Chapter 464 464. End of the first item and preparation for the second item

The heat wave rolled, and the fire line hit the attacking griffin.

Sizzle...

The fire crow turned its head slightly, and the bright white fire line left a long red scar on the griffin's huge steel body.

"Roar!"

The griffin opened its mouth and roared, and the glowing blue magic instantly spread all over its body, sweeping away the long scar.

The hot fire line did not break through its body defense.

Scott turned into a peregrine falcon, and did not stop after seeing this scene, but flew up again for a distance.

There was a crackling sound, and he looked down, and the griffin was looking up and opening its mouth, spewing a rotating storm towards him.

"Ga!"

The fire crow spread its wings and flew quickly, blocking the storm, using the surging flames around its body to resist the invasion of the storm.

Taking this opportunity, Scott accelerated his flight and dived towards the place where the swordfish was.

The swordfish wrapped in the giant water ball had already swam to the side of the stone platform.

The floating water ball rose, parallel to the griffin guarding the door of the control room.

Seeing the water ball approaching, the griffin got on all fours, spread its wings, and roared at the sailfish in a threatening manner.

The sailfish did not make a sound, but continued to move forward with its head shaking and tail wagging.

Scott lowered his altitude and followed behind it.

"Roar..."

The griffin blocking the door of the control room roared again, and its body was also covered with blue magic runes, and it opened its mouth to spit out a spiral storm.

Boom!

Amidst the flying dust, the rotating storm collided with the huge water ball, and the round water ball turned into an irregular shape.

Pieces of water splashed everywhere in the strong wind, and it seemed like a heavy rain fell nearby.

But the size of the water ball did not change, and Scott's sailfish was constantly replenishing the water ball with new water.

Scott, who was avoiding the water splash, turned his head and took a look. On the other side, his fire crow was still trying his best to stop the griffin who wanted to return to the stone platform.

But since this fire crow was a temporary product that Scott hastily transformed with rocks, it could not match the alchemy beasts carefully made by alchemists in terms of attack or defense.

It was seen that it was about to fail to withstand the crazy attack of the griffin.

It seemed that we had to hurry up.

At this time, the storm in front of the control room door gradually subsided, and the deformed water ball instantly restored its round shape.

The swordfish suddenly accelerated, like a giant arrow, carrying the water ball to the front of the griffin in an instant.

Its long and sharp upper jaw broke through the water ball, like a sharp sword, and hit the body of the steel monster fiercely.

Bang!

With a loud clanging sound, the griffin involuntarily stepped back a few steps.

The swordfish took the opportunity to retreat into the water ball and opened its mouth to spray a torrent.

The slender water blade hit the griffin's chest, making a harsh friction sound, and water and sparks splashed together.

Although this water blade still did not break through the surface defense of the alchemy beast griffin, it prevented it from returning to the door of the control room.

Scott was like a flashing black shadow. Relying on the small body of the peregrine falcon compared to these behemoths, he successfully flew into the control room.

"Roar!"

Two roars sounded at the same time.

The nearby griffin stretched out its huge claws to scratch the control room, and the other griffin that defeated the fire crow also flew towards the stone platform at a high speed.

Scott changed back to human form as quickly as possible, raised his hand, and tapped the huge red button on the metal pillar in the control room.

Beep, beep.

The button flashed red.

In an instant, the two griffins quieted down, lying quietly on the ground, no longer moving.

"Incredible! Incredible! He succeeded!"

Scott came out of his focused state, and Mr. Jolly's passionate commentary and the enthusiastic shouts of the audience once again clearly reached his ears.

"He didn't use any spells, only three Transfiguration spells throughout the whole process, and he finished the game at the fastest speed!"

"He completed the goal in just five minutes, yes, five minutes!"

"Oh my God, this is an unprecedented magical Transfiguration! I bet no one has ever seen it!"

