Hagrid charged like a wild horse off the reins, the armor on his body pouring boundless strength into him.
"Haaa! For Hogwarts!"
He was like a metal cannonball, shield braced in front of him as he slammed straight into a giant's leg.
Crack.
It was like crashing into a tree. A crisp sound of bone snapping rang in Hagrid's ears.
The giant let out a scream as its body lurched sideways and began to fall.
That enormous body hit the ground, blocking the charging troops behind it.
Hagrid planted his shield against the giant's body, roaring as he shoved it forward.
Purple magic crystals embedded in the armor's shoulders and joints flared with brilliant light.
Hagrid felt the giant grow lighter. He pushed faster and faster, and after charging more than ten meters, he slammed to a sudden stop. The giant's body flew out like a bowling ball, smashing a whole swath of enemies aside.
This suit of armor made Hagrid feel like he had endless strength. He looked up just in time to see another giant stride toward him, the wooden club in its hands crashing down with tremendous force.
"Hagrid!" Hermione screamed.
But as the dust settled, Hagrid was sprawled on the ground—completely unharmed.
Even he couldn't believe it. After taking a full blow from a giant, it felt as if he'd been hit with a sponge, utterly inconsequential.
Remembering how John had tapped and tinkered with the armor, Hagrid swung his great hammer and smashed it down on the giant's toes.
The Inferi rushed toward Hagrid. He turned into a bulldozer, raising his shield and plowing straight through them.
The armor wrapped him up tight from head to toe. The Inferi were like attackers facing a round iron ball, unable to find a single place to strike.
Grawp swung his massive club. Though he was small among giants, his strength far surpassed theirs.
The wooden club in his hands was wrapped in a layer of iron plating, and every swing made the ground tremble.
A spell shot toward Hagrid. He only felt as if someone had knocked lightly on his head. Turning around, he spotted the wizard who had cast it and charged over with a furious roar.
"What kind of monster is that?!"
The wizard was completely dumbfounded. His spell hadn't harmed Hagrid in the slightest.
Hagrid rushed in and slammed his shield forward, sending the man flying with a single shield bash.
The army that should have been advancing was forcibly held back by Hagrid and Grawp.
Unicorns burst out of the Forbidden Forest, their bodies glowing with radiant light as they tore a gap through the Inferi.
Weiwei leapt high into the air, her sharp horn knocking down a vampiric bird that was about to snatch away a Slytherin student.
"Unicorns? How are they here?"
The sight took everyone by surprise.
Unicorns had always stayed out of conflicts, yet this time, they had actually left the Forbidden Forest.
There weren't many of them—only thirty or so—but their innate holy nature made it impossible for the Inferi army to confront them head-on.
Even more astonishing was the fact that there was a girl riding on Weiwei's back at the front.
"Luna?" Ginny cried out in shock when she saw her best friend atop a unicorn.
Harry had looked for Luna earlier, but she hadn't been in the castle. It turned out she had gone to the Forbidden Forest to find the unicorns.
An Erumpent, already as large as a massive hound, slammed headfirst into the Inferi, sending them flying. Beside it, Tom—much smaller in size—clamped her jaws down and bit straight through a wizard's foot.
Luna raised her wand, her voice ethereal, almost like singing, as she spoke, "Locomotor Mortis."
The wizard behind Ginny had his legs snap together, and he toppled straight to the ground.
"You've arrived," Weiwei's voice rang out. "I like your earrings."
Luna said happily, "They're called Dirigible Plums."
Weiwei, wearing the necklace John had given her, lifted her hooves with equal delight and kicked a banshee straight out of the air.
She liked this girl.
"Luna, how did you end up with the unicorns?" Ginny pulled her best friend over and asked.
Luna looked dazed, as if she wasn't entirely sure herself. "I met them in the Forbidden Forest."
Well then. Ginny decided there was no point asking further.
With the unicorns joining the battle, the Inferi began to be forced back.
The Zouyu— that enormous feline—leapt down and sent dozens of Inferi flying the moment it landed.
Its sheer size meant that even a casual movement was enough to knock the fragile Inferi away.
Its peony-like massive tail swept across a wizard's body, binding him tightly in its coils.
Tom grew more and more enthusiastic as she bit down, and there was practically no creature alive that could withstand her teeth.
Seeing this, Sirius, who was darting through the battlefield in the form of a large black dog, praised loudly, "Well done, Tom."
"Woof! Woof!"
Tom barked at Sirius without the slightest courtesy, looking very much like she was ready to bite him as well.
"I admit, asking you for help back then was a terrible idea," Sirius said with an awkward grin.
Professor McGonagall, seeing the unicorns appear, shouted loudly, "Do not attack the unicorns!"
As long as the unicorns were there, there was no need to fear attacks from the Inferi.
