Ludwig van Beethoven, the leading figure of the Viennese Classical school and the King of the Symphony.
He was the composer who appeared more often than anyone else in inspirational stories and motivational tales.
For many musicians, losing their hearing was practically the end of their artistic career, the death of their artistic life. Many would even choose to end their own lives because of it.
A certain Japanese singer had even performed a song titled I Thought About Ending It All Too.
Beethoven did not choose to end it all.
He loved music until the very end and never once considered giving it up.
In his final moments, he even said, "When I reach Heaven, I'll be able to hear."
Everyone who heard those words was moved to tears.
If Beethoven was the protagonist in countless inspirational stories, then his conductor's baton and his piano were the supporting characters.
It was because of those stories that Eda knew what bone conduction was.
Eda didn't have a conductor's baton.
She did have a wand, but biting down on a wand sounded rather dangerous.
So she decided to test another transmission medium first.
Liquid.
If liquid didn't work, she could always try bone conduction afterward.
After leaving Professor McGonagall's office, Eda didn't linger in the common room.
Instead, she hurried straight to the prefects' bathroom, carrying the heavy golden egg in her arms.
It was the same luxurious bathroom reserved exclusively for prefects.
The one taking the bath was still the same person.
The only difference this time was the addition of a golden egg.
To make the occasion even more ceremonial, Eda draped a towel over the egg.
Eda truly loved the prefects' bathroom.
Soaking herself in warm water was an indescribably wonderful feeling.
The only thing she disliked was the lack of a sauna.
That was a bit of a shame.
She submerged the golden egg beneath the water and opened it along its seam while it remained underwater.
Taking a deep breath, Eda slipped beneath the surface as well.
This time, there was no shrill scream like a wailing banshee.
Instead, the golden egg released a bubbling song that seemed to drift up from the deepest part of the lake.
The melody was graceful and dreamlike, making one want to keep listening forever.
Unfortunately, Eda had no desire to appear on the front page of the Daily Prophet under the headline:
"Triwizard Champion Drowns in Bathtub."
Surfacing again, Eda happily shook the water from her hair and swept her long hair behind her shoulders.
She had already heard everything she needed to know.
She now understood what the second task involved.
"Seek us where our voices sound, for we cannot sing above the ground."
That line clearly meant the second task would take place underwater.
The champions needed to find a way to move freely beneath the surface.
The dark depths underwater, the creatures living in the Black Lake, and the problem of breathing...
These were all obstacles the champions would have to overcome.
The very first issue was breathing.
Humans simply couldn't breathe underwater on their own.
Which raised an important question.
Was it too late to order a scuba set from the Muggle world?
It would certainly let these wizards witness the power of technology.
Of course, that was only a joke.
Eda still intended to solve the problem with magic.
The first spell that came to mind was the Bubble-Head Charm.
It allowed people to breathe underwater and also blocked unpleasant smells, making it the perfect spell for dealing with Dungbombs.
Besides that, certain magical herbs or even Transfiguration could also help humans breathe underwater.
Eda intended to compare all of those methods and choose the most suitable one.
"We've taken what you'll sorely miss," and "You've only got an hour."
Those two lines explained the task itself and established the time limit.
However, Eda still had one question.
What exactly counted as "what you'll sorely miss"?
Did it refer to a person...
Or an object?
If it meant an object, then her wand was unquestionably the most important thing she owned.
But whoever designed the task would never send champions into the Black Lake empty-handed.
That would truly be a one-way trip.
This was the Triwizard Tournament.
Not a murder.
If it referred to a person...
Would it be one of the twins?
Or Professor McGonagall?
Eda thought Fred and George, both healthy and strong, were the more likely candidates.
Surely they wouldn't throw Professor McGonagall into the freezing lake and leave her there for an hour.
That would be far too inhumane.
As for the warning, "Too late it's gone, it won't come back,"
Eda paid it absolutely no mind.
Objects are private property. The organizers had no right to destroy them.
