After their discussion, Harry began spending more time with Fleur. They would meet up sometimes in between his classes, just chatting and getting to know each other as friends. Though things were much better than before, Harry still noticed an awkward tension between them, like they weren't quite sure how to act around one another. He wasn't sure what to make of it but he caught her stealing glances at him just as often as she caught him doing the same. This only served to get his hopes up, which he quickly squashed not wanting to be disappointed again. She's just a friend, she's just a friend, she's just friend… had become a mantra for Harry but he wasn't sure that he was fooling anybody, let alone himself.

A few days after said talk, Harry was thinking about Fleur's advice and trying to determine the best way to give it a try. Deep in thought he didn't notice anyone approaching him until they began to speak.

"Hey Harry," Harry jumped at the sound of his voice quickly looking up in surprise to see Cedric. "I never got a chance to thank you for your tip on the dragons. It probably saved my life out there."

"It's no big deal. It was only fair, everyone else already knew," he said trying to brush it off. Harry still wasn't sure how to act around Cedric. He always expected Cedric to hate him like the rest of the school for stealing the attention from him but every conversation they'd had so far had been pleasant.

"Well I owe you so I just wanted to let you know that the next time you go to take a bath, bring the egg with you and-" Cedric began before being cut off by Harry's outburst.

"I already know. Fleur told me."Cedric raised an eyebrow at him questioningly with a small grin. Realizing what he had implied with that statement he hurriedly continued on, "I just haven't figured out how to test it yet."

"Like I was going to say, use the prefects bathroom. The password is pinefresh."

"Thanks Cedric."

"I'm just glad I could help a little. I still owe you though."

"What? No… you don't owe," Harry began but Cedric waved away his retort as he walked away. He started planning to test the egg out that night, after curfew, when noone else was around. He knew he was running out of time and couldn't put it off any longer.

**.**

"You mean you only just figure this out now?" Asked Hermione, her voice rising several octaves in her frustration. "You told me you figured out the clue weeks ago!"

"Well… I… erm…" Harry shifted uncomfortably. "I figured it out now. That's all that matters."

She shot Harry a annoyed look, "Can you repeat it again."

"Come seek us where our voices sound, We cannot sing above the ground, And while you're searching ponder this; We've taken what you'll sorely miss, An hour long you'll have to look, And to recover what we took, But past an hour, the prospect's black, Too late, it's gone, it won't come back." He said flatly. "Like that helps me."

"Oh but it does Harry! Don't you see? I can't believe I didn't see it before but the voices were obviously merpeople and where are there merpeople around here?" She sighed when he just shook his head. "Honestly? Am I the only the who's ever read Hogwarts: A History?"

"Yes!" Piped up Ron who was also listening in. She completely ignored him.

"There is a tribe of merpeople who live in the black lake. You obviously need to go in for an hour and retrieve something that they have taken from you. Now just to figure out how you will breath underwater for an hour."

"You could always just use Gillyweed," said a voice making them all jump. Harry turned to see Neville, also sitting by the fire, working on homework. He hadn't even noticed him. Neville turned beat red with all their eyes on him. Questioning him further he learned how by eating this plant, the user grows gills and webbed feet perfect for navigating underwater. Neville helped them figure out how much was required for the effects to last an hour and Harry sent off an owl order to diagon alley. He tried to hold in his chuckles when he noted that Hermione seemed a little put out that she hadn't been the one to come up the solution.

**.**

When Harry awoke the morning of the second task, he felt much more collected than the last time around. He had his Gillyweed in his pocket and felt that this task would be much safer than facing a dragon. That was until he noticed that Ron never returned to the dormitory the night before. He quickly headed down to the common room to wait for Hermione, at least she might know where Ron is. The common room had completely emptied out, his fellow Gryffindors down at breakfast, and Hermione still hadn't come down. Sighing in defeat, Harry made his way down to the great hall as well.

