Duel

Ten o'clock at night, on the fourth floor of Hogwarts!

The crystal glass cabinet displaying the trophies shone brightly in the moonlight, with the trophies, shields, medals, and statues gleaming with silver and gold light. A girl with waist-length golden hair was standing in the shadows, waiting.

"You're finally here!"

Cassandra stepped out from the shadows.

"Come with me; this is not a good place."

Ethan looked at the girl and then led the way.

This trophy display room is not a good place.

Ethan remembered that Draco and Harry had a duel here in the original book, which caused some trouble.

Now they aren't coming, and it is his turn? This week is the last week that Ethan and Hagrid patrol together.

In order to meet Cassandra's appointment, he asked Hagrid for leave before coming, so he will not go today.

This matter was originally Hagrid's responsibility to supervise.

As long as Hagrid had no objections, it would be settled. "Where are we going?"

Following behind Ethan, Cassandra asked curiously.

They were Slytherin students who chose to duel.

The reason why they liked this trophy display room was that it represented honor, although it was easy to be discovered here. "The eighth floor!"

Cassandra looked a little surprised after getting this answer, but she didn't say anything else and followed Ethan.

It was still that familiar place. After Ethan told Cassandra how to open the Room of Requirement, he took her inside.

This was a standard dueling arena, not the magic practice place that Ethan was familiar with.

Cassandra found this very novel. How was such a room built to provide a venue according to demand?

"If you want a wizard duel, we can do it here, and no one will disturb us."

Penelope, who heard the news today, wanted to come with Ethan to see how Ethan bullied little girls, but Ethan held her back in the dormitory.

"Okay!"

Cassandra and Ethan walked to their respective sides, about ten meters apart.

They both took out their wands and saluted each other.

"Finestra!"

Cassandra took the lead.

Ethan waved his wand upwards, and more than a dozen birds appeared above Ethan in an instant, intercepting Cassandra's shattering spell while showing their sharp beaks and claws, swooping down on Cassandra.

"Ignis Indicubus!"

Facing the incoming birds, Cassandra did not panic at all. Countless small stones emerged from the ground, some of which hit the birds in the sky, and some struck Ethan.

Ethan, who was closely watching Cassandra's every move, easily dodged the flying stones with a quick motion.

"Incendio!"

As Ethan dodged, Cassandra took advantage of the opportunity to pursue. A stream of orange-red flames swept over and reached Ethan in the blink of an eye.

But just as it was about to burn Ethan, cold air began to spread from under Ethan's feet, and the flames released by Cassandra were extinguished at a very fast speed.

"Fulgur Tempestas!!"

[T/n - There isn't an incantation given for atmospheric charm in the wiki. So I added one by myself] 

As Cassandra's voice fell, a thundercloud appeared above their heads, lightning flashing like a silver snake dancing wildly.

However, there was no accuracy, and some lightning struck the ring from time to time.

It almost struck Cassandra herself.

Ethan swung the magic wand in his hand, and a red light rushed straight to the center of the dark cloud, dispersing it instantly until it disappeared without a trace.

The weather spell was Cassandra's trump card, but she had just learned it and had no chance to practice.

The control was not very good, and the weather spell that consumed a lot of magic power and energy was so easily countered by Ethan, which made her feel quite depressed.

Is the gap really this big?

"Petrificus Totalus!"

Cassandra bit her lip and threw out another blue light.

But Ethan blocked it easily. Seeing Ethan getting closer and closer, Cassandra couldn't help but retreat.

Until the white light shot out from Ethan's wand and magnified in Cassandra's eyes, she still raised her wand to fight back even though she knew she couldn't avoid it.

But then her whole body shook, as if the world was spinning, and the magic she was about to release was also aborted.

"Levioso!"

Ethan blurted out.

He hadn't thought much about it before. The Levitating spell was a control spell, so he cast it casually.

Cassandra, realizing her state, struggled frantically. Seeing Ethan still staring at her, she became anxious on the spot and threw her wand directly at Ethan.

Shameless, really too shameless, actually using this kind of magic.

"Put me down you bastard!"

Seeing that the thrown wand was caught by Ethan, Cassandra's face flushed, and she shouted at Ethan, who was still not putting her down.

