"Regulus! I want to know, what exactly is the secret behind this dragon egg? What kind of creature is making those sounds inside it?"
As Fleur Delacour enjoyed her meal, she poured Regulus Black a glass of wine. Her cheeks were flushed with charm, and she asked casually.
"In fact, I'm one of the creators of these dragon eggs. The project also involved technicians from the Ministry of Magic, as well as Headmaster Dumbledore."
Regulus Black shrugged and took a sip of wine. It had a very nice taste—slightly sweet, with minimal bitterness.
"But you have to understand, as the creator of the props, I signed a contract with the Ministry. These secrets can't be disclosed. Otherwise, how could future tournaments proceed? Would the Ministry be expected to keep producing new props indefinitely?"
With that, Regulus effectively cut off the line of questioning Fleur had been planning to pursue.
But Fleur Delacour wasn't one to give up so easily. It wasn't often she confessed her feelings, and the other party had accepted. She had even brought her sister Gabrielle along to accompany her. If after all that, Regulus Black still wouldn't reveal even a sliver of useful information, then the sisters had clearly misjudged him.
Which meant this would only turn into a difficult and bitter romance.
"Please, you have to tell us something. I beg you, Regulus!"
Gabrielle was already on the verge of tears, lips pursed, her face showing she was doing her best not to cry.
"Gabrielle, what do you usually do after dinner?"
Regulus Black suddenly asked a question. Asking a girl about her nighttime routine was, frankly, quite impolite.
"I usually study first, then do some magic training, then… take a bath, change into my pajamas, and finally go to bed. I make sure to wake up on time the next day."
Gabrielle Delacour blushed slightly when she mentioned bathing, then continued listing her evening activities one by one.
"So during this time, what have you been doing to uncover the dragon egg's secret?"
Regulus poured himself another glass of wine, swirling it gently as the purplish-red liquid clung to the sides of the glass.
"We've gone through tons of material. In fact, all the Beauxbatons students who came with us have joined in. But whether it's the books we brought or the ones in Hogwarts' library, none of them contain what we're looking for."
Fleur Delacour offered an explanation. It wasn't that they weren't working hard—they simply couldn't find the right direction.
"Haven't you been keeping the dragon egg with you at all times? Holding it while eating? Holding it while studying? Holding it while bathing? Holding it while sleeping?"
Regulus Black felt he'd already given enough hints for the evening. Once he finished this drink, it was time to leave.
"Regulus! I don't quite understand what you mean. Are you suggesting we missed something? That we haven't examined the egg closely enough?"
Fleur Delacour grabbed Regulus just as he was about to get up and leave. Since he had said this much, she pleaded for him to spell it out clearly.
"Don't overthink it. A lot of things are actually quite simple. The challenges in the tournament won't exceed your abilities. You should understand from what I've said. Just follow the instructions—take them literally."
After finishing, Regulus Black bid farewell to the Beauxbatons carriage and expressed high praise for the service provided by the Beauxbatons girls.
As she watched him walk away, Fleur couldn't tell if the dinner invitation had yielded any real answers.
When she turned around, she saw Gabrielle standing behind her, holding a dragon egg in her arms.
"Gabrielle! What are you doing?"
Fleur Delacour gently stroked her sister's hair with affection.
"Regulus already told us—just do exactly as he said. I think that's the answer."
Gabrielle's wide eyes stared at her sister, with an expression that said, You still don't get it, do you?
"Do exactly as he said…"
Fleur Delacour was a little moved. Could the answer really be such a simple method?Hold it while eating.Hold it while studying.Hold it while bathing.Hold it while sleeping.Since they had just finished dinner, it was time to start studying—while holding the dragon egg.
The two Delacour sisters each held a dragon egg and began their planned study session. However, tonight they were especially focused, constantly observing any movement from the eggs. Unfortunately, the dragon eggs showed no reaction to their enthusiasm.
But when the sisters took the dragon eggs with them into the bath, the answer finally revealed itself.
"Sister! Since we brought the dragon eggs into the bath, should we put them in the water to wash together?"
"Gabrielle, you're still like a little child. These dragon eggs aren't toys. But I suppose soaking them in water shouldn't do any harm."
As soon as the dragon egg touched the water, it automatically opened, and a melodious, beautiful voice came through the cracks in the shell.
"We are the spirits of the water, waiting for your arrival beneath the surface. Every champion must find a treasure chest and take only the one that belongs to them. The chest will weigh the same as you do—this is the curse placed upon those who seek the treasure. Return to the surface with the chest to earn honor and praise."
A mermaid's song, sung in a language understandable to humans, echoed through the water. The sound was so beautiful that even the movement of the water became more vibrant and dazzling. A key emerged from the spot where the egg's mechanism had opened.
"The next task is to find the correct treasure chest underwater—and to figure out which one is yours."
The Delacour sisters lifted their heads from the bath and happily high-fived each other in celebration.
Now that they had discovered the secret, they had an entire month to prepare for the underwater task.
As for sleeping with the dragon eggs in their arms, the sisters did exactly that—but no further clues appeared. They also ate while holding the eggs, again without any new results.
After completing all four activities, the Delacour sisters finally understood that if they had simply carried the dragon eggs with them everywhere from the start, the secret might have been revealed the moment the egg first came into contact with water. But instead, they had spent all their time buried in books, researching endlessly—and ended up wasting valuable time.
"I can't believe it was that simple."
Madame Maxime looked at the two oddly shaped keys in front of her and finally understood how the Delacour sisters had uncovered the secret. It was unimaginably simple. But with a whole month left to prepare, she believed they would definitely succeed.
"Sister, do you like listening to the mermaids' song?"
Previously, when the mermaids' song had been played on land, Fleur's mood and personality were drastically affected. But after hearing the song underwater, her emotional swings calmed down, and she became serene once more.
"Of course, Gabrielle. I could listen to that song forever without growing tired of it. I even leave the dragon egg soaking in the bath while I sleep!"
Fleur Delacour reached out and touched the surface of the dragon egg. This was a prop designed by Regulus Black.
"Even across the entire living room, with the bathroom door closed, the sound that reaches the bedroom is faint—but just right for a lullaby."
Fleur Delacour was quite pleased with this small discovery of hers.
"Really? Then I'll do that tonight too! I've always felt it was such a shame that I couldn't hear the song once I fell asleep!"
Gabrielle Delacour joyfully hugged her dragon egg and ran off toward her dormitory.
These dragon eggs, created by Regulus Black, made it feel as if you were holding him in your arms when you slept with one.
With a budding heart full of affection, Gabrielle ran even faster—her room was just across from her sister's.
The secret of the dragon eggs had been discovered at Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, and the news was almost public knowledge within their school.
Naturally, the information spread through the students' network of friends and eventually reached Durmstrang Institute and Hogwarts as well.
"Who would've thought Hogwarts would only hear about it after such a long detour?"
Harry Potter held a strangely shaped key in his hand. He had already compared his with Cedric's, and there wasn't the slightest resemblance between the two.
In other words, they would each need to dive underwater, retrieve a chest that matched their own body weight, and bring it back to the surface—that would be the only way to complete the task.
The real challenge wasn't diving underwater, but the weight of that chest.
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