#232 - Section 232

This Wizarding Wireless Network address recorded another way to contact Ethan.

After the Death Eater who had sworn oaths to both Ethan and Voldemort picked up the Wizarding Wireless Network address, they quickly left.

The commotion caused by the Fiendfyre was quite significant, and the Ministry of Magic would likely arrive soon. Continuing to stay here would only create trouble for themselves.

Chapter 272: The Second Task Begins

The date is February 24th!

During the time after the Christmas holidays, some minor events occurred.

These mainly revolved around Snape and Moody, but Ethan didn't pay much attention to them, continuing as usual.

The night before last, when Harry came to find him, Ethan told him how to open the golden egg.

There was no other way, as the Triwizard Tournament ultimately relied on the total score of the schools to determine the winner.

Even if Ethan could guarantee getting full marks, the others had to not be too terrible, otherwise they would still drag him down.

Therefore, it was more appropriate to tell Harry how to correctly open the golden egg.

Otherwise, without anyone reminding him, and with a bit of bad luck, Harry would never find the correct way to open the golden egg in his lifetime.

There was no helping it; Harry's brain just didn't work for anything other than fighting.

Just like in the original story, Cedric had already told Harry how to correctly open the golden egg, and Moaning Myrtle had also told Harry what the second task would involve.

But even with over two months between then and the start of the second task, Harry couldn't find a good way to get underwater.

It was only at the last moment that Dobby helped Harry, otherwise Harry would have had trouble even getting into the water for the second task.

His brain just wasn't suited for thinking about problems.

The task was scheduled to start in the morning. When Ethan arrived at the Great Hall for breakfast with Jeanne and Michael, it was already crowded with young wizards.

Terry wasn't there because he hadn't been seen since the last class yesterday.

Michael and Jeanne had reported it to the prefects in the evening, and the answer they received was that the professors would help search for him, but not to panic yet.

Unsurprisingly, this guy was the target Ethan was about to rescue.

Even Ethan himself didn't know why he was rescuing Terry. Wouldn't it be more appropriate to switch him out for Cho Chang or Cassandra?

After breakfast, as usual, Ethan and the others were gathered by Professor McGonagall, but Harry was still missing.

Could it be that he was up all night looking for a way to get underwater, just like in the original story, and overslept?

Therefore, after a brief explanation, Professor McGonagall hurriedly left, presumably to find Harry.

The main thing was to arrive at the Black Lake on time to participate in the second task, and Ludo would explain the specific rules there.

Ethan and Fleur sat in a corner, mainly with Ethan comforting Fleur.

Just like in the original story, Gabrielle had disappeared last night, and Fleur was anxiously pacing around. Ethan had told her the reason, but even so, Fleur couldn't help but worry.

Before long, it was time for the appointment.

Stepping out of the Hogwarts gates, the cold wind of the Scottish Highlands in February blew, and the other two Beauxbatons girls, dressed lightly, couldn't help but shiver.

At this time of year, the ice and snow had just melted, and the temperature was still quite low. It would be difficult for young wizards to withstand going underwater without magical protection.

Walking down the lawn, they could clearly see the seats that had surrounded the dragon enclosure last November, now arranged in tiers on the opposite shore of the lake, currently packed with people and reflected in the lake below.

"Adrien!"

"Adrien!"

"Hogwarts!"

...

As Ethan and the others approached, a fervent cheer filled the air, causing ripples on the surface of the calm Black Lake.

Although Krum, Fleur, and others had some popularity and received a fair amount of cheers, this was Hogwarts, Ethan's home ground.

"Champions, please come here!"

Ludo, standing on the platform, naturally saw Ethan and the others arrive and immediately invited them over.

They arrived at the table covered with a golden tablecloth, where all the judges were present except for Barty Crouch.

And in Barty Crouch's original seat sat the wizard they had met once at the Yule Ball.

Should Barty Crouch be rescued?

It would definitely be in time to save him now.

In the previous wizarding war against Voldemort, his prestige was quite high. If Voldemort were to rise again, he would definitely be remembered and could regain momentum.

But if Barty Crouch Jr. were exposed, then Barty Crouch would be of no value and would be dismissed entirely, perhaps even sent to Azkaban to retire.

After all, Barty Crouch Jr. was listed as dead in the Ministry of Magic's files, but now he had been rescued. Anyone could guess who was responsible.

Having a Death Eater son at home and secretly rescuing him, who would dare to use him?

Who knows if he had secretly defected to Voldemort as well?

Even if Barty Crouch hadn't, no one would believe it.

After a moment's thought, Ethan decided to let him live or die on his own. Besides, even if he were saved, he might not be willing to join his side. His personality was too strong, which would cause trouble.

Moreover, he wasn't really worth saving. The chances of Barty Crouch Jr. being exposed were too high. Even if he escaped this time, there would come a time when he would have to walk around with his true face. He wouldn't keep disguising himself forever. By then, even if Barty Crouch was saved by Ethan, he would be of little use.

Time passed, and Ethan and the others were already standing aside chatting.

Karkaroff finally couldn't sit still and immediately shouted at Ludo:

"Can we start explaining the rules?"

Hogwarts was still missing one champion, which would result in a direct zero score, plus that red-haired kid would hold them back.

This would directly pull Hogwarts down and throw off the bottom ranking.

If he could find an opportunity to screw over Beauxbatons as well, there might be a chance to win the championship.

"There's still some time. Should we wait a little longer?"

Ludo naturally wouldn't listen to Karkaroff's actions, but looked at Dumbledore.

He naturally understood Karkaroff's plan. If he favored Durmstrang at this moment and directly took down his own people, then after the Triwizard Tournament, he wouldn't need to be the Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports anymore.

