All six of them looked to be fast asleep, their heads drooping limply on their shoulders, and tiny bubbles constantly rising from their mouths.
As Hermione drew closer,
The nearby mermaid guards then sprang into action.
They were merely guards for the hostages and had no responsibility to obstruct the warriors.
Now, however, they were all holding gleaming steel forks, forming a semi-circle around Hermione, and letting out intimidating roars.
"It seems that even as an intelligent race, they have been greatly harmed by the berserker drug."
However, they were not, after all, wild beasts like Grindelwald.
Their actions were limited to using harpoons to intimidate Hermione and prevent her from approaching.
Facing at least dozens of mermaids, Hermione showed no sign of backing down.
She pulled an octopus tentacle from a waterproof pouch and tossed it in front of her, then swiftly waved her wand.
"【Black Tentacle】!"
The tentacle instantly melted, transforming into a group of three- to four-meter-long, elastic black tentacles.
The tentacles lashed out, binding several murloc guards wielding steel forks, while many more guards were forced back by the lashes of the tentacles.
Just when Hermione thought a great battle was about to begin, she was surprised to see the remaining mermaids all showing expressions of terror.
They screamed, threw their weapons aside, and scattered in all directions.
This relieved Hermione; it seemed these merfolk's fear of wizards was more profound than she had imagined.
Even though the berserker potion gave them a moment of courage, after Hermione summoned the Black Tentacles, the mermaids finally remembered the horror of being slaughtered by magic and the humiliation of being imprisoned in the protected area.
In fact, this is the true nature of the relationship between mermaids and wizards.
Despite the fact that merfolk and centaurs dare to defy wizards and openly humiliate the Ministry of Magic, engaging in bizarre practices like rejecting "human" status because they don't want to associate with vampires and banshees, and instead being classified as "beasts," they still manage to pull off some outrageous actions.
In reality, they only dared to challenge the wizards on this level.
Since ancient times, wizards have always looked down on mermaids and never paid them any attention.
Wizards look down on Muggles, who share the same roots but cannot use magic, let alone non-human races.
Otherwise, there wouldn't be such a ridiculous racist statue in the halls of the Ministry of Magic.
The wizards acted recklessly and cruelly against non-human races.
This callous behavior has continued for thousands of years.
It wasn't until later that the wizards reluctantly settled the remaining centaurs, mermaids, and other creatures in various protected areas.
However, this was not because the wizards had a change of heart.
Perhaps part of the reason is that the tenacious resistance of these races has finally made them feel the pain firsthand.
But more often than not, they sympathize with each other in the same boat.
After the enactment of the International Secrecy Act, wizards gradually realized that the planet was already under too much pressure due to the development of Muggle industry and continuous expansion.
They discovered that the living space for both wizards and non-human races was becoming increasingly smaller due to the expansion of Muggles.
They should be in the same boat in this world.
The wizards began to realize that their shared interests with these non-human races far outweighed their differences with each other.
As a result, the wizards began to change their attitude towards non-human races, gradually giving them better treatment.
However, for the mermaids, that past history filled with fear and pain remains vivid in their minds.
This fear is deeply ingrained in the mermaids' DNA, which is why Hermione can scatter and flee in terror with just a little magic.
However, this also saved Hermione some energy.
She quickly approached Ginny, pulled the girl into her arms, and with a flick of her wand, the ropes binding Ginny tore apart and fell to the ground.
With a princess carry, Ginny nestled limply in Hermione's arms, her fiery red hair cascading down her arms, looking every bit the part.
Hermione glanced at the other hostages around her, her gaze lingering on Ronnie for a long while.
For some reason, she felt that this person looked somewhat familiar.
It wasn't her typical Weasley appearance, but rather her mannerisms and expressions; Hermione felt like she'd seen her somewhere before.
After pondering for a moment without success, she gave up thinking, pushed off with her legs, and swam directly towards the lake with Ginny.
Finding the mermaid village in the Black Lake is difficult, but it's much easier once you get back to shore.
The jets of water continuously propelled Hermione forward.
Even if you're holding someone in your arms, you won't slow down much.
Less than five minutes later, Hermione and Ginny emerged from the water together.
The crowd seemed to be paused, remaining silent for two seconds before erupting into chaos.
The time limit was one hour, and only twenty-nine minutes have passed, yet some brave souls have already completed the mission.
"I knew Hermione would be the first one to come out."
"Without a doubt, she is the best!"
"As expected of the chairman of our Erudite Society!"
