The vegetable garden was boiling over, a cacophony of screams and laughter had long attracted countless eyes.
Quite a few students came running to watch, leaning on the fence and peering through the gaps to see inside.
In the fourth round, forbidden from using the Enlargement Spell, Vid truly showed his skills.
Disillusionment Charm and Nonverbal Spell for shadowing attacks.
Supersensory Charm to enhance his own perception.
Flocks of birds breaking traps.
Gemino Curse to duplicate pumpkins and vines, causing those familiar with the terrain to stumble.
Glisseo sent Fred, planning an ambush, sliding headfirst into a pumpkin.
Levioso knocked Neville down.
Unbreakable Charm trapped Theo inside the vines, unable to escape, and easily caught.
Reversal Spell launched Harry into the air for two and a half loops; when he landed, he was so disoriented he was easily taken down by the Petrification Spell.
Trip Jinx, the Stunning Spell, Disarming Spell, among others, Vid used with gusto. He constantly kept up the Super Iron Armor Spell, reflecting any spell cast against him.
Until the last person was knocked down, while Vid remained unscathed, they finally realized the gap between them.
Vid alone mastered more spells than all of them combined.
Moreover, most of them needed to stand still and aim to cast spells successfully; once they started running, the success rate was less than half, and hitting the target was purely luck.
Also, it was during this duel that Vid realized how invaluable Professor Flitwick's notes and teachings had been.
In regular practices, young wizards seemed roughly equal. At most, Vid's spells were a little more powerful, the beams a bit thicker.
But in battle, out of ten spells from others, maybe only one would be effective, while Vid had at least seven creating an impact.
Along with the terrain's help, it made it seem effortless for him to take on nine others.
Yet Vid was not entirely satisfied.
Because he had been hit a few times himself, even nearly breaking the Iron Armor Spell once during a siege.
Exhausted, everyone sat on the ground each reflecting on themselves.
At this moment, a voice came from outside the fence: "Hey, Fred, what are you guys doing? Count me in, will you?"
Fred turned around.
The speaker was Lee Jordan, their dormmate and friend.
And upon closer look, everyone was shocked. They didn't know when a large crowd of students had gathered outside the fence, squashing their faces against it, watching with eager eyes.
"Yes, yes! Let us join in as well!"
"It seems like a lot of fun!"
"Fred, George, don't turn me away for the sake of our bond over homework!"
Unable to watch the Quidditch match, students didn't miss a single one; they couldn't resist such competitive games.
Although Fred was willing to play with Lee Jordan, he didn't immediately agree but instead looked to Vid.
Vid didn't mind more people joining the game. The more, the better to test his own magic skills.
He estimated the size of the field and asked, "Let them line up... Hagrid, could you maintain order? A maximum of fifty people at once."
"Alright."
Hagrid gladly agreed.
He was fond of the game and would have joined if it weren't inconvenient.
Vid asked the others, "This time you can't forbid me from using the Enlargement Spell, can you?"
Everyone's face turned pale but then realized the pain would be shared among more people and began to look forward to it.
"What kind of game are you playing?"
Upon entering, Lee Jordan excitedly asked.
Everyone exchanged glances and unanimously said, "Battle Royale!"
Vid alone, hunting them all.
...
"Ahhhhh——"
Screams pierced the heavens.
Filch scoured the school rules, finding no fitting clause, angrily heading to Dumbledore.
"Headmaster, this is a serious violation, we should catch them all and give them detention!"
Filch said furiously.
"Calm down, Mr. Filch." Dumbledore said cheerily, "Look at the children, so full of energy! I wonder if they'd let me join too…"
"Albus!" Professor McGonagall frowned, "The students might get hurt!"
Dumbledore stuffed a honey drop into his mouth, muttering:
"Madam Pomfrey is ready with potions and bandages. The children are more measured than we think… Would you like some candy, Minerva?"
"…Alright, thank you."
Seeing it wasn't a pile of cockroaches, Professor McGonagall reluctantly accepted.
"But I still hope you'll set rules forbidding harmful…"
"Minerva."
Dumbledore interrupted her and said, "Have you seen young lions?"
Professor McGonagall paused and said, "Of course."
Dumbledore said, "Then you should know, young animals always learn survival skills through play. Like hunting, evasion, or social skills."
"Our children are no different."
If they don't learn to use their magic wands in play, life will teach them in another way."
"I only regret one thing now…"
"Why I didn't think of this game sooner?"
Professor McGonagall said nothing more; she turned and quickly left to confirm with Madam Pomfrey whether the infirmary's supplies were sufficient.
The white-bearded headmaster squinted slightly.
He cast a spell, able to clearly see the conditions in the vegetable garden, even from afar.
He saw Harry expertly fend off several large roaches, rescuing a sobbing first-year girl.
He saw Theo from Hufflepuff leap on a mantis's back, teaming with Michael from Ravenclaw to bring it down.
He saw Zabini from Slytherin and Ron from Gryffindor together fighting against spider attacks.
He saw Pansy screaming while clinging tightly to Hermione's hand. Hermione shouted, beating back a dung beetle, dragging Pansy towards a pumpkin.
He also saw Ravenclaw showing courage, Hufflepuff displaying wisdom, Slytherin demonstrating friendship, Gryffindor revealing resilience.
As they jointly fought against the fearsome insects, regular conflicts among the students seemed to vanish into thin air. They helped each other, even sacrificing themselves to protect others.
"How wonderful…"
Dumbledore emotionally wiped a tear from his eyes.
Snape stood with a sullen face by the window, jotting down those Slytherin students who performed poorly.
Even if it was just a game, he wouldn't allow his students to lose embarrassingly.
Beside him, Professor Flitwick was mostly focused on Vid.
"Hmm, hmm, nice use of that spell… Ah, timing was off, good thing the opponent didn't notice… Watch out, watch out, that guy's hiding under the beetle's belly for a sneak attack… Fantastic! He blocked it!"
Professor Flitwick was jumping with delight, clapping and cheering, making Snape next to him feel quite annoyed.
The one who failed the sneak attack was Crabbe from Slytherin.
He had the nerve to hide under the beetle's belly, but unfortunately his spell was as weak as a light sprinkle.
...
Lockhart felt he was inspired.
"If I could win in such a game, I'd surely gain admiration, all students would worship me…"
After watching for a while, he changed his mind again.
"No, no, no… It's still too dangerous… and it would harm my image…"
"Perhaps starting a dueling club would be popular and safe…"
Lockhart mumbled to himself, swiftly returning to his office, eager to draft a perfect plan.