The Times Have Changed, Sir!
There's an old saying that goes, "Art is an explosion."
The students watching from the sidelines experienced firsthand the truth of this statement.
What the hell is this Charms? Why bother with accuracy and being blocked by personality? Just explode, that's all.
However, on the other hand, this method is not something that ordinary people can do.
Without a talent like Seamus, it's impossible to master this kind of attack.
In the instant he lost his balance, Pansy seized the opportunity.
"IncarcerousTotalus!"
Several magical ropes, shimmering with deep blue light, shot precisely from the smoke and dust like living pythons, not to entangle him, but to engulf the Dark Wizard like a fishing net.
The Dark Wizard instinctively wanted to swing his staff to block or dodge, but his unbalanced body and confused senses made him a beat too slow.
The deep blue magic ropes instantly bound him tightly from head to toe. The powerful binding force rendered him unable to move, not even bend his fingers, and he fell heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
As the smoke and dust slowly dissipated, Seamus stood in the distance, his wand still pointing in the direction of the explosion, panting heavily, his face streaked with black, but his eyes were frighteningly bright. Pansy emerged from the gradually clearing edge of the smoke and dust, her grey eyes calm, her wand steadily pointing at the Dark Wizard who was bound like a dumpling and struggling in vain.
The entire room fell silent.
Whether they were Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, or Ravenclaw students, they were all shocked by Seamus's unreasonable Exploding Charm.
No, buddy?
I knew you were good at explosions, but I never expected you to be this unreasonable!
They even imagined themselves as that Dark Wizard, fighting Seamus instead—
No, I can't think about it!
From now on, Seamus must be prohibited from using the Exploding Charm in duels! And our side promises not to send Seamus into battle unless absolutely necessary!
"A truly outstanding performance, exceptional tactics." Harry carefully chose his words, his gaze sweeping between Seamus and Pansy. "Seamus, you brought your talent to an unexpected tactical level, creating perfect chaos and suppression; Pansy, you astutely seized the perfect opportunity created within the chaos, delivering a precise and fatal blow—I declare Finnegan and Parkinson's team the winner!"
On the sidelines, Ron stared wide-eyed, Hermione seemed thoughtful, and Draco raised an eyebrow.
Ginny whispered to Luna beside her, "Merlin, they're really a good match."
Luna glanced back at Ginny: "Aren't you worried that Lavender will cause you trouble?"
"She wouldn't dare!" Ginny rolled her eyes.
Harry clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention back.
"You all saw that? The key to this battle lies in how you utilize your strengths and complement your teammates—Next group, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, prepare!"
Neville took a deep breath and stepped forward.
He and Luna walked side by side to the center of the arena, facing the fourth Dark Wizard.
This Dark Wizard was tall and expressionless, but there seemed to be a subtle wariness in his eyes compared to the previous ones.
Perhaps it was because they had witnessed the students' unconventional tactics in the previous battles, after all, Seamus's Big Bomb Maxima was really too scary.
Regardless of the destructive power, just look for a mushroom cloud.
"Start."
The Dark Wizard did not underestimate his opponent because of his strange or cowardly appearance. He launched the first attack, casting a swift Stunning Spell directly at the seemingly more nervous Neville.
Neville almost instinctively stepped back or blocked as usual, but just as the spell Accio, he caught a glimpse of Luna shaking her head slightly out of the corner of his eye, as if listening to some music that only she could hear. She casually took half a step to the right, which happened to block Neville in Fang Yi.
With a gentle wave of her wand, she deflected the Stunning Spell.
Neville knew, of course, that this opportunity was hard-won. He didn't use any Charms, but instead took a few small pellets out of his pocket and threw them on the ground.
Then, he slammed his wand into the ground.
"Herbivicus (rapid growth)!"
Magic flowed into the ground through the wand, and from the cracks in the stone slabs, several specially treated Chinese chomping cabbage seeds, as if injected with a violent Life Force, instantly sprouted from the soil.
It wasn't just one or two plants, but a small clump.
Their emerald green and purplish leaves grew and swelled wildly, opening their mouths full of fine, sharp teeth, emitting a hissing sound that made your teeth ache, like a pack of hungry wolves pouncing on the nearest target.
