Disclaimer: If I owned it I wouldn't be half so worried about paying for college.

A/N: The first in a series of shorts (and I do mean shorts) that will be updated sporadically as inspiration hits and the chapters will not follow any sort of chronological order..

This first chapter takes place during the second task of the Triwizard Tournament.

Accio

Harry took a deep breath and stared nervously out at the lake. The water was choppy, the early morning air was cold, and he really had no desire to put the slimy, squirmy weed Dobby had given him anywhere near his mouth. He honestly didn't mean to be ungrateful and he knew the little elf meant well but this was Dobby. The same Dobby who, just two short years ago, thought that the best way to save his life was to send an extremely aggressive bludger after him during a Quidditch game. Dobby thought that the end justified the means no matter what those means were.

"Grievously injured my arse," he muttered darkly.

As much as he wanted to rescue Ron he had no desire to end up entirely boneless, in a fight with a very angry tree, or with gills in an inconvenient place for the rest of his life. Dobby's judgment regarding what was helpful and necessary was not to be trusted.

As it was, however, he didn't seem to have much of a choice. Unless he wanted to sacrifice Ron to the merpeople he was going to have to bite the bullet and eat the writhing green mass he was currently clutching in his fist. He shuddered slightly, it really did look unappealing and he suddenly wished that this task was as straightforward as the last one had been. Then it had only been his ass on the line and all he'd had to do was summon his broom . . .

That thought gave him pause and he stood for a moment stunned at the wonderful simplicity of the solution he had just come up with. It might not work of course, but it was certainly worth a try. The worst that could happen was that he would look a bit silly and that was a sacrifice he was willing to make if it meant there was a chance that he wouldn't have to eat the wriggling plant in his hand. It wasn't as if the people here didn't already point at him and whisper, they couldn't get much worse.

His mind whirled and he was so busy being amazed at his own uncharacteristic common sense that he missed most of the introduction and startled slightly when the whistle sounded. As the other three contestants sprung into frantic action Harry leisurely, almost casually, raised his wand.

"Accio Ron Weasley!"

For a moment nothing happened and Harry heard the excited chatter of the crowd behind him dim slightly and then quiet altogether once they realized what he'd said. Harry ignored them, not minding in the least when disbelieving mutters replaced the silence. He stayed focused on the spell, drowning out even Bagman's excited bellows.

His persistence was rewarded. Just as he was about to give up and swallow the gillyweed he saw a series of ripples making their way towards him. The crowed spied them only a few moments after he did and the noise level rose to a fevered pitch as the ripples moved ever more rapidly in his direction. Suddenly, a mere fifteen feet away, Ron's head broke the surface of the water and Harry watched with relief as he gave a shocked gasp and attempted to rub the water out of his eyes. However, lost in the wonderful feeling of knowing that his best friend was alright Harry didn't notice that Ron wasn't stopping before it was too late for him to dodge.

The two boys collided with a wet, jarring thump and Harry felt pain explode all over his body where Ron's bony frame slammed into his smaller one. He lay on his back for a moment slightly stunned and unable to move with the larger, and now swearing, boy sprawled on top of him. Thankfully, Ron soon realized that he was crushing his best friend and managed to continue his rather impressive litany of dirty words and stand up at the same time.

Harry sucked in air greedily. Despite having never left dry land he felt as though he had actually been under water. He winced as he sat up, Ron had no body fat and Harry was sure that his elbows were sharp enough to get him stopped at the airport for carrying weapons. He shook himself like a wet dog, trying to dispel the ringing in his ears. However, once the sound faded he almost wished it hadn't.

"HE'S DONE IT! HARRY POTTER, THE YOUNGEST CHAMPION IS THE FIRST TO RETRIEVE HIS HOSTAGE! LESS THAN TWO MINUTES LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! IF THIS DOESN'T SQUASH THE NOTION THAT HE'S TOO YOUNG TO PARTICIPATE THEN NOTHING WILL!" Bagman's voice was near deafening, the combination of magic and excitement driving it to even greater volumes than usual.

Harry shrank back, attempting to get as far away from the noise as possible. Unfortunately, for him the cheers only got louder when the judges announced his score. Everyone had given him a ten save for Karkaroff and even he'd given Harry a rather respectable seven.

Harry gazed forlornly out at the crowd, ignoring Ron's jubilant shouts and backslaps. While the majority of them looked pleased with his win there was still a significant portion that looked as though he'd forced them to suck on good dozen lemons after killing their pets. He didn't even want to imagine what the retribution for this latest success would be.

Harry sighed but managed a small wave in the direction of his housemates and winced as the shouting increased once more.

He almost wished he'd eaten the gillyweed.

A/N: Okay first chapter down. I only have two more planned for this fic but I'd welcome suggestions. Reviews, especially those with constructive criticism, are both appreciated and adored. 