Harry Potter: I started checking in from Diagon Alley

But this is not a problem for Eric.

Eric comforted him, saying, "That's already very good. You're the most outstanding wizard I've ever seen in the castle. Now, I have good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?"

"bad news."

Eric said, "The bad news is that you're basically out of the top three."

Cedric was prepared for this. There were nine people in the senior group. Eric eliminated Lilia, and he was defeated by Clement. In the remaining six matches, five more seniors had to be eliminated for him to have a chance to enter the top three through a tiebreaker. The chances of that were extremely slim.

Cedric asked, "And the good news?"

Eric said, "The good news is that I have now confirmed that Clement is under the influence of the Imperius Curse, and he is also my next opponent."

Chapter 114 Accident

The duel between Cedric and Clement caused considerable damage, but thanks to the professors' repairs, a new dueling arena quickly reappeared in the center of the Great Hall.

As the representative chosen by Hufflepuff, Cedric's defeat was undoubtedly a major upset.

But after witnessing Clement's strength, everyone felt that Cedric's loss was not unjust.

Both of these individuals displayed magical abilities that surpassed those of ordinary students.

It's just that Clement was slightly better.

Even after the match ended, the audience in the auditorium were still discussing the clash between the storm and the flames.

Faced with such towering flames, the subsequent matches seemed somewhat dull in terms of visual appeal.

After Eric came out of the school infirmary, it was Wood's turn to go up one by one.

Harry and Hermione both had bad luck with their draws, both getting to be drawn from the upperclassmen group.

Although Harry and Hermione have improved considerably after Eric's training, challenging opponents from a different grade level is still quite difficult.

After all, none of those who make it to the finals are weak.

Wizards' magic naturally increases with age, and older students are generally stronger than younger students.

Harry and Hermione showcased their spellcasting skills to the fullest, but still failed to advance beyond the round of 16.

Harry lost to Morrill, a fifth-year student in Slytherin.

Hermione was no match for Hufflepuff's Jacqueline.

After Harry and Hermione were eliminated, Wood easily defeated a fourth-year Slytherin student to advance to the quarterfinals.

The most outrageous result occurred in the final match that determined the quarterfinalists.

Cho Chang drew Flint from Slytherin, the sixth-year student chosen by Slytherin to advance to the final round.

Qiu Zhang, who thought he was doomed to lose, stepped onto the dueling arena with a resolute expression, only to find that his opponent was not there at all.

Not only was Qiu Zhang confused, but the audience and the referees on site also didn't know what was going on.

Slytherin's headmaster Snape was nowhere to be found, and there was no one to ask him.

Several professors, along with the Slytherin prefects, searched the surrounding area and finally found Flint crying at the entrance of the infirmary.

Flint wept bitterly, crying, "Lilia, my Lilia, I love you so much, why did you reject me?"

All eliminated contestants, including Lilia who was eliminated by Eric, had to stay overnight in the school clinic for observation.

During a break in the game, Flint ran over to Lilia to express his feelings, but Lilia clearly rejected him.

Flint was kicked out by Mrs. Pomfrey for being too noisy, but he refused to leave and could only kneel down at the door of the school infirmary, tears welling up in his eyes.

No matter how much the professors and prefects tried to persuade him, they couldn't bring Flint back and had to announce that he had abstained.

Qiu Zhang thus advanced to the quarterfinals in a rather haphazard manner.

The aphrodisiac really works!

……

In the afternoon, the quarterfinals officially began.

In the first match, Eric faced Clement.

Eric emerged from the small room in the Great Hall, preparing to go downstairs to the dueling arena, only to find Snape waiting in the shadows around the corner.

Looking around, they realized there were only the two of them there.

"Professor, is there something you need?" Eric stopped and smiled.

Snape said, “To make a long story short, Clapton, you’d better forfeit now if you don’t want to die in the dueling arena.”

Eric thought for a moment and said, "Is it because you haven't found the person hiding behind Clement yet?"

Snape's eyes narrowed as he stared at Eric and asked, "...What else do you know?"

