#396 - Chapter 396 Intelligence and Dilemma

Malfoy's phone call saved Harry from the torment of the noise.

He collected the golden egg and the translator, not planning to continue trying, even though he knew that this clumsy method would definitely lead to the correct answer.

What did Malfoy just say?

Cedric invited everyone to take a bath together tonight?

Could it be that Cedric discovered the secret of the golden egg while bathing?

It felt strange just thinking about it; who would bring a golden egg while bathing?

At nine o'clock in the evening, Harry, with the golden egg in hand, left the Gryffindor common room and went to the sixth floor of the castle to find the statue of Boris the Bewildered.

"Hands wearing gloves backward, looking dazed... this should be it."

After confirming that the statue was correct, he counted to the fourth door to the left of the statue and softly spoke the password: "Fresh Pineapple."

Creak—

The door slowly opened, Harry peeked in, and then quickly slipped inside.

"You're the only one missing, Harry, remember to lock the door so others don't keep coming in."

Looking up, Harry found that Malfoy and Cedric were both soaking in a large swimming pool, with only their heads above water.

The pool was filled with colorful bubbles, pink, blue, and even crystal-clear ones. Besides that, a thin layer of purple mist filled the air above the tub, exuding a faint lavender scent.

"The prefects' bathroom is quiet and undisturbed, perfect for us to decipher the golden egg," Cedric's voice sounded, "Don't just stand there, come relax. We're lucky, Moaning Myrtle didn't come today."

Moaning Myrtle?

What, there are even female perverts here?

Following Cedric's instructions, Harry locked the door, and then took the time to observe the bathroom in front of him.

Merlin!

The prefects' perks aren't bad; this bathroom alone is luxurious enough.

A magical chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting a warm glow throughout the room.

Everything in the room was made of snow-white marble, even the bathtub in the middle.

Calling it a bathtub, Harry felt it was more like a small swimming pool.

"There's even a diving board?!" he muttered, continuing to observe.

Around the bathtub were about a hundred golden faucets, each with a gem embedded in its handle. They were different colors and shone brightly under the magical light.

The only decoration on the wall was a painting in a gilded frame, depicting a golden-haired mermaid sleeping on a rock.

"Don't space out, Harry," Malfoy urged from the pool, "Clean towels are in that corner. Go change first, then bring the golden egg over. Now, your golden egg is the only one we don't know what it says."

Following the direction of Malfoy's finger, Harry went to the corner, quickly took off his outerwear, grabbed a large white bath towel, wrapped it around his waist, and then walked to the edge of the pool and jumped in without hesitation, splashing a large amount of water.

The warm pool water enveloped his body, making him feel relaxed all over. This feeling was completely different from the shower in the ordinary bathroom; it was simply outrageously luxurious.

Harry didn't bother relaxing and asked directly, "What should we do now? How do we unlock the secret of the golden egg?"

"Put the golden egg in the water and then open it," Cedric explained, "The sound is different underwater."

Harry nodded, picked up the golden egg, carefully submerged it in the water, and then skillfully opened it, holding the seams of the golden egg.

This time, the golden egg didn't scream, but instead, a ethereal song slowly echoed in the water, with a beautiful and mysterious tone.

It wasn't clear hearing it from above the water, but he could feel that the song seemed to be conveying some important information.

Splash—

With a gentle splash, Harry found that Malfoy and Cedric had already dived into the water. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and plunged to the bottom of the pool.

As soon as he sank into the water, a melodious and peculiar song rang in his ears. The water seemed to become a medium, clearly transmitting the sound from the golden egg.

Harry opened his eyes and looked at Malfoy and Cedric through the refraction of the water. Both were listening intently to the song, their expressions especially focused.

After the song slowly disappeared, Harry couldn't help but surface, gasping for a few breaths.

"Unable to sing on land? What is this?"

After seeing the mermaid mural on the wall, he had a flash of inspiration: "Could it be merpeople?"

"It should be the song of the merpeople," Cedric wiped the water droplets from his face, "Merpeople like to sing, and it can only be heard clearly underwater. I didn't think of it before, which is really unacceptable."

Malfoy raised an eyebrow: "It seems that the location of the second task is already clear, it's the Black Lake."

Harry ran a hand through his wet hair and asked doubtfully, "What did your two golden eggs say?"

"My golden egg said that we need to collect four different gems and then combine them into a special key," Cedric picked up his golden egg and handed it to Harry.

Harry didn't listen to the contents of the golden egg again, but turned to look at Malfoy.

"We have three hours to reclaim our beloved treasure," Malfoy frowned, "But it didn't say what our beloved treasure is."

As soon as he finished speaking, Harry's eyes widened: "Three hours! Staying in the Black Lake for three hours? That's going to be deadly."

Cedric also frowned.

Now the requirements of the second task were very clear: they needed to dive into the Black Lake within three hours, collect four gems to form a key, and then rescue their beloved treasure.

The question arose!

He really couldn't think of any way to stay underwater for three hours.

Malfoy proposed a plan: "Perhaps we can use the Bubble-Head Charm?"

"Not really," Harry shook his head, "Professor Svan mentioned in Muggle Studies that strenuous exercise consumes a lot of oxygen, and the oxygen in the Bubble-Head Charm probably won't last that long."

"Human transfiguration should be possible," Cedric said with some regret, "Neither of you are good at human transfiguration. The time is too tight, not enough for you to practice."

"I've got it!" Harry's eyes lit up, "We can use Gillyweed. After eating it, gills and webs will grow, allowing us to breathe and move freely underwater."

He was quite familiar with Gillyweed; he even bought a plant as a gift for Professor Snape.

"But..." Harry hesitated, "Gillyweed seems to only last for a little over an hour. Our task is three hours, not enough at all."

"How about this, I'll research and see if I can use Gillyweed as the main ingredient to make a potion that allows us to breathe underwater. If that doesn't work, I'll ask Professor Snape for advice."

"Okay," Malfoy immediately stated, "Leave the Gillyweed to me. I'll have my dad buy some, definitely enough for you to brew the potion."