After greeting Dumbledore, Ethan found ways to pass the time, finally enduring until the day of the ball.
Since he had already decided on Illya as his partner, he didn't bother finding a date and wasn't "disturbed" by a crowd of girls. Once the ball officially began, he fulfilled his duty as a lead dancer, then danced with the delighted Illya for a while. After packing some snacks, he went off to rest on the side.
"You look very beautiful today."
"Thank you."
Hermione still became Viktor Krum's partner, and Viktor still developed feelings for Hermione.
Her two friends, Harry and Ron, hadn't invited her.
Perhaps because they had known her too long, the two of them completely overlooked the potential of the girl beside them.
Harry still had feelings for Cho Chang. But since Cedric Diggory wouldn't be killed this time, that young couple wouldn't be separated by death early on. It seemed their relationship might last, and Cho Chang couldn't end up with Harry again.
Ron, like most of the boys at Hogwarts, was somewhat smitten with Fleur Delacour, who carried Veela blood. Neither he nor Harry had suitable dance partners, so they ended up going to the ball with a pair of twin sisters.
At first, the twins were quite happy when they received the invitation. But the behavior of the two boys at the ball disappointed them, so the good friends ended up alone again.
Especially when they realized that Hermione, who had always been by their side, was actually so beautiful, and they hadn't noticed or invited her, their feelings became even more complicated.
Ethan wasn't conflicted like they were. He already knew what Hermione would look like in the future, so her stunning appearance tonight didn't surprise him.
Girls are very perceptive about such things. Hermione noticed that Ethan didn't react with the kind of disbelief Harry and Ron had shown earlier.
"You don't seem surprised."
"Why would I be surprised?"
Hermione was a little taken aback, but that only made her feel happier.
Since they each had their own partners, they couldn't stand around chatting forever, so they soon went their separate ways. Ethan noticed that Hermione later went to find Harry and Ron, then walked away angrily. It seemed the plot hadn't changed much after all.
"In that case, Hermione will still be the hostage Viktor has to rescue, right?"
Compared to Ethan, Viktor Krum didn't have many choices either. In the end, the event organizers likely chose Hermione, whom Viktor had a good impression of.
So Ethan was very surprised when he saw that the person he had to rescue was Hermione, while Viktor's target seemed to be a school friend.
The second task of the Triwizard Tournament, the rescue from the depths of the Black Lake, gave each champion one hour to locate the hostage captured by the Merpeople in the vast lake and bring them back to the surface.
At this moment, Ethan was at the bottom of the Black Lake, staring at Hermione across from him.
Ethan looked around. The other hostages were all unconscious, protected by a spell that kept them from drowning.
After being discovered and awakened by the champions, and especially once the ropes binding them were cut, the spell would lose its effect. At that point, the champions had to bring them back to the surface quickly.
Generally speaking, as long as the champion wasn't greedy and didn't try to save other hostages, the Merpeople wouldn't make things difficult. The champion could easily take the hostage and return to the surface without any real danger.
However, this time was a bit different. Hermione was wearing the amulet Ethan had given her and had woken up very early. The spell that prevented her from drowning had already dissipated, and the underwater breathing and other enchantments on the amulet began working, allowing Hermione to breathe freely in the murky depths of the lake. Her enhanced vision also allowed her to see her surroundings clearly.
At first, she was confused and frightened when she realized she was underwater, but once she found that she could breathe and wasn't drowning, she calmed down.
She looked around and spotted several other people restrained nearby, but she didn't try to wake them. She had no idea what was happening, and it didn't seem wise to act rashly.
After thinking it over, Hermione decided to first untie the ropes around her feet, but she couldn't find her wand no matter how long she fumbled.
Just then, Ethan arrived in front of her at high speed, and the two locked eyes.
Ethan wasn't surprised to see Hermione, but after scanning the area, he realized she was probably the target he needed to rescue.
One person nearby was Ron, clearly Harry's target.
