"Hogwarts has been established for a millennium, and this is perhaps the first time in its history that such an event has occurred."
Three little wizards took on high officials from the Ministry in the Great Hall, an event that sounds bizarre and laughable. But now, nobody cares about it anymore, not even the most rigorous and rule-oriented Professor McGonagall, who has said nothing but is likely unhappy she cannot personally discipline the annoying woman from the Ministry.
No professor was concerned that the wizards, personally taught by Amortentia for a year, would be injured under Umbridge's hand.
Although they had not been involved in training Amortentia, all the teachers among the various subjects were aware of each other's teaching situation and had communicated with each other about the level of these young wizards.
To be honest, even the professors would lose if they faced a single student in a physical combat class without giving them their due consideration. But in this situation, with three students facing one, there is no need to worry at all.
"Hey, guys, place your bets!"
Fred, not knowing when, pulled out a parchment from his bag and exclaimed excitedly to the surrounding people.
"Whoever bets on the Old Toad to last for at least one minute has odds of seven to one. Betting on a duration between forty and fifty seconds is five to one. A range of thirty to forty seconds offers odds of three to one. Twenty to thirty seconds gives you nine to one."
The followers gathered, and Harry pulled out seven or eight Galleons from his pocket, stuffing them into George's open sack, gritting his teeth as he said,
"I bet she can only last one round!"
"Oh, cunning little fellow, do you want to make a fortune?" Fred said cheerfully. "Then it's under ten seconds, and we can offer you odds of ten to one!"
"You're a bit impulsive, brother..."
Ron sighed regretfully and said, "Oh, Harry, why did you have to put that spell in your bag?" as he sniffled.
"No," Harry insisted, "I believe they can do it!"
Such a farce was not limited to one spot in the Great Hall, and the professors were all watching the stage, not intervening.
Umbridge's terrifying expression, filled with a desire to kill, did not scare Hermione in comparison, as she was far scarier than a live fire dragon.
Neville, also under Umbridge's terrifying gaze, was full of eagerness and looked as if he couldn't wait to start the fight.
"Not even the hoglets like her."
Ron rolled his eyes and muttered, "I can't believe I'm actually going to miss that."
"I will prove to you that the magic education you have received so far is completely wrong, and educational reform at Hogwarts is urgently needed!"
Umbridge said fiercely.
But the three of them didn't take her threat seriously. For a short time before Brain started, they were discussing their respective roles among themselves.
"I'll take care of defense, Neville, you'll be the main striker, Luna, you're the backup striker." Hermione said quietly with her eyes narrowed.
"No objections, Hermione," Neville said with a grin.
"Hmm!" Luna responded with a light snort.
"So!"
Amortentia lifted his voice, satisfied with the sight of the three young wizards standing confidently under the gaze of many, showing no signs of nervousness.
"Are you ready?"
Hermione tightened her grip on her wand, Luna's wand spun in a circle on the tip of her finger, sparking several bright silver stars, and Neville's hand also reached into his robe as if he were ready to draw his wand. They all gave a positive response.
"So, what about you, Professor Umbridge?"
Amortentia's lips curved into a faint smile.
"I think it's necessary for me to remind you, Professor Umbridge, that failure means elimination. Hogwarts will not give you the opportunity to participate in 'second round'."
Umbridge remained silent, her gaze cold and sinister.
Amortentia knew that she was thinking of giving these students a taste of her power, to make herself and all the staff at Hogwarts look bad, and finally push the responsibility of hurting the students onto herself. Because, it was he who had suggested challenging them to a match.
"I'll count down three times, and then you can start."
Amortentia said.
The Great Hall suddenly fell silent at that moment, everyone's attention focused on Professor Brain's raised hand, even the dust floating in the sunlight seemed to have stopped.
"Three, two... Go!"
As soon as the wand was about to be swung, the tense atmosphere in the Great Hall suddenly dissipated, and the screams that erupted in an instant were almost enough to collapse the ceiling!
