Hermione slapped Harry's hand away and said, "That's an alchemical device my cousin invented. He calls it a Water-Avoidance Pearl."
She explained patiently, "He combined the principles of the Bubble-Head Charm and the Iron Skin Charm. It lets you breathe underwater and provides a certain level of defense."
Harry froze on the spot.
How had he forgotten about Arthur?
He'd spent days combing through half the library trying to find a way to breathe underwater. If it weren't for Neville, he might never have found gillyweed at all.
Back then, Harry had only been thinking about potions and magical plants. It never even crossed his mind to look into alchemical tools.
If he'd just asked Arthur in the first place, he wouldn't have had to drown himself in books he barely cared about.
By the time Harry snapped out of it, Hermione was already gone.
She'd taken advantage of his daze to swim off and continue the task.
Realizing he was still in the middle of the competition, Harry hurriedly swam toward the depths of the Black Lake.
Hermione, who had set off later than the other champions, actually reached the lakebed before either of them.
She passed through forests of black waterweed, drove off swarms of grindylows, and carefully avoided the many traps set by the merfolk.
But what she saw next made her freeze in disbelief.
Ron, Fleur's little sister, and an unfamiliar girl were floating not far above the lakebed.
Their eyes were closed, their bodies utterly still—as if they were dead.
Of course, the Triwizard Tournament wasn't that cruel.
They were merely under a magical stasis. Once brought back to the surface, they would awaken naturally.
That part was normal.
What wasn't normal lay a short distance away.
Hermione saw Arthur, one arm casually around Ranni, sitting atop the tallest structure in the merfolk settlement.
He looked completely relaxed—as if he were sightseeing.
Nearby, a group of merfolk huddled together, trembling, staring in Arthur's direction like frightened prey facing a natural disaster.
Arthur noticed Hermione and waved at her cheerfully.
She swam over, staring at him in disbelief.
"Cousin… what is going on here?"
Arthur smiled. "Isn't it obvious? I'm your 'treasure.'"
Hermione's intelligence made the truth immediately clear—the so-called treasures were the people the champions cherished most.
But questions still flooded her mind.
"Then why aren't you… like them?" she asked, glancing at Ron and the others. "And Bart—"
She stopped herself.
Hermione had never imagined her 'treasure' would be Arthur. After all, Barty Crouch's announcement had completely misled her.
She'd even eaten breakfast with Arthur that very morning. There was no way she'd associate his disappearance with the task.
Arthur rolled his eyes. "Do you really think their magic could restrain me? Or turn me into something like that?"
Hermione shook her head.
"Exactly," Arthur said, spreading his hands. "Since they can't do anything to me, I came down here whenever I felt like it."
"Then why is Ranni here too?" Hermione asked.
"I didn't want her getting bored up there," Arthur replied casually. "So I brought her along."
At that point, everything clicked.
No wonder Hermione hadn't seen him in the stands.
She'd even thought—just for a moment—that Arthur had ditched her to go on a date with Ranni.
…Wait.
Weren't they already on a date?
A date at the bottom of the Black Lake, no less.
Hermione's shoulders slumped, her mood sinking.
She'd fought her way through hazards and monsters, while her 'treasure' was down here sightseeing with Ranni.
What did that make her? A jealous interloper?
And the worst part was—Ranni was Arthur's fiancée.
Hermione was the one intruding.
Ranni's acceptance of her already felt generous. She didn't have the right to complain.
Lost in thought, Hermione's expression darkened.
Arthur noticed immediately. He reached out and ruffled her hair—only to feel the solid resistance of the protective barrier.
He withdrew his hand awkwardly and asked, "What's wrong, my little witch? Why the long face?"
Feeling his concern, Hermione steadied herself.
"It's nothing," she said softly. "Just feels unfair. You're down here enjoying the scenery, and I still have to compete."
She didn't hide her feelings.
There was nothing she couldn't say to Arthur.
Arthur caught the faint edge of jealousy in her voice and laughed.
"What's there to be jealous about? If you want, I'll bring you down here another day."
He gestured around them. "Besides, it's dark and murky. Not exactly beautiful. The only interesting thing is the merfolk architecture."
"They're called merfolk," Hermione corrected reflexively.
Arthur waved it off. "I don't care. I refuse to call that merfolk. Have you seen real mermaids? Then look at them."
He pointed toward the distant figures. "They're an insult to the word."
Hermione couldn't help but laugh.
Her cousin was wonderful in every way—except for moments like this, when he stubbornly clung to his own logic like a child.
Still… she found it oddly charming.
"Alright, alright," she said, smiling. "We'll call them fish-men."
Then she added, deliberately emphasizing her words,
"So, my treasure, can we go back to the surface now? If we don't, the others are going to catch up."
Arthur actually looked a little embarrassed.
He nodded. "Let's go."
He sent Ranni back into the Zen Garden, then followed Hermione upward.
Ranni wasn't part of the task, and her presence might cause unnecessary trouble.
Cheating accusations—even baseless ones—were best avoided.
As they passed through the underwater thicket again, they spotted Fleur tangled among a swarm of grindylows.
Grindylows were horned, pale-green aquatic demons, with long fingers and six writhing tentacles below the waist.
They normally fed on small fish and were highly aggressive toward humans.
The Black Lake's grindylows had been tamed by the merfolk, so they weren't truly harming Fleur—just endlessly obstructing her.
Fleur had assumed her Veela charm would let her glide through the lake with ease.
She hadn't expected to run into creatures too stupid to be affected by it.
Worse still, she hadn't brought her wand—her swimsuit had nowhere to store it.
Her Bubble-Head Charm had already been broken.
She was moments away from suffocating.
Arthur flicked his hand, casting an improved Bubble-Head Charm—reinforced with defensive properties.
At the same time, he drove the grindylows away.
Fleur gasped in relief, then bowed her head gratefully.
"My deepest thanks."
"Think nothing of it," Arthur replied.
"I must save my sister," Fleur said urgently. "We'll speak later."
Arthur stopped her. "You don't even have a wand. There are still dangers ahead. Are you sure you can manage?"
Fleur hesitated, then pleaded, "Please—help me once more. I can't leave Gabrielle down there."
Helping once meant helping to the end.
Arthur raised his hand and cast a Summoning Charm toward the lakebed.
Far below, Gabrielle was yanked free and shot upward.
At that very moment, Harry arrived from another direction.
He'd barely had time to process seeing Ron when he noticed Gabrielle streaking away through the water.
Panicking, he untied Ron and dragged him upward at top speed.
Meanwhile, Fleur felt the current shift behind her.
She turned—and saw Gabrielle flying straight into her arms.
Fleur caught her sister tightly, tears welling in her eyes.
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