[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-starting-at-hogwarts-logging-into-elden-ring":3,"chapter-starting-at-hogwarts-logging-into-elden-ring-starting-at-hogwarts-logging-into-elden-ring-chapter-228":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Starting at Hogwarts, Logging into Elden Ring",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1496352,1944,"Chapter 228: Arthur’s Little Trip to the Lakebed, Fleur in Danger","starting-at-hogwarts-logging-into-elden-ring-chapter-228",228,"\u003Cp>Hermione slapped Harry's hand away and said, \"That's an alchemical device my cousin invented. He calls it a Water-Avoidance Pearl.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She explained patiently, \"He combined the principles of the Bubble-Head Charm and the Iron Skin Charm. It lets you breathe underwater and provides a certain level of defense.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry froze on the spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How had he forgotten about Arthur?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He'd spent days combing through half the library trying to find a way to breathe underwater. If it weren't for Neville, he might never have found gillyweed at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, Harry had only been thinking about potions and magical plants. It never even crossed his mind to look into alchemical tools.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he'd just asked Arthur in the first place, he wouldn't have had to drown himself in books he barely cared about.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time Harry snapped out of it, Hermione was already gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She'd taken advantage of his daze to swim off and continue the task.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Realizing he was still in the middle of the competition, Harry hurriedly swam toward the depths of the Black Lake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hermione, who had set off later than the other champions, actually reached the lakebed before either of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She passed through forests of black waterweed, drove off swarms of grindylows, and carefully avoided the many traps set by the merfolk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what she saw next made her freeze in disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ron, Fleur's little sister, and an unfamiliar girl were floating not far above the lakebed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their eyes were closed, their bodies utterly still—as if they were dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, the Triwizard Tournament wasn't that cruel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were merely under a magical stasis. Once brought back to the surface, they would awaken naturally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That part was normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What wasn't normal lay a short distance away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hermione saw Arthur, one arm casually around Ranni, sitting atop the tallest structure in the merfolk settlement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked completely relaxed—as if he were sightseeing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nearby, a group of merfolk huddled together, trembling, staring in Arthur's direction like frightened prey facing a natural disaster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arthur noticed Hermione and waved at her cheerfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She swam over, staring at him in disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Cousin… what is going on here?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arthur smiled. \"Isn't it obvious? I'm your 'treasure.'\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hermione's intelligence made the truth immediately clear—the so-called treasures were the people the champions cherished most.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But questions still flooded her mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then why aren't you… like them?\" she asked, glancing at Ron and the others. \"And Bart—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stopped herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hermione had never imagined her 'treasure' would be Arthur. After all, Barty Crouch's announcement had completely misled her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She'd even eaten breakfast with Arthur that very morning. There was no way she'd associate his disappearance with the task.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arthur rolled his eyes. \"Do you really think their magic could restrain me? Or turn me into something like that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hermione shook her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Exactly,\" Arthur said, spreading his hands. \"Since they can't do anything to me, I came down here whenever I felt like it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then why is Ranni here too?\" Hermione asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I didn't want her getting bored up there,\" Arthur replied casually. \"So I brought her along.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that point, everything clicked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder Hermione hadn't seen him in the stands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She'd even thought—just for a moment—that Arthur had ditched her to go on a date with Ranni.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…Wait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Weren't they already on a date?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A date at the bottom of the Black Lake, no less.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hermione's shoulders slumped, her mood sinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She'd fought her way through hazards and monsters, while her 'treasure' was down here sightseeing with Ranni.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What did that make her? A jealous interloper?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the worst part was—Ranni was Arthur's fiancée.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hermione was the one intruding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ranni's acceptance of her already felt generous. She didn't have the right to complain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lost in thought, Hermione's expression darkened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arthur noticed immediately. He reached out and ruffled her hair—only to feel the solid resistance of the protective barrier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He withdrew his hand awkwardly and asked, \"What's wrong, my little witch? Why the long face?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling his concern, Hermione steadied herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's nothing,\" she said softly. \"Just feels unfair. You're down here enjoying the scenery, and I still have to compete.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn't hide her feelings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was nothing she couldn't say to Arthur.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arthur caught the faint edge of jealousy in her voice and laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What's there to be jealous about? If you want, I'll bring you down here another day.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gestured around them. \"Besides, it's dark and murky. Not exactly beautiful. The only interesting thing is the merfolk architecture.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They're called merfolk,\" Hermione corrected reflexively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arthur waved it off. \"I don't care. I refuse to call that merfolk. Have you seen real mermaids? Then look at them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pointed toward the distant figures. \"They're an insult to the word.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hermione couldn't help but laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her cousin was wonderful in every way—except for moments like this, when he stubbornly clung to his own logic like a child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still… she found it oddly charming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alright, alright,\" she said, smiling. \"We'll call them fish-men.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she added, deliberately emphasizing her words,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So, my treasure, can we go back to the surface now? If we don't, the others are going to catch up.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arthur actually looked a little embarrassed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He nodded. \"Let's go.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sent Ranni back into the Zen Garden, then followed Hermione upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ranni wasn't part of the task, and her presence might cause unnecessary trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheating accusations—even baseless ones—were best avoided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they passed through the underwater thicket again, they spotted Fleur tangled among a swarm of grindylows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grindylows were horned, pale-green aquatic demons, with long fingers and six writhing tentacles below the waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They normally fed on small fish and were highly aggressive toward humans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Black Lake's grindylows had been tamed by the merfolk, so they weren't truly harming Fleur—just endlessly obstructing her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fleur had assumed her Veela charm would let her glide through the lake with ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She hadn't expected to run into creatures too stupid to be affected by it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worse still, she hadn't brought her wand—her swimsuit had nowhere to store it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her Bubble-Head Charm had already been broken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was moments away from suffocating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arthur flicked his hand, casting an improved Bubble-Head Charm—reinforced with defensive properties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, he drove the grindylows away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fleur gasped in relief, then bowed her head gratefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My deepest thanks.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Think nothing of it,\" Arthur replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I must save my sister,\" Fleur said urgently. \"We'll speak later.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arthur stopped her. \"You don't even have a wand. There are still dangers ahead. Are you sure you can manage?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fleur hesitated, then pleaded, \"Please—help me once more. I can't leave Gabrielle down there.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Helping once meant helping to the end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arthur raised his hand and cast a Summoning Charm toward the lakebed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Far below, Gabrielle was yanked free and shot upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that very moment, Harry arrived from another direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He'd barely had time to process seeing Ron when he noticed Gabrielle streaking away through the water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Panicking, he untied Ron and dragged him upward at top speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Fleur felt the current shift behind her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turned—and saw Gabrielle flying straight into her arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fleur caught her sister tightly, tears welling in her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Advance Chapters Available on Patreon\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>patreon.com\u002FWhiteDevil7554\u003C\u002Fp>",1202,"2026-06-06T04:19:46.381Z",1,"novelbin.me","80c2fc8b29c4f7349b4d3d03e407b839f01106f8ec7051ab8b8165e5a0e87e46","starting-at-hogwarts-logging-into-elden-ring-chapter-229","starting-at-hogwarts-logging-into-elden-ring-chapter-227",281,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstarting-at-hogwarts-logging-into-elden-ring-cover.jpg"]