Chapter 380: The Shenming Temple was almost exposed, how to breathe underwater
Aaron invited his second dance partner onto the dance floor, swaying wildly to the rhythm of the music.
Hermione's dancing skills were much better than Luna's; she didn't need his special guidance and could dance very well on her own.
The men and women on the dance floor grew more and more excited with the music's rhythm, and almost no one noticed Aaron had changed partners, or if they did, they didn't care.
More than two hours later, the music gradually softened, and only then did they leave the dance floor.
Compared to Aaron's calm and composed demeanor, Hermione's cheeks were flushed, and she was constantly fanning herself with her hand.
"Aren't you hot?"
"I'm fine."
"I almost forgot, you're someone who can wrestle a Dragonwith just your physical prowess.
How did you train yourself to do that?"
"I can't say," Aaron shrugged. "Want something to drink?"
"Butterbeer!"
Aaron subconsciously reached for Abay's pocket, but quickly remembered that his pet, wallet, and storage had been rented out by the Deputy Principal for a day, so he could only get two bottles from the drink cabinet by the wall.
"Thanks!" Hermione took a big gulp after receiving it, feeling much more refreshed. "Have you solved the clue in the Golden Egg?"
"I've solved it. I know more than anyone else, but you wouldn't want to know.
After you go back, tell Harry that the second task cannot be completed with a broom. He'd better prepare early, otherwise..."
"Otherwise what?" Hermione asked curiously.
"I almost forgot, this competition doesn't allow withdrawals," Aaron chuckled. "I can only say, the longer you delay, the harder the second task will be to pass."
Hermione couldn't help but frown slightly. After passing the first task, Harry's Golden Egg had been gathering dust in the dormitory, and he still hadn't tried to decipher its clue.
"By the way, everyone else has solved the Golden Egg's clue and has already started preparing."
"What about you? How are your preparations going?"
"Definitely more thorough than others," Aaron said, but secretly added in his heart: But after today, I don't know.
"Harry, he..."
"Go ask Cedric!" Aaron said very directly. "Harry told Diggory the clue for the first task, so it's time to give him a chance to return the favor."
"I'm afraid not," Hermione said with a troubled expression, turning to glance at Cedric and Cho Chang, who were dancing, and whispered, "I think the last person Harrywants to see right now is Diggory."
"Too proud to ask for help," Aaron rolled his eyes speechlessly. "He continued: When the Golden Egg is opened, there will be an unusually piercing sound. It's a special song that can only be heard clearly when placed in water.
That's all I can say. As for the rest of the riddle, he'll have to figure it out himself."
"I don't think it's just him," Hermione hinted, meaning at least she and Ron would definitely help Harry.
"Then I can't do anything about it."
...Back in the common room, Aaron transferred tonight's memories to his thought-form in the dormitory.
"What do you want me to do?" the thought-form said helplessly. "Big Sister's move is not just cunning; it's an open conspiracy!"
"Alas! Captain Jack's compass will probably have to be brought out. That's the best way to break the deadlock."
"I don't deny that with that compass, you can indeed find two people in the shortest amount of time.
But what then? If this magic item is exposed..."
"Let's take it one step at a time!" Aaron said thoughtfully. "The good news is that only we know the compass's true function. Perhaps we can work on that point.
A magic item that can point to what's in one's heart has a huge appeal to everyone, but if this magic item has some kind of limitation, that's another matter."
"Understood," the thought-form clapped its hands. "I'll make up the story, and you'll act it out, ensuring it's seamless without any flaws."
...The Yule Ball allowed all the teachers, students, and even the guests from other magic schools to vent their excess energy. Afterward, Hogwarts Castle quieted down, and students began to focus on their homework.
After Harry learned how to decipher the Golden Egg's clue, he was so excited he didn't sleep all night.
To keep it a secret, he asked a Prefect for the Prefect's Bathroom password the next day and carefully carried the Golden Egg in alone.
He turned on all the taps and filled the bathtub with hot water.
Harry took a deep breath, crouched in the water, and opened the Golden Egg.
Sure enough, there was no sharp, piercing sound. Instead, there was a short song... "Did you hear that?"
Poof!
Harry jumped, startled, and quickly stood up from the water, choking for quite a while.
"Myrtle? What are you doing here?"
"Came through the pipes," Myrtle said mournfully. "You haven't come to see me in a long time, especially after Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets was blocked."
"That's the girls' bathroom; we shouldn't have gone in there in the first place.
Wait, you said Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets was blocked?"
