As was often the case, the infamous Hogwarts rumor mill quickly shifted focus to newer gossip, allowing Harry and Draconica to slip back into the throngs of students saturated with the excitement of the Yule Ball. While neither of them regretted attending the ball together, it was refreshing not to remain a spectacle, constantly under the scrutiny of their peers.
When it came to Harry's interactions with Lucius Malfoy, he had two distinct conversations with the man. In one, as the 'lord of a respectable house,' he was attempting to soothe Lucius with assurances that he would still marry Draconica—eventually. Conversely, in the other interaction, under his own name, Harry found himself engaged in a furious debate about Lucius's glaring disrespect towards his fellow lords.
Lucius clung steadfastly to his views, believing that no one of lesser blood status deserved his respect. He saw nothing amiss in the impolite nature of his initial letter to Harry, nor did he feel any remorse in responding harshly when Harry pointed out the lack of decorum for someone of his standing. After several rounds of fruitless arguments, Harry resigned to the reality that there'd be no quick way to prompt Lucius Malfoy into better manners.
With the commencement of a new school semester, Harry, like his peers, was thrust back into the rigors of classes and homework, quickly ushering away the leisure he'd enjoyed over the break. To add to his stress, there was still that looming Triwizard Tournament to contend with. Although the second task was nearly two months away, he had scant information on what awaited him, and the tournament organizers showed no eagerness to disclose any details or make visible preparations.
January passed uneventfully at Hogwarts, with no substantial developments related to the upcoming second task. By the time February arrived, Harry found himself troubled about Valentine's Day. He longed to share the day with Draconica but felt they couldn't afford to be publicly seen as a couple. Despite their attendance at the Yule Ball, they weren't technically courting. Everyone in certain pure-blood circles knew the Malfoy heiress was engaged to someone else; should they be spotted together in a romantic light, it could spark painful political repercussions for both Harry and Draconica—something he desperately wished to avoid. Discretion was paramount if they were to spend the day together.
Fortunately, an easy solution presented itself: the Chamber of Secrets. Out of sight from prying eyes, no one would notice their simultaneous disappearance. Thus, Harry and Draconica enjoyed a lovely afternoon hidden away in the Chamber.
On February 15, Dumbledore announced that Astronomy classes would be suspended for the week. He cited maintenance needs for the tower, which was only partially true as the equipment was in dire need of an upgrade. Yet, Harry perceived the underlying message: the tower would play a role in the second task, thereby closing it to students to prevent them from discovering critical details. If he had to guess, the air element keys would be located there.
A few days later, just at the start of the weekend, Harry uncovered another potential location for key retrieval—a platform being constructed in the center of the Black Lake. It seemed the most logical place for one of the keys. Still, he remained uncertain about the whereabouts of the other two keys. He had theories, but they were far from concrete.
For the fire element key, Harry theorized several possible locations: the coal storage facilities near the Hogsmeade train station—albeit strange since the Hogwarts Express operated on magical fuel—somewhere near the kitchens, or possibly the disused hall with the public floos. Considering the tournament would remain on school grounds, Harry and his friends settled on the floos' hall as the most probable location for the fire key.
The earth element key, however, presented a much greater challenge, as it could realistically be hidden almost anywhere—inside the castle or the grounds surrounding it. It could be tucked away in a dungeon room, concealed in the Forbidden Forest, or even buried beneath a rock on a snow-covered hill. A potting shed filled with potentially lethal magical plants was another possibility. Ultimately, young Potter realized he'd have to wait for a significant clue or rely on the tournament organizers to divulge the key's location just before the task commenced.
Finally, the day of the second Triwizard tournament task arrived. Despite his extensive preparations, Harry still felt uncertain about the earth element key's location. Fortunately, he had solid leads on the other three keys and had collaboratively drafted a comprehensive action plan with his friends. If only he had information on the last key...
