Final Exams Were Coming

Eli had barely finished his short speech when someone below raised a hand in objection.

"Professor Flitwick, why him? I mean, shouldn't you be the Head Boy?"

The room fell deathly quiet. Then, as soon as he finished, hushed discussions broke out all around.

Clearly, he was far from the only one with that question.

Draco Malfoy stood closest to the dueling platform. The moment he'd heard Eli was starting a Dueling Club, he'd demanded to join.

He turned around, plainly annoyed, and slipped right back into his young-master airs. "If not him, then who? You?"

Scattered laughter rose around them. The boy looked indignant but said nothing.

Eli stepped forward at once. He knew that unless he showed them what he could do, the Dueling Club might never get off the ground.

"All right, all right. Everyone has the right to question me, and as Head Boy, I have a duty to address those doubts."

The young wizards nodded. What Eli said was perfectly reasonable.

His next words, however, landed like a stone in a still lake, sending a wave of uproar through the crowd.

"Since you doubt whether I'm strong enough to be Head Boy, I'll stand right here on this platform. Anyone can challenge me. If I lose, I'll step down."

Arrogant. So damn arrogant!

The students below weren't all first-years. Apart from the sixth- and seventh-years busy preparing for their N.E.W.T.s, every year was represented.

And students of every year thought this first-year had lost his mind.

Harry and the others, standing closest, looked worried. Hermione Granger kept calling softly from below for Eli to calm down.

Eli smiled at them and gave Hermione a reassuring gesture.

Professor Flitwick hadn't expected things to go this far either. He hurried forward to put a stop to the farce.

Eli stopped him. "Professor, if I can't handle their challenges today, this club will lose all credibility. Trust me, Professor."

Professor Flitwick hesitated, but Eli repeatedly promised to be careful. Only then did he step aside.

"Listen carefully! These are friendly matches. Stop short of causing injury, and no harmful spells!"

Professor Flitwick gave the warning loudly, then stood to one side with his Wand, acting as both referee and safety officer.

"I'll go first!"

A second-year boy climbed onto the platform.

The first-years had some idea of Eli's strength and didn't dare challenge him. The older students felt that beating a younger child would be dishonorable, and their pride kept them back. So it was a second-year who stepped up.

The two completed the formalities of a duel. Eli stood as composed as a nobleman.

"Densaugeo!"

Well, look at that. The second-year wanted to strike first. The moment the formalities were over, he launched his attack.

Eli didn't scramble to dodge. He looked as though he hadn't even reacted.

Some in the crowd wore sneers or gleeful smiles. Hermione cried out in fright.

Pop!

With a light flick—just that one motion—Eli knocked the spell away.

Silence fell again. It worked even better than Snape's glare.

The second-year froze. Eli had just flicked it away?

One spell might not have been enough to defeat Eli, but surely he shouldn't have dispelled it so easily!

Below the platform, Hermione's eyes went wide.

Eli smiled faintly. "Locomotor Mortis."

The spell seemed to drift out almost lazily, but his opponent panicked so badly he forgot to dodge.

He fell to the floor with a thud. No matter how he struggled, his legs remained locked together.

Fight over. Time to show off. Eli clasped his hands behind his back and gazed up at a forty-five-degree angle... at the ceiling.

"Mr. Hall wins! A clever use of magic!"

Professor Flitwick announced the result loudly, praising Eli's move.

Eli had actually picked it up from Quirrell while he was possessed the night before. Of course, Quirrell had used a highly practiced Shield Charm, while Eli had simply rammed the spell aside with raw magic.

But the result looked much the same, and it was certainly beyond what the other young wizards could do.

"I'm next!"

Another challenger came up, also a second-year. Apparently, some still thought the first match had been a fluke.

Eli glanced at the older students below. Some looked tempted, but none made a move.

"Please." If Eli was going to show off, he might as well go all the way.

After another exchange of formalities: "Stupefy!"

Same routine, same result. Eli flicked the spell away again.

Hm? His opponent had put up a Shield Charm.

Eli's lips curled slightly. This second-year was interesting. The Shield Charm wasn't especially advanced, but second-years hadn't learned it yet.

His confidence, it seemed, wasn't entirely unfounded.

Still, it wouldn't help.

"Locomotor Mortis!"

This spell was considerably stronger than the last. Across from him, the second-year held his Shield Charm, his face tense.

Bang!

The spell slammed into the Shield Charm with overwhelming force!

The shield dimmed rapidly and shattered in an instant. The second-year's expression changed, but he had no time to react. His legs locked together, and he too fell to the floor.

An uproar erupted. A crushing victory! Nothing less than a crushing victory!

Even a Shield Charm had done him no good.

Eli won again.

Another challenger came up. Not bad—a third-year this time.

It didn't help.

"Stupefy!"

"Locomotor Mortis!"

Thud.

There was no suspense at all. The challenger lost immediately—though perhaps that was the biggest surprise.

Eli clasped one hand behind his back with a flourish. "Why don't you come up two at a time? It'll save time."

The crowd erupted in outrage. This bastard was far too arrogant!

Eli edged cautiously toward Professor Flitwick, but the professor's expression told him: Keep acting like that and I'll want to hit you myself.

"Two it is."

"We'll take you on."

The twins came up, trading lines like a comedy duo.

They waggled their eyebrows at Eli, and he couldn't help smiling.

Those two were helping him build his reputation. They knew they couldn't win, but they'd come up anyway to make his victory more convincing.

Sure enough, they lost just as they had last time.

The students around them were stunned. What kind of monster was he?!

A first-year had taken down two third-years?

Eli looked up at the ceiling, wearing the lonely expression of a man at the top, and let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Ah, it's lonely up here."

Holy shit. He was arrogant—and he knew how to show off!

The wizards below began scrambling to challenge him.

Some went up in pairs. Only a few older students still had enough pride not to team up.

But there were always shameless ones. Two fifth-years stepped onto the platform together.

The fight wasn't as simple as the others. They traded spells for two or three minutes before finally losing.

Of course, Eli hadn't gone all out. Ultimate Death really wasn't appropriate here.

And that was how he established his authority. All of Hogwarts was stunned: a first-year had challenged nearly half the school!

And he still hadn't lost. Not even two fifth-years together could defeat him.

Eli's reputation soared, and the Dueling Club became wildly popular!

New members poured in. The professors marveled at how much stronger the atmosphere of learning had become. Even the corridors were full of students discussing spells.

Final exams arrived. Perhaps thanks to the club, the students' Charms results were especially impressive, and Professor Flitwick couldn't stop smiling.

In Potions, Eli produced a nearly perfect potion and received full marks outright.

For Charms, Professor Flitwick even said that with Eli's ability, he would award full marks as long as he made no mistakes.

Eli did, of course, earn full marks. His performance was dazzling as ever.

In Transfiguration, Eli turned a teacup into an owl that flapped off into the air. Professor McGonagall awarded full marks without hesitation.

Only History of Magic gave Eli trouble. He guessed his way through it—after all, he'd spent class either daydreaming or sleeping.

So of all his subjects, History of Magic was the only one he barely passed.

The school's final exams were over, but the real final exam for the trio—and for Eli—was only just beginning!