But he did not panic.
Professor Douglas's words rang clearly in his mind.
"When your eyes and ears deceive you, trust your body. Trust your sword."
Neville closed his eyes.
He gave up sight and hearing.
He immersed all his senses in the manipulation of his own magic as a wizard.
He could feel the movement of the air.
He could feel his opponent's breathing growing heavy in his haste to win.
He could feel the faint breeze stirred by the raising of his opponent's wand.
Now!
The breeze from his opponent's rising wand set Neville's nerves tingling.
Now!
Neville's eyes snapped open, all gentleness gone, leaving only the sharpness of a lion's gaze!
He did not chant a spell, but stepped forward first!
His foot crushed the grass, power surging from the earth into his waist, then into his sword arm.
Man and sword became a single bolt of lightning tearing through the air!
"Expelliarmus!"
What he roared was the most basic Disarming Charm.
But the timing, speed, and angle of this spell were nothing short of perfect.
Ivanov did not even have time to react.
His hornbeam wand flew from his hand, traced an arc through the air, and landed on the grass in the distance.
Everyone fell silent.
The tip of the practice sword in Neville's hand gleamed coldly.
It stopped, perfectly steady, less than an inch from Ivanov's throat.
The cold gleam of Neville's practice sword reflected Ivanov's face as it turned from red to white.
A deathly silence hung over the entire shore of the Black Lake.
Then, like a volcano erupting-
"Neville!!"
"You did it!!"
The Gryffindor students erupted in an instant.
They broke through the crowd and surged toward Neville.
Harry and Ron led the charge, one on either side, clapping Neville hard