The roar echoing through the forest was absolutely deafening, a sound so powerful and violent that it caused even the surrounding tree trunks to tremble and shake slightly in response to the shockwaves.
The vibration proved beyond any doubt that the two warring parties, whoever they were, were not far from their current position. Perhaps only a few hundred yards separated them from the battlefield.
Fleur sprang nimbly from the ground where she'd been sitting. Her expression shifted immediately to something grave and focused as she gazed intently toward the direction from which the thunderous sounds continued to emanate.
Explosions.
Multiple spells seem to be detonating.
"Let's go, Fleur!" Triana urged desperately, her voice was tight with excitement and vengeful anticipation.
She grabbed at Fleur's sleeve. "This is our chance, maybe our only chance to get our school badges back from those Slytherin bastards, isn't it? We have to move now before it's over!"
Fleur didn't answer immediately, her brows were furrowing slightly as she fell into rapid thought. Her mind raced through possibilities and probabilities.
In her assessment, this was hardly the ideal opportunity to reclaim their badges that Triana seemed to think it was. Based on Viktor's description of his team's devastating encounter with Granger's group, the Physical Education class students were indeed significantly more skilled in practical dueling than regular students.
Their combat capabilities were genuinely superior to those of normal school-trained wizards even as champions from prestigious academies.
The two sides now fighting somewhere ahead were both from Hogwarts and both trained in Bryan's intensive PE class. But the Slytherin hunting group had a huge, overwhelming numerical advantage, eight against three, unless someone else had been eliminated.
By simple logic, they would be fully capable of dealing with Fleur's weakened team after taking Cedric Diggory's badge.
"We're going," Fleur declared after only a brief hesitation, making what seemed on the surface like a completely irrational decision. Her blue eyes flashed with determination.
"Wait!" Viktor called out sharply before Fleur could actually move.
He stepped forward to stop her, voicing the very concerns that had troubled her own mind just moments before.
"If you're planning to take advantage of the chaos and confusion of battle, Fleur, I honestly don't think the chances of success are very high at all. Think about this logically."
He gestured insistently. "The Slytherin hunting party will almost definitely win this engagement, they now have eight people, maybe more. Even if they only send half their total force into direct combat and keep the rest in reserve, they'll still have comfortable numerical superiority over Diggory's three-person team."
"I know," Fleur said lightly, her tone showed she'd already considered and accepted this reality.
"But for us, in our current position, this is already the rarest opportunity we're likely to get. And we don't need to worry about much, do we? Because we've already lost our badge.
We have nothing left to lose. And according to what I know of the competition rules, Slytherin students cannot attack teams that have lost their badges not unless we strike at them first and give them justification."
There was actually such a protective rule? Viktor's heart stirred with sudden interest, brand-new possibilities were blooming in his mind.
The Slytherins winning the upcoming battle was indeed a highly probable outcome based on pure numbers. And in the Slytherins' eyes, his team had already lost their badge to Hermione, they had no reason to know about the deception.
They could all go watch the developing battle together without fear of attack.
If in this duel the Slytherin group easily and decisively won the engagement without significant losses, then they would simply be interested spectators to Hogwarts' internal conflict. They'd gather intelligence and withdraw.
But if the Slytherin students suffered unexpectedly heavy losses in the fighting, if Cedric's team proved more formidable than expected, this would be an absolutely heaven-sent opportunity falling into their laps.
They could join forces with Fleur's team and send all these weakened, battered Slytherins out of the competition completely. Eliminate the greatest threat on the field in one devastating strike.
At this advanced stage of the tournament, after hours of conflict and maneuvering, aside from Cedric's team who had just encountered Malfoy's hunters, all three other remaining teams clearly recognized one fact: the Slytherin's massive, well-coordinated team represented their greatest challenge and obstacle.
Without somehow defeating them or neutralizing their advantage, even successfully snatching someone else's badge would ultimately be futile effort. The Slytherins would just take it.
"We'll go with you," Viktor announced after taking a deep breath.
His tone was resolute and committed despite the obviously surprised and somewhat alarmed looks from his two teammates standing behind him. They hadn't expected him to volunteer for more danger.
"Quickly now! Move faster!" Draco commanded sharply, his voice was resounding through the forest.
"We've done far too much useless work and running around, and we only have one confirmed badge so far. This time, we absolutely must gain something!"
Draco put away his map board with a quick action, tucking it into his robes. A flush of genuine excitement was appearing on his pale skin, bringing some color.
According to the map display they'd just examined, they were only one grid square away from the nearest team. Based on their previous successful interception experiences throughout the morning, this team couldn't possibly be from Durmstrang or Beauxbatons.
Both foreign schools' positions were accounted for elsewhere.
It could only be one of Hogwarts' two remaining teams!
The thrilling thought of beating up the legitimate champion Cedric Diggory the one actually selected by the Goblet of Fire along with two Physical Education teaching assistants made the entire Slytherin group almost unable to contain their building excitement.
Their eyes gleamed with anticipation.
