Come Out of Your Turtle Shell

Tom conjured a wall of water and manipulated it to push forward. Two cracks appeared in the water wall, interrupting the flow, clearly unable to withstand the sharp magical power.

Tom immediately strengthened his defenses, and after two crisp sounds, the spell finally broke.

"Professor, I'd like to learn that trick too."

Snape was certain that Tom was truly worthy of being his match.

His long-cooled blood began to boil again, and his aura surged once more. Tom couldn't find a suitable opponent, and so could he.

Fighting Albus Dumbledore would be masochistic, and rashly challenging other professors is also inappropriate.

On the Death Eater' side, the warmongers have all been locked up; those still outside are just a bunch of worthless scoundrels.

Unexpectedly, a first-year student became his best rival.

He held back completely. A goalpost flew up under his control, transforming into a thick, large arrow.

He even attached flames to the arrows and shot—no, hurled—they at Tom.

Tom's expression changed, and he burst into a tirade of curses.

"Old Bat, do you have any shame?!"

Snape was getting serious; a massive amount of magic surged from him, flooding the entire Quidditch Pitch like a tidal wave.

Tom realized that he had underestimated Snape; the power he displayed was completely different from what was described in the original book.

How did Nagini kill him? The thought flashed through Tom's mind, but he didn't have time to think about it further.

Snape's magic was still boiling; countless tiny weeds on the lawn transformed into hissing snakes, squeezing Tom's movement space and interfering with his spellcasting.

A combination of Transfiguration Spell and a Fire-Making Spell, cast simultaneously, allowing for multitasking.

Tom tried to Transfiguration the giant flaming arrow, but he failed.

Snape didn't cast spells one at a time; instead, he used two spells simultaneously, making them far more powerful than a single spell.

Since it can't be Transfiguration, then destroy it. Tom's eyes sharpened as he muttered a spell under his breath.

A ball of light leaped out of the wand, ran to the top of his head, and shot out a thick beam of magic that crashed into the giant flaming arrow.

A violent explosion rocked the field, sending flames soaring into the sky. Fortunately, Tom had previously placed Silencing Charm on the entire Quidditch Pitch.

Otherwise, the explosion would have been enough to wake up the students and all the professors of the three houses. Slytherin wouldn't have woken up, as they were buried underground and the sound wouldn't have reached them.

He pressed his advantage, transforming the fragments into countless tiny arrows, which he then launched at Snape.

Snape hopped around like a slippery eel, and his cloak was also covered in magic, providing him with great defensive capabilities.

Multicolored magical lights crisscrossed the Quidditch Pitch, and the resulting magical storms swept around, creating a spectacular scene.

Tom used all his strength, but he realized he was truly outmatched.

Even if he drank the strengthening potion, what good is his talent? He hasn't had enough time to develop; at most, he's only been learning magic for less than half a year.

In terms of both the number of spells he can control and their power, he is still a long way from Snape's level.

Sensing Tom's decline, Snape quickened his pace of attack again, each move sharp and fierce.

A metal door panel blocked Snape's attack. Snape was startled; could Tom have conjured up such a strong metal in an instant?

Upon closer inspection, the door panel was summoned from his pocket. This guy even carries a shield in battle?

Tom drew a square with his wand, and the door panel Transfiguration an iron box, completely enclosing him.

A muffled voice came from inside. "Professor, that's enough for today. We'll continue next time."

Snape was both amused and exasperated. "I'm about to win, and you're telling me it's halftime? We'll play again next time?"

He suddenly roared, "You despicable Riddle! How dare you use such an insidious spell as the Ear-Ringing Charm!" Then the attack, which had paused briefly, resumed.

Tom was stunned by Snape's outrageous move—he actually shifted the blame onto him? Could he be any more shameless?!

No matter how much Snape bombarded it, the iron box remained unmoved, only its surface was now covered in charred brown marks and scratches.

Snape was utterly speechless. "Riddle, where did you find this thing? How come it's so hard!"

Tom's leisurely voice came from inside. "I don't even know where its limits are. Unless you use some evil Dark Magic, don't even think about opening my box."

The door panel was found in the Room of Requirement. At the time, his thought was, "I need the most defensive item," so the Room of Requirement moved this thing out.

The Room of Requirement proved reliable enough to leave even Snape helpless.

Snape looked around; the Quidditch Pitch was a complete mess, unrecognizable from the two men's fight.

If we use those powerful Dark Magic here, the situation will really get out of control.

He said irritably, "Get out of your turtle shell. If you use this thing to fight me again, don't bother coming to me."

Tom asked cautiously, "Professor, are you sure you won't continue your actions after I get out?"

Snape suppressed his anger. "I'm a professor, would I lie to a student like you?"

"You said Slytherin doesn't lie to Slytherin."

Snape turned and left. "You can hide in there for the night."

Tom quickly restored the door to its original state and put it back in his pocket. "Professor, don't go! You've made such a mess, I can't clean it up by myself!"

Snape watched this scene with a cold smile. "Unauthorized use of the Undetectable Extension Charm. If you weren't a student of my house, I would not only deduct all your points, but also send you to Azkaban."

Tom ignored this and started using Mending Charm to mend the lawn.

He drew a center line in the middle of the court, the meaning was clear: half for each person, no slacking off.

Snape didn't mind, waved his wand, and the two got straight to work.

Halfway through the repairs, Tom asked, "Professor, what do you think is my biggest problem?"

Snape, with his sharp eye, immediately pointed it out. "You're too obsessed with showing off. What's most important in a wizarding battle?"

Tom pondered for a moment. "Take their wand, or simply incapacitate them."

Snape glanced at him sideways. "Don't you know that?" he said, his tone filled with disappointment.

"Then why are you fighting against my spell? You have to neutralize every single one of my attacks, and do it beautifully."

Do you think this is some kind of performance competition? What is this if not a show of skill?

Tom fell into deep thought, and it seemed that this was indeed the case; his attention was now focused more on Snape's magic than on himself.