As Ethan finished speaking, the last crimson rose petal slipped from the thorny stem and spiraled downward like a dying ember.
At that exact instant— "No—!" A desperate shout tore across the lake.
Crack!
The second black egg shattered.
Boom!
Thick, familiar black mist exploded upward, countless tortured faces forming and dissolving within it, their wails threading the air like rusted needles.
Fleur's face drained of color once more.
"Damn it!" Cedric clenched his bleeding fist, swiping at the blood trickling from his nose. He glared at the rising column of darkness. That had been Hogwarts' egg. At the final second, Durmstrang had smashed it.
If only he'd been a fraction more careful… Regret burned hotter than the bruises on his face.
The mist surged toward him, hungry.
Cedric raised his wand— but the sheer malevolent pressure slammed into him like a physical wall. His arm froze mid-motion. One heartbeat of hesitation was all it took.
He was going to be swallowed.
His eyes flew wide in raw terror. This pressure dwarfed even the Hungarian Horntail's glare from the first task.
"Gulp—I'm done for!" "Flock of Birds."
A calm, almost lazy voice cut through the panic.
The next instant, a lance of pure golden light punched straight through the roiling darkness, bright as sunrise spearing storm clouds.
It washed over Cedric's face and left him gaping.
Chirp—!
A long, crystalline cry rang out overhead.
Dozens of slender golden birds—long-tailed, radiant, impossibly graceful—spiraled through the sky. Wherever their wings passed, the obscurus withered like shadows before dawn.
Two seconds. That was all it took for the same darkness that had paralyzed Cedric and drained Luna's magic in a single clash to vanish utterly.
Only sacred golden birds remained, scattering glittering dust that drifted down like warm snow.
"Oh no, what a shame. I almost let it stay intact." Ethan twirled his wand idly, golden sparks still dancing at the tip. He curved his eyes in a crescent-moon smile and looked at the stunned Hufflepuff. Under his breath he added, "Was he frightened stupid? The little obscurus was actually kind of cute, right?"
In his mind's eye he replayed the hundreds of screaming faces melting together. He nodded, perfectly serious. Yeah. Adorable.
"Too… too incredible!" Cedric's voice cracked. His eyes locked on Ethan, shining with something dangerously close to religious fervor. "To dispel that thing so easily—if I hadn't felt its power myself, I'd think it was nothing at all!"
He scrambled to his feet, ignoring the blood and bruises wrecking his pretty face, and staggered toward Ethan like a man possessed. "I—I want to follow you forever… please, grant me your supreme guidance again—!"
Splash.
Ethan flicked his wrist and sent Cedric flying off the boat with casual telekinetic force. The Hufflepuff hit the lake like a sack of bricks.
Ethan dusted his hands theatrically and peered down at the thrashing water with gentle pity. "Your brain's overheating. Cool off."
Durmstrang contestants: "…" "Isn't he supposed to be rescued right now?" "Is this why Hogwarts champions are monsters…?" Krum's eyes narrowed dangerously as he surveyed his own teammates.
Teammates: !!! No, Viktor, stay with us! Don't fall to the dark side!
At last Ethan untied the colossal vine and soothed the sulking Giant Squid. As promised, he produced a tiny glass jar containing an equally tiny (but very enthusiastic) female squid. The moment the jar changed hands, the creature's skin flushed bubblegum pink. It cradled its new girlfriend tenderly and vanished beneath the surface with a cheerful swirl.
Whatever ecological chaos the Black Lake would face in the coming centuries was, frankly, not Ethan's problem.
Hee hee~
Thus, the second task of the Triwizard Tournament drew to its chaotic close.
The lake's surface was now decorated with gently bobbing bodies—no, sleeping contestants. They floated peacefully, lost in dreams, as if tucked in by a loving grandmother.
Gabrielle Delacour stirred, blinking awake in her sister's arms. "I'm fine, Fleur, really," she murmured, patting Fleur's back. "It was… the nicest nap I've ever had."
Fleur choked back a sob of relief and followed her little sister's sleepy gaze—straight to Ethan, and then to the slight blonde girl still curled in his arms.
That girl—Luna Lovegood—had power far beyond her years. Fleur had lost, fair and square. But a true daughter of France never surrendered completely.
