Chapter 1530: The Brave Neville Longbottom
Chapter 1530: The Brave Neville Longbottom
The battle on the stone bridge raged on.
The statue of the knight that stood in their path was smashed to pieces by the giants' clubs, but spells also exploded on the giants' bodies.
The young wizards on their brooms were casting spells while looking for opportunities to strike.
However, anyone could see that the battle was turning in the wizards' favor, and it was only a matter of time before they eradicated the remaining giants on the bridge.
With a loud "bang," Fred and George, using the cover of the statue, successfully tripped a giant with a rope and provided cover for Lee Jordan, who controlled the axe, to deliver a fatal blow to the downed giant's neck.
The three of them turned their brooms in mid-air and struck each other's palms before shouting to their companions, "Come on, lads! You need to step up, or we might miss the main event!"
The young wizards daring to hunt giants were all core members of the Defense Association. Unlike Dumbledore's Army, tasked with intercepting werewolves and hunting down Acromantulas, they would soon be engaged in even crueler battles.
But none of them were afraid because they all understood that everything was going according to Albert's plan.
Although they couldn't quite figure out how Albert had accomplished all this, the current situation was undoubtedly much better than they had expected.
They now had the additional support of a squad of Aurors (cannon fodder).
In fact, many suspected that Albert had used the Imperius Curse on the usually timid Aurors, willingly or not, to fight alongside them against Voldemort, which seemed quite incredible.
"Don't get cocky," said Cedric, flying up from below the stone bridge on his broom. He had just gone down to check if the giant he had pushed off the bridge was dead, and he was quite pleased to have taken down a giant single-handedly.
In the blink of an eye, only a handful of giants were still standing. If it weren't for the fact that they wanted to avoid hogging all the kills, these giants would probably have been wiped out already.
After all, there weren't enough giants to go around, and if some greedy individuals took more than their share, there would be even less to distribute.
And who wouldn't want to have bragging rights afterward?
Just before the last of the giants fell, the horde of Dementors, which had been scattered earlier, regrouped and swept toward them once more. Fortunately, everyone was prepared, and their Patronuses had once again crushed the Dementors' assault without letting them succeed.
But this incident raised everyone's alertness.
"What should we do about these Dementors? We can't afford to spare people to watch them!" Lee Jordan frowned as he looked at the Dementors, who had been crushed by their Patronuses once more, and voiced his concern as he hovered next to Fred and George.
If the Dementors attacked again and no one was guarding this area, these dangerous dark creatures might sweep through the entire castle and cause them significant trouble.
However, assigning people to watch them would be a waste of manpower, as the number of wizards left behind couldn't be too small, or their Patronuses might not be able to withstand the Dementors' assault.
"Don't worry about the Dementors for now. Our task is to clear the giants here and then join up with the others immediately," said George, unconcerned about the Dementors as he reminded his companions of Albert's instructions. "Remember, the Death Eaters haven't shown themselves yet, and Albert thinks they might try to strike the castle while we're busy."
If Albert hadn't specifically instructed them, it was clear that he had other plans.
As the last giant fell, everyone turned their brooms toward the castle and flew off.
"I wonder how the others are doing," said one of the wizards.
"As long as nothing unexpected happens, they should be fine if they're not complete idiots!" Fred replied confidently. He knew that Albert, to ensure the plan's success, had distributed Felix Felicis to those leading and commanding the various teams, ensuring they would seize opportunities, make the most accurate judgments, and minimize losses when dealing with the enemy.
Well, that pack of werewolves trying to invade the castle from the viaduct didn't seem much of a threat to them.
From the very beginning, they had held all the advantages. They were not only well-prepared but had also set traps for the enemy. Dealing with those few hundred werewolves was probably even easier than dealing with the giants, and they might just wipe them out without breaking a sweat.
"By the way, whose idea was it to use Mandrakes?"
"Most likely Albert's."
"I heard they cultivated an unusually large number of Mandrakes this year, probably waiting for today."
"Should I take some people over there to check?" Cedric asked, a bit worried.
"Don't be stupid," Fred replied. "You won't accomplish anything by going there now. We can only put our faith in Neville."
"If we had enough Felix Felicis, we could probably beat the enemies to a pulp."
In fact, the members of Dumbledore's Army, who had not taken Felix Felicis, did feel less confident and composed than the Defense Association members.
Even as Neville Longbottom tried to boost everyone's morale by reviewing their plan, he couldn't dispel the nervousness of the newcomers facing their first battle. This was especially true for their leader, who wanted to teach those werewolves attempting to invade Hogwarts from the viaduct a memorable lesson.
"Unless those werewolves can fly, they're as good as dead," Neville said loudly as he distributed ear protectors to everyone. "But I believe they're not smart enough, nor do they have the time, to look for flying brooms, so those damned werewolves can only come through this viaduct. It's their only option."
"Then, according to the plan, we just need to throw Mandrakes at the werewolves trying to cross the viaduct, and the Mandrakes' cries will take care of them all at once," said Hannah Abbott, who had the Mandrake potted plants placed along the walls on both sides so that they could be easily accessed during the upcoming battle without causing confusion.
"That's the situation, more or less," Neville continued. "If we're lucky, we might not even need to blow up this viaduct."
Neville noticed the unease in his companions' eyes and continued to explain their respective tasks to the dozen or so partners present.
Neville understood their concerns. After all, they might end up killing countless werewolves all at once, but they had no other choice. Even if they blew up the viaduct in front of them, it would only temporarily stop the werewolf threat to Hogwarts. The werewolves could still go around and head to other locations.
No, that was an inevitable outcome.
And with such a huge numerical disadvantage, it would surely lead to a collapse or unnecessary casualties elsewhere.
Therefore, the most sensible course of action was to use this opportunity to eliminate the werewolf threat once and for all.
In times of war, any show of mercy to the enemy was a sign of irresponsibility to one's comrades. When Neville accepted this task, he had already steeled himself for the blood that would be on his hands.
(End of Chapter)
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