31 July 1995. Morning.
Voldemort entered the cellar. "How's the food, Harry?"
Harry was sitting at the table in the middle of the room. He looked up from his plate and noticed Voldemort entering the cellar.
Harry looked at the clock on the wall. Today, Voldemort was early.
When Voldemort changed the cellar into a cozy room for Harry, the Dark Lord also included a clock for Harry to keep track of time.
"Um, it was... it was great," Harry replied, his mouth full of food.
Closing the door behind him, Voldemort took out his wand. "Finish it, then we will do another lesson."
Harry nodded and ate the rest of the food on the plate. When he finished, he pushed aside the table and put it against the wall.
Voldemort raised his wand, and with a swift movement, he cast a spell.
First, from the ground, three huge rocks were formed. Then, the rocks began to shift and transform, reshaping into crude humanoid figures made of stone. Once the transfiguration was complete, the rocky humanoids started moving, their movements jagged and unnatural.
"Now, Harry," Voldemort said, retrieving Harry's wand. "These are your opponents. They won't be as forgiving as the training dummies you've been practising before. Defend yourself." When he finished talking, Voldemort threw the wand in Harry's direction.
The boy raised his hand and caught it without issue.
As soon as Harry got the wand, he waved it and pointed it at one of the rocky opponents. The three rocky humanoids were zigzagging, not allowing Harry to have an immobile target. Harry's eyes were fixed on his target, the 'wand' in each opponent's hand.
While Harry prepared himself to cast a spell at the opponent on the left, he saw from the corner of his eye a dark spot approaching. Harry had only the time to dodge with a forward roll on the ground to immediately get up. A rock crashed in the place where he was a little earlier. On instinct, Harry just swung his wand to the left and cast the Petrificus Totalus spell at the hidden rocky humanoid that had thrown the rock.
'Tch', Harry moved on immediately on seeing his spell had missed. But Harry did not have a chance to breathe as one of the rocky opponents launched a rocky spike. Unlike the first attack, Harry noticed the projectile too late and was only able to rely on his reflexes to perform a quick sidestep. The spike moved at incredible speed, gazed at Harry's cheek, and continued until it crashed against the wall behind.
The moment the rocky spike collided with the wall, Harry instinctively moved his hand to his cheek. He could feel the warmth of his own blood on his fingertips. The cut, though not deep, stung as he withdrew his hand from the injury.
Voldemort, observing the exchange, decided to help Harry. "In a real duel, Harry, injuries are inevitable. You can't afford to let a minor wound distract you. Focus on the task at hand."
Determined, Harry nodded, wiping the blood from his cheek with the back of his hand. The metallic taste lingered in his mouth as he redirected his attention to the remaining opponents. The rocky humanoids continued their unpredictable movements.
Voldemort, sensing Harry's resolve, inclined his head. "Good. Now, adapt to the situation. Think strategically. Use the environment to your advantage."
Taking a moment to assess his surroundings, Harry noticed the shattered spike. Harry began to run and shouted while pointing at the broken rocky spike. "Wingardium Leviosa."
The shattered spike came under Harry's control and rose up from the ground. Using his wand, Harry guided the spike movement and threw it at one of the rocky opponents. But Harry was not foolish enough to believe that this was going to cause any harm to such a rocky opponent. What Harry wanted was what step the rocky humanoid would take next. As the spike approached, it escaped to its left, exactly as Harry wanted. And this time, Harry was ready and swung his wand on the spot. "Expelliarmus".
*POP*
The rocky wand that was in the opponent's hand got knocked, and the rocky humanoid became inactive and slowly reverted to its original form, an irregular oval rock.
Harry felt a rush of joy as the first rocky opponent was immobilized. The satisfaction of successfully disarming his opponent fueled his determination. However, he knew there was still more to come as he observed the movements of the remaining rocky humanoid.
Then, as if a puzzle piece falling into place, Harry remembered. There were three rocks Voldemort transfigured, but he had not seen the third one during the entire encounter.
The absence of the third rocky opponent had not been an oversight but a deliberate strategy set by the dark lord. Harry glanced around, searching for any sign of movement, any clue as to the whereabouts of the missing opponent.
Then, a shadow began to grow beneath him. As Harry looked up, his heart pounded in his chest. The third rocky opponent, cunningly concealed, had leaped from above, descending upon him like a silent avalanche.
Instinct kicked in. Harry had only a fraction of a second to react. The wand in his hand flicked upwards, and he uttered the incantation with urgency, "Bombarda!"
The force of the spell erupted in a burst of magical energy, creating a shockwave that rippled through the air. The rocky opponent, mid-descent, collided with the explosion. Stone fragments were scattered in all directions, and Harry shielded his face with his arms to protect himself from the debris. As the dust settled, he could feel the vibrations from the blast still resonating through the air.
The third rocky opponent lay shattered on the ground, its pieces scattered across the cellar. Harry's spell had been successful, but he knew it was a close call.
"Now only one left," as he looked at the last standing opponent. It was the same one that initiated the first attack when it threw a rock at Harry at the start.