Goblet of Fire (Male Reader x Hermione) - Book 3

Second Trial

"Are you sure this is going to work?" I asked questioning the methods of Juni as I approached the small platform. "God where are my friends when I need them?"

"I'm sure they'll be here soon enough. Either way you need to focus on you. As soon as you dive in, you know what you must do and there can be no delay. You will have less than a second before everything surrounds you completely and lose the chance of getting the prizes."

"Prizes? You mean the things that are 'precious' to us?"

"Don't worry just keep a clear head and you'll be fine," Juni said nervously as she looked at the black water. I slapped my chest as my toes went over the edge. The canon sounded and I dove straight into the murky water, igniting fire from all around me until I was in my own literal bubble. The radar in my head began to blip with every single little heat source it could find and I marked each one within a close radius to each person that was being tested in this trial. I began to swim past the thick strands of seaweed and vegetation, not able to see very clearly but still able to feel myself around and know that my general direction was away from where everyone else was...this just felt like the right way to me, call it instinct. Vast marble, or what seemed like marble, arches lay at the bottom of the lake's floor in an incredibly well preserved state but this wasn't what I was here for. This wasn't a history trip or an excavation site. This was a deadly task, made to test our strengths and weaknesses to the full and right now neither was really happening. The weird mermaid song carried on as multiple new heat sources appeared on my radar but one was familiar...Harry. He had already found the people that we had been assigned to save and with a wave of the hand, I gave him the signal to finish before me. He looked over at Hermione and tried to free her too but his neck was placed up against a sharp trident with it's three prongs just lightly touching the soft and gilled skin on his neck. There was no way he could get out of here with the both of them.

Cedrick had come and gone before we had come up with a plan but Viktor slipped by, swiping Hermione up in one swift motion and leaving us to ourselves once again. I drew one last breathe and cut off the entire fire shell around me so that I could see properly for the first time. I repeated my earlier action and threw a motion to Harry for him to leave with Ron to which he simply nodded and swam back up to the surface. Something was off...Fleur should have been here to take up her partner but she wasn't...I extended my radar to a much greater distance and her heat was next to many others, all crammed together...the bay...so she really wasn't going to come by. I had no choice. I had to rescue both her little sister and Neville. I took a hold of Neville and moved over to where the blonde girl was tied by the rope of a dangerous lake. The very blade that had threatened Harry now threatened me but I didn't need to explain. It knew what I was going to do and this was simply a reminded that it might very well be the last thing I do. I instantaneously grabbed the trident and broke it in two with the help of a bit of heat and kicked at the creature that it was being held by. Hundreds more came from the forest beneath the surface and began to tackle and scratch me, bearing their claws into my skin with each cut feeling like it had been caused by the paper of a new book. I winced at the pain but fought through, burning the last connection that I had to break before I jumped up to hold the French girl in my only free arm. By now the Merpeople had swarmed above me to prevent my escape and block out all chance of survival. I had to escape NOW! My air was running out and the lactic acid had begun to form in my legs but still I persisted to take the two of them for everyone's hopes were on me, ON ME!

I looked beneath me and thought over what I could do. My legs were too cramped to be of any use and my arms were already full so that left one thing that had earned me enough beatings over the past few days. I turned my palms to face beneath me and stiffened my shoulders so that I would even stand a chance of withstanding the impact. The heat began to build up and steam had formed around me, signalling that the maximum charge was already near. My vision began to fade but I still held on, I had to hold on. The beam of heat caused enough force and pressure to blast me out of the water and into the air, crashing on the wooden platforms of which the other students had all gathered. Dumbledore ran over to me, shielding me from everyone else and making sure that I was alright. I sputtered out water, coughing every last drop out of my lungs and mouth until I was only left coughing the cold, harsh winter air. Seamus placed a towel around my neck and shoulders in the hopes that I would warm up.