In the arena where the champions had previously battled magical creatures, Harry stood alongside his fellow competitors. The familiar terrain was replaced by a bare expanse, aside from a miniature Mayan pyramid situated a short distance away. Perched atop this pyramid was a bronze chest secured with four locks, indicating that they'd need to gather elemental keys to access the chest, with the first champion to succeed claiming victory.
This assertion was confirmed when Ludo Bagman announced the task rules. Unfortunately, he neglected to disclose the key locations during his address. That said, the magical 'mirrors' scattered throughout the arena, allowing spectators to monitor the champions' progress, revealed the placements of each key. The air keys were atop the Astronomy Tower, the fire keys resided in the floos' hall, the water keys floated on the platform in the Black Lake, and the earth keys were hidden somewhere in a glade within the Forbidden Forest. Champions had been granted the freedom to collect these keys in any order, which worked in Harry's favor.
After some lengthy speeches from tournament officials, the task commenced. Victor Krum sped toward the lake, while Cedric and Fleur opted to search for the key in the Forbidden Forest first. Following his strategy, Harry dashed toward the castle. He was taken aback by the absence of magical traps or obstacles along his route.
As he approached his target, however, he triggered his first trap without forewarning. It was a humbling experience as Harry barely managed to evade the barrage of stinging hexes unleashed from several arcane orbs. Shielding behind a magical barrier, he waited for the onslaught to subside.
Resolving to be more vigilant, Harry continued toward the fire key. He successfully sidestepped the next three traps but encountered a cluster of runes guarding the door to the floos' hall. A quick transformation of random debris into a brick kept the door ajar, preventing the trap from resetting. Upon entering the dimly lit hall, he was immediately enveloped by fear as a swarm of Dementors closed in.
"Expecto Patronum!" Harry exclaimed, casting the only known counterSpell against the dreadful creatures. Drawing on every ounce of his magical strength, he managed to summon his Patronus in its most powerful form. The serpent-like entity raced toward the nearest Dementor, wrapping its limbs around it and hurling it far away.
With his Patronus battling the approaching Dementors, Harry allowed himself a moment to assess the situation. It became evident he wasn't confronting real guards from Azkaban but rather boggarts disguised as Dementors. Shaking his head, the dark-haired teen began casting the 'Riddikulus' charm, visualizing the Dementors donning clown makeup, comically struck by pies.
After a prolonged struggle against the fourteen boggarts, Harry triumphed. With no further threats in sight, he dismissed his Patronus and cautiously advanced toward an ornate stand at the hall's far end, where four identical fire keys awaited.
Midway through the room, both fireplaces erupted with ghostly blue flames, shocking Harry. Yet seeing no immediate danger, he pressed ahead. To his astonishment, he detected no traps near the keys. After shrugging off the strange luck of the encounter, he selected one and made his way to the exit.
Once again passing the room's center, the fireplaces unleashed a barrage of fireballs in every direction. Seeking refuge behind his magical shield, Harry waited for the fiery chaos to subside. Realizing there was no sign of the flames dwindling, he sighed in annoyance and noted his predicament. Timing it right, he dropped his shield and cast potent protective charms against fire before dashing toward safety.
Fortuity was with him; a few fireballs grazed him, scorching his attire but inflicting no injury. But upon escaping the hall, he found himself confronted by a floating box at eye level. Before he could react, its side opened, releasing its contents.
'Perhaps I owe Dudley a thank you for this...' Harry mused, realizing his cousin's relentless 'Harry hunts' back at Privet Drive had honed his reflexes. Without that training, he doubted he would have evaded the boxing glove springing at him from the box.
Harry quickly navigated towards the Astronomy Tower without incident. Despite his expectations for traps en route to the key locations, he was pleasantly surprised by their absence. He rushed up the last flight of stairs, assuring himself the area was clear of obstacles.
To his surprise, once again, there were no traps as he touched the doorknob or pushed the door open. Shrugging off the revelation, he stepped onto the tower's roof, only to be enveloped by an impenetrable magical fog that obscured the space ahead. The thickness of the fog made it difficult to distinguish even the tips of his fingers.
