Compared with Claven's giant bat form—which had already shocked everyone—Sean's flying magic drew even more attention.
Animagus transformations were rare, but they were still documented and understood.
However, true flight without a broom was another matter entirely.
In A History of Magic, flying magic was mentioned only briefly, and no living wizard had ever been confirmed to use it.
What Sean used clearly wasn't the same as the flying spell invented by Voldemort.
Yet somehow, a second-year student could perform it.
Claven's proposal sounded ridiculous to Uagadou.
The three sides were competitors. If Uagadou and Hogwarts fought each other, Ilvermorny would simply benefit from the chaos.
Vanessa had no intention of letting Ilvermorny profit.
"If you want the trophy, come and take it yourself," Vanessa said coldly from below the tree branch where Claven stood.
"Don't expect us to fight your battles."
Claven smiled faintly.
"You're holding Hogwarts' trophy. Of course they'll try to take it back."
"The battle between you two is inevitable."
"How can you say Ilvermorny is using you?"
"Oh?" Vanessa said.
"Then maybe I should just give this trophy to you."
She lifted the Hogwarts trophy slightly.
Claven had absolutely no interest in taking that hot potato.
Even though Hogwarts had lost two members, Sean's flying ability made him uneasy.
Just how many hidden cards did this second-year student still have?
"Damn you, Uagadou!"
A furious shout echoed from the forest.
Everyone turned.
Matthew and Jerry had arrived.
They hadn't managed to catch Claven earlier, but after seeing the yellow signal, they rushed here.
From a distance Matthew immediately spotted Uagadou holding their trophy.
That meant Gurila and the others had been defeated.
Nearby, Anduin still lay unconscious.
Castelobruxo now had only the two brothers left.
"Oh, it's you," Vanessa said mockingly.
"Thanks to your teammates for delivering the trophy to us."
Matthew's face turned green with anger.
They had hidden their trump card all the way into the forest and discovered all four trophy locations—only to end up with none of them.
Instead, they had done all the work for everyone else.
His burning gaze moved from Claven holding Castelobruxo's trophy to Sean's group.
Then he noticed Zach holding Ilvermorny's trophy.
In an instant, Matthew understood the entire situation.
"Hogwarts!" he shouted.
"We'll join you. We'll help you take back your trophy."
Matthew didn't know Sean could fly.
If he had known, he might have asked Sean to help retrieve Castelobruxo's trophy from Claven instead.
But right now his goal was simple:
He refused to let Uagadou walk away comfortably after eliminating four of his teammates and stealing their trophy.
Hogwarts had already lost two members.
If Matthew and Jerry joined them, the chances of reclaiming their trophy would increase significantly.
After all, those two were stronger than Theo and Percy.
"I think we can work with them," Sean said.
Charlie nodded.
"Agreed. Getting the trophy back comes first."
With the Castelobruxo brothers joining them, Sean estimated that even if Claven sided with Uagadou, Hogwarts would still have a chance.
When Sean had fought Claven earlier, his lack of mobility had put him at a disadvantage.
The odds were roughly six to four in Claven's favor.
Now that he could fly, Sean believed those odds might reverse.
But this was a chaotic melee.
Things rarely unfolded according to anyone's plan.
And at critical moments—
something always went wrong.
At that moment, the remaining five Ilvermorny members finally arrived.
Claven nodded to them before turning to Vanessa again.
"So," he said casually,
"do you still think we shouldn't cooperate?"
Without Ilvermorny's help, Uagadou knew they couldn't keep the trophies.
But working with the cunning Ilvermorny team felt like raising a tiger in their own house.
If Claven snatched Ilvermorny's trophy from Hogwarts during the battle, he could simply transform into a bat, grab a teammate, and fly straight back to the entrance.
Vanessa leaned toward Omar and whispered.
"Among all four teams, we're the only ones holding our own trophy."
"But under these circumstances, returning safely is impossible."
Omar's deep voice rumbled like a subwoofer.
"So you're going to use that?"
"Professor Coates said sometimes you must use certain methods to win," Vanessa replied.
"And now is that time."
She glanced at the Uagadou trophy in Omar's hands.
Vanessa placed the trophy on the ground.
Everyone stared, confused.
Then she pointed her wand at it and chanted in Swahili:
"Release the shackles."
Sean instantly activated his Magic vision.
He couldn't understand the language, but the spell's magical framework was clearly advanced magic.
The strange pot-shaped trophy had four animal claws gripping its lid.
Everyone had assumed they were just part of the design.
But in the next moment—
the claws spread open simultaneously.
The lid shot off with a loud bang.
Sean blinked in disbelief and turned to Charlie.
"Is this even allowed by the rules?"
Charlie shook his head frantically.
"Definitely not."
A three-meter-long Runespoor slithered out of the trophy.
It was the same three-headed snake that had once been shown to students during a demonstration in the Great Hall.
Two of its heads swayed back and forth—
then suddenly swallowed the Uagadou trophy and the Hogwarts trophy.
"That's cheating!" Zach shouted angrily.
Vanessa replied calmly:
"The rules forbid contestants from bringing any items other than wands and magic recovery potions."
"And we followed that rule."
"The trophy was placed here by the referee."
"It wasn't something we brought ourselves."
"So this isn't a violation."
Based on Sean's understanding of Barty Crouch, the referee would never knowingly help Uagadou cheat.
Most likely, even Crouch hadn't realized the trophy had been enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm.
In fact, no one—not even Dumbledore—had imagined Uagadou would tamper with the trophy itself.
It had also been placed under a concealment or sealing spell, which Vanessa had just unlocked.
"This is bad," Sean muttered.
"That Runespoor isn't something we can handle."
"So what do we do?" Penelope said anxiously.
"It's going to take our trophy away."
Sean thought for a moment before shouting:
"Ilvermorny! Your team still has all its members!"
"Have someone fire a red signal and call the professors!"
"This isn't something we can deal with ourselves!"
Egilbert sneered.
"Why should we sacrifice one of our members?"
"Your trophy was eaten."
"Shouldn't you solve your own problem?"
According to the rules, anyone who fired the red signal was considered eliminated.
A professor would arrive and escort them away.
Naturally, Ilvermorny had no intention of losing a teammate.
"I knew you'd say that," Sean replied calmly.
He took the Ilvermorny trophy from Zach.
Then—
he did something no one expected.
Sean hurled the trophy straight toward the Runespoor.
One massive snake head lunged forward—
and swallowed it whole.
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