Chapter 55: The Second Task

Time passed and the new year arrived. Leo and Hermione spent the end of the year and the beginning of the new year at Hogwarts. By now, Hermione was also staying overnight in Leo's research room. At first, McGonagall had warned them, but since the two were Leonard Taylor and Hermione, who was the top student, and they had obtained permission from both parents, it was accepted as a special case. The truth was that Dumbledore had given permission for them to become closer because he thought Hermione was an effective means of controlling Leonard.

And finally, the day of the second task arrived. The representative players are gathered at a waiting place near the lake. The audience is also packed into a specially made spectator seat and is already full.

The mystery of the golden egg was already solved by everyone after the end of the first task. If you look into it later, you will find that it is the language of the underwater people, Merpeople, and all you have to do is prepare a way to retrieve something important from underwater. The representative players other than Leo are fully prepared and confident. Their appearance is in swimsuits because they are about to enter the water. It's still cold, so it's cold, but they are dignified because they were chosen as representatives.

Cedric has not only a good face but also a solid body shape. Krum shows off his trained physique like a sportsman. Fleur is fully charming and unabashedly showing off her swimsuit figure. The live commentator Bagman is also in sync with that and it has now become a bit of a show. That continued until Bagman was stopped by Crouch. By the way, Leo is in his usual clothes and not in a form to enter the water.

"Now, gentlemen in the audience, have you enjoyed enough!? Ah... Barty, put away your wand.

Now let's get back on track. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for waiting. The players are ready so we will start the second task. Players other than Taylor will retrieve something important from the lake at the same time as my whistle. Taylor will start 5 minutes late.

Now, 3・2・1———"

At the same time as the whistle sounded, all three jumped into the lake at once.

It seems that Cedric and Fleur chose a method to hold air in their heads with a bubblehead spell.

Krum has transformed into an incomplete shark due to a transformation failure, but it is effective for swimming underwater without any problems.

While watching that situation, Leo was thinking.

(By the way, what could be important? Nothing was missing from my research room, could it be something at home?)

While he was thinking about this, 5 minutes passed.

"Now, 5 minutes have passed! How will Taylor catch up!? Attention is gathering. Oh? There's no sign of him jumping in!"

Leo put his finger in the lake and activated a search magic.

(Let's see... Water demon, Merpeople underwater people, oh this is a giant squid. Huh? Are there humans other than Cedric and others? Hermione? So people can also be important.)

While anger is certainly present at having his beloved taken hostage, the priority is rescue. As soon as the search magic ends, he apparates to the surface of the water directly above where Hermione is. Using Corpus physical magic, he separates the water into a cylindrical shape around the pillar where the hostages are tied. He descends into this cylinder and cuts the rope binding Hermione. The hostages, as seen through the "Eye", seem to be fine as they are protected by magic providing oxygen and cold resistance. 

Leaving Hermione aside for now, he ascends to the surface of the water and returns it to its original state. While drying Hermione's wet body with magic, he carries her princess-style and returns to the lakeshore using flight magic. Along the way, his beloved wakes up.

"Hmm... Where am I...? Ah, Leo. Good morning."

She gives a drowsy expression, perhaps because the magic that had put her to sleep has not yet fully worn off.

"Good morning, Hermione. How are you feeling?"

"Hmm... I feel... floaty. Is this a dream...? I'm flying over a lake being held princess-style by Leo."

Saying this, she clings tightly to Leo. The spectators watching this scene think, "We came to watch a match, why are we being shown a lovey-dovey couple...?" Since the underwater situation is also being projected by magic, they switch their attention and decide to watch Cedric and others' struggle instead of Leo who is confirmed to be at the top.

By the time they arrive at the lakeshore, Hermione has also awakened and is blushing at having acted so spoiled in front of others while she was still half-asleep. For Hogwarts students, this is nothing new. They have been showing off their closeness since before they started dating, and since they started dating, they have been creating an even sweeter atmosphere. They may not be aware of it themselves, but from an outsider's perspective, they are completely like a married couple.

