Fleur angrily made her way towards the champion's tent (which currently sat by the edge of the Great Lake) having just said farewell to her parents. It turned out that her guess had been accurate; Gabrielle was indeed her hostage, and was currently residing somewhere at the bottom of the Great Lake.
Try as she might, she was currently roving very unsuccessful in her attempts to hide her anger. If one were to truly look closely at her, they would notice a distinct avian appearance to her features. It was something that only happened when a Veela was immensely upset, clearly indicating how Fleur felt about her sister being taken hostage.
Not that anyone would notice that. Yes, almost everyone would 'look closely at her' as she passed them, but not in the way necessary for them to notice the small changes.
Fleur quickly cast a Disillusionment Charm over herself, in absolutely no mood to deal with the hoards of witches and wizards who would be fawning over her (or just about anything else, really). Although she had a feeling that the several Ministries of Magic would not allow her little sister to perish during the task, she was not willing to trust them; she was still a Veela, something that many British Purebloods felt was a crime worthy of death.
Once she had entered the Champions Tent, Fleur hastily dispelled her disillusionment. She sat on one of the many seats, waiting impatiently for the start of the task. Krum and Diggory both looked up as she entered, clearly having felt her presence, although neither did anything overly foolish. The each nodded respectfully towards her (an action made rather odd due to the way they both seemingly avoided looking anywhere near her) before turning their attention elsewhere.
Rolling he eyes, Fleur quickly made sure that the robes she currently wore covered her fully. She despised that she had been forced to wear a swimsuit, particularly due to the fact that millions would be able to see her.
Thankfully for her, it was a single-piece bathing suit. She had initially been sent a two-piece suit to wear, but Madame Maxime had absolutely put her foot down (something she was immensely grateful for). It still displayed a bit more than Fleur would have liked, but it would have to do. After all, there were much more pressing issues for her to worry about at the moment.
Just breathe.
Fleur's emotions were currently a mix of nervousness, fear, and anger. The fact remained that she had not been in water for as long as she could remember, regardless of having spent so much time around it.
At the Delacour Chateaux in France, the Beauxbatons Castle, and even here at Hogwarts, Fleur had spent a majority of time by the sides of their respective bodies of water. It was rapidly becoming a quirk of hers, one that she enjoyed quite a bit. Right now, however, she despised the water. It was holding her sister hostage, something she did not appreciate in the slightest.
A soft fluttering noise attracted her attention, causing her (as well as Diggory and Krum) to look up. Bagman and Crouch hastily entered the tent, the former looking around wildly. Just as Bagman opened, seemingly about to speak, the flap of the tent opened once more, revealing Harry Potter.
Fleur's body froze entirely, her eyes widening. She had been so busy worrying about her little sister that she had finally forgotten about what had happened with Harry. Now, however, the emotions were returning with full force. She forced herself not to look at him, unwilling to be so lost in emotions at such a critical time. If the way he moved his face into the opposite direction was any indicator, he was going through something rather similar to her.
Just breathe. In and out, inhale, exhale -
"Very well!" exclaimed Bagman happily, interrupting Fleur's trail of thoughts, "All four champions are now here, excellent! Now, you all know what is being asked of you, yes?"
The four champions nodded slowly, each in rather strange manors. Krum, Diggory, and Harry were all looking as far away from Fleur as they possibly could (the latter for different reasons than the former two), whilst Fleur herself was determined to not look anywhere in the direction of the youngest champion. Given that the tent was not particularly large, their actions made them all appear a little too interested in the walls that surrounded them.
Bagman, however, did not seem to notice, as he continued to speak.
"Brilliant! Anything else you might need to know will be said as we address the Recorder Glasses and the audience!"
With that, Bagman led the way out of the tent, bringing Mr. Crouch and the four champions down to the lakeside. The portion of the shore they had stopped at was within 50 metres of Fleur and Harry's spot, something which Fleur couldn't help but suddenly remember. Harry seemed to have realised as well; he seemingly choked on air, muttering a quick apology when the five others turned to face him.
The group continued onward, slowly but surely making their way towards the stands. The stands (which comprised of as three tall, wooden towers) had somehow been placed at the center of the Great Lake, with bridges connecting them to one another in a line. The last of the three towers had a bridge connecting it to the shore just a few dozen metres from where they now stood. Floating in the sky, directly in front of the three towers was one giant Recorder Glass, seemingly made up of five smaller screens. Four portions of the glass were likely to be connected to orbs that would follow them, the last one possibly staying with the judges.
A few last minute stragglers were making their way across the bridge, most of whom appeared to be reporters of some kind. The four champions all sighed quietly in relief upon realising that they were not yet close enough to the bridge to be noticed; they all were slightly more concerned with their hostages being submerged under the lake, and, for two of them, the sudden presence of the other.
Once the last of the audience had made their way across the bridge, Mr. Crouch led the group onward. They continued through an empty portion of the bridge, eventually stopping at the bottom of the middle tower. Here they found the remaining three judges, Madam Bones, a small group of Aurors, and a group of ministry workers who were examining the five orbs.
Harry was not all too surprised at the glare Madame Maxime had sent his way, considering that he had been on the receiving end of it before. But the glare was now different; it was harsher, yet at the same time, it was more gentle. Harry wasn't entirely sure how else to explain it, for trying to explain it in simpler terms would only confuse him further.
Four of the judges took their seats at the table facing the lake, Bagman instead turning towards the ministry workers. One of them quickly sent him a thumbs up, causing him to turn back to face the four champions.
"Remember to pay attention to what I say." he reminded them in an excited voice, "Are you all ready?"
The four champions all straightened up, nodding their heads seriously. Bagman made his way over to the front platform within the private portion of the wooden tower. The five orbs all floated towards him, zooming in on where he stood (though they were not connected to their respective glasses just yet).
