0124 The Dueling

Words : 1074 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

In truth, even for the experienced Adrian, the dueling competition that Professor Flitwick had entered him in was definitely a challenge. This was a private international tournament that happened to be hosted by Britain this year. As a renowned dueling master in the wizarding world, Professor Flitwick naturally received an invitation. However, he gave this opportunity to Adrian. According to him, he was getting old, and his physical condition and reflexes couldn't match those of younger people. During the competition, Adrian encountered many opponents from around the world. America, Britain, France... After winning seven consecutive matches, Adrian met his opponent in the finals—a wizard from Africa. This African wizard was tall and dark-skinned, with his hair braided in complex patterns, each braid ending with glittering gems. Even the wand he used was embedded with many different colored gems, making his entire person sparkle. He could even dance while casting spells during the duel—apparently some kind of mystical ritual. Of course, those spells were frighteningly powerful, able to match Adrian's "energy-amplified" spells evenly. But in the end, Adrian proved superior. Taking advantage of a pause in the African wizard's dancing, Adrian ended the match with a precise binding curse. The dueling competition's championship prize was a small trophy made of pure gold. Searᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Although there were no other rewards, people who participated in such dueling competitions weren't there for prizes anyway. Most of them had the same purpose as Adrian—to hone their combat skills. Adrian hadn't had such an exhilarating duel in a long time. After all, these weren't wartime, and there weren't usually opportunities for dueling in peacetime. When the final match came to an end, he still felt somewhat unsatisfied. While Adrian was busy with the competition, Harry had been staying at the Burrow. However, Adrian had sent over his summer vacation training schedule, having Harry follow the plan for his training. Harry naturally had no objections to this, knowing those exercises were extremely useful. The most obvious result was that he could now cast a barely acceptable Disarming Charm. On a Wednesday in mid-August. Today was the second day after Adrian finished the dueling competition. He decided to go to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions in Diagon Alley to buy a new robe—a self-repairing robe. As the name suggested, this was a type of robe that could mend itself. When Adrian walked through Diagon Alley, he suddenly noticed there were particularly many pedestrians on the street today. When he passed by Flourish and Blotts, he understood why. Above the bookstore hung a huge banner Adrian glanced at his pocket watch. However, the bookstore entrance was already surrounded by enthusiastic fans. Most of them were middle-aged witches. It seemed Lockhart was indeed very popular with witches of this age group. Adrian could barely see inside the store as excited fans waved Lockhart's books and photos, their screams rising and falling. Meanwhile, an exhausted shop assistant was futilely trying to maintain order. Unfortunately, he could do nothing about those crazy fans. Finally, he had to slink to one side and chat with a small figure. Adrian vaguely heard their conversation: "Today is absolutely crazy... Hey, you're that kid from before... Thanks again for helping me find those 'Invisible Books of Invisibility,' though unfortunately, they've gone missing again recently..." When he got closer, he discovered that the small figure chatting with the shop assistant was Harry. At this moment, Ron and Hermione were also standing beside him. However, before Adrian could greet them, the three had already plunged into the crowded throng and instantly disappeared from his sight. Adrian shrugged and walked toward the crowd. Trying to advance through the frenzied crowd was difficult. "Don't push me, you bastard!" When Adrian pushed past a man, the man turned around impatiently, looked at Adrian, and seemed about to say something more. However, when he met Adrian's sharp, hawk-like eyes, the words stuck in his throat. Adrian's eyes still retained the sharp edge of battle that hadn't yet faded. The man instantly broke into a cold sweat, feeling as if all his weaknesses were exposed under Adrian's gaze. He instinctively stepped back half a pace and laughed dryly: "Uh... sorry, please go ahead." Only then did Adrian realize his state hadn't yet adjusted from the dueling competition. After slightly restraining his gaze, he nodded politely to the man: "Thank you." Finally, Adrian squeezed to the front next to Harry. Harry was currently looking at Lockhart, who sat behind a table surrounded by his own magical photographs—winking and smiling at the crowd. In one of the photos, Lockhart was even holding his brand of Occamy egg shampoo. "What kind of person do you think Lockhart is, Harry?" "I don't know..." Harry spun around suddenly, his eyes lighting up when he saw Adrian: "Professor! When did you get here?" "Just now," Adrian shrugged, then said: "When you were chatting with that shop assistant." The crowd stirred again, and Ron and Hermione were nowhere to be seen. Only Harry remained under Adrian's protection, avoiding being swallowed by the crowd. Lockhart suddenly looked up toward Adrian and Harry's direction. When he noticed Harry, his eyes brightened and he stood up from his chair. "Look!" Lockhart exclaimed dramatically, his voice drowning out all the hubbub: "Isn't that Harry Potter?" Harry instantly froze—he hadn't expected this. A path immediately opened through the crowd, with everyone whispering quietly. Lockhart rushed forward quickly, grabbed Harry's arm, and announced loudly: "Ladies and gentlemen! Look who's graced my signing!" Camera flashes instantly lit up like a constellation as reporters frantically pressed their shutters. Harry stared wide-eyed like a startled deer, looking to Adrian for help. At this moment, Lockhart finally noticed Adrian standing nearby. He smiled at Adrian: "And this is..." "Adrian Westeros, I'm a professor." Adrian replied calmly and briefly. After hearing Adrian's answer, Lockhart's eyes brightened, and he extended his hand enthusiastically: "Ah, a professor! How respectable! Do I need to introduce myself?" Some low laughter immediately emerged from the crowd, seemingly responding to Lockhart's humor—who didn't recognize him? Adrian politely shook his hand but quickly let go. ________________ You can read more chapters on: /IamLuis

0124 The Dueling

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