After forcing himself to eat something, Harry couldn't resist glancing over towards the Ravenclaw table to see how his fellow champion was faring. After figuring out the clue earlier that month, Harry had told Fleur as much. She told him that she was glad but refused to speak to him about the task any further. When he saw her, he knew something was up. She was glancing around the hall every few seconds as if looking for something. He decided to go over and see what was going on. Thats what friends do, right? Friends…

"Are you ok?" He murmured just loud enough for her to hear, sitting down beside her. She spun to face him and Harry noticed immediately, when he saw her eyes, how worried she was.

"'arry! My leetle sister, Gabrielle, is visiting for ze second task but she didn't return the ze carriage last night. Madame Maxine keeps brushing me off and telling me not to worry," she said speaking so quickly that he had a hard time keeping up.

"Ron and Hermione are missing as well," he had a sinking feeling that it was all related to today's events.

Fleur must have had the same thought because her face began to redden with anger and several people unconsciously shifted away from her. "Zey better not 'ave put 'er in any danger!"

"I am sure that they are safe," he said trying to reassure her even though he didn't completely believe it himself.

They soon got up to leave the hall and were joined by the other two champions heading towards the lake. Cedric raised his eyebrow at Harry when he saw Fleur and him initially walking together. Harry just glowered in return. They took a small boat to the middle of the lake where huge platforms had been erected with raised seating for the onlookers.

After each taking turns changing into provided bathing suits in a small tent, Bagman confirmed Harry and Fleur's worst fears, "You all should have figured out the clue by now. Someone important has been taken from all of you and placed at the bottom of the lake. Retrieve them within the time limit to score points."

Harry was glad he wasn't Bagman at that moment with the look Fleur was shooting him after that announcement. Harry was trying very very hard not to stare at Fleur in her bathing suit. He noticed Cedric and Viktor in a similar predicament but seemed to having varying success. For some reason he found this very annoying.

The rest of the students began arriving shortly afterward quickly filling up the stands. When everyone was seated, Bagman gave a similar speech explaining the task to everyone else. When the countdown began, Harry popped Gillyweed in his mouth. It didn't have much taste bu a very rubbery and chewy texture. He finally got it down but nothing seemed to happen. He started to panic wondering if it didn't work but then he started feeling a burning on the side of his neck and the next thing he knew was that he was falling into the water after the cannon blast. He started to thrash around at first but, realizing that he could breath, calmed him down. He noticed his hands and feet had become webbed as well, allowing him to slip through the water easily. It was so effortless that he let out a small laugh that came out as a torrent of bubbles.

He began swimming deeper into the lake passing by fish and other marine life. So far he hadn't come across anything dangerous and he thought that the hardest part might be locating what he was looking for. Of course, just when he thought that, he heard a muffled sound travelling through the water. Looking around he noticed something silver thrashing around in the water. Fleur! Abandoning his search, Harry sped off in her direction. As he got closer, he noticed that she seemed to be surrounded by at least 20 grindylows. She was attempting to stun them but there was too many of them and they were too close to her. As several latched onto her leg, she began kicking towards the surface to escape. Harry didn't dare attempt to help from afar incase he hit Fleur so he just pushed himself harder to catch up. As she approached the surface she began slowing down and seemed to be losing consciousness. He saw the bubble that she had conjured around her head starting flicker. Realizing that he no time left to wait, he shot several stunning spells knocking the grindylows off one by one. Just as she was completely free of them, he reached her and her charm gave out. Luckily it only took a couple seconds to break the surface. He brought the still unconscious Fleur over to the platform, trying to ignore how her body was pressed up against him, and handed her off to a concerned looking Madame Pomfrey before diving back under the water.

He knew that he had to hurry as he had lost a lot of time helping Fleur. This time he headed straight down knowing that he had to get to the bottom no matter where they were situated. As he neared the bottom, he began to hear a faint singing that he recognized from the egg. Feeling emboldened, Harry put on a burst of speed heading towards the sound. As the singing got louder and louder, he was met by a strange sight. It appeared as if a village was rising up out of the murky depths. Reaching the edge, he saw that merpeople lined the edges of a path to the centre of the village. What he saw next made his blood run cold. He saw Ron and a girl, he assumed to be Fleur's sister, tied to stakes. They both looked pale as death and didn't appear to be breathing. He tried to reassure himself that they were in some kind of stasis. As he began tugging the bonds loose around Ron, he tried to think about what to do with the young Veela. Fleur wouldn't be coming to get her and he wasn't sure he had time to get both. He was sure that Dumbledore wouldn't let anyone get hurt but couldn't shake the one like from the poem too late, it's gone, it won't come back.

