the Black Lake
Einar walked with steady steps toward the location of the second task: the Black Lake, shrouded in icy mist and an almost solemn stillness. Around him, the crowd began to gather, flowing like a river of cloaks and scarves toward the makeshift stands surrounding the lake. Rumors about the task had spread like wildfire, and the excitement in the air was so thick it could almost be touched.
"Magical balls to watch the champions!!" shouted the Weasley twins with boundless energy. "10 galleons for Harry, 12 for Cedric, 15 for Krum… and 30 for Fleur!!"
Each held glowing crystal spheres and eagerly explained how they worked: they allowed people to watch the champions in real time beneath the water. Though some grumbled about the price differences, that didn't stop most. The balls were selling like rare magical treasures.
"Why are the prices different?" Einar asked as he approached, his brow slightly furrowed with curiosity.
"Supply and demand, dear professor," replied Fred with a mischievous grin.
"I think we could double the price and they'd still buy them," added George, brimming with joy as he watched the magical pouch"loaned to them by Einar himself"fill with golden coins.
Einar had been practicing the creation of those magical pouches. Technically illegal, yes… but only if you got caught. The twins had begged him to lend them one: they'd been crafting crystal balls for weeks, barely sleeping, and in class, they looked like pandas"zombie pandas. All for their dream: a future beyond Hogwarts… their own shops, and a Weasley legacy worth remembering.
And though Einar refused to accept any share of the profits, the twins insisted. This was the first time they were making so much money, and they knew exactly what to do with it: be fair. Not greedy.
"If it works for you, have fun," said Einar, with a smile and a slight nod before walking off toward the champions' gathering point.
Fleur, Viktor, and Cedric were already there, standing by the shore in silence. Only Harry was missing, until he arrived running, slipping in the mud and splashing everyone with a mix of water and dirt.
"I'm… here," he gasped, trying to catch his breath as the other champions gave him mildly annoyed looks they quickly masked to refocus.
"Where were you?" Percy demanded sternly, trying to assert himself as the new judge after Barty Crouch's alleged illness. "The task is about to begin."
"Come now, Percy," Ludo Bagman cut in with forced cheer. "Let's give him a second to breathe."
Dumbledore forced a smile in Harry's direction, while Madame Maxime and Karkaroff deliberately ignored him. Both resented that the arrival of a fourth champion had changed everything. Especially that it forced Einar to get involved from the start.
Although, truth be told, Einar would've gotten involved either way. With or without Harry. He couldn't allow such idiocy to endanger teenagers.
"Here," said Einar, handing Harry two vials. "A stamina potion and one for cold resistance."
None of the judges said anything. They all knew the champions had received the same. Einar ensured conditions were as fair as possible. If they were going to be judged, let it be for their skill"not because of a cold or lack of oxygen.
"When you hear the cannon blast, you may begin," Ludo announced quickly, as the champions downed their potions in one gulp.
"One… two… three! Begin!"
Their robes fell to the ground and, without hesitation, the four champions entered the freezing water as if it were a warm bath. The crowd roared from the stands, waving flags and scarves as the figures vanished beneath the dark surface.
Immediately, hundreds of spectators pulled out their magical spheres, watching the images inside them come to life. Some held one, others two… a few lucky ones, all four.
Those who hadn't managed to buy any clustered around friends, begging for a glimpse. Without those spheres, all they'd see was an hour of cold, static water.
"If the twins hadn't sold those spheres, would everyone really just stare at a frozen lake for an hour?" Einar thought with a half-smile as he kept walking.
But unlike the champions… Einar did not sink.
He took a step onto the water. Then another.
The lake received him as if it welcomed him. Four orbs, much larger than those of the spectators, began to float around him, showing each champion in perfect clarity.
In his hands appeared an ancient bow, forged from black wood with runic inscriptions glowing with an ethereal light. On his back, an enchanted quiver of arrows, ready for use. The sight was so majestic that the entire stadium fell silent. Only the wind dared to move.
"Professor Einar of Hogwarts will be responsible for the champions' safety," Ludo announced, his voice magically amplified. "If any are in danger, he may intervene. However, if rescued, the task will be considered incomplete or scored at the minimum."
Einar continued walking across the water, never looking at the crowd. His eyes were fixed on the bottom of the lake, using a powerful life-detection spell. He could see magical creatures moving in the depths… like ancient shadows long asleep.
Inside the floating spheres, the images were crystal clear:
"Cedric was using the Progresio charm, a variant of Ascendio, to propel himself forward in bursts.
"Krum had transfigured the upper half of his body into that of a shark. He wasn't fast… but he could breathe effortlessly.
"Fleur swam gracefully, a magical bubble around her head like an ethereal crown.
"Harry, meanwhile, had tried improvising with Aguamenti, firing water backward to propel himself… though he soon realized it drained too much energy. He returned to swimming with arms and legs, using magic only occasionally to gain distance.
Einar observed everything calmly.
"Looks like the underwater training wasn't in vain," he murmured to himself, allowing a faint smile.
To the spectators, the lake remained calm. But beneath its surface… the battle for honor and glory had already begun.
And Einar… would be the guardian of the depths.
...…..
"Why my broom? It's the gift Sirius gave me!" Harry kept complaining as he swam through the depths of the lake. The water was as dark as a moonless night, and everything around him was covered in dancing shadows that distorted his vision.
