[Chapter Size: 2100 Words.]
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Amanda, standing beneath the platform, encouraged them loudly.
"Harry, Draco, you're the best!"
To be this brilliant with only a single spell allowed was truly remarkable, especially considering that they had been mortal enemies for years in the original story.
The two exchanged spells on the dueling platform.
Draco always managed to strike Harry's arm or leg by surprise whenever Harry was distracted.
Harry continued dodging sideways, sometimes charging straight toward Draco the moment he rose from the mats, shouting spells as he moved.
That sudden ferocity alone was enough to terrify Draco. Amanda reminded Harry several times not to cross the line.
However, Harry's behavior, though seemingly reckless, was not limited to intimidating attacks. It seemed that Harry had already discovered this little-known fact.
The Disarming Charm does not merely disarm its target; it also creates a disarming effect around the caster. In other words, when the Disarming Charm is used on someone, anything held by people nearby can also be disarmed.
Harry charged at Draco again and again, trying to lure him closer so that he would be unable to evade the disarming effect.
He failed several times. On his final attempt, he ignored Amanda's warnings and crossed the center line, sprinting straight at Draco and catching him completely off guard.
"Expelliarmus!" Harry shouted.
Even though he had not aimed directly at Draco, Draco's wand still flew from his hand.
"By Merlin's beard, damn it! What just happened?"
Draco's eyes widened in shock as he leapt off the dueling platform to retrieve his wand.
Amanda clapped enthusiastically and exclaimed,
"Excellent! Harry, how did you figure that out? The Disarming Charm also has an offensive technique, it creates a small-scale disarming field around the caster."
Harry smiled.
"Once, I had just picked up a wand from beneath a dummy and stood next to it while attacking another dummy, and its shield fell right out of its hand!"
"I thought it was strange at first. I wondered whether I had knocked the shield down somehow, but I definitely didn't touch it. I tried it several more times before I was sure. It's incredible."
Draco protested, "Harry, you crossed the line. That doesn't count."
"Then let's do it again!"
Harry rubbed his hands together, and the two quickly returned to battle mode.
Finally, when their spells collided simultaneously and sent them both tumbling onto the mats, Amanda spoke up to stop the next exchange.
"That's enough for today. You all trained well. Now it's Cedric's turn, and mine."
"Oh…" Harry looked somewhat disappointed.
It seemed his rising fighting spirit had not yet been fully released.
Amanda raised an eyebrow.
"Since you all seem so eager to continue, how about another duel later, two versus two?"
"A two-person duel?" Harry asked.
"It's a two-on-two wizard duel," Draco explained.
"That's great!" Harry had no objections and hurriedly climbed up from the mat.
Amanda stepped onto the dueling platform and instructed Cedric,
"Today, you're only allowed to use the Disarming Charm. Understood?"
Cedric nodded. "Of course, but…" He hesitated.
"Although I hear about your achievements around campus all the time, you're still only a first-year. I'm a bit concerned…"
Amanda smiled politely.
"Don't underestimate me. Give it everything you've got. Aren't Hufflepuffs supposed to be the most fair and impartial? Show the attitude you should have in a duel."
"All right. I will." Cedric's gaze hardened considerably.
The two bowed to each other and walked to opposite ends of the dueling platform.
"Go, Amanda!" Harry shouted.
Amanda faced Cedric, waiting for his move, standing perfectly still. Cedric, wand raised and pointed at her, also hesitated.
After a brief standoff, Cedric spoke, looking slightly embarrassed.
"Um… where's your wand? I mean, I'm waiting for you to take it out…"
He added, "I would never attack an unarmed first-year. That's my principle."
"While you were reading, I tried practicing some wandless magic," Amanda said calmly.
"Now I'd like to try it in a duel as well." She shrugged.
Cedric stared at her in shock, his eyes wide. What was happening that day far exceeded anything he could comprehend.
