The Second Task

Chapter 25: The Second Task

Jake and Harry strolled down one of the numerous corridors together, their recent attempt at flying with Harry's broom still fresh in their minds. However, it had not gone according to plan...

-flashback-

"Are you sure this thing won't obliterate my... um, my nuts?" Jake cautiously asked Harry as he stood over the Firebolt positioned between his legs.

Harry scoffed, "Of course not! It's a brand new Firebolt, a top-of-the-line racing broom! It's equipped with a bunch of cushioning charms to make it comfortable. Now, enough stalling. Let's focus on flying."

With a sigh, Jake settled onto the broom, hoping for a smooth ride. However, to his disappointment, it felt more like sitting on coarse carpet than the whatever he expected magical cushioned wood was supposed to feel like. 'Not much of an improvement,' he thought to himself.

"Hey, good work, Jake!" Harry cheered from ten feet below, hovering on the ground. "Now you just need to pick a direction and go."

Jake smirked, realizing it wasn't as terrible as he anticipated. Were his sensitive areas hurting? Yes, a bit. But was it unbearable? Not quite. "Alright!" Jake said, gripping the broom tightly. "I was going to nickname you 'Ball Breaker', but now I'll call you the 'Nut Puncher.' The broom shook a little bit at the name. Did it like the name? Jake figured that was a good sign…He was wrong.

Alright, Nut Puncher," Jake playfully addressed the broom. "Let's fly forward." Leaning forward with excitement, he expected an immediate takeoff. However, much to his surprise, nothing happened. "Huh, what's going on-oooof!" The broom suddenly flipped upside down, forcefully ejecting Jake off its back, causing him to fall ten feet down and land with a thud in the dirt.

*THUD* "OW! Fuck you broom!"

Harry rushed over to Jake in concern. "Are you alright, man? What happened?" Surprisingly, the Firebolt flew back to Harry on its own. Snuggling right up to its owner.

Jake sat up, frustration evident in his voice. "That stupid Nut Puncher threw me off, what the hell, man?"

Harry looked offended, clutching his beloved Firebolt to his chest. "How can you expect it to fly for you if you insult it?" he retorted.

"What!?" Jake exclaimed. "I thought Hermione said only magic carpets were sentient, not brooms too!"

Harry scratched his cheek. "Oh right... well... about that. She doesn't actually know that brooms are also sentient. We figured if we told her, she'd be too afraid to ever fly on one again."

"So, if brooms are sentient too, why are only magic carpets banned?" Jake asked, thoroughly confused. Harry simply shrugged.

"Forget it," Jake said, acknowledging Hermione's wisdom. "Those things should be banned too!" He added, causing Harry to look horrified at the thought. What would he be without his beloved quidditch!?

-flashback end-

"Dumbledore specifically stated that the Second Challenge would require flying on a broom. How do you plan to get around that?" Harry asked.

Jake waved him off, dismissing any concerns. "Don't worry about it. I've already devised a plan in my mind. They only mentioned flying on a broom; they never specified that it had to be magical..."

"Potter!" A gruff voice shouted from the end of the hallway. Professor Moody, with his cane and fake leg, limped toward them. "How are you preparing for the second task, lad?" He inquired, fixing an intense gaze on Harry.

"I'm fine, sir," Harry smirked. "After all, I'm a master on the broom."

Moody glanced at Jake as an afterthought. "And you, lad, how are you faring?"

"I'll be fine," Jake replied confidently, like he hadn't just eaten dirt an hour earlier…

Moody gave them both a curt nod. "If you need any help at all, just come to me. I don't want you hurting or embarrassing yourselves out there," he said, seemingly concerned, before promptly turning and limping away.

With that interaction concluded, Jake bid farewell to Harry and made his way to the janitor's office. After navigating the twisting hallways for a couple of minutes, he finally reached the door and knocked.

"What do you want?" A gruff voice shouted from the other side.

"I wanted to borrow a broom!" Jake shouted back through the door.

The door swung open, revealing the school's custodian, Argus Filch, glaring at Jake. "So, you're the new guy at Hogwarts? Trying to make fun of me just because I can't vanish dust and dirt like the rest of you?"

