On the way back, the excitement brought on by the lakebed's unusual scenery gradually faded.
The problems they had encountered underwater began to occupy their thoughts, leaving the young wizards in low spirits.
None of them had expected the second task to be so difficult.
The deep sea... The problems posed by that location alone were enough to make their scalps prickle.
They anxiously kicked pebbles along the path, desperately trying to think of ways to solve those thorny problems.
But just as Hermione had feared, these fellows never read, and their heads were empty.
Apart from proposing a few ridiculous ideas-"Malfoy, go buy a Muggle submarine"-
They were practically helpless in the face of their current predicament.
At least... Hermione glanced at the gray sky. The January evening wind was frighteningly cold, cutting like a knife.
Just feeling it blow against her face made her skin sting. Remembering the bone-chilling cold underwater, Hermione shivered and pulled her clothes more tightly around herself.
Seeing her anxious expression, Malfoy comforted her in a low voice:
"Hermione, don't be so nervous. At least we cracked the Golden Egg's secret right at the beginning. We still have plenty of time to prepare.
"Just imagine if we hadn't figured it out until the very end-"
As he spoke, Malfoy fell silent himself, frightened by his own hypothetical scenario.
They had gone underwater twice. Leaving aside the second trip, the first alone had been anything but pleasant.
The icy lake water, the dark surroundings, sounds that seemed both distant and close, those strange noises surrounding him.
His heart had pounded so hard that he felt he could even hear the blood flowing through his veins.
It had felt as though he were falling into an abyss. That sensation had been utterly awful!
Over the