After a while, Fleur emerged from the lake. She seemed to be injured and was in a state of panic.

"Oh, Gabrielle... Gabrielle! What should I do to get her back?"

Madame Maxime was desperately trying to stop her, but Fleur was about to dive back into the lake to rescue the hostage who couldn't be saved.

When Hermione was rescued earlier, the magic that was applied was set to last for more than an hour. The one hour in the song of the golden egg is just the time of the game, and the management side probably doesn't intend to lose something really important.

It's something you can understand if you think about it a little, but Fleur, who is upset, doesn't notice.

"Even if they are protected by magic, what is the management thinking about sinking people into the water?

"We, the ones who were going to be sunk, had given permission in advance. If we had refused, it seems that some goods would have been sunk instead. As for me, I was a little excited because it was like a prince rescuing a captive princess."

"If Hermione says so, that's fine."

While they were doing so, the next player appeared from the water.

It's Krum in an incomplete shark state. A Slytherin female student who would be a hostage is also with him. Although it was just within the time limit, he brilliantly cleared the task.

A few minutes later. Cedric's face emerged from the water. He is trying to swim to the shore, but he can't move as he wants because he has two hostages. Yes, Cedric brought back not only his own hostage but also Fleur's hostage.

"Gabrielle!"

Fleur runs to her sister Gabrielle, shaking off Madame Maxime's restraint.

She thanked Cedric with tears in her eyes after confirming Gabrielle's safety.

After all representatives returned and Fleur calmed down, it was time for scoring.

"Ladies & Gentlemen! Thank you for waiting! The judging has been completed! We will announce each representative player's score out of 50 points!

First is Taylor. The speed is almost without a 5-minute handicap! Amazingly, there was still 50 minutes left in the time limit. It's amazing that he rescued the hostage without entering the lake! As a result, 47 points!"

The venue is filled with applause, but it's applause without enthusiasm.

It feels like they are saying "Wow, amazing" in a monotone voice.

"Next up, Miss Delacour. Your Bubble-Head Charm was perfect, but unfortunately, you were attacked by a water demon and had to retire midway. Therefore, you get 25 points."

Fleur accepted the result as expected.

"Next, we have Viktor Krum who returned! Although his transformation was incomplete, it was still effective for underwater activities. Given that he returned within the time limit and was the second to do so, he gets 40 points!"

Cheers erupted from Krum's fans and the Durmstrang students.

"Finally! Cedric Diggory! His Bubble-Head Charm was also flawless, and he returned safely with the hostage, but unfortunately, he exceeded the one-hour time limit. However, according to the chief of the Merpeople, it seems that he arrived at the hostage almost at the same time as Krum. But it seems that he decided that the hostage could not be saved within time because he witnessed Fleur being attacked by a water demon. Therefore, it took him more time because he carried two hostages. After discussing with the judges, we concluded that this act was very moral. Therefore, we would like to give Diggory 45 points!"

The entire venue, not just Hogwarts but also the students of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang seemed to acknowledge Cedric's actions as wonderful. Cedric probably felt it was only natural, but such an attitude would likely contribute to his popularity. It's no wonder he's popular with both men and women.

"People don't dislike him because he's like that. There are many girls in Gryffindor who say they like him too."

"Oh? Hermione, do you find guys like him cool?"

"Well... I suppose he is cool. But the only one I want to be with is you."

"That's an honor. I can't imagine anyone other than you being next to me."

"Now then, onto the final task! It starts on June 24th. Everyone, take care!"

"Now that the task is over, shall we go back? What's for dinner?"

"I feel like having some warm soup."

Unfortunately, there was no soup so they asked a house-elf to make some for them. Hermione seemed to have seen a house-elf for the first time at Hogwarts and was impressed by their work.

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(..The second task is over. No matter what the result of the final task, it would be good if Leonard Taylor could steal everyone's attention with his performance...)

In a certain mansion's room, a Death Eater was alone, praying for the success of his own, no, his master's plan.