[Chapter Size: 1800 Words.]
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Harry and Draco stood on opposite sides of the dueling ring, staring at each other, neither in a hurry to cast a spell. The main issue was that these two novices didn't know any offensive magic at the moment.
Harry had memorized most of the spells from The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 and had mastered a small portion of basic magic. However, first-year textbooks contained only a few spells, none of which were truly combat-related.
At this point, Harry only knew a very basic Disarming Charm and a simple Stunning Spell, while the rest were everyday spells. But Draco came from a wizarding family, and Harry was slightly worried that he might know something more dangerous.
What Harry didn't know, however, was that Draco was just as panicked as he was.
Could Draco cast offensive spells? Yes, but how many? Just two!
One was the same as Harry's, a basic Disarming Charm. The other was a spell Snape had taught him a few days ago when instructing some Slytherins in dueling magic.
"Levicorpus!" Draco was the first to crack under pressure. He couldn't spot any weaknesses, he didn't even know what weaknesses to look for, so he simply cast a spell. A red light shot toward Harry.
"Why start with a spell I've never even heard of?"
Harry was baffled. While he hadn't mastered much magic, he had studied it extensively. Since arriving at Hogwarts, he had read numerous books and biographies, encountering countless spells and magical theories.
Of course, magic wasn't just about incantations. It required precise wand movements, proper control of magical energy, and correct pronunciation. For beginners still unfamiliar with spellcasting, successfully using magic was almost impossible.
So even though Harry didn't know many spells, he knew a lot about them. Yet he had never heard of this Levicorpus spell before.
Despite his confusion, Harry's reflexes didn't fail him. Years of playing sports had sharpened his reactions. As soon as he saw Draco's spell coming toward him, he raised his wand and cast his own spell almost simultaneously.
The two spells collided in midair and canceled each other out.
Harry's magical power was slightly stronger, but his control was weaker, so they were evenly matched.
Professor McGonagall frowned slightly when she saw Draco's spell, then glanced at Snape beside her. Snape, however, remained expressionless, staring straight ahead with an air of feigned indifference. His face clearly said, "Don't look at me. I have nothing to do with this."
McGonagall pursed her lips, subtly, but noticeably.
"Who are you trying to fool?" she thought. Others might not recognize it, but as a senior professor who had taught at Hogwarts for decades, she knew that the Levicorpus spell was one of Snape's signature spells.
And he had invented it.
Years ago, when teachers were still allowed to use harmless magic as discipline, Snape frequently used this spell. However, once the school prohibited all magical punishments, it had rarely been seen.
Still, even after all these years, there was no way someone like McGonagall, who had an excellent memory, would forget it.
While Harry was stunned that Draco had used an unusual spell he had never encountered, Draco was equally shocked.
He had never imagined that Harry could use offensive magic. Even though Harry had only managed to stun him for a moment, this spell was definitely not part of the standard first-year curriculum.
Draco, already feeling a bit overwhelmed, suddenly felt even more uneasy.
The duel had taken an unexpected turn from the very beginning, making both Harry and Draco much more cautious.
They raised their wands again, pointing them at each other, their gazes locked. Everyone watching knew that if one of them exhausted their magic first, they had a 99% chance of being hit by the other's spell.
This long dueling arena was definitely not ideal for dodging.
Normally, at this stage, a wizard would summon a shield charm or some form of protection. Unfortunately, Harry and Draco, both inexperienced first-years, didn't know any defensive magic.
The prolonged standoff quickly frustrated the watching students. Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, who had no personal stake in the outcome, had already started booing.
Harry's thoughts raced as he tried to figure out how to turn the situation in his favor. He actually knew a few magical tricks from Neil that could help, but with Professor McGonagall and Snape watching, he didn't dare use them.
As he hesitated, Draco noticed his momentary distraction.
Almost instantly, Draco raised his wand again, this time to cast a Disarming Charm.
He shouted the incantation, flicked his wand, and then nothing happened.
The spell failed.
In truth, Draco wasn't particularly skilled at either the Levicorpus spell or the Disarming Charm. However, the success of his previous spell had given him a false sense of confidence. This time, he had cast the spell carelessly, without the caution he had before.
And so, his magic failed him.
Draco was stunned, but Harry nearly burst out laughing, amused by how powerful Draco supposedly was for using unconventional magic.
"This is the result? How weak!"