"Finite Incantatem!" he cast, hoping to disperse the magical mist. No change occurred. "Well, of course," he sighed, recognizing he would need stronger magic. Attempting again, he conjured a powerful gust of wind, yet the fog remained unchanged. He poured more energy into his spell, but the stubborn mist persisted; it was baffling. Even a weak wind spell should have dispersed it slightly, indicating something more was at play.
A sudden realization struck him—there had been no fog on the 'mirror' view during the task declaration. If the fog manifested after the start of the challenge, the spectators wouldn't be able to see anything occurring. Thus, it was likely an illusion—a hallucination trapping him. His main hurdle was figuring out how to break free from it.
After several attempts, he discovered the right counter-curse to gradually lift the fog. However, to his alarm, the disillusionment was accompanied by the spectral figures of monstrous entities looming around him. Some took the form of dragons or gargoyles, while others were formless shadows. The creatures circled him, darting closer occasionally, fostering a growing sense of dread.
Raising his wand to cast yet another counter-spell promised limited success; unfortunately, the shapes began charging at him, their speed rendering them blurs. Each collision threatened to knock him off balance, suggesting these illusions weren't as harmless as he first presumed. Harry resolved it was most likely a spell infused with further complications—perhaps concentrated gusts manipulated symmetrically with the illusionary beasts' movements.
Noticing that his magical ability was hindered while in their proximity, he devised a strategy: he moonlighted his shielding charm and retreated into the tower, ensuring a moderately-powerful protective barrier surrounded him. Though it wouldn't last long, he hoped it would last enough time.
Once positioned again on the roof, he faced the encroaching fog, which had returned to its original density. Despite the annoyance, Harry focused on the specific counter-spell he'd employed earlier, only to find it ineffective. Frustration mounted as he cycled through various alternatives. After several failed attempts, he finally remembered the appropriate spell that dispersed the fog once again. He could now see the roof clearly.
The only item present was a singular metallic object at the center of the roof. It resembled a flattened hemisphere measuring a meter in diameter and half a meter in height. Convinced this blob encapsulated the keys, he approached cautiously. Sure enough, he discovered four holes sealed with glass, each containing an air element key.
Now, he needed to devise a means to extract the keys. Unlocking them proved futile—none of the unlocking charms or levitation spells worked. Annoyed with his limited options, Harry resorted to striking the glass. With a hard punch, resultant cracks spider-webbed across its surface. A second strike shattered the glass, but he wounded his hand in the process.
Casting an 'Episkey' charm healed his hand, and he grabbed a key before making his way to the tower's edge. Next, he would summon his Nimbus 2000 from the Gryffindor common room—although he had never previously tested his summoning charm over such long distances, he was confident in his chances.
After concentrating intensely, the young Potter successfully summoned his broom from where he had left it behind a notice-me-not charm. Mounting his Nimbus, he sped off toward the Black Lake.
As he soared above the cliff where the castle perched, the young Potter caught sight of a figure emerging from the lake, closer to the gently sloping shore. Squinting, he recognized the long, blonde hair—it was Fleur Delacour. It seemed the French witch had just secured her second key as well. While not overly concerning, this meant Harry's advantage over his fellow champions was minimal at best. If he wanted to perform at his peak—especially given the frustrating contract with the Goblet—he needed to act quickly.
His flight continued smoothly until he approached about a hundred meters from the floating platform in the lake's center. At that point, he encountered a powerful ward that abruptly halted his broom. Unfortunately for Harry, his broom was the only thing stopped; he kept moving forward due to inertia. "Cursed luck!" he exclaimed as he braced himself for the fall, hovering roughly forty meters above the water's surface.
