Christmas at home was a little strained. Everyone was a little cross with Ron for trying to defend what Eric had done when they questioned him about why they were still friends. Even their parents were a little mad at him for it. Although Molly less so than Dad was. But other than that things went well, and all of them got gifts. Their family didn’t have a lot of money, so it was mostly small things that they’d been able to cobble together themselves. Fred and George handed out some prank items. They had made fake wands that turned into mice as soon as you channeled your magic into them.

It was pretty cool, even if Molly seemed to disapprove of them spending so much time on developing ‘nonsense’ when they could have been studying for their tests. Next year would be their last and they’d be taking their final sets of exams for graduation, so each test became more and more important as they went.

Sirius and Olivia had their own Christmas celebration with each other. Ginny had been able to visit the clinic, and the big mural of Olivia was just like how she had imagined it. She really did look like some sort of mythic hero with a massive light from behind and bright colors in a circle around an image like a halo around her body.

Ginny had some fun teasing Olivia about it as they stood in the empty lobby of the clinic. To Ginny’s surprise Balthazar was teaching Dumbledore how to create the wolf-kin, so the clinic had only been seeing patients in the afternoons after Dumbledore had already left for the last week. Balthazar was training Dumbledore in the mornings.

Olivia told her that the news was all over the papers, people speculating if Dumbledore would start doing his own operations or teach other people the technique to share it with the world.

It must really be complicated if someone like Dumbledore was taking over a week of long sessions to learn to do it. Ginny and Olivia already knew that, but the rest of the world seemed to figure it out too the longer Dumbledore spent learning at the Wolf-kin Clinic.

After the break, everyone returned to school. Eric didn’t do anything, Ginny spent time with her friends, and Dumbledore spent half of the day at the Wolf-kin clinic learning from Balthazar before returning in the afternoons, appearing rather tired at the evening meals.

The timing of the second triwizarding task had been announced to be at the end of February. According to rumors, Eric still hadn’t figured out the trick to making the golden egg sing the riddle. Krum, Fleur, and Ginny all told people that they’d already solved it even if they didn’t say how or what the trick was.

Classes went along, and Ginny bombed a few of her tests because she hadn’t been studying enough after returning from her relaxing Christmas. Her overall grades were still good, but she turned her mind away from the triwizarding tournament and to her studies in order to make sure that she’d do better on the next exams to make up the difference.

It was a week before the day of the second task, and Ginny had been called to the Headmaster’s office. When she went in, she was surprised to see Dumbledore, Flitwick, McGonagall, and Mr. Crouch all sitting inside waiting for her.

She stopped briefly before walking forward again and sitting in the open chair.

“Ms. Weasley,” Dumbledore said, “You’re not in trouble, don’t you worry. Before you begin, I’d like to ask a rather important question. Have you truly figured out the clue to the golden egg? What was the method you used?”

“Huh? Oh, you have to listen to it while its underwater to hear the riddle,” Ginny said, “I thought I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone though?”

Dumbledore let out a sigh of relief, “Excellent, that should allow us a bit of wiggle room with the magic of the Goblet of Fire.”

“The Goblet of Fire?” Ginny asked, “What do you mean?”

“It is not only the competitors that are bound by the magic of the Goblet of Fire, but us headmasters of our schools as well. If you had not already solved the riddle then I would be forced to leave and my fellow adults not bound by its magic would tell you without me present.”

There was a short pause from Dumbledore, “Given… your circumstances, it was decided that we’d be giving the champions an explanation of the second task. We’ll be explaining this to all four champions, but I wished to tell you first because this change was because of what happened to you and your friends just before Christmas break.”

“Me? What does what Eric did have to do with what the second task will be?”

“The task will consist of searching the lake for the precious thing you hold ‘most dear’ to yourself. In a more real sense, this means your friends. It was decided that young Alexa would be spelled to be in a trance-like state and hidden under the waters of the great lake.”

“What? Alexa didn’t tell me anything like that. Why would she agree to do that?”