"Not at all," Jake replied sincerely. "I actually believe being a janitor is an incredibly challenging job. You have to deal with a lot of things that no one else really thinks about." Jake's words brought a small smile to Filch's face. "I'm seriously just here because I need a room, preferably one that doesn't fly."

Filch snorted, "Ain't none of the brooms in my closet gonna fly. I ain't got no use for 'em since I ain't got no magic."

"Magic can be overrated anyway," Jake lied, eliciting a small smile from Filch. 'Why bother kicking a guy when he's already down?' He thought.

Filch led Jake to one of the nicer cleaning rooms and told him he could borrow it as long as he needed.

With the first part of his plan complete, Jake set off to find Hermione and ask her to teach him some minor illusion magic. Once he learned it, he would be able to compete in the second task without any issues. Determined, he made his way to the library because, on a Saturday afternoon, where else would Hermione be?

----------------------------------

-Day of the 2nd Task-

Thousands of spectators gathered in front of Hogwarts, eager to witness the second task of the Triwizard Tournament. The first task had been a resounding success, featuring some of the most intense battles in tournament history, pitting man against beast! The spectators hoped for a repeat performance.

Dumbledore delivered his customary bland speech about camaraderie between the schools, and all that, before handing over the microphone to Ludo Bagman. Spectators were glad for the speaker change because Albus was starting to put them to sleep.

"Welcome one, welcome all, to the second challenge of the Triwizard Tournament," Bagman announced. "I hope the first challenge was as exciting for all of you as it was for me. And I know many of us made a killing!" He ended with a laugh, causing the crowd to erupt in cheers. Bagman's gambling debts had not only been paid off but now he could afford to gamble as much as he wanted for the next decade. And gamble he would, as he once again placed several thousand galleons on his red-haired favorite!

Meanwhile, in the champions' tent, the four contenders sat waiting for the event to begin. Fleur appeared a bit nervous, while Victor and Harry wore smug expressions, confident that they would not be defeated in a flying-related challenge.

Jake, noticing their confidence, taunted them. "You two are going down today. When this challenge is over, everyone will see my name at the top of the scoreboards."

"Pffft..." Krum laughed heartily in his Bulgarian accent. "Yes, I am sure you will be at the top, Mr. Last Place."

Ignoring the taunt, Jake waved them off. Soon enough, they would all be amazed by his abilities. He had discovered one thing about racing brooms that truly annoyed him—they only flew quickly in one direction: forward. There was no backing up at all, and going up or down and side to side was excruciatingly slow. On the other hand, with his devil wings, he could fly swiftly in any direction he pleased. That's why he was so confident that his plan would succeed.

"WILL THE CHAMPIONS PLEASE EXIT THE WAITING TENT AND MAKE THEIR WAY TO THE FIELD!" An announcer's voice boomed, followed by the thunderous cheers of the massive audience.

It was showtime.

"..."

"What the hell?" Jake exclaimed aloud as he gazed up at the sky, holding his ordinary broom. Floating high above were four enormous pirate-like warships, complete with sails, cannons, and rigging. This was one of those moments when magic truly astounded Jake with its sheer craziness.

"Welcome, champions!" The announcer's voice boomed out. "By now, you've noticed the four large galleys floating in the sky. Inside each warship is a single treasure chest. The chest holds a map that will be crucial for navigating the third task. Without that map, let's just say you'll be in for a bad time..." The announcer's speech ended ominously.

"WITH THAT SAID, LET THE COUNTDOWN TO THE START OF THE TASK BEGIN! 30, 29..." The audience joined in the chant.

"Hey, Jake, what type of broom is that? I don't recognize it," Harry, who stood beside Jake, waiting for the countdown, asked.

"Oh, this?" Jake said, raising his broom. "It's just an ordinary sweeper."

Harry nodded. "Oh, nice. The Cleansweep series is pretty decent." He replied with complete misunderstanding.

"10, 9, 8..."

"Good luck, Harry," Jake said.

"You too, man."

"...0, and Goooooooo!"

