"Ah! I squeezed too much!" Neville screamed.
His eyes widened, a look of impending doom spreading across his face.
Up in the stands, the students muttered in confusion.
"What is he doing?"
"Good lord, the other teams are already halfway across!"
"Hurry up! Use a Revealing Charm or a Freezing Charm, anything—huh?!"
Suddenly, a cry of alarm rang out!
Appearing before everyone's eyes was a sudden, violent explosion of green!
Massive vines erupted from the soil one after another! With unbelievable speed, they surged rapidly toward the lake!
Mutated Devil's Snare!
Neville: "Q-Quick, grab the leaves! Aaaahhh—!"
His shout faded into the distance over the lake, carried away by the rapidly expanding stalks.
No need for Neville to say it twice. Cedric, with quick eyes and hands, grabbed a vine and shot out with a loud "Woo-hoo!"
Luna, meanwhile, sat upon a thick leaf that unfurled specifically for her. She murmured a soft thank you and drifted leisurely toward the center of the lake.
It was like a colossal bridge born from the void.
This thick stalk, formed by countless twisted, knotty vines, leapt over the other two teams—who were still struggling to find their path—with unstoppable momentum!
In the blink of an eye, it reached the center of the lake!!
Leaving Krum, Fleur, and the others frozen in place, utterly shocked!
"Merlin's beard, are they using cheats?" a Durmstrang champion muttered, dumbfounded.
Is the glass bridge too hard to cross? Then don't cross it!
They simply relied on the thick, tough stalks of the vines to span the lake's surface! The time wasted on the shore just moments ago was simply spent finding the perfect planting spot!
"Oho."
Not far away, Ethan looked down at this scene, raising an eyebrow in slight surprise.
"What a novel way to clear the stage. Even I didn't think of that..."
"As expected of a member of my Enlightenment Society, a champion chosen by the Goblet of Fire."
Ethan nodded approvingly. His gaze fell upon Neville, who was screaming atop the wildly growing vines caused by an overdose of Growth Potion.
Who would have thought that this "good-for-nothing" disgrace of Gryffindor would possess such power?
"Magic is not just about casting spells. Herbology, Alchemy, Potions, and even painting can all become unique sources of power."
Just as one should not categorize people solely by the symbols of the four houses.
Even a Gryffindor crybaby might one day wield a sword against evil. And even a model student of Ravenclaw can devote themselves to dark forces—
Here, I'm referring to Quirrell, of course.
"Heh... Now, everyone's jaws are going to drop." Ethan's eyes curved into a smile. "However, the main event is still to come."
In the audience stands.
Even the Hogwarts students were dumbstruck.
"Bloody hell..." Ron stared, open-mouthed. His mouth was wide enough to swallow an orange. "I've never seen a plant that big—it could practically poke a hole through Merlin's floorboards!"
A situation that seemed like a guaranteed loss was suddenly reversed!
Suddenly, Ron looked at Neville on the vine, his heart a mix of complicated emotions. It was like his best mate was already flying a Firebolt Supreme while he was still stuck pedaling a bicycle.
On the other side.
Anthony Goldstein pushed up his glasses, looking as if he had expected this all along.
"Didn't I tell you?"
"There are no weaklings in Ethan's Enlightenment Society."
"Even a recognized 'dud' can shine with dazzling light."
This... this was the miracle of their Ravenclaw leader—Ethan Vincent!
After a brief silence, the stands erupted in shocked cheers!
"—Unbelievable! Simply unbelievable!!"
Commentator Lee Jordan jumped right onto the table, his eyes shining brightly! He was so excited he was practically bouncing off the walls! Holding the microphone, he looked ready to dive right into the action!
"Contestant Neville Longbottom used an extraordinary plant to instantly cross more than half of the Black Lake!"
"While the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons teams were starting to backtrack on the winding glass bridge—"
"The Hogwarts team has overtaken them directly!"
"Neville, you absolute legend!!"
