A spell gone wrong

Round 529
Image 1 — "Expecto Patronum!" : 3.45
Essentially a Harry Potter film moment recreated — recognizable characters in a Hogwarts classroom, a swan Patronus mid-cast. Two problems: it leans wholesale on an existing franchise and real likenesses rather than inventing anything, and a successful Patronus isn't really "a spell gone wrong." Polished as a film-still pastiche, but off-brief and derivative.

Image 2 — "what the hell 😱" : 3.70
A wizard wrenching open a glowing golden portal as objects and sparks pour out of it. The atmosphere and light are genuinely dramatic, and it captures magical chaos well — but it's vague about what actually went wrong, and the generic-fantasy framing keeps it from landing a clear punchline.

Image 3 — "Cacatoo instead of Unicorn" : 3.78
A young wizard recoiling in shock after conjuring a cockatoo in a puff of pink smoke instead of the unicorn he wanted. The gag is instantly readable and genuinely funny, the expression sells it, and it nails the theme head-on. Only a visible "Meta AI" watermark keeps it from going higher.

Image 4 — "Old wife becomes young again, but smaller" : 3.82
A wizard at his cauldron who's successfully made his wife young again — just six inches tall, now standing baffled in the rising vapor. It's the most original mishap of the four, the tiny figure is cleanly integrated into a richly detailed apothecary, and the comic "almost got it right" beat is exactly what the theme wants. Clever and well-built. My winner.