Chapter 657: Four Hostages
Chapter 657: Four Hostages
To be precise, it was one man and three women. They all had their eyes tightly shut, appearing to be unconscious, with their bodies tightly bound by seaweed. Their disheveled hair swayed gently with the water currents.
In front of the statue stood several fierce Mermaid guards, clearly not to be trifled with.
“Hermione? Ginny?!”
Upon seeing this scene, Harry couldn't help but exclaim in shock, immediately recognizing the two hostages tied in the middle of the lake.
“Gabrielle!” Fleur was even more agitated than Harry. She was completely frantic, staring anxiously at the image in the Crystal Ball, wishing she could jump into the water and chase away the Mermaids to save Gabrielle.
However, such impulsive actions were not allowed. The Aurors responsible for maintaining order were watching her closely.
With no other choice, Fleur turned to the referee's stand and asked urgently.
“Headmistress Maxime, how could my sister Gabrielle be there? She’s not even nine years old. How could you bear to throw her into the Black Lake?”
Maxime couldn't respond, but Dumbledore answered first.
“Miss Delacour, we had already obtained the consent of these young ladies. They volunteered to be hostages and have great trust in you Champions to rescue them from the lake bottom within the specified time limit.”
“What if we fail? What will happen to Gabrielle?” Fleur asked desperately, remembering Ludo Bagman's earlier words. If they failed to rescue the hostages within the time limit, they would lose their most cherished “treasures” forever.
“Let me put it this way, the Water-Repelling and Heat-Resistant Charms I placed on the hostages will only last for one hour!” Dumbledore's expression was very serious, and he was not joking.
Fleur's heart sank. She didn't want to believe that the organizers would be so cruel, but she didn't dare take the risk…
Harry was equally panicked. Upon hearing Dumbledore's cold words, his hands and feet turned icy. Hermione was his best friend, and Ginny was Ron's sister. He couldn't bear to see either of them in danger.
Harry was worried whether he had the ability to complete the hostage rescue task. The Mermaids looked formidable.
To avoid arousing suspicion, Ivan also showed a look of urgency on his face, but his gaze was fixed on the unfamiliar male wizard in the Crystal Ball's image.
From the school uniform, Ivan quickly identified him as a Durmstrang student, likely a close friend of Krum.
Thinking of this, Ivan glanced at Krum, and sure enough, Krum's face had turned very pale.
The organizers had made a precise choice, not selecting Krum's dance partner from the Yule Ball.
After all, they needed hostages who could shake the Champions' resolve!
Ivan even speculated that the true test of this competition was whether the Champions could remain calm and complete the rescue task under such dire circumstances.
Fleur's earlier overreaction had probably cost her a significant number of points…
On the Judges' Stand, Dumbledore sat down after his explanation. Ludo Bagman cleared his throat and stepped forward to continue the commentary.
“Well, I think the Champions are all eager to get started! Now, I announce… the second task officially begins!” Ludo Bagman shouted, raising his wand to shoot a beam of light into the sky.
As the beam exploded, Ivan, Fleur, and Krum quickly jumped into the lake. Harry, however, was a step behind. He frantically uncorked the bottle containing Gillyweed and stuffed a gray-green, rat-tail-like substance into his mouth before swallowing it, then followed the others into the water.
The Young Wizards in the stands stretched their necks, trying to get a better view. Ron and the others, worried about Ginny and Hermione's safety, stood up from their seats. Unfortunately, the Black Lake was too deep, and they could see nothing.
"Do you think Ivan and Harry will definitely save the hostages?" Ron asked George and the others, his voice filled with concern.
"I'm pretty sure Ivan will make it, but Harry... that's a bit more uncertain", George hesitated.
After Ivan's impressive performance against the Dragon in the first task, George had a lot of confidence in him. However, he was all too aware of Harry's Magic level, which, to put it bluntly, wasn't much better than Ron's.
"But no matter what, the hostages should be safe", George added, though he didn't fully believe Dumbledore's reassurances.
"Maybe, but I think Dumbledore and the professors are taking a huge risk. They just left all the hostages in the lake without any Aurors to supervise. What if the Mermaids suddenly go crazy or the protective spells fail?" Fred was furious, deeply worried about Ginny's safety.
"Since you can think of that, the referees must have considered it too", George countered.
"Alright, stop arguing. Look over there!" Charlie interrupted, pointing toward the center of the lake.
At that moment, George, Ron, and the others noticed four floating Crystal Balls that were faithfully recording each Champion's performance underwater.
After jumping into the Black Lake, Krum quickly cast a Transfiguration Spell. His head grew larger and larger, and black fins sprouted from his back, as if he were trying to turn into a shark.
However, human Transfiguration was the most difficult of all Transfiguration Spells, and Krum's skill level clearly wasn't up to the task. The transformation stopped halfway, leaving him as a monstrous human with a shark's head.
The Young Wizards in the stands looked on with disgust. Although the Magic was impressive, Krum's appearance was truly grotesque.
Harry didn't look much better. Gills sprouted on his neck, and his hands and feet transformed to resemble those of the Mermaids.
In contrast, Ivan and Fleur were a sight to behold.
The moment he hit the water, Ivan waved his wand and cast a spell on his Wizard Robes, making them waterproof and water-repellent. It was as if a transparent film separated the water from him.
Then, Ivan's black robes extended into a pair of broad "wings" in the water. With a gentle flap, he could glide a considerable distance.
Fleur, who was an excellent swimmer, could even match Krum's speed, despite his partial shark transformation. She seemed to rely on her swimming skills and only cast a Bubble-Head Charm on herself before diving into the water, apparently planning to swim the entire way.
(End of Chapter)
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