry replied and flashed the woman a smile. He could hear McGonagall groan in the background.
"Flattery will get you nowhere, Mr. Potter. I do not care about any of your exaggerated adventures in the Daily Prophet. If you are indeed as skilled as Minerva here claims, I will see so for myself today. "
Harry nodded quickly.
"You will follow my instructions closely, understand? Good, do you have a preferred subject to start with?"
"We could start with Charms and finish with Defense against the Dark Arts. How does that sound, Professor," Harry suggested politely.
"Very well, let's get started then." The ancient professor nodded:
"I would like for you to summon the book I placed on the table over in the other corner. Keep it levitated and give me a couple of controlled spins after."
In an instant, Harry flicked his wand into his hand and with a fluent swish, shot a silent Accio at the book. Twisting his wand ever so slightly, the book started doing a couple of flips and rotated around its axis in different directions and at different speeds. Professor Marchbanks simply raised an eyebrow at the silent summoning:
"Very well. Next, I would like you to use a color-changing charm of your choice, to creatively decorate this piece of parchment. Points are awarded for the variety of colors and details."
Harry took the offered piece of parchment and let it float in front of him in the air. Then, he closed his eyes. With fluent steady movements, he moved his wand like a brush over the paper in long strides. Half a minute later, a beautiful graphic of the Hogwarts school crest was displayed on the parchments, in a variety of colors and tiny details.
This time, Professor Marchbanks could not hide her amazement at the piece of magic, openly looking surprised:
"Well done, Mr. Potter. Last but not least, I would like you to perform the water and fire summoning charm."
Harry nodded and took a couple of steps forwards, then he silently cast the Aguamenti charm. Instead of a straight stream of water, he quickly manipulated the trajectory of the stream to let it collect in an invincible bowl up in the air. Then he willed the water to take the form of a snake that slithered through the air until it disappeared a couple of seconds later.
He continued with the Incendio. The bright orange flame was almost blue where it left the tip of Harry's wand. It briefly formed the head and wings of a phoenix before disappearing in thin air, leaving Professor Marchbanks with her mouth gaping open.
"That was extraordinary, Mr. Potter. A display like this would almost grant you your NEWTs in Charms." She composed herself a little: "Let's continue with transfiguration. We can speed things up if you simply perform the most advanced piece of transfiguration you believe yourself capable of."
Harry thought for a couple of seconds, before flicking his wand back into his palm. Professor Marchbanks had provided a couple of materials including wood, stone, sand, and glass for him. He waved his wand in an intrinsic pattern over the materials beneath him. Stone started fusing with wood and glass, sand was added to the mixture as well.
Slowly but steadily a miniature version of the Beauxbaton Carriage formed itself out of the mixture of materials. It was perhaps a foot in diameter. Harry closed his eyes, thinking about as many details as possible, like adding the crest on the main door and the large Abraxan horses in front of the carriage. Finally, with a flick of his wand, he animated the stone horses and watched as they rose up into the air to fly with the carriage attached to them around the classroom.
"Absolutely brilliant!" Professor Marchbanks gasped. "This is probably on par with the level of control Albus Dumbledore and Tom Riddle showcased when they took their OWLs. Those two were the brightest students I have ever examined."
His eyes narrowed ever so slightly at the mention of Voldemort's real name, but he quickly hid the slip in his demeanor.
"Very well, Mr. Potter. Last but not least, Defense against the Dark Arts, I would like you to perform a shield charm for me and send three curses of your choice at this dummy to captivate it."
Harry waved his arm in a wide circular motion in front of him. A bright silver shield appeared out of thin air, its surface area shimmering ever so slightly. Professor Marchbanks gave him a nod, so Harry continued.
He silently fired a stunner, a full-body bind, and the Incarcerous at the dummy, which got pushed back all the way to the other wall by the knockback of each spell.
"Thank you, Mr. Potter. That will be all unless there is something additional you would like to demonstrate?"
Harry closed his eyes and briefly imagined Fleur's soft lips and the faint moans that had escaped her mouth:
"Expecto Patronum!" He whispered and conjured the bright Thestral Patronus.
The winged horse galloped around the classroom once before coming to a halt in front of Harry: "Go to Fleur and tell her I got my first OWLs before her." Harry ordered and flicked his wand to send the magical animal on its way to the carriage.
At this, not even McGonagall could hide her snort and the grin on her lips. Professor Marchbanks gave him a rare smile and scribbled down some comments on her notes.
January 27th, 1995
Today was Harry's Birthday, well, magically, at least. Due to the accumulated effect of using the time turner for over two years now, his 15th birthday would technically be today on January 27th.
For the last ritual, he would be judged by magic itself, to see if he was worthy. This would combine the effects of all the previous rituals and maximize their individual potential. To judge his worthiness, Harry would have to drink a very special potion, which would create an illusion in his mind, containing his worst nightmares and fears. Only if he overcame that last struggle, would the ritual take effect.
