What is right and what is easy (Book 1) [A Draco Malfoy Love Story]

The second task

"One... Two...three!"

The whistle echoed shrilly in the cold, still air; the stands erupted in cheers and applause; without looking to see what the other champions were doing , I pulled off my shoes and socks, pulled the handful of Gillyweed out of my pocket, stuffed it into my mouth, and waded out into the lake.

The lake was so cold I felt the skin on my legs searing as though it was fire, not icy water. My sodden robes weighed me down as I walked in deeper; now the water was over my knees, and my rapidly numbing feet were slipping over silt and flat, slimy stones. I was chewing the Gillyweed as hard and as fast as I could; it felt unpleasantly slimy and rubbery, like octopus tentacles. Waist-deep In water I stopped, swallowed, and waited for something to happen.

I could hear laughter in the crowd, and knew I must look stupid, walking into the lake without showing any sign of magical power. The part of me that was still dry was covered in goose-bumps; half immersed in icy water, a cruel breeze lifting my hair. I started to shiver violently.

Then, quite suddenly, I felt as though an invisible pillow had been clapped over my mouth and nose. I tried to draw breath, but it made my head spin; my lungs were empty, and I suddenly felt a piercing pain on either side of my neck -

I clasped my hands around my throat, and felt two large slits just below my ears, flapping in the cold air ... I had gills. Without pausing to think, I did the only thing that made sense - I flung myself forwards into the water. The first gulp of icy lake water felt like the breath of life. My head had stopped spinning; I took another great gulp of water and felt it pass smoothly through my gills, sending oxygen back to my brain. I stretched my hands out in front of me and stared. They looked ghostly green under the water, and they had become webbed. I twisted around and looked at my bare feet - they had become elongated and my toes were webbed, too; it looked like I had sprouted flippers.

The water didn't feel icy anymore either... On the contrary, I felt pleasantly cool and very light. I struck out once more, marvelling at how far and fast my flipper-like feet propelled me through the water, and noticing how clearly I could see, and how I no longer needed to blink. I dived into the lakes depths. I needed to get to Draco.

Silence pressed upon my ears as I soared over a strange, dark, foggy landscape. I could only see ten feet around me, so that as I sped through the water new scenes seemed to loom suddenly out of the oncoming darkness. I swam deeper and deeper, out towards the middle of the lake, my eyes wide, staring through the eerily grey-lit water around me to the shadows beyond, where the water became opaque.

There was no sign of other champions, merpeople, Draco - nor, thankfully, the giant squid. Light-green weed stretched ahead of me as far as I could see, two feet deep, like a meadow of very overgrown grass. Then without warning something grabbed hold of my ankle. I twisted my body and saw a grindylow, a small, horned water demon, poking out of the weeds, it's long fingers clutched tightly around my leg, it's pointed fangs bared. I fumbled for my wand.

"Relashio!" I shouted, except that no sound came out... A large bubble issued from my mouth, and my wand, instead of sending sparks at the grindylow, pelted it with what seemed to be a jet of boiling water, for where it struck it, angry red patches appeared on its green skin. I managed to break free and swam as fast as I could until no more Grindylows seemed to be in sight.

"How are you getting on?"

I whipped around to see moaning myrtle, the ghost that haunted the bathroom, floating hazily in front of me, gazing at me through her thick pearly glasses.

"Myrtle!" I tried to shout - but, once again, nothing came out of my mouth but a very large bubble. Moaning myrtle actually giggled.

"You want to try over there!" She said, pointing "I won't come with you... I don't like them much, they always chase me when I get too close..."