The three contestants with actual magical brooms soared into the air. Meanwhile, Jake cast an illusion on his back, concealing his devil wings as he positioned the ordinary broom between his legs. With a burst of speed, he shot off into the air, appearing to ride a broom just like the others.

Lagging slightly behind the other three, Jake observed them each heading towards a specific floating ship. He decided to make his way towards an unclaimed vessel, rapidly gaining altitude.

Suddenly, from the galleys, Jake witnessed movement along the bows.

"OH, AND HERE COMES THE FIRST OBSTACLE: THE CANNONS!" The announcer exclaimed.

Boom, boom, boom.

"Oh shit!" Jake exclaimed, zigzagging and dodging as cannonballs rained around him. One steel cannonball finally struck the ground, creating a sizable crater. "They're not messing around here," Jake muttered to himself as he continued evading the cannon fire.

"WHOA, LOOK AT JAKE GREMORY GO! HE'S MANEUVERING ALL OVER THE PLACE, SOME OF THE BEST FLYING I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY ENTIRE LIFE! I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW BROOMS COULD FLY THAT FAST SIDEWAYS!" The announcer's voice boomed, eliciting cheers from the crowd. They were enthralled by the spectacle, oblivious to the fact that a direct hit from a cannonball could prove fatal for a champion.

"They can't," Jake smirked to himself in the air, dodging another round of cannon fire. His devil wings proved to be a significant advantage as a quick glance at the airspace beside him revealed his fellow champions flying at a much lower altitude. It took all their skill and determination to evade the cannonballs.

Boom!

"Kyaaaaaaah!!!" A scream pierced the sky. Jake turned and saw Fleur plummeting towards the ground, her broom destroyed.

"OH, AND A CANNON SHOT HAS KNOCKED OUR WEAKEST FLYER OUT OF THE SKY. IT'S A MIRACLE SHE WASN'T HIT HERSELF, BUT THE SAME CAN'T BE SAID ABOUT HER BROOM. WHETHER SHE'LL SURVIVE THE FALL REMAINS TO BE SEEN!" The announcer's voice echoed. People were cheering excitedly at the thought of her falling to her possible death.

Jake contemplated abandoning his lead to save the poor girl hurtling towards the ground. However, before he could make a decision, Harry veered away from racing towards his own ship and rocketed towards Fleur!

A small smile graced Jake's face at Harry's noble gesture. 'The kid sure was a hero, alright,' he thought to himself.

Jake continued soaring towards the mile-high warship, deftly dodging cannonballs as he approached. Finally, he reached the ship, gracefully flying over the deck and landing with a confident stance. His eyes scanned the surroundings, taking in the sight of numerous cannons manned by actual pirate themed skeletons. Each of the skeletons carrying swords and swashbucklers.

"AND JAKE BECOMES THE FIRST TO REACH THE DECK OF HIS SHIP!" The announcer's voice echoed. "NOW HE MUST BATTLE THROUGH THE CREW OF EVIL SKELETONS AND REACH HIS TREASURE. BE CAREFUL, THOUGH, BECAUSE THESE SKELETON GOLEMS CAN'T FEEL PAIN!"

Jake observed as he hurled an ice spear towards the nearest pirate skeleton charging at him with a sword. The icy projectile pierced through its bony chest, shattering its ribs, yet the skeleton remained unfazed and continued its relentless charge.

"Annoying," Jake muttered, frustration evident in his voice. He quickly cast a Bombarda spell towards its head, causing the skull to explode into pieces. However, even headless and ribless, the skeleton persisted, still swinging its blade at Jake. "Oh, come on, really?" Jake exclaimed, irritated by their persistence. These skeletons were even more vexing than the ones in the game Dark Souls that revived themselves!

As the skeleton closed in for an attack, Jake casually raised an ice shield, effortlessly deflecting the blade. He needed to hurry up and deal with these things quickly before-

"AND VICTOR KRUM SUCCESSFULLY REACHED THE DECK OF HIS OWN SHIP AFTER A BREATHTAKING DISPLAY OF FLYING SKILLS, NARROWLY EVADING THE CANNONBALLS BY MERE INCHES APIECE!" The announcer shouted out.

