"The more critical issue is that once the magical effect fails prematurely underwater due to excessive consumption, that would be fatal."
Sunlight slanted across the beds in the dormitory, where three sets of silver-gray scuba equipment lay neatly arranged, gleaming with a cold, metallic luster.
Sherlock's voice was low, but when it reached the ears of his three companions, it was filled with power.
"No matter how good Cedric's method is, it's still magic. As long as it's magic, there's always the possibility of failure or interference—especially in an unknown environment. We cannot place all our trust in a single method, particularly one that may be used in actual combat for the first time, no matter how excellent the companion who devised it may be. We must be prepared for anything. In the end, it still comes down to that one principle..."
Sherlock raised his eyes slightly, his gaze sweeping across Harry, Hermione, and Ron in turn, his gray eyes filled with determination.
"A person must rely on themselves!"
"I understand now!"
A brief silence spread through the dormitory, with only the occasional birdsong from outside the window.
Suddenly, Hermione's eyes lit up brilliantly. She drew in a sharp breath and immediately said.
"So, this is the real reason you purchased the scuba equipment in advance! For us, this isn't just a backup plan—it's an extremely practical double safeguard!"
"The first safeguard is obvious."
Hermione pointed at the scuba gear, her fingertip slightly flushed with excitement, her words flying fast though her thoughts remained crystal clear.
"If we use the Summoning Charm to call the scuba equipment directly, like in the first task, that would mean making it fly through Muggle villages in broad daylight toward Hogwarts. That would be absolutely terrifying!"
"So what?"
Ron scratched his messy red hair, his brow furrowing with confusion.
"If the scuba gear is as useful as you just said, I think you could completely do it like the first task—use the Summoning Charm again to get a set of scuba equipment from a nearby Muggle town. That would save quite a bit of money, wouldn't it?"
As a child of the Weasley family, he habitually considered things from an economic perspective. When his gaze fell on the scuba equipment, he began secretly estimating the price of the gear—judging by its appearance, it was clearly worth quite a lot of money. At critical moments, save where you can.
"So what?"
Hermione immediately turned around, fixing Ron with a scrutinizing look, her tone serious as she spoke each word deliberately.
"Ronald, this would clearly violate the International Statute of Secrecy! Just think about it—when three sets of scuba equipment come whooshing through the countryside toward Hogwarts, avoiding Muggle eyes would be pure fantasy!
By then, having our scores invalidated would be the least of our worries. We might be directly disqualified from the competition and face consequences!"
Hearing Hermione's words, Ron immediately shrank back, scared into silence. The consequences were indeed too terrifying!
Having successfully intimidated Ron, Hermione gave a light snort before continuing.
"But Sherlock purchased and had them shipped through Muggle postal services in advance. The packages' movement through the Muggle world was completely legal, routine, and unremarkable.
After receiving the scuba gear, owl delivery transferred them to storage at Hogwarts. This way, the objective was perfectly achieved. When it's time for the competition, using the Summoning Charm to call them would be no different from summoning a broomstick in the first task.
No—it would actually be even simpler, because we already have one successful experience."
Hermione paused, her gaze burning as she swept over the three sets of equipment in the package, her voice full of admiration.
"More importantly, there's the second safeguard. time! Sherlock has bought everyone precious time! If things turn out as Sherlock said—if Cedric's method isn't perfectly validated before the competition, or if there's a risk of shortened effectiveness under vigorous activity—by the time we think of other solutions, it would be too late!
Even setting aside the issue of summoning violating the Statute of Secrecy, even if we had incredibly good luck and managed to get the equipment without Muggles seeing it which I believe is completely impossible but even if that were the case, apart from Sherlock, Harry and Cedric definitely couldn't learn to operate such complex Muggle equipment within the required one hour."
"But now it's different!"
Hermione's voice rose several notches, her shoulders trembling slightly with excitement.
