Who Cares About the Second Task?

"You practice swimming in the bath?" Ron said incredulously. "How can you possibly improve like that? Can you tell what kind of bath soap the Prefects' Bathroom just by taking a sip?"

"Keep your voice down!" Harry said, annoyed. "Is it that I don't want to practice in the Black Lake? There's still ice on it!"

"Krum can do it." Loren's voice was light and airy.

Hermione turned and glared at each of them. "Pay attention in class!"

In the Charms Class, the four of them sat alone at a table at the back of the classroom.

Professor Flitwick's voice echoed in the classroom, "Today we're going to practice the exact opposite of the Summoning Charm spell: the Banishing Charm!"

"To prevent things from Accio around the classroom and causing accidents, I've prepared a whole bunch of soft mats for each of you to use for practice." Professor Flitwick's mustache twitched slightly with pride. "That way, even if you stray off course, you won't hurt anyone..."

Loren listened to Professor Flitwick's plan and thought it was well-thought-out, but plans never keep up with changes.

The young wizards had absolutely no aim, and not long after they officially started practicing, some of them began to fly things all over the room unplanned—like Professor Flitwick.

"Can we forget about swimming for now?" Harry said in a low voice, just as Professor Flitwick flew past them with a sigh and landed on the large bookcase behind them. "I have to tell you about Snape and Karkaroff ..."

To prevent anyone from getting hurt, Professor Flitwick was flying around in the air, tried his best to control the other flying tables, chairs, and little wizards. Whether they were flying in the air or letting others fly, the students were having a great time, so no one paid attention to what they were saying.

Over the next half hour, Harry recounted in detail what he had overheard outside Snape's office.

"Snape and Karkaroff have a secret they can't keep hidden?" Ron's eyes lit up with excitement. He waved his wand and cast Banishing Charm on the cushion, which flew into the air and knocked off Lavender's hat. "Hmm... it sounds like they're old friends, or rather, very close old friends, don't you think?"

"I don't know what their secret is, but Karkaroff seems really flustered." Harry casually waved his wand, his cushion sliding down the table. "From their conversation, something's becoming increasingly clear, and it's something that's making Karkaroff want to run away..."

Loren raised an eyebrow, while simultaneously controlling several out-of-control cushions that had fallen to the ground, making them fly back unsteadily.

"Run away?" Ron's eyes widened as his second cushion spun high into the air, knocking the chandelier flying. "Harry... I can't think of anything else that would frighten him into running away except that person!"

"You mean..." Hermione casually waved her wand, and the cushion landed precisely in the box, "But Karkaroff is Death Eater, he has no reason to be afraid of his master, and why would he say these things to Snape?"

"It could be Professor Moody," Harry suddenly said. "I've heard that Professor Moody has been keeping an eye on Karkaroff, and even searched Durmstrang's cabin and Snape's office!"

Loren slowly rotated the cushion, a sense of doubt rising within him.

Is Dumbledore still not planning to expose Moody's true identity...?

Ron chuckled, "Isn't Professor Moody afraid that Snape will drug his bottle?"

Harry couldn't help but laugh. He cast a spell on the cushion, causing it to wobble and fall into the box. "Never mind, I'd better think about swimming first."

Loren and Hermione exchanged a glance, their minds still preoccupied with the matter of drugging each other.

Thinking about it carefully, it doesn't seem impossible.

February 22, Wednesday.

The snow in the field had completely melted, and whenever the young wizards approached the windows of the classrooms or lounges, their eyes would be drawn to the vast lake. The large, cold, iron-gray lake surface and the dark, frigid bottom were as unreachable as the moon.

Hagrid completely abandoned his adorable Blast-Ended Skrewts and, like a dutiful professor of Care of Magical Creatures, began explaining Unicorn, replacing his teaching materials with two baby Unicorn instead of an adult Unicorn.

Two fluffy little creatures, with pure golden fur and dark eyes, timidly looked at the students around them.

The little Witch were overjoyed, but they clenched their teeth tightly, afraid that their laughter would frighten them.

