The Moment of Reckoning Between the Lion and the Serpent (III)

Crabbe stood about two steps in front of Draco. From the moment Lockhart announced the start until now, he had merely stood there with his feet apart, completely motionless. His wand was tucked into the wand holster at his waist, his arms folded across his chest as he stared boredly at Harry and Ron opposite him. Judging by the way he turned to grin and joke with Goyle, who was egging them on from the stands, he seemed to have no intention of making the first move.

He had merely layered several Iron Armor Charms over himself and called it a day. His Iron Armor Charm differed from the ones Harry had seen before. It was closer to the kind Severus Snape and Professor Lockhart had used in their duel—not the sort that gleamed brilliantly and drew the eye at once, but a protective spell that clung almost flush to the skin and was impossible to notice without looking closely.

The instant his wand tip lit up, a thin, water-film-like layer of light spread downward from his head, covering his shoulders, chest, and arms before vanishing into the folds of his robes. The light was so faint that Harry and Ron, standing opposite him, did not notice it at all. Only Lockhart and Snape in the front row of the stands caught that brief flicker.

But just how thick that faint protective charm was, perhaps only Harry and Ron standing before him could truly understand.

Harry had tried several times. After helping Ron block Draco's Rictusempra, he had fired several probing Stunning Charms at Crabbe. He wanted to see how this hulking man, who had been grinning and joking all along, would react.

The blue light of the Stunning Charm flew straight at Crabbe's chest. Crabbe had no intention of