Hogwarts Is the Abnormal One!

Professor McGonagall and Principal Fontaine arrived right on time. Perhaps they had already exchanged pleasantries when they met outside the classroom, so this duel practice was very simple. They greeted each other and started right away.

Currently, Hermione and Grevis are practicing their duel in the center of the abandoned classroom. Objectively speaking, Grevis is two years older than Hermione, has stronger magic, knows more spells, and has more dueling experience. However, judging from the situation of their duel, their situations are completely reversed.

Before the two officially started fighting, the onlookers discussed their strengths and weaknesses.

The three boys, led by Loren, believed Hermione would win easily, but Bute claimed that Pickley's previous loss was just an accident, and after a week of training, he was no longer the same person...

Professor McGonagall and Headmaster Fontana stood to the side, listening to their discussion with gentle smiles, though their eyes held a complex expression.

Gravis was fully focused on guarding the girl opposite him. He had already inquired before the duel began. This little Witch, who was first in her grade, was known as Miss Know-It-All. She had always been number one in theoretical exams, but some people called her a bookworm behind her back. Based on this, he deduced that her dueling ability should be average.

Last week, Gravis suffered two defeats against underage wizards three years his junior, a fact that made him blush. However, as Nancy said, Loren and Harry shouldn't be judged by ordinary standards; he had underestimated them during the fight, so his defeats were deserved.

Today, he must wash away the shame and rebuild Ilvermorny's reputation!

Gravis controlled his breathing, closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again, his gaze intense: "[Three Feet Retreat]"

Hermione's eyes narrowed slightly as she watched the steady, powerful Repelling Charm Accio straight toward her. Unperturbed, she flicked her wand, summoning the desks and chairs at the edge of the classroom to block the spell's path.

The ideal scenario would be to apply Transfiguration to the tables and chairs, but she's not flexible enough and her casting speed isn't fast enough.

The onlookers only saw a flash of blue light, which crashed into the Accio tables and chairs in the blink of an eye. The wooden tables and chairs, which were already hollowed out by insects and aged inside, Sectumsempra into numerous pieces and wood chips upon impact.

The wooden block made a slight sound when it hit the floor, and then sawdust drifted down.

Headmaster Fontana paused for a moment upon seeing this, his previously focused gaze slowly relaxing, and he sighed softly, "Professor McGonagall, you have a fine student..."

"Thank you for your praise, Headmaster Fontana," Professor McGonagall said with a smile.

Headmaster Fontana, watching Pickley's intense focus on his opponent and complete disregard for the wooden blocks on the ground, understood that the battle was now quite clear. This young Witch Hermione Granger, despite her young age, had already mastered Transfiguration in duels, even intentionally creating a favorable environment. Pickley, on the other hand, seemed only capable of reacting when being attacked.

The battle should have ended by the time they realized what was happening.

Headmaster Fontana was somewhat puzzled. Was Hogwarts ' education really that better, Ilvermorny fallen behind in this respect?

He vaguely heard a voice in his ear: Professor Gunt Tom Gaunt might be right...

"[Swarm of Hummingbirds] "

The numerous wooden blocks on the floor suddenly transformed into Hummingbird with sharp beaks, flapping their wings and nimbly surrounding Gravis. Gravis noticed the fierce glint in the Hummingbird ' small eyes, and in the chilly weather of late spring, a cold sweat suddenly broke out on his back.

There were too many of them, and they surrounded him from all sides. If he attacked in one direction, the Hummingbird from the other directions would swarm in...

Gravis tried to calm himself down and quickly thought of a way to deal with the situation.

Directly attacking the opponent... no, the Hummingbird is blocking it.

The Fire Charm to burn the Hummingbird... No, that would only burn myself.

"..."

The incessant chirping of birds was driving Gravis to the brink of a breakdown.

"[Viperous Venom]"

The Hummingbird suddenly flapped their wings backward, raised their sharp beaks, and lunged at Gravis with such speed that the sound of wind breaking could be faintly heard.

"Alright, practice over."

Professor McGonagall's calm voice rang out. She waved her wand, and countless Hummingbird hovered in mid-air before flying back down to the floor, picking up wood shavings, and flying out the window.

