Fleeting Duel, Happy Halloween
Inside the Great Hall.
Are you ready?
The whisper reached Malfoy's ears, jolting him awake from his reverie.
Prepare?
Malfoy glanced to both sides; there were people from all the houses, with Slytherin and Gryffindor the most numerous.
Slytherin, needless to say, benefited from Crabbe and his ilk's propaganda.
Gryffindor simply love excitement, especially excitement related to Slytherin.
Malfoy saw Lucien hold his wand level and bow slightly.
This is the etiquette and protocol before a wizard's duel.
The well-educated Malfoy subconsciously followed suit.
But then, Malfoy realized something was wrong.
After the ceremony...
Duel!
A sense of realization and fear surged into Malfoy's heart at the same time.
In that instant, Malfoy forgot all about family honor, face, and reputation.
A voice, seemingly emanating from his very blood, suddenly burst forth in Malfoy's mind.
Submitting to the strong...
"I surrender!"
Boom!
At the very same time that Malfoy shouted "surrender".
A crimson sea of fire, tinged with gold, erupted from the tip of Lucien's staff.
At the very moment Malfoy's voice fell, a large swirling flame suddenly swept around him and rose into the air.
In an instant, the Great Hall's roof, which offered a glimpse of the sky, was replaced by a raging inferno.
Within the crimson flames, streaks of golden light danced.
It made the entire Great Hall shine brightly.
Everyone stared in disbelief at the scene.
Only when someone was so stimulated by the light that their eyes welled up with tears did they realize what was happening and lower their head.
Hmm, the effect is alright.
Inspired by the Purifying Fire of Liuguang, the improved Incendio, and using techniques from the Weasley family notes, a burst of magical power was unleashed in an instant.
It's at least quite impressive to look at.
Lucien glanced at the reactions of the students around him and nodded almost imperceptibly.
With a flick of the wand, the sea of flames above the Great Hall vanished instantly.
Also vanished were the floating jack-o'-lanterns, the little bats, and the dark clouds.
Uh oh, this ruins the festive atmosphere.
Lucien took out a green gourd and poured out a large pile of normal plants, fruits, and vegetables, such as pumpkins, tomatoes, and potatoes.
As the magic wand danced...
All the plants transformed into various kinds of lanterns, with pumpkin lanterns being the most prominent.
Then he put away the green gourd and replaced it with a pink one.
When the gourd was tilted downwards again, this time a large pile of candy and snacks poured out.
Before they even landed, Lucien transformed the food into colorful little bats of various colors, each with a pattern corresponding to the food on its body.
"Alright, please continue."
Lucien glanced at Malfoy, then turned to leave the Great Hall.
To be honest, Malfoy surrendered voluntarily.
It wasn't entirely unexpected for Lucien.
Last night, I witnessed the entire process of defeating the Troll, and instead of avoiding the duel, I dared to keep my promise.
For a first-year wizard, that's already quite good.
Moreover, judging from Malfoy's behavior, he was clearly terrified.
If he still dares to confront me head-on, well...
The Sorting Hat should have sent him to Gryffindor instead of Slytherin.
To subdue the enemy without fighting?
It sounds impressive, but the actual results haven't met expectations.
Without Malfoy's help, spending ten days to two weeks in the Hospital Wing just doesn't feel right...
However, the speed at which this child surrendered, well, he didn't hesitate at all.
Tsk, is this Malfoy? The most flexible and perceptive opportunist.
Huff--
A bright red ball of fire appeared out of nowhere beside Lucien.
Lucien was already used to this kind of scene.
The next second, Fawkes flew out from it.
Lucien had already extended his arm, allowing Fawkes to stand on it.
Fawkes tidied Lucien's slightly disheveled hair, then unleashed a burst of flames.
The man and the bird vanished from the Great Hall.
"Wow, what was that big bird just now?"
"They actually took the person away!"
The younger wizards were not without their gasps of surprise.
"That's Headmaster Dumbledore's Phoenix, Fawkes, who sometimes comes as a messenger to find people."
"Oh right, that junior from earlier, wasn't he the one who took the longest time during the Sorting Ceremony? What was his name again?"
"Let me think, Lucien, Lucien Grafton!"
This sparked a heated discussion among the crowd.
"Yeah, isn't he a freshman? What kind of magic was that fire just now?"
"It's probably an illusion. How could a newly enrolled wizard possibly use such a powerful spell?"
"Brother, go see Madam Pomfrey for her eyes. Didn't you see that the pumpkin bats were all burned to ashes?"
Wow, these little bats are edible!
The speaker was a girl with rosy cheeks and two golden braids.
Hannah Iron-Hat King Abbott held a small white bat in her hand; its left wing had been transformed back into marshmallows.
The little girl grabbed a cotton candy, popped it into her mouth, and a happy smile spread across her face.
Seeing this, Neville also struggled to catch a small green bat.
"It's candied apples!"
The young wizards quickly became engrossed in catching the little bats and exploring what snacks they would turn into.
However, some people are completely unable to enjoy this kind of joy.
Malfoy slipped to the edge of the Great Hall, no longer wanting to stay there.
"Malfoy, Quidditch also requires courage. Cowards who give up too easily are not suitable for my team."
Upon hearing this, Malfoy's shoulders twitched, and he glared at Marcus Flint, who had made the sarcastic remark, with his reddened eyes.
He opened his mouth to speak, but didn't know what to say.
"Flint, you... you all just don't understand!"
Malfoy turned and left.
Malfoy wandered aimlessly through the castle, his mind a jumble of thoughts.
People like Flint are idiots. Can't they see Lucien's strength?
"Nobody understands, nobody understands Lucien's power!"
Malfoy didn't know how to explain to anyone how terrifying and bizarre the monster Lucien had casually created the night before was.
He had just noticed it too: a group of people as foolish and blind as Flint were looking at him with mocking and contemptuous expressions!
This made Malfoy realize that in those people's eyes, he was just a coward who surrendered without a fight.
The next moment, Malfoy's face turned even paler.
It's one thing for him to lose face, but it seems he has also brought shame upon his family.
This caused the Malfoy Family's honor to be disregarded...
"Dad will find out about this soon, what should we do then?"
Malfoy didn't know how his father would scold him, or whether he would punish him.
In the Headmaster's Office.
Lucien saw Dumbledore smiling at him, with Professor McGonagall sitting beside him.
Happy Halloween, Lucien.
"Happy Halloween, Headmaster Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall."