章 535: 0533 Duels
Whoosh, whoosh!
The echoes of spells reverberated through Professor Watson's spiritual space as two brilliant flashes of red light - Stunning Spells streaked through the air like crimson lightning. With merciless efficiency, Neville and Ginny crumpled and vanished from the ground, following Harry and Hermione's fate.
The way Professor Watson had dealt with Ginny was particularly shocking to the onlooking students - he had executed the Stunning Spell with his wand pressed so close to her face that several students gasped audibly. This cold, almost cruel action left everyone terrified.
Professor Watson's overwhelming magical prowess needed no elaborate demonstration or explanation and few at Hogwarts dared to challenge his authority. But the young wizards had never witnessed such a frightening side of him!
Now they realized that compared to Professor Watson, the cold and stern expressions of Professors Snape and McGonagall in class seemed almost gentle. No one was questioning anymore whether it was appropriate and legal for a professor to treat young wizards this way - they were all worried about their own fate, trapped within Professor Watson's spiritual world with no other choice!
"Now," Professor Watson's voice cut through the tension like a knife, "I'll give you two minutes to consider why that group failed." His tone carried no mockery or criticism, just cool expectation.
Bryan didn't immediately summon the next group but gave them a moment to collect their scattered thoughts and racing hearts.
'Reasons for failure? What could there possibly be to consider?' Several young wizards thought to themselves, their internal voices tinged with both fear and sarcasm. 'Potter's group stood about as much chance against you as a flobberworm against a dragon.'
But no one dared voice these thoughts as Professor Watson's penetrating gaze swept over them, clearly waiting for someone brave enough to offer an answer.
Finally, Millicent Bulstrode from Slytherin raised a trembling hand. Her normally imposing voice had shrunk to barely more than a whisper as she feebly, "It was Longbottom's fault. He was dead weight - didn't even manage to cast a single spell—" Her voice trailed off under Professor Watson's unflinching stare.
"Are there any other perspectives to consider?" Bryan asked, his face expressionless revealing nothing of his thoughts.
The silence that followed was suffocating, thick with tension and unspoken fears. At last, Draco his pale face even whiter than usual, gathered what remained of his courage.
"They..." Speaking through clenched teeth, he said, "They should have shown more tactical flexibility. Standing there like statues, they made themselves easy targets. They should have..." His brow furrowed in concentration as he grappled with concepts, he could sense but couldn't quite express.
Cedric Diggory's voice rang out next, carrying some confidence. "After you attacked Granger, Potter wasted a crucial opportunity for counterattack by hesitating. Instead of seizing that moment, he waited for your second strike. Their excessive focus on defensive positioning came at the cost of reaction speed and offensive capability."
As if Cedric's analysis had broken a dam, students from all houses began offering their observations, their voices growing stronger as they built upon each other's understandings. Some comments showed genuine tactical understanding, while others exposed fundamental misunderstandings of magical combat. Throughout it all, Professor Watson maintained his silence, neither confirming nor dismissing any of their interpretations. He simply listened; without changing his expression.
When the discussions naturally subsided and the spiritual space grew quiet once more, Professor Watson spoke slowly. "You must learn to think independently," he emphasized, his voice low but carrying to every corner of the spiritual space. "You are not just machines following predetermined patterns. Each of you possesses unique thoughts, instincts, and fighting styles that will ultimately lead you to develop your own distinctive approach to magical combat. Don't expect me to simply hand you a predetermined formula for success."
The next group to face this challenge consisted of three Gryffindor Girls: Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, and Katie Bell - the legendary Gryffindor Chaser trio.
To be honest, they gave Bryan some pleasant surprises.
Years of coordination on the Quidditch pitch had clearly fostered an exceptional understanding of tactical positioning and formation dynamics among the trio. Their teamwork also had a particularly sophisticated level of coordination.
Having witnessed the disastrous failures of both the Weasley twins and Granger's groups, they had at least grasped a fundamental principle of magical dueling: attack and defense were distinct formations requiring fluid transitions rather than rigid, stationary positions that left them vulnerable like practice targets in the training grounds.
However, the gap between theoretical understanding and practical execution was their collapse. Their movements, while coordinated, lacked the split-second timing necessary for effective combat transitions and Bryan expertly exploited this weakness with devastating results.
With a casual flick of his wand, he conjured a magical swamp beneath Angelina's feet, suddenly immobilizing her. The unexpected development caused Katie and Alicia to freeze momentarily – surely a fatal mistake in magical combat.
