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𝐁𝐎𝐗𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐃𝐀𝐘 was full of homework and visiting the library. Which Marina had done, with Lavender tagging along, and honestly wish she had just gone alone.
"Did you know Muggles can't make potions?" Lavender said as she and Marina sat in a desk in the corner.
Marina looked over in Lavender's book. "Really? I don't believe that..."
Suddenly Hermione and Harry walked over to the two girls.
"Hi Marina! Hi Pavarti!" smiled Hermione.
"Sup." Marina said.
"What are you two doing here?" Lavender asked with interest.
"Well I've got to do some studying for Potions and Urm...Harry needs to go find out something for the second task." Hermione explained, then walked off to another table.
Marina then got up, walked over to the Herbs and Plants section, with Harry on her tail.
"Why are following me?" Marina whispered so Madam Pince couldn't hear her.
"I need to talk to you. It's about the second task." Harry whispered back.
"Ask Hermione. She's smart." Marina replied, then attempted to reach for a book on high shelf.
Harry laughed quietly. "Want some help with that?"
"I'm fine thanks." Marina said with a fake smile, then continued to reach for the book. Harry then swiftly grabbed the book, then handed it to her.
"Your welcome."
"I didn't say thank you."
"Well you can thank me by helping me with the second task." Harry smiled.
"Well...technically...I can't." Marina chuckled. "I...I...have to attend a Gobstones Club meeting. All year. So I can never help you."
Lavender then joined the two. "You don't have Gobstones practice. You don't even attend any extracurricular activities except for Quidditch. Which isn't occurring this year."
Marina desperately wanted to make Lavender disappear at that moment.
Harry gave Marina a mischievous smile, making her flick his forehead.
"Ow." Harry said rubbing his forehead.
"What do need my help with then?" Marina asked folding her arms.
"Herbology. I need something that can make me hold my breath for hour underwater." Harry explained.
Marina sniggered into her sleeve.
"What's so funny?"
Marina then calmed herself down from cackling. "You except me, to help you find something that can make you go underwater for hour? You'd have to go into Snape's private storeroom for that. You can't make gillyweed without ingredients from his storeroom."
"Gillyweed?" Harry asked.
"Yes Harold, gillyweed. Neville told me about it in the common room yesterday. It makes you grow gills." Marina sassed.
"So can you do it?"
"Yes. But only with a price. I want you to not tell anyone that I'm helping you and I get to use the Firebolt whenever I want." Marina smirked.
"Fair enough."
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𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆 awake until two am in the morning and stealing from Snape's private storeroom with Harold, they had finally done it. They had made Gillyweed. A mixture of plants that could make you have fins and gills for an hour approximately. And Marina couldn't feel better about being able to finally ride the firebolt whenever she wanted. It was the best broom in the world after all.
As she walked over to the bank of the Black Lake with the gillyweed in her palm, she could see all students three schools and the judges in the crowd. But nowhere was Harry Potter. Where was he? Was he not coming?
Suddenly Neville stood next to her linking their arms, something they did quite often. "Hey Marina, you look nervous."
"No kidding I am. Where the hell that loser? I didn't make this Gillyweed to prance around." Marina spat feeling as if she couldn't breathe.
"You made Gillyweed?! Wow! You really did listen to me when I told you how to make it!" laughed Neville.
"Of course I did. Your one of my best friends Nev." Marina smiled.
Harry then came over to the bank panting, rubbing his stitch from running.
"Harold!"
"I'm... here..." Harry panted, skidding to a halt in the mud and accidentally splattering Fleur's swimsuit.
"Where have you been?" said Percy. "The task's about to start!"
"Ah always a charmer Perce." Marina scoffed. This workaholic Percy wasn't the bookworm happy Percy she knew.
"Now, now, Percy!" said Ludo Bagman, who was looking intensely relieved to see Harry. "Let him catch his breath!"
Dumbledore smiled at Potter, but Karkaroff and Madame Maxime didn't look at all pleased to see him. It was obvious from the looks on their faces that they had thought he wasn't going to turn up.
Harry, who looked pale as a sheep, turned to Marina. "Do you have it?"
Marina nodded and put the slimey plant in Harry's palm. "Go on. Your fans are waiting for you."
Harry smiled. "Thank you. For helping. It's means a lot, especially from you RiRi."
The two stared at each other for a few seconds. Then Bagman waved to Harry, signaling him.
"I should go. Thanks again!" Harry smiled, surprisingly gave Marina a peck on the cheek (right in front of Neville) , and ran off to the other champions.
"That was unexpected." chuckled Neville awkwardly.
"I know right." Marina said, who was still red and flustered.
Did Harold just do that because she gave him the gillyweed?
Or did he want to do it?
And why did she care so much anyway?!
It's Harry fucking Potter for gods sake. Marina didn't care about him.
"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 taken from them. On the count of three, then. One... two three!" Ludo Bagman shouted.
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 stuffed the gillyweed into his mouth, and waded out into the lake.
For about a minute, Harry didn't come up.
Neville gasped. "Oh my god! You've killed Harry Potter! And I'm a witness! Oh no!"