"You may remove your robes." said Madam Bones with a nod towards the champions, each of them doing so. The male swimming uniforms all included a swim shirt and trunks, something Harry was slightly annoyed by. He was fairly certain the swim shirt would hinder his movements, which would already be slowed underwater. His annoyance, however, was diminished thanks to what wearing a shirt implied. While he was not particularly self conscious about his body (as training with Salazar had helped him a fair bit), he would rather not be seen shirtless by millions.
"Brilliant, I do believe we can go live!" exclaimed Bagman as Harry turned to observe his fellow champions. Fleur certainly looked annoyed at the clothing she was required to wear, something that did not surprise Harry. Even with her upset expression Fleur was beautiful beyond comprehension - something which Harry could truthfully say had nothing to do with her allure.
Not that I can feel it, anyway.
It was something that greatly puzzled Harry. Why could he not feel her allure? Well, he actually could feel it, but why didn't it affect him? He could feel the allure, yet it did not grab out towards him like it did the others, instead allowing him to gaze without hinderance. Harry was sure that, if it truly wished to, Fleur's allure could ensnare him with relative ease - even Dumbledore (who Harry knew to be more powerful than he currently was), had minor issues with the Fleur's allure. So why did it leave him be?
It was something Harry had researched a fair bit during the weeks leading up to the second task. Yet despite how hard Harry searched, the Hogwarts library provided him with little to nothing. The British Purebloods did not seem particularly interested in the powers of the Veela, believing them to be subservient to their own.
Which makes no sense. They're literally witches with extra abilities. How could the possibly be considered subservient?
Not that the British Purebloods were famed for their critical thinking, of course.
Harry was even more ticked off by the fact that Salazar, without a doubt, knew exactly why Harry was inexplicably immune to the allure of the Veela. The portrait, however, had refused to tell Harry, an annoying smile making its way onto Salazar's face whenever Harry brought it up. Harry had tried for days to coax it out of him, although he hastily gave up after Salazar eventually banned him from the chamber for half a day.
Harry shook his head, turning to watch the audience. The crowd roared with excitement, each witch and wizard talking excitedly to their neighbor.
They're certainly a lot more excited than I am.
"One moment Ludo, one moment." interrupted Mr. Crouch, turning towards the champions, "As you may recognize the other hostages, we will inform you which is yours, to alleviate any confusion."
The four champions all nodded, none more vigorously than Harry. He was not yet sure who his hostage was, as the only person he truly cared for was standing mere feet away from him. He had assumed it was Hermione; Harry had not seen her since morning, nor while making it over to where he now stood. The fact that he had spotted just about every Hogwarts student he recognised only bolstered this assumption.
Still, Harry knew that Krum was at least fairly close to her, so he was not entirely sure how accurate his guess was. If Hermione truly was not his hostage, Harry was rather interested in finding out who it would be.
"Mr. Diggory, your hostage is Miss Chang." said Mr. Crouch, causing the Hufflepuff head to nod in acknowledgement, hastily wiping his hands over his swimming trunks.
"Miss Delacour, your hostage is your younger sister, Gabrielle Delacour."
Harry winced as he heard who Fleur's hostage was. Sure enough, the girl's eyes had a distinct avian look to them, something he had seen during his fight with her several days ago. He knew very well how dearly Fleur loved her sister, and could not help but feel sorry for his companion of sorts.
Former companion, you mean. You bailed on her.
Harry shifted uncomfortably, trying hard to ignore the guilt he felt. Despite how dearly he wished to return to what they once were, he would not. His mother, his father, and possibly more had died to save him, a tradition Harry would allow to continue no longer. He would allow someone else to die in his place, especially not Fleur. She was someone he cared about far too much; if he had to sacrifice the time he might have been able to spend with her in order to keep her safe, he would do so. It was perhaps the most valuable thing Harry had, but he would do it.
Salazar had blatantly expressed his disapproval of Harry's actions, though the portrait did nothing more.
"When the time comes, you will see it as you should." Salazar had said lazily within his portrait, "And as long as it is not already too late, it will not matter."
Harry cracked his neck, turning back to face Mr. Crouch.
"Mr. Krum, your hostage will be Hermione Granger." announced Mr. Crouch, surprising Harry slightly.
So who is my hostage? Surely they can't have taken Salazar's portrait from the chamber. Seriously, they can't have -
Harry paused in his thoughts, his eyes widening. He had just come to a conclusion he did not like in the slightest bit.
Sirius.
Harry quickly assured himself that if Sirius truly had been captured, the Ministry of Magic (regardless of how incompetent they could be) would not use him as bait in a competition such as the Triwizard Tournament.
"Lastly, Mr. Potter, your hostage will be your owl, Hedwig."
Shit.
Harry froze entirely, his eyes widening in utter panic. This was equally as bad as Sirius being his hostage, for completely different reasons. Hedwig, along with Fleur and Salazar (if the latter counted), was someone that Harry would go to great lengths for. She had often been his sole source of comfort, particularly back at the Dursleys.
Certainly something I would 'surely miss'.
The other champions, the judges, and the others on their wooden podium all straightened themselves up. Fleur, however, was watching Harry with concern. She knew just how much Harry cared for his owl. Even without that, Fleur knew Harry well enough to know something else was wrong as well.
"Sonorus." whispered Bagman, just as the five orbs turned on. Up in the sky, the five screens of the large Recorder Glass all showed Bagman. The crowd roared in approval, to the point where it was nearly deafening.
"Witches and Wizards!" exclaimed Bagman, smiling at the four orbs, "Allow me to welcome you to second task of the Triwizard Tournament!"
He paused, allowing the crowd to voice their approval.
"Now, this task, as you have likely realised, will be taking place underwater. A loved one of each of the champions, or something they would 'surely miss', has been taken from them, hidden at the bottom of the Great Lake! They will have one hour to retrieve their hostages, to recover them from the depths that lie beneath us!"