"Fuck!" Jake cursed out loud, realizing that he had lost his advantage. He found himself surrounded by approximately ten skeletons, each armed with a pirate sword, relentlessly striking at the ice shields he conjured around himself. These annoying immortal skeletons were testing his patience.

Instead of attempting to kill them, Jake came up with an idea to immobilize them. Spell circles ignited around his hands as he unleashed a blast of ice at the skeletons' feet, freezing them in place. Although they continued their futile attempts to swing their swords, their motions appeared almost comical as Jake nonchalantly walked by, easily avoiding the range of their swinging blades.

Jake made his way towards the ship's large cabin and opened the doors. Inside, a skeleton far larger than the others caught his attention. This one was dressed as a pirate captain, Jack Sparrow hat and all, and beside him was a large treasure chest!

"Welcome, champion," the skeleton spoke, surprising Jake. "And here, you shall make a choice. You can open the chest and claim what's inside, offering only the broom in your hand in return," the skeleton chuckled.

"Wait? You want my broom?" Jake asked, confused. "Why?"

The skeleton captain let out a single laugh. "Because without your broom, how will you get back to the ground? You will fall to your death and in your undeath you will join my crew! Hahaha!" It cackled at its own joke. "Alternatively," it continued, "we can engage in a fight to the death right now, and if you defeat me, you can take my treasure over my colder, even more dead corpse."

Jake stared at the skeleton captain for a moment, then shrugged. "That's fine. You can have my broom," he said, tossing it over to the captain. He'd just buy Filch a new one once he won the tournament and got his money.

The skeleton captain sputtered, "What? Don't you need it to get down?"

Jake gave him a sly smirk. "I'm sure I'll figure something out. I'll take that treasure now. You're not going to go back on your word, are you?" The skeleton continued to sputter in indignation and mutter about insane wizards, but eventually relented, allowing Jake to open the chest.

Quickly, Jake rushed over to the chest, lifted the latch, and discovered a scroll of paper inside. Presumably, it was the map he needed. He swiftly stowed it in his magical inventory space to ensure its safety. Jake couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt for how effortlessly he completed this task, considering he didn't actually need his broom unlike the other competitors. Well, Fleur was likely out of the competition anyway, but Krum and Harry would have to face these giant skeleton captains. In the end, that wasn't really Jake's problem though…

Exiting the cabin, Jake headed towards the edge of the ship, ready to leap and take flight back to the ground.

*Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop*

However, before Jake could reach the ship's ledge, a series of popping noises erupted all around him. Suddenly, an entire brigade of super short knights, dressed in full armor, surrounded him on the prow of the ship!

"There he is!" One of them said in a guttural voice from beneath his steel helmet. "He's the one who brought us to near ruin! It was good of us to bribe the judges to hide these Portkeys on the ship so we could take our revenge."

"Who the hell are you guys?" Jake's guard went up, slightly wary of the group of short armored figures.

"Who are we?" The one who spoke laughed, joined by the others, their guttural tones matching. "I'll tell you who." He lifted his helmet's visor, revealing an incredibly disfigured face—one of the ugliest faces Jake had ever seen.

"Oh, Jesus! What the hell happened to you, man? You know there are clinics where you can get facial reconstruction surgery because damn," Jake remarked, taken aback by the guy's appearance.

"There's nothing wrong with me, you disgusting ignorant human! I'm a goblin. I'm supposed to look like this!" The goblin shouted in rage and indignation. "It's all because of you that Gringotts was nearly brought to ruin. And now you're going to pay! Our king has ordered your death for your transgression against us! Charge, brothers, and let us kill this disgusting wizard and have our revenge!" The goblin lowered its visor, brandishing its sword as it charged toward Jake with its stubby little legs. The other four goblins followed suit, two of them wielding spears and the remaining two wielding spiked maces.

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Jake sighed. All the time he had saved by not fighting the pirate captain was now wasted on these fools. Moreover, with their short legs, they were painfully slow—even slower than the skeletons. It was honestly quite sad. Finally, the leading goblin reached Jake, taking a swing at his waist with its silver-looking blade. Jake simply took a step back, watching as the blade missed completely. These short goblins didn't have much reach either...