Hermione's eyes Winky. Professor McGonagall's move instantly seized control of her Hummingbird. This required a deep understanding of the basic principles of Transfiguration. The Hummingbird's subsequent movements were also lighter and more natural. Even when it flew out of the window, it did not lose control.

The other young wizards didn't realize the intricacies of the situation and simply assumed that Professor McGonagall had cleaned up the battlefield while demonstrating her exquisite Transfiguration.

"For young wizards like you, Miss Granger's dueling strategy just now is commendable..." Professor McGonagall explained meticulously, just like in her usual class, but those who knew her well would notice the smile on her face, a faint but persistent smile.

"There are still many areas for improvement in execution, such as incorporating more subtle Transfiguration, and creating more Hummingbird..."

Half an hour later, Professor McGonagall finished her explanation and nodded to Gravis: "Actually Pickley, you didn't lose, you just hadn't been exposed to dueling strategies that used Transfiguration to create a favorable environment before. You definitely won't suffer a loss next time."

Gravis's eyebrows furrowed tightly. Strangely, why did Professor McGonagall's words sound so familiar? Had he heard them somewhere before?

Oh, I heard about that during the duel training last time.

Gravis was completely numb.

It's one thing if I can't beat Harry; he's the Champion chosen by the Goblet of Fire.

Even if he couldn't defeat Loren, he could at least convince himself that Loren's Shield Charm had caught him off guard and that he had been momentarily careless.

But now even Hermione, who is called a nerd by the students of Hogwarts, can't beat him. How can he convince himself?

If this is a bookworm, then what am I? A complete idiot?

Gravis turned to look at his principal—

Oh, the principal is here too.

Gravis fell into thought. Did this indirectly suggest that the problem wasn't with him, but with Ilvermorny...?

However, what normal fourth-grade student knows the Shield Charm?

What normal 14-year-old Witch would know Transfiguration dueling tactics!

And that utterly unreasonable Disarming Charm!

A glimmer of hope flashed before Gravis's eyes, and he almost pounded his fists in celebration—there was something wrong with Linmei's Hogwarts!

Nancy Bute watched as her friend's expression changed over the course of a few minutes, finally settling into a knowing smile, and she fell silent.

I'll comfort him when we get back.

Look at poor Pickley, he's so dizzy from losing.

The second half of the training involved several people taking turns practicing duels, which was a bit boring for Loren. None of them could put much pressure on him. He would deflect incoming spells with the Shield Charm and then follow up with an instant-cast minor spell, leaving his opponents scrambling to defend themselves. The rhythm of the battle was now in his hands, and he was in control of both offense and defense.

After they got used to it, the group was able to stop a few weak counterattacks.

Gravis would choose a less powerful spell to withstand, attempting to inflict a thousand damages on the enemy while suffering eight hundred damages himself, although in a normal match he would usually inflict eight hundred damages on himself first and then not inflict any damage on the enemy.

Harry used a powerful Disarming Charm to defeat Loren's minor spell, but as a result, he was always beaten badly by his own Disarming Charm; Ron had his own understanding of the rhythm and Loren's intentions, and was actually the most relaxed among them.

Hermione was different; she was wholeheartedly dedicated to dusting Loren, even if it meant taking a few hits herself.

After practicing with her twice, Loren suggested that Professor McGonagall let her spar with Nancy Bute, and thankfully she didn't have to go back to the dormitory to shower again.

Late at night, in the Fantasy Book, in the Dueling Classroom.

"Sigh! This suppression is too much!"

The dense, radiant magic rained down like hailstones, each one incredibly powerful. A single strike would render one incapable of fighting. Loren was struggling to hold on, barely managing to cover himself with an iron-clad Shield Charm shield.

"Duel practice, pressure is what drives progress."

Professor Flitwick's short figure hovered in mid-air, his lips moving as he casually waved his wand, unleashing a Disarming Charm charm even more unreasonable than Harry's.

"Boom... Boom..."

The spell struck the transparent shield, causing the wand to tremble violently. The shock made Loren's hand go numb and gradually lose sensation. He knew he couldn't hold on much longer; the wand could fly out of his hand at any moment.

"That's outrageous!"

Loren took a breath, and his figure vanished from the spot in an instant. He had mastered Apparition enough to use it in battle, but even appearing at the other end of the classroom instantly did not escape the spell's effect, which gave him an opportunity to counterattack.

