Ilvermorny was a school of magic, so naturally, it didn't keep trained bears like a circus.
Given the massive protective barrier overhead, which clearly wasn't just for show, and the school's long-standing history, there shouldn't have been any magical creatures nearby brave enough to trespass.
Which meant the source of that bear roar was obvious: Annie.
Normally, Annie wouldn't summon Tibbers. That only happened when she couldn't resolve things with ordinary spells, when real trouble came knocking.
Even knowing this was Ilvermorny and not some dangerous wilderness, Allen was still worried. In some ways, Ilvermorny's wizards were even more dangerous than magical beasts out in the wild.
Unfortunately, the group in front of him had no intention of stepping aside.
And so, just as the Ilvermorny Quidditch players were recovering from the shock of that roar, a blue blur streaked past them, straight at their leader.
Before anyone could react, that boy was already doubled over in pain. A crushing force clamped around his neck, and a soul-chilling terror surged through him, his will to fight completely vanishing.
Even a frontal assault can become an ambush, if you're fast enough that the enemy can't react.
Under the combined effects of Shadowstep, Healing Light, and Critical Strike, Allen perfectly executed a surprise attack, face-to-face.
And before the other stunned students could respond, Allen's free hand whipped out his wand.
"Confringo!"
With a shout, a blazing torrent of flame erupted from the tip of his wand, obscuring the others' view and halting their advance.
Then, using every ounce of his strength, Allen hurled the stunned student in his grip through the flames.
All he heard next were spells hastily cast and the dull thuds of them hitting their target.
Amid cries of "Captain!" and "Are you okay!?" Allen didn't wait around to admire his work. He turned and sprinted in the direction the bear's roar had come from earlier. Taking care of those students might've only taken a few more minutes, but right now, even a second felt like a luxury he couldn't afford.
Thanks to Shadowstep still being active, Allen sped through Ilvermorny's corridors like a blur. Fortunately, most students were still in class, so the hallways were largely empty.
The few students who did glimpse him thought they were seeing a lunatic, this youngest exchange student from Hogwarts was dashing through the castle at a breakneck pace, leaving ghostly afterimages in his wake.
Some mischievous students tried to hex him, but Allen was simply too fast, they couldn't even get a lock on him.
As he neared the source of the commotion, Allen saw a group of bystanders gathered at a hallway corner. They were pointing and whispering excitedly at the corridor beyond, where bursts of flame and explosions echoed from within. Their faces were lit with amusement.
That was not a good sign.
If Ilvermorny students were smiling, it likely meant those flames weren't coming from Annie. Which meant… she was probably on the losing side. Still, judging from the noise, it didn't sound like she was in serious danger, yet.
Allen's approaching footsteps were dismissed by the crowd as just another curious student rushing in to watch the show. They turned, smiling, expecting to see someone from their own house.
Unfortunately for them, all they got in return were several consecutive Stunning Spells fired with zero hesitation.
••┈┈┈┈┈༓┈┈┈┈┈•••
Henry, a wizard from Ilvermorny's Wampus House.
He had once been considered the most talented student in the entire school. When he first enrolled, every statue except the one for the Goblin House extended an olive branch to him.
And his results had lived up to the hype. He was practically every teacher's favorite and the kind of student others gave up competing with. "Just assume Henry's first place," they would say.
But for certain types of geniuses, the one thing they can't stand is another genius, especially one just as bright.
Like Edison and Tesla.
Henry had always believed himself to be peerless, until he encountered someone else who had also received invitations from all four houses during their entrance ceremony.
And worse, she had flatly rejected Ilvermorny's goodwill.
The two things Henry had always prided himself on, his talent and his school, were both trampled on by a little girl from abroad.
So after losing to her in a match, Henry began spreading venom among his peers, talking up how "dangerous" these Hogwarts exchange students were. Fueled by earlier hints from the headmaster, his childish schemes somehow found unexpected success.
A total of nine third-year students bought into the ambush plan. They even timed it carefully, waiting until the boy who'd demonstrated exceptional defensive magic on the pitch had separated from the girl.
But things didn't go their way.
The few wounded wizards groaning on the floor beneath Henry's feet were clear evidence of how badly the ambush had failed.
Because not all geniuses are equal.
That little girl's refined, elegant spellwork made it painfully clear why even their smiling, kind-hearted headmaster had personally extended an invitation to her.
Their own spells had been easily deflected or blocked by a shield of blazing flames. In contrast, the girl's magic had ripped right through their defenses. Two spells, just two, had completely shattered their armor and left one of their strongest members flattened on the ground.
No exaggeration, he was lying face-down in a full spread-eagle pose. His hair had turned scorched and frizzy from the heat, and his expensive robe, made of supposedly fireproof fabric, was riddled with burnt holes. If not for the faint movement of his singed hair with every shallow breath, they might've thought he was dead.
Seeing this, the rest lost the will to fight.
But the sweet-faced little witch showed no intention of letting them off the hook. She quickly sealed their escape with a wall of fire and began picking them off, one by one, with devastating precision.
One by one, every single one of them fell to the ground.
Except Henry.
He could only watch, paralyzed, waiting for the final blow.
Then,
With a hiss of smoke, a shining silver shield shot up in front of him, blocking the incoming curse.
The savior had arrived.
••┈┈┈┈┈༓┈┈┈┈┈•••
150 Advance Chapters Available on Patreon! Patreon.com/Veltoria [remove brackets]
250 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
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