A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

Chapter 283: The Dueling Competition

Felix carried a box of sweets as he walked toward Classroom Seven, still reflecting on his recent conversation with Dumbledore.

Both he and Dumbledore were not easily persuaded individuals. Hoping to make them believe Sirius was innocent with just a story was not an easy task.

Both of them were masters of Legilimency, though they rarely used it in everyday life. In crucial moments, however, there was no hesitation.

The difference was that he wasn't very familiar with Sirius, and much of what he knew came from hearsay. That's why he needed to confirm with Dumbledore about the concept of Occlumency.

Since Sirius was not skilled in Occlumency, his words were highly credible.

...

Felix reached a quiet corridor, opened the candy box, and the shrunken Sirius was sitting on the pile of sweets, holding a piece of treacle tart and asking in confusion, "Have we arrived?"

"Not yet - we need to make some preparations. You probably don't want to encounter Severus, and Harry is carrying his Sneakoscope with him, so we need to address these issues."

"How should we do that?"

Felix didn't answer but touched a few sweets in the box with his wand, and they transformed into a set of full-body armor under the influence of magic. The armor resembled the suits of armor in Hogwarts Castle, complete with a closed helmet.

"Put this on," he told Sirius.

"I like your idea," Sirius said eagerly, as he changed into his new outfit. He tested his movements, "I feel like a real knight, although I'm missing a knight's sword."

Felix fulfilled his request, and his liquorice wand transformed into a longsword.

Sirius, wearing the well-protected armor, deftly waved the sword. If you ignored the fact that he was only the size of a palm, he indeed looked like a medieval classical knight.

"This way, you look like a knightly magical puppet, and I can introduce you to the other professors. Now, I need to think about how to block the Sneakoscope..."

A magical glow began to appear on the armor covering Sirius. Finally, at the location of his helmet's visor, Felix allowed Sirius to choose between black and red, and he chose red.

Thus, the knight's eyes were covered with a layer of crimson smoke, giving him an extra touch of fierceness and majesty.

At 9:40 AM, Felix entered Classroom Seven, where people were bustling, with hundreds gathered around a large open space, passionately discussing.

The open space was divided into seven sections, each with different terrain: flat ground, forest, hill, rocky beach, swamp, winding maze, and a small ice surface.

To the east, with the best view, stood a high platform with seats. Flitwick and Snape had already arrived, and apart from the two regular Dueling professors, some other professors had come voluntarily. They conjured their own chairs and looked excited and expectant.

Felix went up to the platform and casually placed the palm-sized knight on the table. He greeted them warmly, "Filius, Severus... Professor Lupin, you're here too?"

"I came to join in the fun," Lupin said. "We didn't have these novelties when I was in school."

Snape said leisurely, "But your extracurricular activities were quite rich, traveling here and there, getting into mischief..."

Lupin tactfully added, "Looking back at our young selves, weren't we all ignorant fools?"

Sirius, in his enclosed armor on the table, moved awkwardly as if protesting against Lupin's statement.

Flitwick was about to change the subject, and his eyes kept scanning the surroundings. When he saw the "knight," his eyes lit up. "Felix, can this magical puppet move on its own?"

Felix smiled and said, "This is an old experiment. I tried to make them perform some simple tasks, like freeing my assistant from grading assignments. She no longer needs to review these basic knowledge."

"Miss Granger, right?" Lupin asked. "She's a very clever witch, excelling in class."

Flitwick examined the knight on the table, and Sirius, in his nervousness, even distorted the armor. However, it made him look more like a rusty metal puppet.

"Am I mistaken, or did I sense embarrassment in its movements?"

Felix took out some magical puppets from his ring and distributed them to the professors. "I tried to make them understand simple commands, similar to the principles of magical portraits, but the results are not satisfactory. I need your opinions."

He casually picked up the "knight," and with a casual shake, he explained to Flitwick's puzzled expression, "This guy isn't very clever."

Time quickly reached ten o'clock, and Percy and Penelope stood in the center of the open space. Percy seemed very excited, losing his tone twice, "Ladies and gentlemen, the Dueling Contest is hosted by the Student Union. I, Percy Weasley, and Penelope Clearwater will be responsible for maintaining order."

"First, a bit of basic information: there are a total of 218 participants, and they will compete on seven different terrains randomly. Seven matches will take place simultaneously, starting from the first-year students."

