#402 - Chapter 402: New and Old Grudges

In the audience, the young wizards grew increasingly nervous, and Ludo Bagman was practically hoarse.

He took a swig of throat-soothing potion and then shouted hoarsely.

"Look! The champions of Hogwarts have passed the cooperation trial! The shrinking curse upon them has been lifted, and they have returned to their normal size!"

"They have collected all four gems and assembled them into a special key with only three chances to unlock. Now, their only task is to rescue their companions from the Merpeople village."

"Compared to them, the champions from other schools are in trouble. Amusu from Uagadou, Miss Christine from Durmstrang, and Jacques Dupont from Beauxbatons have all unfortunately become prisoners of the Merpeople and are locked in the prisoner hut."

"Under the leadership of Krum and Fleur, the champions from these schools have united and are actively trying to rescue their companions."

"As if sensing their actions, the Merpeople have increased their patrol frequency. Whether the champions can succeed, let us wait and see..."

Sebastian watched the champions' performance on the screen and couldn't help but shake his head.

Although these little fellows have united, they lack a unified command, and their cooperation is not very refined.

Although they tried to rescue twice, they all failed. Instead, they were chased around by the Merpeople and Grindylows.

Fortunately, as the competition has progressed, these little fellows have become much more clever, and there has been no situation where they failed to rescue and ended up putting themselves in danger.

As for the three champions from Ilvermorny, they are still a little short of passing their third trial副本, so they have not encountered such chaos yet.

On the other side, Malfoy adjusted the size of the underwater thruster and then laughed arrogantly.

"Hahaha, I, this young master, have returned to my peak! Those Merpeople who have been chasing me, prepare to face my fury!"

"Don't be so dramatic, Draco," Harry said with a smile, pointing to the black sphere floating behind them. "It's all being filmed."

"So what if it's being filmed? I'm working so hard in the competition, can't I be a little proud? It's just right for everyone to admire my handsome figure."

"Malfoy, Harry," Cedric said, "My opinion is that after we go out, we should still keep a low profile and focus on completing the competition."

"Of course, I'm not doubting our strength, I'm just worried that causing too much trouble will slow down our progress to victory."

Cedric's suggestion made sense, and Harry and Malfoy had no objections.

Unfortunately, plans can't keep up with changes. As soon as they opened the door of the trial, the three of them saw a 30-centimeter shark-headed figure swimming past them quickly.

That was Krum from Durmstrang. The three turned their heads to look in the direction he came from and saw several Merpeople leading a large group of Grindylows chasing after him aggressively.

"Should we hide?"

"A bit late... We've already been discovered."

"If we're discovered, then so be it! Since we can't hide, let's fight them!"

The Merpeople split into two teams. Most of them stayed to surround Harry and the others, while only two Merpeople led a few Grindylows to chase after Krum.

The three surrounded exchanged a look. The tacit understanding they had developed over time did not need any words to express.

Malfoy's lips curled up, and he gripped his wand tightly. He had already recognized the leader as one of the Merpeople they had encountered in the Black Lake the first time.

Thank Merlin's blessing!

This is an old acquaintance.

The first time they clashed, he had been beaten up by the other party several times, and his butt had taken a hard blow.

Now is just right, let's settle the old and new scores together and let you see this young master's methods.

The Merperson also recognized them, slowly swam forward, and stared at them with its signature fangs, with a mocking smile.

Malfoy immediately took action, raising his wand and casting a silent Stupefy.

I'll let you smile!

The blinding red light instantly lit up, passing through the lake water and accurately hitting the leading Merperson. It didn't even have time to react, its eyes widened, the smile on its lips froze, and its body fell straight into the water grass at the bottom of the lake.

At the same time, Harry and Cedric also launched attacks, and the light of the Stupefy and Petrification Charms directly illuminated this small area of water.

In the winter lake water, between the shimmering light, an almost overwhelming battle instantly unfolded.

Under the three's exquisite cooperation, the Merpeople didn't even have time to sound the alarm before they all followed in the footsteps of the leading Merperson.

Only then did the Grindylows react. They screamed, dragging their slender tentacles, and rushed towards Harry and the others with bared fangs and claws.

There was no need to be so particular when dealing with these little things. Harry and the others cast Freezing Charms, freezing them into ice lumps.

Seeing this, the remaining Grindylows scattered in a panic, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Vulnerable! These few Merpeople dared to bring Grindylows to make trouble for us, what a joke! Did they really think we wasted this month."

Malfoy was smug, revealing an appearance of looking down on the world.

Just then, the shark-headed Krum, who had already gotten rid of the pursuers, swam back again.

"Harry, can I ask how you got rid of the curse?"

He had clearly seen Malfoy, the champion of Hogwarts, also become 30 centimeters tall before, how did he return to normal after a while?

This weak form had caused him a lot of suffering, so after seeing Harry, he couldn't help but ask the question in his heart.

Due to the deformation of his body, his voice was slurred, and it took Harry a lot of effort to understand the meaning.

"Oh, it's very simple, as long as you pass the cooperation trial, you can lift the curse."

So that's how it is...

Krum was a little worried. He had tried it, and the cooperation trial must be opened with all three members of the team gathered.

Now it seems that he still needs to rescue his teammates first.

"Thank you," he said in a muffled voice, and then turned to leave.

Just then, Cedric's voice rang out: "Krum, do you need help?"

Krum's eyes lit up, and he immediately stopped swimming.

To be honest, he especially wanted to ask the three people in front of him for help. After all, all three champions of Hogwarts had recovered their peak strength, which their group of 30-centimeter dwarves could not compare to.

Now that Durmstrang, Beauxbatons, and Uagadou can form an alliance to cooperate, it is because they have a common goal, and the Hogwarts champion team obviously does not have this need.

So, he was really embarrassed to ask.

Now, with Cedric's inquiry, Krum immediately told them about the predicament they were facing.

"I understand," Cedric nodded, "Wait a minute, I'll discuss it with my teammates."

"You don't want to be a hero, do you?" Malfoy said in a low voice.

Cedric hesitated for a moment: "According to Krum's information, all four of their schools have not yet participated in the cooperation trial, so no matter how you look at it, we are destined to win this first place."

"So, I'm wondering if we should help them. What do you think?"

"I agree," Harry echoed in a low voice, "Since the first place is ours, we might as well help, and we happen to be quite familiar with Durmstrang and Beauxbatons."

"Okay."

Malfoy glanced at the magic photography sphere that had been filming all the time.

This is a live broadcast, and it is indeed not very good to refuse directly, we still have to consider the international influence of Hogwarts.

"Since that's the case, let's perform well and let the whole world see the bearing and strength of our Hogwarts champions."

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