The Return to Hogwarts

She had seen the pattern in the book Sirius gave her; it was something that had helped Sirius's ancestor through a difficult time, making it very rare and precious.

"No!"

As if electrocuted, Hermione moved away from Cedric.

“Oh, I appreciate it, but no, Cedric, this is your idea, you should use it yourself, and I have my own plans.”

Hermione said firmly.

"This is actually --"

Cedric glanced guiltily behind him, afraid that his entanglement would arouse suspicion from the judges. He anxiously tried to explain, but Hermione had already followed Fleur and Krum to their diving platform.

After shrugging helplessly, he could only stuff the gill grass into his pocket; he had no intention of using it.

"So!"

From the referee's stand, Ludo's voice, like thunder, swept across the dark lake and reached the stands.

"Our warriors are all in position. I'll blow the whistle, and the second event will begin. They have a full hour to reclaim what they've been stolen from their hands. I'll count to three. One, two, three, go!"

Chapter 844 Unlucky Krum

2024-04-05

A sharp whistle echoed in the cold, still air, and cheers and applause erupted from the stands.

Hermione was preoccupied with the safety of Harry and Ron. She didn't pay attention to what the other heroes were doing, and briefly put aside her worries—whether she would be 'ruined' if she didn't perform well—she just wanted to bring her two friends back as soon as possible.

Taking off her shoes and socks, Hermione took a deep breath. She grabbed the wand that had slipped from her sleeve, and as a faint, iridescent bubble enveloped her head, she exhaled heavily. She took one last look at the pale sunlight, then leaped up, splashing into the water with a loud thud and another round of applause.

The view suddenly darkened, and the sportswear on my body changed its material the moment it touched the water, becoming as tight as a swimsuit and outlining my beautiful curves.

Hermione was once again thankful that Professor Blaine's surveillance camera hadn't followed her, otherwise, it would have been truly embarrassing to be seen like this in front of others.

The bubbles were constantly distorted by the rippling water, making her vision somewhat poor. Hermione remained calm and lowered herself to the bottom of the lake. When her feet touched the sand at the bottom, she pointed her wand at her tender, slender, and straight legs. In a burst of melting heat, a fish tail with pale blue scales replaced her closed legs, eventually enveloping her hips, which were usually covered by loose clothing but were actually full of tension.

With just a slight movement, Hermione suddenly rose several feet, floating at a depth of about half a meter.

all the best!

So far, nothing unexpected has happened to cheer Hermione up, and she finally has time to look around.

The visibility was worse than expected. A few feet below the surface, a faint glimmer of light could still be seen, but the deeper, dark lake seemed to swallow up all light, a pitch-black expanse where nothing could be seen at all.

The cheers by the lake had not yet ceased, but it felt like a lifetime ago. Hermione could clearly hear the muffled 'glug' sound beneath the rippling blue waves.

Each warrior landed on a platform thirty feet apart. When Hermione first landed, she could still faintly hear the sounds of Cedric and Krum on either side of her, but now they were nowhere to be seen, which added a sense of urgency to Hermione's heart.

"Lumos!"

Hermione called out softly, and the glow emanating from the tip of her wand was like the dim moonlight after being weakened by layers of thick clouds, hazy and weak, but at least it made the surroundings no longer pitch black.

Logically speaking, Harry and Ron are unlikely to be located near the lake, but are very likely in the middle of the lake.

Because they were taken away by mermaids, creatures that are more accustomed to living in deep water. During the Christmas ball, Professor Dumbledore and Professor Blaine worked together to build a fantastical ice castle on the ice. While they were dining inside the ice castle, a large group of mermaids swam across the ice, which was clearly close to their habitat.

The decision to grow a tail was absolutely correct. Each time she clumsily wiggled her tail fin, her body would leap out a considerable distance, and soon she was completely away from the lakeshore.

She swam around in a strange, dark, and hazy landscape, and as she dived deeper, the sound of the rippling water faded away.

Even with the wand's illumination, the visible scenery was confined to a radius of twenty feet. So, every time Hermione flicked her tail fin twice, a new view would suddenly emerge from the darkness ahead: a jungle of undulating, tangled black seaweed, and a wide, flat expanse of muddy sand scattered with glittering pebbles.

She swam deeper and deeper, heading towards the center of the lake, straining her eyes to try and see through the grey, eerie water to the dark, hazy distance.

This was now deep water, not as clear and blue as the waters where Muggles liked to scuba dive, but it was still full of life. Groups of silvery darts of rain passed by her, and some overly curious ones even tried to pop the bubbles on her head.

"Oh, get away!"

Hermione was very nervous about the little fish's 'attack'. She waved her wand and sent out jets of water to drive the fish away from her.

About twenty minutes have passed now. So far, the only obstacle she has encountered is that her eagerness has made her forget to maintain a steady swimming rhythm. Her face in the bubble is covered in sweat, and she must stop to recover her strength.

But as soon as they stopped, the terror around them immediately became tangible.

The emerald green water plants beneath her were like tentacles, their undulating forms seemingly ready to drag her into deeper, darker gutters. Bubbles bubbled continuously from those inconspicuous gutters, as if some enormous creature was poised to ambush and hunt her.

Before Hermione could even process what was happening, a dark shadow suddenly appeared in front of her. Her body reacted instantly, and a silver light shot out, blasting the shadow apart. When the fragments that flew in all directions hit the armor Hermione had set up in front of her, she realized that it was just a large, dark piece of wood.

