A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts
Chapter 486: Triumph in the Maze Castle

Harry raised his wand at the pained expression of the leopard on the ground—her acute hearing had been causing her distress. Hesitating whether to act, he kept reminding himself it was a competition; if they obtained the trophy, they'd win. But another voice whispered that taking advantage was wrong, especially after Nona had given him an amulet earlier...

At that moment, Nona regained consciousness. She shot a deep look at Harry, grabbed the trophy, and bolted.

Desperate to stop her, Harry yelled, "Disarm!" His spell missed. Frustrated, he berated himself for his thoughts. This was a competition, and he had just missed a golden opportunity. Determined, he pursued, casting spells, but Nona skillfully dodged, jumping back and forth.

A stunning spell hit her, and Harry felt a surge of joy. However, the leopard's body exploded into a bright light, unaffected, disappearing into the bushes.

"Where is she?" Ron and Hermione caught up, panting.

"She got away!" Harry sat, pounding the ground. "I shouldn't have held back."

Ron glanced around, perplexed. A lone cloak-wearing squirrel poked its head out of the bushes. Hermione thought for a moment, then decisively said, "There's still a chance. Let's head that way." She gestured in the opposite direction.

Harry looked at her expectantly. "What's the plan?"

"She must take the trophy to the next level and meet her teammates. But her escape direction is opposite to the entrance of the fifth level. Maybe we can intercept her!" Hermione explained.

Harry wished he could hug Hermione.

"What are we waiting for?"

They dashed back. "Left—right—no, right!" Hermione kept pointing the right way. "Almost there."

A figure darted out diagonally.

Harry's eyes widened. It was Nona Leberth! But then he realized they were too far, unable to catch up.

A sharp birdcall rang out, and something, engulfed in flames, shot past him, covering hundreds of feet in the blink of an eye. Harry recognized it—it was Hermione's ancient magic!

The firebird, with its long feathers, blocked the leopard's path before the entrance. Cautiously, she eyed the firebird. As it showered flames, blocking her way, Nona Leberth reverted to human form reluctantly.

No one made a move.

Nona stood, tossing the trophy far away, looking eager.

"You can't take us three down," Harry stated calmly.

Nona chuckled, raising her hands. "That's not necessarily true," she huskily replied. Her hands intertwined suddenly.

"Armor protection!" Harry instantly cast the spell, sparks flying around the magical barrier.

"Be cautious of her gestures for casting spells!" a belated warning came.

Clattering steps! Someone dashed from the fifth level—it was Krum. He spotted Nona and the trophy on the ground, wand raised, shouting, "Trophy, fly!" Harry cancelled the armor spell, shooting a red beam from his wand to send the trophy flying far away.

"What—" Krum shouted, disbelief evident, then turned to Harry's trio, gasping, quickly moving towards Nona.

"Are you cooperating?" Nona looked at Krum.

Krum, with a grim face, glanced at Hermione but remained silent.

After a standoff, a third person rushed in—Cedric. The sight stunned him too. All eyes focused on him. Harry was initially relieved but realized this wasn't the Room of Requirement; they were opponents now.

Cedric hesitated, taking a step toward Harry.

"Fair competition?" Krum grumbled.

Cedric paused, torn. He wanted to secure the trophy for his team, but helping Harry's team might be the better way. After a long moment, he walked toward Harry.

"Well said, fair competition." Harry suddenly spoke up. "Three on three, fair enough, isn't it?"

Cedric looked at Harry, astonished.

"I want to win fairly," Harry said shortly.

"Exactly, we don't want people gossiping behind our backs," Ron added, standing with Harry.

Hermione waved her wand, and the firebird settled in front of her, its long beak and golden eyes fixed on them. "Three on three, no escape, the winner decides the trophy's fate. Agreed?"

Everyone assented.

Outside the Maze Castle, the audience held their breath. The entire screen switched to the seventh level, constantly shifting among the perspectives of six individuals, enveloped in solemnity.

"Absolutely thrilling! Not only did the champions offer us an exceptional match, but they also displayed remarkable moral standards," Ludo Bagman exclaimed enthusiastically. "It's my honor to preside over this contest."

"Allow me to introduce the combatants: Potter, Weasley, and Granger form a team with exceptional teamwork. Despite being from three different teams, let's not forget, they are the leaders of their respective teams!"

One second, two seconds, three seconds—

All six figures on the screen moved simultaneously, and spells flew!

The battle went on for a while—

Harry dodged a spell, retaliated swiftly, hitting a statue. Krum was startled and retreated into the statue. But another spell came from a diagonal direction. "Armor protection!" Harry shouted loudly, and a magical shield rippled around him.

It held, and Harry's heart raced. "Hermione, can't your firebird do something?" he panted.

"Oh, no, this magic's too powerful. According to the rules, it can't be used to harm people—" Hermione grimaced.

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

"That makes sense."

"Wait, I have an idea." Ron's body shook violently. "It's worth a shot."

"How are you going to do it?" Hermione asked.

"Disarming Charm."

"No, it's too risky—"

"Let me." Harry realized Ron's idea was brilliant; he wondered why he hadn't thought of it. Harry leaned out and cast the Disarming Charm, hitting the statue, causing a burst of red light.

"No," Ron declined, holding the Ironclad Curse, glancing at the opposite side, then quickly retreating. "Listen, you're our backup. If even you fail, Hermione and I won't stand a chance against the three of them."

Harry hesitated.

"Don't hesitate. Who knows if someone else will show up in the next second? The issue now is choosing a target—"

"Krum." Harry agreed.

"Nona Leberth," Hermione said.

They exchanged glances. Ron said, "Let's go for Nona; she seems farther away from the other two."

The circling firebird turned into golden flames, instantly enveloping a statue, burning the stone and air. The warriors behind stumbled back.

"To your left!" Hermione shouted.

"I see it." Ron concentrated, keeping his eyes fixed on Nona Leberth's left side. If she attacked from there, he could flip into the bushes... His body suddenly disappeared, reappearing slightly disoriented, but disregarding that, he raised his wand in an awkward position.

"Stupefy!" Ron shouted loudly.

Time seemed to freeze. Nona quickly turned, looking incredulously at her chest, slowly falling to the ground, a stunned

expression on her face. Ron clumsily lunged into the bushes—success! He grinned widely, laughing silently, darting deeper into the bushes.

The rustling sound snapped him out of his jubilation. Lifting his head, two cloak-wearing squirrels stared at him, silently turning away, raising their tails...

Meanwhile, Krum and Cedric felt bewildered. They knew that using the Disillusionment Charm in combat was impossible. Only two people could break that limitation currently: Harry and Professor Felix Harp.

In the brief delay, Ron slipped into the bushes. Krum raised his wand, but the next moment, a burst of golden flames exploded three feet in front of him. He hurriedly dodged, the flames condensing into a firebird, gently flapping its wings without further attacks. Hermione... Krum felt a mix of emotions. Soon after, he felt a tingling sensation, and slowly fell.

Harry, panting, appeared behind him. He had used the Disillusionment Charm; the opportunity was rare... The next moment, he disappeared again, now behind Cedric. Cedric swiftly turned, their wands facing each other—

"You've won," Cedric said, dropping his wand, sitting on the ground, panting heavily.

>

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