章 202: 0201 The Final Winner (Part-2)

Harry climbed out of the oak boat that had fallen into the muddy pit with a thud. A water arrow had grazed his eye corner, leaving a painful swollen bump that made him almost unable to see anything with that eye. As he glared at the four Slytherins who also stood up panting, his eyes seemed to spit fire. His anger almost burst his stomach when he saw their smug looks.

"You don't have to look at us like that, Potter," Blaise said, wiping the water droplets splashed on his face. He smiled smugly, showing his white teeth.

"Isn't the meaning of the game to win by any means?" He shrugged, as if he had done nothing wrong.

"Ha!" Harry sneered. "That's true for Slytherin, just like your Quidditch team, cowardly wimps, who try every way to avoid playing against Gryffindor for a little trivial advantage!" He clenched his fists, feeling the anger rising in his chest.

"You can rant here as much as you want, Potter!"

Millicent, who was much stronger than Harry, looked down at Harry with contempt, and said indifferently. She had short brown hair and a broad nose, and she towered over Harry like a giant.

"Anyway, you have lost this contest, and when this school year ends, you will see Slytherin lift the Quidditch Cup for the seventh consecutive time. Potter, I look forward to seeing what your face will look like then." She snorted, as if she had already seen the future.

Harry wanted to retort immediately, but Neville's words made the people stranded in the track stunned.

"We didn't lose."

Neville's round face showed determination. Harry was stunned, because he seemed to see Neville facing the arrogant eyes of the Slytherin purebloods without flinching for the first time. Neville had always been timid and clumsy, but now he looked brave and confident.

"We didn't lose, Harry," Neville repeated, his hair that was wet by the water clumped on his forehead. He looked very funny, but now no one could ignore the firmness in his eyes. He had a small scar on his cheek, a souvenir from the last time he had faced the silverback-fish.

"Are you crazy, Longbottom?" Daphne curled her lip. "Or did you suffer too much shock and lose your mind? Can't you see the current situation? We are all stuck in the mud vortex and can't get out, but Slytherin still has Draco and Pansy. You-"

She pointed at the two figures who were still racing towards the finish line, unaware of the chaos behind them.

Neville didn't wait for Daphne's cold words to finish. He turned around and pounced on the half-sphere at the stern of the boat. It was a magical device that controlled the speed and direction of the boat. After a low roar, he slapped the half-sphere with all his strength.

The boat shook violently as if it wanted to rush forward, but then it stopped again under the astonished eyes of the Slytherin students, and remained motionless. They thought Neville had failed, and they laughed at his futile attempt.

"If you want to amuse us," Daphne said with a sneer, patting her chest and pretending to be frightened. "You succeeded, Longbottom, we were scared by you!" She rolled her eyes, and the other Slytherins joined her in mocking Neville.

In the cheerful laughter of the remaining three Slytherins, Daphne glared at the 'foolish' Neville. Her tone was full of disgust.

"Look at your stupid appearance, Longbottom, you are a disgrace to your bloodline. I know something interesting. I heard that your stupid parents–"

"Don't you dare insult my dad and mom!"

Just as the Slytherins began to mock Neville, Harry's hand holding the wand naturally lifted up. He had been hesitating whether to disobey the rules set by Professor Watson's, but when Daphne mentioned Neville's parents, his wand had already raised over his head. The flame burning in his eyes had extinguished the worry about the punishment he would receive. Anyway, he was ready to teach these stinky-snakes a lesson.

But Neville roared. The piercing scream and the suddenly moving boat cabin made Harry forget to punish the rude Slytherins. He looked at the stern in astonishment. Neville's wet head was steaming with white smoke, his forehead veins bulging. He let out a lion-like roar, the sharpness in his eyes for a moment even made Harry think he had mistaken the person.

It moved, the boat really moved!

Neville had broken free from the magic fixation of the Ramora fish lurking in the mud pit with his explosive magic!