Then, they both simultaneously tried to rescue Angelina - undoubtedly a terrible choice, completely failing to realize they needed to leave someone to handle Professor Watson's next attack. In truth, tactically speaking, they would have fared better abandoning Angelina to focus on countering Bryan's follow-up attack.
Their fate was sealed when a massive wave of purple magical flame rushed toward them, its heat intense enough to distort the air itself. Three piercing screams echoed through the spiritual space before the Gryffindor trio vanished as one.
The Hufflepuff team's turn came next, and they demonstrated the house's reputation for being slower to adapt to changing circumstances. Most of their performance was a near carbon copy of previous groups' mistakes, with one notable exception: Cedric Diggory. He distinguished himself as the first student brave enough to seize the initiative, launching an opening attack the moment the duel began.
His Reducto Curse, executed with impressive speed and precision, forced Bryan to make his first evasive movement of the evening. Displaying remarkable tactical awareness, Cedric had already anticipated his dodge and launched a follow-up Disarming Charm that actually compelled Bryan to actively defend himself, dispersing the spell with a wave of his wand – also a first in the evening's battles.
Yet Cedric's moment of brilliance was followed by an equally dramatic failure. When Bryan suddenly materialized near Cho Chang, Cedric's tactical judgement vanished instantly, replaced by raw panic. Convinced his 'girl' 'friend' was going to suffer like Ginny did, he abandoned all of his strategies and threw himself on top of her, trying to shield her from harm.
This foolish action left their teammate Roger Davies completely dumbfounded and he was also exposed and tactically paralyzed. He could only watch in horror as a conjured stone spear impaled both Cedric and Cho, their bodies vanishing together, before an explosion sent Roger himself flying from the spiritual space.
The Ravenclaw team of girls wasn't particularly noteworthy, performing neither impressively nor poorly, though Luna's continuously dreamy demeanor during even such an intense duel made Bryan purse his lips. The young witch's extraordinary magical sensitivity was both a blessing and a curse.
Draco's team was the first Slytherin group to enter the arena, and they were also the last team of the evening to surprise Bryan.
After watching so many teams fail, Draco had at least learned one principle – it was better to strike first!
Hiss, hiss—
The moment Professor Watson signaled the start of the duel, Draco unleashed his signature spell with impressive speed. Two massive black pythons, each as thick as a man's wrist and nearly two meters in length, erupted from his wand tip.
One coiled protectively near him like a living shield, while its twin launched forward with shocking swiftness, its movements unpredictable and deadly. In the span of a heartbeat, the attacking serpent had closed the distance to Professor Watson, and launched upward with explosive force.
The black python sprung from its belly like a fully compressed spring, opening its fierce mouth in mid-air to reveal sharp fangs, striking directly at Professor Watson's face.
Such a vicious and unrestrained attack brought a slight smile to Bryan's face. He raised his wand to disperse the black python into wisps of smoke, countering Draco's attack with a Corrosion Curse.
As the blue spell light filled with deadly energy was about to hit Draco, the defensive black python he had left in front leaped up, and swallowed Professor Watson's curse whole before falling back to the ground. The python writhed in apparent agony as the corrosive energy consumed it, but it had served its purpose.
In that same instant, Astoria Greengrass, the younger of the Greengrass sisters, completed her own offensive spell. Her clear voice rang out with the incantation "Avis!" and suddenly the air was filled with the beating of wings as a dozen conjured birds materialized.
These were no ordinary birds as their beaks gleamed with metallic sharpness. Before Professor Watson could complete his counter to Draco's attack, the birds had executed a perfect surrounding maneuver, creating a sphere of potential attack routes.
The timing and execution of this combination attack would have spelled doom for most adult wizards, and even Bryan's eyes showed a glimmer of genuine approval. However, expecting such tactics to overcome someone who maintained combat abilities on par with elite Aurors was perhaps overly optimistic.
Faced with the multi-directional threat, Bryan's falling arm reversed direction with lightning speed. In less time than it takes to blink, he executed a precise magical strike that sent visible ripples through the space. Astoria's conjured birds dropped from the air like stones, crushed by an overwhelming gravitational force that none could resist.
"Charge!"
Draco's command rang out before Professor Watson had even finished dealing with the air threats. His team had already anticipated that their opening strategy wouldn't be enough to secure victory. Moving with planned coordination, they formed a perfect triangle formation and rushed forward with remarkable courage. When Bryan finally turned back after finishing off the birds, he found himself being rapidly encircled by the young Slytherins.
