Completely without any forewarning or mental preparation, Hermione felt as though she had been stuffed into a washing machine drum. Before her eyes, the light and shadows were swirling wildly, and the ears were filled with a fierce howling sound!
The sudden change made her scream uncontrollably, as the surge of magic caused her tail fins to transform into two slender, elongated legs. The bubbles overhead also exploded in the turmoil, and all she could do was cling to Harry and Ron who were still in front of her.
When the world stabilized, Hermione discovered that she wasn't alone among those who had moved with her. Crumple-Horned Snorkack Rubeus Hagrid and Pansy Parkinson were also by her side.
The sudden disappearance of the pressure from the deep water allowed the air, filled with a fishy and damp scent, to rush into their nostrils. The faces of the several "treasures," previously ashen, gradually came to, and the ropes that bound them were also released.
Harry blinked, trying to clear the blur from his vision, but no matter how hard he tried, everything was hazy. It wasn't until then that he realized the smudges on the glass lenses were causing him to lose focus.
After wiping the glasses with his cloak a few times, Harry quickly put them on to observe the situation. The first thing he saw was Ron next to him tapping his toes on what seemed to be a dusty, rocky pedestal they were standing on.
"You did it, Hermione! You've saved me and Ron from the bottom of the lake!"
Happy, Harry supports the rare dizziness Hermione's arm, a few moves,
"What was your rank?"
After asking the question, Harry realized that something was wrong. Gabrielle and Karkaroff were also here, and they weren't on the shores of the Black Lake, nor were they even at Hogwarts.
Not to mention Hogwarts, this place may not even be within the territory of Hogwarts, because even the ring mountains surrounding the castle have disappeared. The high platform is in a dark, overgrown graveyard, and you can see the black silhouette of a small church behind a tall chestnut tree to the right. On the left is a hill, and Harry can faintly make out an old house with intricate details on the slope.
Above, the sky was overcast with dark clouds, the sky was as dark as nightfall. This was not reasonable; when Professor McGonagall woke us up at dawn, the outside sky was clear and full of vitality, and it should have been a nice day today.
Suddenly, a strong sense of unease surged into Harry's heart.
" Hermione?"
Harry looked at Hermione, who was staring at the tombstones, her body trembling.
"I don't know, Harry, I-I only touched you guys and then we used the door key for instant transport," Hermione said, her voice trembling.
Hermione's voice was filled with confusion and helplessness.
"Nonsense!"
The only adult standing on the high platform spoke, and Karkaroff's eyes also showed fear, but he was staring at Hermione with a fierce expression.
"I've never heard of a second project involving the door key, what's going on at Hogwarts, or is this again that brilliant idea from Blaine?"!
As Karkaroff spoke of Professor Blaine, his tone was laced with contempt, and the three Hogwarts students, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, all sent him angry glances. However, in that situation, Karkaroff wouldn't have cared about the students' displeasure with him. He roughly pushed Ron out of his way and descended the steps from the high platform.
Standing at the foot of the high platform, Karkaroff scanned the surroundings, and the confusion in his eyes made Harry, Ron, and Hermione begin to believe that this "multiple-job-holding" headmaster of Demontrall was indeed unaware of the situation.
"In fact, he has one point right,"
Ron didn't want Karkaroff to think he agreed with him, so he whispered to Harry and Hermione,
"He really enjoys giving people a surprise."
"But he usually gives hints."
Harry retorted, barely smiling at Gabrielle standing behind the three of them, her pale face trembling with fear and disarray. Then she suddenly noticed a new situation.
"Is it just us?"
Harry asked,
"Sagal and that group, and Viktor?
After being exposed to the air, the sportswear on everyone's bodies instantly dried, but their hair was still damp. The chill even caused frost to form on Hermione's hair, which she shook her head as if to drive away confusion.
"When I saw you, Cedric and Zoe were gone. Krum was exhausted by a Creevy, he fell behind me. I didn't see Pansy."
"Ooh!"
Ron raised his eyebrows, looking quite satisfied as he watched Karkarov, who seemed to be indifferent on the surface but was actually eavesdropping on their conversation.
"I guess this is the second stage of the competition, warriors and important people together to overcome difficulties this is very in line with Professor Blaine's style, isn't it? But unfortunately, someone has fallen behind and has no qualification to enter the second stage!"
Karkarov's expression turned fierce instantly. He turned his head and glared at Ron, baring a mouthful of yellowed teeth, and coldly said:
"You little brat, if Blaine really came up with such a silly plan, it's a shame that this competition will be deemed invalid. He changed the project and rules without my permission!"
"The Blaine professor's plan does not require your consent!"
Ron felt the intimidating gaze of Karkarov and stepped forward, returning it with an equally cold look.
After the brief confrontation, both of them withdrew their gazes.
"Wait and see."
Karkarov growled,
"If it was really Blaine's idea."
"Shouldn't we take a look around?"
Ron said.
The cold and unfriendly gravestones standing in the misty atmosphere reminded Ron of the second year when he completely failed in the Black Magic Defense class exam under Professor Blaine's deathly mages. Now, it seemed that he had a chance to prove himself again.
"If this is truly part of the test rather than an accident, we can't just let the pureblood from Hufflepuff get all the spotlight, can we?"
Ron was excitedly saying.
No one responded to Ron's call, and the looks on Karkarov's and Harry's faces were the worst among everyone. They all felt a sense of impending doom.
"Let's go take a look around first."
Until Ron felt embarrassed, Hermione finally spoke in a cautious tone, with her lips pursed and her mouth tightly closed.
"We can't just stand here all the time, can we? Come on, Gabrielle, you can follow us."
Several people started to walk down the platform, and after helping Gabrielle, who seemed to have lost her ability to move, Hermione immediately formed a defense formation with Harry and Ron. Although Ron's evasion was not yet up to par, Harry was eager to practice this with Ron.
Karkarov glanced at the three small guys who formed a formation, his eyes full of contempt. He intended to get rid of them and act alone, but in the end, for some reason, he didn't detach himself from the group.
One by one, tombstones exuding a sense of death were inserted into twisted gravestones. Harry and Hermione, acting as the vanguard, and Ron as the rear guard, took careful steps to avoid two adjacent graves. A Y-shaped fork appeared in front of them.
There is a roadside that is pruning a withered branch, connecting many tombstones. On the other side, there is a road leading to the hill, where an old house stands standing on the ridge of the mountain.
"Which way?"
Harry gazed forward, only tilting his head slightly, his peripheral vision scanning Hermione.
Hermione furrowed her eyebrows, and for a moment, she was uncertain.
From a logical point of view, if this is really a large-scale exploration task, the old house is clearly more in line with the target. However, the tombstone path filled with mist could also be the right direction if the tournament organizers intend to have them deal with Death Eaters.
No one asked Karkarov's opinion, even though he was the most magical and experienced person in the group. Harry and the others were well aware that this man, who seemed to be a cold observer, probably had a despicable intention to use them as guinea pigs to test danger.
"We--"
After a difficult decision, Hermione pointed to the ridge, where the view was more open. If Cedric and Zoe had arrived here first, they should be able to find them easily.
"You hear!"
Just as Hermione was about to say the duel, Ron suddenly looked frightened. Each word he uttered was trembling, and his fear even made his suppressed voice sound like it was crying.
"Someone is crying. It's a ghost!"
(Chapter ends)
