After Rayquaza finished circling Hogwarts skies, Roy calmly raised a hand.
Roy:"Okay, big guy. Back to the pocket dimension. I need secrecy now."
Rayquaza let out a soft, respectful rumble and vanished in a swirl of emerald light.
With the sky finally quiet again, Roy turned his full attention to training Fleur for the Second Task.
Roy Training Fleur — Pre-Second Task
Fleur met Roy behind the Quidditch Pitch, determination glowing in her eyes.
Fleur:"Roy… I want to do well in zis round. I trust you. Train me."
Roy nodded and started an intense session:
✔ Water Manipulation Charms
– Aguamenti Maxima– Hydro Shield– Aqua Pulse Jet
✔ Mental Calm Techniques
To resist the cold, fear, and Grindylow pressure.
✔ Fire-Magic Heat Layer
A technique only Roy could teach.
A thin Veela-proof fire aura that works underwater.
Fleur gasped when she managed it.
Fleur:"It works… it really works!"
Roy smiled.
Roy:"You're ready."
The Second Task — Tournament Day
The stands filled with students, professors, foreign guests, and reporters.
The lake was unnaturally still… almost expectant.
Ludo Bagman:"Welcome to the Second Task!Each champion must retrieve something precious to them, taken to the bottom of the Black Lake!"
The champions lined up:
Beauxbatons
Fleur Delacour
Camille Rousseau
Durmstrang
Viktor Krum
Ivan Dragovich
Hogwarts
Harry Potter
Ron Weasley
🛏️ The Hostages Are Revealed
Merfolk raised six floating bodies above the water before pulling them back down:
For Fleur:
– Gabrielle Delacour (as canon)
For Camille:
– Her closest friend from Beauxbatons, Élise Fontaine
For Viktor:
– His younger cousin, Ilya Krum
For Ivan:
– His younger sister, Sasha Dragovich
For Harry:
– Hermione Granger (because Roy is immune due to being too powerful & protected)
For Ron Weasley:
Ron's situation was unique.
He had no fame anymore.No public connections.No fan admiration.
The professors spent hours discussing his "most precious person" and came up blank.
So finally, McGonagall asked Gryffindor tower directly:
"Who is closest to Mr. Weasley?"
The answer surprised everyone:
Chosen Hostage for Ron:
Dean Thomas — the only one Ron speaks to without anger, distance, or coldness.
Dean wasn't Ron's best friend, but he was the closest thing Ron still had to a positive, stable connection after months of irritability and dark-magic influence.
It made sense.
⚠ Ron's Declining Mental State
Dumbledore and the staff quietly knew Ron was still unstable after the Horcrux exposure:
Cold, irritable behavior
Paranoia
Unrealistic dreams of fame
Desperation to be noticed
The Triwizard Tournament gave him a chance…but the First Task disaster crushed every bit of fame he hoped to build.
Now?
Ron's popularity at Hogwarts was lower than Filch's cat.
Even some Gryffindors avoided him.
He didn't show anger today, though.
He showed something worse:
Desperation.
📢 The Whistle Blows
Bagman raises the wand.
Bagman:"Champions… ON MY MARK—THREE!TWO!ONE!GO!"
The champions dive.
💧 Viktor becomes shark-headed.💧 Camille uses bubble magic.💧 Ivan uses frost-swimming runes.💧 Fleur uses Roy's training — fire-layer heat control.💧 Harry uses Gillyweed.💧 Ron… uses the Ministry-provided "Forced-Gill Potion" after he refused Gillyweed out of pride.