The crowd all voiced their enthusiasm at the news, no doubt thrilled by the potential drama that might unfold. Harry had no doubt that many would love to know what it was that the four champions would each miss most.
And they somehow ignore the fact that our lives aren't at all their business.
Harry was trying immensely hard not to curse someone at the moment, particularly the reporters in the stand to the left of him (all of whom were jotting down notes at breakneck speed). His Occlumency shields were deteriorating, he could feel it, allowing his anger (which he knew was only enhanced by the horcrux within him, according to the ancient tomes within the Chamber of Secrets) to become slightly more visible.
"Due to the task taking place underwater, it is likely that the Recorder Orbs may be damaged, resulting in the loss of our viewing pleasure." announced Bagman, much to the dismay of the audience.
"However," Bagman continued, "It is for that reason that we have strengthened the enchantments, as well as included a fifth Recorder Glass that is linked to the judging table, so as to keep you in the know.
"Lastly, should any of the champions return to the lake surface without their hostages, they will not be allowed to return to the lake - doing otherwise will not be permitted. Now, if the champions will please come forward!"
The audience screamed with delight as the Recorder Glasses displayed the faces of the four champions and the judging table. A single orb hovered a few feet away from each champion, clearly displaying their faces on the glass above.
"On my whistle!" exclaimed Bagman, displaying a shiny silver whistle that was held carefully in his left palm.
Not a moment later the whistle had sounded, the champions all reacting instantly. Harry briefly noticed Fleur, Krum, and Cedric all cast different spells upon themselves before he managed to extract the Gillyweed from his pocket. He quickly shoved the plant into his mouth (trying desperately to ignore its horrible taste) and jumped into the water.
The effects of the Gillyweed were instantaneous; his fingers and toes became webbed, his neck now sporting gills. Harry quickly observed the other champions once more. Krum had seemingly performed a sort of partial transfiguration upon himself, seeing as he now sported a giant shark head.
Cedric's head was also different than it had been moments ago, now encased in a thin bubble. Harry fought not to roll his eyes. With how deep they would likely have to venture, Diggory would be immensely lucky if his bubble did not pop.
Harry was surprised the most by Fleur's solution (which, truthfully, was not too surprising to him). The water around her seemed to avoid her face by a fraction of an inch, something which certainly impressive. Harry could not figure out how it worked, but it certainly seemed to do the job.
Harry was suddenly pulled out of his thought upon noticing the giant orb just a few metres away from him. He had momentarily forgotten about the task, something which he would not be doing any longer. Checking that he could properly hold his wand with his newly webbed finger, he pocketed it before quickly swimming forward.
Harry had spent a fair amount of time with Salazar attempting to learn where the mermen colony could be found within the Great Lake. The portrait unfortunately did not know much on the subject, as he and the other founders had never ventured into the depths of the lake (due to the agreement they had made with the merpeople). All he knew was that it was at the deepest part of the lake, a place that would only ever be visited by those seeking it.
The use of Gillyweed was now seeming like a better idea than ever before. Harry was swimming far faster than the orb could move (which Harry saw as an advantage), and could see with absolute ease. He suspected that the orb had a charm cast upon it that allowed similar results; after all, the use of orbs would be rather pointless if that wasn't the case.
After swimming down for a few minutes, Harry finally reached the lake bottom. It was not too unlike the lake shores, although there was the noticeable addition of many odd stones, as well as long green weeds that floated upward (while still attached to the lake bottom), obscuring certain parts of the lake bed.
Most notably of all was how much greater the pressure of water was around him. This, thankfully, was not particularly difficult to deal with. Harry wandlessly weakened the strength of the water around him, adding a wave of his wand in case anyone watching through the orb noticed the sudden ease with which he swam.
It had taken Harry a significant amount of practice to learn how to accomplish that trick. He had initially attempted to weaken the pressure of the entire pool of water when practicing in the chamber, something he quickly learnt he did not yet possess enough power for. Instead, he had learnt how to only affect the water surrounding him. It was much more efficient in this way, for obvious reasons.
Not that I'll likely use it again. I can't say I like swimming too much.
Harry eventually reached a large chasm, from which he noticed many signs of life. For starters, he could hear bits and pieces of speech from somewhere below him, as well as see what appeared to be the outskirts of a village.
Harry quickened his pace, occasionally making sure that the orb was still following him. The last thing he needed was for Karkaroff to take points off for something as simple as not being able to see his performance.
Upon reaching the bottom of the chasm, Harry withdrew his wand from his pocket once more, holding it out in front of him. He continued his swim towards the village, now much more vigilant than before.
Harry arrived upon the entry of the village a few moments later. Before him stood a large, rusty gate which was guarded by a group of mermen. They were not nearly half as attractive as the mermaid within the prefect's bathroom, something Harry quickly noted. Their skin had a slight bluish tinge to them, their teeth slightly more pointed, their eyes slightly more wild.
They did not, however, seem hostile, or at least not at the moment. Harry continued through the gate, unperturbed by any of the guards. He was surprised to find that the village was not all too different from Hogsmeade (if one ignored the presence of weeds, strange building materials, and unorthodox structure design). All in all, it made for a rather lovely place to visit.
Not that I'm ever coming back.
Harry hastily swam through the village, eventually reaching what appeared to be the town center. His eyes widened as he gazed upon the gargantuan stone statue that stood in the center, similar in design to the bust of Salazar in the Chamber of Secrets. This, however, was much, much larger; a full body statue of a merman, likely someone of importance from the way he was dressed. It was several hundred feet tall, easily dwarfing the rest of the village.
As Harry swam closer, he quickly spotted five bodies resting upon the statue, four of which were hostages. The other body belonged to Cedric Diggory, who appeared to be cutting up the ropes that bound his girlfriend, Cho Chang, to little success.
