Struggling to survive at Hogwarts

Chapter 168 Duel Analysis

Who won between the two of them?

"I don't know, I couldn't open my eyes just now."

"Did you see it?"

"No, there's too much dust."

The whispers from the audience finally stopped after Thea clapped.

"As you can see, I lost the duel with my senior."

Before the crowd could stir, Thea continued, "So what did you gain from those two duels?"

"The spell must be cast quickly!"

"You need to dodge quickly too!"

"You need to aim carefully before you shoot the spell!"

"........."

The young wizards chattered on and on.

The silence only subsided when Thea raised her hand to signal. "Everyone has mentioned a point, but it's not comprehensive."

"Does everyone remember? In both duels, didn't we test each other first?"

Seeing everyone nod, Thea continued:

"Actually, this approach isn't always necessary. It's just that we're in a duel arena right now. In actual combat, I'd rather you use your most powerful spells right away than give your opponent a chance to breathe by playing slowly and deliberately!"

Cedric noticed that some of the young wizards in the audience had already started taking notes.

"Furthermore, if you know the opponent's weaknesses, then don't hesitate to attack those weaknesses!"

"Attacks aren't limited to spells. Cedric and I just demonstrated how to use Polymorph. In addition, potions, herbs, and even magical creatures can be used!"

"Some herbs emit a dizzying odor when burned; you can use them in conjunction with a fire charm, but be careful. Some herbs, when combined with a growth charm, can bind people..."

"Clap clap clap!"

A sudden burst of applause rang out, and when everyone turned around, a robe embroidered with stars and moons stood out.

"Greetings, Professor Dumbledore, Professor Snape, and Mrs. Pomfrey."

Thea stood on the high platform and easily saw two other people standing next to Dumbledore.

“I apologize, please forgive my joy as an educator at seeing my students succeed,” Dumbledore said with a smile to Thea. “However, Miss Black, you may need to come to Mrs. Pomfrey’s place.”

Thea then realized that she felt a bit of pain, probably from being hit by the wooden block and grazed by the magic spell.

"By the way, Mr. Diggory and Mr. Potter, just to be on the safe side, you should also come to Mrs. Pomfrey's."

“Madam, can we skip the medical wing? I need…” Thea said, glancing with some difficulty at the young wizards lined up over there.

Madame Pomfrey frowned, but eventually agreed after the three pleaded with her.

As usual, after downing several bottles of potions, Thea once again walked into the crowd, full of energy.

"Miss Tevis, your idea of ​​using the power of magic to directly overwhelm your opponent is good, but continuously firing spells with too much power requires a lot of magic reserves, so please use it with caution!"

“Pansy, watch your spell accuracy. I’ve seen you fire spells without aiming several times.”

"Daphne, aim for Gella's weak point!"

"Potter?"

Thea was watching the duel between Daphne and Gella when a figure suddenly appeared beside her.

"How did you come up with the idea of ​​using Transfiguration?"

“Because I’ve discovered that your spells are very powerful. If I were to fight you head-on, the price I would pay would be high. But if I choose to use a surprise attack, I will expend much less magic,” Thea said earnestly to Harry.

"Oh." Harry suddenly realized, and his mood plummeted uncontrollably.

“…Diggory, he’s amazing…”

"Are you worried that you won't be able to win?" Thea asked bluntly.

"...No, I just feel that the gap between me and them is too big. I can't even compare to you..."

Seeing Harry's dejected look, Thea couldn't help but ruffle his messy hair.

Finally, under Harry's accusing gaze, Thea calmly withdrew her hand, saying, "It's not a good thing to dwell on failure."

Seemingly realizing that she was being a bit presumptuous, Thea lifted her foot and walked in a certain direction, telling Harry to follow.

Where are we going?

"Let's review the duel we just fought!"

Thea did not explain to Harry what a debriefing meant.

"Draco! Come here for a second!"

Upon hearing Thea's call, Draco immediately jogged over to the three of them.

"How many phonographs did you install?" Thea didn't waste any more words.

"12 units!"

"I'd like to watch the two duels that just took place on the platform. May I?"

“Anytime is fine,” Draco said, leading the two to a corner of the room.

On an ordinary table sits a metal object about 2 inches thick, with 12 neatly arranged round beads in grooves.

"This is a recording device that Draco created during his vacation. It functions somewhat like a Muggle video recorder, but it doesn't need to be charged; instead, it requires magical power," Thea explained to Harry simply.

"The one facing the platform... that should be number six..."

Draco reached out and slid the bead to the top of the groove. A beam of light then emanated from one end of the metal object and shone directly onto the wall.

Immediately afterwards, the white light began to play back everything that had just happened on the high platform, starting with Thea's speech.

"Thank you, Draco. You can go now."

After waving Draco away, Thea began to explain the duel that had just taken place to Harry.

"This is just my humble opinion; you can use it as a reference."

"At first, we were both testing each other..."

“In the process, I gradually realized that your spell is very powerful, and a direct confrontation wouldn't give me much of an advantage,”

As she spoke, Thea waved her wand, and the projection on the wall stopped on a certain image.

"Look here, your disarming spell hit the floor, and the floor is showing signs of cracking."

Thea pointed to a spot and said to Harry.

"The power of your spells is your advantage, but it doesn't make you invincible. You need to be mindful of the intensity of your spellcasting and learn to control the excess magic..."

Harry nodded thoughtfully.

"Faced with this situation, my choice is to wait. Wait for you to make a mistake."

"So you used Polymorph to create an opening in my defense, and then used that opportunity to end this duel?"

"Yes!"

Harry looked dazed. He found Thea's analysis quite simple, but could he really do what Thea did and devise a plan to target his opponent's weaknesses so early in the duel?

"You need experience; a lot of dueling experience can build up your dueling instinct."

Seemingly sensing what Harry was thinking, Thea offered sincere advice.

Seeing Harry about to walk over, Thea called out, "Tell Cedric to come over here too."

Harry nodded.