After Valentine's Day, no matter how reluctant the students were, they still had to return to classes obediently.
Rumour had it that Filch had caught quite a few young couples in the gardens last night, leaving many in a foul mood today.
By noon, news spread that he had suddenly slipped and broken his leg.
No one knew which hot-tempered bloke was responsible.
Wayne continued lazing about as if nothing had happened, but Sakura had already sneaked over twenty glances at him during lunch alone.
Each time, she'd break into a silly grin, making Tomoyo shake her head in exasperation.
At the same time, she couldn't help wondering what the two had talked about last night. Ever since returning, Sakura had been acting dopey and giggly.
No matter how Tomoyo pressed for details, Sakura wouldn't say a word—just kept grinning like an idiot all evening.
Honestly, she'd even laughed in her sleep, scaring Tomoyo half to death, thinking she'd been cursed.
...
Evening.
Harry arrived punctually at the tutoring classroom, clutching the golden egg.
Soon, a burst of flames appeared in the room. Without even making an entrance, Ho-Oh unceremoniously dumped the Niffler out.
"Damn that Lawrence! Can't your bloody bird show some manners?!" Grindelwald cursed, only for another fireball to drop from the sky, nearly roasting the Niffler alive.
Harry bit back a laugh at the sight.
After all, Mr. Grindelwald had taught him plenty of useful spells and knowledge—he owed the man respect.
Still, Harry couldn't help voicing his confusion. "Mr. G, why don't you ever come to Hogwarts in person? Isn't it troublesome possessing this Niffler every time?"
He'd never seen the man's true form, but in Harry's imagination, this "Mr. G" was undoubtedly a wise, immensely powerful wizard—just like Dumbledore. A genuinely good man.
One couldn't help but wonder if those wizards who perished in the First Wizarding War might rise from their graves in fury upon hearing his assessment of Grindelwald.
"It's rather troublesome for me to come here," Grindelwald said indifferently. "You'll see me again when the opportunity arises."
"Alright."
Seeing Grindelwald's refusal, Harry felt somewhat disappointed but didn't dwell on it too much.
He placed the golden egg on the table and asked eagerly in a hushed voice, "Mr G, do you know about the Holy Grail War?"
Grindelwald replied casually, "Of course. Isn't that just some toy Lawrence came up with?"
"That's perfect!" Harry exclaimed joyfully. "This golden egg was my reward from the first task. I've studied it for ages, but still can't uncover its secret. Could you help me?"
"Boy, that's cheating."
"Didn't you teach me this?" Harry played dumb. "To utilise every available resource to achieve one's goals."
"You're neither a professor nor a judge, and you're not affiliated with any school. Consulting you is no different from asking my classmates. All for the greater good—I don't think I've done anything wrong, have I?"
Instead of getting angry at Harry's 'excuses', Grindelwald burst into laughter.
"After teaching you for a month, you're finally showing some progress."
Compared to the clueless boy from before, Grindelwald found Harry much more agreeable now.
Unlike Newt, this boy harboured a certain ferocity within him. Grindelwald even felt he could see traces of a young Dumbledore in Harry.
Though a bit dim and poor in talent, that fiery temper...
Hah.
The resemblance was uncanny.
Few remembered that the Dumbledore of old hadn't always been so family-oriented. He'd often locked himself in the attic to avoid his noisy siblings, writing letters to the greatest magical minds of their time—truly ambitious.
In that instant, Harry became infinitely more likeable in Grindelwald's eyes.
"I'll help you this once. But next time you want my assistance, there'll be a price."
Grindelwald had no intention of becoming Harry's nanny. He'd only engage in transactions.
"No problem!" Harry nodded repeatedly before opening the golden egg.
The ear-splitting screech emerged again. After just one second, Grindelwald leapt up and snapped the egg shut.
"That's the language of Sirens."
"Sirens?"
"Indeed."
"A Siren's song underwater is exquisitely beautiful, but on land, it becomes shrill and unbearable. I'm no expert in this field and didn't catch much just now."
"If you want to understand it, simply open the egg underwater."
Overjoyed, Harry immediately stowed the egg away, planning to try it that evening.
Grindelwald continued, "Since the egg contains a Siren's voice, your next task will likely involve Sirens and water."
