A magical journey that begins in Azkaban

Ron looked at Harry's stubborn eyes and simply covered him with his quilt, hoping to bring him a little warmth. "Would this be better?" he asked.

Harry looked at him with worried eyes, "What about you?"

"I'll stay in bed and take a nap." Ron looked at the gray-blue sky outside. "It's almost dawn, so there's nothing wrong with it. Are you really okay?"

Ron noticed the robe and golden eggs under the bed, as well as the Invisibility Cloak that Harry had discarded carelessly. It was a gift from Harry's father, and he had kept it carefully before.

Despite the extra quilt, Harry was still shivering slightly. Ron thought of his childhood. Whenever he was sick, his mother always held him tenderly and gave him endless love and comfort.

"When I was sick before, my mother always held me." Ron said softly.

Harry hummed slightly and did not refuse.

Ron lay next to him, holding him tightly across the quilt. At this moment, Ron felt the other person's trembling and understood that something terrible must have happened to him tonight.

In this warm embrace, Harry felt an unprecedented peace of mind. His body gradually stopped shaking, and his state of mind slowly returned to calm. He turned to look at Ron, his eyes filled with gratitude, and then gently pulled the quilt over, covering Ron as well.

As the first ray of morning light filtered through the cracks in the curtains, the other three roommates woke up as usual. Dean, Seamus, and Neville began to change into their school uniforms and prepare to go to the auditorium for dinner.

"Where's Ron?" Dean looked around, noticed that Ron's bed was empty, and asked curiously: "He was caught by Filch during a night out last night, right?"

Seamus quickly made a quiet gesture to signal Dean to stop talking. He pointed secretly at Harry's bed, where the two figures were nestled together.

"What!?" Dean's eyes widened in shock, unable to believe what he saw, "Why are they on the same bed?"

"Shh." Seamus waved his hand, "Don't ask what you shouldn't ask. Let's go eat."

As he said this, he picked up Neville, who was confused and had not yet fully reacted, and hurriedly escaped from the dormitory.

After they left, Harry and Ron were still lying quietly on the bed. The friendship between the two became unusual on this unusual night.

Harry and Ron were both late again for Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration class. The originally lively magical atmosphere in the classroom suddenly became a little awkward.

Everyone looked at them, and joking laughter sounded from time to time. Seamus and Dean looked at each other and looked at their roommates with strange looks.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley!" Professor McGonagall's voice was as loud as a bell. She adjusted her glasses and gently placed her wand on the podium. "Did you get lost in the corridors of the castle again? ?”

There was a burst of snickering in the classroom. Everyone remembered that in the first Transfiguration class, they used this excuse to excuse themselves. Could it be that after all this time, they haven't learned their lesson?

"Professor, we...we overslept." Harry lowered his head, his voice was small but extremely clear.

This time, instead of making excuses, he chose to confess.

Professor McGonagall nodded slightly and motioned for them to find a seat quickly. She picked up the wand again and whispered the punishment: "5 points for each person."

The other Gryffindor students were used to it and did not look at the two reproachfully. They all knew that as long as Professor Lupine was still teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, Harry's lost points could always be made up somehow.

Professor McGonagall waved her wand gently, and the mystery of animal transfiguration slowly unfolded. But Harry and Ron's minds were obviously not on this class. They lowered their heads in silence and looked at each other from time to time.

If their eyes collide, their hearts will become extremely strange. Obviously, an indescribable emotion quietly grew and fermented in their hearts...

After class, some students muttered: "Have you heard? Someone sneaked into the prefect's bathroom to take a shower last night."

"Who is so bold?"

"Maybe he's a fifth-grade student. He didn't become a prefect last year, so he wanted to secretly experience the prefect's bathroom." Another voice sounded a little envious.

"By the way, we will elect a new prefect next year." A Gryffindor student said, turning to look at Harry, "Harry, will you run for prefect?"

Harry, who was already uneasy, felt everyone's eyes and stood nervously. He was so focused on the missing clothes in the bathroom that he didn't hear the other person's question at all.

"You, what did you ask just now?" His tone was slightly trembling, trying to pull himself back from his chaotic thoughts.

"It's about competing for prefect next year." The man repeated it again.

Harry stood there, feeling as if he was being petrified and immobilized, not knowing what to do. He wants to be a prefect, but if he is found guilty of stealing the bathroom, what will everyone think of him? Will you choose him?