Marina's jaw dropped. "We've killed him. I know this is a really bad time to joke...but...Voldy better be taking notes right now."
"Bad timing slightly."
"I know."
All of a sudden, Harry, who now had gills and fins, leaped from the water like a dolphin. The crowd and Marina cheered.
"He's no dead! We're not going to Azkaban!" gleed Neville. They both jumped up and down together with joy.
"We won't have to go on trial!" Marina laughed.
After an hour, all the champions had returned safely with their hostages to the other side of the bank. Marina rushed over to Ron, who was freezing and wet.
"Ron!" Marina yelped as she gave him a tight hug. "You alright?!"
"Yeah I'm okay." Ron breathed.
"Fleur didn't turn up, I couldn't leave her," Harry panted as he brought Fleur Delacour's younger sister, Gabrielle, out of the water.
"You great prune, they would have saved her anyway. And don't kiss me out of the blue next time!" Marina scolded as she helped Ron dry his hair with the towel.
"There's a next time?!" shrieked Harry with a smile.
Ron looked up in horror. "Kiss? What's she talkin about?"
"Nothing." Harry and Marina snapped.
"You brought both of us out of the water?! Harry, you prat," said Ron, "you didn't take that song thing seriously, did you? Dumbledore wouldn't have let any of us drown!"
"The song said –"
"It was only to make sure you got back inside the time limit!" said Ron. "I hope you didn't waste time down there acting the hero!"
"Of course he did. He's Harold the Dense after all!" Marina said.
"Gabrielle! Gabrielle! Is she alive? Is she 'urt?" Fleur screeched.
"She's fine!" Harry tried to tell her.
"It was ze grindylows... zey attacked me... oh Gabrielle, I thought... I thought..." The blonde said, grabbing her sister.
"Come here, you," said Madam Pomfrey. She seized Harry and pulled him over to Hermione and the others.
"Harry, well done!" Hermione cried. "You did it, you found out how all by yourself!"
"Well – Marina helped." said Harry.
"You're well outside the time limit, though." Marina said looking at Ron's watch.
"Did it take you ages to find us?" Hermione asked.
"No... I found you okay."
Dumbledore was crouching at the water's edge, deep in conversation with what seemed to be the chief merperson, a particularly wild and ferociouslooking female. He was making the same sort of screechy noises that the merpeople made when they were above water; clearly, Dumbledore 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 to rescue Ron from Percy's clutches; she led him over to Harry and the others, gave him a blanket and some Pepperup Potion, then went to fetch Fleur and her sister.
Fleur had many cuts on her face and arms and her robes were torn, but she didn't seem to care, nor would she allow Madam
Pomfrey to clean them.
"Look after Gabrielle," she told her, and then she turned to Harry. "You saved 'er," she said breathlessly. "Even though she was not your 'ostage." "Yeah," said Harry, who was now heartily wishing he'd left all three girls tied to the statue.
Fleur bent down, kissed Harry twice on each cheek then said to Ron, "And you too – you 'elped –"
"Yeah," said Ron, looking extremely hopeful, "yeah, a bit –"
Fleur swooped down on him too and kissed him.
"Such a 'ero aren't you 'arold!" mimicked Marina.
"Jealous are we?" Harry smirked.
Suddenly, 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. Merchieftainess Murcus has told us exactly what happened at the bottom of the lake, and we have therefore decided to award marks out of fifty for each of the champions, as follows...
"Fleur Delacour, though she demonstrated excellent use of the Bubble- Head Charm, was attacked by grindylows as she approached her goal, and failed to retrieve her hostage. We award her twenty-five points."
Applause from the stands.
"I deserved zero," said Fleur throatily, shaking her magnificent head.
"Cedric Diggory, who also used the Bubble-Head Charm, was first to return with his hostage, though he returned one minute outside the time limit of an hour."
Enormous cheers from the Hufflepuffs and Marina in the crowd; Marina rolled her eyes as Harry gave a frown as he looked at Cho clap for Cedric. "We therefore award him forty-seven points."
Harry's heart sank. If Cedric had been outside the time limit, he most certainly had been.
"Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of Transfiguration, which was nevertheless effective, and was second to return with his hostage. We award him forty points."
Karkaroff clapped particularly hard, looking very superior.
"Harry Potter used gillyweed to great effect," Bagman continued. "He returned last, and well outside the time limit of an hour. However, the Merchieftainess informs us that Mr. Potter was first to reach the hostages, and that the delay in his return was due to his determination to return all hostages to safety, not merely his own."
"Most of the judges," and here, Bagman gave Karkaroff a very nasty look, "feel that this shows moral fiber and merits full marks. However... Mr. Potter's score is forty-five points."
"There you go, Harry!" Ron shouted over the noise. "You weren't being thick after all – you were showing moral fiber!"
"Moral fiber? What does that even mean?" scoffed Marina.
Fleur was clapping very hard too, but Krum didn't look happy at all. He attempted to engage Hermione in conversation again, but she was too busy cheering Harry to listen.
"The third and final task will take place at dusk on the twenty-fourth of June," continued Bagman. "The champions will be notified of what is coming precisely one month beforehand. Thank you all for your support of the champions."