Penelope Clearwater said, "You are all familiar with the rules. What I want to emphasize is that the professors will comment on some exciting duels or speak out against rule violations. Please adhere to the rules, especially the prohibition of using dark magic."

She looked stern as she surveyed the surroundings, while Percy cleared his throat and said, "That's right, that's how it is."

"When your name is called, come to me to draw lots for the terrain. Once the terrain is determined, your opponent will also be confirmed."

The crowd erupted in a tsunami of cheers. Harry nervously gripped his wand, feeling like his heart might leap out of his chest, and his blood surged wildly. But the people around him seemed even more nervous. Ron's lips were trembling, and Hermione kept muttering to herself. He took a step closer to hear her quickly reciting her Dueling Systems essay, which she had just revised for the third time.

On the other side, Draco Malfoy appeared even paler than usual, and his two lackeys, Crabbe and Goyle, were constantly swallowing hard. Goyle choked on his own saliva and coughed repeatedly.

Draco furrowed his brow, then moved to the other side. When Harry came into his view, Draco flashed a malicious smile at least that's how Harry interpreted it, and his nervous emotions strangely calmed down.

If given the chance, he'd be more than happy to wipe that smile off Malfoy's face.

The match officially began.

The first-year matches were rather dull, except for one student who successfully cast a curse, earning sparse applause. Most of the others were grimacing while repeatedly muttering ineffective spells.

After only three rounds, it was time for the finals, and a charming little girl became the first-year champion.

Next were the second-year matches. Ginny decisively knocked out her opponent with a Stunning Spell and then won several more times, securing her victory.

"Ginny is so talented?" Ron exclaimed in amazement.

"Yeah, it's not surprising, actually. She's been participating in group activities with us," Harry explained.

Percy's stern voice resounded

"Third-year has more participants; the first group has fourteen students. Millicent Bulstrode, Hermione Granger, Daphne Greengrass... Blaise Zabini, Justin Finch-Fletchley, will the participants please step up."

Hermione walked shakily to the front, nearly tripping over a shoelace, and made her way to the drawing area. Surprisingly, she found that the others were in a similar condition, with Zabini looking like he was walking on a pile of cotton.

Hermione drew the rocky beach terrain and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. If she had drawn the ice surface, she wouldn't have been able to keep her balance.

After the fourteen third-year students took their positions, Percy announced in a drawn-out tone, "The duel begins."

Facing Hermione was Daphne Greengrass, with whom she had some history. Their previous disputes had been limited to magical puppets, and this was their first real duel.

"Disarm your opponent!" Hermione shouted loudly. She quickly recalled the contents of her Dueling Systems essay, thinking that her speed was faster, and she had to dodge. Next, she would have the upper hand...

But things didn't go as expected. Even though Daphne was slower by more than a step, she still stubbornly chanted a spell, "Stupefy!"

Hermione watched in disbelief as her Disarming Charm hit Daphne, causing her wand to fly out of her hand. But at the same time, a red spell narrowly missed her hair and hit a nearby rock.

Hermione was stunned for a few seconds, instinctively catching her wand that was flying back to her. It was only then that she realized she had won. However, Hermione didn't feel the joy of victory. She couldn't help but approach Daphne and whisper in frustration, "Why didn't you dodge? You should have dodged..."

Daphne gave her a sideways look. "Why should I have dodged?"

"But, but" Hermione was filled with question marks. "Your casting speed was slower than mine, and according to..."

"Whose 'according to'? You used a Disarming Charm, and I used the Stunning Spell. As long as it hits you, I win."

Hermione wanted to continue arguing that what Daphne did was too risky and had no practical value, but Percy had already reminded the students to leave the arena as soon as the match ended. She glared at Daphne, then went downstairs, fuming.

Back in the Gryffindor crowd, Hermione was still grumbling, "She was just gambling. I can't believe she would do the same thing in a real duel"

Harry tried to placate her, "Actually, what she said makes sense. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't stand a chance against you. On the contrary, if her strategy had worked"

He wisely closed his mouth because Hermione looked like a furious lioness.

"Next, the second group, please step forward Draco Malfoy, Simon Phinnegan, Ron Weasley, Gregory Goyle..."

"We'll watch the matches," Harry said, "I'll be up soon."

However, Harry's name was not called in the second group. He had to wait patiently, and an accident happened in this group. A young wizard mispronounced a spell, causing his opponent to sprout a pair of snail antennae on their head. The boy, with a quavering voice, said, "What spell did you want to use, anyway?"

