HP • Legilimency | 𝐍. 𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐅𝐎𝐘

𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐤

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Astria awoke with a start on the following morning. She was highly anxious as she dressed and made her way to the Great Hall.

In the entrance hall, the slower-moving students were stumbling out of the Great Hall after breakfast, dragging themselves towards the oaken double doors as if they were zombies on their way to a brain feast. They watched Astria pass on her way to the grounds, their gazes vacant, probably still lost in the land of dreams.

When she arrived, she noticed that the stands that had surrounded the dragon enclosure in November were now arranged along the opposite shore of the lake, almost bursting with the eager spectators. Their excited chatter oddly echoed across the water's surface as she walked along the lake's edge towards the judges, who sat at a table draped in golden fabric.

Fleur was already there, greeting Astria with a wide smile. "I 'ope she wasn't too 'arsh on you yesterday," Fleur whispered, tucking a rebellious strand of Astria's hair behind her ear.

"No..." Astria replied nervously.

"It'll be alright, mon amour. Relax," Fleur reassured her, tracing circles on her hand.

Soon, the other champions arrived. First Cedric, followed by Krum, but Harry was nowhere to be seen. Astria scanned the surroundings, looking for Draco. She spotted him in the stands with the word 'star' painted on his forehead, while Daphne, Pansy, Blaise, and Theo each held a massive Slytherin flag. Narcissa was conspicuously absent.

Time continued to pass relentlessly, 30 minutes, 31 minutes, 32 minutes... and Harry was still missing, likely engaged in an epic battle with his alarm clock. Then, after five more minutes, he appeared, running across the field, gasping for breath. "I'm... here..." he panted, skidding in the mud to a stop and accidentally splattering Fleur's robes.

"Where have you been?" came an authoritative voice, chastising him like an angry mother scolding her wayward child. It was Percy Weasley, now working with Mr. Crouch and seemingly more insufferable than ever. He sat at the judges' table, observing like a hawk beneath an imaginary hat.

"Oh, come on, Percy!" Ludo Bagman exclaimed, looking extremely relieved to see Harry. "Let him catch his breath!"

Harry bent over, hands on his knees. "Are you alright?" Astria asked with concern, and Harry simply nodded.

Ludo Bagman now paced among the champions, spacing them along the shore at three-meter intervals. Astria stood next to Fleur at one end of the line, and Harry was at the other end beside Krum, who wore swim trunks and held his wand at the ready.

Bagman walked to the judges' table, then pointed his wand at his own throat, as he had done at the World Cup, and said, "Sonorus!" His voice echoed over the dark waters to the stands.

"Well, our brave champions are ready for the second task, which will begin as soon as I blow the whistle. They have exactly one hour to retrieve what was stolen from them. So, when I count to three. One... two... three!"

The whistle cut through the cold, still air like a cry for help on a dark and silent night. The stands erupted in cheers and applause, as if someone had just announced a promotion for free chocolate frogs. Astria raised her head, pointing her wand at her own face and shouted, "bullula aurae!" before plunging headfirst into the water.

The lake's water was so cold that her legs burned as if they were being blessed by a particular hell. As she descended, the water reached her knees, and her feet, which had become numb, slipped on the flat, slimy stones and mud.

Astria kicked her feet as fast as she could. She didn't know exactly what she was looking for. Would it be her Firebolt? It would certainly be missed.

Her body gradually acclimated to the frigid lake, and she gained speed as she swam, her wand now secured in a holster on her leg.