A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

Chapter 267: Dueling Competition Registration

On the third day after the end of the holiday, Felix Harp finally received a response from the Ministry of Magic. The letter was from Walther Cedric, the advisor to the Minister of Magic. He expressed no objections to rescheduling the speech for Friday and suggested Felix arrive half an hour early as there were some matters to discuss beforehand.

"If you don't have time for a meal, the department will provide a hearty lunch," Walther wrote in the letter.

...

The contents on the school bulletin board always stirred discussions among the students. As the Thursday afternoon classes concluded, young wizards noticed a new notice posted on the bulletin board: there would be a small-scale dueling competition during the first Dueling class of the upcoming month.

At the bottom of the notice was the emblem of the Student Council, along with the signatures of the male and female Student Council presidents.

Students read the rules aloud: "All students from first to seventh year are eligible to participate. They need to sign up with their respective House Prefects, and the lists will be compiled and given to the Student Council President every day."

"The dueling competition will be held by grade level, with participants within the same year facing off in pairs until the top student of each year is determined, earning them a prize. The first-place student from each year can challenge upwards, while seventh-year students can only wait to be challenged... Wow! I love this rule; it really takes care of those little first and second-year troublemakers."

Several second-year students next to him gave him angry glares.

"Are you going to sign up, Draco?" Pansy Parkinson, dressed in a deep green skirt, asked in a soft voice.

"Why not participate when it's a legitimate way to show people their place?" Draco's gaze landed on a few Gryffindor students. "I happened to learn an interesting spell during the break."

He and Pansy strolled away leisurely, his drawling voice echoing behind them, "That Weasley actually embarrassed me in the club, claiming I only cry out for daddy's help and cheat... It was that big oaf Hagrid's pet chicken that injured me first, and I had bandages on my hand for two weeks!"

News of the dueling competition spread quickly. Rumors suggested that the winner could receive a prize of a hundred Galleons or choose anything from the prizes prepared by Professor Harp – from advanced magical puppets and mirrors with unique functionalities to magical potions, and even Professor's own creations of unknown magical writings.

On that afternoon, Penelope Clearwater, the Ravenclaw female Student Council president, confirmed the news, and the young wizards were exhilarated.

The Weasley twins added fuel to the fire, announcing that the first-place seventh-year student would receive a pair of Lover's Spectacles for free. These were the trendiest items at the moment, with orders backed up until April; they were practically impossible to get.

The twins didn't lose out either; they successfully marketed their idea and introduced a second design for the Lover's Spectacles.

The Heads of Houses had never felt their houses were so full before. Now they were constantly surrounded, answering various questions. When the time came for actual sign-ups, the young wizards hesitated.

Mostly because many of them felt they didn't stand a chance. They naturally switched from the perspective of participants to that of spectators. That evening, fresh lists were published, listing seed players from each grade and promising young wizards from different houses.

The ranking function on the parchment provided a strong reference, particularly in Dark Arts Defense class, as it was closely related to dueling and was seen as a barometer for the competition's outcome.

Although the dueling competition was still far off, they had already organized private bets among themselves.

On Friday morning, the seventh-year students arrived for their second Ancient Runes class of the week. As Felix walked into the classroom, he noticed the students were already gathered ahead of time.

Increased enthusiasm, eh?

However, according to the plan, he had to wait until next week after the students had completed their assignments before starting the practical lesson on Mind Room magic. After all, too much of something could devalue its worth.

"Today, we'll proceed with the theoretical portion—"

"Professor," Percy raised his hand and stood up to represent the whole class, "We have completed the assignment from the previous class, including the essay and the knowledge map." He approached the front and handed over a stack of parchment.

"Hmm?" Felix Harp accepted it with surprise, and Percy said earnestly, "Not a single one missing, I've checked thoroughly." He looked at the students below, and they nodded vigorously.

Felix quickly glanced through the stack; it was indeed true. He even found Marcus's essay, though the spacing between words was a bit excessive and there were many paragraphs, but it was genuinely two feet long.

Setting the assignments aside, he smiled, "Very well, then I shall advance next week's material."

The students found themselves once again drawn into that magical classroom. The space stretched into the distance, flowers and plants sprouted from the ground, wand trees emerged one by one... They watched in astonishment, chattering and whispering to each other. Several students couldn't wait and left their seats to explore around.

Wood was particularly eager to see if he could snap a branch of the wand tree. But it started growing rapidly, throwing him far away.

"Aaah!" Among the surprised expressions of others, he quickly got up from the ground, grinning, "Not painful at all!"

Inspired by his demonstration, many couldn't resist trying it themselves.

Felix cooperated with keen interest, controlling the wand trees and sending those who dared to try flying into the air. They screamed as they fell from dozens of feet high, hitting the ground with a "thud."

After some playful moments, everyone's attention soon returned to the professor, their eyes filled with hope.

Before they could speak, a magical parchment with an ancient aura condensed from the air and lightly fell into their hands.

"Today's lesson is quite simple. We will examine the knowledge we've previously learned from a different perspective."

Felix waved his hand, and the assignments the students had just turned in appeared in front of them. "Take another look at your own essays and identify the issues. Later, I will guide you through these concepts, and you will discover that they form a clear and intricate connection..."

Felix intentionally ended the Mind Room magic half an hour earlier, allowing them time to organize their insights.

As one of the few in the class who struggled academically, Marcus Flint discovered for the first time that he could easily follow the professor's reasoning. Learning wasn't about racking one's brain but about passionately advancing forward. He finally understood the joy of learning.

As a repeat year student, his requirements weren't high—he just wanted to pass and graduate smoothly. But now, perhaps he could be a bit ambitious, aiming for an E?

...

At noon, Felix Harp arrived a bit earlier than the appointed time at the visitor entrance of the Ministry of Magic—a red telephone booth.

"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and purpose of visit."

A female voice spoke, identical to what Felix had heard last time he attended Bellby's awards ceremony, even the indifferent tone hadn't changed.

"Felix Harp, invited to give a speech for the Ministry of Magic staff."

After a moment, a square, silver badge slid out from the coin slot. Felix pinned it to his chest, and as the floor slowly descended, his expression grew expectant.

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