"Yes! It's been blocked for a long time, maybe last year or the year before," Myrtle said indifferently. "Once, when I was floating down the pipes, I found that as soon as I entered, I was blocked by a thick wall."
"Dumbledore probably did it!" Harry mused. "He's the Principal, so wouldn't it be natural for him to seal up Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets?"
"I just feel like it was a bit sudden," Myrtle said, displeased. "The entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is right in my bathroom, but I didn't notice it at all."
"There's nothing strange about that," Harry said with an indifferent smile. "The White Wizard's magic is unusually powerful. Perhaps while you were out wandering, he just waved his wand and sealed the Chamber of Secrets."
"But he didn't consult me."
"He's the Principal. Your bathroom, including that Chamber of Secrets, is Hogwarts' property. There's no need to consult you, is there?"
"Perhaps!"
Aaron didn't know that his Divine Sound Palace was almost exposed in their conversation, and it was fortunate that Harry's ability to fill in the blanks was sufficient, successfully erasing the last bit of a loophole.
"Can you figure out the clue in this egg?"
"It can't make a sound on the ground, so it must be underwater," Harry said slowly. "But what's underwater? A giant squid?"
"There are many kinds!" Myrtle said. "For example, all sorts of... fish. They don't sound very pleasant when they talk."
"Fish?" Harry gradually shifted his gaze to the wall, where there was a drawing of a Merperson soundly asleep.
"Is it Merpeople?"
"You took much less time than Cedric," Myrtle praised. "Back then, the Merperson was still awake, constantly showing off her fins, but he didn't notice."
Harry immediately became excited. "So the second task is to go to the lake and find Merpeople?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the excitement on his face completely vanished.
He had found the clue, but the problem was he couldn't swim!
The Black Lake was unusually deep, and Merpeople would definitely not live in the shallow waters, which meant he would have to dive into the deep waters, or even the bottom of the lake.
The song said there was an hour to find the beloved item taken by the Merpeople, which meant he had to stay underwater for at least an hour. This was simply impossible for him.
Harry left the Prefect's Bathroom in a state of anxiety. Not to mention what the beloved item taken was, just breathing underwater was enough to give him a headache for a long time.
After returning to the common room, he shared the clue he had found with Ron and Hermione.
"No wonder Aaron said to decipher the clue early; if I had found out later, I would have been finished," Harry said with a worried face. "Do you have any way to let me breathe underwater for an hour?"
"Uh... I haven't seen any such spell in the books I've read so far," Hermione said. "This is obviously a spell that only upper-year students can master, or rather, very few upper-year students can master."
"Great, a heavy blow to my self-confidence."
"Why don't we try scuba gear?" Ron suggested. "That's a Muggle underwater breathing device.
Don't you know the Summoning Charm? Buy a set in advance and put it outside the arena."
"Uh... isn't that idea a bit..."
"Too unreliable," Hermione said speechlessly. "Scuba gear isn't something you can use just by buying it; it requires specialized training, and Harry doesn't have that much time to learn.
Moreover, operating that equipment is no easier than magic, and trying to find something at the bottom of the lake in an hour with it is simply not feasible.
Most importantly, this is the Wizard Triwizard Tournament. If you bring a set of Muggle tools, the audience will drown Harry with their spit."
Harry shivered suddenly. "Let's try another method! That one is too risky."
"At least it would save your life," Ron said somewhat unwillingly.
"That's really not certain," Hermione retorted. "The Black Lake has a wide variety of creatures, many of which are aggressive, and wearing that equipment makes it inconvenient to use a wand."
"What about Transfiguration?" Harry said in a low voice. "Like Sirius, turn me into a fish or a frog, so I can dive underwater."
"Impossible, learning to be an Animagus takes several years!
And you also have to register with the Misuse of magicOffice. You simply don't have that much time."
"Then what do you suggest we do?" Ron said listlessly. "We can't just shout from the surface of the lake and ask the Merpeople to return the taken item, can we?"
Hermione was silent for a moment and said, "Let's look in the library! There must be a way for him to breathe underwater."
"Why is it always the library again? I think buying scuba gear is better!
Hermione, perhaps there's another shortcut, if only you go..."
"Absolutely not," Hermione glared fiercely at Ron. "This is the Triwizard Tournament, not a game.
He's already done his utmost by telling me how to solve the Golden Egg. If you ask for more, you might as well have him help Harry find the item."
"I was just saying it casually; there's no need for such a big reaction," Ron said sheepishly.
"Still the library, then!" Harry sighed. "At least there's still over a month. It's not too late to ask him for help if we truly run out of options."