"But what if I pull this out, huh? How would you handle that, Your Excellency?"
"I can't believe it! How could a nobody like Lockhart possibly beat Bexas?" Ron stared, dumbfounded, as the referee announced the winner.
He just didn't get it.
"Bexas's card skills are as good as mine!" Ron said, utterly baffled. "Was it just dumb luck?"
Bexas from Ravenclaw was a master of his cartoon mythology-themed deck. Most people didn't stand a chance against him.
"Leonardo," Malfoy said with a patronizing tone, like he was lecturing a child, "everyone's got their strengths. You can't keep judging people with the same old lens. Our dear professor's got a thick skin and a sharp mind."
Ron bristled at Malfoy's condescending attitude. He was already planning to give him a proper thrashing later. But he had to admit, Malfoy wasn't wrong about one thing—Lockhart's skin was thicker than a Blast-Ended Skrewt's hide.
Still, Malfoy had a point. Sure, Lockhart might be all talk now, but that didn't mean he was talentless. After all, the man had graduated top of his class at Ravenclaw.
Meanwhile, Neville had also clinched a victory. His deck revolved around magical plants, a perfect fit for his green thumb.
Ron's deck, on the other hand, was prophecy-themed. Its biggest quirk? It was all about luck. When fortune was on his side, Ron's deck was like a charmed spell—unstoppable, mowing down opponents like a rampaging Hungarian Horntail. It was easily one of the strongest decks out there. But when luck turned sour? Even a half-baked, third-rate deck could leave him battered and bruised.
Today, luck wasn't on his side. His first match had dragged on forever, and he'd only barely scraped by.
Hermione had also won her match. Her deck was a complex, calculation-heavy hybrid that required serious brainpower to wield effectively.
Oh, and by the way, all the decks used by the disciplinary committee members were supplied by Dudley.
Dudley was the only one who didn't join the tournament. For one, he wasn't all that interested. For another, his deck was so ridiculously overpowered he didn't want to step into the ring and bully the younger kids.
With so many participants, the matches piled up quickly. Most of the young witches and wizards weren't exactly pros at Wizard Cards, so the games wrapped up fast.
A few hours later, the top eight were announced.
"The winner: Harry Potter!"
Harry was the first to advance to the final four.
His deck? Dark Magic. It was the most powerful deck in the game, hands down. But it was also the trickiest to master. You needed a deep well of knowledge about dark magic and potions to unlock its full potential. Without that, you'd fumble your cards and end up looking like a complete numpty.
Wizard Cards might seem like a simple game, but it was packed with magical knowledge. Only the best witches and wizards could truly bring out a deck's full power—and that was no exaggeration.
"No surprise there," someone muttered. "The dark magic combo Potter just pulled off? I've never even heard of it."
"That Fiendfyre Curse was intense," another added. "I think I heard about it somewhere…"
"Right! My dad mentioned it once. Only the most skilled dark wizards can control that terrifying flame."
"Potter's been holding back all this time," a Slytherin student whispered, their admiration for Harry growing. In their eyes, he was practically a full-fledged dark wizard now. If you tried to tell them Harry didn't know a single dark spell, they'd laugh in your face—about as much as they'd laugh if you said Mr. Dursley couldn't cast a spell.
The second to advance was—surprise, surprise—Lockhart. His deck was tricky, catching opponents off guard.
Third was Ron.
And the fourth? A total wildcard: Percy Weasley, Ron's older brother.
As for Malfoy, he'd faced Ron in the tournament. He'd set up the perfect strategy, slowly building his advantage, victory all but assured. Then Ron's luck exploded. A single, absurdly lucky draw led to a combo so unfair it swept Malfoy away. He was still fuming about it.
"Prophecy deck, my foot!" Malfoy grumbled. "That's just cheating!"
Hermione, meanwhile, had run into Harry. His explosive dark magic deck was the perfect counter to her calculation-heavy style. Losing was no surprise, but she wasn't too fussed about it. For her, Wizard Cards was just a fun way to pass the time.
Poor Neville had the worst luck of all. He went up against Lockhart and got completely outplayed by the professor's sneaky tactics.
"If nothing goes wrong, it's gotta be Harry or Lockhart taking the win," Dudley said matter-of-factly.
Ron's deck was too unpredictable. Unless he got a streak of insane luck, the championship was out of reach. Percy's deck, meanwhile, was solid but painfully average—fine against casual players, but against Harry or Lockhart? No chance. It wouldn't even hold up against Hermione, Malfoy, or Neville's decks.
Sure enough, things played out as Dudley predicted. The final four matches wrapped up quickly. Ron lost to Lockhart—Lady Luck abandoned him completely, and he couldn't draw a single card he needed. Lockhart dominated him. Percy, unsurprisingly, fell to Harry. Without any unique flair, his deck couldn't withstand Harry's relentless onslaught.
In the final match, Harry and Lockhart faced off across the table.
Harry won the coin toss, so he went first.
"My turn. Draw!"
"Summon—Dark Magician Girl!"
With Harry's call, a cute, chibi-style witch holding a wand materialized from the card. She was a fan favorite in the dark magic deck, adored by players of all ages. In the wizarding world, where photos moved and chess pieces smashed each other, it wasn't a stretch for a card to conjure a virtual image, right?
"Draw!"
Harry's luck was on fire. Right off the bat, he pulled two powerful hero cards.
"Summon—Dark Magician!"
"Activate the Dark Wizard's power—Combo Card: Fiendfyre Curse!"
A wave of dark, all-consuming flames poured from the Dark Magician's wand, spreading across the board in an instant.
"There it is! There it is! Potter's strongest spell!"
The crowd of young witches and wizards watching the match went wild.
This combo was Harry's ultimate lineup. (The three Unforgivable Curses hadn't been approved by the Ministry of Magic yet, so they weren't in the game.) It was practically a perfect opening hand.
Since the first turn didn't allow attacks, Harry played a card face-down and ended his turn.
But despite facing such a formidable setup, Lockhart didn't flinch. For once, he looked calm and collected, a rare sight. He'd drawn his deck's most powerful combo.
"I'll admit, Harry, your Fiendfyre Curse is impressive, and your Dark Magician is no slouch. But what if I play these character cards? How will you deal with that?"
With a dramatic flourish, Lockhart revealed his trump card.
"Summon—"