A ruined Hogwarts

As soon as Owen returned to the common room, he saw Melete beating up Nyx.

Nyx has been growing very fast recently. When he first hatched, his palm-sized body expanded as if inflated. Now he is ten inches long, like a little black swan with an elegant and slender body. The appearance that had become more pleasing to the eye has once again entered an embarrassing period. The down covering the whole body began to fall off, and was gradually replaced by fine black feathers. The down and feathers alternated, and the appearance of the entire bird became lumpy.

Because of his larger size, Knicks couldn't stay in Irving's pocket. Since it couldn't fly and Owen didn't want to carry a free-range chicken around, the job of taking care of it fell on Melete.

Nyx was a naughty child, and Melete considered herself a kitten. The two little guys got together, and it was common for them to fight and fight. Melete often kicked Nyx like a ball, and Nyx was not to be outdone. She fluttered her wings, which were not fully feathered, and when she saw the opportunity, she slapped the cat's face wildly.

After seeing Owen coming back, Melete sped forward and pounced forward. She pressed her two front paws on Nyx's long neck and pressed its head to the floor. Nyx screamed and flapped its wings wildly, and the fluff that fell off flew all over the sky, making the two little wizards next to it sneeze wildly.

"Meow~" Melet raised her face and screamed aggrievedly at Owen, her soft voice making people's hearts melt.

Owen held Mao Lizi in his arms with a smile on his face, squeezed her tender and soft flesh pads lovingly, and said as if coaxing a child: "Okay, I've wronged you. I brought you new snacks..."

Nyx jumped up even more aggrievedly, staring at Owen with resentment in his ruby-like eyes, and gently pecked the corner of his clothes with his shiny black beak.

The one who gets beaten is obviously whether it is good or not! This cat takes advantage of having two extra legs to bully it every day, and pretends to be pitiful... When it can fly, you must pluck all the hair out of this smelly cat! Pull them out one by one!

Owen patted Nyx on the head to show his dignity, then coughed slightly and looked away. As a face-control person, he couldn't stand this...

My free-range chicken always seems to be in an embarrassing period of appearance. It is still a while before he becomes good-looking. He is still a naughty kid who likes to make trouble. Thinking that this guy had to go through this process every time he was reborn from the ashes, he was not just disgusted.

But pets should always be treated equally. Owen shifted Melete to his left hand, picked up Nyx with his right hand, and sat back in the armchair. One cat and one bird competed with each other with their eyes wide open, as if they were competing to see who could blink first.

Harry hid further away from him in a daze. Although Owen emphasized that he didn't see much, he still had some psychological shadow and probably needed a sleep to get better. As if sleepwalking, he accidentally bumped into Draco. The two hugged each other and rolled into a ball, almost giving each other their first kiss.

Owen, on the other hand, stared blankly at the tapestry swaying slightly above the fireplace, thinking about deceiving Peter Pettigrew. He even said that he was a member of the Aether Society, but he was not attacked, and no one even came to talk to him... He thought Voldemort would be unable to sit still, but in vain he asked Melete to help him be vigilant for several days.

By executing this plan, he was taking certain risks. It is not impossible for Peter Pettigrew to take action against him. He may even work with Voldemort to set a trap for him and torture the information of the Aether Society from his mouth. So Owen has been very vigilant when talking to the other party today, and deliberately chose to find him in the classroom after class to avoid being tricked in his office.

Maybe he had already shown that he was not easy to mess with in front of Voldemort, or maybe the other party didn't want to break up with him yet and had other plans. Everything was calm at the moment, but I'm afraid it wouldn't be calm for a few more days.

"How will you take action?" Owen thought excitedly, his heart beating restlessly. He began to like this exciting experience of playing chess with me.

Feeling the excitement in Owen's heart, Nyx chirped crisply. Dark flames seemed to be ignited in his bright red eyes, and a desire to destroy everything grew and grew wantonly...

"Stop it." Owen slapped it on the butt, suppressing the malice.

"Chirp!" Nicks felt aggrieved. You are obviously full of bad ideas, but you still don't allow me to think about it?

Melete looked at it sideways, the corners of her mouth slightly opened, as if showing a mocking smile.

