The Dark Lord's Daughter [FW - Book One]

The Second Task

I sit at a table in the library next to Harry, Ron and Hermione, as both the twins, and Lani and McKenna are mysteriously missing. I let out a sigh. At least no one is glaring at me anymore. They seem to have decided that if the golden trio trusts me, I can't be evil. If only they could have figured that out sooner... Harry and Ron have also made up while I've been spending time with the twins. I sigh again, tuning out my thoughts, and listening as Hermione and Harry talk about the second task clue, because the second task takes place tomorrow morning. I bang my head against the table as they continue babbling back and forth.

"What did it say again?" Hermione asks for the tenth time in the last half hour.

"Come seek us where our voices sound, we cannot sing above the ground. An hour long you'll have to look, to recover what we took." Harry recites, Hermione nodding.

"Okay, so we know that it's about mermaids in the black lake, that much is obvious. And you'll have an hour to find whatever 'treasure' they took, that may be a slight problem, though." Hermione shrugs.

"A slight problem?" Harry scoffs. "When was the last time you held your breath for an hour, Hermione?"

"Harry, there has to be a book about being underwater for that long in here somewhere." Hermione says desperately, flipping through yet another book.

Before Harry can open his mouth to respond, McGonagall enters the library and walks over to us.

"There you are. I have been looking for you three. Could I speak to you in private?" She asks.

I sigh and pick up a book as Harry, Ron and Hermione stand up. Looks like they're leaving me too.

"Not you, Mr. Potter. I was reffering to Miss Redwood, or Black, whichever you prefer." McGonagall says.

I look up, surprised, but stand anyway and follow McGonagall out of the library, after telling her that I prefer Redwood. Professor McGonagall leads us to her office and closes the door.

"As you all know, the second task is going to take place in the morning." McGonagall starts, we all nod. "Well, we would like you to be a part of the second task, if that is alright with you."

"What do you mean, be a part of the task?" Hermione and I ask at the same time.

"I assume you have all heard the clue by now?" The Professor asks, we nod again. "Good. You three will be the treasures that the champions look for at the bottom of the lake."

"What?" We all ask in astonishment.

McGonagall sighs. "Do you think Dumbledore would suggest this if it were not safe?" She asks. "You will have an enchantment placed on you so that you may breathe underwater. You will not be able to move but you will be aware of your surroundings, do you understand?" We all nod once again, and McGonagall continues. "Good. Now, Miss Granger will be underwater for Victor Krum to save, Mr. Weasley, you will be for Harry Potter to save, and Miss Redwood, you have been assigned to Cedric Diggory."

"Wait, I'm the treasure for Cedric? Shouldn't Cho be underwater instead of me?" I ask, confused as to why I am here.

"Miss Chang is currently ill, and it has been decided that it would not be wise for her to be underwater, and as you are Mr. Diggory's friend, you will be replacing her." McGonagall explains.

"Oh." I say quietly.

"Now I will perform the enchantment, the second task will begin in a matter of hours now." The Professor says.

"It is safe?" Hermione asks, still uncertain..

"Yes, of course." Professor McGonagall assures us.

"Alright then." Hermione says, Ron and I nod in agreement.

Professor McGonagall raises her wand, and without saying a single word, casts the spell. I feel my feet being lifted off of the ground, and my eyes closing. I am completely awake but can see nothing.

The hours blur together and I have no track of time, but I realise it must be morning when I feel myself being lowered into a body of water. McGonagall was right, I can still breathe, but I can't see or hear anything, and the only thing I can feel is the water around me. All of sudden, I feel someone gripping my ankles, and then I'm being lifted upwards. As soon as we reach the surface, I can open my eyes, and move. As I begin to swim towards the docks, I notice that Cedric is right behind me.

"And Cedric Diggory returns with his stolen treasure!" Someone says enthusiastically, their voice made louder by magic, making the crowds burst into applause. I ignore the noise and focus on swimming, I'm a little stiffer after not moving for who knows how many hours.

"Good to be able to see again." I mutter. Cedric chuckles. "Are we the first to return?"

"Yeah." Cedric grins as he helps me onto the docks, and climbs up after me.

I cant help but worry about Harry as someone wraps a towel around me. Did he ever find something to help him? I don't see him on the docks so he must be underwater, I just hope he's alright. Someone grabs my shoulders from behind, and I turn to see Fred's relieved face.

"Where have you been?" He asks.

"Me? I've been at the bottom of the lake for a few hours, and before that I was in the library with the golden trio. I had no one else to hang out with, since you guys ditched me." I say, sounding meaner than I'd meant to.

"We didn't ditch you, we were..." Fred trails off.

"You were what?" I ask, at least this conversation is taking my mind off of Harry.

"We were planning something nice for you, I'm not saying anything more." Fred smirks. I raise my eyebrow at him, but he ignores this and continues talking. "So why were you Cedric's treasure?" He asks with bitterness in his tone.

"Relax, Fred. We're just friends. She was filling in for Cho, who's sick." Cedric explains calmly.

"Oh." Fred breathes, sitting down next to me. "Well I'm glad you're alright, love."

Fred pecks me on the cheek and pulls me closer to him, his arms wrapped around my waist, my head resting on his shoulder.

There are a few moments of awkward, unbroken silence, so I search my mind for something to say. I look around the dock and spot Fleur wrapped up in a towel a ways away, still shivering.

"I thought you said we were the first to return?" I ask Cedric quietly, watching Fleur sob into her towel.

"We were. Fleur was disqualifed, she never made it past the grindylowes. I think her sister is still down there." Cedic replies quietly before leaving us to find Cho.

I stay with Fred at the edge of the docks, shivering as I watch the water hopefully.

"I'll go get you some more towels." Fred says, noticing my shiver. I nod and Fred leaves as well.

Fred soon returns with more towels, and sits back down, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. Together we watch the water, not talking much. We're both too worried to do anything but watch the water nervously.

Hermione and Viktor eventually emerge and join us on the docks. I retrieve several towels for Hermione, and we sit together.

"Do you think Harry ever found a way to stay underwater?" I whisper nervously.

"He must have. Viktor said he saw him fighting off the mermaids." Hermione replies, though she's obviously worried as well. Harry has been underwater for longer than an hour.

The cheering from Viktor's return dies down, and everyone seems to go silent as we all watch the water. Just as I overhear McGonagall whispering to Dumbledore that they should send someone down to look for Harry, Ron and Fleur's sister shoot above the surface of the water. There are a few moments of cheering before people start to realize that Harry isn't with them, but just as the two "treasures" reach the docks, Harry shoots out of the water as well, and then the cheering  really begins.