The Best-laid Plans

"Sorry, but I can't just let you pass so easily!"

Just as Harry, Neville, and Cedric reached a point forty or fifty meters from the Cannon Squad, Wood suddenly appeared and blocked their path.

"Lightning Strike!"

"Spiral Impact!"

"Ice Mist!"

Faced with Wood's obstruction, the three didn't waste a word. Harry and Neville struck first, each firing off two attack spells.

Cedric went even further, immediately casting Ice Mist Spell to conjure a cloud of freezing fog. It not only concealed their forms but also sought to hamper Wood's movements with the cold.

At the same time, before the ice mist could completely engulf him, Cedric stretched out both hands and gave Harry and Neville a signal each.

The meaning was obvious: they should split up and act separately. Their mission was to take out the Cannon Squad, and getting into a head-on fight with Wood wasn't a wise move.

It was better to split up and have the two of them find a way past Wood, while Cedric tried to hold him off. That was also why he'd chosen to cast Ice Mist Spell: disrupting his opponent's vision would make it easier for the other two to act.

Harry and Neville understood Cedric's meaning at once. They exchanged a look of concern with him, then quickly crouched and circled around in opposite directions, one to the left and one to the right.

Wood reacted just as quickly. He cast Full Body Shield Charm on himself and took the two attack spells head-on, then aimed at the fog and cast Powerful Hurricane Spell, blasting away the spreading ice mist.

Once his vision cleared, Wood spotted Harry and Neville's move. His brow furrowed.

"They're splitting up? They're quick on the uptake. I can't let their trick work, or things will get