Fleur De Lis Chapter 16.

Content Warnings: Teasing.

“Ready?”

“Not in the slightest,” Fleur murmured. She gazed out at the vast expanse of water in front of her, her pale face sporting a determined expression. She’d had a mere week to learn how to swim. Harry had done a commendable job but no amount of time or effort would have been enough to prepare a Veela for something like this.

“Just don’t start a war while we’re down there.”

Fleur’s ponytail whipped around as she turned to glare at her boyfriend. “Not funny,” she growled, poking him in the ribs.

“Hey- Ow!” Harry rolled his eyes fondly. He reached out and grabbed Fleur’s hand, squeezing it gently. “It’ll be fine. I’ll be with you the entire time. I’ve never seen a merperson in four years. It’s a big lake, there’s a chance we don’t encounter them at all.”

“The clue was a Merfolk song, Harry. They’re involved in the task. Do you think the judges told them about me?” Fleur asked, turning around to look at the judges. They were all standing some distance away from the starting place for the Champions except for one notable exception. “They didn’t cancel or postpone the Task even though they’re one judge short.”

“I’m sure they did,” Harry murmured, turning himself. He frowned at the serious expression on Dumbledore’s face. The wizened Headmaster seemed to have aged visibly ever since the incident in the forest. “As for the Tournament… the show must go on!”

Fleur giggled at the sight of Harry bouncing on his feet just like Bagman.

“Do you plan to follow in his footsteps Monsieur Quidditch Player?”

“Dunno. Does he also have a stunning girlfriend way out of his league?”

“He is unmarried,” Fleur replied seriously. “People say gambling is both his wife and his mistress.”

“How do you know that?”

“Papa did a stint in the Department of Sport. He likes to gossip,” Fleur grinned. “You can play Quidditch if you like mon amour but no gambling, no bellies, and -” she turned to glance at Bagman and shuddered “-no mustaches.”

“Yes ma’am.” Harry leaned in and kissed Fleur’s cheek. “It’ll be alright,” he whispered.

Fleur turned until their lips met. Before she could melt into his arms, Cedric interrupted them with a grin.

“Harry. Madame,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Hey Cedric,” Harry greeted with a bashful smile.

Fleur blushed and kept her attention focused on Harry. She didn’t think she’d ever be able to face Cedric, especially not with memories of how she and Harry had used his gift swimming around in her mind.

“Where’s Krum?” Harry asked to divert Cedric’s attention away from his blushing girlfriend.

“There he is,” Cedric murmured. He greeted the surly man who had come to a halt next to him with a smile but only received a grunt in return.

“The only people unhappier than Krum are the judges,” Cedric whispered to Harry.

“They’re just stressed about Crouch,” Harry murmured. The judges were still huddled in front of the empty stands, all of them sporting serious expressions. Madame Maxime was whispering furiously and Dumbledore and Bagman were trying to placate her.

Students were slowly filtering in but there was no sign of Hermione or Gabrielle, something that didn’t sit right with Harry.

“Maybe someone is killing the judges one by one.”

“You’ve been reading one too many mystery novels, mate. Besides, you’re the one with the biggest motive. They gave you the lowest scores in the First Task,” Harry reminded Cedric.

“I neither confirm nor deny these allegations,” Cedric said with a wink. “But if I was going after the judges I’d get Perce next.”

“He is not a judge.”

“He is now.”

“Why?” Fleur asked. She rested her head on Harry’s shoulder and stared at the redhead standing some distance away from the rest of the judges.

“Fudge has him filling in for Crouch for the rest of the tournament.”

“Him?!”

“He is not a pleasant man,” Fleur muttered.

“That he is not,” Cedric agreed. “Asshat gave me a fifteen-minute lecture during breakfast. Said I was letting Hogwarts and the Ministry down. Told Cho she was the problem and asked her-”

“HE,” Harry interjected, “is coming here.”

“He looks like a peacock,” Fleur whispered to Harry, staring at Percy strutting down to them with his chest puffed out.

“Fuck,” Cedric swore under his breath. “Cheers,” he said, pulling out a vial of potion from his pocket and downing it in a single gulp.

Harry and Fleur watched as his lips merged together. Membranes grew out of his skin, covering his nostrils and ears. A thin film grew out of his eyelids and covered his eyes to protect them.

“How will you brea-” Fleur started to ask, only to be interrupted by Percy.

“Cedric!” Percy roared, slapping him on the back.

