Chapter 30: Start of the second challange

The day of the second challange has finally come. On his way down to the small pier, Edward can already hear the Weasly twins shout, while busy taking bets.

Hearby, he can also see Harry is walking along with Neville, who hands him some green plantlife in his hand.

''You're sure about this Neville.'' Asks Herry his friend.

Slightly stuttering, Neville tells him. ''Absolutely.

As they step on to the pier, Harry comments. ''For an hour.''

Nodding Neville tella him. ''Most likely.''

''Most likely?'' Shocked Harry stops them from going one one of the boats asking.''

''Well, there is some debate among herbologists as to the effects of freshwater versus saltwater...'' Explains Neville visibly nervous.

Shocked, Harry asks. ''You're telling me this now? You must be joking!''

Now fully stuttering, Neville tells him. ''I just wanted to help.''

Deciding to go on one of the boats Harry tells him. ''Well that makes you sight better than Ron and Hermione. Where are they anyway?''

Only now does Edward realise, that Hermione and Sibilla are totally absend. As he dwells on that, he suddenly feels strong slender hands hug him from behind. Smelling a very familiar fragrance, he instatly knows who it is.

''Morning Irena...'' Greets Edward her. ''... Have you seen Sibilla?''

Letting go of him, as he turns around, Irena tells him. ''No. I thought the two of you where having some alone time, reconnecting. I mean she was your wife before I was your lover and she became mine as well.''

''That's true, but she wasn't with me last night...'' Tells Edward Irena, before asking to her. ''... We are only mortal and your divinity has become unstable, meaning you can die. What do you think about us three creating a Phylacterium?''

''Ripping our souls out and storing them inside an object to achieve artificial immortality...'' Says Irena. ''... I don't know Od... That is more Sib's forte...''

Soon Edward stands together with all the others champions on a platform, that underneath one of three towers that stand tall above the Great Lake, as Dumbeldore's voice booms out of a loudespreaker. ''Welcome to the second task. Last night something was stolen from each of our champions. A treasure of sorts. These four treasures, one for each champion, now lie on the bottom of the black lake. In order to win each champion need only find their treasure and return to the surface. Simple enough. Except for this, they will have one hour to do so and one hour only. After that they'll be on their own...''

As the only one still fully dresses, Edwars sticks out like a sore thumb. Standing right next to him are Irena, wearing a sexy scarlet red bikini, that perfectly showcases her sexy curves and strong muscles and Harry, wearing black swim trunks and a red sleeveless muscle shirt.

Leaning over to Irena, Edward comments, while ogeling her cleavage. ''I still can't see Sibilla, Hermione, Weasel be, Digory's date Cho, Ginny or Fleur's little sister.''

''Well, my guess is, they are the treasures Dumbledore spoke of...'' Irena tells Edward, while pressing her chest against his chest, just to tease him. ''... Next time we can have some fun without Sibilla. I liked you forcefully dominating me back then in that bathroom on the fifth floor.''

Meanwhile, Edward hears Mad-Eye tell Harry. ''Put that in your mouth.''

Because the next thing Edward hears from Harry are choking noises, Edward guesses, that the boy had put the gilliweed in his mouth and choked on it.

Meanwhile, Dumbeldore's voice is still booming. ''... You may begin at the start of the cannon.''

The cannon instantly fires following the announcement and most of the champions jump into th he water, four of them diving head fist, while Harry is pushed by Mad-Eye. Underwater the effects of gilliweed finally take hold, Harry's hands and feet become webbed.

Able to see the changes by placing a spell of his eyes, Edward swings his wand over his head an the water beth the platform suddenly starts to gather and form a solid structure.

After a few seconds, a staircase has formed out of water, that allows Edward to walk underwalter. Going down that staircase, the solid staircase starts to collabse behind him. Looking up to the surface, Edward can see Harry fly into the air like a dolphin, as the crowd cheers.

Meanwhile, the staircase around Edward has changed into a globe around him, that floats around 30 meters above the lakes floor.

And so begins his search for his treasure.

Walking among the fish and rocks, Edward suddenly hears singing voices that start to echo. In the distance, he spots Fleur screamning, while getting trapped by some strange mermaid like creatures. Sprinting with his sphere to her rescue, he instantly pulls her inside his globe, as soon as he gets a good grip on her.

Coughing and puffing as she wrestles for air, Fleur finally finds her way inside of Edward's airbubble, as her own spell is lifted. Struggeling back on her feet with his help, the girl in a silver swimsuit starts thanking him profusely. ''Oh, thank you, thank you...'' In midst her words, Fleur starts to hug Edward, before she suddenly kisses him on the lips. As soon as their lips met, n electic current sabs both of them awake.

''You don't have to stop because of me!'' Edward suddenly hears Irena comment behind him. Instantly jumping away from Edward, suddenly conscious about what she just did, Fleur blushes profusely.

Turning around, Edward finds Irena partly transformed into a sexy Mermaid, holding a golden spear in her hand, while being still half inside the water, only her top half inside the bubble.

''I don't think so...'' Tells her Edward, keeping his cool, while tightening the grip on his wand. ''... Did you two also hear these voices?''

Nodding, while recovering from her own embarrassment, Flleur tells them. ''Yes, I did. They are the same as in the egg. I followed them until I was attacked.''

Looking in the direction of the voices, Edward moves his bubble in the direction of a wall of seaweed, while asking Irena. ''Good. Now let's have a look. Irena are you in?''

''No, I am faster on my own.'' States Irena, shaking her head, before shooting through the wall of weed like a torpedo. Following after his fiance with Fleur inside his bubble, Edward is surprised by ehat he finds on the other side.

Elaborate dwellings placed in and around a long lost city are inhabited by Merpeople. These creatures resembling half-human, half-fish hybrids are akin to humans with green hair, yellow eyes, grey skin and silver tails, which are very much like Irena's currently transformation.

Moving down, what Edward would describe as the central and main avenue, they find six people tied by their ankles on top of what might be a temple.

Moving the bubble to the six unconscious people, Fleur suddenly starts screaming, when seeing a small blonde girl from Beauxbatons. ''Oh, my god! THAT IS MY SISTER!''

Seeing the six missing people, Edward us keenly aware, that some merpeople, carrying tridents are closing in on them. Moving his bubble directly in front of the six, he as Irena cut the robes, while he is pulling Hermione and Sibilla inside, at the same time as Fleur is pulling her sister.

As soon, as he also wants to pull Ginny and Cho inside, the trident carrying merpeople start to attack. Having Fleur and Irena cover him, Edward pulls the remaining victims inside, before extending the bubble to a radius of half a kilometre.

Viciously creaming, the merpeople enter the bubble only to find themself easy targets, as soon as they are no longer surrounded by water. Nocked out by Irena's or Fleur's stun spells, the unconscious merpeople fall through the bubble, disappearing in the dark depths below.

While all this happens, Edward tryes to navigate the bubble back to the towers, when he suddenly is hit by a trident in his abdomen.