Harry felt utterly deflated, his spirit crushed.
His eyes were hollow, his limbs like jelly, and his mouth hung open wide enough to swallow a Fire Serpent's egg whole.
He was injury-free and felt no pain, yet he suspected this might be the best way for him to die.
"It's alright, just pretend I saw nothing."
With those words, Cassandra swam deeper towards the lakebed.
Harry promptly "passed out."
His only saving grace was that before he succumbed, he'd used his "Combat Transformation Case" to transform his bikini back into a pink dress.
Cassandra ignored his charade. She knew his mental fortitude was likely stronger than her own; he wouldn't off himself simply because he'd been caught wearing a bikini.
Besides, no large fish would dare snatch him while he was "unconscious," not when Tom was undoubtedly watching, at least during the transformation. So Harry was safe; Tom would never let anything happen to him.
Cassandra focused on the lakebed, suspecting what the "treasure" might be, though she couldn't be certain.
Her vision filled with seaweed and various creatures.
The Black Lake teemed with life.
Strange fish abounded, alongside magical creatures like mermaids, Giant Squid, and Grindylows.
The Grindylows were particularly repulsive: small, green, horned monsters with sharp teeth, long, powerful fingers, and octopus-like tentacles sprouting from their lower bodies.
These creatures were fiercely aggressive; Cassandra had already witnessed them attacking several other champions.
Fortunately, the monsters were not particularly strong, and the warriors dispatched them easily enough.
Perhaps the only mercy was that the Giant Squid was rather docile, refraining from indiscriminate attacks, for otherwise, the contestants might have been wiped out.
Due to the Slytherin Common Room's proximity to the lakebed, they often saw it through the "windows."
Cassandra had once been lucky enough to glimpse the Giant Squid; it was colossal.
Its tentacles were easily tens of meters long, with the tip of just one being the size of a person.
She had no doubt that the creature, in its element, could drag down a dragon, capsize a boat, and snatch away prey.
...
Silently, Cassandra swam towards the bottom, but the darkness and thick seaweed made it impossible to locate the "treasure."
Reluctantly, she swam onward, the darkness deepening with each stroke.
Eventually, she reached what felt like the "end," something blocking her path.
As she wondered what it could be, the "huge obstacle" before her suddenly "opened its eye"!
It was an eye almost as big as her entire body!
?!
Cassandra instantly recognized what it was!
The "giant obstacle" slowly swam away, revealing its true form: a squid larger than a galleon! A fully grown dragon would seem like a hatchling beside it.
...
Cassandra stared at the Giant Squid, cautiously backing away.
Though she'd heard that the Black Lake squids were gentle, she'd be lying if she said she wasn't terrified by the sight of the behemoth looming before her.
The Giant Squid, in turn, regarded the "little thing" with curiosity. It recognized the young witch from the castle above, but what was she doing here?
At first, it had assumed she was drowning and needed help returning to the surface, but closer inspection disproved that theory.
And for some reason, the little witch seemed quite cute, like one of its own cubs.
Carefully, the Giant Squid extended a tentacle towards Cassandra, as if afraid of breaking delicate porcelain.
As the tentacle drew closer, an instinctive sense of danger arose, a feeling that some terrifying creature lurked in the shadows.
It hadn't felt this way in countless years, not since it had become the undisputed overlord of the Black Lake.
Consequently, its biological instincts brought the tentacle to a halt.
...
Cassandra looked at the Giant Squid, puzzled. She sensed no malice from the creature.
Then she remembered the wondrous potential of the "Heart of the Ocean" that Tom had described.
Thinking of this, she tentatively swam towards the tentacle and raised her palm.
The Giant Squid's tentacle felt cool and surprisingly elastic, the kind of texture that would be rather chewy to eat.
...
Snapping herself out of her thoughts, Cassandra shook her head.
The Giant Squid, already favorably disposed toward the child, was surprised to see her unafraid. It actually found her kindness quite pleasing.
It then flipped the tentacle over, inviting Cassandra to stand upon it.
...
Cassandra was pleasantly surprised by the unexpected gesture.
She was beginning to understand why Tom liked keeping these kinds of large creatures.
It really was quite cool!
...
Nearby, the mermaids witnessed the scene unfold.
Their Black Lake overlord had arrived with a young witch from the human wizard castle.
...
They'd known a champion would come, but they hadn't expected this.
Not a single mermaid dared to obstruct their path, and the Giant Squid smoothly carried Cassandra towards Tom and the others.
...
Seeing Tom leisurely sipping tea and smiling at her from inside a giant Bubble Head Charm, Cassandra pursed her lips. "Just as I expected."
...
Tom casually returned the tea set to his silver snake ring, glanced at the Giant Squid "hiding" behind Cassandra, and said, "Not bad, but it might not be very useful since it's only effective in the water."
"So? Would you care to come with me?" Cassandra asked.
Cassandra "jumped" off the Giant Squid's tentacle and swam to Tom.
"How could a 'treasure' like me refuse?" Tom replied.
Tom used a Water-Repelling Spell to envelop Cassandra, reaching out to touch her smooth, unwet blonde hair. "Then let us depart."
---
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