Besides Amortentia and Dumbledore, no one in the Great Hall could stay completely calm.
The heads of the four houses and the other professors had all rushed from the staff dining table and crowded around the stage to watch the match!
At the moment when Professor Brain announced the start, Hermione, Neville, and Luna's expressions changed, becoming empty. This wasn't a state of daze; it was an extreme manifestation of their focus.
This particular state was a result of their previous experience in the mental world of Professor Brain, where they had fought as a team against him.
The speed of spellcasting and the expertise in duel techniques of the top wizards in the world can be imagined.
To fight against Professor Brain, one needs to concentrate entirely; a moment of distraction can lead to severe pain and even 'death'!
Under the gaze of over a thousand people, the three students who entered battle mode adjusted their formation.
Neville quickly moved behind Hermione, and Luna, who had been standing beside Hermione, also swiftly stepped away from her by two steps and positioned herself between Hermione and Neville vertically.
This strange positioning caused many non-expert wizards to feel puzzled, but students in sports classes immediately understood it.
"They actually use the 'attack formation'..."
Harry said without any hesitation.
"They're underestimating that disgusting toad. In my opinion, if Professor Brain has set a time limit, it would be more reasonable for all three of them to attack, as they are fully capable of defending themselves!" Harry said without hesitation.
Harry thought that Hermione and her team were being too cautious, but as their opponent, Umbridge was a completely different story.
A moment ago, her mind was still busy imagining how to deal with these three brats.
She not only wanted to win, enter Hogwarts smoothly, but also before Dumbledore and Brain intervened, she wanted to severely torture the three little brats so that those who dare to oppose the Ministry of Magic at Hogwarts would be humiliated.
And in the next second, the formidable aura exuded by Hermione and her three team members struck them like a whirlwind. Before they even arrived, Umbridge felt a suffocating sensation.
Moving!
Even in their breathtaking speed, the three students maintained the integrity of their formation, and the pressure hidden within it even caused Severus to pale slightly when he put himself in Umbridge's position.
The battle had not yet begun, but in the clash of auras, Umbridge was already defeated.
She retreated half a step subconsciously, and without professional combat training, she casually cast a spell according to her instincts, but ---
Bang!
The air waves subtly rippled!
An iron armor spell seemed to be waiting for it, intercepting her magic effortlessly.
Umbridge, whose face was pale as a ghost, stared blankly at the warrior holding her wand. The iron armor spell she just cast was indeed her own.
At that moment, only three seconds had passed since Brain announced the start of the match, and the three young wizards from Hogwarts had already breached half the distance between them and their opponents!
A overwhelming sense of pressure was tormenting Umbridge's nerves. She couldn't understand why three wild, impulsive children who simply charged at her could make her afraid.
Perhaps the pressure had unleashed her potential. Umbridge launched out three spells in quick succession, two targeting Hermione and one at Luna.
"Attack!"
At the moment of capturing the three spell trajectories, Hermione had made up her mind. Her clear voice thundered.
Instantly, with Hermione and Neville positioned in a line, their figures intersected in a blink. Neville flashed to the left along an arc and moved closer to Umbridge, while Hermione appeared in front of Luna, swinging her wand violently to disperse the spell heading towards Luna.
Luna, using Hermione's body as a shield and momentarily out of Umbridge's line of sight, flicked her wrist, and several silvery 'notes' emitted a sharp wail as they cut through the air in an arc to attack Umbridge's left side!
At the same time, Luna and Hermione rapidly accelerated, following the same arc towards Umbridge's left side, as if they were about to encircle her.
"Armor defense!"
Umbridge held up her wand and screamed, the incoming notes and the little witch approaching from the left side inadvertently pulling her gaze and body to the left!
Bang!
But before she could cheer up at the thought of her armor deflecting the notes, a sharp clanging noise from her right field of vision caused her to turn pale instantly!
(End of this chapter)
