Underwater, Wade opened his eyes.
He reached down and touched the fishtail that had replaced his lower body. The scales were smooth, the tail was long and flexible, with bones inside that seemed to have turned into a flexible spring.
He gave an experimental flick, and his body shot forward like an arrow. The sensation of water rushing over his skin was even more wonderful than he had imagined.
Wade touched his neck. His fingertips felt an unusual protrusion—two long slits along the sides.
He drew his wand and gave it a wave. The water rippled, forming an oval-shaped full-length mirror.
Floating in the lake, Wade peered into the reflection.
He had not turned grotesque like the merfolk in the Black Lake. From the waist up, he still had his own body and face. His hair, however, seemed longer, drifting freely in the water.
Beneath his ears were two narrow slits, like dark tattoos. These were the gills granted by gillyweed, allowing him to breathe underwater freely. The lake itself would supply the oxygen he needed to live.
His hands were less nimble than before, as thin webs now connected his fingers, but it did not stop him from wielding his wand.
With a swish of his tail, Wade shattered the mirror and swam deeper into the lake.
He needed to further test the limits of his transformation—now that he had become a merman, how long could he maintain the form? How fast could he swim? Could he, like a true merman, dive down to the very bottom of the lake?
…
"Harry Potter, sir? Harry Potter, sir?"
In his sleep, Harry faintly heard a voice calling him. He groaned, opened his eyes drowsily—and nearly jumped out of his skin at the sight of a face inches away from his!
"Dobby?! No, you're not Dobby!" Harry snatched up his wand, pointing it at the figure. "Who are you?"
Even as he spoke, he glanced at the bedcurtains.
His voice was not exactly quiet, yet none of his dormmates seemed to stir.
"Shhh—"
The strange house-elf raised a finger to its lips, signaling him to keep quiet.
Harry's heart pounded furiously. He instinctively fell silent, fumbling to put on his glasses.
"Maggie is a friend of Mr. Wade Grey," the small, skinny house-elf whispered. "Mr. Grey asked Maggie to deliver this extra gillyweed to Harry Potter, sir."
"Wade?" Harry relaxed slightly. "What is it? Why didn't he give it to me himself in the daytime?"
"Gillyweed," Maggie repeated the name. "It allows a person to breathe underwater, sir."
Harry instantly grasped the significance of the herb. He glanced at the pile of gillyweed on his blanket, puzzled. "But… I already know the Bubble-Head Charm. I don't need this."
Maggie gazed at him quietly and asked, "And how long can Mr. Potter's Bubble-Head Charm last?"
Harry hesitated. "Er… a little over an hour, I suppose…"
Maggie pressed on: "And if the bubble were to be burst, or suddenly vanish, would Mr. Potter have a way to cope?"
Harry was left speechless.
Sirius had taught him some ways to protect his bubble, but he could not claim with certainty that it was absolutely foolproof.
Maggie said nothing more. He bowed, and in the next instant vanished from within the curtains, leaving only the gillyweed lying on Harry's blanket.
Harry hesitated for a moment, then finally grabbed the bundle of gillyweed and stuffed it under his pillow. Sleep was impossible after that.
…
Looking at the unused gillyweed, Wade had an idea and entrusted Maggie to pass it on to Harry.
In the original story, Harry had relied on gillyweed to successfully complete the second task and advance to the end.
Fleur, on the other hand, had used the Bubble-Head Charm but was forced to withdraw from the Black Lake after being attacked, failing even to rescue her own sister.
Of course, in the original there had only been four champions. As Beauxbatons' representative, even though Fleur had not completed the second task, she was still eligible to compete in the final.
But this time, if anyone was driven out of the lake by magical creatures, they would likely be eliminated altogether.
Now Harry seemed stronger than in the original, no longer helpless before the Black Lake. But with just the Bubble-Head Charm, he might repeat Fleur's misfortune.
Wade did not want Harry to exit the tournament too early, so he gave him the gillyweed.
February passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye it was the 24th. After breakfast, Wade walked through the oak doors and stood at the top of the castle steps. His breath condensed in the cold air.
In the distance, he could see the towering stands erected by the Black Lake, and in front of them several huge streaming mirrors. Even from so far away, he could see the water plants swaying gently within their surfaces.
As people passed him, they occasionally patted him on the shoulder or back, offering a "Good luck." Wade no longer hesitated and strode across the lawn toward the damp lakeshore.
"Nervous?"
Michael hurried up beside him.
Wade shook his head. "I'm well prepared."
"Be careful," Michael said, glancing toward the other schools. "Those guys might gang up on you first."
"Don't worry," Wade replied with a smile. "If I wasn't confident, I wouldn't have provoked them in the last task."
"That's good!" Michael waved. "I'll head to the stands. Do your best, Wade! Show them what you can do!"
Wade waved back, watching him run to the audience stands and sit down next to Daphne.
Even the Slytherin students were unusually excited. Aside from a few sour faces, most hoped that Hogwarts' champion would win. Wade even spotted a group of Slytherins holding a banner with his name, Wade Grey, written on it.
He made his way to the judges' table and saw that the headmasters and most of the champions were already present. Even the principals of the three eliminated schools had returned, chatting amiably with the others.
"Release twenty more master-mirrors! I need more viewing angles!" shouted a wizard in a green vest, pressing down on his communication bean. "What are you waiting for? Get all the equipment out!"
Several young assistants rushed up carrying large crates. Once they reached the lake, they tipped the boxes over, spilling several small, blue-glowing fish into the water with a splash. The fish swam in quick circles, then dove beneath the surface.
"These are the latest master-mirrors, all modified to function in underwater environments."
A cheerful voice sounded from behind. Wade turned and saw Marchionne, clad in golden robes, striding over.
"Wade!" Marchionne spread his arms wide with a broad grin. "It's so good to see you!"
"Marchionne!" Wade embraced him with a smile. "I didn't expect you to come in person!"
"Of course I had to come!" Marchionne said. "During the first task, the American branch had an emergency and I was forced to handle it, but there's no way I could miss this one!"
"Oh, by the way…"
Before Wade could reply, Marchionne asked eagerly, "I've heard that a special kind of transformation has become popular at Hogwarts lately—is that true?"
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⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- 200+ Chapters
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