Harry returns from Hogwarts Legacy

Chapter 284 The Second Project! Mermaid: Wait, buddy?

Believe it or not, although the classmates found it hard to accept, the three girls were quite satisfied with the result.

If it were Ron, it would surprisingly feel quite balanced.

Hermione stood there, barely daring to breathe, and for some reason, she suddenly thought of Jim Hack.

I always feel like Ron and Huck look a bit alike?
"Potter?"

Professor McGonagall's voice rang out; she had entered the auditorium without her noticing.

“Professor McGonagall.” Harry stood up.

"Time is almost up," she said seriously. "I believe you are well prepared. Hurry up and set off. The warriors from the other two schools have already departed and will arrive at the competition venue soon... I think Mr. Bagman has just announced the details of the second competition. Good luck."

“Yes, Professor.” Harry nodded.

He stood up and walked outside with the three girls.

The students in the auditorium also set off in small groups, following behind Professor McGonagall, heading towards the Black Lake.

The morning was unusually sunny, but the February temperature was still quite biting. Even the presence of the North Atlantic Current couldn't ward off the morning frost.

Harry walked down the lawn and saw the seats that had surrounded the Dragon Arena last November, now arranged in tiers on the opposite bank of the lake, their reflections shimmering in the water below.

The students went to their seats and sat down, while Professor McGonagall led Harry into the tent.

When Harry entered the tent, he saw Viktor was deep in thought, while Fleur was drinking a steaming hot drink, looking very anxious.

"It's really cold, isn't it?"

Viktor spoke as Harry walked in.

“It’s definitely cold,” Harry nodded. “After all, it’s February. We can’t expect the weather to be as warm as it is in July, can we?”

This remark had a touch of humor, at least Viktor smiled.

“The competition involves rescuing people from the bottom of the lake…” Viktor said. “I really don’t understand why such a competition rule would be set up… and even a one-hour time limit. I seriously doubt whether it will cause any harm to the hostage if it exceeds one hour.”

“It’s okay, we’re not Russians,” Harry joked. “At least the hostages don’t have to worry about us being a threat to them.”

Viktor looked up and gave Harry a puzzled look.

Upon hearing Harry's words, Fleur suddenly let out a loud sob.

"What's wrong with her?" Harry asked Viktor curiously.

“Sigh.” Viktor shook his head. “I don’t know why they would take Miss Gabriel Delacour, who is so young, hostage…”

“Oh, Gabriel…” Fleur sobbed.

“Don’t worry, Professor Dumbledore will definitely ensure their safety,” Harry said reassuringly. “I think we should trust ourselves more; after all, as long as we’re fast enough…”

Furong covered her face; the girl looked a little distraught.

It's clear that she loves her sister very much.

Just then, Vivi walked into the tent.

“Ms. Grindelwald!” Viktor immediately stood up straight.

He couldn't help but show respect; Bulgaria and Greater Germany had always been very close, and it was rumored that Bulgaria also wanted to join the Greater German Ministry of Magic.

In other words, Vivi, the county magistrate, is very likely to become the current ruler of the Bulgarians.

“Hmm.” Vivi nodded and sat down next to Harry.

"How's it going?" she asked with a smile. "How's the preparation going? Or... are you still a little worried? Worried about your good friend's situation?"

When Vivi said "good friend," she clearly emphasized the word.

Actually, she already knew what was going on after hearing last night that Professor McGonagall had called Hermione and Ron away by themselves.

Hermione is unlikely to become Harry's hostage, so there's only one truth: Ron was chosen as Harry's most precious treasure.

Logically, it makes sense, since friendship is one of the most precious treasures in the world.

but……

While she understood, Vivi still felt an urge.

That means you should ask Ron if he thinks Potter would mourn for you.

“I’m fine.” Harry shrugged. “I’m not worried about Ron’s condition. He’ll be alright anyway… Don’t worry, don’t you know my situation? We’re quite familiar with the situation at Black Lake.”

"Really?" Vivi asked with a smile.

“Of course,” Harry said earnestly. “Do you remember our first adventure after you came to Hogwarts? It was dealing with those mermaids at the Black Lake.”

“Oh, right.” Vivi nodded. “It seems like that’s true. The spiders in the forest were rather tactless and came over to interrupt our date, weren’t they?”

Harry does remember this event quite well. After he and Vivi became more familiar with each other, the first time they went out alone was by the Black Lake.

Vivi even took him to set off fireworks, and then had a friendly discussion with the merfolk, explaining the pros and cons, and they eventually turned enemies into friends.

Of course, it wouldn't be enough to deal with the spiders that were running rampant in the forbidden forest, because they were very uncooperative.

Oh... fireworks...

Harry remembered why Cassandra's face looked so grim back then.

Yes, the first time you were with Cassandra at the Black Lake, weren't you setting off fireworks?
Now Vivi has brought him to set off fireworks, clearly with ill intentions. It would be strange if Cassandra were happy.

What he didn't know was that Vivi had secretly approached Cassandra and told her about Harry.

Anyway, the gist of it is—I've got my eye on Potter, I'm planning to go on a date with him, and I'm here to let you know.

This three-part combo from the Queen left Cassandra completely stunned.

However, due to her proud and arrogant nature, she simply said dismissively, "Since..."
If you've taken a liking to Potter, then he's yours. He's just a dispensable sidekick to me.

However, that night, Cassandra cried until her pillow was soaked.

Harry only learned about these things from Cassandra's memories.

Yes, it was during the time they practiced Legilimency on each other. Viktor and Fleur sat in the corner, pretending to be invisible, completely ignoring the romance between the Hogwarts champions and the Grand German Under-Secretary of Magic and Director of International Magical Cooperation.