Their positioning was tactically half-good enough so Bryan abandoned his initial plan to approach them via Apparition. Instead, he remained still, curious to see how the students would get the most out of their advantageous position. He allowed them to complete their encirclement, watching with interest as they reached their desired attack positions.
What followed was a storm of attacks. Perhaps driven by a desire to prove themselves, they launched spell after spell in a continuous barrage. Their attack rhythm, while impressive in its intensity, lacked the perfect coordination of their opening combination. Bryan, more out of instructive interest than necessity, remained defensive, using minimal movement and magical barriers to defend their assaults while allowing them to exhaust their offensive options.
This fierce exchange continued for nearly a minute before the inevitable happened. Astoria's face suddenly drained of color; the Disarming Charm she had begun to cast dissipated into harmless sparkles before it could fully form. An overwhelming wave of dizziness crashed over her, and her legs gave out beneath her, sending her crumpling to the ground.
The sudden collapse of their teammate caused Draco and Pansy to hesitate in their attack - another crucial mistake. Before they could adjust their strategy, the same draining dizziness came over them as well. Both students clutched their heads as they struggled to maintain their footing, their offensive formation crumbling.
As Professor Watson approached them with the first genuine smile, they'd seen all evening, Draco fought against his body's overwhelming urge to flee. Instead, he forced himself to meet his professor's gaze and asked, his voice trembling with a combination of fear and exhaustion, "When... when did you manage to poison us?"
"Oh, I didn't poison you at all," Bryan replied with a smile, "You simply failed to fully consider the limitations of your own magical reserves. Maintaining such an intense offensive pressure demands an enormous expenditure of both magical power and physical energy, Mr. Malfoy."
Three pained cries echoed through the spiritual space, and then Draco's team joined their predecessors in defeat, vanishing from Bryan's Spiritual World.
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章 536: 0534 Review
The tension in the classroom was palpable as the final trio of Slytherin students leaped from their wooden benches with startled cries. Professor Watson, the source of their terror, slowly opened his eyes before them.
George sat stiffly in his seat; hands clasped tightly around his physically unharmed but psychologically traumatized leg. His typically sparkling eyes, were now clouded with a mix of fear and indignation, fixed upon Professor Watson with an unmistakable look of resentment. The famous Weasley twin humor seemed to have been thoroughly extinguished by the evening's brutal demonstrations.
Across the classroom, Neville's shoulders were drooped with the weight of apparent failure, his chin tucked against his chest in absolute dejection. Beside him, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny worked together to give quiet words of consolation, their voices were barely above whispers as they tried to rebuild Neville's shattered confidence.
Meanwhile, Draco was vigorous with excitement as he smugly narrated his fellow Slytherins with an increasingly embellished account of their duel against Professor Watson.
The majority of the young wizards wore expressions of stunned disbelief mixed with deep disappointment. Professor Watson's ruthless demonstration had shattered their comfortable illusions about their own abilities.
The bitter pill of reality was particularly hard to swallow - after months of dedicated training and practice, they had believed themselves to have significantly improved, yet they were still effortlessly defeated by Professor Watson who had been restraining most of his power. This sense of disappointment was indescribable.
Looking at the dejected young wizards, Bryan wasn't particularly disappointed – the result was exactly as he had expected.
"Cheer up," Professor Watson's calm voice cut through the heavy silence. As the students' attention shifted to him, their eyes widening with renewed interest, he raised his wand to his temple. With smooth, practiced movements, he began extracting several gleaming strands of silver threads.
"Now," he continued, his wand moving through the air in intricate patterns that left traces of silvery light in its trail, "let's review our practice session from beginning to end—"
The silver threads expanded and merged into a shimmering surface that resembled a mirror made of flowing water, showing a perspective from Professor Watson's own point of view throughout the duels.
Fred, George, and Lee, who had been the first victims of the evening's demonstrations, leaned forward with particular interest, eager to witness how their classmates had fared after their own swift defeat. Similarly, Hermione's group and the others who followed were equally curious about the subsequent encounters.
The room fell into an attentive silence as students who had been eliminated early finally got to see the full scope of the evening's trials. The fact that Professor Watson could project memories with such clarity no longer sparked amazement among the students - they had grown accustomed to his extraordinary magical capabilities. Each student focused intently on the projected memories, analyzing their own performance with critical eyes.
The remaining class time was transformed into an intensive review session, and in the final minutes before the class's conclusion, they had witnessed the entire evening's duel from its beginning to its conclusion. The memory projection showed every misstep, every moment of hesitation, and every group's failed strategy in clear detail, with their shortcomings.
