[Note: Read up to Chapter - 178 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
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"You can't seriously expect your enemies to only use the handful of spells you happen to know, can you?"
Aris shook his head in amusement.
Harry's complaint was painfully childish—even if he was only eleven.
"If someone threw the Killing Curse at you, would you still cry that it was cheating?"
"I just… I just feel…" Harry started, but the words died in his throat.
He knew well enough that his protest didn't hold water. Still, the frustration gnawed at him, leaving him bristling with indignation.
With a flick of his wrist, Aris floated Harry and Ron along behind him like balloons, continuing in the direction where Cho had launched her whirlwind.
But Cho had wit enough to learn from her mistake.
After her opening strike failed, she had pulled back swiftly and was already out of sight.
Even so, the effect of the detection spell still betrayed her position.
In Aris's perception, her magical signature stretched like a trail of autumn wind through the depths of the forest—the path clear as day.
"When it comes to real combat, you've got to do more than just suss out your opponent's position and intentions. You've got to conceal yourself properly too—only then can you strike from the shadows. Even beating a wizard stronger than you isn't out of the question…"
Aris's calm lecture carried through the trees, his voice ringing clearly enough for even Cho and Hermione, hidden some distance away, to hear every word.
By now, Cho had already regrouped with Hermione.
"What do we do? We can't even get near him!" Cho said, her expression tight. The whirlwind earlier had only been a probe, yet it had already shown them a glimpse of Aris's true strength.
And even that tiny glimpse was enough to make both girls feel the chill of despair.
They weren't even on the same playing field.
"We'll have to think of something. Remember, the victory condition is simple: any attack that lands counts. Doesn't matter what it is!" Hermione muttered, frowning deeply as she sifted through the spells she knew.
Slowly, a plan began to take shape in her mind.
"Forget about Luna for now. Our job's to keep Aris busy—give her the opening she needs!" Hermione whispered, before leaning in to murmur something else into Cho's ear.
Cho's brows knitted tightly as she listened.
"Are you sure about this?"
Hermione shook her head. "Not really. If this were a real fight, we wouldn't stand a chance against him. But the rules are different here. Maybe… just maybe, we can pull it off if we stick to the plan."
"…Alright then." Cho nodded firmly.
The two split again, moving cautiously towards Aris's position.
Meanwhile, Aris glanced at Harry and Ron, still floating helplessly in the air. He smirked and shook his head.
"Still holding back? Your friends won't last much longer. In a proper duel, they'd already be dead."
Before he could say more, a scorching flame lit up the distance.
A fireball came hurtling towards him with a sharp whistle.
Aris's smile widened.
"Found you."
With a casual flick of his hand, a shimmering shield appeared before him.
The fireball struck it head-on, fizzling out with barely a ripple.
But it wasn't over yet.
From the left, a whirlwind whipped up, while another flash of fire streaked in from the same direction as the earlier fireball.
The two attacks converged on Aris almost simultaneously—and then something remarkable happened. The fire caught the wind, and the once-small fireball, fuelled by the whirlwind, expanded into a blazing sea of flames that roared towards him.
"Oh? Now that's clever—combination magic!"
A flicker of surprise lit Aris's eyes.
He had underestimated Hermione and Cho. The two girls had come on leaps and bounds.
Even outdoors, such a spell would give a grown wizard trouble if he wasn't especially sharp.
It was hard to believe this assault had come from two eleven-year-old witches.
"Shame it still won't work on me."
Aris didn't even flinch. His shield from before shimmered back into place, effortlessly holding against the raging inferno. Within moments, the fire that could have set the whole forest alight fizzled out completely.
"Aris—try this on for size!"
Hermione's voice rang out from the front.
A heartbeat later, a volley of fireballs came screaming through the air towards him.
On the far side, Cho struck again—her whirlwind meshing seamlessly with Hermione's fireball, whipping the flames into another roaring blaze.
But this time, the target wasn't Aris himself—it was the trees surrounding him.
With the scorching heat and blistering spread of the flame-wind, the woods around Aris caught almost instantly, the whole area transforming into a blazing inferno.
"Well now… that's actually a bit of a surprise."
Aris stood calmly within his protective shield, Harry and Ron floating just behind him. Even as the fire raged on all sides, not a single tongue of flame could pierce the barrier. The sight left the boys utterly gobsmacked.
"You've even learned to use the environment to boost your magic," Aris said with an approving nod.
Then he lifted his hand and pressed down lightly.
A surge of deep-blue energy pulsed from his palm, sweeping across the entire clearing.
