"The mistake people make is thinking that magic is a tool. Magic is a river. You don't use the river; you learn to navigate it, or you drown." — Unknown
...
Emma, Charlus, and Hestia faced Regulus in combat once again.
This time, they were not in diamond formation as before. They knew better. They surrounded him. Hestia faced the wizard at close range, Charlus took the mid-range, and Emma acted as a sniper hidden within the forest. Regulus had already locked onto her magical signature and knew her exact direction, but he did not know what she would throw—a spell or a dart.
Regulus stood calmly in the centre.
Hestia moved first. Instead of summoning the stone spikes she had practiced with, she transfigured the solid ground beneath his feet into a deep swamp.
"Clever," Regulus muttered. He didn't struggle against the mud, knowing movement would only sink him faster.
She immediately cast Aguamenti, lacing the water with a trace of the least potent poison in her arsenal. Even 'least potent' by Hestia's standards was enough to leave an opponent in a near-death state.
Regulus reacted instantly.
"Regulus Crystallis!"
He fired a freezing curse directly at the approaching stream. The poisoned water hardened instantly into a solid block of ice, which crashed harmlessly onto the swampy floor, shattering against the hard earth. In the process, he freed himself from the sinking mud by transfiguring his dagger into a wooden board, allowing him to surf over the swampy surface.
From the flank, Charlus unleashed hell.
"Fiendfyre!"
The cursed flames roared to life, taking the shape of a massive, screaming eagle. It threatened to consume everything in the clearing. Hestia immediately retreated, knowing better than to stand between Charlus and Regulus when Fiendfyre was in play.
Regulus had prepared for this.
"Anoxia!"
He cast a spell that created a total vacuum in the area, expelling all oxygen. Without air, even cursed fire cannot burn. The eagle faltered, flickering as it gasped for fuel.
But Charlus had seen this counter-spell before. He poured more magic into the curse, expanding the range of the fire wider than the vacuum Regulus could maintain.
Regulus considered casting Finite Incantatem, but that would turn into a battle of willpower—a tug-of-war he would eventually win, but it would take time. And time was a luxury he didn't have with Emma and Hestia on the field. One distraction, and he would be disarmed.
So, Regulus switched tactics. He delved into the Black Family magic.
"Ignis Domitus!"
The spell of Flame Taming washed over the Fiendfyre. Instantly, the terrifying, sentient cursed fire lost its shape and malevolence, reverting to normal, mundane fire.
Regulus then cast a spherical Protego around himself. The now-normal fire washed over the shield harmlessly, along with two stunning spells fired simultaneously by Emma and Hestia.
Safe inside his bubble, Regulus decided he had seen enough. He pointed his wand at the ground at his feet.
"Costringo Umbra!"
The shadow-binding curse spread across the ground like a pool of living ink. It rushed outward, connecting with the shadows of Charlus, Emma, and even the hidden Hestia. It nailed their shadows to the earth.
Surprised, they tried to move but found themselves completely immobile, paralyzed as if their bodies were made of stone.
Regulus calmly walked towards each of them and collected their wands, symbolically announcing the end of the duel.
…
Charlus, Emma, and Hestia looked dejected. They had planned everything and still failed to make Regulus take even a single step back.
Seeing their expressions, Regulus didn't put them down.
"Compared to a few days ago, you guys put up a decent fight. Congratulations. You won't die instantly when facing the rogue wizard now."
His attempt at cheering them up made their faces darken even further.
They knew they had progressed, but... won't die instantly? Did that mean they would die a few seconds later? Charlus looked at Regulus with an expression that screamed, Why do you sound so sure we're going to die? Don't raise death flags, buddy!
Suddenly, they all spun around, wands raised on instinct. There was movement in the trees.
It was Mr Morrow.
Seeing their teacher, they lowered their wands. Mr Morrow clapped his hands slowly.
"Fantastic duel. Do not be dejected, children. Regulus has never been normal."
His words finally felt like hot soup on a cold winter day. Everyone in the group nodded. Finally, someone understands our frustration.
Seeing their reaction, Mr Morrow tried to smile, but his Occlumency control turned it into a weird twitch. He cleared his throat.
"The task is officially going to start now. I have the target information. Patricia Rakepick and Silas Crump are the two rogue wizards in our commission. Patricia Rakepick was a renowned Curse-Breaker for Gringotts who went rogue, stealing equipment of utmost value to the bank. Silas Crump is a poacher who traded rare magical creatures to wealthy nobles; he killed an heir to a prominent German wizarding family and went into hiding."
Mr Morrow paused.
"Patricia Rakepick has resurfaced in this forest. She will be your target."
"The group joining you in this manhunt will be Sulaiman Bayero, Anders Valdemar, Akiko Fujiwara, and Ximena Moctezuma."
Mr Morrow spoke clearly, letting the information sink in.
Charlus and Regulus exchanged looks. They knew Anders and Sulaiman from school. Sulaiman was a great support mage, focusing on buffs and hexes, while Anders was a tank who used physical enhancement magic. Charlus would be the damage dealer, and Regulus the finisher. It was a solid team composition. However, they didn't know the other two names.
Mr Morrow asked Regulus to take down the Fidelius Charm so the other group could locate them. Regulus obliged, and the rocky cave emerged back into reality. He placed a standard protective barrier around the camp instead.
Mr Morrow took his leave, promising to return the next evening when the second team arrived.
Everyone went inside the cave to strategize. Just as Regulus and Charlus knew about Anders and Sulaiman, Hestia and Emma knew about Ximena and Akiko from their classes.
Regulus started speaking about Anders and Sulaiman.
"Sulaiman is a great strategist. He blesses our magic and curses the opponent, which will prove to be useful in battle. He won't join the frontline fight, but he has enough protection himself so we don't need to babysit him. Anders is strong in magical enhancement. He will rush in at the least expected moment with a Protego shield that precedes him. He fights on the frontlines with an axe and sword. Now, tell me about Akiko and Ximena."
Emma answered. "Akiko is from the noble Fujiwara clan. She specializes in prepared spellcasting using paper talismans. She is also proficient in Katana-wielding magic—her blade can cut through space itself. It is also cursed; if it draws even a drop of blood, the opponent is paralyzed and will die in minutes without a counter-curse.
"Meanwhile, Ximena is… weird. She uses only defense in school duels. Her defense is impenetrable. She has a family heirloom that absorbs every spell aimed at her and reflects it back at the caster. She uses it strictly for defense."
While Emma spoke about Ximena, Hestia snorted slightly and turned her head away, crossing her arms. Regulus was too occupied with strategy to notice, but Emma saw the hesitation. She decided not to press Hestia on it.
Regulus sat in silence, contemplating the match-up.
The target is a Curse-Breaker.
This was a massive problem. The ability of Sulaiman and Akiko to curse the opponent would be negated in her presence. Traps would also be useless.
A Curse-Breaker is not just an academic who sits inside the Gringotts library researching how to break spells. They are field operatives. They explore unexplored ruins laden with traps and wards designed to kill an average wizard in seconds. They are paranoid, cautious, and possess a mental arsenal of ancient ruins layouts.
More importantly, they are fighters. They have to battle the monsters that nest inside these ruins, and they frequently have to kill poachers and grave robbers who try to steal their finds during an exploration.
Rakepick was a veteran of this brutal life.
The most concerning thing for Regulus was that she was in possession of magical equipment for which she had defected from Gringotts. That piece of equipment must be of grave importance to her. He just hoped it would not be useful for her in a fight. That would prove to upscale their difficulty level significantly when confronting her.
He went out of the cave to clear his mind and sat down to meditate, training his magical senses for the battle ahead.