At four o'clock in the afternoon, the Slytherin Common Room was packed with people.
The prefects had already moved all fragile items out of the room and made all the spectator students guarantee that they would not leak the details of this duel to anyone outside the House.
Kate and Leif stood apart, both bowing to each other, then raising their wands before their chests like arrows.
The female prefect, Senior Cooper, stood to the side and said, "When I count to three, you may attack each other—of course, the premise is that you must not use any life-threatening spells."
"Understood." Kate nodded in agreement. A glance from the corner of her eye revealed Malfoy and his group mixed into the crowd, watching the battle.
She focused her mind. The moment she heard Cooper say the number three, she immediately raised her wand at the same time as Leif—
"Oppugno!"
"Protego!"
Leif summoned a flock of birds that rushed straight at Kate, but they were all annihilated against the barrier Kate had created.
Kate tilted her head, her tone unprecedentedly calm. "You should have predicted long ago that I would use the Shield Charm, right?"
The only spell she had ever cast in the Common Room before was the Shield Charm; this wasn't hard to judge.
Leif's expression didn't change. "Then let me see just to what extent you've practiced your Shield Charm! Incendio!"
In an instant, a burst of flames sprayed from the tip of his wand, shooting toward Kate.
Compared to the Bluebell Flames Amber had released at her back then, this Fire-Making Spell was much larger than those weak blue flames.
But Kate continued to stand her ground and output magic unhurriedly. With a casual wave, the barrier created by the Shield Charm flashed with a dazzling red light, firmly blocking the raging fire.
"It's not over yet!" Behind the sheet of fire, Leif shouted, "Confringo!"
A blast of firelight shot from the tip of his wand, following closely behind the flames, striking the barrier Kate was still struggling to maintain.
With a loud boom, the overflowing magic power detonated like a bomb. Firelight splattered in all directions, causing the spectators to retreat one after another.
However, amidst the chaos, the largest piece of explosive debris flew toward Amber, who was standing to the side, after blasting apart the barrier.
The Iron Shield barrier, which should have been at the center of the explosion, suddenly appeared in front of Amber amidst the thick smoke without anyone noticing, blocking the debris for her.
"Sister!"
Leif was immediately startled and wanted to rush over, but unexpectedly, a calm voice appeared abruptly behind him: "Levicorpus."
In a split second, as if his body had broken free from his own control, he panicked and tried to raise his wand, but his entire person weightlessly flipped two and a half times in the air.
When he finally landed with difficulty, he heard Kate call out "Incarcerous," and his body was completely bound, falling to the ground.
"You bastard..."
He wanted to curse in anger, but immediately after, his mouth was sealed by a Silencing Charm from Kate.
It wasn't until his whole body was unable to move that he finally saw Kate's true face clearly after the thick smoke dispersed.
But... this guy was clearly on the opposite side just a moment ago. When exactly did she run over here?
Looking down at the resentful Leif, Kate shook her head.
As expected of a student, do they all only know how to stand still and output damage?
previously at Newt's house, she had been earnestly instructed many times that a wizard's greatest strength lies in mobility and flexibility.
The flexible and changeable combat style of wizards is something individual Muggles cannot hope to reach.
So, if there is ever a day when one must fight, one must never discard these two points and stand there foolishly trading magic power with the opponent.
Well, although with her current magic power, there aren't many people in the world who could out-trade her...
Cough!
Kate gave a light cough, turned to look at the carpet that had been tragically ruined by the fire and explosion, and raised her hand with a Mending Charm to clean up the battlefield.
Following that, she walked quickly to Amber, who was protected by the Shield Charm, and looked her up and down. "Are you alright?"
Amber, still held in her friend's arms with lingering fear, looked at her with a complex expression after a long while. "Why did you save me?"
Kate looked puzzled. "In a wizarding duel, innocents are not to be harmed. Isn't that how it should be?"
Moreover, she had previously reported to Snape and gotten Amber punished, so the score between them was considered settled.
Her duel was with Leif; what did it have to do with his sister?
If any casualties were caused, then this private duel really couldn't be covered up.
So, whether for public or private reasons, Kate had no reason not to save her.
Only then did Amber snap back to reality, rushing to Leif's side. "Brother! How are you!"
"He's fine. He just took a fall; he didn't even break the skin."
Kate explained calmly, then looked up at the female prefect who was covered in dust from the smoke impact. "Senior Cooper, I should be considered the winner of this wizarding duel, right?"
Leif had used several highly offensive spells in a row, all blocked by her Shield Charm.
Yet she had only used a few simple minor spells to render him unable to rise again.
Who was strong and who was weak was obvious to anyone with eyes.
Seeing Cooper hesitate and look at the people around her, Kate nodded knowingly, her gaze patrolling the surroundings as she asked:
"Excuse me, if anyone is unconvinced, you can come up and challenge again. If I lose, I will pay the victor one hundred Gold Galleons."
For a moment, the originally noisy Common Room fell instantly silent.
Leif was undoubtedly strong. From the fact that he could skillfully fire several offensive spells in succession, it could be seen that he was considered a standout among his peers.
But to Kate, if one only knew how to blindly cast spells without even knowing how to move, then knowing more spells was useless.
Combat is not simply a contest of who knows more spells.
Kate waited patiently for a while before walking up to Leif and releasing all the restraints on him.
"Senior, you lost this time," she said, her tone calm, as if she had predicted the outcome of this wizarding duel long ago.
Leif stood up with his sister's support. His face, originally arrogant enough, was now pale. "Gold Galleons... I will give them to you before next week."
"Then I shall accept with respect." Kate smiled faintly and looked at the female prefect.
Only then did Cooper react, announcing with a trembling voice, "Wizarding Duel, Kate Shafiq wins!"
The Common Room, which was already silent, immediately became Kate's home court.
Kate was surrounded by a crowd of little snakes, and she put away her wand somewhat awkwardly.
In an instant, she turned back into that shy, introverted little girl. After hurriedly saying a few words to the female prefect, she quickly returned to the dormitory under everyone's gaze.
Shutting out all the gazes from outside, Kate finally relaxed and threw herself onto the bed.
Phew, she really wasn't suited to be watched by the public; it was too awkward.
____
________________________________________
🌸 Help Love Bloom!
Our girls need a little push... and you can help!
💖 Gift for Everyone: Once we hit 50 Powerstones, I'll release +1 bonus chapter to warm your hearts.
🚀 Community Reward: If we reach 20 supporting members, we'll have a +5 chapter marathon across all stories! The romance won't stop.
👻 Come to our secret corner: Search for GirlsLove on (P). You know that's where the magic happens... 😉