"And why is Ron complaining? Did he want to be stuck at the bottom of a lake for hours waiting to be rescued? And why is he my most precious object?" he kept muttering angrily, nearly growling.
He didn't seem worried about the task, or the time... but rather furious at the fact that, in the eyes of the tournament, Ron was considered his greatest treasure. That angered him more than the absurd situation he was in.
"I'm just going to speed this up. I want to get out of this stupid lake."
He turned his body with determination, pointed his wand backward, and cast the only spell that actually worked for him underwater.
"Aguamenti!"
No sound came out; instead, a burst of bubbles erupted from his mouth before the spell barely worked, releasing a strong current that propelled him forward at wild speed. Unfortunately, the direction was hard to control, and he crashed hard into a black, rotting log floating in the mud, groaning in pain for several seconds.
"I hope the professor ends up kicking the ass of the idiot who came up with this ridiculous task," he grumbled through clenched teeth, cursing every second he spent down there.
For days now, Harry had known about the confrontation between Einar and Dumbledore. Though it had worried him at first, deep down… way deep down… he thought Dumbledore had it coming. Einar didn't just train his students to fight or defend themselves " he taught them to think for themselves, to question, to observe, to doubt.
And since then, Harry hadn't been able to sleep without reviewing his life over and over.
Had everything really been that absurd? An eleven-year-old child facing a troll that even troubled adults... At twelve, fighting a basilisk the size of a monster in a school supposedly protected by the best wizards in the world, with a headmaster everyone called the second coming of Merlin.
At thirteen, nearly killing his own godfather " who turned out to be innocent " all because of a damn rat. And Dumbledore didn't know? A lightning bolt could strike him if he wasn't aware.
And now… now he had to compete in some absurd Games where, once again, the entire world seemed to have gone blind. The first task: a dragon. Who in their right mind thought of that?
"And the headmaster doesn't even know who put my name in the Goblet," he thought angrily as he swam forward. "When I know damn well that every portrait in that castle is his damned eyes. The second coming of Merlin? Then Merlin must've been a bloody idiot."
His thoughts came to a halt when he felt something wrap around his legs.
Looking down, he grimaced at the sight of a grindylow. Its thin claws and sharp teeth glinted like blades, and its ink-black eyes stared at him hungrily.
Wasting no time, Harry pointed his wand and blasted a powerful jet of water straight into its face, while pushing himself away from the creature.
"Aguamenti" was the only spell he had truly mastered in that environment. Other spells failed, distorted by the water's density " but that one… that one he had practiced over and over.
The grindylow flew back and crashed into a bed of algae. But Harry saw more of those creatures emerging from the shadows, watching him with gleaming, furious eyes. Some even raised their arms in threatening gestures, as if swearing revenge.
"Great... now I've got a gang of pissed-off grindylows after me," he muttered.
"Hello, Harry," came a sudden, high-pitched, ethereal voice that nearly gave him a heart attack.
He spun around, ready to launch another jet of water, but froze when he recognized the pale, floating face of Moaning Myrtle.
"Myrtle?" he tried to say, but only a gurgle of bubbles escaped.
She smiled delightedly and pointed toward a darker direction.
"You should go that way. But I'm not following... the mermaids are very grumpy, and they chase me if I get close."
And just like that, she vanished into the water like a ghostly shadow.
Harry watched her go for a second, then thanked her silently and swam in the direction she'd indicated.
Minutes passed. The water grew murkier, and the muddy bottom stirred up clouds that made it hard to see. But then, he heard it.
The song.
The same melody that had come from the egg. Soft. Hypnotic. Entrancing.
"We've taken what you'll sorely miss. To find it, you have an hour..."
It was beautiful. Too beautiful. But Harry clenched his jaw and kept swimming, knowing that sweetness could easily hide death.
As he swam around a large rock, he noticed dozens of merpeople and mermen on the other side, all armed with spears and tridents. They formed a defensive line, and behind them...
"The giant squid?" he thought in surprise as he saw it swimming away. Were they chasing it?
He ignored that for now and followed the song, knowing he was close.
"Half an hour's gone, so take your time, but hurry up " it's nearly done..."
Then Harry saw it. A sunken city.
Stone houses covered in algae, with semicircular doors and windows that looked like deformed mouths. Curious faces watched from the shadows " but these weren't the mermaids of fairy tales or the ones from the prefects' bathroom.
These had sallow skin, dark green tangled hair, yellow cat-like eyes, broken teeth sharp as blades, and necklaces made of pebbles and fangs hung from their necks.
They smiled. But it wasn't a friendly smile. It was... predatory.
Harry gripped his wand tightly, never stopping his swim. He could feel the tension in the water, as if all those creatures were watching him, ready to strike if he made one wrong move.
He even saw a grindylow chained like a pet inside one of the homes.
The merpeople were everywhere. They followed him with their eyes. Some whispered. Others laughed with hollow sounds that made his skin crawl.
But he didn't stop.
He followed the melody until he reached what seemed to be a stone plaza.
In the center, a circle of merpeople sang the song that guided the champions.
And there, in the heart of the plaza, surrounded by silent, expectant guardians… were four chests.
Each one with a name carved into it.