When Ryan entered the classroom with a group of students, he was surprised to find that it looked nothing like the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom at Hogwarts. There was no blackboard, no projector, and not even any desks or chairs.
Instead, the classroom was filled with various obstacles, resembling a maze. Ryan even noticed a few temporary openings in the walls that led to adjacent classrooms. Through these gaps, he could see that similar setups existed in the neighboring rooms.
"Everyone, gather here so I can see each of you clearly," a voice called out from behind a large plant. Circling the plant, Ryan saw a burly, middle-aged professor standing on a half-stump, addressing the group of young wizards below.
"I know we have exchange students joining us today, so allow me to briefly explain today's lesson. Even if some of you already know what's going on, this will be a good refresher. Those of you familiar with the material can relax for now while I explain."
"Last year, we spent the entire year learning how to cast spells, dodge attacks, and defend ourselves in magical combat. This year, we're introducing more complex, real-world scenarios—like environmental variables and unpredictable surroundings. So I've transformed the classroom into a maze. This will help you learn how to adapt your combat strategies depending on your surroundings."
"In this maze, you'll encounter numerous puppets that can cast spells automatically, along with several aggressive plants. Your objective today is simple: use all the magical skills at your disposal to obtain the golden acorn I've placed at the center of the maze."
"Your final ranking will be based on the time it takes you to retrieve the acorn. Every time you're hit, thirty seconds will be added to your time. You're allowed to be hit five times—any more, and you'll be eliminated. As an incentive, the top three students will receive a special reward: I will personally teach you the advanced Patronus Charm during your day off."
The professor looked around. "Now, who can tell me what the Patronus Charm is used for?"
Hermione raised her hand out of habit. The others were slower to respond. The professor—who bore a striking resemblance to the King of the Horses from A Song of Ice and Fire—pointed to Hermione and said, "Alright, the brown-haired exchange student from England. What's your name?"
"Hermione Granger."
"Well then, Mr. Granger, please answer the question."
Hermione blinked, then quickly corrected, "It's Miss Granger."
The professor chuckled. "Ah, pardon me. Go ahead."
"The Patronus Charm is primarily used to repel Dementors or Voldemorts, and it can also be used to transmit messages. When casting the charm, the wizard must concentrate on a very happy memory. The spell is 'Expecto Patronum.' The charm summons a Patronus, which can defend the caster and retaliate on their behalf."
"A textbook-perfect answer," the professor nodded in approval. "Yes, the Patronus Charm is highly specialized but extremely important. Notably, dark wizards can't use this charm because they are corrupted by dark magic and lack the emotional purity required. Emotional resonance is a defining feature of advanced spells like this."
Turning to the exchange students, he added, "Britain has the largest population of Dementors in the world, but paradoxically, their Ministry of Magic restricts Patronus training. That's because the Ministry uses Dementors as part of its direct enforcement force—a practice I find utterly foolish. Dementors are inherently malevolent and unreliable. Collaborating with such creatures is reckless."
"Now, line up alphabetically by surname and enter the maze one at a time. Once you're done—whether you succeed or are eliminated—you must head to the designated classroom and remain there. No returning to this room. Let's begin."
As time passed, Ryan noticed the number of students around him steadily dwindled. Hermione and Daphne had already gone in. Due to the maze's layout, he couldn't see what was happening inside, nor could he tell whether they had succeeded. Finally, the professor called Ryan's name.
At the sound of a whistle, Ryan sprinted into the maze.
As soon as he stepped in, everything around him went quiet. It seemed the barriers had soundproofing properties—no wonder he hadn't heard any noise from within earlier. Ryan initially considered using the Summoning Charm to call the acorn to him but realized he didn't know what it looked like. He had no choice but to abandon that plan.
The maze pathways were winding but had no forks. After a few steps, he turned a corner. The corridor ahead looked empty, but Ryan kept his guard up. He knew the space was limited and wouldn't be so straightforward to navigate.
Sure enough, after just two steps, two wooden rods suddenly sprang from a nearby obstacle and swung toward him. Reacting quickly, Ryan cast a Crushing Curse to break the lower rod and bent backward to dodge the upper one.
His initial display of skill was strong, but the road ahead promised greater challenges. Sure enough, it became progressively harder. He encountered totem poles that launched fireballs, trees that lashed out with their branches, flowers that sprayed multicolored pollen, and even a group of sneaky Kepola who threw stink mushrooms from elevated obstacles.
Fortunately, the professor had used flora and fauna familiar to the local environment. This allowed Ryan to anticipate most traps in advance using his combined knowledge of nature and life magic. Moreover, having survived more than twenty ambushes in the Wasteland, Ryan was well-equipped for surprise attacks.
Eventually, after blasting through one final obstacle with the Crushing Curse, he found a shortcut that led straight to the finish line. There, placed on a small stone platform, sat a golden acorn.
Mindful of previous traps, Ryan decided not to grab it with his hands. Instead, he removed his robe and used it to roll the acorn off the pedestal. His caution paid off—brown liquid immediately spurted from the platform as the acorn left its resting place. Had he grabbed it directly, he would have been sprayed in the face.
Once the liquid had splashed, the stone platform slowly sank into the floor, revealing a hidden door that opened to another classroom. This was where the students who had already completed the maze were waiting.
Ryan quickly spotted his companions—two black-robed figures among a sea of green. However, they looked far from triumphant. Daphne's hair was dripping with green goo from the stink mushrooms, and Hermione's robe was stained with vibrant, multicolored pollen.
They were surprised to see Ryan looking completely untouched. After some brief questioning, Ryan learned that neither had completed the challenge.
Despite Hermione's improved stamina from training with Ryan and Daphne's knowledge of specialized spells as a pure-blood witch, both girls had been caught off guard by the maze's unpredictable traps. They simply didn't have the real-life combat experience that Ryan had gained.
However, this didn't mean they lacked skill. From the conversations around him, Ryan learned that even after a full year of specialized training, two-thirds of the local students still failed to complete the maze.
It turned out the maze changed layout every session. And for their final exam, each student would be required to successfully complete a similar challenge. No wonder Castro Brussels Academy had earned its reputation as one of the world's premier magical schools.
FOR MORE CHAPTERS
patreon.com/STEPHENHART427