Chapter 178 : Full Power
Ludo Bagman rose from his seat, his magically amplified voice carrying across the the Black Lake. "On my whistle... three... two... one!"
The shrill blast echoed over the water. Without hesitation, all four champions dived in. Cedric disappeared beneath the surface first, followed closely by Fleur.
Viktor Krum entered with barely a splash, while Harry took a deep breath, shoved the Gillyweed into his mouth, and plunged into the icy water.
The surface quickly became calm again. Students leaned forward, trying to catch even the slightest glimpse of what was happening beneath the dark waters, but the Black Lake revealed nothing.
Victor watched the ripples fade. "Well... I should make sure nothing goes wrong."
He closed his eyes and relaxed his breathing.
His consciousness separated from his body with practiced ease — a translucent figure, identical to Victor in every detail, rose silently from his motionless form.
Astral Projection.
The spirit drifted through the air before descending toward the lake.
Beside him, Hermione frowned.
"Victor?" No response. She nudged his shoulder.
"Victor, did you stay up late last night? This isn't the time to fall asleep." He remained completely still. Hermione sighed. "Honestly..." Assuming he had nodded off while waiting, she turned her attention back to the lake.
Meanwhile, Victor's astral form slipped through the surface of the Black Lake as though the water offered no resistance.
The murky depths stretched endlessly around him. Long strands of lake weed swayed with the current while shoals of silver fish darted away from the unfamiliar presence.
The deeper he descended, the darker the water became, with only faint shafts of light filtering down from above.
Unlike a physical body, his astral form had no need for air.
He glided silently through the depths, passing strange rock formations and clusters of water plants as he searched for the champions.
Soon, he spotted Harry in the distance.
The Gillyweed had already taken effect — gills fluttered on either side of his neck, and webbing had formed between his fingers and toes as he swam steadily toward the heart of the lake.
Victor kept his distance. I'll just watch from here. Interfering would only cause more trouble.
His astral form followed from afar as the Second Task unfolded beneath the dark waters.
Then curiosity got the better of him. Harry has Gillyweed... but how is Fleur planning to stay underwater for an hour?
His astral form drifted silently until he found the Beauxbatons champion.
Fleur swam gracefully through the dark water, her silver-blonde hair flowing behind her.
Unlike Harry, there were no gills on her neck — instead, a large shimmering bubble surrounded her head, fresh air filling it as she breathed normally while continuing toward the merpeople's village.
The Bubble-Head Charm. Rather than altering the body, it created a constant supply of breathable air around the caster's head.
A much neater solution than Gillyweed. No transformation, and once it's cast, you simply swim.
At that moment, Fleur suddenly slowed. She frowned and glanced around — for just an instant, she had the unmistakable feeling that someone was swimming beside her.
She turned her head to the left. Nothing. She looked behind her. Only dark water and swaying lake weed.
Fleur tightened her grip on her wand. "...Who's zere?" Her voice disappeared into the surrounding water. There was no answer.
Victor instinctively stopped moving. Can she sense astral projections?
Fleur looked around for another moment before shaking her head. "It must 'ave been my imagination..." She resumed swimming toward the depths.
Victor waited until she had put several yards between them before following again, this time keeping a much greater distance.
Half-Veela instincts are sharper than I expected. She didn't see me... but she definitely felt something.
The deeper Fleur swam, the darker the lake became. Long curtains of lake weed swayed gently with the current as faint shadows began to emerge from between the rocks.
One. Then three. Then nearly a dozen Grindylows slowly surrounded her, their long fingers flexing as they closed in from every direction.
Fleur immediately slowed. She drew her wand and kept it pointed toward the nearest creature, carefully turning so none of them could slip behind her. "So... you wish to fight."
The Grindylows hissed, inching closer.
Victor rested his chin on one hand. "Well... I should give her a helping hand." Not because he thought Fleur couldn't handle them — he was simply curious.
Ever since his soul had become stronger, he had wondered just how much magic his astral form could wield. There isn't a better opportunity to test it.
He raised an ethereal hand. A pulse of magic gathered around his fingertips.
"Confringo."
BOOM!
A violent explosion erupted just behind the Grindylows.
The shockwave tore through the surrounding lake weed, scattering mud and bubbles in every direction.
The Grindylows shrieked in terror — whatever confidence they had vanished instantly.
Without waiting to discover what had attacked them, every one spun around and fled into the darkness as fast as their webbed limbs could carry them.
Victor looked at his translucent hand. Even in astral form, I can still cast at nearly full strength. A satisfied smile crossed his face. That's good to know.
Meanwhile, Fleur stared blankly at the now-empty water. "...What?"
Only a moment ago she had been preparing for a fight. Now every Grindylow had disappeared.
She slowly turned in a circle, wand still raised. No wizard. No magical creature.
No sign of whoever had cast the spell — only drifting bubbles and torn strands of lake weed where the explosion had occurred.
Fleur frowned. "...Why are zey running away?"
She had fully expected to duel the Grindylows. Instead, they had fled before she had even cast a single spell.
Unable to make sense of what had just happened, she kept her wand ready and cautiously continued toward the merpeople's village, remaining alert in case the mysterious attacker revealed themselves.
*****
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