Cedric's POV

I woke up around 8:45 the next morning and set about getting ready for the task today. My roommates had all woken up earlier so they could grab breakfast before the task began.

Taking advantage of the extra privacy in my dorm, I changed into my swim trunks, along with a yellow tank top that had the Hufflepuff logo on it. A strap was fastened onto my right leg, where I would hold my wand for when I needed to activate the Bubblehead Charm. Over that, I wore black sweatpants and a grey hoodie. On my feet were a pair of white ankle socks and beige sneakers.

I grabbed my wristwatch from my bedside table and secured it onto my left wrist. The time now said it was 9:05. Guess I'd better get going. I left my dorm and headed downstairs. It took me about ten minutes to make my way down to the docks, where everyone else was starting to gather.

Fleur and Viktor were already waiting for me, but Harry still had yet to arrive. I guessed he was waiting for Ron to be done with breakfast so they could walk down here together. As a rule, the champions had to all ride in a boat together to the area in the middle of the lake, where the task would be taking place. We weren't allowed to board the boat unless all four of us were present.

Fred and George were -- once again -- going around collecting bets from the other students, which didn't surprise me. Since their betting on Ireland to win the Quidditch World Cup had ended with them being conned, they were using bets from the tournament to build the joke shop they've always wanted to open up.

"Three lads!" Fred called out.

"One lady!" George added.

"Four go down-" Fred trailed off.

"-but will four come up?" George finished his twin's question.

Ginny got annoyed with them. "Don't be so mean."

Fred and George merely shrugged in response and went back to collecting bets.

I scanned the crowds, trying to spot Cassia, but I couldn't. She had promised that she'd be there for Harry and I, cheering us on, but right now, she was nowhere to be found.

My friends Drew, Joseph, and Nathan waved at me to get my attention as they boarded a boat together. I was surprised to see that Zack wasn't with them. First, my girlfriend disappears, and now my best mate? There was no way it could have been a coincidence.

Harry arrived at the docks, accompanied by Ron and Neville. "You're sure about this, Neville?" he asked, holding a slimy, bright green substance in one hand.

Neville nodded. "Absolutely."

"For an hour?" Harry pressed.

Now Neville looked a bit unsure. "Most likely..."

"Most likely?" Harry echoed, unable to believe his ears.

Ron looked at Neville like he had two heads. "What do you mean, 'most likely'?"

"Well, there is some debate among herbologists as to the effects of freshwater versus saltwater, so-" Neville confessed.

"You're telling me this now?! You must be joking!" Harry exclaimed.

"I-I just wanted to help," Neville stuttered.

Harry sighed. "Well, that makes you a right sight better than Hermione and Cassia." He looked around, worried. "Where are they, anyway?"

Ron was equally concerned. "They never came back to the common room last night."

"You seem a little tense, guys," Neville observed.

"Do we?" Harry asked through clenched teeth.

Ron shook his head slightly as he and Neville went to grab a boat. "Hopefully they'll be here..."

Harry rushed over. "Cedric! Cedric, have you seen Cassia?" he asked. "I can't find her."

"No, I tried looking for her in the crowd, but I couldn't spot her," I said. "My best mate's gone missing as well."

"Strange," Harry mused.

I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I think there's something fishy going on here."

Professor McGonagall hustled us all into a boat, before getting into one with Dumbledore, Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime. Each of the boats floated towards a trio of structures with three levels. Both the higher and lower levels -- save for the structure in the middle -- were crowded with fellow students, cheering for their favorite champion. Amidst the noise, I could make out the Durmstrang boys calling out some kind of chant for Viktor.

We reached the middle structure and were quickly ushered off the boat. McGonagall and the three headmasters joined Mr. Crouch towards the back, while us champions removed the clothes we wore over our swimsuits in a far corner, and made our way to the edge of the platform. Several wolf-whistles echoed from above, directed at Fleur,

"Welcome to the second task!" Dumbledore announced. "Last night, something was stolen from each of our champions. A treasure, of sorts. These treasures, one for each champion, now lie at the bottom of the Black Lake. In order to win, each champion need only find their treasure and return to the surface. But they will have one hour to do so, and one hour only. After that, they are on their own. No magic will be able to save them. They will begin at the sound of the cannon."

The cannon went off with a loud boom. I had expected we would have another minute or so before having to dive in, but apparently, that was not the case. Clearly, Filch had a problem with waiting for the proper time to fire the cannon.

