allendalepharm Chapter 399 The Beginning and Disappearance of the Second Round
Chapter 399 The Beginning and Disappearance of the Second Round
On February 24th, at dawn, Hogwarts awoke to the first rays of sunlight.
The continuous snowfall finally eased slightly, and the surface of the Black Lake shimmered with deep, inky light.
Below the castle, a huge grandstand built of wood, stone and levitation spells meanders out from the lakeside. The steps, covered with waterproof magic carpets, are already crowded with students and teachers, as well as many visiting wizard journalists and spectators. The delegation from the Ministry of Magic and their families from various schools have also arrived early.
The air was filled with the aroma of burnt almonds and warm spices, cream, and liqueur. The crowd, though draped in heavy cloaks, couldn't hide their eagerness to try it out.
“I bet on Beauxbatons,” a Gryffindor sixth-year muttered, twirling a homemade wizarding chess set in his hand. “That blonde Bella looks pretty strong.”
"Are you crazy?" His Ravenclaw classmate rolled his eyes. "You want to betray Hogwarts? Betting on Hogwarts is the only reasonable thing to do."
"You want his Wizard's Chess set, don't you? I saw you bet on Durmstrang," a Hufflepuff classmate muttered.
Further along, a long line had formed in front of the Weasley twins' mobile booth.
"We're betting that Leon Karenin's pants will be ripped off by the water ghost within three minutes!" Two fourth-year students chuckled as they handed over ten silver coins, only to be grabbed by the collar and scolded for their antics by Durmstrang students in the back row.
Laughter erupted everywhere, while the atmosphere was completely different on the Warriors' side.
"…Professor Snape?"
In the common room, Harry blinked in confusion, looking at Professor Snape, who was dressed in flowing black robes and had an expressionless face.
“Come with me,” Snape said succinctly, his gaze sweeping over him, then over Draco and Julius.
"Where is Amanta?" Draco frowned.
“She’s not here,” Snape replied curtly, turning and leaving without explanation.
The three of them looked at each other.
Draco's expression suddenly darkened, and Harry also vaguely sensed unease.
The lakeside area has been properly prepared.
The teams representing Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were then led to the preparation area below the lake shore, both wearing waterproof capes custom-made by their respective schools, their emblems gleaming on their chests.
On Beauxbatons' side, Marina looked astonished, Bella cursed under her breath, and Elsa began pacing anxiously.
“Hibiscus… how is that possible? She never mentioned being taken away!” Marina almost growled.
"This is outrageous! We rehearsed for three weeks, and she designed the entire action plan!" Bella gritted her teeth, her earrings trembling slightly beneath her blonde hair.
“…Damn it.” Elsa’s knuckles turned white from gripping the fabric so tightly.
On the other side, Durmstrang.
“We have ruled out that possibility,” Andrei said in a low voice, his eyes revealing a hint of emotion.
“But they still chose Krum.” Nikita gritted his teeth. “He’s the heart and soul of our team. Without him, those coordinate maps…”
“We can only improvise,” Lyon said, glancing at the group of Hogwarts warriors gathered in the distance.
At this moment, the three warriors of Hogwarts had already stood on the wooden platform on the lake shore.
After the remaining warriors quickly discussed their countermeasures, they also headed towards the wooden platform.
"Welcome everyone—" Bagman stood in front of the referee's table, shouting with an exaggerated smile, "The second round of the three-way battle is about to begin!"
"Attention, warriors." Professor McGonagall stepped forward, holding a parchment scroll, her voice clear and solemn, "This round of the competition will test your cooperation, judgment, and resilience in the unknown."
“The warrior in each of your teams who was selected as the core member—” she paused slightly, “has already been taken away by the referee team and placed in the underwater mermaid settlement deep in the Black Lake.”
For a split second, the scene fell silent.
Even though they had already guessed this possibility, they still couldn't calm down when they heard Professor McGonagall announce it.
Harry's pupils constricted sharply, Draco took a deep breath, and Julius's usual light laugh vanished instantly, replaced by a barely concealed glint in his eyes.
“You need to reach your destination and rescue your kidnapped teammates within one hour by deciphering clues, engaging in underwater combat, and navigating,” Bagman laughed. “Once the time is up, the competition will be forcibly ended, regardless of whether you succeed or not.”
"The first person to successfully rescue the victim will receive the highest score, and all details will be observed and scored by the judging panel. Good luck!"
Behind the wooden platform, the referee blew his whistle, signaling the three teams to gather.
The three of them huddled together at Hogwarts. Harry whispered, "We need to calm down. This is completely different from what we rehearsed."
“We have no idea where she’s being held.” Draco stared intently at the lake, his lips pressed into a tight line.
“Amanta is the only one who has been to the Mermaid Village.” Harry’s voice was a little hurried.
Julius suddenly whispered, "Perhaps you can try to believe me."
Draco and Harry both looked at him.
“You…you mean, you also know how to get there?” Harry asked hesitantly.
"How about it? Why not give it a try?" Julius smiled, his eyes crinkling.
“Looks like we’ll have to take a gamble.” Draco’s voice was stiff, with a stubbornness squeezed out between his teeth, “because I don’t intend to… disappoint her.”
The referee's whistle suddenly blew.
The three of them took a step and rushed into the lake at almost the same moment.
Water splashed everywhere, robes billowed, and in the next moment, their figures were swallowed up by the deep blue.
On the lakeside, cheers erupted like a tidal wave.
The second round has begun.
*
The lake water swallowed up the light and the sound.
The moment Harry jumped into the Black Lake, he felt a chill envelop his entire body.
The taste of gill grass still lingers on the tip of the tongue, the slightly earthy and sticky texture has long since disappeared, and the cheeks swell up in a wonderful way, as if a pair of soft gills have grown.
Harry could clearly feel the water flowing through his gills, and a membrane-like structure had grown between his fingers. Every movement was like a fish's instinct.
He subconsciously turned his head to look, and saw that Draco had also taken the gill herb, his brows furrowed slightly, as if he did not like the sensation of this change.
His movements remained swift and agile, his platinum blonde hair floating in the water, and his pale face appearing even more indifferent due to the water pressure.
Julius swam ahead of them.
He did not use the gill sac grass, but instead cast a spell on himself, the Bubble Head Spell. A transparent bubble-like cover was pressed tightly against his head, keeping the water out. He could still breathe freely through his mouth and nose, and his movements were elegant and fluid, like a silver shark swimming in a lake.
They cannot speak and can only communicate through gestures and eye contact.
Julius waved his arm, made a simple gesture to move forward, and the three of them swam toward the deep lake.
Winter was not yet over, and the water temperature was still terrifyingly low. Even though they had cast a heat-preserving spell on themselves before entering the water, the pressure and cold of the deep water still caused a dull ache to every inch of their skin.
Three faint lights slowly advanced in the cold, dim underwater world.
The water gradually deepened in color, transitioning from a light azure to a dark green, and then sinking into a deep, inky black.
Harry reached out and used his fluorescent flash to illuminate the area ahead. The tip of his wand glowed with a faint white light, like a firefly in the water, but still barely visible.