The sight of Cassandra's incredible skill even excited Malfoy.
He summoned Crabbe and Goyle, and they rolled up their sleeves, ready to gang up on the other young wizards.
Crabbe and Goyle may not have been the brightest, but their muscles were definitely an advantage.
As they closed in, Crabbe and Goyle grew incredibly confident, a sight that was, unfortunately, terrifying to onlookers.
Imagine two muscular, burly figures running towards you with eerie smiles… the visual impact would be overwhelming even for adult wizards, let alone eleven-year-olds.
Furthermore, the Malfoy family's tradition of verbal abuse was a constant accompaniment to their fights.
Many young wizards couldn't even hold their wands properly against the Malfoy trio; some even abandoned their wands and fled.
With the arrival of the Malfoy trio, the scene became increasingly chaotic, many young wizards dropping their wands to resort to throwing fists.
But there were exceptions…
Cassandra remained elegant, strolling leisurely through the chaotic dueling arena.
She dodged an incoming spell, skillfully wielding her wand, "Stupefy!"
Biu—Bang!
A disheveled, brown-haired wizard was struck, staggering back a few steps before collapsing.
"Cassandra! Don't get too cocky!"
Hmm?
Hearing that somewhat familiar yet unrecognizable voice, Cassandra turned around in confusion.
Three young wizards in Slytherin robes were pointing their wands at her.
She vaguely recognized the leader; it was the young master of the Travers family, whom she had seen a few times before.
The Travers family was one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. Although the prestige of those families had diminished considerably, the Travers family still wielded considerable influence in the wizarding world.
It's worth mentioning that this young wizard, though not particularly strong but self-important, was also extremely competitive and had lost to Cassandra multiple times in various endeavors, thus harboring an inexplicable infatuation with her.
Unfortunately, Cassandra never cared much about such defeated opponents. To put it bluntly, if this kid hadn't suddenly reappeared today, she would have almost forgotten he existed.
Cassandra glanced at the three with interest. "Brought reinforcements?"
"Heh, as long as I win."
He didn't care about the rules of the duel; as long as he could beat Cassandra... and then conquer this unattainable beauty.
"Attack!"
The three young wizards, wands in hand, spread out, surrounding Cassandra to prevent her escape while simultaneously increasing their chances of victory through multi-pronged attacks.
...
In the audience.
Tom watched the chaotic fight, his face propped up by his hand. His boredom was visibly unchanged from the start of the match, even as his student was forced into a one-against-many situation.
"Professor Tom, this isn't within the rules."
A sleazy voice came from behind.
Tom didn't turn around, nor did he react in any way.
The speaker was Travers (Sr.), the older brother of the young wizard who had led the attack on Cassandra in the arena.
Travers (Sr.), thinking Tom was rendered speechless by what he said, looked proud, and then planned to say a few more words to ridicule Tom.
Then he heard it...
"Snape, beat him."
Huh?
Is this right?
Seeing Severus Snape getting closer and closer to him, Travers (Sr.) was dumbfounded.
"No! Professor, do you really listen to him?!"
Snap!
…
"Ong wasu dalie siwaha!"
Cassandra raised her wand high, and dark clouds began to gather in the sky above her. White light flashed faintly amongst the dark grey clouds.
"Oh my God! Why is her magic so different from ours?!"
"Didn't we agree that everyone can only stick pointy sticks in their opponent's front teeth?"
"Are you telling me this is a new student?!"
Everyone present was shocked, because a spell like that would not appear in the hands of a young wizard of this age.
Even Malfoy, who always seemed to be next to Harry, couldn't help but remark, "She seems to get treated differently from us. Why doesn't the Master teach us this?"
Slap!
Harry slapped Malfoy on the head. "What do you mean 'she'? Call her 'Young Lady'!"
Harry still cared about his position within the Death Eaters. After all, only in this way could he become second-in-command and… Hehehe! (A little fantasy moment!)
…
In the audience.
Tom felt two subtle gazes fall upon him.
One was Snape's, the other…
Tom glanced at the corner of the wall and ignored it.
"Young Lady of House Vole, I've seen her before," Severus Snape deliberately feigned confusion, muttering to himself, "With Veela blood, it's not surprising she has such magic, but it shouldn't be…"
Even if she barely met the requirements for magic, the Weather Charm was still quite difficult to learn, not something a young wizard of this age could master.
Unless… someone modified this spell, simplifying its usage.
Thinking this, Severus Snape glanced subtly at Tom.
For Tom, any spell was a matter of "a wave of his hand, a command to summon whatever he wanted."
He didn't need to go through the trouble of simplifying the Weather Charm.
So, this "emotionless" Tom Riddle would actually put so much effort into someone?
Severus Snape couldn't help but recall the scene of Tom using "Exalted Protection."
…
"No… no!"
After the initial shock, Travers (Jr.) and his companions finally reacted, their hearts pounding. Their bodies were urging them to flee!
But it was too late.
Boom!
A bolt of white lightning struck!
Travers (Jr.) and his companions were instantly hit, their steps faltering, a tingling and aching sensation spreading throughout their bodies.
Thump, thump, thump
Travers (Jr.) and his companions fell straight to the ground, face down.
Sizzle...
Black smoke slowly rose.
The three figures, their robes tattered and their hair singed, looked utterly comical.
Although they appeared somewhat dead, they weren't actually seriously injured.
After all, Cassandra's magic wasn't high enough; if she possessed the magic of an adult wizard, that attack would have truly been fatal.
Tom and the others could tell that Travers (Jr.) and his companions were mostly unharmed, but the others couldn't.
Bang!
Travers (Sr.) slammed his hand on the chair beneath him and stood up angrily.
"How dare you…"
Boom!!!
A thick, ghastly green bolt of lightning grazed past him and struck the wall behind him.
Crack...
The dueling arena was enormous, and the surrounding walls were equally massive.
Below the Black Lake, the walls were incredibly thick.
And the Avada Kedavra (Killing Curse), not known for its physical damage, had nearly shattered those massive walls!
Looking at the cracked walls, Albus Dumbledore, hidden away, frowned deeply.
This sudden Avada Kedavra (Killing Curse) seemed to have pressed the pause button on the entire dueling arena.
After what seemed like an eternity, a senior wizard finally spoke slowly, "That was... an Unforgivable Curse... an Avada Kedavra (Killing Curse)..."
Realizing he had almost died, Travers (Sr.)'s legs went weak, and he knelt down.
"Brother..."
"It's not that I don't want to help you.
It's just that Professor Tom pointed his wand at me, and the green light on it was terrifying!"
"Waaaah..."
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