Beside the pair were the other three hostages: Gabrielle, Hermione, and Hedwig. The former was the only one of the three that did not know Harry very well (and vice versa), and even then, she still was loved dearly by someone who knew Harry better than anyone else. She, as well as Hedwig, were both tied to the statue in rather strange manners; neither were large enough to easily be tied up, it seemed.
Just as Harry was a few metres away from where the hostages were tied around the statue, he spotted Krum swimming towards Hermione from the corner of his eye. Unfortunately for the Durmstrang Champion (and potentially Hermione), having a shark's head did not particularly improve one's aim.
As such, the Cutting Curse fired by the famous Bulgarian Seeker did not successfully slice the ropes holding Hermione in place, but rather the back of Cedric Diggory.
The Hufflepuff champion spasmed in obvious pain, although it was evident to Harry that the spell had been weakened due to being used underwater. That did not, however, mean that the spell was weak. The amount of blood pouring from Cedric's back was an obvious testament to that being a falsity.
Harry edged closer to check that the Hufflepuff was alright, not wanting to simply leave the boy if he was seriously injured.
That proved to be a mistake.
Cedric turned around, his wand held aloft. His eyes linked with Harry's, who immediately raised his hand in what he hoped was a show of peace. He had not accounted for the fact that he currently held his wand within his wand hand, something which Cedric certainly noticed.
"Depulso!" Harry heard Cedric chant before he dived out of the spell's path. Harry was surprised when he heard the sound of the spell seemingly hitting a target, doing what it was meant to do by pushing the victim forcefully through the water.
Harry turned around, stopping to watch as Krum slowly pushed himself off the stone floor. The Bulgarian quickly swam back up, sending a number of borderline illegal curses directly at both Cedric and Harry.
Harry was not sure what happened next; whatever it was, however, had spawned a sudden three-way duel between the two Hogwarts Champions and the Durmstrang one.
They each had an advantage of some sort: Harry, thanks to his use of Gillyweed (along with his wandless control over the water), was able to move just as quickly underwater as he could above, perhaps even a bit faster.
Cedric, thanks to his use of the Bubble-Head charm, was capable of speaking while casting, which likely saved him a fair bit of magic. He would have to make sure he was not hit by any spells to the head, of course, but that was a given during any form of magical combat.
Krum's head was now proving to be a strength rather than a weakness. Anything and everything that came with snapping lengths of his jaws was unlikely to live to tell the tale, Harry and Cedric included.
With a flick of his wand, Harry transfigured the water around him into four sharks, which immediately began attacking his opponents. Krum quickly vanished the pair sent his way, retaliating with a variation of the Leg-Locker curse.
Harry swam away from the spell (which truthfully moved at a laughably slow pace within the water), instead swimming towards the hostages as Cedric and Krum sent another stream of curses at one another.
Krum, having noticed Harry's attempt to reach the hostages, quickly fired a Bone-Breaking Curse at him, something which Harry shielded with no small amount of anger.
Does he not realise I am right in front of the hostages? What if he had hit Hedwig?
Harry angrily froze the water around Cedric, momentarily trapping the boy in a cage of ice. Knowing that the Hufflepuff could easily break free from the makeshift prison, Harry immediately banished it towards Krum. As expected, Krum instinctually attempted to melt the ice as it approached, resulting in the loss of precious time rather than the desired effect of melting the ice. Harry swiftly sent a Cutting Curse towards Krum, forcing the Bulgarian to momentarily take his eyes of the ball of ice in order to protect himself.
Krum quickly turned back towards the sphere of ice, succeeding in his attempts to blow it apart. Still, Harry's rudimentary plan had worked; despite Krum managing to crack the ice ball, the sphere was only a few feet away from him when it finally did so. As such, a few shards of ice managed to cut him along with Cedric, forming a few rips and tears along their uniforms and bodies.
The Durmstrang Champion looked at Harry with narrowed eyes before sending a barrage of dangerous curses his way. Harry forced himself out of the way, successfully dodging each spell.
In his haste, however, Harry slammed painfully into the large stone statue behind him. Swearing angrily within the confines of his mind, Harry got back into a dueling position, ignoring the numbing pain in his left arm.
He was rather tempted to grab Hedwig from the statue and leave; she provided a large advantage due to the fact that her size was not at all large. Harry could tuck her safely under one arm, although he was not willing to risk such a thing in the middle of a duel.
Harry swam slightly higher, not particularly interested in having Krum fortuitously massacre the four hostages. Sure enough, once Harry had stopped swimming he immediately spotted a curse no less than a metre away from his face, which he just barely managed to doge.
The curse struck the stone statue behind him, breaking off a few sizable chunks which Harry immediately banished back towards the Bulgarian. Krum, along with Diggory, just barely managed to move out of the way, causing the half dozen large chunks of rock to sink downwards, a few happening to damage one of the village buildings below.
They definitely won't be inviting us back.
Harry, Cedric, and Krum all stayed still now, their wands all pointed at a different person. None moved for a moment, their eyes all glued to another's, and then -
Whoosh.
A series of spells suddenly came flying at them out of nowhere, causing Krum and Cedric (neither of whom were capable of moving all too quickly underwater) to shield themselves while Harry quickly moved out of the way.
Turning his head to face whatever it was that had been the source of the spells, he quickly discovered it to be none other than Fleur Delacour.
That was certainly someone Harry was not interested in facing off against. Although they had never dueled against each other during any of their training sessions, Harry doubted he would be able to come out on top.
Fleur was certainly more skilled in dueling than he was, having actually had a living, breathing instructor to teach her the art for years; it would more than compensate for the disadvantage she had by being incapable of moving quickly through the water.
Her knowledge of magic was likely on par with Harry's, something he knew having watched her cast spells for hours on end.