Fleur, Viktor, and I dove into the lake, but poor Harry was shoved, causing him to belly flop. I cringed. That hurt just watching it.

I pulled out my wand and cast the Bubblehead Charm. A large bubble formed around my nose and lips, stopping just above my collarbone.

A tingling sensation developed in my limbs as they grew numb, making it feel like they were on pins and needles. The water was so cold it burned, causing me some discomfort, but I ignored it as I swam down into the depths, my legs kicking like a frog behind me as I pushed myself forward with my arms.

I kept on the lookout for the giant squid in case he made an appearance, but thankfully, he never did. Only the grindylows were a threat at present. Occasionally, they would pop out of the green weed, trying to take me by surprise so they could attack me, but they weren't able to do much more than bite me, because I would either kick them off or blast them with a nonverbal spell.

A snippet of the mermaids' song filled my ears.
"Your time's half gone, so tarry not,
Lest what you seek stays here to rot..."

Their warning drilled into my brain, forcing me to swim faster. I pushed myself to keep going despite the increasing pain my body was in.

Within minutes, I came to the mer-village. A cluster of crude stone dwellings, stained with algae, were scattered all over. Here and there at the dark windows, I could see faces pressed against the glass, watching me swim by. They bore no resemblance at all to the painting of the mermaid in the prefects' bathroom.

The merpeople had grayish skin and long, wild, dark green hair. Their eyes were yellow, as were their broken teeth, and they wore thick ropes of pebbles around their necks. Some of them emerged from their caves to get a better look at me, their powerful, silver fish tails beating the water, spears clutched in their hands.

I sped on, staring around, and soon the dwellings became more numerous; there were gardens of weed around some of them, and I even saw a pet grindylow tied to a stake outside one door. Merpeople were emerging on all sides now, watching me eagerly, particularly the females. Paying them no mind, I sped around a corner and a very strange sight met my eyes.

A whole crowd of merpeople was floating in front of houses lining the village square. In the center of the village was a crude sort of statue; a giant merperson hewn from a boulder. Four people were bound tightly to the tail of the stone merperson. Ropes of thick, slimy, strong seaweed were wrapped around their ankles, anchoring them to the statue.

Cassia was in between Hermione and Zack. A girl who looked no older than eight was next to Zack. Her clouds of silvery-blonde hair indicated that she was Fleur's sister. All four of them appeared to be in a very deep sleep, fine streams of bubbles issuing from their lips.

I swam closer and saw Harry had gotten to them first. He swam lower so that his head was level with Cassia's shoes, and began to untie the seaweed rope holding her captive.

I pulled out my wand and pointed it Zack's bonds. Relashio! A jet of red water flew from my wand, freeing him.

Harry was alerted to my presence. He looked up at me, and I tapped my watch with my wand to tell him that time was running out, and he nodded understandingly. I then started swimming up to the surface of the lake. My muscles were really burning at this point, but I disregarded it. Getting myself and Zack out of the water before the Bubblehead Charm wore off was my top priority. I kept a tight grip on him as I swam us both upward as fast as my legs would go.

Cheers erupted as we reaurfaced. Zack coughed and spluttered beside me, and I felt the bubble around my face vanish. We swam over to a small ladder, clambering up it and onto the platform.

Madame Pomfrey bombarded us with towels and robes, and had us each down two potions; one was a Pepperup Potion to defend against catching a cold, while the other warmed us up speedily. I could see Fleur had already come up first, but since she hadn't rescued her sister, I discerned that she must have quit the task. As to why she did, I hadn't the slightest idea.

Harry's POV

With Cedric reaching the hostages first and warning me about the time, I knew I had to pick up the pace. I freed Cassia quickly, grabbed her arm, and pulled her close to me. Strangely enough, there was no sign of any of the other champions. I had only glimpsed Fleur  briefly before she was attacked by a grindylow, but Viktor hadn't arrived yet. What were they playing at? Why didn't they hurry up? I turned over to Hermione, raised my wand, ready to say the spell-

At once, several mermaids surrounded me, pointing their tridents at my throat.

"You take your own hostage," one of them said to me. "Leave the others..."

"But she's my friend!" I protested.

"Only one!" The mermaid hissed. But then her eyes shifted past me and she shrieked. So did the other mermaids, before they all swam away in fright.

