I, Hogwarts Second Time Around.

Chapter 274 Terrifying Match Content

"Cedric is the first!" Harry exclaimed in surprise.

"He's really unlucky!" Ron said sympathetically.

"No matter what, he's a Hogwarts hero! We should cheer him on!" Luna, wearing a lion's head hat, waved enthusiastically from the side.

Immediately afterward, the Hufflepuff wizards around them became even more enthusiastic.

Many people even took out their wands and set off fireworks in the sky.

"Cedric! Go for it!!"

"For Hufflepuff!"

"For Hufflepuff!!!"

The clamor moved an old Hufflepuff on the platform, and a warm gaze spread across his sincere eyes.

"Look, what is Cedric doing?"

The gasps of surprise drew the young wizards' attention to Cedric's right hand, which was holding his wand.

He raised his wand and then plunged it into the soft ground.

"Confess quickly!"

He shouted.

Perhaps due to nervousness, her voice was slightly distorted.

Then he shouted again, "Confess quickly!"

No one knew what he was going to do, but soon the earth gave them the answer.

Suddenly, not far from Cedric, a mound appeared in the ground and quickly moved to his feet.

Amidst the puzzled gazes of the young wizards in the stands, the bulge burst open, and a green vine sprouted from it.

At the top of the vine grew a huge flower, as big as a Quake ball.

Then the flower suddenly opened, revealing its stamen and a cloth bag growing inside the bud.

The cloth bag inside the flower bud—it looks truly magical.

No one has ever seen such a unique summoning spell.

Upon seeing the bag, Cedric's tense face finally relaxed a little.

"Incredible." In the stands where the Hufflepuffs had gathered, the flag representing their Hufflepuff House fluttered in the wind, and everyone waved it with all their might; some had even brought out banners.

Ernie was also deeply infected by the enthusiastic atmosphere.

Looking at Cedric in the field with surprise, I thought, "I never knew there was such a magical plant."

"I've never seen it before either." Beside him was Justin, whose face was covered with Badger House stickers. He really thought this place was the World Cup. During the Quidditch World Cup, he used paint to cover half of his face with the Irish flag and the other half with the British flag.

After the game—when Irving bumped into him, he looked incredibly embarrassed.

Harry, Hermione, and other young wizards living in the Muggle world all showed embarrassed expressions, but Justin, who was also born a Muggle, did just that.

Even the French know that Britain and Ireland don't get along, so what was he thinking?

Later, Miss Granger couldn't stand it anymore and replaced the other half of his graffiti with the flag of Northern Ireland. At least that way—well—Great Britain, you know, it's always acceptable.

"It must have been Professor Sprout's suggestion to him," Hannah said, frowning.

Upon hearing this, Justin's eyelids twitched slightly.

Look at her, it's just Hannah, but she has such high emotional intelligence.

High emotional intelligence – Professor Sprout's advice.

Low emotional intelligence – Professor Sprout's cheating secrets.

Even he, a young Hufflepuff wizard, didn't believe that Cedric could find any powerful magical plants in such a short time, especially since his herbalism was only considered excellent.

Compared to the average young wizard, he was able to get an O on the final exam for this course.

But compared to someone named Sanchez who has already begun cultivating entirely new magical plants based on the characteristics of herbs, Cedric's excellence in herbalism is somewhat insignificant.

Of course—this is a competition, and whatever method he uses to win is a good method.

Justin didn't care what method Cedric used.

His gaze returned to the field.

Cedric, having taken the bag, quickly reached inside. He pulled out a leaf that looked like a pine needle, a very green plant. He held the plant in his left hand and blew on his palm.

Then the leaf suddenly grew, instantly reaching three or four feet in length.

He picked a leaf and put it in his mouth.

With a powerful leap, he jumped up.

Then a miraculous thing happened: he jumped fifty or sixty feet high (over fifteen meters).

"My God! How did he jump so high?" the young wizards exclaimed in amazement.

The professors couldn't figure it out either.

Aside from Newt and Owen, no one knew what Cedric had eaten.

"Damn it! This is cheating!" Owen, who was patrolling the edge of the field, immediately became furious when he saw the herbs in Cedric's hand. "I'm Professor Sprout's favorite! Why didn't she give me one?!"

He recognized that thing.

Cedric consumed a magical plant from the Ming Dynasty called "Palm Mustard".

It doesn't rely on sunlight or rain to grow; it only breathes air and can grow in the palm of your hand. Hence the name "palm mustard," which also represents its unique way of growing.

Its leaves have magical power; if you put them in your mouth, you can leap five or six zhang (more than fifteen meters) off the ground.

If you have its seeds, you only need to place them in your hand and blow on them to immediately grow a new palm mustard plant, which will be about a foot tall. Blow on it again and it will grow another foot taller.

If the grass seeds are not blown up in the palm of your hand, they will not grow.

Once it has grown in the palm of your hand, it can be transplanted to the ground.

