Chapter 318: Facing the Unexpected
Chapter 318: Facing the Unexpected
When Sherlock returned with Crouch, the Triwizard Tournament had not yet concluded.
Fawkes immediately transported them back to Dumbledore's Office, which was now empty. Clearly, the headmaster was at the tournament site.
To be on the safe side, Sherlock had no intention of going there to join the crowd. Instead, he planned to wait in the office for the tournament to end and for Dumbledore to return.
He took a quick tour of the Headmaster's Office without touching anything. He had initially wanted to chat with the dozen or so portraits of former headmasters, hoping to glean some secrets about Hogwarts. However, these elderly figures seemed perpetually sleep-deprived, each one appearing drowsy and uninterested in conversation.
With nothing else to do, Sherlock took a cup of tea and moved to the windowsill to observe the ongoing competition at the Black Lake from the castle.
His eyesight was quite good, allowing him to make out the participants from a distance.
The second task, in terms of spectacle, was far less thrilling than stealing a golden egg from under a fire dragon's nose. The spectators gathered around the Black Lake could only wait for the champions to return from underwater, unable to see what was happening in between.
Sherlock watched the scene with keen interest. Although his memory of the original story was fading, Harry was, after all, the protagonist of the world.
If Harry had managed to come in first in the first task, he was bound to perform well in the second task as well; otherwise, how could he remain the center of attention?
However, the subsequent results greatly surprised Sherlock.
The first person to surface from the water was Fleur, but she returned alone, without her hostage.
Sherlock couldn't see her facial expression, but he could imagine how terrible it must have been. As soon as she emerged from the Black Lake, she immediately ran to the judges, speaking urgently.
Then, the towering Madame Maxime descended from the platform, seemingly to comfort her.
Once a champion reached the shore, even without a hostage, Fleur's participation in the task was effectively over. She would undoubtedly be the worst performer among the four.
Sherlock clicked his tongue, only able to lament the girl's bad luck. Her skills were not poor.
About five to six minutes after Fleur emerged from the water, the second person to reach the shore was Krum.
He successfully rescued Hermione, a feat that would undoubtedly secure him the first place, without any need for Karkaroff to favor him.
Three minutes later, Cedric also emerged from the lake, bringing Chang with him. As soon as he reached the shore and handed Chang over to Madam Pomfrey for care, he immediately ran to the judges' stand to speak with Dumbledore.
It seemed he was reporting something significant, as almost all the judges left their seats and gathered by the lake.
The professors and students of Hogwarts also seemed to have heard something alarming, standing up from the stands, creating a chaotic scene.
Sherlock sensed something was wrong.
Harry had not yet appeared, which was already a significant issue. Combined with the reactions and actions of the people by the Black Lake, it was clear that something serious had happened.
He turned away from the windowsill, instructing Fawkes and Fidelius to stay and watch over Crouch. He also asked the perpetually drowsy portraits to keep an eye on things. Then, he left the castle and hurried to the Black Lake.
Here, the scene was chaotic, with Professor Mcgonagall looking pale and trying her best to maintain order.
Sherlock walked over to Silke, who was not among the crowd but still sitting on the stands, staring at her palm with a furrowed brow as if deep in thought.
"What's going on?" Sherlock asked, his tone grave.
His question broke Silke's concentration, and she spoke softly.
"The Hufflepuff student brought back a message. Harry was knocked unconscious and taken away by a mermaid, who said it was Dumbledore's intention."
Sherlock's face darkened immediately.
"Harry still hasn't appeared."
"No, Dumbledore is preparing a rescue operation."
During this time, they had been preoccupied with the missing Crouch and Karkaroff's strange behavior, completely overlooking Harry, who had been in trouble from the beginning!
Sherlock was thinking deeply, even suspecting that the accidental discovery of Crouch might have been a plot.
A plot designed to divert their attention, so they wouldn't notice Harry.
Everyone at the scene had seen how Harry entered the water, and Professor Sprout, the Herbology professor, knew the exact duration of the gillyweed's effect.
"The gillyweed's effect will wear off in two minutes at most. If Harry remains at the bottom of the lake, he will surely drown", she said with a serious expression.
At this moment, Mad-Eye Moody was ready to dive in. Before he did, Dumbledore had personally transfigured Professor Flitwick into a fish to search for Harry underwater.
But the Black Lake was vast and deep, and finding a person in such a short time was practically impossible.
As everyone grew increasingly anxious, Dumbledore's face was more troubled than ever, Professor Mcgonagall's face was as white as paper, and Snape's fists were clenched so tightly that his nails were almost piercing his skin. He was even considering jumping into the lake himself.
Suddenly, a massive figure slowly rose to the surface of the Black Lake.
The Giant Squid approached, and many on the shore could hear Harry's shouts.
Instantly, almost everyone's faces relaxed, including the professors, each of them letting out a long breath of relief.
Sherlock, too, breathed a sigh of relief, but he narrowed his eyes to observe the expressions on the faces of the judges.
Dumbledore, of course, was beyond words, and Percy's reaction was not noteworthy. Madame Maxime's tense expression eased, which was in character for her. Though she and Hogwarts were rivals in the competition, she wasn't a bad person.
Bagman, on the other hand, looked delighted and relieved, which was understandable. Anyone with eyes could see that he had a particular fondness for Harry. Based on the information Sherlock had gathered from Mad-Eye Moody, he suspected that Bagman had likely bet on Harry winning the competition and was secretly giving him a bit of "help" on the side.
The only person whose expression remained unchanged was Karkaroff.
But if one were to follow logic, his behavior wasn't abnormal.
Unlike Madame Maxime, Karkaroff was extremely selfish and would have been happy for Harry to die for the sake of winning the competition.
From what they could see, everyone's reactions were still within the realm of normal.
(End of Chapter)
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