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"Next, we proceed to the second round of the draw!"
As another pair of contestants concluded their match, Professor Flitwick's voice echoed through the Great Hall once more. The audience's attention refocused on the center of the arena as the wooden chest was brought forward again by a House-elf.
The drawing process remained tense and orderly.
But when the final match-up list was magically projected into the air, the remaining contestants—as well as most of the audience—couldn't help but gasp in disbelief.
The list clearly displayed the pairings for the second round. And in one of the match slots, it was plainly written:
Ollie Thorne — Bye
"Bye again?!" a Ravenclaw student blurted out, their voice full of disbelief.
"Merlin's smelly socks! How is that possible? He had a bye in the first round!"
"Two consecutive byes? That luck is ridiculous!"
"He can't possibly get a bye next time, can he? They might as well send him straight to the finals!"
However, fate seemed determined to give everyone a profound lesson in "probability." The fifth round, the sixth round… every time a bye was drawn, when the list was announced, the word "Bye" always followed Ollie Thorne's name.
And in the rounds where he did have an opponent, that opponent was never particularly strong.
Lynn was so thrilled he was practically foaming at the mouth; this was clearly heaven's will for him to claim the reward!
But then another thought struck him. Ollie's opponent would be Ryan in the final, and Ollie definitely couldn't win against him. Maybe… he should sabotage Ryan a little?
Ollie's incredible luck naturally sparked suspicion. Some suspected he had used a clever Confundo Charm or luck-enhancing magic to influence the drawing chest; others guessed that the Hufflepuff ghost, the Fat Friar, was helping him—although the Friar firmly denied any involvement.
Faced with these murmurs, Dumbledore and the other three Headmasters treated the matter seriously.
They personally inspected the wooden chest used for the draw, repeatedly checked its enchantments, and confirmed that its randomness and anti-tampering properties were intact. The four Headmasters even took turns using detection magic to examine Ollie himself in detail.
Finally, Dumbledore announced the results on behalf of the four Headmasters:
"After repeated verification, Mr. Ollie Thorne has not used any magical means to interfere with the drawing process. His consecutive byes are, indeed, purely the result of good luck."
According to Wozgishork's Law of Luck Conservation, if one person experiences immense good fortune, another unlucky soul must bear the corresponding misfortune.
Unfortunately, William Smith seemed to be that unlucky individual.
In the second round, he was matched directly against Ryan, who had easily defeated Marcus.
Although William tried his utmost, using every defensive spell and tactic he knew, he still couldn't create a miracle against Ryan.
The result was that William was thoroughly defeated on stage, ultimately dropping his wand and regretfully achieving the "Second Round Exit" achievement…
Sunday, morning.
The atmosphere in the Great Hall reached its peak.
After six intense rounds—and a certain someone's continuous byes—the final match had finally arrived.
The winner would take home the coveted vial of Felix Felicis and the massive prize of 500 Galleons.
The spectator stands were filled early. The four houses, the three visiting schools—everyone's gaze was fixed on the central duelling platform.
In such an atmosphere, there were always those skilled at "livening things up" and spotting business opportunities.
The Weasley twins moved through the crowd, carrying a tray piled with glittering Galleons and Sickles, with a small magically updated blackboard displaying live odds beside it.
"Placing bets, ladies and gentlemen?" Fred whispered enticingly. "Finals odds! Ilvermorny's Ryan Sanderson versus Hogwarts' 'Star of Luck,' Ollie Thorne! Odds updating in real time—place your bets now!"
When they reached the Hufflepuff section, they immediately spotted Lynn, who had just returned from Ollie's side.
"Hey, Lynn! Want to support our 'commercial' activities?" George nudged the tray toward him, winking. "Ollie's odds are high… but what if? Take the risk, and a Thestral might turn into a Phoenix!"
Lynn set down his cup and glanced at the one-sided bets—almost ninety-five percent were on Ryan.
He reached into his robe, pulled out a heavy pouch, and dropped it squarely onto the tray.
"I'm betting on a draw."
The twins froze.
Fred leaned toward George and whispered, "Merlin… he's betting on a draw? This money feels cursed."
George gave Lynn an impressed look, cleared his throat, and said, "Well… bets placed are bets honored. Good luck, Lynn!"
He quickly pocketed the bag, and the two scurried off to find their next "customer."
Just then, Professor Flitwick's voice rang out, silencing the hall:
"Finalists, take your positions!"
Ollie and Ryan walked onto the platform from opposite sides.
Ollie maintained his quiet demeanor. He held his wand in one hand—and in the other, he was still holding the leather case that usually housed it, as if he hadn't bothered to put it away.
They took their positions, turned, and raised their wands.
"Begin!"
The duel erupted instantly.
Ryan launched a relentless offensive.
"Stupefy!" "Petrificus Totalus!" "Expelliarmus!" "Legilimens!"
Spell after spell bombarded Ollie without pause.
Ollie immediately raised his wand: "Protego!"
The shield sprang up, absorbing the barrage with heavy impacts. The barrier flickered violently, as if it might shatter at any moment.
He could only rely on it to hold on.
Between defenses, he attempted counterattacks, but Ryan either dodged easily or interrupted him with faster spells.
Ryan completely controlled the rhythm, giving Ollie no chance to stabilize.
"His luck's run out," someone muttered.
And it seemed true. Against overwhelming skill, defeat felt inevitable.
At last, during a barrage, Ollie's Shield Charm shattered under a powerful Expelliarmus.
Bang!
The shield exploded into light. The disarming spell struck Ollie directly.
His wand flew from his hand, and he was thrown backward, rolling to the edge of the platform, barely stopping himself from falling off.
He lay there, unable to rise immediately.
A smile appeared on Ryan's face.
He turned slightly toward the audience. The Ilvermorny section was already preparing to cheer.
Professor Flitwick stepped forward, ready to announce the result.
"Expelliarmus!"
A red beam shot out from an unexpected angle.
Ryan, facing the audience, never saw it coming.
Crack!
The spell struck his hand. Both wands flew from his grip—landing in the hands of Ollie, who was still lying on the ground.
Silence.
Then chaos erupted.
"Three wands?!"
"When did he pull those out?!"
"Is that even allowed?!"
"Ryan's disarmed too—does Ollie win?!"
Professor Flitwick opened his mouth, but no words came.
This situation completely exceeded the rules.
The Ilvermorny students stood, protesting loudly. The Hogwarts students argued back just as fiercely.
The hall descended into chaos.
Then—Dumbledore stood.
"Order."
His voice cut through everything.
"An unexpected situation has arisen. The Headmasters will deliberate before making a decision."
The four Headmasters left the hall.
The wait felt long.
Finally, they returned.
Dumbledore stepped forward and spoke calmly:
"After careful deliberation… the final result of this tournament is—a draw."
A draw.
"Therefore, the rewards—Felix Felicis and 500 Galleons—will be shared equally between Mr. Ollie Thorne and Mr. Ryan Sanderson."
The hall fell silent—then erupted again, this time with mixed reactions.
After brief checks, the two finalists stepped forward and received their rewards.
[Ding! Mission complete. Reward issued]
After the match, the Weasley twins approached Lynn with long faces.
"Your Galleons."
Lynn glanced at them. "What happened? Bad odds?"
They exchanged looks and shook their heads.
"We lost a bit. We both bet on Ryan."
Lynn: "..."