"Duel, Wisdom, and Mischief"
Harry, completely confused, looked first at Daphne, then at Cedric, who simply shrugged with an amused smile.
"...Alright," Harry muttered, stepping into the center of the improvised arena.
Around him, students were gathering with growing interest, forming a tight semicircle. Even the Weasley twins showed up and, wasting no time, began organizing an impromptu betting station.
"Looks like nobody's betting on our champion, George," said Fred with a teasing grin as he hung a betting board around his neck.
"Seven to one," announced George, shaking a small pouch of Galleons. "If Harry wins, we'll make a fortune."
They were whispering, not too far from Einar, but the young Nord heard them perfectly. Without a word, he merely smiled slightly and shook his head in amusement.
"Very well. Begin," Einar declared firmly, acting as the referee.
Daphne didn't waste a second. Just like against Cedric, she struck first. Her wand flashed up in a blink, sending a stunning spell flying at Harry. But Harry reacted quickly, conjuring a protective shield.
This time, however, Daphne didn't plan to wait. She unleashed a barrage of chained spells, a precise and elegant offensive combination. Beams of light streaked through the air like lightning, forcing Harry to move, parry with his wand, and raise magical defenses in rapid succession.
The students watched in awe"not only at the dazzling display, but at Harry's serious expression, so different from the one they usually saw outside Quidditch matches.
His reflexes, sharp as those of a predator, allowed him to track each spell with astonishing clarity. After all, he was a Seeker"his eyes were trained not to miss a thing.
And thanks to Einar's training, which while not lethal was certainly painful and dangerous, Harry had developed a keen, analytical mind when facing threats.
Then, he saw it.
A minor mistake in Daphne's movement"a slight misstep as she raised her wand for a new spell.
"Expelliarmus!" shouted Harry, with incredible speed and precision.
The spell shot out like an invisible arrow. Daphne barely had time to react before her wand flew from her hand, spinning through the air and landing on the ground with a sharp clack.
A heavy silence fell over the crowd. No one had expected it.
Daphne Greengrass, two years older than Harry, a member of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, a noble with private education and advanced training, had been cleanly disarmed by a fourth-year student.
She stood still for a moment. Her serious expression held, but a fleeting shadow of sadness flickered in her eyes.
With dignity, she gave Harry a slight bow"a noble gesture"before retrieving her wand.
"Thank you, Professor Einar, for this opportunity. I'll return to training… and I'll challenge your students again," she said with resolve, then turned to leave.
The students began to disperse slowly, still buzzing with excitement over what they had just witnessed.
But then Einar's voice rose again"deep and direct:
"Why do you want to be strong?"
Daphne froze. The question caught her off guard. She turned slowly, frowning slightly as she met the eyes of the ancient warrior.
"Because knowledge is power. And power… leads to knowledge," she replied calmly, though with a spark of doubt.
Einar stared back without blinking.
"Then, you want knowledge? For what purpose?"
She fell silent. Not out of fear, but because she knew a hollow answer wouldn't suffice. She lowered her gaze in thought, then raised it with determination.
"To protect my sister. From the world… and from the things I still can't protect her from."
Einar nodded, satisfied with the answer. Before he could say anything else, Daphne gave a respectful nod and turned to leave.
"The Beauxbatons champion needs a training partner," he said just as she took her first step. "If you can convince her, perhaps the two of you can help each other."
Daphne paused for a moment. Then she nodded in gratitude without turning around and continued on her way.
Meanwhile, the Weasley twins, not far from Harry, were counting their winnings with grins as wide as they were guilty.
"How much did we make, Forge?"
"Fifty Galleons, Gred."
"Brilliant. With Harry's duels, we could make a fortune… Maybe we should ask him to lose once or twice," Fred said with a mischievous smirk.
"Fixing duels? That sounds highly illegal… Let's ask him," said George, turning quickly.
They both spun around to head toward Harry"only to freeze in place when they saw Einar standing behind them, arms crossed, waiting for them to finish.
"Looks like you two have plenty of free time. I thought you'd be studying the runes I gave you," said Einar sternly.
"Our good friend Einar, the heartbreaker!" Fred quickly chimed in with a grin, expertly changing the subject.
"You said one of your nicknames was 'the Destroyer,' and we thought it was for leveling cities or kingdoms… but maybe it's for breaking the hearts of poor maidens who fall for your looks," added George, joining the joke.
"What are you talking about?" asked Einar, genuinely confused.
Fred and George exchanged a mischievous glance.
"You don't know?"
"How could you? Most students are too afraid to talk about Einar… just like they are with Professor Snape."
"Stop whispering to each other and answer!" Einar said, slightly exasperated.
"Well, there's a rumor going around that you had a rather… exciting date with the Beauxbatons champion," Fred said with a sly grin.
"She could barely walk properly the rest of the day. Quite a few Hogwarts girls nearly declared war on Beauxbatons because of you, dear professor," George added with a chuckle.
"Enough with the nonsense. If you have nothing better to do, go help train these two," Einar ordered, pointing toward Harry and Cedric, who had clearly been listening and were now watching them with great interest.