Apparently Harry didn't know the rules for selecting Prefects. If the principal says you can do it, it doesn't matter if you can't do it; if the principal says you can't do it, it doesn't matter if you do. No matter how much he worried about gains and losses, he could not compare with Dumbledore's words.

At this time, Ron stepped forward like a solid shield in front of Harry. "He now needs to prepare for the Triwizard Tournament." Ron's words were firm and he changed the topic subtly.

"Yes, the second challenge is about to begin." Someone echoed, and everyone's attention was successfully diverted.

Harry gave Ron a grateful look, his friend always had his back at critical moments.

Ron turned to look at Harry and asked in a low voice: "Did you solve the secret of the golden egg last night?" His eyes were full of curiosity and concern.

"Untied." Harry nodded, excitement flashing in his eyes. He grabbed Ron's hand and pulled him towards the bathroom.

"As long as you put the golden egg in the water, the harsh sound will turn into a beautiful song." Harry explained, his voice full of joy.

Ron was pulled by Harry, feeling a strange feeling in his heart. However, they had been so close in the past, so he quickly blamed this feeling on his imagination.

"Am I overthinking it?" Ron thought to himself.

They came to the bathroom, and Harry carefully placed the golden egg into the sink filled with water, and then motioned for Ron to put his head in as well. As the golden egg opens in the water, a melodious song echoes in the water, and there seems to be a clue to the competition hidden in the lyrics.

After listening to the song, Ron raised his head, and water drops slipped from his hair: "I seem to have heard similar singing somewhere." He recalled carefully.

"The Yule Ball." Harry answered immediately, and the memory flashed through him like lightning. "The song that Roger played in the shell was exactly the same as the sound in the golden egg. It was sung by the mermaid."

"You mean, the second challenge has something to do with mermaids?"

Harry nodded and said excitedly: "I'm going to the lake to find a mermaid, and then... and then..." His voice suddenly weakened because he realized a grim fact: he couldn't swim at all.

The excitement of solving the mystery instantly dissipated, replaced by fear of the challenges ahead. The Black Lake outside Hogwarts Castle is so deep that it can even allow Durmstrang's large ship to sail under the water. Harry's heart sank. If he jumped into the lake, he would probably... no, he would definitely drown.

"Harry?" Ron patted his shoulder, his eyes full of worry, and asked gently: "Are you okay?"

"No...it's okay." Harry forced out a smile, but the smile looked a little pale. He said slowly: "I was just thinking, how do I breathe underwater?"

Ron frowned and began to think seriously. He searched for the knowledge he had learned in his memory. No matter the spells or potions, there seemed to be none that directly allowed people to breathe underwater.

"If Hermione were here..." He couldn't help but think of the beautiful blue figure at the ball. But soon, he shook his head and put the thought away.

Since Hermione joined the Jackdaw Magical Society, she no longer plays with them. Ron even saw Hermione acting coquettishly in the arms of the little Death Eater in Hogsmeade.

He felt restless, his stomach churning with nausea. He panted, looking at Harry's serious thinking face, and suddenly felt much better.

"How about we ask Hermione?" Harry suddenly suggested, "She must know..."

"No!" Ron's voice was almost yelling, and there was no room for change in his refusal.

"Do you want to be ridiculed by that little Death Eater? Harry, remember when we went to the Forbidden Forest in the first year, he mocked you for being illiterate." Ron clenched his fists angrily, his joints turning white, and he continued to scold him. : "If we ask He...Granger now, what do you think that little Death Eater will say about us?"

He looked at Harry seriously and said firmly: "If you go to find her, then we will break off our relationship!"

Harry was stunned. He looked at Ron blankly, not understanding why his reaction was so violent.

"I know." Harry finally whispered, his tone seemed a little heavy, "We can find ways to breathe underwater ourselves, we can go to the library to look up information..."

"I can ask my parents." Ron's mood gradually calmed down, and he also thought of other ideas: "My father has worked in the Ministry of Magic for many years, and he must know some methods."

"Yes." Harry nodded, not thinking that this was cheating, "I also wrote to Sirius."

With an idea in mind, the two of them took action quickly. They stayed together every day after school, and even on weekends when they went to Hogsmeade. He immersed himself in books and magic materials all day long, looking for ways to breathe underwater.