There was also a little girl, probably Fleur's sister.
The last person was a boy he didn't recognize, wearing the same school uniform as Viktor Krum. There was no way Dumbledore would have him rescue someone he didn't even know.
"Tsk, this setup is way too predictable."
He extended a hand to Hermione, signaling her to take it, then waved his other hand, and a burst of magic released the ropes around her feet.
What surprised Hermione was that Ethan didn't immediately take her to the surface. Instead, he sank to the bottom of the lake at incredible speed, then raised his hand and released some unknown spell.
"What did you just do?"
Unable to hold back her curiosity, Hermione asked. Only then did she realize she could speak underwater without any issues.
"An illusion spell, so others won't find us."
"Why bother with that?"
"Because I don't plan to go back too early."
Ethan stood at the lake bottom. The depths of the Black Lake were far from scenic. It was filled with weeds, mud, and murky water. Just looking at it was uncomfortable.
So, of course, he wouldn't stay in a place like this for half an hour. As he slowly separated his clasped hands, the lake water around him parted, forming a spherical space more than two meters in diameter.
Hermione was no longer surprised by Ethan casting this kind of spell. She was more curious why he would hide underwater when he could just surface and finish the task.
"Don't you want to win?"
"I do."
Ethan brushed back his wet hair. Though he could have used magic to dry and clean himself, he gave up on the idea for now, since they would have to go back in the water soon anyway.
As for Hermione, though she was protected by the amulet, her clothes had been soaked before she woke up. With the low temperatures, being drenched was uncomfortable.
A Cleaning Charm followed by a basic warming spell made her feel much better.
"Thank you."
After expressing her thanks, she asked her question again.
"Why don't you want to win?"
"This whole tournament is just for show. Why do you think Harry, who didn't even sign up, was chosen by the Goblet of Fire?"
Hermione was smart enough to catch the implication immediately.
"Someone wants him to enter... and to win?"
Could it be Dumbledore? While he did care about Harry, why would he want him to win the Triwizard Tournament?
Even if Hogwarts wanted to win, they had someone like Ethan. Wouldn't it be easier to just let him handle it?
Especially now that Ethan was already competing, adding Harry to the mix seemed completely unnecessary.
"Is it Voldemort?"
Connecting Ethan's earlier claim that his presence at Hogwarts had something to do with Voldemort, and considering Harry's background, Hermione immediately pieced it together.
"So that's why you're in this tournament? Professor Dumbledore asked you to come to protect Harry?"
"Very clever."
Hermione might not know all the details, but she had still guessed part of the truth.
"So you don't care about winning. You just need to participate..." Hermione began tidying her hair. It had become quite messy after being soaked and then dried with magic, and that was bothering her. "In that case, why were you so high-profile in the first task?"
Because Ethan gained too much of an advantage in the first task, if he completed the second one just as quickly, it would leave the other champions no chance.
That was why he was deliberately delaying here. Completing the task was enough.
In Hermione's eyes, this was the price Ethan had to pay for showing off earlier.
"I was already holding back a lot! It took real effort to stop myself from scaring that dragon, or accidentally going too far and killing it!"
"..."
Hermione opened her mouth, wanting to say he was bragging, but after everything she had seen, and with his unbelievable background, maybe he was telling the truth.
She looked at Ethan again, noticing he was looking upward. Hermione followed his gaze, tilting her head in the same direction, but she couldn't see anything clearly.
"What do you see?"
"Harry is rescuing Ron... and that little girl."
After Harry found the hostages, he tried to save Fleur's sister as well, which led to him being surrounded by Merpeople. He barely escaped back to the surface in time.
Ethan didn't need to help him. But Harry had already spent too much time underwater. It was almost an hour now.
After reminding Hermione that she'd be getting wet again, Ethan took her away from the bottom of the lake. They swam a distance, then surfaced.
He timed it perfectly. Just as everyone spotted him and prepared to cheer, their attention was completely taken by Harry.
(To be continued.)