Helena Ravenclaw

Amid cheers from the crowd, Kyle, sporting the Bubble-Head Charm, plunged directly into the lake.

While the Bubble-Head Charm allowed him to move freely underwater, it didn't provide any speed advantage, so Kyle immediately took out his wand and used Transfiguration to create a pair of flippers for himself.

This makes swimming much faster.

Black Lake was vast and bottomless. The further Kyle swam downstream, the dimmer the light became. After using the viewing platform on the water to determine his direction, he swam towards the middle of the lake.

Through the bubbles in front of me, the dark, hazy lake water seemed to exude an eerie aura.

The little fish swam gently, brushing past Kyle like silver arrows.

However, this wasn't exactly a beautiful scene, because besides the small fish, there were also quite a few Grindylow in the lake.

They hide in the dark corners of the lake, trying to attack any creature that passes by.

Kyle encountered two, but fortunately he noticed them in time and stunned them with a spell before Grindylow's claws could reach out.

Dealing with these dark creatures is a simple extraction spell, so it's quite easy... Of course, that's assuming there are only one or two. If there's a group, it'll be a bit more troublesome.

Kyle picked up speed and continued swimming forward.

He only had half an hour left; he had to find the right place as quickly as possible.

Along the way, Grindylow kept jumping out from the shadows or seaweed, causing Kyle a lot of trouble.

There was another bubble that tried to grab Kyle's head, and it met the worst fate, being knocked out of the water by Knockback Jinx and disappearing somewhere unknown.

Just as Kyle knocked the Grindylow away, a voice suddenly came from the tranquil Black Lake.

"You seem to be in a bit of trouble..."

Kyle turned his head sharply and saw a blurry, pearly white figure floating beside him.

"You are... Lady Grey of Ravenclaw?" Kyle said, his voice muffled after the Bubble-Head Charm.

He never expected to see a ghost here, especially not Ravenclaw ghost.

Lady Grey's ghost remained melancholy; she circled Kyle once, then pointed.

"You can go that way."

However, Kyle did not move, but continued to look at her with a puzzled expression.

Honestly, if it were any other ghost, whether it was the Fat Friar from Hufflepuff, the Nearly Headless Nick, or Moaning Myrtle or Peeves, Kyle would have swum over there without a second thought.

Since Kyle had dealt with them before and they were somewhat familiar with each other, it was understandable that the ghosts would come over to help.

But Lady Grey... Kyle didn't remember having any interaction with her, not even exchanging a single word with her.

And even Ravenclaw's students were like that; she would just drift aimlessly around the castle every day, ignoring everyone.

Kyle couldn't understand why she would suddenly come out to help him... It couldn't possibly be for the honor of Hogwarts, could it? Even Peeves probably wouldn't believe that.

"I overheard your conversation a few days ago... you were talking to an unseen wizard."

Seemingly anticipating Kyle's question, Lady Grey immediately said, "I also heard you talking about my mother's Ravenclaw's Diadem... I'd like to know if it's true."

"Your mother..."

"Rowena Ravenclaw," Lady Grey said, "I am her daughter, and when I was alive, my name was Helena Ravenclaw."

Hearing her say that, Kyle remembered that there did seem to be such a thing.

"Ah, yes," he said quickly, "I've found the Grey Lady's Ravenclaw's Diadem."

"Can you tell me?" Lady Grey, or rather Helena Ravenclaw, said softly, "I heard you mention 'fixing'... Is the Ravenclaw's Diadem broken?"

"I'm sorry, this is a matter that can't be explained in a few words, and..." Kyle pointed towards the water, "I may not have any extra time right now."

"Then let's wait until after this competition," Helena Ravenclaw said. "I'll be waiting for you in the castle."

Kyle nodded, then swam in the direction she was pointing.

Because of the extra time lost, Kyle had to speed up again...

About ten minutes later, he heard intermittent shouts and a painful scream.

The lake water ahead suddenly turned murky. Passing through a patch of water plants, Kyle saw a clearing with about a dozen Merpeople holding spears and ropes, chasing a strange creature.

Its upper body is that of a horse, and its lower body is more like that of a fish. It is covered with broad-leaved cattails, which look like manes.

Kelpie!

Are there still these kinds of creatures in the Black Lake at Hogwarts?

Kyle was slightly surprised, but quickly realized that no one knew how big the Black Lake was or what its deepest part connected to, so it was not unusual for a Kelpie to appear there.

The Kelpie in front of us probably wandered here by accident and strayed into the Merpeople's territory, and is being chased.

A single Merpeople might not be a match for the Kelpie, but against a well-equipped and trained team of Merpeople, the Kelpie would have little advantage.

Several spears were stuck in its body, and its forehooves and tail were tightly bound with ropes. Large amounts of blood gushed from its wounds and scattered in the lake.

In addition, there were many other motionless Merpeople around, clearly indicating that the Merpeople had also suffered heavy losses in their efforts to capture it.

As Kyle was thinking, the Merpeople spotted him, and several spears were instantly aimed at him.

"Who's there..." the leading Merpeople shrieked.

He looked nothing like the Merpeople in the castle portrait; he had yellow eyes, missing teeth, iron-gray skin, and messy, tangled hair like a bunch of seaweed. He also wore pebbles strung together with thick rope around his neck.

"I am a student of Hogwarts, one of the Champion of the Triwizard Tournament," Kyle quickly explained. "I need to complete the Second Task underwater; Professor Dumbledore should have told you about that."

The Merpeople leader lowered his guard slightly and continued to turn his attention to the Kelpie.

"Wizard, this isn't where they're trapped. You need to keep going. Hurry, it's dangerous here."

"I think I can help you." Kyle didn't leave, but swam a little further forward.

"The Kelpie is going berserk. If this continues, even if you manage to kill it, you'll lose at least half of your manpower."

"This is our responsibility, it's none of your business."

"I can help you," Kyle said again. "I've seen how Newt Scamander dealt with the Kelpie; you should know him."

Based on his experience, Newt's name in front of intelligent Fantastic Beasts is generally effective, especially in the vicinity of Hogwarts.

As expected...

"Scamander?"

Upon hearing this name, the Merpeople leader turned his head again and looked Kyle up and down.

"He helped us find this habitat, he's a friend of our tribe forever... Do you really know him?"

"Of course," Kyle said quickly. "I go to his house every holiday."

He swam a little further, and this time, the Merpeople didn't chase him away.