With a loud creak, the door of the staff lounge slowly opened, and a strange silence fell over the restless young wizards. They clenched their jaws and scanned the room that had changed its appearance dramatically, silently exchanging uneasy glances with each other. 

Just like last time, Professor Watson had magically expanded the space, but this time, he had gone even further beyond their expectations. 

Outside, the storm was raging furiously, but inside, the lounge had transformed into a vast and murky swamp, where the horizon was lost in the thick mist. A misty rain hung in the air, and the sky was a dull yellow that made people feel sleepy and depressed. In the gloomy space, ghostly or skeletal clouds floated around, creating a spooky atmosphere. 

The familiar formula, the same taste!

With a squeak, the wooden door closed behind them, and the only sounds that could be heard were the faint, sinister and mysterious rustling noises from the swamp, and the heartbeat and breathing of the young wizards who had the same idea in their minds: they were in trouble. 

"Professor Watson–" 

Shrinking on the only solid piece of land by the door, the young wizards looked at their teacher with apprehension and fear. In the crowd, Parvati Patil, an Indian girl with long black hair from the Gryffindor house, shivered and raised her hand timidly. 

"What do we need to do?"

 "First of all–" 

Bryan cleared his throat and smiled pleasantly, as if he was enjoying their reactions. 

"Who can tell me, what kind of magical creature is a Hinkypunk?"

"A Hinkypunk is a one-legged creature with low aggressiveness. They like to hide in mud pits or swamps in remote areas, emitting misleading lights to lure hikers into traps!" 

Hermione raised her hand eagerly and blurted out the answer, her eyes shining with curiosity. 

"They don't sound very dangerous?" 

Ron muttered softly, and Harry, who had thought about it carefully, hesitated and nodded slightly. 

"Excellent as always, Miss Granger, I'll give five points to Gryffindor!" 

After Hermione retracted her hand proudly, Bryan pointed to the front where there was no fog, and the sparse charred wood stood in the swamp like broken bones and smiled wickedly. 

"Then, it's obvious what we have to do, Miss Patil–" 

Bryan waved his wand, and a row of exquisite oak boats suddenly appeared on the shore in front of everyone, rocking gently on the murky water. 

"As usual, team up by house, two people per team, and take the boat across the swamp. This is a competition between the houses, and the first person to reach the opposite shore will win thirty points for their house, while the losing side will generously contribute their valuable rest time to clean the owl barn for us!" 

A competition between the houses, and the loser cleans the owl droppings?! 

Murmur! 

In an instant, the atmosphere in the room became tense and heated, and without anyone organizing, the young wizards of Slytherin and Gryffindor split into two groups, competing with each other in momentum and determination! 

"Say hello to those flat-haired beasts for me, Potter!" 

Malfoy instantly became possessed by the god of war, sneered and turned on the taunting mode, "I bet you're very good at these lowly tasks, aren't you!" 

"You should be worried about yourself, Malfoy!" 

Harry retorted Malfoy without showing any weakness, "You won't find any house-elves to help you wash and scrub at Hogwarts!" 

"But!" 

In the midst of the noisy crowd, Hermione raised her hand again, looking puzzled and annoyed. 

"What does this have to do with our course, Professor Watson?" 

"A very good question, Miss Granger," 

Bryan praised her, and after coughing lightly to quiet the young wizards, he continued with a serious tone. 

"I have set up some whirlpool mud pits in this swamp, and they are the obstacles on your way forward. Each mud pit will have a Hinkypunk living in it, and you have to be careful of their tempting glow. Once you fall into the mud pit, it means that you automatically lose the qualification to compete. And the reason why we are doing this is to test your knowledge and skills of dealing with Hinkypunks, which is part of our curriculum and there will be some other creatures too." 

"What if-" 

Neville looked at the narrow oak boat nervously and raised his hand shakily. "What if we fall into the water, Professor Watson? Will we be attacked by the Hinkypunks?"

"If you fall into the water," Bryan looked at Neville with regret, "then I can only say sorry, Mr. Longbottom, you probably have to stay in the hospital wing for few days." 

He had barely finished speaking when a few young wizards who were peering at the shore quickly withdrew their heads. They gulped and felt a cold sweat on their foreheads. They realized that this was not a simple game, but a dangerous challenge. 

Bryan let the young wizards choose their own teammates at first, but they all wanted to team up with the thinner ones on the narrow boats floating on the water. They made a fuss for a while, but no one could agree. In the end, he had to do it himself. 

He paired Harry and Hermione, Seamus and Lavender, Neville and Dean. 

"Professor!" 

Parvati, who found herself on a boat with Ron, stared at his red hair in horror and protested loudly. 

"Can I ask for a change of teammate? Professor Trelawney told me to be careful of red-haired boys!" 

"In my case, Those mumbo-jumbo things don't work, Miss Patil." 

Bryan rejected Parvati's request ruthlessly, and then glanced at Malfoy, who was smiling wickedly and whispering something to the nearby Slytherin students. He smiled slightly, as if he had a plan in mind. 

