HP: Azkaban's Outstanding Graduate

The fragments instantly transformed into a deadly torrent of metal, hurtling through the air at an appalling speed.

Krum roared, and the silver light of the Ironclad Charm instantly condensed in front of him. A barrage of impacts rang out like raindrops.

But Cedric pressed his advantage, sending cursed beams flying toward Krum one after another.

"He collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious!"

"Except your weapons!"

"Crushed to pieces!"

Under the influence of the hourglass, the three beams of light moved so fast that they were almost just afterimages! Krum had no way to dodge by rolling and could only desperately maintain his Ironclad Charm to withstand the attack.

Cedric's eyes sharpened, and he pointed his wand sharply to both sides:

"Attack from both sides!"

The clocks floating on either side of Krum seemed to be controlled by an invisible giant hand, suddenly accelerating and fiercely attacking from both sides.

Krum leaned back as far as he could, the heavy clock slamming against his body and scattering shards everywhere.

Just as he was about to use the fragments to launch a counterattack, Cedric's cold, cursed light struck again.

"Thunderous explosion!"

Krum's heart sank to the bottom.

A bright yellow spell light struck the falling fragments in front of him, followed by a loud bang.

Although he managed to draw upon his magic at the last moment to activate the Ironclad Spell, the immense force still sent him flying, crashing heavily to the ground.

“Cedric—!”

The Hogwarts students cheered, but the battle was not over yet.

when!!!

With another loud bang, the enormous hourglass flipped over once more.

The flow of time slowed down again, and Cedric's subsequent pursuit of the cursed light visibly slowed down.

Just as the heavily injured Krum was about to get a precious chance to catch his breath, Cedric suddenly made a decision that surprised everyone.

Apparition!

His figure vanished from the spot, and the next instant, he was at the spot where Krum had fallen, and he held out his wand.

The tip of the staff flashed red light.

"Thunderous explosion!"

But that's Krum's voice!

Cedric's expression changed drastically, but the attack was imminent and there was no way to avoid it.

Although the cursed light lost its aim due to his dangerous dodge, it still slammed into the ground between the two of them.

boom--!!!

An even more violent explosion erupted at close range, and the terrifying shockwave blasted the two men away.

But Krum was already lying on the ground, and the distance he was thrown was not far. He endured the pain and stood up, raising his hand towards the hourglass above his head to cast an explosive spell.

Whoosh—!

The massive glass dome shattered instantly, heavy sand poured down, and the chaotic time field within the entire workshop vanished in an instant.

Then, with immense willpower, Krum pointed his wand at Cedric, who had also been blasted away.

"He collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious!"

A precise stun spell struck Cedric instantly.

Cedric's wand slipped limply from his hand and fell with a clatter to the oil-stained floor.

He struggled to his feet, his body swaying as if all his bones had been removed, before he slumped forward again.

A soft white light appeared just in time, catching his falling body.

The stone tablet rose from the ground, and the surrounding environment returned to its original state.

Krum walked over to Cedric, slowly bent down, and silently picked up Cedric's dropped wand.

When Cedric slowly awoke under the protective magic, his eyes still somewhat dazed, Krum had already handed him his wand.

“You’re very resilient,” Krum said succinctly in his deep, hoarse voice. It was the longest sentence he had uttered all day.

Cedric took the wand, feeling the lingering coldness, and looked at his powerful opponent before him, forcing a weary smile: "You... are very strong, congratulations, Krum."

His voice was weak, but full of sincerity.

Krum nodded without saying anything more. He turned to face the roaring Durmstrang stands and raised his wand.

"Victor! Victor! Victor!"

Cheers erupted and soared into the sky.

Sunlight pierced through the clouds, falling on his silent and resolute face, as if crowning a victor.

Chapter 145 Farewell Dinner

After a brief rest, Cedric Diggory and Fleur Delacour returned to the ring to compete for second place.

The two exchanged blows, and after a fierce battle, they ended up simultaneously casting a disarming spell on each other—two dazzling red lights struck each other precisely, and their wands flew out of their hands.

This dramatic scene brought the competition to a close.

Professor McGonagall then declared it a draw, with Cedric and Fleur sharing the runner-up title in this tri-school joint duel.

……

……

The auditorium had never been so lively and warm.

The long table was moved away and replaced with a sumptuous buffet and round tables for people to chat freely.

The air was filled with the aroma of food, the sweetness of pumpkin juice, and the excited and reluctant chatter of hundreds of students.

Fleur Delacour was surrounded by a group of Hogwarts and Beauxbatons girls, her silvery laughter particularly melodious.

She was gracefully demonstrating how to conjure a shimmering ice rose with the tip of her wand.

"So beautiful!"

