Chapter 213: So Exciting
It was perfectly normal for a magical experiment to have an accident, not to mention that Lockhart always came up with this idea or that, leading his magical experiments in completely different directions.
He still remembered that this particular research was meant to explore how to properly perform the "Mind Apparition Charm." He had achieved some results, such as applying the wisdom from Voldemort's notebook, Everlasting Life Flame, and his own thoughts on memory, time, life, and magical bloodlines.
But this was clearly not enough.
Now that something had happened to Tom, Lockhart decided he wouldn't touch him for a while, and would wait to see what the effects were before proceeding. That left only Bella to help him with his experiments.
However, he had no desire to continue with magical experiments right now. It was not easy to enter the river of time and fight against two versions of Voldemort at once; he needed to rest. He needed to relax and clear his mind.
As for whether or not Lupin was someone else in disguise, he simply didn't have the energy to ponder that question right now.
Even daily life could be full of fun and magic, especially after his arrival had brought about so many changes.
One day, Lockhart received a letter. It was an invitation from Percy's owl—a request for him to attend an adventure competition that his group had invented.
This was, without a doubt, the most delightful news he had heard in a while.
He had genuinely changed some people, guiding the young wizards towards a more wonderful future. Perhaps one day, the savior Harry Potter could truly defeat Voldemort with his own strength? The thought of such a sight filled him with an overwhelming sense of anticipation.
In the afternoon, after finishing grading the students' essays, Lockhart strolled over to the Quidditch pitch. When he arrived, he found the stands already full of students, and even some of the faculty had come to watch. Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, Professor Flitwick, and others were all there.
The most excited was Professor Kettleburn, who was standing at the field entrance below, waving his arms and spouting with foamy saliva as he imparted some dueling secrets to the students.
"Professor Lockhart, you're here!" Percy called out excitedly, walking over with long strides. "Everyone was hoping you'd come and see."
Lockhart smiled warmly at him. "I heard you organized this competition?"
Percy nodded eagerly. "I divided the students into upper-year and lower-year groups and let the lower-years go first. Their magic isn't as strong, and the older students can help keep an eye on them…"
Lockhart listened in amazement to the students' self-initiated adventure sport, and he was more than pleased. Percy was clearly a doer, having thought through every possibility and made detailed preparations. He had prepared potions and ointments for broken bones and injuries in advance, so there would be no rush to send people to the hospital wing if an accident occurred.
The Weasley twins and Cedric were already on their broomsticks, wands in hand, serving as an emergency response team, ready to provide assistance from outside the field at any moment.
"I've found that this is also a great test for the off-field team members…" Percy said excitedly, pointing to the arrangements for the upper-year students and explaining the interesting things he had discovered after putting the plan into practice.
Soon, teams began to emerge from the entrances on either side of the Quidditch pitch, and the students in the stands cheered excitedly.
"This setup…" Lockhart raised an eyebrow, looking at the two teams with great interest.
It was 4-on-4.
Harry, Ron, Neville, Pansy, and Ginny.
Draco, Goyle, Crabbe, Hermione, and Luna.
"Pansy with Harry's group? Hermione with Draco's group?" Lockhart's expression turned peculiar.
Percy looked a bit helpless. "Yes, they switched. Everything was going smoothly when we were dividing the teams. I thought the biggest headache would be how to distribute the two second-year witches between the two teams, but then Ron and Hermione started arguing."
Ron and Hermione argued often, but it must have been a huge fight to force Hermione to join Draco's team.
Noticing Lockhart's interest, Percy quickly explained, "Scabbers, my old rat. I gave him to Ron a few years ago. The rat died recently." The kind of rat he had raised since he was three or four years old, for over a decade, that had been a part of his entire childhood. Percy, in a way, had a deeper affection for Scabbers.
"He died?!" Lockhart blinked in disbelief, feeling like he had just heard something utterly preposterous.
Scabbers, Peter Pettigrew, an accomplished wizard who could easily sweep the floor with most students, was dead?
"Ron said that Hermione's new pet cat, Crookshanks, ate Scabbers." Percy looked exasperated. "Apparently there was blood all over the bed, scratch marks from the rat struggling, and cat hair everywhere. But Hermione insists that Crookshanks would never have eaten Scabbers, and Ron thinks Hermione's attitude is the real problem…"
Just as they were talking, the two teams of students took off on their broomsticks. Percy quickly finished his explanation and hurried off to his own broom. This was the first new adventure sport he had organized, and he didn't want anything to go wrong. He was also the one hosting the competition.
As the two teams rose into the air, Percy flew to the middle of the formation and explained the rules to the surrounding professors and students.
The rules were simple: a magical duel, but only a single marking spell, which he had invented, was allowed. A contestant successfully marked would be automatically eliminated. He also mentioned that a full competition would be 10-on-10 and would be held in a complex environment, with the finals specifically taking place in the rain and fog. So this simple 5-on-5 match on the Quidditch pitch was just a rehearsal to explore the possibilities of this kind of battle.
After his explanation, Percy flew higher, raised his wand to the sky, and cast a marking spell, creating a huge number "5vs5" out of smoke that floated high in the air.
"Begin!"
In an instant, Hermione, who had been unable to contain herself, waved her wand. A red smoke-ball shot towards Ron at an incredible speed, freezing him in his tracks. Luckily, Harry grabbed the end of Ron's broom and yanked him to the side, allowing him to dodge the attack.
