At the critical moment, Harry Potter stood up. He aimed his wand at the water dragon and roared, "Protego Maxima!"
A phantom shield manifested before him. The water dragon slammed into the magical barrier, pushing Harry backward considerably. Just as he was about to collapse, someone pressed firmly against his back. Harry turned his head with difficulty to see Cedric, his face pale but smiling determinedly.
"Hold on, Harry! You're our final contingency!" Cedric shouted.
Harry gritted his teeth and nodded. Penelope and the others positioned themselves behind Harry, lending their strength. Using the magic Harry had recovered, they actually managed to restrain the raging water dragon.
Sunny Finch observed from the opposing side, a bitter smile touching her lips. She watched as scattered sparks landed on the vines, instantly bursting into flames. She shook her head. They had lost. They lost because of overconfidence and insufficient resolve.
Sunny Finch raised her arm. "Erwin, we... concede defeat!"
As her declaration fell, Erwin's figure materialized in the corridor. The magical energy surrounding him exploded instantly. The Fiendfyre, which could only be extinguished by the Killing Curse, was instantly neutralized by Erwin's sheer power. The water dragon shattered into harmless mist.
Smiles broke out among the Hogwarts students. Harry's head lolled to the side as he fainted from absolute exhaustion. The Kunlun team collapsed to the floor as well.
Sunny Finch leaned against the wall, looking at Charlotte. "You're incredibly bold! You actually relied on Harry Potter, someone so inexperienced, to be your final contingency? If he hadn't held firm, that water dragon would have kept you all bedridden for weeks!"
Leaning against the opposite wall, Charlotte laughed. "He's a Hogwarts student; of course I believed in him! Besides, we didn't need to hold the dragon indefinitely, just longer than you could sustain the attack. Then the adults would intervene."
Sunny Finch smiled wryly. "You're ruthless. If you had miscalculated even one variable, you would all be seriously injured!"
"Which is precisely why I didn't miscalculate," Charlotte replied confidently. "In fact, I was quite fortunate, wasn't I?"
Sunny Finch nodded. "Alright, we lost this stage. But this is only the beginning, Charlotte. See you in the second round."
"We'll continue winning," Charlotte promised.
Sunny Finch smiled but didn't reply. She looked at Erwin. "Erwin, please have someone transport them back to rest. I need to return too; I genuinely don't have the strength remaining to assist them!"
Erwin nodded. "Proceed."
Sunny Finch casually gathered the fragments from her teammates and tossed them to Charlotte, who caught them effortlessly. With that, she turned and departed. The Cavendish operatives appeared at the perfect moment, efficiently transporting the injured from both Hogwarts and Kunlun.
Charlotte approached Erwin. "Sir, we won."
Erwin smiled. "The Hogwarts team is the first to obtain thirty fragments. The victor of the first round of this tournament is Hogwarts!"
Erwin's voice echoed throughout the wizarding world. Some cheered; others mourned.
In the Hospital Wing, the Durmstrang wizards lay on their beds, faces filled with displeasure. Their injuries had healed, but they dared not leave, fearing retaliation. If they had known Hogwarts would fight so ferociously, they would have attempted to join the fray—perhaps they could have claimed some advantage. Of course, they were simply deluding themselves. While their injuries had healed, their combat readiness hadn't fully returned. If they ventured out, Beauxbatons would certainly intervene. Fleur had already stationed guards to monitor the infirmary entrance; if they emerged, Beauxbatons would stop them.
In the Great Hall, the young Hogwarts wizards cheered joyfully. On the platform, the professors wore broad smiles. Although Kunlun lost, the elders were satisfied with their disciples' performance. The loss was attributable to Sunny Finch lacking Charlotte's extensive practical combat experience. At least it was a respectable showing.
Erwin looked at Charlotte. "Go back and rest. Have your teammates help you assemble this map; it will provide unexpected assistance."
Charlotte nodded, bowed to Erwin, and turned to leave.
The young wizards in the Great Hall discussed the match enthusiastically until the Hogwarts bell rang. They suddenly realized they still had classes to attend. It was outrageous; the battle had raged for hours but concluded just before the bell. Apart from the contestants, everyone else had to attend classes as usual!
After morning classes concluded, the young wizards returned to their dormitories without prior coordination. They initiated their afternoon rest, having awakened far too early to remain alert otherwise. Unusually, Hogwarts was completely silent at midday. The injured rested, the other students slept, and even the professors caught up on their sleep.
By dinner time, the contestants arrived at the Great Hall. Seeing the teams from the four schools appear, the young wizards applauded generously. In this first event, the four schools had provided abundant excitement and memorable moments, and the young wizards had thoroughly enjoyed observing.
The atmosphere was wonderful. Although the four schools were competitors, as peers, they naturally interacted after the competition concluded. Sunny Finch proceeded directly to the Slytherin table, occupying the seat to Erwin's left, occasionally exchanging words with Charlotte.
As dinner neared its conclusion, Dumbledore stood up. He tapped his wine glass with a spoon. "Children, the first project has been successfully completed. Let us thank the forty champions from the four schools for their spectacular battles!"
Everyone applauded again. All participants stood up and bowed respectfully. Dumbledore gestured for them to cease, and the applause subsided.
"Now," Dumbledore said, "let us welcome Mr. Erwin to explain tomorrow's schedule."
Erwin stepped forward. "I will announce the specific events of the competition tomorrow! Tomorrow is Friday, and Hogwarts will be closed for the day. This competition is relatively straightforward and will span three days. Tomorrow morning at seven o'clock, all participants should assemble outside the Forbidden Forest!"