Sagres sat among the professors, and when the bolt of lightning tore through the sky, a flicker of understanding crossed his eyes.
"Thunder from the Sky..." he murmured thoughtfully, a faint smile appearing on his lips. "The Thunderbird House's signature spell, indeed."
His gaze shifted towards the Ilvermorny champion receiving cheers in the arena, and his thoughts drifted back to the brief period he had spent teaching at Ilvermorny several years earlier.
He had spent an entire year at that North American school of magic and was very familiar with its unique house culture and ancient magical traditions.
Each of Ilvermorny's four houses had its own foundations.
Thunderbird House commanded storms and thunder, valued adventure, and its most representative ultimate spell was the awe-inspiring "Thunder from the Sky."
Horned Serpent House symbolised wisdom and insight and specialised in healing and mind magic.
Its signature spell was a healing spell called "Life's Blessing," which could stimulate the recipient's vitality and heal severe injuries in a short period of time.
Pukwudgie House represented the resilience and creativity of the earth. Its members excelled at communicating with the earth and ley lines, and its most renowned spell was "Earth's Binding."
This spell could freely alter terrain within a certain range, construct barriers, or animate rocks. In essence, it could be used for both offence and defence, as stable as a mountain.
Wampus House, meanwhile, represented a warrior's courage and instinct. Its signature spell was an acceleration spell called "Swift Shadow Assault."
It was not a form of spatial movement like Apparition, but an acceleration spell capable of pushing the user's speed to its limit for a very short period of time. If combined with an indestructible penetration spell, it could become the nightmare of any wizard.
Each of these ancient spells represented one of the pinnacles of Ilvermorny's magical system, and the requirements for learning them were extremely strict. Few besides true geniuses could hope to master them.
The fact that Spud Kowalski could cast "Thunder from the Sky," even if only in an incomplete form, was enough to prove that he deserved to be Thunderbird House's champion.
Sagres pulled his thoughts back and refocused on the arena.
Spud's astonishing performance had undoubtedly pushed the competition to a new climax.
Discussion erupted throughout the stands. People were still talking about the earth-shaking lightning while becoming increasingly curious and awed by Ilvermorny's magical traditions.
Sagres himself had spent considerable effort studying those four great spells. His efforts had not been wasted, as he had become the third wizard in history to master all four simultaneously.
In reality, however, those spells were not particularly practical.
Take "Thunder from the Sky," for example. Its power was undeniably astonishing and certainly worthy of being considered a defining ultimate spell. But aside from using it against stationary targets, or in situations like today where one wanted to create a dramatic spectacle, its practical value in combat was almost nonexistent.
After all, its lengthy preparation time and need for precise guidance would be fatal weaknesses in a real wizarding duel.
Ludo Bagman's voice pulled Sagres back to the arena.
"The competition so far has been one thrilling moment after another, with every champion bringing us unexpected surprises! And now..."
He deliberately drew out the pause, his gaze sweeping towards the champions' waiting area, his face displaying a dramatic mixture of encouragement and concern.
"Let us welcome our next champion, the pride of Hogwarts, and also the youngest competitor in this tournament: Harry Potter!"
The reaction from the stands was complicated.
Gryffindor erupted into the loudest applause and cheers, while the other houses also offered encouraging applause. Mixed among them, however, were sceptical whispers and sympathetic glances.
At only fourteen years old, Harry Potter's still-boyish face looked somewhat out of place among the older champions.
Harry took a deep breath, his heart pounding like a drum in his chest.
He forced himself to step forward, leaving the small dark room and walking towards the centre of the arena.
He could feel thousands of eyes fixed on him. Some were filled with expectation, some with concern, and many more with doubt.
He walked up to the newly risen Duelling Stone Tablet, and the cold touch of the stone helped calm him slightly.
He placed his palm against it.
The stone tablet sank, and the arena transformed.
A scorching heatwave carrying the strong smell of sulphur and charred earth rushed towards him, completely unlike any of the previous environments.
The arena had become a desolate stretch of rugged volcanic terrain. The ground consisted of dark red rock riddled with holes, while hot steam occasionally hissed from cracks in the earth.
A few clumps of thorny black shrubs were the only vegetation, making the entire landscape feel oppressive and dangerous.
At the centre of the scorched ground, inside a massive nest crudely built from rocks, lay a creature that made everyone gasp.
A Hungarian Horntail.
It was one of the most dangerous and aggressive breeds of dragon.
Its ferocious appearance alone was enough to intimidate even the bravest wizard.
Thick black scales covered its enormous, muscular body like steel armour, gleaming with a cold metallic lustre beneath the simulated dark red sky.
Its back was lined with thick, bronze-coloured spikes that ran from its head all the way to the tip of its equally spiked tail.
Its wings were folded tightly against its sides. Their bat-like membranes looked far tougher than ordinary wings.
Most terrifying of all was its head. On its lizard-like face, a pair of fierce yellow slit pupils, like burning sulphur, were fixed on Harry.
Black smoke filled with sparks billowed from its nostrils, while a deep, threatening growl continuously rumbled in its throat.
"Merlin's fattest boxer shorts!"
Ludo Bagman's voice was filled with unprecedented tension, and he even forgot to control his volume.
"It's a Hungarian Horntail! One of the fiercest and most dangerous dragon breeds in existence! Look at those armour-like scales and those deadly spikes! Its fire has an exceptionally long range and tremendous power, and it's notoriously bad-tempered and aggressive!"
He paused, obvious concern filling his voice as it echoed through the silent arena.
"And our Harry Potter is the youngest of all our champions... This... this really is an unfortunate draw! Harry, my boy, you're going to need a miracle!"
The audience erupted into anxious whispers, with expressions of worry and fear spreading through the stands.
Hermione covered her mouth tightly, while Ron's face had gone pale as snow. Even Professor McGonagall, seated among the professors, clenched her fists, her lips pressed into a thin white line.
The Hungarian Horntail seemed thoroughly enraged by the surrounding noise and by the tiny creature standing before it.
It suddenly raised its head and let out a deafening roar. The tremendous sound wave nearly sent the rubble in front of the nest flying.
Its thick tail slammed heavily into the rocky ground, smashing out a shallow crater and sending fragments of stone scattering in every direction.
It curled its tail protectively around the eggs beneath it. Among several black dragon eggs lay the golden egg, gleaming enticingly.
Then its burning yellow eyes locked onto Harry.
Its massive body lowered slightly into an attacking stance, as though saying: Come closer, little insect, and I'll crush you.
Harry stood on the scorching volcanic ground, feeling as insignificant as a speck of dust.
Faced with this enormous nightmare of a creature, the hand gripping his wand was slick with cold sweat.
But in his green eyes, alongside the fear, burned a stubborn refusal to give in.
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