The next morning felt chaotic. Student's were in a buzz about going down to the Black Lake, unknowing about why or what the task was. It was also February, so it was still freezing out and I was not looking forward to plunging myself into the Black Lake. I wore my swimsuit underneath my warm Gryffindor garments. Harry and I were walking alongside Neville, down to the lake, searching along as we went for Hermione and Ron. According to the other students they hadn't returned to the common rooms last night and that was a bit unnerving.
"Are you sure about this, Neville?" I asked nicely as I could. The worry poking through my voice as he handed me the Gillyweed.
"Absolutely." He assured me.
"For an hour?" Harry asked.
"Most likely." Neville nodded slightly.
"Whoa, most likely?" I questioned him quickly.
"Well, there is some debate amongst Herbologists as to the effects of fresh water versus salt water, but..."
"You're telling us this now?!" Harry snapped. "You must be joking?"
"I-I just wanted to help." Neville stuttered at Harry's raised voice.
"I-It's fine, Neville. You've done more for us today than anyone." I sighed as we reached the books and looked around some more. "Where are they? Ron and Hermione?"
"You both seem a bit tense, Olivia an Harry." Neville pointed out.
"Do we?" We both said through gritted teeth.
We made it out into the middle of the lake, on platforms that had been made for us all. Harry and I stood alongside the other champions on the lowest platform, while students and spectators stood above us, or next to us on the other two platforms.
"Welcome to the second task." Dumbledore announced. "Last night, something was stolen from each of our champions. A treasure of sorts. These five treasures, one for each of our champions, now lie on the bottom of the Black Lake. In order to win, each champion need only find their treasure and return to the surface. Simple enough..."
"Put those in your mouths." Moody growled as Harry and I approached the edge of the deck.
I gulped and looked at the slimy green looking worm in my hand. I put it in my mouth and quickly swallowed, trying not to think about it. I shivered in disgust. My stomach began to feel weird. Harry did the same, but was gagging on his. They were positively disgusting.
"Except for this!" Dumbledore continued to speak. "They will have but one hour to do so, and one hour only. After that, they'll be on their own. No magic will save them." Professor Moody started to beat on Harry's back as he gagged. "You may begin at the sound of the cannon!"
The cannon suddenly went off and I jumped into the water,, taking in a deep breath, praying I wasn't about to die. My skin suddenly felt tense and restricting. I reached up and scratched at my neck, as my body floated down and down, further into the water. The pain stopped and I felt like I could breath again. I felt my neck once more and realized I had gills. My toes had webbed together and so had my hands. I looked around and saw Harry blast up out of the water happily.
I shook my head and began looking for this so called 'treasure'. Viktor swam by me and nudged me with his head. I was startled slightly seeing his transfiguration had gone a bit wonky, his head was a Great White Shark. We gave each other thumbs up and went our separate ways. The was was dark and murky, it didn't feel as cold as it first had. I felt like I was swimming in circles forever, with no way to tell time. I suddenly started to hear a soft singing voice of the merpeople. That had to be where the treasure resided.
I swam through a thick forest of seaweed. I noticed Fleur in the distance with a big bubble on her face. Suddenly a hand pulled on mine, just as a mermaid swam through. I turned to see Harry.
"Thanks." I said with my voice come out all burbling.
"No problem." Harry said back with a nod.
The two of us continued forward, both deciding to follow the mermaid. Leading us near an opening outside of the seaweed forest.
Above the surface, the teachers and students watched and waited boredly as time ticked by. That was until Fleur had been dragged down by a grindylow and disqualified from the task, as she hadn't gotten her treasure.
As I swam out into the open water again, I gasped seeing five bodies just floating in the water. They looked frozen stiff underneath a large arch away. More importantly two very important people were under the water. Ron and Hermione, alongside Cho Chang, a young girl I recognized as Fleur's sister and Viktor's best friend. Ron's long red locks floated around his head. I felt paralyzed just seeing him that way along side Hermione. I swam over to Ron first, with Harry right behind me. He moved over and checked on her.
I placed my hands on Ron's cheeks and inspected him, while hearing lots of loud wailing around me. Merpeople swam around us carrying large pointed tridents. They were ugly creatures, not nearly as beautiful as you read about in the fairytales. I looked down the line at the other's realizing we were the first ones here. I began to swim over to Harry, but one of the Merpeople stopped me, pointing the trident at my neck.
"Only one!" She hissed.
"She's my friend too! I was just going to check on her!" I tried to assure the creature, but the trident didn't move.
I certainly didn't feel like being impaled. I noticed Harry with his wand pointed at the merperson and I shook my head not to attack her. She was only doing her job, after all. I took out my wand and was about to blast the chain holding Ron down, when the Merpeople all screeched. Cedric showed up next and he quickly blasted away the chain on Cho's leg. He looked at us both and tapped his watch. We nodded and got back to work. Harry had undone, Hermione's chain and I did Ron's. The merpeople surrounded us closer, but suddenly began to swim away.
