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HRHL# Chapter 151: Snape: "Miss Granger Earns Twenty Points for Stirring the Cauldron with Her Left Hand" {2}
🕑 Added 2025-04-13 17:23:47 +0000 UTC"Alright, now I’m going to introduce you to these revived Mudwumps—" Professor Lockhart clapped his hands. "In certain swamps, or even in the Forbidden Forest these days, you can already find these creatures."
"These beasts are masters of disguise, often blending seamlessly with their surroundings, only launching a ferocious attack once their prey draws near—Revelio can help you spot them while exploring their habitats."
Professor Lockhart paused for a moment before continuing, "Mudwumps typically attack in two ways: one is a pounce, and the other is lashing out with their tongue like a fist—mind you, you absolutely do not want to be knocked down by a Mudwump or struck by its tongue. It’s not a pleasant experience."
"After launching a pounce, a Mudwump enters a vulnerable recovery period due to its physical structure, leaving it defenseless. This makes them susceptible to powerful spells that can flip them over or force their bodies to twist, such as Wingardium Leviosa, Depulso, or Accio."
At this point, Professor Lockhart added a final note, "When they open their mouths wide, you can use Wingardium Leviosa on their massive tongues to fling them into the air, exposing their soft, vulnerable underbellies."
With that, Professor Lockhart waved his wand and addressed the students, "Watch closely—I’ll only demonstrate this once!"
No sooner had he spoken than the Mudwump lunged toward him.
"Depulso!"
Professor Lockhart’s spell met the charging Mudwump head-on. The moment the spell struck, the creature reared back and was flipped onto the ground, struggling helplessly for quite some time without managing to get up.
"See that?" Professor Lockhart said. "Of course—you could also sidestep it or roll on the ground… there’s no shame in doing what it takes to survive, children."
With that, he turned the Mudwump upright again.
The creature reared back…
"See that? That’s the standard motion a Mudwump makes before spitting its tongue—"
No sooner had Professor Lockhart finished speaking than the Mudwump opened its gaping maw, its tongue shooting out like a fist straight toward his face.
He didn’t flinch, stepping aside to dodge the tongue before raising his wand.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
The Mudwump was yanked upward by its tongue, floating unsteadily in the air.
"Professor, why not just use the Levitation Charm directly?" Seamus raised his hand and asked.
"Excellent question, Mr. Finnigan," Professor Lockhart said, clapping his hands. "Why don’t you come up and try using the Levitation Charm on this Mudwump? That’ll answer your question."
Seamus, unconvinced, stepped forward and cast the Levitation Charm on the Mudwump.
But nothing happened—the spell hit the creature’s body, and it didn’t budge an inch.
"That’s why you wait until the Mudwump opens its mouth before striking with a spell," Professor Lockhart explained with a smile, resting a hand on Seamus’s shoulder as he addressed the class. "The Mudwump’s back has a high resistance to magic—unless you’re exceptionally powerful, I wouldn’t recommend it."
"Thank you, Professor," Seamus said politely.
"You can try again, Mr. Finnigan," Professor Lockhart said. "Go ahead and take on this Mudwump—don’t worry, I’ll be right here to protect you if anything goes wrong."
"Alright, Professor."
Seamus drew his wand, and at the same moment, Lockhart released the binding spell on the Mudwump.
The creature let out a roar and lunged at Seamus.
Seamus had already noticed its movements. He quickly rolled to the side like a donkey, dodging the Mudwump’s pounce, then turned and hurled a Blasting Curse at it.
"Confringo!"
With a loud bang, the Mudwump was flipped over by the force of the explosion, landing on its back and flailing its legs in the air.
"I must say, an impressive Blasting Curse," Professor Lockhart said, casting a Reparo on the Mudwump. "But I wouldn’t recommend using that one on your classmates—five points to Gryffindor."
"Woohoo!" the class cheered together.
"Anyone else want to take on this Mudwump?" Lockhart clapped his hands. "Any volunteers?"
"Professor, I’d like to try," a slightly bucktoothed boy from Hufflepuff stood up.
He figured if a Gryffindor could do it, there was no reason a Hufflepuff couldn’t.
"Very well, Mr. Finch-Fletchley," Professor Lockhart gestured for him to step forward. "Come on, wand at the ready—prepare to fight."
Finch-Fletchley raised his wand, pointing it at the Mudwump.
At the same moment, the Mudwump lunged at him.
From below in the classroom, watching Seamus subdue the Mudwump hadn’t seemed like much—but facing it himself, with this hundred-pound beast charging at him, Finch-Fletchley felt his legs turn to jelly.
Fortunately, Lockhart was there. He cast a Protego on Finch-Fletchley, saving him just in time.
"You shouldn’t freeze up, Mr. Finch-Fletchley," Professor Lockhart said with an encouraging smile. "But commendable bravery—Hufflepuff earns one point."
A consolation prize, but not bad.
Finch-Fletchley hurriedly thanked Professor Lockhart, returning to his seat still looking shaken.
That had been terrifying. Even with Lockhart’s Protego shielding him, he’d still felt the sheer mass of the Mudwump bearing down.
"Anyone else willing to step up?" Professor Lockhart said cheerfully. "Don’t worry—"
"Professor, I’ll give it a go," a blonde girl from Slytherin stood up.
"Daphne…" Pansy whispered beside her. "Are you sure you can handle it?"
"Probably," Daphne replied softly. "Slytherin needs someone to step up."