The unicorns began running in circles around the castle.
But other areas were still under assault.
…
Harry sprinted towards the office. He had to deliver the potion to Dumbledore.
Not long after he entered the Entrance Hall, an explosion swept him up.
He fell to the ground. Dazed, he opened his eyes and reached out, his hand touching something wet.
Looking down, the potion he had been pinning all his hopes on had shattered into fragments in his hand.
Shards from the glass vial pierced his palm, and Harry cried out in pain.
He looked up and saw a giant wearing a golden helmet appear before him.
It was the big giant—The Gurg.
The Gurg's massive body was the largest among all the giants. He kept smashing at the castle, intent on tearing it apart.
Harry got to his feet in fury, pulled out his wand, and fired spell after spell at The Gurg.
But such attacks were little more than a nuisance to him.
The Gurg lowered his head and saw the little human still daring to provoke him.
He raised a hand and reached toward Harry, who hurriedly dodged backward.
"Harry!" Ron shouted loudly.
Harry looked up and saw a massive wooden club suspended in midair by a Levitation Charm.
Understanding instantly, Harry ran toward it. The Gurg gave chase—and the wooden club came crashing down.
Amid Ron's cheers, the massive wooden club smashed into The Gurg's head.
This was the tactic they'd learned for dealing with trolls. Ron roared proudly, "See how awesome I am?"
He was just about to celebrate with Harry when he saw The Gurg merely shake his head, then bend down, pick up the huge club, and give it a testing swing—clearly having found himself a perfectly serviceable weapon.
Ron was dumbfounded. Harry grabbed him and bolted.
The Gurg was tall and long-legged. If not for how cramped the castle interior was, Harry and Ron would have been caught long ago.
Every spell the two of them fired at The Gurg was bounced aside, making Harry truly understand what helplessness felt like.
…
The mist was blown away, and under the surge of magical impact, even the cursed sand lost its effect.
Cedric stared in disbelief. He'd gone through all the trouble to bring that cursed sand, and it was rendered useless in less than half an hour?
Percy patted his shoulder with some sympathy and said, "Switch to something else."
"That's all I brought," Cedric said with a wry smile.
Percy called out to Fleur, "Fleur, did you bring anything?"
"Of course," Fleur replied with a confident smile. "This is my entire stock."
She raised her wand toward the sky, and a streak of green light shot upward, flying above Hogwarts.
The green light burst apart, and owl after owl appeared in the air.
The owls released their claws, and countless small points dropped from the sky.
As they fell, those points grew with the wind, becoming adult-sized before crashing heavily to the ground.
Clang.
The sound of blades being drawn rang out—it was a formation of wizard chess pieces made of silver.
The soldier-shaped chess pieces drew their twin blades and stood in place, awaiting orders.
Fleur glanced at Cedric and teased, "So, how does this compare to your cursed sand?"
"I don't have that kind of money," Cedric said with a helpless laugh.
Fleur swung her wand and shouted like a commanding general, "All units, advance!"
A ripple of magic spread outward from Fleur as the center. Wherever it passed, the soldiers surged forward and attacked the dark creatures.
Daphne noticed Malfoy still holding her younger sister and marched over angrily, quite literally stealing her back.
Malfoy vented all his resentment on the unfortunate creatures in his way. Glancing at Hagrid, who was holding a bridge all by himself, he clicked his tongue. "That big guy is terrifying. Good thing I never really provoked him."
A claim only Malfoy himself would believe.
Malfoy suddenly felt a sharp pain in his knee. Looking down, he saw a Red Cap swinging a wooden club straight at it.
More and more dark creatures appeared. He kicked the Red Cap away, but a chill ran down his spine.
He looked up to see a creature with the wings of an eagle and the head of a hyena swooping toward him.
Just as it was about to reach him—Squlch!
The bizarre creature was pierced clean through by a powerful throwing spear, dying instantly.
In the next second, eleven figures appeared across the battlefield.
They didn't use magic, yet possessed physical bodies far beyond what ordinary people could reach.
An owl flying overhead suddenly sprouted scales and transformed into a fire dragon.
The dragon opened its jaws and unleashed scorching dragonfire across the battlefield.
Malfoy stood there dumbstruck—until someone tapped him on the shoulder.
He spun around sharply and saw Watson's face magnified right in front of him.
…
Harry and Ron were forced into a dead end.
The Gurg charged toward them, looking as though he meant to grind them into pulp.
Just as the two were about to fight to the death, a classroom door beside them swung open.
A neatly dressed Filch stepped out, moved to stand in front of them, and dropped into a sprinter's starting stance.
"Speed equals power."
Filch took a deep breath. It was time for Hogwarts' caretaker to make his move.
~~~
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