Hermione was indeed knowledgeable, understanding a myriad of spells. In this regard, her knowledge surpassed that of most adult wizards.
However, when faced with a lightning spell she had never encountered before, she couldn't find any spells that could easily counter it.
'What should I do?'
After barely managing to use a short-range Defensive Charm to defend a lightning attack, Hermione's temples were already sweating.
'What should I do? Is this as far as I can go in this tournament?'
Although third place and fourth place were commendable, only the championship was her goal.
But how do I deal with lightning? Do I have to gamble on my opponent exhausting their magic before I make a move?
No, that won't work, there must be another way.
If it were Alaric, how would he deal with this?
If it were him, a simple Transfiguration could summon a stone wall, rendering lightning ineffective against him, right?
But I can't do that, I can't perform such advanced Transfiguration yet.
So, what other methods are there?
Right, Alaric once told me that although wizard magic is powerful, we should not underestimate Muggle science; it is also a formidable force.
Why am I so fixated on magical solutions?
Through Muggle science, it should be easy to find a solution! I'm such a fool!
With this thought, Hermione's solemn expression turned into a smile.
Although I can't use large-scale Transfiguration, but...
She looked at the stone spikes left on the field due to Strife's magic.
Hermione immediately used Disillusionment Charm again and hid behind the stone spikes.
"Give up!" Strife looked at Hermione behind the waist-high stone spikes and persuaded.
"Even if you hide there, lightning can easily strike you. You have almost no chance."
"That's not necessarily true." Hermione smiled slightly, appearing very confident.
"Stubborn." Strife shook his head, aimed at Hermione's direction, and unleashed another terrifying lightning bolt.
However, this time, Hermione didn't dodge, she simply pointed her wand at the stone spike and performed a Transfiguration.
Crackle!!
The silver lightning, like a silver dragon breaking through the air, instantly reached Hermione's front. However, inexplicably, it didn't harm her at all.
"What's going on!" Strife was puzzled. He found that the stone spike in front of Hermione had turned into a one-meter-long steel needle embedded in the ground.
All the lightning struck the steel needle but didn't harm Hermione at all.
However, Strife didn't understand the principle behind this. He thought it was just because his spell wasn't accurate enough and his control wasn't good enough.
"Next time, you won't be so lucky." He focused his mind and once again cast a lightning spell towards Hermione's direction.
However, before he could cast the spell, an iron chain suddenly wrapped around his leg.
"Do you think you can trap me with just a Transfiguration-created iron chain?" Strife thought to himself.
He planned to destroy the iron chain with magic right after using the lightning spell, not giving his opponent any chance.
But the next moment, he felt a numbness spreading from where the iron chain wrapped around his leg. This pain completely exceeded his tolerance.
Then, he couldn't move at all, his heartbeat almost stopped, and then he knew nothing.
Before he passed out, he was still puzzled, not understanding how he inexplicably lost the match.
The referee and the audience could see clearly. They saw Hermione transfigure another stone spike into an iron chain, which wrapped around the steel needle and Strife's leg.
Then, the lightning released by Strife was once again absorbed by the steel needle, then spread along the iron chain to Strife himself, knocking him down instantly.
However, they didn't understand why.
Everyone thought that Hermione used a special spell to counter Strife's lightning spell, causing him to attack himself.
But regardless, Hermione indeed achieved victory.
The audience cheered loudly, as this young girl unexpectedly defeated a top-notch Auror and made it to the finals—Hermione created an unprecedented record, both in terms of opponents and rankings.
Facing these enthusiastic fans and audience, Hermione, who was accustomed to being a bookworm, was indeed a bit overwhelmed.
So, under the protection of Alaric and the professors, she had to flee and return to their temporary residence.
Alaric didn't bring his bus. Their temporary residence was now a tent enchanted with a space expansion spell, with a hall and six bedrooms inside, prepared by Professor Dumbledore.
Because Alaric and Hermione now were too famous, they didn't tell anyone about their whereabouts to avoid trouble.
However, at noon, the doorbell of the tent rang.
"Could it be that the reporters and audience have found our place?"
The sudden ringing made Hermione nervous, and she couldn't help but look at Alaric.
Alaric walked to the door, glanced outside, and said, "It's not reporters, it's your opponent today, Mr. Strife."
"Really?" Hermione seemed a bit unhappy.
When Strife just entered, he faced a barrage of criticism from Hermione.
"Mr. Strife, now that I have defeated you, do you still have thoughts of wanting to recruit me as your student?"
Faced with such sarcasm, Strife could only smile bitterly, after all, the one saying this had just defeated him today.
"Not at all, Miss Granger your skills are superior. If I say anything about recruiting students, it would be a case of gilding the lily."
"At least you're self-aware." Hermione's expression improved a lot. "So, how's your health?"
Being struck by lightning wasn't a trivial matter. At the time, Strife's legs were already charred, emitting a smell of roasted meat, covered with lightning-like bloodstains, and his heartbeat was almost gone.
Fortunately, most of these injuries were physical, without any curses or dark magic involved.
So, after magical first aid and the use of precious potions, Strife's condition had improved a lot.
However, from this question, it could be seen that although Hermione dominated the arena, she was ultimately a kind-hearted girl.
"Ah! I'm much better now, thank you for your concern."
After hearing Hermione's words, Strife also felt a warmth in his heart, but he still turned to the main topic.
"The reason I have come here are for two things."
"Hmm, please tell me."
"The first thing is like this."
Strife scratched his head, this usually serious man suddenly seemed a bit embarrassed.
"I'm really curious how you made my lightning spell attack me... Of course, if you think it's your exclusive secret and needs to be kept confidential, it's okay not to say it."
.
.
.
Guys, do leave some power stones and reviews.
✌patreon.com/bobthewriter✌
If you guys enjoy this story, you can support me on Patreon and get access to 30 Advance Chapters, it really helps me to work on new chapters.