Wade walked up to the judges' table, nodded politely to Dumbledore and the other judges, then greeted Harry and the rest.
Natalia leaned against the table with her arms crossed, and raised her eyebrow as she asked: "What was that guy holding you up for? No sense of timing at all!"
"Marchionne?" Wade said. "He was just discussing some business with me."
"At a time like this?" Natalia shot a dissatisfied glare toward Marchionne and gave a little huff. "Going on and on with a competitor right before the match—I'd say he's deliberately trying to mess with your focus!"
"Marchionne just tends to forget everything else when he gets absorbed in something, he—"
Before Wade could finish, Bagman came striding over cheerfully: "Excellent, all champions have arrived on time. Then let's get ready to begin!"
His gaze swept across the group, as though expecting someone to raise a question. But no one did.
At the judges' table, several pairs of eyes fixed on Wade, carrying a silent pressure in their stare.
Wade adjusted his sleeve, then took out a merman morphing gummy and held it in his palm.
"Sonorus!" (Amplifying Charm)
Bagman tapped his own throat with his wand and muttered a spell. Instantly, his voice boomed like thunder, rumbling across the entire arena—
"Two months ago, our champions faced down fire-breathing dragons and retrieved a golden egg from the depths of the underground chamber. Within it was hidden a song—
'Come, come and seek us out,
Where our voices ring free.
On land we may not sing,
So heed well as you search:
A heart of steel lies sleeping in shadow,
The crimson sunset drifts among the tentacles,
The star-etched full moon lies sealed behind an ancient stone door,
When these three unite, the path shall be revealed.
Beware, oh, beware…
To escape this frozen lair,
Only the wise and brave may fare.'
That is the clue contained within the golden egg!"
Bagman looked at the row of ten champions and said: "Some of you may have solved the riddle, some may not. But remember, the second task requires you to find three things within the lake—The Heart of Steel, The Crimson Sunset, and The Star-Etched Full Moon!"
Among the ten young wizards, some turned pale, others looked tense, but no one seemed surprised. Clearly, in the two months they'd had, they had all deciphered the egg's message.
The majority of the audience, however, was hearing about this for the first time, and the stands erupted into a low hum of discussion.
Bagman raised his hand and pressed downward, signaling for silence. Then he continued:
"Champions, you will have three hours to search underwater for your targets—"
Harry's heart clenched instantly.
His Bubble-Head Charm still couldn't last that long. Of course, he could always re-cast it while underwater, but if the lake proved dangerous, just maintaining the bubble might already be difficult.
Almost instinctively, he touched the Gillyweed in his pocket, steadying his nerves a little.
"—If you fail to find any target and return to shore, you will be considered to have forfeited the competition. But as long as you retrieve even one item, you will qualify for the third task."
Bagman's booming voice seemed to make the viewing mirrors tremble as he continued rapidly:
"But let me remind you, anyone who manages to collect all three items will gain a tremendous advantage in the third task! So search with all your might… until the very last moment, do not give up easily!"
"Now then, at the sound of my whistle, the second task will begin! I'll count to three."
"One… two… three!"
The sharp whistle split through the cold air. Applause and cheers burst from the stands as the ten champions all sprang into action.
Wade popped the morphing gummy into his mouth in one gulp, shed his outer robe, and leapt into the water. Even before his body hit the surface, it was already engulfed completely in the smoke of transformation.
Everyone only heard a splash. By the time the smoke was blown away by the wind, the figure had already vanished.
Bagman exclaimed excitedly: "We can see that contestant Wade Grey was the first to enter the water! No Transfiguration spell, no Bubble-Head Charm—he didn't cast any spell I recognize. Could it be…"
"Oh my, look!"
Bagman suddenly shouted with infectious excitement. Even the champions who hadn't yet entered the water couldn't help but turn their heads.
On the giant streaming mirrors set up by the lake, one of the master mirrors finally caught a fleeting glimpse of that shadow.
Colliver shoved his assistants aside and personally adjusted the view, rewinding, slowing it down. A few seconds later, everyone finally saw what had happened beneath the water—
Wade Grey's skin was pale to the point of bluish, his upper body still human in shape, but his lower half had transformed into a silver-blue fish tail!
His black hair floated like seaweed in the water, his scales glimmered faintly silver in the dark depths, and his broad, powerful tail fin swept once, propelling him at incredible speed right out of the master mirror's view.
"Look, Wade Grey has turned into a merperson!" Bagman shouted in excitement. "This is unprecedented! As far as I know, Animagi cannot transform into magical creatures—there's never been such a case! Isn't that right, Professor Dumbledore?"
Dumbledore gave a slight nod: "That is indeed correct. However—"
"I know, I know!" Fred suddenly leapt from his seat like a cannonball, rushed to Bagman's side, and yelled: "It's Morphing Gummy! Wade must have used Morphing Gummy!"
A blue bird flew swiftly over, serving as a camera eye, zooming in close on Fred's face, flushed with excitement.
George came running a step later, quickly chiming in: "Morphing Gummy is a product we co-developed with Wade! It can transform you into any creature you can imagine—pegasus, unicorn, merperson, slime, even a fire dragon!"
Fred gave a mischievous wink to the camera: "Of course, our candy only creates the cute versions. Wade must have modified it himself!"
George shouted: "He's a genius alchemist—the whole world knows it!"
"Want to be as cool as him?" Fred waved his arms, yelling: "If you too dream of transforming into different creatures like Wade Grey, even if you can't become an Animagus, then come experience it with Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes!"
George, like a magician, pulled out a sparkling jar of candy and shook it: "Of course, our shop isn't officially open yet, but you can already order by letter! Pre-opening special price—just five Sickles per Morphing Gummy…"
"Write to Hogwarts—"
"Addressed to Fred and George—"
Before the twins could finish shouting, Bagman hurriedly pushed the blue bird aside, leaned into the camera himself, and said loudly: "Hey, lads, this isn't the place for your advertising!"
The stands erupted in laughter and applause. Some students were already eagerly digging into their pockets for pocket money.
Fred and George clapped their hands together with a smack, bumping shoulders in celebration—they had just advertised to the whole world.
"Ahem." Bagman, struggling to hold back his own laughter, said: "The competition is still underway. Let's take a look at the other champions…"
Harry suddenly snapped back to himself and realized all the other contestants had already leapt into the water—he was the only one still standing on the shore!
Flustered, he yanked off his jacket and shoes, cast a Bubble-Head Charm on himself, and then dove quickly into the lake.
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⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- 200+ Chapters
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