Chapter 314: Muffled Strike
Chapter 314: Muffled Strike
"I only learned about Barty from Dumbledore two weeks ago", Taylor said with a heavy expression. "The Ministry of Magic had only reported that he had been on sick leave for a long time and hadn't been to work. No one could find him at home, and it was suspected that he had gone missing."
"Last night, I got up in the middle of the night to tend to the herbs in the greenhouse. I saw a figure staggering around the perimeter of the forest where I live."
"At first, I thought it was just a drunk from the town who had taken a wrong turn. But when I approached the person with a lantern, I realized it was Barty Crouch, who had been missing."
"When I saw him, his mental state seemed off. I asked him why he was there, but he didn't answer. Instead, he kept repeating that he needed to see Dumbledore."
"I thought it would be best to bring him to my house and give the poor guy a cup of hot cocoa to help stabilize his emotions. But when I touched him, he went berserk, broke free from my grasp, and ran deeper into the forest."
"I had to stay and watch my place, so I couldn't go looking for him myself. I told Dumbledore about this as soon as I could this morning, hoping they could take him to St. Mungo's if he's been through some kind of trauma."
After getting this specific information, Sherlock stood up from his chair and asked solemnly, "Can you be sure that Crouch is still in that forest?"
Taylor shook his head. "I can't be certain. I only saw him last night, and he did run into the forest. Whether he's still there, I don't know."
Having gathered all the information he could, Sherlock didn't linger any longer. He bid farewell and turned to enter the forest Taylor had mentioned. He immediately released Fawkes and Fidelius, the red and black birds, to help with the search.
The forest wasn't large, and the trees were sparse, allowing for a broader view from above.
As Sherlock entered the forest, he quickly noticed some distinctive tracks on the soft ground. The area near the forest's edge, where Taylor had encountered Crouch, was littered with disordered footprints. These footprints clearly belonged to one person and extended deeper into the forest.
Sherlock followed these tracks, and Fawkes and Fidelius continued to help expand the search area from the sky.
Soon, he made a new discovery.
However, these findings were not related to Crouch but to several other wizards.
Sherlock recognized the faces of these wizards. Each of them had a history with the Death Eaters and was a pure-blood wizard. One of them was carrying an unconscious old man on his shoulder.
That man was Barty Crouch, the very person Sherlock was looking for!
...
Meanwhile, at Hogwarts, the second task of the Triwizard Tournament was about to begin as scheduled.
There were still five judges, but Crouch's position was temporarily filled by his new assistant, Percy.
The stands around the Black Lake were set up for the students to have a clear view of the champions' progress during the competition.
However, underwater, they could hardly see anything; at best, they could only tell who finished the race first.
Harry finally arrived at the competition site ten minutes before it began.
He had dozed off in the library last night and was only woken up by Dobby early this morning.
In the end, he did not find any spells in the magic books that would allow him to move freely underwater. However, Dobby, who woke him up, gave him new hope.
As a house-elf, Dobby could access many areas of the castle. He had overheard the specific details of the competition and helped Harry obtain a piece of Gillyweed.
This plant, when consumed, would allow the user to grow gills like a fish, enabling them to breathe freely underwater.
Dobby had undoubtedly given Harry a significant boost.
Holding the Gillyweed, Harry rushed to the competition site, where almost everyone was waiting for him.
Fortunately, apart from the heads of the other two magic schools, who looked somewhat displeased, no judge reprimanded Harry for being late.
Once he arrived, the competition officially began.
Each champion had their own unique way of entering the water.
Krum used advanced Transfiguration to transform his head into a shark's, allowing him to breathe underwater while retaining his human body to use magic.
Cedric and Fleur both used the Bubble-Head Charm, a spell that Harry, a younger student, had not yet learned.
Harry also took the Gillyweed. His cheeks developed gills like a fish, and webbing appeared between his fingers and toes.
Compared to the other three, Harry's transformation was the most ordinary and even a bit comical, which prompted laughter from the students in the stands.
But Harry had no time to pay attention to the ridicule.
He had learned from Dobby that Ron was bound at the bottom of the lake. The mermaids' song from the Golden Egg had made him instinctively believe that if he did not rescue Ron in time, Ron might die underwater.
So, once he entered the Black Lake, he swam down with all his might, searching for the mermaids.
He soon heard a familiar song rising from the depths.
It was the mermaids' song. With this sound as his guide, Harry swam resolutely toward the source of the melody.
From a distance, he could already see the four figures bound by Stunning Spells.
Not only was Ron there, but also Hermione, Cho Chang, and Gabrielle, Fleur's sister, whom he had met at the Delacour family's home in France.
Each of these hostages had a connection to Harry!
Two were his friends, one was his crush, and another was the sister of his friend.
Harry no longer saw this as a competition. He wanted to save every hostage trapped there.
But the ugly mermaids, each holding a trident and guarding the hostages, would not let him violate the rules so easily.
As Harry argued with the mermaids and drew his wand to act, a heavy trident suddenly struck the back of his neck. Harry's vision went black, and he lost consciousness.
(End of Chapter)
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