"I have something else to announce, I just found out! Incredible, everyone should still remember the Quidditch World Cup final held in the UK three months ago!"

Mr. Jolly suddenly mentioned the nightmare World Cup final, and the scene became quiet.

Scott thought that the official of the French Ministry of Magic wanted to mock the incompetence of the British Ministry of Magic, but he suddenly changed the subject-

"The little wizard who helped Mr. Dumbledore to open up a life channel for everyone is the warrior from Hogwarts in front of him, Scott Trollope, who is only 16 years old!"

"Yes, according to Mr. Dumbledore, this youngest warrior really played an important role that day!"

In an uproar, everyone looked at Scott in surprise.

Scott walked out of the control room in full view of everyone, pulled out his wand and waved it vigorously.

The huge swordfish turned into a rock again and fell from the water ball. Then, the huge water ball turned into a stream and rushed to the ground.

On the side of the jury, the excited Mr. Jolly was already interviewing Dumbledore.

He stretched his neck to look at Dumbledore and asked loudly, "Professor Dumbledore, is the Transfiguration course taught by your Hogwarts professor different?"

But Dumbledore just shook his head, clapped his hands, and did not answer his question.

"Oh, okay." Mr. Jolly retracted his stretched neck, "Yes, now is the time to score the third warrior. Please all the judges show your scores! Then, I'll do it first!"

As he spoke, he raised the wand in his hand.

"What I want to give is full marks!"

A huge number [10] erupted from the tip of his wand and flew high into the sky.

Then, others started to score.

The first was Mr. Lefebre, who was sitting next to Mr. Jolly. He raised his wand and showed a huge number [10].

Then there is Madame Maxime.

She glanced at Scott from a distance, pondered for a few seconds, and also gave him 10 points.

Then there was Professor Hartmann from Durmstrang. He also hesitated for a while and finally gave 8 points.

The huge number [8] flew high into the sky, causing an uproar among the surrounding audience.

Neat boos sounded.

Scott followed the boos and looked, and sure enough, they were his companions from the Hogwarts delegation.

At this time, both Fred and Roger stood up and kept making unsightly gestures in the direction of Professor Hartman.

But this protest obviously cannot change Professor Hartmann's score.

Finally, it was Dumbledore's turn to score, and he decisively gave Scott 10 points.

"Oh! Scott Trollope from Hogwarts scored a total of 48 points in the first round!"

Mr. Jolly's voice echoed throughout the room.

Cheers and applause resumed.

"Scott! You're the best!"

Scott heard his companions in Hogwarts screaming loudly, but the voices of more than twenty people were not buried by the voices of hundreds of spectators.

He laughed and waved at them.

"Leading table!" Mr. Jolly shouted.

On the high platform where the referee team is located, a huge stone slab slowly rises behind the seats.

A few lines of writing appeared on the stone slab for everyone to see clearly.

Mr. Jolly turned his head and read aloud——

"Let's see, so far..."

"First place, Scott Trollope, Hogwarts, 48 ​​points!"

"Second place, Viktor Krum, Durmstrang, 45 points!"

"Third place, Fleur Delacour, Beauxbatons, 43 points!"

After reading the points, Scott walked off the high platform and walked towards the passage on one side.

"That's it, today's competition has come to a successful end! Please look forward to the second event, which will be held on February 24 next year! Goodbye!"

"Oh! Please exit in an orderly manner and avoid crowding!"

The audience began to leave, and Scott walked into the passage below the auditorium.

Fleur and Krum, who had already finished the game first, were both here.

"It seems that what was said in the newspapers at that time was all true!" Fleur looked at Scott with complicated eyes, "You are really a genius that surpasses most people!"

Scott gave her a confused look.

Fleur explained, "Oh! There were relevant reports in the French newspapers at that time, but they didn't publish your name!"

Scott nodded. It seemed that only British newspapers had published his name.