Cedric turned around and pointed at his sealed lips and ears, shrugging apologetically.

“Ah. I’m glad to see you’re taking this Task more seriously than the last. Mr. Crouch was very disappointed by your performance.”

“Mr. Crouch is dead, Perce,” Harry said, rolling his eyes. “I doubt what he thought about Cedric’s performance matters a lot now.”

“It matters to me!” Percy thundered. He glared at Harry, his face red with fury. “You may have sold out, Potter,” he said, jerking his finger at Fleur. “But I’m still loyal.”

“To a dead man? From whose death you benefitted the most from?” Harry growled, narrowing his eyes. “I’d be very careful flinging allegations around if I were you, Percy.”

Fleur placed a warning hand on Harry’s chest.

“We need to prepare, Monsieur Weasley. Please leave,” she said coldly.

“Call me when you do in Percy, Cedric,” Harry muttered once Percy had left. He glared daggers at the redhead, keeping his gaze fixed on him until the man had joined the rest of the judges. “I’ll help you.”

“No murder either,” Fleur hissed, poking Harry’s side again.

“She was telling me about the qualities a Veela looks for in her husband,” Harry said, responding to Cedric’s questioning look. “Apparently murder is frowned upon,” he grinned.

It was hard to tell given his current state but Harry could have sworn Cedric smirked.

“Champions!” Dumbledore stood and let loose a loud bang from his wand to attract the attention of the four champions towards him. “The rules for this Task are simple. Somewhere in the lake is something precious to you. You have one hour to retrieve whatever that is. If you do not, it will be lost to you forever. To your starting positions!”

“Hermione and Gabrielle aren’t here yet,” Fleur hissed. Her anxious eyes scanned the stands as she tried to locate her sister.

“They’re in the lake, Fleur,” Harry muttered. He pulled out the mass of slime from his pocket and lacking a good place to stash it, he placed it in his mouth but did not swallow. He pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it on the sandy beach. His shoes and pants were next, leaving him in bright yellow swimming trunks.

Fleur waited until Harry had pulled the gillyweed out of his mouth and put it in the pocket of his trunks before grabbing his shoulders and making him turn around until he was facing her. “What do you mean by that?!” she asked, her eyes full of fear.

“Think about it, Fleur. Something that is precious to us. Who or what is more precious to me and you than Hermione and Gabrielle?”

“Non. Y-your broom. My complete original set of Ancient Magicks by Plinus. They… No!”

“We didn’t see Hermione and Gabrielle all morning-” Harry’s attention shifted to Dumbledore at the sound of another loud bang. “It’s them. They’re in the lake. And our hour just started, Fleur.”

“T-They cannot… They’re just sleeping in.”

“Neither of them would have missed this,” Harry muttered. His fingers flew over Fleur’s blouse, unbuttoning it as fast as he could. He ripped some of the buttons in his haste. The dainty blue buttons dropped onto the beach with quiet THUNKS. “If they’re not here it’s because they can’t be here. And they can’t be here because they’re in the lake, love.” He glanced at his wristwatch. “We have fifty-nine minutes to save them. Come on!”

Harry's gentle shaking jolted Fleur into action. She reached back and unzipped her skirt, pulling it down her legs with trembling fingers. She wore her black and white striped one-piece swimsuit underneath. She stepped out of her skirt and kicked her sandals off, waiting for Harry to take the lead.

“Let’s go. Cedric and Krum have already left,” Harry muttered, glancing at the empty spots next to them. He took Fleur’s hand and led her to the edge of the lake. “Remember the plan? I’ll lead you and fend off any attacks. All you have to do is focus on maintaining the bubble charm.”

Fleur nodded. She gripped her wand tightly, her knuckles turning white.

“Ready?”

“Ready,” Fleur whispered. “I love you,” she said as she closed her eyes. She raised her wand in the air and murmured the incantation.

Harry watched as a transparent film emerged from the end of her wand and grew around them until it fully encased them, lifting them from the ground. They bounced uncontrollably as the wind batted them around until Harry aimed his wand behind them and pushed them into the water with a gentle gust of air.

“Harry?” Fleur poked open an eye and looked around them. “We’re floating.”

“Air is lighter than water,” Harry muttered, smacking his forehead.

“Huh?”

“Bubbles always rise to the surface. It’s a science thing. Never occurred to me. Can you make us heavier?” Harry asked.

