Hogwarts: Even Voldemort Can't Stop Me From Studying

Chapter 840 - 211: The Lizard and Hope

"Merlin!" Hermione suddenly covered her mouth. "Has it been following Harry all along!"

Ron also turned pale, angrily saying, "Is Vid even going after Harry?"

"Don’t say that, they... they are competitors." Hermione clenched her hands till they turned white, trembling as she spoke. "Trying to defeat each other is... is expected..."

"That’s not an ordinary defeat!" Neville, sitting on the other side, murmured. "Look at the others’ miserable state... They have to be beaten half to death to withdraw..."

As Harry delved deeper into the wall of thorns, the bluebird followed him in. The fleeting sight of the lizard made Gryffindor’s heart clench.

However, at this moment, the scene was already switched to Clementine.

...

The girl dashed wildly through the dim Forbidden Forest, her robe ripped in several places by branches and thorns. She gasped desperately, feeling a metallic taste rising from her lungs.

"Roar—"

A growl emanated from the dense forest ahead, the cheetah’s eyes gleaming faintly.

Clementine abruptly changed direction, simultaneously casting a spell:

"Incendio!"

"Bang!"

A pile of rotten leaves ignited, emitting blue smoke, but before fully burning, the cheetah stomped it out.

It rolled a layer of mud over itself, making it filthy and unappealing, but it no longer feared ordinary flames.

The cheetah stood on the dried branches, its eyes carrying a playful expression as it watched the girl’s fleeing silhouette.

After running some distance, Clementine stopped to lean against a tree to rest, her legs shaking, barely able to stand.

She turned back, the tree thicket behind her was quiet, indeed the cheetah hadn’t pursued further.

This scenario had already repeated three or four times, even if Clementine were slow to react, she had vaguely realized—

The leopard was toying with her like a house cat teasing a mouse, seemingly driving her toward a certain direction.

—What does it intend to do?

Clementine bit her lip in thought, but when the sound of rustling branches approached from behind, she reluctantly lifted her foot.

The predator followed her closely.

Though she’d wished to try—running in the opposite direction under the cheetah’s threat, what would happen?

But every time she considered attempting it, the image of Jabari’s miserable state would flash in her mind.

Clementine bit her lip harder.

These cold constructs seemed completely unafraid of killing.

She didn’t want to let it have its way but had no choice.

When a low growl sounded from the side, Clementine adjusted her direction, even though she was too exhausted to run, the cheetah still didn’t appear.

"Ha!"

She let out a cold laugh, suddenly a surge of determination arose in her heart.

—Then let me see what’s waiting ahead for me!

...

The screen suddenly switched again, refocusing on the entrance to the wall of thorns, some spikes were blunt like rusty nails, others thin like a snake’s teeth, ruggedly intersecting, appearing extremely dangerous.

But watching for too long becomes dull.

In the audience seat, someone puzzledly murmured, "Why is this empty shot shown for so long?"

Only those with keen eyes noticed the unnatural interplay of light and dark on the wall of thorns, upon close examination, one could discern a faint outline of a massive lizard.

Some eagerly shared their discoveries with others, quietly anticipating the development.

Just then, a small figure quietly passed through the thickets, her steps light as a cat, her presence almost imperceptible. If the camera hadn’t focused on her, most of the audience wouldn’t have noticed her.

"What’s that champion’s name?"

"Hope. She’s Hope Cruise from Salem."

"Haha, look at this silly girl, totally unaware of the danger on that wall of thorns! I bet five Galleons she can’t last ten seconds!"

"Quite surprising. She looks weak, yet managed to safely reach this place."

"Just don’t know if she can dodge the ambushing lizard."

"What’s the point of dodging the lizard? There’s still Vid Gray ahead!"

Those uninvolved discussed lightly, most doubting Hope could pass this stage, only Salem’s students paled with tension.

"What to do?" A freckled boy asked with a trembling voice, "Is there any way to warn her?"

"Calm down." Elder red-haired girl Abby admonished. "Keep a steady heart, whether win or lose, we must accept the result!"

She spoke this but her eyes never left the screen, her intertwined fingers trembled anxiously.

"She’ll be fine, right?" A young girl asked tearfully, she was Hope’s sister.

Her mother patted her back yet couldn’t provide a definite answer.

Then, the audience saw, as Hope was about to step out of the forest, her footsteps suddenly paused, then she used the Disillusionment Charm.

A light gasp arose in the stands, some watching the girl’s figure completely blend into the environment, smiling one after another.

...

On the wall of thorns, the lizard slightly moved.

It watched as Harry stepped into the entrance, waited a while but didn’t see a new arrival.

Yet the lizard was immensely patient, remaining motionless while hanging above the entrance of the wall of thorns, its body camouflaging with the wall.

Among the few poppets, only it naturally possessed the Disillusionment Charm, possessing the chameleon-like ability.

Thorns jabbed into its abdomen, some even pierced through, but the lizard poppet felt no pain, at most finding those spikes somewhat bothersome.

Suddenly, its eyeball rotated, fixating on a direction, motionless.

A bluebird flew out from the forest, after circling momentarily, it perched on a branch, gazing at the empty grassland ahead.

But the lizard was acutely aware these "cameras" held no interest in bland sceneries, wherever they resided, there must be a champion.

The lizard grew abruptly excited, uncontrollably flicking a small portion of its tongue into the air, its gaze tightly locked onto the grassland before the bluebird.

Some unqualified wizards, when using the Disillusionment Charm, can only remain stationary in a spot, once moving, traces easily exposed.

However, Hope’s Disillusionment Charm was perfect, even as she softly tread towards the wall of thorns, there was no discord in the surrounding environment.

Yet the lizard still captured—the slight crisp sound of a grass stem being crushed, the unnatural bending of flora, and extremely subtle breath sounds.

It waited motionlessly for the moment the girl approached.

Suddenly, Hope’s footsteps stalled at the entrance, her transparent figure swayed slightly, vaguely sensing some threat, she silently raised the magic wand, her shoulders tense.

However, her gaze was tightly fixed deep within the shadowy dark passage, completely oblivious to the death lurking overhead—

"Whoosh!"

The lizard’s tongue shot down like a javelin!