If it referred to a person, that was even less likely. This was only a competition, not a murder.
Eda idly pushed the golden egg around in the water while carefully thinking through the key points of the second task. Only by identifying what truly mattered could she find the best way to deal with it.
The bottom of the Black Lake was pitch black, with no landmarks to help anyone find their bearings.
Compared to rescuing "what you'll sorely miss," navigation and safety were the real priorities.
Being able to accurately determine direction in complete darkness and deal with any underwater creatures blocking the way, those were the true challenges of the second task.
As for breathing underwater, that was merely the prerequisite, the most basic requirement.
Hanging on the wall of the prefects' bathroom was a portrait of a mermaid. The mermaid in the painting was combing her hair while lazily splashing the shallow water near the shore with her tail.
"I thought it was one of the male prefects in here. You got my hopes up for nothing."
A gloomy-looking ghost drifted slowly over. She sat on top of a faucet and crossed her legs.
It was Moaning Myrtle, the ghost who haunted the girls' bathroom on the second floor. She was notoriously moody and loved splashing water onto anyone who entered.
"Long time no see, Myrtle," Eda said.
Being secretly watched while taking a bath by a ghost was a first in Eda's short life.
Moaning Myrtle looked thoroughly displeased. Even the pearly glow of her ghostly form seemed dimmer than usual.
"I really don't want to see you," she said. "Not in the second-floor bathroom, and not here either."
"I get it," Eda said. "You came all the way from the second floor to admire the male prefects, didn't you?"
Instead of arguing with a ghost, Eda chose to focus on the important part.
Myrtle didn't look embarrassed in the slightest, though perhaps it was simply impossible to tell through her ghostly face.
"Of course. Why would I come because of you? Those male prefects are far more interesting to look at than you!"
Through Myrtle's thick glasses, all Eda could see was disdain...
Since Myrtle was different from the other ghosts and was always extremely sensitive about being dead, Eda decided not to provoke her.
"When did you get here?" Eda asked. "Did you see everything I just did?"
"I did," Myrtle replied matter-of-factly. "You looked pretty silly just now."
The world is so beautiful, yet I'm so irritable. That's not good...
Take a deep breath. Stay calm. Don't argue with a ghost.
Eda silently reminded herself.
She wasn't a first-year anymore.
She couldn't exactly drag the twins into the girls' bathroom to fight over territory again.
"Suit yourself. I'm leaving. You can keep waiting here for another male prefect."
As she spoke, Eda stepped out of the bath, wrapped a towel around herself, and casually scooped the golden egg out of the water.
Only Myrtle caught the fleeting glimpse of exposed skin, but she clearly wasn't the type to appreciate it.
"Maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow night. You might get to see Harry Potter here sometime soon," Eda suddenly said.
Since she'd run into Myrtle, why not make use of the opportunity?
"Really?" Myrtle asked excitedly.
Compared to Eda, Harry was obviously much more attractive to Myrtle.
Back in Harry's second year, he, Ron, and Hermione had brewed Polyjuice Potion in the second-floor girls' bathroom. Myrtle hadn't even minded sharing the same toilet with Harry.
After receiving Eda's confirmation, Myrtle became so excited that she dove straight into the water.
That splash was good enough for a diving competition.
"Could you tell Harry something for me?" Myrtle asked shyly. "Just... just tell him I miss him very much..."
"He hasn't come to visit me in the bathroom for such a long time..."
What incredible charm...
Eda couldn't help sighing inwardly.
They had both occupied Myrtle's bathroom.
Eda hadn't gotten a single benefit from it.
Harry, on the other hand, had somehow earned the affection of a ghost.
The difference was just ridiculous.
Harry's irresistible charm truly had nowhere to go.
The Hogwarts version of Ghost.
After thinking about it for a moment, Eda found herself strangely convinced that it would actually be pretty entertaining.
...
(～￣▽￣)～Read 12 Chapters ahead:
Patreon: Dragonel