A Wizards Fairytale

Chapter 14

The Christmas holiday passed by quickly, and the second task of the tournament approached faster than anyone would've thought. The school seemed to buzz in anticipation, but the champions were a bit more wary. The egg, while tricky at first, was not a hard clue to crack once you could actually hear what was being said. Different parts of the message alarmed different champions. Both Draco Malfoy and Drew Potter were worried about the swimming portion of the task because, while both boys did know how to swim, it was not a hobby encouraged by the (mostly) Pureblood English families they grew up in. Ana was more worried about the time she had to actually spend underwater. Though a fairly good swimmer, she was not found of diving underwater due to a traumatic childhood experience with a jellyfish on holiday.

Aries Kalgarias, on the other hand, was alarmed by the task for a whole other myriad of reasons. The riddle had clearly stated, "And while you're searching, ponder this: We've taken what you'll sorely miss". Rue had suggested during their discussion of the clue over the holiday that Dumbledore would probably use people as the thing they'd sorely miss, and Aries was inclined to agree since his friend had a Seer-like ability of predicting the outcome of any given situation. What really worried Aries was that there were only two people at Hogwarts he would sorely miss, and he didn't trust Dumbledore with their lives for a second, even if it was just for some tournament. If a hair on Iris or Gabrielle's head was harmed, Albus Dumbledore would have hell to pay.

It was with this attitude Aries went to the second task that chilly February day. It was so chilly that he seriously wondered who'd plan a task in the lake for late February. "Guess that mistake can be summed up to British incompetence," he murmured quietly to himself. Other than the coldness of the water, Aries wasn't worried about swimming. Spending the summers growing up in Greece meant that you were always in the water. He and his cousins had gone out to the ocean like other kids had gone to the park. Within five months of being brought into the family he was an experienced swimmer. That and the potion recipe Rue had given to help expand the time he could spend underwater guaranteed this task would be a breeze for Aries.

The laid-back confidence Aries was emitting was so off-putting to his fellow champions (Ana excluded) that Drew Potter eventually burst out, "How are you so bloody calm, Kalgarias?"

Aries just looked at the kid. He really did feel nothing for this guy that could've been his brother in a different life, but he did admire Drew's guts for asking a question (if not so tactfully) that everyone else was too intimidated to ask. Laughing, he answered, "I'm Greek, Potter. I spent more of my childhood in the Mediterranean than on land. A measly lake in England doesn't frighten me." Aries glanced at the water. "Looks a little cold though."

Surprisingly, Drew replied, "Thanks for that deduction, Sherlock." Both Ana and Malfoy looked confused.

"It's a reference to a famous Muggle detective from 19th literature, Sherlock Holmes," Aries explained.

Ana rolled her eyes. "How is it you know everything?" she teased.

Aries shrugged. "Once you've lived everywhere, you know everything."

That comment aroused the curiosity of many surrounding eavesdroppers and even some of the people involved in said conversation. Drew in particular was dying to know more about the kid who his parents couldn't seem to stop discussing, whose late mother had been Sirius's first (and only if Remus was to believed) love. He would've asked what countries were included said everywhere if a certain ominous figure hadn't appeared next to him. Druella Macnair just seemed to scare people out of speech wherever she went.

Aries seemed more upbeat when he saw Rue but instantly deflated when he noticed someone missing. Looking around, he asked, "Where's Lena?"

Rue's usually impassive expression gave away to one of panic in a flash. "What do you mean, 'Where's Lena?' She's supposed to be with you!" Aries started to argue, but Rue stopped him by saying, "Henri brought her here last night. She wanted to go to the second task with you. I think she was just scared for you so I agreed to let her go. Henri told me he dropped her off with Madame Maxine and that the Headmistress was planning to take her to Dumbledore to verify it was okay for her to stay the night before bringing her to you."