"I didn't expect them to be different." Daphne said. "But I guess they all work."
"Now I just need to cast the spell on my most important possessions. I'm still not sure what they are going to take though." Harry said with a frustrated sigh.
"What do you have that is most important to you?" Hermione asked, trying to get him to think about it.
"My Firebolt, the invisibility cloak, the Marauder's Map, and my photo album. Those are the only really important things I own. I guess you could count my wand too, but I don't think they would take that from me."
"Maybe they aren't going to take objects." Daphne suggested. "I was thinking they might take a person who is important to you."
"They wouldn't do that, would they? I mean the clue makes it sound like if I can't find what I am looking for in an hour then it is gone forever. They wouldn't put someone in that kind of danger against their will." Harry answered.
"Oh yeah? Look what they've done to you." Daphne pointed out. Harry frowned but nodded in agreement.
"She's right, Harry. I don't think the people running the tournament really care if someone gets hurt." Hermione replied. "That or the clue could just be an exaggeration, maybe if it is a person at the bottom of the lake they will just bring them up after it is over. So I guess you should cast the charm on the person most important to you as well." Harry's eyes immediately darted towards Daphne and he blushed slightly. Daphne noticed and smiled back at him.
"Good idea." Harry said before walking over to Daphne and saying "Celario Daphne" while performing the wand movement. He then cast the second spell to see if it worked, which it did. He felt a bit uncomfortable with this semi-public admission of how much he cared about Daphne, after all they had not really discussed their feelings for each other, but was very relieved when Daphne wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.
"You're that important to me, too." she whispered as she hugged him, low enough that they both knew Hermione would not be able to hear. Hermione, however, didn't have to hear it to understand the feelings between the couple in front of her. She smiled, happy that Harry had found a little joy in his otherwise crazy life.
"I think you're ready, Harry." Daphne said as she broke the hug. "And with a week to spare this time."
"I must be getting good at this, huh?" Harry replied jokingly. "I wonder if the others are ready." Harry looked over at Hermione when he said this, knowing that she still frequently talked to Viktor Krum.
"Sorry Harry, but I can't say. I don't tell Viktor what you are doing and I won't tell you what he is doing. And since I help you, I don't help him." Hermione said, her voice making it clear that she would not be persuaded.
"I know, I shouldn't have even brought it up." Harry responded. "I guess he doesn't have Karkaroff around to help him anymore either."
"No, but Viktor says that Headmaster Karkaroff was always too busy to help him anyway. I doubt that it is going to make a difference in the tournament." Hermione added with a shrug. "I wouldn't worry much Harry, I don't think there is anything in that lake that will cause you any real trouble. Just make sure you beat the others."
Harry nodded, knowing that his lead in the tournament was not too big and that he needed to win this event. He had no doubt that the other champions had figured the clue out or been told what it was, the tournament seemed to be rigged to ensure that. Unlike in the last task he didn't have some rare talent that would give him an advantage. This would be a true test of skill and creativity. Harry found that he liked the idea of proving himself to be better than his older competitors. He had not been taken seriously in the tournament even after winning the first event and Harry was ready to change that. Using gillyweed he believed he could make it to from the shore to any point in the lake in less than twenty minutes, so assuming he had guessed correctly that he would be looking for one of his few cherished possessions or Daphne he knew that the task should be fairly easy.
All three of them went inside and separated at this point. Since it was Sunday they all had classes the next day to prepare for. Before he went to bed that night Harry remembered to cast the tracking charm on everything he owned that had any sentimental value to him at all, but through it all he had the strong suspicion that none of the items he was charming would be taken. It would be Daphne, he felt certain of that. And if that was indeed the case, there was no way he was going to let her sit at the bottom of the lake any longer than she had to.
The next week seemed to pass by in a blur to Harry. He had classes and homework and tests but he found he was only able to partially pay attention to them. His friends noticed his single minded concentration, but only Daphne was able to even come close to pulling him out of it. Hermione had never seen her friend this determined before, and she attributed it to his belief that Daphne might be in danger because of this task. She had come to realize that Harry was becoming a powerful wizard, enough so that she almost felt sorry for anyone who would threaten the people he cared about. Their training had been temporarily suspended while he explored the lake in preparation for the tournament, but Hermione knew that he had not been relaxing over the last few weeks. She suspected that he had been pushing himself harder than ever away from her and Daphne's watchful eyes.
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