allendalepharm Chapter 412 begins
Chapter 412 begins
Chapter 412 begins
"What's wrong, Harry?"
It was a bit chilly by the Black Lake in the early morning. Cedric, wearing only swimming trunks, rubbed himself and looked at Harry, who was also only wearing swimming trunks, and said, "You seem a little distracted."
"Ah—" Harry seemed to only just come to his senses, and he frowned as he looked at Cedric.
He seemed to have dreamt again last night—but for some reason, he couldn't remember exactly what happened, only that—Voldemort—good—resurrected?
Or perhaps it was someone else—and it was a very real dream—
"I am pleased to announce here—the start of the second match." Barty Crouch of the Ministry of Magic, standing among the professors and headmaster, nodded slightly and said, "Are you all ready, heroes?"
"Search for mysterious treasures in the deep black lake."
"Ready," the six heroes from different houses said in unison, though Harry seemed a little distracted compared to the others.
Today marks the start of the second match of the Goblet of Fire. The content of this match is not too surprising to Harry and his friends: searching for something in the Black Lake.
To be honest, it was a competition with no creativity whatsoever—not only that—but there wasn't even a single spectator.
Perhaps because the match was being held at the Black Lake, Harry and his friends did not see the same number of students watching as they had during the first match.
The Black Lake was deserted at this moment, except for the three headmasters, Hogwarts professors, and some Ministry of Magic officials. Even Professor Lupin and Hagrid were not there for some unknown reason.
He seemed a bit aloof and strange—Harry felt a strange, inexplicable feeling—but seeing Professor Hamilton approach, he quickly shook his head and stopped thinking about these questions.
"The three teams of heroes, please proceed to the depths of the Black Lake under the guidance of Professor Hamilton," Barty slowly explained. "She will lead you to the designated location, and then you simply need to wait for the signal to begin."
His explanation was a bit rushed; Harry hadn't even had time to understand what the signal meant before he saw several heroes from other houses jump into the water.
Wait a minute—seeing Fleur's swimsuit, Harry suddenly realized something and turned to look at Professor Hamilton.
What he saw was just her usual attire, and perhaps because it was too cold, her expression seemed a bit stiff and emotionless.
Why does this feel so familiar?
Before Harry could think it through, Cedric jumped into the water, leaving Harry alone on the shore.
"Breathe freely" (self-created incantation for bubbling hair)
He first waved his wand to cover his head with a transparent bubble.
Then he thought for a moment and greeted Professor Hamilton: "Professor Hamilton, are you feeling unwell today?"
""
He thought for a moment, then gave a friendly smile.
But the answer he received was not the sound he expected, but a tactile sensation from his buttocks, followed by a feeling of weightlessness and cold water.
"Professor Hamilton," Barty couldn't help but remind him upon witnessing this, "you're being a bit too rude to your student."
.
Professor Hamilton just kicked Harry in the butt and sent him flying into the water.
"Crouch—you must understand Miss Hamilton," Dumbledore said with a light laugh. "Not everyone is willing to do that kind of work."
"Therefore, I can understand why she had some complaints."
"That's true—" Barty pursed his lips as he thought about what was about to happen, coughed, and nodded at Loila.
"Let's begin then."
"Um.
""
Loila bowed slightly, then raised her wand and flicked it.
A transparent bubble appeared above her head, and then she took a small step forward and entered the water in an extremely graceful manner.
"Ugh————"
As Professor Hamilton entered the water, the heroes, who had just been laughing at Harry's strange way of entering the water, stopped laughing.
"Come with me."
Professor Hamilton's voice sounded a little cold in the water. As she spoke, she moved slightly and swam into the depths of the Black Lake before everyone else.
No one knew what kind of curse it was—Professor Hamilton also had a blister on his head, but his robes were not soaked in water as expected.
What kind of magic array should it be?
The magic circle is so convenient—no need to wear swimsuits like us—Harry glanced sideways and saw the other heroes wearing swimsuits.
It was already late autumn, and Black Lake wasn't exactly warm. If one could wear a robe, it would probably be much warmer.
"Professor Hamilton isn't in a good mood today during his winter break," Cedric muttered softly as he walked alongside Harry.
"It seems so." Hibiscus, who had also used the Bubble Head Charm, nodded. Because of the Bubble Head Charm, they could talk underwater.
