At dusk, Harry, feeling the heavy golden egg in his pocket, walked with Ron down to the Black Lake. After some effort, he found a secluded spot—somewhere no one could see him plunging into the freezing lake in the dead of winter like an idiot.
—The prefects' bathroom would definitely be warm.
Harry thought bitterly.
But then, recalling the image of Cedric strolling through the corridors arm-in-arm with Cho Chang, he decided he would rather freeze to death than go to Cedric's prefects' bathroom to listen to the egg's clue.
"Mate, are you really going to jump in there?"
Ron, clutching a thick blanket, cast a worried look at the dark waters. "There's a giant squid in there! And the water's bound to be bloody freezing!"
"I know, but the giant squid never hurts students. It even saves people who fall in!"
Harry tried to make his expression look relaxed. "Don't worry, I'll just listen to the clue and get out—it won't take more than a few minutes!"
He clenched his teeth. Afraid that if he hesitated any longer he'd lose his nerve, he quickly began stripping down. The moment he pulled off his shirt, a cold wind hit him, raising goosebumps all over his body. Harry almost regretted it immediately.
Regret or not, he hurried to peel off the rest of his clothes, handed them to Ron, and waded into the lake with a clenched jaw.
So cold.
The water was so icy it stung his legs like fire. Shivering violently, Harry waded until it reached his waist, then drew a deep breath, held it, and plunged under the surface, snapping open the golden egg.
[Come, come and seek us…..our voices ring free...A heart of steel lies sleeping...three unite, the path shall be revealed...wise and brave may fare.]
Hearing it through once, and confirming it matched Wade's clue exactly, Harry kicked upward, broke the surface, and realized with a start that he had drifted farther out than he'd intended. He hurriedly swam back toward shore.
"Careful, Harry, behind you!"
Ron's panicked shout rang from the bank.
Harry spun around to see ripples racing toward him. He ducked his head beneath the water and caught sight of several merpeople surging up from the lakebed!
Panic-stricken, Harry thrashed his arms and legs, swimming desperately for shore, but compared to the merfolk his speed felt like that of a snail.
They were going to catch him!
The rush of water behind him grew louder, and he could almost feel the sharpness of their nails against the back of his head. At that instant, a sudden blast of water exploded between him and the merfolk, forcing them back.
"Quick, Harry!"
Ron, who had managed to cast a spell, grabbed Harry by the collar and dragged him, stumbling and splashing noisily, toward the bank.
Coughing and choking on lake water, Harry heard the merfolk shouting in rough, broken English:
"No come again! Humans! Not yet the time agreed!"
"Whoosh—"
With one last heave, Ron yanked Harry completely out of the water, where the hard grass roots jabbed sharply into his back.
"Cough, cough, cough—!"
Harry lay sprawled on the grass, hacking violently.
Ron thumped his back hard, still shaken as he glanced at the now-calm lake.
"Bloody hell! Why did they attack you?"
"Maybe… they thought I was trying to cheat?" Harry gasped between breaths. "This place is the arena for the second task… The voice in the egg is the song of the merpeople—that sound must've drawn them out…"
Ron swallowed hard, and stared at him in disbelief. "So… you've got to go down into the Black Lake for the second task? Right under the noses of those monsters? Has the Ministry gone mad? Do they want you dead?"
He had once envied Harry—had even secretly felt a twinge of jealousy that Harry was chosen by the Goblet of Fire—but right now, Ron was profoundly relieved that he hadn't been picked.
"There'll be a way… Wade knows the task is in the lake too, but he's not worried at all…" Harry said, shivering uncontrollably.
Ron shuddered as well. "Let's just get back. Bloody hell, I'm soaked through!"
Harry nodded, too frozen to speak. He scrambled to grab his clothes from the ground and tugged them on clumsily.
"Warm breeze, warm breeze… ah-choo!" Ron rubbed his nose, muttering, "How did Wade cast that warming charm again?"
Harry yanked him along. "Forget it! I just want to get to the fireplace!"
…
As expected, both of them caught colds. Madam Pomfrey forced a potion down each of their throats. When Harry carried his homework over to the Umbrella Room, his ears were still steaming.
When he'd first come out of the water, his heart had nearly leapt out of his throat—but in hindsight, all he felt was the thrill and rush of it.
He recounted the whole adventure in detail to the others. When he finished, everyone exchanged glances with strangely amused expressions on their faces.
"I remember—" Padma drawled, "Sirius's house is in Hogsmeade. Why didn't you just take the egg and soak in his bathtub to listen to the clue?"
Harry: "…"
—That was an option?!
Padma seemed to think she'd figured it out. "Ah, is it because there hasn't been a Hogsmeade weekend yet, and you couldn't wait?"
Fred propped his chin on his hand. "But I told you about loads of secret passages, didn't I? Don't tell me you forgot them all?"
Harry: "…"
—Thanks. Please stop reminding me how stupid I am.
"Actually, I heard professors' quarters all have bathtubs, so you wouldn't even need to break school rules…"
Hermione said cautiously, "Of course, the rules forbid teachers from helping champions in the Tournament, but borrowing a bathroom shouldn't really count as cheating."
Harry's face went blank. He had no words.
Wade chuckled. "Harry's little escapade was reckless, sure, but valuable. At least he gathered some intelligence on the merpeople."
Harry was grateful Wade had salvaged a shred of his dignity—but when he thought about it, what intelligence had he really gotten?
That merpeople swam fast?
That was common sense.
He had wanted to ask Wade how to survive underwater without air, but now, for some reason, he didn't feel like asking anymore.
When Hermione pressed him about it, Harry forced himself to reply, "I've got a few ideas… just need to work them out more clearly."
Hermione believed him and looked quite relieved.
Behind the scenes, Harry tore through books for days on end, but found nothing useful. At last, he asked Sirius in secret—and his dependable godfather, of course, had an answer.
"That's simple. There's a spell that lets you breathe normally underwater!"
"Come to Hogsmeade tomorrow. I've got time—I'll teach you the Bubble-Head Charm."
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