The two goblins with spears charged at Jake from his flanks. One aimed for his chest, but as it drew close, he swiftly conjured an ice shield that deflected the blow. The other spear came at him from the opposite side, and Jake deflected it with another ice shield. He shook his head in disbelief. It was like fighting children, albeit children clad in armor.

There was a reason why goblins always lost in their rebellions. Compared to other sentient races, they were among the weakest, with their only claim to fame being their skill in crafting Goblin silver.

"Stupefy!" Still not taking them seriously, Jake cast one of his few non-lethal spells. Surprisingly, the spell splashed harmlessly against the goblin's armor, doing nothing at all. "Huh, that's weird," Jake muttered to himself.

"Stupid human! Our strong Goblin Steel can resist all your pathetic magic. How do you plan on defeating us when you can't even hurt us?" The goblin whom Jake had targeted with the spell exclaimed with vicious glee.

At this point, all five goblins had surrounded Jake from all sides, attempting to box him in. In their minds, they believed he couldn't conjure shields in all directions simultaneously to stop them. They were wrong, but they didn't know that.

"AND VICTOR KRUM HAS ENGAGED IN COMBAT WITH THE SKELETON CAPTAIN, TRADING MAGICAL BLOWS FOR SMALL NICKS FROM ITS SWORD. OH, THAT'S GOT TO HURT, AND HARRY POTTER IS NOT FAR BEHIND!" The announcer's voice cut in.

"Damn it, you little annoying assholes are making me lose my lead!" Jake barked angrily at the goblins. "I talked mad shit this time, right before this challenge started, and I'm not going to look like an asshole again- BY NOT TAKING FIRST PLACE! Let's see if your Goblin Silver or whatever can withstand this!"

With those words, Jake unleashed his full power, his spell circles vibrating intensely in his hands. His devil wings sprouted from his back, and his aura crackled with formidable energy. Behind their steel helmets, the goblins began trembling in fear, sensing the absolute power he exuded. This was the most terrifying being they had ever faced, and some of them had experienced the reign of Voldemort himself in the wizarding world!

"Frozen Hell!" Jake shouted, invoking the name of his recently created spell. It was inspired by Sarah, who had once frozen an entire forest around him. Jake had been working hard to replicate that feat, and now, his efforts paid off. A massive wave of frost erupted from every pore of his body, instantly freezing everything on the entire ship, including the goblins, solid.

"OUR MAGICAL SENSORS INDICATE THAT JAKE HAS DEFEATED THE SKELETON CAPTAIN, AND OH WOW HIS ENTIRE SHIP HAS BEEN FROZEN SOLID! I'VE HEARD OF FIENDFYRE, BUT DID HE JUST CAST FIENDICE OR SOMETHING!?" The announcer spoke on to the roaring cheers of the audience who once again bet on Jake.

Giving one last glance at the frozen goblins, Jake leaped over the ship's edge, his devil wings spreading wide as he plummeted toward the ground. He cast another illusion to conceal his wings from general view.

"AND JAKE IS OFF HIS SHIP AND HEADING BACK TOWARD THE GROUND. OH NO, WHERE IS HIS BROOM? IS HE FALLING?" The announcer's voice expressed concern, triggering gasps and cheers from the spectators who believed he was hurtling to his death without a means to slow his descent.

Accelerating toward the ground, Jake decided to put on a show. He increased his speed, causing even more people to gasp in shock as the ground approached rapidly. When he was just 50 feet from the ground, he screamed, "Arresto Momentum!" Although he didn't actually cast the spell because he didn't need to, he slowed himself down with his invisible wings, making it appear as if he had executed a daring landing!

"AND IN FIRST PLACE IS JAKE GREMORY, WHO HAS BEEN AWARDED THE FULL 50 POINTS FOR THIS CHALLENGE. HE SECURED HIS MAP, DEFEATED THE SKELETON CAPTAIN, AND PULLED OFF THAT INCREDIBLY DARING LANDING WITHOUT A BROOM. HAD HE MISTIMED HIS ARRESTO MOMENTUM SPELL, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A DISASTER! GIVE HIM A CHEER, FOLKS!" The crowd erupted in screams and cheers, celebrating Jake's performance.