Fleur added: "Everyone's attention is on the terrible Dark Lord and Dumbledore who stood up to save everyone. They don't think your actions have played a big role. After all, you are just following Dumbledore. You were simply mentioned in the report.”

At this point, she turned to look at Krum.

"You should have known something for a long time, Viktor, you were also there at the time, weren't you?"

Krum nodded silently, then shook his head.

"What?" Fleur didn't understand what he meant.

Scott explained to him, "At that time, all the players, including Viktor, were busy rescuing people. Only those with broomsticks could safely fly over the siege of the fire. They saved many children."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know about this." Fleur was a little surprised and apologized to Krum.

"It's okay," Krum said.

At this moment, Professor Russell, still wearing a white robe, walked over from the other side of the passage.

"Professor Russell."

Fleur quickly greeted him respectfully.

Professor Russell nodded slightly, but kept looking at Scott.

"I am impressed by your performance, Mr. Trollope," he said.

"Thank you for the compliment." Scott said politely.

Russell still stared at him and said in a deep voice: "There must be a great wizard teaching you. I'm sure that person is not Minerva McGonagall, the transfiguration professor at Hogwarts, nor your principal." Not thinking about Dumbledore."

When Scott heard this, he looked at him in surprise.

Professor Russell raised the corners of his lips slightly, "Your transformation is no longer just a transformation. The wizard who taught you must be a true master of alchemy."

Upon hearing his words, both Fleur and Krum looked shocked.

Professor Russell said to Scott: "The conversion of substances at the core of alchemy is achieved by means of transfiguration. Although the method is somewhat tricky, it cannot be achieved casually. There must be an alchemy master. Help you, otherwise, with your alchemy level..."

The implication is that Scott alone cannot achieve such perfection.

Scott nodded in recognition of this.

Without the help of his Ravenclaw mentor, his transformation would not have progressed so quickly.

He confirmed Professor Russell's guess, "You are right, my mentor is indeed an amazing master of alchemy."

After hearing his words, Professor Russell's calm eyes finally became warm.

He even asked eagerly, "As far as I know, there is no such alchemy master in Hogwarts today, or even in the whole of Britain. Can you tell me who your mentor is?"

"This..." Scott hesitated.

"What's wrong? Is there anything you can't say?" Professor Russell asked.

Scott thought for a while and said to him: "I can't make any decisions on this matter, so I hope you ask Professor Dumbledore. If possible, he will tell you."

"That's it." Professor Russell nodded, "I will ask him."

After saying that, he passed Scott and the other three and walked toward the front of the passage.

After a while, Mr. Jolly came to them in a hurry.

"Oh, follow me, three warriors. Regarding the second event of the competition, there are some precautions and preparations that need to be explained to you now."

Scott and the others followed him out of the passage and came to the back of the building.

A pink-blue carriage with two rune horses was parked here.

"Come on, get in the car."

Mr. Jolly quickly climbed onto the carriage and opened the curtain in front of the carriage.

Scott saw that the members of the referee team were already sitting in the carriage.

He climbed into the carriage and sat next to Dumbledore.

After everyone was seated, the rune horse quickly started moving, pulling the carriage and flying into the sky.

"We are going to Beauxbatons' Rune Horse Ranch." Mr. Jolly said with a smile. "For the second round three months later, each of you will need a partner, which is a Rune Horse." "

Scott asked in surprise, "So, are we going to choose our partners now?"

"That's right!" Mr. Jolly said, "You need to select your competition partners in advance. Of course, in order to have enough tacit understanding with your partners during the competition, you also need to do some additional things in the three months before the competition. Preparation."

Upon hearing the news, both Scott and Krum turned their heads reflexively and looked at Fleur sitting next to Madam Maxime.

Because Madame Maxime was so big, Fleur sitting next to her looked particularly petite, and it took Scott an extra two seconds to find her.

Furong obviously understood the meaning expressed by the two people's gazes, and she kicked her eyes angrily.