As for magical power, she was likely the most powerful witch Harry had ever met, including the professors at Hogwarts. Harry was willing to admit that although his magical power might be capable of rivalling hers at the moment, he doubted it surpassed hers.
Although it was true that in a few years his magical power could potentially be far greater than hers, that meant nothing to Harry at the moment.
It was made even worse by Harry being unable to use his wandless magic (due to the presence of his Recorder Orb), which was one of his greatest advantages. The magic was derived from his desire, rather than a series of words that needed to be memorized. Such a thing would have been quite the boon, no doubt.
But Fleur, too, was at a disadvantage with her personal abilities. They were underwater, and so she could use the control over fire that came with being a Veela. All in all, it was not a duel Harry wished to take part in. Krum and Cedric were good, yes, but they were not on par with Fleur.
She also had a significant advantage over Harry, as the spell she had created for the second task seemingly kept water from entering her mouth, allowing her to speak underwater. Harry was already beginning to tire due to his constant use of nonverbal spells, and was unsure of how much longer he would or could last.
Fleur, however, did not appear to be thinking nearly as hard as Harry was. Her face was masked with a look of indifference, her wand moving at a rapid pace as she cast a chain of spells towards all three of the other champions. She did not seem to be targeting him; Harry hoped there was a chance he would be able to leave without having properly dueled her.
When their eyes met, however, he knew he wouldn't be so lucky.
Salazar really wasn't kidding. The eyes are the window to the soul.
Despite how guarded and cold Fleur acted, her eyes allowed Harry to read her like a book. It was a side effect of having spent the majority of the last two months in her company; he now knew her well enough to understand what she was thinking without the use of magical methods such as Legilimency.
Harry could see the hurt in her eyes, the betrayal she felt. It was as though she wanted nothing more than to be close to him, yet at the same time, as far away as possible. Harry's cheeks tightened slightly, desperately hoping that Fleur couldn't tell what he was thinking as easily as he could her.
The sudden narrowing of her eyes was all the answer he needed. He could help but feel that she had seen the emotional turmoil he was going through, something he knew she would not like.
Although he did not know it, his guess was entirely correct. Fleur could see the indecision in his eyes, the regret of leaving her. It angered her greatly, knowing that he wanted her back so very badly, yet refused to act upon it.
The entire affair was only made worse by the fact that he stopped whatever it was that they had for the sole sake of keeping her safe, something she found both endearing and frustrating.
Fleur raised her wand, her eyes burning with anger.
Harry ducked out of the way as a barrage of powerful spells burst from the tip of Fleur's wand, this time entirely directed towards him. He swiftly retaliated with a series of powerful curses, each one being avoided as Fleur allowed herself to slink slightly in the water.
Floating back up, Fleur immediately sent a Banishing charm towards Cedric, sending him metres away from their fight (and metres closer to Krum). To anyone observing it may have appeared relatively innocent (or as innocent as one could appear in a duel), but Harry knew that Fleur wanted his fullest attention as she unleashed her pent up feelings upon him.
With a flick of her wand, Fleur transfigured the water around her into stones, which she banished towards him. Harry quickly froze the first few stones, using them as a shield to block the remaining stones that flew his way.
As the stones sunk down, allowing Harry to see his opponent once more, he was surprised to find a chain of curses all flying at him at dangerous speeds. Harry avoided all but the last one, which hit his already injured left arm.
She's not very happy with me.
Still, Harry was relieved to see that she did not outright hate him. It had not escaped his notice that the few spells that had managed to hit him during their duel had been immensely weak, only a few steps away from being completely harmless.
Fleur sent another barrage of spells at him, this time flying much quicker through the water than the other spells. Unable to find another means to block the spell, Harry quickly summoned his orb, which was a few metres to his side, allowing it to take the entirety of the attack. The orb shattered, falling down into the depths of the lake, though neither Fleur nor Harry cared much.
They continued to exchange spells, their eyes meeting more often than Harry would have liked. He could see the pain in them, pain that was not at all caused by the physical or magical stress of their duel.
Harry eventually noticed what he believed to be a disadvantage Fleur held. Her face (where she had applied the spell that allowed her to breathe underwater) had been guarded protectively by Fleur, while any and all other parts of her body had been unprotected, with Fleur simply resorting to dodging the spells directed their way.
Harry suspected that Fleur's solution, like Cedric's, was vulnerable to being destroyed, although evidently not to the extent that the Hufflepuff's was. As such, Harry refrained from aiming at Fleur's head from then on.
Fleur's eyes narrowed as his spells all suddenly avoided the are that surrounded her head. Clearly he needed to work on his subtleness.
After another exchange, they both paused, floating in the water. Their wands were both held aloft, pointed at the other. Neither seemed particularly worried about their hostages; they both were but a few metres away from their loved ones, and could protect them suitably from any hostile being in the nearby vicinity.
Harry and Fleur locked eyes once more, both dimly aware of the duel Cedric and Fleur dangerously fought below them. Harry just barely registered that Krum had banished Cedric, and that the Bulgarian champion was now swimming upward, for he and Fleur were both far too preoccupied at the moment. They could practically feel the emotions of the other, almost as though they were their own. Fleur held her wand higher up, a curse on the tip of her tongue.
I'm sorry for leaving you. It was something I never should have done.
Fleur froze, the curse she had been about to cast leaving her mind entirely. Harry had accidentally mouthed the thoughts that flooded his mind, leaving Fleur fully capable of understanding exactly what it was that he was thinking.
As Harry's orb had been destroyed, and Fleur's was currently facing herself, nobody in the audience had managed to see the words that had graced his lips. They, along with Harry, however, saw Fleur lower her wand ever so slightly.
Harry was surprised to see the anger and betrayal leave her eyes, instead replaced by kinder emotions. Her wand arm dropped by a fraction of an inch.
