Underwater, Vid opened his eyes.
He reached out and touched the fish tail that had formed below his waist. The scales were smooth, and the tail was long and flexible, its internal bones seemingly transformed into a supple spring.
He gave it an experimental flick, and his body shot forward like an arrow, the sensation of water flowing past his skin being more wonderful than he had imagined.
Vid touched his cheeks again, his fingertips feeling an unusual protrusion, with two long, narrow slits on the side.
He took out his magic wand and waved it, causing the water to ripple, and an oval full-length mirror appeared in the water.
Vid floated in the water, looking into the mirror.
He hadn't become as ugly as the merpeople in the Black Lake; from the waist up, it was still his own body, his own face. Although his hair seemed to have grown longer, it floated gently in the water, freely drifting.
Beneath his ears were two long slits, resembling black tattoos. These were gills given to him by gillyweed, allowing him to breathe freely underwater, as the lake water supplied him with the oxygen he needed to live.
His hands were not as agile as before, because there was now a thin webbing between his fingers, but this didn't hinder him from using his magic wand.
He flicked his fish tail, shattering the mirror in front of him, and swam toward the depths of the lake.
He needed to further test his abilities after transformation—how long could his transfiguration into a merperson last? How fast could he swim? Could he dive to the deepest parts of the lake like a merperson?
...
"Mr. Harry Potter? Mr. Harry Potter?"
In his sleep, Harry vaguely heard a voice calling him. He grunted and opened his eyes groggily, and was startled by a face close to his!
"Dobby?! No, you're not Dobby!" Harry hurriedly grabbed his magic wand, pointing it at the figure and asking, "Who are you?"
As he spoke, he glanced at the curtains.
His voice wasn't quiet, but it seemed that the others in the dormitory hadn't been awakened.
"Shh—"
The unfamiliar house-elf raised a finger, signaling him to keep quiet.
Harry's heart was pounding wildly, and he instinctively remained silent, fumbling to put on his glasses.
"Maki is a friend of Mr. Vid Gray," the small house-elf said softly, "Mr. Gray asked Maki to bring this extra gillyweed to Mr. Harry Potter."
"Vid?" Harry relaxed a bit and asked, "What is it? Why didn't he give it to me himself during the day?"
"Gillyweed," Maki repeated the name and said, "It allows a person to breathe underwater, sir."
Harry immediately realized the effect of this herb. He glanced at the gillyweed on his blanket and said puzzled, "But... I've already mastered the Bubble Head Charm, I don't need this."
Maki quietly watched him and asked, "How long can Mr. Potter's Bubble Head Charm last?"
Harry: "Um... over an hour, I guess..."
Maki asked again, "If the bubble is punctured or suddenly disappears, does Mr. Potter have a way to handle it?"
Harry was at a loss for words.
He had learned some ways from Sirius to protect the bubble, but he couldn't say for sure that his bubble was absolutely foolproof.
Maki said no more, bowing and disappearing from the curtains in an instant, leaving the gillyweed on Harry's blanket.
Harry hesitated for a moment, finally grabbing the gillyweed and tucking it under his pillow. He couldn't sleep anymore.
...
Seeing the unused gillyweed, Vid had a thought and entrusted Maki to pass it on to Harry.
In the original story, it was with the help of gillyweed that Harry successfully passed the second task and made it to the end; whereas Fleur, using the Bubble Head Charm, had to leave the Black Lake after being attacked, failing even to save her sister.
Of course, in the original, there were only four champions, and as Beauxbatons' representative, even if Fleur didn't complete the second task, she could still participate in the final competition.
But this time, if someone is kicked out of the lake by magical creatures, they'll likely be eliminated completely.
Now Harry seems stronger than in the original, no longer helpless in front of the Black Lake. Yet, having mastered the Bubble Head Charm, he may still face Fleur's fate in the original story.
Vid didn't want Harry to leave the competition too early, so he still gave him the gillyweed.
February passed quickly, and before they knew it, the 24th had arrived. After breakfast, Vid crossed the oak doors and stood on the high steps at the castle entrance, his breath forming white puffs in the chilly air.
He saw the high tiers of stands layers deep near the Black Lake in the distance, and several giant flow mirrors still standing in front of the stands, their surfaces gently swaying with underwater plants, even from this distance.
People passing by occasionally patted him on the shoulder or back, saying "Good luck." Vid hesitated no longer and walked across the lawn toward the damp lakeshore.
"Nervous?"
Michael quickly came to his side and asked.
Vid shook his head. "I'm well-prepared."
"Be careful." Michael glanced toward the other schools and said, "Those guys might team up against you first."
"Don't worry," Vid smiled. "If I wasn't confident, I wouldn't have provoked them last round."
"That's good to hear!" Michael waved his hand and said, "I'm heading to the stands now. Do a good job, Vid! Show them what you've got!"
Vid waved back, watching as Michael ran to the stands and sat beside Daphne.
Even the Slytherin students were unusually excited. Besides a few with grim expressions, most were still hoping for Hogwarts' champion to win; Vid even saw some Slytherin students holding a banner with "Vid Gray" written on it.
Vid approached the judges' table, seeing that the headmasters and most of the champions had arrived, even the headmasters of the three eliminated schools made a return appearance, chatting amicably with the others.
"Release twenty more Mother Mirrors! I need more angles!" A wizard in a green vest shouted into a communication pea, "What are you waiting for? Get out all the equipment!"
Several young people quickly came over carrying large boxes. Once they reached the lakeside, they opened the boxes and dumped them out, releasing several small fish glowing blue that splashed into the water, swimming in quick circles before diving beneath the surface.
"These are the latest models of Mother Mirrors, all transformed to adapt to underwater environments."
A voice with a hint of amusement came from behind, and Vid turned around to see Machioni, wearing a gold robe, stride over.
"Vid!" He opened his arms enthusiastically, all smiles, and said, "It's so good to see you!"
"Machioni!" Vid smiled and gave him a quick hug. "I didn't expect you to come personally!"
"Of course, I had to come!"
Machioni said, "During the first task, something urgent came up at the American Branch, and I had to rush off. This time, I absolutely can't miss it!"
"By the way..."
Not waiting for Vid to answer, Machioni eagerly said, "I heard there's a unique transfiguration trend at Hogwarts recently?"