It wasn't even a choice for Harry anymore. He used his wand to slice open the bonds holding Gabrielle. He saw the merpeople start towards him weapons raised. He pushed the two captives upwards training his wand on anything came close to him. They began to slowly back up as he kicked up after the raising bodies. When he was far enough away that he didn't think they would follow, he grabbed the two of them and kicked upwards with all his might. The water began to lighten around him when he felt the familiar burning in his throat and extremities as he began to slow down. He was now silently cursing himself for only buying enough Gillyweed for the one hour. He should have gotten a little extra for a situation just like this. The surface of the water became visible moment later but he knew he wouldn't make it. Using his last breath he cast the levitating charm on on the two people above him, hoping they would make the surface. Everything went black before he could find out.

**.**

Fleur was furious when she woke up. Firstly at herself for not noticing the gathering grindylows until it was too late and secondly at Madame Maxine for physically restraining her from returning to the lake, she was seriously considering hexing her headmistress, and lastly at this tournament for placing her sister in danger! She had signed up for this but not her sister. Everyone was assuring her that her sister would be fine but it didn't calm her at all. Both Cedric and Viktor had returned recently but Harry was still nowhere to be seen. They had told her that he had saved her from the attack and brought her back to the surface.

A large timer soon sounded indicating that the hour was up yet there was still no signs of movement in the lake. Dumbledore was pacing back and forth behind her doing nothing to sooth her nerves. Suddenly she heard a shout from the crowd as two people broke the surface and began swimming over. She noticed the red hair or Harry's friend Ron and the silver hair silver hair that matched her own from her younger sister but still no Harry.

She only gave it a split second's consideration, jumping into the lake before anyone could stop her, recasting the bubble-head charm at the same time. She swam as fast as she could towards the point where the two hostages had surfaced. She finally spotted Harry, unmoving and slowly sinking downwards. Fear unlike any other she'd ever experienced, gripped her chest. She sped over to his location and quickly cast a bubble-head charm on his as well. She returned the way she came pulling him along. As soon as she reached the surface hands reached down pulling them both up.

She tried to stay close to Harry but the Hogwarts Matron soon shoved her back as she leaned over him quickly to use first aid charms. Gabrielle ran over to her and she pulled her into a huge hug. She felt like she could barely breath as Harry was tirelessly worked on. She felt relief like no other when his eyes flew open and suddenly sat up coughing and sputtering. He was alive!

**.**

Harry awoke to a raw throat, massive headache… of and spitting up copious amount of lovely water from the black lake. When that stopped and his breathing had returned mostly to normal he took a look around. He was happy to see Fleur near her sister and noticed a worried looking Hermione heading his way. His attention was wrenched away though when he saw Fleur had also begun marching his way. She reached him first and before he knew what was happening she was kissing him. Everything else fell away, the crowd, his surprised looking friend and even all his aches and pains. He felt like he floating on a cloud. All he could focus on was the feeling of her soft lips moving against his. Before he knew it she was pulling away.

"You could 'ave died!" She almost screeched smacking him lightly to his shock. "But you also saved my life!" She pulled him in for another kiss.

"You almost gave your life for my sister!" She admonished after pulling away again. She looked like she was deciding on whether to smack him again or kiss him. Making the decision for her, he pulled her close. He was a little befuddled by her mood swings in the last two minutes but he was sure if he could keep on getting kisses like this, he would be just fine.

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I tried to change up the task a little bit but there isn't much to work with. I hope the 'big' scene at the end was good enough. I am not entirely sure how happy I am with it but I think it's decent. Hope to be updating both this and my new story equally a few times a week. I wanted to thank everyone for their support. I can't believe I have already broken 100 favorites and 200 follows! Please leave me a review and let me know how I am doing.