Vivian rolled her eyes, though her tone was proud. “He makes us run obstacle courses he builds with the Impediment Spell. Every day! If you don’t finish in time, the spell vanishes, and you fall. Trust me—it hurts.”
The reporter looked at her, wide-eyed. “And people say young wizards these days are soft…”
Meanwhile, back in the duel, Alex had reached his peak. Standing mid-air, six meters above the ground, he smirked. The spells below whizzed past him harmlessly, exploding against walls and pillars. “Tired already?” he called out, his voice dripping with mockery. “Guess it’s my turn now.”
“Don’t let him rest! Bring him down!” Avery shouted, desperation creeping into his voice. He raised his wand, aiming high. “Confringo!”
But his teammates hesitated. They were breathing hard, their robes damp with sweat. “We’ve been throwing spells nonstop!” one of them complained. “We’re going to keel over at this rate!”
Another muttered under his breath, “Why the hell did we agree to this duel? We came here for a banquet, not a battlefield…”
Alex didn’t care about their complaints. His wand moved in a blur, casting spells so quickly that his motions left afterimages. “Let’s see if you can handle this,” he murmured, releasing a flurry of attacks from above.
The five wizards scrambled to cast protective barriers. “Protego Maxima!” they shouted, layering their defenses. For a moment, it seemed they’d succeeded—Alex’s spells collided with their shields, sending dull shockwaves rippling through the air.
But then something strange happened. The impact of Alex’s spells felt wrong—too heavy, too forceful. The defenders’ barriers cracked under the pressure, as if the magic carried more weight than it should have. “It’s just a Stunning Spell!” one wizard cried out, panic in his voice. “Why is it so strong?”
One of them, despite resisting the initial barrage of spells, discovered the reason. “How did he do it?” one of the wizards muttered in disbelief. “He only cast for a second or two—how were there ten spells all at once?”
The protego maxima cracked like shattering mirror, the wizard failed to notice that his magic reserves were running dangerously low. The protego he had hastily conjured was weakening under the relentless force of the second Stunning Spell. Before he could react, the spell hit him squarely, sending him flying backward and crashing into the ground with a heavy thud.
The others fared slightly better. Some managed to raise their defenses in time, conjuring their own portego to deflect the incoming spells. Avery, in particular, gritted his teeth and braced himself against the onslaught. Though the power of the spells was more intense than he had anticipated, he managed to hold his ground.
After withstanding two of the Stunning Spells, Avery prepared to counterattack. But when he looked up, Alex was gone. Confused, Avery scanned the area and realized too late that Alex had returned to the ground. Before anyone could react, Alex launched his next wave of attacks—a series of four 'Drowning' spells that skimmed just above the ground, streaking toward them like missiles.
Avery's instincts kicked in, and he quickly raised another protective barrier. His shield deflected the spells just in time, but the effort left him shaken. He opened his mouth to warn his companions, only to hear two loud crashes behind him. Turning his head, he saw two of his allies sprawled on the ground, unconscious.
From the sidelines, Professor Flitwick, who had been observing intently, couldn’t contain his excitement. He clasped his hands together, clearly impressed, and exclaimed, “Now that was brilliant!”
One of the reporters standing nearby turned to him, puzzled. “Professor, what was so special about it? Alex just used a few Stunning Spells and knocked them out like it was nothing.”
Flitwick chuckled and shook his head. “Oh no, it wasn’t that simple. What you just witnessed was a masterclass in tactics. Alex exploited the difference in vantage points brilliantly.”
“Vantage points?”
“Exactly. He started by attacking from above, forcing them to focus their defenses upwards. But while they were busy holding up their protego, he moved to the ground and struck from below. Their focus didn’t shift in time to counter the second attack. It's not just about power; it’s about timing and strategy.”
The reporter nodded slowly, beginning to grasp the explanation, as Flitwick continued. “But that’s not all. Alex also used advanced casting techniques. He layered multiple spells simultaneously—a method known as the Concurrent Casting Technique. Most skilled duelists can manage two or three spells at once, but Alex unleashed ten. On top of that, he concealed additional spells within his attacks and even incorporated a modified Curse for his sneak attack.”
The group of onlookers, many of whom were novices, gawked in amazement. They might not have fully understood the technical jargon, but they could tell Alex’s skill was extraordinary. Back on the field, Avery and the last remaining wizard struggled to regroup. Their earlier confidence was gone, replaced by a growing sense of dread. Alex wasn’t hiding or relying on tricks—he was simply overpowering them with skill and strategy.
Alex raised his wand again, this time with a subtle flick. To Avery, it seemed like nothing had happened, but suddenly, a body hurtled toward them. The fainted wizard behind them was yanked forward as if pulled by an invisible rope, slamming into the last standing wizard with a loud crash.
“Ahhh!” the unfortunate wizard cried out as he was struck, tumbling forward. Before he could recover, Alex fired another Stunning Spell, sending him flying into the crowd of onlookers. The impact caused a commotion, and the spectators scrambled to get out of the way.
Now alone, Avery felt a cold chill creeping up his spine. He had come into this duel determined to humiliate Alex and show off his own skill, but the tables had turned completely. His companions were all down, and he could feel dozens of eyes on him, watching his every move. His humiliation deepened as he glared at Alex, who stood calmly, his expression unreadable.
Anger flared in Avery’s chest as he clenched his fists. He wanted nothing more than to wipe that smug look off Alex’s face. His thoughts turned dark, and he gripped his wand tightly, considering the unthinkable. ‘It’s fine,’ Alex thought to himself, watching Avery’s inner struggle with calm detachment. ‘Get angry. Let it consume you. Use the Killing Curse. Come on, do it. Just one spell, and it’s all over. You know you want to.’
When Avery launched another spell, Alex didn’t bother with words. With confident strides, he stepped forward, effortlessly deflecting the Petrification Spell. The follow-up curses aimed at him were swatted away just as easily, almost like swiping at flies. Avery could only watch in shock as Alex closed the gap between them. Just as Avery prepared to cast a spell at close range, Alex lashed out with a sharp kick, sending Avery’s wand flying.
The movement triggered a memory. Avery’s face paled as recognition dawned on him. ‘It’s you.’ A few years ago, a boy had disarmed him in a similar way—a boy who had intervened during that incident with Sirius. “Oh… it’s you,” Avery muttered, disbelief and dread mixing in his voice.
Alex didn’t stop at disarming his opponent. A roundhouse kick landed squarely in Avery’s gut, making him retch violently, just like before. “Looks familiar, doesn’t it?” Alex remarked coldly, grabbing Avery’s hair as he doubled over. Without giving him time to recover, Alex followed up with a brutal knee strike.
The resounding thud echoed as Avery hit the floor, blood streaming from his face. His body slumped into unconsciousness. As his mind drifted, fragments of that fateful night replayed in his head—a night when Snape had saved him. But not this time. Snape, standing off to the side, watched with a mix of resignation and detachment. Avery was a former classmate and colleague, but their paths had long diverged.