An Unbreakable Vow ~ Harry Potter

xxx - in which valerie gets stuck into a lake

"You want me to --- go under the lake? So that Harry can find me?" Valerie repeated for what had to be the fifth time, staring into the eyes of Dumbledore. "And if he doesn't?"

"You will be perfectly safe, Miss Faire," Dumbledore sighed. "This is for the second task in the tournament."

Valerie nodded, staring at the paintings gracing the headmaster's walls. One of the men in a painting was snoring, and she could very clearly hear it in the otherwise silent room. The headmaster's office was simple, but elegant.

Dumbledore sent her on her way to the Black Lake, making sure she had no chance to talk to Harry in the limited time before the task was about to start.

There she met Hermione, Cho Chang, and a girl that she had never seen before.

The small girl was shivering and wrapping her arms around her body. She was blonde, with dark brown eyes and an innocent face. Hermione was standing next to her, tentatively wrapping her arms around her shoulders and saying to Valerie ---

"I think it's wrong that they're roping children into this! I mean, it's freezing outside, and how do they even plan to keep us safe?"

It was rare that Hermione didn't know things, so Valerie could hardly keep the smug smile off of her face. "Well, Dumbledore said Madam Pomfrey would put us to sleep and charm us with what she called a --- what was it --- oxygen underwater spell. We'll be perfectly safe."

"And if they can't retrieve us?" asked Cho, her face worried.

"I suppose they'll send someone down."

They all nodded to themselves, a bit more reassured. Valerie looked all about. It was cold. The Black Lake was dark and murky, with no way of seeing more than ten feet down from the surface. It smelled like mud and algae. The breeze ruffled her and sent goosebumps trailing down like wildfire over her skin. She shivered.

When Madam Pomfrey arrived, she waved her wand absently in their direction. Valerie felt like a big weight was taken off of her. Breathing felt easy, light. Then came another wave of her wand.

Her body felt heavy. She fell instantly asleep, dimly aware of a freezing sensation in her body as they pulled her down under the lake.

"MMmmmmmm --- mumph ---" a sound that was like muffled speaking jolted Valerie out of her trance. Her ears felt filled with water. She was floating in midair. She was tied up in midair. She was tied up in the Black Lake. SHE WAS TIED UP IN THE BLACK LAKE.

And who was shaking her but Harry Potter, of course. He looked so worried. Why was he worried? She was safe...

Harry's eyes expanded wide with panic, his movements to free her becoming more urgent. Before he saw the others, of course.

Valerie couldn't comprehend why in the hell he just let the other champions leave without just taking her and finishing things. He would lose. She tried to tell him that, but she couldn't speak, her lungs felt filled with lake water. Yet she was perfectly safe.

Harry lunged forward to grab her and what looked like the tiny girl from earlier, and started pulling them to the surface.

A freezing sensation drifted over her body once again as the charm wore off. Why, she couldn't breath anymore. She couldn't breathe and she couldn't tell Harry, who was currently struggling to pull up Fleur's sister along with them.

Valerie tugged on Harry's sleeve and motioned for him to go on, to save himself. She would save the little girl...she could save her and then die in here...yes, she would do that...

Gabrielle Delacour was surprisingly light. Valerie floated to the surface --- reaching out ---

Her hand broke the surface. Valerie gulped up lungfuls of air like she would never breathe again. Fleur's sister clung to Valerie like she would die if she let go.

"Please, please miss, don't let go, don't let go," the little girl sobbed, holding on tighter to Valerie.

Valerie's head snapped up, surveying the crowd that was now completely silent. She glimpsed Ron in the stands, leaning forward in his chair. He was calling out for...Hermione, actually. So not completely silent.

Valerie nudged the girl and dragged her sobbing, shaking, freezing body over to Fleur, who was hysterically crying.

"Oh! Thank you so much! Thank you for saving my sister!" Fleur cried, hugging Valerie and then her sister even tighter.

Valerie smiled, hoping her lips weren't blue. Then she glimpsed Harry. His head was in his hands, and Ron had climbed from the stands to where he and Hermione were huddled. A towel was draped over his shoulders.

She slowly trudged over to them, shrugging off the efforts of a couple of people to get her to wear a towel. Her head was spinning. Harry was the one who had gotten her. Harry. Why?

She wrapped her arms around Ron from behind, crushing him in a hug.

Ron laughed. "You're freezing."

He held on to her tight. Harry joined in on their hug next, then Hermione. They barely heard the announcements, but pulled apart when it was said: "Harry Potter, 45 points!"

The crowd erupted with applause. They were roaring, and the deafening noise was enough to hurt Valerie's ears.

"Harry, Harry, you're tied with Cedric!" Valerie exclaimed, shaking Harry's shoulders. He looked into her eyes, dazed.

"I'm...tied?"

"They thought you had good 'moral conduct'!" she laughed, crushing him in a hug.

Arguments? There was nothing between them. Tension? Never existed. All that mattered was that Harry was alive.

Before she pulled away, Harry clasped her pinky tight with his, and whispered, "I promise," so only she could hear.

(A/N): Awwwwww. I love writing these two. It's going pretty slow, but I'm really excited to expand on the mystery surrounding Valerie's family and the locket in later chapters, so keep an eye out!