It wasn't just the light in Sakura's eyes which had vanished.
Hermione, Cho, and Astoria weren't faring much better.
Even Luna and Cassandra frowned in displeasure.
The angriest was Gabrielle, muttering under her breath about "that wretched old woman," while the Beauxbatons girl assigned to look after her sweated nervously.
If fifteen or sixteen was old, what did that make her at seventeen?
Human joys and sorrows are never the same.
While Hermione and the others seethed, the stands erupted with rowdy laughter. Fred and George were practically doubled over, laughing harder than anyone.
If Wayne could see them, they'd have given him a thumbs-up.
Hostages?
More like a secret rendezvous!
Among the champions, Fleur was nearly losing her mind.
Hadn't he said he was going on a Valentine's date with Sakura?
So why was he now getting cosy with Tomoyo?
No matter how close the friendship is, you can't just get two for the price of one!
And the one who should be most upset right now is Sakura.
Yet now... the young girl seems rather confused.
Just who should she be feeling jealous of?
Pfft!
Suddenly, a soft chuckle came from beside them. The other champions, who'd been watching the drama unfold, turned to see Cedric grinning so widely his wrinkles showed.
"Find this amusing?" Fleur asked coldly, while Sakura and Cassandra fixed him with equally emotionless stares.
For a moment, Cedric felt like he was seeing his long-deceased grandmother.
He swallowed hard. "I-I was just happy... happy that I guessed the task correctly and prepared in advance."
Only then did the three girls look away.
Cedric exhaled in relief, wiping cold sweat from his brow.
Merlin's beard, he'd genuinely thought those three were about to obliterate him just then. Absolutely terrifying.
He really didn't know how Wayne managed to handle it.
At this thought, Cedric began feeling rather smug.
He had a strong premonition that when Wayne emerged from the water, he'd be walking straight into a storm. No, after the task ended, he'd need to grab some snacks quickly for front-row seats to the show.
"Mr Bagman," Fleur said airily, "would it be acceptable if I chose not to rescue the hostage?"
"Those two seem perfectly sweet down there. Why would they need rescuing?"
Sakura nodded instinctively before catching herself, feeling a pang of guilt.
How could she even consider not rescuing Tomoyo?
This was all Wayne's fault. Tomoyo must have been forced into it.
Having found the perfect excuse for her best friend, Sakura pouted angrily.
Bagman gave an awkward chuckle. "Now now, Miss Delacour, no joking. You have one hour, and the task begins in three minutes. Please make your final preparations."
Fleur pursed her lips but said nothing more, though her eyes gleamed dangerously as she watched the now-separated pair on the screen.
...
At the bottom of the Black Lake.
Unaware that he'd just performed both "The Affair" and "My Best Friend's Girl" for Sakura's viewing pleasure, Wayne asked, "How do you feel?"
"A bit dizzy... could barely catch my breath," Tomoyo murmured softly, her gaze fixed adoringly on the boy. "My heart's beating so fast, too."
Suspecting the task would begin soon, Wayne resisted the urge for a repeat performance.
"That's just from lack of practice," he said with mock seriousness. "We'll practise more after this, and you'll learn to breathe properly during it."
"Alright," Tomoyo agreed cheerfully before suddenly asking, "So who's softer - me or Sakura?"
"Sakura!" Wayne answered without hesitation.
Praising Tomoyo in front of Sakura, and Sakura in front of Tomoyo - this strategy never failed.
Sure enough, Tomoyo nodded in agreement, smiling even more brightly.
...
By the Black Lake, the champions began demonstrating their skills.
Cassandra went first, using the Bubble-Head Charm, followed by partial Human Transfiguration to turn her legs into a fish tail for faster swimming.
Cedric employed the same strategy, and though his standard Transfiguration was outstanding, Professor McGonagall had only just begun teaching Human Transfiguration. Not daring to experiment, he reluctantly began breaststroking downwards.
Next was Krum, who transformed himself into a hideous fish-headed creature - ugly, but perfectly adapted for underwater breathing.
He had prepared his swimming trunks early. When changing clothes, his muscular physique was revealed, eliciting screams from some of the female students.