"I swear, I didn't develop a tacit understanding with the magical rune horse in advance!" She said dissatisfied.

Mrs. Maxim also had a long face, "We have always held this competition based on the principle of fairness."

"Yes," said Mr. Jolly quickly, "all is fair and square."

Dumbledore smiled and said: "Of course, I fully believe in all the efforts made by the French Ministry of Magic and Beauxbatons for this event."

"Yes, we have no objection." Hartman also expressed his position.

After hearing the professors say the same thing, Scott and Krum withdrew their gaze.

fair and just?

Whether Klum believed it or not, Scott wouldn't completely believe it anyway.

But there is one thing to say. At the very least, Madame Maxime, as the organizer, was indeed fair in her scoring.

"By the way, there is one more thing." Mr. Jolly said with a smile on his face, "You must have made some guesses, right? Yes, the second competition is related to flying."

This time, both Fleur and Krum's eyes were focused on Scott.

Indeed, when it comes to flying, Scott's Animagus is a peregrine falcon, which has great advantages.

Faced with the eyes focused on him, Scott remained unmoved. He knew that Mr. Jolly had something to say about this.

Sure enough, Mr. Jolly followed up and said: "Sorry, Mr. Trollope, but this matter was proposed by Mr. Dumbledore. We have decided to ban your Animagus transformation in the second competition."

Scott turned to look at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore nodded at him and said with a smile: "That's not bad. It's more interesting, isn't it, Scott?"

Before Scott could express his position, Mr. Jolly added: "Yes, this is indeed a bit unfair, because Animagus is also proof of your own strength. Mr. Trollope, if you disagree, you can tell the referee The group protested."

"I agree," Scott said.

Although I don’t know why Dumbledore imposed restrictions on him, the impact of not being able to transform into an Animagus is not that big on him.

If he wanted to fly, there was not only one way.

"Oh, you agree?" Mr. Jolly raised his eyebrows lively, "Then it's decided."

He looked at the other two contestants and said, "Of course, we also prohibit the use of flying props such as broomsticks. All you can rely on during the high-altitude competition are the wands in your hands and your magical rune horse partners."

high altitude?

Scott silently intercepted a keyword.

He also noticed that Fleur secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The ban on Animagus and the ban on broomsticks undoubtedly sealed the strengths of Scott and Krum, making Fleur no longer at a disadvantage in high-altitude competitions.

Although he didn't know what this operation was, neither Dumbledore nor Professor Hartman spoke, and Scott remained silent like Krum.

As he spoke, the carriage began to descend to the ground.

Scott turned and looked out the window.

What they arrived at was a vast pasture surrounded by mountains.

Although it is winter, this grass-covered pasture is a peaceful and vibrant scene.

A group of golden rune horses were playing in the pasture.

They ran on the grass with vigorous postures, fluttering their beautiful pure white wings and flying in the air, making bursts of cheerful neighing.

After the carriage landed, Mr. Jolly jumped out of the carriage first.

"Come on, follow me, this way."

He greeted everyone including Madame Maxime and Fleur warmly, as if he was the owner here.

Everyone followed him without saying a word to the stables located at the edge of the pasture.

"Look here, I guarantee they are the most beautiful and strongest in this pasture."

He motioned for everyone to look at the three particularly handsome rune horses in the stable.

The aroma of wine hit their nostrils, and it was obvious that the three Pegasus were drinking single malt whiskey.

"We specially selected them. Look, their names are written here, Pegasus and Chrysaor. By the way, they are a pair of brothers, and the last one is called Hippoclini."

Scott raised his head and took a closer look at the three Pegasus, named after Medusa's two children and the source of inspiration in Greek mythology.

However, from his perspective, he could only see that they were all equally strong and could not tell any difference.

"Now, start picking your partners." Mr. Jolly said in a cheerful tone. "The order is based on points. So, Mr. Trollope, you choose first."

"I choose Pegasus," Scott said.