In an instant, the sea of fire guttered out, smothered completely by the wave of magic.
Water energy—always the perfect counter to fire.
Once again, Aris had effortlessly crushed Hermione and Cho's combined assault.
"Alright then," he said with a faint smile. "I've no interest in playing around any longer."
The boy's voice rang out again—and in the next instant, his figure blurred into a white streak, vanishing on the spot.
When he reappeared, he was already a hundred metres away.
Hermione, crouched behind a massive tree, barely had time to gasp before Aris's magic seized her. In a blink, she was lifted clean off the ground, floating helplessly in mid-air.
"All you ever do is levitate and hex people, don't you?" Hermione shouted in sheer frustration.
Thank Merlin she wasn't wearing a skirt today—she'd dressed for battle. If she hadn't, she'd have died of embarrassment with Aris toying with her like this.
What a straight-faced prat—an absolute idiot!
Her chest bubbled with indignation, and her glare sharpened until it practically bristled with needles aimed squarely at him.
If looks could kill, Aris would've lost the match right there.
"Alright, enough noise," Aris said with a weary sigh. He lowered her gently until she floated just half a metre above the ground, trailing behind him.
"So, that makes two left."
He strolled on without a care in the world, three sulky wizards bobbing after him like zombies on strings.
"It's over… Hermione's been caught too!"
From her hiding place, Cho could only watch in dismay.
Cho had no options left. Before she could even think of moving, a flash of white light flared before her eyes, followed at once by Hermione's scream. It all happened so quickly she hadn't the slightest time to brace herself.
"Still not running?" Aris's voice whispered right by her ear. "That's not the wisest choice, you know."
Before Cho could react, her body suddenly grew light. She floated upwards helplessly—joining three others already hanging there, their eyes full of misery and indignation.
Another one added to Aris's collection.
Then his gaze shifted forward.
He could feel it—the presence of Luna.
Just then, a sharp whistling cut through the air.
Aris looked up and saw a whirlwind rapidly forming. Its range was enormous—three or four times larger than the ones Cho had managed earlier.
But unlike Cho's tightly condensed spells, this one lacked cohesion. Its destructive force was far weaker.
"A revised version of Wind Whirl?" Aris murmured, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes. He hadn't expected Luna to pull something like this off.
But then his brow furrowed.
"…What's the point, though? There's no real attack power in it. It's nothing more than flashy special effects magic."
High above, as the great whirlwind took shape, the surrounding leaves were drawn into its pull.
They swirled and danced in the air, carried by the whistling wind, creating a scene that was almost… beautiful.
"Luna, are you putting on a magic show for me?" Aris called, tilting his head up.
By then, the little girl had already stepped out from behind a broad oak. She lifted her hand, straining to keep her magic steady—yet there was still a faint, dreamy smile on her face.
"Yes, brother. Pretty, isn't it?"
The words had barely left her lips before the whirlwind collapsed. The gathered leaves lost their pull and scattered wildly across the forest, drifting down in a colourful rain.
Aris chuckled, shaking his head. "Aye, it's lovely. But have you forgotten? We're supposed to be training, not playing about…"
Inwardly, he wondered if the girl was taking this exercise seriously at all.
"I know this is training," Luna said sweetly, clasping her hands behind her back as she skipped up to him. She pointed at a single leaf that had fluttered down onto his shoulder, her smile shining.
"See? My attack landed on you."
Aris blinked, caught off guard, then glanced down at the lone leaf resting against his robes.
Aris's expression shifted, amusement flickering in his eyes.
"So… this was your plan all along!"
At last he understood, and he couldn't help but chuckle.
With a light sweep of his hand, he brushed the leaf from his shoulder, then reached out to ruffle Luna's hair.
"Not bad at all—clever thinking! If that leaf had been laced with a hidden curse, I'd have been caught out for sure. Well then… you've just about scraped through."
Behind him, cheers broke out from the watching students.
Hermione and the others were completely won over by Luna's trick.
When the rest of them had been wiped out, it was Luna—the so-called weakest of the lot, who'd only just learned Wind Whirl—who had snatched victory for their side. It had to be said, her ingenuity had stunned every one of them.
"Luna, that was brilliant!"
"Aris never imagined he'd be beaten by a single leaf!"
"That's a proper plan—why didn't it cross my mind before?"
"This has to be the most entertaining bout of the whole training session, haha!"
Even so, Hermione added with a wry smile, "That said, we've got to admit it's more of a shortcut. If we're talking real strength, even all of us combined can't come close to brother…"
Luna simply beamed at Aris, her face glowing with open admiration.
