Disclaimers: J K Rowling owns everything, I own nothing.

A/N: Thanks to all of you who have reviewed, especial thanks to Silver Ice Bullet , you were my first review ever.

Ms Geek, no, she isn't but this was the best next thing.

And to the rest of you, read and enjoy(I hope).

Chapter 3

A disoriented felling and shocking cold was the first thing Hermione noticed when she regained consciousness, the last she remembered was entering the headmaster's office with Ron and seeing her head of house, Cho Chang, the pretty ravenclaw Harry had a crush on, and the French headmistress talking to a small blonde, and then blackness.

She realised she was in the water and tried not to panic, she started to tread water to stay afloat but found her wet clothes very heavy and restraining, she looked around and saw, Wait a minute, is that a shark!?, Viktor Krum transfiguring back she guessed.

" Hermioninny, swim, ve must reach the shore!" Only then she realised she was in the lake, about 50 meters from where three big platforms had been erected to allow the public to watch the task.

Hermione and Viktor reached the platform an were helped up by Cedric and Cho who were wrapped in thick blankets, and then Madam Pomfrey descended upon them with blankets murmuring something about stupid tournaments that put students in danger.

" All right there, Granger?" It was Diggory who knelt next to her with a worried expression on his handsome face.

"Oh, yes, Cedric, thanks, listen, were we the last ones to arrive? Where is Harry, is he okay?" Hermione couldn't help herself, her mind was going full speed, she didn't have all the facts and was starting to panic.

" Whoa, calm down, look, Cho and I were the first ones although we had already passed the one hour time limit, then there was some problem and actually Fleur had to be rescued and her sister is still down there, and no, Harry has yet to appear"

Looking around, Hermione saw the French champion being consoled by her headmistress, whatever Madam Maxime was saying didn't seem to be helping because Fleur was getting extremely upset and seemed ready to either jump into the water or to knock her professor out ( and then jump into the water ), and the only thing stopping her was that as far as Hermione could see, she wasn't in any shape to do so, for she was bleeding from numerous scratches in legs and arms and her right arm seemed to be broken, `Madam Pomfrey really seems to enjoy these crises, look at her, she never is as happy as when she is dealing with some injury, and what the hell happened down there to Fleur?'

"Fleur, calme-toi!"

"Ne me dites pas que je me suis calmé, ma petite soeur est dans un danger!"

Just as Hermione was wondering what the two Frenchwomen were saying someone in the public shouted out "Is that Harry Potter? Look I see movement in the water!"

And sure enough something was happening, suddenly a head appeared some good distance from where all of them were waiting, it was Ron! Thank Merlin! but where was Harry?

All where waiting for a black head to appear also but when some seconds later nothing happened and Ron also disappeared under the water, Hermione didn't wait anymore, she took off her shoes and robe and jumped into the lake, she only knew that something had gone wrong and her friends were in danger. From the corner of her eye she saw Diggory and Krum also jumping to the rescue.

By the time she arrived to where she had last seen Ron both Viktor and Cedric had already arrived, Hermione was a very good swimmer but the other two were quiddich players and were in good shape, so they were much faster than her. She could see that Cedric had found Ron and was trying to keep afloat with his cargo, which was difficult because Ron was unconscious.

"Hermione! Help Krum find Harry and I will take Ron to the platform!" said Cedric, who sounded exhausted.

"Don't you need help carrying him?" Answered Hermione, she didn't know if Cedric would be able to make all the way back carrying another person.

"I'll be fine! Don't waste time!" and with that he started swimming back trying all the while to keep Ron's head above the water.

Hermione took a deep breath and went underwater.

Black, it's all she could see around her, 'Well, now I know why they call it the Black Lake' , she went to the surface again and casted the bubble-head charm on herself as well as a lumos on her wand, and went down again.

Now that she could see a little more she started descending into the lake when she saw Viktor ascending and best of all he had found Harry!

When Viktor was next to her he signalled up and continued in his ascent, they didn't know how long Harry had been without oxygen and they had to get him help and fast, but just as she was going to follow them she thought she saw something bright in the distance. 'What is that? She swam towards it and when she was approaching it she saw some slimy creatures grabbing what looked like a little blonde girl. 'Is that Fleur sister?' Just then something grabbed her too and started dragging her towards the bottom of the lake, at least three grindylows held her by the legs, and a bit further ahead other three had the little girl.

Hermione was trying to shake loose but the creatures only held on harder cutting into her skin with their fingers. She was getting desperate, she didn't know if Fleur's sister was still under the spell they had been put under, kind of an stasis spell, or if she was drowning, and the grindylows were carrying them deeper and deeper, so she started fighting back and snapped the fingers of two of the creatures, they started shrieking but they let go, that only let another one holding onto her so she casted a Relashio spell at the third grindylow and once free she swam as fast as she could towards the French girl. When she reached her, Hermione used the same spell again, and when the grindylows let loose, she grabbed the girl and without looking back started swimming towards the surface.

When she was breathing again, Hermione cancelled the bubble-head charm and checked on the girl, she hadn't regained consciousness so she swam as fast as she could towards the platform, Hermione knew that time was of the essence, and she could feel her strength leaving her, she was very near her goal, but she didn't know if she could make it, she could hear shouts in the distance, but was very tired and didn't understand what they were saying, and then she heard splashing noises and felt hands grabbing her, she tried resisting thinking that they were trying to carry her underwater again.

"Hermione! It's ok, we've got you!" Cedric was trying to take the little girl from her, but she wasn't letting go.

"Mione, calm down, we're trying to help" another voice was shouting, Hermione looked up and saw Percy who looked like a drowned rat and was trying to get her in the platform.

"Hermioninny, it's all right, you're safe" Viktor sounded concerned and exhausted as he helped her onto the platform.

"Everybody step back and let me do my job!" it was Madam Pomfrey who kneeled next to her, "How are you feeling dear? Here, let me see" she started waiving her wand all over Hermione. "You are ok, some scratches only, but you're coming to the infirmary with the others just in case".

"Madam Pomfrey, please, and the others, are they ok? Harry, Ron? And the girl?"

"Don't worry dear, you are all going to be fine, come now, lie on the stretcher and try to relax".

Hermione wanted to protest and say that she was fine, that she could walk but when she opened her mouth to do so Madam Pomfrey emptied a vial down her throat and she knew no more.

And so ended the second task.