So, the cat and the bird started fighting again, and fluff flew all over the sky.

…

In the last week of February, the duel competition that the students had been waiting for finally arrived.

On Saturday morning, the students got up from bed early and had breakfast with nervousness and anticipation. The contestants received their numbers from Filch at the entrance of the Great Hall, and then rushed to the Quidditch pitch, filling the high stands.

This is a rare good weather. The bright sunshine has dispelled the chill in the breeze, and the atmosphere around the stadium is even more lively.

Professor Flitwick, who had won the International Dueling Competition, enthusiastically arranged the venue for the competition. He built ten gorgeous circular arenas on the spacious lawn of the Quidditch pitch, with a referee's seat next to each arena. Professors from each subject will serve as referees during the competition and protect the lives and safety of the students.

Various signs and banners were erected in the stands, with words of support for someone written on them in colorful ink. The name that appeared most frequently was Harry Potter. Even though he is speculated to be the heir of Slytherin, Harry still has some die-hard fans in various houses.

"You are really popular, Harry." Owen joked with a smile, "It seems that you are a real heartthrob."

"Stop talking..." Harry's face was red, and even his forehead and ears turned red. In his hand was a piece of paper with his number "9" written on it.

Ginny Weasley in the seat in front looked back at him, then turned away with a sudden blush. Under her arm was a huge wooden sign, which read "Harry Potter Must Win" in dazzling fonts, with the name surrounded by a pink heart.

Harry stared at the wooden sign with a dull expression.

"Draco, come on! We must defeat Harry!" Pansy shook a colorful light sign, transforming into a fanatical fan cheering for her idol. She also wore a weird headband on her head, with two things in the shape of Draco's head dangling on it as she moved.

Draco was feeling a little uncomfortable about Harry's popularity. When he saw Pansy's appearance, he was so embarrassed that he clasped his toes on the ground and immediately jumped up and rushed towards the little witch. After finally getting rid of the hairband on Pansy's head, he looked at Harry with a hint of sympathy.

"Oh, Draco, you are a disgrace." Blaise shook his head and took out three more similar headbands from the package he was carrying, and gave them to Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle. Then he took out a Harry Potter headband, which sparked a frenzy of looting.

"Brace, I'm going to kill you!" Draco and Harry jumped up in unison. Blaise grinned defiantly at them, threw out a handful of hairbands and ran off.

"Such... a wonderful idea, thank him for coming up with it." Daphne held a Harry headband, her beautiful blue eyes rolled, and she reached out and put it on Owen's head.

"You look pretty like this." She said with a suppressed smile, a blush appearing on her fair cheeks.

"Really? I think so too." Owen winked and joked. He straightened the hairband on his head and combed his hair into a smooth shape, listening to Dumbledore stand up and announce the rules of the game.

The loud voice resounded throughout the entire stadium, drowning out the noise of the students. Excited faces were shaking in the stands. The referees on the field were already in place.

"This game will be played by grade, and the first grade game will be played first..." Dumbledore's calm voice echoed in everyone's ears, "The rules of the game are two-by-two, and the chief referee Professor McGonagall will draw lots. Decide your opponent, please keep your number in mind..."

His voice suddenly became stern, causing the playful little wizards to suppress their voices: "It should be noted that it is forbidden to harm the opponent's life during a duel. Our referees will take preventive measures to ensure that the duelists are safe during the competition. There will be no life-threatening danger, but it is not 100% safe..."

"Then, if anyone regrets it, please go to Professor McGonagall to cancel the registration." His sharp eyes swept over every worried face.

The stands fell silent, and the students showed unyielding expressions. At this age, when they are full of energy and have no fear of anything, who would be so frightened that they would run away from the battlefield?

Dumbledore was satisfied with the students' high-spirited attitude, relaxed his tone, and said humorously: "Finally, please don't forget the dueling etiquette of wizards."

"Then, I announce that the Hogwarts Student Duel Competition will now begin!" He raised his hands high and his voice rumbled.

The cheers and screams soared into the sky, startling the birds in the distant Forbidden Forest.

Dumbledore sat back in his seat, and Professor McGonagall, who was standing next to him, stepped forward, placed a red box marked "one" on the table in front of him, and waved his wand at it.