The potion was only known to a very rare number of masters in their subjects. During the middle ages, it has been used as a physiological torture device. The brewing process had taken over a month and required some very rare ingredients and maximum precision while adding and stirring in the cauldron.
It had been finished a couple of days ago and Harry shuddered as he watched the dark green liquid in the cup he had poured himself. Once again, he was standing naked in the seven cornered star. He had just activated each corner with a drop of his blood, after carving the most complicated runic patterns of his life.
This would be unpleasant. Physical pain was one thing he could partly protect himself from, thanks to his formidable Occlumency shields. However, there was nothing that would stop the brutal attack on his mind that was about to take place.
Harry took a deep breath and downed the entire cup in one go. The liquid burned on its way down his throat and Harry coughed several times. At first, he did not notice anything besides a small headache, then everything around him went dark and he felt himself dropping to the floor…
Harry opened his eyes frantically. It was dark, too dark for the chamber. Harry quickly got up and tried to pull his wand, but nothing flicked into his hand.
He frowned, This is still a dream, none of this is real… nothing you are about to see is real. He kept reminding himself and took a look around him. He was back in a small empty classroom. Empty, except for a large beautifully decorated mirror, that stood at the opposite side of the room.
Harry knew that the mirror would show him nothing pleasant, but it was as if his legs did not obey him anymore. He was drawn to the mirror, almost like it was calling out to him…
As he stood in front of it, his adult reflection waved back at him. Now the woman at his side looked almost exactly like Fleur, perhaps only a couple of years older and an inch taller. She smiled lovingly at him. Harry forced himself to smile back just as the picture and background changed.
"I told you I would make you watch," Krum laughed as he bent over a semi-conscious Fleur, who was lying on the ground, and started unbuttoning her blouse. Warrington joined him and started ripping at Fleur's skirt.
"NO!" Harry started hammering against the mirror! "STOP IT!" He broke down to his knees and started covering his ears. "This is not real… this is not real… all of this IS NOT REAL!"
But if it was not real, why did Fleur's screams sound so real? Why did Krum's and Warrington's laugh sound so real?
He covered his ears and started sobbing in front of the mirror, unable to look at whatever happened. After what felt like an eternity, the room around him finally changed.
He stood back in the Shrieking Shack and took a look outside the window. On the plain field in front of the abandoned house, stood his godfather, Sirius, surrounded by dozens of Dementors. He watched in horror, as one of them tightened its grip around Sirius's neck and effortlessly lifted him up in the air with one hand.
With the other hand, the Dementor started pulling back its hood and slowly moved its face towards a struggling and fighting Sirius.
"NO!" Harry screamed. "SIRIUS, NO!"
But no matter what he tried, nothing worked. He could not move and he had no wand to produce any magic.
"None of this is real," Harry stuttered again and again, as he watched in horror as his Godfather's soul was sucked out of his mouth and the gray eyes of Sirius Black, that usually sparkled in mischief, became dull and hollow, as he dropped to the floor.
The scene changed one more time. Now, he stood in front of his parents' tomb, in the graveyard in Godric's Hollow.
The ethereal forms of James and Lily Potter appeared behind their graves. They did not look like ghosts. They were less transparent, however, they didn't look human either. They looked like the Riddle that came out of the diary, a corporeal memory.
"You failed us Harry," spoke James Potter.
"No!" Harry shook his head. "I am doing my best. I am trying so hard to avenge you!"
"Then why did you join us so early?" Asked his mother, utter disdain and disappointment in her eyes.
Harry was confused. What was she talking about? A third grave appeared next to the one of his parents. Harry knew what it would say without taking a look at it.
Harry James Potter
Born: July 31st, 1981
Died: Too soon
"Soon… Soon… Soon…!" the word kept echoing in his head. He had failed.
He had failed them all. He had failed Fleur, he couldn't protect her. He failed Sirius, and he failed his parents.
"You will always fail,'' whispered the unmistaken cold high voice of Voldemort into his ear.
"You cannot possibly win against me." The voice now whispered again, this time from the other side.
"NO!" I am alive! This is not real! None of you are real."
Harry dropped to the cold grounds of the graveyard as the whispers all around him increased. Fleur's, Sirius', his parents', and Voldemort's voices were all surrounding him, all whispering about his failures.
Harry covered his ears and took a fetal position on the ground.
"This is an illusion, and none of this is real…
"This is an illusion, and none of this is real…
"This is an illusion, and none of this is real…
"I am Harry Potter… and I will achieve all that I dream of…"
"This is an illusion, and none of this is real…
"This is an illusion, and none of this is real…
"This is an illusion, and none of this is real…
He kept repeating those two sentences until again everything went dark around him.
