CHAPTER 199: CHAPTER 199

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"Come on, enough chatter," Harry said to them. "Who wants to be the first to challenge our assistant?"

"Assistant?" Farina grinned wickedly at the term. "I like the sound of that. Merlin’s beard, who’s ready to face me first? Hmm... how about you, handsome, over there?"

She was pointing at Cedric.

"Hufflepuff’s pretty boy, I’m talking to you," Farina cackled with a mischievous glint.

Cedric stepped forward, not exactly eager. It wasn’t that he was afraid of Farina, but her laugh and that look in her eyes made him uneasy.

No, more than uneasy—especially those eyes...

"Alright, when I say start, you start," Harry said to Farina. "Remember our agreement—"

"Understood, Mr. Potter," Farina replied, dropping her manic demeanor and giving Harry a mock bow.

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

"Expelliarmus!"

"Crucio!"

Two scarlet beams shot through the air. Farina nimbly dodged Cedric’s Disarming Charm, but Cedric wasn’t as skilled in combat. The Cruciatus Curse hit him square on, and he collapsed with a thud, writhing on the floor in a series of desperate convulsions.

Newt drew his wand, moving in sync with Tina.

"Professor Scamander!" Harry called out quickly. "Don’t worry, this is part of our agreement—"

Indeed, the agreement allowed for any spell except the Killing Curse, as long as no one died.

Even if someone tried Avada Kedavra, Harry could intercept it with a Transfiguration spell in time. And if he wasn’t quick enough, Fiona the Phoenix was always on standby.

Swallowing a couple of Killing Curses was nothing to a phoenix—good for digestion, keeps the intestines moving.

Newt hesitated, then lowered his wand, eyeing Harry suspiciously.

The look clearly said: Is this how wild your Dueling Club gets? Hiring a dark witch as an assistant is one thing, but letting her use Unforgivable Curses? You’re treating practice like a real battle, aren’t you?

"I don’t think this is a good training method, Mr. Potter," Newt said.

"I agree, Mr. Scamander," Harry replied with a helpless shrug. "But the dark witches they’ll face in the future won’t exactly be waving wands that shoot yellow rubber ducks, will they? I can’t just tell them, ’Don’t worry, the dark wizards you’ll meet will be harmless magicians.’"

Tina, being a former Auror, nodded in agreement with Harry’s logic. Newt, however, had seen his fair share of darkness—after all, he’d personally apprehended Gellert Grindelwald, the most powerful dark wizard of his time.

You know, the one captured with the help of a Niffler.

"Take Cedric to the side to recover," Harry instructed Seamus and Neville. "Next up... Megan, you’re facing Farina."

"What? Me against Farina?" Megan said uncertainly. "Are you serious?"

Despite her hesitation, she stepped up to face Farina.

Even though she anticipated the Cruciatus Curse, she couldn’t dodge it. Farina took her down cleanly, leaving her crumpled on the floor.

"Next, Hermione," Harry called.

As expected, Hermione was soon twitching on the ground, felled by another of Farina’s curses.

Then it was Neville’s turn. Harry had kindly warned Farina not to use the Cruciatus Curse on him, so she opted for the Imperius Curse instead, forcing Neville to perform a flawless tap dance routine.

To her surprise, Neville broke free of the Imperius Curse with sheer willpower and fired back with a swift "Expelliarmus!"

It didn’t help much, though. A quick "Stupefy!" from Farina knocked him out cold.

"Your turn, Seamus," Harry said.

When the count reached one, Seamus didn’t hesitate. He unleashed the most powerful spell he knew.

"Bombarda Maxima!"

Farina had planned to end the duel with another Cruciatus Curse, but a sudden sense of foreboding made her dive to the side.

A deafening boom shook the room, and the ground trembled. Where Farina had stood, a sizable crater now scarred the floor.

Are today’s young wizards all this monstrous? Farina thought, questioning her life choices. Second-year students were a force to be reckoned with—one resisting the Imperius Curse through sheer will, another casting an explosion spell of absurd power with practiced ease...

What she didn’t know was that Seamus’s Bombarda Maxima was mostly flash and noise, its actual power comparable to a fourth- or fifth-year’s spell. Still, for a second-year to cast a spell with that kind of intensity was nothing short of prodigious.

Seamus didn’t let up, waving his wand to force Farina to keep moving.

But he was still inexperienced. Farina spotted an opening and sent a Cruciatus Curse his way, leaving him writhing on the floor.