When she came out to duel, Cassandra was still dressed in her usual outfit, with a wizard robe on the outside and a short skirt inside. This is also the outfit of most young witches. It's really too ugly for girls to wear long pants or long skirts under wizard robes.

Cassandra said so, so Ethan could only comply and cassandra fell to the ground.

"Pervert!"

After tidying up her skirt, Cassandra snatched her wand back. If she could beat him, she would definitely punch Ethan in the face right now.

Who uses this magic on girls?

"How is this perverted? It's a natural reaction. Do you want me to turn my head away with disgust?"

Ethan defended himself. He couldn't bear the title of pervert.

"You..."

Cassandra looked at Ethan with shame and anger. The more she looked at him, the more she wanted to slap him.

No wonder Ethan was often seen with the senior students of Ravenclaw and Hermione on weekdays. It turns out he was this kind of person.

Why didn't I notice before!

"Ok bye. See you next time!"

This so-called duel was over, and he doesn't have to go to the Forbidden Forest today.

In the remaining time , he should look at the notebook Quirrell gave him. He just skimmed through it on the way in the morning. Now he has time to study it carefully to see if there's anything functional.

After searchingfor a room to practice spells, Ethan took Cassandra into it.

"Is this where you usually practice spells?"

After taking a careful look around, Cassandra turned to Ethan and asked.

"Yes!"

"Can I come?"

"You'll have to pay!"

It's okay to practice levitation spells, lighting spells, severance spells, etc. in the dormitory, but if you practice weather spells, the whole dormitory could be destroyed.

Now that Ethan has such a place to practice magic, she naturally wants to join in.

And the reason why Ethan has made such rapid progress must be that he has spent a lot of time here. If she continues to stay in the dormitory, the gap will only get bigger and bigger.

Even if she spends money to maintain it, she still has a lot of pocket money. Even if it's not enough, she can ask her family for more. The Vole House will be hers sooner or later. It's not a problem to borrow some in advance.

"This is the school's; you can come anytime, as long as you don't turn it into a public place."

"Well, I know!"

Cassandra would not make it public naturally. If there were too many people, it would not be so convenient.

Next, Cassandra practiced the weather spell on the side, and Ethan was looking at the notebook given by Quirrell in the rest area.

The Fear Spell and the Draining Spell recorded a total of ten dark magics, and these two were the ones Ethan was more interested in.

The Fear Spell(Metus), as its name suggests, can evoke the most fearful memories in the other person's heart. It is a prank spell, but if used well, it may have miraculous effects.

The Draining Spell forcibly extracts the opponent's magic power. Of course, this function is to replenish your own magic power or consume the opponent's magic power.

It's not something as powerful as the North Sea Divine Art, but after a big battle, you can use this method to quickly replenish your magic power, which is also an unexpected gain.

The only drawback is that although Ethan learned almost everything after watching it once, it was not easy to practice.

Both types of magic need a target, and it must be alive. The latter needs to have magic power.

Aside from Cassandra, there were only the Swooping Evil on the scene. It can be said that no one was suitable.

After thinking for a bit, he decided to rent Scabbers from Ronald tomorrow.

When He returned Scabbers to Ronald last time, Ethan had already used the Swooping Evil venom to erase his memory.

Putting away the notebook, Ethan asked the Room of Requirement for props to practice spells again, this time requesting a live target.

Blue light flashed, and three giant monsters appeared next to the target. Their skin was iron blue, their eyes were dull, and they were holding a huge steel hammer in their hands. They were clearly not alive, but they could move.

I don't know if the giant monster was too easy to use, or if Ethan left too many impressions when he killed the giant monster. The Room of Requirement often conjured giant monsters when giving him opponents to practice spells with.

"Okay, let me try the Draining Spell first."

Since these monsters are not alive, they naturally do not have magic power, but they must have absorbed some magic power to support their huge bodies, so they can be used to experiment.

Ethan raised his wand, focused on the iron-blue giant monster in front of him, and cast the spell.

"Bibere!"

A small light shot out from the tip of Ethan's wand, and as it hit the giant monster, it immediately merged into the giant monster's body and emitted a small red glow.

