'So, this really is combat training,'
Harry thought with growing excitement as he observed the various mannequins placed throughout the expanded office.
Adrian had created similar magical training dummies during previous practice sessions, and Harry remembered them well. Those dummies could simulate realistic enemy attacks and defensive tricks with impressive accuracy, providing vital experience without the genuine danger of facing actual aggressive wizards.
They were some of the most or even the only effective training equipment Harry had ever encountered.
However, something about the current setup didn't quite align with his previous experiences. Harry's eyes swept across the interior once more, taking in the sheer scale of the prepared space with increasing puzzlement.
'Was it truly necessary to use such an enormous area for usual combat practice?'
The magically expanded office now equaled the Great Hall in size, which seemed excessive for dueling exercises.
Could his next tournament opponent possibly be another massive creature comparable to the dragon he had faced in the first task?
The thought sent a thrill of anxiety through his nervous system.
No, that didn't make logical sense given the timeline and tournament structure. He still vividly remembered the cryptic lyrics of the merpeople's song that had emerged from his damaged golden egg: the clue clearly indicated that the second task would involve underwater challenges and retrieval of something precious.
Perhaps he would have to battle the giant squid that was in the depths of the Black Lake?
But that theory also collapsed under scrutiny. There wasn't a single drop of water anywhere in this office space, and there seemed to be no preparation for underwater combat scenarios.
Just as Harry's imagination began generating increasingly wild speculation about what bizarre challenge might require such preparation, Adrian finally completed his adjustments to the mannequins' positioning and turned his attention toward his waiting student.
"The specialized training session is about to begin," He announced with a warm smile showing genuine pleasure in his role as instructor. "I should mention that I invited Cedric as well, but after conducting a preliminary assessment of his current skill level, I decided that he didn't need any additional training."
"What?" Harry's eyes widened with genuine shock, his voice climbing slightly in pitch.
'Is Cedric really that good now?'
He didn't doubt Adrian's judgment for even a moment. If Adrian said that Cedric had already mastered whatever spells and dueling techniques they would be practicing today, then that assessment was almost certainly accurate.
This meant that Harry would need to work considerably harder to close the gap between himself and his fellow Hogwarts champion if he wanted to maintain any competitive advantage in the remaining tournament tasks.
"I also had Professor Flitwick's help in designing and enchanting these training mannequins," Adrian continued. "He told me that during his youth, he was regarded as an absolute master in this field."
Harry nodded with immediate understanding and respect. This information aligned perfectly with his existing knowledge of their Charms professor's background.
Professor Flitwick's status as a former dueling champion was well-known throughout the school.
"Let's begin the training immediately," Harry said excitedly, rubbing his hands together in anticipation while his eyes gleamed with the sharp focus. "I honestly can't wait to start learning these new techniques, Professor."
Seeing Harry's enthusiasm so high, Adrian couldn't help but feel gratified.
"Oh, before we actually begin the practice sessions," Adrian said as a thought suddenly occurred to him, and he reached out to push one of the blank mannequins in front of Harry's position,
"I'd like you to demonstrate your Transfiguration skills by conjuring an appropriate face onto this training dummy. You can create any facial features you prefer—anyone you like or find motivating, according to your preference. This will allow me to judge whether your transformation magic is sufficiently developed for more advanced applications."
Following this instruction, Harry noticed for the first time that the mannequin's smooth, bald head was indeed completely faceless and not even the basic outline of eyes, nose, or mouth had been etched into its surface.
Almost immediately, a wicked thought formed in Harry's mind, bringing a slight smile to his lips.
He drew his wand and gave it a precise, controlled flick while focusing his magical intention on creating a very specific set of facial features.
A stream of silver light shot from his wand's tip, striking the mannequin's head and causing its surface to ripple and flow like liquid clay. The magical energy began sculpting and shaping, creating recognizable human characteristics from the previously blank one.
Several seconds of intense effort later, a noticeably recognizable face with sharp, angular edges gradually solidified into permanent existence: pale platinum blond hair fell across the forehead, grayish eyes, and a pointed chin completed the obvious facial features.
Draco Malfoy stood in front of him.
Examining his creation with appreciation, Harry nodded with considerable satisfaction. Although many of the finer details remained somewhat crude and simplified, for someone of his current Transfiguration ability, the result was quite competent spell work.
Now he could barely contain his excitement about having an exhilarating duel with "Draco Malfoy".
However, when he turned eagerly toward Adrian to signal his readiness to begin, he discovered his professor wearing an extremely strange expression.