“It was to be explained the day of,” Dumbledore said, “So they could not share the information with the champions. Originally it was supposed to be a surprise to all, to increase the stakes of the competition. But given the very real dangers you have faced in the past… We wish to assure you that none of the contestants will be in any danger at any point and not cause you undue stress or panic. The spell will keep them completely safe until it dispels itself when they surface after you save them. Your brother Ron will be Eric Potter’s precious person, so there is no need to feel compelled to worry about his safety after saving your friend.”

“Wait, so originally we were supposed to think that they were going to die if we didn’t save them in time or something? Why would you do that? That’s horrible!”

Mr. Crouch cleared his throat, “Well, the sports committee thought that it would heighten the drama and excitement for the competition. None of the people would ever be in true danger with Dumbledore himself casting the enchantments on them to make sure that there wouldn’t be any mistakes.”

“I hate that committee,” Ginny said, “Who let them decide something like that? What’s it’s name so I can tell my dad how horrible it is?”

“Ah, it was an internal committee of employees, not something that’s available to the public.”

“That’s convenient,” Ginny said, “Why shouldn’t I just refuse to Comp- Compe- Com-”

Ginny’s mind stuttered and groaned for a few seconds before she remembered what she was saying.

“I can’t believe you’re doing this, but I have to compete to the best of my abilities to complete the task,” Ginny said in resignation, all of the adults looking at her strangely.

“Anyway, what was I saying? Oh yeah, so they’ll be completely safe? No chance of danger at all even when they’ll be underwater for at least an hour? They’ll be safe even if I don’t find them in time?”

“Yes, completely safe,” Dumbledore said, “Best of luck on the task, Ms. Weasley. I believe that will be all for now. We have three more champions to inform.”

“Well, I suppose thanks for telling me,” Ginny said, “I would have definitely panicked and gone a bit crazy if I thought Alexa had really been kidnapped.”

“Well, no need to do so any longer,” Dumbledore said, “And best luck on completing the task.”

— — —

Then, like no time had passed at all, it was the day of the task. All four of the champions were waiting by the lake on a floating platform that was in the center of the lake. There were the judges' stands and a series of stands for the audience, all made of wood and floating on the placid surface of the lake.

Ginny had told Alexa first thing about what was happening, so it hadn’t been a surprise to any of them when the morning of the task that Alexa was called up to the Headmaster’s office.

“The second triwizarding task everyone!” Ludo bagman, the commentator, shouted loudly from the stands, causing the murmuring crowd to die down. All four of the champions were in a line with each of them having their own little diving platform just next to the lake. They were given champion uniforms more suited for swimming luckily so Ginny wouldn’t have to go swimming in shorts and shirt. Her bathing suit was a blue one piece suit with the Hogwarts crest on the breast.

“Our four Champions will have exactly one hour to scour the lake and brave its dangers before their time is up!” Bagman said, “Now without further ado, let’s count us down. Champions, prepare to begin! You may enter the lake and begin in 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Go!”

The crowd cheered as all four of them dived into the lake at once as Ludo Bagman reached the end, the crowd cheering and roaring behind them.

The sound suddenly became muffled and distorted as Ginny’s head sank beneath the water. But she had already cast the bubble head charm, so her head was dry and she had plenty of air as she floated there and took stock of the deep waters of the lake, sinking down so far that she couldn’t see the lake bed down below her.

Fleur had a bubble of air similar to Ginny’s, except hers only covered her nose and mouth while letting the rest of her head be covered in water. Was it less tiring on her magic to do it that way? She seemed to be holding her wand and casting some sort of spell while looking focused.

Victor Krum had performed a complex human transfiguration on himself. He had transformed into a half shark man with webbed hands and feet and a massive shark head sprouting from his shoulders. Krum started kicking and moving away and cutting through the water effortlessly like he’d been born in it.

