The Return to Hogwarts

“I don’t see the problem, Miss Granger—”

Faced with the little witch's angry rebuke, Amosta calmly said,

"Just like how you and Mr. Thomas voluntarily withdrew from the game to ensure victory, allowing Harry and Neville to team up, Slytherin simply chose a tactic that would be advantageous to winning, and I think their choice was very wise."

Hermione's cheeks flushed red. She frantically tried to think of something to argue, but since Professor Blaine only forbade the young wizards from attacking each other with their wands, Millison and Greengrass's actions were not exactly against the rules.

"How are you, Naveen?"

The raised bow slammed heavily into the water and bounced several times. Harry, who had finally regained his footing, immediately looked at Neville. He thought Neville, who was easily startled, must be terrified, but to his surprise, Neville was braver than he had imagined.

"I'm fine, Harry."

Neville, still shaken, wiped his nose and stared blankly at the bright red blood on his hands. But he said nothing, only wiping his hands on his robes under Harry's worried gaze. Then, slightly out of breath, he looked at the two groups of people who had blocked the racetrack with their boats.

Milison and Daphne, the two Slytherin girls, kept their attention on Harry the whole time. However, Theodore and Blaise, the two wizards behind them who were usually quiet, frowned in unison. It seemed that they sensed something unsettling awakening in the eyes of the chubby-faced boy as he looked over.

“You don’t need to make things difficult for yourselves. Porter still has Longbottom,” Blaise Sabini said. “Giving up now is the wiser thing to do.”

"Feel sorry--"

Harry's emerald eyes burned with fire as he glared coldly at the Slytherin blocking the track.

"I may never understand what it means to assess the situation and act accordingly!"

Chapter 205 The Ultimate Victor (Part 1)

“Foolish Gryffindor, what else can you do, Potter? You’ve run out of ideas.”

As Harry's words drew cheers from the group of Gryffindor wizards, Blaise Sabine looked at Harry, his brown eyes revealing undisguised contempt.

The not-so-wide river was blocked by two sideways oak boats, leaving barely enough space for another boat to pass.

In the distance, Draco slowed down, not only because Parkinson's magic was insufficient to support a high-speed run throughout the race, but also because the Hinkpunks, randomly distributed along the track and lurking in the mist, constantly caused them some interference. Moreover, in the latter half of the race, the Heracles created by Professor Blaine were also attacking them relentlessly. If they didn't want to be bruised and battered by those slightly poisonous water arrows, they had to erect magical barriers, which further depleted their magic.

Harry withdrew his gaze without saying a word, and faced the Slytherin blocking his way, revealing the same sharp and piercing look in his eyes.

Sometime during the night, Amosta got himself a high-backed soft chair. He crossed his legs, held a steaming cup of green tea, and looked like he was leisurely watching a good show.

What will Harry do?

Not only the little wizard behind him, but Amosta was also a little curious.

Just as everyone was speculating whether Harry would charge headlong into the fray, even if it meant falling into the water, to strike a blow against Slaterlin's arrogance, Harry slowly pulled his wand from his pocket and steadily pointed it at Daphne and the others.

"You want to attack us, Potter?"

A hint of mockery appeared at the corners of Theodore's mouth.

"You haven't forgotten Professor Blaine's rules, have you?"

"Neville!"

The moment Theodore finished speaking, Harry suddenly shouted, and Neville, who had been silent at the stern, was already prepared. So when Harry called out, he didn't hesitate to slap the starboard hemisphere!

Neville and Harry's boat, like a sharp ice blade, suddenly sliced ​​through the water, creating billowing white waves. They hurtled straight toward Milison and Theodore's boat, seemingly preparing for a desperate one-for-one trade, just as everyone had predicted. But...

"The ground is frozen and the sky is cold!"

When the two sides were still twenty feet apart, Harry suddenly lowered his wand and pointed it at the water, shouting loudly. A cold stream of air hissed out, and a layer of hard ice immediately formed on the rippling water. Harry flicked his wrist, and the ice immediately spread diagonally upwards, forming a slope!

Wow!

Time seemed to stretch out at that moment. The four young Slytherin wizards slowly looked up, and the crystal-clear beads scattered in mid-air reflected their astonished and comical expressions. Everything was like a dream.

Boom!

The small boat crashed into the water again with a thunderous roar. Time resumed, and Ron and Hermione on the shore instantly cheered with joy.

"Well done, Harry!"

Ron yelled, and the other Gryffindor wizards, who were a beat slower to react, also laughed and shouted as if they were under a happy spell. In contrast, the Slytherin wizards immediately went from being smug to being sullen. Crabbe and Goyle, covered in mud, looked fierce and seemed to want to rush over and throw Ron into the water, but were stopped by a slightly cold look from Amostella, who had the foresight to see it.

Harry and Neville sped off, and it wasn't until three seconds later that the two Slytherin ships realized what was happening, hurriedly turned around, and desperately gave chase.

