Malfoy and Parkinson rushed into the right track, probably hoping to find the shortest way to the finish line.
But seeing this scene, Harry felt a doubt gnawing at his heart. He glanced at Neville, who was soaked with sweat on his back but still persisted. He couldn't help but pity him.
"Neville, Bulstrode and Greengrass have been left behind. Let me take over, My magic has almost recovered!"
Harry offered, feeling his magic returning to his body.
"No, I can still hold on. We're almost there." Neville wiped his dripping face, gasping for breath, and refused Harry's request.
Finally, with Neville's desperate efforts, twenty seconds after Malfoy's boat disappeared from everyone's sight, Gryffindor's boat was finally about to reach the intersection of the 'Y' shaped track. Across a few dozen feet, Harry could vaguely see the difference between the two sides. The right track was shrouded in thick fog, while the left track flickered with several orange lights.
As the current top two rivals of each other in Hogwarts, since Malfoy chose the right side, Harry would not hesitate to steer the boat to the left. He was not going to follow Malfoy's lead.
This choice was not purely out of spite. Harry had a logical reason for it.
Harry thought, if the right track led to the finish line, then Malfoy, who made the right choice first, would undoubtedly win. Even if they followed behind and finished the whole course, they would still not escape being mocked by Malfoy and cleaning the owl shed as a punishment. So, it was better to bet that Malfoy chose the wrong side, and the left track was the one that led to the finish line. Maybe the orange lights were a sign of victory.
Harry thought so. He clenched his teeth, his eyes fixed on the left track that seemed more inviting than the foggy one. And just as he was about to take action, the right track that was hidden behind the fog made a loud noise.
BOOM! --------CRASH! --------SPLASH!
A loud crisp sound made Harry's hand shake violently. The oak boat swayed, and Neville, who was startled by the strange noise, also shuddered. He unconsciously withdrew his palm, and stood up wobbly. He almost lost his balance and fell into the water.
Neville blinked, hesitated for a moment. He glanced at the boat behind his feet, which was still intact, then looked into Harry's eyes. The two people's eyes crossed in mid-air, and they both understood that they had the same guess as each other. Something had happened to Malfoy's boat.
"What's going on, Harry?" Neville asked nervously. "That sound just now, was it like the boat being smashed?"
"Help!!!" "Ah, monster!!!"
Harry didn't have time to speak, because what he was about to say was interrupted by two screams that almost sounded at the same time, full of panic and fear. They came from the right track, where Malfoy and Parkinson had gone. Then, under the frightened eyes of Harry and Neville, the fog wall on the right track rolled up, revealing a horrifying sight. And then, two vague figures desperately slapped the waves towards them, trying to escape from something. Needless to say, it was Malfoy and Parkinson.
In a short moment, Harry and Neville, who looked at each other, thought of the terrifying scene that appeared in the practical class of Defense Against the Dark Arts last year. Uncontrollably, Harry subconsciously took out his wand, and had already recited the incantation of the flame (Incendio) spell in his mind.
"Save me, Potter!"
Malfoy, who was soaked in water, saw the first figure in his eyes as he rushed out of the fog. It was Harry, his nemesis. But when his life was threatened, he threw all the trivial conflicts to the back of his head, and shouted for help. But as soon as he opened his mouth, he gulped a mouthful of murky water. He coughed and spluttered, feeling something pulling his leg.
"What's in there, Malfoy? Is it an inferi?" Harry asked, his voice tense. He couldn't see what was chasing them, but he had a bad feeling about it.
Although Harry hated the despicable tactics that Slytherin used to win the game, reason also told him to leave immediately. Because a murderous and ferocious silhouette was about to come out of the fog. But seeing Malfoy and Parkinson who were rushing towards them regardless of everything, Harry frowned and felt his feet rooted. And he couldn't move.
"It's not an inferi, Potter. Save! me!"
Malfoy shouted in horror, his voice hoarse. He was only a few feet away from Harry's boat, but it felt like a mile. He stretched out his hand, hoping that Harry would pull him up.
