What happened if Devil’s Snare was carefully cultivated until it reached a relatively stable state, then refined through alchemy and fitted with a trigger mechanism designed to lure and restrain prey?
The answer was currently thrashing in front of David.
“Wow!
Cousin, that was amazing!” Pansy hid behind him, staring wide-eyed at the ghoul struggling helplessly inside a mass of writhing Devil’s Snare.
Behind her, another blond boy finally relaxed.
Once the fear faded, his mouth curled disdainfully.
“What’s so impressive about that?” Draco Malfoy lifted his chin.
“It’s only a ghoul.
We have white peacocks at my house.” “All right, Draco.” David rose and drew his wand.
“We’ll go to your house later and catch one.” Draco hurried after him.
“That’s not what I meant!” He tried to explain.
“You don’t have to catch them.
The peacocks already live on our estate.” “Incendio.” David casually flicked his wand.
Flames erupted across the Devil’s Snare binding the ghoul.
The alchemical construct was called Circle of Confinement, a little project James had taught David to make for practice.
It was disposable.
According to James, the alchemical process altered the internal structure of the Devil’s Snare, forcing it to burn through its own life force at an accelerated rate.
In exchange, the plant gained several temporary advantages.
Rapid growth.
Extreme reach.
Powerful restraint.
And most importantly— it no longer feared light.
The drawback was obvious.
Once activated, it died quickly.
“AAAAARGH!” The ghoul burst through the burning vines.
And naturally, after being trapped, restrained, and set on fire by three troublesome children, it wasn’t in the mood to forgive anyone.
Draco had been in the middle of boasting when the flaming ghoul charged.
He yelped and fell straight onto his backside.
Behind him, Pansy screamed so sharply that David wondered whether she might actually faint.
“Depulso!” David didn’t flinch.
He shifted sideways, drawing the ghoul’s charge away from the other two, then struck it with the Banishing Charm.
The ghoul was hurled backwards.
David’s wand was already moving again.
“Glacius!” Frost spread over the creature’s body.
Blue-white ice raced across its limbs, chest, and face until the ghoul became completely rigid.
David looked towards the other two.
Pansy was staring.
Draco was still sitting on the ground.
David shrugged.
Then calmly raised his wand.
“Diffindo.” CRACK!
The frozen ghoul shattered.
It broke apart like a massive block of river ice dropped from a great height.
Chunks scattered across the ground.
Except this wasn’t ordinary ice.
Bits of frozen flesh were still visible inside.
The sight was distinctly unpleasant.
David smiled at them.
“Fun, isn’t it?” Draco stared at the remains.
David continued cheerfully, “It’s one of the more popular games at Durmstrang.” Pansy blinked.
“Games?” “Usually you wear a blindfold.” David nodded.
“The target is released first, and you’re only allowed to remove the blindfold one second later.” “It tests your reactions.” Draco’s face had gone pale.
His lips trembled.
“Y-yes.” He forced himself upright.
“Fun.” David almost laughed.
Draco Malfoy might lose a fight.
But apparently he would rather die than lose an argument.
Pansy was braver.
She approached the melting remains and cautiously kicked one of the frozen pieces.
Then she looked at David with open admiration.
“That was brilliant.” Her eyes practically sparkled.
“So that’s what proper duelling looks like.” “What’s so special about it?” Draco climbed to his feet, embarrassed by how badly he had reacted.
He desperately wanted to recover some dignity.
“Once I start school, I’ll be able to do that within a year.” “Of course.” David smiled.
“I don’t doubt it.” Then he started walking.
“Come on.” Draco frowned.
“Where?” “Your house.” David glanced back.
“We’re going to catch a white peacock.” Draco’s face changed.
“No!” He hurried after him.
“No, absolutely not!” David had come to Wiltshire with his mother to return Uncle Hedoc’s earlier visit.
The Parkinson family didn’t have many close branches.
That was probably one of the consequences of generations spent obsessing over pure-blood marriages.
Pansy had grown up rather lonely.
So when she suddenly discovered that she had a handsome older cousin, she had no intention of letting him disappear again.
