Sneaking into the Black Lake to Visit the Merpeople / Explaining the Plan, Doing Alchemy on the Spot...

(P. S. If you do the math, you'll see that it's entirely possible to go from a few thousand Galleon to ten thousand in just over a month.)

Ludo Bagman comes to the protagonist every week to repay the money, but each time he is short by several hundred Galleon, so he has to borrow more.

Let's calculate based on 1500 Galleon. Borrowing for five weeks would already amount to 7500, plus the principal, that's 9000. Add a little interest, and it could easily reach tens of thousands...

Of course, Ludo's situation is rather extreme, since very few people are so persistent in hitting a brick wall. However, since he's portrayed as a fool, let's not dwell on the specific details of his methods. Any other approach could have easily left him with a mountain of debt.

In short, some things are extremely dangerous, and you should absolutely, ever avoid them!

Above~)

Chapter 687 Infiltrating the Black Lake to Visit the Merpeople

After resolving the Ludo Bagman issue, Harry summoned a House-elf and had him put the money he had swindled onto the nursing home's account.

After that, Harry for a moment and decided to go to Black Lake.

The second match of the Triwizard Tournament is less than two weeks away, and Harry will need the Merpeople's help, so he needs to let Merkus and the others know in advance.

So he went to the pond in the nursing home courtyard, gathered the Elemental Power around himself, and jumped in.

The bottom of the nursing home's pond is connected to the Black Lake. As long as you dive to the bottom of the lake and find the corresponding magic circle, you can easily teleport to the underwater area of Black Lake.

A faint light flashed underwater, and the next second, Harry was already at the bottom of the Black Lake.

"Hiss... it's so cold."

As soon as the water changed, Harry immediately felt a bone-chilling cold, so he quickly cast a spell on himself to keep warm.

Diving into the Black Lake in such temperatures would be a considerable challenge for the Champion, but with Hermione's intelligence, she would surely have thought of the need for insulation beforehand.

Harry looked around to find his way. The visibility in Black Lake was now very high. Since the summer vacation of his second year, after more than a year and a half of treatment, the water quality of Black Lake was much better than before.

If Black Lake were still like before, with all sorts of Hogwarts students crowding in, Harry would absolutely not agree to Hermione's participation; the thought alone was disgusting.

If Hermione swam a lap and then came up S.P.E.W. uncontrollably, Harry would be heartbroken!

Now there's no problem. After the estuary was reopened, the once stagnant lake water has become flowing again. It's not only clearer than before, but the underwater garbage and debris have also been Scourgify.

At this moment, the Black Lake is filled with aquatic plants and various kinds of unknown algae that sway with the waves, which are clearly beautiful corals that the Merpeople brought from the ocean.

Planted on flat, fine sand, they emit a dreamlike, soft light in the dark lake water, resembling uniquely shaped streetlights.

And at the end of the road was Harry's destination.

He dived down to the sandy bottom of the lake, and as soon as he stood firm, he immediately attracted the attention of the local indigenous people.

Several Grindylow emerged from the surrounding seaweed and immediately let out a series of shrieks upon seeing Harry.

Of course, although the voice was unpleasant, it meant no harm; the Grindylow were simply passing on a message.

Soon, Grindylow's voice attracted the main Merpeople of the lake: several mermaids wielding spears, accompanied by several beautiful Hippocampus.

"Lord Granger? What brings you to the lake today?"

As soon as they saw Harry, all the Merpeople immediately surrounded him respectfully.

One of the Merpeople politely inquired about Harry's purpose in coming. Harry vaguely remembered that the other person was one of Merkus's lieutenants.

However, his appearance seems a little different from before.

"Have you all changed in appearance? I almost didn't recognize you just now."

Harry looked around carefully and found that not only the fishman who had just spoken to him, but almost all the fishmen were different from before.

The fishmen patrolling the outskirts of the village were all males, and unlike the ugly, burly men of the past, they were much better looking than they were two years ago.

While he might not be considered handsome, he's at least pleasing to the eye; he's definitely not ugly at all.

Their physiques also seem to have changed quite a bit. Their previous Merpeople designs could only be described as random; although they were fierce and rugged, they were actually just a large, muscular blob.

But now it's different; as Merpeople, they truly possess Merpeople lines.

"It's all thanks to your help!" the Merpeople who had spoken to Harry earlier said gratefully. "Thanks to the change in the Black Lake's water quality, we no longer look the same as before. Leader Merkus has changed even more than us; you'll see when you meet her."

"I see." Harry nodded, but he was somewhat surprised, not expecting that Merpeople would be so sensitive to changes in water quality.

He had read in a book before that Merpeople are creatures whose appearance is significantly affected by water quality. For example, Merpeople living in freshwater are not as aggressive as those living in seawater, and Merpeople in warm waters are often more beautiful, and so on.

