novelhk Chapter 277 Project 2 (2)
Chapter 277 Project 2 (2)
"I don't think this will work," Ron's voice came dryly from the other end of the table. "There's nothing to find, nothing at all. Maybe a draining spell would be closer, draining ponds and puddles, but you can't have that much power to drain the entire lake."
"There's got to be a way," Hermione muttered, moving a candle closer. Her eyes were so tired that she had to put her nose an inch from the page to read the tiny print on 'Old Forgotten Magic and Spells'.
“There’s no way they could design a project that couldn’t be completed.”
"Hermione, don't worry. You are too impatient now. It's okay. Harry and I can always find a way." Lamia touched Hermione's hair with heartache, although she herself was not in much better condition. Even her red eyes could still see the bloodshot.
"They're so clever!" said Ron, raging at Harry in self-deprecation. "Harry, tomorrow you're just going to walk down to the lake, stick your head in, and shout at those mermen to give you back what you stole. See if they'll throw it out. That's your best bet!"
"Thank you, Lamia, I'm sure I can think of something. You're my best friends, there's got to be something," Hermione said impatiently. "Of course there is!"
She seemed to regard the lack of useful material in the library as an insult to herself; before, she had always found answers to her questions in books.
"I know what I should do now," said Harry, lying facedown on his copy of 'A Bag of Tips for Dealing with Pranks'. "I should learn to be an Animagus, like Sirius."
"Yeah, you can turn yourself into a goldfish if you want!" said Ron.
"Or a frog." Harry yawned, physical tears streaming down his cheeks - he was so tired.
"It takes years to become an Animagus, and then you have to register, which is a lot of trouble," Hermione said vaguely, squinting at the index of 'Weird Magical Puzzles with Answers'. "Professor McGonagall told us, remember... you have to register with the Improper Use of Magic Office... you have to turn into an animal and have a mark so that people can't hurt you..."
"Hermione, I was only joking," said Harry weakly. "I know there's no way I'm going to turn into a frog tomorrow morning..."
"Oh, that's no use at all," said Hermione, snapping shut her copy of Weird Magical Puzzles and Their Solutions. "Who wants to make their nose hair grow into curly little curls?"
"I wouldn't object," said Fred Weasley suddenly. "That would be a topic for other people, wouldn't it?"
"I suppose Lamia would turn into a silver frog, croaking—" said George.
"Then I'll be the first to collect it!" Fred cooperated tacitly.
Several people raised their heads.
Fred and George had just emerged from behind the bookshelves.
"What are you two doing here?" Ron asked.
"Looking for you," George said. "Professor McGonagall wants you and Hermione to go to her office."
"What?" Hermione asked, looking surprised.
"I don't know, but we're going to take you to her office," Fred said.
Ron and Hermione looked at Harry, and Harry felt his heart sink.
Is Professor McGonagall going to scold Ron and Hermione for helping Harry and Lamia find clues? Does Professor McGonagall think Lamia and Harry should figure out how to complete the competition on their own?
"We'll be heading over then," Hermione said to Harry and Lamia, as she stood up and left with Ron, both of whom looked very nervous. "You can take as many of these books as you can, okay?"
"Okay," said Harry, feeling uneasy.
Lamia nodded as well.
"That's it, Harry, let's each go back and find a solution." Lamia sighed. If there was really no other way, then she could only ask Tom for help.
"Of course I agree, Lamia, but let's look here for a while longer. Maybe we'll find it soon!" Harry didn't want to waste any time.
At eight o'clock, Madam Pince turned off all the lights and came to shoo Harry and Lamia out of the library.
Lamia was holding a pile of books and said goodbye to Harry. She was about to go back to the common room when she was stopped by Harry.
"Lamia, how about we go to an empty classroom? I think it's necessary for us to exchange information." Harry raised his head and said.
"Maybe. Where do you think we should go?" Lamia asked.
……
The lights in the library were completely turned off, meaning that there was no one inside. Before leaving, his classmates wished him good luck tomorrow, their tone as cheerful and confident as Hagrid's.
It was clear that they all believed that Harry and Lamia would get through it, and just like in the first task, Harry couldn't answer them and could only nod, feeling as if there was a golf ball stuck in his throat.
At ten minutes to twelve, Lamia and Harry couldn't find a suitable classroom. There were too many books, and even if Lamia wanted to take Harry to the Room of Requirement, there was nothing she could do.
They could only sneak back to the library again. Fortunately, Harry brought his invisibility cloak, otherwise the two of them would have been discovered by Filch.
Harry and Lamia searched almost all the books, but Ron and Hermione had not returned yet.
"It's over," Harry said quietly.
"Not yet, Harry, there must be a way." Lamia didn't say much, she already had an idea in her mind.
But Harry was no longer listening. He imagined himself explaining to the judges why he couldn't complete the event. He imagined Bagman's eyes wide with surprise, and Karkaroff's yellow teeth bared in a gloating grin.
He could almost hear Fleur Delacour's voice: "I knew it all along... He's too young, he's only a boy." He saw Hagrid's face, dismayed and incredulous...
Harry, forgetting the book on his lap, stood up suddenly, sending the books scattering to the floor with a loud clatter.
……
"Fluorescence."
Fifteen minutes later, Lamia brought Harry to an unfamiliar place, which seemed to still be part of the library, but it was pitch black.
"Perhaps we should try it here," Lamia whispered.
By the tiny light from the tip of his wand, Harry slipped between the shelves and pulled out book after book - books about magic and spells, books about mermen and underwater monsters, books about famous wizards, books about magical inventions, and anything else that might even mention underwater life.
The two of them moved all the books to a table and buried themselves in reading, relying on the faint light of their wands, searching hard, occasionally glancing at their watches...