The Merperson's Trident
Nimbus 2000 flew around inside the castle, instantly attracting the attention of countless young wizards.
Watching a spectacle is human nature, and even wizards are no exception. Everyone followed the flying broomsticks at a distance, running quickly towards the castle gate.
Professor Quirrell stood alone in the corridor. He glanced around and, finding no one else, quickly took off his bulky outer shell.
Quirrell also wanted to take this opportunity to check out the Restricted Section on the fourth floor, as his attire made movement inconvenient.
Just then, a loud bang rang in his ears. Quirrell turned his head and saw a flying broom flying straight out from around the corner.
The flying broomstick fully demonstrated the superior performance of the Nimbus 2000; it drifted ninety degrees in the air without even slowing down.
Because of the corner, Quirrell failed to spot the broom in time, and by then the two were less than five meters apart.
Quirrell hadn't studied physics, so he couldn't brainstorm how it would take a fraction of a second for the broom to hit him, nor could he calculate how much kinetic energy he would gain if they collided.
But that didn't stop him from keenly perceiving... there was no escaping it!
A glint of light flashed in Professor Quirrell's eyes. In that split second, everything seemed to stand still, and Quirrell was already in his memory palace.
He transformed into Holmes, clasping his hands together in front of his mouth, constantly contemplating the consequences.
There are essentially two choices...
Catch the broom with your face, or with the back of your head.
If it hits your face, the consequences can range from disfigurement to concussion... and even amnesia is possible.
So how will he complete the task of resurrecting the Dark Lord?
If the latter is chosen, the special magic of having two bodies and two faces can transfer damage away, reducing the damage to oneself and better preserving the useful body.
but,
That's the Dark Lord's face!
Forget it, let's prioritize the mission. A small act of impatience could ruin a great plan.
Quirrell turned his head back without hesitation.
The redwood touched the scarf and slammed it hard against the back of Quirrell's head. Quirrell felt a great force come over him, and his body flew forward, sliding more than ten meters down the corridor.
At that moment, a heart-wrenching wail emanated from Quirrell's body, a sound that reached the very depths of his soul.
But this was just the beginning. Wizards from afar rushed over, their eyes fixed on the flying broom, oblivious to the person lying on the ground.
Professor Snape, leading the charge, stepped on Quirrell's head.
The professor let out a soft "hmm," noting the pleasant texture, as if he had just stepped on something.
He was about to turn around and check, but the crowd behind him had already swept him forward.
Never mind, let's go see what's going on outside.
At this point, the ice in the middle of the Black Lake was thinning out, while the number of Merpeople surrounding William and his companions was increasing.
William yelled, "Broom!"
With a sudden whooshing sound, the Nimbus 2000 flew in. It flew into the Black Lake and abruptly stopped in mid-air beside William.
William flipped onto the broom, Cedric followed closely behind, Fred grabbed the end of the broom, and George grabbed Fred's legs. The four of them soared into the air.
An angry uproar erupted from the Merpeople.
The elderly Merpeople chieftain brandished his enormous trident.
William had previously thought it was just an ornament, but now it seemed that was not the case. As the Merpeople chanted a spell, the ice on the Black Lake instantly melted, releasing a large amount of water vapor.
He swung his hand again, and the lake water surged and churned instantly.
William ignored Fred and George, who were floating in mid-air, and shouted "Watch out!" before increasing his speed and shooting away.
I'm off, I'm off, hehe~
With the swing of the trident, the lake surface was cleaved open with a thunderous roar, and waves rose up to five or six meters high.
William flew toward the castle, and the Merpeople's trident followed his direction.
William suddenly braked, stopping his dive in time and leaping into the air. A jet of water shot towards him; if he hadn't dodged it in time, he would have been sprayed directly...
William maneuvered the broom, circling around the Black Lake and dodging one jet of water after another.
Soon, the young wizards arrived, and everyone witnessed the battle.
Snape gloated, "Heh heh, who told you to mess with the Merpeople?"
Amidst the gasps of the crowd, William turned left and right, having already crossed the Black Lake and flown above the crowd.
The twins kept greeting the wizards on the ground; Cedric spotted the gloomy Snape and quickly hid the Merpeople hair in his hand.
He didn't want all his hard work to be taken away by Snape.
When the Merpeople chieftain saw that William and his companions had escaped and that his daughter had lost her "husband," he plunged his trident into the water, stirring up a ripple that sent it crashing toward the shore.
The Black Lake was bustling with activity, but in an instant, the water roared and splashed like a downpour, soaking everyone's clothes.
Snape angrily touched his wet hair. At his feet was a puddle of water, which was dark purple and covered with a lot of greasy substance.
The four perpetrators have returned to the castle.
"I never imagined the Merpeople in the Black Lake were so powerful!" Cedric exclaimed.
"No wonder Mr. Ollivander never uses Merpeople hair; it's far too dangerous."
"Merpeople shouldn't have that kind of fighting ability. Their classification level in the Ministry of Magic is also XXXX, similar to Troll," William analyzed.
"It must be the trident in the Merpeople's hand; it seems to be able to control the Black Lake."
"Wow... could it be another treasure left behind by one of the Four Founders?" Fred exclaimed excitedly. "Like the Sword of Gryffindor, the Ravenclaw's Bronze Ring..."
"Can we go down?" George asked.
They just angered the Merpeople, and now they're thinking of diving to the bottom of the Black Lake. They really are courting death.
"There are many ways to dive into the Black Lake," William laughed. "Breath-Holding Potion, Bubble-Head Charm, or even using Animagus to turn into a fish."
Of course, the simplest way is to use Gillyweed!
What is * Gillyweed *?
"A precious aquatic magical plant, which generally grows in the Mediterranean Sea, and its shape resembles countless slippery gray mouse tails."
Eating it can cause people to grow gills and webbed feet, allowing them to move freely underwater for more than an hour.
Of course, there are also the tentacles of the Colossal Squid. If these tentacles are used instead of Gillyweed, the diving potion made can be made to last up to a week.
"Where can I find it?" Cedric asked.
"Professor Snape has some in his medicine pantry," William sighed.
These were all valuable things he had seen in the time loop, but unfortunately, Professor Snape had hidden them all away.
Even with all that, William and his men still couldn't take the trident away.
Merpeople cannot go ashore, but in the water, William is no match for them either.
So they could only think about it and forget about it.