With a gasp, Harry woke up, feeling the cold stone tiles of the chamber beneath him. All around him the runes were glowing brightly. A low buzzing noise crept through the Chamber and magic started flaring from each corner of the star he carved.
The cold and fear were replaced in an instant, as a wave of warmth and hope rushed through his entire body. Harry panted heavily. The last trial had been endured and overcome. Magic had seen his struggle and his darkest thoughts, but he was deemed worthy. Harry was still shaking from the aftermath of the vision.
"Fleur." He sobbed, frantically rushing over to the Marauder's Map. He saw the dots of Fleur Delacour, as they exited the Beauxbaton carriage and walked over to the Castle, probably for lunch.
"Go to her, but put on some clothes first," Salazar advised passionately. He had completed the set of rituals himself when he was a middle-aged man already. He knew already of what horrors Harry must have seen.
Harry sprinted over to where he had discarded his robes and dressed himself as quickly as he could. With a flick of his wand, his shoelaces tied themselves before he sprinted out of the chamber and up the long staircase to the Castle.
In his panic to see Fleur safe and unharmed, he completely forgot that he could simply call Dobby to take him. He ran down the giant staircase. Fleur would probably be almost at the entrance to the Castle by now. Finally, Harry arrived at the large oak door and saw Fleur walking up the last couple of steps to the courtyard.
Even seeing her there, looking as radiantly beautiful as ever, Harry couldn't stop himself. He walked straight towards her and broke into another sprint at the last couple of meters.
"Harry, are you okay?" Fleur asked, perplexed as he rushed towards her. Harry threw his arms around her waist and almost tackled her to the ground. He let out a deep sigh and a couple of short sobs, as he buried his nose in her incredibly soft hair and inhaled her sweet scent.
Harry felt Fleur's arms close behind his neck, returning the hug and pressing her body against his:
"Harry, what's going on? You are scaring me."
He did not say anything and simply engulfed her even tighter, shaking as he did so.
"Harry, whatever happened, it's okay, please just talk to me, yes?" Fleur whispered in his ear and started trailing soft kisses down his neck.
"I am so thankful to have you, I will never take you for granted, and I never want to let you go."
That was all Harry could gulp. Fleur simply let him hold her and kept whispering sweet nothings in his ear. She gently started increasing the pull of her Allure and pushed as much magic into her sobbing boyfriend as possible, until Harry slowly loosened his hold of her, slipping into the realm of Morpheus.
Chapter 39: The Black Lake
AN: Welcome to the second task!
Since so many of you are horny for some HarryxFleur lemons, I will think about writing some in the future.
As always, let me know what you guys think!
The recognizable sections belong to JKR
Chapter 39
February 9th, 1995
One month after the completion of his OWLs, Harry finally received a letter at the breakfast table. He quickly opened up the envelope.
Ordinary Wizarding Level Results:
Pass Grades:
Outstanding (O)
Exceeds Expectations (E)
Acceptable (A)
Fail Grades:
Poor (P)
Dreadful (D)
Troll (T)
Harry James Potter has achieved:
Charm:
Outstanding (O) +
Defense against the Dark Arts:
Outstanding (O) +
Transfiguration:
Outstanding (O) +
We congratulate Harry James Potter for the completion of THREEOWLs
A bright grin appeared on Harry's face. It was just as expected. Still, it felt good to have three of his OWLs in the bag already. This also meant that next year he would be allowed to join the sixth year classes and start studying for his newts.
February 20th, 1995
Harry stood at the edge of the Black Lake. It was four days until the final task and today he would once more do some reconnaissance in the lake and map it out. Three weeks ago, he had decided to use Gillyweed to breathe underwater. Its advantages simply trumped any other options he knew of. The bubble head charm was too risky and any sort of transfiguration could go horribly wrong.
Therefore, at the end of January, he had gone to Diagon Alley and bought a large supply of Gillyweed at the shady apothecary in Knockturn Alley. Ever since then, he had been exploring the lake, twice already. Salazar and Harry had created a rough three-dimensional model of the lake and divided it into three different sectors.
During each tour, Harry would explore one specific sector. Afterward, they rewatched the memory in the Chamber and started mapping out the area in their model. So far, they have found a deep ravine, a shipwreck, and the ruins of a couple of buildings. Harry had also created a list of possible creatures he might encounter and the best way to fight off the dangerous ones.
His most likely encounter would be a Grindylow. The cutting and piercing hex seems to work very well against them. Harry had killed a few on his expeditions already, so they rarely bothered him anymore. The only issue was that they might start attacking in larger groups now.
The Gillyweed worked well. The only struggle he had found was remaining a firm hold on his wand and not accidentally letting go when swimming quickly. However, attaching a wristband from the wand to his arm, mitigated that problem.