"Let me remind you, everyone, I don't want to see you attacking each other with wands, ladies and gentlemen. Good luck to you all!" 

He waved his wand, and a thick white mist suddenly enveloped everyone. Their consciousness became blurred. When the smoke cleared, Harry and Hermione came to their senses and realized that Professor Watson and their classmates had disappeared. Their boat was parked in the middle of the water, motionless. 

They were alone in the swamp, with no sign of the shore or the other boats. There was no wind on all sides, but the silk-like smoke on the left and right sides rolled slowly into various strange shapes under the influence of a mysterious force, indicating the terror and gloominess in the silence. 

The young wizards felt a sense of isolation and helplessness, as if they were trapped in a nightmare. 

Harry and Hermione looked at each other, but a few seconds later, Hermione moved her eyes away angrily and focused on the direction of the bow. She was still mad at Harry for what he had done earlier, but she also knew that they had to work together to get out of this situation.

"Are you okay, Hermione?" Harry scratched his cheek, looking a bit embarrassed. 

But Hermione heard a hint of apology from Harry's clumsy greeting. She moved her shoulder, and a faint curve appeared at the corner of her mouth. When she turned around, her tone was much calmer. 

"We'll talk about that matter later, Harry. What we should think about now is how to get through this swamp." 

"Oh, that's right!" 

Harry immediately breathed a sigh of relief and agreed happily. He looked around the world of strange lights and shadows, wondering where Professor Watson had seen this sinister and mysterious scene. He had never heard of such a place in the wizarding world. Finally, he looked at the rudder at the bow and shrugged. 

"I thought this boat would be like the one that ferried us across the Black Lake in our first year, and it would move by itself. Did Professor Watson ask us to row the boat ourselves? But I didn't see the oars." 

"Don't be silly, Harry." 

Hermione said calmly. She carefully fiddled with the wheel-shaped rudder, and the still boat immediately swayed with the direction of the rudder. Hermione was almost thrown out of the cabin, as the boat moved unexpectedly fast. 

"Oh, be careful!" 

Harry grabbed Hermione's arm and stabilized his body with his excellent balance. He was glad that he had played Quidditch for so long, as it helped him to cope with the sudden movement. 

"It seems–" 

Hermione, who turned pale, patted her chest, still in shock, and said, "This boat can indeed move by itself, but it requires a special way."

The leaf-like narrow boat was clear at a glance. Except for the rudder at the bow, there were only two wooden hemispheres at the stern, where the hulls met, that looked like decorations. They were smooth and shiny, and seemed to have some magic in them. 

Harry blinked, and moved quickly to the stern. His hand instinctively reached for the right bulge. 

"Be careful, Harry–" 

Hermione warned.

"We can't just stand here, Hermione." 

Harry said unconcernedly. He gestured Hermione to squat down, and reached for the wooden ball again. 

Buzz! As soon as his palm touched, a sting that was almost the same as a mosquito bite made Harry frown slightly. Then, the slightly cold wooden ball emitted a faint glow, and suddenly a mysterious suction came. 

"This thing–" Harry pulled back his hand and said blankly, "It seems to be absorbing my, um, magic?"

He felt a strange tingling sensation in his hand, as if it was being drained of its power. He looked at his palm in astonishment, and saw that it was slightly pale and cold. 

"Harry!" 

Harry, who was staring at his palm in disbelief, suddenly heard Hermione's tense voice, and a loud snap. He suddenly raised his head, and saw a flash of light. Just in time, he caught a glimpse of a magic shield that covered the boat and emitted a crystal-white halo. It was a thin and transparent layer, but it looked strong and solid. It was the only thing that separated them from the swamp and its dangers. But the shield was fading quickly, and after a second or two, it disappeared completely in the air, leaving them exposed and vulnerable. 

Two minutes later, they finally figured out how the boat worked. It was not a simple wooden boat, but a clever and complex magical device. It had a mechanism of its own, and it required their magic to function properly. 

The rudder at the bow was obviously used to control the direction. It was a wheel-shaped device, that could turn left or right, and make the boat follow its course. It was easy to use, but it also required some skill and concentration. Hermione was the one who handled the rudder, as she seemed good at steering and navigating. 

The two hemispheres at the stern, however, were more mysterious and tricky. They looked like decorations, but they were actually the key to the boat's movement and protection. The one on the left controlled the oak boat's forward movement, and the one on the right would trigger a magic shield that protected the boat. 

But both of these wooden balls would draw their magic, which meant that they had to take turns during the boat's journey. They had to touch the balls with their hands, and let their magic flow into them. The balls would glow and hum, and the boat would respond accordingly. But they also had to be careful, as the balls would suck their magic until they were exhausted or released them. Harry was the one who handled the balls, as he had more magic and stamina than Hermione. 

Swallowing nervously, Hermione held the two sides of the rudder firmly, and turned her head to give Harry a look. 

With a slight hum, the oak boat finally moved forward.

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