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The champions followed Professor McGonagall and soon arrived at the shore of the Black Lake.
The scene by the lake was completely different from usual—near the shore, a massive tent stood alone, shrouded in thick fog.
"Go on in," Professor McGonagall said. "Ludo is already waiting inside."
Lynn pulled back the curtain and was the first to enter.
The inside of the tent was much larger than it appeared from the outside—clearly, an Undetectable Extension Charm had been cast. In the center stood a massive long table, though unfortunately, there was no map on it this time.
A few chairs were scattered around, and some devices that looked like underwater breathing equipment were placed against the wall.
Ludo Bagman was standing by the long table. Hearing the rustle of the curtain, he looked up sharply, and a brilliant smile instantly broke across his face.
"Here they are!" he shouted. "Come in, come in! We were just waiting for you!"
The champions entered the tent one after another, finding places to sit.
Ludo was about to speak—
"Wait a moment."
Chloe from Beauxbatons suddenly spoke up, interrupting him.
Ludo's words caught in his throat, and the smile on his face stiffened for a moment.
"What's the matter?" he asked.
Chloe looked around and frowned.
"Fleur isn't here yet."
The tent fell silent for a second.
Ludo blinked, his gaze sweeping over the Beauxbatons group—indeed, only Chloe and Sophie were standing there.
"Not here yet?" he repeated, a hint of confusion in his voice. "Wasn't the meeting set for nine-thirty?"
No one answered him.
Ludo opened his mouth, about to say something—
The curtain was pulled back once more.
Madame Maxime's figure appeared at the entrance. She stepped aside, revealing Fleur following behind her.
Fleur's expression was very poor. She followed Madame Maxime into the tent without a word, heading straight for Chloe and Sophie's side.
Madame Maxime cast an apologetic look toward Ludo.
Ludo received the signal. He was smart enough not to ask anything, simply nodding and turning his attention back to the champions.
"Alright," he said. "Now that everyone is here, it's time to introduce the specifics of the Second Task."
"The Second Task will take place at the bottom of the Black Lake."
His gaze swept across the champions.
"I assume you've all gathered this information from the golden egg and have prepared accordingly."
The champions nodded one after another. It would be quite unreasonable if they hadn't guessed the location was the Black Lake by now, as the secret of the golden egg was already known throughout the school.
Ludo nodded with satisfaction and continued.
"You will head to the Black Lake in a moment. Each champion will be separated, entering the water from different directions."
He paused, his tone becoming subtle.
"The entry time will be based on your score from the First Task."
The champions looked at each other. The reaction from the Durmstrang side was the most intense, their faces so dark they could hardly be described.
The scores from the First Task—
Lynn: 80 points.
Beauxbatons: 35 points.
Hogwarts: 45 points.
Castelobruxo: 38 points.
Uagadou: 54 points.
Ilvermorny: 58 points.
Durmstrang: 10 points.
Durmstrang was in last place, and it was a landslide last place.
This meant that Krum, Louis, and Katya would be the last group of champions to enter the water.
Setting aside that freak Lynn, even the second-place Ilvermorny, with 58 points, could enter... how much earlier than them?
According to Ludo, each point corresponded to a certain amount of time. He didn't specify how much, but it certainly wasn't just a few seconds.
By the time they entered the water, others might have already swum hundreds of meters away.
Ludo pretended not to notice their expressions.
He continued, his tone as light as if he were announcing good news.
"And most importantly—the content of the competition."
He turned to face the champions.
"What you need to do is rescue your 'treasures'." Ludo smiled, revealing the answer. "That is, your Yule Ball partners. They were sent into the Black Lake by the Professors early this morning."
As soon as he spoke—
The tent fell silent for a second.
Then, everyone's eyes simultaneously turned toward Lynn and Fleur.
Both of them were right here, so who were they supposed to rescue?
Ludo seemed to have anticipated this question.
He smiled and explained, "Since both of you are participating champions, after discussion by the tournament organizing committee, we have made reasonable replacements for your 'treasures.'"
He looked at Fleur.
"Miss Delacour's treasure is her sister, Miss Gabrielle Delacour. She is also at the bottom of the lake right now."
Fleur's expression turned even worse, but she said nothing.
Ludo then looked at Lynn.
"And Mr. Lynn's treasure—"
He paused.
"—is his fishing rod."
Lynn: (⊙_☉)?
Ludo nodded, confirming he hadn't misspoken.
"It's your fishing rod. While you were still asleep this morning, the Professors already helped you send it to the bottom of the lake."
Lynn suddenly remembered Edgar's guilty and nervous face from earlier.
Now he understood everything. Those guys had taken advantage of him sleeping to swipe his fishing rod.
Dammit! The house has been robbed again!
Lynn took a deep breath to force himself to calm down. He asked a question that all the champions present wanted to ask.
"Why isn't it a person?"
Ludo shook his head.
"I'm not sure. Dumbledore suggested it."
Lynn fell silent, thinking that Dumbledore must be eating too many sweets, and it was time to help him quit.
...
Lynn soon followed the guidance of a house-elf to a pier by the Black Lake.
Calling it a pier was generous; it was actually just a wooden plank extending into the water, so narrow that only one person could stand on it. There wasn't a soul around, only the cold wind carrying the dampness of the lake water hitting his face.
In the distance, the faint clamor from the stands could be heard—the students were already in place, waiting to watch the show.
Standing on that wooden plank, Lynn looked down at the Black Lake beneath his feet.
The ice had been broken, revealing a dark green expanse of water. A few chunks of ice floated on the surface, swaying gently with the waves. The sunlight hit them, reflecting a piercing glare.
Before he had a chance to observe his surroundings—
"Can you hear me, Lynn?"
A voice suddenly came from underwater.
Lynn looked down and saw a water orb floating on the surface next to him. The orb was round and plump, its surface shimmering with a faint blue light, and inside, Ludo Bagman's overly enthusiastic face could be dimly seen.
Lynn nodded.
"I can hear you."
"Then please wait a moment."
Ludo inside the water orb waved at him.
The next second, Ludo pressed his wand against his throat.
"Listen up, everyone—"
Ludo's voice, amplified by magic, echoed over the Black Lake. The stands fell silent instantly as everyone pricked up their ears.
"Our champions are in position at various piers around the Black Lake! They will dive deep to the bottom to find their treasures!"
Lynn heard an excited buzz erupt from the distant stands.
"They have a full two hours to search!" Ludo's voice continued. "Once the two hours are up, it will be judged as a failure of the task!"
"Now—I'll start on the count of three!"
Lynn rolled his shoulders.
"One!"
A louder clamor came from the distance.
"Two!"
Lynn bent his knees, preparing to jump.
"Three!"
A sharp whistle blasted through the air, and the stands instantly erupted into thunderous cheers and applause. Almost simultaneously, the massive screens above the Black Lake lit up.
Everyone at Lynn's pier wanted to see how the champion of the First Task would enter the water.
And then they saw it.
Lynn merely bent his knees slightly.
A gentle leap.
And then—
He entered the water.
He fell straight into the lake, his body breaking the surface, yet it was as if he merged with the water itself, without kicking up even a single splash.
The stands were silent for a second, then erupted into gasps of surprise.
"Wow! Not a single splash! How did he do that?"
"Is that the point? The point is that he just jumped in like that?!"
"Merlin's fishnet stockings! Doesn't he even make any preparations?!"
"Cheating! He must have prepared before the signal started! This is cheating! I propose he be disqualified!"