Harry took off his robes and passed them to Dobby. The elf would remain at the shore and take Harry back to the Chamber, afterward. Now, only in his swimming trunks, Harry walked into the shallow water while chewing the Gillyweed. He slowly felt his body changing and gills forming behind his ears. Time to take a dive:
The water was still freezing cold, but after his previous two dives, he had gotten used to it. Gripping his wand more tightly, he made his way over to the yet undiscovered section of the lake. A couple of minutes passed, while powerful strokes propelled him forwards. After ten minutes he finally spotted something in the distance.
It looked like he just entered a village, however, the villagers were not humans. Those must be merpeople, Harry guessed. The merpeople had grayish skin and long, wild, dark green hair. Their eyes were yellow, as were their broken teeth, and they wore thick ropes of pebbles around their necks. They leered at Harry as he swam past; one or two of them emerged from their caves to watch him better, their powerful, silver fish tails beating the water, spears clutched in their hands.
A giant statue stood in what looked like the center of the village. The merpeople did not seem to be hostile towards him. In the riddle, a choir of merpeople had stated that they would be the ones, who had taken what he 'sorely missed'. Did that mean that the hostages would be held here? In any case, Harry decided to explore the village a bit more before continuing his way to the rest of the lake's section. After another 30 minutes, he had seen almost the entire section.
There seemed to be a nest of Grindylows, which Harry vowed to stay away from, not too far away from the village. Harry briefly counted over 30 creatures between the rocks and water plants. Now it was time to return. He turned to the closet shore and started swimming upwards.
As soon as his head dipped out of the water, Dobby popped over to the shore closest to him. The Gillyweed was slowly losing its effects and with a few last powerful strokes, Harry reached the shore. He quickly cast a couple of drying charms on him before putting his clothes back on. He could not wait for the second task to be over with.
Down in the Chamber, Harry rewatched the memories and built tiny houses to replicate the village he found. He also marked the Grindylows' territory as 'dangerous'. However, then an idea took shape in his mind. It has been almost three months since Krum's attempted attack on Fleur and him. Maybe he could use the Grindylows to finally get some payback on Krum.
Even though, thankfully, nothing happened to Fleur, he was still terrified by the thought of what they intended on doing to her. Especially ever since those horrible visions, which the last ritual tortured him with. It was a good thing that Fleur had quickly taken his mind off it. Harry couldn't believe how quickly he had fallen for the Veela. But being with Fleur and even just seeing her, filled him with joy and easiness he had never felt in his life before.
Was that love already? After barely a month of dating? Of course, he had known Fleur for a lot longer, already. The two had been through a lot, with their dueling history and spectacle at the world cup, but did he love her? Perhaps it was too early to tell. One thing was for sure, Harry would thoroughly enjoy the journey the two had started together.
February 22th 1995
Two days before the task Harry was again held back in class by the imposter Moody. Harry's decision not to expose the guys still stood. Sirius had done some research and discovered that Bartemius' Crouch wife had died very shortly after the couple had visited their son in Azkaban one last time. Could that have been a coincidence, or was there more to it?
"Potter, a word, please," Moody growled.
Harry nodded and waited until the last students had left the classroom. Then he turned to Moody, making sure that he could access his wand at any point in time, the man was still the enemy after all.
"Do you have a plan for the second task, Potter? Have you solved your riddle?" Moody eyed him both eyes.
"Of course, Professor. As long as I don't encounter anything major unexpectable, I should be just fine." Harry replied calmly.
"Well, make sure you have a backup plan, Potter. You are a smart kid, but don't get too cocky. Diggory is not stupid, he knows his best chance at still securing the win is taking you out. Victor Krum is still out for revenge and will do anything to get it. And have you ever thought that the pretty French bird is only interested in you for the duration of the tournament to distract you?" Moody asked.
What is the man's goal? Trying to make Harry doubt his relationship with Fleur? Harry's eyes narrowed ever so slightly at Moody's accusation.
"Fleur can be very distracting, I should know…" Harry gave a cold smile: "But I am certain her feelings for me are genuine. If you have no further advice for me, I will be on my way to my next class."
"Just see that you stay in first place. You're dismissed, lad," Moody says and turns to head back to his office, where no doubt the real Moody was somewhere hidden.
Harry smiled and took his leave. Moody had let something slip. 'See that you stay in first place' Moody or Voldemort wanted Harry to remain in the first place for the first two tasks. Why was it so important that he had the most points entering the last task?
In the afternoon, Harry sought out Terry. He was positive that they would take him as his hostage and thought it's only fair to give the boy a heads up. Even if Dumbledore found out that Terry knew, it was not like Harry was doing anything illegal.
He found the boy sitting at a table in the Ravenclaw common room and took a seat beside him.
"Hey, Harry. How have you been? Are you ready for the task?" Terry asked him, without looking up from his potions essay.
"I am good, Terry, thanks. I know what to expect the day after tomorrow, which is why I need to talk to you." Harry replied and started casting a few privacy wards around them.