"There's still over a week until the second task! If Cedric's method is perfect, this scuba equipment will be like a quiet insurance policy, best if we don't need to use it. But if, just in case, I mean just in case, his method shows uncertainty or insufficient duration under high-pressure actual combat, we still have plenty of time!"
She deliberately emphasized the last few words, her eyes were full of certainty.
"We can find time in advance, in a safe and controlled environment, like some remote corner of the Black Lake, to conduct several short underwater adaptation training sessions!
We don't need to become diving experts—we just need to learn how to wear the equipment, breathe, move basically, and handle emergencies! This would be ten thousand times more practical and safer than cramming at the last minute on competition day!"
Watching Hermione's excited manner, Harry's eyes also grew brighter and brighter, his green eyes looking at Sherlock with feelings that seemed ready to overflow.
Of course, he hadn't considered things as comprehensively as Hermione had. But now, hearing Hermione explain it this way, he couldn't help reaching out to touch the equipment on the bed.
The characteristically cool touch of metal immediately made him more alert. At the same time, an unprecedented sense of security welled up from his heart.
Sherlock was truly Sherlock—planning ahead, calculating without error. He was simply too amazing!
Ron's reaction was slower, still in a state of not quite understanding but feeling it was impressive.
"A very precise summary, Hermione."
Sherlock snapped his fingers crisply, creating a sharp sound. He looked at Hermione, the corner of his mouth lifting in a faint smile.
"Cedric's research is the core—I don't doubt his efforts and results one bit. But my responsibility is to ensure that no matter what unexpected situation arises, we can continue forward until victory.
The three sets of scuba equipment I purchased are precisely a physical backup prepared in advance for the potential risk of magical duration being shortened due to consumption from vigorous activity, and for the need for physical safeguards in emergency situations. Double insurance—both are indispensable."
Speaking to this point, Sherlock paused, then looked again at Harry and Hermione.
"Actually, in the Muggle world, there's a more common term for what I'm doing."
"What term?"
Harry and Hermione asked simultaneously, their eyes full of curiosity.
"Contingency plan."
"Contingency plan?"
"Contingency plan?"
Harry and Ron looked at each other, clearly having never heard this term before. Ron unconsciously repeated it, his brow furrowing even tighter. Hermione propped her chin on her hand, blinking thoughtfully, as if searching for relevant memories in her mind.
But regardless, Sherlock's approach made them feel exceptionally reassured. What was that saying again? If they couldn't achieve victory even with this, that would be what seemed strange!
"Next, we'll need to invite our captain over to learn the correct method of using the scuba equipment. Given his strong desire for victory, he should be quite willing to accept this contingency plan."
Sherlock looked at Harry as he spoke. "My dear friend, I believe that following the instruction manual's steps, you should be able to teach him."
"No problem!"
Harry patted his chest, his gaze falling on the scuba equipment, his eyes determined and full of confidence.
After the afternoon Arithmancy class ended, the corridor was crowded with students coming and going, their footsteps and conversations weaving together. Sunlight streamed through the stained glass windows, casting dappled light and shadow on the floor, with the unique scent of numbers still lingering in the air.
Hermione pulled on Sherlock's sleeve, her steps light, making no effort to hide her admiration.
"Sherlock, you're so clever! You know, when I first heard you talk about the golden egg's secret, I never even thought of using Muggle methods to solve the problem—my first reaction was that you should transform yourselves."
"Really? Into a submarine, perhaps?" The corner of Sherlock's mouth lifted slightly, his tone carrying a hint of teasing.
Hermione was smart, there was no doubt about that. But in terms of considering problems comprehensively, she always seemed to fall a bit short, making some metaphysical errors.
Either she would forget she was a witch, saying things like "but there's no wood here" when needing to start a fire.
Or she would forget she was a Muggle-born wizard, forgetting to fully exercise subjective initiative and combine magic with knowledge from the Muggle world. In short, she often viewed things with isolated, static, and one-sided perspectives. This was commonly called metaphysics.