Whoosh.
The water around Fleur suddenly crashed inwards, surrounding her as she stared fearfully in Gabrielle's direction.
It appeared as though her spell, which she had specifically created so she could breathe underwater, was no longer working.
But how?
Fleur was more than capable of using magic, something Harry knew better than most. She was very powerful, her skill was immense, her focus was nearly unmatched -
Focus. She lost focus.
The distance between Fleur and the hostages, which over the course of the last few minutes had increased to several dozen metres, was not something she would be capable of swimming with the few seconds she had left.
Both she and Harry held very little trust for the many Ministries of Magic, the British one in particular. To leave Gabrielle could potentially cost the young Veela her life. Fleur's eyes widened in panic before looking at Harry pleadingly, quickly flickering back to Gabrielle.
Just as the last of the air around her dissipated, Fleur held her wand up, pointing it skyward. With one last glance towards Gabrielle, Fleur shot out of the lake at an impressive speed, returning back to the surface.
Harry and Krum both floated within the deep waters, shocked by what had just happened. Harry continued to stare at the portion of water that had previously been occupied by Fleur, even as Krum hastily swam towards the hostages. After a few moments he came to, turning back to the stone statue. Krum had already removed Hermione, and was now swimming in the opposite direction.
Cedric, who had previously been trapped under a pile of rocks by Krum, had also managed to free his hostage, and was now pulling Cho away from the few ropes still surrounding her. It was clear that the Hufflepuff had not witnessed the events that resulted in Fleur leaving, as he likely would have been just as still as Harry had been mere seconds ago.
Harry watched both Gabrielle and Hedwig carefully as Cedric successfully removed Cho, swimming in the direction Krum just had. Holding out his wand, he pointed it at the ropes that connected Hedwig to the statue.
"Relashio!"
A blue sphere of light shot from the tip of Harry's wand, immediately disposing of the ropes upon the statue. Harry gently removed Hedwig from the rope remains, tucking her safely within the crook of his arm.
"Relashio!"
This time, Harry's wand was pointed at the ropes binding Gabrielle Delacour. They quickly dissolved into nothingness, allowing the girl to gently sink downwards. The effects of his actions were instantaneous; Harry quickly found himself surrounded by a group of irate mermen, all of whom pointed their weapons at him in a threatening manner.
Harry was not at all in the mood to fight; he wanted to leave, he wanted to leave now. He wanted to speak to Fleur, and he wanted to get her sister, as well as Hedwig, to safety. Harry was feeling a myriad of emotions that he knew needed his fullest attention. Yet the mermen still stopped him, not for destroying their home, but rather for breaking the rules of the precious tournament.
There is no Recorder Orb to watch me.
The pressure around the mermen tightened. Despite how deep they were within the lake, the mermen had all been able to see quite well. Now, however, it was not the case; the area around them slowly darkened, the little light that remained slowly fading away. There was now a slight shock to the water, as well as a burning scent that somehow permeated around them.
It was the eyes of the boy before the mermen, however, that caused them to swim away in fear. They glowed with magic, swirling violently like emerald flames.
Now undeterred by the mermen, Harry swam forward at a quick pace, each of his hands wrapped carefully around his two hostages.
Fleur shot up to the surface of the lake, having cast a spell to propel her upwards. Her mind was moving a mile a minute, most of which related to either what Harry had just mouthed or her younger sister. The moment her body emerged from the surface, her ears instantly picked up on the commentary of Bagman.
" - seems to have been affected by something, resulting in her being forced to leave!" announced Bagman for all to hear, "A shame, but what an incredible performance of dueling prowess by Fleur Delacour!"
Despite being what had to be a hundred metres away from the stands, Fleur could hear the crowd erupt in sound. Whether their yells were joyful, disappointed, or catcalls of some sort, she cared very little. Her sister was down at the bottom of the lake, her safety dependent on the capability of the British ministry.
They would see it as a good thing if a Veela died during the task, many of those purebloods.
It was terrifying thought, but not an inaccurate one. Fleur knew very well about the corruption within the British Ministry of Magic, her father being a prominent member in the French counterpart. She knew all about how the houses of Malfoy, Nott, Avery, Crabbe, Goyle, and many other Death Eaters had managed to escape justice; it was an obvious display of indifference by the British Ministry of Magic.
The only thing that stopped Fleur from recasting her spell and returning at once (besides the lack of magic she felt due to the sheer number of spells she had cast) was Harry. Regardless of whatever had happened between them over the last few days, she trusted him with her life, and now, Gabrielle's.
What she had seen him mouth down by the submerged statue only reinforced her belief.
Trying her hardest not to curse the Recorder Orb that floated merrily behind her, Fleur swam back to shore (a journey that seemed much quicker above water than within it). She soon reached the wooden platform that she had departed from nearly an hour ago, allowing herself to be pulled up by Madame Maxime.
"Do not fret." Madame Maxime said in rapid French, "Your sister will be fine, and you will likely receive an excellent score after the way you dueled."
Fleur nodded uncaringly, accepting the Pepper-Up Potion from a witch she believed to be known as Madam Pomfrey before gluing her eyes to the five Recorder Glasses in the sky. Only three of them remained active, Harry's having been destroyed, and her own shut off. Fleur watched them carefully, hoping to see even the slightest assurance of Gabrielle's safety.
The two champions who were still capable of being viewed were both swimming with haste, clearly attempting to return back before the other. Judging from what she knew about the lake (having just swum in it), Krum was significantly closer to the stands than Diggory.
It was for that reason that Fleur turned her attention towards the Hufflepuff's glass. Surely enough, Fleur could just barely make out the statue behind Cedric, spotting a small figure whose back faced the orb.
A bright blue spell suddenly issued from the figure's wand, striking something that was obscured by his body. The figure was suddenly surrounded by what Fleur knew to be mermen, having just encountered them herself.
