Harry Potter and the Ambitious Girl

"I already told you I figured out the egg's secret!"

On that day, Harry found himself shrinking under Hermione's furious gaze.

With only two weeks remaining until the second task, Harry, now feeling the pressure, finally confessed that he had been lying about his progress. He admitted his struggles and sought help from Hermione and Edith.

Of course, it wasn't as if he had done nothing at all. At the very least, he had genuinely solved the egg's mystery and figured out what the next task would be.

The next challenge was underwater.

The task required him to dive into the lake and retrieve a "precious item" from the merpeople.

But that was as far as Harry had gotten. He still had no idea how to complete the task.

The egg had announced a one-hour time limit.

That meant he would need to stay underwater for nearly an hour.

How was he supposed to breathe underwater?

On top of that, Harry, who had barely any experience swimming, wasn't even sure he could manage that.

...This was no longer a problem he could solve on his own.

"Maybe you could just keep swimming up for air as you go? If you figure out a way to swim, you could just swim and come up for air when needed..."

"But Edith, what if the 'precious item' is in a really deep spot? We'll have to figure out a way to stay underwater," Hermione countered.

Edith suggested that maybe there was no need to dive deep in the first place, but Hermione immediately rejected the idea.

It wouldn't be that simple.

Since the task took place underwater, there was no doubt that he would be forced to dive at some point.

"In an ideal world, you could just turn into a submarine or something. But transfiguring a person is something you only learn in sixth year, so nobody here could do it... And trying out something you only half understand could end in disaster."

"Yeah, I don't exactly want to be wandering around with a periscope growing out of my head," Harry quipped.

The idea of using transfiguration was certainly a clever one.

But Harry didn't have the knowledge or the skill to pull it off.

After all, the Triwizard Tournament was intended for students aged 17 and up, and the tasks were designed accordingly.

If you had completed your magical education up to that point, you might be able to solve the challenges using spells you'd already learned.

In other words, the challenges were designed to be solvable by a fully trained 17-year-old wizard.

But Harry, a 14-year-old who had been thrown into the competition by accident, was at a clear disadvantage.

Compared to the other champions, Harry had significantly fewer tools at his disposal.

"What about transforming something other than yourself? Like, you could bring along a backpack and transfigure it into an oxygen tank," Edith suggested.

"But I don't know how oxygen tanks work," Harry replied.

"Yeah, that might be a little too complicated," Edith agreed.

The three of them racked their brains, trying to find a solution, but nothing seemed to click. Time continued to slip away.

One week left… Still, Harry reassured himself that there was plenty of time to figure it out.

Five days left… He desperately wanted to believe that he would find something soon.

Three days left… No more room for optimism. Please, something, anything — he was running out of time.

With only one day left, Harry still hadn't found a concrete answer.

To make matters worse, Hermione was suddenly called away by Professor McGonagall, leaving her unable to help Harry on the final day.

That left him with Ron and Edith for support, but unlike Hermione, they were more action-oriented than book-smart.

Three impulsive thinkers thrown together weren't likely to come up with a brilliant solution, and Harry knew it.

Sure enough, Ron suggested ridiculous ideas like, "Just stick your head in the lake and yell at the merpeople to bring it up."

Edith, meanwhile, was flipping through books, groaning in frustration.

"Hmm... It's looking like spells we can use might be out of the question. Maybe we should change our approach," Edith said thoughtfully.

"Change it how?" Harry asked.

"Like, instead of relying on spells, we look at other options. Maybe there's a tool, a potion, or a magical plant that could help us. There might be something convenient we overlooked."

They had already scoured every spell they could think of.

And after all that searching, the conclusion was clear: there was no fourth-year spell that could solve this.

That's why Edith proposed looking for a solution from a different angle.

"But Edith, we've never learned about potions that let you breathe underwater, and even if they exist, how would we brew one now?" Harry pointed out.

"Okay, then how about a tool? There might be something in the Weasleys' joke shop stuff that could let you keep diving."

It wasn't a bad idea.

