As the other three acknowledged him and replied they did, Harry just backed off a little.
Again, Bagman appeared annoyed by the attitude Harry was displaying.
"Alright," he said, a little louder. "Good luck, Cha- err... all." Then turned away and practically stomped back to the judges table.
From what Harry could observe before he stomped off, he'd asked them similar.
Meanwhile, Diggory asked him, "And what's your plan, Harry?"
When Harry turned back it was to see the other three all removing their outer robes and showing clothing made for swimming underneath.
He gave a little snort of amusement.
"Well, I'm not getting in the water, that's for sure," he replied.
Confused, Diggory asked, "Then how do you plan on completing the Task?"
"I'm a wizard, Cedric," he replied. "I think I'll complete it by being a wizard. Whoever came up with the idea―"
Just then he was cut off by Bagman casting a Sonorus and making the introductory announcements. While he did so, Diggory sighed and returned to the other two.
Once everyone was ready and the Task and rules for it made public, Bagman let off a Cannonblast charm signifying the start of the event.
Everyone was watching Harry by then, as he did not disrobe like the others.
Once the other three dived in, after casting initial charms upon themselves, Harry just shook his head as all three disappeared under water.
He gave it a moment before he turned about and looked back at the stands. Of course, by then all eyes were focussed on him.
Drawing his wand he cast his own Sonorus and said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, once again I find myself witnessing just how quickly witches and wizards can demonstrate how daft and moronic they can be.
"What you have come to witness; or, rather, what the organisers of this event planned for you to come and witness; was for three Champions to dive into the lake and go and rescue hostages. That is, rescue people from an enchanted sleep being guarded over by an underwater village of merfolk.
"Now, because the organisers of this event didn't think it through, they did not arrange for viewing screens or similar to be erected so you can see what was happening underwater. Instead, their whole plan was for you to sit in those seats, watch three people enter the water and then... nothing. Nothing, that is, until almost an hour later, where you got to stare at nothing much more than the lake, until those same three people popped their heads up from under the water and bring three others back to the shore.
"Wow! How absolutely riveting entertainment that would have been for you... Not!
"So, to make up for that... let's say... less than entertaining spectacle, let's do something where you can actually see it happen.
"You see, I consider myself a wizard. So, instead of being like a muggle and going and getting my broom - my 'what I'll miss the most' - I'll think like a wizard, instead.
"It's February, for Merlin's sake! If I can get out of going into the water, just to appease some idiot who couldn't think things through, I'm going to take it.
Cancelling the Sonorus, Harry could hear laughter coming from the stands. However, Bagman was looking at him as if he'd just kicked his pet crup to death.
Turning to face the water, he cast, "Accio my Firebolt!"
The immediate attempt by his wand to shot forward out of his hand was all he needed to know the charm was working.
With his left foot braced forward and now having to hold onto his wand with both hands, Harry pulled back... hard... while also pumping a lot of magic into the continued charm. Summoning the broom from the pool in the Come and Go Room wasn't this hard. However, he had nowhere near the distance or depth to overcome, either. (1)
After a good five seconds, people were starting to snicker. By the ten second mark, there were even a few catcalls.
However, when the broom suddenly shot out of the water about thirty feet away and shot straight at him, there were gasps. Because of the pull, when the broom cleared the water the resistance to the charm dramatically tapered right off. It almost caused him to fall back onto his arse.
However, his reflexes were also even faster than they were before. He was able to both stop himself from falling over and catch the broom as it was about to pass over his head.
Staggering from the transferred energy of the impetus of the broom into his arm, Harry was still able to hold onto it without allowing it to slip through his fingers or pull him off his feet.
That's when he heard the exclamations and gasps of surprise and shock from the audience.
Once he was centred and balanced on both feet and not in danger of falling over, he stripped the remains of a thin but snapped rope off the foot pegs - clearly, whatever was stopping it from simply floating to the surface was tied to the broom by the rope. Then he gave it a quick once-over by eye before walking over to the judges' table with it.
The expressions on the faces of the judges almost had him laughing right in their faces.
Bagman, sitting on the end was blushing in embarrassment; as was the new Director of International Magical Cooperation, Hamilton Snodway. But where Bagman was looking at him in embarrassed irritation, Snodway was trying everything to not look at him. Marchbanks was cackling away in clear amusement. Karkaroff was scowling and also not looking at him. And Maxime just gave him a wry look and a small sad smile.
Quietly, but firmly, he said to them all, "The Task was that I recover my 'what I'd miss the most' from the bottom of the lake; not that I enter the water. I believe I have completed my Task. Please remember to award me no more than one point each."
"Of course, Lord Potter!" laughed Marchbanks.
Without another word but a slight head bob and smile to Marchbanks, he turned around and walked back out onto the stage.
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