This time, even Professor McGonagall wouldn't scold Lee Jordan for his crude language.
Professor Sprout, the Herbology teacher, wiped her red-rimmed eyes, speaking emotionally: "That is a student Ethan dug out. Before this, who would have supported his seemingly wild ideas?"
Even the Professor herself, when hearing about "mutation" and "hybridization," had thought it was very unorthodox and impossible to succeed.
Unexpectedly, Neville actually did it.
The panel of judges exchanged glances. They saw surprise and appreciation in each other's eyes, and began frantically recording notes on their parchment.
"I heard that the champions selected from Hogwarts this time are all from Mr. Vincent's club. I think it's called... the 'Enlightenment Society'?"
"Rumor has it that under Ethan's leadership, they all underwent secret training."
"It seems they really do have some skill."
In the center of the lake.
Neville struggled out of the dense foliage. He heard the overwhelming cheers like a tidal wave from the distant shore and froze in place.
"Do you hear that? That's for you," Cedric laughed.
Neville: "Me...?"
Cedric: "Yes. Who would have thought to use plants to clear the level?"
"Even if they thought of it, they couldn't have conjured such a powerful plant."
"This is all your credit."
Neville was stunned.
Since he was born, he had almost never been praised. When he was young, his family worried he might be a Squib. Even after being sorted into Gryffindor, known for bravery, he seemed like an outlier.
Over time, Neville also came to believe he was just an incompetent coward.
Until, with a mindset of "it doesn't hurt to try," he took Ethan's entrance exam.
And was unexpectedly selected.
Since then, his life had changed completely.
At this moment, listening to the boiling cheers and applause ahead, Neville's nose stung, and he hurriedly lowered his head. A flush burned from his neck all the way to his ears.
"I-I will never let down Ethan's cultivation...!"
Neville rubbed his eyes and spoke hoarsely. In his usually shifting gaze, a determination never seen before appeared.
He turned to look at Cedric and Luna, saying shyly, "Let's... let's win this competition together!"
"Show the other schools the power of Hogwarts and our Enlightenment Society!"
Cedric grinned, showing his white teeth. "That's exactly the spirit we need—hmm?"
He stopped speaking.
Feeling something, he looked down.
The lake surface, calm just a moment ago, was now suddenly churning slowly!
Rumble—!
It was as if someone was stirring the lake water with a giant spatula. Waves rolled, gradually converging into a massive vortex!
It was like being trapped in a storm. The powerful siphon force caused a Beauxbatons champion to fall into the lake unnoticed!
With a short, sharp scream, the slender arm reaching out of the water suddenly sank. Caught by the countless undercurrents in the lake, she vanished instantly.
Fleur's eyes widened, a chill creeping up her heart. "Quick, cast a shield!"
She stared in horror at the terrifying giant vortex. A thought surfaced in her mind—
—The monster is coming.
Krum said in a deep voice, gripping his wand tight.
Under their gazes, with a loud splash, something suddenly rose from the vortex—
A tentacle?
Grayish-white at the base, inky black at the top. Flexible, resilient, and soft. Covered in round suckers.
Yes. It was a squid's tentacle.
It was just... a bit too big.
—Just this single tentacle was dozens of meters long! A single sucker was the size of a person!
Rumble—!
The lake water poured back.
In the champions' horrified gaze, a monster as massive as a mountain range slowly rose from the lake.
A giant elliptical head, yellow eyes with indistinguishable pupils. And like a judge of the apocalypse, one after another, countless tentacles curled around its body!
This was the monster of the second task—
The Giant Squid: The Kraken!
Clatter.
Reporter Rita Skeeter's Quick-Quotes Quill dropped.
However, at this moment, the female reporter, petrified by shock, heard nothing and saw nothing else.
Really... there could actually be another monster just as stimulating...
In mid-air.
Ethan looked down at the screams and chaos below.
He curled the corners of his mouth in amusement.
"The good show is only just beginning~"