Chapter 486: Everyone Calm Down!!
Darren opened his eyes in his dormitory.
Dumbledore had directly asked Snape to send him back, presumably because they were worried about what he might have discovered.
Of course, it might also have been to let him rest early.
He carefully recalled the memory Dumbledore had implanted.
In that memory, after leaving the Gryffindor common room, he had run into Hermione and Ron.
They told him they were busy with matters related to the next day's task and needed to go back to inform Harry before returning again.
Darren hadn't questioned them further. Seeing that they seemed fine, he had simply gone back to the dormitory himself.
That was all.
The memory was extremely concise.
But it worked perfectly.
So perfectly that Darren couldn't find a single flaw.
After all, everything fit seamlessly with what others would expect.
Forget it. Sleep.
He was genuinely tired anyway.
His eyelids were so heavy that he could barely keep them open.
Yet just before falling asleep, he felt as if he had forgotten something important.
It wasn't until the next morning, when he saw Harry, that he finally realized what it was.
Neither he nor Dumbledore had informed Harry about anything.
Looking at the dark circles under Harry's eyes, it was obvious he hadn't slept all night.
He must have been waiting for them the entire time.
Naturally, Darren showed a puzzled expression, as if wondering why Harry looked so exhausted.
He even gestured as though he was about to ask what had happened.
But Ludo Bagman had already begun calling for the champions to assemble.
---
When Darren stepped onto the platform, he noticed that Dumbledore also looked momentarily surprised upon seeing Harry's dark circles.
Of course, Dumbledore immediately returned to his usual expression.
Still, there was a fleeting trace of amusement in his eyes.
"Alright, champions, I will now announce the rules," Ludo Bagman said loudly.
"Children, the merfolk have taken away what you treasure most.
I know you're all eager to know what exactly has been taken…"
As he spoke, Ludo Bagman subconsciously glanced at Darren.
But when he saw Darren looking back at him with genuine curiosity, he quickly cleared his throat and waved his wand.
An underwater scene appeared in midair.
It was Ron and Hermione—along with a boy and a little girl.
All of them were asleep, their hair drifting gently with the ripples of the water.
It looked as if Darren were seeing this for the first time.
His face instantly went pale.
"What are you doing?!" he shouted. "This is murder!"
"Yes! Let my sister go!" Fleur shouted angrily.
Harry and Krum were equally agitated.
Darren looked as if he might charge forward at any moment.
Fortunately, Dumbledore was already prepared.
He stood beside Darren and firmly held his arm.
"Oh, children, calm down!" Ludo Bagman said hurriedly, clearly nervous.
He rushed through the rest of the explanation.
"At the moment, they are perfectly safe.
But you must find them within one hour, or they may sleep forever at the bottom of the lake!"
Ludo Bagman's words instantly filled the four champions with urgency.
That, of course, was exactly the intended effect.
He then directed them to stand at the edge of the Black Lake.
Darren saw Krum wearing only swimming trunks, cracking his knuckles.
He also saw Fleur in a tightly fitted outfit.
As for Harry—he was just like Darren, dressed in ordinary clothes.
Before entering the water, Harry took off his shoes and socks, then fiercely stuffed the gillyweed into his mouth.
This left Darren speechless.
He really hadn't expected Harry to rely entirely on gillyweed.
Of course, as a "little Holy Father," Darren didn't spare anyone else another glance.
He raised his wand and tapped himself lightly.
A transparent film instantly enveloped his body.
Then he leapt forward and plunged straight into the water.
"Ah! Darren is the first to enter the lake! But what exactly is the function of that spell?"
Ludo Bagman immediately took on the role of commentator.
Darren's underwater figure appeared in the air above.
He floated calmly, as if considering which direction to take.
"Oh! Darren seems to be analyzing the situation. But he doesn't know that no matter which way he goes, he'll encounter merfolk.
These merfolk attack extremely quickly—sometimes you might even think they're not inferior to fire dragons!"
Ludo Bagman's words drew boos from many spectators.
After all, few people believed merfolk could rival fire dragons in combat.
And since merfolk were allies of wizards, Ludo Bagman quickly changed the subject.
"Look! Krum has entered the water as well—he used gillyweed! Harry did the same.
They both showed admirable decisiveness.
Though personally, I still think Harry would've been better off learning Darren's spell before using gillyweed—oh! My mistake, the Triwizard Tournament forbids outside help.
It seems the Potters are strictly abiding by the rules!"
He amplified his voice with a Sonorus Charm.
"And now, our fourth champion, Miss Fleur Delacour, has also entered the lake.
From here on, I'll display the underwater scenes for you all, and you may choose which champion to watch."
With a wave of his wand, the images of the champions underwater expanded and rose higher into the sky.
They were crystal clear.
You could even hear their voices.
"Alright, I'll randomly select one champion to commentate on. Please forgive me—I can only focus on one at a time.
Let's start with Hogwarts' strongest champion, Darren Potter.
Look! What's he doing now?
Ah—he's encountered a merfolk gentleman and is very politely asking him to lead the way. Truly living up to his reputation for courtesy!
Oh! The merfolk has attacked Darren—how rude… I mean—uh—merfolk are always our friends!
Oh! Darren knocked it down—excellent—ah, ah, ah! I misspoke again! That fish is our friend too!"
Ludo Bagman's repeated slips made Percy, standing nearby, look utterly exasperated.
He said sternly, "Are you going to explain properly or not?
I'm here on behalf of Mr. Crouch, and I expect you to take this seriously—or I'll report this to him."