— — — — — —
By now, the champions finally understood why this round was called the "Treasure Hunt."
It wasn't just about finding treasure in the Black Lake. You had to keep it too, while everyone else hunted you down.
In an instant, the way the Champions looked at each other turned wary, guarded.
Everyone except Kamio, the kitsune. Her purpose in coming to Hogwarts had already been fulfilled—she had found someone capable of shielding her from the coming disaster.
So she truly didn't care about the competition results at all. If not for her agreement with the Mahoutokoro headmaster, and the fact that she found it all somewhat entertaining, she would have withdrawn already.
The smile on Kamio's flawless face grew brighter, tinged with impatience. This round was far livelier than the first two.
She wanted drama. She wanted blood on the ground.
Should she take some snacks with her? What was suitable underwater?
Her amused gaze lingered a little longer on Fleur and Daphne. The two girls were staring each other down, neither willing to back off.
The other champions looked tense, unsure of what they should do.
Ariana, meanwhile, had slipped into a corner. Her eyes darted about, clearly plotting something.
But no one needed to guess. Once they learned that Ariana was an Obscurial, and understood what an Obscurus truly meant, the other champions had already marked her as the strongest and most dangerous person among them.
"Ahem..."
Seeing everyone distracted, Bagman deliberately cleared his throat and pulled attention back to himself.
"There's one more important point I need to clarify."
His voice echoed clearly in the small room. "The treasures you obtain in this round are extremely important. It's not just their value. In the fourth task, the 'treasures' can also be used, and they may have a decisive impact on the final result."
"If you mishandle this round, then achieving a good ranking later… will be nearly impossible."
By the end, his expression had turned completely serious.
Bagman's solemn tone, and the lack of objection from the other headmasters and judges, made everyone's hearts sink further.
They left the hut with tension hanging over them. The champions naturally drifted apart, heading back toward their school dorms—everyone except Kamio, once again.
...
..
"Ah!"
While Daphne was wondering whose treasure she should try to steal, someone suddenly wrapped an arm around her wrist.
"Miss." Kamio greeted her with a radiant smile, then lowered her voice. "We're best friends, right? You know I've always believed you'll win the championship. But this round depends heavily on luck… how about we form an alliance?"
"An alliance?" Daphne blinked, confused, a faint prickle creeping across her scalp. "How would that work?"
"Well, what if we…" The little fox leaned in and whispered in her ear. Daphne's eyes grew brighter and brighter as she listened.
"Okay!" the young lady nodded repeatedly. "I'll ally with you."
Then she abruptly changed tone, her gaze turning cautious. "But Kamio, even if we're best friends, we're still competitors. I'm not completely at ease. How about we sign a contract?"
"No problem." Kamio agreed without hesitation, and the last trace of suspicion in Daphne's heart melted away.
Kamio had also heard from Tom about the string of absurd, laughable incidents Daphne had caused recently. Her thoughts weren't far from Ginny's.
Honestly, having someone like Daphne, a sweet and harmless airhead, as the household's first lady wouldn't be bad at all. She might even be more suitable than any of them.
So this time, the little fox truly had no ulterior motives. Aside from wanting to make the competition more exciting, she also wanted to curry favor with her future "sister."
...
While the two young witches slipped off to find a place to sign their alliance contract, some students who had come out early—planning to stroll around and relax before the match—were lucky enough to witness a display of power they might never see again in their lives.
Today's competition was set at the Black Lake. At the moment, its surface was covered with countless giant Victoria leaves. Every day, students from Castelobruxo would step across the floating pads from the island at the lake's center, then head into the castle from the shore.
(A/N: Castelobruxo traveled via an island lifted by Victoria amazonica.)
There was also the battered ship brought by Ilvermorny, moored near the bank.
Add in Beauxbatons' carriage on land and Mahoutokoro's shrine, and all these structures crowded together were bound to interfere with both the match and the spectators.
The carriage was easy. The winged horses had already pulled it away at dawn. The ship had also been moved to the far side of the lake.
The remaining structures were harder to deal with. The professors from Castelobruxo and Mahoutokoro had planned to move their own dorms first, but they needed time to prepare, and the process would cause a lot of commotion. Tom simply took the job onto himself.
The boy stood by the water's edge and raised his right hand. Dense, visible magic gathered above his palm, surrounded by glittering points of starlight. The lights spun rapidly, forming a beautiful ring of stars that made more than a few watching girls' eyes shine.
With a flick of his wrist, the mass of magic shot into the lake, then expanded violently. Gasps erupted as the surface of the water transformed into something like a flowing galaxy, shimmering with dazzling halos.
The giant squid that had been sunning itself on the lake sensed something wrong and plunged straight to the depths.
The huge movement didn't splash water at all. Only undercurrents stirred, as though the surface had been glued in place.
Then the radiant galaxy condensed into a pair of enormous hands, lifting the island at the center of the lake together with the chain of giant lily pads that connected it to the shore.
The water level visibly dropped by several meters. In the sky above, a lake now floated in midair.
Tom repeated the process, sending Mahoutokoro's shrine into the sky as well.
The two schools' lodgings floated steadily overhead, one a beautiful shrine, the other a floating island. Their reflections still appeared in the Black Lake below, adding an extra layer of dreamlike fantasy.
Someone started clapping. Soon everyone joined in, applause rolling like thunder. The Hogwarts students puffed out their chests, pride plain in their eyes.
See that? That monster's from our school.
Clap. Clap.
Dumbledore looked openly impressed and joined in the applause. "A miracle… truly a miracle."
Grindelwald's lips twitched. "Albus, don't tell me you can't see it. Riddle used a Levitation Charm. Just a Levitation Charm."
The spectacle was immense, the scene breathtaking—but at its core, Tom had only used a Levitation Charm fused with astral magic.
The terrifying magic consumption alone was beyond anything he could replicate, even if he wanted to.
Dumbledore smiled and shook his head softly. "Gellert, isn't that precisely the most important point?"
"When someone can push the most ordinary spell to a level others can't even comprehend… that is a miracle."
Grindelwald found himself speechless.
.
.
.