Harry Potter: The Planewalker

'I'm glad Occlumency and the Mind Palace still work without a wand, probably because they are more mind-based magic and require little to no magic,' thought Christian in the morning when he woke up. He looked at the ceiling, thinking about the future.

'Should I start exercising now?' he thought. He usually practices magic for hours, which requires a certain level of physical fitness. However, since he gave up fencing, he has not been getting as much exercise as he should.

'Forget it; I don't want to pull a muscle right before this exam,' thought Christian before meditating and cleaning up.

The second test was straightforward: a tournament-style battle in which participants were divided into groups, from Alpha to Zeta. Christian, who now had short, normal hair and darker skin, was in group H (Eta). He was happy that no one had asked about his appearance after he showed them his identification card.

The tournament occurred in a room in the library with an extended interior dimension. At the center were 24 white battle platforms, with their group letter hanging above them. There were a few spectators, mostly library workers, organizers, and individuals who had passed the comprehensive tests (they were directly granted level 2 access), as well as a few regular spectators.

After a detailed observation, Christian realized that people were divided into groups based on age; his group was for people between 11 and 14. When someone called his name, Christian felt a shift in the atmosphere as every eye stared at Group H. He then remembered that he had created a sensation when he was first on the list, beating the man named Aurelius Ignitus.

Christian calmly walked to the stage, facing his opponent, who appeared to be younger than he was. He saw a young man who could not keep his head up, and his legs trembled.

"You're Titus, right?" asked Christian, remembering this group's referee had used this name to introduce the young boy.

"Hmm? You're…talking to me?" he asked timidly.

"Yes."

"Oh." Titus did not say another word.

"Are you nervous?"

"Y-yes."

"Why are you nervous?"

"My grandmother said I only have…this chance to pass the exam, or I'll have to waste five years."

'Grandmother, huh,' thought Christian, remembering Neville. "Do your best."

Titus nodded before pointing at his wand. "Magifer." He used the incantation, and his wand's tip released a white light, but nothing happened. His face paled as he tried again, with no success. He began to wave his hand, begging it to work.

"Calm down," said Christian authoritatively, making Titus stop. "You've used the spell before, right?" Titus nodded. "Calm down, concentrate, and use it as you've done before."

"O-okay." Titus did not know why he followed this person's words, but he did. His wand flickered, but the spell still failed. "Don't worry about failure," continued Christian. "Focus and try until you succeed." Titus nodded and tried again.

"Imagine the magic flowing from your heart to your arm before using the incantation," added Christian. He recognized the spell [Magifer] despite never learning it. In one of Jim's memories, this spell was created in the 21st century and was called the Combat Bolt. It's an advanced version of the Magic Shot that Professor Flitwick taught the first years during the first dueling club.

Titus followed his advice, and his wand fired a blue orb, making Christian move his upper body to evade. Titus looked excited, but Christian warned him, "Don't get too excited. Remember this feeling and continue using the spell."

"Okay." Titus fired five more shots, all successful.

"Excellent. Do you know any other spells?"

"I…I know the Defensive Charm."

"Show me."

"Protego!"

A shield slowly condensed before Titus, and he showed a smile. But then, he noticed the crowd looking at his fight, and the shield flickered into oblivion.

"Don't care about the crowd," reminded Christian. "You only need to concentrate." Titus tried, but it was useless; all in his mind were these people's faces and how intimidating they were.

"I want you to do something for me," said Christian after noticing his state. "Close your eyes." Titus listened. "Now, imagine that all these people were naked except you, well, and me." Titus blushed in embarrassment before lowering his head.

"Now that you've seen them naked, they're not intimidating, right?" Titus nodded. "Then, exhale in and out to focus and cast your charm." Titus followed his directions, and a new shield appeared before him as expected.

"Great work. I will now attack, and you only need to block," said Christian. "Magifer." He used the same spell, controlling its potency so as not to blow the child into smithereens. Titus's shield blocked the spell, but it also dissipated.

"Again," said Christian, attacking a second time. "Again." Titan focused and used a third protective charm. "Your spell is not fast enough," added Christian. "You need to focus more." He used slightly faster spells, and Titus could not keep up.

"You love your grandmother, right?" Titus nodded. "Answer me with your words."

"I…do."

"Then, imagine she was behind you, and you needed to protect her. If your shield breaks, neither you nor she will survive. Imagine your life depends on your Protective Charm." Titus's eyes turned red as he thought about protecting his grandma. "Protego!" The shield was brighter than usual, and Christian's attack did not break it with one try.

"Good, but how long can you last?" Christian was ruthless in his barrage, but Titus gritted his teeth to block. "Is this the only way you can protect her? If you don't defeat your opponent, your shield will eventually break."

A light suddenly lit in Titus's mind, and as soon as his shield broke, he pointed his wand: "Magifer." Christian flicked his wrist to produce a shield that blocked the blue orb, then countered. "You have an offensive and defensive spell; that's all that's needed for a battle." He did not show mercy. At least, that's how some spectators perceived it.

"You need to know when to attack and when to defend," said Christian as he guided young Titus. He perfectly controlled his strength to ensure the latter would not immediately lose. After all, his objective was not to win, but to teach. "When your opponent is more powerful, you cannot stay in one spot, or you'll be overwhelmed. Move around to lessen the burden of the constant attacks or barrage."

Titus had trouble adapting to moving and casting, especially since he was imagining his grandma behind him. However, after a few minutes, he was able to remain focused and quickly adapted to this higher form of battle.

"Don't just attack my body," continued Christian. "Target my legs to make me move. Target the ground to use the explosion as an attack. Attack one place as a feint before targeting your real objective."

Titus did not utter a word, but his eyes showed his focus, and his actions proved he was listening; his battle became more dynamic.

"Excellent," praised Christian with a smile, not stopping his barrage. "You should introduce Magic Shot into your battles. It is the foundational magic of your spell. To use it, you only need to concentrate and imagine the magic flowing out of your body. Although it's a weaker version, it's fast and nonverbal."

Titus immediately followed the suggestion and fired a magical energy without saying a word. Although it was weak, as Christian said, it was fast and quiet. So, he integrated it into everything he learned. Their fight continued for another three minutes before Christian raised his arm to stop him.

"You did very well. With these skills, you should be able to show your ability and pass this test," said Christian.

"Thank you," replied Titus, grateful beyond words could express.

"No problem. You reminded me of an old friend," sighed Christian, feeling a little homesick. "You should be more confident since you're extremely talented in combat magic."

Titus shook his head vigorously, "I only did it because you taught me."

"You're underestimating yourself. Yes, I taught you, but you're the one who learned so quickly and even applied what I taught in the span of a few minutes; that's talent."

Titus turned pink in embarrassment before lowering his head. Christian understood these words did not utterly convince him, but he hoped he would remember them and slowly build his confidence.

"Are you ready for the real fight?"

"No need. I forfeit," said Titus.

"Are you sure?"

"I am," he said decisively; this was probably the first time he looked so assertive since this fight.

"Very well."

"Winner: Christos Makedon," declared the referee, baffled by this strange fight. He had never heard of a test in which one participant spent their time guiding the others. He once read about a scandal in which one young participant arrogantly challenged everyone else and won, but today's fight was among the weirdest ones he's ever read about.