Pansy nodded, saying no more, though her eyes gleamed with approval as she looked at Daphne.
"Very well, Miss Greengrass," Professor Lockhart motioned her forward.
Daphne stepped up to a short distance from the Mudwump and drew her wand.
"Get ready," Professor Lockhart said. "Three, two, one—"
The moment he finished, the Mudwump’s restraints were released.
The creature reared its head back.
Daphne darted to the side, narrowly dodging its tongue attack.
But her dodge was a bit too wide—she nearly stumbled and fell, losing her chance to counterattack.
The Mudwump didn’t give her a moment to recover. After retracting its tongue, it launched itself at her with the force of a collapsing mountain.
Daphne rolled hard across the floor, barely evading the pounce.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
The Levitation Charm struck the Mudwump’s back, but it had no effect.
At their age, they hadn’t yet learned displacement spells like Depulso.
"Take your time, Miss Greengrass," Professor Lockhart advised.
Sure enough, the Mudwump turned, rearing its head back again.
This was the telltale sign of a tongue strike. This time, Daphne’s sidestep was more controlled.
The tongue grazed past her, and in that instant, her Wingardium Leviosa hit the Mudwump’s tongue.
"Well done!" Professor Lockhart clapped. "Five points to Slytherin—excellent spellwork and agile reflexes!"
Daphne waved happily, and the Slytherins cheered for her points.
A few more students volunteered to take on the Mudwump, but each one froze under its assault, only to be saved by Professor Lockhart’s Protego.
"Professor, I’d like to try," Neville stood up.
Seeing it was Neville—the, well, that Neville from Gryffindor—Professor Lockhart nodded. "Alright, give it a shot, Mr. Longbottom—but don’t push yourself too hard."
Neville nodded, raising his wand toward the Mudwump.
"Ready," Professor Lockhart said. "Three, two, one…"
The instant the Mudwump lunged, Neville darted sharply to the side.
It grazed the edge of his robes, but he narrowly dodged the pounce.
Neville meant to cast a spell, but as he turned, the Mudwump had already regained its footing, opening its mouth to strike.
Luckily, Neville had trained with Harry for a while. He leapt aside, dodging the tongue’s punch-like blow.
"Neville, you’ve got this!" the class shouted, their confidence rising as he evaded two attacks in a row.
They all hoped he’d pull it off—
Encouraged by their cheers, Neville focused intently on the Mudwump, trying to predict its next move.
The creature crouched slightly, then leapt high, pouncing at Neville again.
Neville dodged hard to the side, evading the attack.
He quickly steadied himself, aiming at the still-unbalanced Mudwump.
"Depulso!"
The spell struck, and the Mudwump flipped over, sprawling helplessly on its back, legs flailing.
"Neville! Neville! Neville!"
Cheers erupted from all three houses, celebrating his victory over the Mudwump.
"Brilliant spellwork!" Professor Lockhart called out. "Neville, well done—Gryffindor earns five points for your triumph!"
The Gryffindor cheers grew even louder.
The other two houses realized Gryffindor had gained another five points and momentarily deflated.
But they rallied again—Slytherin still led the House Cup, and Gryffindor’s gain was a charge against them!
Neville’s eyes welled up as he stood there, basking in the applause.
This felt amazing, he thought.
With that, he glanced at Harry and gave him a grateful smile.
Harry clapped, nodding in affirmation.
Later, Ron and Hermione stepped up, each demonstrating textbook spell technique.
Hermione used Wingardium Leviosa, flipping the Mudwump the moment it opened its mouth.
Ron was even more direct—when the Mudwump leapt midair, his Depulso sent it tumbling back.
After Gryffindor secured another ten points, Professor Lockhart called on Harry.
"Harry, your turn," Professor Lockhart said with a grin. "You’re the famous Boy Who Lived—time to show everyone what you’ve learned."
Harry stood, thinking, A Mudwump? I’ve faced worse…
But…
He felt the ancient magic stirring in his chest.
Hmm…
He wasn’t sure what the next ancient spell would be, so he looked up and asked, "Professor, as long as I can defeat the Mudwump, anything goes, right?"
"Of course, Harry," Professor Lockhart replied with a dazzling, toothy smile.
Harry stepped forward, standing a short distance from the Mudwump.
The class held their breath—especially Draco, who not only stopped breathing but belatedly conjured a poorly formed umbrella with a Transfiguration spell, ready to shield himself from any blood splatter.
"Ready," Professor Lockhart said again. "Three, two, one…"
Harry didn’t incant a spell. The moment Lockhart finished, he channeled the ancient magic within him, unleashing it through the tip of his wand.
The Mudwump was instantly hoisted into the air, then slammed to the ground as if seized by an invisible giant hand yanking its tail. The entire classroom trembled with the impact.
Whoa! Thud! Crash!
Harry released the spell.
The Mudwump collapsed to the floor, clearly beyond saving—its body limp and broken from the sheer force.
Professor Lockhart’s pupils shrank.
Ancient magic!
He knew of it, of course—his sister was an inheritor of ancient magic…
He decided he’d need to write another letter afterward, reassessing Mr. Potter further.
It seemed this boy wasn’t just Dumbledore’s golden child or a potential recruit for him—he was an heir to ancient magic.
"Very powerful spellwork," Professor Lockhart said, pretending not to recognize the ancient magic. "But a tad too violent, Harry. I sincerely suggest you avoid using that on your classmates, alright?"
"Of course, Professor," Harry nodded in reply.