Not knowing how to choose, he chose the one with the same name as the mythical Pegasus.

"Mr. Krum, it's your turn."

Krum was silent for a few seconds and then said: "I choose Chrysaor."

He chose Pegasus' brother.

"Very good, then Hippoclini is Miss Delacour's companion," said Mr. Jolly. "What a coincidence, Hippoclini is also a lady."

"What should we do next? Get along with them and develop a tacit understanding?" Scott asked eagerly.

The high-altitude competition was different from the underwater competition in the "original book". Although he didn't know how the competition was going to go, he was already looking forward to it.

It shouldn’t be horse racing——

After all, with the huge size of these horses, no one except Hagrid and Madam Maxime can ride them like normal horses.

"Oh, don't worry, I'll explain it to you," said Mr. Jolly. "Next, let's change places."

With that said, he walked towards the carriage again.

Scott was a little confused, but he still used his senses to record the fluctuations of Pegasus' magic power, and followed the crowd back to the carriage.

Soon, the carriage took off again and flew away from the mountain pasture.

In the carriage, Mr. Jolly smiled meaningfully and looked at the three warriors.

"What I'm saying is that you are not allowed to have any contact with your partners for the next three months."

Scott blinked.

This was completely different from what he had guessed.

"No contact?" Furong also asked in surprise, "How do we cultivate a tacit understanding with our competition partners?"

Mr. Jolly raised a finger, "The next step is the crux of the problem and a test for you."

Everyone listened carefully.

Mr Jolly said: "I think everyone knows that rune horses only drink single malt whisky, that's the only food they can eat."

Scott and the others nodded.

"What you have to do..." said Mr. Jolly, "is make wine!"

"What?" Scott was really surprised.

what is this?

Fleur and Krum also opened their mouths.

"Be patient." Mr. Joly stretched out his hands to press down. "I must emphasize that the process of the game is recognized by all the referees."

Scott glanced at Dumbledore.

The old principal had been sitting quietly and just blinked at him when he looked over.

All right.

Scott looked back at Mr. Jolly, waiting for his further explanation.

"Very well, it seems you have all accepted this fact." Mr. Jolly grinned, showing his white teeth.

I don’t know if it was an illusion, but Scott always felt that his smile was cheap.

At this time, the carriage landed again and stopped by a forest on the edge of Beauxbatons Castle.

After getting off the car, Mr. Jolly led everyone into the woods and stopped in front of three cabins built in a row in the woods.

"Look, this is your brewery!"

He said to Scott and the others.

Scott took a look and found that the wooden house with the open door was empty and there was nothing.

Not to mention whether they know how to do it, but without any tools, how are they going to make wine?

Mr. Jolly clapped his hands to attract everyone's attention.

“What needs to be explained is that you must complete the brewing of single malt whiskey without the help of any ready-made tools or natural conditions, including sunlight. You must only use your own magic.”

He and the three warriors took turns looking at each other.

"Speaking of which, you should understand, right? Whoever brews better wine and pleases the horses more will get a competition partner who is more willing to cooperate with you!"

Having said this, his face once again showed a smile that Scott thought was mean.

"The tacit understanding I mentioned before refers to the tacit understanding that can only be formed when the horses you choose actively cooperate with you."

At this time, Scott and the other three looked at each other and found that their faces were not very good.

"Where are the raw materials?" Krum finally spoke, "I mean, wheat for brewing. As we all know, magic cannot make food."

"Of course, we will provide the raw materials, exactly the same raw materials."

Mr. Jolly said, taking out a small deformed lizard skin bag from his pocket and shaking it.

He threw the deformed lizard skin bag into the air, then took out his magic wand and controlled the bag to pour three piles of wheat of equal size on the floors of the three wooden houses.

"Okay."

He shook the magic wand and let the empty deformed lizard skin bag fly back to his hand.

"We set up a magic in this forest. After it is activated, no one can walk in except you three."

