They Shook Hands: Year Four (Original Version)

They Shook Hands : Year Four

An alternate (but realistic!) universe Harry Potter fic
by Dethryl

Chapter Twenty - Under The Water

The middle of February brought St. Valentine's Day, as it did every year. Breakfast that Tuesday morning was filled with owls bringing valentines. Jenna got one from Warrington the Third; Millie got one from Krum. Draco sent one to Parvati, which also recited poetry in his voice. This last particularly annoyed Weasley, to judge from his demeanour. What was unexpected was the red parchment brought for Pansy.

"Who's your valentine from, Pansy?" Jenna asked as she reached for the strawberry jam.

Pansy unfurled the scroll. Harry, peeking over her shoulder, saw that it was covered with white ink.

"Terry Boot," she said absently as she read. "My, he's quite poetic."

"Boot?" Jenna questioned in surprise.

"Yes, well, ever since Blaise abandoned him at the Yule Ball, I've tried to be nicer to him. He's been slipping me notes in Herbology, you know."

"I know." Harry hadn't known about that. "So what of it?"

"I probably will let him be my valentine. He's quite smart, you know. Top of the year in Charms and Astronomy. If anyone can help me with Charms, it's him."

Tim made a rude snort. Pansy's eyes narrowed.

"Also a proper gentleman," she said a bit louder. "Keeps a respectful tongue in his head when talking to a lady. With one exception," she looked at Harry and winked, "these Slytherin boys are frightfully immature. Maybe a bit of Ravenclaw gravitas is just what I need."

Harry only sent one note, with a spell Elan had given him which caused a dozen roses to pop in to existence. He had sent it to Padma, and her surprise when she opened it had made Harry smile.

Since the new term had started, Harry and Padma had begun sitting together in Arithmancy. They were walking out together, studying together, and it had seemed the thing to do. They were a couple, after all, and it was expected that they would sit together.

Today, Pansy sat down on Harry's left side. She rested her chin on folded hands and directed a Look across the room at Terry. He eventually glanced over, caught her eye, did a double-take, and looked back uncertainly. Pansy very deliberately smiled warmly at him. He glanced briefly to where Tim and Blaise were conversing quietly and back to Pansy. He stood up and shouldered his bag. He crossed the hardwood floor, his trainers squeaking on the polish.

"May I join you?"

"Certainly, Terry," Pansy said, speaking for them all. "Take a seat."

"Where would you like me to take it?"

Pansy giggled. "You're so witty, Terry."

Professor Vector arrived at that point and began the lesson. Harry scribbled notes, but was distracted by the conversation to his left.

"I received your valentine," Pansy whispered.

Terry didn't reply, but he looked suddenly terrified.

"I liked it very much. Wait for me after class."

The rest of their time was spent going over the answers of the pre-holiday examination. Harry had done top of the class, as always.

When class was over, Terry followed Pansy out of the classroom. Most of the other Ravenclaws bustled off to their next class, but he lingered. Padma and Harry quickly pretended to be far too busy to pay attention, but though she had her lips pressed to his, Padma's mind was plainly focused on the situation nearby.

Pansy was smiling at Terry, and her smile was a potent weapon indeed. He looked so utterly nervous, Harry worried he might fall down because his knees were shaking too much.

"I've got to run to Astronomy now," Pansy said. "Maybe I'll see you at lunch?"

"I'd like that," Terry said earnestly.

"Would you like to watch the skies tonight?"

"I would. After dinner, then?"

"After dinner. I'll meet you in the entrance hall."

Pansy leaned forward and kissed Terry lightly on the cheek. She turned and headed towards the Astronomy tower. Terry held up a hand to his cheek in wonder. He watched her until she ducked in to the secret passage out to the battlements.

"When did Pansy get so nice?" he wondered aloud, before following the other Ravenclaws.

"Will the strangeness never cease?" Padma asked Harry.

"I don't know. If it did, we'd have to stop seeing each other."

Padma giggled. "Have fun in Astronomy. I'll see you later."

"Bye."

Pansy and Terry began to study together frequently. They often joined Padma and Harry in the library. The two Slytherins would joke to their friends that they were going out to snog in the Astronomy tower or the trophy room. More often than not, snogging was on the agenda, just not with each other.

