"Confringo."
"Protego!"
The crimson charm tore through the air, mercilessly smashing into the hastily erected barrier, exploding into dazzling sparks and a deafening hum. The girl, under a barrage of successive spells, was somewhat disheveled, her robe's hem singed, and a scrape on her forehead bled, mixing with sweat as it ran down her cheek—
Yet, her brown eyes grew brighter and brighter, and her incantations were uttered so swiftly that the syllables were almost unintelligible. At the tip of her wand, the Iron Armor Spell, Reductor Curse, and Impediment Jinx alternated. The shockwaves from the spell duel nearly reduced the dilapidated great hall to ruins, and in this offensive, the two on the ruins unexpectedly ended up in a stalemate.
Not far away, behind a pile of collapsed stone pillars, two heads cautiously peered out halfway.
"Merlin's greasy black silk…"
The Savior, the famous Harry Potter, who hadn't appeared in a while, had his mouth agape, wide enough to fit a standard-sized light bulb. His green eyes, hidden behind glasses, were fixed on the girl dodging in the 'rain' of spells not far away. He hesitated to ask, "Is she really Hermione…right?"
Ron Weasley didn't look any better. He rubbed his eyes vigorously for a long time, and after confirming that what he saw was no illusion, he slowly spoke, "And we're sure that guy over there, who takes only fifteen seconds to dispatch the three of us, is the professor?"
"...Why are you answering a question with a question?"
"Because I have no bloody idea what to say! How is this any different from Neville suddenly telling me he's actually Voldemort?!"
As the two bickered, on the field, Hermione executed a nimble side roll, narrowly avoiding a spell glinting with ominous black light. The spot where she had just been standing was corroded into a sizzling crater. She swiftly got up, backhanded a blasting spell to explode the ground, and the flying rubble and dust temporarily obscured William's vision.
"How long are you going to wait there?"
She shouted somewhat exasperatedly at Harry and Ron.
"Quick!" Harry swallowed, grabbing the Holly Wand, "If we don't help soon, Hermione's likely to throttle both of us!"
Ron nodded in agreement, and the two jumped out from behind cover simultaneously.
"Expelliarmus!"
Harry steadied himself and aimed at William's side, firing a bright red Disarming Spell.
"Rictusempra!"
Meanwhile, fearing he'd fall behind, Ron shouted, casting one of the best spells he knew.
The addition of the two broke the somewhat delicate balance on the battlefield.
William seemed to frown slightly, now forced to deal with the side interference, though handling Ron and Harry was still much like before. But now, Hermione was the real challenge—without looking back, he pointed and scattered Harry's Disarming Spell with precision, while Ron's Tickling Charm he dodged by simply turning his head.
However, this brief distraction was swiftly seized upon by Hermione.
"Incarcerous!"
The girl seized the opportunity, pointing her wand directly at William's feet.
The next moment, several thick ropes sprang from the ground like vines, swiftly entangling William's legs. Although he quickly used Diffindo to cut most of them, his actions were inevitably delayed for a brief moment.
Just in that moment—
"Protego!"
Hermione first cast the Iron Armor Spell on herself and the two boys charging in from the side, blocking William's casually released spell in retaliation.
"Stupefy!"
This time, Harry and Ron shouted in unison, shooting intertwined red beams at William.
He still waved his wand to deflect them, but Hermione's next attack was already underway.
"Expulso!"—targeting William's hand holding the wand.
William was forced to block once more, as the light of the Spell and Reductor Curse clashed, producing a blinding white glow.
"Now! Expelliarmus!"
Having maneuvered closer with her steps, Hermione swung her wand forcefully. Instantly, the tip of the grapevine wand emitted an extremely bright red beam.
This time, William seemed to finally reach his limit.
Having just parried the Reductor Curse, his old strength was exhausted, and new strength was yet to arise, making the Disarming Spell strike his wrist holding the wand unerringly.
"Snap!"
The Redwood Wand flew from his hand, tracing an arc in the air, only to be securely caught by Hermione.
The battle thus came to an abrupt halt.
Breathless silence engulfed the ruins.
"...Did we win?"
Ron blankly blinked, slightly incredulous yet expectantly asked.
William stood where he was, glanced at his empty hand, then raised his head. Looking at the three on the opposite side, panting yet bright-eyed, he wasn't wearing the anger of a loser. Instead, he slowly revealed an extremely gratified smile.
His body began to emit a gentle white light, the edges blurring as if gradually merging into the air.
"Very well…"
William's lips moved, his voice unusually gentle compared to normal, "You managed to defeat me at thirty percent strength, you should be proud…"
"..."
Hermione wiped the mixed blood and sweat off her forehead with a dirty sleeve, took a deep breath, and upon hearing this, couldn't help but roll her eyes, "If you hadn't said something so pretentious, we'd clearly be a bit happier."
But William could no longer respond, as he had completely vanished into the air.
"Heh heh…"
Ron and Harry exchanged a glance, then simultaneously began to scratch their heads, chuckling stupidly. They exchanged a look, then instantly "earnestly" gathered around Hermione. Harry quickly used the Transfiguration Technique to turn stones behind them into what seemed a reasonably comfortable armchair, while Ron politely invited Hermione to sit.
"That was awesome!"
As Harry massaged Hermione's left shoulder, he quickly said, "Obviously, the two of us only played a minor, inconsequential role; you're the one who truly defeated the Professor—quick! Tell us how you did it?"
"Yeah, Hermione."
Ron added while helping with the right shoulder, "When you said you wanted to challenge the professor again, we thought you were nuts—we didn't expect—so, Hermione, what happened? Were you perhaps… possessed?!"
"...If you can't talk properly, just shut up."
Hermione rested comfortably against the chair, enjoying their attentive service. Looking at their eager faces, a proud smile appeared on her lips.
"Do you really want to know?"
She deliberately drew out her tone, asking seriously.
Immediately, Harry and Ron nodded eagerly like pecking chickens, shouting in unison, "Yes, Coach, we want to play basketball… no, we want to learn magic!"