"Perfect timing. Today I'll teach you some spells that work underwater."
Harry nodded eagerly.
...
Soon, an hour passed, and Ho-Oh came to collect Grindelwald again.
He'd taught Harry two particularly useful underwater spells—whether Harry mastered them would depend on his dedication in the coming days.
Leaving the classroom, Harry carried his golden egg straight back to the dormitory.
Only when everyone was asleep did he slip into the bathroom and climb into the tub.
Harry took a deep breath, clutching the egg as he plunged into the water. Upon opening it, he heard the eerie chorus emanating from the golden egg:
"Seek us where our voices sound, We cannot sing above the ground. We've taken what you'll sorely miss, An hour long you'll have to look, To recover what we took, Or else it's gone forever, this..."
Harry surfaced, gasping for air.
Taken what he'd sorely miss...
He pondered carefully.
Could they... be taking my Firebolt?
Is that thing waterproof?
If it gets ruined, surely the school would compensate?
...
Soon, the day of the task arrived.
Wayne woke unusually early that morning—not because he was hungry and rushing to the Great Hall for breakfast, but to prepare for the day's event.
Seven champions meant seven hostages.
This was the true purpose behind the Yule Ball.
The "most precious treasure" typically referred to the champion's chosen dance partner.
However, due to Wayne's involvement, there had been... minor complications.
All three female champions had danced exclusively with him, never once switching partners.
Surely they couldn't have all three rescuing Wayne simultaneously?
That would turn it into a team event.
Harry's situation was problematic too—he'd only danced once with that girl from Castelobruxo before clinging to Ron all evening.
Choosing her wouldn't fit the "most precious treasure" criterion either.
Thus, Ron became Harry's hostage.
Wayne headed to Gryffindor Tower, where the twins soon emerged, dragging an unconscious Ron between them.
George cleared his throat theatrically. "Your merchandise, sir. Care to inspect the goods?"
Wayne rubbed his temples. "Be serious. This is Professor McGonagall's order—why would I need Ron? And why is he unconscious?"
George exchanged glances with Fred before shrugging. "Ronnikins was being difficult. Wouldn't cooperate. Sleeping Charm seemed kinder."
Truly, brothers knew best how to handle brothers.
Fred leaned in conspiratorially. "So Harry's diving in to rescue Ronnie? How touching."
George grinned. "Hannah and Susan's fanfiction archives just got new material."
Cutting the conversation short, Wayne delivered Ron to Professor McGonagall—discreetly under a Disillusionment Charm to avoid witnesses.
Next came Angelina (Cedric's partner) and Robin (Cassandra's close friend), both efficiently stunned and transported despite minor disturbances, swiftly neutralised by more Sleeping Charms—a flawless stealth operation.
"Just Tomoyo left..." Wayne mused, heading towards the new building.
This posed a challenge—Tomoyo shared quarters with Sakura, making stealth unlikely.
To his surprise, he found Tomoyo already waiting at the doorway, dressed in her Mahoutokoro uniform.
"Shall we go?"
"Go where?" Wayne blinked.
Tilting her head cutely, Tomoyo explained, "You're here to collect your hostage, aren't you?"
Wayne stared. "How did you—? Did you guess?"
"Yes, I helped Sakura decipher the golden egg's clue, so I knew back then." Tomoyo walked side by side with Wayne as she explained:
"If it were ordinary objects, they wouldn't be able to evoke the champions' sense of urgency, so it must be someone close to them."
"I've been prepared for a while."
Tomoyo smiled faintly. "Sakura's still fast asleep and didn't notice what I did, so don't worry."
Wayne shook his head. "Why would I worry? The tournament starts in a few hours anyway. Knowing a little earlier won't change anything."
The two chatted amiably as they arrived at Professor McGonagall's office, where all the hostages were gathered.
When Wayne entered, the already awakened Angelina and Robin glared at him.
Couldn't you just explain things properly instead of knocking people out?
And if you were going to knock people out, why not do it to everyone? Why is this girl from Mahoutokoro walking here with you?
Wayne ignored their reactions, scanning the room before frowning:
"Professor McGonagall, hasn't Gabrielle arrived yet? Should I go fetch her?"