The Dark Wizard clearly hadn't expected the attack to come from the ground, and from magical plants of this kind.
He leaped backward swiftly and waved his wand.
"Incendio (Blazing Flames)!"
A burst of flame shot towards the first few Chinese chomping cabbage.
The cabbages in front were scorched by the flames, making a teeth-grinding sound, but a few escaped the flames and pounced on the Dark Wizard, opening their mouths wide to bite down.
"Ah!!!"
The Dark Wizard cried out in pain, letting out a bloodcurdling scream.
Those Chinese chomping cabbage teeth of the cabbage were clearly not to be trifled with.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Neville once again unleashed his Venomous Tentacula.
The Venomous Tentacula were more agile and aggressive than the Chinese chomping cabbage; they lashed at the Dark Wizard's lower body like whips, attempting to restrict his movement, while their tips continuously spewed out dizzying, paralyzing poisonous mist.
By this time, the Dark Wizard had shaken off the Chinese chomping cabbage. He cast several Reductor Curse in succession to break the Venomous Tentacula that were wrapping around him.
Although he wasn't seriously injured, his rhythm was clearly disrupted by the successive attacks of the plants.
Luna wasn't idle either; she strolled along leisurely, raising her wand and occasionally casting Healing Charm on the injured plants.
Even more surprisingly, she always seemed to be able to predict the landing point of the Dark Wizard's next powerful spell, which was intended to clear away the surrounding plants to create space for her to retaliate.
Whenever the Dark Wizard's wand gathers significant clearing magic, Luna will happen to walk in that direction or whisper something to the ground in that area. Then Neville will, as if by divine inspiration, cause the plants there to shrink slightly or change their growth direction, greatly reducing the Dark Wizard's clearing effect.
The Dark Wizard felt increasingly awkward, as if he were not fighting two students, but rather an indestructible and intelligent colony of plants.
His experience and skills keep him out of immediate danger, but the initiative is quietly slipping away.
Neville grew more and more confident. He found that when he focused his attention on the familiar plants, when he poured his magic into nurturing and guiding these green companions, it felt as if his intelligence had taken over the high ground.
He even began experimenting with more complex combinations, such as having the Chinese chomping cabbage feint an attack from the front to attract attention, while the Venomous Tentacula attacked from the side or rear; or having the poisonous mist sprayed by the Venomous Tentacula cover the Chinese chomping cabbage's advance.
Alright, alright, you're a wizard, and instead of learning Charms, you're starting to study military strategy?
Finally, when the Dark Wizard was simultaneously restrained by three Chinese chomping cabbage pounced from different angles and two Venomous Tentacula, and had to expend a lot of magic and attention to clear the area, Luna stopped her elusive dance.
She turned to Neville, reached out and took his hand, and said clearly in her song-like voice, "Neville, now, feel my guidance, let the largest Venomous Tentacula and help us."
Neville blushed as his hand was held, and then he immediately felt Luna's faint guidance.
At the edge of the Dark Wizard's defensive Charms, there was a faint Blue Light, which looked about the size of Flobberworm.
Almost without thinking, he immediately pointed his wand at the Venomous Tentacula that Luna had mentioned.
It wasn't an attack, but rather the infusion of magical power, guided by consciousness.
"Entangle! Bind!"
The Venomous Tentacula seemed to understand the command, or be injected with extra vitality. It suddenly abandoned its previous whipping pattern, and the main vine, with unprecedented speed and force, like a real giant python, precisely passed through the tiny gaps in the Dark Wizard's Defensive Charm.
The Dark Wizard was caught off guard, or rather, it was too late for him to prepare; the Venomous Tentacula instantly wrapped around his waist and the arm holding his staff.
At the same time, the Chinese chomping cabbage around him seemed to receive a signal to launch a full-scale attack, rushing forward recklessly and biting his legs and other free hand.
The Dark Wizard groaned, his arms tightly bound, making it almost impossible for him to swing his wand.
He tried to break free with Wandless Magic or brute force, but the strangulation force of the Venomous Tentacula was immense, and the bites of the Chinese chomping cabbage, though not fatal, were extremely disruptive—because it hurt him.
More importantly, he sensed that the vines binding his body were secreting a stronger paralyzing toxin.
Gradually, he felt his vision begin to blur, and eventually he lost consciousness.