Her stare fixed on Ethan, sharp as a hawk sighting prey.
"Achoo!" Ethan sneezed dramatically, then rubbed his nose while everyone within ten meters instinctively leaned away. "Someone's plotting my assassination again…"
The silence that followed could have frozen the lake solid.
Who on earth would try to assassinate the boy who just murdered an obscurus with pretty birds?
On the return journey, Ethan—feeling uncharacteristically charitable—dispelled the invisibility on the glass bridge so everyone could appreciate his handiwork.
When the others saw the gaps that required Olympic-level long jumps, the curses came fast and multilingual.
Ethan waved cheerfully. Be a human? Never heard of it.
Back at the stands, the mood was strangely subdued compared to the roaring excitement of the first task. Every eye tracked the Hogwarts champions—especially the small girl with moonlight still clinging to her hair.
The image of Luna bathed in silver light, wand raised like a goddess of the moon, had branded itself onto ten thousand retinas.
No one could believe that magic had come from "Loony" Lovegood.
A cough from the judges' table broke the spell.
Ludo Bagman's voice boomed across the grounds, bright with barely-contained glee. "Regrettably, both Hogwarts and Beauxbatons failed to protect their black eggs. Only Durmstrang's remains intact!"
Krum's lips curved in smug victory. He shot Cedric a triumphant sidelong smirk.
Bagman's grin widened. "However—"
Krum's face fell.
"—taking into account the extraordinary magical mastery displayed by Hogwarts champions Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood, the judges have awarded bonus points!"
"The final result: Hogwarts first, Durmstrang second, Beauxbatons third!"
"The overall tournament standings remain unchanged—Hogwarts still leads!"
Krum looked as though someone had force-fed him a slug.
Two heartbeats of stunned silence.
Then the stands detonated.
Lee Jordan's voice cracked with joy. "WE'RE FIRST! WE'RE FIRST!!"
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled behind half-moon spectacles. Karkaroff stormed off in a swirl of black robes. Madame Maxime clapped stiffly, face like carved marble.
And then the applause began—slow at first, then roaring, until every single student was on their feet, screaming themselves hoarse for the three soaked, battered, utterly triumphant champions.
This had been a hard-won victory. And the ones who turned the tide were the two everyone had written off as dead weight.
Neville's name thundered through the stands. Luna's followed right after, shy at first, then fierce and proud.
The crowd surged forward like a green-and-silver tide, hoisting Neville and Cedric into the air again and again.
Cedric, still dripping lake water, clenched his fists. Next time, he swore silently. Next time I won't falter. Ethan will see how far I've come.
Across the chaos, his gaze met Krum's. Sparks flew.
Meanwhile, no one dared snatch Luna from Ethan's arms—some things were simply suicidal—so she remained nestled against his chest.
The noise finally roused her.
She blinked open pale eyes and found herself staring at a forest of outstretched hands and beaming faces.
Luna turned to Ethan, perfectly serious. "Are we being besieged by zombies?"
The nearest Gryffindors choked.
Hermione shoved her way forward, cheeks scarlet. She opened her mouth, closed it, then blurted, "I'm sorry, Luna. I always thought you were… strange. Talking nonsense about creatures that don't exist—"
She caught herself, scowled, and added quickly, "Nargles still aren't real."
Harry coughed meaningfully behind her.
Hermione's ears went pink. "What I mean is—I was arrogant. I judged you. Can you forgive me? Can we… be friends again?"
Luna regarded her for a long moment, then smiled—a soft, radiant thing that lit her whole face.
"I thought we already were."
Hermione's eyes filled. "Oh, Luna!" She threw her arms around both Luna and—by necessity—Ethan, hugging tight.
The crowd roared approval.
Surrounded by warmth and cheers and friendship, Luna's smile grew until her eyes curved into happy crescents.
How wonderful~
If not for Ethan, she might never have had this moment.
Meeting him really was the best thing that ever happened to her.
She turned her head, met his gaze, and smiled even sweeter.
[You successfully hosted the second task, creating many touching moments and making everyone very happy.] [Soul fusion increased by 1.8%!] [Light brightness increased!] [Congratulations! You have been promoted!] [Light brightness: Dawn → Bright] [The world has first known your name]