Henry had never heard the Eastern saying, "When misfortune reaches its limit, fortune will follow," but if he had, he would've fallen madly in love with whoever coined it.
Because once again, Merlin had shown him favor, the person who had come to his rescue wasn't just anyone. It was none other than Professor Matt Ted, the Head of Wampus House.
Of course, any professor at Ilvermorny would have likely helped a student in danger.
But the difference between a concerned teacher and your own head of house? It was like comparing moonlight to the sun. Especially since Professor Ted was fiercely protective of his students.
In fact, Professor Ted's intervention exceeded Henry's expectations.
With a sharp wave of his wand, a torrent of water shot forth, not only dousing the flames surrounding them, but also taking shape under the professor's masterful control, twisting and freezing into icy chains that lashed straight toward the little witch.
The moment those chains slammed into her flaming barrier, a loud crackling echoed through the corridor. But despite the initial resistance, the barrier soon shattered, unable to withstand the pressure. The chains lunged forward, twisting rapidly, aiming to bind their target.
Unfortunately, the attack fell short.
Weakened by the earlier spells, the chains couldn't withstand the girl's counter-magic and broke apart mid-flight. Henry was just about to sigh in disappointment when more chains began forming at the professor's command.
These translucent bindings of magically frozen water whirled madly in the air. For the first time, Henry saw a flicker of panic on the young witch's face.
But it was only panic, not fear.
Calmly, she tucked her wand back into her robe and gently cradled the plush teddy bear that had been resting in the crook of her left arm.
A flush of red flooded Henry's face.
This girl had been fighting six Ilvermorny students, casting advanced spells, and she'd done it all while holding a stuffed animal in one hand!?
Humiliating!
Henry had never felt so insulted in his life.
Still, it seemed this was the end. The little witch had put away her wand and was now clutching her bear, apparently ready to surrender.
If Henry added a few exaggerated remarks to the report, she wouldn't just lose her spot in Ilvermorny's exchange program, she'd probably be disgraced even back at her own school.
But instead of yielding, the girl threw her teddy bear forward.
Was she out of magic? It wasn't impossible. Low-level witches and wizards sometimes depleted their magical reserves during combat.
Still… what could possibly come of such a childish gesture?
Tossing a plush toy in a duel? Even Muggles would consider that absurd.
And yet, the next thing Henry saw was Professor Ted's face suddenly twist with alarm.
Before he could ask what was wrong, a crushing pressure surged through the corridor.
The plain, slightly shabby-looking teddy bear began to grow midair, swelling rapidly in size, and with it came a flood of searing flame.
Even from behind Professor Ted's sturdy shield, Henry could feel the heat scorching his hair, making it curl and frizzle at the ends.
Then came a roar, deep, primal, and terrifying, and a massive shadow emerged from the firestorm.
What the hell?! Was that some kind of demon summoning spell?!
Henry instinctively curled into a ball behind his professor. Thankfully, Ted was a tall man, his broad frame shielded Henry from the worst of it.
A piercing bear roar split the air.
Mustering his courage, Henry peeked out, and immediately burst into laughter.
It was a bear… sort of. With red eyes and sharp fangs, it looked vicious enough to terrify most children.
But it was also... short.
Standing upright, the bear barely reached half a meter tall. Even wrapped in flame, it looked more like a chubby mascot than a monster.
Even the little witch who summoned it looked stunned. Clearly, this hadn't been her intention either, whatever spell she'd cast, it wasn't supposed to conjure this adorable runt.
Henry couldn't help but laugh harder. Was this supposed to be a threat?
But then, he stopped laughing.
Because this deceptively cuddly bear was about to show him exactly why you should never judge a bear by its fluff.
In the blink of an eye, the bear lunged at Professor Ted's water shield and swiped at it with a single claw.
The supposedly fire-tested, reinforced magical barrier split like butter under a hot knife.
Henry watched, dumbfounded, as the remnants of the broken shield dissolved back into water, then evaporated instantly into a puff of steam under the intense heat.
"What kind of summoning spell is this? From Uganda's beast conjuration magic? Or maybe some class of magical creature?" Professor Ted muttered, frowning. He conjured another shield with a flick of his wand.
This time, a glob of pale green slime rose up and latched onto the bear's claws. When it struck again, the enchanted mucus held, causing only a minor tremor in the shield before stabilizing.
Still, the professor received no answers to his questions.
The little witch had drawn her wand again. A new layer of flame shield enveloped her, and simultaneously, the bear was surrounded by a burning armor-like shield of its own.
With that, the sticky slime on the bear's paws began to hiss and bubble, then evaporated entirely into acrid black smoke.
Its limiting effect had ended.
"A summoning enhancement spell? So you really are from Uagadou… Then how did you manage to sneak into Hogwarts?" Professor Ted said, his tone cold and steady.
As he spoke, he sent several attack spells at the girl, but each one was neatly blocked by her flame shield.
"Stay put, Henry," he whispered under his breath, before stepping out from behind his shield and raising several water jets from the floor to extinguish the scattered flames.
Thick white steam began to rise as fire met water. The blaze was finally weakening, Annie could no longer maintain it. That kind of power came with a heavy price: massive magical drain.
And Tibbers, her summoned bear, was clearly growing weaker, too. If it had been at full strength, those first swipes would've sent both professor and student straight to the infirmary.
Tibbers still fought fiercely, but the tide had turned. With the firestorm gone and the professor now adapting to the rhythm of battle, Annie's two major advantages had vanished. The duel fell into a stalemate, and the thread of victory was beginning to slip from her grasp.
Tibbers had already shielded her from two spells that her barrier couldn't block.
Just as Professor Ted was about to cast another chain spell to restrain the girl,
A shadow near a suit of undamaged armor suddenly stretched longer.
Then, without warning, an intense pain slammed into the professor's abdomen, so powerful it felt like his lunch was about to come back up.
Only after the blow landed did the figure step out of the shadow.
It was Allen
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