I turned around just in time to see a shark -- no, a shark's head on a human's body -- speeding in my direction. The dark red swim clothes indicated that it was Viktor; he had used some type of Transfiguration spell to sprout a shark head. He bit the rope holding Hermione, freeing her, and pulled her back up with him.

Seeing as Fleur was still missing, I had to assume that she quit the task. Despite the rule that we could only take one hostage with us, I couldn't leave her sister down here. So I made the decision to take her with me as well. I pointed my wand at the little girl and severed the seaweed rope around her ankles with a quick "Relashio!" Wrapping my other arm around her, I made a break for the water's surface, relying solely on my legs kicking to propel myself up.

Trouble stirred when I was halfway there, in the form of hundreds of grindylows attacking me. They clawed and nipped at my legs, pulling me down. I kicked at them with my feet, trying hard to make them stop, but they weren't letting up. My holding both Cassia and Fleur's little sister only added to my trouble because the extra weight was making me sink further. I started to panic inside. The effects of the Gillyweed would certainly wear off soon, and if I didn't get out of the water quickly, there was a good chance I might drown, along with the two girls. I knew I had to get my wand to fend the grindylows off, so I let go of Cassia and the little girl, pushing them upward to the lake's surface with all my might. I pulled out my wand. "Immobulus!"

Every one of the grindylows froze for a few moments, before they all swam away. I was left absolutely winded from energy exertion and the sudden grindylow attack, and I began to sink back into the depths. I went to reach for my wand, but I wasn't sure if I had the strength to cast any sort of spell to get myself out of the water.

Cassia's POV

I coughed, opening my eyes, as my head broke the surface of the water. Hearing someone choking and coughing next to me, I looked over at Gabrielle to see she was trying and failing to tread water. She wasn't a very strong swimmer, it seemed.

"Grab on," I encouraged, holding my arm out to her. She paddled closer and grabbed my upper arm tightly. Merci, Cassia," she coughed out. I kept both of my hands on her to support her as I swam us over to the ladder that lead back up onto one of the three-story structures that held students cheering, and where the judges -- aka Dumbledore, Madame Maxime, and Karkaroff -- were waiting.

Fleur knelt by the ladder and reached her hand out to Gabrielle, speaking to her in French.

I helped Gabrielle get up the ladder, following right behind her so I grab her if she slipped, but we both got up okay.

Fleur embraced Gabrielle tightly and they headed back over the other Beuaxbatons girls.

"Cassia!" I was nearly knocked over by Hermione jumping on me, wrapping her arms around me a bit too tightly. "You're alright!" she exclaimed.

"'Mione, I can't breathe..." I squeaked out.

"Sorry..." She let me go.

Cedric hugged me next, lifting me off the ground as he did so. "Thank goodness, I was worried sick about you!" He set me down, took off the robe he was given, and draped it over my shoulders.

"Wait a minute," I said, looking around. "Where's Harry?"

"That's what we're wondering about," Ron answered.

My jaw almost dropped. "You mean he hasn't come up yet?!" I raced to the edge of the platform and peered down, but I couldn't see anything--the water was too dark and murky. Where is he? Is he okay? Oh my gosh, what if something bad happened to him down there?

Someone grabbed me and pulled me away from the water before I could even think about diving in after him.

"Hey! Get off me! Harry's still in the lake!" I protested, fighting to free myself from the vice grip they had on me.

"I know," Cedric told me. "I'm sure he's fine. Just give him a couple of minutes."

"But the Gillyweed...it doesn't last forever. What if he drowns before he can reach the surface?" I asked, trembling with fear for my brother.

"He won't. He's as tough as you," Cedric reassured me, tapping my nose with his finger.

Luckily, I didn't have to worry for much longer, because about ten seconds later, Harry shot out of the water like a firework, landing hard onto the platform, coughing up excess water.

"Harry!" I rushed over, kneeling to his level and hugging him tightly, not caring about him soaking my robes; I was already wet anyway.

"Cassia..." he panted. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"No. I'm okay," I said, making him sigh in relief. I noticed he had several bite marks on his arms and legs. "What happened to you?"

"Grindylows..." he managed in between gasps as he tried to catch his breath.

I kissed his cheek. "I'm just so glad you're safe, Harry."

He hugged me back. "S-Same..."

Madam Pomfrey started to wrap him up in towels and put a robe on him, but I put a hand up to stop her.

