The Second Task
‘There he is! I’m going to talk to him quickly -’
Remus and Sirius had arrived back at Hogwarts in time to find seats in the large stands that had been constructed along the edge of the lake, and had been waiting anxiously for Harry to appear. Sirius had just spotted him, hovering behind the golden judges’ table, at which sat the heads of the three schools, Bagman, and Percy Weasley. There was still no sign of Crouch. Remus might have thought he’d imagined seeing his name on the map the night before, if Sirius hadn’t seen it too.
He rose, leaving his scarf across their seats to reserve them, and followed Sirius down the stairs to where he was now leaning across the barrier, talking animatedly to Harry.
‘Listen,’ Sirius was saying, ‘It might freak you out when you see them, but just grab Ron and come back. They’re in no danger, I heard Professor McGonagall explain it all last night -’
‘But you just said Hermione’s down there too!’
‘She’s absolutely fine,’ Sirius repeated, his hands on Harry’s shoulders, ‘Honestly - just do what you’ve been told. Bubble-head, swim down there, grab Ron, swim back. Nothing more, in and out in under an hour,’ he gestured towards the enormous golden clock that sat beside the judges table.
Harry nodded, eyes wide, biting his lip viciously. He glanced up at Remus who did his best to arrange his face in a reassuring expression.
‘Sirius is right,’ he said, loudly, so he could be heard over Bagman, whose voice was now booming across the stands, ‘In and out. Sooner we see you back on the surface the better.’
Harry nodded again as a whistle blew behind him, and they watched from the barrier as he turned and took his place alongside Cedric. Remus could feel the nerves in his stomach curdling his morning coffee and took a deep breath.
‘Come on,’ Sirius hissed as Harry aimed his wand at his own head, ‘Yes! Brillant.’
A shining thread emerged from the end of Harry’s wand, slowly forming a perfect orb around his head. He shoved his wand into the holster on his arm and walked forwards, determinedly into the lake, disappearing gradually from view with each step. Sirius stayed, pressed against the barrier, the knuckles on both hands white where they gripped the bar, eyes fixed on the water. All four champions had now vanished below the murky surface and Bagman had climbed onto a wooden platform in front of the stands, his wand pointed at a huge shimmering circle hanging in the air above him.
‘Ladies and gentlemen!’ he called in his amplified voice, ‘The second task has now begun! Please turn your attention to our eyes beneath the water, our portal to the deep!’
An image was coming into focus, the murky green of the lake water growing dark against the pale grey sky. Remus and Sirius made it back to their seats just in time to watch Harry as he swam past whatever was transmitting the image: his dark hair within the bubble strangely still beside the wafting weeds that grew thick around him.
‘Swimming looking strong,’ Remus murmured as Sirius squinted up at the image, which now showed Cedric, swimming through an equally non-descript section of lake, his own head also encased in a translucent sphere. The screen changed again, this time showing Fleur, and then again to Krum, his head transfigured crudely into that of a shark.
‘Blimey, he’s a strong swimmer,’ Remus said, ‘Looks like he really has been swimming lengths in the lake every morning.’
‘Quite impressive transfiguration as well,’ said Sirius, ‘If a bit disturbing.’
‘Aaand it looks like Potter has met his first obstacle -’ Bagman’s voice echoed across the stands as they squinted up at the picture hovering in the brightening sky. Harry was twisting violently, surrounded by thick green weed - his ankle caught on something -
‘A grindylow,’ Remus almost laughed with relief, ‘It’s fine, he knows what to do.’
There was a collective gasp from the crowd as more grindylows appeared, long fingers tangled in Harry’s robes. He reached for his wand, firing jets of water towards them and suddenly they had released him, huge eyes reproachful as they retreated back into the mud.
‘Impressive work from our youngest Champion!’ Bagman crowed and Remus felt Sirius exhale heavily beside him.
‘You teach him that?’ he asked after a beat.
‘Yeah,’ Remus replied, smiling slightly at a memory of Harry peering curiously through the tank at the grindylow in his classroom the year before.
The picture had changed again - Cedric this time, tangled in some heavy weed, trying to kick away the plimpy that were nibbling at his toes.