But as Ron, who had extensive knowledge of his older brothers' pranks, pointed out, "There's no such thing. If Fred and George had something like that, they'd never stop bragging about it."

So that was a dead end too.

"Then that just leaves magical plants… but I'm not that well-versed in those," Edith admitted.

"Magical plants, huh..."

The phrase "magical plants" sparked something in Harry's mind.

There was something — some idea, some memory, scratching at the back of his brain.

What was it?

Where had he seen it?

Harry wracked his brain, tracing back through his memories, trying to find that elusive thought.

Magical plants… Something about magical plants… and underwater…

Where had he seen it? When?

He sifted through his memories, thinking, thinking — until his mind traveled all the way back to the first lesson with Moody.

That was it. That was the answer.

— "Magical Water Plants of the Mediterranean."

"...Neville!"

"Huh?"

"Neville! Neville had a book on it!"

Harry leapt to his feet, knocking over his chair in his rush to leave.

He finally saw a ray of hope.

No, this was his last hope.

They had spent all this time searching for the right spell, and they'd found nothing.

There was no reason to believe that a spell would suddenly reveal itself now, with only a day to go.

Rather than keep chasing that lost cause, it made more sense to bet on the possibility of magical plants.

Harry sprinted to the Gryffindor common room, his heart pounding in his chest.

When he arrived, he spotted Neville sitting quietly. Harry rushed over, nearly out of breath.

"Neville! That book you had before — 'Magical Water Plants of the Mediterranean' — do you still have it?!"

"I already told you, I solved the mystery of the egg!"

On that day, Harry found himself shrinking under Hermione's furious gaze.

With only two weeks left until the second task, Harry was feeling the pressure. Desperation drove him to finally confess the lies he'd been telling up until then, and he asked for help from Hermione and Edith.

Of course, it's not like he'd been doing nothing the whole time. He really had solved the secret of the egg and figured out the nature of the next task.

The next task was underwater.

He had to dive into the lake and retrieve his "most precious thing" from the merpeople.

But that was all Harry had figured out. He had no idea how to actually achieve it.

The message revealed by the egg had mentioned a time limit: one hour.

That meant he'd have to stay underwater for nearly an hour.

How was he supposed to breathe underwater? Could he even swim well enough to accomplish that? He hardly had any swimming experience to begin with.

...This was beyond anything he could manage on his own.

"Couldn't you just swim while coming up for air every so often? If you just figure out how to swim properly, you could keep surfacing for air as you go," Edith suggested.

"But, Edith, what if his 'most precious thing' is in a deep spot? That plan would be useless," Hermione countered. "We need to find a way to stay underwater."

Edith's idea of not diving at all was dismissed by Hermione.

This task wouldn't be that simple.

Since it was an underwater challenge, there was no doubt that diving was essential.

"The ideal situation would be if you could transform yourself into a submarine or something," Hermione mused. "But human transfiguration is something we learn in sixth year, and none of us can do it... Trying out something we barely understand could lead to a disaster."

"Yeah, and I'd rather not be walking around with a periscope sticking out of my head," Harry muttered.

Hermione's suggestion to use Transfiguration wasn't a bad idea.

But Harry lacked the knowledge and skill to pull it off.

The Triwizard Tournament was designed for wizards aged 17 and up, with challenges created accordingly.

If you'd completed your education up to 17, then theoretically, you should be able to solve the tasks with the magic you'd learned.

But Harry, at just 14, had been forced into this competition.

Unlike the other champions, his arsenal of spells and knowledge was clearly lacking.

"What if you transformed something else instead of yourself?" Edith suggested. "Like, you could carry a backpack and transfigure it into an oxygen tank."

"But I don't really know how oxygen tanks work," Harry admitted.

"Yeah, it might be a bit too tricky," Edith conceded.

Even as the three of them racked their brains, no perfect solution appeared, and time continued to slip away.

One week left... "There's still time," Harry told himself, forcing himself to stay calm.

Five days left... "We should find something soon. We have to," he thought.

Three days left... "No more time to waste. Please, just let me find something—anything," he silently pleaded as the hours ticked by.

