A Pure-Blood Duel required a convincing, justifiable reason; otherwise, it could not be held rashly.
It was said that the tradition of the Pure-Blood Duel was originally established by Salazar Slytherin himself, at the very beginning of Hogwarts' creation, as a formal means to resolve conflicts between pure-blood wizards within the school. The duel itself inherently contained a certain ancient magic, and if the stated reason for the duel was not deemed convincing, or if the intrinsic magic within the Pure-Blood Duel did not recognize its legitimacy, then the duel simply could not take place.
Therefore, Sean had not encountered many opportunities for a Pure-Blood Duel in recent times. It was not until this particular incident involving Malfoy that Sean saw a clear opportunity.
One must understand that the reason Salazar Slytherin valued pure-blood lineage so highly back then was because he genuinely believed that pure-bloods possessed a corresponding sense of honor and inherent virtues that non-pure-bloods, in his view, did not. After all, in that distant era, only pure-bloods generally had the access and conditions necessary to receive a formal education and to emphasize concepts like virtue and personal glory. Most Muggles of that era were, by comparison, largely ignorant and, from a wizarding perspective, somewhat barbaric.
However, Salazar Slytherin could absolutely not have anticipated how drastically the world would change over the course of a thousand years.
And Slytherin House, which he had founded with such specific ideals, had also slowly, subtly, changed its fundamental nature.
Precisely because of this understanding, Sean was confident that Malfoy's despicable behavior – challenging someone to a duel and then treacherously reporting them to Filch – was an absolute disgrace, not only to the historical ideals of Slytherin but also to the current iteration of the House. It was just that, due to Malfoy's family influence, no one within the Malfoy family itself would likely reprimand Draco for his actions. However, while others might not dare to call him out, Sean did. Moreover, he intended to use this opportunity to gauge just how far his nominal Grandfather, the Head of the Bulstrode family, was willing to support him.
After a moment of thoughtful contemplation, Sean lowered his head and resumed reading the book in his hand, his outward demeanor calm and focused.
He ate a quick meal in the Great Hall that evening and then returned to the Library to continue his studies. This level of unwavering dedication to his academics, even at this early stage of the school year, had begun to make even some of the fifth and seventh-year students look at him askance, with a mixture of surprise and perhaps grudging respect. If it weren't for the distinctive green trim on Sean's robes, clearly marking him as a Slytherin, they might have mistaken him for another Ravenclaw student who was fanatically obsessed with learning.
As bedtime approached, the Hogwarts Library finally closed its doors for the night.
Sean returned to the Slytherin common room with his belongings. He saw Malfoy in the center of a small group, talking excitedly, almost gleefully, about how Harry Potter would surely be expelled from Hogwarts by the next day. Sean went to his room, put down his things, sat on a chair to rest for a moment, and then, taking his wand firmly in hand, left his room and re-entered the common room hall.
Due to the preceding events, particularly his victory in the Pure-Blood Duel against Jensen, Sean himself was now considered a very prominent, if somewhat controversial, newcomer within Slytherin. His daily routine consisted primarily of attending classes and engaging in intensive self-study. Many of his housemates had already become accustomed to Sean's fixed, predictable schedule. Therefore, tonight, when Sean unexpectedly appeared in the Slytherin common room hall at this late hour, many were surprised by his arrival and looked at him with curiosity.
When they saw that Sean was walking directly towards Malfoy, a ripple of anticipation, and perhaps apprehension, spread through the room. The expressions on the faces of the onlookers shifted. Some looked worried, others openly gloated, and a significant number were simply watching with the detached amusement of spectators anticipating a dramatic show, their eyes flicking between Sean and Malfoy.
When Malfoy saw Sean approaching, his face initially registered surprise, followed by a fleeting hint of panic. Finally, he managed to force a semblance of a smile and said to Sean, his voice laced with a sneer, "What, Bulstrode? Are you here to stand up for your good friend, the Savior Harry Potter?"
The way he phrased this question demonstrated that Malfoy was not, in fact, a complete fool. He possessed a certain cunning, a degree of shrewdness, more or less.
Of course, in Sean's estimation, Malfoy's little schemes and provocations were ultimately insignificant.
"Harry and I are indeed friends," Sean acknowledged calmly. "But if you, Malfoy, had actually dueled Harry head-on, in a fair contest, then even if Harry had lost and been expelled from Hogwarts as a result, I wouldn't have said another word. I certainly wouldn't have come here to seek you out."
