Hogwarts' Golden Glory

As the date for the second project drew closer, speculation within the castle shifted from "what it is" to "who it is."

The phrase "my most beloved treasure" in the lyrics has been widely interpreted as "someone tied up underwater," and everyone is guessing: who does each brave warrior represent? Who is tied to the bottom of the lake waiting to be rescued?

Betting has already started at school about the Warriors' "baby".

Fred and George were the first to place their bets.

They posted a notice in both the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor common rooms: "Whoever guesses the champion's hostage correctly will bet at least one Galleon. No refunds for incorrect guesses. Odds will be tallied afterward."

This is a sure-fire way to make money.

Then they sat there and waited for business to come to them.

The first order came from Gryffindor.

A fourth-grade boy paid and wrote "Ron" in the "Harry" column.

He said, "Harry's best friend is Ron, there's no one else. You can't just tie Hermione up, can you? Hermione can't swim."

Fred didn't say anything when he took the money, while George made a note of it: "Harry—Ron."

Hufflepuff, on the other hand, prefers "Harry - Sirius".

Some people say, "Harry cares most about his godfather. If the merman were to tie up the person who would make him the most anxious, it would definitely be Sirius Black."

But someone immediately countered, "Sirius is far more powerful than Ron. How can a mermaid tie him up? Are they going to wait until Sirius is asleep at night to tie him up? It's impossible for him to willingly let himself be tied up, is it?"

The person who made the suggestion fell silent, then quietly changed their answer.

In the Ravenclaw common room, the tone of the discussion leans more towards logical reasoning.

A sixth-grade girl drew a relationship diagram on the blackboard, writing down each warrior and the three people most closely related to them.

She pointed to Harry's section and said, "In Harry's relationship chart, Ron is first, then Hermione, then Cho Chang. But hasn't Cho Chang been getting closer to Harry lately? And have you heard? Cedric confessed to Cho Chang and got rejected! So, speaking of Cho Chang, Cedric might also cherish her, but a mermaid is unlikely to bind the same person twice, that would be redundant. Therefore, Harry's counterpart is most likely Ron."

"What about Hermione?" someone asked. "She's also in Harry's family tree, and she's number two."

"Hermione is also in Kane's relationship chart!"

The girl said, "If she's been kidnapped, then her knight in shining armor must be Kane! You know, Kane and Hermione have been going to the library together the most in the last three years. Kane is usually very close to her."

"What about Fleur? Kane and Fleur are both warriors!"

The girl paused, as if making a judgment that required careful consideration: "Kane's relationship chart is rather complex. If we judge it based on what's publicly known, Fleur is ranked first—after all, they were the first two to go public, and Hermione is also ranked very high."

"Can the Warriors pair up?"

"How about this brave warrior rescues the enemy, then goes down to become a hostage himself?"

"That's not fair, since they've already been to the bottom of Black Lake once before."

"Kane is a bit uncertain. He might be one of the few warriors whose opponents cannot be predicted in advance because his network of relationships is more complex and has more branches than the average person."

"Maybe even Kane's godfather, Snape? Do you want to see Snape locked up at the bottom of the Black Lake? If so, buy some with me!"

In the Hufflepuff common room, the conversation was more about "who is most likely to be caught."

Cedric was the first to attract attention because he was a Hufflepuff warrior.

Some speculate that Cedric's treasure is Cho Chang, because everyone knows that he had previously invited Cho Chang to be his dance partner and that they had a close relationship.

Some people guessed it was his roommate, or a friend who trained with him.

But most people tend to favor Cho Chang because she was the person he loved at Hogwarts.

"What if Cho Chang gets kidnapped? What will happen to Harry?" someone asked.

"Harry might have other options,"

Another person said, "For example, Ron or Hermione, they shouldn't have a situation where they can't find someone to tie them up."

There are also people in Gryffindor speculating about who owns Kane's treasure.

Seamus leaned back on the sofa, discussing this with Dean: "Who do you think Kane's treasure will be? Hermione? Or the one from Beauxbatons? Or Snape?"

"Both are possible," Dean said, "but Hermione is more likely, because Fleur is also a warrior."

"Do you think their lives might be in danger?"

"Of course it will happen! You know why the Three Kingdoms rivalry was stopped before—it was because too many people died, it was too dangerous!"

"That's how it is. Hostages are more likely to die, since your life is in the warrior's hands. What if the warrior gets delayed on the way? You're done for!"

"Oh no! I don't want to become a hostage of the warriors."

"You want to be a hostage? Why don't you take a good look in the mirror and see if you're even cut out for it?"

"You're better off than me."

There weren't many people in the library; most were gathered in the common room discussing tomorrow's game, and no one noticed the two people sitting at the table by the window in the corner.

A half-open book lay open in front of Kane, about the secrets of Hogwarts.

The margins were covered with tiny annotations, some in print and some added in pencil.

Hermione placed the pumpkin juice on the table next to him and then sat down opposite him. She also had a book in her hand, but it wasn't open, as if she was waiting for him to finish the passage he was reading.

"Who do you think they'll kidnap?" she asked.

"Who are you referring to?" Kane turned a page.

"Your hostage."

"I don't know."

Hermione was silent for a moment. "If you found out that I was the one who kidnapped you, would you come to rescue me?"

"I will definitely finish it within the time limit," he said.

Hermione didn't ask any further questions. She opened her book and began reading a paper about the boundaries of mermaid territory.

The two sat quietly for a while, the candlelight on the table flickering gently in the airflow seeping in through the window cracks.

In the Gryffindor common room, Harry is testing his Bubble Head Charm.

He stared at the transparent film on his head in the mirror for a while, making sure it wasn't leaking, and then put away his wand.

Ron sat on the sofa next to him, holding an old edition of "The Black Lake Creatures Guide." He paused when he turned to the page about mermaids: "It says that mermaids will approach those who fall into the water, but they will not attack them."

"Where will they hide their treasures?"

"It could be a fixed location on the bottom of the lake, such as a place where they frequently appear, or a gathering place for mermaids."

"What if we can't find it?"

"Then we can only keep searching. Someone mentioned using sonic magic to expand the search area, and someone else mentioned using changes in water flow to determine the location of the target object."

Harry put away his wand, walked to the window, and looked towards the Black Lake through the glass. The lake was dark and still at night, like a polished iron plate; nothing could be seen. "We should go in the water tomorrow."

Ron closed the book: "Are you nervous?"

"A little."

"Then you'd better go to bed early tonight so you'll have energy tomorrow."