"So, shall we begin?"
"Okay."
The two turned around, standing at opposite ends of the dueling platform. They simultaneously turned back, holding their magic wands upright in front of them. After bowing to each other, Professor Flitwick spoke again, "The Iron Armor Spell is the most common defense method in wizard duels—" he clearly intended to mix teaching into the demonstration, "Now then..."
Flitwick lightly waved his magic wand, and a faint blue light screen appeared around him. Then he looked up at William, eyes filled with anticipation, "Come, attack my weakest point!"
"Professor, do you really have three feet?" William lowered his voice.
"?"
"Oh, just joking—Expelliarmus!"
The next moment, a flash of red light passed, and William caught the magic wand that flew into his hand. He winked at Flitwick, who hadn't fully reacted.
"...Cough, well, using words to distract the enemy is indeed a minor dueling trick, but that's usually reserved for real duels." A laughing Flitwick, seemingly a bit annoyed but not angry, said softly, "It's actually three and a half feet—"
"Alright, next, it's your turn—"
Flitwick took the magic wand William handed over, and resumed the starting position for the duel.
William nodded, and similarly waved his wand, the deep purple glow forming a circular shield that enveloped him.
"Oppugno!"
Seeing William was prepared, Flitwick nodded. He gently waved his wand, several bright golden canaries emerged from its tip, flying in circles around his wand. However, Flitwick didn't let these birds fly away just yet but amplified his voice again using the Amplifying Charm—
"Compared to defense spells, the attack spells in dueling have fewer limitations, so besides the Disarming Spell and Stunning Spell, what other attack spells do we have?"
"Full Body-Bind Curse!" A little wizard in the audience replied.
"Very good. Controlling the opponent is also a form of attack. Hufflepuff gets a point." Professor Flitwick nodded in approval.
"Densaugeo?"
"Rictusempra!"
"Tarantella Dance—"
Seeing the responses earned house points, the little wizards' enthusiasm quickly rose, and they scrambled to answer, afraid to miss out on points. "Very good, the Dancing Feet Spell is an excellent tactic. It can effectively disrupt the opponent's attack rhythm—Ravenclaw earns a point!"
Then, Professor Flitwick continued speaking while brandishing the group of golden birds on his wand—
"Now, in reality, situations where a single spell can defeat the opponent are rare. In those cases, we need to continue fighting, and one strategy is to use one spell to conceal another spell or strengthen a spell with another—"
As he spoke, Flitwick's wand gleamed once more, "Engorgio!"
In the next instant, the birds rapidly swelled, and soon, the flock of canaries transformed into plump hens with heavy bodies flying around the wand. However, their wings, which no longer matched their body size, seemed quite feeble—
But Flitwick quickly flicked his wand, sending the dozen or so hens flying towards William. The bright golden glows collided with the deep purple shield, causing heavy ripples. When the second-to-last hen hit the Iron Armor Spell, the spell shattered due to lack of conducive magic power—
"Careful—"
The audience couldn't help but issue a series of exclamations.
But William merely poked the hen's rear with his wand and sent it flying back towards Professor Flitwick.
"A very good response." Flitwick cheerfully waved his wand, and the golden hen rushing towards him vanished between them. He nodded, "Well then, the demonstration is over; next comes the actual wizard duel." After speaking, the two bowed again, and the little wizards who already knew the process subconsciously started counting down—
"Three, two, one—"
"Expelliarmus!"
Red light shot from Flitwick's wand tip, but William did not dodge. His wand gently flicked, and a wooden post rose from the once-smooth dueling platform, blocking the flying spell, then vanished.
"Yes, students, a skilled Transfiguration Spell can also be integrated into your combat—"
The teaching did not hinder Flitwick's continued spell casting. Dark blue ribbons fell from the candles, swirling into stardust in mid-air, and after circling his wand twice, flew towards William, much like the flock of hens earlier.
William was silent, quickly crouching down, his wand striking the ground. Numerous stone pillars rose like waves toward Professor Flitwick, dispelling the stardust upon collision into the air.
As the former wizard duel champion, Professor Flitwick lightly tapped the ground with his wand without needing to crouch, raising his own "Stone Wave," which met William's attack head-on.
After this exchange, Flitwick's expression grew serious. He nodded slightly at William, whose face showed no emotion.
"Locomotor Wibbly."
Flitwick capitalized on his height advantage, casting spells targeted at the opponent's waist—a tricky spot for adult wizards. For defense, they were left with aligning the wand lower or relying on the Iron Armor Spell.
Indeed, Professor Flitwick was quite short, possibly contributing to his duel championship victory. However, as one who ended the second Goblin Rebellion, William was accustomed to dealing with opponents of limited height. After all, if not a thousand, he'd faced hundreds of goblins... though not out of kindness, merely because Lanlock only had so many goblins. He couldn't just storm Gringotts without reason.
Otherwise, wouldn't that make him the Dark Lord?
Dodging Flitwick's Jelly-Legs Jinx, William stomped on the ground. The ribbons that had fallen earlier floated once more, twisting into a deep blue eagle that cried sharply and reached with claws at Flitwick… A stir erupted in the hall perimeter—
The roosters were terrified by the eagle's cry.
Almost all the little wizards gaped at the scene on the dueling platform. Unlike the dazzling color-flying spell duel between William and Snape, William and Flitwick's duel mainly revolved around ribbons and simple spells, resembling more an artful performance than a duel.
"How beautiful..."
As the blue eagle exploded into fireworks in the sky, admiring shouts issued from the little wizard crowd.
"Excellent!"
Flitwick wiped his brow. Years of teaching kept him distant from dueling, but the recent choreography with William rekindled youthful passion. Breathing deeply, he said, "Minerva didn't lie; if possible, may I formally invite you as my assistant?"
"Certainly, Professor." William chuckled and nodded, "And as an assistant, I'd like to impart some skills to them."
"Oh, naturally, proceed as you please—"
A delighted Flitwick nodded, interpreting William's intent, and stepped aside.
Meanwhile, a student below felt a foreboding, turning to head for the hall exit.
"Wait, Mr. Diggory, where are you heading—"
William grabbed the Niffler on his shoulder and threw it into the crowd.
"...Wasn't this canceled?"
With Kabuda pulling his hair, Cedric raised his head despairingly.