Year Four - Chapter Twenty

I extended my wand up in the air, and then patiently waited. It didn't take long. Once more, I had crafted that which would either be an incredible coincidence a few years in the future, or some kind of copyright infringement notice that I hoped would never make its way back to the owner of said rights. The metallic meshes adhered to my skin, the rippling of the leather and the chainmail above it giving me the strange sensation of hitting a wall of molasses as it engulfed me in its starting shape.

In seconds, I tapped the diving suit with the tip of my wand to seal the extremities, the extremely humanoid, extremely armor-like, diving suit. The bubblehead charm covered my whole face, and as the summoned one-handed chainsaw ended up in my left hand, I quickly stomped my way with my boots into the depths of the lake. The key was that the wand needed contact with the flesh in order to properly work as a catalyst of sorts. Hence, all that was required was a compartment that allowed for the connection, near the arm, and nothing more.

I was the ugliest Space-Marine that had ever graced this world. I also didn't really have a chainsaw, as much as a piece of metal that would, at command, activate a charm to make a string of metal spin quite quickly around itself. It was one of the ugliest pieces, but also quite practical.

The hovering charm would keep me afloat, but wouldn't move me forward. However if I turned it off, sank, turned it back on, refloated, and repeated the motion enough times, I could walk unfazed through the muddy floor. The giant lake, by itself, wasn't a dangerous thing. Finding the hostages would require knowing where the Merpeople lived, which wasn't difficult either.

While Krum had the benefit of swimming as a half-transfigured shark, and Fleur had hopefully the knowledge on how to cast proper spells underwater, I preferred to keep myself warm and dry. Hence, the reason for my diving suit. I knew time was passing, but even as it did I needed to twist the chainsaw properly in order to cut a path through the vegetation, and while sometimes I saw a few creatures, likely a Grindylow swarm, they never neared me. Perhaps it had something to do with the few creatures that tried, while hidden by the algae, and that had ended up smashed into broken pulp.

They had floated upwards, their faces deformed into grotesque visages of death, but since they definitely weren't Merpeople, I hadn't killed anyone sentient yet.

At least, I hoped. Alastor's lessons revolved around a lot of things, but underwater creatures weren't one of them. I kept walking in the general direction of where I knew the village was located; and as I walked, I watched a shadow loom over me. There was a brief moment where I pondered if I'd end up as food for some giant, magical and forgotten shark, but as I glanced up, all that I saw was a massive tentacle.

"Squiddie!" I said, though my voice wouldn't have pierced through my Bubblehead charm. In what felt like seconds, a strong current of water lifted me off my feet, armor and chainsaw, and sent me on a collision course with a giant Merpeople statue in the middle of a quaint looking Merpeople village. My boots landed with a loud thunk against the base, even as the guards did a valiant effort in pointing their spears in my direction.

Though they didn't stop singing, actually.

"Your time's half gone, so tarry not. Lest what you seek stays here to rot," the merpeople were singing the passage of time, and even as I knew they'd easily save the hostages, I glanced at the figures of Fleur's lithe sister, and of Hermione's. They'd both be fine. Since they'd both be fine, I merely needed to cut down my own hostage. My eyes were drawn to Megan's figure, the Hufflepuff girl looking ghastly pale, as if dead. I wouldn't put it past Harry to believe the dangers so real witnessing the scene in first person.

I freed her, breaking the thick algae binding her by simply rubbing the chainsaw's sharp edges against the sides, taking care not to harm her. Then, I pulled her on the back of one of my shoulders and began to walk away. Had I taken so little time? Krum would be the second to arrive, if things went as always, and Fleur would perhaps arrive third now that I told her what to expect. Well, I hadn't really mentioned the Grindylows, but she could have checked in the library for the aquatic population of Hogwarts' lake, no?

Thus, I could leave.

I really could leave.

I walked away, only to stop away from the Merpeople's lances.

"Squiddie," I said, looking up at the giant tentacle, "Find me the other champions and bring them here."

The tentacle swished, a wail echoed, and a powerful thrust of water poured through the lake. It flattened the algae, and scared away the Grindylows. A half-shark and a silver-haired girl both ended up ensnared in Squiddie's smaller tentacles, and dragged right in front of me. I pointed behind me, at their hostages, and then patted Squiddie's closest tentacle so that she would release them.

"Free them, and be careful," I mouthed, witnessing the wide-eyed surprise in Fleur's eyes. I reckoned Krum would have given the same look, had he not been half a shark. Then, I took a lift on the way back. Squiddie hadn't helped me rescue the hostage, so everything was fine. With a singular twitch of the massive tentacle, Megan and I broke the water surface, launched high in the air.

I watched from way up high the judges' table, my body leaving a trail of glittering water behind me. A series of tentacles sprouted from the lake, and I began to laugh as my boots slid across them, the charmwork ensuring they'd never slip, since they'd never be touching the surface to begin with. I picked up speed, flexed my legs, and then landed on the lake's shore lifting a cloud of sand and dust.

As the bubblehead charm came less, and I breathed in the fresh air of the February morning, I felt Megan's weight shift in my arms. The girl had woken the moment we had hit the air, and then had probably wondered what was going on all throughout our descent. So too did the clapping echo like a thunder amidst the rows of students. The poor students had just seen the surface of the water for nearly an hour; or perhaps had they found a way to render it crystal clear and transparent?

No, knowing wizards, the next part of the tournament would involve a dark room, and the spectators forced to watch from behind walls.

"You could use a warm blanket," I said amiably as I walked towards the already nearing Madame Pomfrey, where I left Megan down to get looked at. Meanwhile, I freed my wand from its socket in my arm, pulling it free in order to break out of my own armor. I sighed in relief as the extra weight came away. My robes were dry. My clothes were dry. I stretched ever so slightly and then walked alone towards the judges.

"The other two will be quite all right," I said, much to Karkaroff's ever-green puce-colored face. "They were getting a bit lost, so I had to show them where the hostages were."

My smile was beatific and angelic. "Excellent show indeed!" Ludo Bagman said, "The music at the beginning and the show at the end, quite a way to make us excited!"

"Quite indeed," Crouch Senior snapped, curtly.

"Dumblydor, I have to protest," Maxime said curtly, "The Squid helped."

"Only in bringing them back, and by then the hostage was already rescued," Ludo Bagman said. "However, I do say we can penalize him on some points for the act."

"Quite a few points," Karkaroff grumbled.

I looked at the man, and then hummed. I hummed and smiled. He stared briefly at me, while all I did was smile.

"Well then, out of fifty points," Crouch Senior grumbled, whispering to the other judges for the final verdict, "Thirty-seven."

I rolled my eyes. "All right," I pulled out my wand and lifted it to my side. In a matter of seconds, five large loafs of bread ended up floating in front of me. "What's fair's fair. Since you already gave me the points, I guess it's for the best I pull out the others, less they get even more lost trying to find their way back."

I threw the bread in the lake.

I got three girls and one half-shark back.

Ah, Squiddie really was a Squid after my own heart...

...the Squid that kept on Squidding.