(1) Patrimony (H. Potter)

Chapter Nineteen

Rhiannon, in hippocampus form, glides through the water as she searches for whatever this lost treasure is. But she kind of has a bad feeling about it. Because now she thinks about it, Viktor wasn't the only one missing. Harry's friend Ron was not with him. Cedric's girlfriend was missing. And Fleur's little sister. Now she has a really bad feeling. She pushes herself faster through the kelp on the bottom of the lake.

"An hour-long you'll have to look. To recover what we took. Your time's half-gone, so tarry not. Lest what you seek stays here to rot" The siren's voice sings around her. Rhiannon shifts her head and glances around, heads onward through the kelp.

.........

Rhiannon bursts through some thick kelp to find Harry battling a few grindylows. But he is outnumbered. She could leave him. She could. But...She closes her eyes and swims towards him. She can't, in good faith, leave him to be outnumbered. She's not silent in this form so he hears her coming. Determined she swims for him and he seems to understand without her saying a word. A grindylow heads for Rhiannon, but she bats it away with her tail, Harry grabs to her mane before she swims away, weaving through the grindylows. And into a clearing where they find four people lashed to a craggy rock, floating there, drifting in the water. Cho Chang. Gabrielle Delacour. Ron Weasley. And Viktor Krum. Harry and Rhiannon share a look as he swims closer to her horse head, he nods in thanks. She shifts her head and nudges him forward. He gives her a look back, knowing what she is doing. She's trying not to come first. She's not in it for the win. She's in it to survive. He shakes his head and then points at Viktor and then at Ron, then presses his fingers together. Implying that they do this together. At the same time. She watches him a moment before inclining her head in agreement. Harry swims forward first, heading for Ron to the left, Rhiannon moves around him and moves to Viktor next to Ron. Harry touches Ron's face, checking on him and then looks at Rhiannon as she nudges Viktor with her snout. He then swims back from Ron and swims down to his friend's feet. Untying the rope around his ankle as Rhiannon uses her teeth to chew through the one around Viktor's leg and manages to get him onto her back. She turns her head around to look at Harry. He nods for her to go. She gives him a look back.

"Go" He voices. She hesitates. She doesn't just want to leave him with the grindylows lurking. "I'm right behind you" He assures her, he nods at her. Reassuring her. She swims upwards.

...........

Viktor sucks in air when he breaches the water, beside him, Rhiannon's hippocampus head, she nudges him, he nods, reassuring her. The Durmstrang crowd chants her name, cheers for her. Rhiannon suddenly transforms back and shakes her head, her hair shimmering down her back, the last thing to change back. She lets out a breath and hugs Viktor who embraces her back before they both swim towards shore. Where Durmstrang students pull them both out of the water, towels wrapped them. Karkaroff pushes through them to look at Rhiannon. Karkaroff pats her shoulder and nods. Proud of her.

"Rhiannon" Hermione shouts from the next tower.

"He was right behind me" Rhiannon assures her with a smile. Already knowing what she was going to ask. Hermione relaxes slightly and nods in thanks. Rhiannon then clutches to her towel and watches the water waiting. But it's Cedric and Cho that emerge next. Rhiannon shakes her head. Harry was supposed to be right behind her. She clenches her jaw. The Beauxbatons girls look worried, and now so do the Gryffindor students.

.............

In the water, Harry is waiting to see if Fleur comes for her sister. But he doesn't know that she's already out. That she struggled. That she worries now. Time is running out. And Harry knows this. He loosens Gabrielle's rope too and starts heading for the surface with the both of them. He's attacked and gets held down, he pushes Ron and the girl towards the surface without him.

..............

Ron and Gabrielle breach the surface, they are coughing but safe. They're helped out of the water by a girl from Beauxbaton girls.

.............

Underwater, Harry casts a spell which propels him towards the surface, he flies out and lands on the decking where the crowd are.

"Harry!" Dumbledore shouts.

"Get him another towel" Crouch yells. At his side, there is a burst of Mist which causes him to jump as Rhiannon appears, she moves to Harry who peeks through an eye to look at her. She is angry but relieved. He holds out his hand and she takes it, pulling him to his feet.

"Narr" She scolds him. Her accent is seemingly stronger with her rage. "You said......You were meant to be right behind me" She starts but he suddenly hugs her. She is surprised but down hug him back, the two of them closing their eyes as they kind of relax into it.

"I want all the judges over here now." Dumbledore points out watching the two of them. Fleur rushes up to Harry when he pulls back from Rhiannon.

"You saved her, even though she wasn't yours to save. My little sister!" Fleur kisses Harry on the face, Rhiannon smirks a little as he blushes away. "Thank you," Fleur tells Harry and then turns to Ron. "And you...You helped!"

"Well... yeah... a bit" Ron agrees. Fleur kisses him too. "Merci." Hermione runs up to Harry with a towel.

"Harry!"

"Hermione" Harry greets back.

"Are you alright? You must be freezing!" She pulls the towel around him. "Personally, I think you behaved admirably." Hermione offers warmly and relieved.

"I finished last, Hermione."

"Next to last," She counters. "Fleur never got past 'ze Grindylows'"

"Attention! Attention!" Dumbledore gathers everyone attention. "Your attention, please!" The crowd falls silent. "The winner is...Miss Grindelwald. Who showed innate command of a hippocampus transfiguration spell beyond her years..." Viktor places his hands on Rhiannon's shoulders and squeezes. "However, seeing as Mr Potter would have finished joint first if not for his determination to rescue not only Mr Weasley but the others as well, we have agreed to award him second place. For outstanding moral fibre" Ron lets out a small laugh.

"Moral fibre. Blimey, Harry. Even when you go wrong it turns out right" Ron teases, Harry looks at Rhiannon who is listening to Karkaroff complaining about the result, despite his champion coming first. Rhiannon glances at Harry, something soft in her eyes. She smiles at him.