Brave { Neville Longbottom}

Chapter One Hundred Sixty Two

Students from all four houses, along with students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were gathered to watch the second task unfold at the lake. Kefira stood with Neville, Dean, Seamus, Ginny and they were eventually joined by Bisera. The three older champions were lined up ready with Harry still missing.

"I wonder where he is," Neville asked. 

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with making a dramatic entrance," Kefira told him with a smile. 

"Well, I hope he's alright," Ginny said. "Hopefully he makes it in time, because I'm sure the others are just looking for any reason to disqualify him at this point."

"Look, there he is," Dean pointed out as the group looked over and saw Harry running towards the panel where the other Champions stood. All the others appeared prepared, dressed in swimwear and then....there was Harry.

The boy was still dawning his robes, dressed fully with socks and shoes as he stood near the edge of the lake.

"I guess he really is going for the dramatic entrance," Neville whispered to Kefira causing the girl to giggle to herself. 

"Well, all our champions are ready for the second task, which will start on my whistle," Ludo Bagman called out. " They have precisely an hour to recover what has been taken from them. On the count of three, then. One...two...three!"

While the other champions made their way into the water, Harry began removing his socks and shoes before wading into the lake. It caused the Slytherins to start snorting and call out to him as they made fun of them.

"What a bunch of gits," Ginny rolled her eyes. "I'd like to throw them in there and see how they would do, that water looks freezing."

"Yeah, you're definitely not getting me in there," Kefira said eyeing the icy cold water. "But I'll definitely volunteer to throw some people in."

Suddenly, the boy began jerking about gripping at his neck before he launched into the water. The entire group exchanged looks with one another.

"What the hell was that all about?" Seamus asked, but the others just shrugged their shoulders in response. 

There was nothing exciting about being the observing audience during the second task. The students, professors, and other spectators could only look out at the lake, waiting for some sort of movement or break in the water.

"Merlin, they could have at least come up with some sort of activities for us while we were stuck out here," Kefira said. "We're just standing here...staring at water. All the action is taking place under the water."

"Well, why don't you jump in and observe up close?" A voice called out to her.  She turned her head and saw Malfoy with a smirk on his face. Instantly, Neville grabbed one hand while Dean grabbed the other one, knowing quite well that Kefira would definitely try to throw him above all people into the lake.

"You first, Malfoy," she called back to him. "We'd all love to hear you sobbing to your father after a Grindylow happens to graze your big toe."

The boy narrowed his eyes as her as a few other students around them snickered, but before he could say anything there was a break in the water. There was a screech as Fleur emerged struggling in the water to free herself from a grindylow attack. She called it quits hoping that someone would just be able to come over and get her out of the water.

The ones running the task quickly aided the girl to free her from the creatures that continued to attack her and got her out of the water. 

She looked horrified by what she had witnessed beneath the water but she looked even worse when she realized that it was her sister that she left behind.

Begging the judges and the officials to let her back in the water, she pleaded with them to let her save her sister. But it was too late, she wasn't allowed to return into the water.  Kefira gathered that the majority of them were glad that they didn't speak French in that moment, because whatever the girl was spewing out at them did not sound pleasant. 

"Why would she expect special treatment?" Ginny questioned. "She called it quits, if any other competitor did that, the same thing would be done for them. She acts like she deserves special treatment. And does she really think cursing at them in French is going to make them say yes? Should have let the Grindylows keep her down there a little while longer, she won't stop."

Eventually, Krum and Hermione, along with Cedric and Cho arrived at the platform, escaping the lake but there was no sign of Harry just yet. Fleur was an emotional mess as she cried, still wanting to retrieve her sister.

"I don't think they would actually let her sister drown down there, do you?" Kefira asked Neville.

"That would seem to be a bit much but Professor Dumbledore did say it was dangerous."

"Yeah, but I highly doubt anyone volunteered to go under the lake. They can't just sacrifice anyone for the sake of entertainment, this isn't the Roman times."

Ginny seemed thankful that Hermione emerged from the water unscathed and kept her eye out on the water for Harry and her brother. 

Cedric seemed to be in good standings as his friends were right there when he came out of the water. The girl named Eleanor, that Kefira figured out was Fred's special lady, seemed more than thankful that Cedric was alright and even offered the jumper off her back to Cho.

"Look!" Neville shook Kefira's arm as he caught sight of Harry and Ron in the distance. "It's Harry and Ron."

"And by the looks of it, Fleur's sister," Dean said. "How did he manage to pull that off?"

"Because he's Harry freaking Potter, Dean," Kefira reminded him.

"Oh right, I forgot," he chuckled.

As Harry and the others were pulled aside for Madam Pomfrey to get them all warmed up. The judges began to deliberate their scoring. Unfortunately, Harry had gone outside the time limit, but the students of Hogwarts were hoping that it wouldn't affect his score too much.

Ludo Bagman began the announcement.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our decision. Merchieftainess Murcus has told us exactly what happened at the bottom of the lake, and we have therefore decided to award marks out of fifty for each of the champions, as follows...."

Fleur received twenty-five points for her clever use of the bubble-head charm, but she was docked for failing to complete the task.

Cedric who also used the bubble-head charm was given forty-seven points, marked down because he was one minute outside of the time limit.

Krum was awarded forty points for his transfiguration technique and for coming in second.

The last to be awarded his point was Harry, who was well out of the time frame, but managed to impress the judges with not only the gillyweed but for saving another hostage as well.

He was awarded forty-five points.

"That's second!" Kefira said gripping onto Neville. "Did you hear? Second place! GO HARRY!"