Chapter 544: Helena Ravenclaw
Chapter 544: Helena Ravenclaw
Amidst the cheers, Kyle dove into the lake, his head encased in a bubble charm, allowing him to move freely underwater. But the charm didn't provide speed, so he quickly used his wand to transfigure a pair of webbed feet for himself.
With his new feet, Kyle swam much faster.
The Black Lake was vast and seemingly bottomless. As Kyle swam downstream, the light grew dimmer. He oriented himself using the stands above the water's surface and then headed towards the center of the lake.
Through the bubbles in front of him, the murky lake water seemed to exude an eerie hue.
Small fish swam gently, brushing past the reluctant Kyle like silver arrows.
But this wasn't a serene scene; there were also Grindylows lurking in the lake's depths, waiting to attack any passing creature.
Kyle encountered two of them, but he spotted them in time. Before the Grindylows could reach him with their claws, he stunned them with a spell.
Dealing with these dark creatures was easy; a simple stupor charm was all it took...of course, this was assuming there were only one or two. If there were a group, it would be slightly more troublesome.
Kyle swam faster, continuing downstream.
With only half an hour left, he had to find the correct location as quickly as possible.
Along the way, Grindylows kept popping out from the shadows or the underwater plants, causing Kyle trouble.
One even tried to grab the bubble on Kyle's head, but it met the worst fate, getting blasted out of the water by a banishing charm, landing who knows where.
Just as Kyle blasted that Grindylow, a voice suddenly echoed through the serene lake.
"It seems you've encountered some trouble."
Kyle turned his head abruptly and saw a hazy, pearl-white figure floating beside him.
"You're...Lady Greer, Ravenclaw's ghost?" Kyle said, his voice sounding muffled through the bubble charm.
He never expected to encounter a ghost here, especially Ravenclaw's ghost.
Lady Greer's ghost still had that melancholy look. She circled Kyle once and then pointed.
"You can go that way."
However, Kyle didn't move; instead, he continued to look at her with confusion.
To be honest, if it were any other ghost, whether it was Hufflepuff's Fat Friar, Nearly Headless Nick, or the Grey Lady, Kyle would have immediately swum in that direction without hesitation.
Kyle had interacted with them before, and they were familiar with each other. It would make sense for these ghosts to come and lend a hand.
But Lady Greer...Kyle couldn't recall any interactions with her, not even a single conversation.
Even the Ravenclaw students were like this. Lady Greer would just float aimlessly around the castle, ignoring everyone.
Kyle couldn't understand why she would suddenly appear to help him...it couldn't be for Hogwarts' honor, a claim even Peeves wouldn't believe.
"I overheard your conversation a few days ago...you and an invisible wizard."
As if guessing Kyle's confusion, Lady Greer spoke up, "I also heard you mention my mother's crown...I want to know if it's true."
"Your mother..."
"Rowena Ravenclaw," Lady Greer said, "I am her daughter. When I was alive, my name was Helena Ravenclaw."
Hearing this, Kyle remembered, and it seemed there was indeed such a thing.
"Ah, yes," he quickly said, "I found Lady Ravenclaw's crown."
"Can I talk to you about something?" Lady Greer, or Helena, said softly, "I heard you mention 'fixing'... is the crown broken?"
"I'm sorry, this is not something I can explain in a few words, and..." Kyle pointed towards the surface of the water, "I might not have any extra time right now."
"Then let's wait until after this competition." Helena said, "I'll wait for you in the castle."
Kyle nodded and then swam towards the direction she pointed.
Having wasted a little more time, Kyle had to speed up again...
After about ten minutes, he heard a series of intermittent shouts and a painful hiss.
The lake water ahead suddenly became turbid, and through a patch of aquatic plants, Kyle saw a clearing with around a dozen mermaids holding spears and ropes, chasing a strange creature.
Its upper body was that of a horse, and its lower body resembled a fish, covered in wide-leaved sweet flag, looking like a mane.
Hippocampus!
Are there such creatures in the Black Lake of Hogwarts? Kyle was slightly surprised, but soon reacted, after all, no one knows how big the Black Lake is, where the deepest part connects, and it's normal to have a Hippocampus.
The Hippocampus in front of him probably came here by accident and inadvertently entered the territory of the mermaids, and was being hunted down.
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A single mermaid might not be a match for the Hippocampus, but against a well-equipped and trained mermaid team, the Hippocampus would struggle to gain any advantage.
It had several spears stuck in its body, and its front hooves and tail were tightly bound by ropes. Large patches of blood flowed from its wounds, dispersing in the lake water.
Additionally, there were many motionless mermaids around, indicating that the mermaids had also suffered heavy losses in their attempt to capture the creature.
Just as Kyle was thinking this, the mermaids spotted him, and several spears were instantly aimed in his direction.
"Who's there..." The lead mermaid emitted a sharp sound.
He looked nothing like the mermaids in the castle paintings, with yellow eyes, incomplete teeth, iron-gray skin, tangled hair like a clump of entangled seaweed, and a string of pebbles around his neck.
"I'm a student at Hogwarts, and one of the Triwizard Tournament champions." Kyle quickly explained, "I need to perform the second task underwater, and Professor Dumbledore should have informed you about it."
The mermaid leader slightly lowered his guard and continued to turn his spear towards the Hippocampus.
"Wizard, this is not where they are trapped. You need to keep going forward. Leave quickly, it's dangerous here."
"I think I can help you." Kyle did not leave but swam forward a little more.
"The Hippocampus is going crazy. If this continues, even if you can kill it, you will lose at least half of your people."
"This is our duty, you don't need to worry about it."
"I can help you." Kyle said again, "I've seen how Newt Scamander dealt with the Hippocampus. You should know him, right?"
Based on his experience, mentioning Newt's name in front of intelligent magical creatures is usually effective, especially near Hogwarts.
Sure enough...
"Scamander?"
Hearing this name, the mermaid leader turned his head again, examining Kyle up and down.
"He helped us find this habitat, and he's our eternal friend... Do you really know him?"
"Of course." Kyle said quickly, "I visit his house every holiday."
He swam forward a bit more, and this time, the mermaids finally stopped driving him away.
(End of Chapter)
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