Terry frowned and finally looked up from his essay: "Do you need help with anything? I will do my best to support you, you know that."
Harry chuckled: "It's not that, Terry. I am here to tell you that the second task will be a hostage rescue mission and it takes place in the Black Lake. They 'have taken what I sorely miss' and I have one hour to return it."
Harry saw Terry's mind going into overdrive, he was a Ravenclaw after all:
"Well, I normally wouldn't say that I am that high on your list, Harry, but they can't take Fleur, as she is a competitor already and they can't take your godfather either. I guess I should feel honored to be placed that high on the list of people Harry Potter cares about." Terry laughs.
"I will get you out of there as quickly as I can, Terry. You will probably not be conscious during the entire event, but I promise you I will not mess around and get you to safety as soon as possible." Harry explained sincerely.
"No worries, mate." Terry chuckles. "I feel sorry for anyone who steps in your path."
"I am glad you are taking this so well, Terry. I just wanted to give you a heads up, so you know. I will let you continue working on that essay." Harry dispelled the wards around them and got up.
"I appreciate it, mate. Talk to you later."
February 24th, 1995
The morning before the second task, Harry skipped his workout and slept in, to ensure his body and mind will be in excellent condition for what lay ahead. Exciting whispers and even a couple of cheers erupted from different house tables as Harry entered the Great Hall. Many students in the other three horses have turned their back on Cedric after his performance in the first task.
Since he did not manage to get his egg, he was also lacking crucial information to even deal with the second one. The sixth-year sat at the Hufflepuff table, surrounded by some of his friends, who tried to cheer him on and give last-minute tips.
Harry repressed a chuckle. He would almost feel sorry for the boy, but Diggory had entered his name on his own accords. No one had forced him. He wanted to play with the big boys and he got burned, literally.
Fleur seemingly decided to remain in her carriage. Harry was confident that she had figured out her riddle. Over the last couple of days, he had asked himself multiple times who they might take as Fleur's hostage. The only logical conclusion was her little sister. Harry frowned at the imaginary picture of the small Veela deep at the bottom of the lake, but there was nothing he could do about it. Terry had been called to Dumbledore's office last night and remained there until very early this morning. Harry had consulted the Map to keep an eye on his friend.
He started loading his plate with food. He would need lots of energy today, after all. Apparently, the prospect of nothing having Fleur around encouraged several girls from different tables to come up to him and try to engage him in some small talk or wish him good luck.
Harry simply accepted their presence with a quick nod, but he took a double-take when he noticed familiar blond hair in Slytherin green robes approaching him from his left.
"Hey, Daphne. We haven't talked in quite a while…" Harry greeted his former friend.
"You know why, Harry. You witnessed yourself, what my housemates intended to do to the French Champion. Do you think I could protect my little sister against a dozen older boys?" She replied coldly, staring daggers at Harry.
Harry grinned: "There's my Ice-Queen… I have missed you too, Daphne."
The blond witch couldn't help but grin: "Slytherin house is changing, Harry. A new wind came in and new alliances are being formed. It was almost mutually agreed that there shall be no more attacks on you.
Slytherin house will never be your friend, but we are close to remaining on neutral footing. Anyways, I'm just here to wish you good luck. I would have loved to share a dance with you at the Yule- Ball. If it was not for those House rivalries things might have gone very differently between the two of us this year, but who knows, it's all in the past now anyways." With that, she turned on the spot and walked out of the Great Hall.
Harry pulled himself back together and finished his Breakfast. The first students started leaving for the lake. Diggory had already walked down there as well. Harry got up and checked if he had everything he needed once more. He had a one-hour dose of Gillyweed in his robes and an additional 30 minutes in the pocket of his swimming trunks that he wore underneath. Aside from that, he only needed his wand.
He left the Great Hall and took the path down to the Black Lake. As he walked down the lawn he saw that the seats that had encircled the dragons' enclosure in November were now ranged along the opposite bank, rising in stands that were packed to bursting point and reflected in the lake below.
The excited babble of the crowd echoed strangely across the water as Harry strode flat-out around the other side of the lake toward the judges, who were already sitting at another gold-draped table at the water's edge. Cedric, Fleur, and Krum were beside the judges' table, watching Harry casually walk towards them.
His first thought when approaching his girlfriend was that Fleur did not look good. Of course, she still looked exceptional to Harry, but her eyes were slightly red and she seemed a lot less composed than usual. He ignored the other champions and judges and walked straight at her, taking her into a tight embrace.
"It's gonna be okay, we will get your sister out of there," Harry whispered in her ear and drew soft circles on her back with his fingers.
Fleur momentarily stiffened in his arms: "Yes, I know that they must have taken Gabby, but I know this lake in-and-out by now. I promise I will not let anything happen to her, okay" Harry calmed her. He could feel Fleur slowly nod against his chest, after he placed a soft kiss on her forehead.