Fleur took out a bottle of potion and drank it.
This was brewed from ingredients she had collected in the previous round, fully complying with the rules. After drinking it, Fleur felt her skin become extremely dry and hastily submerged herself in the water.
Ludo Bagman's astonished voice rang out: "Miss Delacour has dived straight into the water without using any spells! What on earth was that potion she drank?"
"Siren Potion," Madame Maxime explained. To ensure everyone could hear, she pointed her wand at her throat:
"This is a completely new potion. After drinking it, one can breathe through their pores and move freely underwater."
Snape's face darkened with displeasure. This bizarre potion was undoubtedly Lawrence's handiwork.
Sakura still looked unhappy. She summoned the Water Card, cast a Bubble-Head Charm, and jumped into the water. The currents didn't hinder her—instead, they propelled her forward.
Suddenly, another wave of gasps arose from the stands. It was Buso from Uagadou.
He had transformed his entire body into a half-metre-long fish, swimming cheerfully towards the lake.
"Uagadou's Human Transfiguration is truly impressive," remarked a young Hogwarts wizard.
A Uagadou student nearby overheard and proudly lifted their chin: "Buso is our school's most talented genius in fifty years—he can transform into over a dozen animals!"
At the judges' table, several officials nodded approvingly.
This was the essence of the competition: to broaden students' horizons by showcasing the vastness of the world and the capabilities of wizards from other regions.
Only with expanded perspectives could future achievements reach greater heights.
Harry steeled himself and shoved the gillyweed into his mouth before stepping into the lake.
The water was still icy, making him shiver violently. Laughter erupted from the stands. Even from dozens of metres away, he could hear Malfoy's shrill cackling, likely mocking him with Crabbe and Goyle.
Drop dead laughing, why don't you!
Harry cursed inwardly. Suddenly, he felt his lungs empty, followed by knife-sharp pain slicing through both sides of his neck.
Gills sprouted, drawing in the cold air with each rhythmic pulse.
Harry plunged underwater, moving as effortlessly as on land.
Now, only one contestant remained. Vladimir raised his wand and cast the Summoning Charm. Soon, a set of Muggle diving equipment came soaring from the castle.
He adeptly suited up and submerged.
Several judges frowned but said nothing.
His actions mirrored Harry's exploitation of the Firebolt in the first round—technically permissible, though the use of Muggle-world items might influence scoring standards.
Thus, all eight contestants successfully entered the water, clearing the first hurdle. Yet greater challenges awaited them beneath the surface.
Underwater, conventional spells were significantly weakened, and flight speed drastically reduced.
The audience shifted their gaze from the Black Lake to the floating screens above.
The female contestants appeared only as blurred outlines except for their heads, while the males were far more visible.
Within five minutes, the competitors began encountering difficulties.
Buso was the unluckiest. Having transfigured into a fish, he should have been the fastest swimmer but ended up being chased around by the lake's larger fish.
Then came Fleur and Cassandra, who encountered Grindylows and water snakes.
On land, a few low-level magical creatures wouldn't have wasted much of their time.
But underwater was different. Over a dozen water-adept Grindylows and water snakes caused them considerable trouble.
In the end, they had no choice but to take a detour.
Suddenly, another wave of exclamations arose.
"What kind of creature is that? It's enormous!"
"It's transformed! That's a Kelpie! There are actually Kelpies living in the Black Lake?"
The students from Katerina's house tensed up, because near the Kelpie was their champion, Vladimir.
The dim underwater light meant he hadn't noticed the danger lurking nearby as he struggled to find the merpeople village.
Katerina stood up in alarm. "Dumbledore, why are there such dangerous magical creatures in the lake? I demand the tournament be stopped!"
Kelpies were no Grindylows – these creatures genuinely ate humans.
"Rest assured, Professor Katerina," Dumbledore remained calm. "This Kelpie was provided by Mr Scamander as 'external assistance'. They've undergone rigorous training and won't eat people – they'll only startle the champions or cause minor trouble."
"Mr Newt Scamander?" Katerina stared at him.
"Indeed," Dumbledore nodded.