"Is something wrong, Professor?" Harry asked, feeling an ominous premonition beginning to form in the pit of his stomach.
"Oh, it's nothing particularly important," Adrian replied with obvious hesitation, his brow furrowing as he studied the Malfoy-faced mannequin with attention.
"It's just that... well, although the choice strikes me as somewhat unusual and unexpected, if this particular appearance genuinely appeals to you as a training partner, I guess I can respect your personal preferences in such matters."
Harry blinked several times in rapid succession, utterly confused by this cryptic response but decided to proceed with the expected combat training regardless of whatever concern was troubling his professor.
He immediately dropped into a proper dueling stance that Adrian had taught him during previous practice sessions, his feet positioned for optimal balance and mobility, his knees bent slightly to allow for quick evasive movements, and his wand pointed at the "Malfoy" mannequin's chest with firm accuracy.
Every muscle in his body coiled with readiness to dodge incoming spells and launch counterattacks at the first sign of magical attack from his training opponent.
"Wait just a moment, Harry," Adrian suddenly interjected, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder. "I believe you may have misunderstood the nature of today's training session."
Harry turned his head with visible confusion.
"Misunderstood?" He repeated with growing alarm. "Wait—isn't this supposed to be advanced combat training to prepare me for the tournament's remaining challenges?"
Adrian's expression shifted to something that could only be described as deeply awkward embarrassment. He suddenly realized that he had not explained the specific content and purpose of their training session, allowing Harry to make totally incorrect assumptions based on incomplete information.
The boy had naturally assumed this setup was for normal magical combat practice, given their previous training history and the approaching tournament task.
Deciding that demonstration would be more effective than lengthy explanation, Adrian stepped forward and raised his wand, activating the mannequin's enchantments with a precise spell.
Under Harry's astonished and horrified gaze, the mannequin suddenly came to life with elegancy. It performed an elegant spinning pirouette, and as it turned, formal dress appeared across its body in a deep green dress robe studded with silver stars.
The transformed mannequin then extended one hand toward Harry in a gesture of invitation to dance, its Malfoy facial features somehow managing to convey expectant patience.
"I apologize for not clarifying this earlier," Adrian said, barely managing to suppress the laughter that was ready to escape at Harry's expression of absolute shock and horror. "This specialized training is actually focused on teaching you proper ballroom dancing technique for the upcoming Christmas Ball."
For several long, uncomfortable seconds, the office fell into an eerie silence and Harry could hear his own heartbeat pounding in his ears.
He stared at that elegantly dressed "Malfoy" mannequin extending its hand in formal invitation, and his facial expression cycled through denial, disbelief, disgust, and finally settled on something resembling existential despair.
The thought of spending hours practicing intimate ballroom dancing with a magical dummy wearing Draco Malfoy's sneering facial features seemed like some bizarre form of psychological torture that would haunt his nightmares for years.
He would honestly rather face another dragon without his wand than endure such an experience.
Suddenly, a piece of information reappeared in his memory, and he spun toward Adrian with desperate hope for clarification.
"Wait just a moment!" He exclaimed. "Didn't you clearly say that these mannequins were designed by Professor Flitwick himself?"
"That's absolutely correct," Adrian confirmed with an enthusiastic nod, clearly not yet grasping why this particular detail had captured Harry's attention so intensely.
"Professor Flitwick told me with considerable pride that he was extraordinarily skilled at ballroom dancing during his younger years. The enchanted mannequins he designed for this purpose can simulate the responses and movements of various dance partners with remarkable realism and adaptability."
Harry's expression immediately transformed into something that could only be described as spectacularly complicated.
'Professor Flitwick truly is filled with surprising abilities,'
Though a small, irreverent part of his mind couldn't help wondering whether Professor Flitwick might have encountered certain practical difficulties in finding dance partners of comparable height during his dancing career.
But regardless of Professor Flitwick's remarkable background or the magical spells involved in these training tools, Harry felt absolutely certain about one thing: he could not and would not accept practicing ballroom dancing with a mannequin wearing Malfoy's hateful face.
The psychological damage from such an experience would probably be more devastating than any curse Voldemort might cast at him.
Adrian immediately perceived the depth of Harry's distress and responded with merciful understanding. With a light, casual wave of his wand, he dispelled the Transfiguration magic that had created those facial features.
The Malfoy mannequin's face immediately melted like wax exposed to flame, its features dissolved until only a smooth, blank surface remained.