This glow flickered irregularly from time to time, and then it shot back to Ethan's wand again. As Ethan clenched his wand, a faint stream of heat instantly poured into Ethan's body along his arm.

When Ethan opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the giant monster that had shrunk significantly in front of him.

Is the Draining Spell really this strong?

However, what surprised Ethan was that although the magic power absorbed from the monster was abundant, it was mixed with many impurities, making it not suitable for ordinary wizards to practice.

Ethan was just getting used to the side effects, and now he began to understand why wizards who practiced black magic went crazy in the end.

Using this spell in the short term may not have much impact, but over time, it is estimated that the negative effects will be huge.

But this is not a big problem for Ethan. The system will automatically purify the magic power in his body, and it can naturally eliminate those impurities.

But this will greatly reduce the efficiency of absorbing magic power, and it is not suitable for use in battle. Otherwise, in order to use this magic, you may spend a lot of time expelling impurities, which is not worth it.

But it is very suitable for use after the battle is over.

It's a bit tasteless, but it's better than nothing.

After glancing at Cassandra, who was still trying to practice the weather spell, Ethan released the spell and began to practice some other types of magic.

After practicing for a while, Ethan decided it was time to take a break. He noticed that Cassandra was still struggling with the weather spell, her brow furrowed in concentration. The thunderclouds she summoned were dissipating too quickly, and the lightning strikes were still erratic. Despite her frustration, she persisted, determined to improve.

Ethan admired her determination. She wasn't the type to give up easily, and that was something he respected. But he could also see that she was pushing herself too hard. He walked over to her, lowering his wand as he approached.

"You're doing well," he said, trying to sound encouraging. "But you're forcing it too much. Magic isn't just about power; it's about control. You need to relax and let it flow naturally."

Cassandra glanced at him, wiping a strand of sweat-soaked hair from her forehead. "I know," she said, her voice tinged with frustration. "But it's hard. The weather spell is so complex, and I can't seem to get it right."

Ethan nodded. "It is complex, but you're closer than you think. Take a step back and focus on your breathing. Clear your mind of everything else, and just feel the magic."

She hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath, following his advice. Ethan watched as she closed her eyes, centering herself. Slowly, she raised her wand again, and this time, the thundercloud that formed above them was more stable, the lightning more controlled.

"Better," Ethan said with a smile. "You're getting there."

Cassandra opened her eyes, a hint of a smile appearing on her lips as she saw the improvement. "Thanks," she said, her voice softer now. "I guess I needed that."

"No problem," Ethan replied. "We all have our challenges. You just need to keep practicing. You'll get it."

They spent the next hour working on their spells, with Ethan offering tips and guidance where he could. By the time they were done, Cassandra had made noticeable progress, and she looked far more confident than when they had started.

As they prepared to leave the Room of Requirement, Cassandra turned to Ethan. "So, how did you get so good at all of this? I mean, you're practically a prodigy."

Ethan shrugged, not entirely sure how to answer. "I guess I've just had a lot of practice. Plus, I've always been interested in magic, even before I came to Hogwarts. I like to study it, understand how it works, and push myself to get better."

Cassandra nodded, looking thoughtful. "Maybe I need to study more. It's just... sometimes it's hard to find the time with everything else going on."

"I get that," Ethan said. "But if you ever need help, or want to practice together, just let me know. We can both get better that way."

Cassandra smiled at him, a genuine smile this time. "I'd like that. Thanks, Ethan."

They left the Room of Requirement together, the atmosphere between them noticeably warmer than when they had first met. As they walked back towards the Slytherin common room, Ethan couldn't help but feel that this had been a productive night—not just in terms of magic, but in building a connection with Cassandra as well.

When they reached the entrance to the common room, they stopped, and Cassandra turned to him one last time. "Goodnight, Ethan," she said, her voice softer than usual.

"Goodnight, Cassandra," he replied with a nod. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She gave him a small wave before disappearing into the common room. 

With a final glance at the common room entrance, Ethan turned and headed towards his dormitory. There was still a lot to do, a lot to learn, and a lot to figure out. But for now, he felt like he was on the right track.

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T/N - I swear to god, all the CN MC's are pedos. I have to basically rewrite the entire second half of the chapter to not make this chapter creepy.