Champions Take the Plunge

As the competition drew near, all the young wizards discussed only the Triwizard Tournament. They were incredibly curious about how exciting the Second Task would be, First Task had already given them so much to marvel at.

February 23rd arrived—the eve of the Second Task of the Goblet of Fire competition.

In the common room, Skylar was chatting with several younger Slytherin students, mostly members of the Sleeping Dragon Society, but some were just there for the fun of it. Besides encouraging Skylar, they also hoped to hear any insights into learning magic from Skylar; even a little bit of such advice would be invaluable to the young wizards.

Just then, Hector Fawley, the Prefect of the seventh year, walked in. "Daphne, you need to come with me for a moment. Professor Snape wants me to take you to his office."

Daphne and Skylar exchanged a glance, instantly understanding each other's thoughts. Then, Daphne gracefully stood up and gently tugged at her sleeve. Apart from Skylar, no one saw that her sleeve concealed her fair, delicate hands and the more than five bracelets adorning her wrists.

The bracelet was made by Skylar himself, just for this moment.

The bracelet was engraved with Ancient Runes the size of flies, using the same engraving technique as the Anti-Dizziness Bracelet, but the inscriptions read "Gods' Protection," "Mind Mirror Wall," and "Soul Fortress," among other spells. Skylar was confident that, let alone the likes of the Ghosts Society, even if Voldemort himself came, he would not be able to easily Legilimency Daphne, plant a Soul Imperius Curse, or seize her body with a remnant of his soul without her noticing.

Daphne followed Fawley out of the common room.

Skylar lowered his eyes, concealing the glint in them. The Second Task did not deviate from the plot, which was reasonable, since Professor Moody, played by Barty Crouch Jr. Crouch Jr., was merely a Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor; he could not possibly have the power or ability to interfere with such an internationally competitive event.

The next day.

At nine o'clock in the morning, students who had finished breakfast early left the Great Hall in small groups and headed to the competition venue located by Black Lake. The seats that surrounded the Fire Dragon Enclosure last November were now arranged in layers on the opposite shore of the lake, and the venue was completely full, with their reflections in the lake below.

On the other side of the lake stood a table covered with a golden tablecloth. Behind the table sat five referees: Dumbledore, Maxime, Karkaroff, Bagman, and Percy Weasley. Percy was there on behalf of Mr. Crouch.

Beside the referee's table stood two pretty female Champion. Looking at their tight-fitting robes, Skylar curled his lip, inwardly complaining about his dissatisfaction with the original world. He remembered that in the movie world, the female Champion wore low-cut swimsuits.

Skylar was also by the referee's table, but he was sitting down; the chair had been conjured from thin air using Conjuring Spell. He sat there, leisurely resting and adjusting his state.

Eleanor and Katarin, like him, arrived at the competition venue early, but Harry was still nowhere to be seen.

Harry arrived just two minutes before the match was scheduled to begin.

Bagman didn't give Harry a chance to catch his breath before walking over and saying, "You all know what you're supposed to do now, right?"

Seeing each Champion nod, he wore a satisfied expression, then cast a Sonorus Charm on himself, "Listen up, everyone! Our Champion are in position. I'll whistle once, Second Task will begin. They have a full hour to reclaim what was stolen from them. I'll count to three. One... two... three!"

A sharp whistle echoed in the cold, still air. A burst of cheers and applause erupted from the stands. Harry didn't look at what the other Champion were doing; he quickly took off his shoes and socks, pulled the handful of Gillyweed from his pocket, stuffed it into his mouth, and then waded into the lake.

A shrewd glint flashed in Skylar Dobby under his control; he couldn't possibly have secretly sent Harry Gillyweed. And last night, Ron and Hermione were clearly in the library helping Harry find a way to breathe underwater. This information was reported by members of the Sleeping Dragon Society whom he trusted; it couldn't be false. The only possibility was that Barty Crouch Jr. Crouch. had helped Harry in some way he couldn't have imagined.