Bang! After the heavy impact, there were several splashes of water that caught them off guard. Looking at Harry and Neville who were galloping away, the Slytherins who stood up from the water in embarrassment were stunned, speechless for a long time. They had underestimated Neville, and they had paid the price.

"Yay-!" "Awesome!!!"

The cheers of the Gryffindor wizards burst out like fireworks and shook the roof with their thunder. They waved their scarlet and gold flags, and hugged each other in excitement. Especially when they saw the pale faces of the Slytherins next to them, the joy in their hearts was about to burst out. They had witnessed a miracle, and they couldn't believe their eyes.

"But how did they do it!" one of them exclaimed, pointing at Harry and Neville speeding away from the mud pit. They had been stuck there for a long time, and it seemed that they had no hope of catching up with Draco.

Some of the Gryffindor wizards had tried something similar when they fell into the mud pit, but let alone breaking free from the bondage, they couldn't even shake a few times. The mud was thick and sticky, and the Ramora fish was too powerful.

"This is called 'Exploding Seed–" Bryan leaned back on the chair again, and answered the question with a smile.

Harry was also confused by Neville's shocking performance. He didn't know how Neville did it, but now it was obviously not the time to worry about this. Since Gryffindor had another chance to win the game, Harry's eyes sparkled and made up his mind. He had to seize the opportunity no matter what! He gripped the rudder and steered the boat towards the track.

When Harry and Neville finally got rid of Blaise and his gang, and rushed to the halfway point of the race, Draco and Pansy were about to reach the fork of the 'Y' shaped track, which meant that as long as they made one correct choice, they could easily win the race.

"What's wrong with Longbottom?" Draco muttered, his eyes narrowing.

Only by winning could he better humiliate Potter, Draco understood this simple truth. He and Pansy had been rushing all the way, trying to strangle Gryffindor as soon as possible, but they couldn't ignore the big movement in the first half of the track.

When Millicent and Daphne hijacked Potter's boat and rushed into the mud pit, Malfoy and Parkinson, who were relying on the oak boat's inertia to drive, were trying to recover some physical strength. Seeing this scene, the two relaxed their minds, thinking that the situation was settled, but then what happened made them feel the urgency again.

Even if they were still half a mile away, Draco could feel that the boat that made the waves roll and came rushing was carrying an unstoppable determination. He could sense Potter's anger and defiance, and he knew that he wouldn't give up easily. He felt a cold sweat on his forehead, and he cursed under his breath.

"Speed up, Pansy!" Draco shouted at Pansy, urging her to use up the little magic they had left. He pushed the half-sphere to the maximum, and he felt the boat accelerate. He hoped that it would be enough to outrun Potter and his sidekick.

"But Draco–" Pansy Parkinson's sharp and mean face was gentle enough to be called 'My-Lady' when facing Draco. She shook off the bangs that were wet by the sweat and covered her eyes. Her two hands were slightly twitching, but she bit her lip to stifle a cry of pain. She had used a lot of magic, and she was feeling exhausted. She turned her head and looked at the fork.

"Which way should we go?" She asked, hoping that Draco would make the right decision.

The two forks were covered by a faint mist. There were about five or six flickering orange lights in the mist on the left, and only one on the right.

This was obviously unreasonable. Clear-minded people should immediately recognize that there was something wrong. The left fork had too many lights, and the right fork had too few.

But when his eyes fell on the orange light in the mist on the right, which was a bit brighter, Draco's breath stopped for a moment. He felt a strange attraction to the light, as if it was calling him.

The world turned into a blur of light and shadow in his eyes. Draco felt his head dizzy. He realized something was wrong. He instinctively wanted to turn the rudder to the left, but it seemed that there was a mysterious force controlling his body and replacing his choice. He tried to resist, but it was too late. After making a silent whimper, Draco's face was dull. His eyes were glazed, and his mouth was slack. His body shook violently, and he hit the rudder to the right. And then, he rushed into the cloud wall without a sound.

