A magical journey that begins at Hogwarts

“He’s Durmstrang’s student!” Ron said speechlessly. “Karkaroff is unconditionally biased towards him, and might even have taught him Durmstrang’s advanced magic.”

The same goes for Fleur; Maxim must have taught her Beauxbatons' special magic.

“What about Cedric?” Hermione countered. “Dumbledore didn’t teach him, did he?”

"But his father is the Director of the Department of Magical Creatures Control at the Ministry of Magic, and he knows quite a few spells."

“Indeed, I have almost no advantage over them,” Harry said with a bitter expression.

“You can ask someone for help!” Ron said meaningfully. “Didn’t Professor Moody give you an idea once?”

“No way!” Harry shook his head. “I asked Professor McGonagall, and she said that in the Triwizard Tournament, you can’t ask anyone else for help; everything depends on the champions themselves.”

I don't know if Professor Moody will help me a second time, but I know he definitely can't cast a spell on me before the match.

“Actually, there are other ways.” Ron hesitated and pointed to Aaron, who was leaning against the corner writing and drawing.

"This...isn't that a bit inappropriate!" Hermione said with a troubled expression. "We still have time; we're not at our wits' end yet."

"How much time? Two days?" Ron said speechlessly. "At this point, besides him, the only other person who might be able to help Harry breathe underwater is Cedric."

“Don’t mention Cedric to me,” Harry said coldly.

"You know the situation. We have no other choice. We can't just watch Harry fall into the lake and drown!"

Hermione was still a little hesitant, but Ron continued, "We don't need him to help Harry directly, we just want to ask him for advice. We can handle the rest ourselves!"

“I’ll go ask!” Harry sighed, then walked awkwardly to Aaron.

"Um... this..." Harry stammered, unsure how to begin. After all, people always asked him for help. Once or twice was fine, but if it happened too often, it would be hard to repay the favor.

Aaron raised an eyebrow as he looked at Harry Potter, who was struggling to speak. He then turned his gaze to Hermione and Ron, and seeing the tall stacks of books beside them, he seemed to understand why Harry had come to him.

"Hey! Don't tell me you're not ready for the second event yet."

Chapter 382 Gill-Sac Grass, Dobby's Aid

"I really wasn't prepared," Harry said sheepishly.

Aaron was incredulous. He had given Harry the clue on Christmas Day, and it had been almost two months since then and they were still not ready.

"Okay! I shouldn't have had any expectations of you."

Honestly, where are we at?

Is it a lack of confidence in fighting the giant squid, an inability to deal with Grindylow, or a lack of knowledge on how to find the mermaids?

Upon hearing this, Harry swallowed hard, his face turning slightly pale.

He was so focused on how to breathe underwater that he neglected the terrifying creatures in the Black Lake.

"Uh... I want to know how to breathe underwater."

Aaron was stunned for a moment, looking at Harry with a hint of surprise. "You're not serious? You didn't even handle the first step?"

“I’ve tried everything. We’ve searched the library and looked through all the books on water, but we still haven’t found anything,” Harry explained anxiously. “Breathing underwater is simply impossible for us fourth-year students.”

"To be more precise, I'm also in fourth grade."

“You’re an exception,” Harry quickly added. “Now only you can help me.”

Aaron rolled his eyes. He swore that if it weren't for the fact that Adrian didn't want any major mishaps in the Triwizard Tournament, he would have turned around and left immediately.

"The 'Bubble Head Spell' creates a large bubble around the head, which can isolate the head from polluted air and can also be used for underwater breathing, barely lasting for an hour."

"Cedric and Fleur are planning to use this spell," Aaron said, then changed the subject, "but you can forget about it. There aren't many senior wizards who know the Bubble Head Charm."

"Is there any other way?"

“Of course there is, but…” Aaron looked at Harry suspiciously, “There are less than two days left. Are you sure you can still learn magic in time?”

"You're not going to make me prepare scuba gear too, are you?"

"It's not that bad, it's not that bad."

There is a plant called gill sac grass. Eating it will cause you to grow fish gills and your limbs to turn into webbed feet, allowing you to move freely underwater for more than an hour.

Harry was overjoyed; gill sac grass sounded much more reliable than a spell.

Not only can they breathe underwater, but their hands and feet will also become their most useful tools, saving them the magic power to use the Bubble Spell, giving them a huge head start over other warriors!

Where can I find this herb?

“The Mediterranean,” Aaron said, half-jokingly.

"What?" Harry's enthusiasm was dampened. "The competition is the day after tomorrow. The Mediterranean is so far away, there's not even enough time to make a round trip."

"Does Hogwarts not have this herb? Beyond that is Hogsmeade; beyond those two areas, I really can't do anything."

“So you’re quite lucky,” Aaron said with a meaningful smile. “Hogwarts happens to have gill sac grass; it’s in one of the professors’ private storage rooms.”

Harry paused for a moment, then clapped his hands and said, "Professor Sprout, I should have thought of that."

"The botanical gardens of Hogwarts are all hers, the gill sac grass is definitely in her hands, and she will absolutely give that herb to Cedric to give him a greater advantage in the Triwizard Tournament."

“As expected of Harry Potter.” Aaron gave him a thumbs up. “Perhaps you are right. Besides Professor Snape, Professor Sprout may also possess this extremely precious herb.”

