The air in the abandoned classroom was thick with tension.
Ez stood on one side, his blue eyes cold and calculating, while Adrian Pucey smirked from the other end. Their audience was small—just Elena and Adrian Selwyn, acting as witnesses.
"This isn't just a duel anymore," Ez realized. "It's a statement."
The moment Pucey revealed his fire magic, Ez knew this fight wasn't about mere competition. It was about proving dominance.
Ez had ice.
Pucey had fire.
Two rare affinities. Two heirs of forgotten magic.
And now, they would collide.
---
"Standard dueling rules," Adrian Selwyn announced. "No lethal spells. No lasting injuries. First to disable or disarm the other wins."
Ez and Pucey nodded.
Elena's gaze flickered between them. "Be careful."
Pucey smirked. "You're worried about Malverne? How sweet."
Ez ignored him, raising his wand.
"Begin!"
---
The moment the word left Adrian's lips, Pucey moved—fast.
A streak of fire erupted from his wand, twisting toward Ez like a living serpent.
Ez's response was instant—his magic surged outward, a wall of frost meeting the flames head-on.
Fire hissed against ice, steam rising between them.
Ez's feet slid back slightly from the force of Pucey's attack. He wasn't holding back.
Ez narrowed his eyes. Good. Neither would he.
With a flick of his wrist, he sent a surge of ice across the floor, a frozen shockwave rushing toward Pucey.
Pucey barely dodged in time, leaping onto a desk before countering with a blast of searing heat.
The air shimmered, waves of warmth clashing against the frost-laden battlefield.
Ez raised his hand, channeling his ice magic directly—not through his wand, but his body.
A jagged spear of ice materialized in his palm, sharp as a dagger.
Pucey's eyes widened. "That's not normal magic."
Ez smirked. "Neither is yours."
---
Ez shifted his weight, launching the ice spear forward.
Pucey deflected it with a shield of fire, but the distraction was enough.
Ez struck, his wand tracing the air in sharp, deliberate movements. Shards of frost exploded toward Pucey, forcing him onto the defensive.
Fire met ice in rapid succession—spell after spell, neither gaining the upper hand.
Elena and Adrian Selwyn watched in silent awe.
This wasn't a duel.
This was a battle of prodigies.
---
Pucey was fast—but Ez had something he didn't.
Control.
While Pucey's fire was raw and aggressive, Ez's ice was calm, methodical.
He waited for the moment—the instant Pucey overextended.
Then—
Ez flicked his fingers, sending an unseen ripple through the frost-covered floor.
For just a second, Pucey's footing slipped.
And that was all Ez needed.
A snap of his fingers—
The ice beneath Pucey solidified around his boots, trapping him in place.
Before Pucey could counter, Ez raised his wand.
"Expelliarmus."
Pucey's wand flew from his grasp, clattering to the floor.
Silence.
Then—Adrian Selwyn stepped forward.
"Winner—Ez Malverne."
---
Pucey exhaled, shaking his head as he stared at the frozen ground beneath him.
Ez stepped closer, offering a hand. "Good fight."
For a moment, Pucey hesitated. Then—he smirked, grasping Ez's hand firmly.
"Not bad, Malverne. But next time, I won't slip up."
Ez chuckled. "We'll see."
And just like that, their rivalry was no longer just competition.
It was mutual respect.
---
As they left the classroom, Elena fell into step beside Ez.
"You realize what this means, right?" she muttered.
Ez glanced at her. "What?"
Elena sighed. "Pucey knows you're different now. And if he knows, it won't take long before others do too."
Ez's grip on his wand tightened. She was right.
His abilities were no longer a secret.
And in a school like Hogwarts, that kind of attention could be dangerous.
---