HP: The Wizard Who Paints with Magic

Chapter 299 - 300: Victory! Lamp Brightness Rises! The World Has Learned Your Name

With Ethan's declaration, the last rose petal drifted down from the thorny stem.

At the same time—

A panicked shout: "No!"

Crack.

The second Black Egg shattered.

Boom.

The now‑familiar black mist surged into the sky, writhing with howling, twisted faces. Fleur's face went white again.

"Damn it!"

Cedric clenched his fist, wiping the blood from his nose, staring in frustration at the dark fog boiling up in front of him.

This broken Black Egg was Hogwarts's.

Durmstrang had smashed it at the final moment.

If only he had been more careful…

There was no going back.

The black mist rushed toward him. Cedric yanked up his wand—and froze.

The pressure rolling off it crushed him in place.

A single heartbeat of distraction could decide life and death.

The darkness lunged.

His eyes flew wide.

The weight of it was terrifying.

And this probably was still not as bad as the dragon's presence had been.

He gulped.

He was about to be—

"Avis."

The clear voice rang out.

Sunlight speared through the storm.

Dazzling gold tore through the black fog and spilled across Cedric's face. He stared, stunned.

A shrill cry echoed over the lake.

Slender golden birds with long streaming tails wheeled in the air, circling with effortless grace.

Where they flew, all corruption burned away.

In barely two seconds, the Obscurus that had paralysed Cedric and forced Luna to pour out every drop of magic to cleanse it before was gone.

Only the holy, golden birds remained, circling and calling overhead, scattering gold dust over the water.

"What a pity. A little bit more and you would have held it," Ethan said lightly.

He lowered his wand, gold still flowing at its tip, and smiled at Cedric's slack face.

Had he frightened him senseless?

It should not be that bad. The Obscurus's faces were actually rather cute.

He replayed the writhing mass of screaming visages in his head and nodded, satisfied.

"So… so amazing," Cedric choked.

He looked at Ethan, eyes blazing with sudden, blinding admiration, nearly overflowing with worship.

"To sweep away the black mist so easily. If I had not felt its pressure myself, I would have thought it weak."

He staggered to his feet, ignoring the bruises mottling his handsome face from his earlier brawl, and lurched toward Ethan.

"I... I will follow you forever. Please, grant me your supreme guid—"

Splash.

Ethan dumped him straight off the platform into the freezing lake.

Dusting off his hands, he peered down with mild sympathy at Cedric floundering in the water.

"Your brain has clearly been knocked loose," he said kindly. "Cool it off a bit."

The Durmstrang champions stared.

Should that not be treated, not dunked?

Was Hogwarts's training always this brutal?

"Is that why Hogwarts's champions are so strong…" Krum muttered, thoughtful.

His gaze slid, dangerous, over his own teammates.

They blanched.

No. No, thank you.

Do not let the god of pain and torment corrupt you.

In the end, Ethan dismissed the giant vines and soothed the offended Kraken.

As agreed, he handed over a female giant squid in a glass tank.

The Kraken's mood brightened at once. It flushed pink all over, hugging the jar delightedly as it sank back into the depths.

Whatever became of the Black Lake in a few decades—or a century—would be someone else's problem.

Not Ethan's.

Heehee.

At last, the second task of the Triwizard Tournament drew to a close.​

The lake's surface was littered with bodies—no, with champions who had had the misfortune to fall in.

There was no need to worry. All of them were sleeping like babies.

Fleur's real sister stirred and woke, dazed, into her sobbing arms.

"I am really all right, Sister," Gabrielle murmured, nestling into the warm embrace and patting her back. "It just felt like I had a very nice sleep."

In truth, even Gabrielle could hardly believe what her sister described.

It had felt like nothing more than a nap in some dark, cosy place.

"Good. That is good," Fleur said thickly.

She lifted her head to thank Ethan—and froze when she saw Luna in his arms.

That little blonde girl, Luna, was truly formidable, wielding power far beyond her years.

Fleur admitted defeat.

Not completely.

Ethan was still far too dangerous. Only poetic, romantic France could truly refine his temperament.

She had lost this round.

But not the war.

Her eyes on Ethan gleamed with the focus of a hunting cat.

"Achoo!"

Ethan sneezed.

Under a ring of startled looks, he wiped his nose and muttered, "Someone is plotting my demise."