Eric said, "Clement is being controlled, and that person is most likely still in the castle. Professor Dumbledore isn't blind; he must have noticed this. But now it seems an unexpected turn of events has occurred."

Snape sneered: "You're smart, but you're wrong. Smart people often die young. Asking you to abstain is just a suggestion. It's Dumbledore's idea. Whether you listen or not is up to you."

Snape continued, "We can't be sure what will happen to Clement right now. Dumbledore is still looking for a way to remove the spell from him."

After saying this, Snape turned and left without waiting for Eric's reply, heading towards the professor's seat.

Eric stood there for a moment, then went outside and stepped into the dueling arena.

Clement was already waiting there.

Eric was greeted with cheers from the entire auditorium as soon as he appeared.

Clement's strength is undeniable, and Eric is also a strong favorite to win the title. The clash between these two might be even more exciting than the duel between Cedric and Clement.

This makes the audience even more excited.

The quarterfinals began, and Professor Flitwick himself became the referee.

Given the precedent set by Seymour and his companion, the professors had no choice but to be cautious. With Flitwick present, they could prevent some large-scale spells from spreading in time.

With his mental stance activated, Eric looked at Clement, and the result surprised even Eric.

Clement was now completely devoid of normal human behavior, his entire body covered in black mist.

It looks just like a Dementor...

However, he appeared to be completely normal on the surface.

Eric remembered Snape's words earlier: it was still not too late to end the duel.

But at that moment, Professor Flitwick waved his wand and shouted, "The duel begins!"

Eric made a quick decision: in that case, he would first control Clement.

The Binding Spell was unleashed like lightning, and several stone spikes rose from the ground, trapping Clement inside.

Clement did not flinch or dodge; his eyes instantly turned bloodshot, and he spread his hands out as if to welcome Eric's curse.

The moment the binding spell made contact with Clement, an unexpected change occurred.

Clement did not resist, but instead showed a satisfied expression.

The next moment, his whole body, like a balloon, began to expand rapidly from the inside out at an extremely fast speed.

His head and body swelled to several times their original size, his features became prominent and round, making him look both terrifying and comical.

The stone spikes that Eric summoned wrapped around Clement's ankle.

And Clement, right before everyone's eyes, burst like a balloon!

Chapter 115 The Black Magic Mark?

Clement burst open on the spot like a balloon, right before everyone's astonished eyes!

With a "pop," no one could have imagined that the popping sound usually heard on balloons would be experienced on a person's body.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear, making it impossible to miss.

Blood, a cloud of blood mist, instantly filled the entire dueling arena as Clement exploded.

Eric flicked his wand, scattering all the blood that was splashing towards him to prevent it from getting on him.

Professor Flitwick stared in shock at Clement's corpse before him.

Calling it a corpse isn't quite accurate, because all that remained in Clement's body was the blood that covered the dueling arena.

Professor Flitwick was the first to react, immediately drawing his wand and pointing it at Eric, shouting, "Don't move! Eric, if you want to live!"

Eric didn't move. Even with Professor Flitwick's wand pointing at him, he only gave a faint smile and said, "I didn't kill him. I'll just stand here, Professor. I'm not going anywhere."

Eric exuded an aura of transcendence.

The air seemed to freeze, squeezing the space around Eric.

Professor Flitwick had initially attempted to disarm Eric.

Upon feeling the pressure emanating from Eric, he immediately stopped what he was doing.

Cold sweat broke out on Flitwick's forehead.

At that moment, he lacked confidence that he could completely control Eric.

So they could only remain at an impasse with Eric.

On the other side, in the audience.

Regardless of how people discussed this duel beforehand, no one could have imagined this outcome.

Witnessing a classmate you spend every day with die in front of you is a shock that not everyone can bear.

After a moment of stillness, a cacophony of chaos ensued.

The audience erupted into chaos, and no one could remain calm.

Some were crying out, some were fleeing; they all chose to stay away from the dueling arena.

In their eyes, Eric had become as terrifying as a ghost or a god.

They didn't know exactly what Eric had done.

All they saw was that after Clement was struck by Eric's spell, his entire body immediately deformed, twisted, and then burst like a balloon.