Only those 'palm mustard' that survive on the ground can become true Skywalker's Grass. The grass leaves mature sequentially from the roots to the tips, with varying colors along the way. Mature Skywalker's Grass leaves are dark green, while the immature leaves at the very top are light red.

Therefore, people can easily determine which leaf is mature by its color, and only mature leaves will produce mustard-like seeds.

Although the sedge grows rapidly, the leaves take decades to mature. A single plant will only have a maximum of two fully mature leaves, and no new mature leaves will be produced before the leaves fall off.

The seeds between the mature leaves need to be swallowed within ten seconds of being picked, and then they will float in the air without any support and be able to walk freely.

This is an extremely rare herb.

It is the most important raw material for making the flying potion.

Because of its low yield, no one would eat the leaves of the palm mustard directly, as that would be too wasteful.

Professor Sprout seems to genuinely want Hufflepuff to win.

Herbs like these, without cultivation, only grant temporary superhuman abilities, which is simply not worth the risk. She really went all out!

Most importantly, the International Wizarding Federation and the Department of Physical Education and Sports of the Ministry of Magic have clear regulations regarding the various drugs used in competitive sports.

These include Felix Felicis, numerous potions to replenish magic and energy, various potions to enhance speed, strength, and reaction time, as well as hundreds of other magical potions unsuitable for use in competitions as they could easily disrupt balance.

But Professor Sprout cleverly fed Cedric raw ingredients directly!

The raw materials are not on the prohibited list!

That was truly brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! She's completely outmaneuvered us!

What angered Owen was that the ancient puppets were hidden underground in the outer ring, only popping out to surprise the young wizards when they got close.

This was a special modification he made, after discussing it with the professors.

Cedric is now leaping fifty or sixty feet, which means he might not even need to touch a single person to reach the inside rim.

As expected—just as Irving predicted.

Cedric's progress was unimpeded.

He bounced around the field as if he were on a trampoline, deliberately looking for stones to step on, his main goal being to avoid touching the ground.

This made Irving seriously suspect that he might have known about the layout of the venue in advance.

Although cheating is a tradition in the championship!

But you're being way too blatant!

"Look, our warrior has entered the inner circle!"

The change happened so fast that the young wizard hadn't even recovered from what Cedric had eaten before he had already rushed into the inner circle.

Bagman shouted excitedly, "A magical plant! Mr. Scamander told us that our warriors have taken a magical plant!"

Good heavens! Nobody's ever done this before. I'm not sure if it's against the rules, but I have to say, he might break the tournament's record for clearing stages!

As Cedric leaped into the inner circle, behind the stone-built walls, he immediately spotted a golden egg gleaming on a small pyramid in the distance.

His eyes were burning with passion.

However, reason told him not to rush in rashly.

Sure enough, he soon found a small animal lying asleep behind the golden egg in the pyramid.

It looks too small, only half the size of a golden egg.

So much so that Cedric didn't notice him immediately.

"That's—" He recognized the little beast at a glance.

"Bakal?"

Not all the wizards in the castle knew that Owen kept a dragon.

Everyone knows he has a cat.

Because that Australian white-eyed bird was mostly cared for by Hagrid and then allowed to roam freely in the Forbidden Forest.

Sometimes you might not see them even once a month.

Justin said that the only one who could find the dragon was the cat, but the cat never actively sought out the dragon because it felt that the fire dragon would threaten its status.

Yes, you heard right, a cat can feel that a dragon is affecting its status in its owner's heart.

It's truly magical.

Shaking his head, Cedric cleared away all the jumbled thoughts from his mind.

Now is not the time to think about these things.

In the distance, the Australian tarantula, about half the size of the little wizard's head, had shimmering, pearly scales that glowed with iridescent colors.

He hesitated. If it were those reckless Gryffindors, they would have rushed forward excitedly upon seeing a dragon of that size.

But he wouldn't, because Luna had mentioned in a conversation with them that Irving's Australian pufferfish possessed all sorts of strange and wonderful abilities.

It can suddenly grow larger and then spew golden flames, with power approaching that of some dark magic.

"What's wrong with him?" Some clueless young wizards in the stands looked puzzled.

"They've probably gone mad from eating too many herbs," a Slytherin said.

"A fire dragon that big? My god! This competition is so easy. I think even my first-year cousin could pass it easily."

"There might be a trap. That giant dragon is just an illusion; there's definitely an even bigger dragon lurking nearby."

In the stands, the young wizards expressed their opinions freely. Some were worried, some were dissatisfied, and some even cursed, feeling that Cedric was disgracing Hogwarts.

Time passed little by little.

Holding his wand, Cedric circled the inner wall, repeatedly using the Prototype Charm, trying to find the hidden traps in the arena.

He had already chanted the incantation until his mouth was dry, but all he could see around him were stones.

There are absolutely no traps.

"This can't go on." Cedric looked at the mustard greens in his hand; there were only three or four leaves left. (One was still a bud.)

He has already eaten three pills.

Although this magical plant is powerful, its medicinal effects only last for a few minutes.

Continuing this stalemate will not do him any good!

