Chapter 16: Magic Competition
"You were born into a wizarding family, so you must have been exposed to magic since childhood. Can you show me how to perform it?"
Hermione was both excited and anxious about her life at Hogwarts.
She had always been an excellent student, excelling in her studies, which had fostered her strong competitive spirit. The only time she had been outperformed was by Ethan. Now, after studying diligently over the summer, she was confident that if they competed academically again, she wouldn't lose to him.
However, when it came to magic, Hermione wasn't as confident. Without any formal teaching, it was hard for her to learn magic on her own. Over the summer, she had only managed to master three spells: the Illumination Charm, the Unlocking Charm, and the Repairing Charm.
This made her worried that she wouldn't be able to keep up with the curriculum at Hogwarts. She feared she might fall behind the children who grew up in wizarding families and be labeled a poor student.
Now, with the opportunity before her, she wanted to see what level the children from wizarding families had reached, so she could prepare herself for the academic challenges ahead.
"This..."
Neville stuttered, unsure of how to respond.
He had seen magic every day but couldn't perform it himself.
Puff!
Ethan couldn't help but chuckle, and Hermione followed suit. Neville's timid nature left him speechless.
"What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing," Ethan replied innocently, raising his hands.
"I'll show you what magic is."
Cassandra stood up. She didn't think highly of Neville and had even less regard for Hermione, a Muggle-born witch, whom she preferred not to interact with.
Yet, Cassandra was still an eleven-year-old girl. She had the typical urge to show off her strengths and attract attention.
Under Ethan and Hermione's watchful gaze, Cassandra elegantly drew her wand and pointed it into the air.
"Flames!"
A bright orange-red flame shot from the tip of her wand, swirling into a small vortex that lingered in the air.
Afterward, Cassandra looked toward Ethan with a hint of pride.
In her mind, only Ethan was worth her attention.
She assumed Ethan was a half-blood wizard since she was familiar with all the pure-blood families in Great Britain and had never heard of the name Adrian. Given how much gold Ethan had spent on books, he couldn't have come from a Muggle family either. The only logical conclusion was that he was a half-blood.
"This is the Fire-Making Charm! I've tried it so many times but could never get it to work."
Hermione jumped up, staring at Cassandra's spell with wide eyes.
It was clear that the wizarding family children were far ahead of her.
Ignoring Hermione's excitement, Cassandra continued to focus on Ethan, asking seriously, "What magic have you learned so far?"
Her competitive spirit had been ignited by Ethan. She had bought extra textbooks and studied hard, determined to surpass him and become the brightest star in Slytherin, or even Hogwarts.
But she was unsure of Ethan's talent. If he lacked it, he wouldn't be her rival for long.
"Flames!"
Ethan calmly cast the same spell. The size and intensity of the flame vortex matched Cassandra's exactly.
Even though Ethan hadn't studied the Fire-Making Charm in depth, he was quick to pick it up just by observing it once. With his natural control over magic and more raw magical power than most wizards his age, Ethan could easily replicate Cassandra's spell. Though he might not have perfected it to her level, the effect was identical.
"Ethan, you can do it too?"
Hermione's eyes widened in disbelief. Although she had lost to Ethan before, this was magic—a new arena—and yet she had lost again.
Cassandra smirked. This was more interesting. If Ethan were mediocre, there would be no fun in competing with him.
With a flick of her wand, Cassandra commanded her flame to take the shape of a snake, slithering toward Ethan's flame as if to consume it.
She wanted to show Ethan that she was the best.
But reality had other plans. As the flames collided, Cassandra's fire quickly began to dissipate. Neither of them dared to let the flames grow too large in the small space of the carriage. In the end, Cassandra could only watch as Ethan's flame came within inches of her before vanishing.
Although the spell created fire, it still relied on magic. Without fuel, the fire would not burn indefinitely.
The real test had been in their magical control.
"Ethan, we were both born into Muggle families and never exposed to magic before. How did you manage to do that?"
Hermione didn't mind asking when she didn't know something. She could admit that Ethan had surpassed her in both the wizarding and Muggle worlds.
"We're just geniuses, that's all," Ethan replied with a grin.
"You must have some learning tips—teach me, please!"
Determined not to fall behind and desperate to graduate from Hogwarts with success, Hermione resolved to give it her all.
She had been a genius in the Muggle world—why couldn't she achieve the same in the wizarding one?
Hermione assured herself that it was just a matter of finding the right teaching and learning methods.
"Wait, did you say that he was born into a Muggle family?" Cassandra interrupted, looking at Ethan with doubt.
"Yes, I know him," Hermione confirmed.
"I may have lost this time," Cassandra said, "but this doesn't feel right. I'll win the next time, for sure." Being the pride of her family and often called a genius, Cassandra couldn't believe she was inferior to Ethan. She was certain that, with enough effort, victory would be hers.
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