The Return to Hogwarts

"Please be prepared, everyone. This is a real duel, and I won't be so friendly. Some things might happen that are beyond your imagination—"

"Bring it on, Professor! We are fully prepared!"

Fred said with a grin.

"All right--"

Amostella sighed helplessly. No amount of words could convey the power of bloodshed. After instructing the surrounding young wizards to keep their distance and remain quiet, refraining from interfering in the duel, Amostella calmly said…

"You may begin—"

To Amosta's surprise, the twins' group did not attack him immediately. The three little ones stood in a row, gesturing with their wands and looking him up and down.

Where should we begin?

Lee Jordan weighed the wand in his hand and asked George beside him with great interest.

Let me think about it--

George cracked his neck, but Professor Blaine's expressionless face didn't frighten him. "What spell is the most entertaining?"

Everyone expected that the duel would end quickly, even though Professor Blaine claimed he would suppress his abilities. However, no one anticipated that it would turn out like this!

Snapped!

A sudden, soft sound reached the ears of the three young wizards in the arena. Then, they immediately realized that Professor Blaine, who had been standing dozens of feet in front of them, had suddenly disappeared. This unexpected change left them a little confused. However, before they could figure out what was going on, a sharp screech suddenly came from behind, making the hairs on their heads stand on end!

The long-term training was not in vain. Almost in the blink of an eye, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan realized that the attack was coming from behind. Each of them made a dodging motion, but it was because of that moment of hesitation that they lost the best opportunity to dodge.

Wow!

Fred and Lee Jordan lunged forward, and they were lucky enough that Professor Blaine's first wave of attacks wasn't aimed at them, but at George Weasley.

A shrill and painful roar echoed throughout Amosta's mental space!

Fred and Lee Jordan, who had just landed and rolled around, looked back and then witnessed a scene they would never forget!

A two-foot-long stone spike pierced through George's thigh. The spike did not leave George's body; it pinned him to the ground along with George. George lay on the ground in agony, howling, and the blood gushing from the wound in his thigh stained the pure white world red!

In that instant, all the young wizards watching felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over their heads in the dead of winter, and the chill that surged from their hearts made everyone shiver.

Many young wizards wanted to scream, but fear gripped their throats like powerful hands, preventing them from making a sound!

"What are you doing!"

Fred roared in fury. He and Lee were about to pounce on George, who would likely have fainted if his pain hadn't been reduced, but Professor Blaine raised his wand again. A gray light emerged from the tip of his wand, slid into the air, and became a sharp crescent moon, spinning rapidly toward Fred and Lee!

boom!

Driven by their survival instincts, Fred and Lee both chose to dodge, but the problem was that the two men, standing side by side, chose to dodge in opposite directions. One went left and the other went right, and then their foreheads collided hard!

The power unleashed by this instinct to survive and avoid death was terrifying. Fred and Li Lian, who collided with each other, didn't even groan before lying on the ground unconscious. Their bodies flickered immediately after they fell into a coma and disappeared into Professor Blaine's mental world in the silence!

Amosta smirked and waved his hand. The stone spikes on George's legs disappeared instantly, and then he and his two teammates vanished as well.

"Those three are already dead at my hands—"

Amostella slowly circled, coldly staring at the trembling young wizards. Everyone lowered their heads, none daring to meet his gaze.

"I doubt anyone would consider dueling merely an interesting skill that provides you with bragging rights, would they?"

Professor Blaine's courses have never been easy. Every young wizard who has made it this far has suffered enough. But after the initial trials, almost everyone is determined to persevere. With the start of the new school year, the new changes in physical education class make them even more proud of their choice. But tonight, the thought of quitting has risen in the minds of these students again!

A real duel is not a spectacular show, but a brutal reality!

Although George had left, perhaps to intimidate them, the pool of blood George left behind remained on the pure white ground, stinging everyone's eyes.

"When facing danger, when confronted with a life-or-death struggle, pain is the least of our worries."

Professor Blaine's voice seemed to rise from the depths of an icy hell, sending shivers down the spines of the young wizards.

"You are about to face the possibility of losing your loved ones and friends at any moment. You will face despair and death. Do not expect miracles to happen when you are in this situation!"

Professor Blaine spoke sternly, his words as firm as iron.

"Caution, courage, the will to survive, teamwork, and honed skills—only these can help you defeat the enemy and win the chance of survival!"

In the midst of complete silence, a suppressed sob suddenly broke the silence. Harry's mind was still foggy, but upon hearing the sound, he instinctively looked over. It was Cho Chang, who was covering her mouth, tears of fear streaming down her face. Harry opened his mouth, but when he saw that Cedric, who was standing right next to Cho Chang, was also silent, he closed his mouth again.

No one has the chance to give up; they must persevere to the end.

Hermione finally raised her head and stared blankly at Professor Blaine. Never before had she felt that Professor Blaine was so terrifying!

