Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 580 A Huge Makeshift Team
The waters deep within the Black Lake carried a chilling cold, like countless icy threads wrapping around Harry's limbs.

He believed that, given Sherlock's character, he would never stand idly by while the other hostages were tied to the pillars.

To his surprise, Sherlock bent down immediately after hearing the mermaid's words.

His left hand firmly gripped Cedric's heavy wrist, which was soaked in the lake water, while his right hand supported the other's lower back. Almost without hesitation, he turned and swam towards the faint light on the lake.

In the dim light, the mermaid's dark green scales swept past the three of them, creating a trail of tiny splashes that made the action seem all the more abrupt.

"Are you really going to stand by and watch someone die?"

Sherlock's actions startled Harry.

However, he then thought that Sherlock never did anything without a reason.

Since he made this choice, there must be a deeper consideration behind it.

So the doubt in his heart lasted only a moment, and then he followed Sherlock and lifted Cedric upstream.

Once they saw that Sherlock and Harry were no longer paying attention to the other hostages, the merfolk quieted down and stopped trying to stop them.

On their way back, they encountered men from both Beauxbatons and Durmstrang.

A huge bubble surrounds the heads of a man and a woman in Beauxbatons, making their facial features appear elongated and widened, which looks very comical.

When they saw Sherlock and Harry with Cedric, both of them seemed very anxious.

“We’re lost!” Felicity LaVine mouthed. “Are they up ahead?”

Harry nodded emphatically, pointing them in the right direction.

Harry's action caused a glint to flash in the eyes of Loy Lefan and Philie Raven, and their previously tense shoulders relaxed.

They quickly looked in the direction Harry had pointed, then gave him a thank-you gesture, turned around, and swam faster, leaving a trail of tiny ripples in the water.

Soon, Durmstrang's Toby Tossen and Lucas Poliacco also appeared before the two.

Kind-hearted Harry once again pointed the way for the two of them.

Now he could finally relax.

All three captains were rescued; they won't die...

He couldn't help but turn his head to look at Sherlock beside him, his conviction growing stronger:
Sherlock must have deduced long ago that the warriors from other schools would eventually find the hostage, which is why he didn't hesitate to take Cedric away first!

Yes, that must be the case!

Whether it was psychological or not, Harry felt that the return trip would take much longer than diving to the bottom of the Black Lake.

Especially when he saw the light above his head getting brighter, Harry couldn't help but speed up again.

At this moment, he couldn't help but feel grateful to Sherlock.

If it weren't for his special swimming training, I definitely wouldn't have been able to do this.

However, Sherlock remained as steady as a rock.

When he noticed Harry had sped up, he even patted him on the shoulder, signaling him to steady himself.

Harry suddenly realized that he was very prone to cramps in his condition.

He nodded emphatically to Sherlock, took a deep breath, adjusted his breathing rhythm, and caught up with Sherlock's pace again.

As for Sherlock, he never showed the slightest sign of panic throughout the entire process.

Or rather, ever since he unlocked the secret of the golden egg, the second project was no longer a challenge for him.

Even though a small mishap occurred in the final stage—the organizers tied the three team leaders to the bottom of the lake—the situation remained under his control.

The moment Sherlock saw the sunlight again, he couldn't help but smile slightly.

It took exactly fifty minutes.

The moment Sherlock and Harry lifted Cedric to the surface of the lake, a thunderous roar erupted from the stands.

Cheers and shouts mingled together as people stood up from their seats, tiptoeing to look at the lake. Many young wizards waved their scarves and flags.

Sherlock looked up, his gaze quickly sweeping across the stands, his brow furrowing slightly as he instantly made a deduction:
The organizers actually made the audience sit there for an hour!
The people in the stands couldn't see a single thing about what they had just experienced at the bottom of the lake.

This is really...

Even a brilliant detective like Sherlock Holmes was speechless in the face of this situation.

Upon reaching the lake surface, Cedric spat out a mouthful of water and then opened his eyes.