“Oui.” Fleur closed her eyes again and concentrated on sucking water inside the bubble. They began to sink and reached the sandy bottom of the lake by the time the water reached up to their knees.

“Great. Guess we are getting wet after all,” Harry said as he propelled them forward with a jet of air. “We just reinvented the submarine.”

“What’s a submarine?”

“It’s a-”

“Science thing?” Fleur asked with a smile.

“Yep.”

“There is a lot you will have to teach me about the Muggle world after the Tournament, ‘arry,” Fleur said, her accent growing thicker as they started to travel further into the lake. She shivered despite the heating charms on their clothes and looked at Harry with a nervous smile.

“Maybe we can ask your father to arrange a portkey for me,” Harry said in an attempt to distract Fleur from the reality of their surroundings. The darkness and gloom around them felt oppressive. Water surrounded them and pressed against the bubble. For the first time since he had left the cupboard under the stairs, he felt claustrophobic. The water in their bubble didn’t help matters, bringing back memories of water leaking from the wooden ceiling and dripping onto his face every night. Harry shook his head, trying to push the memories of that hellhole from his mind. Fleur needed his help to keep a clear mind. Hermione and Gabrielle needed him. He could work on his trauma when his loved ones weren’t in danger.

“Why would you need one?”

“How else will I visit you in France, Madame Delacour?” Harry asked with a crooked smile. He glanced at his watch and increased the strength of the stream propelling them forward.

“You won’t have to. I weeel take a job here.”

“Here?”

“Oui. In ‘ogsmeade. I will open a restaurant so ze people of ‘ogwarts have access to decent food.”

“Ron will be there every bloody day.”

“Will you be there, Monsieur Potter?” Fleur asked, batting her eyelids.

“Will you serve Bouillablaise?” Harry teased with a grin.

Fleur pouted and smacked Harry’s arm playfully.

The romantic atmosphere was shattered in an instant by a low growl.

Harry tensed and looked around. They were passing through a forest of tall, dark green reeds. The flexible stalks rustled against their bubble as they passed through the plants but Harry didn’t see anything else. He sighed, only to tense again when they heard another growl behind them.

“There’s something in these reeds.”

“Yeah,” Harry muttered. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead as he poured all his energy into the charm. He tried to push them through the forest as fast as he could, trying to make sure that whatever was making those growls didn’t catch them. “Merpeople?”

Fleur shook her head. “They don’t make such sounds.”

“What could it be?”

Harry’s question was answered seconds later by the webbed hand of a grindylow smashing into the bubble surrounding them. Fleur groaned and doubled over in agony as the creature’s sharp nails dug into the transparent film in an attempt to pierce it. Her face lost all color and her eyes scrunched from the pain but she did not allow the charm to fail. Harry whipped around and pointed his wand at the grindylow. He pushed his wand out of the bubble and landed a stinging hex right on its scaly chest. It screeched and shot off into the tangle of weeds. Harry shot hexes at its retreating form, the streaks of red racing through the dark water and illuminating their surroundings in a ghostly glow. The force of inertia carrying their bubble through the water finally ran out and they slowly shuddered to a halt.

Before either of them could relax a symphony of screeches rang out all around them. Harry whirled around, aiming his wand at everywhere the weeds rustled. The grindylows were either wiser or more scared of them and they circled them without attacking.

“There’s too many of them, Harry,” Fleur wheezed. She grabbed his shoulder and took his help to push herself to her feet. She pushed a stray strand of her platinum blonde hair away from her pale face and tucked it behind her ear. “They’re gathering numbers. Let’s get out of here.”

Harry didn’t need to be told twice. He created another jet of air and pushed their bubble through the reeds as fast as he could. The grindylows screeched and followed them. A few brave ones reached out from the weeds with their claws or their teeth but Harry was ready for them. He repelled them with lightning-fast reflexes, stopping them before they could reach the bubble. Stinging and cutting hexes raced through the gloom, illuminating the horned faces and violet eyes of the hungry creatures attacking them.

Their progress was frustratingly slow. Harry was forced to alternate between propelling them and fighting off the grindylows. Fleur could only concentrate on keeping the bubble charm alive. Her face scrunched from the strain and the pain when a blow inevitably landed on the bubble but she soldiered on without a complaint.

“We’re running out of time!”

Harry glanced at his watch and grimaced when he realized they had less than fifty minutes left. The bubble wasn’t particularly fast to begin with and their frequent halts weren’t helping matters.

