Voldemort! You Are Not in Little Hangleton!
It tastes so familiar...
Harry had encountered such traps more than once, but this was the first time since his return a hundred years ago.
Dealing with such a statue might be tricky for others, but for Harry, it's a piece of cake.
"Expelliarmus (Disarming Charm)!"
The weapon on the foremost statue suddenly slipped from its grasp, and then, at an eerie angle, the disarmed weapon sliced off the statue's head.
"Bombarda Maxima (Big Bomb Maxima)!" "Impedimenta (Impedimenta)!" "Leviosa (Leviosa)!"
Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple— Charms of all colors shot out from Harry's wand.
Humans are inherently destructive, and it must be said that these eighteen statues satisfied Harry's destructive urges.
With the last statue shattered by the Viperous Curse, only the final colossal statue remained standing in the arena.
The colossal statue seemed in no hurry to act, as if waiting for Harry to finish dealing with the smaller statues. Once all its servants had fallen, the red light in its eyes intensified. It pulled the spear from the ground and, with heavy steps, approached Harry step by step.
Harry pointed his wand at it.
A sudden burst of silvery-white light pierced the dark hall, illuminating the surroundings.
A thick bolt of lightning struck down from the sky and hit the giant statue.
Before it could react, a dark purple light burst forth from its chest, followed by a loud bang, and the entire statue, along with the weapon in its hand, was shattered by this Ancient Charm called "Implosion".
It's alright, the strength is average. Perhaps considering the strength of the other warriors, Veratia did not increase the defensive power of these statues.
It wouldn't look very good if the warriors were actually stabbed to death here.
After the giant statue was defeated, a silvery-white vortex lit up in the center of the hall.
Harry walked over, passed through the vortex, and found himself back in the maze.
"Hello."
A familiar voice came from above. Harry looked up and saw a familiar face.
Oh... perhaps it can't be called an "acquaintance," after all, the person in front of me can be considered Magical Creatures.
Its body resembled a frighteningly large lion: enormous paws, a long yellow tail with a tuft of hair at the tip, but it had the head of a woman—none other than the Sphinx, the gatekeeper of Gryffindor House.
"Oh, it's you, Sphinx," Harry greeted her. "Looks like you've been seconded to the maze too, haven't you?"
"Yes, I knew it would be you," said the Sphinx.
"So what do we do now? Go through the proper procedures or just attack?" Harry asked tentatively.
"No," the Sphinx began pacing back and forth, "Unless you can answer my riddle. If you guess it right the first time, I'll let you pass; if you guess it wrong, I'll pretend you got it right; if you don't answer, I'll let you go without hurting you."
Harry:...
No, sis?
"Why did you pretend I got it right even when I didn't?" Harry asked, puzzled.
The Sphinx gave him a disdainful look and said, "You don't expect me to fight you to the death, do you? I've lived long enough, much longer than Hogwarts itself, but I still feel like I haven't lived enough..."
"Oh, right," she added, "I need to remind you that the road behind me is the shortest route to your goal."
"Then I'd like to hear what riddles you've prepared for me," Harry said with a smile.
"Alright then." The Sphinx cleared its throat, sat on her hind legs blocking the way, and recited:
"First think about what kind of people always wear a mask."
Their actions were secretive, and they told a lot of lies.
Tell me again what things are always patched and mended.
The middle of the middle, the tail of the tail?
Finally, when they told me they couldn't think of any words...
Which word is most frequently spoken?
Now connect them and answer me.
What are some animals you wouldn't want to kiss?
"The spider," Harry said without hesitation. "I've heard that riddle before, so I'm glad we don't have to fight. Congratulations."
"Yes, that's certainly something to congratulate you on." Sphinx stepped aside cheerfully. "Of course, I need to remind you... well, as a free reminder from a friend, the answer to your riddle is just ahead."
Is the answer to my riddle still waiting for me ahead?
Harry patted his chest, looking terrified.
"What's wrong?" Sphinx asked with concern. She was genuinely curious—logically speaking, a wizard of Mr. Potter's strength shouldn't be afraid of spiders, right?
