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Flitwick's fighting style was the most suitable for ordinary wizards.
Simply because people could actually understand what he was doing.
Meanwhile, McGonagall's Transfiguration was arguably the most difficult branch of magic in existence. If you couldn't do it, you simply couldn't do it. No amount of frustration would help. Even reaching the beginner level was a challenge.
Snape was even stranger. His arsenal was packed with self-created spells, many of which seemed like the sort of thing no normal human being would ever think of inventing. Learning to fight like him had an even higher barrier to entry than McGonagall's style.
Only Professor Flitwick was different.
Every spell he used was something students recognized.
The Knockback Jinx. The Banishing Charm. The Impediment Jinx. The Blasting Curse. The Stunning Spell. The Shield Charm. The Levitation Charm....
As long as you were an upper-year student, chances were you'd learned most of them. Even if a professor hadn't taught them, you could find them in the library and study them yourself.
Yet through flawless control, impeccable timing, and seamless transitions between spells, Flitwick had the Hungarian Horntail dancing to his tune.
Aside from that tense moment at the beginning when he was swallowed by dragonfire, the rest of the fight looked almost effortless.
He maintained perfect distance throughout.
Watching him kite the dragon felt less like a duel and more like someone taking a particularly large and dangerous dog for a walk.
The only issue was that Flitwick's spells didn't seem powerful enough. They weren't dealing any meaningful damage.
The terrain of the Howling Abyss left only a single path through the middle. Combined with the dragon's enormous size, landing spells wasn't difficult.
The problem came afterward. Apart from the small patch of softer flesh beneath its neck, every spell that struck the dragon's scales might as well have been a gentle tap.
"In the end, it all came down to raw power."
And the audience reached the same conclusion.
So what if your technique was incredible? If you couldn't break your opponent's defenses, what was the point?
Hogwarts students thought back to Tom's previous battles, and to the clash between Dumbledore and Grindelwald.
Those fights often looked simple on the surface. There weren't many flashy techniques to analyze.
But every spell carried such overwhelming magical power that onlookers felt their hair stand on end.
That was the beauty of pure stats.
"..."
"Stop filling your heads with nonsense!"
Hearing the students' discussion, McGonagall's expression changed immediately.
She had suddenly realized something alarming. Tom's existence was slowly warping the way Hogwarts students viewed magic.
She quickly stepped in to bring them back to reality. "Everyone is different!"
Her voice echoed across the stands. "Think about what Riddle achieved in his first year, then consider what you've achieved yourselves. Just because he can do something doesn't mean you can. Face reality. Don't aim beyond your limits, and don't waste your time daydreaming! Your professors are not trying to hold you back. Following the methods we teach is the right and normal path to becoming a competent wizard!"
Her voice was loud enough that nearly every student nearby heard it.
The result was immediate. The entire group collectively sank into depression.
Normally, McGonagall would never have been so blunt. But these were special circumstances.
If Tom, Dumbledore, and the other monsters continued skewing the students' understanding of what magic was supposed to look like, then Hogwarts would eventually produce nothing but reckless brawlers.
And not even talented reckless brawlers. Just reckless brawlers with no talent.
Absolutely unacceptable.
McGonagall would rather crush a few unrealistic dreams now than watch students wander down such a ridiculous path.
Still... seeing the students wilt under her words made her feel a little guilty.
Then she noticed a subtle change in Flitwick's movements.
Her eyes lit up instantly.
As one of his oldest friends, she knew exactly what that meant. Flitwick was finally about to reveal his true specialty.
Raising her voice, she declared, "Besides, who said you can't do it? Lift your heads and watch carefully. And learn something! Skill is far more important than raw power."
The discouraged students quickly looked up.
A second later, their eyes widened in disbelief.
"That's possible?!"
The Flitwick who had spent the entire battle seemingly scratching the dragon's scales suddenly got serious.
His wand began to glow faintly as magic surged through it at tremendous speed.
Then a thick arc of blue lightning burst from the tip of his wand and slammed directly into the Hungarian Horntail's neck.
The earlier spells had barely registered.
This attack was different. The dragon let out a deafening scream of pain. Its neck twisted into an unnatural angle as the impact sent shockwaves through its body.
Yet Flitwick didn't rush in to capitalize on the opening. Instead, he immediately changed positions, avoiding the dragon's frenzied retaliation.
Choosing the opposite direction, he retreated while deliberately drawing the enraged beast after him.
About thirty seconds later, Flitwick struck again. The target was exactly the same spot.
Another devastating blast crashed into the dragon's neck.
The damage from the two attacks stacked together.
Even a creature as tough as a dragon couldn't withstand it. With a mournful cry, the Hungarian Horntail collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily. Every so often, sparks and tiny embers escaped from its mouth.
Even then, Flitwick remained cautious.
Their exchange had taught him one thing. This dragon was unusually intelligent.
Unlike ordinary dragons, it wasn't merely a violent, short-tempered beast.
For all he knew, it could be pretending to be defeated and waiting for him to approach before launching a surprise attack. Just as he maintained his guard, the Hungarian Horntail struggled to lift one of its claws.
Flitwick immediately assumed an attack was coming.
Several layers of Shield Charms sprang up around him.
But at that moment, a clear and beautiful song echoed through the sky.
Fawkes descended from above and landed on the dragon's back.
The phoenix first shed a tear, healing the injuries on the dragon's neck. Then brilliant crimson flames engulfed both of them.
In the next instant, phoenix Apparition carried the dragon away from the Howling Abyss.
Throughout the entire process, the Horntail never even glanced at Flitwick.
"Congratulations, Professor."
After the phoenix departed, Tom descended from the sky and landed nearby, smiling.
"You've become the world's first Apex Wizard. That's the sort of achievement that'll go down in history. I daresay the title will become even more famous than your position as Head of Ravenclaw."
Flitwick finally snapped out of his thoughts.
Hearing Tom make such a grandiose claim, he laughed, "If that's such a wonderful thing, then why did you send Joseph in first?"
"Because I knew he wasn't a match for the dragon." Tom's tone was light, almost casual.
"When there's a failed example for comparison, people remember the successful one much more easily."
Flitwick was momentarily speechless.
He hadn't expected that answer. Even less had he expected Tom to admit it so openly.
The two chatted and laughed as they walked back through the passageway.
Along the way, Flitwick waved to the audience, and the spectators responded with thunderous applause.
...
Meanwhile, in the Hogwarts section of the audience, a Ravenclaw student raised a curious hand, "Professor McGonagall, what spell was Professor Flitwick using just now? It was incredibly powerful!"
"It was nothing more than a basic Blasting Curse," McGonagall said with a faint smile.
The answer left the students stunned.
But McGonagall's smile grew as she noticed their disbelief.
"Hard to believe, isn't it? But it's true." She looked toward the arena and continued, "Professor Flitwick employed an extremely advanced casting technique. In a very short span of time, he cast the same spell repeatedly, compressed those castings together, and released them as a single attack. That's why the resulting power far exceeded normal limits."
She paused, letting the lesson sink in.
"Now do you understand?"
"With sufficient skill, even the simplest spell can produce power far beyond its normal limits—hundreds of times greater, in fact."
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