He had always thought that this effect would gradually manifest through heredity, but he never expected that in less than two years, these Merpeople would begin to change.

The Merpeople who came to greet Harry led him toward their village. Along the way, they sang clear, high-pitched songs, seemingly communicating with their tribesmen, and soon, melodious songs of different timbres would respond.

When Harry finally arrived at his destination, many members of the Merpeople had already come out to greet him.

They stood in front of the stone-carved house, most of them with expectant looks on their faces. As soon as Harry appeared, they burst into cheerful cheers.

After that, several Merpeople came forward at the same time. The Merpeople in the lead was holding a long spear with a golden spearhead. He was none other than Merkus, the leader of the Merpeople tribe.

If he hadn't been mentally prepared beforehand, Harry really wouldn't have recognized her at all.

The Merpeople wasn't wrong; Merkus's appearance had changed even more noticeably. Her originally iron-gray skin had turned into a glossy white, and her dark green hair was now smoother, tied into a dashing ponytail. She now wore a crown adorned with pearls, and her body was wrapped in seaweed that resembled a veil. Two large seashells were also affixed to her chest.

That makes sense, after all, they're no longer the three long whiskers and chest hair they used to have. It seems the Merpeople tribe's aesthetic sense in clothing is constantly evolving.

"Harry, it's so good to have you here!!"

Upon meeting Harry, Merkus was overjoyed and swam over to give him an enthusiastic bear hug.

"Hello, Merkus ..." Harry could only give an awkward smile and maintain a gentlemanly gesture throughout.

Although Merpeople don't have such taboos, Harry didn't want to take advantage of them.

"I just received a message from the tribe saying you've arrived at Black Lake. I can't believe it at first. And you..."

Merkus stared at Harry, momentarily stunned; she had only just noticed something was amiss.

Harry didn't use the Bubble-Head Charm at all, but he seemed completely unaffected by the lake water, just like these Merpeople.

"I wanted to discuss the Triwizard Tournament with you, so I came uninvited," Harry explained with a smile. "But you all seem to have had a good time these past two years; you all have a lot more decorations on you, and even more ironware."

"Speaking of which, it's all thanks to you."

When the changes in the Merpeople were mentioned, Merkus, like the Merpeople before him, showed a grateful smile.

"Since the mouth of Black Lake was opened to the sea, we have been able to embark on long treks to explore the ocean, and all these things were found by us in the sea."

Chapter 688 Explaining the Plan, On-site Alchemy

The Merkus —and all the other Merpeople, of course—were deeply grateful to Harry.

If Harry initially gained the friendship of Merkus, the leader of the Merpeople, through a strategy of "giving a stick and then a treat," then everything he did afterward would undoubtedly make the Merpeople regard him as a great benefactor they would remember forever.

Merpeople's culture is even more prosperous than that of Centaur. Their artistic sense seems to flow in their blood, and almost every Merpeople is a master craftsman of jewelry, weapons, architecture, and sculpture.

But for the past few decades, they have been living on this barren land of Black Lake, enduring the ever-deteriorating water quality. Forget about artistic creation, even basic survival has become a problem.

It was Harry ultimately resolved their survival crisis, allowing the Black Lake to regain its vitality, and the Merpeople gradually regained their former prosperity.

Therefore, the Merpeople would absolutely obey Harry's instructions.

Take now, for example.

"By the way... I had something I wanted to talk to you about regarding the Triwizard Tournament." After leading Harry into a room in the village and settling him down, Merkus seemed to have thought of something. "Those Champion got the Golden Egg, didn't they? The song we Merpeople sang inside the Golden Egg, the so-called stolen treasure, actually referred to humans."

"People?" Harry frowned. "So, Headmaster and the others are going to put the students underwater?"

"That's right," Merkus nodded, "They will choose the four most important Champion, cast a spell to put them to sleep, and then hand them over to us for care. Within an hour, the Champion need to reach our Merpeople village, find them, and bring them out of the water."

"Is that so...? What if it goes over time?" Harry pressed on. "If the hostages aren't rescued after an hour, will they be in danger?"

"Dumbledore said no, they'll cast a spell to protect them, and after the match, we'll send those who weren't rescued back," Merkus explained, then gave a knowing smile. "So you don't need to worry about your girlfriend at all. She's wearing my bracelet, isn't she? I guarantee she'll have no trouble getting around the Black Lake."

"No, quite the opposite." However, upon hearing Merkus's words, Harry shook his head. "Merkus, on the day of the competition, I need you to increase the difficulty and try to prevent the Champion from rescuing the hostages, including Hermione!"

"Why?" The Merpeople was very puzzled.

