Once Upon A Time | Book 1

E i g h t e e n

Even after hearing the egg's message, I still didn't know what to expect from the second task. But, when Barty Crouch gave everyone a bathing suit the day of the task, I began thinking about the Prefects' bathroom again.

"So, Violet, I hear you'll be in a bathing suit today." Malfoy said to me, sitting down across from me in the Great Hall.

"Yeah, and?" I mumbled, picking at my food.

"One-piece or two-piece? Bet Potter's hoping it's two."

"Of all the things you could be wondering about, you wanna know what kind of bathing suit I'm wearing?" 

"No, I'm just asking for your boyfriend."

"Harry's not my boyfriend."

"He will be if he sees you in a bikini."

"Ugh, will you just shut up? I'm already stressed enough, and sexual jokes really aren't helping right now!" I snapped.

"Whatever, Austing. You girls are so moody sometimes,"

"Probably because there are way too many people that act just like you."

>>>

I stood on the deck above the Black Lake, wearing nothing other than my Slytherin bathing suit, with a baggy t-shirt over it. My bathing suit was mostly black, with the Slytherin crest on it, and my last name written on the back. And yes, it was a one-piece.

I looked around for Luke and dad, but I only saw dad sitting in the stands. I hurried over to him, practically pushing down everyone in my way.

"Dad!" I called.

My father looked at me, and smiled warmly. "Hey, sweetheart. Are you ready to make me proud?"

I only shrugged, closing my eyes as he stroked the side of my face. "I'm still scared."

"It's okay to be afraid. But, I know you'll do great."

"Where's Luke?"

He looked around, frowning. "I'm not sure where he went. He came here with me, I know that. He's probably just using the bathroom, or something. I'll let you know when I see him."

"Alright, thanks, dad."

He nodded, and kissed the top of my head, before letting me turn, and walk away. I spotted Harry, and hurried over to him.

"Harry, what's going on? What are we supposed to do?" I questioned.

"We have to be able to breath underwater for an hour. Don't tell me you have no way of doing it." He replied, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"See you in Heaven," I mumbled, looking over at the Black Lake.

"No, you won't. At least not yet. Take this," He pulled a green blob from his pocket, and handed me a chunk of it. "Don't eat this until I say to. It should help."

I frowned, poking the green substance in my palm. "What is it?"

"It's Gillyweed. Neville gave it to me. Just listen to what I said, okay?"

I nodded, and hugged him. "Thank you, Harry." I whispered into his shoulder.

"Don't mention it. Good luck."

"Best of luck to you as well. I know you can do this."

"I hope so,"

>>>

"Now," Harry whispered to me, just before the Champions could jump into the Black Lake.

I nodded, and shoved the Gillyweed into my mouth. It tasted as though it had been left to rot for years in a sewer. I forced myself not to puke.

That was when Professor Moody rolled his eyes, and shoved the two of us into the water.

Suddenly, I felt a sharp, burning pain in my neck. My scream was muffled by the water. Harry was squirming violently from beside me, and grunting in pain.

I kicked my feet as hard as I could, while clutching at my throat.

Then, just like that, the pain stopped.

I took a deep breath, as though I was above the surface, and I could breath perfectly. I ran my fingers over the spot where my neck had been hurting me, only to feel a set of gills.

My fingers were webbed, and feet looked like fins.

I looked over at Harry, who was intently studying his hands. "Wow," He muttered.

"Come on, we only have an hour." I told him, grabbing his arm.

The two of us began swimming forward. I could faintly hear a soft voice singing. "So, what do you think our objective is?" I asked.

"I guess we're finding someone important to us." He answered.

I gasped, feeling as though a knife had stabbed me in the heart. "Luke," I whispered.

"What did you say?" He asked

"They took my big brother!" I cried, swimming faster. "LUKE! LUKE, WHERE ARE YOU?"

"Shh! Violet, there's got to be more to this than just finding someone. There's a catch. You should be quiet, in case something comes at us." Harry told me. I nodded, and continued swimming.

We found ourselves pushing our way through a thick patch of seaweed. Harry kept me close to him, and I definitely wasn't complaining. I'd have been way to afraid on my own.

The singing grew louder, as we got deeper into the seaweed.

Suddenly, I heard a scream, and whipped around. "Did you hear that?" I whispered.

"Yeah, just keep going. Have your wand at ready." My green-eyed friend replied, pulling me forward.

I stayed alert, trying to keep an eye out for any creatures. My fingers clutched my wand tightly.

That was when I heard a strange shrieking sound, and something green came gliding straight at my face.

"Stupefy!" I cried, Stunning the creature just in time.

"They're Grindylows. Let's hurry and try to get out of here." Harry said, staring at the creature.

I agreed, and followed him further into the seaweed. Luckily, we managed to make our way out quite quickly.

Then, I saw it.

Five people were floating in the water. Each of them were held under by ropes, which were tied around their ankles, and bound to rocks.

I spotted a figure that looked exactly like Luke, and darted for it as quickly as I could. 

"Violet! Wait!" Harry called after me. I ignored him, and went faster. The singing grew louder and louder, until it felt like the person was singing right into my ear.

Once I reached my brother, I grasped the rope in my hands, and tried to snap it. Strange looking mermaids swarmed around the bodies, watching my every move.

Quickly, I used my wand to break the rope, and grabbed my brother's limp body. 

Unfortunately for me, as soon as I began swimming towards the surface, I was attacked by Grindylows.

I cried out in pain, as their razor sharp teeth sank into my skin, and their claws tore my flesh. Pushing Luke upwards, I began trying to fight them off.

I kicked, punched, and screamed, but nothing was working. My wand was jerked from my hand, leaving me absolutely defenseless. 

I found it harder and harder to breath, as the water around me turned red.

Soon enough, everything went black.