Tris charged ahead so fast that he missed the wonderful sight behind him.
At that moment, he had only one thought in his head. Surely it wasn't really Ron?
He hadn't seen Ron on the shore just now, nor had he seen Hermione or Cho Chang. It seemed the logic of this task hadn't changed: the hostages were still people important to the Champions.
Harry must be rescuing Cho Chang this time. Had my "treasure" become my brother Ron? Ugh! No thanks!
But wait, wouldn't that make Ron the only boy among the four "treasures"? Oh, he was the only boy in the original story too. Heh.
With that thought, Tris flicked his tail and picked up even more speed. Along the way, he encountered Grindylows lurking in the weeds and a few other aquatic magical creatures-Black Lake really was full of them.
But Tris was so fast that by the time they raised their heads, he had already swept past. They never even had a chance to attack.
That left the three Champions behind him in a rather miserable position.
Behind Tris, Harry and Pheobe were swimming almost neck and neck.
Penguins waddled slowly on land, leading many people to assume they were sluggish creatures. That wasn't the case at all. When penguins slid over snow on their bellies, they were ridiculously fast! And once in the water, they were superb swimmers.
Harry had spent over a month familiarizing himself with a penguin's anatomy and mastering Animal Transfiguration. The penguin he turned into was plump and chubby, but once in the water, he moved like lightning.
Pheobe, who had transformed into a mermaid, was no slower. The two kept chasing each other, neither willing to fall behind.
Krum, with his shark head, was noticeably slower behind them. Although his