Chapitre 169: Chapter 169: The Mysterious Witch
The song was deep and ethereal, as though it seeped out from the murals on the rocky walls, reaching straight into the depths of the soul.
But William knew the song was real; it wasn't his imagination.
Soon, the toad swam past the rocky walls, revealing crude, algae-covered stone dwellings scattered all around.
As the number of these dwellings increased, the song became clearer.
William and Hermione sat on a sofa, gazing into the dark depths of the Black Lake. a very strange sight started unfolding before their eyes.
It appeared to be a small merpeople village square. Around it stood some houses, while in the square itself floated a large group of merfolk.
They sang in unison, their tails tapping rhythmically against the stones as accompaniment.
It was almost unimaginable that such an ugly race could produce such divine music.
At the center of the gathered merfolk stood a statue—a beautiful mermaid carved from massive stone.
The statue's features were identical to those of the mermaid carved into the rocky wall.
Led by the merfolk chief, all the merfolk bowed reverently before the statue.
They weren't singing; they were praying.
More accurately, this was a ritual.
The merfolk chief held the trident in his hand and the silver trident glowed brightly, resembling the radiant moon.
Thousands of merfolk formed concentric circles, their tails gently rippling. Under the trident's light, they shimmered with a golden glow, as though part of a mythical tableau.
Suddenly, William looked up sharply. Above the Black Lake, a massive whirlpool had formed at some unknown point.
From the whirlpool's center emerged a woman, her cold gaze fixed on the trident.
At that moment, William felt a deep absurdity.
Though he could see the woman, he sensed that she and he were not on the same plane—not even in the same timeline.
This feeling intensified.
Moreover, the woman was definitely not the mermaid from the rocky wall—she was a witch!
Slowly, she drifted down from the whirlpool, holding a wand in her hand.
She floated ghost-like around the square. Wherever she passed, the merfolk's tails glowed even more brilliantly, their golden hue gradually shifting to pure white, illuminating the square like daylight.
William was stunned. He wanted Mercury to leave immediately, this place was feeling increasingly unsafe.
But just then, the Ravenclaw bronze ring hanging from his chest grew scalding hot.
What happened next caught William entirely off guard.
The witch stopped before the mermaid statue and beckoned with her hand. The ring floated up from William's chest and hovered in midair.
The witch smiled faintly and said something, but since they existed in different planes, William couldn't hear her words, and the witch couldn't take the ring.
She sighed softly, looking a little exasperated, and with a dismissive wave of her hand, the ring returned to William.
William held the bronze ring in his hand, his thumb subconsciously stroking its intricate engravings.
The witch frowned, turning her back to him as though frustrated by the sight of him.
Watching her retreating figure, William looked down at the ring and seemed to understand. Was she angry because he had been rubbing the ring?
'Another Robert, huh? It's just a ring. If Rowena Ravenclaw could touch it, why can't I, Stark?'
He muttered under his breath. "It's my ring now! What are you gonna do about it?"
Hermione gave him a bewildered look, puzzled.
She glanced at the ring in William's hand, frowning in thought. Today's events had shaken her deeply—more than when she first learned about the wizarding world.
After all, she had thought herself well-versed in the magical world after years at Hogwarts, but today, a new layer of mystery had emerged.
The witch, now ignoring the ring, raised her wand.
The light on the merfolk's tails was pulled away, rising swiftly into the air before halting before the witch. Under this radiance, she glowed with an otherworldly brilliance.
The witch twirled her wand, and two-thirds of the light merged into her body. The remaining third shot into the sky, exploding near the whirlpool into countless streaks of falling light.
Hovering in midair, her robes billowing, the witch cast one last deep look at William before vanishing back into the whirlpool.
As she disappeared, the oppressive energy in the sky dissipated. Only then did the merfolk dare to open their eyes. The glow on their tails extinguished completely.
The merfolk seemed utterly drained. Only the trident's radiance grew brighter, but even this quickly dimmed and faded into the weapon.
The merfolk chief rose and spotted William and the others at the edge of the square.
At this moment, Mercury's toad was entirely transparent, leaving William visible to the merfolk chief.
The elder merfolk seemed to recognize him as one of yesterday's quartet. He grabbed his trident and signaled his people to release the Grindylows on him!
Seeing the situation, Mercury didn't need William's command. He spurred the toad to dart further into the depths of the Black Lake.
They entered a thick forest of green seaweed, several feet deep, resembling a dense underwater jungle.
If they could hide there, the merfolk wouldn't be able to catch them.
But suddenly, without warning, the toad was seized by something.
A swarm of Grindylows emerged from the seaweed, their long claws grabbing the toad tightly. Their sharp teeth gleamed as they tried to bite into it.
With a command from Mercury, the toad opened its mouth.
Alchemically modified, it unleashed a wave of Stunning Spells, red beams scattering in all directions and incapacitating the Grindylows.
The toad leapt again, making its escape from the merfolk village.
Seeing William about to flee, the grudge-bearing merfolk chief swung his trident once more.
In the Black Lake, the trident's power was amplified. Tonight's ritual had only made it stronger.
Invisible magic surged forth, and though the toad floated in water, it felt as though it were free-falling through air, plummeting uncontrollably.
No matter how Mercury tried to regain control, the descent was unstoppable. After falling nearly ten meters, the toad crashed into the lakebed, stirring up a cloud of silt.
Meanwhile, in the Slytherin common room, Professor Snape, wearing a mask, supervised the younger students in a thorough cleaning.
The Hogwarts Express wasn't departing until eleven, and it was only ten. There was just enough time to tidy up the common room.
"Hurry up! Clean that fireplace, and then you're free to leave," Snape ordered impatiently.
With his perceived germophobia, Snape always found the little wizards cleaning subpar.
Just then, a deafening crash echoed from above the lake. It sounded like a massive boulder had plunged into the depths, shaking the entire common room.
Everyone, including Professor Snape, looked up, as if fish trapped beneath the lake's surface, watching the rippling water above.
Meanwhile, in the Slytherin common room, Professor Snape, wearing a mask, supervised the younger students in a thorough cleaning.
The Hogwarts Express wasn't departing until eleven, and it was only ten. There was just enough time to tidy up the common room.
"Hurry up! Clean that fireplace, and then you're free to leave," Snape ordered impatiently.
(With his perceived germophobia, Snape always found their cleaning subpar.)
Just then, a deafening crash echoed from above the lake. It sounded like a massive boulder had plunged into the depths, shaking the entire common room.
Everyone, including Professor Snape, looked up, as if fish trapped beneath the lake's surface, watching the rippling water above.
Was it a meteor?
Wait… would the glass break?
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