Chapter 140: Mermaid

"Morning, Neville senior, it's rare to see you come over to our side on your own."

Early in the morning, when John and the others arrived at the Great Hall for breakfast, they saw Neville at the Eagle Dean's Table, sitting together with Luna.

"Ahem, good morning."

Neville looked at the group and seemed a bit embarrassed.

Luna let out a light laugh beside them.

"Neville is here to ask me to be his dance partner for the ball."

"Oh? Uh~~"

Ryan and the others were startled at first, but quickly started teasing.

Neville's face flushed bright red.

After hearing about the ball, he thought of Luna.

But during that time he kept hesitating on how to ask, fearing rejection.

Luna is one of the few people he can actually talk to, who is willing to listen to him talk about plants.

Moreover, Luna often offers him some 'interesting' and peculiar insights about plants, which always make him chuckle while he's busy in the greenhouse.

Fortunately, today he finally mustered the courage to invite her.

"So, Luna sis, did you agree?"

"Mhm."

Luna nodded; she didn't refuse Neville's invitation.

"Alright, Neville senior, you better perform well, don't let our Luna sis embarrass herself at the ball."

"How about I teach you how to dance?"

John sat on the other side of Neville, bumped his shoulder and laughed.

Neville scratched his head and looked at John.

"But John, I heard Hermione say your dancing skills seem pretty terrible..."

"...... Defamation! That's pure defamation!"

Neville's remark broke John's defenses.

Ryan and the others burst into loud laughter.

During this period John always found time to practice dance steps with Hermione, and although he wouldn't admit it, his dancing was indeed poor.

Fortunately, Hermione repeatedly corrected his movements, which made his steps somewhat presentable.

"Neville senior, does your school have any senior girls without a male partner? Recommend one to us, please."

On the other side, Titus slipped behind Neville, massaging his shoulder while eagerly asking.

"Uh... this, sorry, I'm really not sure..."

Neville scratched his head, said apologetically, while John waved his hand.

"Never mind him, he just said he told his family he'd go home for the break, he was just saying it casually."

"That's not how it is; if there really were a senior girl asking me to be her partner, I could cancel my trip home."

Titus blinked, grinning, and said.

The others rolled their eyes at the remark.

Titus and his group, unable to attend the ball, plan to go home for the Christmas break, leaving only John at school.

John didn't feel any reluctance; after all, having the dorm to himself made him so happy he could barely contain it.

A few days later, today is the last day before the Christmas break begins.

John stood outside Hagrid's Hut, arms crossed over his chest, looking at the Golden Egg in the snow with a headache.

He had piled a thick layer of snow around the Golden Egg, trying to have the sharp ringing inside be absorbed and weakened by the snow.

Yet even so, the piercing sound still penetrated the snow, striking the eardrum.

Even if he forced himself to listen up close despite the discomfort, he could only catch intermittent, irregular shrieks.

"Hey John, don't stand out there and catch a cold; come in for a cup of hot tea."

At that moment, Hagrid pushed open the hut's window and waved at him.

These past few days John has often come to Hagrid's Hut to study the Golden Egg.

One reason is that it's currently finals season; other students are dealing with final exams, while he has no exams and is idle.

Another reason is that Hagrid's place is rather remote, far from the Castle, so the Golden Egg won't disturb anyone.

As for Hagrid, just tossing an Isolation Spell will keep it from bothering him.

Seeing this, John could only take a break for now.

He didn't go into the hut, but lingered at the window, sighing helplessly at Hagrid.

"This Golden Egg clue really gives me a headache."

He took the hot tea Hagrid handed him and complained.

"Don't worry, there are still two months; a solution will come."

Hagrid, sitting at the table by the window, reached out and laughed, patting John's shoulder.

John sipped his tea while waving his wand.

The Golden Egg in the snow flew toward him.

Watching the Golden Egg float before his eyes, John looked back and forth but couldn't discern any clue.

"By the way John, later accompany me to cut a few trees."

"The school asked me to prepare twelve pine trees to decorate the Hall."

Hagrid took a sip of tea and said cheerfully.

John nodded, not refusing; after all, lingering over this broken egg wouldn't lead to any result.

"How about stretching our muscles, changing the mood."

The two finished their hot tea and walked together toward the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

"This time let's cut down the pine trees by Black Lake; the trees there aren't tall, but they're straight and dense, perfect for Christmas trees."

Hagrid said enthusiastically as he walked.

John responded with a sound, his foot on the packed snow creaking.

Black Lake now has a thick layer of ice.

As John got closer, his playful spirit surged; he took two quick steps toward the Ice Surface, slid out, and spun a circle on the smooth lake.

Then, with a splat, he fell with his limbs flailing upward.

Hagrid couldn't help laughing on the shore: "John, be careful—if you fall into the Ice Pit, I won't be able to pull you out."

John rubbed his sore butt and waved his hand.

"It's fine, the ice is thick."

He was about to get up when his peripheral vision caught something flashing beneath the Ice Surface.

"Hmm?"

"What is that?"

John, curious, kept staring at the Ice Surface.

Another silvery‑white shadow flickered, half‑hidden, beneath the deep‑blue Ice Layer.

It looked sizable, not like a fish.

Could it be a mermaid living in Black Lake?

He had once vaguely seen a similar figure while winter‑swimming in Black Lake.

Then he asked Professor Flitwick and got a confirming answer: indeed, many mermaids live in Black Lake, along with other magical creatures.

Since there was a magical‑creature expert nearby, John immediately asked Hagrid curiously.

"Professor Hagrid, do you know about the mermaids living under Black Lake?"

Hagrid, while patting the pine trunk and selecting a suitable pine, answered without turning his head.

"Of course, I've dealt with them before."

"Really? Can they speak?"

John, looking very interested, kept asking.

"Certainly, although mermaids are now classified as a type of Beast, they are actually intelligent beings similar to the Centaur race."

"They have their own communities and language, can convey information through song, converse underwater, and even hold strange rituals."

"But they are reclusive and dislike interacting with people on the shore."

"The mermaid community living under Black Lake has a pact with Hogwarts; they must not actively harm our students, and sometimes they intervene to rescue students in danger."

"By the way, why are you asking this—did you just see a mermaid?"

Hagrid explained mermaid knowledge to John while oddly asking back.

"Um, probably."

John nodded.

"Then perhaps your fall on the Ice Surface made the nearby mermaids think someone fell into the water, prompting them to come rescue."

Hearing this, John suddenly understood and nodded.

So that means he saw the vague mermaid figure during his first winter swim.

Perhaps the mermaids then also thought he fell into the water, so they approached to check.

Later, seeing he came winter‑swimming daily, they got used to it and stopped approaching.

"Professor Hagrid, have you ever heard mermaids sing?"

John asked curiously again.

"Of course, that song still rings in my memory."

"But to hear a mermaid sing, you have to submerge your head in water; on land, their voice is a sharp screech, and you can't discern a melody."

Hagrid first sighed, then shrugged and complained.

John looked toward the Ice Surface with some longing; he also wanted to hear the mermaid's song.

This thing only existed in operas and films in past lives.

Unfortunately, you can only hear it underwater, and you might not even encounter a mermaid willing to sing.

But why does it become a sharp screech on land?

Perhaps it's related to how sound waves propagate in different media…

Yet, the sharp screech…

Wait, doesn't that Golden Egg always emit a sharp screech?

John's eyes lit up instantly.

Could there be a connection?

Could the secret of that Golden Egg only be solved underwater?