The Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts is always up for business

"I'm glad to be back to teach at Hogwarts. I feel younger when I am in this familiar environment."

As they chatted and laughed, Slughorn took out his wand and tapped the tablecloth, and many meals and drinks bounced and found their places.

"I feel that you have more energy than young people."

Raising his hand and stroking the banyan tree beside the table, Aini gave a perfect compliment, and the two of them laughed out loud, and the atmosphere was very pleasant.

Although both are Potions masters, Slughorn and Snape have very different styles.

Although Snape is calm and steady in life, he is extremely passionate and unrestrained in his profession. He prefers bold innovation rather than following tradition.

Slughorn had mastered almost all the recipes handed down in the world, and was particularly skilled in their application. Combining several common potions in his hands could often achieve magical effects.

Moreover, Slughorn was never reluctant to give his dedicated guidance to the younger generations he thought highly of. Several private exchanges between them benefited Enie a lot, and he naturally respected the old gentleman very much while being grateful.

Seeing that the game was not about to start yet, Slughorn took out a small wooden box from his pocket and pushed it in front of Ernie.

"I think you need this."

With his palm slightly raised, Slughorn motioned for Ernie to open it and take a look.

The wooden box didn't look big, but even without opening it, Eini could sense the fluctuations coming from the Traceless Extension Spell.

When he lifted the lid of the box, he saw a sticky note stuck on the back, which was covered with small characters.

There were two rows of more than twenty potions in the box, and the notes contained instructions for using them.

"Thank you so much, this is exactly what I needed."

After quickly browsing through the notes, Aini thanked him and put away the box on the table, feeling quite touched.

Ever since the traces of the Horcrux were discovered on Durmstrang's ship, Aini moved a large banyan tree from the Forbidden Forest. The aerial roots spread out along the lakeshore, guarding the surroundings tightly.

With Sylvie around, these plants are more useful than detection magic, especially in terms of concealment. Who would want to be on guard against flowers, plants and trees that can be seen everywhere?

But for more than two months, no trace of suspicious persons has been found.

Feeling the increasingly warm weather, Aini wanted to move the grass leaves to give Mr. Riddle a little stimulation.

For example, making the aura of the Horcrux appear outside the Durmstrang ship.

After spending some time together, and considering his performance in the original track, Aini had developed a certain degree of trust in Slughorn, so he consulted him on some related issues a few days ago.

I didn't expect the old man to be so insightful. He not only guessed what kind of potion Aini needed, but also silently configured the finished product.

Aini put away the wooden box, and the atmosphere of the conversation became more harmonious.

After a while, the three warriors walked onto the court accompanied by the referee.

Seeing that everyone's attention was drawn over, Ernie greeted Professor Slughorn and quietly walked towards a thick aerial root on the outskirts of the crowd.

Avoiding everyone's sight, Aini stuck to the air root and disappeared on the spot with almost no magical fluctuations. When he reappeared, he was already in the other direction of the Black Lake.

Because a large area of ​​water was designated as the venue for the second test, Durmstrang's magic ship moved to a new location for docking, which made it easier for Eini to move.

All the people from Durmstrang went to the arena. Eini bypassed the magical protection on the ship with ease and entered the captain's room smoothly.

The layout inside was exactly the same as the last time he sneaked in with the help of Krum, except that the scent of the Horcrux was stronger than before, as if the box had been opened not long ago.

However, under the 24-hour surveillance of the banyan tree, no strangers were found on board.

Perhaps one of Durmstrang's students, perhaps...

Aini took out the wooden box and temporarily suppressed his thoughts. Now was not the time to think about these things.

There was a set of combination potions in the box. He took out the first bottle first, uncorked it, and a faint dark purple smoke floated out, but miraculously gathered in the air without dissipating.

Half a minute later, the smoke stopped coming out of the bottle, and a purple sphere with a diameter of about two feet appeared in front of Eni.

When he selected the breath of the Horcrux with his mind, the sphere automatically expelled all other breaths. Then Aini took out the largest bottle in the wooden box. This time, light blue mist floated out. The two kinds of magic mist gradually blended and turned into a thick orange.

The remaining bottles were taken out one after another, either used individually or in combination. The duration of effectiveness varied, and the color of the magic mist also changed several times.

At this time, there were three potions left in the wooden box. Aini took out the largest wide-mouthed bottle. After opening it, the potion inside did not atomize. Instead, the magic mist in the air was quickly drawn in, and after blending with the potion, it condensed into a ball of inky liquid again.

After getting out of the cabin, Aini did not return to the venue directly, but hid his figure and quietly appeared beside Hermione.

With the risk of Voldemort making a desperate move, it would obviously be inappropriate to place several children in the lake as originally planned.

Therefore, the process of the second round of the Triwizard Tournament has undergone significant changes. It has been divided into three small levels and linked with the next trial.

The first level is the easiest. As long as the warriors can identify the landmark - the golden eggshell, they can follow the instructions to find a treasure chest.

This level tests the warriors' ability to withstand pressure and sees whether they can keep a clear head in the deep and silent lake.

There are five Grindylows patrolling around the treasure chest, taking different routes. This is the second test. No matter whether you sneak in or fight, you will pass as long as you get the items in the treasure chest.

Hermione swam over openly. With the help of the magic chain, the little witch, whose appearance did not change at all, was more agile than a fish in the water.

When the first grindylow spotted her, the rest quickly gathered around.

【Light shock! 】

The girl muttered something in her heart, and a brilliant light burst out from the front end of the magic wand.

After being in darkness for a long time, the sudden light made the five Grindylows subconsciously want to escape. However, before they could take any action, the sudden attack declared the girl's victory.

Hermione bypassed the Grindylow floating in front of her, took the items from the treasure chest, and swam to the shore.

When Hermione cast Light Blast, Aini also revealed a little bit of his aura at the right time, and then stayed where he was, waiting for the next challenger.

After a long while, Ernie finally saw Fleur's figure in the distance, and by then Hermione had returned to the shore, heading towards the cheers and glory that belonged to her.