"We all know… Aris is just too strong!" Harry said, his eyes burning with respect as he looked at the boy.
"I thought I'd been working hard enough, but now it's clear… I've still got a long way to go…" Hermione admitted, her face tinged with frustration.
Cho and Ron stayed quiet, but the looks on their faces—and the way their eyes followed Aris—spoke volumes.
"Alright, that's enough for today. This combat training ends here."
With a gentle wave of his hand, Aris lowered everyone safely back to the ground.
"Your performance has gone well beyond what I expected. I'm genuinely pleased to see your training hasn't been in vain—your strength has improved greatly."
He smiled faintly before continuing.
"Especially you two, Hermione and Cho. Your fighting instincts and timing in battle are already on par with, if not beyond, third and fourth-years at Hogwarts. Truly outstanding—you've made me proud."
Aris gave the pair an approving nod before turning his gaze on Luna.
"And you, Luna… your talent astonishes me even more."
His expression softened as he added, "To pull off wandless casting, and even manage an improved version of Wind Whirl… that's something many adult wizards couldn't dream of doing."
"You're the one who's surprised me the most out of everyone. Brilliant job!"
At last, Aris turned his gaze on Harry and Ron.
"You two might not be as sharp with magic just yet, but your selflessness is worth commending."
At that, Harry and Ron exchanged a glance—and both their faces fell flat.
"That's it? Figures… we really are the weakest…" Ron muttered, on the verge of tears.
"I'll do better next time—I won't go down that easily again!" Harry growled, clenching his fists as though he'd just had a shot of firewhisky instead of pumpkin juice.
"Alright, enough sulking. I've had a feast prepared—come on, let's celebrate your victory!"
Aris grinned at them, feeling rather pleased.
These youngsters… they'd be the pillars of the wizarding world before long.
And if they truly managed to grasp the heart of elemental magic before graduation—well then, there'd be no telling how far they could push the wizarding world's future. Nothing would be out of reach.
…
The next day.
Nicolas Flamel's safe house, Paris.
As soon as Aris stepped through the door, the old alchemist's eyes lit up.
"Little one, what kept you so long yesterday?"
"Senior Nick, I've been researching the teleportation magic circle lately and made some progress. Would it be alright if I tested it here with you?" Aris asked outright.
"Teleportation magic circle?" Nicolas Flamel repeated, staring at the boy in astonishment.
"That's ancient… something from a very long time ago…"
The old man drifted into his memories, his face marked with both surprise and puzzlement.
"But how on earth do you know about such an ancient, mysterious art?"
"I found it in an old book…" Aris brushed it off, not going into detail. "What I'd like to do is carve a sub-circle here. If it works, it'll make travelling back and forth far easier. Is that alright with you?"
Nicolas finally snapped out of his thoughts and nodded eagerly.
"Of course! I'd be delighted to see such an old secret technique put to use."
For someone who had lived over six centuries, Flamel was practically a walking history book of the wizarding world. Even so, the thought of magic circles clearly sparked his curiosity.
Before long, the two of them entered an empty chamber. With a flick of his wand, Aris cleared away the clutter in seconds.
"Can I lend a hand?" Nicolas asked, watching the boy set about his preparations.
"No need, sir, I'll have it sorted in no time!"
Unlike a main circle, the sub-teleportation array required a much simpler design.
Of course, this circle could only link to one place—Shafiq Castle. Meanwhile, the main circle at Shafiq acted as the hub, able to connect with multiple sub-arrays and serve as the core of the entire network.
"I can feel the magic humming through these lines…" Nicolas Flamel muttered as he watched closely. "But…"
Though a master of alchemy, Flamel had little grasp of magic arrays. He couldn't make sense of the intricate symbols Aris was inscribing, nor how such patterns—woven together—could unleash such power.
"The principle is much like the circulation of elemental energy," Aris explained, trying to put it in terms the old man would follow. "It's quite similar to alchemy in that sense. The difference lies in the array pattern itself and the way the magic power circulates through it…
"You could say it's akin to the ancient runes in alchemy, but entirely distinct in its structure."
Bit by bit, as Aris carved and refined, the prototype of the sub-teleportation circle took form.
When it finally gleamed in completion, its intricate lines glowing faintly with power, Flamel could only gape in awe.
"Beautiful… absolutely beautiful. One of the most stunning magical constructs I've ever laid eyes on!"
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Drop Power Stonessssssssss!
[Note: Read up to Chapter - 178 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]