The Return to Hogwarts

Harry couldn't actively pinpoint Malfoy's location at all; he was completely on the defensive, only able to locate him through Malfoy's attacks. However, Malfoy was also very clever, immediately shifting his position after each attack, and under the cover of the black mist, he flickered like a ghost.

"Despicable Slytherin!"

Harry gritted his teeth, his forehead already dripping with sweat.

The problem still lies with Malfoy creating the black mist. Obviously, the effect of the black mist obscuring vision only works on him, but not on Malfoy, who can still clearly know where he is.

Harry did consider rushing into the black fog to force Malfoy out; in his style, he had wanted to do so for a long time. But Professor Blaine's stern warning still echoed in his ears—in a life-or-death duel, one must calmly analyze the situation; impulsiveness and anger will not help you at all, but will only cost you your life!

He didn't know what the black mist Malfoy had created was, but if it was poisonous, given Slytherin's unscrupulous ways, it was entirely possible.

"The flames are blazing!"

Harry roared, and his wand burst forth with a burst of intense heat. However, the heat neither illuminated the black mist nor ignited it; instead, the surging hot air compressed the boundary between the black mist and the clear space.

wind--

Harry paused for a second.

sough!

In that split second of hesitation, Malfoy had already flashed ten feet away, waving his hand and unleashing two beams of spell light, one aimed straight at Harry's chest, and the other at Harry's feet.

"Armor protection!"

Unable to dodge in time, Harry had no choice but to raise his wand to create a magical barrier, successfully blocking the cursed light that was heading straight for his chest. Then, he took a step forward, preparing to retaliate, but the moment his foot landed, Harry's expression changed drastically.

babble-

It's an ice spell!

Even before his gaze shifted downwards, Harry had already guessed what the spell Malfoy had just thrown at his feet was!

Great!

Harry was filled with resentment. This rapid exchange of blows had resulted in a basic mistake like losing his balance, which almost certainly meant defeat. But he was unwilling to accept it. His strength was no less than Malfoy's; he had only been defeated by Malfoy's cunning tricks!

Harry was determined to at least break through the black mist that allowed Malfoy to become invisible. In the effect created by the fire charm just now, Harry had found a very simple way to dispel the black mist, but he hadn't expected it!

Before crashing to the ground, Harry ignored Malfoy and instead looked at a window on a wall, raising his arm rapidly!

Looking at Harry, who had lost his balance, Draco's light gray eyes flashed with ecstasy. This meant that he had ultimately won his duel with Potter.

Bang—snap!

However, before Draco's smile could fully bloom, a window suddenly shattered on one side, causing him to momentarily lose his senses.

call!

In the dead of winter, the howling wind at night can be bone-chilling. The moment the window shattered, the biting wind rushed into the gym classroom like a flood, and the temperature in the classroom, which was just warm as spring, dropped to freezing point in an instant!

A fierce, cold wind howled past, and the large black cloud that had enveloped Malfoy vanished completely. For the first time since the start of the duel, Malfoy appeared in everyone's sight.

This unexpected turn of events left Malfoy himself stunned. He had no idea that Potter had broken through his illusion, and it was precisely because of his momentary lapse in concentration that he lost the hard-won opportunity to surrender, which should have been an easy victory!

Harry sprang to his feet and crouched on the ground, panting heavily.

Draco, who was staring in astonishment at the window through which the wind was pouring in, also caught sight of Harry standing up out of the corner of his eye. His expression changed, then darkened.

"You're very lucky, Potter—"

"Draco said unwillingly."

However, Harry, who had been suppressed for half a day, could no longer contain his anger. His green eyes flashed with the rage of being teased, and the next second, he charged out like a little lion!

Chapter 682 Life and Death, Victory and Defeat

2024-01-09

The clouds dispersed and the rain stopped, and Malfoy was finally exposed to everyone's sight!

Harry, who had been feeling frustrated all day, jumped up from the ground, ignoring his hair which was being tousled by the wind, and charged at Malfoy like an angry little lion. His surging momentum almost made Malfoy think that the enraged Potter wanted to have a 'duel between real men' with him. After all, in the first and second years of school, the end of a conflict was usually expressed with fists to express anger and end the conflict.

But Draco immediately denied his guess.

After so much professional guidance from Professor Blaine, if they were still using their fists in a duel, it would be an insult to both themselves and Professor Blaine.

Sure enough, Harry stopped less than twenty feet from Malfoy. He didn't intend to solve the problem by hand-to-hand combat, but rather to prevent Malfoy from resorting to any more underhanded tactics. At this distance, given his speed, he could close the distance to Malfoy in a second.

Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!

An even more intense battle of spells has begun!

If the previous high-frequency exchanges were like a gentle breeze, the current duel between Harry and Draco is like a raging storm!

