The Hufflepuffs couldn't open their eyes because of the stinging sensation. Megan, the team captain, endured the pain and immediately shouted, "Chili! Chili bombs! Use the antidote the professor gave us!"
She fumbled in her bag, trying to find the white aloe vera lotion that could relieve the spicy sensation, but the Occamy, who was tormented by the pepper smoke, didn't give the Hufflepuffs a chance.
Its strong tail whipped, and it sent Young Badger A and Young Badger B flying. They crashed into a large tree, and with a flash of white light, they disappeared the moment their screams ended before they even hit the ground. They were the first two to be eliminated from the team match finals.
At the Hufflepuff waiting area outside the Wizard's Canyon, a flash of white light appeared, and the two eliminated Hufflepuffs appeared. Their teammates rushed to check on them. Luckily, their worst injury was only a broken bone, which would heal after a period of rest.
Professor Sprout checked on her two students and then anxiously shouted, "Substitutes, go!"
Soon after, Young Badger C and Young Badger D appeared at the Hufflepuff starting point and were heading at full speed to support their teammates.
At the same time, Rolf, Megan, and Owen were still struggling. They finally hid in the ancestral Scamander case and successfully used the white aloe vera lotion to relieve their pain.
Outside the arena, the spectators watched the projection on the field, and everyone was shocked by the Weasley twins' tactics. "Oh my goodness! You can do that?!"
"Hufflepuff hasn't even started yet, and they've already lost two players. And the Occamy ran into the water to wash itself. What are they going to do now?!"
"I don't think the rest of the Fairy Tail team will have to do anything. Those two Weasley boys can probably take care of the remaining five Hufflepuffs."
"Look, that red smoke seems to be dissolving in the water! The Dugbog is being forced out!"
The regular spectators were discussing amongst themselves, while the people who were professionals in the wizarding world saw things differently. Two people in special robes were whispering in a corner of the stands. They were both Aurors on vacation and also parents of students.
"Trigg, this method that the Weasley boys used is very valuable to us."
"I know, Rhett. Do you remember what happened last time in the Bloody Swamp?"
"Of course, I do. That wretched dark wizard was hiding in the woods, and it took us a whole day to find him. In the end, he was scared out by a crocodile."
"That's right. Imagine this. If we had enough of these chili bombs, would we have been able to force that dark wizard out in a short period of time?"
"Of course, we could. But I wonder how much this stuff costs. Will Minister Fudge approve the funds for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement?"
"How many Galleons would a chili bomb cost? It's not some expensive enchanted item. Besides, I heard that Muggle police stations have a lot of similar things. If we can't get the funding, we can suggest buying them from the Muggles. These non-magical items are usually cheaper than what we sell."
"You've got a point there…"
At the same time, the last two Hufflepuff substitutes had also arrived at the location where Rolf and the others were hiding. However, as soon as they arrived, they were caught in the final batch of chili bombs that Fred and George had hidden.
They knew there would be substitutes, so they were ready for them. George then activated the enchantment on his Golden Snitch, which eliminated Young Badger C and Young Badger D.
Now, only three Hufflepuffs were left hiding in Rolf's case.
"What should we do?" Rolf cried, lying on the ground. His face was still red. Even with the white aloe vera lotion, his face still felt like it was on fire.
"It must be those two Weasley twins. Only they could control so many bombs from such a long distance!" Owen rubbed his face with the aloe vera and pounded the ground. "This is outrageous! The Fairy Tail people are so shameless, copying our chili bomb idea!"
"I secretly peeked outside just now. The smoke has already cleared, but C and D still haven't come to support us. I'm afraid they're in big trouble too." Megan also looked dejected.
"Sigh…" The three of them sighed in despair. They didn't know what to do next. Their personal strength was already at a disadvantage, and now they had lost two people, their reinforcements were nowhere to be found, and the Occamy was also missing.
It was a fool's dream for the three of them to win the team match!
Just as the three Hufflepuffs were thinking about what to do, Rolf, staring blankly at the ceiling, suddenly remembered something. He slowly said, "You know, I remember my grandfather once told me that my grandmother hid a lot of delicious food for me in the case."
"Where?!" Megan and Owen's eyes lit up when they heard the good news. They were instantly energized.
"Hold on, let me look…"
"…" The spectators outside the arena saw the three of them talking and were speechless. These Hufflepuffs were thinking about eating in such an important match! As expected, Hufflepuffs are all foodies!
Meanwhile, on the other side of the river…
Cedric shook his head with a wry smile, looking at the smoke-filled area on the other side of the river. "I really didn't expect this. You two didn't tell us that you prepared so many chili bombs."
"If we had said so…"
"It wouldn't have been fun!" Fred and George said, sitting on the ground, covered in sweat. They smiled and gave each other a high-five.
Spirit Magic was extremely draining. What's more, they had attached their consciousness to 500 sparrow bombs and controlled them. As a result, even though they had fun, they were exhausted, and their faces were a little pale.
"There shouldn't be any problems with Hufflepuff. Now we just have to focus on the Ravenclaws." Hermione, who had been on high alert, lowered her binoculars. Her expression was a bit confused. "That's strange. Why didn't we see any movement from the Ravenclaws after such a huge explosion?"
"Could they have gone around to attack our crystal?!" Penelope guessed.
"If that's the case, it would be easier," Cedric said. "I've set up a Dormancy Magic Circle near our crystal. If they really go around to attack our crystal, we won't have to fight. We'll win the match directly!"
But a visible enemy is easier to avoid than a hidden one. Just as the Fairy Tail team was wondering where the Ravenclaws were, the young eagles hiding in the dark were preparing to act.
In fact, Hermione was right. The commotion created by the Weasley twins had exposed their location. A large group of sparrow bombs suddenly flew out of the bushes and dove in for a kamikaze attack. Anyone who wasn't blind would have known where Hermione and the others were.
So, in the dense bushes not far away, Ivanna, the Ravenclaw captain, and her teammate Marietta were hiding in ambush.
Professor Flitwick had taught them the Disillusionment Charm, and with the addition of the Silencio charm that could eliminate sound, the two of them had managed to silently sneak up behind Hermione and the others.
And besides Ivanna and Marietta, the other three young eagles were not far behind them, ready to provide cover and support.
Through the dense bushes, they could vaguely see that the most vulnerable targets in the Fairy Tail team were the Weasley twins, who were sitting on the ground resting.
So, in accordance with the principle of "breaking one finger is better than hurting ten" that Victor had taught them, Ivanna decided to eliminate the troublesome twins first, to be safe. She gave a subtle hand signal to Marietta, and Marietta gave her a thumbs-up to show that she understood.
Then, the two of them quietly pushed aside the bushes in front of them. Without uttering a spell, two silent Stupefy charms were cast, hitting the Weasley twins under the tree.
"Ah!" Fred and George felt an invisible force hit them. They only had time to let out a cry before their vision went black, and they completely fainted. A flash of white light appeared, and the two of them were eliminated just like that.
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