Viktor's shark head had terrified them. He swam in and chomped with the shark teeth through the chain and quickly carried his friend to the surface after Cedric and Cho. I looked at Ron's face and back down, not seeing any sign of Fleur again. Her sister floated near by. Clearly Harry was thinking the same thing. We nodded at each other and he held Ron and Hermione's arm's. While I made sure no other merpeople were around. I blasted the chain around her leg and began to swim upward with her.
Harry pushed upward with Ron and Hermione and I watched him begin to struggle. I felt myself too, begin to feel the cold water once again and breathing became much harder. Suddenly something else started to happen. I gasped, letting the air out of my mouth and felt something sharp clawing at my ankles. Several grindylows grabbed my legs and some past me to grab Harry's. They began dragging us both down. Harry pushed Ron, Hermione and Gabrielle up to the surface.
We both began frantically kicking and smacking away the creatures, but they had sharp fangs and little talons on their bodies that dug into our skins. On top of having eight legs like an octopus, it was nearly impossible to get them to let go. I looked at Harry desperately as I took out my wand. I was going to have to use the last of my air, and hopefully he'd think of a way to get us out.
"Immobulus!" I shouted through the gurgling of water.
The creatures all froze temporarily around us and I felt my throat and lung's burn for air. Harry swam over to me and looked me over desperately as my eyes started to close and my mouth opened, allowing water in.
3rd person POV:
At the surface, just as the bell chimed, signaling one hour, Ron, Hermione, and Gabrielle surfaced. They swam over to the deck and were covered in blankets to keep warm. The teacher's and students looked around wondering where Harry and Olivia were, worriedly. Draco Malfoy stood up in the stands with binoculars scouring the waters from the air.
"Come on, Vi." He mumbled quietly.
Viktor too looked around cautiously, realizing that Olivia hadn't surfaced yet and neither had Harry. The pit of his stomach clenched and he was about to jump into the water, before the hand of his headmaster stopped him. Hermione and Ron looked around, realizing they'd made it out but they're champions weren't behind them.
"Where's Harry and Olivia?" Hermione asked as George came running to her. He covered her with another blanket and handed another to his brother.
"They haven't surfaced." George said grimly.
"W-what?" Ron squeaked as he shivered. He fought the blanket on his shoulders, wanting to get back into the water as well, but Ginny and Fred both held him back.
"The teacher's will get them, mate." Fred assured him.
Harry started to feel faint too under the water, as their bodies floated downward. Everything was starting to go black. Harry looked over his sister's face again, knowing she'd saved him loads of times, whether it was when they were in danger, with her brain, or homework. Now it was his turn. Harry linked his arm harder with her's, held his wand in the other hand and pointed upward to the surface. He hoped that Olivia's constant blabber and making him study would pay off.
"Ascendio!"
Harry's grip tightened and they both rocketed upwards towards the surface of the water. Their bodies blasted out and onto the deck roughly. Harry coughed and looked over at Olivia, who was unmoving.
"Harry! Olivia!" Dumbledore shouted as he ran to them. "Get Madame Pomfrey up here, now!" He demanded.
"Olivia!" Viktor called out as he ran forward. He knelt beside her, touching her cold cheek.
Harry sat on her other side and tears filled his eyes. He held his sisters hand tightly and wrapped the blanket over her body, from off his shoulders. Hermione and Ron ran over and gasped at the sight of their friend. Students over head murmured and tried to get a look, but teacher's quickly surrounded Olivia's cold, unmoving body. Madame Pomfrey and a few other nursing staff ran up with a magical stretcher. Minutes we're passing by quickly.
"S-Somebody do CPR! S-She won't m-make it back to the castle!" Hermione shouted through her tears.
"I'll do it! Just tell me what to do!" A voice shouted.
Hermione and Harry ran along side the stretcher as they brought Olivia to the hospital wing, hoping and praying that she would be alright as the mysterious person tried to keep her heart beating and to get her to breathing once again.
Olivia's POV:
I had felt cold for so long, and yet I felt this sickening warmth inside me. It honestly turned my stomach. Ticking away, like it was what was keeping me alive. I could have honestly sworn I was dead, except for the little voice that kept chanting that I wasn't, that I wasn't allowed to die and I needed to keep breathing. Of course, one the massive cold clog was cleared from my throat, I felt better, but I still felt like I couldn't open my eyes. It felt like forever and I had the strangest dream. The first one in a long time that wasn't a nightmare.
Harry and I were older, perhaps 19-20? I was wearing this beautiful white gown, arm linked with his. He looked even more like Dad, his scar faded slightly, and he seemed really happy. He was talking to me, only I couldn't quite hear what he was saying. As he led me out the door, I caught a glimpse of myself. I looked beautiful. Out into a bright light we walked, and I noticed we were on a beach. The sun was shining and the air was perfectly warm. In front of us, was a large white tent and we walked by it. There was plenty of round tables with white and lilac purple table cloths, a maroon, or perhaps burgundy rolled silverware.