One day left... Despite his desperate search, Harry still hadn't found the perfect answer.

To make matters worse, on the final day, his biggest support, Hermione, was called away by Professor McGonagall, leaving her unable to help him.

Ron and Edith were still around, but unlike Hermione, they were action-driven rather than strategy-focused.

With three simple-minded people working together, it was hard to imagine a brilliant solution emerging.

As if to prove that point, Ron suggested, "Why don't you just stick your head in the lake and yell for the merpeople to hand it over?"

Meanwhile, Edith was flipping through a book, mumbling to herself in frustration.

"Ugh... It looks like trying to use spells we know is going to be tough. We might need a different approach."

"Different approach? Like what?" Harry asked.

"Like using magical items, potions, or magical plants. There might be something useful out there," Edith replied.

They'd already researched every spell they could think of.

And after all that effort, the conclusion was clear—there was no spell a fourth-year could use to solve this.

That's why Edith suggested approaching it from a different angle.

"Potions, huh?" Harry frowned. "But we've never learned about any potions like that, and even if we had, could we brew one in time?"

"How about magical items?" Edith proposed. "There might be some prank items that let you stay underwater for a long time."

It wasn't a bad suggestion.

But as Ron pointed out, "There's no such thing. I'd know if there were."

With two older brothers famous for their pranks, Ron had quite the knowledge of prank items.

"Then that leaves magical plants," Edith muttered. "But I'm not too knowledgeable about those, to be honest."

"Magical plants..." Harry's mind snagged on the idea.

Something about it felt familiar.

He'd seen a magical plant somewhere before—one that might be useful underwater.

Where was it? When was it?

He rewound his memory, going back, back, back...

He finally remembered—on the day he had his first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson with Mad-Eye Moody.

"Magical Water Plants of the Mediterranean."

"…Neville!"

"Huh?"

"Neville had that book!"

Kicking back his chair, Harry dashed off.

For the first time, he felt like he had a real lead.

No, this was it. It had to be.

He had already scoured every spell he could think of and found nothing. There was no way a miracle spell would suddenly appear on the final day.

Magical plants were his last hope.

He rushed to Gryffindor Tower and found Neville sitting there. Harry hurried over and cornered him.

"Neville! Sorry to bother you, but do you still have that book—'Magical Water Plants of the Mediterranean'—the one you got from Mad-Eye Moody?!"

"Huh? Uh, yeah, I have it. Why?"

"Can I borrow it? For the second task, I have to stay underwater for an hour! That book might have the answer!"

Hearing Harry's desperate tone, Neville's eyes widened as he suddenly remembered something.

"I-I know something! Harry, I know a plant that can help!"

"Really?!"

"Yeah! It's called Gillyweed! If you eat it, you'll grow gills and webbing between your fingers and toes, like a merperson."

"That's it! That's the one! Neville, do you know where I can get Gillyweed?!"

For the first time, Harry saw a glimmer of hope.

But Neville hesitated, his face clouded with doubt.

"Um… It's a really rare plant," Neville said awkwardly. "I've only seen it once—in Snape's office during remedial lessons."

"Snape's office?!"

Of all the places it could be, this was the worst.

There was no chance Snape would give it to him if he asked. He'd probably hide it out of sheer spite.

That left Harry with one option—stealing it.

Stealing from a teacher.

Even if it was Snape, Harry didn't like the idea.

But with no time left, he had no choice.

He remembered the faces of the people who believed in him, especially Hagrid's, and the thought of their disappointment drove him forward.

"I'll steal it," Harry muttered as he made up his mind.

"Alright, let's do it," Ron agreed immediately.

Edith sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead.

"Why are you guys even in Gryffindor?" she muttered.

They snuck down to Snape's office.

They stopped at the corridor. No sign of Snape.

Now was their chance.

But things didn't go smoothly.

Just as they approached, Draco Malfoy walked down the corridor toward them.

"Well, well, Potter," Malfoy sneered. "What are you doing here?"