"How could she attack me?!" Ron bellowed, enraged.
"It's a competition!" Harry shouted back.
He had been prepared for Hermione or Draco to make the first move. The boorish Draco was very likely to do something like that, but Hermione was extremely clever and had a high understanding of her own abilities—strong with spellcasting, but weak at flying. It was highly likely she would try to eliminate or weaken their side's "military force" from the start.
Compared to the overly emotional Ron, Harry was undoubtedly a true professional, in a better state than ever before. "Quick, spread out in the formation we planned! I'll attract their attention; you and Neville cover for Ginny so she has a chance to attack!"
Soon, the students on their broomsticks were weaving back and forth through the sky, attacking each other.
"Oh, look at that!" Professor Kettleburn came over to Lockhart, shouting with satisfaction. "They're actually using the battle tactics I taught them!"
That they were! Lockhart was also full of admiration.
Shooting marking spells from a broomstick wasn't anything new, but as the competition unfolded, the battles took on a life of their own. With no geographical limits, and speeds soaring to dozens or even hundreds of miles an hour, it was a comprehensive test of mental fortitude, spellcasting technique, flying ability, and strategy. The competition was far more exciting than a regular Quidditch match.
Red and blue smoke-ball trails crisscrossed the sky, a dazzling and extraordinary sight. The tense and thrilling scene even made the students in the stands forget to cheer, watching every moment with bated breath, as if someone could fall from the sky at any second.
As they say, experts watch the technique, while amateurs watch the excitement. As the spectacle grew more thrilling and dangerous, the students in the stands began to shout excitedly, coming alive and cheering wildly. Now and then, a smoke bomb would pass through the sky and land near the stands, causing everyone to yell even more excitedly.
Meanwhile, the professors gathered in small groups, beginning to discuss the pros and cons of the teams' strategies and guessing who would win. Draco's team's strategy was clearly to focus their fire on Harry Potter, who was the most capable player, while Harry's team did the opposite, preferring to take out the weaker members of the opposing team first.
The intensity of the high-speed movement was something only the students in the battle could truly appreciate. Goyle and Luna were eliminated one after another, and the situation instantly became 3-on-5. The scales of victory tipped, and Harry's team grew more and more excited.
Suddenly, Harry noticed Draco's expression become urgent, and he even showed a sinister smile, quietly waving his wand. The familiar spellcasting motion was clearly the Disarming Charm! Harry's battle instincts wouldn't allow him to ignore this. He waved his wand a moment after Draco, but cast the Disarming Charm faster, and in an instant, the spell shot out.
Amidst the gasps of the students in the stands, another wand was thrust forward. It was Hermione, who had cast an anti-charm that knocked Harry's spell off course.
An ear-piercing shriek suddenly rang out from the sky.
Percy's voice called out from above, "Harry Potter, foul! You're out!"
The scene instantly went silent, and all the students quieted down.
"That's not fair!" Harry shouted up at Percy. "Draco cast the Disarming Charm first!"
"He was only faking the spell!" Hermione responded with a hint of smugness, as if to say, 'Without me, you two dead weights would never have a chance at victory.' "It's a strategy!"
Percy quickly gave his verdict. "Allowed. Harry Potter is eliminated! If you have any objections, please raise them during the post-match discussion so we can improve the rules. Now, please leave the field!"
Draco laughed smugly, and Ron, standing nearby, was absolutely furious, growling Hermione's name. But no matter what, the number in the sky had changed to 3-on-4, and Harry's team had lost their captain.
"Ron, it's up to you now!" Harry had no choice but to fly down, looking at Ron with great anticipation.
Ron nodded forcefully, gripping his wand tightly.
Hermione knew them so well that she could plan around Harry's impulsive nature, but he also knew Hermione very well. Her flying skills were truly subpar. And she had forgotten that he was always the first to charge in their little trio. He was a true Gryffindor champion!
Charge, champion!
He would show Hermione what a high-speed, broom-riding, returning-joust spell looked like! The Horse-Rider's Spear! This was a secret technique he had been practicing after asking Professor Lockhart about it!
"This is much more interesting than a silly Quidditch match!" Snape had arrived next to Lockhart at some point, a look of pleasure on his face as he watched Harry fly down with a long face.
Lockhart agreed. "I have no doubt that after a year of this training, and then increasing the difficulty by adding Shield Charms, Disarming Charms, Knockback Jinxes, and Full Body-Bind Curses—some of the usual dueling spells—they would be able to contend with the Aurors at the Ministry of Magic!"
Professor Kettleburn, standing nearby, gasped, instinctively wanting to refute such a fanciful idea, but then he suddenly realized something and exclaimed in disbelief, "Merlin's lace knickerbocker string! It just might be true!"
"Is that so?" Snape narrowed his eyes, watching the teams in the sky, his expression unreadable. He just murmured, "It's not enough. Not nearly enough."
It wasn't that it wasn't enough to face the Aurors, but that it wasn't enough to face the Death Eaters!
He didn't know when it happened, but he had begun to hope that these young wizards would have the ability to fight against the Death Eaters. Perhaps it was after Lockhart came to Hogwarts, bringing change and hope with him.
It was all so exciting!
(End of Chapter)
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