‘Here we go,’ Sirius grunted as the image shifted once more, showing a cluster of crude stone dwellings, with algae growing thickly across them. Remus glanced at the clock - more than half an hour had passed. He could feel the anxiety pooling in the pit of his stomach. The Merpeople weren’t generally known for their hospitality. The silhouettes of the Champions were beginning to emerge from the gloom as they approached the mer-village, none of them immediately recognisable -
‘He’s in front!’ Sirius shouted, suddenly, pointed up at the image. Harry was indeed leading the pack, swimming confidently downwards towards the village. Merpeople were emerging from their homes, their wild green hair moving around their pale grey faces as they lined the passageways between the buildings, waiting for the champions to pass. The image in the sky showed Harry from behind now, swimming away towards an opening between the houses, a crowd of merpeople visible in the distance ahead of him.
‘He’s there, this has got to be it,’ Remus whispered, half to himself as Bagman’s voice continued to boom across the stands. The image shifted again, showing Cedric now, passing through the outskirts of the village, nodding respectfully to the Merfolk, who stood, expressionless, clutching at their spears. Beside him, Sirius was visibly trembling, rubbing his palms irritably on his thighs, trying to still the shake in his hands. The picture changed once more: this time the crowd in focus - it was a choir, mouths opening and shutting as they sang, no sound audible from where they were above ground. Behind them a huge statue of a merperson towered towards the surface, four figures bound tightly to its tail. The sight of them was highly disturbing: eyes closed, deathly pale, heads lolling on their chests, the only sign of life, the fine streams of bubbles coming from their noses. Remus clenched his fists, praying Harry would keep his focus when he saw them, doubting that he could have at fourteen. As he thought it, Harry appeared, a close up of his face showing his shock at the sight of his unconscious friends. He swam fast, arms and legs moving furiously as he hurried towards them, tugging fruitlessly at the thick weed that tied them to the statue.
‘Cut it -’ Sirius hissed as Harry approached a Merman, gesturing to his spear, ‘Use your wand - what are you doing? Diffindo, diffindo -’
Harry was looking frantically around himself, clearly panicking. He dived suddenly towards the lake bottom, searching through the rocks that littered the ground.
‘What is he doing?’ Sirius hissed, ‘He’s got a wand strapped to his arm!’
Harry had found what he was looking for, snatching up a large sharp rock and returning to the statue, hacking viciously at the weed. The image changed again and Sirius snarled in frustration. Krum had now reached the outskirts of the village, his oversized shark head turning awkwardly as he looked around. It switched again, showing Harry once more, Ron almost free of his bindings. Harry pulled him close, gripping him tightly as he looked around, eyes wide, and then back at Hermione.
‘Leave!’ Remus said, involuntarily, clapping his hand over his own mouth as he did it. He lowered his hand, finding red welts running along his fingers where he had been gripping the underside of his seat. Gently he opened and closed his fists, not stopping to watch as the blood returned colour to his fingertips. Harry was still visible, hesitating, Ron clutched under one arm. He made a move towards Hermione and a Merperson surged forwards, pushing him back. There were ten minutes left.
‘Come on!’ Sirius shouted, his voice an even mixture of frustration and panic. As if he had heard him, Harry glanced suddenly upwards, towards the surface, and then back, giving Hermione one last painful look, before kicking out, propelling himself upwards, away from the hostages, away from the Mervillage.
Sirius exhaled noisily and Remus closed his eyes in relief. Cedric was the focus of the picture now, using a knife to cut swiftly through the bonds that held Cho, pulling her free and heading immediately up and out of sight. Sirius rose, heading back down the stands, taking the steps two at a time, leaning over the barrier and staring once more at the surface of the lake. Remus found that he couldn’t move, and remained, eyes fixed on the screen as Krum reached the statue, snapping awkwardly at the weed with his shark teeth, eventually succeeding in releasing Hermione, hauling her lifeless body across his shoulder as he swam away. Just the young girl was left - Fleur’s sister, Remus supposed, her small pale face, glowing in the murkiness of the lake.
He was distracted by a sudden splashing sound, and looked down to see Harry emerging from the water. The crowd erupted, shouting and screaming and stomping their feet. Ron was sitting in the shallows, rubbing his eyes and blinking up at the bright sky. Sirius was shouting something that Remus couldn’t make out, gesturing wildly for Harry to come towards him. Bagman’s amplified voice was reverberating across the stands and Remus blinked hard, trying to focus, trying to get himself out of his seat and down the steps towards him. The image on the screen remained unchanged: where was Fleur? The enormous clock chimed. The hour was up.