"Here, let me help." I held both of Harry's hands and closed my eyes, willing for my fire powers to warm him up. Slowly but surely, they started to do their job. I felt warmth seeping into Harry's hands. When I felt his body temperature go back up to normal, I stopped.

"Thanks, sis," Harry said, before hugging me again.

Fleur came over and knelt to our level. "You saved her, even though she was not your 'ostage to save," she said breathlessly. "My little sister. Thank you!" She kissed Harry on both cheeks, and then said to me, "And you, too, you 'elped-"

I smiled shyly. "Okay, I helped a little..."

Fleur swooped down on me too and kissed me in the same manner as she had done to Harry.

"ATTENTION!" Dumbledore shouted, his magically magnified voice booming, making some of us clamp our hands over our ears. "The winner is...Mr. Diggory!"

Almost the entire student body broke into applause.

"...who showed unique command of the Bubblehead Charm. "Fleur Delacour, though she, too, demonstrated excellent use of the Bubblehead Charm, was attacked by Grindylows as she approached her goal, and failed to retrieve her hostage," Dumbledore continued. "We award her twenty-five points."

"I deserved zero," Fleur said throatily, shaking her head.

"Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of Transfiguration, which was nevertheless effective, which has earned him forty points."

Karkaroff clapped particularly hard, looking very superior.

"And finally, seeing as Mr. Potter would have finished first, had it not been for his determination to not only rescue his sister, but the others as well, we award him forty-five points for outstanding moral fibre, which has put him into second place!"

Out of all the Gryffindors,I was cheering the loudest. Harry had finished in second place, which means that he and Cedric are now tied for first overall!

After that, everyone piled into the boats and we floated away from the structure. The boats docked seven or eight at a time, stopping so students could get out.

"All that moral fibre, eh?" Fred remarked, elbowing Harry as we got out of our boat and walked off the dock.

Ron shook his head in disbelief. "Blimey, even when you go wrong it turns out right..."

I threw my arm around my brother as we started to make our way up to the castle, before Mr. Crouch approached us.

Cedric blew me a kiss, before leaving with Zack and the rest of his housemates. I blew him one back as I watched him go.

"Congratulations, Mr. Potter. Fine achievement. Well done, boy," Mr. Crouch congratulated Harry.

"Thank you," Harry and I responded in unison. I swear, we're becoming more and more like Ron's brothers!

Crouch beckoned us to walk with him, and we complied. He led us away from the crowds of students.

"See you at Hagrid's, guys!" Ron called out as he and Hermione headed back up to the school.

"I'm sorry we haven't spoken. After all, your story is one I've heard many times. Quite remarkable, really," Mr. Crouch told us. "Tragic, of course, to lose one's family." He came to a stop. "Never whole again, are we? Still, life goes on. And here we stand."

Neither Harry nor myself could hold back a small smile.

Crouch smiled as well. "I'm sure your parents would be very proud today, of both of you."

"Bartemius!" we heard Professor Mood" call out, startling us. "Not trying to lure the Potter twins into one of the Ministry's summer internships, are we? Last boy who went into the Department of Ministries never came out!" I saw him lick his lip slightly.

Mr. Crouch took a couple of steps forward and seemed to have a short staring contest with Moody before walking away.

"And they say I'm mad!" Moody barked after him.

<><><><><>

"I remember when I first met you all. Biggest bunch o' misfits I ever set eyes on. Yeh reminded me of m'self a little. And here we all are, four years later," Hagrid remarked as we walked by the lake, where Harry and I had been with Crouch just a few hours prior.

"We're still a bunch of misfits," Ron pointed out, making me chuckle.

Hagrid grinned. "Well, maybe. But yeh've all got each other. And Harry, of course, soon ter be the YOUNGEST TRIWIZARD CHAMPION THERE'S EVER BEEN!" he shouted the last part.

Ron and Hermione cheered, and then all three of them started singing the school song as they kept walking.

I spotted something at the base of the tree in front of us. "What's that?"

"I dunno..." Harry replied. We advanced closer, stepping around the tree so we could have a better look. To our shock, it was Mr. Crouch, on the ground, his hat right next to him. His eyes were wide open, not moving or even blinking.

"Mr. Crouch?" Harry asked.

No answer came from him. I placed two index fingers near his neck, but found no pulse. He was dead.