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He saw a row of shiny white teeth."Oh no, not you. Please, not you," he groaned."No idea what he's talking about," Lockhart announced loudly to the worried Gryffindor students crowding around. "Don't worry, Harry. I'm just about to fix your arm."
"No!" Harry said quickly. "It's fine the way it is, thanks..."
He tried to sit up, but the pain in his arm was just too much. Then he heard a familiar click nearby.
"I don't want a photo like this, Colin," he said loudly.
"Lie down, Harry," Lockhart said soothingly. "It's a simple spell. I've done it loads of times."
Augustus stood off to the side, watching coldly. Since a teacher was stepping in, he clearly didn't need to bother. Still, for some reason, something felt off. Lockhart's dazzling teeth and creepy smile were giving him a bad feeling.
"Why can't I just go straight to the hospital wing?" Harry gritted through clenched teeth.
"He really should go," said Wood, who was covered in mud. Even though his Seeker was injured, he couldn't stop smiling. "That catch was amazing, Harry. Seriously—never seen you pull off something that brilliant."
Through the crowd of legs around him, Harry caught sight of Fred and George Weasley wrestling the rogue Bludger back into its box. The Bludger was still thrashing wildly."Stand back," said Lockhart as he rolled up the sleeves of his emerald-green robes.
"No—don't—" Harry said weakly, but Lockhart was already twirling his wand. A second later, he aimed it right at Harry's arm.
A strange and really uncomfortable feeling shot like lightning from Harry's shoulder all the way to his fingertips. It felt like his whole arm was being sucked out. He didn't dare look. He shut his eyes and turned his head away.
But when he heard people around him gasp and Colin Creevey start snapping pictures like mad again, he realized his worst fear had come true. His arm didn't hurt anymore—but it didn't feel like an arm either.
Augustus smacked his forehead. Just as he thought—letting Lockhart handle this had been a complete joke. From now on, he'd rather trust Filch than believe Lockhart could actually be useful for anything.
Harry stood up, but his body leaned weirdly to one side. He took a deep breath and looked down at the right side of his body—and nearly passed out again.
What was sticking out of his sleeve looked like a thick, flesh-colored rubber glove. He tried to move his fingers—nothing.
Lockhart hadn't fixed Harry's bones.He'd removed them.
"You should really go to the hospital wing. This wasn't even a serious injury to begin with, but now you'll need several bottles of Skele-Gro to fix it," Augustus said with a sigh, looking regretfully at Harry. If he'd stepped in earlier, things wouldn't have gone this way. In the end, Lockhart had been the real problem.
Harry hobbled off the field with Ron helping him. Lockhart, completely unbothered by the strange looks he was getting, was still grinning proudly."Well, at least Harry's arm doesn't hurt anymore," he said. "Really, I was just taking the pain away first so he could go to the hospital for treatment.
If the pain had been too intense, he might not have made it. That's all. You're all dismissed. If anyone wants to learn my pain-relief spell, feel free to stop by my office later."
The students around him shuddered for no reason and quickly left in small groups. Lockhart shrugged at their hasty retreat, then turned and walked off the Quidditch pitch himself.
That afternoon, in the Room of Requirement, Augustus stood before Loki and the others.
"You guys have already learned enough Tier One spells. Now it's time to put them into action. As a wizard, no matter how solid your theory is, it's all surface-level until you test it in real combat. Only through real battle can you understand and create your own rhythm. Pair up and practice—Malfoy and Loki, you're up first."
"You got lucky last time because Mr. Augustus stepped in. This time, you'd better be careful—I'm not holding back," Loki said with a cocky grin, standing on one side of the dueling platform, wand in one hand.
"Talk is cheap. Don't bite your tongue bragging like that," Malfoy shot back coolly. "I'm actually looking forward to this. Let's see if all my training pays off. Just don't disappoint me—I'd hate to be bored."
"You may begin," Augustus said with a wave of his hand.
Loki calmly cast a basic Ice Armor spell on himself. It had a chance to block some damage from enemy spells, but it wasn't invincible—if the incoming force was too strong, the armor would fail.
Malfoy quickly cast Grace of the Wind on himself, then launched a Wind Blade spell. The nearly invisible wind blade sliced through the air at high speed, heading straight for Loki.
Looking relaxed, Loki flicked his wand and chanted softly. A long spear of ice formed in midair. It flew to meet the wind blade, sliced through it cleanly, and kept going, speeding toward Malfoy. The shattered wind blade hit Loki's Ice Armor and was absorbed completely without a ripple.
Malfoy didn't dare get careless. Thanks to Grace of the Wind, he dodged easily. The ice spear smashed into the ground and gradually melted away.
Malfoy started weaving around the field, using his boosted speed to get behind Loki. From Loki's blind spot, he cast another spell. This time, Loki didn't dodge in time—Chains of Wind wrapped around him, holding him in place. Thin ropes of air spun around him, and when he tried attacking, he found he couldn't break free at all.
The next spell was the finisher.
Malfoy's eyes lit up with a hint of excitement."With the air as my bow, and light as my arrow, carry the force of my will—"
A longbow made of shimmering energy formed at the tip of Malfoy's wand, and a glowing white arrow flickered into existence. He pulled back and fired.
The light arrow shot forward at a speed invisible to the naked eye. Loki, bound and unable to move, was a sitting duck. This spell was all about speed and precision—if the target couldn't dodge, there was no real way to counter it.
Lillian's eyes flashed in surprise.Is Malfoy really going to win?
He'd taken two tries to learn meditation properly, and he'd been a day behind her and Loki when it came to forming the magical string. But in combat? He was crushing it.Maybe wind-type spells really were better for fighting.
On the field, Loki was still locked in place. The glowing arrow streaked through the air toward him. The next second would decide the match.
In Augustus's silver eyes, a faint gleam appeared.
"....."