CHAPTER 48

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CHAPTER 48

Snape found himself intrigued by the spells Elmi demonstrated. Though they were relatively weak in potency, their unique attributes captured Snape's attention. The first spell, a feeble curse, possessed an unusual trait—it was unblockable once it made contact with the target's body. The invisibility charm, while fleeting, granted true invisibility for a brief duration. Lastly, the glowing spear spell exhibited remarkable penetration; if cast by an adult Elmi, it could likely pierce even the sturdiest of magical defenses.

Snape swiftly launched a Stunning Spell toward Elmi, but the shadows encircling him deflected the attack. In that moment, it seemed as if Elmi melded into the darkness of the room, momentarily eluding Snape's gaze. Seizing the opportunity, Elmi retaliated with a spell of his own.

"Oculus Corvi!" he incanted, conjuring two mystical crows aimed at Snape's eyes. Reacting with agility, Snape dodged one of the avian assailants and swiftly dispatched the other with a flick of his wand. Yet, before Snape could fully recover, Elmi unleashed another pair of incantations in rapid succession.

"Aquila Apparitio."

"Tempestus Spectralis"

In the dimly lit potion laboratory, the sudden appearance of an eagle caught Professor Snape off guard. Pulling Snape's attention, then three eerie, glowing skulls materialized at Elmi's command, hurtling through the air toward the Potions Master.

Seeing the incoming threats, Snape wasted no time in formulating a response. With a flick of his wand, he conjured a fierce burst of flames aimed at the eagle, intending to incinerate the summoned creature. Simultaneously, he erected a protective shield to intercept the spectral skulls hurtling toward him.

However, the arcane crow, previously dodged by Snape, returned and targeted his eyes. Though Snape managed to dispel one of the crows, he was momentarily blinded, creating an opening for Elmi. Taking advantage of the weakened shield, Elmi cast a disarming spell, "Expelliarmus."

The crimson magical energy shot out from Elmi's wand, hurtling towards Snape. Snape, hearing the incantation of the spell, swiftly let go of his wand with his right hand and snatched it with his left in mid-air. In that split second, he sensed his faltering shield give way, and a jolt struck his right hand. It might not have packed the punch of a fully grown wizard's spell, but it smarted like the devil.

Right after firing off the disarming spell, Elmi muttered his invisibility spell and vanished in a swirl of green smoke. As his vision returned, Snape scanned the area for Elmi, relying on the faint sound of Elmi's footsteps to guess his general location.

Unwilling to wait for the invisibility to wear off, Snape took action. Tired of the day's antics, he conjured a cloud of gray smoke enveloping the area. The smoky veil adhered to Elmi like glue, revealing his concealed form. Snape swung his wand, unleashing a burst of red energy towards Elmi. Spotting the incoming attack, Elmi attempted to evade, but it proved too late. In a quick move reminiscent of Snape's earlier tactic, Elmi transferred his wand from left to right hand.

The disarming spell struck Elmi's arm, and the sheer force of the spell pushed him backward, causing him to lose both his balance and his wand. The force of the blast was powerful enough to drop Elmi to the ground. Snape was genuinely taken aback; the boy exhibited almost inhuman reflexes when casting spells. Even before the incantation left his wand, Elmi was already evading it. This instance, however, stood out even more because he seemed to anticipate that it was a disarming charm, mimicking Snape's actions with uncanny precision.

But that kind of tactic would only work for a weak Espelliarmus such as Elmi's. The disarming spell could blast the person back like a knockback charm if it was powerful enough.

A soft smile briefly graced Snape's face as he found satisfaction in Elmi's performance during the duel, seeing him on the ground and wandless. Snape had lowered his wand, poised to speak, when a sudden incantation disrupted the scene.

"Obscurum Turbinis."

A putrid-smelling black whirlwind surged forth, pushing Snape back, making him lose his balance and briefly causing him to choke. He could clearly see Elmi's wand, so who was casting the spell? He looked around to see if there was someone else inside the room.

Elmi, taking advantage of Snape's distraction, swiftly rose from the ground, pressing his hands together. With concentrated focus, he cast a spell, condensing its power until it reached a point beyond his control.

"Cranium Tempestus."

This time, instead of conjuring three wailing skulls, the spell manifested into one huge skull hurtling toward stumbling Snape. Reacting quickly, Snape cast a shield and a slashing spell, leading to a clash between the two magical forces. The impact resulted in a significant burst of magic. Though Snape's spell wasn't entirely successful in neutralizing Elmi's, since he was using a power level similar to a 3rd or 4th-year student, it managed to transform the threat into a smaller skull now charging in Snape's direction.

Snape swung his wand skillfully, deflecting the oncoming skull. In the blink of an eye, an amber spear surged toward him. With practiced precision, Snape continued to deflect each magical assault Elmi unleashed, seemingly unruffled. Yet, beneath his composed exterior, Snape couldn't deny a sense of shock. Even with his extensive experience in numerous deadly battles, the audacity of this 11-to-12-year-old child, effortlessly employing wandless casting like he was playing, left him in momentary disbelief.

Great wizards often faced a significant drop in power and versatility when attempting wandless magic, struggling with the formidable challenge of maintaining control. Surprisingly, Elmi defied this norm. Despite the absence of a wand, his magical prowess remained undiminished, casting spells with the same potency and precision. Snape found the spectacle truly intriguing, yearning to continue his observation, but he had to finish this.

Snape skillfully deflected one of Elmi's amber spears and wasted no time delivering a Depulso charm, shattering Elmi's magical shield. Just like before, Elmi evaded the subsequent spell with an uncanny anticipation of Snape's actions. However, Snape had strategically set the stage for this. As Elmi leaped into the air, Snape swiftly immobilized him with a Petrificus Totalus. Like a statue robbed of motion, Elmi succumbed to the spell's effects and froze like a statue, signaling the conclusion of their intense sparring session.

Snape came next to him after releasing him from the petrification and said, "How are you able to dodge my spells like you can see them even before I cast them, and how can you use wandless casting like it is nothing?"

Elmi, with a calm demeanor, explained, "You told me to show you what I got; I can see the magical waves form around your wand. If I have seen that spell before, I can roughly guess what kind of spell it is before you release it."

This revelation left Snape further intrigued. He had heard of individuals with special eyes but had never encountered one. Elmi continued, shedding light on his wandless magic, "As for the wandless magic, ever since I can remember, I can see a form of magical energy more powerful and volatile than mana, which I call winds of magic. When I get a hold of this energy and use it to cast spells, I don't need my wand. All I have to do is pull this energy to my body and utter the incantations."

Snape, intrigued and astounded, kept his composure as he processed Elmi's answers. "Why do you call it winds of magic?" he inquired, a subtle curiosity in his voice.

Elmi explained, "Because it looks like volatile winds, shining with different lights. It looks a bit similar to Northern lights if they were more ferocious."

Surveying the surroundings, Snape remarked, "So, it is all around us?"

Elmi affirmed, "Yes, Hogwarts is built on top of a point of convergence. Some people call them ley lines."

Snape comprehended the depth of Elmi's insight, and a realization struck him. "You can see the ancient magic around us, and not only can you see it, but you can also control it. Do you know how rare that talent is? If we count people with this ability from the past to the present Britain, perhaps it would not exceed the fingers of the two hands."