Chapter 385: Of course I want them all, the question is who to save first
"Miss Klein," Principal Maxime said with a strange expression, her voice deep. "Is this not too heavy a burden for a fifteen-year-old child?"
"He is the heir of the Gaius family, and he will face far more choices in the future than he does now," Adrian said meaningfully. "As for age... his journey officially began when he was twelve, and now he's just taking a rest."
Hearing this, a sharp glint flashed in Dumbledore's eyes.
"Journey? What does that mean?"
"I cannot say, or rather, Principal Dumbledore, with your current status and strength, you are not qualified to know," Adrian said very directly.
Percy Weasley's eyes widened in astonishment. What had he heard? The White Wizard wasn't even qualified to know?
This was definitely a great secret of the Wizarding World, but he knew his place; such a secret was not something he could access.
Dumbledore frowned slightly, wanting to ask something else, but then he saw a pair of eyes as still as an ancient well. As if by a ghost's prompting, he closed his mouth, wisely refraining from asking further.
"Miss Klein," Karkaroff finally realized the judge's capability, and his voice became a little fawning. "Then, how should we score this situation?"
"Fair and just is enough.
It's perfectly reasonable for one hostage to account for half the score, isn't it? If they go overtime, deduct points accordingly.
All I want to see is his choice; as for the outcome of the Triwizard Tournament, I don't care."
"Understood, understood."
"What kind of choice does Miss Klein wish to see?" Dumbledore asked. "Will Gaius save one or two?"
"That question is meaningless, Professor Dumbledore.
My brother doesn't like to cause any trouble, but in reality, he's more responsible than anyone. From what I understand of him, he will definitely save both."
"Then you..."
"What I want to know is, who will he save first?" Adrian said meaningfully. "One is an innocent person caught up in this, and the other is his good friend.
Professor Dumbledore, if it were you, who would you save first?"
Hearing this, Dumbledore couldn't help but gasp.
Damn it! His perspective was too small. He had lived for over a century, and this was the first time he had encountered such a tricky question.
What if he could save both? Who to save first was the key. Whether it was a first reaction or a well-thought-out decision, it would reflect a person's psychological profile.
Adrian calmly waited for Aaron to make his decision, completely unaware that the other judges were looking at her with increased solemnity and apprehension.
Could a sixteen-year-old really think of this? Compared to her, their age was completely meaningless.
"Aaron is truly... fortunate to have an older sister like you," Dumbledore said with a forced smile.
"Thank you for the compliment," Adrian accepted humbly. "It is precisely because of the encouragement from me, their older sister, that my younger brothers and sisters can grow up strong."
Everyone:...It's a wonder they even grew up this much... She's too ruthless, too vicious, too despicable.
Aaron also received the message from the thought form, realizing Adrian's objective, and couldn't help but curse inwardly.
He looked at the two hostages in front of him, his face like a wilted eggplant, a surge of frustration in his chest that he couldn't cough up or swallow down, almost causing internal injuries.
"As expected of my sister! To play this trick on me?" Aaron laughed somewhat sadly.
Just then, Harry swam over, Merpeople pointing and gesticulating around him.
He looked at Aaron, who was wrapped in a spherical barrier, completely dry, and warmly dressed, then looked at his own hands and legs, feeling a huge sense of disparity.
He had thought Gillywater was the secret weapon for going underwater, but he didn't expect there to be an even greater power; this magic was simply too amazing.
But as he got closer, he was startled to find Hermione and Luna in front of Aaron, and for a moment, he was at a loss.
"What's going on? You're saving two people?"
"Obviously!" Aaron said grumpily.
"Then what are you waiting for? Save them!" Harry said eagerly, about to pull at Hermione's ropes.
"Only one can be saved," a Merperson warned, pointing a spear at Harry.
"One?" Harry suddenly remembered something, looking at Aaron in alarm. "So that means..."
"It's exactly as you understand," Aaron spread his hands. "But this has nothing to do with you. Take Ron and leave before the Gillywater wears off."
"But what about you?"
"Get lost!" Aaron said impatiently, the meaning in his eyes quite clear: "Are you going to stay and hold me back?"
Harry pursed his lips. He also noticed his gills were having trouble breathing, unable to breathe underwater, and staying wouldn't help.
He looked at the thick, slippery water weeds binding the hostages and felt he needed a small knife.
"Do you have a knife? Lend it to me."
A string of exclamation marks flashed through Aaron's mind. He shook his head speechlessly. "You're a Wizard! A wand is enough; what do you need a knife for?"
Harry paused, then immediately drew his wand.
