A certain Hogwarts professor of runes.

They then encountered a cloaked squirrel standing on the statue. This was a magical creature the size of a rabbit and resembling a squirrel. At first glance, this creature was completely out of place with Hagrid's taste: it had a fluffy head and long ears like a rabbit, red fur, and a soft "scarf" that was a dazzling gold, making it look both cute and friendly.

Harry was almost fooled by its cute appearance when he first saw it. The continuous matches had kept him in a tense state for a long time. He tentatively approached, but the cute little creature immediately turned its back to him, spread its curled tails open—like a soft, fluffy cloak covered with countless sharp spikes—and made threatening noises.

"Don't provoke it. Getting stuck to this thing is a nightmare. Compared to them, goblins and cat-like creatures are practically docile," Ron said with disgust.

"You know it?" Harry asked.

“Fred and George caught one,” Ron said with a look of dread. “They wanted to extract its thorns, the ones you see here… They’re not poisonous, but if you get pricked, you’ll feel like you’re going to faint.”

He shook his head and firmly pulled Harry away. Harry didn't ask any more questions; he guessed that what followed must be a tragic story.

At that moment, Hermione remembered its information.

"The cloaked squirrel is known for its cute appearance and dangerous tail. It has two attack methods. One is to lash out with its tail when a stranger approaches. Many people who see it for the first time will curiously lean in, and the result is predictable... Its quills have the effect of amplifying pain, causing excruciating pain. The second attack method is to wrap its body with its tail, turning into a ball covered in quills, and then launch itself at its target like a cannonball—these guys have an amazing jumping ability."

Harry shuddered and couldn't help but turn back to look at the cloaked squirrel. It had tucked its tail in, its two little paws curled up in front of it, and its long ears were twitching back and forth, making it look very cute.

"These little guys are quite vengeful and a bit neurotic. Once angered, they'll chase after people and fight until the spikes on their tails fall off before they'll run away. But don't worry, the spikes will grow back after a while..."

“Thank you, Hermione, for helping me remember these things,” Ron said somberly.

“Oh, uh, we’d better get away from it,” Hermione said, looking around in a panic. “Speaking of which, the sixth level of the maze is like a combination of a chessboard and a garden, with bushes and statues everywhere. And it’s much brighter now…”

“It’s a bit strange, why did they replace the hedges with low shrubs?” Ron was also curious.

“This is a natural battlefield,” Harry said suddenly.

Ron and Hermione turned around in alarm. “A little light provides visibility, stones can act as barriers, bushes create winding paths…yes, that’s what I think,” Harry said, his eyes suddenly lighting up as he ran off in one direction.

"what happened?"

"I saw Nona Ripper!"

Ron and Hermione gave chase, and they saw a shadow leaping swiftly through the bushes. The cloaked squirrels were enraged; they curled up into spiky balls, trying to attack Nona, but Nona had already left.

A disoriented cloaked squirrel charged at Harry, who yelled, "Stun!" The spell struck the cloaked squirrel, which fell from mid-air and bounced twice on the ground.

They ran a dozen or so steps, and suddenly the space opened up before them. It was a circular plaza, with a row of steps leading up to the upper level—the seventh floor, where the trophies were kept.

"She's out!" Ron shouted.

A cheetah leaped nimbly down the steps, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione simultaneously raised their wands.

The cheetah glanced at them, turned and ran in the opposite direction. Just then, she suddenly tripped and fell, rolling twice on the ground. Despite the danger, Harry still found the action somewhat comical.

"She's out of energy?" Harry guessed, and he immediately chased after her.

The next second, he knew the answer. A tremendous voice echoed throughout the labyrinthine castle, and all the warriors raised their heads in unison to listen to the deafening voice—"Fearless warriors~ Forward! No difficulty can defeat you... Win courage and honor, and I will wait for you at the finish line, brewing a pot full of love potion..."

"My God!" Hermione exclaimed, clutching her head.

Harry cast an ear-blocking spell on himself, which reduced the deafening roar considerably. He endured the intense discomfort and continued forward, getting closer to the trophy. But Nona was in a worse situation. Her teammates had clearly failed to block her hearing; she looked dizzy and kept shaking her head.