Pansy Parkinson also cried out. "It's a monster. It wants to kill us!"
Harry instinctively wanted to scold them. But thinking of Professor Watson's 'wild' style, he had some belief in their 'nonsense'.
Just in such a moment of hesitation, the monster in the fog had stepped on the water and emerged from the mist. And at the moment when Harry and Neville saw its clear face, they felt a surge of cold air in their lungs, and their scalps exploded with fear.
So far, Harry had seen three of the most terrifying monsters in his life: Hagrid's three-headed dog Fluffy in the first year, Professor Watson's inferi in the second year, and that dreadful creature called a dementor that he saw on the Hogwarts Express at the beginning of the third year. And now, there was one more creature that made him feel afraid.
The dead and gloomy eyes, the ferocious claws, and the sharp teeth were scary enough, but they did not make Harry feel afraid. He had faced worse things before. What made him fearful was the black mist that surrounded the creature, the pure malice that radiated from it, the power similar to death that it possessed. It was like a living nightmare, a manifestation of evil.
Click! Clack!...Click! Clack!
Harry, whose body was cold and stiff, heard a strange sound. After a brief thought, he understood. It was Neville's teeth chattering. Neville was trembling like a leaf, his face pale as a ghost.
The creature had a twisted body, a single leg, and a lantern in its hand. It was a hinkypunk, one of the many dark creatures that Bryan had brought out from Avalon Island. It shook its head and spewed out a foul-smelling black smoke, just like the eight-eyed spider that had been imprisoned under the dormitory floor for several years by Bryan. This hinkypunk, which had lived in a glass bottle for half a year, could not restrain its bloodthirsty desire in its heart. The desire to kill anyone who crossed its path.
Splash– Malfoy and Parkinson climbed onto their boat in a hurry, and the cabin that originally fit two people became extremely crowded after accommodating four young wizards. They could only stand side by side with their shoulders touching, their wet clothes sticking to their skin.
"Are you waiting for that monster to tear us to pieces?" Malfoy roared, his voice cracking with fear and anger. "Hurry up and start the boat!"
"If you can't show the gratitude you should, Malfoy,"
Harry blinked, and suddenly came back to his senses. Facing Malfoy's almost commanding words, his face turned cold.
"Then please leave me and Neville–ouch!" Harry's words were cut off by a sudden pain in his back. He felt a push, and then he lost his balance.
Splash, splash!
The world tilted sharply in his vision, until his face made intimate contact with the cold water. Harry and Neville realized what had happened. Pansy Parkinson had pushed them into the water!
"Start the boat, Malfoy, we know which way is right now!" Pansy crossed to the stern with a grin, and when she passed by Malfoy, who was incredulous and staring at her, she also pushed him lightly towards the bow.
"Who told you to do that, Pansy?"
Malfoy opened his mouth, his voice full of disbelief. He looked at Longbottom and Potter, who were struggling to stay afloat in the water. His expression was astonished. He didn't expect Pansy to do such a thing without his order.
"Don't be stunned, Draco–" Pansy seemed to have no idea how bad her behavior was. Before her palm touched the ball of sphere, she urged Malfoy to hurry up and steer.
"That monster will teach Potter and Longbottom a lesson for us. We have to leave quickly, lest we get involved!"
She said, her voice dripping with malice.
Malfoy pursed his lips. His astonished eyes faded, and his gray eyes showed fiery anger. He moved his eyes away from Pansy, and looked at Potter, who was helping Longbottom float up in the water. After a brief hesitation, he squatted down, leaned over and reached out his hand.
Harry and Neville were baffled by his actions.
'Why was Slytherin acting so strangely? Pansy Parkinson had maliciously shoved them into the water, but Malfoy had offered to help them back onto the boat?'
"Don't misunderstand, Potter. I owe you a favor…Fr- from Professor Watson's practical class last time!" Malfoy said with a red face, facing Harry's puzzled expression.
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