"There we are," Adrian said with thoughtful gentleness. "You're welcome to try creating a different face now, Harry. Perhaps someone whose company you might find more... agreeable for lengthy close contact."
Harry released a deep sigh of relief, feeling as though he had narrowly escaped some terrible fate, and raised his wand once more while his mind raced through potential options.
'However, whose face should I use?
What about... no, no, no, absolutely not! She couldn't possibly...'
Harry felt himself becoming more and more flustered and anxious the longer he considered this seemingly simple decision. His mind kept circling back to one particular possibility that he desperately didn't want to inspect too closely, yet found impossible to completely dismiss.
Finally, recognizing that lengthy pondering was only increasing his nervousness, he made a somewhat impulsive decision and waved his wand casually, as if the choice required no particular thought or emotional investment at all.
Silver light flashed from his wand tip once again, and the mannequin's blank facial features began to transform. The harsh angles softened into more delicate outlines, black hair appeared and fell in gentle waves around the emerging face, a pair of bright eyes slowly opened with an expression of gentle warmth, and the corners of the mouth curved into a subtle smile.
"That shows very nice aesthetic sensibility," Adrian commented with an approving smile, though he suspected rather strongly that this newly created face had more than a passing resemblance to Cho Chang.
Harry released another sigh, though whether from relief or residual anxiety remained unclear even to himself.
He felt considerably more nervous in this moment than he had when facing the Welsh Green dragon during the tournament's first task.
"I sincerely hope you're as prepared as possible for this experience," Adrian said with suppressed amusement. "To help you relax and become more comfortable with the dancing environment, I've taken the liberty of creating an appropriately atmospheric setting for our practice session."
The moment those words left Adrian's mouth, Harry felt the office surroundings begin to blur and shift around him with disorienting speed.
In what seemed like the literal blink of an eye, he discovered himself standing in the center of an absolutely magnificent ballroom that appeared to have been transported directly from some fairy tale castle.
Massive crystal chandeliers hung from an impossibly high ceiling, reflecting dazzling rainbow light throughout the space. Portraits in gold frames hung on the surrounding walls and a beautiful classical music flowed through the air.
"This illusion recreates the interior of the Beauxbatons carriage," Adrian explained. "I thought it would be very helpful for practicing dancing. Of course, everything you see here is purely illusionary. Only the floor beneath your feet and the mannequin partner are physically real."
Harry swallowed nervously, his throat suddenly feeling inexplicably dry despite the comfortable temperature of their environment.
Night fell across the Hogwarts grounds in its typical winter swiftness, and darkness devoured the castle long before most students had finished their evening activities.
The lengthy practice session had progressed very smoothly overall—provided one chose to completely ignore the damage inflicted upon the mannequin's shoes, which had been trampled, and stepped on.
Harry had to acknowledge, however reluctantly, that Professor Flitwick's enchanted mannequins had truly remarkable skill and patience.
Despite Harry being as clumsy as a newborn giraffe trying to cross an ice rink, the mannequins had maintained perfect composure and elegance throughout their entire practice session.
Of course, patience was somewhat irrelevant when dealing with a lifeless magical object that had no feelings of frustration or disappointment. One of the great advantages of training with mannequins rather than actual human partners was their complete inability to become angry, embarrassed, or exhausted by repeated failures.
When Harry finally left from Adrian's office and made his way back toward Gryffindor Tower through the darkened corridors, he felt considerably less anxious and self-conscious about the approaching Christmas Ball than he had when arriving for the lesson.
However, this brand-new confidence wasn't mainly due to any significant improvement in his actual dancing abilities.
Rather, his reduced anxiety came from an entirely different source: the revelation of dancing magic!
At the very end of their practice session, just as Harry was preparing to admit defeat and accept that he would inevitably embarrass himself at the ball, Adrian had taught him a remarkably useful specialized spell.
The spell was derived from a modified and improved version of the Tarantallegra curse.
However, Adrian's variation transformed this malicious magic into something genuinely beneficial. By using this enhanced dancing charm with proper technique and control, one could skillfully manipulate their own limbs to execute complex dance movements.
When Harry had asked with understandable frustration why Adrian hadn't taught him this incredibly useful spell at the very beginning of their session, thereby saving them both hours of awkward physical practice.
"I honestly forgot that spell existed until just now," Adrian answered with a careless shrug.
'What an absolutely careless answer,' Harry had thought with instant helplessness.
Well, at least he now had magical insurance against social humiliation at the Christmas Ball.
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