HP: Azkaban's Outstanding Graduate

Sagres's gaze swept calmly over the agitated Hagrid and the exhausted Lupin, finally settling on the empty plate in front of him.

His thoughts may have already drifted to the upcoming Bronze Feather Gathering, and to the next step in his plan to plunge Lothar into the abyss.

Chapter 195 Back-to-School Melee

The thick stone walls of Hogwarts Castle kept out the chill brought by the Dementors.

At the start of the new semester, the first dueling class in Sagres was shrouded in a somber atmosphere.

He heard that the two new professors performed very well in their first classes, especially Lupin, which relieved him.

Based on the man's behavior on the train, Sagres labeled the gray-haired man as a reliable adult wizard.

On the spacious floating arena, students occupied only half of it, the cold floor reflecting the cool glow of the magic orbs. Vines intertwined in the stands, the whistling wind the only background noise.

As is customary, the students, dressed in casual clothes that allowed for easy movement, stood solemnly on both sides of the field, and the air was filled with a silence that was a mixture of awe and tension.

Even the noisiest Fred and George were unusually quiet, their eyes gleaming with eager anticipation.

Sagres stood on the duel monument in the center of the arena, wearing a well-tailored, exquisitely made robe with silver buttons fastened meticulously.

The immortal flower wooden wand hung casually at his side, and his calm gaze slowly swept across the entire room. Wherever it passed, the students unconsciously straightened their backs.

"A new semester." Sagres's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears, instantly silencing all subtle noises. "It means new goals, new challenges, and new rules."

He paused for a moment, his deep gaze seemingly assessing the potential of each student.

“Hogwarts will no longer be an isolated island.” Sagres’ calm voice carried an almost cold undertone. “After discussions among the three headmasters, starting this semester, Hogwarts will co-host an annual tournament with Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Durmstrang School of Witchcraft and Wizardry—the Tri-Schools Joint Duel Tournament.”

"Wow!"

An uncontrollable gasp and murmur erupted from the crowd.

Sagles did not stop the commotion, but simply waited quietly for the noise to subside on its own.

"The competition will consist of team battles and individual duels," he continued, his tone flat. "As before, each school will send eight participants. The competition will take place right here at your feet. And Hogwarts' representatives—"

His calm gaze swept across the entire arena once more. "It will be determined by your duel points ranking."

Everyone held their breath.

“Yes,” Sagrais seemed to see through their thoughts, “before the competition begins, the top eight students in the dueling rankings will automatically qualify to represent Hogwarts. Of course, they can refuse.”

The students exchanged glances, seeing the fire in each other's eyes.

Refuse? How many people would refuse such a prestigious honor that is the focus of the entire school? Even if someone did, they probably wouldn't even make it into the top eight.

“To adapt to new challenges and to better motivate you to improve your strength,” Sagres said, tapping his wand lightly.

A soft silver light projected into the air, forming a constantly changing emblem structure: "The Duel Rankings will be upgraded."

"The way you earn points remains the same. However, in the new semester, when your accumulated points reach certain milestones, you will unlock the corresponding 'advanced tasks'."

"Advanced mission?" the students repeated in hushed tones, a hint of confusion flashing in their eyes.

Sagres seemed to hear the whispers: "Yes, advanced quests. Not simple classroom sparring or after-school exercises. But involving breaking more difficult spell combinations, simulating combat against specific magical creatures, disarming complex ancient rune traps, and even practical exercises under specific restrictions."

With each item he mentioned, the students' hearts raced faster. It sounded both dangerous and exciting.

“Advanced quest successfully completed,” Sagrais tapped his wand again, and the emblem structure diagram in the air changed accordingly. “The form of your emblem will change. It will not only record your points, but will also become a direct symbol of your strength and achievements.”

"Most importantly, as you accumulate points and complete advanced tasks, you will unlock a brand new 'redemption list'."

The wand was pointed for the third time, and a shimmering scroll appeared in mid-air, its surface covered with densely packed text and images. Though blurry, these images were enough to reveal the preciousness and richness of its contents.

"The list will provide items that you can redeem using your points. These include, but are not limited to: unique spells, rare potions, various magical materials, and useful magical items."

The item previews on the list flashed by, each one enough to make the young wizards' hearts race and their breathing quicken.

"These are all precious resources that are hard to find on the market, or even impossible to buy. The specific list will be posted by the prefects in your respective college lounges."

Sagles looked down at the students below, his calm words stirring their emotions: "Do you want to win glory for Hogwarts in the league?"

you can!

Want to acquire those treasures on the list that could change your magical path?

That works too!

His voice regained its initial calmness, "But that requires you to prove your worth with your abilities. Points, rankings, missions... every bit of your effort will be transformed into tangible rewards."

He waved his wand lightly, and the image in the air vanished, even the sound of the wind disappeared.

“Now, take out your wands.” Sagrais’s command was succinct and forceful. “The first lesson of the new semester: how to survive a hundred-person melee.”

His calm gaze swept across the entire room.

"Let's begin. Let me see who among you is qualified to touch those eight seats, and who will ultimately stand at the top of the Tri-School League."

The atmosphere in the dueling arena was instantly ignited!

The students were eager to try, their eyes filled with an unprecedented desire.

The glory of the three-school league and the allure of the redemption list were like two burning flames, driving them into this unprecedentedly fierce competition.

Just as Sagres finished speaking, the duel stone beneath his feet collapsed with a crash.

The surrounding environment began to change rapidly, with low walls, mud pits, rivers, and even two miniature volcanoes emerging, their scalding lava gradually boiling.

