Standing out in the corridor, I could already hear multiple steps hurrying towards me. It didn't take long for the owners of four guys to appear, looking towards me with fury in their eyes. Glancing at their robes, I knew at once they were all in their last year, which raised a question within me. Why were they bullying Dimitris? For Quincy? I highly doubt it because that would be more than a pitiful excuse to curse a third-year student over a fourth-year one.

Something else we were unaware of had to be going on behind the scenes. I will also have to question Dimitris about his background because, so far, I assumed he was just an ordinary student. But then again, he is living within the castle, so he has to have a strong background. Oh well, that is for then; this is for now.

"You! Who are you?" the first of the four barked at me, making me tilt my head. I watched his bulky, well-built figure, short black hair, and the pulsating vein on the side of his head, pumping blood toward his cold, black eyes. Why so angry? Oh well, let me pop that vessel and give you an aneurysm, then.

"Your father."

"What?!" They stopped, feeling as if they had misheard me. Looking at them closely, they were similar. Not like siblings, but more like a uniform unit. Same boots, same cloaks, same haircut... hm. Maybe a group that requires some uniformity? It could be.

"Deaf? I said I am your father. What? Didn't get the memo? I returned from the corner store, but they were out of milk, so instead, I bought you something different as a gift."

"What...?" They asked again, stumped, and I couldn't help but shrug, listening to their boneheadedness. Was I not speaking their language? Was my charm broken? Whatever...

"It's a beatdown. It was on sale in a family package for four dunces."

Flicking my right hand, my wand appeared between my fingers in a flash, raised forward, glowing in a soft, red light. A stunning spell burst out from it as it hit the first of them in the chest, flinging him backward like a sockpuppet. When I aimed at the second guy, he was fumbling to get his wand ready, way too confident in himself to come prepared. It was a big mistake. I kept smiling, watching his body stiffen, being hit by my second spell, falling face first onto the stone floor accompanied by a crack as he broke his nose.

"At least the rest of you are not a complete disappointment to your daddy!" I added with a laugh, deflecting their spells, throwing one against the wall with a red flash and sparks while the second attacking spell ricocheted off my shield charm, hitting the ceiling.

This time, I didn't attack immediately, waiting for their spells and watching their arms' movements. They weren't speaking as they were using wordless casting, but it didn't matter; most adult wizards were doing that anyway. Even when I couldn't recognize the spell they were about to use, I could tell if it was to aim at me, my immediate vicinity, or at my wand just by the partial movements of their wrists. From there, I only had to respond appropriately. Let the attacks against my body be deflected by my shield charm while I aimed a counter-attack at the ones going for my wand. Those that aimed at the floor or the wall? I didn't care about it because, by the first ricochets, I had already determined that the castle was protected by some kind of ancient magic, so it shouldn't have any effect.

"They are not bad..." I murmured, exchanging the fourth round with the two, watching as the third was about to stand back up before I proceeded to change and begin attacking. Deflecting another disarming spell, I aimed at the clothes of the first guy, using accio on them, and reeled him towards me like a fish, crashing into the back of his classmate who was in the way, knocking him down. "At least protect your body, you idiot." I added with a smirk, as the biggest mistake one could make in a duel is to lower his concentration and defenses, letting the enemy use such a simple method to screw with him. "Oh!"

The last standing guy capitalized on my opening because he also used a spell when I went on the attack, forgoing his defenses. He was trying to hit me with a paralyzing spell, only for me to dodge it physically, as if it was a dance, turning my body sideways, watching the jet of red light pass by me. What? Do you think I would remain standing still like a statue? What were they being taught in class? Is every battle static, unchanging, and honorable? Don't make me laugh.

By the time he recovered, I was already on the attack again, but he was better than the rest. With a shield raised, he deflected my first spell, and he managed to keep up with the speed of my casting, countering all my attacks. Still, the difference between us was visible because I was still calm and smiling, unlike him, who was panicking and sweating.

"STOP IT ALREADY!" came a loud shout, and by the voice and its strength, I was sure it wasn't a teacher. It was still young-sounding. Their leader? Whoever it was, I saw his spell first, then the guy himself.

With one fired off from my own wand, I canceled out his, making a small explosion in the corridor and throwing my previous opponent against the wall. Finally, I could see him, and I was right. It was another student. He looked more... prepared? Dangerous? The feeling I got from him was much more mature than the others.

"You are coming with me!" He said, looking at me, his dark eyes drilling into mine. He held his wand ready for anything while slicking back his black hair with his free fingers.

"No, I don't think so."

"Know your place!" He answered with an angry scoff, making my smile return.

