章節 38: A New Champion Emerges
"Harry Potter, Magical Britain."
The man's eyes widened as he looked up, and his jaw dropped in surprise and awe. He flushed when he saw Sirius glaring at him, but it was not every day you get to meet the boy who had survived and deflected a bloody Killing Curse when he was a baby!
"Sign here please, Mr Potter. You may enter through that gate over there. You'll have to submit your wand for inspection and you'll be informed about anything else later. Here are your name tag and badge. Good luck."
"Thank you," muttered Harry as he turned away.
"Stay calm," Amelia muttered as they walked towards the gate for the participants. "There are talented kids here, true, but I doubt they would be able to match your skill. Most importantly, do the best you can and nobody will think any less of you."
"Thanks, Aunt Amy."
"We'll be right there in the audience, cheering for you, understood?" assured Sirius. "Now go and show them what you can do. We have the utmost confidence in you."
Harry smiled at them both and turned to enter through the gate. Sirius took Amelia's hand in his as they both walked to a different gate to enter the arena. They paid for their seats, choosing the most expensive ones so that they could be as close to the duelling arena as possible.
"He'll be fine," whispered Amelia, squeezing his hand comfortingly. Sirius took a deep breath and nodded.
After about an hour, the lights dimmed around them, with the stage being prominently illuminated as the host stepped onto the podium.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," he began in French, but both of them could understand what he was saying. "Welcome to the Under-13 International Duelling Championship for the year 2002! We're going to have our preliminary rounds today, and those who qualify will be eligible for tomorrow's tournament. Those who qualify for the Quarter-Finals in the morning will take part in the Simi-Finals that afternoon. The winners of the Semi-Finals will take part in the Finals that night. So, shall we begin?" he asked and the crowd roared.
"Our first match is between Mr Adonis of Greece and Mr Potter of Britain. Let's give them a big round of applause!"
People clapped, but many began whispering when they heard Harry's name. The Boy-Who-Lived was known all over the world for surviving and deflecting the dreaded Killing Curse when he was but a baby.
Harry stepped forward towards the arena and bowed to his opponent who bowed back. He then extended his left leg forward; his left arm was raised for balance, his wand was pointed sixty degrees away from his opponent. His face was expressionless and back straight. This was a stance he had worked on. It provided a means for both defence and offence, depending on his move. Harry's opponent took an offensive position. The boy was going to strike the second he was ready. His wand was pointed at Harry, so he would use a spell that didn't require any elaborate wand movements. The best bet was either the Disarming or Stunning spell, mused Harry.
"The rules are simple. No lethal spells can be used, and unforgivable curses are banned; standard International Duelling Rules, level one. The duel ends when the other party is incapacitated or yields. Get ready. BEGIN!"
As Harry had predicted, the Greek boy shouted " Expelliarmus!"
A red jet of light headed towards Harry, but he neatly dodged it.
' Langlock; Expelliarmus; Stupefy!'
The three silent spells hit the mark. His opponent's tongue got stuck to the roof of his mouth, his wand flew out of his hand and the stunner hit him in the chest. The boy dropped to the ground, unconscious. The stadium was quiet. No one had ever expected a twelve-year-old boy to perform spells non-verbally.
The host recovered quickly and cried, "Amazing! That was an impressive display of non-verbal magic! The winner is Mr Harry Potter of Britain." The crowd roared and clapped for the Boy-Who-Lived. Harry bowed to them and exited the arena.
Harry blasted through Round Two as well. Since it was Under-13, the duels took very little time. But he had to admit, the competitor he faced was good for her age, but Harry was a lot better. Harry hit her with a few jinxes for which the girl used a shield, but was eventually defeated when Harry cast the Auguamenti charm, soaking her to the bone, and stunning her to end the duel.
The Quarter-Finals had twelve participants. Here, Harry decided to dodge rather than fire. His opponent was quickly getting tired after firing so many spells, and he took advantage of that and fired a stunner of his own when the opponent had just stopped casting spells, ending the duel.
The Semi-Finals were much better, in Harry's opinion. There were six duellists. If Harry won this round, he would be automatically qualified for the finals thanks to his record of wins in the previous rounds. The other five would have to fight in another round and the winner would join him in the Finals.
His opponent in the Semi-Finals was a boy from Brazil. The other wizard was cautious as he knew Harry was a fierce opponent. He dodged spells as well, and instead of conventional spells, he used a mixture of different charms in his arsenal. It definitely worked, as Harry got hit once when he least expected it, but managed to overcome his opponent by using his advanced knowledge of charms against him.
The Finals were between Harry and a girl from Japan. "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the finals of the Under-13 International Duelling Championship! We have today our two finalists - Akeno Hana from Japan and Harry Potter from Britain! Both have proven that they are way ahead of their peers in terms of magical knowledge. Take your places, finalists. Get ready. BEGIN!"
But to the crowd's surprise, neither party fired any spells. Harry had observed this girl and realised that she liked to set a trap for her opponents.
....
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