Audrey blinked in surprise, then couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh.
She was reminded of a joke she once heard in Lenburg: a boy tearfully complained to his friends that a girl only dated him so he could tutor her and help solve her academic problems—only to have her break up with him without hesitation right after graduation.
At that moment, Edward hurriedly chimed in:
"Um, I'm very flattered that my Transfiguration skills are being recognised by everyone. And I also want to thank Miss Emily Larsson from Durmstrang for promoting this fact on my behalf in such a humorous and lively way."
"If I could, what I'd most like to do now is loudly declare: one hundred points to Durmstrang!"
He looked toward the Durmstrang students. "Just put it on the tab for now. When Durmstrang becomes the fifth house of Hogwarts one day, we'll make it official."
A few Hogwarts students burst out laughing.
Edward gave a slight bow. "Once again, thank you to our Durmstrang friends for your appreciation of Transfiguration. I'll make sure to share more of my own insights on the subject in future lessons."
Emily opened her mouth, wanting to speak again—but Edward didn't give her the chance.
"However, since this is Professor Snape's Defence Against the Dark Arts practical lesson, I hope everyone can stay focused. After all, no matter how skilled you are in magic, using it effectively in a real battle is what matters most."
"Let's continue with the duelling exercise—next pair, please!"
As he said this, Edward wiped the sweat from his brow, silently giving himself a thumbs-up for thinking on his feet.
But the moment he looked up, he found everyone staring at him with a strange look. Then came Lee Jordan's excited voice:
"Brilliant! Professor Edward has elegantly dodged Miss Emily Larsson's date invitation and, with a subtle twist, officially announced the duel between Emily and Audrey!"
"So now, may the two contestants take the stage and let us cast aside the previous drama to focus on the duel itself! Representing Durmstrang—the girl who was just rejected by Edward—Miss Emily Larsson! And her opponent, suspected to be Edward's official girlfriend—Miss Audrey Hall of Hogwarts!"
Lee Jordan, what the hell is wrong with you!?
"Woooo!!"
The crowd erupted in cheers.
Two girls in robes of different colours stepped onto the duelling platform. They bowed politely to each other, then drew their wands.
"Three, two, one!"
At the end of the countdown, both quickly cast Protego Totalum on themselves, then began exchanging standard spells—Petrificus Totalus, Tarantallegra, and Stupefy—probing each other's defences while circling and swapping positions on the platform.
"Incendio!"
Audrey flicked her wand forcefully, sending a stream of fire shaped like a dragon hurtling toward Emily.
Emily retreated swiftly. She countered with Aguamenti and a Freezing Spell, forming a thick wall of ice that blocked the flames. Immediately after, she cast a Weather Spell to cloak the stage in dense white fog.
Audrey responded instantly with a Ventus Expurgo to sweep away the mist—only to discover that the platform beneath her feet had quietly transformed into a muddy bog.
"Avis! Engorgio!"
Two or three dozen tiny birds flew out of her wand, instantly enlarged mid-air, and charged at Emily.
Taking the opportunity, Audrey summoned a table and transfigured it into a stone slab, laying it atop the swamp.
"Expelliarmus!"
She hurled a red spell—disguised among the giant birds—straight at Emily.
But just then, Emily's figure twisted and vanished. She had Apparated (allowed during class due to temporary lifting of anti-Apparition enchantments for practical training).
Audrey instantly cast Bubble-Head Charm on herself.
"Ventus Pulveris!"
A whirlwind of sand and gravel swept across the entire duelling stage. Emily reappeared only to be immediately bombarded by the gritty storm, forcing her to shut her eyes and stumble backwards.
"Finite Incantatem!"
"Collapsio!"
Emily first dispelled the flying debris, then sent a Crumbling Curse toward Audrey's side of the stage, followed by a rapid barrage of spells.
But the table Audrey had summoned earlier came in handy again. As the ground beneath her gave way, she quickly levitated the table and stood atop it, then retaliated without hesitation with her own Collapsio.
Boom!
A loud rumble shook the arena as Emily's side of the platform crumbled just as quickly. Even if she wanted to imitate Audrey and conjure a support object, it was too late.
Instead, she picked up her pace, repeatedly shielding herself with Protego as she dashed forward. In the final second before the floor gave out, she leapt and landed right beside Audrey on the floating table.
The two of them were now only a few dozen centimetres apart, each pointing their wand at the other.
"Beautiful! The duel between two stunning witches has ended in utter destruction—for the dueling platform's floor! And now, in this climactic moment, Emily seizes the initiative and leaps onto Audrey's conjured table!"
Lee Jordan's voice suddenly paused: "This is it! The battle's conclusion is imminent!"
But just then, both Audrey and Emily turned their heads simultaneously to look outside. A moment later, Snape stormed out of the room with a dark expression on his face.
"What's going on? Why did they stop?"
"What happened?"
"Snape suddenly ran out."
"…That explosion just now—it didn't come from Collapsio. It came from outside!"
"Something must have happened!"
Edward immediately restored the duelling platform and said loudly, "Everyone, stay calm. It's possible a professor was testing a new spell—or maybe Peeves is up to no good again."
Then he turned to Audrey. "Audrey, help maintain order. I'll go check it out."
"Alright. Be careful."
It was already past eight in the evening. In winter, night fell late, and with Hogwarts surrounded by deep forest—far from the neon and lights of any city—darkness loomed especially thick.
