0165 Duel Class

Words : 1788 Updated : Sep 19th, 2025

"Um..." Hermione paused. For a moment, she simply stared at him, her brown eyes wide with surprise. Then, as his words fully registered, her face transformed with delight. "Professor, will you start another Dueling Club?" "Sort of, but it's just a small gathering during this Christmas holiday," Adrian said, setting down his fork and said in a relaxed tone. "Would you like to participate, Hermione?" "Of course!" Hermione's eyes almost instantly lit up. "I need to tell others about this." "Perfect," Adrian replied. "Could you help me with a small favor, Hermione? Tell the students who stayed at school about this. Those who want to participate in the gathering should meet at the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom at three o'clock this afternoon." "Of course!" Hermione nodded vigorously in excitement. "But... I can't guarantee I'll notify everyone who might be interested." "That's enough," Adrian assured her with a gentle nod. "I don't want to make a big fuss like Lockhart did." The afternoon sun slanted through the tall windows of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Despite Hermione's diligent efforts to spread the word and the limited time available, only about a dozen students had arrived by three o'clock. There weren't many students who chose to stay at school for Christmas, and with insufficient time, it was ok. The group was a predictable mix: most were Gryffindors with a few scattered Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws adding yellow and blue to the gathering. As for Slytherin, there wasn't a single one. Adrian saw several familiar faces among them: Harry, Ron, Hermione, the Weasley twins... And there was Percy, standing straight with his chest puffed out, his prefect badge gleaming proudly on his robes. All were Gryffindors… "Alright," Adrian announced, clapping his hands together with a sharp sound. The casual chatter died instantly as every head turned toward him. "You should already know that this is a small gathering focused on dueling technique exchange." Everyone nodded in unison, each holding their wand. "Excellent." Adrian nodded with satisfaction, scanning everyone before finally settling his gaze on Percy. Percy also felt Adrian's gaze and proudly puffed out his chest. Although he was the oldest here, he could say without modesty that he should be the most outstanding one here. Professors always favored students like him: excellent grades, well-behaved, obedient. Percy had built his entire identity around being exactly the type of student that teachers praised and parents boasted about. Surely Professor Adrian would recognize his obvious superiority and perhaps even use him as an example for the others. However, Adrian's next words shattered Percy's moment of self-satisfaction. "Percy," Adrian said suddenly, his voice carrying a tone of curiosity, "...was your badge originally like that?" Confusion appeared on Percy's face. He looked down at his chest, following Adrian's gaze to his prefect badge. The badge that should have read "Prefect" now displayed a mortifying word: "Bighead." The color drained from Percy's face before rushing back in reddish embarrassment that spread from his collar to his hairline. His head snapped up, eyes immediately looking for the two figures he knew were responsible for this. Fred and George stood innocently nearby, but their attempts at maintaining straight faces were failing spectacularly. Their eyes had squeezed into narrow slits as they fought to contain their laughter, their shoulders were shaking. The moment they realized Percy had spotted them, they immediately turned their gazes towards the sky, studying the ceiling with exaggerated interest. Unfortunately for their act of innocence, the corners of their mouths betrayed them, as they were quirking up in obvious grins. "Fred! George!" Percy's voice was a low, venomous hiss. "This is the second time! Is this fun for you?" Indeed, the twins had performed this exact same prank during the Christmas feast just hours ago, turning Percy's moment of festive pride into public embarrassment. Adrian immediately understood the history behind Percy's outrage. With a casual wave of his wand, he restored the badge to its proper state, the word "Prefect" reappeared in neat, official lettering. However, Percy's expression remained very unpleasant. The rest of the group, meanwhile, had no need for such restraint. Laughter bubbled up from every corner of the room—Harry's snort of amusement, Ron's delighted cackle, Hermione's attempt to cover her smile with her hand, and the similar laugh of the other students. Even the typically serious Ravenclaws seemed amused. "Alright, let's end the jokes here," Adrian said clapping his hands again to restore order. The laughter gradually subsided, though several students continued to steal glances at Percy's now-restored badge. "Where was I... oh yes, this is a small dueling gathering, mainly aimed at training your practical combat abilities." The phrase "practical combat" seemed to electrify the room. Spines straightened, eyes sharpened, and the atmosphere shifted from playful to intensely focused. This was what they had come for. Harry and Ron exchanged a look with understanding and anticipation. Their hands tightened around their wands. Honestly, at the previous Dueling Club organized by Lockhart, they hadn't had nearly enough fun. "Professor," Percy interjected, his voice carefully controlled despite his earlier embarrassment. He straightened his shoulders and raised