Madam Pomfrey quickly came over, observed for a moment, and said, "It will take at least three hours for you to recover, dear."

The young wizard touched the tentacles on his head and didn't seem too upset. "Can I stay here and watch the match, Madam Pomfrey? I don't want to go to the hospital."

Madam Pomfrey stared at him in bewilderment. "You can stay, but aren't you afraid of being ridiculed?"

"That's fine."

After drinking a potion, the boy enthusiastically returned to his house and showed off his new headgear to his peers. A chorus of astonishment and envious looks erupted around him.

Ron also returned triumphant. He said, "Actually, my first spell failed, but I hid behind a rock while Goyle stood there foolishly, and I tied him up like a dumpling with my next spell..."

"Next, the third group: Dean Thomas, Neville Longbottom, Vincent Crabbe, Ernie Macmillan, Harry Potter..."

The dueling competition was in full swing. Even the senior students couldn't help but watch with seriousness.

"Who's that round-faced kid? He's putting up quite a fight against Potter."

"I'm not sure, seems like he just appeared out of nowhere."

"He must be one of Potter's friends. Look how happy they are."

"I vaguely remember seeing him in Potter's dueling group..."

In the third-year finals, Harry stared at Draco Malfoy across the field in surprise. "I didn't expect to see you here, Malfoy." They had drawn the forest terrain, with several ancient trees scattered around.

Draco smirked, "You should see how I've taught that Weasley a lesson with the new spell I've learned."

Harry glanced back at Ron, who was sitting dazed on the ground, looking bewildered and somewhat reminiscent of Luna.

"The match begins," Percy, sounding somewhat weary, announced, and Penelope's voice was chillingly clear.

Harry instinctively took a step to the side, casting a Silent Disarming Charm at the same time. The first spell was not intended to be powerful; he just needed to gain the upper hand. Draco, in response, retreated, hiding himself behind a sturdy-looking tree trunk. "Potter Impedimenta!"

Harry quickly jumped away as the spell went terribly off course. He estimated the distance and retaliated with a Binding Charm. A magical rope shot out and tightly coiled around the tree trunk. He heard Draco grunt and was about to approach when he felt a surge of danger.

Quickly, he cast a Shield Charm on himself, shouting, "Protego!" An invisible barrier formed in front of him, blocking Draco's meticulously prepared spell.

"Swinging Hex!"

"Boom!"

A heavy ringing filled the air, and Harry felt as though he had been struck by a giant hammer. The magical barrier cracked like a spiderweb. Even behind the Shield Charm, he was affected, his ears ringing and his vision momentarily blurry.

He gritted his teeth, keeping his eyes fixed on Draco, who was hiding behind a tree and occasionally shooting "Swinging Hex" spells. His frustration grew. He closed the distance between them rapidly. A red light flashed, narrowly missing him and hitting a tree instead. Harry was startled and quickly moved behind another tree. The arena fell silent.

"Malfoy, weren't you going to show me your new spell? I've certainly seen it. Need a reminder? I just thought of construction workers swinging hammers everywhere..."

Harry crouched and waited for two seconds, then cast the Shield Charm in advance. As expected, a red light came flying at him but was intercepted!

Without hesitation, he stepped out of the protection of the Shield Charm. Draco was leaning out half of his body, shooting the exaggerated red beam from his wand. Harry fired back with a spell of his own, and the red beam struck Draco squarely in the chest.

Draco was thrown backward, crashing into a tree. He fell unconscious, his eyelids flickering, and he made no sound.

"I won!"

Harry shouted in excitement. This battle was much more challenging than he had anticipated, mainly due to the limitations of the terrain. His spells lacked the power to damage the three-foot-diameter trees, rendering his advantages almost useless.

He remembered the advice Professor Harp had given him mastering more spells meant being able to handle different situations. He couldn't help but think: If he were proficient in the Blasting Curse and the Fireball Charm, would he be able to deal with battles more simply?

He knew what he had to do next.

"Spectacular!"

The onlookers held their breath, enjoying the high-level duel. When the result was announced, they erupted in enthusiastic cheers and applause.

Harry scratched his head and looked up at the judges' seats. Professor Lupin smiled at him, Professor Snape stared down expressionlessly, Professor Flitwick was very excited, and Professor Harp chuckled, a steel mannequin in front of her waving at him vigorously, no, waving a sword.

Was that a new magical puppet created by the professor?

Harry suppressed his inner joy, trying not to let his mouth curve too much. He waved back in return.

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