The Second Task Part 2
By eight o'clock ... Now You've Wised Up.
Everyone was beginning to panic. Harry didn't have enough time to learn a new spell, perform a ritual or buy a magical object or plant. His options weren't just limited. They were none existent.
Crookshanks crawled ... Hermione had not come back.
Sirius glowered at Minerva. "I hope for your sake that you didn't use students are hostages."
Minerva grimaced. It wasn't like she wanted to. She wasn't given a choice. She'd argued against it at length but as usual, no one ever listened.
"Why both of them though?" Remus asked. "Why would you need to take both of Harry's best friends?"
Minerva didn't answer. She'd argued against that too. She had felt it left young Potter at a serious disadvantage. But Karkaroff had insisted, with a gleam in his beady eyes that suggested he knew exactly what he was doing.
It's over, ... tell the judges...
Minerva gulped. Potter had come so close to losing his magic and she'd never realised.
He imagined himself explaining ... disbelieving face...
"Oh, Harry," Hagrid murmured. "You could never disappoint me."
Forgetting that Crookshanks ... opened the library door.
Sirius smiled sadly at Harry. He was so proud that he hadn't given up. He couldn't imagine how he could find a solution with the time left but at least he'd tried. And kept trying. Even when others would have accepted defeat.
Fleur's eyes widened. "I was in bed getting an early night." She couldn't believe that he'd faced the depths of the black lake with so little sleep.
Wand tip alight, ... the next one...
Mrs Weasley was whimpering, muttering about how they asked too much from him. Demanded too much from a child.
The mermaid in the painting ... "Come on, jump!"
"Is he dreaming?" Theo asked.
"Think so," Draco replied.
"The merpeople in the Black Lake look very different from the one in that painting," Albus said. "She's from a warmer climate. Ours look a little fiercer. They're perfectly pleasant though. On a good day."
"I can't," ... "Harry Potter must wake up, sir!"
"Definitely a dream then," Blaise said with a grin.
"Stop poking me ... ten minutes, and Harry Potter -"
Everyone seemed to stop breathing at the exact same moment. He only had ten minutes? Sirius was the first to start breathing again, only to start hyperventilating. How would Harry survive? How come he still had his magic? If he wasn't able to even attempt the task. That was practically a refusal to compete and a violation of the contract. Except... What had Lucius said about the contract? Could that contract take Harry's magic? He couldn't think straight. Couldn't remember the important details. Not when his pulse was so loud in his ear.
Severus rushed to force him to drink a calming draught, rubbing his back soothingly. "He's here. He's safe. He has his magic. He has his life. Do not fear."
His calm, warm voice washed over Sirius and left him feeling surprisingly more settled.
"Ten minutes?" ... I don't know how -"
"At the very least, you need to get into the lake," Minerva said. "You can't not attend. You'll lose your magic."
Even though she knew he found a solution just in time, she couldn't stop the panic bubbling up inside her.
"Harry Potter will do ... Dobby did it for him!"
Several people let out sighs of relief. Sirius made a mental note to buy the elf a present.
"What?" ... his Wheezy -"
"His wheezy?" Fred asked. "What's a Wheezy?"
"The name of the first broom I make," Ron murmured to himself. It was a terrible name for a broom, but he'd do it anyway. As a small way to honour Dobby.
"Why would you name it a Wheezy?" Charlie gaped at his brother. "That's even worse than calling it a Weasley. The Wheezy... It's so slow it wheezes around corners." He paused, considering. "I guess, it could work for a kids broom."
"Find my what?" ... they've got Ron?"
Mrs Weasley was glaring at the book now. She hadn't given permission for that. Had Arthur? No. One glance at his face was enough to confirm he had not known about this either.
"Why were we not informed that our son was being used as a hostage?" Arthur asked sternly.
"You were informed that he was helping with the second task," Minerva said weakly.
"Helping!" Molly said in a cold voice that didn't match her usual fire at all. "Helping! Not..." She couldn't do this. What was wrong with the teachers at Hogwarts? What was wrong with the Ministry? That they didn't think twice about using underage students like this?
"The thing Harry Potter ... gillyweed!"
Severus nodded in relief. That would work perfectly. And if it was from his store, it would be guaranteed to be of the highest quality and stored in perfect conditions.
"What's it do?" ... Harry Potter lose his Wheezy!"
Ron blushed as his siblings laughed.
Harry's doubts vanished ... accidentally splattering Fleur's robes.
Fleur grimaced as she remembered how she had been annoyed by that. She'd felt pretty awful about it after the task.
"Where have you been?" ... he wasn't going to turn up.
Severus glared at the book. What sort of person wished for a child to lose their magic?
Harry bent over, ... "Know what you're going to do?"
"What is he up to?" Blaise asked. "Why does it matter to him?"
"Yeah," ... then. One. . . two. . . three!"
Everyone grimaced. Harry was nowhere near ready.
The whistle echoed shrilly ... weighed him down as he walked in deeper;
"Why didn't you provide them with appropriate clothing?" Sirius demanded.
"They were all aware of what the task involved and should have had plenty of time to procure their own clothing," Minerva said, although her heart wasn't in it.
now the water was over his knees ... jeering from the Slytherins...
The Slytherins in the chamber blushed. They hadn't been very kind to Potter that year. Or any year actually.
Then, quite suddenly, ... he flung himself forward into the water.
"Good," Severus said with a sigh. "It's not the most pleasant experience but it is quite effective."
The first gulp of icy lake ... he had sprouted flippers.
"Quite effective?" Sirius asked, leaning into Severus's side, chuckling lightly.
The water didn't feel icy ... dived into its depths.
Even those that had attended the second task were paying avid attention. They hadn't seen anything at all during that task. It had been pretty dull as a result.
Silence pressed upon his ears ... nor, thankfully, the giant squid.
"The Giant Squid would probably have loved to see you," Albus said. "He's very friendly."
Light green weed ... grabbed hold of his ankle.
Sirius sat forward, tightly gripping Severus's hand.
Harry twisted his body ... except that no sound came out...
"This is completely inappropriate," Remus said. "How can you expect a child who has not learned silent casting to perform spells underwater?"
A large bubble issued ... boiling water,
"Well, that will work," Remus said with a small smile.
for where it struck them, ... her thick, pearly glasses.
"That ghost is so strange," Cedric said.
"Myrtle!" ... Moaning Myrtle actually giggled.
Several people gaped in surprise. "Myrtle has a bit of a crush on Harry," Hermione said.
"Not any more," Harry said darkly. "Not since sixth year."
Draco frowned at that. He was pretty sure he knew why.
"You want to try over there!" ... might be lurking there.
"Very wise," Remus said.