The surface of the Black Lake was shimmering with fragmented sunlight, presenting a rare sight these days. Natalia, who was originally out for a walk, stretched out her finger, ready to poke the giant squid basking in the sun above the water, when Olga strode over.
"Natalia!"
His face looked grim, and his voice was suppressed with anger as he gritted his teeth, questioning, "You invited Vid Gray to be your dance partner?"
"Yes!" Natalia took out a handkerchief, wiped the water stains off her fingertips, and asked, "Why, do I need to report to you about whom I dance with?"
"But that guy is our enemy!" Olga clenched his fist tightly, "Do you forget how he humiliated me in the competition?"
To analyze their opponent's strength, after the competition, their headmaster specially organized everyone to watch the replay of the first task through the Flow Mirror—twice!
So Olga was forced to watch repeatedly as he bravely rushed forward, got his ankle chained, hung up, and emitted screams that he couldn't even believe himself!
And the FMC, who knows what the problem was, didn't film the competing champions, but rather pointed at him hanging from the ceiling for several seconds, presenting his embarrassed appearance clearly to every wizard viewer in the world!
After the match, Olga received inquiries from all friends, family, teachers, and classmates, most of whom were carefully comforting him, with a few discreet hints of pity between the lines.
But the more it was like this, the more Olga felt ashamed, and hence the more he detested Vid Gray for causing this situation.
Now, Natalia—his companion—was actually planning to attend the Christmas ball holding that bastard's arm!
In Olga's view, this action was tantamount to betrayal, and the anger flaring in his chest was nearly bursting through his throat, his voice trembling slightly as he said:
"Natalia, have you forgotten which school you're from? Clearly, we should be united against our enemies! You better go and refuse Vid now, otherwise, are you still considered a Kodostorian?"
"Olga."
Natalia's voice turned cold, and she calmly said, "Who my dance partner is, not even Professor Ivan would say more, much less require your approval."
"Instead of dwelling on such trivial matters—"
She lifted her chin, her grey-blue eyes reflected a kind of composed indifference.
"—I suggest you practice your magic spells well, at least next time when you are hung up, don't throw your magic wand away. What do you say?"
Olga's face turned from red to green, his lips stammered for a long time, with a breath stuck in his chest, utterly unable to utter a word.
Finally, he fiercely kicked away the stone at his feet, and left with big strides without turning back.
Natalia watched his back as he bumped away, gently sighed. She turned around to see the tentacle of the giant squid slapping the surface of the water, making a dull splash.
Most Hogwarts students wouldn't go near the giant squid that occasionally surfaced, but Natalia walked over and touched that gigantic tentacle.
"Impressive, to grow this big... I've heard you've lived for over a thousand years?" Natalia murmured to the squid, "With such a long time, if you were human, you'd surely see everything through and know every secret, wouldn't you?"
The giant squid slowly rotated its eyeball, gazing at this bold student from another school who dared to approach.
Natalia looked at the majestic Hogwarts Castle, and said fretfully, "So, is Vid really the person from the World Cup campsite?"
The lake surface rippled slightly.
She wrinkled her brow, pondered for a good while, and muttered to herself, "I think... What do you say?"
The giant squid said nothing, suddenly exerting its tentacles, it pushed her into the icy lake water, then slowly submerged, its ancient eyes lurking in the dark lake bottom, watched Natalia struggling in the water.
Of course, it knew in its heart this girl wasn't an intruder, but a school-invited guest, hence only planned to give her a lesson, then send her upwards.
But Natalia quickly calmed down from her panic, and—as she advised Olga—even amid such circumstances, she didn't let go of her magic wand.
The girl swung her limbs, swiftly floated to the surface, shook her wet golden hair, climbed onto the shore, the cold lake water already soaked through her robe.
Suddenly, Natalia stopped—her golden egg in the pocket was missing!
"Damn!" she cursed, swung out her magic wand, "Golden egg fly!"
Nothing happened.
Annoyed, the girl tapped her forehead, she actually forgot, in the competition to prevent champions from using the Summoning Charm to get the golden egg, all golden eggs were endowed with a spell prohibiting such summoning spells.
So she could only cast a Bubble Head Charm on herself, a transparent bubble wrapped around her head, like wearing a fish tank.
Natalia inhaled deeply, jumped back into the water.
Fortunately, the lake water near the shore wasn't too deep, sunlight penetrated the surface, casting flickering light spots on the lake bed.
Natalia brushed aside clusters of dark green aquatic plants, searched for over ten minutes, and finally found the stuck golden egg among a pile of oddly-shaped stones.
She grabbed the golden egg and tried to get it out, exerting force, the egg suddenly opened!
Natalia instinctively wanted to cover her ears, but instead of the piercing screams heard earlier when opened, an ethereal song came out—
"Come, seek us where our voices sound. We cannot sing above the ground..."
Natalia froze—was this the clue for the second task?
The water waves suddenly shook violently.
She quickly looked up to meet more than a dozen pairs of glowing eyes!
The merpeople holding long spears were approaching her in a fan shape, with iron-grey skins, fierce faces, and yellow eyes shining like ghost flames in the dark water, their sturdy tails splashing the lake water.
Natalia felt icy cold over herself, her heart almost jumping out of her chest. She completely forgot to think, clutching the golden egg, swiftly swam toward the lake surface!
But the merpeople did not chase her, just stayed at the lake bottom, silently looking up as she fled.
As she was nearing the surface, Natalia heard a low voice from behind:
"Champion, the second task hasn't begun, no approaching the venue prematurely!"
"Poof—"
The girl broke through the water surface suddenly, gasping violently. She lay exhausted on the shore, took a decisive breath, and plunged her head back into the water.
But this time, neither the giant squid nor the merpeople were anywhere to be seen, only one Grindylow wandering near the lake noticed Natalia, and came charging exuberantly.
"Bang!"
The magic wand released a surge of fierce water flow, spun the Grindylow multiple times in the water, scaring it away.
Natalia shoved the golden egg shut, the ear-piercing screams abruptly ceased, she turned back to gaze at the calm and deep lake water, her fingertips still trembling slightly, her heart echoing with uneasy beats inside the chest.
—How many deadly creatures are lurking near the students at this mad Hogwarts school?