Harry took comfort in the shared conspiracy. Pansy was continuing to be just as friendly towards him even despite her estrangement from Draco. It was nice to still have female friends, even if his best mate was a prat sometimes. She'd listened as he talked about his frustrations with Blaise; he'd been her ear as she griped about Draco. Now they jokingly walked about arm and arm in the common room and teased each other about Professor Sinistra catching them snogging.

Jenna was his friend too, but now that she'd taken Blaise's place as Pansy's best friend, she might have gone along with Pansy if she had decided to snub both Draco and Harry. Fortunately they were both reasonable girls and understood it made no sense to be mad at Harry for Draco's insensitivity.

It was peculiar how things could change so quickly. Two weeks was barely enough time to adjust to the new paradigm. Both Harry and Draco were dating outside the house, Pansy was dating outside the house, Millie was dating a world famous Quidditch star, and Blaise and Tim might as well have been dating for all the time they spent together.

* * *

The second task took place on the last Friday of February. Classes were cancelled, which made the students very happy. After breakfast, everyone made their way down to the lakeshore where a line had been drawn in the sand. Each champion was surrounded by a few friends and well-wishers.

Krum stood with only his Headmaster. Where was Millie? She should be supporting her boyfriend, but Harry didn't even see her. He wore a robe casually open in the front. He wore not the trunks Harry had seen on their morning dips but a slinky pair of bikini briefs. The ladies were loving it, to judge from the many pairs of binoculars present.

Fleur's blonde hair was whipping in the breeze. Several of the other Beauxbatons girls were there for support, as well as Roger Davies. Fleur wore a fluffy white dressing gown, and her bare legs poked out from the bottom. Even that much of her was beautiful. Madame Maxime towered over them all.

Diggory had only Professor Sprout and a few of his lads for company. Where was Cho Chang? A bloke's girlfriend ought to be supporting him at a time like this. He looked distressed by her absence, pacing back and forth in the sand. He had on a pair of swim trunks in the Hufflepuff colours of yellow and black. He wore no robe, perhaps trying to acclimate himself to the chill so the lake wasn't such a shock. He had more than a few pairs of binoculars directed his way as well.

Harry squeezed Padma's hand. She'd sat with him at breakfast, and she was here supporting him now. "I'm really glad you're here."

"Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

"I hope I was able to help with the Bubblehead Charm."

Harry winked at her. "I've got something better."

"Really? So you were just wasting my time?" she asked archly.

"Time spent with you is never wasted."

Padma smiled. "Flatterer."

Harry was also escorted by Professor Snape and Draco. Neither was saying much, but their very presence was reassuring.

The gillyweed was in his pocket. It was still slippery, slimy, and all-together nasty. He wasn't looking forward to having to eat the stuff.

Harry checked his watch. Two minutes until the start time. He scanned the crowd, but he couldn't find Sirius. There was no time to look for him, either, because Bagman was announcing the start of the task.

"Last night, something was taken from each of our champions, something very precious to them. They will have one hour to enter the lake, face the dangers of the water kingdom, and return to the surface. I repeat, champions, you have one hour!"

Padma smooched him thoroughly. He grinned foolishly at her.

"Good luck, Harry!" his friends screamed to him over the roar of the crowd. He waved cheekily at them.

Bagman let off a firecracker from his wand. As it exploded in the air, the champions ran to the water's edge.

Harry stepped in to the lake, wincing at the chill. He took out the wad of Gillyweed and considered the pulpy mass of green, slimy weed. Without giving himself time to think it through, he shoved it all in his mouth. Chewing rapidly, trying not to notice the taste nor the texture, Harry swallowed. Oh, what he wouldn't give for a drink!

The other champions had vanished from sight. Harry stood alone, hip-deep in freezing water. He wasn't doing anything flashy, so the crowd likely thought he didn't know what to do. There was a bit of snickering, and a well-hated voice called out, "Hey, Potter! Need a snorkel?" Laughter rose from the Gryffindor section.

Harry could barely feel his body anymore. It was cold, so very cold. His toes were numb, and his legs felt like lead weights. Suddenly he couldn't take a breath. He felt as though there were no air to breathe. He was dizzy and light-headed. Stars appeared in front of his eyes.

Harry dove beneath the surface, ignoring the shock as his head went under. He'd never been particularly good at swimming, having learned only the basics of not drowning during his first stay at Malfoy Manor during the summer before second year. He certainly couldn't tell the Backstroke from the Butterfly Crawl, but as cool, soothing oxygen filled his lungs, he held up a hand to his neck in wonder. Gills. He had gills, and his fingers were webbed. Instead of feet and toes, he now had proper flippers. Effortlessly, he zoomed through the water.