Even though he was mocking Draco in his mind, Harry remained cautious when casting his own spell. He swung his wand in a precise rhythm, focusing as he aimed to disarm his opponent.
A red light shot from the tip of Harry's wand and struck Draco's, which was still extended as he stood there in a daze. Draco's wand slipped from his hand and landed just below the stage. He stumbled back two or three steps, nearly falling over.
Harry frowned slightly. That wasn't the result he expected.
According to the descriptions in several books he had read, the Disarming Charm shouldn't just knock the opponent's wand away, it should send them flying as well. Yet, even with Draco's twig-like frame, he had only staggered back a few steps.
"Is something wrong with the spell? Or is my magical power just not strong enough?" Harry found it a bit odd.
Still, even if he wasn't satisfied with the spell's effect, he had already disarmed Draco, securing his victory in the duel.
"Alright, that will be all," Professor McGonagall said with a small smile. With a flick of her hand, no wand, no incantation, Draco's fallen wand floated into the air and landed gracefully in her palm. At the same time, she stepped onto the stage with a lightness that seemed completely at odds with her age.
Handing Draco's wand back to him, Professor McGonagall turned to Harry and gave a slight nod. "Not bad, Mr. Potter. For a first-year student, your command of spells is quite impressive. Five points to Gryffindor."
Harry's eyes lit up immediately. Though he had considered House Points to be a load of rubbish ever since his run-in with Snape, it wasn't easy to earn extra points from Professor McGonagall.
After all, up until now, the only students who had managed to impress her enough to earn bonus points were Hermione and a Ravenclaw girl named Amanda.
"Harry, that was brilliant!"
The moment Harry stepped down from the stage, Ron and a large group of Gryffindors rushed over, including older students like Fred and George.
As far as those upper-year students were concerned, Harry's magical skills could usually be summed up in two words: absolutely dreadful. But now that he had defeated Slytherin, the situation was entirely different!
So what happened next wasn't a surprise to Harry at all, a celebration. A Gryffindor common room celebration.
At the party, even though Harry was technically the star of the event, he was only the center of attention for about two minutes. After that, Fred, George, and their friend Lee Jordan completely took over.
Harry quietly slipped into a relatively peaceful corner.
On one hand, he wanted to stay away from the hyperactive idiots from his own year. On the other hand, something about today's duel had sparked an idea, he had suddenly remembered a small but useful spell.
Magical Perception.
It was one of many little magical tricks Harry had learned from Neal,one of the few that he had instantly recognized as practical. This spell allowed a wizard to sense the magical energy and mental strength of others. It was a simple charm, but incredibly useful.
In the Aegean world, this spell was often used for monster hunting. There were tens of thousands of magical beasts in the Aegean, each stranger than the last. Unless one was a priest specializing in magical creatures, it was nearly impossible for an average wizard to recognize all of them.
So, when faced with an unknown creature, how could someone determine if it was safe to engage? That's where Magical Perception came in handy.
By using the spell, one could see the magical energy and mental strength of a creature, allowing them to judge its level and determine whether they stood a chance in battle.
Originally, this magic had also been used to observe other wizards or individuals with similar magical abilities. However, it wasn't long before the wizarding world developed counter-spells that allowed individuals to shield their magical signatures, preventing them from being observed.
When Harry first learned about this spell, he had understood the theory behind it but had ultimately dismissed it.
The reason was simple.
In his original worldview, magic didn't exist.
Well, that wasn't entirely true. More accurately, no one else used magic, except for him.
But now, he was in a school full of wizards. Suddenly, this little spell seemed far more useful.
If he had been able to use Magical Perception during his duel with Draco, he could have gauged Draco's magical strength beforehand. He would have known right away that Draco was all talk, strong on the surface, but weak underneath, with no real skill.
That way, he could have entered the duel looking calm and confident.
It might not have been much help in terms of actual combat, but it would've made him look pretty damn cool.
After all, there were quite a few girls watching.
With this thought in mind, Harry began searching for a way to restore his magical senses.
The process was simple. Like most mental-based spells, the first step was constructing a special magical symbol in his mind. Once that symbol could be visualized clearly and its color changed quickly and accurately through sheer willpower, the spell was considered mastered.
The symbol for Magical Perception was an eye with a hexagram inside. Not particularly complicated, at least, not for Harry at his current level.
Hidden in his corner, Harry attempted the spell seven or eight times before he finally succeeded.
The moment he activated his magical senses, everything around him shifted, silently, yet unmistakably.
******
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