Inside the hidden chamber, Professor Sprout looked stunned.
"That child really is aiming for the Chief Seat…"
Professor Flitwick watched Karmit with deep admiration. "That's what youth should look like. The last time someone attempted the Chief Challenge was Gemma.
Sadly, she fell when all the other Hidden Prefects joined forces against her. She couldn't overcome the final stage."
Professor McGonagall said, "The Chief system is Slytherin's specialty. If it were Black in his fourth year, I'd believe he could succeed. But now… isn't it too early?"
Dumbledore shook his head. "Minerva, some prodigies cannot be measured by age. I am already quite eager to see how this plays out. But… the real show is tomorrow. I'm going to sleep."
He promptly left.
The other heads exchanged looks and followed.
Snape stared down at Karmit, his eyes flickering with a complex emotion. His cloak swayed as he turned sharply and glided away like a giant bat.
Gemma looked at Karmit with a complicated expression. "I knew you would initiate the Chief Challenge."
Karmit answered without hesitation.
"My goal has always been the Chief Seat."
Gemma nodded.
"I figured. I may have failed, but I hope you succeed. Slytherin has gone far too long without a Chief."
She then addressed the gathered Slytherin students:
"The Chief Challenge will continue starting tomorrow. Each day, the throne will select up to ten students to challenge Karmit Black.
It may be one-on-one or joint attempts. It depends on the throne's judgment of Karmit's current strength.
So everyone should be prepared. Being chosen is already an acknowledgment of your power."
The Slytherin students looked at Karmit with burning ambition in their eyes.
Some of the older students had experienced the last Chief Challenge.
Gemma had challenged then… and had lost only because all the Hidden Prefects ganged up on her in the final trial.
Her strength, however, had earned unanimous respect.
Gemma lifted her wand slightly and continued:
"Now we move to our final event, the Hidden Prefect Rankings. The seven Hidden Prefects may freely challenge those above them to decide their order.
As always, in Slytherin, strength reigns supreme.
First up is the lowest-ranked Hidden Prefect: Draco Malfoy, currently seventh.
Draco, will you challenge anyone?"
Draco glanced at the others. The closest above him was Dickens Nott, the Second-Year Hidden Prefect, ranked sixth.
After a brief moment of thought, Draco declared, "I want to challenge Senior Nott!"
"Well said," Gemma replied.
"Every first-year Hidden Prefect must challenge once. But I believe Nott will show you the difference in your levels.
Your seat should have already shown you how to start the challenge. You may begin."
Draco nodded.
He made contact with the magic in his seat. A green light shot toward Dickens Nott, whose seat answered in the same glow.
In a blink, both appeared on the dueling platform.
The battle began immediately.
Three moves. That was all it took.
Draco's wand flew out of his hand.
He stood frozen, stunned and disbelieving. "How can he be that strong?"
He didn't stand a chance.
Even Karmit was surprised.
Interesting. Slytherin was far more entertaining than he expected.
Was Draco weak? Compared to Karmit, unquestionably. Compared to others his age, not at all.
Yet in front of the Nott family's second-year Hidden Prefect, Draco had been utterly overwhelmed. The Hidden Prefects were stronger than Karmit had anticipated.
And that only made things more fun.
Karmit looked at the Hidden Prefects with growing delight. These powerful serpents would be his in the future.
After Draco's defeat, none of the other Hidden Prefects moved.
Their eyes instead turned toward Arabella in second place and Gemma in first. Everyone knew the rankings rarely changed.
They generally climbed year by year.
Except Arabella. She was the anomaly. A fourth-year who had forced her way into second place.
In fact, she had already been a standout in her third year.
Back then, she was ranked third, Gemma second, and the first position belonged to the recently graduated seventh-year Hidden Prefect.
Every year since she arrived, Arabella challenged Gemma. It had become the annual final showdown.
The fourth-year students chanted loudly:
"Hidden Prefect, good luck!"
A prefect's rank represented the status of their entire year. Arabella was strong enough that even fifth and sixth-years treated fourth-year students with respect.
Such was Slytherin.
A paradise for the strong.
The seventh-years huddled together, whispering excitedly.
"How long do you think they'll last this time?"
"Last year Arabella barely lost by a single move."
"I hope our prefect doesn't slip up. Her power is growing too fast."
"No way. Gemma is unbeatable. She challenged the third-year prefects back when we were first-years.
If the previous seventh-year chief hadn't been too strong, she would already have claimed the Chief Seat."
All of them nodded firmly.
Green light flashed once more.
Arabella and Gemma appeared on the stage.
Gemma smiled.
"So your trip home has made you even more prepared."
Arabella answered boldly, "The throne will change owners. Today."
Gemma chuckled lightly. "I look forward to it."
Arabella flicked her wrist, wand appearing instantly in her grasp.
°Bone-Shatter Curse°
Yes—this was no ordinary duel.
The Hidden Prefect ranking battles allowed black magic. As long as the Unforgivable Curses stayed out of it, anything else was fair game.
This was Slytherin business.
No one interfered.
Every upper-year knew at least a few dark spells anyway. Hidden Prefects just knew many more.
Even the Chief Challenge allowed dark magic so long as you never used an Unforgivable Curse.
That was why the infamous noseless Dark Lord never became Chief. He relied too heavily on the Killing Curse.
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