The Toad Submarine
To celebrate Christmas, Hogwarts ' Great Hall was decorated beautifully and spectacularly, with the walls adorned with cascading ribbons of holly and mistletoe.
There were twelve towering Christmas trees standing in the room, some with glittering icicles hanging from them, and others with hundreds of candles twinkling in the air.
However, despite the magnificent decorations, few people appreciated them; everyone was still discussing the Black Lake.
Professor Quirrell disappeared and did not attend the dinner.
It is said that when Filch found him, his clothes were disheveled, his body showed signs of violence in many places, and he was in a mess.
He huddled alone in a corner, covering his collar and crying.
Madam Pomfrey said she couldn't save him; it was a psychological trauma and he needed to be sent to St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries for a specialist consultation.
However, when Dumbledore summoned the healer, Quirrell had already disappeared.
Snape angrily demanded that Dumbledore deduct points from William and his companions, accusing them of ruining the great friendship between wizards and Merpeople.
He also demanded that Cedric hand over the Merpeople's hair.
Dumbledore spoke with the Merpeople chieftain and easily resolved the matter.
The next day, everyone packed their bags, preparing to board the Hogwarts Train and return to Station 9.
Standing near Hogwarts Station, surrounded by people coming and going, William saw Cedric others off onto the train, and then they strolled along the road.
William held up an ordinary umbrella, shielding Hermione as they walked slowly through the swirling snow, leaving four rows of parallel footprints.
When they reached a deserted place, Hermione asked doubtfully, "How should we get to Mr. Flamel's place?"
Are you taking the train? Or a bus or Portkey?
William shook his head. "None of these modes of transport can get to Nicolas's estate."
Nicolas Flamel has lived for over six hundred years and has seen countless wizards in that long period of time.
There were many more dark wizards, greedy for his wealth and Philosopher's Stone, so the most secretive and ancient protective magic was cast around his manor.
Apparition are prohibited there, they are not marked on maps, and they cannot be found using conventional means of transportation.
In fact, without someone to guide them, outsiders simply cannot find the location or the entrance.
William pulled two gold invitations from his pocket, each bearing the name of William and Hermione respectively.
William said to the letter, "We're about to leave."
Soon, the golden letter floated in mid-air, and golden Incendio roared up, engulfing the letter.
The letter did not burn to ashes, but instead coalesced in the flames into a palm-sized golden toad.
The golden toad croaked twice, and its body suddenly swelled up to about four meters tall. There was also a wooden door on the side.
William turned the wooden doorknob and strode inside, whereupon a row of torches on the walls lit up.
This is a large room, almost twice the size of Dumbledore's office.
A row of bookshelves stood on the left wall, while various expensive wines were displayed on the right wall; the entire room was decorated in a luxurious and extravagant style.
William and Hermione entered, where a House-elf, dressed in a dark suit jacket, brown tie, skinny jeans, and loafers, stood respectfully to their side.
House-elf are creatures that are two to three feet tall.
Their arms and legs appeared very long and thin, they had a large head and a pair of big eyes, as well as large, pointed ears like bats.
House-elf typically don't wear clothes; instead, they wrap themselves in pillowcases or tea towels.
William had never seen such a spirited House-elf before.
He bowed gracefully to William and Hermione.
"Mr. Stark and Miss Granger, my name is Mercury, and I'm at your service."
William nodded kindly at him.
This wasn't the first time William had seen House-elf; there were hundreds in Howorth's Kitchen alone.
However, even the House-elf at Hogwarts weren't as clean as Nicolas's House-elf.
Similarly, House-elf are servants of wizards; they must obey their masters, and they gain their freedom when their masters give them clothes to wear.
Nicolas's House-elf not only wore clothes, but even had a magic wand in his pocket.
This kind of "illegal" behavior wouldn't be considered illegal in Nicolas's case, since nobody can do anything about it.
That's one of the advantages of living a long life: wealth and status are readily available.
Hermione stared at Mercury with curiosity; it was the first time she had ever seen such a creature.
William and Hermione settled into the comfortable, luxurious sofa, Mercury gestured to the black tea and a large plate of cookies on the coffee table.
"If you want anything to eat, just let me know."
Just tap the plate, tell them what you want to eat, and it will appear automatically—it's incredibly convenient.
William remarked that even a simple mode of transportation could be so sophisticated; this was clearly a different way of life for some people.
As expected of Nicolas Flamel!
Mercury took a seashell from his pocket and said softly, "Passengers confirmed to be on board."
He paused for a moment. "Mr. Flamel, your guest, I will deliver him at five o'clock this afternoon. Please let me know if you need anything."
"What's that?" Hermione asked curiously, pointing to the conch shell.
"Sound Transmission Conch," Hercules explained respectfully, "Is just a little trinket that Mr. Flamel made using Alchemy."
Despite Mercury's simple explanation, this product is expensive, similar to Two-Way Mirror.
Mercury opened a door and went inside; the part that was the toad's eye was where he would control the toad to go to Nicolas Manor.
With Mercury's control, the giant toad suddenly leaped up and hopped to Hogwarts Station in two steps.
"Look, what's that!" Lee Jordan shouted, pointing to the golden toad outside the window.
Everyone saw this monster, which was over four meters tall.
The toad hopped again, moving far away from the train, and after a few leaps, jumped into the Black Lake.
Huge splashes of water rose on the surface, waves crashed against the damp lake shore, and the toad quickly disappeared.
The pulsation outside is completely imperceptible inside.
Hermione was extremely curious about everything, and she pulled William around the room to show him around.
This is a restaurant.
"This is the restroom."
"This is the bathroom... Wow, what a huge pool!"
"Here..." Hermione suddenly closed the door, her face slightly flushed.
Through the crack in the door, William caught a glimpse of a luxurious bed.
In addition to these abilities, this toad can also change color; after jumping into the lake, its skin turns transparent.
In this way, William and Hermione, sitting inside the toad's belly, could easily see the scenery in the Black Lake, just like in an aquarium.
Beneath the Black Lake lies a strange, dark, and hazy landscape: a jungle of undulating, tangled black aquatic plants, and a wide, flat expanse of mud and sand scattered with Winky pebbles.
The toad swam deeper and deeper, heading towards the center of the lake.
Soon, a large rock appeared in the murky lake water.
The rocks are painted with many Merpeople, holding spears, chasing something that looks like Giant Squid, led by a woman.
But that woman wasn't ugly at all; she was a real Merpeople!
The Merpeople possessed a bewitching and beautiful appearance. Her bare upper body revealed a pair of large breasts, and her long, black hair hung loosely down to her waist, making her body appear even more voluptuous and beautiful.
In the Merpeople's right hand, she held a silver trident.
William stared intently at the Merpeople; she seemed to have come to life.
Just then, William heard singing, a voice that was like heavenly music.
(Third update complete, one more update still owed.)
Thank you so much to "Silver Glow Cup" for the generous donation! ψ(`?′)ψ)