The two warriors of Durmstrang seemed to have used a different method. They silently followed beside the four, and had gill-like organs on their cheeks near their mouths.
Harry wondered if it might be some kind of magic potion?
"After all, swimming in this cold weather—it's hard to be in a good mood," Furong muttered softly. "This kind of competition is really unfriendly."
Harry thought so too, but he didn't express his thoughts as directly as Fleur.
Soon, the six-person team gradually ventured deeper into the Black Lake, and Professor Hamilton paused slightly.
"Two brave warriors of Beauxbatons—your starting point is here," she said slowly, then pointed to a flag marked in the water.
"Next—you—you just need to wait for the signal."
Harry wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Professor Hamilton's speech seemed a little... strange today?
She sometimes hesitates a bit, but today she seems a little...
Hmm...it's a feeling I can't quite describe...
Under Harry's watchful gaze, Fleur and Emma Rozier of Beauxbatons stopped at the flag.
"————" Professor Hamilton glanced at the two of them, her gaze lingering on Emma for a few seconds, then she nodded slightly and continued to lead the other two to swim in the other direction of the Black Lake.
They walked in silence. The cold lake water made Harry feel a little numb in his limbs, but fortunately they had all drunk potions to maintain their body temperature before going into the water, so at least they wouldn't faint in the lake from the cold.
But this is definitely not a pleasant experience either.
"Hogwarts students—you are here." Professor Hamilton stopped beside a small brown flag, then repeated, "Wait for the signal—then begin."
"Hmm—" Harry and Cedric nodded, then watched Professor Hamilton leave with Durmstrang's two companions.
"Harry—what do you think the signal will be?" Cedric asked with a yawn, seemingly getting a little bored while waiting.
"Maybe it's a horn?" Harry guessed, since there weren't many sounds that could be heard underwater.
"Maybe it's fireworks?" Cedric shrugged. "You never know."
"Headmaster Dumbledore might just yell at us," he joked, making Harry and him chuckle.
"But isn't this waiting a bit too long?"
After waiting for a while, both Harry and Cedric frowned slightly.
"Has it already started and we haven't heard it?" Harry couldn't help but ask.
"That's possible—or maybe something unexpected happened?" Cedric's words gave Harry a slightly uneasy feeling.
"An accident—?"
As Harry was muttering to himself, he suddenly saw a dark figure rapidly approaching in the distance.
"Harry Potter and Cedric Diggory of Hogwarts, both of you, ascend immediately." It was an Auror from the Ministry of Magic, and he looked at the two men with a grim expression. "Due to unforeseen circumstances, the second match is temporarily suspended."
"What?" The two looked at each other, then looked somewhat surprised.
"Someone is dead," Auror said coldly, then waved his wand, rapidly raising the two of them to the surface in a short time.
"Someone died?!" Harry was stunned for a moment, looking at him in surprise. "Who died?"
"————" Auror did not speak, but silently led the two of them to the surface.
With trepidation, Cedric and Harry poked their heads out of the water.
Harry immediately looked at the people in the professors' seats.
The first thing that catches the eye is Madam Maxim, whose expression is extremely unpleasant—then stand beside her the Hogwarts professors, all with equally unpleasant expressions, while only Dumbledore stands there expressionless.
In a corner among the crowd, he saw Karkaroff, his face cold, standing behind Dumbledore and scrutinizing him.
"Wait—" Harry seemed to realize something and quickly scrambled out of the water and onto the shore, then hurriedly slipped into the area where the professors were gathered.
""
"By Merlin!" He heard Fleur scream even before he got close.
So, is he... dead?
Harry pushed aside the professor in front of him and peeked out with difficulty—the person who came into view was someone he recognized quite well.
Professor Loila Hamilton lay quietly on the ground, her eyes closed and lifeless, her long silver hair scattered messily on the ground, her pointed ears hidden motionless within.
Mrs. Pomfrey, who was squatting beside her, pursed her lips and said sadly, "Miss Hamilton has already—"
"Seal off the scene—no one is allowed to leave." Barty Crouch's angry voice rang out, but to Harry's ears it sounded utterly hollow.
Professor Hamilton—is he dead?
He stood there, stunned, not knowing what to do.