HP:BSG - Chapter 691: The Application of the Explosion Spell

At the critical moment, the girl twisted sharply to the side as if she had eyes on her back, but the lizard’s tongue still pierced her shoulder and scraped across it.

Blood splattered everywhere!

“Ah!”

Hope cried out in pain, and her Disillusionment Charm failed. She staggered backward and flicked her wand swiftly!

“Protego!”

An invisible shield barely managed to block the lizard’s second strike.

The doll leaped down from the wall of thorns and lunged at her. The girl flicked her wand again, and her whole body was hurled backward as if struck by an invisible car—just enough to dodge the lizard’s attack.

The lizard didn’t immediately pursue. It circled around Hope on the ground and its eyes turned independently—one locked tightly on her wand, the other monitoring her footsteps.

Cold sweat beaded on Hope’s forehead. She, too, moved cautiously, inching toward the entrance. When she was close enough, she suddenly swung her wand and shouted:

“Diffindo!” (Severing Charm)

The spell struck the lizard’s body but only knocked off a few scales. The creature shrieked and lunged again!

At that moment, Hope did something completely unexpected—she suddenly pointed her wand straight at the ground and shouted loudly:

“Bombarda!”

BOOM!

The girl’s Explosion Spell was immensely powerful. The ground erupted violently, and the shockwave sent the lunging lizard flying—but it also hurled her straight toward the tunnel!

I made it!

Joy flashed through her heart as she rolled into the narrow entrance. Before the doll could follow, she threw another spell over her shoulder:

“Impedimenta!” (Impediment Jinx)

The lizard, just getting back on its feet, suddenly felt a strange resistance—like sinking into thick mud. Its movements slowed drastically.

But seeing Hope dash into the passage enraged it. With a furious roar, it spun around and—astonishingly—its tail detached from its body and shot straight toward the girl!

The girl, who was trying to seal the entrance, was struck hard by the tail and thrown to the ground. She scrambled to her feet to cast a spell, but her raised wand was knocked aside by a tongue darting like an arrow!

The next instant, the lizard charged in and bit down hard on her ankle, dragging her bodily out of the tunnel!

“AAAAAAAH!!!”

Hope screamed as the lizard released her ankle and lunged for her throat. She thrust forward, ramming her wand straight into the creature’s mouth—so deep that even her wrist was pierced by its rows of sharp teeth, and blood came gushing out.

“Try this!”

With terrifying clarity in her eyes, she roared:

“Bombarda! Bombarda! Bombarda!”

Blinding white light burst from the gaps in the doll’s scales—followed by a deafening explosion!

The lizard’s head was blown apart on the spot, and its parts scattered like rain. But the blast wave flung the girl several meters away, and shards of scale and stone pierced into her body one after another—turning her into a blood-soaked mess!

“Nicely done!”

With a rough shout, Moody appeared from the air on his broomstick. Before even landing, he praised, “Kid, that was one hell of a move!”

His magical eye spun wildly, scanning the surroundings. Then Moody landed and crouched to check the girl’s injuries.

“Can you keep going?” he asked.

Hope tried to push herself up, but pain shot through her body so sharply she gasped for breath. She didn’t even have the strength to crawl over and grab the potion from her backpack.

She looked at the bramble-covered entrance just a few steps away and bit her lip in frustration.

“I... I give up.”

The words were squeezed out between her teeth.

Moody’s expression softened with approval. “A wise choice.”

He waved his wand and cast a few quick healing charms over the girl’s terrible wounds.

“There are some battles,” he said, “where admitting defeat takes more courage than pressing on. Only by surviving do you have endless possibilities ahead.”

“Professor,” Hope asked as her body lifted gently into the air, “at the end of that passage... is the Goblet of Fire?”

“Passage?”

Moody chuckled. “You know, there wasn’t supposed to be a passage there at all. That brat Wade didn’t want to take the long way around—so he made his own.”

