Chapter 118: Utterly Convinced [bonus]
Hermes stood frozen. He recognized the Knockback Jinx well enough, but he'd never imagined it could shatter a Protego.
Under normal circumstances, the jinx would bounce off a Shield Charm or cancel out against it. Regulus's version carried so much raw force that the barrier's structure simply couldn't hold.
In the half-second he spent processing that, Regulus's wand finally moved.
"Incendio."
A ball of flame hurtled toward him.
Hermes had no time to cast a second Protego. He didn't have the power for one anyway. He tried to dodge and couldn't.
He threw both arms over his head, squeezed his eyes shut, and braced for the end.
But the fire reached him and bloomed outward instead of striking, wrapping around his body like a shell. Then it flashed.
Blinding white light erupted across the arena. Cuthbert and Alex turned away simultaneously, eyes clenched shut.