Harry stepped forward, and with a wave of his hand, all the magical plants withered and vanished as quickly as phantoms, leaving only some scorched or cut marks on the ground, and a faint smell of plant sap and burnt flesh in the air.
He released the Dark Wizard from the restraints and the effects of the Imperius Curse. The Dark Wizard stood up and rubbed his arm, which had been marked with red welts from the restraints.
"A truly unique fighting style, Neville," Harry commented, a gentle smile on his face. "You've shown us the amazing potential of Herbology in actual combat. Precise seed placement, rapid induction, and skillful plant combinations—this requires profound knowledge, powerful magical control, and a natural affinity for plants. I must admit, well done!"
He then looked at Luna.
"Luna, your battlefield awareness and support were crucial. You always managed to be in the position where you needed disruption or support the most, providing excellent support. Well done."
"Thank you, Harry," Luna said with a smile. "Those Wrackspurt have been giving him trouble, and Neville's plants just seized the opportunity."
Neville's face was as red as a ripe tomato, but he stood ramrod straight, his chest heaving slightly with excitement.
He won!
Using the plant magic he knew best and loved most, he and Luna defeated a seasoned Dark Wizard!
The students at the edge of the field clapped and cheered for Neville and Luna.
"So, you two are still planning to keep holding hands?" Harry teased, a mischievous smile on his face.
Neville then realized he was still holding Luna's small hand. He tried to pull away, but then he saw a faint smile on Luna's face.
So he pretended to cough twice, took Luna's little hand, and returned to the group.
"Well done, Neville!" Ron shouted mischievously. "We have to show the Slytherin that we Gryffindor not only excellent in ability, but we're also ruthless when it comes to stealing girlfriends!"
"Yes, but you lost." Draco didn't forget to mock his old rival.
Ron's face immediately fell, and the air around them instantly filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
"Alright," Harry clapped his hands, signaling everyone to pause, "Last group, Hannah Abe, Justin Finch-Fletchley, get ready!"
As Harry's voice faded, Hannah and Justin, the Hufflepuff duo, walked to the center of the arena.
Hannah's expression was focused, her hands firmly gripping her wand, her golden ponytail swaying gently with her steps.
Justin, on the other hand, seemed slightly different. He was also holding a wand, but his other hand seemed to unconsciously touch a bulge on the inside of his robe.
Besides nervousness, his eyes also held a hint of eagerness, as if he were about to reveal his trump card.
Harry raised his head slightly.
This kid----
Could he have brought that thing with him?
The last Dark Wizard stood opposite, his eyes vacant. The atmosphere seemed even more tense than in the previous rounds, and the students watching held their breath.
Having experienced various unconventional tactics such as explosions and plants, they were curious to see how this would perform for the Hufflepuff, a creature known for its reliability and dependability.
"Begin," Harry ordered.
The Dark Wizard moved.
His attack method differed slightly from the previous ones; instead of a swift incantation, a flame spread out and swept forward.
Hannah reacted swiftly, raising her wand towards the flames. "Aguamenti (Water-Making Spell)!"
A jet of water, like a water dragon, gushed out, extinguishing the flames. Justin also stepped forward and unleashed a Flame Charm of his own.
The flames went out instantly upon contact with the Dark Wizard —it was Finite Incantatem instantly.
The Dark Wizard moved two steps to the side, while simultaneously tapping his wand repeatedly, casting a series of spells towards Hannah.
Hannah gritted her teeth, maintaining the Shield Charm. Her light shield flickered constantly under the intense attacks, but she did not yield an inch, firmly guarding the front.
Sweat trickled down her forehead, revealing the considerable pressure she was under.
"Hannah, hang in there!" Justin shouted, and began running quickly around the edge of the field while continuously casting various disruptive spells.
Although most of the attacks were easily neutralized or dodged by the Dark Wizard, they did distract him to some extent, relieving some of the pressure on Hannah.
Hannah also found a moment to launch a counterattack against the Dark Wizard.
Just as the Dark Wizard raised his hand to cast a Stunning Spell, Justin made a move that surprised everyone.
He fell to the side, his right hand reaching inside his robe, and what he pulled out was not a wand, but a delicate pistol!
My lord, times have changed!