"My sister said that she's going to the lake for winter swimming soon!" Gabri said, watching Krum dive into the lake. "That's strange. She never had this habit before. Is there something in the lake?!"
"Who knows!"
Hearing Gabri's words, Hermione looked at Krum thoughtfully, feeling as if she had grasped something.
Two warriors running into the lake to practice winter swimming in a row sounded very abnormal.
"Do you guys think that the second event will be related to the lake, letting the warriors dive into the lake …" she said.
"Absolutely impossible!" Ron said directly. "Unless they're crazy, they won't let us go there!"
"It's fine if it's a little cold, but there are giant squids in the lake!"
Elwyn helped Hermione persuade a few words, but Harry and Ron didn't think in that direction at all.
They did not think much of Hermione's speculations, and their attention was quickly diverted elsewhere.
Because they were going to meet Sirius in a while, Sirius also had to help Elwyn practice Phantom Manifestation.
Although Elwyn was at ease with everyone, this matter itself was illegal, and the fewer people who knew, the better.
So, when they arrived at Hogsmeade, they would act separately!
Corin accompanied Gabri, Ginny, and two other girls to the Honey Duchess candy shop. Gabri had given these candies to her classmates in Boothbottom as a Christmas gift not long ago, and they were very popular. This time, she was going to buy a lot of candies for them to bring back.
As for Ron, he was going to have lunch with Lavender, but it wasn't time yet.
There was still more than half an hour before the appointment with Sirius, so Harry suggested that they go to the Three Brooms Tavern first.
The tavern was crowded as usual, and the four of them bought a few bottles of butter beer from Madam Rosmerta and found a corner.
"Look, does he never go to the office to work?" Hermione whispered, nudging Elwyn.
She pointed at the mirror behind the bar counter, and Elwyn saw Ludo Bagman's reflection in the mirror.
He was sitting in a dark corner with a group of fairies, whispering something to them quickly and in a low voice.
The fairies all crossed their arms aggressively and shook their heads from time to time.
Every time the fairies shook their heads, Bagman's expression became more and more awful.
"Something's not right!" Harry said, staring at Bagman in the mirror. "Think about it. Today is the weekend, and there is no competition for the top three. There is no need for a referee. Why is he here?"
Bagman looked nervous and kept looking around as if he was looking for an escape route.
Then, his eyes lit up when he saw Ron sitting in the corner.
He leaned over and whispered a few words to the fairies, then quietly pointed at Elwyn and the other three.
The pixies slanted their black eyes and looked at Ron silently, then nodded.
"Deal. Wait a minute, I'll go talk to that kid!" Bagman said, and a smile appeared on his baby face again.
He stood up and hurriedly walked toward Ron.
"Kids, I didn't expect to meet you here. What a coincidence. How have you been?!" He said, walking to Ron's side. "Ron, can I talk to you in private?"
"Yes, of course!" Ron looked at him, puzzled, and followed Bagman to the end of the bar counter far away from Madam Rosmerta.
They stayed there for about a minute. Ron looked a little surprised, and then a trace of joy appeared on his face.
Elwyn took a small sip of buttered beer. It seemed that Bagman must have made another bet with the fairies in order to pay back the money. He put all his chips on Ron, betting that Ron could win the top three competition, and then all his gambling debts would be written off.
Bagman was telling Ron about the secret of the golden egg, and Ron had accepted his help.
As a referee and the director of the Department of Magic and Sports, he had violated the rules. Cheating was indeed a tradition of the top three competition.
"What are they talking about?" Hermione said, sipping her buttered beer. "Those fairies don't look friendly!"
"It's probably about the competition," Elwyn said, taking out a piece of parchment from his pocket.
He didn't care about that and planned to use this time to review the key points of Phantom Manifestation.
"Phantom Manifestation looks very cool, and it's very convenient to use!" Harry said, staring at Elwyn's parchment. "I also want Sirius to help me pass the test, so I don't have to wait until I'm an adult to use this spell."
"No, Harry!" Hermione looked very shocked. "It's illegal to do this, and it's very dangerous. Many people lose their lives every year because of failed Phantom Manifestation. You don't have as much magic power as Elwyn to completely master this spell …"
"I know, I'm just saying!" Harry said.
Just as Hermione said, the Phantom Manifestation spell was not something to be joked about.
Failing to use it usually meant separation of the body and death, which was why the Ministry of Magic had to test it.
Elwyn had many experiences with Phantom Manifestation, but he was still a little nervous about using this spell for the first time.
He kept writing and drawing on the parchment with the quill in his hand, marking the relevant points.
There were two ways to use Phantom Manifestation. One was to move quickly over long distances, and the other was to change positions instantly during a duel.
Although the spell was the same, the magic power consumed and the technique used were not the same.
Harry and Hermione leaned over and looked at what Elwyn had written, wanting to know more details.
On the other side, the conversation between Ron and Bagman was quickly interrupted, because Fred and George happened to appear at this time.
As soon as the two of them walked into the tavern, they saw Bagman in front of the bar.
"Hello, Mr. Bagman!" Fred hurried over and said happily, "Can we buy you a drink?"
"Well, it's okay." Bagman said and patted Ron's shoulder. "It's okay, thank you, kid …"
Fred and George seemed to be very disappointed with Bagman, and were about to say something to get their money back.
"I have to hurry," he said. "It's nice to see you all. Good luck, Ron, and don't forget what I said. "
He hurried out of the tavern, and the fairies all got up from their chairs and followed him out.
Fred and George hesitated for a moment, but also followed.
"What does he want?" Harry asked as soon as Ron returned and sat down.
"Nothing!" Ron shook his head and did not tell them what Bagman had told him.
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