"You've all fallen into a common misconception that I must address—" Bryan said to the contemplative young wizards. "You treated these duels with the same mindset you have in a standard classroom exercises, rather than treating them with the importance they deserve. This is a potentially fatal error – When this mindset becomes habitual, you may find yourself on a real battlefield one day, suddenly realizing there are no second chances, no opportunities to start over. By then, such a realization will come far too late--"
The evening's duels had revealed numerous issues beyond this fundamental mindset problem. Setting aside the individual magical capabilities of the young wizards, which varied considerably, their attempted teamwork had been, from Bryan's perspective, disastrous.
Even Draco's group, who had shown the most promise in teamwork, had only managed to synchronize their attack timing while they failed to achieve any meaningful synergy between their individual spells. Their attacks, while coordinated in timing, were essentially independent actions rather than truly corresponding magical combinations.
However, Bryan did not voice his criticism as he understood that this had been their first genuine experience with both team combat and real-world dueling conditions. Under such circumstances, their mistakes, while numerous, were not entirely inexcusable given their inexperience. They were natural stepping stones in the learning process rather than insurmountable failures.
"--Regarding the specific reasons behind each group's defeat, I won't spell them out for you. This is something you must analyze and understand for yourselves. Each group will submit an essay examining their failures by next Wednesday, with a minimum length of fifteen inches—"
The assignment announcement drew various reactions from the gathered students. Harry's eye twitched noticeably at the prospect of such a lengthy analysis, but his expression quickly shifted as he realized the task was assigned per group rather than individually.
A sideways glance at Hermione told him what he already suspected - knowing her academic enthusiasm and perfectionist tendencies, she would likely take it upon herself to write the entire essay without asking.
The typically energetic atmosphere that followed Physical Education class was notably absent as students marched out of the classroom. George's continued limping was particularly conspicuous - while his leg had no physical injury, the psychological impact of the evening's events had manifested in a very real physical response, creating a psychological limp he couldn't seem to shake.
"Oh, right--" Harry deliberately ignored Malfoy's continuing smug glances and barely concealed bragging. He understood all too well that the Slytherin's little success owed more to the advantage of going last than any superior ability. Had they faced Professor Watson first, without the benefit of learning from others' mistakes, their fate might well have been worse than George's!
Just as he was about to exit the classroom, Harry muttered something under his breath and abruptly turned back. He jogged quickly to Professor Watson, who was orchestrating an impressive show of magical housekeeping as numerous chairs obediently hopped back to their places against the wall.
Several minutes later, under Professor Watson's knowing and slightly amused gaze, Harry darted out of the classroom clutching a newly signed piece of parchment.
"You went to—" Hermione's voice caught Harry by surprise as she emerged from the shadows of the corridor where she had been waiting patiently outside the classroom door. Her eyes needed only a momentary glance at the parchment in his hand to understand what was going on. "He actually signed it?"
"Professor Watson has always been approachable, hasn't he?" Harry questioned, genuine confusion coloring his tone.
"Yes--" Hermione's lips pressed into a thin line as a visible shudder ran through her body, horror flickering across her facial features as she recalled the evening's events. "But when he casted that spell on Ginny in the Spiritual space just now, oh..." She paused, her voice dropping to barely above a whisper, "Ginny will definitely have nightmares tonight."
"Ginny won't be the only one having nightmares--" Harry responded with deep empathy as they began their journey back to the common room, their footsteps echoing in the stone corridors.
The unusual atmosphere following this particular Physical Education class did not go unnoticed by their fellow students. Typically, the post-class period buzzed with excitement and lively discussions, especially when Professor Watson hadn't explicitly forbidden them from sharing the class content. But tonight, an unnatural silence hung over the returning students, their passive demeanor raising eyebrows throughout the castle.
"What happened?" Ron's worried voice caught them off guard as they approached the corridor leading to the Fat Lady's portrait. He had been anxiously waiting at the entrance, and upon spotting them, he rushed forward with obvious concern. "Weren't you all in class together? Why does George look like he's been injured, and I've never seen Ginny in such a state before? What exactly happened in there? Why is everyone so quiet?"
Ron's gaze settled on Hermione initially, but upon noting the complex mixture of emotions swirling in her brown eyes, he physically recoiled as if struck by an invisible force. His attention shifted swiftly to Harry instead, seeking answers from him.
"Oh, nothing--" Harry said tiredly, "Nothing unexpected happened, Ron. We just... got taught a lesson by Professor Watson."