"Wandless magic? I've heard that only the most exceptional wizards can master wandless magic. At least, the ones I can recall are our Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, Flitwick and a few others."
"So you don't believe me?"
Amanda looked at him earnestly, her ice-blue eyes shimmering with tiny points of light.
"It's not that I don't believe you… it's just that it feels unbelievable." Cedric looked somewhat perplexed.
"Actually, I think many people have the talent for wandless magic. But after relying too heavily on wands, they gradually forget that ability and can no longer use it skillfully," Amanda added by way of explanation.
Before the invention of wands in Europe, wizards relied solely on wandless magic, and some schools in other parts of the world still taught only wandless magic.
Cedric remained curious.
"What happens if you're unarmed and get hit by a Disarming Charm?"
"That's something I'm curious about as well. According to what I've read, the Disarming Charm doesn't truly disarm the opponent. It simply sends whatever they're holding flying away, and the impact can throw the person backward. If you're struck by several Disarming Charms at once, you might lose consciousness."
Amanda gave a detailed explanation of the Disarming Charm as described in the books.
"I suppose either my Philosopher's Ring would be knocked away, or I'd be sent flying and hit the ground. That's all."
"All right, let's begin. You go first."
Cedric still insisted that she make the first move.
Amanda stopped refusing and focused, staring intently at Cedric's wand.
She had already practiced using the Disarming Charm without a wand many times and was now quite proficient.
She snapped her fingers.
Swoosh
Without any warning, Cedric's wand suddenly slipped from his grasp, traced an arc through the air, and landed on the cushion behind him, as if he had thrown it himself.
He hadn't even realized what had happened yet.
"So this is wandless magic? Merlin, it's the first time I've ever seen this. It's completely unpredictable."
Cedric froze for a few seconds before reacting, then jumped onto the cushion behind him to retrieve his wand.
"No incantation, no sparks… how are we supposed to defend against that?"
Amanda suggested, "It's a bit unfair if you can only use the Disarming Charm. How about adding the Shield Charm as well?"
"Then… do you know the Shield Charm?" Cedric asked.
"I can try."
According to Amanda's conjecture, spells like the Shield Charm couldn't be controlled directly by the mind; they had to be cast aloud.
As expected, when she shouted "Protego," the Sage's Ring on her wrist emitted a faint golden glow, and silvery light instantly enveloped her, forming a barrier.
"Let's begin."
Amanda and Cedric paced back and forth across the dueling platform, constantly searching for openings in each other's defenses. He watched her movements closely, and whenever she raised her hand to attack, he activated the Shield Charm to defend himself.
Wandless disarming was far more subtle, and Cedric was struck by it several times within just a few minutes. However, each time he retrieved his wand, he seemed to learn from the experience and became increasingly difficult to deal with.
Before long, Cedric seized a gap between Amanda's disarming attempts and her efforts to break through his defenses, swiftly casting a spell that struck her.
Amanda was sent flying backward and crashed into a pile of cushions, where she was quickly swallowed up.
"Ah, sorry! Are you all right?" Cedric hurried over and helped Amanda up from the cushions.
"Thank you. I'm fine."
Amanda rose from the cushions and checked both her wand and the Philosopher's Ring in the inner pocket of her robes. The situation was exactly as she had described in the second scenario earlier.
She had been thrown backward, but nothing had fallen from her person. It seemed the Disarming Charm only affected objects the target was actively holding.
After several rounds of exchanging spells with Cedric, Amanda raised her hand, signaling for a pause.
"That's enough. Now we'll split into pairs for a duel, followed by a debriefing. That concludes today's group activity."
The moment she finished speaking, Harry sprang up from his seat and ran toward Cedric.
"That's great! I can't wait, I want to team up with Cedric!"
"Alright, then I'll join Draco."
Amanda gestured for Draco to stand to her left and said, "Draco and I will use the Shield Charm and the Disarming Charm, while Harry and Cedric will only use the Disarming Charm."
