Chapter 22. Duel begins!
The surrounding laughter grew louder, those contemptuous gazes cutting into Edward like knives. His hand holding the pumpkin juice paused slightly, a trace of coldness flashing in his grey-blue eyes. He did not get angry, nor did he retort. He simply moved his mind, and a tiny, thin flame shot from his fingertip, slithering like a spirit snake to the top of Bolo Selwyn's head.
"Sizzle - " With a soft sound, a patch of golden hair on top of Bolo's head instantly turned charred Black, emitting a faint burnt smell.
The entire room went silent instantly, everyone stunned. Bolo was dazed for a few seconds before he reacted. He screamed and jumped up, clutching his hair and glaring at Edward: "You dare burn my hair! I'm going to kill you!"
"Edward!" Lucius was about to scold him, but was stopped by Narcissa. Narcissa shook her head gently, a flicker of imperceptible amusement flashing in her eyes - this child, he was just like Regulus, hiding pride in his bones.
She walked forward slowly, a calm smile on her face, and clapped her hands gently, drawing everyone's attention: "Everyone, please stay calm, this is just a little joke between the younger generation." She looked at the crowd, her tone gentle yet carrying an unquestionable majesty, that innate aura of the House of Black. "I'm sure everyone remembers that pureblood families have an ancient tradition - when a new member returns, a small dueling match is held, which is both to showcase strength and to foster friendship."
She turned to look at Edward, a trace of encouragement flashing in her eyes: "Edward, there will be such a match after the banquet. If you have any anger in your heart, you may fully display your strength on the dueling grounds, but remember, stop at the appropriate point and do not injure anyone."
She then looked at Bolo, who was clutching his charred hair, her tone indifferent but carrying a hint of reprimand: "As for you, Bolo, as an upperclassman, provoking a younger student in public is beneath your dignity. You may seek justice on the dueling grounds. Just don't lose face for the Selwyn family if you lose."
A conflict that was about to erupt was lightly defused by Narcissa. Edward nodded slightly, the coldness in his eyes dissipating a little: "I understand, Aunt."
Bolo Selwyn stared at Edward, his eyes full of malice, gritting his teeth: "On the dueling grounds, I will definitely make you regret this!"
The atmosphere of the banquet livened up again, but no one dared to underestimate Edward anymore. Only, there was a bit more wariness in the gazes directed at him. Kreacher stood in the corner, trembling with excitement, his withered hands covering his mouth, fearing he might cry out, muttering incessantly: "Master Edward is amazing! Truly the son of Master Regulus!"
After the banquet ended, the guests moved to the dueling grounds behind the manor. Moonlight spilled over the grass, and a magical barrier enveloped the field, its pale blue light separating the grounds from the outside. Everyone gathered around, watching the center of the field with burning gazes.
Before the duel began, there were two friendly matches between pureblood juniors - the contest between Crabbe and Goyle was clumsy and ridiculous; the two only knew how to wave their wands and shout "Impedimenta," resulting in them colliding and falling flat on their backs, drawing bursts of laughter. The match between Pansy and Millicent was much more agile; Pansy, relying on a precise Expelliarmus, knocked Millicent's wand away and ultimately won. The warm-up matches eased the tense atmosphere a bit, but also made everyone look forward to the upcoming competition even more.
The warm-up ended, and Bolo Selwyn jumped onto the dueling grounds impatiently. He was wearing Slytherin senior robes, holding a brand-new yew wand, staring at Edward with venomous eyes, wishing he could swallow him whole: "Kid, come up and die!"
Edward walked slowly onto the dueling grounds, holding the oak wand left behind by Regulus. The wand body was warm and smooth, bearing the marks of time. He looked at Bolo, the corners of his mouth curling into a cold arc: "I advise you to know your limits."
The corners of Bolo's mouth curled into a contemptuous smile - dealing with a freshman about to enter school was simply child's play. He planned in his heart to cast a few prank spells to make this kid make a fool of himself in public, and then crush him with vicious spells to salvage the face he lost when his hair was burned.
"Enough talk! The duel begins!" Bolo shouted, attacking first. He pointed his wand directly at Edward and chanted rapidly: "Tarantallegra!"
A purple light flashed, carrying the power to force the victim to dance uncontrollably. Bolo stared at Edward, his eyes full of mockery - he wanted to see if this Muggle-raised kid would make a fool of himself.
Edward's eyes narrowed, his wrist flicked slightly, and his wand traced a precise arc. He shouted in a deep voice: "Finite Incantatem!"
A white light, like an invisible barrier, completely neutralized the purple spell.
Bolo's smile froze on his face, a flash of surprise in his heart - this kid actually knew how to counter-curse? But he quickly calmed down; it was just luck. He immediately switched spells, his tone even more arrogant: "Leg-Locker Curse!"
A yellow light shot toward Edward's legs, attempting to lock his ankles together.
Edward had been prepared. He tilted his body slightly, nimbly dodging the spell's trajectory, while a wisp of flame rose from his fingertip, quickly wrapping around his wand - under the enhancement of the flame, the magic flow of the wand became even more rapid. He seized the opportunity to counterattack: "Impedimenta!"
A transparent magical barrier rose instantly, firmly blocking Bolo's next wave of attacks.
Bolo's face darkened, the contempt in his heart gradually fading, replaced by a hint of irritation. This kid was more difficult to deal with than he imagined! He no longer held back, directly unleashing a vicious spell, his voice carrying cruelty: "Serpensortia!"
A dark green light flashed from the tip of his wand, and a pitch-black snake shot out, flicking its tongue and lunging at Edward like an arrow.
A gasp erupted from the audience, and Pansy couldn't help but cover her mouth - this spell was quite aggressive; Bolo was playing for real!
Edward, however, remained calm. Watching the lunging Black snake, his eyes were terrifyingly cool, and he clearly spat out three words: "Petrificus Totalus!"
The yellow light hit the Black snake precisely. The snake instantly froze in mid-air, then fell to the ground with a "clatter," turning into a rigid stone statue.
Bolo was completely enraged! He hadn't expected this freshman to not only neutralize his spells but also counterattack precisely! Consumed by anger, he frantically waved his wand, hurling all his best spells at Edward: "Glacius! Petrificus Totalus! Impedimenta!"
Piercing ice shards, binding petrification light, and a solid magical barrier - three attacks followed one after another, their fierce momentum almost enveloping the entire dueling grounds.
The audience was silent, everyone holding their breath. Narcissa's hand clenched slightly, a flash of worry in her eyes; Lucius's brow also furrowed, his eyes beneath his platinum hair growing deeper.
Edward took a deep breath, completely fusing the power of the flame with the magic of the wand. He first erected a basic barrier with Impedimenta, then moved his mind, and the flame in his palm leaped onto the barrier, turning into a layer of orange-red flame armor - a dual defense of fire and magic, unbreakable!
The ice shards hit the barrier and instantly melted into water droplets; the petrification light fell on the flame armor without even causing a ripple.
"Impossible!" Bolo screamed, acting like a madman. He wanted to cast more spells, but found that his magic was more than half depleted, and his movements had become sluggish.