"I'm scared for Ron —oh, Ron is that red-haired boy who always goes back to the Common Room with me and a little girl with curly hair," Harry exclaimed. "If he were in the Triwizard Tournament and found out from you that there was going to be a spider up ahead of him, I doubt he would immediately raise his wand and shoot a distress signal into the sky."
"Why?" the Sphinx asked, puzzled. "Even if you're afraid of spiders, it wouldn't be to this extent, would it?"
"That's because you don't know that arachnophobia is one of the world's eight major phobias," Harry said, shrugging.
Without lingering for too long, after a brief chat with the Sphinx, Harry walked ahead.
However, he discovered a huge spider cocoon in front of him, with something inside pupating, seemingly trying to break free from the cocoon's confinement.
Harry immediately used Charms to open the spider cocoon, and to his surprise, what emerged from the cocoon was Durmstrang Champion, Viktor Krum.
"Thank you," Viktor said in a muffled voice. "I really didn't expect to be ambushed and brought here by a spider. It doesn't seem to be in a hurry to eat me; it just puts me into a spider cocoon as if it's going to store me away."
"Yes," Harry said, "Spiders do have the habit of storing food to eat later."
Viktor shuddered upon hearing this.
The feeling of being wrapped in a spider cocoon was so awful that he never wanted to experience it again in his life.
"If I were you, I wouldn't be so relaxed," Harry reminded Viktor. "That spider can't have gone far. Maybe if you look behind you, you'll find something interesting?"
Upon hearing Harry's words, Viktor drew his wand and quickly turned around, only to meet eight dark, round eyes.
It was a Large Acromantula. Viktor rolled away to avoid the Acromantula's attack, then cast a Charms to try and stop it from continuing its assault.
"Stupefy (Stunning Spell)!"
A Charms as thick as a bucket shot out from Harry's wand and struck the Acromantula's abdomen.
The spider's abdomen suddenly burst open, spilling yellowish-green entrails and various unidentified liquids all over Viktor.
Whether it was from the fumes or not, Viktor leaned against a nearby bush and S.P.E.W..
This is absolutely disgusting.
"You're welcome," Harry said to him. "What are you planning to do next?"
Viktor glanced at Harry, raised his wand, aimed it at the sky, and fired a string of red sparks into the air.
Sparks hovered above Viktor, marking his location.
"If it weren't for you, I'd probably be eaten by this spider by now, so I'd be out of the game," Viktor said. "Congratulations on becoming the champion of the Triwizard Tournament... Ugh!"
Viktor S.P.E.W. again, and in the process, he ripped a piece of intestine off his head and threw it on the ground.
That's disgusting...
Harry thought Viktor would have nightmares for at least a few more days.
He turned around, and a foot away behind him, the trophy gleamed with an eerie light.
Harry walked over and waved to Viktor.
"I'm going now, Viktor."
After saying that, he took out several bottles of Potions from his pocket, namely, Calming Potion, Edlwood Potion, Ultimate Potion, Draught of Living Death, and Felix Felicis.
Edlwood Potion is a Potions that enhances the drinker's defenses through a solid rock exterior.
The Ultimate Potion, when ingested, increases the spell damage dealt by the user for a certain period of time.
Draught of Living Death: It can be thrown or drunk. After consumption, it will create a storm around the user, stunning and damaging nearby enemies; while throwing it will produce a similar effect at the target location.
As for Felix Felicis, it is a magical Potions that increases the luck of the user.
Harry never fights unprepared; these potions were secretly given to him by Cassandra last night.
He wondered why he hadn't seen Cassandra lately; it turned out she'd been secretly brewing Potions...
It has to be said that Harry was actually quite touched.
After he was fully prepared, he picked up the trophy that was right in front of him.
Suddenly, he felt a tug behind his navel, and then he felt his legs leave the ground—it was indeed the Portkey.
The Rocket Cup, which had been made into Portkey, carried Harry forward amidst the whistling wind and swirling colors.
