HP: Azkaban's Outstanding Graduate

After the news was announced, the atmosphere in the castle corridor changed abruptly.

The selected individuals became the focus of attention, attracting admiring glances and hushed whispers from their classmates wherever they went.

A large crowd had gathered in front of the bulletin board in the center of the auditorium, repeatedly checking the exciting name. The air was filled with excitement and anticipation, along with a hint of tension from fighting for honor.

"Percy, congratulations!" In the Gryffindor common room, Fred and George put their arms around each other's shoulders, their voices full of mischievous laughter. "Now you're really an 'important person'!"

Percy straightened his back, adjusted his glasses, and tried to maintain the solemnity of a prefect, but the uncontrollable upturn of his lips betrayed his excitement: "This is a responsibility, Fred, George. I represent Hogwarts, and I must give it my all."

"Listen to that, what an exciting speech!" Fred joked.

“Yeah, no wonder you’re a Gryffindor prefect.” George winked too. “Seriously, how about we sponsor you some ‘off-field props’?”

"The results are absolutely outstanding, but the safety may be questionable?" Fred added with a hint of malice.

"You two, that's enough!" Percy said sternly, his face darkening. "I'm representing Hogwarts in the tournament, how could I do something like that!"

"Oh, don't be angry." George's smile remained unchanged. "We've only provided a solution; whether you adopt it is up to you."

“That’s right!” Fred replied. “And it took us a lot of effort to make this; it’s currently a limited edition.”

……

Not far away, Ron and Hermione were comforting Harry, who was feeling down.

"Don't be discouraged. We're only in our second year now. When we get to our fifth year, you'll definitely be able to represent Hogwarts."

“Your Disarming Charm is very powerful, Harry…” Ron said confidently, “I dare say, even many upperclassmen are not as good as you.”

“Don’t try to comfort me,” Harry said. “I understand that we are still far behind the upperclassmen. If I were to go up there, it would only bring failure to Hogwarts.”

"It would be wonderful if you could figure it out." Hermione closed the book. "Besides, Professor McGonagall said that Hogwarts will hold a similar dueling tournament every year from now on. If you can thoroughly understand this book this year, I guarantee you'll be one of the participants next year!"

“But Hermione, the knowledge in this book is too difficult, and it’s a bit impossible to catch up with the older students in just one year, isn’t it?” Harry asked hesitantly.

“Why not?” Hermione looked at the two of them seriously. “Don’t forget, Cedric from Hufflepuff is only in fourth year.”

"You don't like that Diggory too, do you?" Ron frowned. "Quite a few people like him."

“What nonsense are you talking about!” Hermione glared at him. “What I mean is, in just one more year, we’ll have a chance to catch up with him in every way.”

"We'll only be in third grade in another year..."

“But we have a spell!” Hermione said forcefully. “Have you forgotten what Professor Greengrass taught us? ‘Wakefulness’ and ‘Sleeplessness’! If we make good use of every minute, we will definitely stand out next year and represent Gryffindor!”

“This…” Ron hesitated.

“It seems…not impossible?” Harry’s eyes lit up.

"But isn't that pushing yourself too hard?"

“Whether you learn it or not is up to you,” Hermione said, crossing her arms. “But I have to warn you, if I’m on stage next year, you’ll only be able to cheer for me from the sidelines!”

The two little wizards' eyes immediately lit up.

“You’re right, Hermione! Of course we should learn!” Ron immediately declared, his tone even a little exaggerated. “Not for anything else, but just to do our part for Hogwarts!”

Harry immediately nodded in agreement.

Chapter 137 24 into 12

The next day, the flags of the three schools fluttered in the dueling arena, and the principals sat on the referee's bench with different expressions.

Mrs. Maxim sat gracefully, her eyes surveying the entire room; Karkaroff, on the other hand, seemed somewhat agitated, his fingers nervously tapping the armrest, his gaze occasionally drifting towards the silent and tall figure among the Durmstrang students—Victor Krum.

After everyone had entered, Dumbledore stood up, his gentle voice echoing throughout the dueling arena, “The rules are simple: each of the three schools will send eight people to duel one-on-one. The winners will advance until the final champion is decided.”

He added with a smile, "Remember, the purpose of the competition is simply to showcase your skills and sportsmanship, so the use of any unforgivable curses is strictly prohibited! Always keep in mind that you represent your school."

As soon as he finished speaking, two names appeared on the stone tablet, and the young wizards of Gryffindor burst into cheers.

Percy Weasley took a deep breath, unconsciously smoothed out his prefectural badge, and stepped onto the dueling platform with slightly stiff steps.

His opponent was a tall, aloof sixth-grade girl from Beauxbatons.

“Random scenarios?” Percy confirmed.

"Okay!" the girl nodded.

The stone tablet flashed the words "Fountain Square" before sinking into the ground with a loud thud.

The scene transformed instantly, with several giant fountains rising from the ground, spraying water jets and filling the air with mist.

The girl from Beauxbatons smiled slightly, her wand tracing an arc, and a loose stone slab at her feet suddenly sprang out.

Percy reacted quickly, immediately adopting a textbook defensive stance: "Protect Your Body!"

An invisible barrier instantly formed.

The stone slab slammed into the Ironclad Curse, causing the barrier to shake violently, and Percy was knocked back by the impact.

"Disarm you!" Percy immediately retaliated, a red light shooting through the air.

The girl deftly dodged to the side, simultaneously whispering, "Immediately restrain her!"