He blinked several times, as if readjusting to the bright light, and then realized what had happened:
"You guys saved me?"

“Obviously, my friend,” Sherlock said calmly.

Compared to Sherlock, Harry was much more excited: "Cedric, we're number one, number one!"

"That's fantastic! I knew you guys could do it!"

To Sherlock's surprise, Ms. Pomfrey rushed forward immediately.

Despite Harry's repeated insistence that they were not injured, Madam Pomfrey remained unmoved and continued to do as she pleased.

She examined Cedric with some alarm, then demanded that Sherlock and Harry take off their scuba gear.

Then they wrapped thick blankets around them.

“Ms. Pomfrey, I’m fine…really, I’m alright…”

Before Cedric could finish speaking, Ms. Pomfrey forced him to drink the entire bottle of medicine.

"What do you mean 'nothing'? You've been underwater for so long, how could you be alright!"

After saying that, she didn't let Sherlock and Harry off the hook, and continued to force-feed them a fiery potion.

Soon, all three of their ears started smoking.

Only then did Ms. Pomfrey feel relieved and allow others to approach them.

Hermione, Ron, Cho Chang, Luna, Ginny, and the others rushed towards them all at once.

"That's fantastic! I knew you guys could succeed!"

Hermione lunged forward, hugged Sherlock tightly, and kissed him twice on each cheek.

Although she said those words, heaven knows how nervous she was just now.

Compared to Hermione's intense emotional outbursts, Cho Chang is much more reserved.

Although she didn't kiss Harry, she did hug him tightly:
"You did it, Harry! You guys are the fastest!"

Just then, a cheer suddenly came from the other side of the lake.

Sherlock turned his head and saw that Loy Levan and Phili Raven of Beauxbatons had finally emerged from the water with Fleur.

Ms. Maxim, who was sitting on the referee's bench, immediately stood up, a relieved smile on her face.

She straightened her silk dress and strode towards the lake. At the same time, Professor Karkaroff's face darkened instantly.

He clenched his fists tightly, staring at the lake with a gloomy look in his eyes, clearly displeased that Beauxbatons had returned before Durmstrang.

Ms. Pomfrey rushed forward once again, and it was the same familiar procedure: check, wrap in a blanket, administer medication.

About five minutes later, Durmstrang's men also brought Krum back to life.

This time, Dumbledore, Bagman, and Ms. Maxim all left the referee's table and walked towards them.

Dumbledore and Bagman were both smiling at Sherlock and Harry.

Bagman was especially happy.

Hogwarts has taken the lead in two consecutive events, which is wonderful for him.

Although Ms. Maxim wasn't as happy as they were, her expression was relatively normal compared to Professor Karkaroff's stern face.

Dumbledore was crouching by the water, having a close conversation with the particularly savage and fierce-looking female mermaid who appeared to be the leader.

He made the sharp, piercing sound that mermaids make on the surface of the water; clearly, he could also speak the language of mermaids.

Finally, he stood up straight, turned to the other judges, and said, "Let's have a meeting first and then give the scores."

So the referees reunited.

"Hermione, I think you should let Sherlock go."

Just then, Luna suddenly spoke up, "He's almost suffocating."

"what--!"

Hermione blushed upon hearing this, realizing she had been hugging too tightly, and quickly let go.

At the same time, Cho Chang quickly released Harry.

Harry felt a sudden sense of loss. He subconsciously touched his shoulder, where the warmth of Cho Chang still lingered.

Compared to Harry's predicament, Sherlock appeared quite calm.

Even though Hermione had kissed him several times on the face, and even though Luna said he almost suffocated, his face remained expressionless.

Not only that, when Hermione tried to back away from him, he reached out and grabbed her wrist:
"do not move!"

Hermione was stunned.

She looked up at Sherlock with a puzzled expression:
What does this mean?
Should I continue to hug myself?
But with so many people around, and in broad daylight, how could she let Sherlock hold her like that?