But the most impressive display was Eric. He had the same little bubble charm mask that Fleur had. But Ginny could sense the hundreds of magic tendrils he had poking out just above his skin all over his body. It looked like a fuzzy shag carpet of magic coating him. Ginny watched as each of the little ends of the magic tendrils grabbed a little glob of water and pushed it backwards and down towards Eric’s feet. Each little tendril provided the tiniest little push on the water around him. But taken as a whole…

Eric smirked as he saw Ginny watching him and gave a little wave just before he blasted off through the water like a rocket, a bubbling jet propelling him forward at high speeds. He shot off through the water so fast that in less than a second Ginny couldn’t even see him anymore through the murky water.

Ginny shook her head and started casting her own spell on herself. It formed a ring around her feet and pushed the water through behind her to push her forward, similar to what Eric had done. Except far less efficient and barely moved her twice as fast as her normal swimming pace even if she would get less tired using the spell than trying to do it without the spell.

She dived down to the lakebed, Fleur still not having moved although a glowing light had appeared on the tip of her wand and Fleur was staring into it and frowning. Was it a mapping or tracking spell or something?

Ginny saw the bottom of the lake covered in a forest of kelp. She sensed dozens of magical creatures darting around. She stopped just above the tops of the fronds of the kept forest before shifting herself to where she thought the deepest part of the lake would be. She’d have to just hope she’d stumble on a clue as she went or spot a mermaid. Ginny was sure that one of them would know where Alexa would be.

She had practiced a few phrases in mermish so she could ask the basics. There had been a book with their culture and some of their language in the Hogwarts library. She moved through the kelp forest and looked below her and scanned the area as she did so. Several creatures moved to dart out of the kelp to attack her, but Ginny brandished her wand and made it glow with the light of a lumos charm right at them. That frightened them away and they burrowed back into the thick kelp fronds without attacking her when they realized that she had spotted them.

After a few minutes, she finally spotted a humanoid merman in the tops of the kelp, staring at her curiously. She jetted towards him and he jolted alarmed as he realized that he had been spotted. He moved to dive into the fronds of the kelp, but Ginny shouted before he could go, another charm that she had cast on herself earlier letting her voice carry through the water like she was speaking normally.

‘Wait, I mean no harm!’ Ginny said in her memorized phrase of mermish.

The merman paused, his fish tail below the waist twitching as he stared at her. His eyes were bugged out and much larger than a humans and he was covered in a thin pattern of fish scales even if his upper half looked more human with his remarkably human hands holding a spear that he was clutching defensively with the point facing towards her. He looked young, like fourteen or fifteen if he was a human boy, Ginny guessed.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

He said something in mermish warily that Ginny didn’t understand.

‘I don’t understand. Only speak phrase.’ Ginny said in mermish, ‘Hello. Do you know where my friends are? Can you point me the way?’ She said next after the merman didn’t say anything else.

The merman looked hesitant.

‘Please? They were brought to the lake today,’ Ginny said in mermish. This was the last phrase that she had memorized, past this she’d just have to continue her random search of the lakebed for clues.

The merman looked at her for a moment before shrugging. He raised his arm and pointed in a direction almost perpendicular to the way Ginny had been going. He said something short in mermish.

‘Thank you, and blessings to your ancestors,’ Ginny said with the traditional merman thanks. The merman looked surprised and said the traditional response. ‘And blessings to your ancestors as well,’ was what she thought it meant. She pointed her feet opposite of the way the merman pointed and started jetting off through the water in the way the merman had indicated. Hopefully she would be there soon, and have this task over and done with already…

— — —

Eric floated next to the four tied up people under the water. Their faces were unnaturally pale and their eyes were closed. The long hair of the three girls floated around them in rippling clouds as they floated there. They bobbed in the water floating as a single heavy rope tied them up and ran down through the water to fix them to the lake floor. Eric was surprised to see that Hermione was Krum’s person to save. Huh, they had been spending a lot of time together recently, hadn’t they? And gone to the ball together too. Eric had no idea that Hermione was into older guys like that. He'd have to tease her about that later.