The chill had vanished. He felt perfectly comfortable. It was just like a bath. Harry wondered if he'd suddenly become cold-blooded like a snake. If so, then it's quite fitting. Up Slytherin!

The bottom of the lake dropped away rather sharply. It really was beautiful down here. Sunlight filtered down, gently illuminating the landscape. Patches of seaweed wivered and waved in the current. Schools of brightly coloured fish moved in perfect sync. Eels slithered through the water, propelled by their sinuous bodies. Bright algae grew on piles of rock. He swam lower, and even the sunlight failed to fully penetrate the murky depths.

Harry kept an eye peeled for trouble. All alone down here in the darkness, without anyone to hear him scream, he made a very tempting target. The Dark wizard who had put his name in the Goblet of Fire might take more direct action, now that he'd seen the Tasks might not finish Harry off. He patted the small pouch in which he'd concealed his wand and the knife that had been a Christmas gift from Sirius. He began to cross a murky patch of seaweed, but the cold hands that grabbed his ankles startled him, despite his vigilance. Grindylows!

He refused to panic. He had learned about grindylows from Professor Lupin, the best Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher they'd had in three years. Professor Moody had a way about him, but Lupin was no slouch. Harry had even gotten a sneak peak at the grindylow Lupin had procured for their study. He knew what to do: break the fingers. Their grip was very strong, but the fingers were brittle. Fortunately Harry knew a spell to do just that. He drew his wand, trying not to think about how he knew it.

"Infractus manus!" he shouted.

The bubbles that came out of his mouth didn't sound like the spell he'd cast, but the force of will he directed in to the spell evidently was enough. A jet of light sent crackles of electricity all over the fingers, and Harry heard the snapping sounds even underwater. He shook off the grip and cast the spell again as another tried to grab at him. Harry swam up a bit, getting above the seaweed. Able to see them coming, able to defend himself swiftly, they didn't trouble him any further.

Finally the weeds ended, and he came to a stone formation with a very large pipe laying on the lake bottom.

"You're rather magnificent, Harry."

Harry nearly jumped out of his own skin. Heart pounding, breathing ragged, he spun around to see Moaning Myrtle floating casually nearby. Her eyes watched him adoringly through her thick, pearly glasses. Her voice wasn't muffled by the water. Harry eyed her warily. Was she here to help or hinder?

"You'll want to try over there," she said, pointing. "The merpeople village is where they are. I couldn't get too close because they chase me away, but I saw the hostages."

Harry could have kissed her. Dead or not, bipolar or not, Myrtle evidently still had some school spirit. She wanted Hogwarts to win and was giving him help. He gave her a thumbs-up to show he appreciated it. She waved back at him.

Alert for more Dark creatures, Harry swam on. He avoided a swirling mass of dark mud by a wide margin. A large rock emerged out of the muddy water ahead. It had paintings of merpeople on it; they were carrying spears and chasing what looked like the giant squid. Harry swam on past the rock, following the mersong.

"...your time's half gone, so tarry not
Lest what you seek stays here to rot..."

Half gone! He could only hope none of the other champions had advanced so far. He followed the mersong, hurrying past a cluster of crude stone dwellings stained with algae that loomed suddenly out of the gloom on all sides. Harry sped on, staring around, and soon the dwellings became more numerous; there were gardens of weed around some of them, and he even saw a pet grindylow tied to a stake outside one door.

Merpeople were emerging on all sides now, watching him eagerly, pointing at his webbed hands and gills, talking behind their hands to one another. 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. They leered at Harry as he swam past; one or two of them emerged from their caves to watch him better, their powerful, silver fish tails beating the water, spears clutched in their hands. Harry sped around a corner and a very strange sight met his eyes.

A whole crowd of merpeople was floating in front of the houses that lined what looked like a mer-version of a village square. A choir of merpeople was singing in the middle, calling the champions toward them, and behind them rose a crude sort of statue; a gigantic merperson hewn from a boulder. Four people were bound tightly to the tail of the stone merperson.

These must be the people who had been taken. There was a girl who looked no older than eight, whose clouds of silvery hair made Harry feel sure that she was Fleur Delacour's sister. He also recognized Cho Chang. Next to her was Millie. So this was where they'd gotten off to. And further on-

Sirius!

