"I don't think so…" Lupin said hesitantly. Sirius was one of the most powerful members of the Order of the Phoenix. He had killed a dozen Death Eaters and was very experienced in combat.
However, his opponent was Ivan, a young wizard he had never been able to see through, and Lupin could no longer be too sure, not to mention the fact that Sirius had been imprisoned in Azkaban for over a decade, so there was no telling how much of his power was still intact.
As it turned out, Sirius's senses did become somewhat dulled after over a decade in prison.
In less than a minute of battle, Ivan managed to hit the Shield Charm twice, causing the Shield Charm to shatter.
"Stupefy!" Ivan didn't let up. He cast another spell.
Sirius barely had time to react before the spell's beam was within reach.
Sirius's body suddenly began to change shape, and he became much shorter, narrowly avoiding the spell, and when he landed he was in his Animagus form.
Powered by magic, the dog was incredibly fast and agile, and it charged at Ivan.
Ivan did not expect Sirius to dodge his attack in such a manner, and when he managed to dodge the Petrifaction Charm, he simply pointed his wand at the floor in front of him.
"Reducto! (Crushed to pieces)"
Irascible magic blew a large hole in the floor, sending flying chunks of wood flying in a semi-circle, guided by Ivan's wand.
Sirius didn't even try to dodge, allowing the sharp pieces of wood to hit him, leaving bloody scratches on his fur and even embedding themselves in his flesh…
"Sirius!" Harry, who was watching from the sidelines, was shocked, and when he saw Sirius injured, he panicked and wanted Lupin to end the fight.
Lupin, however, shook his head.
"Have a good look, Harry! It's common to bleed and get hurt in battle! Sometimes it's worth fighting for a chance to beat an opponent with a few minor injuries!" Lupin explained.
However, this referred to a real fight, and Lupin did not expect Sirius to go so far in a duel.
Was it because they didn't want to lose to a thirteen-year-old, or because they didn't want Ivan to go with them?
Or both… Lupin thought to himself.
On the training ground.
As Lupin predicted, Sirius' strategy was to trade minor injuries for victory.
This was because Sirius found himself at a disadvantage in terms of reflexes and control over his magic.
The only way to win is to take them by surprise!
In fact, Sirius was able to do just that, as they were now so close, less than two meters apart, that he could easily overpower Ivan before he could cast another spell.
However, Sirius did not look happy at all. With a high jump, he transformed back into his human form in mid-air and counted to himself.
Three … two … one!
An irresistible force of resistance suddenly spread out in all directions, centred on Ivan, and slammed into Sirius, sending him flying.
"Stupefy! All Petrified!"
Refusing to give up the perfect opportunity to pursue him, Ivan managed to cast two spells in a second, one aimed at Sirius and the other at him.
Sirius showed no signs of panic. He had seen Ivan use the Aura of Magic against the Black-Robed Wizards last summer, so he had expected this.
Or rather, he did all this to force Ivan to use this magical tool so that he had a chance of winning!
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, two beams of light came at him, and Sirius waved his wand, twisting and disappearing.
"Expelliarmus!"
Behind Ivan, a voice spoke.
At the same time, Ivan activated the protective ring on his right hand, sending a red beam of light back across the clearing.
Because Sirius was long gone!
"Did you just use Apparition? I thought you told me not to use that in battle!" Ivan asked curiously, turning to face him.
'Yes, remember that, I was so close to being split, believe me, so close!' Sirius teased.
There were traces of blood on his arms and chest, not from Apparition, but from the impact of the debris.
Of course, Sirius did not lie to Ivan; he was only 50% certain that he would be able to cast a teleportation spell!
Fortunately, he won the bet. Otherwise, he would have been split in half and left the other half behind.
While no one would die in the split body for a short period of time, and Lupin and Ivan would be able to revive him, he would have to concede defeat in this battle.
This was one of the reasons why Sirius told Ivan not to use Apparition in battle, as there was no such thing as surrender in most battles.
"Inndio! (fire roaring)"
Sirius did not hesitate to wave his wand and summon a large wave of flames that swept towards Ivan.
Ivan flicked his wand, and the table next to him flew in front of him, shielding him from the flames.
However, Sirius was able to shatter the wooden table in front of Ivan with a single blow of the Smashing Charm, and the remnants of the table, which were engulfed in flames, became even more destructive under the control of his magic!
"Tsk… you really think highly of me!" Ivan pointed at the sink nearby. With a pull, the water in the sink surged and grew, condensing into a long snake under the influence of the Transfiguration Charm.
"Stop… all of you stop!" Lupin shouted. He did not expect a small match to go this far. He even wondered if the situation had gotten out of hand!
The two of them, who were focused on the battle, had no time to pay attention to him. Ivan was very excited as he combined the spells he had learned and activated the water in the pool, almost restoring the magic that Professor McGonagall had used to extinguish the Great Fire of the Forbidden Forest!
The two powerful spells collided, melting into each other, and the sizzling sound echoed throughout the enclosed training room.
Thick steam rose and soon began to spread. Every now and then, the remains of a wooden table would fly out of the fog and crash against the walls.
Lupin had to double down on his defences, and had to cast several Impediment Spells before he was able to relax a little, keeping his eyes fixed on Ivan and Sirius, but they were too shrouded in mist to see anything.
Harry was equally anxious, calling out to Ivan and Sirius but getting no response.
Ivan looked around through the mist, wondering if Sirius had bewitched the mist as well, for it had thickened and visibility was poor.
"Is it to limit my snake eyes?" Ivan muttered to himself, marveling at the Order of the Phoenix's elite combat experience in predicting his moves.
He forced himself to use the Ring of Magic, most likely aimed at the snake's eyes.
After all, avoiding the opponent's eyes in battle was very uncomfortable. With this mist, one could avoid being seen and attack from any angle.
Despite Sirius guessing his subsequent reactions twice in a row, Ivan was not discouraged, knowing full well that he was indeed less experienced in combat than Sirius.
The reason why he was able to win every single battle was because he deliberately avoided his weak points and used the special traits of his bloodline magic to win!
Sirius had seen him use the Ring of Magic and the Snake's Eye before, and with his combat acuity, he could naturally think of ways to break them.
Like now, when both sides' vision is greatly impaired, the dog's keen nose helps Sirius to determine where he is, giving him an advantage.
Ivan's lips curled into a smile. Sirius had probably miscalculated this time. In thick fog, a normal person would have to use their eyes to judge directions, but unfortunately… he was not normal!