The Wind and the Wings of Hogwarts

Scott lifted the barrel lid and stepped back.

"Please, Pegasus, this is what I have prepared for you."

He gestured for Pegasus to come and drink.

Pegasus glanced at him, snorted, and slowly lowered his head.

It first gently sniffed the aroma of the wine in the barrel, and then carefully stuck out its tongue to lick the surface of the wine.

Scott observed its reaction carefully.

Pegasus snorted again and began to drink in large gulps.

well.

Scott laughed.

It seems that the wine I brewed wasn't too bad.

He glanced around and noticed that Chrysaor and Hippocrates had not refused the whiskies made by Krum and Fleur.

Scott was puzzled by this performance, wondering if their brewing was very successful or if the three horses were simply not picky eaters.

"Well done! None of the three warriors refused their wine, which means they have all succeeded!" said Mr. Jolly. "Look, they are all drinking very happily!"

With a gurgling sound, it wasn't long before all three horses had finished drinking the single malt whisky in the barrel and raised their heads.

Pegasus snorted twice, his gaze towards Scott no longer scrutinizing, but rather quite calm.

This left Scott wondering whether he was satisfied or not.

He tried to walk forward and tentatively tiptoed to touch its neck.

Pegasus neither refused nor responded.

Chrysaor, standing nearby, did not resist Krum's approach, but neither did she actively try to get close to him.

Only Hippocrates lowered its massive head and gently rubbed against Fleur, almost knocking her over.

"It seems Hippocrates is quite fond of Miss Delacour; this is a good sign!"

Mr. Joley said excitedly in a loud voice.

"It seems that Miss Delacour has ultimately won this round of winemaking skills competition!"

Scott and Krum exchanged a glance, both looking somewhat helpless.

Whatever the reason, Furong gained the upper hand at the start of this round.

"Warriors, take this opportunity to bond with your partners, the game is about to begin!"

Mr. Jolly said something and then hurried toward the platform where the judges were located.

Scott simply put the huge barrel back on, stood on it, and used his fingers to comb Pegasus's silver mane.

Pegasus shook its large head, still not refusing.

“Hey, listen up, Pegasus,” Scott said. “This is my match against Krum and Fleur, and it’s your match against Chrysaor and Hippocrates. You don’t want to lose to them, do you?”

Pegasus glanced at Scott and snorted again.

Scott then said to himself, "It seems I was right, Pegasus, you are the strongest horse here."

Pegasus raised his head.

“But other people probably don’t know that,” Scott continued. “You need to prove yourself the best so they have nothing to say.”

Although his voice wasn't loud, he didn't deliberately lower it either, so Krum, who was standing next to him, naturally heard him.

“Are you sure it can understand English?” Krum said. “They are French horses.”

Scott continued grooming Pegasus's mane, replying, "Who knows? Pegasus is so clever, he'll surely understand, won't he?"

Pegasus shook his head, seemingly nodding.

“Look, it can understand,” Scott said happily to Krum.

Krum's expression changed, and he climbed onto the barrel as well, whispering something in Chrysaor's ear.

He was speaking Bulgarian, and Scott couldn't understand what he was saying.

But Chrysaor was clearly annoyed by his whispering in his ear, so he shook his head violently and pushed Krum into the barrel.

Krum plopped down on the grass, glanced at Scott, who was getting closer to Pegasus, and then at Fleur, who was very close to Hippocrates, and his face darkened.

“Be patient, Viktor,” Scott said.

Krum nodded and got up from the ground.

Scott smiled and said nothing more.

What he didn't tell Krum was that he was quite certain Pegasus couldn't understand him.

The reason they became close was actually due to magic.

Scott altered the frequency of his magical energy fluctuations, making them resemble the unique magical energy fluctuations of a druid like Savannah's.

Although it was impossible to perfectly replicate him, there were only some similarities, and the act of grooming his mane was enough to make Pegasus willing to get close to him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the competition is about to begin!"

Mr. Jolly, having climbed onto the platform, resumed his commentary on the match.

"Warriors, tell me, are you ready?"

Scott and the other two nodded.

"Very well, now I will officially announce the details of this competition! Please take a look!"

As his voice faded, a spray of water mist suddenly erupted from the center of the ranch.

The white mist accumulated and thickened, quickly forming a denser cloud.

Immediately afterwards, a fairly clear image appeared within the massive, gathered cloud of mist—

Like an old movie, it's a bit blurry, but still watchable.

The image shows a view high in the sky, above the clouds.

Above is an endless blue sky, and below is an endless sea of ​​white clouds.

Countless metal cubes floated silently in the air, arranged in three neat rows of fifteen.

At the end of the cubic line, three enormous metal rings floated motionless.

Seeing this, the audience began to discuss it animatedly, filled with curiosity about the format of the competition.

Scott narrowed his eyes and turned to look at the platform where the judges were located.

"Did you see that clearly? This is the high-altitude track specially prepared for this round of competition!"

Mr. Joley's voice was full of passion.

"The three warriors will start from the starting point of the track, with the goal of crossing the finish line circle as quickly as possible!"

"Of course, our competition is not that simple. To increase the difficulty, we have also set some restrictions."

"Listen up, you three warriors!"

"First, both the warrior and your partner need to pass through the rings to reach the finish line!"

"Secondly, once on the track, warriors must not stay on the Divine Horse for more than 10 seconds, otherwise they will receive 0 points for this round!"

"Third, Apparition and Animagus are banned in this round of matches! All magical items are also banned!"

As he spoke, Mr. Jolly stepped onto a metal cube identical to the one high in the sky.

The cube floated up, rose straight up, and carried him into the air.

Everyone looked up at him.

With Mr. Jolly as a comparison, Scott also gained an understanding of the size of the cube.

This thing, which is clearly designed as a foothold at high altitudes, is actually very small, just big enough for one person to stand on. If you don't keep your balance, you could easily fall.

"Now that the restrictions are out, here's some good news, warriors."

His voice still carried throughout the entire venue.

"See the box at my feet? This is where you'll land."

"Don't worry about safety. When you fall from the box, your partner will catch you. Of course, please remember the 10-second limit."

"Oh, it's not all good news. There are traps hidden in each person's track. Three out of the fifteen boxes will trigger a binding effect the moment you step on them."

"Imprisonment duration: 5 seconds!"

Anyway, good luck to you!

After listening to all the competition instructions, Scott felt more confident.

This round of the competition was far too favorable for him!

No wonder Dumbledore didn't object to the proposal to ban the Animagus.

He doesn't even know how he managed to lose!

"Next, let's ascend into the sky together. Oh yes, I'll be up there with you!"

Scott looked at the cube that had suddenly appeared in front of him and stepped onto it.

"Let's go, conquer the skies, warriors! Let's set off!"

At Mr. Jolly's command, the cube beneath Scott and his team began to rise at a constant speed.

The cube rises very smoothly without any bumps, and as long as you have the mental fortitude, there is no danger of falling.

"Let's go, Pegasus!"

Scott called out and waved.

Pegasus let out a screech, spread its wings, and took flight.

Immediately afterwards, Chrysaor and Hippocrates also took off.

Their enormous wings whipped up a fierce wind, and Hibiscus immediately screamed, nearly being blown off by the wind.

Scott was startled, but he quickly realized that the cube beneath his feet was unaffected, so he managed to regain his balance.