Cues No. 26 & 27

A playful duo of clarinets dance around Neville’s conversation with Harry in the library. As Harry realizes that Neville may actually be able to help him, the music turns from goofy to inquisitive. Out on the Hogwarts grounds, the Weasley twins are collecting bets on the outcome of the second task. A nostalgic version of Hogwarts Forever plays underneath their salesmanship, bringing us back to the “good times” and lighter moments at school.

Minor chords move around anxiously as Neville gives Harry the gillyweed and explains how to use it. As they reach the dock, a playful Triwizard theme sounds in the woodwinds as Harry looks for Hermione and Ron. Low pulses in the bass of the orchestra then accompany a massive wide shot sweeping around the stands in the Black Lake. More minor chords accompany the throbbing at the bottom of the orchestra. A gong of anxious importance sounds as the clock nears 11:00 AM. Even more minor chords move around as the task approaches, then a tremolo halts the music as Filch again fires the canon prematurely, signaling the beginning of the task.

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The four champions leap into the lake accompanied by downward flourishes. Harry struggles to breathe as the gillyweed hasn’t kicked in yet. Reprised and re-orchestrated music from the Devil’s Snare is used here as Harry struggles for his life against nature. Trombone slides are added this time to contribute to the discomfort. Once Harry realizes he’s alright, he looks down and is greeted by flippers instead of feet. Curious flute/celesta triads dance around his new discovery, and a short Hedwig’s theme plays as he also notices his hands have become aquatically adapted as well. Neville is up in the stands, completely distraught that he is responsible for killing Harry; a triumphant Hedwig’s theme plays as Harry leaps out of the water and back in, unseen by Neville.

Back in the lake, eerie water music begins playing. As Harry descends off the edge of an underwater cliff, a female choir comes in. As a side note, one of the main John Williams pieces referenced for inspiration in this section was the journey to the Gungan City from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999). Harry stops at a forest of seaweed, and the orchestra accents fish swimming away quickly. As he enters, Fleur is seen semi-close by, and a distorted version of her theme plays. The attention moves over to her as she swims around, seemingly looking for something. It appears that something has been looking for her, though, as a grindylow moves behind her. An orchestral hit emphasizes this, and then bursts out as she’s pulled down. Low dissonant chords in the bass move around, bubbling from the deep. A sharp glissando warns Harry that there’s something behind him, and it swims past quickly. The choir re-enters the texture as the merperson swims away into the depths.

On the surface, Moody checks his watch. A reprise of the material used for Hermione and Harry’s time travel adventure at the end of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) can be heard here as this is also a race against time. A plotting motif is mixed in as well, then as Moody passes Karkaroff, a hint of the Death Eater theme is heard.

Harry finds the exit from the seaweed forest and comes upon what appears to be the ruins of an underwater city. The choir comes to a climactic crescendo, and dissolves into Hedwig’s theme as Harry swims upwards towards the giant arch in the middle of the city. He notices that Ron and Hermione are two of the captives floating under the arch. As he grabs Ron’s face, a distressed version of his theme plays. Hermione also has a worried version of her theme as Harry looks at her. The music follows Harry as he backflips in order to untie Ron. Cedric then shows up and shoots a spell at the ropes tying Cho’s feet. After this accented orchestral moment, he points at his watch. There is a subtle pizzicato statement of Forward to Time Past, once again showing musically the race against time. Wand of the Phoenix plays as Harry pulls out his wand to release both Ron and Hermione, but a merperson stops him and a giant scream is accompanied by the choir’s loud re-entrance. Something is coming up behind Harry though, and it scares off the group of merpeople surrounding him.

Harry turns around and sees a shark headed straight for him. After it swims right past him, Harry realizes, along with the orchestra, that the bottom half of the shark is Krum. The Krum shark takes Hermione’s tied feet and begins pulling her to the surface, leaving only Ron and Fleur’s sister as the remaining captives. The music calms down to the low bass pulses from the beginning of the task. Harry is unsure of what to do, so he casts a spell to release Gabrielle along with Ron. Time Past plays again along with the plotting motif, as up on the surface Moody begins to worry a bit. Cedric and Cho appear on the surface of the lake, accompanied by Hogwarts Forever. Shortly after, Krum and Hermione surface, accompanied by the Durmstrang theme with his classmates’ flurry of excitement. Fleur’s theme plays as she stares at the water, worried for her sister.

Back under the lake, Harry is swimming upwards with both Ron and Gabrielle. Things are going smoothly until a Grindylow grabs his leg and begins pulling him downwards. The low brass begin throbbing as more and more appear, swarming around Harry. The choir rises when Harry pushes Ron and Gabrielle up towards the surface without him. A jab in the horns emphasizes a grindylow grabbing Harry’s face. A crescendo builds and builds until Harry casts a spell that freezes the entire swarm. One last shiver plays over the first grindylow to begin moving again, and then the rest of them begin swimming away. Time Past plays once more above water. Harry’s two rescuees have surfaced, and Ron’s theme plays. People are beginning to worry as they don’t see Harry. Under the lake, he’s beginning to drown as the gillyweed is wearing off. A distorted Wand of the Phoenix plays Harry reaches for his last resort. As he casts one last spell in desperation, a giant Hedwig’s theme announces him as he shoots out of the lake and onto the stands.

Resolution music begins as Fleur thanks him for saving her sister. A small playful segment of Harry’s Wondrous World plays as she kisses him. The same happens to Ron’s theme when she thanks him with kisses as well. The cue closes with Hermione’s theme as she kneels down in front of Harry to share her towel with him. The second task is complete, but not won.