"None of your business," Harry replied curtly.

"Is that so? Then it must be something you don't want people to know about, right?" Malfoy grinned.

Harry's temper flared, but at that moment, the sound of a wooden leg echoed down the hall.

The familiar clunking gait of Mad-Eye Moody.

Harry smiled. Salvation had arrived.

"The Second Task"

"Ugh…"

Draco Malfoy let out a displeased grunt as he caught sight of Mad-Eye Moody approaching. His face twisted in distaste as he quickly turned on his heel and hurried away.

Malfoy had every reason to avoid Mad-Eye. The retired Auror had a known disdain for Malfoy's father, Lucius, and he didn't bother hiding his hostility toward Draco either.

Memories of being transfigured into a ferret and publicly humiliated were still fresh in Malfoy's mind. Not wanting to risk a repeat, he scurried off like a startled cat.

However, now that a teacher had seen Harry and his friends lingering near Snape's office, their situation hadn't improved at all.

There was no way they could steal something right in front of a teacher.

But to their surprise, Mad-Eye glanced at them, grinned slyly, and walked right past them.

"I didn't see a thing," he said with a grin, his mismatched eyes swiveling in their sockets.

With that, he continued on his way, his wooden leg clunking with each step.

Harry watched him leave, feeling a mix of gratitude and confusion.

"Maybe he's a kinder teacher than he looks," Harry thought.

Now that he thought about it, Mad-Eye had given him advice during the first task and had even helped him avoid getting caught by Snape while wandering the halls at night.

He might have looked terrifying, but deep down, maybe he cared about the students.

Come to think of it, Neville had received that "Magical Water Plants of the Mediterranean" book from Mad-Eye too.

"Yeah, he's a good teacher," Harry concluded silently, feeling a newfound appreciation for him.

Fueled by this thought, Harry stepped into Snape's office.

—

Later, when Snape discovered that his Gillyweed had vanished, his fury was legendary. His mood grew so foul that even the most brazen students kept their distance from him for days.

—

The second task finally began in grand fashion, and Harry managed to pass with a score of 45 points.

The task, as expected, involved diving into the depths of the Black Lake. Each champion had to overcome various underwater obstacles to retrieve something that had been taken from them — something precious to them.

For Harry, that "precious thing" turned out to be Hermione.

So that's why Professor McGonagall had called her away the day before. It all made sense now.

In hindsight, the Yule Ball may have been a test to reveal what each participant's "precious thing" was.

Harry was the first to reach the hostages. He found Hermione suspended underwater, along with the hostages for the other champions:

Cho Chang for Cedric,

Ginny Weasley for Krum,

and Gabrielle Delacour for Fleur.

It should have been simple. All he had to do was free Hermione and head back.

But Harry's worst habit — his instinctive need to help others — kicked in at the worst possible moment.

He took the message from the egg literally: "If you fail to return in time, they will never be returned."

Instead of assuming it was just part of the challenge's theatrics, Harry believed the warning was real.

Fearing for their safety, he decided to save all the hostages, not just Hermione.

He watched as Cedric rescued Cho, and Krum managed to get Ginny to safety. But when it seemed like Fleur wouldn't make it in time to save her little sister, Gabrielle, Harry made a choice.

He freed Gabrielle as well.

This act of kindness cost him valuable time, dropping him to third place in the task's final standings.

But his selflessness didn't go unnoticed.

Dumbledore, Mr. Crouch, Madame Maxime, and Ludo Bagman all agreed that Harry's actions were noble.

Moved by his bravery and compassion, they awarded him a high score of 45 points.

The only judge who wasn't pleased was Karkaroff, who gave Harry a paltry 5 points.

Even so, Harry's total score was high enough to stay ahead of Krum, despite Karkaroff's clear favoritism toward his own champion.

No doubt, Karkaroff was fuming.

With that, only one task remained.

"The final task…" Harry thought to himself.

He would have to thank Neville properly when he got the chance.

But for now, his legs were weak, and his body felt heavy. He leaned against Hermione for support, letting himself rest for just a moment.

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