"Gabrielle?" Professor McGonagall looked up in surprise from briefing the hostages. "You mean Miss Delacour's sister? What would she be doing here?"
Wayne was bewildered. "Isn't Gabrielle Fleur's hostage?"
"Of course not. You are Miss Delacour's hostage."
"Huh?" Wayne's expression blanked.
Professor McGonagall couldn't help but chuckle. "Though it's perfectly safe underwater, keeping a little girl submerged for so long isn't ideal. But you, as her official boyfriend, will be fine."
"Besides, you can look after the others, too. It puts our minds at ease."
"Right... that makes perfect sense," Wayne replied stiffly.
"Pfft!" Tomoyo was the first to laugh, followed by Robin and Angelina.
Soon, the office was filled with cheerful mirth.
...
At breakfast in the Great Hall, everyone was speculating about what the day's task would entail.
They'd missed the first round, but this time the Ministry of Magic had prepared live broadcast equipment. Many people expected the event to be held off-campus.
Yet, no matter how curious they were, they still had to attend their first lesson.
At 9:50, the bell rang promptly, and the young wizards rushed out of their classrooms, returning to the entrance hall.
The headmasters and professors organised them into orderly lines before leading them towards the Black Lake.
The high platforms originally placed near the dragon enclosure had been relocated here, with many external spectators already occupying seats.
The champions were ushered into a small tent.
Bagman smiled at them, just as he had before the first task. "Children, how have you fared with the golden egg's secret?"
"If you've made no progress, you'll be in serious trouble today."
Harry glanced around—everyone's expressions were perfectly calm.
Bagman nodded approvingly before explaining the rules for this round.
...
At the centre of the Black Lake.
Beneath the water lay a merpeople village, its crude stone dwellings featuring small windows draped with algae.
Behind these houses stood a square dominated by a towering merpeople statue, where all the hostages were now imprisoned.
According to the rules, the hostages were supposed to be unconscious, waiting for their warriors to rescue them.
But Wayne thought that would be too boring—they'd miss the entire competition.
He placed each of them inside an air bubble. They couldn't escape, but they could stay awake and breathe just fine.
Everyone was looking around curiously. Even Hogwarts students had never truly seen the scenery at the bottom of the Black Lake before.
The Slytherin students could indeed see the Black Lake, but only through their windows – a mere glimpse, nowhere near as clear as this.
At first, the merpeople chieftain had been quite displeased, but after Wayne reasoned with him, he became remarkably compliant and retreated to his quarters to recuperate.
Wayne manoeuvred his bubble to float beside Tomoyo, then opened a passage between them so they could communicate.
"No idea how much longer until the tournament starts. Let's chat for a bit."
"Alright." Tomoyo pulled her gaze back. "How about you tell me what you and Sakura did on Valentine's Day?"
Wayne was surprised. "She didn't tell you?"
"No." Tomoyo shook her head in frustration.
"I thought you two told each other everything."
"Even best friends have secrets. Every time I bring it up, she just blushes and clams up."
"Come on, tell me."
Seeing her curiosity, Wayne saw no reason to hide it. He recounted everything, from the haunted house to their kiss on the Ferris wheel.
Tomoyo's large eyes grew brighter and brighter.
"What does kissing feel like? Is it really that nice?"
"With Sakura, it really is," Wayne answered honestly. "Like cotton candy."
Tomoyo nodded in agreement. "Sakura is sweet and soft. She's just too adorable."
Wayne smiled. "Tomoyo's adorable, too."
Her sparkling eyes fixed on him. "I want to try. Can I?"
Wayne understood her meaning. After a brief hesitation, he glanced around.
Noticing none of the other hostages were paying attention, he decisively merged their two bubbles together.
"You sure?"
Tomoyo didn't answer, simply closing her eyes.
...
On the lakeshore, Ministry of Magic staff sent several transparent screens into the sky, which soon displayed scenes from within the Black Lake – the giant squid, Grindylows, and the merpeople village.
Excited gasps rose from the stands.
Ludo Bagman had just finished explaining the tournament rules to the champions. Hearing the commotion outside, he grinned. "The broadcast must be ready. Let's head out."
With that, he strode out of the tent first, the champions following behind.
Sakura looked up just in time to see two figures embracing.
The light in her eyes vanished.