Chapter 682: Harry vs Natalia
Harry walked alone down the dimly lit path, the silence around him so complete that the only sound was the soft rustle of his own footsteps sinking into the spongy layer of decaying leaves. Suddenly, he froze. A cold shiver ran down his spine.
He whirled around, the tip of his wand sweeping through the darkness of the forest. A flicker of movement darted between the trees, leaves rustling violently.
"Who's there?" Harry called out.
Only the whisper of wind through the treetops and the faint, skittering buzz of a beetle’s wings answered him.
He frowned, replaying the image in his mind. It had looked like an owl—but something felt off. The sensation of being watched lingered, prickling at the back of his neck like spider silk. He took a deep breath, pulled out his compass from his pocket. The red needle spun wildly in his palm, then abruptly snapped still—pointing dead ahead, toward a patch of trees unusually thick and shadowed.
He glanced around. Narrow paths branched off on either side, clearly worn by some animal’s passage, faint hoofprints barely visible in the damp earth. After a moment’s hesitation, he chose the left-hand path—it was slightly wider, offering a sense of marginally greater safety.
For about ten minutes, the way remained clear. No enemies. No traps. Nothing. He glanced at the compass again, confirming he hadn’t strayed off course.
It was too smooth. Too quiet. A knot of unease tightened in his stomach. He muttered to himself, "How come nothing’s happened? Should’ve run into something by now."
The words had barely left his lips when he heard it—back behind him, from between the gnarled roots of the trees, a strange, rhythmic click-clack sound.
Harry halted instantly. His wand snapped toward the noise, and from the shadows, a monstrous creature began to crawl into view.
It was enormous—roughly the size of a small car—its body armored in gray-white, chitinous plates. Six spined legs supported its massive frame, its back bristling with jagged spikes. At the end of its tail, a black, segmented claw glowed faintly, sparking intermittently, while a foul stench like rotten fish and spoiled shrimp wafted from it.
Harry’s skin crawled. He took an involuntary half-step back.
The creature fixed its gaze on him—and then, with terrifying speed, charged.
Harry leapt sideways into a thicket, narrowly avoiding the impact. The beast crashed into a young beech tree with a thunderous crack, snapping the trunk like a twig. It shook its head, then turned and lunged again.
Harry darted into the narrow gap between two thick trunks, ensuring the beast couldn’t get a clean hit. He raised his wand, and Sirius Black’s voice echoed in his mind:
“Harry, remember—when you face a creature of that size, or one naturally armored, standard spells won’t cut it.”
Sirius sat in his old armchair, idly spinning the Hungarian Horntail model Harry had won in his first task, a familiar, mischievous grin playing on his lips.
“A Stunner might just make it dizzy. An Obstacle Spell, a Disarming Charm—those’ll just bounce off its hide. But not every creature’s as magically resistant as a Fire Dragon. Even they have weak points. Sometimes, the simplest spell… works best.”
Harry leaned forward, intrigued. “Like what?”
Sirius grinned wider. “Like… Tarantallegra!”
The memory flashed in Harry’s mind.
“Tarantallegra!” he roared, the wand tip erupting in a streak of orange light. It struck the beast’s front leg.
Instantly, the limb twitched uncontrollably—jerking, flailing, dancing wildly. The charging monstrosity stumbled and crashed to the ground, its dark, glossy eyes blinking in confusion.
Harry didn’t pause. He aimed at a grayish, bumpy protrusion on the creature’s forehead—like a grotesque pimple.
“Rapid Enlargement Charm!”
The bump swelled visibly, expanding at a terrifying speed. Within seconds, it ballooned to the size of a basketball—and kept growing.
The beast, barely able to stand on its remaining five legs, panicked. It tried to use its front claws to scrape at the swelling, but the uncooperative leg threw it off balance. With a heavy thud, it fell again.
The absurd sight made Harry almost laugh aloud. He relaxed his grip slightly, stepping around the fallen beast to prepare to move on.
Then—something changed.
The creature, utterly enraged by its own helplessness, suddenly flared red at the base of its tail. Sparks erupted like fireworks, crackling violently.
Harry’s blood ran cold. He threw himself behind a tree just as the tail detonated.
A deafening BOOM split the forest. A searing shockwave ripped through the air, hurling fragments of chitinous armor in every direction. They slammed into the trees with sharp cracks, like bullets.
“Shield Charm!” Harry yelled. The invisible barrier flared into existence just in time. But the blast still rattled his ears, leaving them ringing.
After a long moment, a sharp pain flared in his leg. He looked down—his trousers were on fire.
He scrambled, slapping at the flames with frantic hands until the fire died. Only then did he exhale, trembling with relief.
He glanced back. The creature lay motionless, its own explosion having killed it.
“What in Merlin’s name was that?” Harry muttered, shaking his head. He got to his feet, pulled out a vial of Healing Potion, and poured it over the burn on his leg. Grimacing through the pain, he quickly retreated from the area.
He kept checking the compass, but every time he tried to follow its direction, he hit obstacles—branches, fallen logs, thick undergrowth. He was forced to change course again and again.
Then, rounding a sharp bend in the path, he saw a flicker of movement ahead.
Two wands snapped up, pointing at each other.
It was Natalia—flustered, her hair tangled with spider silk, as if she’d just escaped a spider nest. Her robes were scorched in places, smoke still faintly curling from the fabric.
They locked eyes. No greeting. No hesitation.
She struck first.
“Stupefy!”
Harry rolled sideways. The red bolt sliced past his shoulder. He countered instantly.
“Expelliarmus!”
She ducked and sprinted, weaving through the trees. Her wand flicked again.
“Petrificus Totalus!”
“Shield Charm!”
The barrier rippled violently as the spell struck. Harry kept moving, throwing back his own spell.
“Expelliarmus!”
She shouted in unison: “Bind Fast!”
Their spells collided midair—light flaring, sparks exploding in a shower of blinding white. Harry squinted, but his legs didn’t stop. He kept running.
“Obstacle Course!”
He swung his wand hard. Natalia stumbled—almost tripped—but recovered in an instant, pushing off the ground and launching herself into the air. As she twisted mid-leap, she fired another spell.
“Thunder Explosion!”
The forest became a battlefield of light—spells ricocheting between trees, weaving through the branches, flashing in rapid succession. But beneath the chaos, both felt it—something warm, familiar, exhilarating.
This was their rhythm. Their training. No giant spiders. No exploding beasts. Just spell versus spell. Skill versus skill.
Harry rolled again, narrowly avoiding a bolt. He was about to counter—then his eyes snapped wide.
A massive shadow dropped from the trees above.
A giant silhouette—sleek, predatory—plunged toward Natalia like a falling star.
She was already focused on dodging his next spell. She hadn’t seen it coming.
Harry’s heart stopped.
Without thinking, he surged to his feet, wand raised.
“Shield Charm!” he bellowed.
(End of Chapter)
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