Just as Fleur tried desperately to get a better look, Diggory's eyes widened, the boy suddenly swimming in another direction. A group of strange creatures suddenly surrounded the boy, causing him to loosen his grip on his hostage.
Grindylows.
A few beams of red light flew from the Hufflepuff's wand, one of which struck the orb. The Recorder Glass flickered slightly before eventually turning the same shade of black as Harry's and Fleur's.
Fleur's eyes narrowed in anger, her features growing more avian in appearance. The wood beneath her steamed slightly, the flicker of a small blue flame appearing upon Fleur's right hand.
"Gabrielle!" exclaimed Fleur, her voice holding an amount of emotion far greater than usual, "I can not leave her there, she is a worse swimmer than even me!"
"She will be fine, I assure you." said Madame Maxime, her voice calm.
"She is a Veela whose life is currently in the hands of the British Ministry!" said Fleur angrily, choosing not to mention the faith she held that Harry would protect her sister. But Harry might not understand how little his ministry would care about the death of a Veela, and therefore might not be as careful as he should be.
It seemed as though her words had struck a chord with Madame Maxime however, as she did not reply. They both sat in silence, watching the lake surface and Krum's Recorder Glass. Less than a minute later, the Durmstrang Champion emerged from the waters, causing the crowd to roar with delight.
"Victor Krum is the first to return with his champion, having done so with just a minute to spare! This is likely to boost the score he will soon receive!" roared Bagman as Krum dispelled his partial transfiguration.
"Bravo, Victor!" said Karkaroff proudly, clasping Krum on the back. Fleur ignored their interactions, as well as that of Krum's hostage (who had been taken by Madam Pomfrey to the Champion's Tent at the shore), her eyes returning to the lake.
After a few more minutes had passed, the lake surface rippled for a second time, this time revealing Cedric Diggory. The boy was covered head to toe in cuts and scrapes, although his hostage appeared no worse for wear. The Hufflepuff happily pushed himself and his hostage up to the wooden platform as the crowd roared with approval, gratefully accepting the provided potions from Madam Pomfrey. He and his hostage were quickly sent away by Madame Pomfrey, no doubt sent to be healed to the fullest in the Champion's Tent.
The Recorder Glass that had been used for Cedric went black, the only other remaining orb giving a view of the judge's table.
Ignoring Bagman's commentary, Fleur returned her eyes to the lake. There was only one champion left in the lake, the one she trusted far, far more than any other. She knew that he would not have left her sister there, and that he was capable of saving Gabrielle, but Fleur still could not help but worry.
"Please, Harry." whispered Fleur to herself, "I know you can do it."
Madame Maxime, who had gotten up and now stood behind her, narrowed her eyes slightly, having been the only one to hear Fleur's words. She did not, however, make any comment, instead returning to the judges table.
Just as Fleur began to lose hope, the surface of the lake burst apart, revealing one Harry Potter. The effects of the Gillyweed were all but gone, the last of his gills slowly vanishing from his body. Tucked under his right arm was Hedwig, his beloved owl.
Harry's left arm was supporting another body, this one much more recognizable for Fleur.
Gabrielle.
Fleur had to fight the urge to jump into the water, watching as her little sister woke up whilst Harry made his way over to the wooden platform. It was evident to Fleur that Gabrielle was alright, judging by the rapid pace with which her mouth moved upon realising exactly who it was that held her.
"You're Harry Potter! You were even better than they said! The first task was magnificent, just like I said it would be! You - you're - you're my hero!"
Fleur smiled softly when Harry looked up at her, shaking his head in exasperation. The boy made his way over to the wooden platform, gently placing both hostages upon the makeshift floor.
"They're both fine." said Harry as he accepted a Pepper-Up Potion from Madam Pomfrey, "Hedwig's asleep, but I can feel her heartbeat. She's not injured, neither is Gabrielle."
Fleur nodded happily before masking her emotions when she noticed Madame Maxime watching. She had never displayed her emotions so prominently in public before, it would not be due to do so now, regardless of the happiness she felt. It was hard to explain the sudden rush of cheerfulness, as well as what had caused it, but as she looked at Harry and Gabrielle, the feeling only grew.
"I am required to bring your younger sister to the Champion's Tent." said Madam Pomfrey from the side, holding out a Pepper-Up Potion for Gabrielle (as well as waving her wand over Harry's left arm, removing the numbing sensation), "She is more than fine, but it is still required. If you would like, you may join us, although if you wish to receive your scores immediately, you may do so as well."
After quickly looking at both Gabrielle and Harry, Fleur gently shook her head.
"We would rather come along, our scores will not change if we are not present."
"Very well." said Madam Pomfrey, making her way to the bridge connecting the lower platforms that were reserved for the champions, judges, and other tournament officials, "Perhaps, if you are lucky, you will be able to hear your scores as we leave."
Sure enough, as the group departed from the stands, they all heard Bagman's voice spread through the stands.
"Fleur Delacour used a spell of her own creation to breathe underwater. Although she failed to retrieve her captive, she demonstrated exceptional dueling prowess. We award her thirty-nine points."
"I deserve zero." Fleur admitted, although the statement was only loud enough to be heard by Harry. They continued their trek to the Champion's Tent, their ears peeled. Even through the obnoxiously loud crowd it was not difficult to hear Bagman's voice, though that likely had something to do with the Sonorus charm he had cast upon himself.
"Victor Krum partially transfigured himself into a shark, allowing him to breathe underwater while maintaining the use of his wand." declared Bagman, causing the crowd to roar with approval, "We award him forty-seven points."
"You know, Krum's shark head was how that duel started in the first place." said Harry as he (with Hedwig snoozing in his arms), along with Fleur, Gabrielle, and Madam Pomfrey finally got off the last tower, reaching the lake shore.
