Chương 59: Chapter 59: The Fiery Duels of Youth
Lillian's opponent was Pansy, a classmate. Deciding to go easy on her, Lillian exchanged a few casual spells before summoning a massive fireball that floated ominously above. It streaked toward Pansy, whose astonished expression betrayed her panic. Despite casting multiple defensive spells, including Protego and the Shield Charm, the fireball managed to singe her robes. Snape, passing by, deftly extinguished the flames and gave Lillian a puzzled glance. Lillian feigned composure and retreated to the crowd of students who had finished their duels.
Meanwhile, Loki faced a first-year student. With a lazy flick of his wand, he disarmed the boy and followed up with Petrificus Totalus, effortlessly ending the match. The seamless execution of the two spells left no room for his opponent to react. The hapless first-year was quickly eliminated, leaving the arena in defeat.
Draco Malfoy stood calmly, his wand in hand, facing his longtime rival, Harry Potter. After training under Augustus and frequently sparring with Loki, Draco had shed much of his earlier immaturity. He now embodied the composure necessary for a dueling wizard—a calm mind was essential for utilizing one's full potential in the heat of battle.
Harry, on the other hand, seemed more focused on winning than strategy. When Draco remained motionless, Harry impatiently made the first move. Pointing his wand at Draco, he shouted, "Rictusempra!"
Draco responded effortlessly, casting Wind's Grace to gracefully sidestep the incoming silver streak. Unaware that Draco had deliberately dodged with minimal effort, Harry scowled in frustration, thinking he had narrowly missed his mark.
Harry tried again, firing a Reducto spell straight at Draco. However, with Wind's Grace enhancing his agility, Draco easily evaded once more.
"Is that all you've got, Scarhead?" Draco smirked. Raising his wand, he began to chant, and a faint blue wind spiraled around him. With a dramatic flourish, he summoned a towering whirlwind that reached toward the enchanted ceiling, its gale pulling nearby objects into its vortex. Guided by Draco's wand, the massive windstorm surged toward Harry.
The surrounding students froze, their duels forgotten as they gaped at the destructive wind column. The swirling tempest was mesmerizing and terrifying as it barreled toward Harry, leaving chaos in its wake.
Caught off guard, Harry stared at the incoming storm in terror and hastily shouted his surrender. But Draco seemed uninterested in stopping, gleefully guiding the windstorm closer.
Impressed by Draco's command of such advanced magic, Loki crossed his arms and chuckled. "Not bad. For someone like Draco to pull off this spell—he's got talent, I'll give him that. If I had underestimated him, even I might have been caught off guard by this one."
Lillian, too, was taken aback by Draco's performance, rubbing her forehead with a bemused smile.
Before the tempest could reach Harry, Augustus raised his silver wand and flicked it lightly. The towering whirlwind shrank instantly, dissipating into nothing more than a gentle breeze. "He already conceded. There's no need to push further," Augustus said coolly.
"Yes, Augustus, sir," Draco replied, bowing slightly before turning to Harry. With a sneer, he added, "Lucky for you Augustus intervened. Next time, don't give up so quickly—I wasn't done having fun."
Harry clenched his fists, his face flushed with humiliation, but he said nothing as he stepped away.
Snape observed the scene with a raised eyebrow, glancing between Draco, Lillian, and Augustus with a thoughtful expression.
"All right, everyone, stop for a moment," Snape suddenly announced, his deep voice cutting through the chatter in the hall.
At that moment, greenish smoke began to fill the air. Neville and Justin lay on the floor, panting heavily; Ron was apologizing profusely to Seamus, whose faulty wand had caused chaos; and Hermione struggled as Millicent Bulstrode locked her in a painful headlock. Wands lay forgotten on the floor, and the dueling students seemed exhausted.
Harry rushed to Hermione's side, prying her free from Millicent's grip with some difficulty, as Millicent was much larger than him.
"My, my!" Lockhart exclaimed as he darted through the crowd, flustered by the aftermath of the duels. "Careful there, Ernie! Miss Fawcett—watch yourself! And you, But—pinch harder, the bleeding will stop soon!"
"I think it's time I taught you all how to counter unfriendly spells," Lockhart declared, visibly anxious as he stood in the center of the hall. He glanced nervously at Snape, whose cold, piercing eyes seemed to mock him. Quickly averting his gaze, Lockhart continued, "Next up—how about Longbottom and Finch-Fletchley?"
"That's a terrible idea, Professor," Snape interjected smoothly, gliding onto the stage like a menacing bat. "If Longbottom so much as attempts a simple spell, Finch-Fletchley's remains will have to be scraped into a matchbox."
Neville's round, pink face turned beet red.
"What about Malfoy and Potter?" Snape suggested with a sinister grin.
"Brilliant idea!" Lockhart exclaimed, beckoning Harry and Draco to the center. The crowd retreated, creating a wide-open space for the duel.
"Now, Harry," Lockhart began, "when Malfoy points his wand at you, just do this." He waved his wand in an exaggerated motion, attempting to look impressive, but the wand slipped from his hand and clattered to the floor.
Snape snickered audibly as Lockhart hurried to retrieve it. "Ah, a little overenthusiasm from my wand!" Lockhart stammered, trying to cover his blunder.
Augustus sighed quietly, watching Harry and Lockhart from the sidelines. Today seemed to be an unlucky day for Harry—first humiliated by a spell Augustus had taught Draco, and now thrust into another duel where Lockhart's ineptitude was bound to lead him into trouble. It was a shame, really, that the so-called hero Lockhart seemed to be Harry's biggest obstacle.
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