Now is the perfect time to pass the problem to Dumbledore. Everyone knows how much Dumbledore values Harry Potter, so he will naturally step forward.

Even if he doesn't want to step forward, it doesn't matter, because the blame won't be on me in the end anyway.

"Then let's wait a little longer. We should give the young champions some leniency, shouldn't we?"

Dumbledore smiled as he looked at the surrounding judges.

The official start time of the competition is nine o'clock, but before that, the champions need to be briefed on the rules. There are indeed still ten minutes or so, but it depends on how the judges arrange it.

Hearing this, Karkaroff glanced at Madam Maxime, signaling that it was his turn to speak.

Aside from the fact that the two were already cooperating, Hogwarts is also Beuxbatons' biggest rival for the championship. If she could further widen the gap between the two, she would be quite happy to do so.

"We can give the champions some leniency, but we can't delay everyone's time because of a few individuals."

"The competition doesn't start until nine o'clock, so this can't be considered delaying everyone's time. If Harry Potter hasn't arrived by then, he will be considered to have forfeited."

Dumbledore said seriously, he would definitely protect Harry.

But now that Harry hadn't arrived, Dumbledore was also a little worried. Although Professor McGonagall had gone to find him, it was still unknown whether he could make it in time.

On the other side, Ludo, as the host and judge, immediately made a decision after hearing what Dumbledore said:

"I will start explaining the rules at eight fifty-five. There is enough time. The competition will officially start at nine o'clock. If he hasn't arrived by then, we will start directly."

Madam Maxime and Karkaroff didn't say anything more about this. They looked at each other and could see the displeasure in each other's eyes.

But this is Hogwarts' home ground, and they had to bow their heads at this moment. After all, Great Britain accounted for three of the five judges, and they would definitely stand on one side.

If the Triwizard Tournament were held at Beuxbatons or Durmstrang, they could have completely blocked Harry Potter from the arena on the grounds that he was late for the entry time.

With less than ten minutes before the official start of the competition, just as everyone thought Harry wouldn't make it, a figure was rushing towards the arena from the edge of the Black Lake.

"I... I'm here..."

Harry shouted breathlessly from a distance. As he approached the long table, he slipped in the mud and stopped, accidentally splashing mud on a Beauxbatons girl's robe.

Causing the other party to glare at Harry several times.

"I... I can still participate in the competition, right!"

Harry, still panting, looked cautiously in Ludo's direction.

The champions and the audience had already arrived, and he was afraid that the competition had already started.

"Of course, the competition hasn't started yet. Next, I will introduce the rules of the competition."

Ludo explained with a smile.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief, and then looked at the other judges. Dumbledore was still smiling, but Karkaroff and Madam Maxime seemed very unhappy to see him, and Mr. Crouch still hadn't arrived.

Since learning from Ethan these past two days that the golden egg could be opened while taking a bath, Harry tried it that night, still in that abandoned girls' bathroom.

With Myrtle's reminder, Harry also knew that he had to go underwater, facing things underwater.

But Harry had no idea how to go underwater.

He originally wanted to go to Ethan the next day to ask, but Harry stopped. He got the golden egg in the first game with Ethan's hint, and now the golden egg was also opened with Ethan's help. If he still needs Ethan's help later, then what am I?

This time, Harry wanted to try to rely on himself to find a solution, otherwise he would really have no sense of participation.

So he spent most of his time in the library these past two days, just to find a way, but unfortunately he still didn't find it, and even almost missed the game. Fortunately, Dobby woke him up.

Thinking about everything he had done these past two days, Harry felt like a clown.

Taking advantage of the last bit of time before Ludo started explaining the rules of the game, Harry hurriedly asked Ethan for help.

Otherwise, it would be really over after the game started.

Feeling someone tugging at his wizard robe, Ethan turned to look at Harry and asked:

"What's the matter?"

Ethan really didn't know what Harry was looking for him for now.

"Ethan, do you know how to go underwater?"

Harry asked nervously.

Hoping that Ethan had a suitable method for him, if he needed to learn any spells, it would definitely be too late.

"You haven't found a way to go underwater yet?"

Ethan was a little puzzled. Didn't Dobby give him Gillyweed?

After thinking about it carefully, Ethan also understood. In the original book, Harry knew he had to go underwater a long time in advance, and Dobby also had time to help Harry find a way, but this time it was only two or three days, and Dobby didn't find a way to go underwater.

"No."

Harry nodded quite honestly.

"There are many methods. The Bubble-Head Charm I used in the first grade is a spell for going underwater. There are also Transfiguration and other things. The simplest is to eat Gillyweed. After eating it, you will grow gills on your face. For the duration, you can breathe underwater like a fish."

Ethan said in a low and fast voice.

"Ethan, do you have Gillyweed now?"

Harry asked hurriedly, he now pinned all his hopes on Gillyweed.

Ethan had used the Bubble-Head Charm on him before, but he had never considered what it was used for, so naturally he wouldn't learn it.

Not to mention human transfiguration, which is forbidden at Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall strictly forbids young wizards from using transfiguration on themselves.

Even if it wasn't, Harry wouldn't dare. He couldn't even do animal transfiguration well, so Harry wouldn't dare to do it to himself.

Only Gillyweed sounded the most suitable, just eat it.

"No, I don't use that stuff."

Ethan ruthlessly shattered Harry's hopes with one sentence.

"You can try the Summoning Charm on Snape, he might have it on him."

Snape definitely has Gillyweed there too. As for whether he will bring it over and find an opportunity to give it to Harry, Ethan can't be sure, but it's always right to try.