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章 203: 0202 The Final Winner (Part-3)

Malfoy and Parkinson rushed into the right track, probably hoping to find the shortest way to the finish line.

But seeing this scene, Harry felt a doubt gnawing at his heart. He glanced at Neville, who was soaked with sweat on his back but still persisted. He couldn't help but pity him.

"Neville, Bulstrode and Greengrass have been left behind. Let me take over, My magic has almost recovered!"

Harry offered, feeling his magic returning to his body.

"No, I can still hold on. We're almost there." Neville wiped his dripping face, gasping for breath, and refused Harry's request.

Finally, with Neville's desperate efforts, twenty seconds after Malfoy's boat disappeared from everyone's sight, Gryffindor's boat was finally about to reach the intersection of the 'Y' shaped track. Across a few dozen feet, Harry could vaguely see the difference between the two sides. The right track was shrouded in thick fog, while the left track flickered with several orange lights.

As the current top two rivals of each other in Hogwarts, since Malfoy chose the right side, Harry would not hesitate to steer the boat to the left. He was not going to follow Malfoy's lead.

This choice was not purely out of spite. Harry had a logical reason for it.

Harry thought, if the right track led to the finish line, then Malfoy, who made the right choice first, would undoubtedly win. Even if they followed behind and finished the whole course, they would still not escape being mocked by Malfoy and cleaning the owl shed as a punishment. So, it was better to bet that Malfoy chose the wrong side, and the left track was the one that led to the finish line. Maybe the orange lights were a sign of victory.

Harry thought so. He clenched his teeth, his eyes fixed on the left track that seemed more inviting than the foggy one. And just as he was about to take action, the right track that was hidden behind the fog made a loud noise.

BOOM! --------CRASH! --------SPLASH!

A loud crisp sound made Harry's hand shake violently. The oak boat swayed, and Neville, who was startled by the strange noise, also shuddered. He unconsciously withdrew his palm, and stood up wobbly. He almost lost his balance and fell into the water.

Neville blinked, hesitated for a moment. He glanced at the boat behind his feet, which was still intact, then looked into Harry's eyes. The two people's eyes crossed in mid-air, and they both understood that they had the same guess as each other. Something had happened to Malfoy's boat.

"What's going on, Harry?" Neville asked nervously. "That sound just now, was it like the boat being smashed?"

"Help!!!" "Ah, monster!!!"

Harry didn't have time to speak, because what he was about to say was interrupted by two screams that almost sounded at the same time, full of panic and fear. They came from the right track, where Malfoy and Parkinson had gone. Then, under the frightened eyes of Harry and Neville, the fog wall on the right track rolled up, revealing a horrifying sight. And then, two vague figures desperately slapped the waves towards them, trying to escape from something. Needless to say, it was Malfoy and Parkinson.

In a short moment, Harry and Neville, who looked at each other, thought of the terrifying scene that appeared in the practical class of Defense Against the Dark Arts last year. Uncontrollably, Harry subconsciously took out his wand, and had already recited the incantation of the flame (Incendio) spell in his mind.

"Save me, Potter!"

Malfoy, who was soaked in water, saw the first figure in his eyes as he rushed out of the fog. It was Harry, his nemesis. But when his life was threatened, he threw all the trivial conflicts to the back of his head, and shouted for help. But as soon as he opened his mouth, he gulped a mouthful of murky water. He coughed and spluttered, feeling something pulling his leg.

"What's in there, Malfoy? Is it an inferi?" Harry asked, his voice tense. He couldn't see what was chasing them, but he had a bad feeling about it.

Although Harry hated the despicable tactics that Slytherin used to win the game, reason also told him to leave immediately. Because a murderous and ferocious silhouette was about to come out of the fog. But seeing Malfoy and Parkinson who were rushing towards them regardless of everything, Harry frowned and felt his feet rooted. And he couldn't move.

"It's not an inferi, Potter. Save! me!"

Malfoy shouted in horror, his voice hoarse. He was only a few feet away from Harry's boat, but it felt like a mile. He stretched out his hand, hoping that Harry would pull him up.