However, faced with Sherlock's half-joking remark, Hermione actually stopped in her tracks and seriously thought for a few seconds before shaking her head, her tone serious.
"If we had already practiced human transfiguration, that would indeed be a good idea! But we won't cover that content until sixth year. If you attempt to transfigure yourself without complete mastery, the consequences would be unthinkable..."
"Thinking about it carefully, walking around with a periscope sticking out of your head would also be quite an option," Sherlock continued to tease.
"Pfft!"
Hermione couldn't help covering her mouth and laughing, her shoulders shaking lightly, her eyes curving into crescents with a faint flush appearing at the corners.
"Only you would think that way! By the way, what method did Diggory come up with exactly? There's only one week left until the second task, and seeing how confident he looks, I'm quite curious... Wait, Sherlock, is she coming to find you?"
Hermione's gaze fell on the end of the corridor, where Fleur Delacour stood. Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall, gleaming with a soft luster in the sunlight. Her posture was upright, still wearing that proud expression, seeming out of place among the noisy students around her.
With Sherlock's meticulous observational abilities, he had naturally noticed her much earlier than Hermione. In fact, the moment his gaze swept over her, he had already deduced her purpose for being there.
"Quite obvious, my friend."
As soon as Sherlock finished speaking, Fleur walked straight toward them. Although she had been at Hogwarts for nearly half a year, wherever she appeared, she still attracted students' attention. However, when she reached Sherlock, she put away her usual arrogance. Her fingers lightly clutched the hem of her robes, her face showing a polite smile.
"Mr. Holmes, may we speak privately?"
After saying this, she glanced inconspicuously at Hermione, her eyes carrying a hint of suggestion.
"Then you two can talk..."
Seeing this, Hermione immediately released Sherlock's sleeve and turned to leave. Just then, her wrist was suddenly gripped tightly by Sherlock.
"That's not necessary."
Sherlock's fingers closed around Hermione's wrist with perhaps even somewhat rough force. However, Hermione not only didn't feel offended, but secretly felt somewhat pleased. His gaze looked directly at Fleur, his tone flat yet brooking no refusal.
"She is my friend. Miss Delacour, whatever you have to say, you might as well say it directly."
"But..." Fleur's brow furrowed slightly, her face showing a difficult expression, even her tone softening somewhat, as if she still wanted to negotiate.
"If there's nothing else, please excuse us." Sherlock pulled Hermione along, turning to leave without the slightest pause in his steps.
"Wait!"
Fleur quickly stepped forward, blocking them both, her expression changing uncertainly before finally showing an almost pleading, difficult expression.
It must be said, she was truly too beautiful. This current helplessness formed a strong contrast with her usual proud and aloof appearance, causing passing students to stop and stare.
They looked at Sherlock with suspicious eyes, as if they would all transform into knights protecting the flower and stand up for her the moment Fleur spoke. Even Hermione softened somewhat unconsciously.
However, Sherlock remained unmoved, his eyes showing not the slightest ripple.
Finally, Fleur compromised, nodding lightly, her tone carrying some helplessness.
"Then... let's move to another place. There are too many people here."
"Fine." Sherlock stopped, which made Fleur secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
Afterward, Sherlock led Hermione and Fleur to find an abandoned, unused empty classroom. For Sherlock, such a thing was incredibly easy. The classroom's desks and chairs were piled in the corner, covered with a thin layer of dust. Sunlight slanted through the window, with tiny dust particles floating slowly in the light.
Fleur walked to the center of the classroom, turned around, clasped her hands in front of her, her fingertips applying slight pressure, her tone carrying some candor.
"Mr. Holmes, first I must apologize to you."
"Apologize? For what—for monitoring me?"
"That's right."
At this moment, Fleur had a favor to ask, so even her speech was much more sincere than before.
"Although I don't know how you figured it out, just as you said last time, I agreed to do certain things for your brother—the other Mr. Holmes. Mainly to monitor your every move during this Triwizard Tournament and promptly report this information to him."
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