Hogwarts: I Am an Exemplary Wizard-Chapter 545 - 543: Helena Ravenclaw

Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Kael, with the Bubble-Head Charm, dove straight into the Black Lake.

Although the Bubble-Head Charm allowed him to move freely underwater, it didn’t provide any speed advantage. So Kael immediately took out his wand and used Transfiguration Technique to give himself a pair of flippers.

This made him swim much faster.

The Black Lake was vast and unfathomable. The deeper Kael swam, the darker it became. After using the bleachers on the surface as a reference point, he headed towards the center of the lake.

Through the bubbles in front of him, the murky and gloomy lake water seemed to possess an eerie hue.

Small fish swam gently by, brushing past Kael like silver arrows.

But this wasn’t a scene of beauty, because besides the small fish, the lake also contained many Grindylows.

They hid in the dark corners of the lake bottom, attempting to attack any creature that passed by.

Kael encountered two of them. Luckily, he noticed them in time and used a Charm to stun them before the Grindylows could reach out with their claws.

Dealing with these Dark Creatures was easy with a simple Revulsion Jinx... of course, that’s assuming there’s only one or two. If there’s a group, it would be a bit more troublesome.

Kael quickened his pace and continued swimming forward.

He only had half an hour left and needed to find the right location as quickly as possible.

Along the way, Grindylows constantly jumped out from the dark or from among the water plants, causing Kael quite a bit of trouble. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

One even tried to grab the bubble on Kael’s head. Its end was the most miserable, being knocked out of the water by a Knockback Jinx, and who knows where it landed.

But just as Kael kicked that Grindylow away, a voice suddenly echoed in the tranquil Black Lake.

"You seem to be in some trouble..."

Kael quickly turned his head, only to see a blurry, pearly white figure floating next to him.

"Are you... Ravenclaw’s Ms. Grey?" Kael said, his voice sounding a bit muffled through the Bubble-Head Charm.

He never expected to see a ghost here, let alone Ravenclaw’s ghost.

Ms. Grey’s ghost maintained her melancholic expression. She circled around Kael once, then pointed with her hand.

"You can go that way."

However, Kael didn’t move, continuing to look at her in confusion.

Truth be told, if it was another ghost, whether it was Hufflepuff’s Fat Friar, Nearly Headless Nick, Moaning Myrtle, or Peeves, Kael would have immediately swum off without a second thought.

Because Kael had interacted with them and was familiar with them, it made sense if those ghosts came to lend a hand.

But Ms. Grey... Kael couldn’t recall any interaction with her, not even exchanging a word.

Even Ravenclaw students felt the same way. She simply drifted aimlessly around the castle every day, ignoring everyone.

Kael couldn’t figure out why she would suddenly come to help him... It couldn’t possibly be for Hogwarts’ honor, right? Even Peeves wouldn’t believe that.

"A few days ago, I accidentally overheard your conversation... you and another invisible wizard."

As if sensing Kael’s confusion, Ms. Grey spoke up, "I also heard you mention my mother’s Diadem... I want to know if it’s true."

"Your mother..."

"Rowena Ravenclaw," Ms. Grey said. "I am her daughter. When I was alive, my name was Helena Ravenclaw."

Hearing her words jogged Kael’s memory. There was indeed such a thing.

"Ah, yes." He quickly said, "I found Lady Ravenclaw’s Diadem."

"Could you tell me about it?" Ms. Grey, or rather, Helena, softly asked, "I heard you mention ’repair’... Is the Diadem broken?"

"Sorry, it’s complicated and not something I can explain in just a few words, and..." Kael pointed towards the surface, "I might not have much time right now."

"Then wait until this competition is over," Helena said. "I’ll be waiting for you in the castle."

Kael nodded and then swam in the direction she indicated.

Having been delayed a bit, Kael had to accelerate once more...

About ten minutes later, he heard intermittent shouting and a series of painful screeches.

The waters ahead suddenly became murky, and through a patch of aquatic plants, Kael saw an open area with about a dozen Merpeople. They were wielding long spears and ropes, chasing a strange creature.

Its upper body was a horse, and its lower body resembled a fish, covered in broad-leaved cat-tails that looked like a mane.

Kelpie!

Does Hogwarts’ Black Lake have such creatures?

Kael was a bit surprised, but quickly realized. After all, no one knew how vast the lake was or what it connected to in its depths; encountering a Kelpie was quite normal.

The Kelpie probably accidentally wandered here and intruded into the Merpeople’s territory, leading to its current predicament.

While a single Merman couldn’t take on a Kelpie, against a well-equipped and well-trained Merpeople team, the Kelpie didn’t stand much of a chance.

Several spears were already embedded in its body, and its front hooves and tail were tightly bound by ropes, with large amounts of blood gushing from its wounds, dispersing into the lake.

Moreover, there were quite a few immobile Merpeople around, indicating significant losses to capture it.

Just as Kael was contemplating, the Merpeople noticed him, and several spears instantly aimed in his direction.

"Who’s there..." The lead Merman emitted a sharp voice.

He looked nothing like the Merman from the castle’s portrait, with yellow eyes, broken teeth, iron-gray skin, disheveled hair resembling a tangled mess of aquatic plants, and a necklace of grosgrain-threaded pebbles around his neck.

"I am a student of Hogwarts, one of the Champions of the Triwizard Tournament," Kael quickly explained. "I need to conduct the second task underwater. Professor Dumbledore should have informed you."

The Merpeople leader slightly lowered his guard, steering the spears back towards the Kelpie.

"Wizard, this is not where they are kept. You need to keep going. Leave quickly; it’s dangerous here."

"I think I can help you," Kael didn’t leave but instead swam a little closer.

"The Kelpie is going berserk. If this continues, even if you can kill it, you’ll likely lose at least half of your people."

"It’s our duty, no concern of yours."

"I can help you," Kael repeated. "I saw how Newt Scamander dealt with a Kelpie; you should know him."

According to his experience, mentioning Newt’s name usually worked when dealing with intelligent Fantastic Beasts, especially around Hogwarts.

Sure enough...

"Scamander?"

Upon hearing the name, the Merpeople leader turned his head again, sizing Kael up.

"He helped us find this habitat, and he’s forever a friend of our tribe... do you really know him?"

"Of course," Kael said swiftly. "I visit his home every holiday."

He swam a little further forward. This time, the Merpeople did not drive him away.