In the Great Hall.
"Are you ready?"
The soft whisper reached Malfoy's ears, snapping him out of his daze.
Ready?
He glanced around. Students from every house were gathered, with Slytherin and Gryffindor making up the bulk. Slytherin's presence was no surprise—Crabbe and his crew had spread the word. Gryffindors, meanwhile, were just here for the spectacle, especially since it involved their rivals from the snake house.
Malfoy saw Lucien raise his wand, giving a slight bow—the formal courtesy before a wizarding duel.
Raised with pure-blood etiquette, Malfoy instinctively mirrored the gesture. But the moment he did, a jolt of realization hit him.
After the bow…
The duel!
Panic and dread surged through him. In that split second, family honor, pride, and reputation vanished from his mind. A primal instinct, as if etched in his blood, screamed: Submit to the stronger.
"I surrender!"
Boom!
The moment Malfoy's cry rang out, a torrent of crimson flames laced with golden streaks erupted from Lucien's wand. But as his surrender echoed, the flames veered around him, spiraling upward into the air.
In an instant, the Great Hall's enchanted ceiling, usually mirroring the sky, was overtaken by a blazing sea of fire. Golden flecks danced within the crimson inferno, bathing the hall in radiant light.
Every student stared upward, awestruck.
Only when the brilliance stung their eyes to tears did some blink and look away.
Not bad, Lucien thought. Mimicking Fiendfyre's glow, tweaking the Incendio charm, and using the Weasley notes for a burst of magical output—pretty dramatic effect.
He glanced at the students' reactions, giving a subtle nod of approval. With a light wave of his wand, the fiery ocean above vanished, along with the floating jack-o'-lanterns, tiny bats, and clouds that had decorated the hall.
Whoops, there goes the festive vibe.
Lucien pulled out his green gourd and tipped it, spilling out a heap of pumpkins, tomatoes, potatoes, and other ordinary produce. With a flourish of his wand, they transformed into an array of lanterns—mostly jack-o'-lanterns, of course.
He stowed the green gourd and swapped it for a pink one. Tilting it downward, a cascade of candies and snacks poured out. Before they hit the ground, Lucien transfigured them into colorful bats, each adorned with patterns of the treats they'd become.
"There we go. Carry on," he said, casting a glance at Malfoy before turning to leave the hall.
Honestly, Malfoy's surrender wasn't entirely unexpected. After witnessing Lucien demolish a troll the previous night, the fact that he showed up at all was something. For a first-year, that took guts.
Still, Malfoy's fear had been palpable. If he'd dared to stand his ground… well, maybe the Sorting Hat should've put him in Gryffindor instead of Slytherin.
Victory without a fight? Lucien mused. Sounds impressive, but it didn't quite hit the mark.
Without Malfoy landing in the hospital wing for a week or two, it felt like something was missing. Still, the kid's surrender was lightning-fast—no hesitation at all.
Tch, that's Malfoy for you—the softest, slipperiest Slytherin.
Whoosh!
A burst of scarlet flames flared beside Lucien. He was unfazed; he'd seen this before.
Sure enough, Fawkes the phoenix emerged from the fire. Lucien extended his arm, letting the bird perch. Fawkes preened a stray lock of Lucien's hair before enveloping them both in flames.
In a flash, boy and bird vanished from the Great Hall.
"Whoa, what was that giant bird?"
"It just whisked him away!"
First-years gasped in amazement.
"That's Headmaster Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes," an older student explained. "Sometimes it acts as his messenger."
"Wait, that kid—wasn't he the one who took forever at the Sorting? What's his name again?"
"Lucien… Lucien Grafton!"
The hall erupted into chatter.
"He's a first-year, right? What was that fire spell?"
"Probably just an illusion. No way a new student could cast something that powerful."
"Mate, get your eyes checked. Didn't you see the pumpkins and bats get incinerated?"
"Look, these bats are edible!"
A rosy-cheeked girl with two golden braids, Hannah Abbott, held a white bat whose left wing had morphed back into marshmallows. She popped one in her mouth, beaming with delight.
Neville, inspired, grabbed a green bat. "Apple candy!"
Soon, the students were gleefully chasing the bats, eager to discover what treats they'd become.
But not everyone was caught up in the fun.
Malfoy slunk to the edge of the hall, desperate to leave.
"Malfoy, Quidditch takes courage," came a taunting voice. "Cowards who surrender don't belong on my team."
Malfoy's shoulders stiffened. He turned, eyes red, to face Marcus Flint's smirk.
He opened his mouth to retort but found no words.
"Flint, you—you lot don't get it!"
Malfoy stormed off, wandering the castle aimlessly, his thoughts a tangled mess.
Idiots like Flint couldn't see Lucien's strength! They hadn't witnessed the horrifying, bizarre creature Lucien had conjured last night.
Malfoy realized that to everyone else, he was just a coward who surrendered without a fight. Worse, he'd humiliated the Malfoy family, letting their honor be trampled.
"Father will hear about this soon," he muttered, dreading Lucius's reaction. "What'll I do?"
---
In the Headmaster's office.
Lucien found Dumbledore watching him with a warm smile, McGonagall seated beside him.
"Happy Halloween, Lucien," Dumbledore said.
"Happy Halloween, Headmaster Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall," Lucien replied.