"I know it. It is right here."

"Fighting within the castle is forbidden by the rules! You are going to be expelled; I will make sure of it!"

Really... Rules? Are we bringing rules up now? Did I hear it right? If I did... Then, will those four also be expelled? Yeah, surely. Hmmm, this is fun.

"Smile as much as you want; you are done for, kid!"

"I don't care about your rules," I answered, twitching my finger while watching his hand. I saw him immediately react in a way that he could have defended himself if I had attacked. He was fast, but not as fast as my Father or Grindelwald. I could take him on. I want to take him on; I need to improve.

"Propesterous, the rules-" He began his monologue, but I cut in with a low chuckle.

"Rules are for those who can't afford to go against them. This means that the rules are for the weak... I don't care about YOUR rules. I can respect them when I must, but when I feel they are in my way... I won't care overstepping them."

I didn't give him another chance to speak and attacked, sending a blinding red light toward him in the form of an explosion spell that he managed to redirect, blasting the glass window on our left wide open. It was not over because I used another spell to grab the shards of glass, spinning in the air before hurling them toward him. He turned them into dust when they entered his protective field, reducing them to their primary element. Creative.

There was no pause between us. I had already advanced forward, bombarding him with blue fire, sweeping through the corridor and engulfing him and his shield. Feeling a fluctuation, trusting my heightened instincts, I dodged by ducking towards the left, avoiding an invisible, arrow-like spell flying past me, shattering at the other end of the corridor. I watched as he shot it through my fire before using the explosion of his shield charm to extinguish it and try to attack with his own spell. He was quick, and I was just getting into the rhythm of our fight, erecting my own shield and blocking his explosive spell that pushed back multiple meters when a new voice arrived.

"STOP! RIGHT NOW!"

This time, it was a more mature voice. A teacher and I already managed to place a face to it. Andrei, the Dark Arts teacher. I was in the middle of using an expelliarmus spell against my current enemy when I felt a sharp pang hit me from behind. It was not actual pain, but my instincts warned me, my blood boiling, that I was in great danger. Not letting it take over me, I used it, this time managing to slow my time perception down as much as I wanted, rolling in the opposite direction, avoiding an icicle-like spell fly by me.

"AAAARGH!"

With a loud cry, my opponent fell to the side, grabbing his thighs, pierced by the attack, immobilizing him while I remained unharmed, standing up and now turning towards the culprit, Andrei. He was lanky and thin, his black hair was curly and rough, and his brown eyes were ablaze with anger as he looked at me. I don't think he thought I would dodge. Well, I didn't know that there was a hidden staircase leading up here at the other end to try and stab me in the back. So... we are even now.

"You will be out of this school by tonight!" He sneered, looking at me, which would have been scary to hear. Two years ago. In Hogwarts.

"I don't think so."

"You dare talk back to me?!" He shouted, raising his voice an octave higher, which was grading but also funny.

"Yes."

"...!" This time, I guess, he couldn't raise his voice any higher, so he remained silent, but his face turned red as a baboon's ass. "I want to see if you will keep the smirk on your face, you bastard, after I am done with you!"

"What? Are you going to stab me like you did to that poor fella?" I asked with a laugh, pointing at the bleeding, moaning guy on the ground, now surrounded by the other four, bruised, beaten, and defeated.

Maybe it was what made him raise his hand, and I already knew the spell that was about to come out from his wand. Cruciatus. Bring it! But before it would have a chance to appear, a simple spell, without any knockback or flash, flicked the wand out of between Andrei's fingers, sending it flying through the air and landing in Grindelwald's hand.

"You dare!" Andrei pointed at him, but I could feel the fear in his voice because nobody, not even my basilisk senses, picked up on him arriving or casting a spell.

"My hands slipped." He answered calmly, walking up to me, ignoring the mess in the corridor or the moans of others. "Here." He continued, presenting Andrei's wand to him with a placid look, "Take it."

"..." After a moment of hesitation, Andrei shook himself, jolting his mind out of its weird indecisiveness, and swiped at Grindelwald's hand, looking nefariously at us.

"A fight between youngsters is inevitable." Grindelwald continued calmly, wearing a knowing smile, "But it is the best way to find talents and diamonds, don't you say? Let them weed the weak out by themselves so we can teach the cream of the crop. Or... did Durmstrang's views change in the past century or so? I didn't know the school had fallen so far..."

Andrei could say nothing to that and simply walked past us, whispering so softly that only we could hear it.

"This is not over... newcomers."

Corty

We are back to our normal schedule; I am feeling way better by now~ Thank you for reading!