She couldn't stop now, or she would be driven mad by the surrounding darkness and silence sooner or later.

Hermione had a sudden realization, and her tail fin started moving again.

Hululu!

After swimming a few more minutes, Hermione became alert when a sudden commotion came from her right front. She held her wand protectively in front of her and gently swung her tail fin to levitate in the water, making the wand shine even brighter.

Wow!

Suddenly, a jet of boiling water shot out from the space in front of her. Hermione quickly swung her tail fin and narrowly avoided the jet of water.

Someone up ahead is in trouble!

Hermione suddenly understood, but then she was conflicted. Logically, she shouldn't meddle; rescuing Harry and Ron was the most important thing. But what if anyone was in danger?

After a brief struggle, Hermione decided to check the situation. She placed her wand in front of her, lowered herself to a lower position, and then, avoiding the direction from which the spell had come, circled around and slowly approached the interior.

Wow!

The spell splashed across the lake, creating a string of bubbles. Hermione, who had leaped over the ditch and was moving along the lakebed, quickly slipped behind a large underwater rock and observed the fierce battle ahead through a small hole in the rock.

Someone was indeed in trouble, but Hermione couldn't be sure whether it was Cedric or Krum. The boy had used the same tactic as her; he had also transformed himself, but only his upper body had changed—a terrifying shark head covered in sharp teeth.

What caused him trouble was a Kaba, a water monster covered in fish scales that looked like a monkey but had a hollow head.

In the water, this Kaba was exceptionally agile. It swiftly swung its long webbed limbs, moving through the water in a strange dog-paddle motion, easily dodging the spell the warrior shot at it.

Gradually, Hermione realized that the one with the shark head must be Krum, not Cedric. She had taken physical education classes with Cedric and was familiar with his fighting style.

Krum was clearly trying desperately to get rid of Kaba, but his spells couldn't hit it at all. Whenever he tried to break through from a certain direction, the Kaba that had trapped him would immediately show strong aggression, suddenly accelerating in front of Krum and swinging its sharp clawed arms to force him back.

Hermione frowned, noticing something amiss.

Kaba seems to be just toying with Krum, trying to trap him and prevent him from escaping. This behavior is really strange and doesn't make sense at all. Unless, they have been instructed by the tournament organizers to only cause trouble for the Warriors, but not to harm them.

This was the only reasonable explanation Hermione could think of.

Hermione secretly warned herself that if she encountered Kaba later, she should remember to get away from them immediately instead of engaging in a fight.

As for Krum, well, he was just unlucky.

Chapter 845 Abyss

2024-04-05

Hermione glanced one last time at Krum, who was completely overwhelmed by Kaba's harassment, before turning and leaving.

She had been very grateful to Krum for his help on last year's Quidditch final night, but her feelings for him had cooled after he accused Professor Blaine of being a Grindelwald admirer.

Moreover, according to the rules of the competition, she shouldn't meddle in other people's business; finding Harry and Ron is the most important thing.

But Hermione remained rooted to the spot with a frown for almost a minute before finally letting out a heavy sigh and turning her head back.

"Consider it a way of repaying her for her help on Quidditch final night," Hermione told herself, raising her wand.

"Oh, if I were you, I wouldn't meddle in other people's business."

The sudden sound almost made Hermione think she was hallucinating. She jolted awake and looked sharply at a cluster of coral not far to her side. On the intricate, colorful branches, a blurry figure sat watching the show.

"Myrtle!"

Hermione wanted to shout, but then she realized she'd better not make a sound so as not to startle Krum and Kaba, who were locked in combat. So she hid behind the rocks and frantically waved to Myrtle.

In such a gloomy and oppressive environment, seeing an 'old friend' was undoubtedly a welcome relief. Hermione, suppressing her excitement, whispered to Myrtle, who was lazily drifting over,

"What are you doing here, Myrtle?"

"Oh, it happens all the time that an annoying freshman barged into my bathroom and flushed me down the drain!"

Myrtle cupped her face in her hands and said sadly, but in the blink of an eye, she became enthusiastic again, looking at the Kaba and saying...

“Sometimes, ghosts can see more than living people. That Kaba, it is… Oh, I can’t say. I should learn to keep secrets, shouldn’t I? Besides, he obviously wants to help Hogwarts.”

“What are you talking about, Myrtle?” Hermione asked, frowning.

But Myrtle didn't answer her question; she let out a faint, ethereal sigh.

"If you want to find those two silly boys, maybe you can try going over there. I'm not going with you. I don't really like those mermaids; every time I get close, they come and chase me."

After saying that, Myrtle turned her head and disappeared from Hermione's sight in a flash.

"baffling!"

Hermione said, a little annoyed, but still remembered the direction Myrtle pointed.

On the other side, Krum was exhausted from Kaba's harassment. Instead of trying to break through, it stayed in place, panting with its terrifying yet somewhat comical shark mouth open. Despair shone in its yellow eyes, as if it had resigned itself to its fate.

Hermione pursed her lips, her gaze fixed on the uneven rocky ground at the bottom of the lake. After a faint, inconspicuous glow, a rock riddled with holes transformed into a vibrant green cucumber.

"Hey!"

When Hermione jumped out from behind the rocks with the cucumber in her hand, Krum and Kaba were stunned. They hadn't expected Hermione to be so close to them.

After overcoming his initial shock, Krum was overjoyed and instinctively tried to swim towards Hermione. But after treading the water a couple of times, Krum realized that this might very well spread the trouble to Hermione.