Thor stood before them, his dark golden hair cropped short and clad in a flowing black robe. His gaze lingered with curiosity on Augustus and his companions.
"The sole heir of the Stuart family," Lillian whispered softly to Augustus, sensing his unfamiliarity with the new arrival. "He awakened his lightning abilities at the age of four. A rare magical anomaly, he's naturally attuned to wielding lightning and has an astonishing magical outburst capacity. His talents are exceptional, making him quite famous among the pureblood families. Loki probably knows him well."
"Ah, the Stuart boy," Loki sneered, clearly unimpressed. "What wind blew you here? Aren't you the precious little treasure of your family, so pampered they'd fear you melting in their mouths? And now you've decided to step out into the world?" His tone was sharp, the disdain unmasked.
Unperturbed, Thor ignored Loki entirely, addressing Augustus with impeccable grace. "Mr. Augustus, my father and yours were close friends in their youth. If we're to consider lineage, we share a generational bond." His polished smile was the epitome of noble decorum, his demeanor elegant and beyond reproach.
"Is that so?" Augustus nodded slightly, intrigued by the supposed "anomaly." His response seemed to brighten Thor's demeanor even further.
"Ha! You've hit a wall now, haven't you?" Malfoy burst out laughing, seizing the chance to mock Loki. "He doesn't even see you as worth his attention—how amusing!"
Loki's amber eyes narrowed, a flash of frost flickering in their depths. In his mind, there might be people capable of ignoring him, but this pretentious aristocrat wasn't one of them.
"Next term, I'll be entering Hogwarts," Thor continued, as if Loki's existence were irrelevant. "Most likely, I'll be sorted into Slytherin. I hope you'll guide me then, Augustus. After all, my father and yours shared a bond even back in their student days."
Loki's expression cooled, his tone sharp and cutting. "So, you're looking to follow Augustus, are you? But here's the reality: Augustus has no room for weaklings by his side. You're not qualified to stand before him, so save yourself the embarrassment and give up now."
"Weakling?" Thor finally acknowledged Loki's words, his sea-blue eyes glinting with faint amusement. "That's new. I've never been called that before. Perhaps it's a term you're so accustomed to hearing applied to yourself that you automatically assign it to others."
"Hmph. Big talk, like Malfoy here. All bark and no bite," Loki shot back with a sneer. "For a man to rely solely on his mouth, how is he different from a dead fish?"
"Hey, hey!" Malfoy protested, feigning indignation. "Don't lump me in with him!"
"Interesting," Thor said, his tone cooling. "If Augustus doesn't mind, I propose a duel. Let him witness who truly deserves to stand here." The air around him crackled faintly, subtle arcs of lightning dancing in the charged atmosphere.
"I've been waiting to see this," Loki replied with an icy smile, frost beginning to coalesce around him. "Let's hope you're as entertaining as you claim to be. Otherwise, I can't promise you'll leave here unscathed."
"Enough," Augustus interjected calmly. "Take it outside. And keep it restrained; this is a gathering, not a battleground." His tone was measured but firm, commanding their compliance.
The group moved to the manor's sprawling lawn. Thor, still smiling faintly, stood across from Loki. "Rest assured, I'll hold back. Even if you lose, I won't make it too embarrassing for you," Thor said courteously.
"Save your noble airs," Loki retorted. "Let's see how long that confidence lasts."
The duel began.
Loki swiftly drew his wand, conjuring a gleaming white ice shield in an instant. Its surface was polished like a mirror, reflecting even Malfoy's image from the side.
Thor chuckled softly, and a bolt of blue lightning descended from the sky, forming a spear in his hand. With a flick of his wrist, he hurled it forward. The spear hurtled toward Loki, striking the ice shield with a deafening crash. Loki staggered back several paces from the force of the impact, shards of ice cascading to the ground.
Recovering quickly, Loki raised his wand, summoning a flurry of snowflakes. Massive ice spikes materialized in the air, gleaming with lethal sharpness. Thor's eyes narrowed slightly as the spikes shot forward at blinding speed.
With a flick of his fingers, Thor created a barrier of blue electricity before him. The ice spikes disintegrated against the screen, crackling faintly as they dissolved.
"Got you," Loki muttered, his lips curving into a sly grin. Chanting under his breath, he summoned a ground-level ice storm. Frost surged upward, encasing Thor's legs up to his knees in solid ice.
Seeing his opponent immobilized, Loki smirked triumphantly. Above Thor, a dark cloud began to form, unleashing a hailstorm of jagged ice blocks.
Thor sighed, shaking his head lightly. He had underestimated Loki. The techniques were unfamiliar, far removed from any spells he'd studied. Could Loki also possess an innate magical ability—perhaps an affinity for ice? Yet the use of a wand suggested otherwise.
Augustus watched silently, his silver eyes glinting faintly. A natural-born lightning wielder, Thor's potential was undeniable. Properly cultivated, he could easily ascend to legendary status through thunder magic. Another worthy candidate for mentorship had appeared—a potential apostle on the path to magical mastery.
The clash continued, sparks of ice and lightning lighting up the night.
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