A clear yellow flame burst forth, quickly transforming into a massive ball in the air. The flame's color rapidly darkened, taking on a faint black hue. The astonishing heatwave distorted space and melted away the endless curse.

"Fiendfyre is not invincible." Professor Flitwick smiled faintly. He let the Fiendfyre expand for a while before landing lightly on an unlit patch of ground, then thrust his wand downwards in reverse.

"[Finite] "

The crystalline blue light pierced the ground like a sharp sword, seeping out from the cracks. The aurora-like magical light erected rows of light walls in the air. The Fiendfyre crashed into the light walls without any reaction, as if they had degenerated into ordinary flames. Not only did they fail to ignite the ground and the air, but some of them were extinguished by the light walls.

More and more radiance emanated from the ground, exuding a dreamlike crystal blue, like the cloudless sky after a summer rain, magnificent and splendid. The wall of light gradually compressed the already ignited Fiendfyre domain until it completely annihilated the Fiendfyre, leaving not a trace.

Loren raised an eyebrow. "You cheated, didn't you? If it were a newly kindled Fiendfyre, I believe you could put it out, but Fiendfyre that's already raging..."

"It can be extinguished." Flamel had returned to his original appearance and chuckled softly. "Don't underestimate that half- Half-blood professor. He has the ability to do this, and even do it faster and better."

"Professor Flitwick..."

He truly deserves the title of master of spells.

Loren clicked his tongue in amazement.

"Oh..."

Loren yawned, his eyes half-closed as he gazed at the sky reflected on the lake. Cotton-like clouds rolled and unrolled, a cool breeze blew, the air was fresh, and the chirping of unknown insects and birds drifted from afar. It was another perfect weekend for sleeping.

Not to mention, with Hermione's soft, fragrant thighs as a pillow, it would be a disservice to the little Witch not to take a nap.

Loren turned his head, but was immediately held down by a hand, Hermione's calm voice came through the book.

"Sit still and move around."

"..."

Loren held his neck still, but couldn't resist tilting his head slightly to look at the cover of the book. "Analysis of Duelling Techniques?"

"..."

"Well, you despicable Granger, while I was sleeping, Harry was learning Occlumency, and Ron was playing chess, you sneaked off by yourself to secretly learn dueling techniques, and then beat us up next week, didn't you?"

"..."

"That's so despicable!"

"You talk too much."

Hermione, leaning against the tree, looked somewhat helpless. She held the book in one hand and gently covered the man's eyes with the other. "Either get some sleep or get up and study with me."

Loren immediately fell silent. He didn't want to study, so he rested his head on Hermione's lap and secretly observed her beauty through the narrow gap between his fingers.

Sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves, casting Scabbers patterns, and the shade of the tree enveloped the couple beneath it.

The day was clear and the breeze was just right.

Harry walked down the dimly lit underground corridor. The dark and enclosed environment made his footsteps echo, so he skillfully slowed his pace and slowly approached the location of the Slytherin Head of House's office.

For the past few months, he had been coming to Snape every weekend to learn Occlumency. Although he hadn't made much progress, his scars had indeed stopped hurting.

After walking through the passageway ahead and turning the corner, you'll arrive.

Just as Harry slowly approached, he heard a familiar voice coming from ahead.

"Severus, aren't you afraid?"

Is it Karkaroff again?

Whether Snape was afraid or not, he didn't know, but Karkaroff's voice was filled with terror.

Harry stopped and cautiously peeked out to observe the situation not far away.

Karkaroff stood in the doorway of Snape's office, pulling up one sleeve and frantically showing him something. "Look, it's getting more and more obvious, especially last Thursday, it's like it's back to how it used to be... Don't you feel it, Severus?"

"I sensed it." Snape glanced at her indifferently. "I support you if you want to escape, but I'm not leaving."

"You!" Karkaroff seemed about to shout, but quickly lowered his voice, "Do you think you'll get anything good out of him when he comes back? Don't dream about it. You know what kind of person he is..."

"I know." Snape's voice was flat, his cold black eyes unblinking. "It's time. Harry Potter will be here soon. You'd better hurry up and leave."

Karkaroff looked very upset. He remained silent for a while, then pulled down his sleeve and walked away without looking back.

Harry quickly pretended to have just walked over, and as he brushed past Karkaroff, he glanced discreetly at the arm, but saw nothing.