A red light struck the ropes binding Ron, and the ropes automatically fell off. Ron's body floated uncontrollably upwards.
Harry quickly swam over and supported his arm. "I'll take Ron to the surface first, then come back to help you."
"Absolutely not!" Aaron exclaimed in alarm, stopping Harry. "You don't have a second dose of Gillywater, do you?"
"Ah, this..."
"I'm begging you, please don't cause me any more trouble, okay?"
Harry's mouth twitched slightly. He nodded awkwardly, then took Ron and swam upwards.
Not long after he left, Cedric also swam over.
"Isn't your spell a bit too exaggerated?" Cedric said enviously.
The Bubble-Head Charm could only create a bubble around his head, allowing him to breathe underwater, but it was completely incomparable to Aaron's magic.
"Want to learn it? But I can't teach you. This is a secret passed down only within the Gaius family," Aaron said solemnly, spouting nonsense, explaining it to Cedric and also to the audience watching the competition through the light screen.
Percy, who was sitting in the judge's seat representing Barty Crouch, looked very displeased upon hearing this. He knew without a doubt that Aaron would not contribute this magic, and his dream of promotion and a raise was largely shattered.
"Then what about the two of them?"
"It's none of your business. Most likely it's because I had two dance partners at the Yule Ball," Aaron hinted, then gave a bitter laugh. "Unless you want to help me, it's better to leave quickly."
Cedric immediately understood that these two hostages were most likely arranged by Adrian for Aaron. He didn't understand the love-hate relationship between the siblings but knew not to get involved.
He looked at his dance partner, Cho Chang, and a spell severed the ropes on her. "Take care."
Aaron silently sighed, then looked down at his watch. Less than a quarter of an hour remained; he had to make a choice within this time.
Once an hour passed, the Merpeople's spears might be aimed at him.
Aaron reached into his pocket and pulled out a Galleon, muttering to himself while also telling the others, "I don't believe in fate, but I must admit that sometimes you have to leave it to fate to decide.
Heads, save Luna; tails, save Hermione. That's a happy decision."
Clink!
The Galleon was tossed into the air and landed in his hand, heads up.
Aaron didn't hesitate for a moment. A spell broke Luna's ropes and he cast a Shield Charm on her.
Then he grabbed Luna's arm, not letting her float up.
It wasn't that he couldn't, but that he dared not.
Besides Grindylows, the Black Lake also contained giant squids and various other dangerous creatures. If Luna went back alone and something happened on the way, he would regret it too late.
From the judges' stand, Adrian watched this scene and couldn't help but smile. "As expected of my brother, to use such a simple and crude method."
"Although it smacks of evasion, it's also a strategy," Dumbledore commented, and Karkaroff and Maxime nodded to each other.
A few more minutes passed, and a shark-headed figure crashed through, swimming to the statue. The Merpeople scattered in fear.
This was Viktor Krum. He had transformed his upper body into a shark, allowing him to breathe freely underwater.
He bit directly at the ropes binding his dance partner with his teeth, but because the shark's teeth were inconvenient, it took a great deal of effort to bite through the rope.
"Wait."
Just as Krum was about to leave with his hostage, Aaron called out to him.
"Do me a favor and take Luna back too."
Krum paused, a look of bewilderment flashing across his shark face, unsure whether to help him.
"I might have a hard time later and won't be able to take two people," Aaron said, pointing to Hermione, who was still tied to the statue. "Help me take her back. It's just a small favor for you.
In return, I'll help you once in the third task, if there's a chance."
Krum hesitated for a moment, then, holding his dance partner with one hand and Luna with the other, he swam rapidly towards the surface.
"Why aren't you leaving?" a Merperson asked, puzzled. "Time is almost up. You should know what that means."
Aaron remained silent. He couldn't very well tell them that he had to finish the task last for some reason!
Next, he just had to wait for Fleur to arrive and take her sister, Gabrielle, and then he would take Hermione and break out. As long as he ran fast enough, the Merpeople might not even catch him.
However, time passed minute by minute, and less than five minutes remained until the one-hour limit.
Aaron's mood gradually grew heavy. He turned to look at Hermione and Gabrielle, complaining, "What's going on? Don't mess up at this critical moment!"
With less than four minutes left, he anxiously paced the lakebed.
When only three minutes remained, he had to suspect that Fleur had encountered trouble, no matter how unwilling he was to believe it, otherwise she wouldn't have left her own sister here.
He gritted his teeth and pulled out Captain Jack's compass, feigning a look of deep regret. "I never thought I'd waste my last chance on a competitor."