"Aresto momentum!" The spell did slow his descent, but Harry still dreaded the impending impact; he was certain that landing like this would leave him with a few broken bones. At least the spell bought him precious seconds to think. Unfortunately, the only idea that came to mind was a self-enhancement spell he'd read about months ago, one that hardened skin and bones. While it would increase his resistance to damage, he would still feel every bit of pain.
Fortunately, a spell from Salazar Slytherin's journal offered a solution: the berserker's curse, which numbed pain for a time. It had fallen out of use by the late 13th century due to its often detrimental effects; after all, pain serves as a critical signal that something is wrong with the body, and ignoring such signals can lead to disastrous outcomes.
Casting the curse on himself in haste, Harry tucked into a rough cannonball formation. Almost instantly, he crashed into the lake, plunging two meters beneath the surface into water that was shockingly cold. Disoriented from the impact, he struggled to the surface, his heavy, soaked clothes weighing him down.
Gasping for air as he emerged, Harry glanced around—he was about twenty meters from the platform. Good. He had no desire to linger in the frigid water. However, his plans were thwarted when he felt thin, skeletal arms wrap around his feet. A Grindylow! Without looking underwater—he had no intention of sticking his head back beneath the surface—Harry cast several revulsion jinxes. At least one struck true, freeing his feet from the creature's grasp. A flurry of stunning spells followed, ensuring the Grindylow wouldn't bother him again any time soon.
Not willing to test his luck against any lurking companions, Harry kicked towards the platform as fast as he could. Once he reached it, he dried himself off with magic and cast the most effective heating charm he knew; although he'd spent less than a minute in the water, he felt chilled to the bone.
With that issue dealt with, Harry turned to the raised platform's center, where he saw a large bowl filled with a shimmering green liquid. At the bottom lay a key, and next to the bowl were a couple of plain iron goblets. Despite the cheerful atmosphere, the setup reminded Harry unsettlingly of Voldemort's cave where he had hidden one of his Horcruxes.
Harry confirmed that he couldn't retrieve the key without first emptying the bowl of its liquid. Unfortunately, attempting to pour it out resulted in the liquid magically returning to the bowl. There was far too much to fit into just two small goblets. After ensuring that the goblets weren't enchanted to resist magical tampering, he cast the geminio charm, duplicating the two goblets into thirty-six. That was more than enough to bail out the liquid from the bowl.
Once he grasped the key, Harry noticed that all the duplicates of the goblets vanished, and the bowl refilled with the same green liquid. A new key appeared at the bottom.
"Perfect," he mused to himself. With three keys in hand, he had just one left to find, hidden somewhere in the Forbidden Forest. Deciding to take full advantage of his broom, he thought it would be much quicker to fly rather than walk. However, when he summoned his Nimbus 2000 again, he discovered that an invisible barrier around the platform prevented it from getting close.
This meant he needed to get some distance from the platform before summoning his broomstick back. Harry wasn't keen on swimming through the icy water again.
Resorting to a weak bombarda spell, he blasted the wooden floor of the platform and sent splinters flying. While the magical energy required was substantial, it was still better than swimming half the lake. Choosing the largest splinter, he transfigured it into a small boat. He launched it into the water and climbed aboard, propelling it forward with a well-practiced water-hose charm.
Once he confirmed that he'd moved outside the ward's range, Harry tried summoning his broomstick again. This time it worked, and he mounted it without a second thought, taking off towards the Forbidden Forest while leaving the boat behind.
While the Point Me spell wouldn't direct him to the Earth element key itself, he quickly discovered it did lead him to the location of the trial he needed to navigate to obtain it. The trial was set in a large clearing, about a hundred yards into the Forbidden Forest. The scorch marks on the ground and trees indicated it was the same clearing where the beasts for the First Task had been contained.
In the clearing's center stood a small pyramid, and on its apex lay a key—only one now, since the other three keys had already been collected. The pyramid was enclosed in a barrier that looked like a massive bubble. Surrounding it were a dozen clay golems, each as tall as a man, patrolling the area and ready to pummel anyone who dared approach.
