Duel

Tonks answered Moriarty with a resolute look, and so Moriarty and Tonks stepped onto the stage.

Just like in their dozens of previous battles, they stood ten meters apart and raised their wands.

As they bowed, Tonks raised her brows with a smile. "At last, you can't suddenly attack me under the pretext that 'Aurors have to face ambushes.' This time, I'm making the first move."

"Expecto Patronum!"

Perhaps because Moriarty had always seized the initiative in their previous fights, Tonks was especially aggressive in this duel. Michelle, the silver-white rabbit, bounced through the air and crashed toward Moriarty.

Professor Flitwick shook his head when he saw it. "Ah, ah, Miss Tonks, I never expected you to be able to use the Patronus Charm, much less use your Patronus to ram people! Oh, this is the wrong way to use it."

"It's all right, Professor. She naturally has her reasons for doing this." Moriarty's voice was rich and low, carrying a gentle warmth.

Professor Flitwick soon learned what Tonks's reason was—Serpent Tongue—a series of hisses.

As Moriarty spoke in Serpent Tongue, the Slytherin staff in his right hand lightly tapped the stage. A small Magic Circle appeared, gleaming with silver-green light.

"Ice Snake Dance!"

Massive storms appeared above the Magic Circle, turning the entire Great Hall frigid. The storms carried ice and snow, which occasionally fell onto the stage.

The students cried out and hurriedly cleared a large area, afraid of being struck by the ice and snow. They had all seen the state of the stage.

Everywhere the ice and snow landed was frozen solid, making it impossible to tell that it had once been a stage.

Tonks immediately cast Fire and Water Immunity on herself. Michelle bounced back and forth above her head, shielding Tonks from the falling ice and snow.

"There's still a little time before the Twelve Ice Serpents appear, right?" Tonks quickly recovered from the shock brought by the blizzard and raised her wand. "Petrificus Totalus!"

Moriarty's eyes darkened, but he paid no attention to the incoming Spell.

He quickly spoke a string of Serpent Tongue, and twelve Magic Light Beams rapidly rose from the edge of the Magic Circle, transforming into twelve ice serpents in the blink of an eye.

Petrificus Totalus struck one of the ice serpents, but rather than petrifying it, it made the serpent open its jaws and flick out its tongue.

The ice serpents coiled around one another, their crystalline green eyes sweeping maliciously across the witches and wizards in the Great Hall before finally settling on Tonks.

Two ice serpents shot toward her with a whoosh!

An extreme chill spread through the Great Hall as the ice serpents sprang into action. The students' hands and feet went numb from the cold, and they repeatedly backed away from the stage.

Even the students who had already gone onstage to duel were forced to retreat. None of them wanted to be frozen into ice sculptures.

Only William and Leon remained locked in an even fight, both of them casting enhanced Incendio at the same time.

Professor Flitwick also enlarged the hundred candles overhead, and the Great Hall seemed to grow warmer.

But warmth seemed to be the ice serpents' natural enemy. The twelve ice serpents opened their mouths and hissed, and the storm overhead began to pour down hail and snowy rain!

Tonks's Fire and Water Immunity failed, and she shivered violently from the cold. Michelle was locked in a back-and-forth battle with the two ice serpents, her soft white light dispersing their chill. But because of that, no one was left to shield Tonks from the wind and snow.

"Fine, ordinary Spells can't deal with you," Tonks said, raising her wand above her head. "Then have a taste of this—Weather-Charm—Blazing Sun!"

A red sun appeared above Tonks, radiating sunlight as it swept away some of the ice and snow.

Tonks then used Transfiguration on the candles above the Great Hall, and a giant flaming hand reached for Moriarty.

Moriarty stood at the center of the Magic Circle, ten ice serpents circling around him and effortlessly blocking the flaming hand.

"Nymph, the moment you became a drowned rat, you should have realized you'd lost."

Moriarty recited an incantation, and cold air surged up from beneath Tonks's feet, freezing the lower half of her body.

Tonks waved her wand and dispelled her Spell, saying dejectedly, "You never said your ice serpents could freeze people too."

Moriarty lightly tapped his toe, and the Magic Circle vanished. The icy phenomenon and the ice serpents disappeared with it, and Tonks regained her freedom of movement. Moriarty walked over and pulled her to her feet.

