Harry's POV
I stood on the dock, looking out at the crowd of students walking coming my way. Everybody was making their way to the small 6 person boats that would ferry them to the viewing decks for the second task. But I was still searching the crowd for three faces. I hadn't seen Ron, Hermione, or Y/N all morning and I was worrying. Had something happened to them? I saw Neville coming towards me and I gave him a small grin.
"You're sure about this Neville." I said, grabbing the green mound from his hand subtlety. It was slimy and I grimaced at the feel of it.
"Absolutely."
"For an hour?" I asked.
"Most likely." He said apprehensively. We had started to walk. I whipped my head towards his. "I mean there are some discussions between freshwater and saltwater among herbologists-"
"And you've decided to tell me this now." I almost yelled.
"Well, I just wanted to help." said Neville, looking a bit sorry.
"Well, it's better than nothing," I said, looking down at the green glop, "Where are they?" I asked, still looking for my friends. Then I saw someone tall with flaming ginger hair walking towards me. It was Ron.
"Hey Harry, sorry I'm late, I- uh had to go do something." Ron said. I was a bit suspicious of his tone but I didn't saying anything about it.
"Where are Hermione and Y/N?" I asked, my eyes still glancing at the crowd every now and then.
"I have no idea." said Ron, looking over his shoulder as well.
"Maybe they're already at the stands." suggested Neville. I agreed and the three of us made our way down the dock.
※※※
I scoured the stands for Hermione and Y/N but I still didn't see their faces. I didn't know what could've happened to them and the worrisome pit in my stomach grew. Then I heard the sound of a man's voice. The second task was about to begin. To my left were Cedric, Krum, and Fleur. One by one our names were announced and we all awkwardly waved at the crowd. The air was cold and I shivered. I took the gillyweed out of my pocket and held it in my hand.
"Welcome to the Second Tri-Wizard Task!" Dumbledores voice boomed through the air.
"Last night, something was stolen from our champions." He continued. "The treasure now lies at bottom of The Black Lake. In order to win, each champion will need to find their treasure and return to the surface in an hour. They will have one hour only."
At those words, I stuffed the gillyweed in my mouth and started chewing. It was the worst thing I'd ever tasted and I gagged multiple times as I attempted to swallow it.
"The task starts-" a cannon shot rang out, "now!" Dumbledore yelled out. I fell into the water, grabbing at my neck. A weird tingly but painful feeling was spreading on either side of my neck and I scratched at it, trying to breathe. Obviously, I couldn't breathe as I was already underwater but then I felt myself relax, and I inhaled. Breathing as if I was on land. I looked down at my hands and feet and saw that webs had sprung in between my hands and toes.
I smiled and then used my strength to propel myself out of the water. I did a flip, hollering, and the crowd cheered. Now back in the water I swam towards the middle of the lake. My outstretched hands shoved the dense green seaweed away from my face. The long stalks swaying side to side; almost like they were dancing. Tiny fish swam in front of me and I peered into the dark green water.
As I continued swimming through the murky water, I could see the outline of what seemed to be the ruins of a small city. There were other things floating in the water, through. It was four students, I realized, noticing the school robes. I recognized three of them, and my heart skipped a beat. Hermione, Cho, and Y/N were tied down; their hair floated around their faces. I swam as fast as I could to Y/N and touched her face. She looked like she was sleeping; tiny bubbles of oxygen left her mouth every few seconds.
So this was my "treasure" I had to retrieve. I grabbed my wand and pointed it at the cable that kept them in place. I saw a yellow jersey through the dark water and saw Cedric Diggory grab Cho. He pointed at a watch on his hand, reminding me that there was still a time limit. Grabbing Y/N by the waist, I looked at Hermione. Looking around, I noticed that nobody else had made their way to the four of them. I couldn't just leave her there, and I moved to release her.
Then I saw quick moving figures making their way towards me. Mermaids. They each had spears in their hands and they pointed them at me, making high pitched noises I couldn't understand. By their movements, I assumed they were telling me I couldn't take her as well. "But she's my friend." I protested, my voice a bit distorted in the water. They shook their heads and went to say something again, but then out of the corner of my eye, I saw a shark. I recoiled but then saw that the body was human. It looked like Krum. He pulled out his wand and without a glance at me, took Hermione with him.
Fleur was nowhere in sight and I started to get a bit worried. The last girl was what I assumed to be her sister. She had the same ethereal white hair and pale complexion. I waited a few moments more before deciding to go against the merpeople's wishes. I pointed my wand at her tether and took her with me. I hadn't noticed how long I had spent underwater and as I kicked my feet, bringing the three of us to the surface, I could feel the remaining air I had, leave my lungs. It didn't help that the merpeople had noticed that their last remaining captive had been released by me and not it's intended champion.
They grabbed onto my feet and tried to drag me down. I held onto Y/N and Fleur's sister as hard as I could. Trying to fight them off. I released Y/N and Fleur's sister, letting them bob to the surface. The edge of my vision turning spotty and a bit black. I grabbed my wand, feeling myself become slow, and said, "Acendio!" I propelled through the water, hitting the wooden dock. The crowd was cheering and I saw Fleur standing on the lowest part of the stands, her arms outstretched. She was speaking in french, encouraging her sister to swim towards her. Now above water, Y/N and the little girl were awake and swam their way to the dock.
I sputtered out water and felt towels being pressed against my soaking wet body. The air was cold and I shivered. I saw Y/N next to me, even more towels pressed wrapped around her frame.
I scooted closer to her and said, "Please don't ever do that again."
"Not planning on it." She said sarcastically, her teeth chattering but faced flushed a rosy pink. She was so pretty even when she was drenched in cold lake water. I grabbed her hand and we laughed maniacally at the situation.
I was sure everyone around us thought we were crazy. I heard Dumbledore's name boom again. Fleur had been attacked by the merpeople and I had come in third place. I was still in the Triwizard Tournament. I didn't know whether to be happy or a little bit disappointed. Sure the tournament was fun, but it had also nearly killed me twice. I just smiled at the crowd, trying to get warm as the press's cameras caused white spots in my vision.
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When I can write a 1348 word fanfiction, but can't study. 🧍♀️
Word Count: 1348