Chapter 10 - The Second Task
"Have either of you seen, Regulus?" James questioned as they met by the dock.
The sky was overcast and it was slightly chilly for the outfits the champions wore.
James and Jacques were in sleeveless shirts in their respective colors- with their school emblems on the shoulder- and swimming trunks.
Evangeliya had, finally, picked a bathing suit- after much debate- going with the white floral one that had ruffled straps.
Of course she would've look gorgeous in anything she wore, but that was just her natural charm.
"No, I haven't see Ivan either. He usually wakes me up in the mornings, but he never showed- wasn't in his room either." Eva explained worriedly.
"Claudette didn't show up to breakfast this morning. She always goes on about how Breakfast is the most important meal of the day- this is so unlike her." Jacques quipped.
A bad feeling hung over James, something wasn't right.
"People?! Are you joking?! They put people under there?!"
James snapped that way.
A group of kids talking as they waited by the docks.
James quickly walked over to them, Jac and Eva in tow.
"What?" James questioned.
"I heard they've stashed people underwater." The one boy spoke up.
James swallowed hesitantly as his blood ran cold, "Do you know who?"
"No." The boy said apologetically.
James ran his hand through his hair as he moved away from the group of boys.
"Oh god", James muttered as he paced in front of Jac and Eva, "People. Not objects- they put the people we'd miss the most."
"That's barbaric!" Jacques spat.
"He can't swim. He can't swim!" James cried as he dragged his hand down his face.
"Okay, okay", Eva started as her voice cracked unconfidently, "Let's be rational. We have an hour to find them- I'm sure they'll be safe as long as we get to them fast and efficiently."
"We have to get to the Merpeople's village. That's where they'll be." Jacques explained.
The three walked up to the edge of the dock, James' eyes traveling back towards his friends as Peter waved at him.
James quickly downed the potion as he discarded the bottle.
"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." Dumbledore started, pausing before a whistle rung through the air.
James dove into the freezing cold water, speeding up his heart rate as he did so.
He looked down at his fingers that'd webbed and brought them to his neck where gilds had formed.
He swiveled his head to his right where Eva had casted a Bubble-Head Charm, before his left where Jac had transfigured into a merman- with a tail and gills.
James nodded before they all took off.
James kicked his webbed feet behind him- losing the others in the maze of kelp.
James had one goal in mind- he had to find Regulus.
Above the shore, students were clueless to what occurred under the waters surface.
Instead, betting went on and the circulation of information was traded from person to person.
"Did you hear? They've put people down there." Lily quizzed as she situated herself by Remus.
"People?" Remus questioned.
"Yeah, they've probably all took a magically anesthesia. Walburga used to give it to Regulus as a baby so he'd stop crying- developed quite a tolerance for it", Sirius explained, "Would take quite a lot to keep him down now-a-days."
Remus froze at Sirius' oblivious words, "You're kidding. Tell me you're kidding."
"Speaking of Regulus, have you seen him? I've been looking for him all morning." Lily continued also oblivious.
Sirius ignored her, furrowing his eyebrows at his boyfriend, "Why would I be kidding? I personally wrote it on every single one of his medical files."
"Haven't seen him since dinner", Peter answered Lily, "Who do you reckon is under there for James?"
Lily's eyes went wide as it clicked, "Oh god! This is bad! How- how did they let it get this bad?!"
"What? What's going on?", Sirius quizzed as Lily shared the same look as Remus, "What aren't you telling me?"
"Maybe- maybe they gave him a higher dose. Maybe, it'll be okay." Remus suggested hopefully.
"What happens if he wakes up, Remus?" Lily cried.
"He drowns." Remus said with fear drawn across his face.
Logically, Regulus was more than a hundred feet underwater, if he were to wake up- being the terrible swimmer he was- the chances of him getting to the surface in one piece was less then likely.
Those odds did not sit well with Remus.
"Who drowns?!" Sirius spat.
"Regulus." Remus muttered rubbing his temples.
"Regulus is down there?!" Sirius spat, "For who? That Durmstrang girl?"
Remus didn't say anything, Sirius taking that as a no.
"Really? For the Beauxbatons bloke?" Sirius quizzed.
Even Peter had caught on at this point as everyone stayed silent.
"For James?", Sirius muttered in disbelief, "Why- why is my brother down there for James?"
"I think you should wait to talk to James." Lily suggested sympathetically.
The groups sat in silence all filled with guilt and dread as the task dragged on.
***
Regulus felt like he was floating.
