Chapter 403: The Second Task

Chapter 403: The Second Task

Disclaimer:

Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K Rowling.

I own nothing but the original characters I make.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

-Author notes-

Chapter 403: The Second Task

"Where is he? We need to get started already," Mr. Crouch said, pacing back and forth, his impatience palpable.

"I'd like to know that too. I haven't seen Dumbledore in days," Madam Maxime said, glancing at Professor McGonagall. "And Karkaroff? No news about him either, I suppose?"

"I'm afraid not," McGonagall replied, her lips pressed tightly together. She glanced at the Durmstrang professor acting as a substitute for Karkaroff and sighed. "I'm sure the Headmaster has a very important reason for his absence."

In truth, she hadn't seen Dumbledore either, and it was making her increasingly uneasy. All she got were some excuses from Snape and a written note from the man himself, informing her that he was going to be taking care of some unspecific emergency. It was all very suspicious to her, as this was not something he would normally do.

A young Ministry official approached in a rush. "Mr. Crouch, sir! Neville Longbottom has arrived."

"Well, that's something. At least all the champions are accounted for," Crouch said. "If Dumbledore insists on missing this event, we'll just have to carry on without him."

McGonagall was about to protest when she spotted Snape approaching. She turned sharply to him. "Where have you been?"

Snape's expression was unreadable, as usual. For reasons known only to him, he seemed to have some inkling of Dumbledore's whereabouts, but no matter how many times she asked, he refused to elaborate, only insisting the Headmaster was busy with "important business."

"I had to handle some last-minute matters," Snape replied smoothly.

Harry scanned the audience briefly, catching sight of his parents and the Lovegoods in the Gryffindor stands. Even from a distance, he could see his father's tense posture, his hand gripping his wand. His mother leaned in, whispering something to Luna's father.

'Stay sharp,' Harry thought, directing the silent command to them. He needed every one in position. The calm before the storm wouldn't last much longer.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament!" Mr. Crouch's magically amplified voice echoed across the lake.

The crowd roared with excitement, their cheers reverberating through the chilly air.

Crouch raised a hand, silencing the crowd. "Last night, something was stolen from each of our champions...a treasure, if you will. These four treasures now lie at the bottom of the Black Lake. Each champion must retrieve their treasure and return to the surface as quickly as possible. The time limit is one hour. Failure to retrieve the treasure within that time will result in disqualification."

As the crowd murmured with excitement, Harry let his magical senses extend into the depths of the lake.

'Wait for me, Lyra. I'll get you out in no time,' he thought. He had already located her and the other hostages, their faint magical signatures glowing like distant stars in the darkness below.

"The task will begin at the sound of the cannon!" Crouch announced.

Harry braced himself as the tension mounted.

Boom!

The cannon fired, and the crowd erupted into cheers.

"Start!" Crouch shouted.

Without hesitation, the four champions dove into the freezing water, their figures vanishing into the lake's inky depths. The Second Task had begun.

A.N: - Remember to comment, vote, and/or leave a review if you have the time. Those things help me a lot and I would really appreciate it.

You can Support me on P@treon if you like and get 15 advanced chapters.

You can also find images of some of the characters from the fic for free. Like Lyra, Holly, among others. I recently also added the main cast of bad guys, that also includes the Dark Lord.