Harry Potter: Glory Bows to Me

The further they went, the denser the aquatic plants became. Long, slimy, filamentous algae, like some kind of creature, quietly wrapped around their ankles and arms.

Draco frowned, quickly drew his wand, and swiftly swung the Severing Charm. A flash of red light appeared, and the seaweed clinging to his leg was instantly severed.

Several shadowy figures darted across the water in the distance, their tail fins swirling and creating eddies.

The group instinctively gripped their wands tighter.

They are the native inhabitants of Black Lake.

They flashed by like silhouettes in a nightmare, their forms blurred, with phosphorescent eyes and slender, bony bodies. The textbook mentioned they were some kind of aquatic magical creatures, said to be resistant to attacking humans.

But not all creatures are so gentle.

A comically shaped blue creature suddenly emerged from among the corals, shrieked, and charged at Harry.

He reacted extremely quickly, using a barrier spell to push it away, but the creature soon multiplied into three, with sharp teeth and claws bared.

Julius raised his hand, and the Silent Spell that caused the creature to fall unconscious struck it on the forehead in the water. It froze for a moment before drifting downwards and sinking.

Draco coldly cast a Freeze Spell, sealing the remaining two within the floating ice.

The underwater battle was fleeting; the current was disturbed, and ripples spread out behind them.

The battle made time fly by, but they kept moving forward, and some blurry outlines gradually appeared in the distance.

It refers to the shape of the building.

The group of people immediately perked up.

The weathered stone pillars lean precariously in the water, and arched gates covered in green moss and water vines slowly emerge. The spires are broken, and the carvings reveal ancient symbols resembling fish, like temples buried by time and the lake.

That was the underwater settlement of the merfolk.

That is, the location where Amanta is.

However, just as they were about to get close, a shadow rushed out from the left.

—She is a mermaid.

Harry abruptly stopped, staring intently at the half-human, half-fish creature. Its skin was grayish-blue, its eyes had almost no whites, and it gripped a black iron trident tightly in its hand. Its face was long and narrow, its teeth were dense and sharp, and its mouth stretched almost to its ears.

It didn't speak or make any unnecessary movements; it simply approached them, circled them in the water, and made a threatening gesture.

Then, more figures emerged from the depths of the water plants.

Three, five, seven... a dozen or so mermaids wielding long forks surrounded them. They swam extremely fast, their figures like shadows, blocking the retreat and the entrance ahead.

Harry looked at Julius, his heart tightening.

What should they do?

Julius, however, seemed completely unfazed. He slowly raised his arm, and Harry and Draco then noticed that he was holding something that looked somewhat familiar.

That was a crown.

The golden metal curved like wings, reflecting a faint blue light in the water. And at its very center, the enormous sapphire eye shimmered with alluring fragments of light under the fluorescent glow.

Harry and Draco both widened their eyes.

—The Ravenclaw crown!

But Amanta had already been given to Professor Snape, who was studying how to remove the curse and take the gem... They had once thought that the item was properly sealed and would not easily reappear.

How did Julius obtain it?

Why did he reveal it at this time?

The mermaids' attention had clearly been drawn to it.

They stopped swimming and slowly circled the three like sharks hunting, their eyes all locked on the gem—the one known as the "Blue Eye".

An older mermaid had a burning gaze and made a strange, gurgling sound in his throat, as if summoning more of his people.

The water flowed quietly but violently, with undercurrents surging everywhere.

Julius smiled slightly and calmly raised the crown.

The dark green lake water surrounded them, creating a sense of oppression and heaviness.

Draco's eyes met Julius's briefly; though unable to speak, he understood the other's intentions.

He wants to offer the Ravenclaw crown as a bargaining chip in exchange for victory in the match.

Harry paused for a moment, then rushed forward, grabbing Julius's wrist tightly with an urgent expression.

He shook his head, his black hair floating in the water, his mouth opening and closing, though he made no sound, his anxiety was obvious: No, that's Ravenclaw's crown, we can't do that.

Draco stopped him.

He gripped Harry's shoulder, his gaze sharp and resolute, carrying a chilling intensity that could shake one's resolve in the dim lake water.

Harry hesitated for a moment, his eyes flickered slightly, but he finally didn't stop him.

Julius, on the other hand, remained calm, as if he had planned it all along. He raised his crown and made a clear gesture toward the merfolk—an exchange.

The lead mermaid cautiously swam forward, its slender eyes fixed on the sapphire set in the crown. After confirming its identity, it murmured a string of syllables, as if calling to its kin.

The next second, four or five mermaids wielding long forks rushed forward and surrounded the crown. This powerful and mysterious Black Lake race, like attracted predators, circled the Blue Eye, emitting low growls, and then swirled and intertwined in the dark water, swimming deep into the lake.

Clear the passageway.

The three of them immediately swam in.

This is the heart of an ancient ruin, where vine-like seaweed hangs down from between broken stone pillars, and undercurrents weave between mottled stone bricks.

On the central stone platform, Amanta lay quietly, tightly entangled by thick water plants, her light golden curls floating around her, her snow-white cheeks devoid of color, her eyelashes motionless, as if she had sunk into a dream.

Harry's heart tightened, and he could no longer hesitate as he swam quickly toward her, with Draco not far behind.

Together, the two waved their wands, casting the Cutting Charm and the Levitation Charm, carefully peeling away the tangled seaweed, and helping Amanta up after ensuring she was not injured.

Just as they were preparing to surface—

The long fork fell again.

Before the mermaid had left, a sharp, silent fork lay across their path.

Julius remained extremely calm.

He didn't say much, but simply tossed the crown in his hand to the mermaid leader.

The crown streaked across the water, its azure gems shimmering like starlight in the ripples. The mermaids stirred, rushing forward and engulfing the crown in the darkness.

Harry and Draco stepped forward again, grabbed Amanta tightly, and began to swim toward the surface.

As Harry swam upwards, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye—

Fleur Delacour, and Victor Krum.

Both of them were also bound in the seaweed, unconscious. He patted Draco on the shoulder, gritted his teeth, released Amanta, and swam quickly towards her.

Draco turned around abruptly, his expression almost collapsing, desperately trying to call out to him, but his voice became fragmented when he opened his mouth underwater.

Seeing this, Julius simply shook his head slightly, indicating that he should go.