Through The Veil「 The Veil Trilogy Part Ⅱ 」✔

[13] Merci Ronald

The clue to the second task was supposed to be in the golden egg collected in the first one and so far no one had any idea what it was going to be. And I know that because I happen to be on good terms with all champions except Krum.

So if Krum had figured out what the task would be, I don't know but so far neither Cedric, Harry nor Fleur had any clue about it. The golden egg screeched painfully upon opening and there was no other way they could find the clue either so the days were passing by and their anticipation was increasing.

On the day of the task, we were all supposed to gather at the Lake and that was when it was revealed that the task would be underwater.

"Does Harry know how to swim?" Fred asked from beside me and I shrugged, I had no idea about that.

"But surely he would work something out," Angelina remarked.

My eyes swept over the Gryffindor stands below me as Fred and George had bagged the topmost seats for us so we could have a better view. But it was then I noticed that Ron's unmistakable red hair were nowhere to be seen among the fourth year row.

"Hey, where's Ron?" I asked and Fred and George trained their eyes to that row as well.

"Hermione's not there either. Maybe they went to wish Harry good luck at the last moment," George added.

Maybe.

It's a good thing though that the rift between Harry and Ron had gotten resolved after the first task. It was extremely disappointing seeing such good friends act like strangers before that.

Finally the champions were called out and assembled then the details of the task were announced by Ludo Bagman.

"Oh wait, isn't that Perfect Percy standing next to Bagman?" Fred piped up and sure enough, our elder brother Percy was present there but his boss Crouch was nowhere to be seen.

"I suppose you meant Weatherby," George remarked laughing shortly after.

He was referring to the fact that even though Perce had been working under crouch for a few months, the latter could never get his name right often calling him Weatherby.

"Shut up and focus on the task," I rebuked them because even though Bagman's voice was magnified still with the twins' loud voices combined, it was difficult to hear him.

"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."

At the signal, all our four champions dived into the lake.

Damn it, I could not hear what Ludo Bagman had said before. "What exactly is taken from them? What's the task about?"

Katie spoke up, "they have one hour to go to the merpeople's village and bring back something the merpeople have taken from them. What it's going to be though, I've no idea."

Oh.

So all we had to do was wait and see what would happen next. Fleur and Ced used the Bubble Head charm to go under water, Krum partially transfigured himself into a shark and Harry used Gillyweed.

They had precisely an hour to finish the task and we were all waiting for them to come back to the surface safe and sound.

The surface of the lake had ripples about fifteen minutes later and shortly after Fleur came out chased by Grindylows. But she did not have whatever she was required to bring back from the merpeople and seeing by her face, it seemed as if that thing was very dear to her.

"It was her sister Gabrielle," the whispers among the students about what happened reached us as well, "the merpeople have taken the people closest to the champions and are holding them hostage underwater."