ALWAYS (Harry Potter fanfiction) (Snape fanfiction)

Chapter 41

(CONTAINS EXACT EXTRACTS FROM HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE BY JK ROWLING, FROM 'THE SECOND TASK')

The entrance hall contained a few last-minute stragglers, all leaving the Great Hall after breakfast and heading through the double Oak doors to watch the second task. They stared at Harry as he flashed past, sending Colin and Dennis Creevey flying as he leapt down the stone steps and out onto the bright, chilly grounds.

As he pounded 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 the bursting point and reflected the in the lake below. The excited babble of the crowd echoed strangely across the water as Harry ran flat-out around the other side of the lake toward the judges, who were sitting at another gold-draped table at the water's edge. Cedric, Fleur and Krum were beside the judges' table, watching Harry sprint toward them. 
...

"Well, all our champions are ready for the second task, which will start on my whistle. They have precisely an hour to recover what has been take from them. On the count of three, then. One... two... three!" Ludo Bagman announced as he smiled widely at Harry.

The whistle echoed shrilly in the cold, still air; the stands erupted with cheers and applause; without looking to see what the other champions were doing, Harry pulled off his shoes and socks, pulled the handful handful gillyweed out of his pocket, stuffed it into his mouth and waded out into the lake.

It was so cold he felt the skin on his legs searing as though this were fire, not icy water. His sodden robes weighed him down as he walked in deeper; now the water was over his knees, and his rapidly numbing feet were slipping over slit and flat, slimy stones. He was chewing the gillyweed as hard and fast as he could, it felt unpleasantly slimy and rubbery, like octopus tentacles. Waist deep in the frozen water, he stopped, swallowed and waited for something to happen.

He could hear laughter in the crowd and knew he must look stupid, walking into the lake without showing any sign of magic powers. He avoided looking at the stands.

Once the gills had grown, and his hands and feet resembled a frog, Harry flung himself down underwater, the first glup of the icy water felt like a breath of fresh air. He kept submerging more and more, he could only see ten feet around him, the surface was far enough so Harry could hardly see the light reflected by the sun. He kept going, he had to find Ron. Surely some time had gone by, and he didn't want to waste any more time, Harry didn't want to think of what would happen if he did not find Ron in time. A grindylow grasped his leg and bit him, making a small trail of blood float up. Using his wand, Harry sent a stream of boiling water, getting the creature to release him.

Harry slowed down a little, slipped his wand back inside his robes, and looked around, listening again. He turned full circle in the water, the silence  pressing harder than ever against his eardrums. He knew he must be even deeper in the lake now, but nothing was moving but the rippling weed.

"How are you getting on?" Harry thought he was having a heart attack. He whipped around and saw Moaning Myrtle floating hazily in front of him, gazing at him through her thick, pearly glasses.

"Myrtle!" Harry tried to shout, but only a large bubble came out of his mouth. Myrtle giggled.

"You wanna try over there!" She said, pointing, "I won't come with you... I don't like them much, they always chase me when I get too close..."

Harry gave her a thumbs-up to show her his thanks and set off once again. He swam for about twenty minutes when he heard a snatch of haunting mersong.

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 seen here starts to rot