And if they happened to encounter Potter's team instead of Diggory's, things would be even more wonderful, even more satisfying. They absolutely wouldn't hold back or show any mercy before making Potter and his two friends beg pathetically for mercy.
The Slytherin group felt absolutely no psychological burden or guilt about attacking fellow Hogwarts teams. In fact, they were perfectly well aware that Professor Watson had deliberately selected them as gatekeepers for the "first half" of the tournament precisely because he knew with certainty they could remain coldly "impartial."
They wouldn't show favoritism or mercy to Hogwarts' champion teams just because they shared a school.
On the contrary, when encountering Granger and Diggory they would become even more aggressive and "ruthless" than they might be with foreign competitors!
After Millicent Bulstrode's unfortunate elimination earlier, the remaining eight Slytherin students ran at full speed through the forest. Soon they arrived at an elongated, relatively open clearing that stretched perhaps a hundred feet through the trees.
The space was unusual in the dense forest, it was a natural avenue created by some ancient disturbance.
Draco scanned the surrounding area warily, his sharp eyes were moving steadily across every visible angle and shadow. But he didn't spot any figures within his line of sight.
This didn't particularly disappoint or concern him. The map board couldn't show them the exact, precise location of the champions down to the foot. It only provided a vague general area like a zone of probability.
Moreover, during the time they'd been rushing here at top speed, making noise and leaving traces, unless their opponents were complete idiots, they would have shifted their position somewhat.
"Everyone spread out and search this entire area thoroughly," Draco commanded, turning to face his team.
He waved his hand in a directing gesture, issuing commands while bitter resentment toward that Beauxbatons woman surged in his heart again.
Although Professor Watson had given them all antiquated broomsticks and Draco knew this was deliberately to give the champion teams a fighting chance, to level the playing field somewhat—those brooms, though slow and clumsy, had still been much faster than traveling on foot. They'd helped conserve precious stamina.
But now, discussing their lost advantage was completely useless. They had already irretrievably lost their flying broomsticks to Fleur's spell.
The eight students scattered efficiently in different directions, moving with coordination. Draco led Pansy Parkinson into the dense woods on the left side of the clearing to search for tracks and disturbances.
Theodore Nott took two others into the woods on the opposite right side, feeling carefully along the boundary of the elongated clearing for revealing footprints or broken vegetation.
Meanwhile, Daphne Greengrass led her younger sister Astoria across the leaf-covered clearing itself, searching carefully for any tracks. The two girls moved slowly with eyes on the ground.
They quickly made an unexpected discovery.
"Oh, what's that?" Daphne murmured with curiosity.
After advancing approximately thirty feet, something black lying abandoned among the carpet of withered yellow leaves caught her attention. When she focused her eyes properly and clearly saw what the object actually was, confusion flooded her mind.
It was an important prop from the first half of the competition—one of the enchanted map boards that showed team positions!
Only Astoria, walking close beside her, heard Daphne's quiet murmur. After a flash of initial confusion in her chestnut-colored pupils, Astoria's expression suddenly changed.
"Did those stupid Gryffindor fools actually lose it?" Daphne said with growing excitement.
She arched her eyebrows, a mocking smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. Without much additional thought or suspicion, she hurried forward eagerly to pick up the board and claim credit with Draco for the find.
"Don't go near it, Daphne! It's a trap!" Astoria's calm face changed drastically to panic.
She shouted desperately in her higher, more childish voice while simultaneously grabbing urgently for her older sister's arm, trying to physically restrain her.
But unfortunately, her warning movement was a critical step too slow. Daphne had already rushed enthusiastically to the position directly in front of the board lying on the ground.
And then, under Astoria's terrified, widening gaze, her sister simply disappeared as though she'd never existed.
To be precise, the cunningly concealed trap that had been set specifically for this purpose swallowed her up completely!
The very instant Astoria's piercing scream of alarm rang out across the clearing, three dazzling red stunning spell lights attacked from concealed positions above the elongated clearing at calculated, tricky angles.
The timing of these three coordinated spells was absolutely perfect. They seized the exact instant when the other scattered Slytherins' bodies froze instinctively, their attention drawn by Astoria's scream of terror.
Two Slytherins who managed to react in time with quick defensive spells were still struck and immediately fell to the ground.
"Protego!" Draco roared.
The very instant Astoria had raised her warning scream, Draco had already sensed danger. He'd raised his wand with speed.
The immediate crisis bearing down on him made him forget entirely about the silent casting techniques they'd been practicing. Instead he roared the spell furiously aloud, pouring power into it, establishing a shimmering magical barrier in the direction from which he could feel the danger coming!
BOOM!
The brightest, most powerful crimson spell light collided directly with Draco's hastily erected Iron Armor Charm.
The very moment they made violent contact, an absolutely deafening explosion rang out across the clearing, the sound was echoing through the forest like a bomb detonating.
The fierce wind and magical shockwave stirred up by the shattering, fragmenting magical barrier directly blew both Draco and Pansy away like leaves in a hurricane. They tumbled through the air, landing hard.
Meanwhile, that powerful concentrated red light also dispersed into countless sparkling points of light, annihilating itself completely in this fierce round of offense and defense!
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