Draco, along with several other students from the castle, had mysteriously disappeared for an entire night.
But it did not attract much attention.
Even when a few worried friends asked about it, the professors did not mind telling them the truth.
"Professor, does my sister hate me now?"
Gabrielle, the little girl Tver had not seen for some time, came to him wearing a troubled expression far too mature for her age.
It was nine in the morning. After breakfast, everyone was gradually making their way toward the edge of the Black Lake. Just like during the previous task, rows upon rows of spectator seats had been set up there.
Even though there was still half an hour before the match began, the place was already packed with laughing students and a few parents who had come to join in the excitement.
As for Gabrielle, she seemed deeply aggrieved that Fleur's most beloved treasure was not actually her, so she had taken the chance to come to Tver for comfort.
It was also a rare moment of peace for her, free from her sister's supervision.
"This isn't an easy matter. Even if Dumbledore guarantees the hostages' safety, there is still danger in an unknown underwater environment."
Otherwise, so many people would not have died in the Triwizard Tournament before now...
"So," Tver said, gently patting her little head, "your sister just did not want you placed in danger. That's why she did not choose you to be the hostage."
Of course, he knew that aside from himself, none of the other champions had realized there would even be hostages, nor did they get to choose who those hostages would be.
But comforting people had long since become second nature to Tver.
"And you still have time to chat with a little girl?"
At some point, Sirius had come down from the stands and made his way to the judges' area, the starting point where the champions would enter the water. His eyes were anxiously searching all around for something.
"The task starts in less than ten minutes, and Harry's nowhere to be seen. Can't you show at least a little concern for your own student?"
Seeing the look on Sirius's face, Tver laughed in delight.
From that alone, it seemed Sirius had not only adjusted to being Harry's godfather, but had actually started enjoying it.
"Don't worry," Tver said before his laughter could annoy him. "Even if Harry really is late, Dumbledore won't mind waiting a little longer."
"Besides," Tver added, turning to look at the path leading from the castle down to the Black Lake, "there he is now, isn't that Harry?"
Harry was still wearing his school uniform and robes, hurrying toward them in great strides.
"Why are you so late? Did something happen?" Sirius grabbed Harry by the arm so he could lean against him and catch his breath for a moment.
"Thanks." Harry took several deep breaths before the pounding in his chest from all that running finally began to settle.
"I... I overslept..."
"..."
Sirius looked at Harry helplessly. "No wonder. You haven't even changed into swimwear."
He pointed toward Viktor and the other two. Under their robes, all of them had already changed into clothing more suitable for moving around in the water.
"But if you managed to sleep that soundly, then you must already be fully prepared for the task, right?"
Seeing Sirius looking even more confident than he felt himself, Harry touched the bulge in his pocket and nodded with some reluctance.
"I wonder what method you're using. Was it the Transfiguration I suggested, or the Bubble-Head Charm?"
Sirius shot Tver a wary glance and even tried to drag Harry off into a corner for a quiet word.
But at that moment, Barty Crouch blew the whistle, signaling that the task was about to begin.
"You should get back to the stands," Tver said, casually placing Gabrielle into Sirius's arms. "Help me keep an eye on Fleur's little sister."
Only after sending off the somewhat reluctant pair, one big and one small, did Tver walk with Harry toward the judges' platform...
Wait, had the one who just blew the whistle really been Barty Crouch?
The three headmasters were still seated at the judges' table, but Percy had replaced Bagman, while Cynthia had finished standing in for Barty.
Tver looked at Barty in surprise as Barty gave him a subtle nod. It took him a moment to confirm that this really was the genuine Barty, not someone in disguise, and not Barty under the Imperius Curse either.
But this was hardly the time for conversation, so neither of them said anything. Following the instructions, Tver stepped onto the platform built beside the Black Lake.
"I believe you have already learned the details of the task from the golden egg. We have taken away your most beloved treasure, and you have one hour, and one hour only, to retrieve it and return to this platform."
"The time you take, along with your performance in the Black Lake, will play a decisive role in your score. So make sure you deal with the dangers in the lake as simply and effectively as possible."
Compared with Ludo Bagman, or rather the Ludo Bagman his teacher had imitated, Barty's introduction felt rather long-winded.
So once he noticed Viktor and the others pulling off their robes to reveal their swimwear underneath, and staring impatiently at the dark, unfathomable lake, Barty quickly wrapped up his opening remarks.
"Then, three, two, one, begin!"
He gave a sharp blast on the whistle.
Viktor immediately pointed his wand at the upper half of his body. At once, his face became sharp and angular, while his nose rapidly lengthened, stretching up over the top of his head.
A shark!
In five seconds, he had transformed a third of his body into a shark-like form.
But only a third. After all, Tver had emphasized many times how dangerous human Transfiguration was. In fact, the more deeply a wizard studied Transfiguration, the more clearly they understood that danger.
Cedric's method, on the other hand, was much safer and far more practical.
He cast a rather uncommon Bubble-Head Charm, creating a large transparent bubble that enclosed his head.
The only problem was that if the oxygen inside ran out, the bubble would become even more dangerous...
Tver, however, did not see Fleur cast any spell at all. She simply made a clean, standard diving motion and plunged into the Black Lake first with a splash.
But with his sharp eye, he noticed that the instant she entered the water, Fleur's face suddenly became a little sharper. Not like Viktor's shark head, but more like the beak of a bird.
Her body also became smoother, and like a fish, she sent the water surging around her flying behind her instead.
In just a breath or two, she had already shot far into the distance.
Seeing that, Viktor and Cedric leapt into the lake as well, unwilling to fall behind. That left only Tver, still watching them with great interest, and Harry, who was hesitantly staring at the rubbery-looking gillyweed in his hand.
"Gillyweed. Not a bad method. The taste and the sensation aren't exactly pleasant, though," Tver said approvingly.
With the professor's praise, and with Cedric already leaving him behind, Harry finally stopped hesitating and stuffed the gillyweed into his mouth.
"Ugh..."
The texture of the gillyweed was slimy, like spoiled pudding. Smooth in a disgusting way on the outside, with a fishy stench buried inside.
Harry gagged, not noticing that his hands were gradually turning into fins, while his toes were fusing into webbed feet.
Seeing that, Tver promptly shoved him into the water.
Harry splashed around in the lake and turned back to stare at the professor on shore in disbelief.
What he did not realize, however, was that in the water he was now moving as nimbly as a real fish.
Once his breathing organs changed from lungs to gills, staying on land too long would actually make him suffocate.
"See you at the finish."
Tver smiled and waved at him.