Sean paused, his gaze hardening. "The reason I have come here to find you, Malfoy, is because you have smeared the name of Slytherin. As a Slytherin, as a supposedly noble pure-blood wizard, you challenged a Gryffindor to a duel. Yet, you fled before the battle even commenced and, furthermore, you colluded with Filch to set a trap for your opponent. Your actions, Malfoy, are simply a disgrace to the name of Slytherin."
Sean's voice rose, carrying clearly throughout the now-silent common room. "Malfoy, you have not only violated the honor of Slytherin, but you have also disgraced the pride of pure-blood wizards everywhere! Therefore, I, Sean Bulstrode, challenge you to a Pure-Blood Duel! If you dare not accept this challenge, then get out of Slytherin!"
A Pure-Blood Duel?
And the target was Malfoy?
The Malfoy from the wealthiest, most influential Malfoy family?
Inside the Slytherin common room, every student looked at Sean, their faces etched with utter, dumbfounded shock.
This action, no matter how one looked at it, had irrevocably offended Malfoy. And since Draco Malfoy was the sole heir of the Malfoy family, targeting him was tantamount to targeting the entire Malfoy family. Even though everyone present had to admit, at least privately, that Sean's words were undeniably reasonable, and even though deep down, many of them also felt that Malfoy's actions had indeed been despicable and shameless, a disgrace to the pride of pure-bloods…
But, he was Malfoy, after all!
Sean, how could he possibly…?
How could he dare?
Of course, Sean dared. Not only did he dare, but he had already done it.
Stepping closer to Malfoy, Sean looked him directly in the eye and said, his voice firm and unwavering, "Malfoy, do you accept the challenge?"
Malfoy looked at Sean, his face pale and quite ugly, a mixture of anger and fear warring in his eyes.
However, events had progressed to this point, and Malfoy could no longer simply play dumb or try to deflect the situation. Sean had brought the dignity and honor of the Malfoy family directly into question, putting it on public display. He could, perhaps, trick Harry Potter with underhanded schemes, but he absolutely could not renege on a formal Pure-Blood Duel with a mere trick or excuse.
What's more, Malfoy, in his arrogance, didn't actually believe he would lose to Sean.
Malfoy had witnessed Sean's previous duel with Jensen. In his opinion, Sean had won that encounter solely by relying on the unexpected and rather unpleasant Thorn Curse. As long as he was careful, as long as he didn't allow the past to repeat itself, then how could Sean, this son of a Squib, possibly compare to a true pure-blood noble like himself, who had received a comprehensive magical education since childhood?
"You want to challenge me to a Pure-Blood Duel?" Malfoy spat, his voice trembling with a mixture of outrage and bravado. "I accept! And I will let you know, Bulstrode, that a Malfoy is not someone a lowly Squib's son like you can ever hope to compare to!"
"Then let's do it here," Sean replied coolly. "There's no need to change locations for such a small matter."
"As you wish!" Malfoy snarled.
The students surrounding them quickly dispersed, creating a clear space in the center of the common room. Sean and Malfoy stood facing each other, the tension in the air almost palpable.
Sean looked at Malfoy, his expression calm. The ebony phoenix feather wand in his hand warmed slightly, and a subtle, almost imperceptible current of warmth emanated from the wand, extending into Sean's body, making his own magical power flow with an enhanced smoothness.
The two of them didn't wait for a referee to formally begin the duel. They attacked directly.
"Densaugeo!" Malfoy yelled, a faint light shooting out from the tip of his wand.
It had to be said that, as the sole heir of the influential Malfoy family, Draco Malfoy did possess a certain degree of magical capability. His first move was a spell designed to make it difficult for the opponent to speak clearly and pronounce incantations accurately, thereby hindering their ability to cast spells effectively.
If it had been the Sean of a few weeks ago, he might have appeared somewhat flustered at this moment, caught off guard by Malfoy's aggressive opening. But today was different from the past. He was different now.
"Protego!" Sean incanted clearly.
A shimmering, blue-white halo bloomed in the air in front of Sean, effectively blocking Malfoy's spell.
Immediately after, Sean waved the wand in his hand again. The surrounding tables and chairs once more lifted into the air, hurtling towards Malfoy. And in the very instant that Malfoy cast a spell to block those flying pieces of furniture, Sean leveled his wand directly at him.
"Incarcerous!"
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