Chapter 116: The Second Task

Chris skipped few stone steps as she ran out onto the bright, chilly grounds towards the lake, thinking Helena Ravenclaw's story. Chris noticed the seats that had encircled the dragons' enclosure in November were now ranged along the opposite bank, rising in stands that were packed to the bursting point and reflected in the lake below. The excited babble of the crowd echoed strangely across the water. Chris checked her watch again to see it's already half past ten and the crowd was expectantly watching the lake water for any kind of commotion. Before Chris could look for any familiar faces in the stands, she saw Fleur Delacour was already near the judges, Madam Pomfrey and Madame Maxime were helping her with a towel and some kind of potion. Fleur had many cuts on her face and arms and her robes were torn, but she didn't seem to care, nor would she allow Madam Pomfrey to clean them.

"What happened to her? Did she win?" Chris said as she walked toward the stands.

"No." Said a voice flatly.

Chris looked up and saw Jason, Theodore, Daphne and Astoria sitting nearby.

"No." Theodore repeated. "She got caught by the grindylows and sent a sign for help so the judges pulled her out."

"Oh and everyone else?" Chris asked.

"No one came out except her." Theodore said seriously then laughed. "Do you reckon all of them drowned while saving their treasures?"

Daphne laughed but Astoria was coldly watching Jason who was staring at Chris.

"What?" Chris directly asked looking at him.

"Nothing." Jason replied. "Come and sit. Don't know how much time they'll take."

As Jason patted the sit beside him, Astoria looked at Chris sharply.

"Er... Hi Astoria." Chris said as politely as possible. "How are you?"

"She is fine." Jason said as he pulled Chris's on the sit beside her. "She was teaching me some interesting spells this morning."

"Really?" Chris asked looking at Astoria.

Suddenly Astoria's expression changed, she even giggled a little.

"Oh it's nothing." She said quietly.

Chris looked at Jason with a confused face but at that moment the crowd screamed. All of them looked down at the lake, someone was coming towards the surface.

And with a splash Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang came up. The crowd cheered applauded. Madam Pomfrey hurried with blankets as the came towards the bank. Bagman and Dumbledore pulled them up. People were screaming shouting all around.

"There were people inside the like? They took Cho for Cedric?" Chris asked looking surprised.

"Looks like that." Jason replied.

"But..."

There was another round of applause as a sharkhead person came out with another girl. Chris looked down, then soon realized the girl beside him was Hermione, and guessed the sharkhead must be Victor Krum because Harry didn't learn any kind of Transfiguration like that.

"That's why they took Hermione last night." Chris muttered, clapping with others.

As Victor and Hermione reached the bank, Karkaroff pulled him out, Bagman helped Hermione and Madam Pomfrey gave them blankets. Then again everyone concentrated on the lake.

"Do you know who they took for Potter?" Jason asked.

"Yeah... maybe Ron." Chris replied.

"Ron? Weasley?"

"Yep."

"Then I'm convinced." Jason chuckled. "Something is definitely going on between them. You never guessed that they're not straight?"

"What?" Chris laughed.

And then three people emerged on the lake surface and suddenly many wild, green-haired heads came out. The crowd was making a great deal of noise; shouting and screaming, they all were on their feet.

"Ewwwww..." Daphne shrieked. "What're these?"

"Mermaids." Chris replied.

"But aren't the mermaids supposed to be beautiful?" Astoria asked. "I mean they're famous for being beautiful and attracting men..."

"Did Potter just bring Fleur Delacour's sister?" Theodore said cutting her off.

"I think so." Chris replied. "Definitely took the song seriously. Idiot."

"The song?" Jason raised his eyebrows.

"It was the golden egg. The clue.."

"And you helped him figured it out, didn't you?"

"Er... yeah... he was kind of stuck... so...." Chris said smiling.

She looked back at the lake as Percy seized Ron and was dragging him back to the bank.

"Percy? Mr Crouch still didn't make it?" Chris muttered.

As Dumbledore and Bagman were pulling Harry, Fleur broke free of Madame Maxime and hugged her sister.

As Madam Pomfrey fussed over Harry and Fleur Delacour's sister with blankets and potions, Chris noticed Dumbledore was crouching at the water's edge, deep in conversation with what seemed to be the chief merperson, a particularly wild and ferocious-looking female. He was making the same sort of screechy noises that the merpeople made when they were above water; clearly, Dumbledore could speak Mermish. Finally he straightened up, turned to his fellow judges, and said, "A conference before we give the marks, I think."

The judges went into a huddle.

"What's this conference for? Diggory won isn't it clear?" Theodore said impatiently. "Oh c'mon finish it already. I'm so bored sitting here doing nothing for one hour."

"True." Jason seconded.

"I think it's because Potter brought Fleur Delacour's hostage too." Daphne said. "You know Dumbledore. He'll try to give Potter extra marks for this stupid heroics."

Chris didn't like Daphne's tone but decided not to say anything.

Then Ludo Bagman's magically magnified voice boomed out, causing the crowd in the stands to go very quiet.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our decision. 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."

Applause from the stands.

"Cedric Diggory, who also used the Bubble-Head Charm, was first to return with his hostage, though he returned one minute outside the time limit of an hour."

Enormous cheers from the Hufflepuffs in the crowd.

"We therefore award him forty-seven points. Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of Transfiguration, which was nevertheless effective, and was second to return with his hostage. We award him forty points."

The crowd cheered.

"Harry Potter used gillyweed to great effect," Bagman continued. "He returned last, and well outside the time limit of an hour. However, the Merchieftainess informs us that Mr. Potter was first to reach the hostages, and that the delay in his return was due to his determination to return all hostages to safety, not merely his own."

'Stupid.' Chris thought but then smiled thinking about the reason Harry did that.

"Most of the judges, feel that this shows moral fiber and merits full marks. However .... Mr. Potter's score is forty-four points."

Chris started applauding hard with the rest of the crowd.

"Told you." Daphne shouted over the noise. "Now he's tying up with Diggory."

Chris decided to ignore her remarks as she got up.

"I think I should go. I'll see you later Jason. Bye everyone." She said, gave a fake smile towards Daphne and walked out of the stands.

"The third and final task will take place at dusk on the twenty-fourth of June," continued Bagman. "The champions will be notified of what is coming precisely one month beforehand. Thank you all for your support of the champions."

Chris heard this as she walked back to the castle.