Her cheeks grew increasingly red, and she could even feel the curious gazes around her.

However, the next moment, Sherlock released her wrist and reached out to her messy brown hair.

"Hermione, there's a beetle in your hair."

Sherlock's fingers gently brushed through her hair, pulling out a struggling beetle.

"Y-really?"

Hermione watched as Sherlock's hand stroked her head, and she froze, too afraid to move.

However, she was stunned when she saw that Sherlock did not brush the beetle away, but instead put it into a glass bottle that he had taken out from somewhere.

what is this?
Even if you have to take something from yourself as a souvenir, you shouldn't choose this!
Just then, Ludo Bagman's magically amplified voice suddenly rang in their ears, startling them.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have finally made a decision!"

Merkus, the leader of the mermaids, told us everything that happened at the bottom of the lake!
We have decided to score each of you warriors as follows, based on a maximum score of fifty points:

Both the nine warriors who had just returned from Black Lake to participate in the Triwizard Tournament and the entire audience fell silent at this moment.

"Toby Tossen and Lucas Polyaco of Durmstrang used Transfiguration, which, though not complete, was still effective."

They were the third to return with the hostages, taking fifty-nine minutes, just one minute shy of exceeding the one-hour limit. We give them forty-five points!

Cheers erupted, and although Karkarov clapped his hands with great enthusiasm, he showed no joy whatsoever.

It was obvious that they came in last place in the second project.

"Isn't it being scored one by one this time?"

Harry, still wrapped in the blanket, asked Sherlock with some surprise.

“I think they must have learned from the experience of the first project,” Sherlock shook his head, then asked Hermione, “So you can’t see what we’re doing at all?”

“That’s right,” Hermione said, having recovered from her earlier embarrassment. “We can only look at the calm surface of the Black Lake and wonder what you’re doing…”

Sherlock couldn't help but snort coldly upon hearing this.

Harry also looked surprised.

He had discussed this issue with Sherlock before the match, never expecting that his words would come true—this world is just a giant makeshift operation.

"Loy Lefan and Philie Raven of Beauxbatons demonstrated excellent use of the Bubble Head Charm. They were the second to return with the hostages, taking a total of fifty-five minutes, so we give them forty-seven points!"

An even louder cheer erupted than before.

Fleur de Lacourt leaned against Felicity Lavin, a relieved smile on her face.

She glanced in Sherlock's direction, her eyes filled with gratitude.

She had asked Sherlock to reveal the secret of the golden egg in the hopes that Beauxbatons wouldn't come in last, and now her wish had finally been fulfilled.

Even Ms. Maxim gave Sherlock a barely perceptible nod.

"Finally... Sherlock Holmes and Harry Potter from Hogwarts used the Flight Charm, achieving amazing results!"

Bagman continued, clearly not fully understanding the function of scuba diving, but this didn't affect his explanation:
"They demonstrated exceptional teamwork and were the first to successfully return with the hostages, a full ten minutes ahead of the allotted hour, so..."

At this point, Bagman paused intentionally.

The entire audience held their breath and looked at him.

Bagman first gave Karkaroff a very displeased look—this was because Karkaroff had raised objections during the discussion of the scoring earlier.

He then took a deep breath and said loudly:
"We all agree that they should get fifty points!"

A deafening roar of cheers and applause swept over us like a tidal wave.

Sherlock, Harry, and Cedric were instantly engulfed by the crowd—this time, even Madam Pomfrey couldn't stop the enthusiastic young wizards.

"The third and final project will take place on the evening of June 24."

Amid cheers and jubilation, Bagman continued:
"The Warriors will be informed of the project details a month in advance - thank you for your support of the Triwizard Tournament and the Warriors."

After letting the young wizards make a ruckus for a while, Madam Pomfrey began to organize people to escort the warriors and hostages back to the castle to change into dry clothes.

This concludes the second project.

(End of this chapter)