He stuffed the deformed lizard skin bag back into his pocket, thought about it, and added a few more words.

"You can't bring anything except your wand into the woods. The magic will automatically detect whether you have violated the rules."

"You can look up the methods and processes of brewing fine wine by yourself, or ask others for advice."

"You can use local materials in the woods to make the tools for brewing wine."

"Please remember that wheat cannot leave the cabin before it is successfully turned into whiskey, otherwise it will be a violation."

"Oh, and only you can enter your respective cabins, which means that you are prohibited from visiting each other."

He waved the wand in his hand again.

Creaky.

The door of the cabin closed tightly, and at the same time, the names of Scott and the other three appeared on the door.

"Okay, the explanation of the second competition ends here." Mr. Jolly retracted his wand and looked at his taciturn colleague, "Is there anything else to add, Antoine?"

Mr. Lefebvre on the side shook his head, "You explained it in detail, ah."

Mr. Jolly immediately clapped his hands happily, "Very good, it seems that our work is over! Next, just activate the magic set here and you can go back."

Everyone left the woods and then separated.

Scott and Dumbledore walked towards their tower together.

"Any ideas, Scott?" Dumbledore asked him kindly.

Scott shook his head, "I've never brewed wine before, and I don't even know what the steps are. I think if the wine I brew tastes bad, Pegasus will not only not help in the game, but will also make trouble."

Dumbledore laughed, "This is also the fun of this game, but I'm asking about the ban on Animagus."

Scott also laughed, "Probably no one would expect a certain warrior to be an Animagus. If it is not banned, the result of the second game should lose suspense."

"You are right." Dumbledore said, "When they saw your Animagus transformed, they immediately realized this. I have to say, this made them very embarrassed."

Scott nodded.

He could think of this.

Dumbledore added, "In order to prevent their hard work for so long from going to waste, I took the initiative to propose to limit your ability."

"That's nothing." Scott said, "If I want to fly, there are other ways."

Dumbledore winked playfully, "Of course, it is precisely because I fully believe in your ability that I have such a proposal. It would not be fun if the game completely lost suspense, right?"

Scott nodded in agreement with him.

"But..." he said hesitantly, "I don't have confidence in brewing."

Dumbledore was not too worried, "Oh, about this, I think everyone in Hogwarts is happy to help you, just as they did before."

"I will do my best."

Scott could only say this.

Although everyone can help him collect good brewing methods, he can only do it himself in the end.

He really doesn't have much confidence.

"They are back!"

From a distance, Scott saw Fred standing in front of the tower gate and shouting.

Soon, other companions ran out of the tower and welcomed Scott's return to the team with cheers and applause.

"Go ahead. Don't think about the second competition today. Just celebrate." Dumbledore pushed Scott's back happily.

Scott nodded and ran to his companions.

Everyone surrounded him and talked at once.

"Great, Scott!"

"You are already in the lead. You are the best!"

"Your performance is incredible!"

"I think your performance deserves a full score!"

"That's right, damn Hartman! He gave Krum 10 points, but only gave you 8 points!"

"Krum is no match for you!"

"By the way, what is the second competition?"

"Do you need help?"

"Tell us quickly!"

Scott didn't know who to answer for a while.

At this time, Fred jumped up the steps and shouted, "The party is ready! Let's welcome the warriors into the hall first!"

"Oh!"

Everyone responded and surrounded Scott and walked into the door.

"Where is Professor Dumbledore?"

Scott looked back and found that there was no one on the lawn. Dumbledore had left.

"Never mind, let's celebrate first!"

Roger patted his shoulder.

"Oh and Fred has recorded the performance of the other two warriors. You can take a look. Of course, their performance is far worse than yours."

"Let's watch it tonight."

Scott laughed, looking at the sumptuous food piled on the long table, temporarily putting other things behind his mind.

"I'm so hungry now that I can eat a cow. Let's start the party quickly!"