Gilderoy Lockhart strutted confidently onto the stage, clad in a brilliant magenta robe, looking dazzling and radiant. The man beside him was none other than Snape, still wearing his usual black garments, appearing quite unremarkable in contrast.
At this moment, the Great Hall had been completely transformed. The long dining tables had vanished, replaced by a dueling stage in the center, covered with a carpet patterned with moon phases. Hundreds of floating candles lit the space from above, while the ceiling had turned pitch-black, like velvet.
One had to admit, Gilderoy Lockhart certainly had a knack for creating atmosphere.
The hall was filled with students from the same year across all four houses. Every now and then, someone would wave their wand in excitement, producing sizzling sparks from its tip. Clearly, everyone was brimming with anticipation for the upcoming duel.
"Harry Potter!" Ron gripped his wand nervously, his face slick with sweat. "I don't think Lockhart is the right person to be teaching dueling. And… my wand's broken. What should I do?"
"Well, besides Gilderoy Lockhart, there's still Professor Snape," Harry said, pretending not to notice Ron's panic. "Ron, you really should've paid more attention in Potions. Then you wouldn't have been chosen by Snape."
At that moment, Lockhart waved his arms to call for silence, walking along the dueling platform.
"Gather round, gather round! Can everyone see me? Can everyone hear me? Excellent!"
Lockhart shouted with a hint of excitement.
"Here's the thing—Professor Dumbledore has allowed me to set up this Dueling Club to train you properly in case, one day, you need to defend yourselves using methods I myself have employed countless times… which, of course, I've described in detail in my books."
"You mean hitting Death Eater monsters with your books?" Peeves suddenly popped up and let out a loud, mocking laugh. The crowd burst into laughter, especially the Weasley twins, who clapped wildly.
All eyes turned to Gilderoy Lockhart, who now looked awkward.
"Er…" Lockhart pretended as if nothing had happened. Glancing at the laughing students, he continued, "Allow me to introduce my assistant, Professor Snape."
He grinned broadly as if to diffuse the tension, though the Slytherin students noticed Snape's face had darkened.
"He told me he knows a thing or two about dueling himself, and he generously agreed to assist me in a demonstration before class begins. I told him I didn't want you kids to worry… Once we're done, I'll return your Potions Master in one piece, so don't be afraid!"
"He's done for," Draco muttered to the people beside him. "The Head of House is angry."
Lockhart and Snape took their positions at opposite ends of the dueling platform, turned to face each other, and bowed. Or rather, Lockhart bowed, while Snape only gave a curt jerk of his head, visibly impatient. Then they raised their wands like swords, pointing them toward their chests.
"As you can see, we're holding our wands in the standard dueling posture," Lockhart told the silent crowd. "On the count of three, we'll each cast our first spell. Of course! Neither of us will be aiming to kill."
Snape bared his teeth and muttered under his breath, "One… two… three…" Both men suddenly swung their wands over their shoulders.
"Expelliarmus!"
Just as Snape finished speaking, a brilliant flash of red light shot across the stage, striking Lockhart hard. He lost his footing and was hurled backward off the platform, crashing into the far wall before sliding to the ground, crumpled.
Malfoy and several other Slytherins immediately erupted into cheers and applause.
"Do you think he's okay?" some worried girls asked nervously.
"Excellent! You all saw that, didn't you?" Lockhart staggered back onto the dueling platform and said, slightly askew, "That was a Disarming Charm… As you saw, I lost my wand… Ah, thank you, Miss Granger. Yes! Professor Snape demonstrated that spell beautifully. However! Don't take offense when I say this, but your intent to strike me was quite obvious. If I had wanted to stop you, it would've been effortless. Still, I thought it would be educational to let them see… the effect."
Gilderoy Lockhart saw the murderous expression on Snape's face.
"That concludes the demonstration! Now I'll come among you and divide you into pairs. Professor Snape, if you'd kindly assist me…"
"Let's start with the best," Snape said. "From Slytherin: Draco. From Gryffindor: Harry Potter."
Both were second years. Draco was the top student in Slytherin's second year, and Harry Potter needed no introduction. Last year's Philosopher's Stone incident had already made him famous—Hogwarts' youngest Seeker, the Boy Who Lived, the Savior—his name was known to all.
"Whoa!" The entire hall burst into noise.
Ron Weasley led the applause, and a wave of clapping filled the room. His entire face flushed red, from his ears to his cheeks. He was breathing heavily from excitement, looking at Harry as though he were the one about to take the stage.
Snape scanned the room. He was smiling broadly, his gaze carefully carving the outline of each person's face. The Great Hall suddenly felt like a cold cellar—everything went quiet…
"Malfoy, come up here. Let's see how you do against the famous Harry Potter."
Snape was quite pleased with the atmosphere. He continued smiling coldly, then, as if caught in a frenzy, closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, savoring the tension in the air.
"Now, draw your wands—duel!"
"Bow," Snape said with a sneer, standing on the stage and addressing Harry Potter. "Bow to your opponent."
"Very good," Snape stepped back, watching the two boys bend at the waist. "No need to rush, Mr. Weasley," he added with a smile. "Your turn will come soon enough. We all have great confidence in Mr. Potter."
The Slytherins below the stage burst into laughter.
"Quite right," Malfoy laughed as well, doubling over. "Weasley always brings surprises. You won't find a better clown than him… Mr. Weasley, do you need a tip for the show?"
"Malfoy!" Harry called out to Draco Malfoy. "It's our turn!"
"Hmm?" Draco acted as if he'd just realized, turning his head toward Harry. "What, can't wait to get thrown off the stage?"
"I'll count to three. Use only 'Expelliarmus'. Remember—only 'Expelliarmus'. No other spells allowed. We don't want any accidents here."
"Backflip!"
Malfoy cast the spell first. The result: Harry Potter flipped backward three and a half times before landing face-first on the floor.
"Side roll!"
But Harry didn't give in. He got up and fired a spell from a distance—another direct hit. Malfoy tumbled sideways four times before landing on his backside in a rather awkward posture.
"These two are quite creative. Kids' thoughts are simple, so their intentions flow easily into magic. Don't you agree, Headmaster?"
Regulus Black and Dumbledore were observing the first dueling lesson from afar.
After all, before Gilderoy Lockhart introduced the dueling class, Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts had mostly focused on theory and explanation.
Practical dueling lessons like this were prone to mishaps—but they also forged real skill.
"Hehehe, the children are doing splendidly," Dumbledore chuckled warmly, though his thoughts were unreadable.
"I said only 'Expelliarmus'!"
Gilderoy Lockhart's words seemed to fall on deaf ears. Neither of the boys paid him the slightest attention, and the atmosphere became uncomfortably awkward.
Snape was clearly unhappy with his student's performance. He grabbed Draco and hauled him to his feet.
Draco himself felt utterly humiliated. Slytherin's top second-year losing to a Gryffindor? That meant Slytherin was in for a rough year. The Gryffindor brats would be bragging about this for the rest of the term.
"Watch this—'Serpensortia'!"
With a flick of his wand, Draco conjured a black venomous snake from magical energy. It landed on the dueling platform with a hiss and slithered menacingly toward Harry Potter.
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