Chapter 634 Swimming Krum
Evan didn't disclose the secret of the Golden Egg to Ron, which could easily arouse suspicion from others. It would be too conspicuous and futile to do so.
The key to the second task was not the information inside the Golden Egg but how to get Ron underwater.
It wasn't necessary to rely on the Bubble-Head Charm. Given Ron's current situation, it wasn't practical or reassuring for him to master the use of this difficult spell entirely. It was better to use the seaweed, which was more suitable for him.
Seaweed was a rare magical plant native to the Mediterranean Sea.
At Hogwarts, they could only be found in Snape's private potion stores.
As for acquiring the seaweed, that would be Caresius' responsibility and headache. Evan was not ready to intervene.
On the last day of the Christmas holidays, he sought another opportunity to speak with the vampire.
Evan's concerns seemed superfluous. Voldemort's work outside of the school had not progressed much. At least, Caresius's clan had not provided him with any information. Besides assisting Ron entirely, Caresius had not received any new orders.
As to why Barty Crouch was ill and where Voldemort was, he had no idea.
Caresius was not truly a qualified spy. He was not at all reliable for Voldemort. As if dealing with an enemy, the Dark Lord now concealed everything from him or directly provided false information.
But upon reflection, Voldemort had always been like that, never trusting anyone except himself.
Snape had also spent decades providing countless pieces of secret information about the Order of the Phoenix to be able to lurk by Voldemort's side.
A vampire like Caresius, who had never joined the Death Eaters and turned wholeheartedly to Voldemort but also had his own plans and tainted the noble blood of Slytherin, would be ruthlessly discarded once Voldemort regained his strength.
Caresius was clearly aware of this and thus formed an alliance with Evan. Although he did not know key information, Evan managed to learn something from him.
They were the new measures Percy mentioned at the ball. After numerous accidents in the first task, Barty Crouch suggested that the facilities for the next two tasks should be prepared by the Ministry of Magic for security reasons.
The Ministry would send someone to check the safety of the facilities, and Hogwarts would not be allowed to interfere.
The purpose of this was obvious, and secondly, to prevent danger. It was easier to do as he pleased. Even without Caresius's help, Barty Crouch could do it alone.
Caresius had reservations about whether Barty Crouch Jr. was impersonating his father.
He simply told Evan not to forget the Imperius Curse. Whenever there was an opportunity, Barty Crouch Jr. might use this curse to control many people to do his bidding.
With the skill of a young wizard, the students at Hogwarts should not be able to resist and free themselves from the curse's control.
That was also the main reason why, during Voldemort's reign, all wizards were in a state of panic.
If Barty Crouch Jr. truly used the Imperius Curse at Hogwarts, it would be a nightmare.
In that case, it would be quite foolish and even futile to search for Barty Crouch Jr. and find him.
Becoming stronger was the only right way. Evan steadily advanced according to his plan.
Time passed, and in mid-January, the students went to Hogsmeade.
Evan had an appointment with Sirius. Today, he was going to practice Apparition with him. They were all going to visit Sirius.
Hermione disapproved of Ron going to Hogsmeade. "Ron, I thought you would take advantage of the Common Room being quiet and actually work on that egg."
"But I have a date with Lavender... we're going together..." Ron noticed Hermione's expression and wisely stopped. "Oh... about that golden egg... I think I have a pretty clear idea of what it's about now!" Ron nervously rubbed his head. He lied.
In fact, he was already tired of that noisy golden egg and wanted to give up.
During that period, as soon as he returned to the dormitory, he took the golden egg out of his trunk, opened it to listen carefully, hoping to uncover the mystery. He struggled to remember what the sound reminded him of, apart from thirty musical saws.
But Ron couldn't think of anything. He had never heard anything like it before.
He closed the golden egg, shook it vigorously, and then opened it again to see if the sound had changed, but it hadn't.
He also tried to ask the egg questions, shouting above all the crying, but nothing happened.
He even used fire to burn the egg and threw it across the room, although he didn't really expect that to help.
In short, Ron had been doing futile work recently and was on the verge of collapse.
He needed to relax. Although that made him feel a little guilty, he couldn't miss his date with Lavender.
Ron's only thought at that moment was how wonderful it was to have a girlfriend.
As for proving himself as a true Hogwarts champion and winning the game, that had become a secondary goal.
He had managed to defeat the dragon, and that pleased him greatly in his heart. He wanted to show that he was not as weak as before.
Ron felt a little uncomfortable thinking about Hermione's stunning appearance at the ball. His strange mood made him unwilling to listen to Hermione's advice.
Furthermore, he still had five weeks left to solve that egg enigma, and that felt like an eternity...
Evan, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Colin, and Gabrielle left the castle together on Saturday and made their way through the cold and damp grounds towards the gates.
Passing by the Durmstrang ship anchored in the lake, they saw Viktor Krum emerge on deck, clad only in swim trunks. He was very slender, yet apparently far more robust than he appeared, as he climbed to the side of the ship, stretched his arms, and dove headfirst into the lake.
"Good Lord, what is he doing?!" Colin couldn't help but exclaim, "This is madness!"
"He's out of his mind!" said Harry, staring fixedly at Krum's dark head as he glided towards the center of the lake. "He must be freezing, it's January!"
"Where he comes from, it's much colder," Hermione remarked. "I suppose it feels quite warm to him."
"Krum is strong, stronger than most people," Ron argued in his favor. "The temperature is no issue for him. He may have the habit of swimming in winter. Such hardships mean nothing to him!"
He had developed quite a good rapport with Krum now, but seldom mentioned him since they first met.