"Like challenges?"
John suddenly understood—no wonder he dared to mess with a dragon's rear. He really did have some guts... or skill.
After the three introduced themselves, John finally learned where he was.
Scandinavia. And the Durmstrang Institute was also located here.
"Edgar, could you take us out of here?" John asked.
Heinrich looked at John. His features were soft, and the paleness of his face reminded John of Malfoy.
Then Heinrich said something unexpected: "You're strong."
"Uh... thanks," John replied modestly.
But that wasn't what Heinrich meant. He stared intently at John, took off his right-hand glove, and threw it at John's feet.
"I challenge you to a duel."
A duel?!
John was stunned. Fleur snapped, "We saved you!"
"I know. You and Merlin are both Dragon Speakers," Heinrich said slowly and clearly as he continued staring at John. "Defeat me, and I'll tell you how to get back."
Fleur leaned closer and whispered, "I think he's got his eyes on you."
John wasn't sure, but he sensed a trace of schadenfreude in her tone.
Fleur smiled—finally getting her revenge for the sourberry incident.
Of course, she wasn't worried John would lose. His handling of the dragon earlier was proof enough of his strength.
But being targeted by Edgar wasn't a good thing. Those people were extreme lunatics.
If John refused, Heinrich would probably let them wander this land forever.
To return home as soon as possible, John had no choice but to accept.
A duel.
He thought of Professor Flitwick—small in stature, but a former champion duelist.
John and Heinrich stood back to back, wands in hand, walking away from each other.
They counted aloud, and on the count of ten, both turned and attacked.
John was faster, aided by his speed-enhancing spells. His first cast: Bone-Shattering Curse.
Heinrich reacted swiftly, casting Protego to block, then immediately launched a counterattack.
The two traded spells like seasoned fencers rather than students.
Their wands were their swords, their spells slicing through the air in radiant bursts.
John dodged a minor jinx and raised his wand to cast his most powerful spell.
At the same time, Heinrich unleashed his strongest attack:
"Incendio!" ×2
Two jets of fire collided, creating a sea of flames.
John's Level 4 Fire Charm met its match—but he had the upper hand.
His orange-yellow fire overwhelmed Heinrich's.
Just before the flames could consume Heinrich, John reduced the Shatter Curse to its weakest level and struck him.
"You lost."
John did not press further. His left hand fell by his side, while his right hand held the wand behind his back.
Heinrich stood silently, then picked up his wand and said, "You truly are strong. I concede."
He admitted defeat cleanly. John smiled—now they could finally leave.
"I'll tell you how to get out. Head to Durmstrang—there's a Floo Network there you can use."
John accepted the suggestion. But he remembered: Durmstrang wasn't exactly friendly toward Muggle-borns. Would he be attacked?
"Shouldn't be a problem—who would know if I don't say anything?"
John and Fleur set off for Durmstrang with Heinrich leading the way—finally, a path forward.
They exited Silent Valley and followed a mountain road.
Unlike John, who ended up here by mistake, Heinrich had a carriage waiting at the valley's edge.
"Young master Heinrich, and these two are?" asked a sharp-eyed, white-haired butler.
"You don't need to ask, Rick," Heinrich said coldly.
Unwilling to defy him, the old butler Rick shut his mouth.
"Not a house-elf?"
John was surprised. Pure-blood families almost always had house-elves.
Compared to hiring others, house-elves were free labor—a major saving.
Like the Malfoys, for instance.
They boarded the carriage, which then set off for Durmstrang.
For some reason, John felt Heinrich kept staring at him.
He shifted to the left—Heinrich's eyes followed.
He moved right—Heinrich still followed.
"Fleur, what did you say earlier?"
Fleur struggled to hold back her laughter. "Edgar—right-hand man of the strong."
John felt a headache coming. Was Edgar seriously going to cling to him now?
What kind of "strong" was he supposed to be?
Sigh. So tiring.
It was supposed to be a holiday. Not only did he have to keep studying, but when he tried to relax by watching a match, he ended up in Silent Valley being chased by a dragon.
John felt like his whole first-year holiday had been ruined.
The carriage finally arrived in front of a castle—Durmstrang Institute.
It wasn't as magnificent as Beauxbatons, nor as steeped in history as Hogwarts.
It was simply a four-story castle, surrounded by vast land and stunning landscapes.
Behind Durmstrang stood a mountain lake, where students remaining on campus would sometimes strip down and jump in for a swim.
This place was unplottable, hidden by powerful magic.
Fleur had never liked Heinrich—no matter how good-looking he was, his rudeness was unbearable.
But after entering the school, they noticed other Durmstrang students also avoided and disliked Heinrich.
They even ignored the two strangers, Fleur and John.
This common treatment softened Fleur's opinion of Heinrich—slightly.
At a fireplace, Heinrich said, "John. You can use this to travel to Crooked Hat Square."
"Thank you, Heinrich. Come visit Hogwarts sometime—I'll show you around."
John was in a great mood—finally going home.
Heinrich nodded with surprising force and replied in a deep, slightly hoarse voice, "I will."
His intense reaction left John feeling they really might meet again.
They shook hands, and then John and Fleur stepped into the green flames of the Floo network and vanished.
They used a Portkey from Crooked Hat Square to finally return to Beauxbatons, after several transfers.
Both were mentally and physically exhausted.
But their bond had grown stronger through the ordeal.
In the following days, John spent his time in the alchemy room. Occasionally, Fleur would bring him cookies.
After eating them, John always felt unusually relaxed—he suspected she might have used some Veela magic.
One day, John stepped out of the alchemy room and stretched. His body cracked with stiffness.
"At this rate, I'll break before I finish forging the sword," he muttered.
Planning to go for a morning run and nap afterward, he returned to his dorm—only to find a letter waiting.
He opened it—it was from Dumbledore.
"Dear John, I hope you're enjoying your holiday. Sorry to intrude, but I have a small request…"
"Go to Montmorency Street?"
John set the letter down. Looks like this was his fourth stop.
After a nap, he used Floo Powder to head to Paris.
Montmorency Street was one of the oldest streets in Paris.
As John walked its length, something felt… off.
He was being watched.
This wasn't just paranoia.
Using the reflection in a shop window, John caught sight of a man following him.
Maybe the man thought a young wizard posed no threat—he was acting very casual.
John smirked. You really think I'm that easy to handle?
He quickened his pace, heading for a street corner.
The man followed.
"Where did he go?!"
When the man turned the corner, John had vanished. Panic set in.
"Stupefy!"
Before he could react, a red beam struck his chest.
John canceled the Disillusionment Charm and reappeared. He stared at the unconscious man, then used Levitation Charm to drag him away.