‘You alright there, Lupin?’
Remus jumped slightly, tearing his eyes away from Harry who was now hauling Ron to his feet and wading towards the shore. Moody had taken Sirius' seat, his beady eye trained on Remus, his magical one facing the lake.
‘Impressive display from Potter. Should put him in the lead I reckon.’
Remus nodded dumbly and looked back down the stands, Harry had reached the barrier and was leaning on it as Sirius held him by the shoulders, examining him carefully.
‘Assume you taught him that perfect bubble-head. Very nice. Very helpful having you two around isn't it?’ Moody laughed gruffly, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a hip flask.
Remus watched him take a swig. Moody was even more intimidating up-close. His scarred face was wrinkled in some places, stretched in others. As Remus stared, the dark hole where his nose used to be gaped and moved, almost as if it was growing -
The crowd roared again and he turned back to the lake - not Cedric as Remus had expected, but Fleur, bedraggled and furious, behind pushed towards the shore by a green-haired Merperson. She was shouting and trying to turn back towards the water as Madame Maxime hurried to the edge of the lake. The image in the sky had vanished, just a light shimmering remained where the edges of the circle had been.
‘Hope they get that little girl out alive,’ Moody grunted and laughed again.
‘I’m sure,’ Remus muttered, his feet finally unrooting and allowing him to stand. ‘See you, Alastor.’ He headed down the steps to where Sirius stood with Harry and Ron, all three now turned towards the water. Fleur was now shouting at Madame Maxime, in a torrent of angry French. Sirius was looking utterly amused.
‘Don’t,’ Remus nudged him with an elbow as he reached forwards to give Harry a hug, ‘She’s terrified.’
‘She just called her headmistress a “heartless bitch”,’ Sirius snorted, ‘Reckon they still put Champions in detention?’
Cedric and Cho appeared next, their arrival slightly overshadowed by the drama on the shore.
‘Come on Krum,’ Ron said loudly, his teeth gritted, ‘Where the hell are they? What is taking him so long?’
‘He was right behind Cedric, he'll be here any second,’ Remus said, hoping he was right - and he was, moments later when Viktor appeared, Hermione in his arms, looking like she wasn't sure if she wanted to get down or stay there forever.
‘What’s he doing that for?’ Ron said, ‘Can’t she walk?’
‘Disappointed I didn’t carry you out like that?’ Harry said, grinning at his friend.
‘What - no - I'm just saying -’
Ron was cut off by a scream and then a cry of ‘Gabrielle!’ as Fleur rushed past them, back into the shallows where a Merwoman had appeared with her sister. She pulled Gabrielle to her and hugged her tightly, thanking the Merwoman profusely. She nodded at her formally, as Dumbledore approached them, directing Fleur back towards the golden table and bowing low to speak to the Merwoman. Remus watched as the two girls waded back to the shore, arms around each other. Fleur was still pale, shivering now in the February air, her wet robes sticking to her skin, blood seeping slowly from cuts on her face and arms. Gabrielle was peering up at the crowd, eyes wide, as if she had no idea what she had walked into.
Poppy appeared suddenly beside them, Remus so distracted he hadn’t seen her approach. She smiled fondly at him cupping his face with her hand for just a moment before turning to Sirius.
‘Sorry Mr Black, these two need to come with me now,’ she said sternly, placing a firm hand on each of Harry and Ron’s shoulders and steering them towards the white tent that had been erected behind the judges’ table.
‘Wait - Poppy!’ Sirius called after her, ‘Why is she always so nice to you and I just get bossed about?’
‘Think she might feel sorry for me,’ Remus shrugged, his face still warm where she had touched it. He sort of wished she’d given him a hug as well. ‘C’mon let’s go and sit down for the scores.’
The judges were huddled together at the golden table, conferring. Harry had reappeared alongside the others lined up in front of the audience, now wrapped in a scarlet blanket. Ron and Hermione were standing either side of him and Remus watched as they both turned to him, Hermione taking his hand, Ron slapping him on the back. It gave him a warm feeling, releasing a tiny amount of the tension that had built up during the task.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our decision!’ Bagman was back, voice echoing across the stands, ‘Merchieftainess 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… Fleur Delacour, 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.’