“We don’t have a choice, Fleur,” Harry muttered through gritted teeth. He raised his wand to fight off another grindylow but before he could hex the creature a tentacle reached out from above them, gently and effortlessly pushing it away. Harry looked up to see the monolithic gray body of the Great Squid above them. Its tentacles fanned out in a protective umbrella around him and Fleur, pushing away the grindylows with enough force to scare them without causing serious injury.

“What’s that?!”

“The Great Squid,” Harry grinned and restarted the jet of air to push them forward. “Hermione, Ron, and I feed him every Sunday. Looks like it’s finally paying off.”

The Great Squid stayed with them until they had cleared the weeds. It saw them off with a shrill shriek and retreated to the forest.

“What does he eat?” Fleur asked, staring at the massive creature until it disappeared into the weeds.

“We feed it chicken. And peas. He loves peas.” Harry stared at the sight in front of him, his smile replaced by a worried frown. “Fleur. Look,” he muttered, gently shaking her arm.

“More grindylows?!” Fleur turned to see what Harry was pointing at. The remaining color drained out of her face as she studied the underwater village in front of them. They were standing on the edge of a ledge overlooking it and Fleur could spot a small army of merpeople milling around the village square. “There’s more of them than I expected.”

“That’s not the worst part. Look.” Harry pointed to four stakes planted in the middle of the square. All four had distinctly human figures tied to them. They were surrounded by merfolk wielding spears and holding torches that contained otherworldly green flames. What Harry found troubling were the menacing grins sported by each and every one of them. Their yellow, razor-sharp teeth glinted dully in the light of the torches.

“Looks like you were right,” Fleur said grimly. “Let’s go. We don’t have a lot of time left.”

Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out the gillyweed. “Here,” he said, tearing off half and holding it out for Fleur. “We’re too slow in the bubble. If they try to attack you or Gabrielle I want you two to be able to get out of there as fast as possible.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll be fine,” Harry said with a confident smile. “Dudley has dunked my head in a million toilets. I’m no stranger to being surrounded by water and hostile bullies.”

“One day I’m going to meet zis Dudley,” Fleur muttered through a mouthful of gillyweed. Her scowl was replaced by a panicked expression the moment gills sprouted on both sides of her neck, making it impossible for her to breathe. She looked at Harry to make sure he was in the same situation before killing the bubble charm.

Both of them gasped in relief when the water rushed in and pressed against their bodies. It pulsed through their gills, allowing them to breathe again.

‘Ready?’ Harry mouthed, reaching out with a webbed hand.

Fleur shook her head but placed her hand in his. They kicked their flipper-like feet in sync and swam as fast as they could towards the village. As they got closer they could hear an eerie melody. Every single merperson in the village was singing the same song. They turned to study the two intruders in their village. A number of them glared at Fleur as they swam through the makeshift lanes in between rows of huts. A few even hissed when they passed by but no one explicitly threatened them until they arrived at the village square.

The cordon of merfolk around the four stakes in the square lowered their spears the moment Harry and Fleur crossed the boundary signified by a slightly crooked line of smooth stones.

Cedric had arrived in the village from another direction and was already next to Cho. He cut her free using a sharp stone in his hand. He flashed Harry and Fleur a smile and dropped the stone for them, before beginning to swim to the surface with Cho safe in his arms.

Harry tried to make his way to Hermione to do the same but was stopped by Fleur.

‘Wait,’ she mouthed. She concentrated on the song the merfolk were singing. They were running out of time but there was something vaguely familiar-

Fleur’s eyes widened when she realized it was yet another riddle. She looked down at the square and smiled when she saw that the stones underneath them were all of different colors.

‘It’s a riddle!’

‘What?’

‘Follow me.’ Fleur concentrated on the song again. She hopped on a yellow tile, then two green ones, and finally a red one before looking back to make sure Harry was following the right sequence.

‘I’m okay,’ Harry mouthed. The tiles weren’t particularly big and he had to be careful where his feet landed if he didn’t want to accidentally step on the wrong tile. He didn’t know what would happen if he did and he wasn’t too keen to find out.

Fleur nodded and closed her eyes. She focused on the song, trying to pick the last verse she had listened to without making a mistake. Once she had found it she opened her eyes and hopped onto a red tile, then a green one, and finally a yellow one before stepping onto the raised dais that contained the three remaining hostages.