"Of course! We've always wanted to know how you train," the twins replied in unison.
Shortly after, with Hermione and Neville joining the group, everyone headed as usual to the section of the Forbidden Forest where they usually trained.
"By the way, Professor, everyone's talking about the spell you taught the third years," said Fred excitedly.
"Yeah, now everyone's walking around with a little wolf following them everywhere," added George.
"I'll teach it to the other classes later," Einar replied, understanding what they were getting at.
"Awesome!" they both exclaimed with a smile.
"By the way, Professor, do you remember that magical crystal ball that can be used for spying?" Fred asked quickly.
"I don't think that's its purpose… but yes, what about it?" Einar inquired, intrigued.
"We thought we could sell them during the Tournament. A lot of people would pay to see the champions up close while they perform their tasks, don't you think?" George explained quickly.
"And what if we patent it with your name and make a business deal?" added Fred. "We might earn a good amount of money. And if the idea spreads beyond the tournament, we could have a great product. Obviously, we'd pay to use the patent," he finished enthusiastically.
"What's a patent?" Einar asked, looking at Hermione.
She thought for a moment before answering:
"Patents are essential to ensure inventors get recognition and control over their innovative ideas. Once granted, it allows the holder to decide how to use the invention and prevents others from copying it without permission. It's like a protection spell to make sure someone's hard work isn't stolen or unfairly exploited. Although it's not magical like Protego, in the Muggle world it's very useful to encourage creativity and scientific development," she explained quickly.
The others looked at each other, half-understanding… except Einar, who calmly nodded.
"I see. Do the paperwork for me and you can use it without paying anything," he replied calmly.
"Really?!?" Fred and George asked at the same time, visibly excited.
"Don't worry, Professor. We'll have all the paperwork ready before nightfall," George affirmed with a confident smile.
When they reached the clearing in the forest, the atmosphere filled with tension and excitement. Harry and Cedric stepped forward without wasting time, beginning to stretch their muscles and mentally prepare for the training.
Einar, walking with his usual steady stride, approached Fred and George and, without saying a word at first, handed them a book with a large glowing rune on the cover.
"This spell is called Telekinesis. It's one of the simplest, but also one of the most useful. It'll let you move objects from a distance… without needing wands." His voice was serious, as if he were handing them a secret weapon. "You have ten minutes to learn it before we begin."
"Perfect!" the twins replied in unison, their excitement palpable. They opened the book immediately and began reading with surprising focus.
Einar then turned to Hermione and Neville, who were watching intently.
"Did you learn the wound-closing spell?"
"Yes," Neville nodded with determination.
"Yes, Professor. I also learned Healing Hands, Restoration, and… Stendarr's Aura," Hermione added with a mix of pride and timidity.
Einar raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised. He hadn't expected her to master such an advanced spell so quickly. Stendarr's Aura was an Adept-level restoration magic, used to repel the undead with pure energy like sunlight.
"You learned Stendarr's Aura? Show me."
Hermione nodded with an eager smile and motioned for Neville to step aside. Then, she closed her eyes for a moment, raised both hands, and channeled her magical energy.
A brilliant golden light emerged from her body, enveloping her in a radiant sphere that looked like a small star. It was intense, warm, and powerful, radiating purity. Even Fred and George paused their reading to look, shielding their eyes from the brightness.
When the spell faded, Hermione was panting slightly from the effort but wore a proud expression.
"Impressive," murmured Einar. "With that, you have a solid defense against the undead."
He observed her for a moment longer, thoughtful. Hermione wasn't just brilliant"she was tenacious. He was already considering training her in combat if she wanted it.
"If you want to learn another restoration spell, or even an offensive one, just come and ask."
Hermione nodded quickly, delighted with the offer.
A few minutes later, once Harry and Cedric had finished warming up, Fred and George began levitating small stones with their hands, focused yet smiling excitedly.
Einar crossed his arms and raised his voice:
"Alright. Fred and George, your task will be to throw those stones at Harry and Cedric during the training. They'll have to dodge both the atronach and your sneak attacks."
Harry and Cedric exchanged a quick glance. They already had a feeling this training was going to hurt.
"What's that for, Professor?" Hermione asked, always curious.
"They've both improved quite a lot. They can already dodge the ice atronach without too much trouble. But the next challenge could be deadlier. So this exercise will improve their reflexes and awareness before the next level."
Einar raised a hand and summoned the ice atronach with a graceful gesture, which emerged with a deep, resonant roar.
"The other option was to bring archers and have them shoot arrows… but I think stones hurt less."
"We prefer the stones!" Harry and Cedric shouted in unison, almost in panic.
Einar nodded without further comment.
"Good. Begin."
In a matter of seconds, Fred and George started throwing stones with surprising accuracy, enjoying every dodge attempt from their classmates. Harry and Cedric, for their part, were leaping, spinning, and blocking while also evading the atronach's crushing blows.
Hermione and Neville, focused and attentive, moved between the trees like battle healers, ready to close wounds, restore energy, or lift someone up if they fell.
The forest clearing had transformed into a true training ground"filled with spells, strikes, and laughter.