Actors

The assorted, dazzling magic displayed onstage left Albert dumbfounded. The Barnabus Finkley Outstanding Spellcasting Competition somehow felt like a circus.

But there was no denying that most wizards daring enough to enter had some real skill. At the very least, none of the contestants who took the stage were particularly poor at magic.

Some conjured flocks of birds and put on a "hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix" display; others directed puppets with their wands in an elegant dance; some even performed the trick of breathing fire.

The most eye-catching contestant so far, however, was probably a middle-aged wizard in his forties. He used Animagus transformation to turn directly into an owl, flew a circle above the stage, then transformed back into human form, drawing gasps and applause from the audience.

Still, once there were enough contestants, there was naturally no shortage of terrible ones.

That was especially true for the young men. The magic they showed off was generally mediocre. One man in his early twenties made mistake after mistake from sheer nervousness, becoming the focus of the competition.

The man left the stage with his head lowered and immediately departed the bar. He probably had no face left to stay, afraid of becoming everyone's joke.

The line moved quickly. Each person only had a brief time onstage, and it was nearly Albert's turn.

The young man ahead of him stumbled onto the stage and performed magic that turned a paper bird into a real one. The bird flew above his head for a moment before plunging straight onto the stage, drawing scattered laughter.

Albert saw several judges in the distance shake their heads almost imperceptibly, seeming to jot something down on their papers.

"Let us welcome contestant No. 17." Diana read the contestant number from the registration