Rumble!

Harry was struck dumb, and a sense of despair enveloped him.

If the gill sac grass were in Professor Sprout's hands, although it would be difficult, it wouldn't be without hope.

He revealed the details of the first project to Cedric, which made the Hufflepuff warriors owe him a favor. Even if it was to repay the favor, Cedric had to help him with this task.

As for whether being a villain would affect one's character, he no longer cares.

Ever since Cedric stole his dance partner (though he may not have known he had feelings for Cho Chang), their relationship has unilaterally plummeted to a freezing point.

But if the gill sac grass were in Snape's hands, it would be extremely difficult.

Being a villain is definitely not enough; you have to be ruthless to have a chance.

Harry forced a smile. "Are there any other methods besides these two?"

“Hmm... Viktor Krum has been practicing diving these days. I suspect he has mastered some kind of transformation technique, but it's not Animagus. You can go ask him.”

"Hehe! Could you recommend one that would be suitable for a fourth-year wizard like me?"

“Uh…that’s a bit much to ask.” Aaron said, stroking his chin. “At the moment, gill sac grass seems to be the most suitable for you, but I certainly won’t put Professor Snape in a difficult position for your sake.”

“Is that so?” Harry said in a deep voice. “Thank you for telling me all this anyway.”

“You’re welcome.” Aaron waved his hand. “You can try to find other people, Moody, Hagrid, or even all of Gryffindor. They’re all willing to help you.”

"Okay." Harry nodded listlessly and turned to walk towards Ron and Hermione.

Seeing his utterly dejected look, Aaron had no intention of helping him. He wasn't Harry Potter's nanny, and offering this hint was already more than enough.

"How is it?" Ron asked anxiously.

Harry silently shook his head. "Shall we look for another way in the books?"

"Didn't he tell you?" Hermione frowned slightly. "That shouldn't be the case!"

“No, he did, and he said it very clearly,” Harry said bitterly. “It’s a spell called the Bubble Head Curse, but I can’t possibly learn it in two days. It’s also an herb called Gillbagel, which grows gills and webbed feet when you eat it, but Snape has it.”

Hermione and Ron exchanged bewildered glances. They preferred to believe that Harry could learn the Bubble Head Charm in two days rather than that Snape would give him the Gillbagel.

......

For the rest of the time, Harry and his two friends spent their time in the library.

From dawn till afternoon, they tirelessly perused various magic books, desperately seeking a third way to breathe underwater.

Harry was under more pressure because the second project was difficult not only because of underwater breathing, but also because of dealing with underwater creatures. However, he dared not tell the two of them because the underwater breathing part alone was driving them crazy.

The next day, they repeated what they had done on the first day, but in addition to disappointment, they also received a sense of despair.

Professor McGonagall sent George and Fred to her office for reasons that are unclear, but they both agreed that the Triwizard Tournament was a test of the warriors' abilities and that no one else could help.

At eight o'clock in the evening, Mrs. Pince closed the library and kicked them out.

Harry's mood grew heavier. He returned to the common room to put on his invisibility cloak and head to the library, but before he could do so, Dobby suddenly appeared at his bedside.

Dobby, what are you doing here?

"Never mind, it doesn't matter what I came here for. I need to go to the library now, so don't stop me."

“No need to go,” Dobby said. “Dobby knows what Harry Potter is looking for, and Dobby has found it for him.”

"what?"

“Gill-sac grass.” Dobby pulled out a clump of grayish-green, slippery stuff. “Harry Potter needs this.”

“You…” Harry’s expression turned extremely serious after a brief moment of smugness. “I’m grateful to you, Dobby, but… you stole Snape’s herbs.”

“He didn’t know Dobby stole it,” Dobby said guiltily. “How did Harry Potter know where Dobby found the gill sac grass?”

“Aaron told me,” Harry sighed weakly. “He told me yesterday that the gill sac grass was stolen today, and I used it in the second competition. Anyone with a brain knows I stole it.”

"Mr. Gaius wouldn't tell Professor Snape, would he?"

"It's hard to say, but whether he says it or not doesn't matter anymore."

"Snape will definitely notice if I use gill sac grass during the match," Harry said with a wry smile. "Dobby, give it back!"

I'm not doing the second project; at worst, I'll just give up on that thing.

“No.” Dobby shook his head firmly. “That’s no ordinary thing. It’s Harry’s Weasley. Dobby can’t let Harry lose his Weasley.”

"Wei Zai? What Wei Zai?" Harry asked, bewildered.

"The one who gave Dobby the sweater for Christmas."

Upon hearing this, Harry was stunned. After regaining his senses, he quickly took off his Invisibility Cloak and went to Ron's bedside, only to find that the blankets were empty.

"The mermaid took Ron away, so does that mean Hermione too..."

“Just like Harry Potter thought, they are the warriors’ most cherished possessions,” Dobby said. “If an hour later…”

"No hope, utterly vanished, never to return." Harry recalled the song from the golden egg, and a look of horror appeared on his face. He decisively took the gill sac grass into his hand.

He has Aaron with Hermione, so he doesn't need to worry about her at all. But if he can't save Ron, he'll probably spend the rest of his life in regret.

Compared to Ron's life, offending Snape was negligible; in short, their relationship couldn't possibly get any worse.