Chapter 140: The Deadly Game 2
Chapter 140: The Deadly Game 2
With a tap of his wand, Victor transformed a pumpkin leaf beside him into a brass bell. He rang it, capturing everyone's attention.
"Alright, let's go over the rules," Victor announced. "For our first time playing this game, we'll keep the rules simple. We'll split into two teams. Fred, Harry, and I are Team Black and will be the pursuers. The rest of you are Team White, and you can run, hide, or even fight back."
"Hagrid will be the referee," he continued. "The game will last for thirty minutes. Once the whistle blows, Team White will have one minute to hide or prepare. After that, Team Black will begin the 'hunt.' If anyone from Team White survives at the end of thirty minutes, Team Black loses. If no one on Team White remains untouched, Team Black wins!"
"The rules are as follows: no use of the Unforgivable Curses, no magical items other than wands, being hit by a spell counts as a 'death,' and 'dead' players may not assist their teammates in any way. If a team breaks any of these rules, they immediately lose. Understood?"
Everyone nodded, and Fred whistled eagerly. "Let's get started! I've been waiting for this!"
Hagrid had already brought over a large stone and climbed atop it, giving him a clear view of the entire area.
"Are ye ready, kids?" he called out.
"Yes!" came the enthusiastic reply from the young witches and wizards, including Hermione and Padma, who couldn't contain their excitement.
"Alright, then," Hagrid said with a broad smile, putting the whistle to his lips and blowing sharply.
"Tweet!"
The crisp, sharp sound of the whistle signaled the start, and Team White members quickly scurried in different directions, taking advantage of the gaps between the pumpkins.
During the previous few minutes, they had already formulated their strategies for hiding and counterattacks.
Hagrid watched the time carefully, and when a minute had passed, he blew the whistle again.
"Team Black, you're up!"
However, the three members of Team Black didn't set off immediately.
Victor and Harry swiftly cast the Iron Armor Charm on themselves, prompting Fred to exclaim, "Wow! Iron Armor Charm... I haven't learned that one yet!"
"Need some help?" Victor offered, pointing his wand at Fred.
"Thanks," Fred said. After Victor cast the spell on him, he examined the effect and asked, "Looks a bit different from the regular Iron Armor Charm, though?"
"Victor's version of the Iron Armor Charm lasts for about ten minutes," Harry explained. "The regular one would only block a couple of spells."
"Got it," Fred said, looking up at the tall pumpkin beside him. "Can I climb on top of this?"
"Anything not expressly forbidden is allowed," Victor replied.
And so Fred climbed up.
"Want to stick together?" Victor asked Harry.
Harry shook his head. "We only have thirty minutes, so splitting up will cover more ground... I don't want to lose."
"All right, good luck."
Without further ado, Victor set off in one direction, while Harry took a different narrow path.
The surroundings were quiet.
The towering pumpkins resembled small houses.
The air was filled with the fragrant scent of plants, and vines crisscrossed beneath their feet, forming what seemed like invisible traps.
Neither Harry nor Victor wanted to lose, and Victor was determined to give it his all, even if their opponents were just a group of students.
Victor tapped his wand on his head, and his body instantly became camouflaged among the pumpkins, like a chameleon.
He then pointed his wand downward, and the faint sound of his footsteps disappeared.
After searching along the winding path for just a few minutes, Harry heard rapid breathing and caught a faint whiff of perfume.
Padma was hiding behind a pumpkin, her right hand tightly clutching her wand as she occasionally poked her head out to look around.
She was so focused on her surroundings that she didn't notice the wand mere inches from her face until a sudden red light filled her vision!
Bang!
The thin, invisible armor shattered like a soap bubble, and the girl fell to the ground, struck by the spell.
In the moment before she lost consciousness, she wondered angrily, "Why didn't I see anyone?"
...
"Just half an hour... I just need to hold out for half an hour!" Hermione muttered to herself as she quickly moved several pumpkins together to form a crude barrier.
She then pulled a few vines together and peered through the gaps, keeping watch.
No matter who passed by, she could take the initiative and strike first!
"Petrificus Totalus!"
As Hermione heard Fred whisper the spell, the Petrification Curse rained down on her!
She turned in astonishment, and as she fell like a stone statue, she saw Fred crouching on top of a pumpkin, grinning at her.
"You're too visible up there, Hermione! With the pumpkins so close together, you stand out!"
"Petrificus Totalus!"
Another Petrification Curse flew out and hit Fred.
George jumped out, looking at his brother, about to cheer in victory, but then he, too, was hit by the spell.
"Good thing I had the Iron Armor Charm on," Fred muttered as he plucked two leaves and placed them over George's surprised eyes.
"You're a corpse now, bro," Fred said proudly as he stood up to continue the "hunt."
"Stupefy!"
Two or three spells flew at Fred from the side, shattering his iron armor. He fell in the same posture as his brother.
George, who could only move his eyes, blinked happily.
"Sorry, we can't undo the spells for you now," Theo apologized before immediately running off in another direction.
He had just started out with Michael, Neville, and Ryan, but they soon regrouped.
"Team Black has fewer people, and Team White has more. Victor must be underestimating us!" Michael said solemnly. "We have to teach them a lesson so that we can be Team Black next time!"
The remaining three nodded seriously.
No matter how good their usual relationship was, they were all opponents now!
...
Hearing sounds coming from another direction, Harry immediately knew he had searched in the wrong place.
He carefully distinguished the direction of the sounds and then, crouching, quickly moved in that direction.
As he turned a corner near a pumpkin, he unexpectedly came face-to-face with Ryan.
Ryan, who was setting up a trap with Michael, was taken aback and shouted, "He's here!"
Harry didn't know he could react so quickly.
His mind was still blank, but his body had already sprung into action.
"Expelliarmus!"
Ryan's wand flew out of his hand.
Two spells flew at Harry, and as he dodged, he tripped over a vine and rolled with the momentum. Before he even got up, he cast his spell!
"Stupefy! Stupefy! Stupefy!"
The spells shot out, one flying into the sky, another hitting a pumpkin and ricocheting onto Theo, and the last one hitting Neville.
"Get him from the sides!" Michael yelled, and he and Ryan rushed at Harry from both sides!
(End of Chapter)
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