Several people were left speechless.

Who in their right mind would dare plot against the Chosen One?

That would be the real "champion."

On the way back, Ethan took pity for once and revealed the full Glass Bridge for everyone to walk on.

When the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons champions saw there were sections that needed a running jump even like this, they lost it.

"You absolute—!@#%&*!"

Ethan, be human for once!

Back in the stands, the mood was very different from after the first task.

Every student stared at the Hogwarts trio.

Their eyes especially followed Luna.

The image of moonlight washing the lake clean was burned into their minds.

They could not believe magic like that had come from "the crazy Ravenclaw girl"—or that anyone could have done such a thing.

A cough from the judges' table.

Ludo Bagman cleared his throat and announced, "Unfortunately, Hogwarts and Beauxbatons both failed to protect their Black Eggs. The only intact Egg belongs to Durmstrang."

Krum's mouth curled.

He flicked a glance at Cedric's clenched fists.

The second task was theirs.

"However," Bagman went on, expression suddenly bright.

Krum's stomach dipped.

"In light of Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood's outstanding control of magic, Hogwarts will receive bonus points."

"Which means the final scores are… Hogwarts wins by a narrow margin in first place, Durmstrang second, Beauxbatons third."

"Overall standings unchanged."

Krum's face went as dark as a soot‑black cauldron.

For two seconds, the stands were frozen.

Then the cheering hit like a tidal wave.

"We're first! We're first!" Lee Jordan bellowed, bouncing and hoarse.

"Hogwarts wins!"

Dumbledore chuckled.

Karkaroff stalked out in a billow of robes.

Madame Maxime, bolstered by Fleur's strong performance, managed to keep her composure, clapping stiffly.

From a few pairs of hands, the applause spread and swelled until it filled the stands.

Every student rose to their feet and saluted the three returning champions.

It had been a hard‑fought victory.

And the key had been the very two they had all assumed would fail: Neville and Luna.

"Turns out the clown was me."

"I never knew Luna was that powerful. She is every bit as much a pride of Ravenclaw."

"No wonder she was chosen as a champion."

"Neville! Neville! Neville!"

"Luna! Luna! Luna!"

Just like after the first task, the students surged down from the stands, hoisted their champions up, and flung them into the air.

"Next time, I will not slip," Cedric vowed, clenching his fists.

"I will let Ethan see how far I have come."

Across the way, Cedric met Krum's scowling gaze.

Lightning crackled between them.

On the other side, no one dared to fight Ethan for Luna, and she was still weak from her magic.

So Luna remained where she was, tucked in his arms.

The noise roused her.

She blinked awake to a forest of hands reaching toward her, the faces behind them lit with joy.

"…" Luna paused, then turned her head.

"Is this a zombie siege?" she asked Ethan.

The students fell silent.

Then nodded inwardly.

That was… very Luna.

Hermione pushed her way through and stopped in front of Luna.

She ducked her head, lips moving soundlessly for a moment, then snapped it up again, cheeks flaming.

"S‑sorry, Luna," she said, enunciating each word. "I used to think you were not right in the head, always rambling, always talking about creatures that do not exist…"

She hesitated, frowning, then added rapidly, "I still do not believe Wrackspurts are real. There are no tiny invisible things in the air flying around—"

Harry coughed loudly behind her.

"Oh." Hermione flushed deeper. "So, I realised I was far too full of myself. That is all."

"Can you forgive me, and be my good friend?"

Luna blinked.

She looked at Hermione's awkward, embarrassed face and suddenly smiled.

"I thought we were already friends," she said lightly.

Hermione stared, then her eyes filled.

"Oh, Luna," she said, and flung her arms carefully around her.

Cheers and warm laughter rippled out around them.

Held in that embrace, surrounded by so much open kindness, Luna's eyes curved like crescent moons.

Her smile was brighter than ever.

This is wonderful, she thought.

Without Ethan, she might never have had a moment like this.

Meeting him had been the best luck of her life.

She turned and met his gaze, and they shared a quiet, sweet smile.

[You have successfully hosted the second task, created many moving moments, and ensured everyone had great fun.]

[Soul fusion increased by 1.8%.]

[Lamp brightness increased.]

[Congratulations! Rank up complete.]

[Lamp Brightness: Dawn → Bright.]

[The world has now begun to learn your name.]