At this moment, however, the sky was suffused with a greenish glow, casting an eerie light over the grounds of Hogwarts.
As Edward stepped outside the castle and looked up, he saw a massive skull in the sky, formed from countless shimmering green stars. From the skull's gaping mouth extended a giant serpent, writhing like a tongue.
The image rose higher and higher, surrounded by glowing emerald smoke that lit up the night. Against the dark sky, it looked like a new constellation had been born.
It was the Dark Mark—the sign of the Death Eaters.
Soon, Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and others arrived one after another, each gazing skyward with grave expressions.
"Minerva, go quickly—take the students to the Great Hall."
"Understood!"
"Filius, assist Minerva. Just in case."
"No problem."
Once the orders were given, Dumbledore turned to Edward. "Where is Severus?"
"He disappeared the moment he dashed out of the classroom."
As he spoke, Edward drew a stick from his robes and performed Dowsing Rod Divination. "Professor Snape's location."
The rod tilted forward, floating steadily in one direction.
"Let's go!"
The two of them set off at once.
———
On the other side of the grounds, not far from the source of the Dark Mark, Snape found Karkaroff gripping his wand and looking terrified. Without a word, Snape punched him hard, knocking him to the ground.
"I knew it! You came to Hogwarts for something shady!"
"No! No!" Karkaroff stammered, panic-stricken. "I—I just arrived! It wasn't me—it was...it was the Dark Lord's followers! They've come after me—they're here to kill me!"
"Then get out of Hogwarts—immediately!"
"No! No, if I leave, I'll be dead within days. The only place those people wouldn't dare act is wherever Dumbledore is!"
"Oh, how flattering, Igor."
At that moment, Edward and Dumbledore walked up, the latter wearing a severe expression.
"Unfortunately," Dumbledore said as he looked at the Dark Mark in the sky, "it seems they no longer care whether I'm present."
Karkaroff's face turned pale with despair. "Albus, are you going to drive me away too? You promised! When I gave up the names of other Death Eaters, you promised to keep me safe!"
Dumbledore fell silent for a few seconds, then said, "It was Barty Crouch who made that promise. Not us."
After a pause, he added, "From now on, you will stay under Severus's watch every second until Alastor—Mad-Eye Moody—arrives to take over. I expect the Ministry will be here before morning."
Edward frowned. "Isn't the Ministry election coming up soon? For something like this to happen at Hogwarts right now—it's almost too convenient."
Karkaroff immediately bristled. "What did you say, you brat?!"
"Silence."
With a flick of his wand, Edward vanished Karkaroff's mouth, then continued, "So…is it that Fudge ordered someone to pose as a Death Eater to cast the Dark Mark? Or is he truly in league with them—perhaps even with Voldemort himself?"
"No."
Dumbledore shook his head. "I don't believe Cornelius would ally with Voldemort. Not because I trust his character—but because he knows full well that siding with the Dark Lord would only reduce him to a puppet. And even then, his life would hang by a thread. He craves power…but he fears death even more."
"Then maybe it was some pure-blood family acting in secret?"
"Hmm."
Dumbledore turned to look at Karkaroff, who was now glaring furiously—his face twisted in rage but still silenced. "Still, I do wonder—this happening just a day after Igor's arrival from Durmstrang…coincidence, or something more?"
At that, Edward ended the spell.
"Then perhaps Headmaster Karkaroff would care to enlighten us?"
"You…"
Karkaroff gave Edward a wary look, then turned pleading eyes to Dumbledore. "Albus…I swear I know nothing. After so many attacks, I just wanted to find a reason—any reason—to come to Hogwarts and save my own skin."
Then as if suddenly remembering something, he exclaimed, "Wait! If you don't believe me, go ahead—use Legilimency!"
Even before the words had fully left his mouth, Edward had already invaded his mind and begun sifting through his memories. Moments later, he rubbed his temples and shook his head toward Dumbledore and Snape.
"What I saw in his memory matches what he said."
Snape sneered, "Hmph. Occlumency that skilled wouldn't be hard for a former Death Eater to learn."
Dumbledore paused in thought for a moment, then said calmly, "Let's wait and see."
He even smiled slightly. "To be honest, I'd prefer it if Fudge was the one behind this."
Edward raised a hand. "I have an idea."
"If the Death Eaters really are after Headmaster Karkaroff, we might as well use him as bait—draw them out, capture them all in one swoop. Then everything will be clear."
Karkaroff recoiled as if electrocuted. "You're insane!"
Dumbledore and Snape both nodded. "It's worth trying."
"…"
Karkaroff stared at them in shock. "You're all insane! I never should've come to Hogwarts. I should've found some forest in the mountains and gone into hiding."
Edward glanced at him sideways. That's exactly what you did in the original timeline…and they still found you—dead in a cabin with the Dark Mark above it.
He flipped a Galleon in his hand. The number faced up—confirming it: Karkaroff hadn't cast the Dark Mark.
Then who had?
He turned to Dumbledore. "Professor, I need to conduct a divination check on every Durmstrang student who came to Hogwarts."
"Hmm. I was thinking the same thing."
———
Half an hour later, Edward finished the divination. The Durmstrang students were clean.
Which meant the suspect was someone inside Hogwarts—and that would take more time to investigate.
When Dumbledore heard the results, his expression darkened.
"…Let's hope it wasn't a pure-blood family sending their own child to carry out such a task."
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.