The Return to Hogwarts

During the first match, Ron was having a falling out with her and Harry, and on the day of the match, Harry was sent by Professor Blaine to Hogsmeade Station to greet the visitors. She felt uncomfortable going alone to the tent prepared for the champions.

This time, their misunderstandings were cleared up. Harry and Ron should both be well aware of how important the competition was to her. She thought the two boys would be waiting in the common room early on, and would give her an encouraging smile the moment they saw her come downstairs.

Unfortunately, none of this happened.

A slight sense of dejection lingered in Hermione's mind, making her look even more tired due to lack of sleep.

Hey, Hermione!

As Hermione stood there processing her minor emotional outburst, Neville, with his sharp eyes, spotted her in the common room from the boys' dormitory staircase. He waved to her across the entire common room, and Neville's reminder also drew the attention of Seamus, Dean, Ginny, the Weasley brothers, and others around him. The group of them jogged over to her.

"Oh!"

George glanced at Hermione's dark circles and grinned mischievously.

"You look absolutely radiant, my warrior lady!"

“This is not the time for jokes, George.”

Neville, often the Weasley brothers' banter, wore a stern face as he stared at Hermione, speaking rapidly.

“We’re discussing this right now, Hermione. Perhaps you know something inside.”

"what?"

Although she had witnessed Neville's transformation, Hermione still felt a little uncomfortable with his serious face, and his words left her bewildered.

"That's the situation,"

Seeing Hermione's expression, Neville knew what was going on and immediately explained,

“Last night, around four o’clock, Professor McGonagall suddenly appeared in our dormitory. She didn’t look too good. She woke Harry and Ron out of bed and took them away without giving any explanation. Seamus, Dean, and I all saw it. They still haven’t come back. I thought you would know something!”

Did Professor McGonagall take Harry and Ron away?

On match day?

Suddenly, Hermione's face turned deathly pale.

Chapter 843 The game begins

2024-04-05

Hermione's sudden, piercing scream nearly shattered the glass of the common room. Her friends, who were surrounding her, all wore expressions of pain. For a moment, they almost thought that Hermione had attracted something unclean again, or was cursed or something.

"I can't believe it!" Hermione stamped her foot in frustration. "I can't believe I just realized it!"

Everyone in the lounge was watching Hermione, but she offered no explanation. Instead, she pushed aside the Weasley brothers who were blocking her way, ran quickly toward the cave entrance, and vanished behind the portrait of the Fat Lady.

Even the most foolish among them should have realized something bad had happened. Harry and Ron's roommates, the Weasley siblings, and the Creepy brothers stared at each other in astonishment for a second before simultaneously taking off to chase after them.

They only wasted less than ten seconds, but by the time they caught up with Hermione, she had already gone down to the fifth floor.

"What exactly happened, Hermione?"

Since returning from St. Mungo's, Neville has displayed a certain leadership quality. His composure stands out among the group of underage wizards. He leaped over several steps and was the first to catch up with Hermione.

"Harry and Ron are in trouble?"

"The second match is below Black Lake, Na'Vi!"

Each leap Hermione made was almost like flying over half a flight of stairs. At that speed, it was very easy to twist an ankle, so she had to concentrate and only gave a simple explanation.

The fact that the second match was held below Black Lake was hardly news anymore, since the organizers had already set up the platform in the past few days, and everyone had been speculating about it.

"But what does this have to do with Harry and Ron?"

Neville was the only one who could keep up with Hermione and still have the energy to ask questions, so he asked, puzzled.

"You don't understand, Neville, huff."

Skipping over a spiral staircase trap, in the blink of an eye, the group of Gryffindor students, who had attracted much attention, appeared on the second-floor platform. A notice posted in the foyer officially informed everyone that the second competition would be held in the Black Lake, and the heads of the houses and prefects were organizing their teams to watch the games from the marble steps outside the foyer.

"They're going to take the warriors' treasure! They have to get it back within an hour, or they'll never see them again!"

Hermione's explanation was worded backwards, but Neville immediately understood. His face turned pale in an instant, and he cried out in alarm.

"You mean, Harry and Ron were taken to the bottom of the Black Lake, and your test is to rescue them within an hour?!"

“I’m so glad you’ve come to your senses, Neville!”

Hermione said anxiously that she had only glanced at the notice in the foyer before rushing out, but Neville grabbed her from behind and said seriously,

“I bet you haven’t had breakfast yet, Hermione.”

"breakfast?"

Hermione's eyes widened in confusion for a moment, then she said with an absurd expression,

"Oh no, Neville, listen to me, Harry and Ron are waiting for me to rescue them. I can't waste a single moment, otherwise..."

"The competition hasn't even started yet, has it?"