"Well, Mr. Potter, it looks like I’ve thoroughly cleaned out your Dueling Club," Farina said, hands on her hips, laughing loudly.

"Not quite!" Ron called out, stepping forward. Behind him, Gellert gave Harry a meaningful wink.

"Oh, really?" Farina drew her wand again, pointing it at Ron.

"Bring it on!" Ron said confidently.

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

As the signal dropped, Ron flicked his wand, firing an "Expelliarmus!" He immediately rolled to the side in a clumsy dodge, then sent another Disarming Charm her way.

Farina sidestepped the spell with ease.

Seizing the moment as she moved, Ron used a Transfiguration spell to conjure two ropes, aiming to entangle her legs.

Farina’s eyes gleamed with interest at the sight of the ropes. This was the first time tonight someone had used Transfiguration in a duel. She dispelled the ropes with a casual flick, only to realize they’d transformed into venomous snakes, lunging at her.

"Nice one, Ron!" Hermione cheered weakly from the sidelines. "Keep it up!"

Farina waved her wand, turning the snakes to ash, then fired another Cruciatus Curse.

Ron dodged again with another ungainly roll.

As the saying goes: dodging might be shameful, but it’s effective.

That was Ron’s mindset. Why go toe-to-toe with Farina when he was just a second-year? A less-than-graceful dodge wasn’t going to hurt his pride.

He fired two more Disarming Charms, then transfigured a nearby stool into a dog.

Farina’s spell sent the dog flying, and she dodged both of Ron’s charms. Just as Ron prepared his next move, Farina Apparated behind him.

"Crucio!"

Ron couldn’t react in time and collapsed, twitching in agony.

"I must admit, Mr. Weasley, you were the most surprising young wizard tonight," Farina said with a chuckle. "The first to force me to use Apparition. Well, I think that’s enough for today’s lesson. Mr. Potter will likely send me back now."

She was right. Harry promptly sent her back to the pocket dimension to keep Alfonso company.

"The biggest surprise tonight was definitely Ron," Harry said with a smile. "I thought Cedric would hold out the longest."

"I’d rather be a Weasley than that pretty boy Diggory," Draco muttered under his breath.

"Sorry, Harry," Cedric said, having recovered. "I let you down."

"It’s not about letting me down, Cedric," Harry said earnestly. "You’re not learning to duel for me. You’re learning for the day you face dark wizards. Trust me, you’ll thank yourself for today’s efforts when that time comes."

"Alright, let’s wrap up," Harry continued. "Overall, your performances were dreadful. Only Ron, Seamus, and Neville showed some promise."

He gave Neville an encouraging smile. "Resisting the Imperius Curse is something even most adult wizards can’t do, Neville."

"Really?" Neville asked hopefully.

"Absolutely," Harry said with a grin. "Ask around. How many of you have practiced resisting the Imperius Curse?"

At that, Hermione slapped her thigh. "Ugh, why didn’t I think to use the Imperius Curse on her? I’m clearly not proficient enough with my spellwork. I need more practice..."

Newt slowly turned his gaze to Harry.

The look was clear: What’s that, mate? You’re teaching the Imperius Curse here?

"Don’t act like you’ve never used it, Professor Scamander," Harry said, exasperated.

Sure, Newt was a Hufflepuff, but he’d gone toe-to-toe with the most powerful dark wizard of the early century. No way he hadn’t used an Unforgivable Curse or two.

Newt guiltily averted his eyes.

He’d used them... more than once, in fact.

Cedric sidled up to Ron quietly. "Ron," he said gently, "how did you improve so quickly? Merlin, holding your own against that dark witch for so long..."

"Gellert, the assistant, gave me some dueling tips," Ron said honestly. "That’s why I improved so much."

Indeed, Gellert had taught him some slick moves tailored to Ron’s style—ones even Harry wasn’t as adept at.

Like the donkey roll.

"I think I should ask him for advice too," Cedric said.

The next day, during the Care of Magical Creatures class, Cedric made a point to approach Gellert.

Gellert knew this Hufflepuff boy. When he heard a Hufflepuff was looking for him, he nearly choked. But since Cedric was part of the Dueling Club, Gellert decided to hear him out.

Cedric explained his intentions, and Gellert didn’t refuse. If he was going to teach one student, he might as well teach two. It wasn’t for Harry’s sake, though—it was for Newt.

Not mentoring a Hufflepuff felt like a betrayal of the blood pact Newt had stolen from him.

