"Watch out!" Zabini shouted, retreating several steps and shielding everyone behind him.
"BOOM!" Red light fell, instantly shattering their already fragile magical barriers. The neat lawn of Hogwarts was blasted into a pockmarked wasteland, cratered like cheese.
Watching from the sidelines, Headmaster Dumbledore thought: "..." Hehe, Ethan's club members are quite lively. Hehehe.
Screams overlapped. As the smoke cleared, the originally well-dressed Slytherins had all been turned into refugees. Faces blackened, hair blown up, school uniforms reduced to tatters.
Zabini felt burning pain all over his body and quickly cast Episkey on himself. "Don't be afraid!" he shouted. "This magic only looks impressive, but it doesn't have much killing power!"
This was true. After being bombarded like bird droppings falling from the sky, they were only scorched and scraped. No broken limbs or immediate death. Hmph, Ethan's club members are indeed not on the same level as Ethan himself!
Just as Zabini was thinking this, he saw the two people by the stone steps and main entrance wave their wands again. "Bombarda..."
One red light orb after another shot continuously from their wands. Mechanically waving wands, their spell-casting voices had no inflection whatsoever. As if their consciousness had been eliminated, turning them into puppets that only cast spells.
Don't they have cooldowns? Zabini and the others stared blankly at the twins on either side of the entrance.
Though they wore no makeup or special dress, the more Zabini looked, the more he felt a bone-deep chill. No smiles, no expressions. As if standing before them weren't the familiar "Weasley twins" they knew, but something else that looked identical.
A drop of cold sweat ran down Zabini's temple. What exactly did Ethan do to his club members...?
"BOOM!" In his distraction, the bombs fell again. "Cough, cough, cough!" Dust rose everywhere.
But this time, the Weasley twins didn't continue casting spells. Instead, they put away their wands and turned around in perfect unison, showing their backs.
What were they doing? In the silence, the Slytherins climbed up from the ground, gripping their wands, watching the two backs with vigilance and confusion.
The next second... Whoosh. Both figures' upper bodies bent backward in unison. Showing them upside-down brilliant smiles that stretched to their ears. Arms supporting themselves on the steps. Like two human spiders. So flexible, they seemed to have no bones inside, only flesh-coloured skin bags.
Holy crap! Body horror!
Then... Pat pat pat! The two "spider-men" used hands and feet, crawling down the steps swish swish swish, rapidly pouncing toward them!
Zabini and the others: "?!"
Hearts stopped instantly.
Outside the water screen, students watched the Slytherins screaming and scrambling toward the castle entrance, bursting into laughter: "Look at them, so lame." "Just arrived, sorry, are this year's challengers blackened?" "Doesn't seem that scary, probably just the Jelly-Legs Jinx or something." "But that opening barrage was spectacular. Didn't expect the Weasley twins to have a talent for making firecrackers."
However, just then, the students who were enthusiastically discussing watched as the Weasley twins passed by the Slytherins without slowing down. With brilliant smiles, they crawled toward them!
Students: "?!"
Don't come over here! Nobody said the courage test would torment the audience too!
"Kyaa!" "Don't fear! My princess! I'll protect y..." "Damn! Who just grabbed my chest? I'm a guy!"
One spider in, all things go mad.
Watching the chaotic students, Dumbledore chuckled: "Young people are so energetic..."
His kindly smile ended with a fist that came from who knows where.
Professor McGonagall: Snort. Halloween is quite interesting too.
Professor McGonagall thought cheerfully, waving her wand to hang the two "spider-men" who were having great fun in a tree.
Inside Hogwarts Castle...
The Slytherin quintet leaned against the main entrance, panting. Zabini wiped sweat from his forehead and grinned: "Nothing special."
All five of them had made it in intact, hadn't they? Just surface tricks.
"Hmph! I just didn't react in time earlier!" Flint, blasted like a blooming potato, his white teeth particularly prominent against his blackened skin. "This time, no matter what demons come, I'll beat them to pieces!"