"what happened to you?"

Seeing Harry lost in thought, Vivi asked with concern.

"It's nothing, I was just thinking about why Cassandra was so angry back then," he said with a smile. "But that's all in the past, and Cassandra won't..."

Just then, Ms. Rita Skeeter walked in with her camera.

Her eyes lit up when she saw a pretty girl sitting next to Harry, but when she saw the girl's face clearly, she lost all her luster.

no……

Mrs. Grindelwald...

Then, she encouraged herself again.

As a journalist, she still maintains a high level of journalistic ethics.

Oh, you mean she works as a paparazzi, writing all sorts of gossip and even distorting the facts?
Isn't this just a journalist's basic skill?

“Mr. Potter.” Ms. Skeeter sat down opposite Harry and greeted Vivi, “Hello, Miss Grindelwald, it’s a pleasure to meet you on this occasion.”

“Ms. Skeeter,” Vivi nodded, then smiled and asked, “It seems you’ve come here for an exclusive interview, right? So… would it be convenient for me and Harry to have an interview?”

Ms. Skeeter clearly hadn't expected Vivi to ask her for an exclusive interview, especially one with Harry...

This is an absolutely huge piece of news! It's even more exciting than the news about the entire Three Kingdoms Tournament.

It's easy to imagine how much traffic the Daily Prophet will gain because of this interview...

Just think about it: the love story between the Hogwarts champion, the savior of the British wizarding world, and Miss Grindelwald...

Ms. Skeeter couldn't bear to think any further; every cell in her body was leaping with excitement, eager for her to begin this exclusive interview.

"Shall we begin now?" Ms. Skeeter asked, her eyes sparkling.

“Oh, no rush,” Vivi said with a smile. “We have plenty of time. What you need to do now is conduct the interviews with the three warriors. Perhaps we can schedule another time, what do you think, Ms. Skeeter?”

“Of course, of course!” Ms. Skeeter said happily. “I will do whatever you say, Ms. Grindelwald.”

Fleur looked at Ms. Skeeter and Miss Grindelwald with wide, swollen eyes as if she had seen a ghost, her expression one of utter bewilderment.

No way, this woman, who's so difficult and troublesome, is actually so submissive in front of you?!

She was truly astonished, knowing that Rita Skeeter was incredibly difficult and extremely annoying during her interview.

How could Miss Grindelwald not be surprised that he was now bowing and scraping before her?
On the contrary, Viktor showed no surprise, as if he had expected this outcome.

That makes sense, really. How many people with the surname Grindelwald are easy to deal with?

Ms. Skeeter quickly got into the swing of things, and perhaps because Vivi was there, she was extremely serious. She showed no intention of prying into secrets, nor did she show any tendency to embellish or distort the facts, which made Viktor and Fleur a little uncomfortable.

Oh, to use Rita Skeeter's words, these two are "Bulgarian hunks" and "French Veela."

When it comes to being sharp-tongued, Ms. Skeeter is no less scathing than Professor Snape, but her methods are even more... well, it's hard to describe.

After asking Viktor and Fleur, Ms. Skeeter then asked Harry.

"Mr. Porter, as the only warrior under the age of seventeen, what are your thoughts on this Triwizard Tournament?" Ms. Skeeter asked in a very formal and formulaic manner.

“I am honored to participate in this Triwizard Tournament,” Harry replied officially. “Hogwarts is holding such a grand event that is a once-in-a-century event, based on the principles of fairness, impartiality and openness. As a fourth-year student, I think it is something to be proud of.”

“Okay.” Ms. Skeeter asked again, “I heard that Professor Karkaroff of Durmstrang was not entirely fair during the first competition. What is your opinion on his score for you?”

“I’ve always believed that I’m not Galleon, and it’s impossible for everyone to like me,” Harry said, spreading his hands. “People are biased, and perhaps my approach isn’t the kind Professor Karkaroff prefers, don’t you think?”

“Hmm.” Ms. Skeeter nodded, then asked again, “What would you like to say to Professor Karkaroff?”

“Professor Karkaroff?” Harry thought for a moment, then said, “Then I wish him good health.”

After completing the interview, Ms. Skeeter glanced at Vivi with lingering interest, then bid farewell to the warriors and left the tent.

“You can tell,” Harry said with a shrug. “She’s nervous, isn’t she?”

Vivi covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

Just then, Mr. Bagman walked in.

"Hello, Miss Grindelwald," Mr. Bagman greeted Vivi first.

After Vivi nodded, Mr. Bagman said to the warriors, "The competition is about to begin, warriors—get ready. This competition is different from the last one. You don't need to go out one by one... Well, I mean, you can all go out together to participate in the competition, understand?"

The three warriors nodded.

“Alright, let’s go out together then.” Mr. Bagman said, turning and leaving the tent.

They followed Mr. Bagman to the shore of Black Lake and stood before a makeshift wooden diving platform.

The diving platform isn't high; it's actually less than five feet above the water.

After settling the warriors in, Mr. Bagman cast an amplification spell on himself.

"Listen up, everyone! Our warriors are in position. I'll blow my whistle, and the second event will begin. They have a full hour to reclaim what was stolen from them... I'll count to three, one... two... three!"

A sharp whistle pierced the cold, still air, and cheers and applause erupted from the stands.

Harry paid no attention to what the other champions were doing; he calmly took out his wand and pointed it at the Black Lake.

A purple sphere flew out of Harry's wand and fell into the lake.

With a loud bang, water splashed dozens of meters high, as if the entire Black Lake had taken flight.

Wow!

A gasp of surprise came from all around the venue.

No one expected that Harry would not only not go into the water, but would also use such... such amazing magic.

(End of this chapter)