Harry swam closer, ignoring the merpeople circling the centre of the village. A thick rope made of seaweed wrapped around his ankles. He was suspended in the water like a kite in the sky. His godfather's black hair floated around his head as though in a high wind, but in slow motion. His eyes were closed, and he wasn't breathing, though a small steam of fine bubbles came from his mouth.

All thoughts of winning the task fled from Harry's mind. Sirius needed help! His godfather was a vital link to his own parents. He'd served twelve years in Azkaban to avoid drawing danger to Harry. He'd sworn to take up the responsibility for raising Harry and was making good on that pledge. He wouldn't lose Sirius. He wouldn't!

He seized the rope, tearing at the knots with webbed fingers. He fumbled clumsily with his pouch, finally managing to get the penknife out. He hacked desperately at the seaweed, terrified that he was going to be too late. After what was probably only a few seconds but felt like ages, the bonds came loose.

Feverishly unwrapping the rope, Harry grabbed Sirius by the collar and began to claw his way back to the surface. He was able to use one webbed hand and both his flippers to great effect, but Sirius was a heavy man, fully grown. He had lost the wasted look he'd had after escaping from prison. His body weighed Harry down, slowing his progress.

He glanced down once and saw that Diggory had reached the clearing. He went immediately to Chang. He touched her face gently with one hand and then cut through the rope with a knife he drew from a sheath on his belt. He grabbed Cho in a lifeguard's carry and began to reach for the surface.

Krum approached swiftly. He had employed human Transfiguration to give himself a shark's head. It let him breathe and swim, but the result was ungainly in the water. He elected to bite through the rope holding Millie. It was slow going, because he wasn't really built for that sort of task. Harry kicked his flippers harder and soon lost sight of them.

Harry noticed his breathing became more ragged as he swam higher and the water became lighter. As soon as their heads broke the surface of the lake, Sirius came awake with a sputtering cough. Harry drew a grateful breath of fresh air and treaded water for a moment, glad to be done with it.

"Harry!" Sirius gasped. "You did it!"

Harry was too tired to answer. They swam to the platform that had been extended out from the beach and climbed out of the frigid lake, gratefully wrapping themselves in warmed towels.

"Are you okay, Harry?" Sirius asked.

"Never better. You?"

"I near pitched a fit at Dumbledore. 'Harry just got used to living at Grimmauld Place,' I told him. 'You can't trick him by making him think I might die. That's cruel and sadistic.' But he assured me that you understood the tournament was non-lethal and everything was only symbolic. Then he put me to sleep."

"He tucked you in?" Harry couldn't resist asking cheekily.

"No, I mean he cast a sleep spell. Couldn't risk my warning you, which I was fully intending to do. I was only thinking about how I'd react if I saw you drowning at the bottom of the lake, and I wouldn't put you through that."

"I think that was maybe the point, though," Harry ventured. "I had lots of motivation to finish first. Though Millie was down there too. She was obviously Krum's victim. I forgot all about her once I saw you."

Sirius hugged him tightly, and Harry tried to put the bad thoughts out of his head. His godfather was safe. That was all that mattered.

The hands of a giant clock counted down to one hour and a bell tolled one ring.

Diggory and Cho came to the surface. She opened her eyes and began to cry when she saw him. She threw her arms around him and they nearly went under. He kissed her properly, then they swam for the platform.

Krum and Millie surfaced a few minutes later. She looked completely shocked to see him.

Runners from the first aid tent brought doses of Pepper-Up Potion for champions and hostages alike. Harry gratefully guzzled the spicy concoction and felt healing warmth fill him from foot to crown. Steam began to shoot out of his ears.

"Attention please!" Bagman's voice boomed out over the crowd. "The judges have tallied their scores. In first place, finishing within the time limit, we award fifty points to Harry Potter!"

The crowd burst in to applause and cheering. "Mister Potter used gillyweed to great effect! The other Hogwarts champion, Cedric Diggory, rescued his hostage showing great command of the Bubblehead Charm, but returned to the surface one minute after the expiration of the time limit. He receives forty-five points."

More applause rang out, even more enthusiastic for the "true" Hogwarts champion.

"The Durmstrang champion, Viktor Krum, used an incomplete form of human Transfiguration and brought his hostage back quite a few minutes after the expiration of the time limit, and for third place he gets forty points."

Polite applause.

"Fleur Delacour, the champion from Beauxbatons, encountered difficulties during the challenge and was forced to withdraw. For her progress and demonstrated skill with the Bubblehead Charm, she is awarded twenty-five points."