When fully focused, the naturally growing Hinkpunks are not easily misleading. Not only Harry and Neville, but the muddy obstacles set up by Amos Tower also did not cause much trouble for Milison and Daphne. The three speedboats glided nimbly on the water and soon had completed a third of the course.

Just as the six young wizards were starting to feel tired, the Heracles came out to cause trouble again.

Beneath the light green water, several unexpected jets of water grazed Harry's cheeks, startling him so much that he jumped as he stared intently at Malfoy's gradually becoming clearer. His hand at the helm trembled, and he nearly crashed into a flickering orange lamp near the riverbank!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The intertwining water arrows enveloped the two like a transparent net. Neville crouched in the cabin, where the water arrows from the Heracles couldn't reach him due to the angle. But Harry wasn't so lucky. To ensure his view wasn't obstructed, he could only desperately dodge the water arrows. Even so, an unexpected water arrow that hit his eyebrow caused him to suddenly faint, and a large bump swelled up on his forehead.

"Harry, shouldn't we open the barrier?"

Neville, noticing the ship shaking abnormally, discovered Harry's miserable state and wanted to ask Harry's opinion on whether they should...

"No, Neville!"

Even though he could barely see with one eye, Harry still decisively rejected Neville's suggestion.

"Magic is more precious to us; we don't have any extra magic to protect ourselves!"

Looking back at Harry's unwavering back, Neville blinked, as if deeply moved.

But for the two little Slytherins, their resolve was nowhere near that of Harry and Neville. Moreover, the two young witches, Milison and Daphne, were clearly very concerned about their image and didn't want to walk out of the classroom with a head full of bumps like Potter and the other unfortunate souls on the shore.

After the first wave of attacks by the Heracles ended, the two of them simultaneously ordered the boys behind them to activate a magical barrier to block the sharp water arrows.

This means that Theodore and Blaise's magic will be consumed at twice the rate. They, who have barely managed to keep up with Potter's ship with the help of the Heracles, will soon fall behind and will never be able to catch up with Potter and Longbottom again.

So, for Slaterlin's two ships, there is now only one way to continue providing some assistance to Malfoy.

Separated by Porter and Longbottom's ships, Millison and Daphne exchanged a glance, both having come up with the same idea.

Clang!

In an instant, the three oak boats, sailing side by side, were jostled together. Under Harry's furious glare, Millison Burst's thick jaw twitched as he sneered,

“We won’t let you steal the spotlight so easily, Potter!”

"What are those despicable bastards up to now?!"

Ron immediately roared in anger, while Hermione remained silent, her face grim, clearly having already guessed the reason why Millison and Daphne had done this.

Yes, that would definitely eliminate Porter.

Amosta took a sip of bitter tea, his expression unchanged, but inwardly he was smiling.

"What on earth do you want to do!"

Harry's face was ashen as he struggled to control the helm, gritting his teeth as he spoke.

“Is that even a question, Potter?” Blaise said haughtily. “There can only be one ultimate victor, and that is Slytherin!”

"Watch out, Harry, there's a trap ahead!"

Harry thought they just wanted to wear him down, but Neville's reminder made him immediately realize Blaise and his men's true intentions—to ensure Malfoy's victory, they wanted to take Gryffindor's only ship down with them!

call!

As expected, Milison and Duff, one on the left and one on the right, sandwiched Harry and Neville's ship tightly. Then, the three ships roared together, smashing through a cloud of mist and sinking into the mud!

Wow!

The sudden slowing down to a complete stop caused the six people on board to tumble and roll, but fortunately, they had all anticipated this and none of them were thrown into the water.

Despair spread with the silence. Hermione, amidst her classmates who were all looking on with dejected faces, burst into tears as she watched Harry and Neville trying so hard to bring glory to Gryffindor.

Ron, mouth slightly agape, looked at Harry, who was standing blankly in the cabin, unable to accept reality, then glanced at Hermione beside him, her eyes brimming with tears. Finally, he raised his hand and clumsily patted Hermione's shoulder.

"Professor Blaine!"

The young Slytherin wizards desperately suppressed their excitement, while Crabbe grinned foolishly.

"You may declare Draco the victor!"

"That's not necessarily true, Mr. Crabbe—"

Amosta held her teacup, smiling unmoved.

"Maybe there are no winners, or no one at all, Longbottom?"

Chapter 206 The Ultimate Victor (Part 2)

Harry climbed out of the small oak boat that had sunk into the mud. His eye had been hit by a water jet, and the swelling made it almost impossible for him to see clearly. But when he looked at the four Slytherins, who were also panting and getting up, his eyes seemed to be spitting fire.

In particular, when he saw them scrutinizing him with smug looks, the anger inside him felt like his stomach was about to burst!

“There’s no need to look at us like that, Potter.”

Blaise wiped the water droplets from his face, a smug smile playing on his lips.

"Isn't the point of a competition to win by any means necessary?"

"Ha!" Harry laughed angrily. "That's exactly how Slytherin is, just like your Quidditch team, cowardly wimps who try every means to avoid playing against Gryffindor for the slightest advantage!"

“You can spout all sorts of nonsense here, Potter.”