He gestured toward the portrait hole, telling they continue this conversation in private. "Let's talk inside. Hermione and I both took a Stunning Spell in Professor Watson's Spiritual space, but it felt so real."
With those words, Harry moved past Ron toward the Fat Lady's portrait, with Hermione following silently in his trail. Ron remained rooted to the spot, watching their retreating backs with growing concern. His mouth opened and closed several times, but no words emerged, his face appeared particularly ghostly in the flickering firelight of the corridor's torches.
*SCENEBREAK*
Outside the castle walls, nature painted its own dramatic scene. The setting sun casted its final rays across the Scottish Highlands, transforming the sky into a canvas of deep crimson and gold.
The Black Lake's surface rippled with these blood-red reflections, its waters moving in gentle ripple beneath the dying light. Perched majestically on its cliff, the black silhouette of Hogwarts castle stood in silent witness to the day's end, its ancient stones seeming to embody a profound sense of tragic heroism in their eternal vigilance.
This particular scene made Fleur uncomfortable, and she deliberately turned away from the melancholic scene. Her attention drifted instead to the nearby Quidditch pitch, where she observed Hermione Granger, the young girl who, like herself was also a champion. She was running laps around the Quidditch pitch, along with about a dozen other students.
'Completely pointless and utterly stupid—' she thought to herself, her facial features arranging themselves into an expression of elegant disdain. This peculiar routine had caught her attention from her very first day at Hogwarts.
Without fail, every evening, this determined group of Hogwarts students would circle their pitch repeatedly, maintaining this bizarre routine with religious devotion. This very concept puzzled her- what possible benefit could wizards hope to gain by exercising their bodies? The behavior struck her as so absurd that she couldn't even muster enough interest to inquire about its purpose.
Within her private room in the Beauxbatons carriage, decorated with elegant sky-blue silk curtains, an enchanting aromatic fragrance permeated the air. Though these were temporary accommodations, every detail of the room's décor had been meticulously chosen and arranged with exquisite taste, creating an atmosphere of refined artistic sensibility.
Fleur lounged casually on her bed with, wearing a flowing nightgown of finest blue silk. One shoulder strap had slipped down, leaving half her upper body exposed, but she made no move to adjust it. Rolling onto her side, she conducted a lazy survey of her room.
Her gaze settled on the radio on her dressing table with a casing made from some magical creature's horn and was playing the Weird Sisters' music—harsh and unpleasant, in Fleur's opinion.
"Crude, completely tasteless English people," she murmured in irritation.
Nothing at Hogwarts had aligned with her expectations. She had anticipated a warm welcome but instead encountered a peculiar indifference. The unexpected developments with the Triwizard Tournament had only added to her growing list of disappointments.
"Sister--" The door to her room opened without knocking, and Gabrielle walked in- the only person allowed to enter Fleur's room without permission.
"Oh, Gabrielle—" Fleur finally adjusted her fallen shoulder strap, shifting to a more proper sitting position. "Please, rid me of that dreadful radio. I simply cannot endure another moment of this awful music—"
"I find it quite interesting—" Gabrielle's response came with a playful giggle, though she still turned off the music. She had originally come to escort her sister to dinner, but couldn't resist teasing her first. "The castle's supervisor just had a conversation with Madame Maxime. He's requested that we take our meals in the Great Hall rather than remaining in the carriage--"
"The castle's supervisor?" Fleur's heart performed an unexpected flutter. "Who was it?"
In the presence of her beloved sister, Gabrielle shed her public personality, becoming the mischievous little girl she truly was. Recognizing the barely concealed interest in her sister's voice, she deliberately withheld the answer, maintaining a knowing smile until Fleur was forced to resort to playful tickling as persuasion. Only then, between fits of giggles and breathless laughter, did she reveal,
"It was Mr. Watson. He explained to Madame Maxime that the Triwizard Tournament's true purpose is to foster interaction between all participating schools. He pointed out that if we and the Durmstrang students remain isolated in our own spaces, the event loses will lose all its meaning. Madame found his argument quite persuasive--"
"Did he mention anything else?" Fleur tried to maintain her air of casual indifference as she tossed her silvery hair, but her eager tone betrayed her.
"No--" Gabrielle responded with apparent honesty. She waited until she observed her sister's excitement fade slightly before adding with a proud expression, "But I took the initiative to tell Mr. Watson that I wanted to visit Britain's only all-wizard village—Hogsmeade, and then Mr. Watson immediately agreed--"
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