Draco stepped closer and whispered, "Amanda, don't disappoint me. Defeat Harry and Cedric together and show them what we're capable of."
"Certainly." Amanda blinked.
She leaned toward Draco's shoulder and whispered, "I have an idea."
"Tell me."
"I'll keep using the Shield Charm. You stay behind me, make sure you don't step outside its range, and look for an opportunity to strike."
"…Not bad. Hmph." Draco turned and winked at Amanda, then immediately put on his usual smug Malfoy smile.
Meanwhile, Harry and Cedric, completely unaware that tactics were being discussed, kept a polite distance from each other, positioning themselves on opposite sides of the dueling platform.
"What are you talking about?" Harry urged. "Hurry up, I can't wait."
"We're ready. We can begin."
"Protego!"
Amanda cast the Shield Charm, and silvery light enveloped her, covering an area roughly a meter in diameter.
Draco chose to stand with his back to her.
"Amanda, may I hold your hand?"
He wrinkled his nose slightly, his voice sounding unusually nervous.
But Amanda was focused on maintaining the Iron Mantra and watching Harry and Cedric, completely oblivious to his odd behavior.
"Certainly."
She answered without hesitation, extending her right hand to grasp his left. She wasn't entirely sure what Draco intended to do.
But in a duel, choosing to turn your back to your teammate meant you had already chosen to trust them completely.
Draco's ears turned red as embers, and he muttered softly, "…An arm will do."
Amanda, unsure of what exactly he was struggling with, said helplessly, "Aren't they all the same?"
Draco's fingers were as cold as his pale skin, yet slightly clammy, he was clearly sweating.
"…Alright." Draco let out a quiet sigh.
"This way, we'll stay within the Shield Charm's range and won't accidentally step outside it. Amanda, turn slightly to the side."
"Alright."
Amanda more or less understood what he meant. Slowly, the two turned to face Harry and Cedric, standing back to back. At the other end of the dueling platform, Harry and Cedric paced back and forth, Cedric looking somewhat perplexed.
Meanwhile, Harry darted across the platform, trying to find an opportunity to lure Draco beyond the arena's boundary.
Seizing the moment, Draco quickly cast a spell.
"Expelliarmus!"
Harry lunged forward, narrowly dodging the spell.
Realizing what was happening, Cedric immediately rushed in front of Harry.
"Protego!" Harry peeked out from behind him.
"Expelliarmus!" The spell struck Amanda's shield but had no effect whatsoever.
"Damn it!" Harry complained. "Cedric, this won't work. Move aside, I can't see properly."
"Alright." Cedric shifted slightly, giving Harry a clearer line of sight.
At the same time, however, Harry's shoulder was instantly exposed due to Cedric's Shield Charm.
Draco seized the opportunity.
"Expelliarmus!"
Crack
The spell skimmed past Cedric's shield and rebounded, striking Harry squarely in the shoulder. Harry cried out and went flying toward the cushions.
"You're cheating!"
Harry rubbed his sore backside, groaning as he climbed out of the pile of cushions. Cedric slipped his wand into his pocket and reached out to help him up.
"Harry, they didn't break the rules. We were in the wrong. Two-person battles and solo battles are completely different."
"Cedric is right," Amanda said calmly.
"Whether it's a two-player fight or a multiplayer scenario, the goal isn't superior defense or spellcasting, it's effective cooperation with your teammates."
"But doesn't that make you invincible?" Harry shouted angrily.
"The Shield Charm can't be maintained indefinitely; it consumes a great deal of magic. Harry, you need to be cautious and patient, and find the right moment, to strike decisively."
Amanda shook her head.
"Harry, is it really that hard to admit that you're not as good as others?" Draco laughed triumphantly.
He tugged at the corner of his eye and made a face at Harry.
Harry was so furious his hair practically stood on end.
"Draco, just wait until we get back to the dormitory!
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