"Merlin, that's fast!" Bagman roared. "With such a complex underwater environment and such a dangerous enemy, I thought it would be impressive if the warriors could finish the race on time. I didn't expect Granger to be so fast... No wonder he was the champion in the last round!"
The students clapped enthusiastically, and someone from Gryffindor shouted, "Granger!"
Soon, cheers erupted across the field. Everyone was shouting wildly, "Granger!"
On the referee's stand, Levin stepped down and pulled the two girls ashore before Mrs. Pomfrey could.
Hermione was in great shape at this moment. The effect of [Flowing Heart] was very good. Even after walking through the Black Lake in her semi-elemental form, she was still full of energy.
Ginny, on the other hand, was in much worse shape.
At this moment, water droplets were still dripping from her wet hair, and her face was pale, without a trace of redness, clearly indicating that she had been frostbitten.
After all, under the influence of the semi-elemental form, Hermione's body surface was as cold as real water, and Ginny's presence in her arms could not provide warmth; instead, it would continuously absorb heat.
This is the disadvantage of [Flowing Heart].
Levin quickly took the little girl from Hermione's arms.
Feeling the boy's warm chest, the little girl's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she snuggled closer into his embrace.
"Sorry, I forgot about that."
Hermione felt a pang of guilt and quickly pulled out her wand, tapping it on Ginny.
White steam rose from her head, and the moisture on her body and hair vanished without a trace.
Levin wrapped a thick blanket around Ginny, then took the girl's still-cold hands in his, rubbed them, and then lifted his robe to press those fair, cold hands against his warm chest.
Soon, the girl gradually opened her bright brown eyes and saw Levin at first glance.
Levin could see a flicker of surprise across the girl's pale face.
His gaze met Ginny's eyes, and seeing her pitiful appearance, he couldn't help but reach out and stroke her cheek. Ginny turned her head and gently rubbed against the boy's warm palm.
“Thank you, Levin,” the girl said instinctively.
"Hey, hey, hey, I'm right here," Hermione said, hands on her hips, looking at Levin taking advantage of the little girl again, a hint of dissatisfaction on her face. How did it become that he was the hero saving the damsel in distress, while she, the one who saved the girl, became the outsider?
"Don't be fooled by this jerk, Ginny. I'm the one who brought you out from the mermaids."
“Oh, I’m sorry, Hermione, thank you for saving me from underwater.” Ginny forced a smile at her, but shrank even closer into Levin’s arms.
“That’s more like it.” Hermione gave a soft snort, then looked at Levin.
Levin shook his head at her: "You've got it all backwards. You should be thanking Ginny for being your hostage in this freezing weather."
As he spoke, he looked at the girl in his arms: "Right, Ginny?"
Ginny gave a weak smile but didn't reply.
"Yes, yes, yes, I should thank Ginny. Thank you, Ginny." Hermione put her hands on her hips, pouted, and muttered, "Always teasing me."
Seeing that Levin was still staring at her, Hermione complained, "I'm working so hard, why don't you give me a blanket too?"
"And then wash the blanket for free?" Levin shook his head. "Do you want to hear what you're saying?"
Hermione, being a semi-water elemental, doesn't feel the cold at all.
She was just being coquettish when she said that.
However, Levin still granted the girl's wish.
He used magic to dispel Hermione's "Flowing Heart" state, and then draped a blanket over her as well.
Noticing the still dissatisfied look in her eyes, Levin hesitated for a moment, then pulled her into his arms again, offering her warmth with his body.
Hermione blushed immediately; she hadn't expected Levin to actually do it in front of everyone.
4.9 She could already hear the boos from the audience.
But a secret joy stirred within the girl.
Just then, Madam Pomfrey arrived and took Ginny and Hermione from Levin's arms.
Hermione immediately got out of Levin's arms, but the little girl was clearly still unwilling to leave her idol, and lingered for a while before reluctantly letting go.
Next, Madame Pomfrey forced a bottle of fiery hot potion into their mouths.
Immediately, hot air came out of my ears.
She couldn't help but complain to Levin, "Dumbledore shouldn't have organized this Triwizard Tournament! What if these kids drown? It's so dangerous!"
Listening to Mrs. Pomfrey's complaints, Levin felt somewhat helpless.
She said the same thing after the last game when treating the Warriors who had been burned by the Fire Dragon.
In fact, Mrs. Pomfrey opposed all dangerous movements.
If she could, she would even want to ban young wizards from playing Quidditch.
After watching Ginny and Hermione being taken away by Madam Pomfrey, Levin's attention returned to the arena.
————————————————————
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