Hagrid shouted to the class, "Unicorn cubs are easier to approach than adults. They turn silver around the age of two, grow horns around the age of four, and only turn pure white when they reach adulthood, around the age of seven..."

"When they're young, they're quite gullible and not so averse to boys... Come closer, get a little closer."

"If you'd like, you can pat them and give them a few of these sugar cubes..."

Loren looked at the sugar cubes in the tin box.

Hey, it's from Honeydukes! The candy even has hazelnuts, peanuts, and almonds inside...

He fed himself one first, then grabbed two more and held them to the Unicorn cub's mouth.

The Unicorn cub blinked its Black Gem -black eyes at him, then stuck out its tiny pink tongue to lick him, looking silly, and occasionally tilting its head to rub against him.

The little Witch ' eyes Winky, unable to contain their impulse, and they all took out their snacks and candies to feed him.

While everyone was gathered around the Unicorn cub, Hagrid strolled to the side and asked in a low voice, "The competition is in one day, Harry, how are the preparations going?"

"Uh, it's alright," Harry replied somewhat guiltily.

"Don't be nervous, Harry." Hagrid patted his shoulder with his heavy hand, making his knees bend. "I've always believed that there's nothing you can't do if you set your mind to it... You will win, I know, I can feel it!"

One more day, just one more day...

Harry felt time slipping away, as if someone had cast a spell on the clocks, making them spin incredibly fast.

The day before the competition, in the Gryffindor Common Room.

Loren enthusiastically fiddled with the fur he had plucked from the little Unicorn yesterday, occasionally jotting something down in his notebook.

Hermione was reading a thick history book, her chin resting on her hand, but her eyes kept glancing to the side.

Why isn't this person doing their Astronomy homework?

Every now and then, a young wizard would pass by and say "good luck" to Harry, Harry would respond listlessly.

"I know what I should do." Harry lay listlessly on "Twenty Swimming Tips". "If I want to swim fast, I should use Gillyweed, and if I have enough time, I'll swim slowly with red coral."

"But the faster you complete the task, the higher your score will be," Ron whispered. "Don't you want to become the Champion champion?"

Ron was even more nervous Harry. He wanted to be a part of the competition and make a name for himself, and he wouldn't allow anyone to hold him back.

"I..."

Harry admitted he was smitten.

"Go Harry! Nobody wants you to be the champion more than we do," Fred's voice suddenly came. "Then we can save up enough money to open the shop much faster."

"Oh, do you two need something from us?" Ron asked.

"We want to ask you where Ginny is?" George grabbed his shoulders and shook him back and forth. "Professor McGonagall called her over, and also Cho Chang, Gabrielle from Beauxbatons, and Bute from Ilvermorny ..."

"What, Ginny?!"

Ron was struck dumb.

"Place your bets! Place your bets! Don't hesitate, act now! Come on, everyone, don't be shy!"

"The second match of the Goblet of Fire Triwizard Tournament is about to begin..."

On the shore of Black Lake, George and Fred were loudly hawking their wares, each carrying paper and pen to ensure that every bet was documented and that no one would back out.

"Four boys and one girl!"

"Fair odds, only this company offers them..."

"Want to place a bet?"

"Of five who go into the water, how many will survive?"

Just then, two figures walked by, hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder. Hermione looked at them expressionlessly and said, "Oh, please, you two, have some decency..."

Loren looked at their equipment with great interest. "And you assured Mr. Weasley that you wouldn't gamble, about what happened at the Quidditch World Cup that night, have you forgotten?"

Fred shrugged. "Oh, we didn't participate in the gambling."

"We're the dealer." George exchanged a glance with him, then turned and called out even louder.

"I've placed my bet!"

"Phoebe, one to ten."

Loren and Hermione smiled helplessly and turned to walk towards the arena.

Where is Ron?

"Have no idea."

"..."

Harry and Neville walked side by side, avoiding the gazes of those around them as they examined the Gillyweed in their hands. It was sticky, had a slightly fishy smell, and was shaped like countless slippery, grayish-green rat tails.

"This will make your arms and legs grow webs, greatly increasing your swimming speed."

"Are you sure, Neville?"

