If You've Got the Nerve

It was the day of the second task. The air was cold and everyone was bundled up with coats, scarves, and every sweater they owned. Students were both running and walking across the frozen school grounds. There was no snow, but the wind had more bite than an irritated Doxy and the frost was heavy. Every step I took let out an audible crunch. I concentrated on that constant sound. Fred and George were walking beside me along with Lee. Though we had looked, none of us had seen Harry, Ron, or Hermione. I had lingered in the Great Hall with Lee after breakfast, but we had finally left after convincing ourselves that Ron and Hermione had already left and Harry was with the other champions.

During the trek to catch up with the twins, Lee had questioned me on my particularly sour mood that had arrived since yesterday. I had pushed it off on the events at dinner with Ron. Since the red-head wasn’t around, I didn’t have to worry about making him feel guilty about anything. All I was concerned about was making sure no one found out about the conversation Fred and I had the night before.

Fred and I were acting natural to each other around the others, but I felt a growing sense of tension whenever we were alone. Luckily, that didn’t happen often. With the twins’ growing plans, George and Fred were constantly together, discussing sale arrangements and even getting together plans for buying a space for their shop.

The stands were set up on the banks of the lake. They were already filling up with a sea of people. At that moment, the only thing I was worried about was being able to find a seat of my own next to my three friends. When we did find spots near the top of the stands, the champions had been led out to the bank. All three looked well prepared –

“Wait – ”

“Where’s Harry?” Fred’s question was echoed quietly around us. Harry was nowhere in sight. Lee helped steady me as I stood on my seat to see over the sea of heads. Ignoring the complaints from a group of girls behind me, I stood on my toes, eyes searching along the grounds. There was still no sign of him.

“Of all the days he could sleep in,” I muttered, jumping back down.

“Do you think he’s backing out?” Seamus Finnigan, sitting in front of us with his best friend Dean Thomas, questioned anyone that would listen.

“No way,” George answered him with no hesitation.

Ludo Bagman’s booming voice soon had the crowd hushed. He gave everyone the rules and point of the challenge. The champions, who had all had something important stolen from them, were to be given an hour to find that object under the murky water of the lake. Mutters of surprise and excitement broke out as soon as Bagman had finished his speech.

“An hour to find it is fine,” Lee muttered to me, “But how are they supposed to stay under for an hour in the first place?” I had no answer. Others were casting around their own theories about what to do. I knew there were complicated potions that might have helped them, but there was no way they had any time to learn how to make them, let alone actually perform the act.

I took to standing on my seat again. I was worried about Harry. Why wasn’t he there yet? Like George said, there was no way he would back out from the challenge. Knowing Harry, he wouldn’t back down even if he had no idea what to do.

Then I spotted someone running full force across the grounds. At first, I thought it was a straggler that had fallen behind the crowd or slept in. Then someone shouted above the quiet crowd: “Harry!”

The closer he got, the easier it was to pick out the boy’s features.

There was a new air of excitement as Harry skidded to a halt next to the other three champions. Instinctively, my eyes roamed the grounds again, searching for a familiar pair of students. They were nowhere in sight.

Bagman did a short recap of the task after he had the champions lined up. Then a sharp whistle echoed through the air and the champions were off.

Honestly, I didn’t know why they had bothered to set up seats for everyone. We would be sitting for an hour, watching the water and waiting for someone to break the surface. The judges sat perfectly still, though I knew they were getting nervous with every passing minute. Bagman kept us updated on the passing time.

Halfway through the set time, someone broke the water. There was moderate cheering, everyone waiting for the revelation of which champion had arrived first. It was Fleur, but she was alone, her hands empty of anything of real value except her wand. It was announced that Fleur had been unable to complete the challenge with full success. It was obvious that the pretty foreign girl was extremely upset about not rescuing what had been stolen from her.

Another layer of silence fell over everyone. Ludo was back to shouting the time markers. Another half hour passed and he shouted the hour mark with increased intensity, as if his booming voice would pull all three of the remaining students from the water. Everyone was holding their breath. Nothing happened. I counted the seconds.

Almost as soon as my mind ticked off the minute mark, someone cracked the still surface of the dark water. Cheers broke out across the stands. An uproar shattered the air as soon as it was announced that the arrival was Cedric Diggory. The Hufflepuffs were stomping and screaming with joy. Cedric had surfaced with Cho Chang, the pretty Ravenclaw girl that he had attended the ball with.

“They took people from them?” I questiond Lee incredulously. I suddenly understood why Fleur was so upset. He shrugged, not looking all too surprised.

Next to finish was Viktor Krum. Fred and George joined in the enthusiastic cheering emitting from the Durmstrang students. I saw a familiar girl emerge from the water next to the famous Seeker. Hermione was shivering violently. Madam Pomfrey rushed forward to give the two the same treatment she had issued to the others. I was glad to see Hermione was okay after all. It was easy to guess where Ron was.

My eyes searched the once again still waters. There was no ripple on the smooth surface other than those cast by the strong winds whipping the air, no sign of Harry arriving from the depths of the lake, hopefully with Ron by his side.

“Dumbledore wouldn’t really let anything happen to them…would he?” I was remembering the Headmaster’s warnings earlier in the year of the deaths that had occurred in the past during this tournament.

“Of course not,” Fred reassured me.

Another memory of earlier in the year hit me. One of when Fred and George had senselessly attempted to enter their own names in the Goblet of Fire only to have their bits of parchment spat out at them. A shiver completely unrelated to the chilled air ran through me at the thought of either of the twins having to take part in this challenge.

Almost too suddenly to realize the change, the surface of the dark lake broke with a great splash. It was hard to see over peoples’ heads by this point. Everyone was jumping with excitement, cheering on the final arrival. Harry had arrived not only with his own hostage, but with who I guessed was Fleur’s.

“If that idiot lost just to play hero…”

But, incredulously, Harry didn’t lose. In fact, adding the points Harry had earned in the dragon challenge with the forty-five points he had just received – received for Harry’s display of “moral fiber” – he was tied with Diggory for first. There was a great amount of cheering from all of the Hogwarts students.

The third and final task was set for June 24th; a long while from now.

“Moral fiber!” the twins exclaimed in unison later when we had all joined Harry and the others on the trek back to the castle. Harry grinned weakly, still shivering a great deal despite Madam Pomfrey’s treatment. The two red-heads marched ahead after congratulating him on his “wicked performance.”

I gave him my own quick hug and told him I was glad he was safe. After that, I made my way forward, catching up with the twins, and hitching a ride the rest of the way on a very happy George’s back. They had, after all, made plenty of gold on others’ bets today.

All would be calm until the twenty-fourth.