The two had exchanged letters ever since their first meeting.
And when Mary brought David to visit in mid-August, Pansy immediately asked if he could stay for several days.
Mary and Hedoc were both delighted by the idea.
Mary in particular seemed extremely fond of her niece.
So David’s opinion became largely irrelevant.
His mother made the decision for him.
He stayed in Wiltshire.
Perhaps Mary also felt that the magical creatures around Rowle Manor deserved a holiday from him.
The Parkinsons didn’t have a grand estate like the Rowles, but they owned a comfortable villa surrounded by woodland and hills.
Beyond one of those hills lay Malfoy Manor.
The Parkinson and Malfoy families were apparently on good terms.
Which meant young Draco Malfoy visited regularly.
Sometimes he even brought his two usual followers.
At the moment, however, it was only David, Pansy, and Draco in the sitting room.
Uncle Hedoc was frequently away on business.
“My father was going to send me to Durmstrang.” Draco tossed a sweet into the air and caught it neatly in his mouth.
He chewed smugly.
“But Mother said it was too far away.” “What a shame.” David was reclining against the sofa, staring down at his alchemy notes with a faint headache.
“The Swedish climate is excellent for developing fighting spirit.” Draco’s expression immediately darkened.
He assumed David was mocking him for what had happened with the ghoul.
So he folded his arms and stopped talking.
Pansy noticed the sudden tension.
She quickly changed the subject.
“Where in Switzerland is Durmstrang?” David slowly closed his notebook.
Then rubbed between his eyebrows.
“You can’t plot it.” Pansy blinked.
“The school is protected by magic.
Its exact location can’t be marked on ordinary maps.” “Just like Hogwarts!” Draco’s sulking ended immediately.
He couldn’t resist showing off something he knew.
“Hogwarts has enchantments like that too.” He leaned forward.
“Muggles only see ruins if they find the place.” “My mother told me.” Pansy ignored him and climbed off the sofa.
She moved behind David and began gently massaging his temples.
He had been reading for hours.
“Cousin.” “Does Durmstrang really teach the Dark Arts?” “Of course it does.” Draco answered before David could.
He tossed another sweet upwards and caught it.
“My father says Durmstrang places far more emphasis on duelling and the Dark Arts.” “And combat magic.” Pansy sounded impressed.
“That’s so cool.” She leaned over the back of the sofa.
From this angle, David’s profile was annoyingly handsome.
Before she could stop herself, her hands drifted down from his temples.
She pinched the remaining softness in his cheek.
Smack.
David lightly slapped the back of her hand.
Then caught her wrist and moved it back up to his forehead.
Continue there.
Pansy pressed her lips together to stop herself laughing.
“All right.” She resumed massaging his temples.
Then curiosity returned.
“Why didn’t you use Dark Magic against the ghoul earlier?” “And why were you moving around while casting spells?” Even Draco didn’t know the answer to that.
For someone who constantly talked about his family’s superior magical education, he suddenly became very quiet.
David closed his eyes.
“Dark Magic requires a strong magical foundation.” His voice had become lazy, almost sleepy.
“I’ve only finished second year.” “As for moving while casting…” He shifted slightly against the sofa.
“It keeps you from becoming an easy target.” “And while you’re avoiding the opponent’s attacks, you look for an opening in their defence.” Draco leaned closer.
“So your magical power isn’t that strong yet?” He seemed genuinely interested now.
“That’s why you needed several spells to defeat the ghoul?” David opened one eye.
A faint smile appeared.
“Clever.” Draco straightened proudly.
“You might actually have some talent for duelling.” The pride disappeared.
David looked at him with the faintly unsettling interest of someone examining a laboratory specimen.
“Never assume you have to defeat an opponent with a single spell.” Draco listened carefully.
“A well-designed combination of ordinary spells can produce results far beyond what you’d expect.” David closed his eye again.
“In a duel, the spell that finishes the fight matters less than making sure your opponent never gets the chance to finish theirs.” CREATORS’ THOUGHTS SYSTEMATIC_MANIAC Enjoying the novel?
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