Will raised his wand and gave it a light flick. "Confringo!"
A spell shot from its tip, arced through the air, and landed squarely in the middle of the Blast-Ended Skrewts.
The explosion was not especially loud, but the shock wave spread with precision, blowing many of the skrewts apart. Gray-white fragments and slime flew everywhere. The sparks went out, leaving only the smell of char and smoke in the air.
A few were still alive. Will flicked his wand again. "Incendio!"
A wall of fire surged from his wand and swallowed the remaining skrewts.
They shrieked as their bodies swelled and warped in the flames. Then—boom! Boom! Boom! Several explosions followed in quick succession. Fragments and slime sprayed everywhere, and the smell of char grew even stronger. Will frowned.
The Stands fell silent for a moment, then erupted into an uproar.
"Good heavens! The Hogwarts Champion has shown overwhelming strength!" Bagman exclaimed. "Mr. Behrens wiped out an entire group of Blast-Ended Skrewts with just one Blasting Curse and one Fire-Making Spell! Textbook spellcasting! Mr. Behrens truly is a brilliant scholar!"
He was now certain he had been right to bet on Hogwarts. Otherwise, he might have lost a fortune this time.
The Slytherin Stands went wild.
Malfoy leaped from his seat in excitement, nearly flinging away the sign in his hand.
Will covered his nose and stepped over the skrewts' remains. He pressed on—he had to find Harry first.
By then, the Beauxbatons students had only just entered.
"Right, the Beauxbatons Champions have entered too. Let's hope they don't step into a trap on their very first step like Harry did. Now, ladies and gentlemen, while we have a moment, let me tell you about an interesting feature of this challenge—the moving maze!
"That's right, you heard me! The