Only after receiving this confirmation did Katerina's expression relax somewhat.
In the field of magical creatures, Newt's name carried more weight than Dumbledore's – it was practically a gold-standard guarantee.
Under the tense gazes of the spectators, the Kelpie finally launched its ambush.
First, it transformed into a water snake to approach Vladimir, then, when mere metres away, suddenly sprouted a horse's head and lunged with jaws agape.
Vladimir's face became a picture of terror as he instinctively swam desperately in the opposite direction. But his diving suit made his movements clumsier, and no match for the aquatic Kelpie, which quickly caught up.
True to Dumbledore's word, the Kelpie showed no intention to harm, merely tearing a hole in his diving suit before swimming away.
After this false alarm, Vladimir had no choice but to miserably return to shore to repair his suit before starting again, losing considerable time in the process.
...
In what felt like an instant, half an hour of the tournament had passed.
All champions had encountered significant troubles to varying degrees, with not a single one having reached the merpeople village yet.
The Black Lake of old hadn't been nearly this dangerous.
But this time was different – the tournament had been 'spiced up'. Newt had been invited to introduce numerous magical creatures into the lake, transforming it into a veritable dragon's den.
Wayne had grown thoroughly bored, passing bubble messages with Tomoyo for entertainment.
A heart-shaped bubble separated from his larger one, drifting lazily towards Tomoyo before merging with hers.
Finding this amusing, Tomoyo gestured for Wayne to send more.
After dozens of exchanges, Wayne's bubble had halved in size, leaving him cramped for space.
Noticing Tomoyo's suppressed giggles, Wayne realised he'd been tricked. Indignantly, he floated over and reclaimed much of her bubble.
If these two were this idle, the other hostages were even worse off – left staring blankly at the murky waters while listening to the merpeople choir's repetitive melodies.
Ron was nearly asleep.
Finally, after another ten minutes, the first champion arrived on the scene.
It was Harry.
His luck held strong – he'd encountered Moaning Myrtle, who'd come to watch the spectacle and pointed him in the right direction, saving him considerable detours.
On the shore, the Gryffindor spectators erupted into thunderous cheers – Harry had come in first!
Spotting Wayne, Harry waved excitedly and swam over.
Four merpeople wielding spears blocked his path, one rasping in a deep voice: "This isn't your hostage."
"I know, I just wanted to say hello," Harry explained, though only bubbles emerged from his mouth.
"Defeat us, and you may claim your treasure."
This was the final trial.
Rather than acting immediately, Harry asked: "What about the others? What happens after an hour?"
Remembering Harry's bizarre behaviour in the original story, Wayne drew his wand and made several precise movements.
A line of text formed from swirling water rings appeared before Harry and the merpeople:
"Just worry about your own hostage. Even after an hour, champions will only lose points – the hostages won't be harmed."
Harry visibly relaxed.
"Alright then," he said, producing another stream of bubbles.
Without waiting to see if the merpeople understood, he struck first.
His wand shot forth a jet of scalding water that the agile merpeople dodged. All four raised their spears threateningly.
Harry retreated deeper, pointing his wand at the lakebed's vegetation. The weeds instantly grew wild, entangling the merpeople.
Though the creatures slashed at the vines with stone spearheads, the magically reinforced plants proved too resilient. Within moments, all four were thoroughly bound.
This was a spell Grindelwald had taught him – Harry hadn't expected it to work so well. He hadn't even needed to use the more powerful variants.
"You've passed the trial, champion," the merpeople lieutenant declared. "Release them and take your treasure."
Harry gazed at the sleeping Ron but didn't move immediately, lost in thought.
Wayne found this hesitation peculiar.
After two minutes, Harry finally acted – raising his wand with a decisive flick.
The aquatic vines tightened further.
The merpeople lieutenant bared sharp teeth in warning. "Young wizard! What are you doing?"
"I'm not releasing these four," Harry gestured emphatically. "You'll need to double the guards watching the other hostages."
"Otherwise, I'll bind you all."
Since the others weren't in danger, it was time to consider his score.
As Mr G said, for the greater good.
Surely it was reasonable to... adjust the difficulty for other competitors?