The Veela regained most of her composure and a firm determination set in her sparkling blue eyes: "Thank you, Harry."She gave him a soft kiss on the lips, which was interrupted as Bagman cleared his throat. Harry rolled his eyes.
"Well, all of our champions are ready for the second task, which will start on my whistle. Let me quickly explain the procedure. Apart from Mr. Diggory, all of you have probably figured out that the task will be held in the Black Lake. Each Champion has a hostage to bring back to the surface within the time span of one hour.
Just to make sure that there is no confusion: Ms. Delacour will need to save her younger sister. Mr. Potter, his friend Terry Boot. Ms. Hermione Granger is the hostage of Mr. Krum and Ms. Darren belongs to Mr. Diggory."
Meanwhile, Harry discarded his robes and pants, leaving him in bright red, lifeguard-style, swimming trunks. He turned to Fleur and gulped as she discarded her outer robes and now stood in a silver one-piece swimsuit. It was still modest, compared to what the muggles had started wearing, but it was more skin than Harry had ever seen on her. Harry forced himself to stop staring at her curves.
"Not right now, Potter!' Harry reminded himself. Fleur was the subject of many cat-calls and whistles, but Harry noticed that he received his equal share from the female student population as well. Next to him, Victor was also wearing swimming trunks, while a very perplexed Diggory quickly transfigured some for himself.
"Again, they have precisely an hour to recover what has been taken from them. On the count of three, then. One . . . two . . . three!" Bagman shouted.
On the count of one Harry had already started swallowing his Gillyweed. As soon as Bagman finished, he dived headfirst into the ice-cold water. After a few seconds, in which he had already started swimming, he felt the effects of the Gillyweed take place. Time to follow his strategy. He had decided to look for the hostages at the merpeople's village first.
They were explicitly mentioned in the riddle and his best chance to find Terry. It was about a 15-minute swim from the shore to the village. With powerful strokes, he started his journey. A few minutes later, Harry arrived at the Grindylows hideout. He saw their yellow eyes watching him warily, but it seems as if they remembered him and were too scared to attack, yet.
Another 5 minutes later, he arrived at the outskirts of the Village. A lot more merpeople were present now and watched him out of the windows and yards in front of their accommodations. Harry swam towards the town square and giant stature, where he had seen something silver reflect the lone strays of sunlight that made it deep enough.
Indeed, the silver had been a patch of hair from Gabby. The small girl did not look well at all, but Harry would not sabotage Fleur's task and take the young girl with him. Instead, he swam straight towards Terry and cut him free with a quick severing charm. Holding the unconscious boy tightly around his waist, Harry pointed his wand downwards and shot a strong stream of water out of the tip of his wand.
Harry and his hostage were instantly propelled upwards and Harry could only pray that the sudden change in pressure would not permanently damage Terry's ears and nose. As soon as they broke through the surface, Terry started gulping and spitting water.
Harry could not properly speak yet as the Gillyweed would still be in effect as long as he remained in the water. Terry stared wide-eyed at the gillies behind Harry's ears and fin-like skin between his fingers and toes. "Nice transfiguration, Harry. I'll let you explain later, how about you get me out of here?" Terry stuttered through chattering teeth.
Harry quickly cast a couple of warming charms on his hostage while swimming towards the shore, tugging the boy with him. With one ear still below the surface of the water, he witnessed another song by the merpeople.
"An hour-long you'll have to look, And to recover what we took . . ."
". . . your time's half gone, so tarry not, Lest what you seek stays here to rot. . . ."
Harry could only hope that Fleur did not take the song seriously. Half the time was up already, but Harry was about to arrive at the shore and finish his task.
"It looks like our youngest champion is once again first to complete his task. Congratulations to Mr. Potter, for returning with his hostage after only 33 Minutes!" Bagman yelled from the stands, the Soronus still amplifying his voice.
Sirius held out a hand for Terry to get out of the water and Harry hoisted himself up on the platform in one fluent motion. As soon as he stood on solid ground, his gills started retreating and he could breathe through his nose again.
"Well done, pup!" Sirius walked over to him with some warm and dry blankets and covered Harry from head to toe. "You are the first and probably will be, by a large margin. Was that Gillyweed?"
Harry nodded quickly, his eyes still on the surface of the Black Lake. He had seen Fleur cast the Bubble Head charm on herself, what took her so long? Did something go wrong? Harry had a bad feeling about this. He had seen the seething looks Krum had shot at Fleur shortly before the task. The Bulgarian knew that he was no match for Harry, but would he try to hurt him by getting to her?
All of the sudden, a bright patch of silver hair broke through the dark surface of the lake. However, the small arms that started paddling towards the shore could not belong to Fleur. Why was her little sister up on the surface by herself?
Harry was about to jump in the water to help the little Veela when Sirius held him back and quickly shook his head.