The students were stunned for a moment, and then, like drops of boiling oil being thrown into water, the entire floating arena instantly erupted into chaos.

"He collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious!"

It's unclear who couldn't contain themselves, but a streak of red light shot out from the side, its target the front row of the Ravenclaws.

Before the exclamations could fully rise, the red light was silently swallowed up by a silver barrier that appeared out of nowhere.

"Petrify them all!"

"Armor protects you!"

"Grinning widely!"

The light of the spell instantly intertwined into a dazzling net, and the white light protecting the arena also began to shine brightly.

The once clearly defined academic ranks were completely destroyed in the chaos.

Red, green, blue, and yellow lights clashed fiercely on the cold arena, with explosions, shrill screams of rebounding spells, muffled groans of those hit, and the sounds of people falling to the ground echoing throughout.

The floor was plowed with scorch marks by various incantations, and the air was filled with a faint scent of sulfur and ozone.

Harry almost instinctively ducked and rolled, a sinister purple beam grazing his scalp before striking a Hufflepuff student behind him and exploding in a shower of sparks.

He quickly got up, leaning against Ron, who was also awkwardly dodging.

"That's too much!" Ron exclaimed, panting heavily as he narrowly deflected a disarming spell, nearly dropping his wand.

"Don't fight head-on! Get cover!"

Hermione's voice sounded calmer than usual amidst the noise as she pulled Neville behind a thick vine hanging from the edge of the stands.

With a rapid wave of her wand, several pebbles scattered on the ground were lifted into the air by her silent spell, spinning rapidly around them to form a simple but effective physical barrier that blocked several tricky spells.

"You two, come over here!" she shouted at Harry and Ron amidst the chaos.

Neville seemed a little nervous, clutching a brand-new cherry wood wand tightly in his hand—he had finally taken the advice and found a true companion with Ollivander.

The twins Fred and George thrived in their new environment.

They stood back to back, their movements perfectly synchronized, their wands no longer uttering standard spells, but rather a variety of strange and surprisingly effective little curses and inventions: a sticky, purple, gooey substance pinned a Slytherin student who lunged at them to the ground; a screeching, enlarging rubber duck attracted the firepower of three or four spells; George even tossed a handful of black-glowing beans into the air, which instantly transformed into biting cockroaches crawling all over the ground, making a piercing noise, greatly disrupting the nearby students' concentration.

Percy stands in stark contrast to his brothers.

He stood relatively far back, his brows furrowed and his lips pressed into a serious line.

"Obstacles!" he chanted loudly, and a thick, transparent wall instantly blocked his way and several lower-grade Gryffindors who had gathered around, deflecting several incoming spells.

"Keep your formation! Watch your spellcasting gestures!" He even loudly corrected a student next to him on the angle of his wand during the battle, which drew an exaggerated sneer from Fred.

However, it cannot be denied that his precise protective spells did provide solid protection for his small circle of friends.

Cedric, as Hufflepuff's star student, also demonstrated convincing leadership and competence.

He did not deliberately seek out prey, but instead took the initiative to assume the role of protector.

He moved nimbly along the edge of the battlefield, immediately offering help to any student in trouble he saw, regardless of whether they were from his own college.

"Protect the Armor!" With a wave of his wand, a bright shield instantly covered a second-year Ravenclaw student who was being attacked by two Stunning Charms, narrowly blocking the attack.

His movements were fluid and powerful, and he used disarming and obstacle spells with ease, always able to defuse crises at crucial moments. Several students he helped spontaneously gathered around him, forming a small defensive circle.

Qiu Zhang's figure resembled an elegant yet vigilant bird.

She made full use of her agility as a seeker, nimbly dodging and weaving through the chaotic crowd, her long hair flying crisply in the wind.

Her attacks were not ferocious, but exceptionally precise and swift.

"Expelliarmus!" With a clear shout, the wand struck precisely, and a Slytherin girl who was about to ambush Cedric cried out in surprise as her wand flew out of her hand.

Without pausing, Cho Chang immediately sidestepped to dodge a streak of red light that brushed past her, and then used "Petrify All" to freeze a Gryffindor boy who was trying to approach her from behind in place.

In the chaos, the conflicts between different colleges were downplayed. Sometimes, in the blink of an eye, there was no time to tell which college the other party belonged to, and one could only choose a target based on intuition.

Simo Finigan was an extremely unstable and conspicuous factor in this chaotic conflict.

"Shatter to pieces!" he roared, pointing his wand at a piece of rubble that had fallen from the edge of the stands.

The spell's effect far exceeded expectations—the stone not only shattered into dust, but the shockwave also knocked over two unsuspecting students nearby.

He was even shaken so badly that he staggered backward, his face covered in black ash.

"Sorry! Sorry! I used too much force!" He coughed and apologized hastily, but his eyes gleamed with an almost fanatical excitement.

Then he deliberately unleashed his various explosive spells on crowded areas, which quickly drew retaliation. Several beams of spell light flew from different directions, and he was immediately enveloped in a white light and sent flying to the edge of the dueling arena.

Draco Malfoy, on the other hand, displayed Slytherin-like shrewdness and ruthlessness.

He didn't rush to the front, but cleverly used the chaotic crowd as cover, with Goyle standing beside him as a human shield.

His spells were precise and cunning, targeting students who showed weakness or were isolated in the melee.

"Expelliarmus!" A beam of red light struck Pansy Parkinson's wrist precisely, and her wand spun into the air.

Malfoy smirked, his sharp gaze sweeping across the room before pointing his wand at Crabbe.