Chapter 41: 41: The Duel and Durmstrang
'So this kid is a sucker for challenges?'
John suddenly realized that it was no wonder that he was so desperate to touch the dragon's butt.
This kid really had some balls.
From the dragon and this new kid, Jihn was now sure about his current location.
Scandinavia.
And Durmstrang School was also here.
"Edgar, can you help us get out of here?" John asked, his voice carrying a hint of desperation.
Heinrich looked at John, his features delicate and pale, reminding John of that boy Malfoy. Heinrich's next words were unexpected: "You are strong."
"Uh... thanks for the compliment," John replied modestly.
Heinrich, however, meant something entirely different. Fixing his gaze on John, he removed his right glove and tossed it at John's feet. "I challenge you to a duel."
A duel?!
John was stunned. Fleur, infuriated, exclaimed, "We saved you!"
"I know. You, like Merlin, are a Dragon language Speaker," Heinrich said, his eyes never leaving John. "Defeat me, and I'll tell you how to get back."
Fleur leaned in close to John and whispered, "Looks like he's got his eyes on you."
John couldn't help but feel there was a hint of schadenfreude in Fleur's voice.
With a smile, Fleur seemed to savor the moment, seeing her payback for the sour fruit incident.
Of course, she was not afraid that John would lose. The situation when she dealt with the fire dragon just now was enough to show John wasn't simple.
But being targeted by Edgar was no small matter; they were known to be extreme lunatics.
If John didn't agree to the duel, Heinrich would likely leave them to wander the forest indefinitely. Reluctantly, John agreed, hoping to return as soon as possible.
A duel.
He thought of Professor Flitwick, a small man but a champion of dueling tournaments.
John and Heinrich stood back-to-back, wands in hand, pacing away from each other while counting aloud. At the count of ten, both turned and attacked simultaneously.
John was quicker. With a rapid spell, he launched a Blasting Curse.
Heinrich reacted just as swiftly, casting a Shield Charm to block the attack before countering.
The exchange between them was intense, more akin to seasoned duelists than mere students. Their wands were their rapiers, emitting dazzling rays of magic.
John evaded a minor curse and then cast his most powerful spell. Heinrich responded in kind with his own strongest attack.
"Incendio!" x2
Twin jets of flame collided, creating a blazing inferno.
John's Level 4 Incendio met its match, but he had the upper hand.
The orange flames overwhelmed Heinrich's, and just before they consumed him, John cast a low-power Blasting Curse hitting Heinrich
"You've lost."
John didn't press the attack. He lowered his left hand, resting his right on his hip.
Heinrich stood up silently, retrieved his wand, and said, "You're indeed powerful. I concede."
He accepted defeat straightforwardly. John smiled slightly, knowing they could now leave.
"I can tell you how to leave here. Head to Durmstrang; there's a Floo Network you can use."
John considered this. He remembered that Durmstrang wasn't friendly to Muggle-borns. Would he be attacked?
'Probably not. If I don't tell anyone, who would know.'
John and Fleur set off for Durmstrang, with Heinrich leading the way. They finally had a way out.
They exited the Valley of No Return and walked along the mountain path.
Unlike John, who had taken the wrong turn, Heinrich had a carriage waiting for him outside the valley.
"Young Master Heinrich, who are these two?"
The white-haired, sharp-eyed butler eyed John and Fleur suspiciously.
"You don't need to ask too many questions, Rick."
Heinrich, disdaining to explain further, left the old butler Rick with no choice but to keep quiet.
'Not a house-elf,' John remarked, surprised to see an old butler.
Pure-blood families typically employed house-elves. These unpaid laborers saved a significant amount of money compared to hiring others.
The Malfoys, for instance, had house-elves.
After boarding the carriage, they began their journey to Durmstrang.
Throughout the ride, although Heinrich didn't make it obvious, John always felt that Heinrich's eyes were always on him.
He moved to the left quietly, and Heinrich's sight moved at the same time. He moved to the right, and Heinrich's eyes tracked him again. 'Ok, it's obvious now..'
"Ehm! Fleur, what were you saying at that time?"
Fleur was trying hard not to laugh. "That the Edgar family is popularly known as the strong man's sidekick."
John felt a headache coming on. Was this Edgar going to latch onto him now? What kind of strong man was he anyway?
'Sigh, this is exhausting.'
Despite it being a vacation, John felt like his entire first-year break had been ruined.
It was obviously a holiday, first Dumbledore fucked his relaxing plans with Flamel's bait but then took him to school. Then when he wanted to watch the Quidditch game to relax, but he was thrown into the Valley of Death and chased by a fire dragon.
'What a wonderful vacation' He wanted to cry.
The carriage arrived in front of a castle—Durmstrang Castle.
It lacked the splendor of Beauxbatons and the deep heritage of Hogwarts.
It was a simple four-story castle with vast lands and stunning scenery.
Behind Durmstrang Castle, there was a mountain lake where some students who stayed behind would strip off their clothes and jump in for a bath.
This place was unplottable, concealed by magic.
Fleur originally did not have much affection for Heinrich, this rude guy, even though he had a good-looking face, but it was really hard to like him.
After entering the school, the students who stayed in Durmstrang seemed to have the same feeling as Fleur.
They all had a dislike and avoidance attitude towards Heinrich, and they didn't even want to pay attention to the two outsiders with him.
This situation was very similar to Fleur's, which made Fleur hate Heinrich less.
Upon reaching a fireplace, Heinrich spoke up, "John, you can use this to get to Knockturn Alley."
"Thank you, Heinrich. When you have time, come to Hogwarts, and I'll show you around properly," John responded.
Finally, they could return, and John was in a great mood.
Heinrich nodded vigorously at his words, his deep and slightly hoarse voice responding, "I will definitely come!"
Seeing his somewhat overly excited reaction, John had a feeling that they might indeed meet again.
After shaking hands and saying their goodbyes, John and Fleur entered the fireplace one after the other, disappearing into the green flames.
...
From Durmstrang to Knockturn Alley, they found a Portkey and, John and Fleur went back and forth several times and finally returned to Beauxbatons.
After all this tossing, both of them were exhausted physically and mentally.
However, because of this, the relationship between the two became much deeper.
In the following days, John spent his time in the alchemy room, and occasionally, Fleur would bring him some homemade cookies.
John felt happy after eating them. He wondered if there was any magic from the Veela in them.
One day, as John emerged from the alchemy room, he stretched, and his stiff body cracked audibly.
"At this rate, my body will give out before the sword is even forged."
John decided to go for a morning run before taking a nap.
John returned to his dorm room after his run and found an extra letter inside. He opened it and discovered it was from Dumbledore.
"Dear John, I hope you are enjoying your holiday blablablabla.... I apologize for disturbing your vacation, but I have a small request that I hope you can fulfill blablablablabla....."
"Go to Montmorency Street?"
John put down the letter, realizing this was his fourth destination. After a good sleep, he used Floo Powder to travel to Paris.
Montmorency Street was one of the oldest streets in Paris.
As John walked down the street, he felt something was off.
It seemed like someone was watching him.
This feeling wasn't baseless. Discreetly using a nearby glass surface, he saw a man following him.
Perhaps thinking that a young wizard posed no significant threat, the man appeared quite casual.
John smirked; did this guy really think he was that easy to handle? He quietly quickened his pace, heading towards a corner.
The man followed.
"Where did he go?" The man, upon turning the corner, was shocked to find John had vanished.
"Stupefy!"
Before he could react, a spell hit him squarely in the chest.
John lifted the Disillusionment Spell and appeared. He stared at the fainted man and used the Levitation Charm to drag him away.
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