She got to work freeing Gabrielle while Harry watched her back. Once she was done and Gabrielle’s unconscious body was leaning against her she handed Harry the rock and watched him do the same for Hermione.

The sound of jeers and louder singing drew their attention to Krum. He had transformed the upper part of his body into a shark. The transformation ended just below his shoulders, leaving the rest of him as a human. It was crude but for a swimmer as good as him, very effective. He shot through the water, making his way straight at them.

Fleur frowned when she realized the man had no plan to slow down and investigate his surroundings. There was no way for him to realize that there was one last trap before he could get to his hostage. The gillyweed made it impossible to communicate and Fleur watched helplessly as Krum made his way to the village square.

The merfolk easily made way for him, their smile growing when they realized he had no intention of slowing down. The minute Krum crossed the line of stones denoting the boundary of the square a jet of green flames shot up from the ground. He diverted himself just in time to avoid being burnt to death, escaping with serious but non-lethal burns.

A wall of fire surrounded Harry, Fleur, the hostages, and the remaining merfolk. The flames were so intense Harry could feel the heat caress his cheeks, banishing the cold that had begun to seep into his skin in an instant. Harry glanced at his watch. He held it up for Fleur and tapped his wrist, then held up five fingers.

They had five minutes.

As one their gaze shifted to Krum’s hostage. The short dark-haired girl was tied to the stake between them and there was no possibility of Krum rescuing her.

Fleur cursed under her breath. She pointed her wand at Gabrielle, sending her shooting up through the water with a silent charm. She did the same for Hermione before swimming over to Krum’s hostage with the stone in her hand. The merfolk stopped singing and screeched when they saw her hacking away at the binds tying the girl to the stake but Fleur kept going, undeterred by the fury of her historic enemies.

One merperson lowered his spear and swam towards Fleur, only to be stopped cold in his tracks by Harry.

“Move,” the merman hissed, gesturing at Harry’s chest with his spear. “Leave the hostage. Not yours to take.”

Harry shook his head. He raised his wand and leveled it at the merman’s chest.

“Move,” the merman hissed again. “Leave.”

The sound of gurgling made Harry look back. His eyes widened when he saw two burly mermen grabbing Fleur’s arms, dragging the struggling Veela away from the girl she was trying to untie and towards the wall of flames.

The merman in front of him took advantage of his distracted state and thrust his spear at him. Harry reacted with seconds to spare and swam out of the way. He roared in agony as the spear grazed his arm but only bubbles emerged from his parted lips. The merman smiled and pulled his spear back for another go, only to be dispatched by a silent stinging hex from Harry’s raised wand.

Harry ignored the throbbing of his arm and turned to Fleur. He rained stinging hexes on the merfolk surrounding her. They dropped their weapons and scattered, swimming unharmed through the flames surrounding the square.

Harry knew he had mere seconds to act. His stinging hexes weren’t particularly lethal and the merfolk would realize sooner or later that he couldn’t cast any other spell silently. They had the numbers to overwhelm them, especially with Fleur out of commission.

Harry swam over to his girlfriend, his anxious eyes scanning her body for signs of a serious injury. Her swimsuit was ripped in half a dozen places and Harry could spot at least five cuts that were oozing blood into the water, including a particularly deep and nasty gash on her forehead. Her eyelids were drooping and Harry could see she was on the verge of losing consciousness.

‘Go,’ Harry ordered.

Fleur shook her head stubbornly and pointed at Krum’s hostage.

‘Go!’ Harry raised his wand over Fleur’s shoulder and dispatched a merman trying to attack them with another stinging hex. He wrapped his free arm around Fleur’s waist and pushed her upwards, waiting until her faltering legs had carried her some distance away from the square before he made his way over to the remaining hostage.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Fleur had managed to free the girl before her capture. He wrapped his arm around the girl’s tiny waist and kicked his legs desperately to push them both up through the water. The merfolk’s screeching rang in his ears as he swam to join Fleur.

He was the only thing standing between Fleur and the angry merfolk below them. He sped up as much as he could, his neck burning as his gills worked overtime to supply his tired body with oxygen. He reached Fleur within seconds, his frown growing when he saw how much she was struggling.

Harry poked Fleur with his wand and pushed Krum’s hostage towards her. He waited until she had wrapped her arm around the girl’s waist before grabbing her free hand and pulling her through the water.

