Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire | Chapter 26 Summary

Chapter Twenty-Six

The Second Task

 

The three friends do some more extensive research to find out exactly how Harry could breathe underwater for the entirety of the second task. They become more and more desperate as time goes on because they have found nothing that can help. The night before, Harry frantically searches books until he falls asleep with his research. He awakens the next morning to find Dobby close beside him, handing Harry a handful of what looked like a very slimy plant. The plant turns out to be gillyweed. Dobby insists that this plant will help Harry breath underwater.

Harry almost misses the beginning of the second task due to his tardiness. Harry puts his faith in Dobby and eats the slimy gillyweed and is surprised to find that he grows a form of gills almost immediately which, in fact, does allow him to breath under the lake. Harry searches the bottom of the lake and finds the merpeople’s city. To Harry’s surprise, he finds Ron, Hermione, Cho, and a small girl all enchanted and asleep under the lake. These four are the treasures the champions are supposed to retrieve. Harry has an eerie feeling about the whole place. He stays until the only two left are Ron and the little girl who Harry suspects might be Fleur’s sister. Harry frees both of them and finally returns to the surface. 

Harry is the very first champion to get to the captives, but he is the last one to return with his treasure. Harry is upset with himself for waiting and ruining his chance on this task. His marks are incredibly high, however, because his rescues showed “good moral fiber.” As a result of Dobby’s help, Harry vows to buy Dobby a new pair of socks for every day of the year.