It was quiet- not a single sound- almost too quiet for his liking.
Regulus couldn't recall what'd happened, his mind fuzzy.
He inhaled through his nose before quickly blowing outwards- the burning of water up his nose sending his eyes shooting open.
He could see kelp and sand, he turned to his left to see Ivan and Claudette unconscious their hair floating in the water.
Regulus pushed himself upwards as his head began begging for air.
He was stopped by a thick chain around his ankle.
He frantically trying to break it by thrashing around. He reached for his ankle desperately clawing for its release.
He looked around- not a single thing in sight that'd help him break free.
This was it.
This was how he was going to go.
He couldn't tell if he was crying because of the water around him, but he figured he was.
He'd royally screwed up and this was his karma.
His head screamed for oxygen- begging him, pleading for him to keep fighting.
He tried squeezing his ankle from the ring, but even with his twigs for legs he was unsuccessful.
There was a movement and suddenly before him was those ridiculous round glasses.
James broke the chain grabbing Regulus before swimming upwards.
Regulus gasped desperately as they hit the surface. Oxygen filling his burning lungs.
Regulus clung to James as the boy swam them towards the docks.
He pushed Regulus upwards before climbing out of the water himself.
People draped towels over them as Regulus rammed into James' chest.
James threaded a hand through the boys hair and another around his back as he held him close, unwilling to let go as the boy sobbed into his chest.
Eva, Ivan, Jac, and Claudette all made their way onto the dock shivering as the received towels.
"Are you crazy?! He could've died!"
Sirius' voice was heard across the silent dock.
Jac and Eva were quick to join him.
"I assure you they were all safe and unconscious under the magical anesthesia-" McGonagall started.
"He has an anesthesia tolerance! Did you not do your research?! I personally wrote it on every one of his files, if you'd just looked!" Sirius cried frustratedly.
"My brothers a Hemophiliac! One cut and he could've bled out- you put them all in danger!" Evangeliya spat.
Ivan pulled Claudette closer as she itched like crazy. Her shellfish allergy, working against her in the worst ways.
Remus and Lily joined beside James as Regulus pulled away, sniffling.
Lily pulled the curly-haired boy closed as he rested his head on her shoulder.
"The judges have scored the champions. In first is James with 47 points and tied for second is Jacques and Evangeliya with 45 points." Dumbledore announced as the students began departing.
Regulus didn't even get to talk to Claudette or Ivan before Madam Pomfrey dragged the couple away.
Soon it was just James, Remus, Regulus, and Lily.
Sirius had appeared from thin air, disheveled after being thrown through the loop.
"You have two seconds to explain what the hell is going on." Sirius spat.
"Sirius-" James started.
"The truth, James. I want the truth." Sirius muttered.
James bit his lip anxiously, "Regulus and I are together."
"How long?" Sirius quizzed, the look in his eye was distant and cold.
"More than a year." James admitted as he lowered his head like a child that'd been caught in a lie.
"How could you? You-you've been lying- to my face!" Sirius spat.
"I know I'm sorry, I just-" James started.
"Didn't want me to react badly?", Sirius finished, "Of course I'd act badly- he's my baby brother!"
"That's not fair-" James muttered.
"Not fair? Not fair?! You've been f-fucking my brother behind my back!" Sirius cried.
"I'm so sorry, Pads, I'm really sorry." James pleaded with the boy.
"I don't even know who you are anymore. What else have you been keeping from me?" Sirius sneered.
"Sirius-" Regulus stepped in.
"And you!" Sirius growled pointing his finger at Regulus, "You couldn't keep your grimy little paws to yourself. It had to be my best friend. You are a poison- you ruin everything you touch. I can never rid myself of you!"
Regulus' breaths staggered uncontrollably.
That was a new one- one Regulus hadn't built up a shield for.
Lily pulled him into her once again, in a protective way, as she glared at Sirius- disgusted by his words.
Even Remus was speechless. Sirius had said a lot of shitty things to Regulus, but Remus was almost positive this triumphed it all.
Sirius snapped around before storming off.
"Sirius wait!" James cried as he moved to chase after him.
"James?!" Lily quizzed in disbelief, wondering if James was really about to leave Regulus- a sobbing mess- to chase after Sirius.
Regulus turned just enough to for his eyes to meet James'.
And then he does it.
Regulus never thought he would, never thought it would come down to this.
James was off- disappearing in Sirius' direction.
He chose Sirius.
He would always choose Sirius.
And Regulus was a fool to think otherwise.