"I love this kid! He's made us all rich for the second time!" An older woman screamed.

"Hell yeah! Jake Gremory, you're the best! I'll never bet on anyone else!"

"Wooooooooooh!"

Jake flashed everyone a dashing smile, followed by a victorious bow. He spotted Luna and Hermione on the sidelines of the crowd and headed toward them.

"Hey, you two!" Jake raised his voice to be heard over the cheering. "I really swept that one, didn't I?" He said with a cocky grin.

Luna gave him a dreamy smile. "Of course you did, silly. Your wrackspurts have been gone for a while now, and there's no way this small tournament will hold you back anymore." She ran up to Jake and gave him a big hug!

"I have no idea what any of that means," Hermione interjected, "but that was incredibly reckless, Jake. Diving off the side of the ship and plummeting almost a mile without a broom? You could have died!" She expressed concern.

"No, I wouldn't have," Jake smirked. "After all, I've got wings." His remark left Hermione facepalming in realization, understanding why he had wanted to learn illusion magic from her. 'He wanted to hide his wings!' She looked slightly embarrassed.

"I get that I'm awesome and all, but I have a feeling all this cheering has more to it than just that," Jake said, glancing between the two of them.

Hermione nodded. "Indeed, you're right. Nobody is quite sure why, but after losing an absurd amount of money on you the first time, the Goblins released new odds right before the tournament. This time, the odds were 1 in 10 that you would survive. Not even get first place, just plain survive… It's still not as bad for Gringotts as the 1 in 100 odds were before, but since you clearly survived, they are once again going to lose a ton of money." Hermione thought it was an incredibly foolish decision for a bank to put up such odds for a second time. She didn't have an account with Gringotts yet as a muggleborn, and she didn't think she'd ever want one with them for how reckless they seemed with their money…

"They were obviously trying to recoup their losses," Luna added knowingly, "but it was really stupid for them to bet against you a second time. Like Hermione said, nobody knows why, but almost everyone in attendance placed a huge sum of money on you..."

Jake now understood. The Goblins had expected their group to kill him and then portkey out, making it appear as though he had died at the hands of the skeletons. This way, they could rake in all the money people had bet on him, at least recouping some of their losses. But now, they were in an even deeper hole with those massive payment plans, and they were only adding to their losses. But Jake couldn't care less about them after they had tried to kill him. 'Fuck them!' He thought to himself angrily. There was a reason why Goblins were often portrayed as the villains in video games and manga. They were a despicable race overall!

"AND HERE COMES VICTOR KRUM IN SECOND PLACE, FOLLOWED CLOSELY BY HARRY POTTER FLYING RIGHT BEHIND HIM. OH NO, HARRY DOES NOT LOOK GOOD. HE HAS SWORD WOUNDS ALL OVER HIS BODY, LIKE HE'S BEEN THROUGH THE WRINGER, TRULY!" The announcer's voice interrupted their conversation, signaling the end of the second trial, as Fleur had flunked out immediately.

"We should probably go check on Harry," Jake said to a frantic Hermione, who looked worried upon hearing that her new boyfriend was injured. Without responding to him, she hurried off.

Jake intended to follow her, but Luna grabbed onto his arm. "Why don't you leave Harry to her?" Luna said knowingly. "Meanwhile, there's someone here who's been looking forward to meeting you for a long time now. Come along, he's just over here, this way." Luna tugged at Jake's sleeve, leading him toward the tree line. With all the cheering for Krum and the money the spectators had won from betting on Jake, nobody noticed his departure. They were too busy celebrating.

Luna guided Jake through the forest until they reached the familiar clearing, where two individuals stood, apparently waiting for him. One was an incredibly beautiful silver-haired woman wearing a daring maid outfit, while the other was a man who bore a striking resemblance to Jake, albeit slightly older with longer hair.

The man turned to face Jake and offered him a friendly smile. "Hello there, little brother."

-end chapter-

Yes another cliffhanger, I am evil! I know lol.

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