Hope’s eyes widened. She turned to look at the bramble wall and the dark tunnel fading behind them with a bitter smile tugging at her lips.

Beside her, Moody was still grumbling:

“Honestly, that kid’s shortened the course by at least half! And to think I spent half a month setting up all sorts of interesting traps along the original route!”

“Oh, right—if you’d taken the long way, about two hundred meters ahead there’s a rest area. You could’ve found supplies—food, potions—and even met someone meant to help you.”

“What a waste... Looks like all that design went straight down the drain. That rascal Wade...”

Maybe because all his careful work had gone to waste, the usually terse Moody took the chance to complain for quite a while.

But even through his grumbling, the girl couldn’t miss the faint pride and boastfulness in his tone.

—To have personally trained such an outstanding student... he must be very proud.

But as for herself... she had disappointed Mrs. Owens.

Her heart clenched painfully, as if gripped by an invisible hand. Her eyes grew hot, and a tear slipped down uncontrollably, mixing with the blood on her face and vanishing into her hair.

Everything after that became a blur in Hope’s mind.

She vaguely knew she had been brought to the medical tent, where a kindly witch took her from Moody’s arms and laid her on a bed.

The curtains around her were drawn. As the witch pulled debris from her wounds, stopped the bleeding, and healed her injuries, she scolded everyone furiously—

The organizers, the Ministry of Magic, Hogwarts Headmaster Dumbledore, the competing champions, Wade Grey... and even Hope herself, who had fought so desperately.

Hope buried her head in the pillow, wishing she couldn’t hear a single word.

But the witch’s healing magic was truly powerful… or perhaps it was simply skill born of experience? It felt like only the blink of an eye before most of Hope’s wounds were already treated.

It also helped that, though her injuries were severe, they were purely physical—no traces of curses or hexes—so the healing process was relatively easy.

When the curtain around her bed was finally pulled open, Hope froze—

The teachers and students from Salem weren’t watching the rest of the competition at all. Instead, they were quietly gathered outside, and the moment they saw her open her eyes, a cheer erupted.

“That was amazing, Hope!” a boy shouted excitedly, pumping his fist. “You actually blew that terrifying lizard doll to pieces like a firework!”

“We saw the whole thing,” said another girl tearfully, clutching Hope’s hand. “That last move of yours was so incredibly brave!”

“You even shoved your hand into that thing’s mouth… weren’t you scared at all?” her younger sister asked, both thrilled and frightened.

“You—you’re far too reckless!” her mother said anxiously. “Is an Explosion Spell even supposed to be used like that? You nearly blew yourself to bits!”

At the back of the crowd stood Mrs. Owens. A few silver strands had come loose from her usually neat bun. After the students finished speaking, she stepped forward, opened her arms, and pulled Hope into a firm embrace.

For the girl, that gesture said more than a thousand words.

She breathed in the familiar scent of cedar from her professor’s robes—and suddenly couldn’t hold it in anymore. She burst into tears.

“I—I’m sorry, Professor… everyone…” Hope sobbed. “I—I lost…”

“But to me,” Mrs. Owens said gently, stroking Hope’s hair, singed from the explosion, “you’re not just strong—you’re victorious. You showed a kind of courage I never imagined, my child… and I am truly proud of you.”

Hope wept openly. Around her, others’ eyes grew red as well, though they smiled through the tears.

Professor Antoine, who was also in the tent, clapped his hands lightly and said, “Alright now, two people stay with Hope, everyone else out. The patient needs to rest.”

Hope, of course, needed her family’s company most of all. Though reluctant, everyone stood up and began to say their goodbyes.

“Get some good rest, Hope. When you’re better, we’ll talk about new ways to use the Explosion Spell!”

“Shut up! Have you forgotten the spell safety regulations?”

Laughter rippled through the tent—warm, lighthearted. Hope wiped her eyes and couldn’t help smiling through her tears.

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