And just beyond the tent, the beach was line with white chairs. An archway at the end of the aisle, bridesmaids, groomsmen on the either side. And in the middle, in a wonderful dark suit, with a purple and red flower attached to his chest, was a man. The man had red hair, freckles lined his face, and his smile was as wide as it could be. Tears filled his piercing blue eyes and he was the only focus I had. I needed to get to Ron. Harry led me forward and the second my hand touched his everything zinged and changed.
I gasped and nearly shot up out of the bed. Hands pushed me to lay back and Madame Pomfrey was over me in a second. She waved her wand over me, bright with light and I squinted, using my hands to cover my eyes. I groaned and my throat felt slightly sore.
"Miss Potter, can you say something? Anything at this point. Do you understand what I am asking of you?" She asked quickly as she moved back. As she moved I noticed Dumbledore, Crouch, Harry, Hermione and Ron looking at me.
"I-I do. W-What h-happened?" I croaked. My hand went to my throat as I heard the irritable roughness of my voice.
"Y-You nearly drowned." Hermione sniffled as tears filled her eyes. "You s-should be dead, Livy." She cried and I held my arm out to her. Madam Pomfrey adjusted the bed so I was sitting up, allowing Hermione to come to me and give me a gentle hug.
"Miss Potter, I am glad to see you are alive and well." Dumbledore said softly. "We are here to relay the scores of the task to you, that is, if you are up for it."
"Yes. I-I want to know." I said glumly, knowing I probably failed the task.
"You did finish next to last along with your brother, Miss Potter." Dumbledore explained. I looked down at my hands for a moment. "But." I looked up curiously. "The judges have come together and decided that since you and Mr. Potter would have finished first, if it wasn't for your determination to rescue not only Mr. Weasley, but the other's as well, including nearly giving your life for your brother. We've agreed to award you both, second place."
I sat there with my mouth agape in surprise. Harry walked over to my beside and grabbed my hand tightly. He grinned widely at me. Mr. Crouch cleared his throat.
"I wonder, may I have a word with the two of them?" He asked. Dumbledore nodded and ushered Hermione and Ron from the room. "Fine achievement. Well done to the both of you."
"Thank you." Harry and I said in unison.
"I'm sorry we haven't spoken yet. After all your story is one I have heard many times. Quite remarkable, really. Tragic, of course. To lose one's family, never whole again, are we? Still, life goes on... And here we stand. I'm glad you are all right, Miss Potter. I'm sure your parents would be very proud of the both of you today."
"Thank you, sir."
"Well, I'll let you visit with your friends. You have plenty waiting to see you." Mr. Crouch smiled and nodded before taking his leave.
"I swear, Olivia Jane, if you ever die on me again. I'll never forgive you." Harry said as he quickly hugged me. I hugged him back as tight as I could and released.
"What happened? How long was I out for?" I said in my scratchy voice.
"You were out for nearly 40 minutes." Hermione's voice echoed as she entered the room. Ron stood close behind her. "You should be dead, and yet somehow you're alive and talking."
"Oh." I stated softly and looked at my hands again.
"You would be dead, if it wasn't for Ron." Harry grinned at his best friend gratefully. Hermione stepped aside and showed a sheepish Ron. I looked up curious as to what they meant. "He performed CPR on you, within Hermione's guidance, of course."
"Y-You saved me?" I asked surprised.
"Well, yeah. I wasn't about to let you die, was I?" Ron gave me a victorious grin. "I-I was the only one who stepped up to do it. Hermione was blubbering to hard to do it herself, Harry, well he was recovering to, wasn't he. Viktor was scared stiff at the sight of you. Some brave bloke he is." Ron boasted and scoffed.
He had walked closer during his little monologue and when he was close enough, I reached out, grabbing his hand, and pulled him to me. He leaned in with a small oof and I squeezed him as well as I could.
"Thank you." I whispered.
"Anything for my sunshine." Ron whispered back, holding me close to him.
(Little fun fact about this chapter and book. First, I tossed around with the idea of Olivia and Viktor actually dating way before I even started this book. Also know, I wasn't originally going to make Olivia basically steal all of Hermione's roles and lines this time around. I was going to have her go with maybe Fred or Malfoy, because they'd get the same reaction from Ron being jealous. But I ultimately decided not to go down that route. So, don't worry that's not happening. ;)
Secondly; I knew I wanted Olivia to get somewhat hurt, because I feel like people never let the main characters get hurt in these type of books. And to those who don't like it, the next task won't be as dramatic (sort of) If you know, you know 🙄.
Thirdly, I toyed ridiculously long, and I mean it was ridiculous, about who was going to save her life. Whether it was going to be Krum and have Ron be completely grateful to him. Draco, her secret new found friend, because who wouldn't have loved that little twist? Or ultimately Ron because, well, this story is about his and Olivia's love story. Malfoy, didn't really fit with the rest of my ideas for this series, because they're secret friendship means a lot, and you'll see why eventually. 😉. So, Ron was the obvious choice. I hope you liked this chapter and the story so far! Onto the next!)