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In the elegant corner of the grand reception hall stood Loki, wearing a smug, provocative grin. He was staring straight at the silent Augustus.
Contempt burned in Loki's amber eyes—he couldn't believe someone could be provoked to this extent and still show no reaction. This was how the heir to the Julius family behaved?
Didn't he understand that family honor came above everything else?
Sometimes, even if you knew you were going to lose, you still had to step up—for the family. For those born into big-name wizarding families, this was an unspoken rule they were all raised to follow.
"Well, if it isn't the Adams family's little cripple," came a mocking voice.
"Shouldn't you be at home leaning on your cane like a good little boy from a noble family?
What are you doing out here barking like a stray mutt? You seriously think those few scraps of magic you learned at home are enough to challenge Lord Augustus?"
It was Malfoy, striding up behind Augustus with a smirk on his face.
The moment he spoke, all the boys behind Loki paled, instantly shooting him nervous glances. Everyone in their circle knew that "cripple" was Loki's trigger word.
Years ago, some kid from a powerful family—one just as influential as the Adams family—had dared to call Loki that. The result? Loki tortured him with dark magic so badly that he had to be carried off to St. Mungo's in critical condition. Since then, even Loki's closest followers had never dared say that word to his face.
"When did the only son of the Malfoy family become the Julius family's pet watchdog?" Loki's grin faded, his voice now low and icy.
"Dog? Where?" Malfoy laughed, grey-blue eyes twinkling. "'Cause I'm looking at one right now. A weak little mutt yapping at people without knowing his place!"
"Big talk," Loki sneered. "If you think I'm weak, why don't you come find out for yourself? But don't say I didn't warn you—once you agree to a duel, whether or not you'll leave this field in one piece isn't something I can promise."
No surprise, Malfoy didn't hesitate to accept. Honestly, after defeating Harry, his hands had been itching for a real fight. And nothing irritated him more than someone acting even cockier than he did—especially Loki.
As for Augustus, he thought dueling with a kid who hadn't even started school yet was beneath him. That's why he didn't respond to Loki's provocations—he just found the whole thing boring.
Now that Malfoy had volunteered to handle it for him, well, that just saved him the trouble.
A group of boys made their way out onto the manor's lawn. The sky had darkened, and the silver glow of the garden lamps cast eerie reflections across the grass, adding a quiet chill to the air.
Loki and Malfoy stepped into a white circle drawn on the lawn. Both pulled out their wands. Malfoy kept a sharp eye on Loki, while Loki looked completely unfazed, like the duel's outcome had already been decided before it even started.
"Who do you think's gonna win?" Lillian asked nervously. "I heard Loki could already use powerful dark magic when he was really young. And since there's no rule against using dark magic in a duel... I'm really not feeling good about Malfoy's chances."
"Just knowing dark magic doesn't automatically make you a better wizard," Augustus replied confidently.
"The most powerful wizard alive—Dumbledore—is the ultimate example of someone who uses white magic. Malfoy might act like a smooth-talking slacker, but he's got real experience when it comes to dueling."
Malfoy had actually trained under Augustus for a while. It wasn't long, but Augustus was sure it was more than enough to deal with someone like Loki.
Loki still looked calm and indifferent. After signaling one of the boys behind him to start the match, he lowered his wand slightly, as if waiting for Malfoy to go first. In wizard duels, getting the first move was usually crucial.
Wizards had developed countless tricks over the years just to gain that advantage. But here Loki was, giving up the first move without a care in the world—he was basically saying Malfoy wasn't worth worrying about.
Malfoy didn't get mad. He just quickly analyzed his positioning, then shouted a spell and launched a stiffening curse straight at Loki. The plan was simple: control movement, break defenses, then unleash a barrage of damaging spells. If he could link the attacks smoothly, Loki wouldn't stand a chance.
"Protego Totalum!"Loki reacted instantly. The moment Malfoy cast his spell, Loki had already raised his defenses. This wasn't like dueling Harry for the first time—Loki knew these types of restricting spells had to be avoided at all costs. He absorbed the hit cleanly, showing his experience and magical stamina.
"Swiftstep!"Malfoy cast a movement buff on himself next—basically a speed-boosting charm he'd picked up from Augustus. Over the past couple of months, Augustus had also taught him various low-tier spells from other magical worlds. They weren't powerful, but they were super practical for duels like this one.
Loki's expression shifted slightly as he watched Malfoy dart around the ring with surprising speed. A first-year student had that kind of spell? Loki had self-studied all the way to third-year Hogwarts material and still hadn't seen anything like this.
Meanwhile, Malfoy was circling fast, casting spells at Loki from tricky angles. But no matter what he threw at him, Loki always managed to deflect them with defensive charms. His reaction time and magical energy were clearly top-tier.
"Annoying little bug," Loki muttered with irritation. He waved his wand and cast a high-level Disillusionment Charm. His figure shimmered and vanished from sight.
Malfoy froze. He hadn't expected Loki to be able to use an Auror-level spell like that at his age. Just like that, the tide turned. Loki was now hidden, and Malfoy was out in the open. Loki had seized the upper hand.
Malfoy tensed, watching his surroundings carefully, ready to cast a shield at any second.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
A deep voice echoed through the ring. Loki appeared out of nowhere, and a flash of red light slammed into Malfoy before he had time to react, locking him in place. He'd been ready—but he hadn't expected Loki to appear so close.
At that range, he hadn't had time to do anything.
Now frozen, unable to move, Malfoy stared helplessly as a cruel, wild gleam flashed through Loki's eyes. A powerful surge of magic burst from him—Augustus's expression immediately turned serious.
That energy was dark, very dark. Disgustingly dark.
"Cruciatus!"
A beam of sickly yellow light shot from the tip of Loki's wand and sped toward Malfoy.
"....."