"If you interfere and help with her task, Fleur will lose points. It looks like the little one can swim. Let her get here by herself." Sirius advised, not losing his hold on Harry's shoulder.
Admittedly the man was right, but Harry started waving his arms towards the little girl to motivate her to swim to the shore quicker, anyways. The little Veela kept paddling and soon enough arrived at the shore. Harry had joined Madame and Monsieur Delacour to fish her out of the water.
"Where is Fleur, Gabrielle?" Her father asked her instantly, as soon as he had wrapped her in thick blankets and cast several drying charms on her.
"I don't know, Papa, she was not there when I woke up on the surface. I don't know where she is." Gabby started sobbing.
Harry and Monsieur Delacour instinctively turned their heads towards one another, while Appoline tried her best to calm the small girl.
"I don't like it, Monsieur, if she is not back within 10 Minutes, I am going back in." Harry stated. It was not a question, but a statement.
Sebastian slowly nodded. "See that you do, and bring back my daughter."
Harry got up and walked back to Sirius, just as Victor Krum broke through the surface of the lake. The idiot had transfigured his entire head and upper body into a shark and slowly reverted it back now. As soon as Granger stood shakily on the platform, Krum left for his Headmaster, but not before shooting Harry an evil smirk.
Something was definitely wrong. Eights minutes later and only ten minutes before the end of the task, there was still no sign of Fleur. However, a panting Diggory had arrived at the shores without his hostage. Apparently, his Bubble Head charm had not held for the entire duration and he was forced to come back to the surface.
Krum was still shooting him evil sneers. Harry took one look at Monsieur Delacour and the man gave him a firm nod. Dumbledore caught on to what Harry was trying to do and tried to stop him from it, but Harry had already swallowed the reserve Gillyweed portion and dived back into the lake, head first.
Fleur was not stupid, if there was one location, where she might have gotten sidetracked and injured, it must have been the Grindylows' nest. As quickly as he could, Harry swam towards his destination in powerful strokes.
In only five minutes, he arrived at the very dangerous area and made out what seems to be a spellfire and severed limbs and tentacles at the edge of the thick water plants. Harry grabbed his wand more tightly and swam deeper into enemy territory, close enough to make out the angry screams of several Grindylows. Then he finally saw Fleur.
The Veela practically danced at the bottom of the lake, firing piercing and cutting curses at the approaching Grindylows from all sides. She had slaughtered dozens already but was bleeding from multiple wounds on her arms, legs, and torso.
Harry saw a Grindylow slowly approach her from behind opening its mouth to bite the Veela in the neck when his severing curse struck and cut the creature in two pieces. He swam over to Fleur's position and started cutting down the dozens of approaching Grindylows.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Fleur slowly starting to tire out. The water around the Veela was polluted by her dark red blood. She could barely keep her wand arm up and her spellwork started getting slower and weaker.
By now, the Grindylows had called for reinforcements and had now completely surrounded the couple, even attacking from above. Harry conjured a whip of black, searing hot flame, that burned hot enough to work underwater and started rotating it around him and Fleur, cutting down multiple attackers within seconds. Fleur was now clinging on to him, unable to keep herself steady.
Harry used the sheer panic among his attackers, held onto the Veela tightly, and propelled both of them upwards with a strong Aguamenti charm. Fleur's Bubble Head charm broke on their way to the surface, but she could breathe fresh air as soon as they made it there, only a couple more seconds.
The couple broke the surface in the middle of the lake and Harry once again propelled them towards the shore with the judges. The spectators started yelling and shrieking as they noticed the dark red patches in the water around the champions. Sirius and Monsieur Delacour had jumped in the water and helped Harry carry the now almost unconscious Fleur back to the platform.
Madam Pomfrey quickly walked over to the bleeding girl. Her one-piece was torn at several spots. Harry used his body to shield her from prying eyes and cast a couple of privacy wards around them. The matron started treating her numerous wounds and stopped the bleeding as best as she could. She also gave Fleur a couple of blood replenishment potions.
Fleur opened her eyes, groaned in pain, and coughed some more water and blood: "Harry… Harry…"
"I'm here, Fleur, it's okay, I'm here." Harry squeezed her hand softly and rubbed her back affectionately.
"Krum! He attacked me… he attacked me when I swam over the Grindylows, I could barely get Gabby out of there." Fleur gasped, still coughing dark red blood all over her chest and blanket.
Harry felt hot burning rage overtake any rational thought. The bastard hat attacked his girlfriend. He had tried it again! He could not let this go unpunished.
"KRUM!" Harry roared as he stalked outside the privacy wards back towards the other champions and judges. He walked up to the Bulgarian and quicker than anyone could have expected, buried his fist in the Seeker's face, breaking his nose.
Krum stumbled and fell to the hard wooden planks of the platform. Karkaroff pulled his wand on Harry, but the boy easily disarmed him:
"Victor Krum, I challenge you to a duel to death, right here, right now!"