Finally, the singing stopped.

Chapter 484 The Labyrinth Castle (Part Four) Victory

Harry raised his wand towards the cheetah lying on the ground, writhing in pain—his keen sense of smell had caused her considerable suffering—he hesitated, wondering whether to strike. He kept telling himself it was a competition, and if they got the trophy, they would win. But another voice told him he was taking advantage of her, and besides, Nona had given him a talisman earlier…

At this moment, Nona came to her senses. She gave Harry a deep look, picked up the trophy, and ran away.

Harry hurriedly tried to stop her, shouting "Expelliarmus!" but the spell missed. Harry was furious. What had he been thinking? This was a competition, and he'd missed such a good opportunity. He chased after her, unleashing spell after spell, but Nona kept leaping back and forth, dodging his spells.

A Stunning Spell struck her, and Harry was overjoyed, but the cheetah's body suddenly burst into a burst of white light and disappeared into the bushes unaffected.

"Where is she?" Ron and Hermione caught up and asked breathlessly.

"She got away!" Harry sat on the ground and slammed his fist on the ground in frustration. "I shouldn't have held back."

Ron gazed blankly into the distance, where only a cloaked squirrel peeked out from the bushes. Hermione thought for two seconds, then decisively said, "There's still a chance. Let's go that way." She pointed in the opposite direction.

Ha looked at her expectantly: "What do you mean?"

"She needs to take the trophy to the next level and reunite with her teammates. But she escaped in the opposite direction from the fifth-level entrance, so we might be able to intercept her ahead of her!"

Harry wanted nothing more than to hug Hermione and kiss her.

"Then what are we waiting for!"

They ran back quickly. "Left—right—still right!" Hermione kept pointing in the right direction, "We're almost there."

A shadow suddenly appeared from the side.

Harry's eyes widened. It was Nona Ripper! His heart sank. The distance was too great; there was no way he could catch up.

Just then, a clear chirping sound rang out, followed by something rushing past him. The thing was covered in flames and covered hundreds of feet in the blink of an eye. Harry recognized it as Hermione's ancient magic!

The firebird, trailing its long feathers, blocked the cheetah's path a short distance from the entrance. The cheetah glanced cautiously at the firebird—which then showered flames, sealing her way. Left with no other option, Nona Ripper reverted to her human form.

No one made a move.

Nona stood up from the ground, tossed the trophy far away, and looked eager to try her luck.

“You can’t beat the three of us,” Harry said calmly.

Nona smiled and raised her hands, saying in a hoarse voice, "That's not necessarily true." Her hands suddenly crossed.

"Protect yourself!" Harry instantly cast the Armor Charm, and sparks flew as the magical barrier appeared.

"Watch out for her hand gestures!" The warning came belatedly.

Ding Ding Deng!

A man rushed up from the fifth floor—it was Krum. He spotted Nona and the trophy on the ground at a glance. He stretched out his wand and shouted, "Trophy, come here!" Harry canceled the Ironclad Charm, and a red light shot out from the tip of his wand, sending the trophy flying far away.

"What—?" Krum exclaimed in disbelief, turned around and saw Harry and the other two. He gasped and quickly moved closer to Nona.

"You want to cooperate?" Nona asked, looking at Krum.

Krum had a gloomy face. He looked at Hermione across from him and didn't say anything.

After a brief standoff, a third person rushed in—Cedric. The scene before him also stunned him. All eyes turned to him. Harry was initially delighted, but immediately realized this wasn't Room Seven; they were now rivals.

Cedric hesitated and took a step toward Harry.

“Fair competition?” Krum said in a low voice.

Cedric suddenly stopped, his expression conflicted. Of course, he wanted to win the trophy and help his team, but helping Harry and his friends was the best option right now. After a long pause, he resolutely walked towards Harry's direction.

“Well said, fair competition,” Harry suddenly said. “Three against three, that makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?”

Cedric looked at Harry with surprise.

“I want to win fair and square,” Harry said briefly.

“That’s right, we don’t want people gossiping behind our backs,” Ron said, standing next to Harry.

