Vast magical power surged through the hall. A will of absolute purity condensed from that power, taking form before Daphne.
A flawless white humanoid phantom appeared at her side, protecting her from every direction.
The moment the Patronus appeared, both Kamio and Ariana found themselves feeling rather complicated.
In truth, they weren't the only ones.
The old and young witches in the audience felt the same way.
This magic was simply too unique. Many of them would gladly forget every spell they had ever learned if it meant mastering this special Patronus. Imagine the man you love materializing to protect you from everything.
There were even people like the famous Black Widow, Madam Zabini. With her voluptuous figure and high status, she was never short of men—she had already had seven husbands, all of whom had died, and she was now apparently searching for the unlucky eighth. So she couldn't help but wonder: could she, in theory, have seven Patronuses she could summon?
Luckily, no one heard her dangerous thoughts. Otherwise, men in the wizarding world might have become an endangered species in the future.
Meanwhile, Hermione, Ginny, and the other girls who knew the truth about this special spell remained puzzled. Tom and Daphne had never been reluctant to share their experiences, but their explanations were so abstract that no one could truly make sense of them.
Just how exactly had those two managed to become so perfectly synchronized?
At the same time, there was an unmistakable trace of jealousy.
So the two of you are true love, and the rest of us are just extras?
Even Astoria couldn't stop herself from envying her foolish older sister in this regard.
But the one who felt the worst was Ariana. After all, she had both Tom and Andros, the creator of the Patronus, right beside her.
Even so, she still hadn't mastered the normal spell. Let alone creating Patronus Tom.
But Ariana's frustration right now wasn't because of jealousy. It was because this humanoid Patronus countered her Obscurus.
Before the Patronus appeared, icy winds had swept through the hall. The Obscurus, finally released after being cooped up for so long, was wildly venting the magical power it had accumulated.
Large masses of black, unnatural substance drifted through the air. At any moment, they could surge forward and swallow everything in their path.
But when the Patronus appeared, everything changed.
The Obscurus, which had been acting arrogant and unstoppable just moments ago, suddenly shrank and hid behind Ariana.
This wasn't because Patronuses naturally suppressed Obscuruses. It was simply because Tom was a terrifying exception, and this humanoid Patronus borrowed a bit of his power.
After Ariana got revived, her magic had begun growing again. And the Obscurus, which had behaved itself inside the Study Space, gradually became restless once more. Its instincts constantly urged it to devour more magic and strengthen itself.
Then Tom had repeatedly beaten it into submission.
Anything's first instinct was survival. Getting stronger came second.
After being beaten often enough, the Obscurus had actually developed a deep, instinctive fear of Tom, like a living being.
So the fact that it hadn't immediately fled back into Ariana's body after sensing his aura was only because Ariana was forcibly holding it in place.
But there was no way she would allow it to retreat before the fight had even begun. How humiliating would that be?
"Your Obscurus is pretty cowardly." Completely unaware of the truth, Daphne couldn't help laughing.
Her smile was remarkably innocent... And remarkably irritating.
"It'll be more than enough to deal with you." Ariana snorted.
Her wand flicked. Two streaks of black light exploded apart, scattering countless needle-like projectiles.
One of the blue spheres behind Daphne immediately shot forward. A glowing barrier spread outward, intercepting the swarm.
But in the next instant, the needles exploded.
Ariana knew the weakness of Daphne's defensive spell.
Each sphere could only block a single attack before disappearing.
If the attacks came continuously, the defense could eventually be overwhelmed.
Just like now. After stopping the initial wave of needles, the protective sphere vanished.
The explosive shockwave followed almost instantly. And before the next sphere could arrive, the blast had already reached Daphne.
She didn't have time to react.
But the Patronus did.
It merely floated half a meter forward and effortlessly absorbed the entire explosion.
Ariana shot the Patronus a resentful glare.
'Damn, Tom… you cheating bastard.'
...
Finally, after a combination of coaxing, threats, and outright bullying from Ariana, the Obscurus mustered its courage.
Bracing itself, it charged forward.
And temporarily, it succeeded in drawing the Patronus away.
The two energy beings immediately began clashing in midair.
Waves of power scattered from every collision. Yet the walls of the chamber seemed to be made from some mysterious material and reinforced by profound magic. No matter how much energy struck them, not a single mark appeared.
Meanwhile, Daphne and Ariana were both swinging their wands with full force.
Spellfire crackled between them like streams of plasma. Blinding arcs of lightning danced continuously through the air.
The magical bombardment never stopped.
'So unfair!'
Ariana cursed Tom internally again.
Aside from the Goblet of Fire itself, the room was practically empty. Which meant her greatest specialty, Transfiguration, had nowhere to shine.
Transfiguration still needed materials to work with. What was she supposed to transform when there was nothing available?
The room was harder than a turtle shell. Spells couldn't even leave scratches on the walls. And without debris, there was nothing she could manipulate.
"Serpensortia!"
Left with no better options, Ariana resorted to summoning-based Transfiguration to create distractions.
Back when Draco Malfoy had used the Snake Summons spell, he had summoned nothing more than a moderately sized snake.
Ariana, however, summoned eight massive pythons. Each was as thick as a water barrel.
Their tongues flickered as they lunged toward Daphne.
"Eww! Stay away from me!" Daphne reflexively stepped back in revulsion, breaking off her spellcasting.
Fortunately, she remained quick on her feet and gracefully dodged aside.
She might have been a Slytherin, but that didn't mean she liked snakes.
Decorative snake statues were one thing. Having eight giant slippery pythons charging at her was another matter entirely.
Just looking at them gave her goosebumps.
"Incarcerous!"
Daphne cast a Binding Jinx.
A massive golden rope materialized on the ground, binding the pythons within it.
"Fusilis Terra!"
Another spell followed immediately—a Molten Earth spell.
Suddenly, the floor glowed red. Heat rapidly built beneath the snakes.
Then nearly solid molten lava burst upward from nowhere.
The pythons released shrill, agonized hisses. Moments later, they exploded into clouds of black smoke and vanished.
...
"What an intense battle."
Kamio, who had been standing by the entrance enjoying the show the entire time, couldn't help sighing in admiration. "Both of them are operating at an incredibly high level."
She glanced toward Daphne, "Daph has really surprised everyone. Who would've thought she'd mastered so many high-powered spells?"
Then she turned her gaze toward the staircase behind her.
"Don't you agree, Miss Delacour?"
She stared into the empty space for several seconds.
Then a figure gradually appeared.
It was Fleur.
The beautiful half-Veela wore a helpless smile as she asked, "How did you find me?"
.
.
.