"I have an operation scheduled for that day, so the Champion can't interfere." Harry's voice grew serious. "Someone wants to cause trouble in the Black Lake during the second game of the Triwizard Tournament, so I need you, along with Grindylow and the Giant Squid, to set up an ambush at the bottom of the lake. If anyone other than the Champion appears, capture them immediately!"

"Someone actually dares to cause trouble in the Black Lake?" Upon hearing Harry's words, Merkus immediately widened his eyes. "Harry, don't worry, we'll definitely help you catch the troublemaker!"

"Thank you in advance." Harry nodded, and just then he saw the spear that Merkus had placed in the corner of the room, so he casually waved it and made it fly into his palm.

After that, he took out the Sorcerer's Stone and carefully engraved an intricate magic circle on the gun, then cast several spells on it.

"Here you go, it's a pure gold spearhead. Looks like your lives have really improved."

"You were... were you doing alchemy?" Merkus took the spear in a daze, his expression one of utter disbelief. "Harry, you're amazing now!"

When they met again, she found that Harry was much stronger than before.

Not only can they breathe and speak freely underwater like Merpeople, but they can even perform mysterious alchemy with their bare hands...

"It's not that I'm particularly skilled, it's just that this thing is... a bit eerie." Harry glanced at the Sorcerer's Stone in his hand, hesitated, and shook his head.

He learned proper ancient alchemy from Nicolas Flamel, and the image of Rowena in his mind was also that of a master alchemist.

However, under their guidance, the more Harry used the Sorcerer's Stone for alchemy, the more he felt that something was wrong with it.

It's way too easy...

The Sorcerer's Stone is practically a bug in the system; it seems to be able to realize any alchemical idea, including the completely illogical Elixir of Life.

Using the Sorcerer's Stone for alchemy completely violates the general rules of alchemy, something Rowena has said several times.

Equivalent exchange... Nicolas Flamel actually mentioned this principle quite a bit, as is a fundamental rule of ancient alchemy.

However, Nicolas Flamel never explained the origin and creation process of the Sorcerer's Stone to Harry in detail, and he never showed Harry the Book of Abraham, which was used as a reference in the legend.

Harry thought that Nicolas Flamel probably wanted him to gather as much information as possible and then ask him directly.

And recently, he has indeed begun to sense that something is amiss.

To ensure the safety of everyone, Harry has recently been crafting a lot of armor and alchemical items, which naturally require the frequent use of the Sorcerer's Stone.

Then he suddenly realized that when he faced the stone, he inexplicably felt a sense of guilt.

The more he practiced the transmutation, the stronger this feeling became, as if Harry would be doing someone a disservice every time he used the Sorcerer's Stone.

"Alright... let me tell you about this gun." Harry sighed slightly, not wanting to dwell on the issue at this moment, and instead explained to Merkus, "You Merpeople don't know ordinary magic, and this time we're dealing with wizards, so I added a function to this gun for you. If any troublemakers dare to cast spells on you, you can use the tip of the gun to deflect the spells. Also, if you swing it hard, it can cast a fairly powerful sleeping spell, a version that works underwater."

"That's amazing! Thank you so much!" Merkus's eyes lit up, and he hugged the spear to his chest with obvious delight.

She also knew that this was actually Harry's thank-you gift, to express his gratitude for their subsequent help.

This gun will not only be useful in this operation, but it will also greatly improve her safety when she leads her people to explore the outer seas later.

"Anyway, I'm counting on you on the day of the competition," Harry said solemnly to Merkus. "I have some other things to take care of, so I might have to leave Black Lake quietly on the day of the competition, including Kel. Someone else will have to impersonate me and ride him."

The second match was crucial for Harry, as he not only had to catch the two troublemakers, but also sneak back to the nursing home along the magic circle beneath the Black Lake to uncover the secrets hidden by Winky while Barty Crouch was away from his room!

After things at the nursing home and at the lake are over, he'll have to rush back to the game to deal with any potential backlash from the Ministry of Magic.

In short, he's been quite busy, but Harry believes... he'll be the one to win in the end!

Chapter 689 Feeling unwell, seeking divination

February is a busy month for Harry, because in addition to his regular studies and unusual research, he often needs to prepare many things.

For example, gifts... and gifts.

"You seem a little distracted. Is it because of today's date, or is there some other reason?"

In the alchemy laboratory on the Seventh Floor of Hogwarts, Luna Lovegood, who was using a microscope to observe snake blood, looked up and raised an eyebrow at Harry, who had failed to transmute the snake beside her.

A pool of blood exploded on the alchemy table in front of the two, and many drops of blood seeped into the previously drawn transmutation array, making it look like some kind of evil ritual was being performed.

Not only that, the microscope lens was also smeared with blood, and Luna Lovegood's face was also splattered with many mottled marks.

"Sorry... I was a little distracted, and of course, the difficulty of achieving this level of mastery is just too high."