Teaching young wizards in this way was clearly against the rules, even against the law, but Hermione couldn't voice any objections because she knew perfectly well that Professor Blaine was teaching 'real stuff,' genuine skills that would allow them to survive in the future when they encountered danger.

Caution, courage, the will to survive, teamwork, and skill.

Hermione silently recited the 'test points' that Professor Blaine had mentioned, and a strange power welled up from the bottom of her heart. The fear that the Triwizard Tournament had brought her seemed to be disappearing rapidly.

Amosta, observing everyone and absorbing their mental projections, quickly sensed Hermione's change. He stopped in his tracks when facing her, his expression remaining indifferent.

"Tonight, every team will face a test. Now, Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, Neville Longbottom, Ginny Weasley, it's your turn—"

Chapter 584 Harry's Duel Talent

2023-11-09

Normally, Draco would cheer at the thought of Potter suffering, and Hufflepuff would cast gloating glances at Hermione Granger for sharing in their glory. However, the scene of Professor Blaine breaking George's leg was just too shocking. The thought of possibly getting hit by it themselves made it impossible for anyone to have any idle thoughts at this moment.

The circle formed by the young wizards unconsciously expanded outwards, as if afraid that Potter or someone else's blood would splatter on them later.

In short, Hermione, Harry, Ginny, and Neville took the stage. Their faces were pale as they struggled to withstand the mental pressure of 'killing intent' emanating from Professor Blaine's gaze, a pressure they could not yet comprehend.

No one expected them to perform well, including Hermione and Harry themselves. Before being called upon by Professor Blaine, Hermione could feel a shift in her resolve, but once she stood before him, she found that her usually sharp mind seemed to have failed her. She desperately tried to recall Professor Blaine's teachings in the course, but found that there wasn't much that could help her.

"what should we do?"

Harry asked in a low voice, his voice sounding like it was being squeezed out from between his teeth.

Hermione couldn't answer the question either, but Professor Blaine said calmly at this moment,

"So, are you ready?"

Cold sweat streamed down Neville's temples. He gripped his wand tightly, but comically, perhaps due to nervousness, he held the handle with both hands as if it were a sword. Hermione, Harry, and Ginny didn't answer; their lips were taut, and they stared intently at Professor Blaine's hands, seemingly prepared to dodge at the slightest movement.

Looking at the four little ones standing in a row, Amosta sighed softly.

"What, you're not going to learn from the lesson of the previous group?"

what?

Hermione's wide eyes were filled with confusion, but Harry beside her suddenly called out.

"Wait, Professor, we...we need to make some arrangements!"

You only have two minutes—

Amusta smiled slightly, his hands behind his back, facing away from the other direction, as if he had no intention of eavesdropping on tactics.

"listen--"

Under the watchful eyes of a circle of young wizards, Harry called his three teammates to his side. He was pale and breathing rapidly.

"We can't just stand there like idiots like before, or we'll end up like George!"

"What to do?"

Neville swallowed hard and asked nervously.

Harry frowned, glancing at Professor Blaine, who had his back to them. A series of thoughts, seemingly out of nowhere, kept popping into his head, just like when he first practiced Quidditch, driven entirely by instinct.

"We...we can't deal with Professor Blaine, even though he's said he doesn't use very powerful magic, so...so, we're on the defensive—"

Harry's emerald green eyes gleamed as he stared at the three of them.

"Professor Blaine can apparite; he can appear from any direction, so we must be prepared to deal with attacks from all directions at any time."

Harry stared at Hermione,

“We need to face Professor Blaine head-on, while Ginny and Neville, you turn your backs to us and defend our rear.”

The method was not difficult to understand. Hermione, Ginny, and Neville thought about it for a moment and then nodded.

Generally speaking, Hermione is always the one who comes up with ideas in the team, but at this moment, Harry naturally takes over Hermione's role and makes the arrangements.

Professor Blaine once spoke about the issue of attack rhythm—

Harry racked his brains.

“We can’t attack at the same time; that would just be a waste of energy. When I attack, Professor Blaine will definitely dodge, and then, Hermione, you can attack in the direction Professor Blaine dodges!”

To achieve this, it seemed to require the tacit understanding that Professor Blaine had just mentioned, but Hermione and Ginny both understood. Only Neville's eyes showed hesitation. It wasn't that he didn't understand, but rather that he lacked confidence in his own magic.

Talent cannot completely replace learning.

Harry racked his brains and offered some advice, but that was all; the rest could only be learned through practice.

Two minutes seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. Professor Blaine turned back, and when he saw the four little ones standing in a square, Harry and Hermione staring nervously at him, while Neville and Ginny had their backs to him, a flicker of admiration crossed his eyes. But then, a mocking smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"can we start?"

"That's enough, Professor!"

Harry said, his voice shrill and unnatural.

The young wizards watching the game instinctively took another step back, while Draco, watching Harry make some arrangements on the field, had a shadow of malice in his eyes. It was a response that was obvious at a glance, but he hadn't thought of it when no one pointed it out. It seemed that, just like in Quidditch, Potter's dueling talent was also exceptional.