The Collapse Charm struck the ground precisely beside the Death Eaters' feet.
The ground caved in with a roar. Stone and earth sprayed everywhere, and several Death Eaters lost their footing and fell into the pit.
Will waved his left hand. A mass of earth and stone flew into the pit and hardened into a single block of concrete. At the same time, he swung his wand toward the other side and shouted, "Expelliarmus!"
A Death Eater's wand flew from his hand. His eyes widened in terror, and he turned to run, but Will's next spell was already upon him.
"Petrificus Totalus!" Will shouted.
The Death Eater toppled to the ground, motionless. Will's spellwork was clean and sharp, without a single wasted movement.
Victor had just dealt with the enemy in front of him. When he turned and saw it, surprise flashed in his eyes.
As Victor saw it, Will had a solid grasp of combat spells. For a student who had just finished his third year, using them so cleanly in a real fight was impressive.
What more could he ask? Was he supposed to expect Will to have mastered Nonverbal Spellcasting and Wandless Magic already, and to take down a Death Eater with a wave of his hand?
But Victor had no time to praise Will. The second wave of Death Eaters was already closing in.
There were more of them this time, at least twenty. They seemed somewhat organized, splitting into three groups to attack from different directions. One group charged straight for the center of the line, where Victor and Will stood.
"Fall back, Will!" Victor shouted, sweeping his wand through the air. "Oppugno!"
A flock of magical birds poured from his wand tip and hurtled toward the charging Death Eaters. But they were ready. One