"Of course, that's what the book says."

"Can it last for an hour?"

"It should be possible."

"Should be okay?"

"..."

The second match was held underwater, with judges scoring based on the Mermaid ' language broadcasts. Spectators on the surface couldn't watch the match at all. Moreover, five Champion competed simultaneously, with the match lasting an hour, or one and a half hours including the start and end. Therefore, the spectator seating for this match was much more basic than that of the first match.

A gentle breeze rippled across the lake's surface. In the center of the lake, three wooden and haystack-built spectator stands stood, while narrow wooden boats came and went, welcoming and sending off the young wizards.

On the hastily erected judge's platform, Ludo Bagman pressed his wand against his neck, his voice booming like thunder across the dark lake and reaching the opening stage:

"Welcome to the second event. Last night, all five Champion had something stolen from them—their treasure."

The Champion lined up on the shore, each ten feet apart, wearing different swimsuits.

Harry was on the far right, but his eyes couldn't help glancing to the left. The boys weren't anything special, but Phoebe was. She was wearing a backless one-piece swimsuit, revealing a large expanse of smooth, fair skin.

Loren and Hermione found a corner to sit down. Since there was no live broadcast, it didn't matter. They took out some snacks and fed the fish.

"Do you have to feed the fish even if you're not fishing?" Hermione glanced at him indifferently.

"You don't understand, this is about accumulating luck." Loren said without looking to the side, casually tossing down a few Chips.

"Are Phoebe's legs pretty?"

"It should be considered good-looking, Harry was stunned, crunch crunch..." Loren said slowly, calmly chewing Chips, "But I don't know, mainly because I've never seen other girls dress like this, so I don't have a reference standard and can't tell whether it looks good or not."

"Yeah?"

"Yes, so when are you going to wear it for me to see?"

After Loren finished speaking, he secretly glanced at her legs. They were straight, with beautiful curves and excellent proportions.

It's a pity, he was wearing jeans on the outside.

"Look at strawberry pudding!" Hermione finally couldn't help but spit at him, reaching out to cover his eyes, her fingers tightly pressed together, leaving him no gaps.

"Hey, that's not fair! There are clearly more male Champion, and I didn't even stop you from watching..."

Loren's protest was drowned out by Bagman's explanation. "... These five treasures, one for each Champion, are now lying at the bottom of Black Lake. To win, each Champion must find the treasure and return to the surface. The difficulty is that there is a one-hour time limit!"

A sharp whistle echoed in the cold, crisp air, and cheers and applause erupted from the stands.

With a few thuds, Hermione released her hand from his eyes, and the spot where the Champion had been standing side by side was now empty.

"It's all your fault! I didn't see what magic the other Champion used," Loren complained indignantly. "You have to make it up to me, I want to see their swimsuits!"

Hermione, expressionless, reached into his bag of Chips: "Cedric and Phoebe used the Bubble-Head Charm, but Phoebe doesn't seem to have fully mastered it yet. Krum used Human Transfiguration to transform into a half-human, half-shark form. Gravis didn't seem unusual; he appeared to have something like leaves in his mouth. Crunch, crunch..."

"I don't care, this match wasn't very interesting to begin with, you're going to compensate me for my viewing experience." Loren secretly glanced at her expression.

"..."

Hermione suddenly felt the weight of another leg on her lap. Looking down, she saw that the person had placed their left leg on her lap, sitting in a strange position with their buttocks still on the stool.

"This is not compensation, this is just interest. Compensation will be calculated separately."

"..."

Hermione tiptoed and swayed a couple of times, finding a less awkward angle.

"Your legs are so soft and bouncy, can I sit on them?" Loren fed her a Chips.

"Crack, crack..."

"Silence means you agree, okay?"

Hermione was silent for a long time, then said softly, "I disagree, but I can tutor you in Astronomy."

Loren clicked his tongue, giving her a meaningful look, but she turned her head to look at the water, pretending to be engrossed in the game, munching on Chips: "Crunch, crunch..."

"I disagree!" Loren said in a deep voice. "I should be tutoring you. I'm very good at Astronomy Class!"

"..."