꧁Merepeople꧂
𓆩 𓆩 𓆩 𓆩♡𓆪 𓆪 𓆪 𓆪
After the ball Aurélie spent much of her free time in the library.
"We know that it's to do with the lake, isn't there merpeople? Like they take someone dear to you and you have to rescue them?" Said Fleur.
"You're right! A bubble head charm would be great to use." Said Aurélie.
As she figured it out she practiced the bubble head charm to perfect it as well as other defensive spells as she doesn't know what's in the black lake.
The night of the twenty fourth of February came by quickly, Céleste was told by George and Fred to go down to Professor Mcgongall's office which got Aurélie worried until Fleur said:
"It's probably for the task." But it still didn't leave Aurélie less worried.
In the morning she only had breakfast after Fleur and Camilla forced it down her throat, she went back to the carriage to change into a light blue swimsuit which she had some jogging bottoms and a long sleeve shirt on top of it with her jacket, she wore some water shoes with it as well and had a wand holders attached to her leg, she put her hair into a ponytail so it wouldn't get in her way whilst she was swimming.
Bagman gave Harry's shoulder a quick squeeze and returned to the judges' table; he pointed his wand at his throat as he had done at the World Cup, said, "Sonorus!" and his voice boomed out across the dark water toward the stands.
"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!"
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.
Aurélie dived into the water and performed the bubble head charm and started to make a way towards the bottom of the lake, the freezing cold lake water making her shiver, she managed to get quite close to the bottom until a creature: a grindylow she used spell after spell to get it off her but nothing worked.
She was brought back up to the surface from the grindylow, Professor Dumbledore said a spell to get the grindylows of her whilst she swam back to the stands. She was only in the water for thirty minutes but was freezing cold.
"What about Céleste? What will happen to her?" Aurélie asked Dumbledore and Madame Maxine whilst Camilla and Fleur were wrapping her in a robe and warm towels, Juan did a drying spell on her so she wasn't dripping wet.
"She will be fine. Once the task is finished she would be brought up by the merepeople." Dumbledore explained calmly to her as he saw how worried she was.
What seemed like forever, Cedric Diggory was the first one to complete the task and brought Cho Chang to the stands.
A while later Viktor Krum was next having a shark head and his treasure was Hermione Granger.
Well outside the time limit Aurélie got worried, not only was there any sign of her sister there was no sign of Harry Potter who has yet to come up with his treasure.
A few minutes later Harry came up but with his treasure and Aurélie's which she was relieved about.
"Céleste! Are you alright? Are you cold?" Said Aurélie worriedly as she went down to the steps to help pull her up and Ron and Harry.
"I'm fine Elie, I'm not hurt at all. And yes! I'm freezing cold." Said Céleste.
"The grindylows attacked me! I had to forfeit the task." Said Aurélie and she wrapped Céleste in a warm robe and towels, Juan performed the drying charm again which Céleste thanked him for.
"It's fine, Harry and Ron helped. I'm just glad you're ok." Said Céleste.
"Harry, Ron. Thank you for saving Céleste, especially as she wasn't yours to save." Said Aurélie, the last part to Harry.
"It's no problem." Said Harry.
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. Merchief- tainess 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. . . ."
"Aurélie Louvère, 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 Aurélie throatily, shaking her magnificent head.
"Don't complain Elie!" Said Céleste and Camilla.
"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 in the crowd. "We therefore award him forty-seven points."
"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."
Ron and Hermione both gave Harry half-exasperated, half- commiserating looks.
"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."
Harry's stomach leapt — he was now tying for first place with Cedric. Ron and Hermione, caught by surprise, stared at Harry, then laughed and started applauding hard with the rest of the crowd.
"There you go, Harry!" Ron shouted over the noise. "You weren't being thick after all — you were showing moral fiber!"
Aurélie 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."
{2/2/2024}