"Astoria Zan, a first-year student at Hogwarts, sighed sincerely as Fleur smiled and gently handed her the ice rose."

“Oh, ma’am, we can do that too!” George Weasley said with a grin as he approached.

With a wave of his wand, he conjured a sunflower with golden petals, swaying its head, and, even more absurdly, it was singing loudly in a comical tune.

"Hey, George! What are you doing showing off all by yourself here?" Fred's voice followed closely behind, as he put his arm around his brother's shoulder with his signature mischievous grin. "Singing alone is so boring, watch me!"

Fred's wand lightly touched the singing sunflower.

In an instant, the sunflower seemed to be infused with a soul, continuing its off-key song while frantically twisting its stems and petals, performing a clumsy and hilarious dance that made the girls around it burst into laughter.

“Oh, right,” George said, as if suddenly remembering something, turning to an older girl in Beauxbatons’ line, “Where is Professor Nikia from your school? We wanted to give her this ‘passionate’ sunflower as a parting gift!”

Fred nodded vigorously, his face full of sincerity.

The girl looked around with a grin: "I don't know, she was just here a moment ago. I saw her when the banquet just started... Maybe she went to talk to the principals?"

"Okay!" the twins said in unison, with a hint of regret, as they stuffed the sunflower, which was still twisting and singing wildly, into George's pocket.

……

At a round table not far away, Hermione Granger was whispering to Harry and Ron, "Have you heard? This competition has been officially renamed the 'School Union Duel Tournament,' and it will be held annually as a major event!"

"Really? Who told you that?" Ron asked, his mouth full of chicken legs, his eyes wide open.

“It’s just hearsay, but it’s reliable,” Hermione said, picking up a glass of pumpkin juice. “It’s supposedly the result of a recent discussion among the three headmasters.”

“Really?” Harry frowned, his eyes scanning the Great Hall. “But I haven’t seen Professor Dumbledore since the finals this afternoon. And… Professor Greengrass seems to have disappeared too? Could he be in some trouble?”

"Why do you say that?" Ron swallowed his food and asked, puzzled.

“Umbridge!” Hermione whispered, a hint of worry in her voice. “We all saw it. Professor Greengrass… well, he cut off her finger…”

“She deserves it!” Ron said indignantly, spearing a piece of grilled sausage. “I’ve never seen such a disgusting woman! She tried to ruin this match from the very beginning!”

“But…” Harry looked worried, “She is indeed from the Ministry of Magic, and she holds a high position, she is… what was it again?”

“The Senior Deputy Minister of Magical Law Enforcement, Fudge’s favorite,” Hermione quickly added, “Professor Greengrass treated her like that in public… the Ministry of Magic certainly won’t let this go. He’ll likely get into trouble because of it…”

"They should behave themselves if they know what's good for them!"

Ron scoffed, filled with blind faith in Sagrais. "Professor Greengrass is no pushover. Didn't you see? He's absolutely the most brilliant professor at Hogwarts..."

“I don’t deny his abilities, Ron,” Hermione explained patiently, “but the problem is, he has to face the entire bureaucracy of the Ministry of Magic, and Fudge, that…”

“Don’t worry, Hermione,” Ron said confidently. “Have you forgotten? Didn’t people complain about Professor Greengrass’s teaching methods being too radical, like casting spells on students, and in the end, nothing came of it? He has his methods! And…”

He lowered his voice, with a hint of gossip, "Professor and Professor Nikia are friends in private, right? I mean, besides her, he must have other influential... uh... connections."

Harry chimed in, "That's right, they're probably dealing with it right now. Look, even the professor isn't in the Great Hall tonight..."

He pointed to the teachers' section, where all the seats were empty.

"Oh ho ho! What did I just hear? The professors aren't here?"

A shrill voice suddenly came from under the table, and then Peeves' head, wearing a bell hat, popped out of the table in a strange way, with an excited wicked smile on his face.

The three young wizards were stunned.

"You... what do you want?" Ron was the first to react, swallowing hard, his voice a little tight. "I'm telling you, Peeves, you... you shouldn't be here! This is a dinner party!"

"It's not your place to tell Master Mischief where to go!"

Peeves leaped in front of Ron with a "whoosh," his nose almost touching his face. "Lord Peeves can do whatever he wants! Lord Peeves can go wherever he wants! Especially—when the professors aren't around! Wahahahahaha!"

Before he could finish speaking, under the horrified gazes of the three, Pippi suddenly pulled out a huge pile of things from the pocket of his fat pants that seemed to connect to another dimension—not a huge pile, but a mountain of prank props!

Itching powder, crackling dung balls, quill pens that automatically spray ink, super-sticky bubble gum bombs, fake cockroaches that bite fingers, and countless colorful fireworks that look like they're not to be messed with...