Show-Offs – Pt. 1/2
Draco walked through the damaged golems with absolute calm, his gaze drifting over the spears, swords, and scythes that pierced their bodies. His wand still rested in his hand, moving slightly as faint golden sparks flickered from its tip. With every step he took, gold coins continued to fall around him, marking his path.
"Grooowl."
From between the trees, metallic simians with massive teeth and claws leapt straight toward him. Draco simply lifted his gaze, his expression unchanged, before giving his wand a gentle flick.
The gold coins that had been falling to the ground began to shift, as if turning into liquid gold. In an instant, they reshaped themselves into pure golden daggers that shot directly into the chests of each golem. One after another, they collapsed to the ground with a dry, heavy sound, right in front of him.
Draco crouched slightly to examine them for a moment, watching with clear interest.
"Hmm. So they did reduce their defense," he said with mild approval.
Nicolas would obviously create things for the trial, but not ones that were truly dangerous for the students. At least, not lethal.
Meanwhile, Draco could hear the excited cheers coming from the stands, sounds he chose to ignore. He straightened up and continued on his way, while the gold coins kept falling from his wand, as if he were tracing a golden path forward.
…
"Oh, this is quite useful," Luciel said as he picked up the sword of one of the knight golems he had just defeated.
He tested the weapon's weight and balance for a brief moment, just as he tilted his head back to dodge a metallic fist that whistled past his face.
With a clean motion, Luciel sliced through the golem's neck with ease, then twisted the blade to send its head flying.
"Hmm. Lacks a bit of sharpness," he remarked, staring at the sword.
He crouched slightly without even looking behind him, just as what looked like a metallic lion pounced toward him. Luciel stabbed upward with both blades and closed the motion like a pair of scissors, cutting the beast cleanly in half. Then he stood up again as if it had taken no effort at all.
He looked around.
He was completely surrounded by at least twenty golems of all kinds. Some wielded swords, others massive metal gauntlets. There were lions and wolves, and even archers perched on the tree branches above, arrows aimed straight at him.
Luciel surveyed the scene with a faint smile as metallic fragments from fallen golems lay scattered all around.
He was now wearing what looked like improvised armor, pieced together from parts of his enemies, protecting the most vital areas of his body.
He spun the swords in his hands for a moment before his expression hardened. His face took on a colder edge as he settled into a guarded stance.
…
Boom.
Harry shook his hair slightly, dust falling from it after the explosion. In his other hand, he held three spheres that glowed faintly with a reddish light. Without giving it much thought, he dropped them behind him as if they were nothing.
He took a few steps forward, as though he were simply strolling through the area.
Behind him, more explosions echoed as metallic fragments flew off in every direction.
"Hmm. I think I'm lost," Harry said, calmly scanning his surroundings.
Then he frowned slightly as his gaze locked onto a specific point. Above the treetops, he could clearly make out a massive head rising into view.
Suddenly, the trees were forced apart as two enormous metallic hands shoved them aside. A gigantic golem pushed its way through the vegetation, advancing straight toward him. With every step it took, the ground trembled.
"Oh. No. Looks like I'm on the right path after all," Harry commented, looking up. There was no fear on his face, only interest.
"The master really went all out this time. Maybe a bit too much," he added with a small smile as, for the first time, he pulled his wand from his pocket.
…
Fleur moved carefully, watching in every direction while staying on guard. From time to time, she used invisibility spells to hide from the golems, avoiding combat unless it was absolutely necessary. And when she did engage, her attacks were quick, precise, and followed immediately by retreat.
That way, she conserved her energy for later, exactly as Hermione had instructed.
Hermione had created an entire strategy as soon as she learned what the trial would be like, seemingly guessing most of its nature. And when she later heard Sirius's full explanation, she realized Hermione had been right about nearly ninety percent of it.
That was why Fleur trusted the plan completely and continued advancing according to it.
A small, charming smile appeared on her face as she imagined the expressions of her cousin and the two annoying boys when they saw her arrive first. Especially Harry's face when he lost.
The thought made her smile widen slightly before she picked up speed, slipping through the shadows of the trees.
…
Meanwhile, in the stands.
"Show-offs," Daphne muttered as she watched the screens with an amused, mocking smile.
She could see Draco advancing calmly, using his golden magic to eliminate golems with effortless ease. Luciel fighting at high speed, dodging arrows and strikes while tearing each enemy apart with precise cuts. And Harry, walking without a hint of urgency, tossing explosive spheres in every direction without caring at all about the damage to the environment.
"Come on, Fleur, keep it up," Hermione said, watching Fleur move stealthily through the field, avoiding danger and conserving her energy just as planned.