There was applause from the stands as Fleur hugged her sister again and shook her head.
‘Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of Transfiguration, which was nevertheless effective, and was third to return with his hostage, five minutes outside the time limit of an hour. We award him thirty-five points.’
Remus glanced at Karkaroff who was clapping hard behind the table, eyeing both Harry and Cedric with a look of disdain.
‘Cedric Diggory, who also used the Bubble-Head Charm, and was second to return with his hostage, though he returned one minute outside the time limit of an hour, we award forty points!’
Enormous cheers erupted from the stands, most of the Hogwarts students rising to their feet and clapping, hands above their heads. Cedric was beaming, his arm round Cho.
‘And finally,’ Bagman boomed, ‘With another excellent use of the Bubble-Head Charm, Harry Potter, who returned first and with seconds to spare, we award forty-five points!’
The crowd went wild again, and Remus caught Harry’s grin, just before he disappeared behind the hug Hermione gave him. Sirius was on his feet, shouting over the din. Remus smiled up at him, he knew it was mostly relief, but it was lovely to see some of it was pride and excitement. The stone in his stomach had started to break apart, little pieces of it dissolving entirely, making him feel gradually lighter…
‘He’s in first place,’ said a gruff voice in his ear, ‘Fancy that.’
Remus looked to his right. Moody was back, his face in a strange kind of smile.
‘Is he?’ Remus replied.
‘Who’d have thought?’
*
They’d sat around in the stands for a while, waiting for the crowd to filter out. The Scottish sun was fully up now, as much as it ever rose in late February, and the light glittered prettily on the surface of the lake. They had said another goodbye and well done to Harry, his friends dragging him off for what Remus assumed would be a pretty good party in the common room, and both breathed a synchronous sigh of relief at the completion of another task.
‘One to go,’ Remus said, reaching for Sirius’ hand and bringing it to his lips, ‘Just one more.’
‘What was Moody whispering in your ear just then?’ Sirius asked, squeezing Remus’ hand in return.
‘Mmm?’
‘Just then, when they announced the marks, Moody was lurking about.’
‘Oh, something about Harry being in first place,’ Remus said, lowering his hand to his lap, but keeping hold of Sirius’, ‘He was here just after Harry got out as well, saying something about us helping him -’
‘Saying what? It was him that was helping him loads with the broomstick -’ Sirius’ brow furrowed, ‘What’s his problem now?’
‘Yeah I don’t know. I think he was saying it was a good thing? It was a bit odd to be honest.’
Sirius turned back to the lake, pulling his hand free and resting his chin on it, elbow on his knee.
‘You got the map?’
‘Of course -’
Remus pulled it from his pocket and handed it over. Sirius tapped it lightly with his wand and unfolded it, layer by layer.
‘He’s back in his office,’ he said, ‘I want to talk to him - he obviously knows something, all these little jibes about the tasks. Let’s go and find him - find out what is happening with the next one, get ahead of things.’
‘I don’t know, Pads. Maybe we leave it for today - wouldn’t it be nice to just go back to the pub and -’
‘No, we’re here, let’s go. Otherwise I won’t be able to stop thinking about it.’
Remus nodded, slightly taken aback by Sirius’ candour.
‘Alright then,’ he said, ‘Let’s go.’
They made their way gradually through the stands, passing the last of the stragglers who had been watching the task. They wandered along the edge of the lake, past the Durmstrang ship and up the grassy slope towards the castle. They let themselves in through the door by the changing rooms, Remus thinking lazily of all the times he had met Sirius here after Quidditch matches, and slowly up the stairs to the third floor.
‘I won’t mind a rest from trawling around this place,’ Sirius said, slightly out of breath as they reached the right corridor, ‘I swear these staircases get longer every time we climb them.’
‘We’re just getting old,’ Remus said, skipping up the last few steps and turning back to smile at Sirius. Almost all of his earlier panic had now dissipated and he held his hand out, pulling Sirius to the top of the stairs and in close.
‘Speak for yourself,’ Sirius murmured into his shoulder. ‘Let’s get this done and then we can go-’
They made their way along the corridor and knocked sharply on the door of the Defence classroom. There was no answer.
‘Huh - ‘ Sirius said, unfolding the map again, ‘He’s in there -’
He knocked again, loudly, and was met with silence.