There was Gabriella next, Fleur’s nine year old sister. Eric had to congratulate whoever had chosen the victims to be tied up. They really hadn’t pulled any punches by having the nine year old down here when she didn’t even go to a wizarding school yet. What if some shark came by and ate her up while the merpeople weren’t paying attention? The merpeople didn’t seem to like Eric or the tied up humans very much. All of them looked rather sullen and glared at Eric as he floated there.

Well, at least it would get Fleur properly motivated to save her little sister from their clutches.

Finally, there was Alexa of course. Harry’s… Ginny’s little friend. Eric had arrived here minutes ago, but instead of going straight to the surface he had a better idea. So he waited until Ginny arrived. He was sure that she’d be the one to arrive next.

All around him was a crowd of observing mermen and mermaids. They had kelp clothes wrapping up the chests of the mermaids and little satchels and pouches that they carried on their fishy hips. But other than that they didn’t wear much at all even as they pointed their crude spears at him. The one in charge was staring at him, looking annoyed as Eric floated there next to Ron and didn’t move to do anything. The one in charge had bone jewelry draped around its neck in large loops and the other looked to the merman with respect as he barked out the occasional order in mermish to his followers.

Finally after what felt like forever, Eric finally spotted the distinctive red hair of Ginny through the gloom of the lake. She was looking straight at him floating there next to Ron, moving quickly towards them with her own little water rocket spell. Eric’s method was much faster and better than hers was. She was even doing a full head bubble head charm instead of keeping it just around her mouth and nose.

Ginny must already sense him through her magic sense. Eric wasn’t sure how far she could truly sense, but he knew it was far no matter how you measured it.

He waited for a second for her to take in the scene and scan the tied up victims floating above the lake. He waited until her eyes turned back to him. With a single charm from his wand he severed the rope that was keeping Ron fixed to the lakebed.

Eric grinned widely as he saw Ginny’s eyes reach his face. Now for a little payback for all the trouble that she’d caused for him recently when he was just trying to help her…

Even as their eyes met, Eric reached out his magic tendrils and shattered the enchantment keeping Alexa in suspended animation. Eric turned and made sure that no one could say that he could have seen Alexa come awake under the water. He grabbed the tied up and comatose Ron and looked upwards to the surface of the water shimmering far above. He started jetting upwards through the water, he would get his resounding first place this time and even Rita Skeeter wouldn’t be able to talk trash about him anymore in the papers.

He was sure that Ginny would save her friend. He'd timed it so she should have enough time to save the girl before Alexa drowned...

— — —

Ginny barely even noticed as Eric jetted away towards the surface with a mocking smile, not even looking at Alexa as he did so. Alexa’s eyes shot open as the enchantment wrapped around her body was shattered. The girl took in an instinctive breath of the water around her and began to thrash and choke in surprise. Her body was still wrapped up in the ropes and Alexa could only wriggle in place, making her bob up and down more but not escaping her bindings in the slightest.

Ginny was still too far away as she watched Alexa begin to slowly drown as the merpeople watched on without doing anything to help. Ginny pushed her spell to move her faster and faster as she saw Alexa’s massive flails and panic continued. Alexa began to twitch weakly with her mouth wide open in the water. Her eyes still moved and she focused on Ginny, but her struggles were growing weaker.

Ginny pushed herself faster and extended her magic tendrils in front of her, stretching them as far as she could. Ginny started panting as the length of the tendrils started to drain her magic more and more. But she kept extending them and her magic wrapped around the weakly twitching Alexa. Ginny heaved with her magic as her tendrils grabbed the ropes. Alexa’s body jolted towards Ginny, but the rope holding her to the lakebed was strong and resisted Ginny’s frantic tugs. The crowd merpeople watched with interest as Ginny approached them at high speed, Alexa’s body the closest it could be to her as possible as Ginny heaved on it with all her might.

Ginny was finally close enough and pointed her wand at Alexa. Her hand shook slightly, but she just managed to finish the motions of the bubble head charm just before she crashed bodily into Alexa. Ginny felt the air driven from her lungs from the heavy impact as she slammed into Alexa at full speed. Ginny dropped her wand and it began floating away from her even as she wrapped her arms around Alexa’s body as her momentum tried to pull her past. Ginny twisted around as the two of them briefly spun around as the water bled off Ginny’s momentum quickly.