Both of them abandoned the idea of ​​using unconventional tactics to win, and instead pursued extreme speed in their attacks. They used whatever spells were simple and easy to cast, and their waving arms even left afterimages in the air.

Lure, dodge, wear down your opponent, and squeeze their survival space!

This was practically a dueling contest of skills learned in Professor Blaine's PE class. The two were less hoping to defeat each other with their own spells and more trying to force each other to reveal weaknesses so that the other would fall by his own hand.

The spells released by Harry and Draco flew wildly around the room, and the explosions and flashes were like a string of firecrackers being set off.

To avoid being caught in the crossfire, Pansy and Astoria hid behind armor, while a stunned Ron was dragged behind another suit of armor by Hermione.

Is this a duel between junior wizards, or a magical contest between the Ministry of Magic's elite Aurors?

Ron stared wide-eyed in confusion.

This intense competition lasted only ten seconds before the situation on the field became clear.

Harry began to gain the upper hand. The courage hidden in the blood and soul of the young wizards of Gryffindor made Harry fearless and also plunged him into unprecedented excitement. A smile even appeared on his lips involuntarily, and his emerald eyes were bloodshot. This brief and exhilarating duel even made him feel the excitement and joy of winning the Quidditch final last year!

In a duel between evenly matched opponents, the contest of momentum is extremely important!

The two gradually closed the distance, to the point where they could touch each other in just two large steps. At this distance, dodging spells became extremely difficult, and several beams of spell light even grazed Draco's cheek as they flew past. He was terrified!

"It's over, Malfoy!"

Harry couldn't hide the fear that was gradually seeping into Draco's eyes. He shouted, turned his head and a cursed light flashed past, scorching a few strands of his hair. He suddenly lunged forward, grabbed Draco's right wrist with his left hand, and thrust his wand forward like a dagger, stopping an inch in front of Draco's terrified eyes!

However, before Harry could even deliver his victory speech, Draco, whose face had been filled with terror, suddenly changed his expression, a look of joy appearing on his pale face.

"That's hard to say, Potter!"

Draco grinned, and before Harry could even figure out what was going on, Draco dropped the wand from his restrained right hand, twisted his wrist, and grabbed Harry's sleeve tightly instead.

"Get out of the way, Harry!"

Harry was still in a daze when Hermione suddenly jumped out from behind her armor and screamed at Harry in terror.

hiss--

Harry didn't turn his head, but upon hearing the eerie hissing sound, an image automatically popped into his mind.

A venomous black python emerged from the belly of his armor, slowly climbed onto his helmet, coiled up, bared its fangs, and flicked its scarlet tongue, staring at his neck with chilling eyes.

Harry's face turned blue as he instantly realized that the venomous snake hidden inside the armor had probably been created by Malfoy before the black mist dissipated. He had been ordering the snake to hide for this very moment!

Whoosh!

The shadow streaked across the space, leaving an afterimage. Harry suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder, and then a chill ran down his cheek!

Seeing the snake perched on Harry's shoulder, Hermione and Ron were so frightened that they forgot to breathe, simply staring blankly at the scene.

"You lost, Potter!"

Draco's pale cheeks flushed, and his grey eyes gleamed with ecstasy. This wasn't some minor squabble with Potter; it was a true victory in a real duel!

The black python bared its menacing fangs, and Harry could even smell the stench emanating from the snake's mouth on his shoulder. His nerves pounded wildly, his instincts screaming warnings, reminding him of the consequences of a bite!

Losing to Malfoy in a duel? The thought crossed Harry's mind, but he immediately dismissed it, unwilling to bear such humiliation!

“That’s hard to say!”

Harry's eyes reddened, and he glared sharply at the smug-smiling Malfoy.

"I'll return your words to you!"

Draco's smile froze for a second, then he narrowed his eyes and frowned. Sensing his mood, the black python moved even closer to Harry's cheek, and Harry could even feel the dampness gushing from the snake's mouth.

"Are you being stubborn, Potter, or are you just not getting the point?"

Draco said coldly,

"I can take your life at any time. Oh, the Dark Lord must have made a terrible mistake back then to let you escape!"

"Then you'll have to ask Voldemort himself what he got wrong!"

Harry said firmly,

“Oh, of course I know the situation, but the question is, aren’t you overlooking something, Malfoy?”

Harry slightly shook the tip of his staff, his voice sharp and decisive.

"I still have my wand, Malfoy. Unless your snake can kill me instantly, you probably won't survive either!"

"You don't have the guts, Potter. You're just bluffing!"

The Dark Lord's name made Draco shudder. Before he could reprimand Potter, Potter's next words made his eyes turn sinister.

"Oh, really? That's what you think?"

Harry immediately said,

"Then why don't you give it a try!"