"Looks like we have no choice but to go all in. I can only hope that what Luna said is all lies." The crazy girl's words have very low credibility among the young wizards, so it's no wonder that Cedric thinks so.

Having made up his mind, Cedric picked another leaf and swallowed it.

Then, gripping his wand tightly, he leaped into the inner circle.

"wrong!"

The moment he stepped into the inner ring of the rock wall, he felt a chill run down his spine.

Bakal, who had been sleeping, suddenly opened his eyes.

"roar!"

It let out a loud roar at Cedric.

Then, slowly and leisurely, as if drunk, it slapped a jeweled claw onto the golden egg, while its two wings swayed listlessly.

He didn't look particularly fierce; in fact, he looked rather cute.

"Wow! It's so cute."

In the stands, the young wizards all looked on with a smug expression.

This is simply the cutest pet ever!

Among the crowd, only Luna, wearing a lion head mask, frowned. She was the only one present who had ever seen the Tyrannosaurus Rex's true face.

It was probably the pampered looks from those around him that made Bakal very unhappy.

Its owner had never seen it like this before.

You bunch of scoundrels.

Then, in an instant, the sky seemed to darken.

Then came a deafening roar.

Flames, flames.

Boundless flames flowed from around the golden egg.

The high temperatures directly turned the stone pyramid beneath their feet into lava.

"Tsk"

That was the sound of snow melting.

In the field, the snow rose and turned into mist.

Gradually, the surroundings were shrouded in mist, from which a rainbow of light seemed to scatter. Before Cedric could wave his wand to dispel the mist, a hurricane, which seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, completely stirred up the smoke in the area.

The wind and clouds surged, and the sound of them striking the stones was like the sound of war drums.

It carried a certain rhythm. It was the sound of a dragon's wings flapping!

"Crack! Boom!!!"

Suddenly, a thunderclap struck the sky.

A sky full of red light blotted out the sun.

The clouds and mist were shattered in an instant.

Cedric snapped out of his daze, silently raised his wand, and roared, "Ultimate Defense!"

He didn't know what was happening. But the strangeness before him forced him to immediately raise his wand.

"Armor for protection!"

As the surrounding dust settled, his pupils contracted.

High in the sky, a giant dragon with a wingspan of forty or fifty feet was breathing down at him.

Its entire body was crackling with red lightning, and the red light in the mist was like flowing water, with the crackling of lightning converging on the dragon's front claws, which were as big as cars.

Lightning danced, compressed, and condensed.

Although that feeling seemed to last a very long time.

But in reality, in just an instant, almost the next second, Cedric's eyes were filled with a blade formed from lightning!

"Oh my god!!!"

"Merlin's beard!"

"My God!"

As the smoke and dust dissipated, the awe-inspiring body of the diamond dragon appeared like an ancient deity.

That dragon—can it use magic?

This—how is this possible!

"Get out of the way!!!"

The young wizards were filled with shock!

But how could their voices be faster than lightning?

In an instant, the dragon swung its electric blade, and Cedric was sent flying like a cannonball.

The inner city wall was also torn to pieces in response.

It was as if it had been smoothed out by some force.

"No!!!"

In the stands, the young wizards all turned their heads away or covered their eyes.

No one dared to look at the horrific scars covering the scene.

He dared not look at Cedric's figure ten minutes later in the dust.

Because they were afraid, afraid that someone would die in the first game.

The professors standing nearby also felt their eyelids twitch, especially Professor Frivi.

He ran to Irving's side almost immediately.

"How is he? Is Cedric alright?"

"It's alright." Irving and the other professors paced back and forth at the very edge of the outer circle, keeping a close eye on the changes inside the arena.

"Bakal held back; most of what happened just now was special effects, you know, Professor!"

"Special effects?" Professor Flitwick's lips twitched as he looked at the trenches left by lightning all over the ground, where a tree-like pattern unique to lightning was etched into the earth.

Is this what you call holding back?

What would it be like if you didn't hold back?

Professor Flitwick nervously turned his head to look around, trying to make out Cedric's figure through the layers of smoke and dust.

And it seems to be to confirm Irving's statement.

A blurry, staggering figure suddenly appeared amidst the dust and debris.

"Oh my God, our warrior is alive! This is wonderful news!" Bagman shouted with relief, his back already soaked through.

This competition—it's terrifying!

Cedric swayed unsteadily, clutching his right arm with a ferocious expression.

It appears that his right arm is dislocated.

Fortunately, he kept the wand in his hand the whole time.

But before he could catch his breath...

The earth around him suddenly cracked open.

Next, in his pupils, he saw a sword several feet long, hurtling straight toward him.

The ancient greatsword is engraved with numerous ancient runes, and a large blue gemstone sits on the sword.

At that moment, the sapphire was emitting a faint glow, as if it were spitting out something.

The next second, the longsword flew even faster.

"Shit!"

Even the usually mild-mannered Cedric couldn't help but swear at this moment.

He gripped his right hand and suddenly lunged to the right.

The longsword brushed past him.

(End of this chapter)