A stream of bubbles escaped Fleur’s mouth. Harry’s eyes widened at her silent scream and he looked down to see a merman grabbing her ankle, trying to pull both her and the girl she was carrying back towards his village. Harry landed a stinging hex right on his head. The merman screeched and let go, falling into the depths of the lake.

Another tried to grab his leg but Harry kicked as hard as he could, landing a blow directly on the merman’s head. The stunned merman abandoned his efforts to grab Harry’s ankle and sank into the gloom.

Harry ignored the pain blooming in his leg because of the horns that had pierced his skin. He pushed his body to its limit, carrying his exhausted girlfriend and the unconscious hostage between them to the surface. He could feel the effects of the gillyweed wear off and his gills disappeared just as they broke the surface of the lake.

Fleur took in panicked gulps of air, her terrified eyes scanning their surroundings until she located Hermione carefully guiding Gabrielle toward the shore.

“I… WHAT?!” The girl between them screamed, drawing their attention towards her.

“Hey. Hey.” Harry grabbed her shoulders and shook her gently. “You’re fine,” he gasped, breathing heavily. “Come on. We need to get out of the water.”

Harry and Fleur both took one of her hands and slowly made their way to the shore, arriving mere minutes after Hermione and Gabrielle.

Harry relaxed when he saw Cedric and Cho cuddling together under one blanket. An unconscious Krum was sprawled out on the beach some distance away from them, his injuries being tended to by Madame Pomfrey. His girlfriend ran to him the minute her feet hit land.

Harry pushed through the exhaustion clouding his mind and wrapped his arm around Fleur’s waist. He pulled her out of the water and dragged her to where Hermione and Gabrielle were sitting. They collapsed next to the huddled couple.

“Are you two alright?” Harry asked, pulling Fleur on top of him as he slumped onto the beach with a quiet groan.

“Yes,” Hermione said hoarsely.

Gabrielle simply nodded and cuddled deeper into her girlfriend’s side. She shivered and closed her eyes, only relaxing when Hermione wrapped her arms around her.

“It’ll be alright,” Hermione whispered, bending to gently kiss Gabrielle's forehead. “I’m here, darling.”

“They’re adora-” Harry’s voice trailed off and his face lost all color when he looked down and saw that Fleur was unconscious. He reached out to take her hand, his panic growing when he realized her skin was ice cold.

Harry grabbed his wand and raised it in the air, letting loose a loud BANG to attract Madam Pomfrey’s attention.

“She’s hurt!” Harry shouted the minute the jovial matron turned to investigate the source of the sound. “Fleur is hurt!”

Madam Pomfrey looked over Krum to make sure he was stable before rushing over to his side. She gently pushed Fleur off him and onto her back, her frown growing as she examined the unconscious Veela.

“Potter, if you want your girlfriend to live you will stop hovering!” she barked.

The uncharacteristic display of anger stunned Harry and he crawled away, giving Madam Pomfrey the space she needed.

“The cuts on her body. Are they from merfolk weapons?”

“Yes. Why?”

“This entire Tournament is irresponsible. Reckless. Stupid!” Madame Pomfrey swore as she stood. She flicked her wand, raising Fleur’s body into the air. “I need to get Miss Delacour to the Hospital Wing so I can administer the antidote. Thank your lucky stars I had the foresight to arrange some from Mungo’s last night,” she muttered, shaking with suppressed fury.

“Antidote?!”

“The weapons of merfolk are laced with venom, Mister Potter.”

“One got me on my arm too.”

“You’ll be alright.” She reached out and patted Harry’s cheek. “The venom is only lethal for Veelas. You just saved Miss Delacour’s life. Without you, she’d have died in the lake.”

Madam Pomfrey smiled sadly and left with Fleur, leaving a stunned and furious Harry behind.

“Harry? Harry!” Hermione scrambled to her feet the minute she heard Harry’s growl. She followed him as he made his way towards the judges. “What are you doing?!”

Harry paused in his tracks long enough for Hermione to catch up to him. He nodded at the lone merperson who had emerged from the lake and was talking to Dumbledore by the lakeside.

“I’m going to start a bloody war.”

Notes:

I've had a rough week (I will explain in a separate post) but I apologize for the delay and I hope you like this chapter! I wanted to do a twist on the Second Task and on the trope of Fleur failing in it and Harry saving her, especially since it's used to set up their relationship. Something that has already happened here. I also think in the fics where Harry likes Fleur he doesn't do anything about what she had to deal with in the lake. Here, Harry is bloody mad and for a very good reason, don't you think?