Blindness

Chapter 9: Violet Stones and Shadows

1995

The clue to the second task lay within the egg. When it opened Harry heard the screeching and immediately slammed it shut in wincing response.

But he had had time to glimpse the pattern easily recognizable from his careful perusal of the magical creatures around the Scottish castle. Scales and fins, fish and human patterns alike, the color the gray-blue hue of the merpeople.

Hermione held the egg under water and opened it again, and together they ducked their heads and listened to the song.

-O-O-

They could not have made more of a challenge for him if they had purposefully tried. Harry didn't know how to swim; the very thought shot dread through him.

One team member was to retrieve an object from the merpeoples village at the bottom of the lake; then, they were to bring it to a floating platform in front of the school and hand it to the second team member, who would be responsible for placing the object upon a higher platform, charmed to hover high above the water.

There would be creatures to challenge them both above and below the surface.

Hermione tried to teach him the bubble-head charm; he learned it easily, but found the magic of the charm prohibited his sight to such an extent that it was useless. They tried to locate gillyweed, both in person and by owl, and found the supply sold out for weeks and nearly impossible to import with Ministry regulations.

Finally, Hermione put her foot down, and insisted on completing the first part of the challenge herself. She wouldn't have him forfeit, not after the success with the dragon, and the Headmaster's nearly insulting condescension afterwards because Harry had not followed his suggestion to lay low.

And she also claimed that retrieving a stone from merpeople would be a walk in the park.

So Harry found himself waiting as first Hogwarts, then Durmstrang, exited the water with their stones.

Then, he waited, and waited, seeing Neville triumphantly use a rapidly growing green vine of some sort to reach the higher platform, Cedric below helping cast spells to make the diving hippogriffs and pixies stay away. Durmstrang's team sent Krum aloft on a summoned broom, the man's light whirling with such speed Harry could barely follow it if he tried.

But he didn't try. His vision was focused on the water. He could hear it lapping the sides of the deck, could smell it on the air, seeming to surround all his senses, and hiding from him the one thing he wanted.

Fleur paced and paced, her voice sobbing, claiming attack by grindylows or the giant squid must be preventing her sister from surfacing. Harry's heart seized in nearly catatonic fear at the thought. Together, he stood next to the witch whose fiery pattern betrayed relation to a veela, looking down into the dark depths of the lake.

He saw her light flare first; blue-violet, electric, and he shouted aloud.

Hermione carried with her Gabrielle Delacour, who was scooped up by her sister even as Harry drew Hermione into a hard hug, burying his face in her wet hair.

She pushed him away, speaking quickly.

"Go! To the platform! Here!" She thrust the stone in his hand; he could hardly care. She pushed him again, and he reluctantly turned, looking upward at the wood platform, the swooping colors of airborne creatures waiting for him to attempt to ascend.

He couldn't apparate even if he knew how. He couldn't fly a broom, never having learned the skill and knowing its dangers for one who couldn't always see correctly. He could only levitate himself, and he would have to do so quickly.