Hermione waved her wand, and the firebird landed steadily in front of her, its long beak and golden eyes fixed on them. "Three against three, no running away, the winner decides who gets the trophy, how about it?"

Everyone agreed.

Outside the labyrinthine castle, the audience held their breath as the entire screen switched to the seventh floor, constantly shifting between the perspectives of the six people, all of whom were captivated by the solemn atmosphere.

“That was fantastic! That was fantastic! The Warriors not only gave us a great game, but also showed a very high level of sportsmanship,” Ludo Bagman said enthusiastically. “It was an honor to host this game.”

"Let me introduce the two sides in this battle: Porter, Weasley, and Granger are on the same team, so their teamwork is better, and each of them has performed exceptionally well in previous matches. But their opponents are not to be underestimated either. Although they belong to three different teams, don't forget that they are all captains of their respective teams!"

One second, two seconds, three seconds—

The people on the screen moved simultaneously, and in an instant, incantations flew everywhere!

……

The battle went on for a while—

Harry ducked, dodging a spell, and swiftly retaliated. The spell missed by two inches, striking the statue, startling Krum, who ducked back inside. But another spell flew out from the opposite direction, "Protect Yourself!" Harry shouted, and a ripple spread across the magical barrier.

Harry's heart pounded as he saw that the attack had been successfully defended. "Hermione, get your Firebird to do something!"

“Oh, no,” Hermione said with a pained expression, “this magic is too powerful. According to the rules, it can’t be used to attack people—”

"Then let it attack the statue!" Harry shouted.

Hermione paused for a moment, then said, "That makes sense."

“Wait, I’ve got an idea,” Ron said, his body trembling violently. “It’s worth the gamble.”

"What are you planning to do?" Hermione asked.

"Apparition".

"No, it's too dangerous—"

“I’ll do it,” Harry said, thinking Ron’s idea was brilliant; how come he hadn’t thought of it before? Harry leaned out and threw a Disarming Charm, which struck the statue, scattering red light everywhere.

“No,” Ron refused, glancing at the other side with the Enchanted Armor Charm on his head before quickly retreating. “Listen to me, you’re my backup. I only feel at ease with you here. If even you fail, Hermione and I can’t hold off the three of them.”

Harry couldn't make up his mind.

"Don't hesitate, who knows if someone else will come up next? The problem now is choosing a target—"

“Krum,” Harry agreed.

“Nona Ripper,” Hermione said.

They exchanged a glance, and Ron said, "Let's go with Nona. I see she's keeping her distance from the other two."

The circling firebird transformed into golden flames, instantly engulfing a statue. The intense heat scorched the stone and the air, causing the warriors hiding behind it to stagger backward.

“On your left!” Hermione shrieked.

“I see it,” Ron said, focusing his attention on Nona Ripper’s left side. If he attacked from there, he could easily slip into the bushes… His body vanished suddenly, and when he reappeared, he was a little disoriented, but he didn’t care. He raised his wand in an extremely awkward posture.

“He’s passed out!” Ron shouted.

Time seemed to stand still. Nona turned around quickly, staring incredulously at her chest, before slowly collapsing to the ground, a look of shock still lingering on her face. Ron frantically scrambled into the bushes—he'd succeeded! He grinned silently, disappearing into the thicket.

The rustling sound snapped him out of his euphoria. Looking up, he saw two cloaked squirrels staring at him. They silently turned away, tails raised…

On the other side, Krum and Cedric were both incredulous. It was a consensus that Apparition could not be used in combat, and currently only two people could break the limitation: Harry and Professor (Felix Hyp) Hyp.

In that brief moment of delay, Ron slipped into the bushes. Krum raised his wand, and the next second, a ball of golden flame exploded in the clearing three feet in front of him. He quickly dodged, and the flame condensed into a firebird, gently flapping its wings without attacking again. Hermione… Krum's feelings were extremely complicated. Then, his body went numb, and he slowly collapsed.

Harry appeared behind him, panting. He had used Apparition after all; it was a rare opportunity… The next second he vanished again, reappearing behind Cedric. Cedric nimbly turned, their wands touching—

“You’ve won,” Cedric said, dropping his wand and sitting on the ground, panting heavily.