Inside the Great Hall.
"Are you ready?"
The soft voice reached Malfoy's ears, jolting him awake.
Ready?
Malfoy glanced around; students from every House were gathered, with Slytherin and Gryffindor being the most numerous.
Slytherin's turnout was thanks to Crabbe and Goyle's "promotion."
Gryffindor was there simply for the thrill—especially when that thrill involved Slytherin.
Malfoy saw Lucien holding his wand level, bowing slightly.
It was the proper etiquette before a Wizard's duel.
Malfoy, well-trained in manners, subconsciously followed suit.
But the next second, he realized something was wrong.
After the bow came—The duel!
Realization and fear struck Malfoy all at once.
In that instant, all thoughts of family honor, pride, and reputation vanished from Malfoy's mind.
It was as if a voice from deep within his bloodline shouted in his head—
Submit to the strong…
"I surrender!"
Boom!
The moment Malfoy cried out his surrender, a fiery red sea tinged with gold burst from the tip of Lucien's wand.
As Malfoy's words fell, the roaring flames suddenly curved around him, spiraling upward into the air.
In an instant, the Great Hall's enchanted ceiling, which normally reflected the sky, was replaced by a blazing sea of fire.
Within the crimson flames, threads of golden light flickered, illuminating the entire hall in dazzling brilliance.
Everyone stared blankly upward at the sight.
It wasn't until someone's eyes began to water from the brightness that they finally lowered their gaze.
Hmm, the effect was quite good.
A modified Incendio, inspired by the flowing brilliance of pure fire and combined with the Weasley family's notes on instantaneous magic output.
At the very least, it looked spectacular.
Lucien glanced around at the stunned expressions of the surrounding students and gave a small, satisfied nod.
With a flick of his wand, the blazing sea of fire above the Great Hall disappeared.
Along with it, the floating pumpkin lanterns, bats, and dark clouds vanished as well.
Uh… now the festive atmosphere was completely gone.
Lucien took out a green gourd and poured out a heap of ordinary fruits and vegetables—pumpkins, tomatoes, potatoes.
With a few graceful wand movements, they all transformed into various lanterns, though pumpkins still made up the majority.
He then put away the green gourd and replaced it with a pink one.
When he tilted its mouth downward, a cascade of candies and snacks spilled out.
Before they even touched the ground, Lucien Transfigured them into colorful little bats, each patterned with the design of the food they had been.
"All right, please carry on."
Lucien cast a brief glance at Malfoy, then turned and left the Great Hall.
To be honest, Malfoy's voluntary surrender didn't entirely surprise Lucien.
He had witnessed the entire scene of him defeating the Troll last night. The fact that Malfoy hadn't skipped the duel and had actually shown up was already commendable for a first-year Wizard.
Judging by his behavior, though, Malfoy had clearly been terrified.
If he still had the courage to face him head-on after that, well...
Then the Sorting Hat must have made a mistake—he should've been placed in Gryffindor, not Slytherin.
"To subdue the enemy without fighting," huh?
It sounded impressive, but the outcome wasn't exactly satisfying.
Without Malfoy spending ten days to half a month in the infirmary, the result felt somewhat incomplete.
Still, the speed of that surrender—heh—was truly without hesitation.
Tsk, this was Malfoy all right—the softest and most adaptable weathervane.
Whoosh—!!
A ball of fiery red flame suddenly appeared beside Lucien out of thin air.
Lucien was already used to this sight.
A moment later, the phoenix Fawkes flew out of the flames.
Lucien raised his arm, allowing Fawkes to perch on it.
After tidying a few strands of Lucien's slightly messy hair with its beak, the phoenix flared with fire once more.
Man and bird vanished together from the Great Hall.
"Wow, what was that big bird just now?"
"It actually took someone away!"
Gasps of astonishment echoed among the younger students.
"That was Headmaster Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes. He sometimes comes to deliver messages or fetch people."
"Wait, that student just now—wasn't he the one who took the longest during the Sorting Ceremony? What was his name again?"
"Let me think—Lucien, Lucien Grafton!"
As soon as the name was mentioned, chatter broke out across the hall.
"Yeah, isn't he a first-year? What was that flame magic just now?"
"Probably just a trick. How could a new student use such a powerful spell?"
"Uh, Mr. pompus, you should get your eyes checked by Madam Pomfrey—didn't you see all the original pumpkin bats got burned to ashes? Wow, these little bats are edible!"
The speaker was a rosy-cheeked girl with two golden braids.
Hannah Abbott held a small white bat in her hand, its left wing already turning into individual marshmallows.
She plucked one off and popped it into her mouth, a delighted smile spreading across her face.
Seeing this, Neville struggled to catch a green little bat.
"It's apple candy!"
The young Wizards quickly immersed themselves in the fun of catching the bats and discovering which treats they would turn into.
But not everyone shared their joy.
Malfoy had slipped quietly to the edge of the Great Hall, unwilling to stay a moment longer.
"Malfoy, Quidditch also requires courage. A coward who gives up so easily isn't fit for my team."
At those words, Malfoy's shoulders trembled. He turned to glare, eyes red, at Marcus, who had spoken with mocking disdain.
He opened his mouth, but couldn't find a single word to say.
"Flint, you—you just don't understand!"
Malfoy turned and walked away.
He wandered aimlessly through the castle, his mind in turmoil.
People like Flint were all idiots—couldn't they see Lucien's strength?
"They don't understand… they don't understand Lucien's power!"
Malfoy had no idea how to explain to anyone just how terrifying and unnatural the monster Lucien had casually created the night before had been.
And just now, he'd noticed that a group of people as foolish and blind as Flint were looking at him with ridicule and contempt.
That realization made Malfoy's heart sink—because in their eyes, he was nothing but a coward who surrendered without even fighting.
A wave of cold washed over his face.
Losing face himself was one thing—but he had also brought shame upon his family.
To have allowed the honor of the House of Malfoy to be mocked…
"Father will hear of this soon… what am I going to do then?"
Malfoy had no idea how his father would scold him—or what punishment might follow.
...
In the Headmaster's office.
Lucien found Dumbledore smiling at him kindly, with Professor McGonagall seated nearby.
"Happy Halloween, Lucien."
"Happy Halloween, Headmaster Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall."
__________
11 Advance Chaps- P@treon/DarkDevil1