Seeing the tension creep onto everyone's faces, only Harry and Draco looked somewhat steadier, thanks to their experience in Quidditch matches.
Tver let out a quiet sigh.
The psychological resilience of Hogwarts students still needed work.
With no other choice, he flicked his wand. A layer of transparent golden film rose up, separating the arena from the stands and cutting off the deafening cheers.
Only then did everyone finally let out a long breath.
Seeing that, Tver didn't waste any time. After all, there were five matches scheduled for the day.
"This match will be a little different from the previous ones," he said. "As you can see, the field now has obstacles of various sizes. The protective enchantments on the ground have also been removed, so you're free to destroy or transfigure the terrain without restriction."
Harry almost blurted out that if the professor hadn't mentioned it, he still wouldn't have noticed anything different.
He quickly turned around to take a closer look.
At some point, aside from the massive stones at both ends, rocks of all shapes and sizes had been scattered irregularly across the field. The largest were as tall and bulky as Hagrid, while the smaller ones barely reached their waists.
Their shapes were just as uneven. Some were oval, and others looked suspiciously like stone benches.
"Ahem. I ran out of suitable stones, so I borrowed a few stone benches from Hagrid," Tver said, a little sheepish.
"But don't worry. They're no different from ordinary rocks. You're free to use Transfiguration on them, or even smash them apart. I won't be asking for compensation."
"Well, that should put Weasley at ease," Draco said, his instinctive sarcasm kicking in.
"I think you should be worrying about how you're going to cry in front of your dad later," Harry shot back without missing a beat.
"You—"
"Enough," Tver said, pressing a large hand down and stopping the two boys in their tracks.
"This is a competition. Winning with words isn't exactly something to be proud of."
"Listen carefully. Dark magic is still forbidden. That includes curses, hexes, and the like. If any team is caught using them, they'll be disqualified immediately."
He gave Malfoy's head an emphatic pat, earning an unhappy pout in return.
"All other rules remain the same. Victory will be decided when your opponent loses the ability to fight back."
"So don't be careless, and don't let arrogance get the better of you. Show me your very best in this match."
With that, Tver sent both teams to opposite sides, positioning them behind the large stones at each end.
The stones might have looked randomly placed, but in truth, both sides had an equal number and size. Only their arrangement was messy.
It was a simple way to simulate a chaotic battlefield and test their ability to adapt on the fly.
If the Forbidden Forest weren't such a hassle to modify, he would have held the match there instead.
As the referee, Tver moved to the edge of the field. Once everyone was fully focused and waiting for the start, he raised a sheet of black cloth.
But unlike before, there was no countdown.
"A real fight won't give you time to prepare," he said. "The moment the cloth drops, the battle begins."
Not just Hermione, even Draco froze for a split second.
He had deliberately practiced the travel time of his spells, planning to seize the exact moment for a first strike.
And now that advantage was gone.
Before he could think it through, the black cloth dropped with a sharp whoosh.
"Expelliarmus!" he shouted, firing off his fastest spell.
On the opposite side, Harry and the other two responded in perfect sync with their own Disarming Charms. The difference was that there were three of them.
Draco cast a faintly irritated glance at Goyle and Crabbe, who were busy maintaining their Shield Charms.
He didn't need to think about it. Once the others blocked his attack, they would launch a full counteroffensive.
Sure enough, as the four Disarming Charms fizzled out on either side of the field, the opposing team practically abandoned defense and focused all their fire on Goyle.
Draco's lips curled into a smug smile.
If this had been before, that tactic really would have beaten them.
But now, things were different.
"Vincent!"
At Draco's shout, Crabbe immediately understood what he meant.
"Lumos!"
A brilliant orb shot straight into the air. Before Harry and the others could react, it burst apart with a loud bang.
Blinding light poured out from its center. If not for the golden barrier, the spectators around the arena would have been blinded on the spot.
Harry and the other two weren't so lucky. Their eyes couldn't withstand the sudden glare, and they instinctively squeezed them shut, trying to ease the sharp pain and momentary blindness.
Harry's and Hermione's hearts jumped at the same time.
This was bad.
Malfoy would never miss an opening like this.
They both hurriedly cast Shield Charms in front of themselves, but in the next instant, they realized what Malfoy was actually aiming for.
"Ah!"
Ron let out a startled cry, which quickly turned into the dull thud of a body hitting the ground.
Draco looked at the fallen Weasley with clear satisfaction.
He had long known that Potter and Granger were highly alert. That Weasley, on the other hand, was different. This move was guaranteed to throw him into a panic.
This tactic hadn't actually been taught by Professor Fawley. The professor had never instructed him in specific battle strategies at all.
All Professor Fawley had ever said was that every wizard had things they were good at and things they weren't.
Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of oneself and one's teammates was the strongest tactic of all.
Yes, Goyle and Crabbe had plenty of flaws. They lacked a theoretical foundation, their understanding of magic was chaotic, their magic output unstable, and their spell pronunciation inaccurate.
But there was one advantage, the only one Draco had managed to uncover.
Sometimes, their spells were absurdly powerful.
They didn't understand how to control magical output? Fine. Then don't control it.
Pour all their magic out at once. Even if they couldn't follow up afterward, that was enough.
The Blinding Light Charm was the secret weapon they'd prepared for nearly a month. Crabbe didn't need to join the follow-up attack. All he had to do was pour everything into casting this single spell.
Watching the results, Draco continued to hammer away at Potter's and Granger's Shield Charms.
By now, Harry and Hermione had recovered somewhat and managed to force their eyes open.
"Ron!" Hermione shouted when she saw Ron lying motionless on the ground.
"Don't worry about him!"
Spells came flying toward them, and Harry quickly grabbed Hermione and pulled her behind a rock.
They crouched against it, using the thick stone as cover from the incoming magic.
Crack. Crack.
The stone above them shattered under the impact of spells, making Hermione flinch.
"What do we do? We're down one person. Even if Goyle and Crabbe are idiots, they still have the advantage now!"
Hermione quickly poked her head out, but another spell flew overhead, making her immediately duck back down.
"Wait. Crabbe's casting has become much more chaotic!"
"What do you mean?" Harry asked urgently.
The spells flying in his direction were clearly stronger. He didn't need to look to know Malfoy was focusing on him.
Of course, he didn't dare look.
"That means it's still effectively two against two," Hermione said firmly.
From that single spell earlier, she had already keenly sensed just how poor Crabbe's current condition was.
...
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