With an absent gesture, Ginny sent a magic tendril through the water and drew the stick back into her hand as her and Alexa stopped jerking and violently bobbing up and down in the water together.

Alexa’s twitching was growing weaker and her eyes had closed as Ginny used a cutting charm to sever the rope holding them to the lakebed. Alexa had her own bubble head charm around her head, but her eyes were still closed and as Ginny held her she realized that she wasn’t breathing.

Ginny tried to remember what Eric had done to move so fast as she held Alexa in a firm grip with both arms around Alexa. She spooled out all fifty of her magic tendrils and grabbed little bits of water just like Eric had and began to push them below her. She shot up at high speed, barely even focusing on anything but managing the tendrils of magic to push as much of the water below her as she could. She had to get Alexa to the surface now, she wasn’t breathing!

Ginny barely even noticed as the light of the surface of the water rapidly approached from above her. The two of them launched out of the water at high speed and launched over thirty feet into the air. The crowd began to cheer as they reached the top of their arc and began to fall back down together.

“Ginny Weasley, everyone! And a dramatic…”

Ginny wasn’t listening, using her tendrils to grab their clothing and the robes binding Alexa. She had seen Eric do this to fly when he was fighting the Fate controlled Barty Crouch Junior. She had fifty tendrils now, it should be enough for it, it had to be.

Instead of falling back down to the champions platform, Ginny diverted their fall directly towards where the Ministry healers were treating Ron while Eric watched on from the side.

Eric turned as he heard the crowd and raised an eyebrow as he saw Ginny and Alexa falling towards them from above.

Dumbledore stood from the judges table.

“Arresto Momentum!” He chanted and Ginny and Alexa halted in their fall a few feet above the planks of the float before falling to the ground again. All the healers around stared at the duo who had fallen in their midst all of a sudden as the charm cut out and the duo fell the remaining distance to the ground.

“Help! She has water in her lungs, she’s drowning!” Ginny pleaded to the healers as she tried to unbind the ropes around from Alexa with trembling fingers. After another second for her words to register, the healers rushed in and cast a series of quick spells on Alexa.

Water blasted out from between Alexa’s lips like a fountain spraying upwards over all of them, even as her eyes still remained closed. Ginny was still lying on top of Alexa trying to undo the knots of the rope with her fingers in a panic.

She felt a spell grab her and shove her back.

“No, Alexa!” Ginny said as she fell backwards.

“Get back, girl!” One of the healers shouted and shoved her when she tried to crawl forward again, “You’re getting in the way!”

“But… Alexa…”

“Stay back! We’re treating her.”

Ginny stood and watched while wringing her hands as the healers kept casting spells for a few more seconds. Ginny noticed after her panic died down slightly that Alexa was softly breathing in and out now. Ginny took a deep breath. Alexa was at the healers. She was breathing. Everything would be fine.

“Is she alright?” Eric suddenly asked from next to her, “Didn’t see her from behind me, did something happen?”

Ginny felt her anger explode at his smug tone. How dare he…

She turned and looked into his face twisted into an insincere expression of concern even as he fought the quick tugs upwards at the corners of his lips.

“I told you to stay away from them!” Ginny shouted, “I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!”

She leapt forward and slugged Eric in his smug face as hard as she could with her clenched fist. He reeled back, his magic tendrils sputtering as they came out of him as Ginny leapt on top of him and hit him again hard in the face.

He lay on the ground with Ginny on top of him as she drew her arm back again. Before she could hit him a third time, his tendrils finally sprung into action and grabbed her and stopped her hand and locked her into place.

Eric sat up slightly so his lips were right next to her ear.

“No need to be so emotional. You're finally becoming a real girl I guess, Harry,” He whispered to her before planting a hand on her stomach and shoved her so she fell onto her back on the wooden floor. Eric’s magic tendrils wrapping all around her, forcing her back and making it look like it was Eric’s hand that caused her to fall off of him.