Several ropes suddenly appeared and wrapped around Percy's arms in the blink of an eye.

"Loosen up and let your strength wane!" Percy shouted urgently.

The tightening rope immediately loosened its grip on his wrist, causing him to fall from mid-air and dissipate.

Then he quickly rallied and launched another attack: "He collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious!"

However, the girl from Beauxbatons was faster; she waved her wand almost silently at the same time Percy was casting the spell.

The ground beneath Percy's feet suddenly turned into a mud pit, and he cried out as his legs sank in.

In a moment of crisis, he suddenly rolled to the side, managing to escape the mud in a disheveled state, his robes covered in mud.

"Oh, Percy!" Fred and George wailed dramatically from the stands.

"Silence spell! A very skilled silence spell, how amazing!" Hermione whispered anxiously.

"Obstacles everywhere!" The girl continued to exert her strength, and an obstacle spell struck the ground that Percy had rolled over, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Although Percy dodged the opponent's attack twice with a roll, he inevitably fell into an endless passive defense and was in a sorry state for a while.

The stands at Beauxbatons erupted in cheers, applauding the girl's sharp and skillful attack. Even the Hogwarts students were amazed by her effortless use of silent spells.

The students' cheers gradually influenced the battle, and as raindrops fell, Percy's figure appeared even more distressed in the rain.

Under the relentless attacks, he could only dodge repeatedly, his wizard robes covered in mud, and his prefect badge long gone.

If it weren't for the "Yeti training" that the Red Falcon had given them beforehand, he would probably have been defeated by now.

After dodging the flying stone slabs once again, Percy suddenly remembered Sagres's teachings during the dueling class: constantly dodging will only lead to an awkward situation where you are on the defensive and vulnerable to being hit!

Without even looking, he raised his hand and delivered a "Total Petrification" strike.

The cursed light brushed past the girl's hair, startling her so much that her pupils contracted!

Percy immediately seized the opportunity and unleashed a "Bumper Ball" attack towards the fountain.

The massive flow of water was compressed and changed direction by the spell, instantly spraying towards the girl like a high-pressure water gun. Percy then cast several more spells at the water curtain, and after still not seeing the effect, he immediately rolled away from the spot after casting the spell.

Just then, the fountain stopped abruptly, and the stone monument in the center of the venue rose up with a roar.

As if to answer everyone's questions, the stone tablet projected a huge magical image: the image clearly showed how Percy used the Obstruction Charm to change the direction of the water flow, how he used the water curtain to block the opponent's vision, and the two spells he fired in succession—one of which, the Petrification Charm, passed through the water curtain and accurately hit the girl. The image finally froze at the moment Percy rolled and dodged.

"Percy Weasley wins!"

The young wizards of Hogwarts erupted in deafening cheers, while a restrained round of applause came from the direction of Beauxbatons.

Percy's eyes were filled with excitement, but he forced himself to control his expression, which looked slightly strange.

The girl opposite him gave him a slight bow and then left the ring, while Percy found his prefect badge on the ground, waved to the stands, and then quickly left the ring.

Fred and George patted him dramatically on the back and loudly "congratulated" him as they greeted him, and even the usually serious Professor McGonagall showed a slight smile.

The following duels were equally exciting.

A seventh-year Ravenclaw student used a masterful Transfiguration spell to transform his opponent's wand into a slippery eel.

Cedric Diggory of Hufflepuff displayed amazing combat skills and a cool head, using a perfect combination of Obstruction Charms and Disarming Charms to cleanly defeat a Durmstrang sixth-grade boy, earning the loudest cheers from the crowd.

Even Mrs. Maxim nodded slightly after watching the game, then turned to Professor McGonagall and whispered, "A very promising young man, quick-witted and charming."

Durmstrang's students generally have a tough style, use powerful spells, and bear a strong mark of practical combat.

The appearance of Victor Krum brought the atmosphere to a climax.

His opponent was Terence Higgins, Slytherin's former Seeker.

This is a battle between seekers.

Higgins tried to wear down his opponent with hit-and-run tactics, but Krum was agile and efficient. He easily blocked Higgins's spell light with an Ironclad Charm, and then a silent Full Body Binding Charm made Higgins fall straight down like a log.

The entire battle lasted only a few seconds, and Krum didn't even move a step. After the battle, the Durmstrang camp erupted in thunderous roars and synchronized stomping.

The first round of the competition quickly came to an end, with twelve players advancing – Hogwarts had only three, Beauxbatons had four, and Durmstrang had five.

This result is not surprising.

Over the years, Hogwarts' Defense Against the Dark Arts professors have changed frequently, resulting in inconsistent teaching quality and students learning almost no practical combat skills.

The fact that three students have advanced is largely thanks to Sagles's deliberate nurturing over the past two years.

In contrast, Durmstrang performed much better.

Although their professors may not be as skilled as those at Hogwarts, their long-standing tradition of practical combat is deeply ingrained—even ordinary students can demonstrate remarkable strength in the dueling arena.

It can only be said that this magic school, famous for its duels, does have some skill.

As the sun set, the first day of the competition officially came to an end.

Chapter 138 12 into 6

As night fell, the Great Hall of Hogwarts was brightly lit, but the atmosphere was more somber than usual.

The food on the long table was still plentiful, but the Hogwarts students kept their conversations low, and every now and then someone would cast a complicated look in Durmstrang and Beauxbatons' direction.