"How so?" as Fleur curiously, unable to hide the smile that graced her face.
"His eyes were on the side of his head, he could barely aim, which was why he used a lot of large area curses." said Harry, "Anyway, when he was trying to free Hermione he ended up hitting Diggory in the back, and Diggory thought I did it. When I dodged Cedric's spell it hit Krum, and it sort of grew from there."
Gabrielle, who was holding Madam Pomfrey's hand as she led them towards the tent, giggled merrily at the story. Unbeknownst to Harry, Gabrielle had been telling the mediwitch all about meeting him in rapid French. Fleur, however, understood her perfectly, and, judging from the smile on her face, Madam Pomfrey did as well.
"Cedric Diggory was the first to reach the hostages, using the Bubble-Head Charm. His bubble popped during a battle with a group of Grindylows, although he was able to return before he lost his breath. We award him forty-five points."
"I am still ahead of him by three points." noted Fleur with surprise. Evidently, many of the Hogwarts students within the crowd had come to the same conclusion, if their hostile yells were anything to go by.
"Here we are," said Madam Pomfrey as they reached the Champion's Tent, "Hurry up now, I have patients to check! You two may be fine, but Krum and Diggory will need their cuts to be tended to!"
Harry paused outside the entrance, having just remembered that a certain bushy haired Gryffindor was currently inside the tent. Besides, there was a certain conversation he needed to have with Fleur, one he would rather have in private.
"Er - Fleur?" said Harry, eliciting her attention, "Could I talk to you for a second?"
Fleur nodded, quickly turning to Gabrielle.
"Go with Madame Maxime, she will heal you to the fullest, alright?"
Gabrielle nodded happily, allowing Madam Pomfrey to lead her into the tent. Fleur followed Harry behind the tent, where they would not be interrupted.
Harry and Fleur's eyes met once more, the stream of emotions between them just as potent as they had been in the lake. Fleur hoped that Harry would say what she thought it would, the slight apologetic expression beginning to grow upon his face increasing her hope.
"Harry Potter used Gillyweed, a plant that allowed him to easily see, breathe, and swim underwater." said Bagman from the stands, his voice managing to reach the Champion's Tent, "Although he exceeded the given time, Mr. Potter displayed impressive dueling prowess, and was delayed due to his desire to save a hostage that had not been retrieved."
Fleur smiled at Harry, her eyes watering slightly.
"Most of the judges believed this demonstrated Moral Fiber, deserving full marks." continued Bagman, his voice beginning to convey a tad bit of annoyance, "However, Mr. Potter has been awarded forty-two points. He is tied for first with Mr. Krum, both of whom have eighty-eight points, followed by Miss Delacour, with eighty-five points, and finally Mr. Diggory, with eighty-two points."
"'Moral Fiber'." Fleur quoted as the crowd in the three wooden towers all burst into applause, with Bagman saying farewell to those who watched through the Recorder Glass.
"Fleur, I'm sorry." said Harry quickly, his tone soft, "I shouldn't have pushed you away, I was being - "
Fleur had suddenly identified what it was that had caused her to experience the happiness she had begun to feel mere moments ago: Harry had mouthed it down in the lake, and the apology he had just begun brought the memory back to the forefront of Fleur's mind. Fleur ignored the apology, suddenly realising that despite the myriad of emotions she had recently felt, she didn't need it. She leaned forward, her body moving on its own accord.
Her lips gently caught Harry's, her mind suddenly becoming devoid of thought. His lips were soft, caressing hers in a way that caused ecstasy to flow warmly through her body. The affection and care between the two was almost palpable; the both of them could certainly feel it.
After a few seconds had passed, their heads leaned against one another's, each refusing to separate from the other so soon. Despite both their eyes being closed, they knew that the other wore a smile on their face.
Sure enough, when they slowly moved their heads back and opened their eyes, they were each sporting the happiest of smiles. No more words were said, as none needed to be; they merely allowed their eyes to meet, peering into the other's soul.
"Miss Delacour, Mr. Potter!" yelled a voice from somewhere on the other side of the tent. The two quickly wiped any traces of emotion from their expressions; only their eyes betrayed the happiness they felt.
"There you are," said Madam Pomfrey, her wand held aloft, "I simply wished to make sure that neither of you are in need of medical attention."
Both shook their heads in the negative, eliciting a nod in response from the mediwitch.
"Very well. Oh, and Miss Delacour, your mother and father are looking for you." called Madam Pomfrey as she departed, likely re-entering the Champion's Tent.
"I thought you said it was inappropriate?" questioned Harry, grinning widely.
"You are impossible." muttered Fleur, "But I thought it over, and sorted out my priorities."
"So did I." said Harry, "All it took was you trying to kill me in front of a million people."
Fleur laughed happily, the first time she had done so in a while.
"Would you like to walk with me?" asked Fleur softly, her eyes shining.
"What, another stroll into dragon territory?" asked Harry jokingly, causing Fleur to roll her eyes.
"I assure you that my parents would make poor dragons." promised Fleur, "Although I doubt I could say the same about Gabrielle."
"A dragon that spews French instead of fire." noted Harry, "Sure, just a moment."
Harry looked down at Hedwig, who was still resting peacefully in his hands. He had cast several detection spells the moment she and Gabrielle had been pulled out of the water, all of them stating that Hedwig was more than healthy.
And yet she had not so much as moved since leaving the lake. Harry would have expected her to wake up at the very least, as well perhaps demand a strip or two of bacon.
Shit.
"Is something wrong?" Fleur asked with concern, not at all liking the way Harry's eyes had suddenly widened whilst observing Hedwig.
"I'm not sure." muttered Harry, slowly and carefully peeling back Hedwig's eyelids.
The eyes Harry found looking up at him were the most beautiful shade of gold he had ever seen in his life.