The Second Task
The month of March arrived, and with it came the growing excitement around the second task of the Triwizard Tournament. The students of Hogwarts were preparing, nervous and impatient, for the test that would take place in the school's huge black lake. For Harry and his friends, the stakes were far more personal than just winning the task. Fred and George, more determined than ever, continued their quest to make Harry understand how they felt, and the teachers, resigned to intervening, had come up with a plan. But as is often the case at Hogwarts, fate had decided otherwise.
Fred and George had promised not to resort to their pranks or clumsy spells again. They planned to take Harry aside after the second task, in a quiet place, to talk to him frankly about their feelings. The teachers, including Lupin, had planned a good time to step in and help Harry become aware of what was happening. Ron and Hermione, exhausted by Harry's persistent ignorance, were also willing to explain things directly to him if necessary. But all this was going to be turned upside down by an unexpected event on the day of the second task.
The trials of the Triwizard Tournament were always impressive, but the second task was particularly daunting. Champions had to dive into the icy waters of the Black Lake to rescue a hostage held underwater by sea creatures. When the bell rang, signaling the beginning of the task, Harry set off in search of Ron, his hostage. But what he didn't anticipate was that Ron wouldn't just be tied up underwater, he would find himself trapped by an underwater creature, an additional obstacle for Harry.
Despite everything, Harry quickly swam to the place where Ron was being held. But he was confronted with unforeseen underwater obstacles: a sea serpent, magical algae, and the vast expanse of water. The situation turned out to be more difficult than expected. The teachers watching the ordeal from the shore began to panic, especially Lupin, who rose from his seat in despair and watched Harry struggle underwater with his friend in danger.
Fred and George, nervous and increasingly aware of their failure in their attempt to seduce Harry, followed the scene with increasing concern. They had, against all odds, been abandoned in their project of seduction. But beyond that, a more complex feeling began to creep into them: a subtle jealousy of Ron's situation. They had not imagined that Harry, in such a dire situation, would find himself having to hold Ron in his arms, saving him from the underwater creature. This intimate and heroic role that Harry played with Ron seemed closer to what they themselves hoped for than to Harry's indifference to them.
"Courage is to seek the truth and to speak it; it is not to submit to the law of triumphant lies, but never to betray the human soul." — Jules Renard