Seamus and Dean looked at them more and more strangely, especially when they discovered that they were studying books together, they felt that their worlds had been turned upside down.

"There's something wrong, there must be something wrong!" Others in the school also began to whisper, full of speculation about Harry and Ron's unusual behavior.

At the same time, the prefects are still investigating the illegal use of the bathroom, but so far they have no clues. The found clothes had been handed over to the principal's office by Filch, and nothing more happened after that.

As the second competition approaches, this incident is gradually forgotten.

A letter finally arrived from Mr. Weasley, who mentioned a type of scuba used by Muggles that allowed one to breathe underwater. But he also said that wearing this device is very cumbersome and he still doesn't fully understand how to use it.

In contrast, Sirius offers several more practical magical methods: head-bubble charms, gillweed, and animal transfiguration. At the end of the letter, he told Harry that he was a good swimmer.

Harry immediately ran to the library to find detailed instructions and casting instructions for the spell. Finally, he found relevant information in a magic book called "The Breath of Water" and jumped up with excitement: "I found it!"

Mrs. Pince walked over quickly and stared at Harry with sharp eyes: "Harry Potter, if you make any more noise, you will be banned for life like Ron Weasley!"

Harry turned pale with fright, nodded quickly, and returned to his seat carefully. Mrs. Pince snorted coldly, wondering why Professor Snape cared so much about this little wizard.

He did not dare to borrow books from Mrs. Pince, so he had to write down the required spells and hurriedly left the library. Ron was guarding the door, and there was a notice on the wall prohibiting him from entering.

"How is it?" Ron asked impatiently, his eyes full of anticipation.

Harry nodded excitedly and shook the paper in his hand: "I'm looking for a head soaking spell. It's easy to learn."

The two rushed to the Black Lake. Harry took out his wand, pointed it at his head, and whispered the spell. Soon, a transparent cover similar to a glass tank appeared over his head, providing him with fresh air to breathe underwater.

Harry eagerly took off his clothes and carefully stepped into the lake. He turned back to Ron and shouted: "Ron, come on, let's go swimming together!"

Ron twitched his lips in embarrassment. He looked at the notes in his hand again, but he still didn't master the Bubble Curse. Over the years, he had long realized the huge gap in magical talent between himself and Harry.

Without magical props like Riddle's Notebook, he wouldn't be able to compete with Harry in magic. For example, Harry could learn the Head Bubble Charm with just a few glances and gestures, but he needed more time to learn it slowly.

"You go ahead." Ron shook his head, "I'm here to help you look after your clothes to prevent them from being stolen by guys like Malfoy."

Harry responded and happily got into the water. Ron looked at his figure flopping in the water, his eyes filled with envy.

"It would be great if I could have Harry's talent." Ron thought to himself, "Even if I only have Percy's level."

While he was thinking, Harry swam farther and farther, but found it difficult to sink to the bottom. After getting in for a while, he was pushed up by the strong water pressure.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his calf, and the heartbreaking pain spread along the nerves.

"Harry? Harry!" Ron saw the water splash getting bigger and bigger in the distance, and felt an ominous premonition in his heart. He screamed in panic, but since he couldn't swim and didn't know the head-soaking spell, he could only run back to the castle to find the professor's help.

"Professor, it's bad!" He bumped into Lupine at the door and shouted breathlessly, "Harry is in the lake, I don't know what happened..."

Before he finished speaking, Lu Ping rushed out. He came to the shore and waved his magic wand without saying a word: "Come quickly!"

With his spell, Harry was quickly pulled from the lake to the shore. Some students gathered around curiously, whispering to each other.

"Could someone be drowned?"

"Hey, how could you say such a terrible thing?"

"But the clothes are on the shore, and the professor looks very anxious."

Harry was pulled to the shore, holding his calf and wailing in pain. Professor Lupine breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that he was safe and sound, and was thankful that he arrived in time.

He carefully inspected Harry's calf and found no obvious wounds, and then said seriously: "I'll take you to the school hospital to have a look."

Among the onlookers, Cedric's lips curled up into a sneer. Learning the Bubble Charm only meant being able to breathe underwater, but a landlubber like Harry couldn't compare with him.

He looked at Qiu Zhang's figure, feeling full of confidence in his heart. As long as you save her in the second game, you can invite her to hang out during the summer vacation. The calculations in his mind were buzzing, as if victory was right in front of him.