Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 44 Duel Lesson

Dear Grandpa Bates:

How have you been lately? I hope you had a peaceful full moon last week...

You're incredibly lucky to have met me! Headmaster Dumbledore of Hogwarts is a kind-hearted man. With the help of the headmaster and professors, I obtained a magical potion. If you drink it a week in advance, it will allow you to maintain your sanity when you transform on the night of the full moon.

...Hehe, the downside is that it's extremely bitter; adding even a tiny bit of sugar will render the medicine ineffective. Hopefully, you, an elderly person, can bear it...

The medicine is enclosed with the letter...

I'm doing well at school, so don't worry about me.

"Loren"

Loren wrote this letter after returning from Snape's place, intending to have Hanhan deliver it the next day.

A week had passed since Loren was last seen picking flower buds in Snape's office. This time, Snape didn't have Loren handle any strange herbs. After testing Loren's knowledge of potions, he demonstrated the brewing process of a low-level potion and asked Loren to submit a paper next week.

Loren also received the long-awaited wolfsbane potion.

It's packaged in a palm-sized bottle, and it doesn't look very appealing. It's a gaudy purple, looks extremely poisonous, and smells like fermented rotten eggs when you get close.

It would take a lot of determination for him to drink it. Hopefully, Grandpa Bates is old and his sense of taste has deteriorated, otherwise drinking the potion wouldn't be much better than becoming a werewolf.

Loren was in a good mood, having obtained the wolfsbane potion without having to deal with the potion itself. As for the thesis, did he even know the value of a low-quality undergraduate paper? Besides, this one didn't even need plagiarism checking.

Loren put the letter away and got into bed.

Touch the Duel Room icon and it will appear in the Book of Wonders.

The classroom had a high ceiling and no desks or chairs, making it feel somewhat empty.

"Flameme, I think I can give it a try!" Loren exclaimed. After a week of practice, he was already able to smoothly unleash the Ironclad Spell.

Flamel floated down from the sky and landed in front of Loren with a smile: "It's my pleasure."

Before he finished speaking, Flamel's face blurred for a moment, eventually transforming into a face that Loren recognized, exactly like his own.

"There is no better way to understand yourself than by fighting with yourself." Flamel, wearing the face of Loren, bowed to Loren.

Loren felt a little awkward; it sounded strange that he was fighting with himself.

Flamel coughed twice, his voice becoming as clear and crisp as Loren's, still carrying a hint of childishness. "I won't use spells you don't know, and the power of my spells will be the same as yours."

"preparation!"

Loren focused his mind, bowed, and held his wand up in front of him.

The Ironclad Spell was on his lips, ready to be unleashed at any moment.

"【Fluorescent Flash】" Flamel started with a Fluorescent Spell.

Without hesitation, Loren replied, "[Armor Protection]".

The Glowing Charm is not an offensive spell; it is not directed at Loren and cannot trigger a magic barrier.

The blinding white light startled Loren, and he instinctively turned his head and closed his eyes.

Loren couldn't yet cast the Armor Charm on himself, so only the tip of his wand could provide defense. Stimulated by the bright light, Loren stopped his stance, shielded his eyes, and the Armor Charm was canceled.

Loren was caught off guard at the moment. He realized this the instant he canceled the Ironclad Spell and immediately rolled to the right front.

Flamel was not surprised at all: "Retreat the enemy three feet."

The Repel Charm was one of the nine spells taught in the first year, and Loren had already previewed it; even Hermione could cast it. However, neither of them took this spell seriously.

Loren now realized that no spell is useless if the timing is right.

The green light struck Loren, and he felt as if he had been kicked in the chest from mid-air. He was knocked backward and finally fell to the ground.

Flamel stopped and laughed, "As naive as a child."

Loren clutched his chest to catch his breath, rolled his eyes, and said, "I've always been a child."

It was incredibly embarrassing. Loren had thought he could defend against one or two spells with his Ironclad Charm. But he couldn't even withstand two moves. A Glowing Charm made him cancel his Ironclad Charm, and a Knockback Charm rendered him incapacitated.

Flamel began to summarize the battle: "Don't expect to catch the incoming spells; dodge if you can, and cast counterspells if you can. Let the spells hit you as a last resort; never be a target..."

Loren's vision of a wizard duel was incredibly naive: one person would chant a spell, and the other would defend against it—a turn-based system.

In reality, some wizards can control the rhythm of battle and quickly unleash a whole set of spells to keep the enemy busy until they make a mistake, allowing the wizard to seize the opening and end the battle.

A skilled wizard can cast two or even more spells in the time it takes to cast one on the other side.

"Again!"

Loren stood up, exhaled, and his eyes gleamed with excitement.

Loren began his dueling lessons, but his record was terrible, and he ended up in a very sorry state.

Loren was prepared for the initial use of the Glowing Charm and the Armor Breaking Charm, but the Glowing Charm was not limited to the initial move; it could also be interspersed between other spells, severely disrupting Loren's vision.

"Again!"

The fire spell squeezed Loren's space, while an unintentional softening spell was released a few steps behind him, ultimately forcing Loren to step on that paving stone and lose his balance.

Flamel could always come up with various combinations of the nine spells in the first-grade textbook. To interfere with Loren, to control Loren, to prevent him from dodging, from releasing the Ironclad Spell, and finally, to use the simple and unadorned "Retreat Three Feet."

Loren realized that even the nine basic spells of a first-year student could be combined and used in a variety of ways to create extraordinary combat power.

After each battle, Flamel would point out Loren's mistakes, but would not tell him how to resolve them.

Loren could only slowly find his way forward as he was repeatedly kicked away.

His combat system was ineffective; he remained constantly on the defensive, dodging, and evading. His control and interruption abilities were completely useless.

Such practical training has yielded remarkable results.

At first, Loren could only struggle to hold on with the Ironclad Curse, but later he would occasionally catch Flamel off guard and slow down Flamel's relentless offensive.

From being able to withstand a few spells to being able to withstand three minutes.

After an unknown amount of time, Flamel stopped: "That's enough for today. Take it one step at a time, Loren."

Loren was actually somewhat unwilling. He was holding his breath, thinking that he would give this old guy a ten-hit knockback spell sooner or later.

He touched his chest, which felt as if it had been repeatedly trampled by a wild horse. Loren breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, it was just a conscious being; the injuries wouldn't carry over into reality. He'd be a hero again next time he came in.

"Take a good look at the importance of rhythm in battle; mastering the rhythm is key to victory."

Flamel was actually quite satisfied; Loren's combat awareness was excellent, considering he had made such progress on his first attempt.

Most importantly, Loren possesses an indomitable will. Some people, after being repeatedly beaten, become dejected, and their dueling style tends to be conservative, but a true warrior cannot be conservative.

(End of this chapter)