It seems that Barty Crouch Jr.'s ability to become Voldemort's right-hand man at such a young age was not solely due to his almost fanatical loyalty. He was indeed a meticulous and shrewd individual. Under Skylar's careful arrangements, he was able to help Harry unravel the secret of the Golden Egg and deliver the Gillyweed to Harry without anyone noticing.

Harry stood Dazed in the lake, the water already above his knees, his soaked robes hanging heavily down. Skylar couldn't bear to look at him; had this guy forgotten to even put Water-and-Fire Immunity Charm on his robes after leaving Hermione?

Laughter erupted from the stands on the other side of the lake as they watched the Champion's every move through Omnioculars.

Eleanor's performance was mediocre; she simply used the Bubble-Head Charm that Krum and Cedric used in the original story. A huge bubble grew on her head, making her facial features appear elongated and widened, which looked quite comical.

Katarin cast an extremely obscure Transfiguration Spell on herself, a "Whale-Lung Charm" that would give her lung capacity comparable to that of a whale.

The two female Champion had barely finished casting their spells when they plunged into the water without hesitation.

At that moment, two narrow gills grew under Harry's ears, and webbed fingers and toes appeared. He then dived into the lake.

After the three Champion disappeared, Skylar stood up from his chair and strolled leisurely towards the water. His steps were very slow, but steady and powerful, and with each step, a subtle change appeared in his demeanor.

Bagman, who was on the judges' stand, was enthusiastically introducing the other Champion's Bubble-Head Charm, Whale-Lung Charm, and Gillyweed when he saw Skylar's behavior and was immediately stunned. In his eyes, Skylar seemed to have no idea what to do. He hadn't chanted any spells or even taken out his wand, and just walked towards the Black Lake like an idiot.

"Has he given up because he hasn't found a way to breathe underwater?" he couldn't help but wonder.

But is that really the case?

Among the rescue team next to the referee's table, Professor McGonagall covered her mouth, her eyes filled with excitement.

Dumbledore stood up, his half-moon spectacles reflecting a bright luster in the sunlight, and took over Bagman's narration duties.

As expected of Dumbledore, he could amplify his voice with Sonorus Charm without uttering any incantations.

"Brilliant... truly brilliant..." Dumbledore said, only those familiar with him would notice the slight tremor in his voice, revealing his profound inner turmoil. "The Hogwarts Champion, Mr. Malfoy, has chosen a spell similar to Human Transfiguration, but with subtle differences in details. This is Transfiguration never before seen in history, yes..." Dumbledore's voice softened slightly, "I must admit, even I cannot discern what kind of magic it is."

What? Magic that even Dumbledore couldn't see!

The other four judges on the panel could no longer remain seated. They all stood up abruptly, staring intently at Skylar's back, trying to discern the nature of the magic Skylar was using.

"I used to think that the Animagus represented the pinnacle of Transfiguration, the highest achievement a Transfiguration master could attain—" Dumbledore continued, "But it seems I must admit I'm old, and my views on magic are no longer applicable to the Wizarding World today. Today, Mr. Malfoy has shown us another kind of scenery beyond that pinnacle!"

"However, it's not hard to deduce that this is a way to achieve the effect of breathing through the skin by Human Transfiguration... Of course, I have a feeling that the purpose and function of this magic are definitely not that simple. Now let's enjoy Mr. Malfoy's performance!"

The stands erupted. The cheers were like ocean waves, one higher than the next.

Madame Maxime shook her head, turned to Dumbledore and congratulated him. With someone like Skylar emerging from Hogwarts, it was likely that Hogwarts would be the undisputed "best school in Europe" in the upcoming European Magical Education Assessment.

Karkaroff's face turned pale instantly, but he was also secretly relieved that he hadn't accepted Skylar's challenge that day. It seemed that the chances of him losing to Skylar were not small!

This is no longer a game between Champion.

This is an innovation for the entire Wizarding World!

The step Skylar took may have been just a small one, but it represented a new era in the magical world, a new beginning of infinite possibilities!