The first week of school passed with its fair share of ups and downs, and soon, the agreed-upon day for the wizarding duel arrived.
Kate got up and ate breakfast as usual. When she returned to the common room, she saw that Leif Wilson was already waiting for her, surrounded by a crowd.
"Shafiq, today is the duel day you set," he said, pulling out his wand and pointing it at her, his head held high. "Are you ready?"
Kate blinked and answered honestly, "No."
Leif's eyebrows immediately shot up. "What? Do you want to run away?"
Sigh, why are these wizards all so straightforward? Even Slytherins are no exception.
Kate sighed silently and pointed to the clock on the common room wall. "It's only 8:30 in the morning. I just finished breakfast and haven't digested it yet. Do you want an unfair victory?"
She wanted to laugh herself when she used that term.
Unfair victory? Even if she didn't have so many demands, this Leif had already thrown away his own dignity. At most, he was just holding onto the excuse of seeking justice for his sister so people wouldn't mock him too much.
"Then when exactly will you compete with me!" Leif asked impatiently.
Kate yawned. "You know, wizarding duels are prone to causing injuries. Shouldn't I finish my homework first?"
If homework wasn't finished and points were deducted by professors, that would be the real major issue.
Slytherin had dominated the House Cup for several consecutive years. Naturally, they wouldn't allow the House to lose points just because Kate couldn't do her homework due to keeping an appointment.
Before Leif could speak, the male prefect beside him took the initiative to say, "Then let's wait until you finish your homework before dueling. What do you think?"
"I have no objection." Kate shrugged. "Senior, you remember to finish your homework first too."
Leif's face turned red. Unknown if he remembered that he also had unfinished homework, he could only agree with a muffled voice.
Thus, before a proper wizarding duel could begin, a collective homework activity was added.
A bunch of little snakes bobbed their heads, lying on the tables, struggling to write on parchment with quills, creating a rustling sound. If not for the wrong decor around them, others might have thought this was Ravenclaw.
Kate naturally finished her homework the fastest; first-year assignments posed absolutely no difficulty for her.
As for Leif and his little companions... well, looking at the remaining length of their parchment, it should be enough for them to write for another two hours.
She actually knew how to do the fifth-year homework, but to protect their self-esteem, Kate just took a glance and leisurely returned to her dormitory.
"Notify me when you guys are done."
Two hours was enough for her to grind Occlumency several times.
At her current practice frequency, practicing Occlumency three to four times a day, she should be able to reach Level 4 within a month. Within this year, as long as she could train to Level 6, she would be able to resist most Legilimency.
It sounded like it took much more time than basic spells like the Levitation Charm, but what needed to be practiced had to be practiced. There was no helping it; without talent, one could only rely on grinding.
Kate sighed, sat cross-legged on the bed, gradually steadied her breathing, and closed her eyes.
Two hours later, her dormitory door was finally knocked on.
The one knocking was the punished younger Wilson. Kate raised an eyebrow. "By the way, I haven't asked for your name yet, Student Wilson."
The other party looked at her with a complex expression and spat out a word: "Amber."
"Amber. I remember this word has the meaning of amber, right?" Kate looked with interest into the other's bright yellow eyes for a moment, suddenly revealing a hint of a smile.
"Nice name. It suits you very well."
At least it sounded better than Leif.
For some reason, Amber's face, originally full of complex emotions, clearly froze for a moment, then she flusteredly averted her eyes and urged in a low voice, "Let's go, it's time for the wizarding duel."
Kate glanced at the time; it was already nearing twelve o'clock.
She walked out quickly, only to see Leif sitting in front of a pile of homework looking listless. He only forced himself to perk up when he saw her coming.
Too miserable. Having been poisoned by homework all morning, did he really still have the energy to duel her?
Kate cleared her throat and said solemnly, "It's already noon. Why don't we go have lunch and rest for another two hours in the afternoon?"
Someone on the side just wanted to refute, but she pointed at Leif and said, "He is physically and mentally exhausted right now, while I have been recharging for two hours. If we start the duel now, wouldn't you feel it's unfair?"
Uh...
Only then did everyone look at Leif, who looked like he was about to ascend to heaven, and then thought about the difficulty of their own homework.
Regardless of the student's personality, except for top students like Hermione, homework was probably what they hated the most.
Then Kate's suggestion was passed by everyone.
A group of people marched mightily out the door to the Great Hall, sat down at the long table with exceptionally serious expressions, and began to shovel food. It actually gave people from other Houses a jump.
"What's wrong with the Slytherins today? Why does every one of them look so bitter and hateful?"
"Could it be that Professor Snape punished them by making them drink potions?"
"It's possible. Wonder what kind of potion..."
While eating lunch, Kate listened to the murmurs coming from the Gryffindor table behind her and couldn't help but smile slightly. Actually, everyone just did homework collectively all morning. It was no big deal.
She turned her head and happened to see Hermione looking at her worriedly.
"It's fine." Mouthing the words exaggeratedly, Kate blinked at her from across the long table.
Hermione immediately received her signal. Although still worried, she nodded.
Lunch ended like a whirlwind scattering clouds.
Leif stood up and said to Kate, "Then let's set it for four o'clock in the afternoon. You shouldn't have any excuses to push it back again, right?"
"Of course. I just want both sides to be in better condition for the battle." Kate nodded slightly, watching them stand up and leave.
Until the end, Amber Wilson rose from the long table, her clear yellow eyes staring at her for a while before turning her head to follow her brother.
Kate looked at her retreating figure somewhat strangely but didn't think much of it. She also stood up and returned to the common room, following behind them.
She set an alarm for three-thirty with the System and fed some fresh feed to Fluffball.
She had written to Newt before, and the reply stated that this was a normal phenomenon during the Diricawl's growth period, telling her not to be anxious. It was just that Fluffball had come into contact with Fawkes. Phoenix saliva is useless to humans, but it is an excellent supplement for birds.
Next, she just needed to wait for these few months while Fluffball naturally digested the energy brought by Fawkes.
After changing the feed, Kate walked to the window, staring thoughtfully at the fish swimming in the Black Lake outside, lost in thought.
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