The instant he felt his feet hit the ground, he quickly chanted the incantation.
"Protego Gubraithian (Protego Gubraithian)!"
Azure flame erupted from around Harry's body, leaping upwards several feet high as Harry flicked his wand upwards.
In that very instant, he was met with a barrage of Charms.
"Cruciatus Curse!" "Diffindo!" "Stunning Spell!"
The colorful Charms struck the fire shield that was burning fiercely around Harry's body, but it was as if they were adding fuel to the fire shield itself, making the fire even more ferocious!
The magic of this spell isn't just about automatic defense and counterattack; Harry can see the Dark Wizard attacking him through the flames, while those Dark Wizard attacking him cannot see him through the flames.
After realizing their attack had failed, the Dark Wizard looked up, preparing to use Apparition to escape.
However, Harry didn't give them that chance at all. He waved his wand, and flames instantly engulfed the entire land.
Then the flames dispersed, surrounding the Dark Wizard individually in circles.
Under the intense heat of the flames, it was impossible to concentrate on Apparition.
If they are forced to use Apparition, they will face consequences ranging from being Splinching in two to losing their lives.
However, there were also Dark Wizard who did not believe in evil. Just as they were about to activate the Apparition Spell, they were consumed by flames, screaming and struggling but unable to extinguish the raging fire that tore at their very souls.
Harry did it on purpose; he didn't want to give those Dark Wizard a quick death.
The attack on him was a secondary reason; the real reason was that he wanted to intimidate the Dark Wizard who hadn't managed to escape.
As everyone knows, those who dare to run away in this situation are desperate bastards; while those who stay behind are more or less cowardly.
That's a good saying. If you weren't afraid of death, who would want to Death Eater?
A significant portion of the Death Eater were forced to temporarily submit to Voldemort Voldemort of fear of his power, rather than genuinely wanting to Chen Fu him.
Those who are truly fearless have basically devoted themselves to the vigorous anti- Voldemort cause.
"Looks like some people aren't exactly honest," Harry's voice rang out at the opportune moment. "Ambushing me here, and then trying to escape?"
No one spoke. The surviving Death Eater all lowered their heads, none of them wanting to be the first to be taken down by this young wizard with strength beyond his years.
It was only at this moment that they suddenly realized the truth.
It seems there's some truth to the idea that Potter could become the Savior Star, the child Professor Trelawney Prophecy.
Look at this guy, his magical power, his Charms skills, his Grindelwald family's signature Protego Gubraithian, and he's only fifteen?
You'd be very skeptical if Grindelwald could even reach that level when he's fifty.
They certainly didn't know that Harry had gone to study a hundred years earlier and, upon returning, had devoured Nicolas Flamel's Philosopher's Stone. His magic was not only terrifying in intensity but also almost inexhaustible.
These wizards were also wondering if this Potter was the prized disciple of Grindelwald, who once dominated Europe.
Otherwise, why would he be so strong? And why would he even know other people's signature skills?
Harry simply didn't know what they were thinking, otherwise he would definitely have cursed them as traitors.
This is outrageous! This Charms was clearly developed by Veratia and me, and that Niffler secretly learned it from the magic notebook. How did it become his signature skill?
"My patience is limited," Harry's voice rang out again. "I know who you are, and I know why you're here... So, where is Voldemort? Where is that rat I've crushed time and time again?"
He had just guessed that Voldemort wasn't here, and since Voldemort hadn't made a move yet, it meant he shouldn't be here.
Voldemort! You're not in Little Hangleton! Where are you?!
No one spoke; the Death Eater trembled in fear inside the Fire Prison, not daring to utter a sound.
Just as silence fell over the air, broken only by the sound of flames burning, a scream suddenly rang out.
It was the Death Eater in the very center; the flames had already reached his body.
He howled madly, frantically pounding at the flames engulfing his body, pleading in agony, "I'll talk, I'll talk! Mr. Potter!"
(I've been holding it in since 7 PM, and I'm still holding it in... I've deleted and rewritten, and I'm still not satisfied.)
(End of this chapter)