Pansy Parkinson also cried out. "It's a monster. It wants to kill us!"

Harry instinctively wanted to scold them. But thinking of Professor Watson's 'wild' style, he had some belief in their 'nonsense'.

Just in such a moment of hesitation, the monster in the fog had stepped on the water and emerged from the mist. And at the moment when Harry and Neville saw its clear face, they felt a surge of cold air in their lungs, and their scalps exploded with fear.

So far, Harry had seen three of the most terrifying monsters in his life: Hagrid's three-headed dog Fluffy in the first year, Professor Watson's inferi in the second year, and that dreadful creature called a dementor that he saw on the Hogwarts Express at the beginning of the third year. And now, there was one more creature that made him feel afraid.

The dead and gloomy eyes, the ferocious claws, and the sharp teeth were scary enough, but they did not make Harry feel afraid. He had faced worse things before. What made him fearful was the black mist that surrounded the creature, the pure malice that radiated from it, the power similar to death that it possessed. It was like a living nightmare, a manifestation of evil.

Click! Clack!...Click! Clack!

Harry, whose body was cold and stiff, heard a strange sound. After a brief thought, he understood. It was Neville's teeth chattering. Neville was trembling like a leaf, his face pale as a ghost.

The creature had a twisted body, a single leg, and a lantern in its hand. It was a hinkypunk, one of the many dark creatures that Bryan had brought out from Avalon Island. It shook its head and spewed out a foul-smelling black smoke, just like the eight-eyed spider that had been imprisoned under the dormitory floor for several years by Bryan. This hinkypunk, which had lived in a glass bottle for half a year, could not restrain its bloodthirsty desire in its heart. The desire to kill anyone who crossed its path.

Splash– Malfoy and Parkinson climbed onto their boat in a hurry, and the cabin that originally fit two people became extremely crowded after accommodating four young wizards. They could only stand side by side with their shoulders touching, their wet clothes sticking to their skin.

"Are you waiting for that monster to tear us to pieces?" Malfoy roared, his voice cracking with fear and anger. "Hurry up and start the boat!"

"If you can't show the gratitude you should, Malfoy,"

Harry blinked, and suddenly came back to his senses. Facing Malfoy's almost commanding words, his face turned cold.

"Then please leave me and Neville–ouch!" Harry's words were cut off by a sudden pain in his back. He felt a push, and then he lost his balance.

Splash, splash!

The world tilted sharply in his vision, until his face made intimate contact with the cold water. Harry and Neville realized what had happened. Pansy Parkinson had pushed them into the water!

"Start the boat, Malfoy, we know which way is right now!" Pansy crossed to the stern with a grin, and when she passed by Malfoy, who was incredulous and staring at her, she also pushed him lightly towards the bow.

"Who told you to do that, Pansy?"

Malfoy opened his mouth, his voice full of disbelief. He looked at Longbottom and Potter, who were struggling to stay afloat in the water. His expression was astonished. He didn't expect Pansy to do such a thing without his order.

"Don't be stunned, Draco–" Pansy seemed to have no idea how bad her behavior was. Before her palm touched the ball of sphere, she urged Malfoy to hurry up and steer.

"That monster will teach Potter and Longbottom a lesson for us. We have to leave quickly, lest we get involved!"

She said, her voice dripping with malice.

Malfoy pursed his lips. His astonished eyes faded, and his gray eyes showed fiery anger. He moved his eyes away from Pansy, and looked at Potter, who was helping Longbottom float up in the water. After a brief hesitation, he squatted down, leaned over and reached out his hand.

Harry and Neville were baffled by his actions.

'Why was Slytherin acting so strangely? Pansy Parkinson had maliciously shoved them into the water, but Malfoy had offered to help them back onto the boat?'

"Don't misunderstand, Potter. I owe you a favor…Fr- from Professor Watson's practical class last time!" Malfoy said with a red face, facing Harry's puzzled expression.

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