As Daphne watched Fleur, she then shifted her gaze to Victor's screen and frowned slightly. There, Victor was fighting against a dozen golems, casting spells left and right to bring them down. Even so, every movement seemed to drain him more and more.
"Wow, this is actually amazing. Every champion is showing what they're made of, each one with their own combat style. That just means more fun for us. Did you really think this would be a simple magic test? Well, it looks like we were all wrong," Ludo shouted enthusiastically.
The crowd responded with cheers just as excited, watching how each champion advanced in completely different ways, using their ingenuity and playing to their greatest strengths.
"Oh? What's this? It seems Harry Potter is the first to encounter one of the guardians," Ludo announced, just as a massive golem appeared clearly on Harry's screen.
All attention focused on that moment.
More than a few people let out quiet, surprised breaths when they saw the sheer size of the guardian.
"Let me explain. There are six of these guardians roaming around the area, and each one is stronger than the last. At this point, the champions can choose to defeat it or change their route ah…"
Before Ludo could finish speaking, Harry had already pulled out his wand and shouted a spell. The incantation flew straight at the golem and exploded into countless fragments in a massive blast, leaving everyone completely speechless.
As they watched Harry calmly put his wand away again, most of them were still staring with their mouths slightly open in shock.
"That's the spell he used the first time he ever held his wand, right?" Daphne asked with an amused smile, looking at Hermione.
Hermione nodded with a slightly forced smile, clearly remembering the time Harry had accidentally blown apart a massive rock while showing her his wand.
Suddenly, Hermione seemed to notice a noise nearby. She turned her head and saw Billy running after Red, trying to hold him back with a leash, though he was clearly the one being dragged along. She chose to pretend she hadn't seen anything and returned her attention to the screens.
…
Pum.
Luciel dodged an enormous sword, larger than his own body, leaping to the side and rolling across the ground. He pushed himself upward and jumped directly onto the blade, using it as a path to reach the head of the giant golem. From there, he slashed horizontally with both swords.
The massive golem began to tremble, showing clear signs of malfunction, while Luciel fell toward the treetops. He sheathed one of his blades and used his free arm to grab onto the branches, cushioning his descent. He jumped from branch to branch until he finally landed on the ground.
The golem shook its head from side to side several times before finally shutting down and collapsing forward, sending up a violent explosion of dirt.
"Phew," Luciel wiped the sweat from his forehead before sheathing his remaining sword and continuing on his way, walking past the enormous inert body.
…
A gigantic fist shot straight toward Draco, who stood perfectly still, watching the massive golem attacking him with a serious gaze.
Draco swiftly moved his wand over his head, tracing a circle around himself. The golden weapons surrounding him, along with all the coins marking his path, turned into liquid gold and surged forward, forming a massive golden shield.
Pum.
The golem's punch slammed into the shield, leaving a clear imprint of its fist on the surface. Draco pointed toward the center of the shield with a precise flick of his wrist. A small golden vortex formed there before suddenly shooting forward as a sharp golden spear.
The spear pierced straight through the golem's enormous arm, using up all the gold from the shield. At the same time, golden spikes erupted from inside the arm, completely destroying it. The limb crashed to the ground with a heavy thud.
Before the golem could react, Draco snapped his wand upward. One of the spikes still embedded in the fallen arm tore free and shot directly into the golem's face.
The colossus fell, defeated.
Draco observed it for a brief moment, without any particular emotion, before continuing on his way.
…
Victor had regrouped with his partner, Marton, and together they faced a guardian golem wielding two massive axes. They split up, attacking from opposite sides, firing spells at its legs to limit its mobility.
For a brief moment, the golem dropped to its knees. Victor seized the opportunity and cast a spell that turned the ground into a thick, sticky mire, preventing the guardian from standing back up.
"Now!" Victor shouted to his partner.
Both of them unleashed destructive spells directly at the golem's head. Moments later, the colossus collapsed to the ground, its face completely destroyed.
Victor smiled with a hint of pride, glancing toward the screen now displaying his image, as if he wanted someone specific to see it. Then he gestured for his partner to move on.
…
"Fu fu."
Fleur sprinted at full speed, not slowing down for anything. She dodged branches and leapt over roots as the ground shook violently behind her. Trees were forced apart as a massive, fully armored golem pursued her.
The guardian's heavy armor made each step cause even stronger tremors. In its arms, it carried two half-shields that could be joined into a single, enormous one. Only the sheer weight it carried prevented it from catching her, but the distance between them was far from safe.
"Hermione, you didn't say anything about this!" Fleur shouted desperately as she kept running without stopping.