Over by the merpeople village, staring at Harry with his wand drawn, several merpeople exchanged glances and finally slowly retreated. Harry let out a sigh of relief and immediately set about rescuing Gabby. Using a nearby rock, he carefully sawed through the tangled water-weeds wrapped around her.
However, just as he was mustering all his strength to pull Ron and Gabby toward the surface together, a sudden turn of events shattered the peace. The current abruptly became violent, as if a powerful force were churning in the shadows. A thick tentacle swept past right in front of Harry, carrying a heart-palpitating pressure. Under the impact of this force, Harry was shoved far away, and the hands with which he had been desperately grasping Ron and Gabby lost their grip at that very moment.
Harry tumbled several times in the water before barely managing to regain his balance. Heart in his throat, he looked back to see Ron and Gabby floating in the water, the distance between them widening as the current constantly surged.
Chapter 184