his hand. "Can I choose my own opponent?" As he spoke, his gaze shifted meaningfully toward Fred and George, and there was something almost predatory in his eyes. Perhaps it was time to remind his younger brothers exactly why he had earned his prefect badge through merit rather than pranks. Perhaps a little brotherly authority was in order. The twins caught that look and felt their amusement drain away. They exchanged a quick, nervous glance. If forced to face Percy in a duel, even working together wouldn't guarantee their safety. Despite his often pompous demeanor, Percy was genuinely skilled—both in theoretical knowledge and practical application. Their older brother might look harmless with his neat appearance and rule-following nature, but they had grown up with him. They knew exactly how tough he could be when properly motivated. Unfortunately for Percy's plans of brotherly justice, Adrian shook his head. "Actually, I've already prepared opponents for you." Eyebrows rose, heads tilted, and questioning glances were exchanged. What did he mean by "prepared opponents"? The twins felt relieved. Whatever Adrian had planned, it had to be better than facing their eldest brother's wrath in front of an audience. "Professor," Hermione raised her hand and asked with a frown, "who are our opponents?" Adrian didn't immediately answer Hermione's question. He just smiled mysteriously, then took out a bulging cloth bag from his robes. "Wait a moment." He said, turning the bag upside down and shaking it toward the ground. "Clatter—" The sound echoed through the classroom like bones falling, and every student present instinctively leaned forward, craning their necks to see what magical artifacts their professor had brought them. Curiosity overrode their caution as they pressed closer together. Several small objects tumbled from the bag and scattered across the floor with hollow, wooden sounds. They appeared to be carved figurines, each no larger than a child's hand, rough and looked featureless. They looked almost like primitive dolls or perhaps chess pieces carved by an amateur woodworker. Adrian stepped back and raised his wand. The incantation that fell from his lips was complex and melodious. The figurines began to expand rapidly, their wooden surfaces stretching and growing like plants in accelerated time. In the span of a heartbeat, more than a dozen human-shaped dummy stood in front of the students. Each dummy was as tall as a full-grown person but retained the blank, featureless quality of their smaller body. They had no faces. In their wooden hands, they each grasped thin, long objects that resembled wands. Yes, these were the practice opponents Adrian had prepared for the students. During last year's final exams, Adrian had used these dummies as exam questions. However, this time he had enhanced all these dummies. "These are your opponents," Adrian announced, walking confidently among the silent wooden figures before turning to face his students. "But you don't need to be too nervous. They only know how to use two spells." "Two?" Harry couldn't keep the surprise and relief from his voice. His eyebrows rose skeptically, and he felt some of the tension leave his shoulders. If each opponent only knew two spells, how difficult could this exercise really be? Surely a dozen young wizards and witches could handle such limited magical puppets. "That's right," Adrian confirmed with a nod, though there was something cunning lurking in his eyes. "One is the Slug-Vomiting Charm, the other is the Shield Charm." "Slug-Vomiting Charm?" Ron's face contorted with disgust, all color draining from his cheeks as memories crashed over his mind. His throat worked, and he had to fight the urge to vomit right there in front of everyone. The slimy, slippery texture, the taste of something wrong in his mouth, the humiliation of it all—even now, the memory was enough to make his stomach churn with disgust. "First is the lowest difficulty," Adrian continued, seemingly oblivious to Ron's distress. He waved his wand in a complex pattern, and the group of dummies immediately responded, stepping backward in perfect unison until only one remained standing alone in the center of the practice area. "All of you together against one." The lone dummy stood motionless, waiting. "Now, practice begins!" As soon as the words fell, everyone raised their wands, and the remaining dummy immediately sprang into action. The dummy mechanically waved its wand, but with surprising speed, and a spell's light immediately flew toward Fred in the crowd. "So fast!" The thought exploded through Harry's mind like lightning. Yes, the Slug-Vomiting Charms shot by these dummies were surprisingly fast—Harry could barely make out their trajectory. In Fred's eyes, the world seemed to slow down and speed up simultaneously. The spell grew larger and larger in his vision. He reflexively raised both hands, trying to block it—but obviously, his hands couldn't stop the power of a curse. George didn't even have time to call out a warning to his twin. His mouth opened, but no sound emerged as he watched the spell approach his brother's face. At the critical moment, when the curse was few inches from contact, salvation arrived in the form of silvery light. A translucent barrier emerged in the air in front of Fred. The Slug-Vomiting Charm struck the shield and dissipated harmlessly. "Protego!" Percy's voice rang out clear across the classroom. ________________ You can read more chapters on: /IamLuis

0165 Duel Class

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