The box shook violently for a while, and two pieces of paper shot up from the round hole on the top of the box, exploding into two red fireworks in the air, condensing into the shapes of "3" and "12" respectively.

Then more notes spewed out in pairs, and fireworks exploded one after another in the blue sky.

When the draw was over, Professor McGonagall took a piece of parchment and called out the names one by one, and Hagrid led the contestants onto their respective stages.

Soon, the duel competition started with a bang.

The first grade game is hard to describe. Many contestants haven't even mastered "turn everything to stone". Some even stood on the ring and fired harmless sparks at each other, as if they were playing fairy sticks face to face. After standing there for a long time in embarrassment, they were scolded by the referee. Ousted.

When the two sides in the competition have friction with each other on weekdays, the duel process often develops into a physical duel. The two first-year wizards threw away their wands and started punching and kicking each other passionately, pulling their hair and spitting, and rolled around in the ring until the referee came on and separated them.

Well, it's actually quite interesting. At least Owen enjoyed it, and Melete and Nyx also enjoyed it with wide eyes.

Laughter and boos broke out in the stands, and the professors all had long faces, determined to discipline these embarrassing students after the game. The one who was in the worst mood was Dumbledore. He looked at the farce on the field expressionlessly, with a sense of low pressure lingering around him. It wasn't until Professor McGonagall looked over suspiciously that he instantly returned to his usual kindness.

After the preliminary competition for the first grade, it was finally the turn of the second grade. Owen smiled as he watched his friends nervously follow Hagrid into the venue and wait, watching the game continue in full swing.

There was no suspense in the sophomore game. Most of the little wizards are doing a little better than first years, but not much.

Both sides in a duel often stand still, waving their wands, and boringly firing spells at their opponents until one side is hit. The magic spells used were nothing more than "tarantella dance", "grin and hula la", "front teeth playing stick" and the like, and then copied the things taught by Dumbledore when he was a substitute teacher in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class last year.

These curses only require the referees to recite "Stop", so Madam Pomfrey waiting on the edge of the field has not yet been put to use. The few who need her treatment are only the first years who are bitten by their opponents. of two or three people.

Fortunately, the members of the study group did not meet each other, and everyone won without any suspense. Weekly meetings are not a waste of time.

Harry defeated Hufflepuff's Ernie MacMillan. Facing this guy who was trying so hard to spread rumors that he was the heir, Harry took action with some personal emotion and used a tormenting curse, making the other person tap dance crazily and laugh so hard that he was about to get away.

Draco easily defeated a Ravenclaw girl, Daphne sent Gryffindor Dean Thomas out of the ring, Neville Longbottom defeated a Hufflepuff, and Pansy fought with West Odo Nott struggled for a while before winning.

The competition continued, and as the contestants got older and higher, the duel gradually became more interesting. The magic spells used by the contestants began to be diverse, and even dangerous spells appeared, causing screams and cheers from time to time in the stands.

The referees also cheered up, holding their wands tightly in their hands, ready to rescue people at any time.

But there were still surprises. A fifth-year student used a cloud spell to block everyone's sight, beating his opponent until he was as soft as if he had no bones. The professor took him away in annoyance. The most dangerous time was when someone cast the "Shatter to Bones" curse on the opponent's head, but luckily it was blocked by the professor's timely release of the Iron Armor Curse.

It has to be said that when students get jealous, they are often reckless and dare to cast any spells. They can only rely on the referees to keep a close eye on them.

In this way, the level of the referees was also highlighted. The deans of each college are naturally very capable. No student has ever been seriously injured in their competition. "Lockhart" is also dedicated to his work. The professors of several elective courses and Ms. Huo Qi in the flying class have not had any serious problems. mistakes.

Only Professor Trelawney from the Divination class was startled. Her eyes, magnified by her spectacles, were darting around. She looked more panicked than the students on the stage, and the spells she cast were frequently deflected, causing everyone to get hit. Everyone on her stage was trembling with fear.

Dumbledore cast a staring look at her from the stands, thinking seriously about how such a person got into the Hogwarts faculty.

The duel match went on in an orderly manner until the intermission, when the students rushed back to the auditorium for lunch.