Dark clouds gathered overhead, thick and menacing. Sunny Finch unleashed a rapid volley of spells, driving Charlotte back. Seizing the momentary gap, Sunny Finch disengaged, her twin hammers materializing and hovering in the air.
Charlotte's eyes narrowed slightly. Standing beneath the gathering storm, she sensed something amiss.
"Activate your defensive charms!" Charlotte shouted.
The Hogwarts students broke away from their opponents and quickly converged on her position.
Sunny Finch's lips curved into a smile. "Thinking about activating defenses now? A bit late."
The moment she finished speaking, lightning struck from the sky, followed instantly by torrential rain. The ground was quickly saturated, puddles forming within seconds.
Sunny Finch raised her double hammers. Lightning bolts pierced directly into the metal, and she swung the hammers forward with tremendous force. Jagged electricity shot from the hammer heads.
Sunny Finch's face visibly paled.
"Sunny, are you alright?" a British student asked with concern. "Should we continue?"
Sunny Finch nodded, though her breathing was labored. "Don't worry. I'm just unaccustomed to the shock. My body can handle it—just a bit numb."
She gestured, and another lightning bolt began gathering in the sky.
Erwin watched, astonished. This was an attack technique Sunny Finch had just devised. He had to admit, the girl was ruthless—even to herself. Lightning magic was incredibly powerful, but its accuracy was abysmal—it struck randomly within the thundercloud's range, making it one of the most difficult spells to control.
But Sunny Finch had effectively turned herself into a lightning rod, using her giant hammers to attract and redirect the discharge. Only someone with her immense physical strength could attempt this—anyone else would be vaporized. Most importantly, Erwin suspected this wasn't even her ultimate technique.
Charlotte saw the lightning rushing toward them.
"Protego!"
Upon her command, the entire Hogwarts team simultaneously activated Shield Charms. Their combined effort made the barrier almost tangible, rivaling Erwin's own defensive capabilities.
Lightning struck the Shield Charm directly. It shattered on impact, splashing outward along the barrier's curvature.
Sunny Finch's eyes lit up. Far from discouraged, she looked positively delighted.
Charlotte, watching Sunny Finch closely, was filled with confusion.
Erwin shook his head. Voldemort, standing nearby, asked, "What's wrong?"
"They're going to lose," Erwin said quietly.
"Lose?" Voldemort frowned. "The Hogwarts shield is holding. It's a contest of endurance."
"That's where you're mistaken, Tom," Erwin replied. "Even you failed to recognize that sometimes Muggle knowledge is vital. They're losing for the exact reason you overlooked. They simply lack proper education in certain fundamentals."
In the stands, Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger watched intently.
"That British senior is incredible," Draco muttered. "She's taking lightning strikes with her body and still smiling."
Hermione frowned, her gaze shifting from Charlotte to Sunny Finch, then finally settling on the puddles around the Hogwarts students' feet.
In such a short time, the water had risen to their ankles.
Hermione's eyes widened. "Oh no! Charlotte and the others are going to lose."
Draco blinked. "What? The shield is holding. It's just about endurance."
"I told you to study, but you were too busy fooling around!" Hermione snapped. "Erwin told us to learn Muggle knowledge, especially physics. Haven't you learned that water conducts electricity?"
Draco stared at her blankly. "Huh?"
Muggle knowledge was something Erwin insisted they learn, but Draco hadn't paid attention to a single lesson. He didn't understand what Hermione was talking about.
Hermione sighed and facepalmed. She wouldn't waste more breath explaining.
Meanwhile, in the arena, Sunny Finch unleashed her second lightning bolt. Again, it was blocked by the Hogwarts Shield Charm.
Then Harry Potter spoke up, his voice strained. "I feel a tingling sensation... vibrations in the water."
The others ignored him, but Charlotte suddenly froze.
"Get out of the water!" she screamed.
Sunny Finch's face turned deathly pale from the strain, but she laughed. "Did you finally realize? Too late!"
She didn't aim for Charlotte this time. Instead, she summoned a thicker bolt of lightning and struck the ground directly.
The Hogwarts students flinched but didn't fall. "Did she miss?" one asked.
Charlotte sighed, realization dawning too late. "It's over."
She'd studied Muggle knowledge as Erwin instructed, but she'd never applied it practically. She hadn't realized that standing in water during an electrical storm was catastrophic.
As the lightning struck the puddles, the water didn't just ripple—sparks flew everywhere. A massive surge of electricity conducted instantly through the water to everyone standing in it.
Charlotte and the others convulsed violently as the current coursed through their bodies. The shock was overwhelming, their muscles locking up involuntarily.
The dark clouds dispersed as suddenly as they'd formed.
Sunny Finch plummeted from the sky, exhausted.
"Move in!" she commanded.
Aside from Sunny Finch, who was drained from absorbing the lightning, the other two spellcasters were spent. The remaining seven British students rushed forward to subdue the stunned Hogwarts team.
Charlotte, still enduring the aftershocks, managed to raise her wand and cast a desperate counter-jinx. It caught two British students off guard, knocking them away. But the numbers were overwhelming.
The remaining students rushed in, disarming and immobilizing the rest of the Hogwarts team. The defeat was swift and humiliating.
The barrier around the wooden boxes vanished, and two containers fell to the ground. A British student moved to retrieve the prizes.
The Hogwarts students could only watch helplessly, their bodies still twitching from the electrical shock.
But just as the British team reached for the boxes, the Durmstrang students suddenly burst from the sidelines, lunging directly for the prizes.
The British students reacted instantly, turning to intercept them with a volley of spells.