Zabini: "Good. Let's clear this in one go..."
Before he finished speaking, a silver light flashed with a buzz. Zabini felt pain on his cheek. A bloody mark appeared. "Crack!" Wood chips flew.
In an instant, Zabini's blood froze, and he stiffened completely. He slowly moved his eyes to see a circular saw deeply embedded in the wooden door beside his face.
Moonlight poured through the window, forming a dust-filled light column in the dim castle. Gently illuminating the figure now standing before them.
"He" was over two metres tall with a massive build. Covered in thick, tattered armour, the holes filled with moonlight, reflecting large patches of dried brown filth. A cloth-like cloak hung from "his" neck, swaying in the breeze. Above the neck... nothing.
"Stupefy." A hoarse voice came from within the armour.
Zabini, who almost got beheaded: "???" You son of a...
Under the Slytherins' stunned gazes, one after another headless suits of armour stood up stiffly in the moonlight with clank clank sounds. Emitting a smell mixed with earth and decay.
"Clank." The tall headless knight in front gripped the circular saw's thick wooden handle and yanked, pulling the blade from the door! It floated in midair, infused with magical power.
"Buzz, buzz buzz..." The rusted circular saw slowly began spinning, gradually picking up speed. Parts grinding, sparking occasionally. Jumping restlessly in the headless knight's iron-gauntleted hand. As if eager to drink blood.
"Whoosh!" The headless knight raised his arm, lifting the buzzing circular saw high, and swung it down fiercely at the Slytherins!
"RUN!" BANG! The circular saw struck heavily where they'd been standing, nearly splitting them in two!
"BANG!" Wood chips scattered. Hogwarts' thick door shattered like paper!
The Slytherins: "???" Is this a courage test or organ harvest?
Watching from the water screen, Dumbledore: "..." Demolition work now, is it?
"So cool... much cooler than wands." Students were mesmerised watching the tall, mighty headless knight. While speedily transforming into customers buying bags of Bertie Bott's Beans, popcorn, and sunflower seeds from the Weasley twins who'd become vendors.
At this time, Zabini and the others frantically fleeing through the corridors weren't so leisurely.
"Didn't... didn't you say no matter what came, you could beat them to pieces?!" Zabini turned and roared at Flint.
"I want to too!" Flint roared back, casting "Confringo" behind him. However, the headless knight swung his saw and deflected the red spell with a bang. Striding out of the exploding smoke unharmed.
What... what kind of monster is this?! What happened in just two months?! Are these still Ethan's club members?! What did you do to your club members?! Headmaster, I report someone conducting human experiments at Hogwarts!
The corridor seemed endless. The buzzing circular saw closed in from behind. Armour occasionally jumped out from corners, delivering deadly strikes. Picture frames on walls would suddenly grin, extending arm after arm. Tearing their clothes, grabbing their faces. Blocking their progress.
Fortunately, the stairs to the second floor finally appeared. "We made it!" They were almost crying with joy.
That long corridor was like swimming in molasses... every second was torture! They grabbed the token symbolising first-floor clearance and rushed up the stairs. Thinking: Ha! Not that hard after all! Making them give up midway is impossible!
On the other side, the headless knight, Cedric, put down his circular saw. Under the armour, his eyes gazed deeply at the five figures going upstairs. All gifts of fate have their prices marked in secret.
"Following your orders, Lord Vincent." Cedric said to the void, hand on his chest like a loyal knight: "I've driven all five up to the next level, not one missing."
Third Floor...
In a quiet empty room, Ethan sat leisurely on a desk with one leg bent, reading "Biological Transmutation". Behind him, the diamond-paned window reflected the magnificent night sky, casting pure moonlight on his back. From ahead, a long shadow was cast.
"Snap." Ethan slowly closed his book, his cobalt-blue eyes looking up to gaze at the deep darkness outside. Curving his lips, he murmured: "The show is about to begin."
In the shadows, a massive form slowly writhed across the walls.