‘Maybe he’s in his room and can’t hear -’ Remus suggested, unlatching the classroom door and peering in from the doorway.
‘Alastor?’ Sirius called, loudly, crossing the classroom to the door behind the teachers’ desk, ‘You there? Need a word.’ He knocked smartly on the second door - again, no answer.
‘You think he’s alright?’
‘Alastor!’ Sirius called again, glancing down at the map, ‘He’s right here - think something’s happened?’
Remus stared at the door, and over Sirius’ shoulder at the map.
‘Think we should take a look?’
‘He might need help,’ Sirius replied, wand already at the lock.
The door clicked open, and they looked around the room. It was much the same as Remus had kept it - the furniture all in place: a large trunk stood at the foot of the neatly made bed and the kettle sat on the stove. The desk was different - instead of the piles of books Remus had kept, hundreds of tiny instruments littered its surface. Remus recognised some of them from the dresser in Moody’s kitchen. Shadows moved in the foe-glass that stood in the centre of the table, and Remus moved forward, trying to make them out -
‘Where is he?’ Sirius said as he emerged from the bathroom, pulling Remus’ attention away from the desk, ‘The map says he’s right here?’
Remus took the parchment from Sirius, holding it up to the light that filtered through the tiny window above the couch. Alastor Moody’s name was indeed hovering where they stood, almost obscured by their own, squeezed tightly into the same spot.
‘Alastor?’ Sirius said loudly, ‘Show yourself!’
Nothing. They looked at each other, Remus sure his own expression as puzzled as the one he observed on Sirius’ face.
‘Homenum Revelio,’ Remus said, waving his wand slightly randomly across the room, not really expecting to find -
A white glow appeared suddenly around the trunk. Remus looked at Sirius, and they moved together, kneeling before it and examining it closely. It was locked, seven keyholes visible along its front. Remus ran his hands along the sides of it, as Sirius turned, opening and closing desk drawers, looking for keys.
‘Surely he’ll have the key on him,’ Remus muttered, not turning around.
‘You can’t lock yourself in a trunk if the key is in there with you -’ Sirius replied, opening another drawer.
‘You can’t lock yourself in a trunk if the keyhole is on the outside -’ Remus said, turning and meeting Sirius’ eye, ‘Wait - what? What?’
He turned back, tapping the trunk firmly with his wand. He felt the lock click, but not turn all the way over as he cast his spell.
‘There’s a block on it,’ he said, ‘Come and help me, try both at the same time.’
They cast again, saying the charm aloud this time and the lock turned. Remus lifted the lid, revealing a mass of spellbooks.
‘We’re going to to have to do them all,’ he muttered, ‘Maybe just close the door -’
Sirius pushed the office door to with his foot and returned to the trunk. ‘Again?’
‘Alohomora,’ they said again in unison. The lock clicked, Remus lifted the lid - this time it contained an assortment of broken instruments, quills and parchment. They repeated the process again, and again and again until -
‘What the fuck?’ Sirius whispered as they pushed back the lid for a seventh time. The trunk opened, revealing some kind of underground room, somehow deep below the level of the floor the trunk was sitting on. Steps led down from the rim of the opening, and they peered downwards, through the gloom.
‘There’s someone down there,’ Remus breathed, as he clambered over the side of the trunk and down the steps. A figure lay curled on the ground, his cheeks gaunt, chunks of hair missing from his bruised scalp. Remus looked up, finding Sirius’ pale face leaning over the side of the trunk.
‘It’s him,’ he called, ‘It’s Moody.’
‘What’s he doing down there?’ Sirius called back, ‘Weird place to take a nap-’
‘He’s not asleep,’ Remus said, waving his wand gently across his body, ‘Stunned I think - and - he - he’s been down here a while,’ Remus paused, reaching over and gently lifting his right eyelid, ‘His eye’s missing - and his leg -’
‘A while?’ Sirius repeated, ‘As in longer than half an hour?’
‘Yes longer than half an hour,’ Remus replied, ‘Months I’d guess.’
‘Months?’
‘Yes, Sirius.’ The stone in Remus’ stomach had returned, and his chest was starting to feel tight. He looked up at Sirius again, whose brow was furrowed with confusion and concern.
‘Then who’s been up here?’
‘Exactly.’