Capítulo 23: Duel Invitation

In just one week, Kevin had fully demonstrated his talents. The young witches and wizards of Hogwarts, as well as the professors, were well aware that there was an exceptionally gifted first-year student in Ravenclaw. Despite his Muggle background, Kevin's magical aptitude and learning abilities surpassed those of many purebloods. He excelled in every subject, whether it was transfiguration, charms, or Potions; nothing seemed to challenge him. Even in flying class, Kevin was one of the best among the first-year students. Despite his average physical attributes, he didn't forget to cast a set of three spells on himself before class: [Bear's Endurance], [Bull's Strength], and [Cat's Grace].

[Bear's Endurance] provided him with inexhaustible stamina. [Bull's Strength] gave him tremendous explosive power, and [Cat's Grace] made him as agile as a cat. It had to be said that the duration of these attribute-enhancing spells was quite long. He easily persevered through one or two classes. What's more, all three of these spells were Kevin's original creations, with principles that differed significantly from most spells and Transfigurations, making them almost undetectable.

With all three working together, Kevin instantly transformed into a genius on a broomstick. He made quite an impression in Madam Hooch's flying class. However, after the flying classes for Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were over, the lessons for the little lions and serpents almost led to a brawl.

That evening, in a corner of the library, Kevin bumped into Harry, or rather, Harry and Ron had come looking for him. During this period, Kevin had an extremely regular routine. He typically only appeared in three places: the classroom, the library, and the Great Hall.

"Kevin, I knew you'd be here."

Kevin set down his book, "The Wacky Wizard's Crazy Magic," and looked at these "old" friends he had known before school began. "Hey, why did you guys come looking for me?"

"We're not in the same house. Besides a few classes, we never get to meet each other. Our classes are always overlapping with those pesky Slytherins," Harry complained.

"You're always in the library... We Gryffindors only seem to run into you-know-who, the bossy Miss Know-It-All," Ron added.

"Miss Know-It-All" was their affectionate nickname for Hermione, and it made them laugh every time they used it.

"You might not know, but your deeds today have become quite the talk. In today's flying class, Harry did something great, helping Longbottom snatch the Rememberall from Malfoy," Kevin described the rumours he had heard today. Even in the library, he couldn't help but overhear many young witches and wizards talking about it. Madam Pince had gotten angry about it more than once.

"Yeah, you have no idea how thrilling it was today. Harry swooped down from fifty feet and grabbed the Rememberall," Ron said, with an animated look as if he were the one who did it.

"I heard that Longbottom's Rememberall started glowing as soon as he received it. I wonder what he forgot." Kevin was quite curious about this.

"He forgot to wear his Hogwarts robe," Ron added with a hint of schadenfreude, but he had gotten a bit carried away, and his voice was too loud.

"Hey, keep it down! This is a library."

Madam Pince, the librarian, waved her feather duster and warned them.

"Because of this, Malfoy challenged us to a wizard's duel."

Harry lowered his voice, looking at Kevin with a troubled expression. "Kevin, you know, my knowledge of magic is really limited."

During the past week, Kevin's performance in class had left a deep impression on everyone, so they turned to him first when they needed help.

"Malfoy's second is Crabbe, and I was thinking of asking Kevin for help, but he thinks you might have a better chance." Ron added, a little discontent in his gaze.

He didn't have anything against Kevin; he acknowledged Kevin's excellent performance, but it didn't necessarily mean he had outstanding practical combat abilities.

Thinking of the original story, Kevin asked, "Have you considered that Malfoy might be playing a trick on you?"

"But... but a wizard can't evade a duel that has already been initiated; it'd be too humiliating!" Ron hurriedly said that he personally really wanted to show Malfoy his fist.

Indeed, under normal circumstances, Ron was right. Malfoy was, after all, a member of the ancient and noble House of Malfoy, and these pure-blood witches and wizards upheld their honour. They certainly wouldn't back down from a duel. They placed great importance on this. In the original story, Malfoy successfully tricked Harry, mainly because he was a first-year student and no one took a children's duel seriously.

However, if they were adults, Malfoy's actions would only bring shame to his family. Therefore, Kevin couldn't persuade them based on this reason.

"Kevin, will you agree?" Harry asked with an expectant look.

"...Alright, Harry." Kevin had reached the point where he couldn't refuse. After all, they were already friends in the Muggle world.

"We've got this in the bag!" Ron and Harry exclaimed excitedly, high-fiving each other.

But this time, they all forgot to lower their voices.

"No loud noises in the library! All of you, get out!" Madam Pince finally lost her patience and hurried over, waving her feather duster.

"Alright, Kevin, we'll meet in the Trophy Room at 11:30 tonight," the two of them realized It was time to leave the library.

"Are you really going to duel Malfoy?" Steve, who was working on his homework across from Kevin, suddenly looked up.

"Don't worry; it will be fine," Kevin said confidently.

Coincidentally, he had been researching [Disguise Magic] today, a magic mentioned in "The Wacky Wizard's Crazy Magic." During this time, he also had an epiphany regarding [Invisibility Magic].

Compared to the [Disguise Magic] in the Harry Potter world, arcane magic's [Invisibility Magic] was far more effective. The former was not only difficult to learn but also had a limited effect—it merely changed the colour of the disguised person or object to match the surroundings, like a chameleon. On the other hand, [Invisibility Magic] truly made the person invisible, and this spell was only a Level 2 spell, much simpler to learn than [Disguise Magic].

Steve nodded after hearing Kevin's explanation. "You're right. Duelling at our age is just about shooting sparks at each other. What's the worst that can happen?"

"And even if we get caught, the punishment is just losing some house points. You can earn those back in a few days."

At 11:30 in the evening, it was already curfew. Kevin quietly got out of bed, cast an [Invisibility Spell] on himself, and made his way to the Trophy Room on the fourth floor.

The Trophy Room contained all the honours awarded in the past: prizes, statues, trophies, plates, shields, and medals, all displayed in crystal cabinets. It also had a list of all the male and female heads of house. Kevin found himself to be the first one there, so he was idly wandering between the display cabinets.

When Harry and the others arrived, Kevin was admiring a trophy from a previous Triwizard Tournament.