"You can't do this!" Karkaroff growled, still embarrassed at how easily he had been disarmed by a fourteen-year-old. "Victor still needs to participate in the third task!"
"Harry, I can not allow this." Dumbledore interfered. "Whatever issue you might have with him, it will have to wait until the end of the tournament." He stated firmly.
"Whatever issue, I might have? He fucking attacked Fleur down in the lake and she almost died! He attacked another champion!"
"Which is perfectly legitimate as long as it takes place during the task itself." Karkaroff spits back at Harry. "Have you even read the rule book, boy?"
Harry couldn't believe it… The Bulgarian would actually get away with it, at least for now. He bent low and whispered so only Krum, who was still trying to stop the bleeding from his nose, could hear him.
"During the next task, I will kill you. You have gone too far… and there is nothing that will save you now. Get your affairs in order you low life piece of shit."
Harry threw Karkaroff's wand into the shallows and walked back to Fleur, who was still thickly wrapped in blankets but looking a little less pale, already. Dumbledore was now crouching at the water's edge, deep in conversation with what seemed to be the chief merperson, a particularly wild and ferocious-looking female. Diggory's hostage, which he failed to rescue, was elevated out of the water so that Madam Pomfrey could ensure her stable condition.
Dumbledore was making the same sort of screechy noises that the merpeople made when they were above water; clearly, he could speak Mermish. Finally, he straightened up, turned to his fellow judges, and said, "A conference before we give the marks, I think." The judges went into a huddle.
Madam Pomfrey had gone back to Fleur now. Monsieur Delacour had conjured some blinds so that his daughter would not be gawked at by the spectators any further.
"Ms. Delacour, I would advise you to let me treat the wounds on your torso immediately. The blood of a Grindylow can infect the wounds and I will assume that you and Mr. Potter put up quite a fight."
Fleur nodded and cast a quick look around her. Only the matron, her family, and Harry were within the blinds. She held eye contact with Harry for a couple of seconds and started slowly pulling the string of her one-piece over her left shoulder.
"I'll make sure you're not interrupted." Harry quickly says and shot to his feet to stand guard in front of the blinds. He could not wait to see more of Fleur's body, but definitely not like this and hopefully not surrounded by her family, Harry cringed.
A few minutes later, one blind was lowered. Fleur had been wrapped in her father's thick cloak and stood slightly shakenly on her legs. She let Harry approach her and gave him a soft intimate kiss before whispering a thank you.
Just then, Ludo Bagman's magically magnified voice boomed out beside them, making them all jump, and causing the crowd in the stands to go very quiet.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our decision. Mer-chieftainess Murcus has told us exactly what happened at the bottom of the lake, and we have therefore decided to award marks out of 60 for each of the champions, as follows…
Cedric Diggory was unable to retrieve his egg in the first task and could therefore not adequately prepare for this one. Nevertheless, he showcased quick thinking and adapted to the situation by applying the bubblehead charm. Unfortunately, his charm did not hold long enough to rescue his hostage. We, therefore, award Mr. Diggory 30 points.
Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of Transfiguration, which was nevertheless effective and was in theory second to return with his hostage. We award him forty points." Karkaroff clapped particularly hard, looking very superior. Krum, however, looked enraged. Harry could understand. For some reason, Fleur had received more points than him.
Fleur Delacour used the bubblehead charm and was the second to discover her hostage. However, on her way to the surface, due to unconventional circumstances, she was engaged in a confrontation with another competitor…"
A murmur went through the crowd and nasty looks were shot Krum's way.
"True to the mission she was tasked with, Ms. Delacour decided that her hostage's safety is of utmost importance and propelled her safely to the surface to engage with first, the other competitor, and then a growing number of Grindylows. Because she was second to reach her hostage, ensured its safety, as the task intended, and showed exceptional magical skill, we award Ms. Delacour 50 points."
Fleur received shuddering applause and started planting one soft hot kiss after another on Harry's cheek, before grabbing both his hands and squeezing them tightly. Her eyes were beaming and Harry thought she looked prouder and cuter than ever before.
"Last but not least, Mr. Potter used Gillyweed to great effect. He was the first to return with his hostage in excellent condition. However, Mr. Potter did interfere with the task of another champion and helped her towards the end of the task.
"Most of the judges," and here, Bagman gave Karkaroff a very nasty look, "were able to overlook this, due to the special circumstances. They feel that this shows moral fiber and merits full marks. However… Mr. Potter's score is 55 points."
The crowd had booed shortly at the mention of one of the judges not agreeing with the others, but as soon as Harry's score had been published, everyone was applauding hard with the rest of the crowd.
Harry carefully tightened his hold around Fleur and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. The second task was finally over. He and Fleur were still in first and second place… However, this also meant that whatever Voldemort's master plan entailed, it would take place in the last and final task.