"Huh? Tris disappeared. Was that a Disillusionment Charm? Or an invisibility spell? Surely teaching students spells like that is strictly forbidden? Hmm, perhaps not?" Though Bagman had been a Quidditch player in his youth and had become a gambling layabout with age, he still retained his basic magical competence. He immediately noticed that the arena lacked the magical fluctuations usually associated with a Disillusionment Charm.
"Why does it seem as though Tris really isn't in the arena anymore?"
It was not just Bagman. Nine out of ten spectators looked utterly bewildered.
"Look at the ground! The shadows on the ground!" a startled cry suddenly rang out from some corner of the stands.
Only then did everyone look at the shadows in the arena.
They discovered that a layer of gray mist had settled over the ground at some point. On closer inspection, they could make out something resembling a human silhouette moving within it.
"Is that... shadow magic?" quite a few knowledgeable spectators exclaimed.
Shadow magic was extremely rare, but it was hardly so obscure that no one recognized it.
Hearing their cries, Bagman caught on as well. He could not use shadow magic himself, but he knew something about it. "Merlin's beard, could this really be shadow magic? Yes, yes! Look, everyone-that shadow must be Tris. He's sneaking toward the dragon.
"This is incredible! That must be... an advanced form of shadow magic, the shadow realm, right? Merlin's beard, I can hardly believe my eyes. It's outrageous enough that a boy not yet fifteen can use shadow magic, but he can even open a shadow realm?"
Bagman was not the only one marveling at this. Many wizards wore equally astonished expressions.
Some wizards, however, looked as though they had expected this all along.
Tris had used shadow magic to