Oliver and the Magic Academy

The days following Quidditch tryouts were a blur of classes, practices, and whispered conversations about the ghostly figure Oliver and his friends had seen. The bone amulet, now safely tucked away in Oliver's subspace ring, seemed to hum faintly whenever he thought about it, as though it were alive and waiting for something. But with the weekend over, Oliver had little time to dwell on mysteries. His focus shifted to the upcoming duel with Darius Valtor.

It had started during Potion Making class. Darius, ever the instigator, had made a snide remark about Oliver's "second-rate flying skills" during tryouts. Oliver, usually level-headed, had snapped back, and before he knew it, Darius had challenged him to a midnight duel in the abandoned North Tower.

"You're not actually going through with this, are you?" Lily asked as they sat in the common room that evening. Her green eyes were filled with concern, and Midnight, perched on her shoulder, seemed to share her disapproval.

"I have to," Oliver said, his jaw set. "If I back down now, Darius will never let me hear the end of it."

Ethan, sprawled on the couch with his broomstick across his lap, grinned. "I say go for it. Besides, it'll be fun to watch Darius get knocked down a peg."

Lily shot him a glare. "This isn't a game, Ethan. Duels are dangerous, especially when they're unsupervised."

"Relax, Lily," Ethan said, waving a hand dismissively. "Oliver's got Valtor. What's Darius got? A big mouth and a bad attitude."

Oliver smiled faintly, though his stomach churned with nerves. He had never been in a real duel before, and the thought of facing Darius—who had a reputation for being ruthless—was daunting. But he couldn't back down now.

---

At midnight, the trio made their way to the North Tower, their footsteps echoing softly in the empty hallways. The tower was one of the oldest parts of the academy, its stone walls covered in ivy and its windows cracked with age. It was said to be haunted, though no one had ever seen proof—until now.

Darius was waiting for them, his arms crossed and a smug smirk on his face. He was flanked by two of his Umbra House cronies, both of whom looked equally smug.

"Took you long enough," Darius said, his voice dripping with disdain. "I was starting to think you'd chickened out."

Oliver stepped forward, his wand in hand. "I'm here. Let's get this over with."

Darius's smirk widened. "Oh, this is going to be fun."

The duel began with a flurry of spells. Darius started with a basic fireball, which Oliver deflected with a shield spell. Oliver retaliated with a gust of wind, sending Darius stumbling back. The Umbra students cheered, their voices echoing in the empty tower.

"Not bad," Darius said, brushing himself off. "But let's see how you handle this."

He raised his wand, and a swarm of shadowy bats erupted from the tip, their glowing red eyes fixed on Oliver. Oliver's heart raced as the bats closed in, their screeches filling the air.

"Valtor!" Oliver shouted, summoning the wolf skeleton from his subspace ring. Valtor materialized in a flash of red light, his glowing eyes locking onto the bats. With a swift motion, he lunged at the swarm, snapping at the shadowy creatures with his skeletal jaws.

"Cheater!" Darius shouted, his face red with anger. "You're not supposed to use summoning in a duel!"

"You're the one who summoned shadow bats!" Oliver shot back, dodging a stray spell from one of Darius's cronies.

The duel quickly descended into chaos. Ethan, unable to resist joining in, pulled out his wand and started firing spells at the Umbra students. Lily, though reluctant, joined the fray, using her wind magic to scatter the bats and create a barrier around Oliver.

"This is insane!" Lily shouted, her voice barely audible over the noise. "We're going to get caught!"

As if on cue, a loud voice echoed through the tower. "What is going on here?"

The group froze, their wands lowering as Professor Draven stepped into the room. His piercing gray eyes scanned the scene, taking in the scattered spells, the shadowy bats, and Valtor, who was still growling at the remnants of the swarm.

"Detention," Professor Draven said, his voice cold and sharp. "All of you. Tomorrow night, in the dungeon. You'll be cleaning cursed armor until I say otherwise."

Darius opened his mouth to protest, but one look from Professor Draven silenced him. The Umbra students slunk away, their heads down, while Oliver, Lily, and Ethan exchanged sheepish glances.

---

The next evening, the trio found themselves in the dungeon, surrounded by piles of rusted, cursed armor. The air was damp and cold, and the faint glow of enchanted torches cast eerie shadows on the walls.

"This is your fault," Lily said, glaring at Oliver as she scrubbed a particularly stubborn patch of rust off a breastplate.

"My fault?" Oliver said, raising an eyebrow. "I wasn't the one who challenged someone to a duel."

"Yeah, but you were the one who accepted," Ethan said, grinning as he polished a helmet. "Admit it, Oliver. You've got a flair for the dramatic."

Oliver rolled his eyes, though he couldn't help but smile. Despite the detention, he felt a sense of accomplishment. He had faced Darius and held his own, and even though the duel had ended in chaos, he had proven he wasn't someone to be underestimated.

As they worked, the conversation turned to the ghostly figure they had seen during Quidditch tryouts.

"Do you think it's connected to the amulet?" Lily asked, her voice quiet.

"Maybe," Oliver said, his mind racing. "It felt like it was trying to tell us something."

Ethan groaned, running a hand through his messy blonde hair. "Great. Just what we need—another mystery to solve. Can't we just focus on not getting into trouble for once?"

Oliver smiled, though his mind was already racing with possibilities. "We'll figure it out. But for now, let's just enjoy the fact that we survived."

As the fire crackled in the hearth, Oliver felt a sense of excitement for the challenges ahead. Duels, ghosts, and the mystery of the bone amulet—it was all part of the adventure. And with his friends by his side, he knew they could handle anything.