Hermione encountered a Sahara Desert Troll and a Congo Rainforest Giant.
The moment the scene was set, an oppressive heat instantly enveloped her.
The surroundings were strangely mismatched. Beneath her feet lay scorching, soft golden sand, yet several unusually tall giant trees rose from the ground. Their dense, umbrella-like canopies overlapped, blocking most of the sunlight and casting deep, heavy shadows.
Thick vines hung down from the high branches. Hermione raised her wand, and its tip lit up. "Lumos!"
Just as the light pushed back a small patch of darkness, the sand beneath her feet suddenly collapsed. A Troll covered in a thick, sandy-yellow carapace burst from the ground, its enormous hand lunging for her calf.
"Protego!"
Hermione shrieked, her wand moving almost on instinct.
An invisible barrier snapped into place, meeting the Troll's grasp with a harsh scraping sound.
The Sand Troll was thrown backward, but its massive body twisted with surprising agility and immediately sank back into the sand.
Whoosh!
A sharp sound of something slicing through the air came from above.
A slender, greenish figure clutched a vine and swung down at high speed from the shadows of the giant tree. Gripping a massive wooden spike sharpened to a point, it used the momentum of its descent to thrust straight at Hermione's head.
Hermione forced down the tension in her chest, rolled aside, and narrowly dodged the stabbing spike in a somewhat clumsy motion.
The wooden spike plunged deep into the sand where she had been standing, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The Vine Attack Giant missed its strike and let out an irritated hiss before quickly swinging back up into the dense canopy shadows and vanishing from sight.
At the same time, the Sand Troll had completely submerged itself beneath the sand, leaving behind only a rapidly settling pit.
Hermione sprang to her feet, pressed her back against the rough trunk of a giant tree, and cast a Bubble-Head Charm on herself.
A transparent bubble enveloped her mouth and nose, filtering out the sand and dust in the air.
Her thoughts raced. Desert Trolls ambushed from below, and their carapaces were hard. Rainforest Giants attacked by diving along vines and retreated immediately if they missed.
Both possessed a certain level of intelligence, which made their coordinated attacks particularly troublesome.
A bold plan quickly took shape.
She fixed her gaze on a relatively open stretch of sand, took a deep breath, then suddenly burst out from behind the tree, sprinting straight toward the open area.
At the same time, she cast two consecutive Hurricane Devastation spells, whipping up a swirling cloud of yellow sand to block all vision.
"Sandstorm" followed immediately, striking the sand in front of her. Dust billowed upward as the spell landed, accompanied by a powerful vibration and a deafening roar.
Her actions drew an instant response.
Beneath the sand, a subtle yet continuous ripple surged forward, racing toward her feet. The Sand Troll had taken the bait.
At the same time, high above in the shadows of the tree canopy, vines trembled violently. The Rainforest Giant was clearly searching for its target within the swirling yellow sand, ready to strike at any moment.
Just as the advancing wave of sand was about to reach her feet, Hermione's wand tip suddenly flared with a dazzling white light. It pierced straight through the veil of sand and dust, instantly revealing her position to the Rainforest Giant hidden in the trees.
"Gu-ga—!"
The Vine Attack Giant let out a murderous shriek and, like a living javelin, seized a vine and dove straight toward the light.
Hearing the rush of wind from above, Hermione immediately hurled the glowing orb created by "Lumos" from her hand.
Thump—!!!
A sickening impact rang out.
The Desert Troll, having just burst from the sand, only had time to see a glowing orb flying toward its face before the Rainforest Giant's wooden spike pierced the back of its neck. In an instant, it dissolved into a flash of white light and vanished.
The Rainforest Giant also lost the wooden spike in its hand from the violent impact. It glanced down at its empty grip, let out a confused low growl, then quickly seized a dangling vine and climbed back up into the canopy.
"My turn!"
Hermione traced a wide arc with her wand, pointing straight at the hanging vines and the dense canopy above. "Incendio!"
Whoosh—!!!
Scorching magical flames surged upward like a dragon's breath.
The vines and thick foliage proved perfect fuel, and the fire, driven by magic, spread uncontrollably, instantly turning the entire canopy into a roiling sea of flames.
A wave of blistering heat washed over her as thick smoke poured down.
"Arghhh—!!!"
The Vine Attack Giant was thrown into panic by the sudden hellish blaze. Naturally fearful of fire, it now found the canopy it relied on for concealment and movement transformed into a deadly cage of flames.
With a terrified shriek, the giant no longer cared about anything else, clumsily leaping from the burning tree to another.