Neville gripped Hermione's sleeve tightly, and said calmly,

"Going down to the Black Lake and searching for Harry and Ron in such a large lake is going to be physically demanding, isn't it? Hermione, you need to eat something!"

The others followed one after another. The Weasley siblings looked at Hermione with pale faces, and even the usually lively Fred and George stopped joking around.

The Weasley children often tease each other, but when they face danger, they become unusually united. Hermione could clearly see the blame in their eyes, especially Ginny, who considered Ron and Harry as people she could not afford to lose.

“You’re right, Neville—”

Hermione pursed her lips, rushed to the end of the table, grabbed a few slices of bread and pies, and devoured them before squeezing out of the crowded hallway.

"I need to find Professor McGonagall first and get the details."

"Get back to the ranks, Mr. Longbottom, and the rest of you!"

When they found Professor McGonagall, she was leading the Gryffindor students across the lawn. Perhaps displeased by the Gryffindors' overly slow assembly, she didn't give Neville and the others a friendly look, but she still tried to show Hermione a gentle smile.

"How are you feeling, Hermione?"

"Oh, not bad--"

Hermione said softly, but then she asked eagerly,

"Professor McGonagall, I heard from Neville that you took Harry and Ron away last night. Are they now, if we're guessing?"

“Your judgment is very accurate—” Professor McGonagall pursed her lips, “They have been taken away by the mermaids and are currently in the lake, waiting for you to rescue them.”

Many people were eavesdropping on their conversation, and when they heard Professor McGonagall say this, an uproar broke out.

"Quiet!"

Professor McGonagall glared sternly at the students, then gently nudged Hermione's shoulder.

“Go ahead, Hermione. I believe they are already gathering the warriors. Don’t worry, Professor Blaine will personally cast a spell for them. They will be fine.”

Hermione's pale face aroused Professor McGonagall's pity, and before Hermione left, she muttered something under her breath.

The sun was shining brightly today, but as Hermione approached the Black Lake, she still felt a chill run through her. She didn't have time to think about what it would be like to go into the water, and she ran desperately along the lakeside towards the other side of the lake.

The venue for the second competition was not as grand as the venue for the first competition, which was set up on a high ground. It was just a series of seats set up by the lake, as well as four platforms for the warriors to enter the water. Of course, a large screen for broadcasting the competition was still set up.

Hermione saw many small, winged creatures flying across the lake, and then she realized that they were Professor Blaine's surveillance mirrors.

She had already heard that this thing couldn't work underwater. This relieved Hermione; if her long tail were magnified and projected onto a large screen for the entire European magical world to see, she would rather stay in St. Mungo's for another half a month.

As Hermione approached the arena, she saw a table covered with a golden tablecloth on the grassy area next to the lake. Cedric, Fleur, and Krum were standing around the referee's table, watching Hermione leap over several puddles like a swallow as she quickly approached.

"Sorry, I'm late, aren't I?"

The ground near the table was wet, and Hermione glided across the mud for over ten feet as if she were ice skating, before coming to a steady stop on the edge of the table.

"Oh, there's still half an hour left!"

Ludo said with a smile, seemingly appreciating Hermione's stamina despite running for so long and only slightly out of breath.

Professor Moody was patrolling the lake when he saw Hermione. He pretended to take a stroll around her, only glancing at Hermione as she listened to Ludo's explanation before turning his gaze to Cedric, who hesitated for a moment and then nodded almost imperceptibly.

“I am Cho Chang, and Fleur is her sister. The choice of Krum is strange; they picked Durmstrang’s headmaster, who is also a referee. Who are you, Hermione?”

Ten minutes before the match, Professor McGonagall finally led the Gryffindor students over, causing a moment of chaos in the arena. Cedric avoided Ludo and chatted with Hermione.

"I think it should be Harry and Ron."

Hermione gazed at the shimmering Black Lake, deciding which direction to search in after she entered the lake.

"two?"

Cedric said in surprise, a look of sympathy in his eyes.

"They probably can't figure out who's most important to you, so they might as well take the easy way out. By the way, have you figured out how to breathe underwater yet?"

“I came up with it just a few days ago.” Hermione’s gaze remained fixed on the lake as she answered Cedric, “But I’m not sure if it will go wrong. You know, the really effective spells are only practiced by upperclassmen. I was just guessing—”

"Oh--"

Cedric nodded, then casually approached Hermione, and a dark green object slid into his palm.

He gently touched Hermione's hand with the back of his own, while also pretending to examine the Black Lake.

“You helped me in the first match, Hermione, so I think I must—”

Hermione, who was not paying attention, immediately became alert. She noticed Cedric's subtle movements and recognized what he was trying to hand to her.