Breaking the ward would take time and concentration, something Harry couldn't afford if the golems remained a threat. He needed to deal with them first. Hovering above the clearing on his broomstick, Harry unleashed powerful bombarda curses, but soon realized the magical constructs were more resilient than they appeared. Blasts of cutting and piercing curses, along with various fire and water spells, had little effect as well.
Recognizing the futility of attempting to destroy the golems with spells meant for a fourth-year student, Harry shifted tactics. Instead, he excavated a large hole in the ground and lured the golems toward it. They proved to be rather dim-witted, easily falling into his trap one by one.
With them dealt with, Harry turned his attention back to the pyramid. Dismounting from his broom, he scrutinized the ward keeping him from accessing the key. Though impressive, he knew it couldn't be too difficult to break; after all, it was designed for seventeen-year-old students. Unfortunately, the usual method—destroying the anchoring runes—was out of the question since they were likely located within the ward itself.
After casting various high-level detection spells, Harry finally identified a significant weakness: the ward only prevented animate objects and spells from crossing its perimeter. This meant that while he couldn't use a summoning charm on the key, he could still retrieve it with a simple hook on a long reach.
Transfiguring a nearby branch, Harry fashioned the tool he needed and successfully retrieved the key. But as soon as it crossed the barrier, another dozen golems sprang to life, advancing menacingly from all sides. Without hesitating, Harry mounted his broom and shot high into the air, speeding toward the stadium, eager to complete the task.
As he exited the forest, Harry spotted Viktor Krum racing towards the stadium from the castle. With the advantage of speed provided by his broom, Harry knew he would reach the 'finish line' before the Durmstrang champion. Indeed, by the time he soared into the arena, Viktor had barely covered a quarter of the distance from Hogwarts' main gates.
"And Harry Potter is the first to return with all four keys!" Ludo Bagman's magically amplified voice rang out as Harry landed a few steps from the pyramid that held the chest in the center of the arena. "Now, Mr. Potter, if you would kindly open the chest..." Nodding, Harry climbed up the pyramid and inserted the four keys into their respective keyholes. The keys briefly glowed light blue before disappearing, the chest's lid swinging open. However, all Harry could see was a magical shroud of darkness within. "And now, pick a ball from inside the chest." Following Mr. Bagman's instructions, Harry hesitantly plunged his hand into the darkness and retrieved a metal ball inscribed with the number '2.' "Congratulations, Mr. Potter." Ludo continued, "You will receive instructions about this ball after all the champions have completed the task."
Nodding, Harry made his way to the first aid booth, knowing Madam Pomfrey wouldn't rest until she ensured he and the other competitors were well. Just as he approached the hidden corridors beneath the spectators' stands, he heard Mr. Bagman announce that the Durmstrang champion had completed the task.
In the end, Harry found himself waiting nearly twenty minutes for the last champion, Cedric—whose hands and feet appeared severely battered from a particularly aggressive encounter with Grindylows—to finish. Once all champions had been patched up by Madam Pomfrey and were able to stand in the arena to hear their scores, the judges announced their results.
Harry received a score of nine from Madame Maxime, ten from Ludo Bagman, and eight from Percy Weasley, who stood in for the still-ill Mr. Crouch. Dumbledore and Karkaroff awarded him six and five, respectively, perhaps displeased with his broomstick usage during the task. Still, Harry found satisfaction in his strong performance; only Viktor Krum scored higher.
Once the scores were tallied, Mr. Bagman instructed the champions to go to the waiting room for instructions regarding the Third Task.
"Alright, congratulations on successfully completing the second task of the Triwizard Tournament," Ludo said cheerily, entering the now-occupied waiting room. "I won't reveal the nature of the third task just yet..." he continued. "You will receive more information later. For now, please keep the balls you retrieved from the chest safe—they will serve as keys in the final task. Is that clear?" As the champions nodded in agreement, Mr. Bagman added, "Well then, off you go!"