Over the next few days, Cedric frequently sought Gellert’s advice on dueling. Gellert’s style was completely different from Harry’s, and by learning from both, Cedric’s skills improved significantly.

To be fair, Cedric was already skilled. He’d just been unlucky facing Farina, who opened with a Cruciatus Curse—hardly sporting.

If she’d stuck to standard spells, Cedric wouldn’t have gone down so easily.

"You’re saying Veratia’s words were ’Aquia Electa Iovis Omnia Vincit’—’The Chosen Eagle Conquers All’?" Harry asked, his expression odd.

In the Great Hall, Hermione nodded, her face equally strange. "Yes, and Veratia also said she met Otto a few days ago. You know... Otto von Habsburg."

"Otto, huh?" Harry nodded thoughtfully. "Don’t know him."

"He’s the Crown Prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, head of the Habsburg family," Hermione explained.

That made sense to Harry. Probably one of Veratia’s descendants?

"This Otto," Harry said, thinking. "What’s his relation to Joseph Franz?"

Hermione did some mental calculations. "Let’s see... Joseph’s nephew was Archduke Ferdinand, and Ferdinand’s nephew was Otto’s father, Karl..."

"Oh, Karl!" Harry exclaimed. He didn’t know many, but Karl he remembered.

No wonder Veratia went to see Otto—there was a family connection. Back when Karl was a kid, Veratia had held him. Technically, Karl would call her Aunt Veratia.

The thought of old Otto calling a seventeen-year-old Veratia "Great-Aunt" made Harry chuckle. Talk about a worse fate than Lucius Malfoy’s.

But why was Veratia meeting her grandnephew?

Harry couldn’t quite figure it out, but he wasn’t one to dwell on things he didn’t understand.

Surely it wasn’t about restoring the empire...

Time passed, and soon it was Saturday again—a Hogsmeade weekend.

Hogsmeade, the only all-wizard village in Britain, was a charming place with thatched-roof cottages and shops. During holidays, the trees were adorned with enchanted candles. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry sat by the lake that stretched from the village, and the Hogwarts Express terminated at its station, marking the start of the school year.

A path along the lake led from the station to the castle, but school rules allowed only third-years and above to visit Hogsmeade on designated weekends, with a guardian’s signed permission.

"I want to go to Hogsmeade," Hermione said, peering out a window.

"We’ve got another year to wait, you know," Ron sighed.

"Don’t worry, Hermione," Cedric said as he passed by. "I can bring you something—like sweets from Honeydukes?"

"Thanks, Cedric!" Ron said eagerly. "I’d love some blackcurrant candies, please."

Cedric gave an OK gesture and headed off.

He, Megan, and a few others followed the path to Hogsmeade.

"Let’s eat first," Megan said. "I’m craving the Hog’s Head. Mr. Dumbledore’s food—ugh, it looks awful, but it tastes amazing."

The Hog’s Head, run by Albus Dumbledore’s brother, Aberforth, was a grimy pub with a small, dark, filthy room reeking of goats. Its grimy bay windows barely let in light, and candles flickered on rough wooden tables.

Megan gagged as she entered. "I can never stand the goat smell, but I love the food," she said, holding her nose.

"You get used to it," Cedric said, rubbing his chest. Truthfully, he wasn’t fond of it either.

That’s why the other Hufflepuffs had opted for butterbeer and sparkling water at the Three Broomsticks.

They sat at the bar, and Cedric called to Aberforth, who was wiping glasses. "The usual, Mr. Dumbledore. Two plates, please."

"You again, Mr. Diggory, Miss Jones," Aberforth said with a smile, nodding before heading to the kitchen.

He soon returned with two plates piled with unappetizing green, purple, and black globs.

"Try it," he said, grinning.

The two dug in eagerly, savoring the taste and looking utterly satisfied.

"That’s the stuff," Cedric said.

Aberforth resumed wiping glasses, stacking them neatly in a cabinet.

"You know, I think Gellert’s a brilliant assistant," Cedric said. "Want to join me next time I ask him for dueling tips?"

"Call me when you go," Megan replied. "But we should get him a gift. It’s not fair to make him teach us for free. Any ideas?"

"No clue," Cedric said, shoveling a spoonful of food into his mouth.

"How about a parrot, like Hermione’s cockatoo?" Megan suggested with a laugh. "Gellert seems to like it. Maybe because it looks like him?"

Aberforth’s glass slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor.

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