It was almost pitiful.

"She didn't finish?" Harry asked. "What'd she run in to, the giant squid?"

"Grindylows," Draco informed him. "They swarmed her, and she couldn't get away."

"That's it? Just break their fingers. Remus taught us that."

"Evidently they need a better teacher at Beauxbatons."

Fleur Delacour suddenly screamed out, "Gabrielle!" and flung her blankets aside. She dove back in to the freezing water, swimming quickly to where the younger girl was coughing and choking. Gabrielle frantically latched on to Fleur, sending them both under. They bobbed back up, and Fleur began to swim back to the dock. She hurriedly climbed the ladder and carried her little sister to the first aid station where Madam Pomfrey was waiting with a dose of Pepper-Up.

The merfolk had poked their heads above water. Dumbledore leaned down and casually stuck his head under the water. Bubbles rose as he conducted a conversation with the chief. He stood back up and dried himself with a wave of his wand.

"The third and final task will take place at dusk on the twenty-fourth of June," continued Bagman. "The champions will be notified of what is coming precisely one month beforehand. Thank you all for your support of the champions."

Madam Pomfrey began hustling them all up towards the castle to get in to dry clothes at that point. Harry allowed himself to be ushered. Sirius walked next to him, not saying a word, but laying a hand on Harry's shoulder. They parted ways with a hug in the entrance hall. Harry went to the dungeons to change; Sirius climbed up to the headmaster's office.

At lunch, Harry was called upon to describe his journey beneath the lake in detail. It was amazing he got anything in to his stomach as he told about smashing the fingers of the grindylows, how Myrtle had helped him out, and how fierce the merpeople had seemed.

"Were you afraid?" Padma asked, joining them.

"Yeah, I was afraid. I was scared if I wasn't quick enough or smart enough, I'd lose my godfather. I would have flattened anything that came along."

Padma laid her head on his shoulder.

"You did well," Draco said. "Still in first place. I wonder who's planning the party."

After lunch, the Slytherins got started on their weekend. It was Friday afternoon, and nobody could quite bear to face homework when there was celebrating to do. The party was raucous. The house was a little more reserved with a Ravenclaw present, but not much.

Padma didn't leave his side. She had just gone along with the Slytherins after dinner without a word of discussion. It wasn't until they were ensconced in the common room that anyone really even noticed. There was no objection, and the celebration began.

Harry described the grindylows over and over again to the awestruck first, second, and third years. "The trick is to break the fingers. Their grip is very strong, but the fingers are brittle. There's even a spell to do it: Infractus manus!"

Blaise made a rude sort of coughing noise. "That's a horrible spell. It's probably Dark magic. Only a brute would use it."

"It worked brilliantly. I think it must have been designed to fight grindylows. They didn't want any part of me."

"What then?"

"Well, I kept going, and Moaning Myrtle was hanging out by this large pipe. She pointed me towards the merpeople village, and that's where I found the hostages tied up."

"I think that's so sweet, Millie," Jenna said. "Krum would miss you the most? I'm moved to tears."

"Stuff it, Jenna," Millie protested, trying not to turn red.

"Ooh, she's blushing," Jenna needled, giggling wickedly. "Are you that good of a snog, then? Surely you're not studying all the time."

"It's not just snogging," Millie said. "He invited me to Bulgaria this summer."

"Really?" Pansy sounded flabbergasted.

"I know. Oh it's all awful. He's treating me like a girl."

"You are a girl, Millie."

"I know. It sucks. It's all so confusing."

"But it's so romantic," Laine exclaimed, dramatically clasping her hands over her heart. "I'd love a tall, dark, and handsome Quidditch star to sweep me off my feet."

"Someday, Laine," encouraged Ginny. "Someday. Maybe it'll be Arcen."

Millie's little brother made an indelicate gagging noise. "It's revolting," he declared. "Millie's got it exactly right."

"Aww, that's so sweet," Jenna gushed. "Sticking up for his big sister! How cute!" She ruffled his hair.

Arcen began turning red. "Quit it! Knock it off!"

Harry didn't last as long as the party did. Worn out from his adventures under the lake, he wanted to seek his bed right after dinner. He placed his glasses on the nightstand and gratefully pulled the sheets up to his chin. He was asleep before he had time to wonder how soon sleep would come. Even without him, Slytherin house partied late in to the night.

to be continued...