"I am a wizard, after all, Nymph. You can't expect my ice serpents to engage in close combat forever."

"Then I don't count this as a loss either!" Tonks puffed out her cheeks and muttered, "You saw how Michelle performed. She's a mature rabbit now. Even two ice serpents couldn't do anything to her. I still wanted to try your Ghost Snake. Maybe Michelle would give me a surprise."

Moriarty shook his head and smiled. "If you don't want to get sick, go take a bath."

Tonks left while touching her soaking-wet hair. Moriarty guessed that next time, she would not be so eager to challenge the ice serpents.

"Charlie Weasley, it's your turn." Moriarty tilted his head toward where Tonks had been standing, signaling for Charlie to come up.

Charlie let out a heavy breath, as though he could expel all the negative emotions brought on by Ice Snake Dance along with it.

"Come on, Mr. Moriarty!" Charlie held his head high and thrust out his chest, looking exactly like a knight about to march into battle. His pale face only made his red hair stand out even more.

Professor Flitwick did not stop the duel. He did not say a word—no one did. They all watched in silence.

After the two sides bowed, Charlie hurriedly cast a Super Protego on himself.

"Many adult wizards can't even do that," Moriarty praised. "Charlie, you're stronger than Nymph."

Charlie gave an odd smile. "I didn't know you two were close. Though I usually let her have her way, you know. Charming ladies always enjoy certain privileges."

But as they spoke, Charlie's movements were anything but slow.

"Bat-Bogey Hex!"

It was a curse that turned the victim's boogers into black bats that flew out of their nose!

Moriarty's expression changed slightly. It seemed that members of the Weasley family were especially adept at casting this Spell?

"Protego!" Moriarty lightly waved his wand.

Charlie knew Moriarty would not be easily defeated, and he had prepared long ago. "Whizbang! Sectumsempra! Impedimenta!"

Facing the three Spells in rapid succession, Moriarty activated the Cara Boots. With his increased speed, his leaping steps resembled a tango, effortlessly dodging the Spells without losing any elegance.

Charlie froze for a moment, apparently never expecting his Spells to be evaded so leisurely. But he quickly aimed his Wand at the stage and turned it into a swamp!

Moriarty rapidly began sinking. Before he could act, Charlie transformed the candles into fireballs, each burning with blazing flames as though waiting for something, refusing to fall for the time being.

Charlie had seized the initiative, and a delighted smile appeared on his face. "Mr. Moriarty, I'll give you a chance to use that Ice Snake Dance from earlier. I'll use my best Transfiguration to make you admit defeat wholeheartedly!"

"Wow, Charlie's actually getting serious for once!" The Little Lions whistled and shouted, already beginning their premature celebration.

Everything below Moriarty's knees had sunk into the swamp, yet he showed no trace of panic. Using Water Elemental Magic was impossible; Charlie was not familiar with him.

So Moriarty spoke in an icy tone. "I think I need to correct your misconception. You want to use fire to restrain my ice snakes, but who says there is only one kind of snake?"

"That's right, there are Ghost Snakes too!" Tonks had returned at some point, her face glowing with excitement.

However, Moriarty did not use Ghost Snake either. He was still improving that Spell. Enunciating every word, he said, "Dragon's Breath!"

Bang!

A black snake shot out of the swamp, and the students' terrified screams seemed capable of piercing the ceiling.

The black snake was enormous and thick. Its head alone was as large as three Quidditch goal hoops, and with one bite, it swallowed the dozen or so fireballs Charlie had created through Transfiguration.

The swamp was destroyed as well. Moriarty slowly emerged from the pit. "Scourgify," he said.

Then he pointed his Wand at Charlie. "What a shame, Charlie. I'm equally skilled at Transfiguration."

The giant snake leaping through the air instantly transformed into black vines. With several sharp swishes, they bound Charlie tightly.

"Confringo!" Moriarty had not forgotten the Super Protego Charlie had cast earlier.

The invisible shield gave off a faint flash before losing its effect. Charlie could do nothing now but watch helplessly as Moriarty swung his Wand.

"Expelliarmus!"

Smack! Charlie's Wand flew away.