Farina was somewhat skeptical about life; second-year students really had some hidden talents. One could resist the Soul-snatching Curse through sheer willpower, and another could use an Explosion Spell with absurd power. It looked like he was quite skilled...
But what she didn't know was that Seamus' Explosion Spell now was mostly about sound and light effects that were intimidating, without much actual power, comparable to the spells used by fourth or fifth-year students.
Yet that was enough. When a second-year student cast a spell with such force that it matched that of senior students, it was remarkable in its own way.
Seamus kept going relentlessly, swinging his Magic Wand to force Farina to change position.
But, being inexperienced, he was soon caught in a flaw by Farina and sent sprawling with a Crucio.
"It seems I've cleaned up your Dueling House completely, Mr. Potter."
Farina laughed loudly with her hands on her hips.
"And I'm still here!"
Ron had returned without anyone noticing. Behind him, Gellert gave Harry a meaningful wink.
"Is that so?" Farina drew her Magic Wand again, pointing at Ron.
"Come on!" Ron said confidently.
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One!"
With the duel started, Ron swung his Magic Wand to cast Expelliarmus and quickly rolled away on the ground, managing to send another Expelliarmus.
Farina dodged to the side, pressed by Ron's Disarming Spell.
While Farina moved aside, Ron used a Transformation Spell to create two ropes, attempting to entangle Farina's legs.
Seeing the ropes, Farina showed a look of interest.
It was the first time she saw the use of a Transformation Spell in this duel tonight. She easily eliminated the ropes, only to find they had somehow transformed into venomous snakes, lunging at her rapidly.
"Well done, Ron!" Hermione weakly cheered him on from the back: "Come on!"
Farina swung her wand, turning the snakes into dust, and followed up with another Crucio.
This time, Ron again chose to evade with a roll.
What's that saying?
Avoidance may be shameful, but it's useful.
That was Ron's mindset now, seeing no need to face Farina head-on. Besides, as a second-year Wizard, who cares if my evasive moves aren't graceful?
He flicked his wand left and right to cast two Expelliarmus, and then he swung the wand again to turn a nearby chair into a dog.
The dog was blown away by Farina's spell, and the spells were dodged. Just as Ron completed the dodge, ready to take further action, Farina suddenly appeared behind him.
"Crucio!"
Ron couldn't dodge in time, collapsing shakily to the ground.
"I must admit, you are the young Wizard who surprised me most tonight, Mr. Weasley," Farina said with a chuckle, "You're the first to make me use Apparition Displacement—Well, I think today's lesson ends here. Mr. Potter should be sending me back."
She guessed correctly; Harry indeed let her return to the bag to keep Alfonso company.
"The one who surprised me most was definitely Ron," Harry said with a smile, "I thought Cedric would last the longest."
"I'd rather have Weasley than that pretty boy Digory," Draco muttered quietly.
"Sorry, Harry," Cedric said, regaining his composure, "I let you down."
"Whether I'm disappointed or not doesn't matter, Cedric," Harry said earnestly, "You're learning how to duel not for me but for yourselves when you face Dark Wizards in the future—Trust me, you'll appreciate today's efforts then."
"Alright, let's begin the summary—In short, your performance today was terrible. Only Ron, Seamus, and Neville showed something noteworthy."
Harry smiled encouragingly at Neville: "Resisting the Soul-snatching Curse—most Wizards can't do that, Neville."
"Really?" Neville asked hopefully.
"It's true," Harry replied with a smile, "Ask around, see who's trained to resist the curse."
At this point, Hermione slapped her thigh and exclaimed, "Right, why didn't I use the Soul-snatching Curse on her? Oh dear... It seems my Spell application still isn't very skilled. I think I should continue practicing..."
Newt slowly turned his gaze toward Harry.
The meaning was clear.
Aren't you guys teaching the Soul-snatching Curse here?
"Don't tell me you haven't used it, Professor Scamander," Harry looked at Newt, speechless.
Yes, I admit you're from Hufflepuff, but you've sparred with the strongest Dark Wizard of the early century—don't tell me you haven't used the Unforgivable Curses.
Upon hearing Harry's words, Newt sheepishly turned his head.
He had certainly used it...
And more than once.
Cedric also quietly approached Ron.
"Ron," he asked gently, "how did you improve so quickly in such a short time? How on earth did you last so long under that Black Witch's hands..."
"Assistant Gael just taught me some duel tactics, so my progress was quite noticeable," Ron explained truthfully.
Yes, he taught Ron some tricks that even Harry wasn't well-versed in, more suited to Ron's fluid style.