The day after Christmas, everyone seemed to sleep in by unspoken agreement. The Slytherin common room was even quieter than usual, with the students who had already gotten up curled into armchairs and yawning from time to time.
Suddenly, a piercing scream rang through the common room, instantly driving away everyone's remaining drowsiness.
The young wizards turned towards the source of the sound and saw Daphne huddled in her usual seat, staring in shock at the golden egg in her hands, which had split into two halves.
It took her a second to recover from the shrill screaming before she hurriedly snapped the egg shut.
"What is going on? Daphne, what are you doing?" Pansy, who had been whispering with Malfoy, was startled and could not help demanding an explanation from Daphne for causing such an enormous noise.
Unlike Pansy, the other Slytherin students noticed the golden egg in Daphne's hands and immediately understood that she had been trying to decipher its secret.
But what was that screaming supposed to mean?
Was it hinting that there would be a banshee in the next stage?
Or did it mean that the next stage would be extraordinarily brutal?
Malfoy stared at the golden egg. The eerie scream still seemed to echo in his ears, but instead of frightening him, it made him fall into thought.
He remembered an experience from when his father had taken him shopping at Borgin and Burkes.
[Welcome to Borgin and Burkes, honoured Mr. Malfoy. This way, please...]
[Your son certainly has a good eye. This is an alchemical item made from a mermaid skull. If you open the box under normal conditions, it only produces a piercing scream. But if you open it underwater, it begins to sing...]
[You idiot! Haven't I told you before? Without my permission, you are not to touch a single thing in this shop!]
Malfoy remembered that incident very clearly because it had been the first time his father ever struck him.
After Draco opened the box containing the mermaid skull out of curiosity, Lucius Malfoy had beaten him several times with his cane, ensuring that he would remember one rule when visiting places like Borgin and Burkes: never touch the merchandise carelessly.
The scream from his memory was exactly the same as the sound that had just come from Daphne's golden egg.
Malfoy felt as though he had cracked its secret.
His body began trembling with excitement.
The key to winning the World Youth Wizarding Championship was now in his hands!
If Daphne learned this information before the other contestants, she could gain a precious head start in the tournament, build an ever-growing advantage, and ultimately help Hogwarts win the championship.
But...
Daphne's earlier "Get lost!" suddenly resurfaced in his mind.
Remembering her terrible attitude towards him, Malfoy immediately felt somewhat unwilling to share such valuable information with her.
However, Daphne was still a contestant from Slytherin House and was representing Hogwarts.
Thinking of that, Malfoy became conflicted.
Then another thought flashed through his mind.
If he gave her this information, perhaps her attitude towards him would improve a little?
That thought overwhelmed all his other concerns, and Malfoy decided to reveal the golden egg's secret to Daphne.
He believed this choice best served his own interests.
"Mermaids."
Malfoy had only opened his mouth halfway when Rhys's voice suddenly sounded from behind everyone, forcing the words that had already reached his lips back down.
"That was the sound of mermaids."
Under the gazes of everyone in the common room, Rhys slowly walked over to Daphne, drew his wand, and pointed it at an empty cup on the table.
The cup immediately filled with clear water.
"You have to put it underwater to hear the real sound."
Hearing Rhys's words, Malfoy nearly ground his teeth to pieces.
He hated that Rhys had suddenly appeared, and hated himself even more for not revealing the information sooner.
Now all the attention had been stolen by Rhys!
"Really?!"
Daphne gave Rhys a grateful look, dropped the golden egg into the cup of water, then poked it with her wand.
The egg sprang open.
This time, instead of screaming, it produced a song.
However, because the sound had to pass through a layer of water, it was difficult to hear clearly.
Daphne pressed her ear directly against the side of the cup and listened carefully to the golden egg's song.
[Come and find us, on the first day of the new year, where our song can be heard.
We have placed the treasure here. Come search for it, come explore!
It is the key to the new stage, a ladder towards success, a staff to aid you on your path.
Come! You have one hour. Once that hour passes, everything will vanish like a dream.
The mediocre rush in and rush away, taking only the key.
The exceptional fear neither trials nor danger, and shall surely receive a richer reward!]
Daphne listened to the song several times in succession, firmly memorising every line of the lyrics.
Then she placed the cup containing the golden egg back on the table and frowned as she began to think.
'Who does "we" refer to? And where is the place where the song can be heard?'
Daphne thought for a few seconds. The moment she raised her head, she felt she had found the answer.
"We" referred to merpeople, so the "place" in the song had to be Hogwarts' Black Lake.
Once she figured that out, the meaning of the lyrics quickly became clear.
On New Year's Day, the contestants had to go to the bottom of the Black Lake and obtain one or more treasures from the merpeople. These treasures would provide significant assistance in the next stage of the tournament. Anyone who failed to obtain one would be eliminated outright.
The song also revealed two other pieces of information.
First, they only had one hour. Contestants who exceeded the time limit would most likely be eliminated.
Second, it seemed possible to undergo additional trials for richer rewards, but the trials themselves might also cause them to run out of time.
After analysing the information hidden in the song, Daphne narrowed her eyes.
They had to remain underwater in the Black Lake for an hour, and it was the middle of a bitterly cold winter.
That was going to be extremely difficult...
She could not help glancing at Rhys.
If only her Domain were water, she would have nothing to worry about.
Unfortunately, hers was a Magma Domain.
Rhys met Daphne's gaze and instantly understood what she was thinking.
He nearly burst out laughing.
Now you understand how useful a water-type Domain is, don't you?
Well done, Rowena!
Rhys silently gave Rowena his approval.
The fact that the trial had been arranged at the bottom of the Black Lake delighted him immensely.
"Rhys, do you know a way to stay underwater in the Black Lake for an hour?" Daphne asked weakly.
"Why not simply breathe underwater?" Rhys replied with a smile.
Then he leisurely left the common room, leaving Daphne standing there in a daze.
____
12 Chaps ahead at Patreon.com/HornyFBI