“Geez, Ginny!” Eric said loudly as he rubbed his cheek that was red from where she had hit him, “Don’t hit me, I didn’t see her. I would have come back if I did. Did her enchantment break early? Will she be okay?”

Ginny lay there on the ground, looking at Eric panting and practically shaking in rage. But his tendrils wrapped all around her and kept her pinned. She couldn’t do anything. There was the little disc to call Balthazar with, or she could call Fawkes to escalate things. But…

Ginny glanced over to Alexa and saw that she was breathing and was looking much better and the Healers swarmed over her. Jack was standing nearby on the edge of them looking between Ginny and Eric with wide eyes.

“You leave my friends alone,” Ginny spat at Eric, “You touch them again and I’ll kill you.”

“I didn’t do anything, I don’t understand why you’re blaming me for this. Dumbledore’s the one that cast the stasis spell. You should go talk to him.”

Ginny saw Eric let out a slight smile for an instant as he saw her impotent rage as she lay there unable to do anything. Then the smile flickered away and his expression was back to one of confusion and hurt.

“We should go see him together, what if that kind of thing happens to Hermione? We’ve got to go down and check on them!”

“What is the situation?” Dumbledore suddenly said as he finished making his way through the crowd, “What happened?”

Ginny opened and closed her mouth as she lay on the ground even as Eric stood there. Eric retracted tendrils around her as Dumbledore appeared, but if she said something wrong they could be back around her in a second.

“The enchantment broke,” Ginny ended up saying, “Alexa almost drowned. She wasn’t breathing…”

Dumbledore shot a sharp look at Eric before looking back at Ginny, “Very well. I’ll go check on the others with no delay and monitor them to make sure that they remain safe. I’ll leave your friend in the healer’s gentle care.”

Dumbledore walked towards the edge of the dock through the crowd and after casting a few spells on himself casually jumped into the water. The water parted around him in a massive bubble of air to keep his whole body dry as he dropped like a stone through the water until he disappeared, his form sinking into the murky depths below.

Ginny sat and watched Alexa as the healers kept working on her. She had just opened her eyes and was looking around, but the healers were testing she was mentally okay and shining lights in her eyes now. Eric had wandered off to go to talk with Ron on the other side of the dock.

Ginny felt a hand grab her own and saw that it was Jack. She had felt him with her magic sense. She gripped his hand hard and turned back to look at Alexa. The healers had started to disperse after declaring her okay and had given Alexa a heated blanket and a steaming cup of what looked to be hot cocoa. Ginny and Jack went forward and sat down next to her.

“Are you okay?” Ginny asked.

“I guess so,” Alexa said as she looked around her, “That was real and not… not just a bad dream?”

“Yeah, it was real,” Ginny said, “I was so scared.”

“You? Scared?” Alexa said, “Imagine how I felt. I really thought that that was it for me…”

“You can’t die, Alexa. Please don’t die. Please,” Ginny begged.

“I’ll do my best,” Alexa said, “I guess now I know how Ms. Egg feels. I think we all owe her an apology. Drowning is rather horrible.”

Ginny sniffled and then hugged Alexa lightly.

“I’m sorry. I should have gotten to you faster,” she said.

“Is fine,” Alexa mumbled. Ginny released her, and Alexa raised her steaming cup of cocoa causing her heated blanket draped over her shoulders to make a crinkling noise.

“You want a sip, Ginny? You look like you need it.”

“Okay.”

Ginny took the cup and drank a little sip and felt better instantly as the hot liquid ran down her throat and then hit her stomach. She handed the cup back to Alexa.

“Thanks. Now you drink the rest. I should be comforting you, not the other way around.”

“I think we’ll all need some cuddling time with Fawkes after this,” Alexa said, “I’m waiting to have my breakdown until then when we’re not surrounded by all of these people.”

“Okay, I promise you’ll get to hold him as long as you like,” Ginny pledged.