But Hermione was faster. She cast several Incendio spells in quick succession, setting all the surrounding giant trees ablaze. While dodging falling sparks, she used Hurricane Devastation to fan and spread the fire.
With nowhere left to hide, the Rainforest Giant could only leap down from the blazing canopy, desperately trying to escape the flames.
However, the spot where it landed was exactly the "stage" Hermione had prepared in advance.
"Captatio Arenae Mobilis!"
The moment the Rainforest Giant's heavy body hit the ground, the soft sand collapsed beneath it.
It struggled in panic, trying to climb out, but the more it fought, the faster it sank.
Its long legs were quickly swallowed by the scorching quicksand, leaving it unable to move. It could only flail its arms helplessly, letting out desperate hissing cries.
Hermione stood at a safe distance, sweat soaking her temples as firelight danced in her eyes.
She looked at the Giant trapped in the sand, her gaze settling on the massive wooden spike still embedded in the ground.
Hermione steadied her wand and pointed it at the blood-stained spike. The heavy weapon was lifted by an invisible force, rising into the air, its tip aligning with the Rainforest Giant.
In the next instant, Hermione snapped her wand downward, pointing at the struggling figure in the sand pit. "Meteor expulsio!"
The wooden spike was instantly infused with tremendous kinetic force. Like a released arrow, it screamed through the air and struck the Rainforest Giant squarely in the chest.
Thud—!
The Rainforest Giant's movements froze at once before it dissolved into a wisp of white light and vanished.
Hermione released a long breath, wiping away the grime of sweat and sand from her forehead as a few strands of brown hair clung to her cheek.
…
The moment Hermione's battle ended, a wave of enthusiastic applause and excited exclamations swept through the audience.
Students whispered animatedly among themselves, many with eyes shining in excitement, wishing they could challenge the arena themselves. Unfortunately, they did not have enough points.
"Merlin! She actually made one Troll take out the other," Ron said, slightly dumbfounded, his jaw nearly dropping. "Just like Diggory, she really pulled off that self-destruction trick with two Trolls."
"True, but Hermione's timing was even better," Harry nodded. "And honestly, I think a lot of seventh-years aren't as good as she is."
"Ha, she's been completely crazy this term," Ron counted on his fingers. "Her schedule is packed, she studies all day, then stays up all night. I bet even house-elves don't work as hard as she does."
"Maybe she just enjoys studying?" Harry ventured, then laughed at Ron's exaggerated expression.
"Enjoy? Do you enjoy it? Can anyone enjoy studying~~??"
Ron rolled his eyes and looked back toward the arena, where Hermione was calmly retrieving her badge.
He couldn't help pulling a face, his complexion turning a little pale. "That was brutal. She skewered the Troll clean through…"
"But it was effective," Harry said with interest. "The Levitation Charm combined with an Expulsion Charm. We really should learn to use spells together like that."
"Give me a break, we've already got more than enough to learn." Ron slumped back into his seat.
In the teachers' section, several professors were also engaged in animated discussion. Hagrid's booming voice rang out first.
"That was brilliant! Though I've got to say, those little darlings could use better care."
He gestured excitedly with his thick fingers. "If only we could set aside a sandy patch near the Forbidden Forest—"
Professor McGonagall's sharp gaze shot over the rim of her half-moon spectacles. "Rubeus, I rather doubt the Ministry of Magic would approve of you keeping a group of dangerous magical creatures so close to the school."
"Oh. Right." Hagrid rubbed his hands awkwardly. "Well, keepin' them in the stone tablets is fine too, and they don't even need feedin'."
What he really wanted, in fact, was to see those two dragons.
McGonagall paused, then the corners of her mouth curved faintly. "However, I do think we could introduce some transfigured monsters. It would help identify talent for my Transfiguration Club without actually putting the students in danger."
"Pointless benevolence." Snape glanced at the student who was still challenging the arena and curled his lip. "I propose adding a potion-brewing segment. Completing a life-or-death antidote in an environment filled with toxic mist would be a true test."
"Of course," he added casually, "that would require removing the arena's protective enchantments."
Professor Sprout smiled gently and said in a teasing tone, "Oh, Severus, you're always so extreme."
"I believe only extreme methods can teach students like Longbottom," Snape said without even lifting his eyelids. "It's probably the only way to turn the Mimbulus Mimbletonia in their brains back into actual brain matter."
Professor Sprout replied gently, "I actually think Longbottom has a great deal of talent in Herbology."
She, too, turned her gaze toward the arena. "However, your suggestion has given me an idea. We could incorporate specific magical plants or herbs into the venue to test the students' practical use of Herbology and how they handle dangerous plants."
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