Dumbledore: Fawkes, Time to Pluck Some Feathers

Snape curled his upper lip, his eyes cold and expressionless.

Harry, standing to the side of the stage, made eye contact with Snape without realizing it. For a moment, he felt like he was being stared at by a venomous snake. He muttered to his friend, "I really don't know how Lockhart can laugh. If it were me, I would have run as far away as I could."

Neville nodded in agreement. "He chose the wrong opponent. If he can't beat Snape, he'll get beaten up on stage. If he does beat Snape, he'd better get out of the Castle as soon as possible. I think Snape has a hundred ways to get Lockhart to drink the poison without him even realizing it."

The young wizards reached a consensus: Lockhart was in big trouble.

Sure enough, Lockhart had just finished counting down when Snape used a Disarming Charm to send him flying against the wall. He curled up for a while before slowly trying to get up, revealing his weak nature.

Standing on one side of the stage, Snape suddenly felt the entire Great Hall brighten up, and he felt very happy.

Whether it was a misperception or not, the young Slytherin wizards could see a certain sense of relief in their Head of House's calm, lifeless eyes, as if this spell had been planned for a long time.

"Should we notify Madam Pomfrey? Another hit and he probably won't be able to get up," Hermione said calmly, showing no surprise at the outcome.

Based on Lockhart's past behavior, Ron deduced. "I don't think we need to worry. He won't let himself lose face a second time."

"I think this is good news for him, at least he doesn't have to worry about being poisoned anymore." Harry shrugged.

"Agreed!" Seamus and Dean nodded simultaneously.

About a minute later, Lockhart staggered to his feet, his wavy curls standing on end from the aftershocks of the spell, and a large tear in his vibrant crimson robe.

Harry's eyes lit up. Disarming Charm? He was a semi-expert on that. This was the first time he'd seen someone else's Disarming Charm send someone flying, but Snape's knockback seemed different from his own.

Snape's Disarming Charm carried a strange, sharp quality. Although the other young wizards didn't notice, he could clearly see that Lockhart's robes had been ripped open by the spell.

Lockhart staggered back onto the stage, then became enthusiastic again, as if he hadn't been the one knocked away in front of the entire school. "Well, everyone saw that! It was a Disarming Charm... Professor Snape, please don't take offense, but your intention to pull that off was too obvious. If I wanted to stop you, it would have been effortless. I was just trying to broaden the horizons of the young wizards—"

Snape listened calmly, and was about to give him another wand. Lockhart saw him raise his wand again and hurriedly told the students to change the subject, "That's enough of the demonstration. Now I'm going to divide you into pairs..."

Ten minutes later, a plume of green smoke filled the entire venue.

Harry's legs were twitching uncontrollably as he danced a hilariously bizarre rhythm. Across from him, Draco Malfoy collapsed to the ground, clutching his stomach and laughing until tears streamed down his face.

Neville and Justin of Hufflepuff both lay on the floor, panting heavily.

Ron's opponent was Seamus. He relied entirely on anticipation to dodge Seamus's Repelling Charm, only getting hit a couple of times and staggering back. Ron clearly enjoyed the process, much like he enjoyed playing chess. Ron dodged eight out of ten Repelling Charm, leaving Seamus completely helpless. Although he managed to get hit twice, the spells lacked power and were largely ineffective, leaving Seamus feeling incredibly frustrated.

Seamus's ordinary spells weren't powerful enough, and he couldn't use dangerous spells on his roommate during duel practice. Frustrated, Seamus was already planning to throw away his wand and go into hand-to-hand combat.

Ernie Macmillan of Hufflepuff stood right behind Ron, and all the spells Ron had dodged landed on him. He also had to guard against his dueling practice partner, leaving him caught in a dilemma, attacked from both sides.

"Oh! Watch out...be careful! It's happening again...get out of the way..." Lockhart warned him from the side. In his panic, the curse on Macmillan intensified.

Finally, Macmillan stopped hiding, lay down on the ground, and looked utterly dejected.

Macmillan: I'm tired. Let's destroy it.

The two girls were the most eye-catching. The petite Hermione was holding Millicent Bulstrode, who was much bigger than many boys, with one hand, and even had one hand that was reaching out to Millicent's head as if she wanted to pull her hair.

The large Slytherin girl's face turned bright red, her expression contorted, and every muscle in her body strained with all her might. But it was no use; Hermione's arms were like steel shackles, firmly binding her, leaving her completely still.

Justin and Neville, who were lying on the ground during halftime, watched this scene with their heads tilted to the side.

Justin was stunned. "Is this what Gryffindor girls are like?"

Neville, equally stunned, stammered, "Is... no... this..."

Hermione's two roommates, Lavender and Parvati, watched this scene in silence.

Lavender's face turned pale. "Tell me, should we apologize to Hermione for those rude things the first year did?"

Parvati opened his mouth and muttered, "No need, she shouldn't be holding it against us, otherwise we wouldn't have the chance to stand here."

"That makes sense..."

Loren, who rushed from the Room of Requirement to the Great Hall, was overwhelmed by the sights and exclaimed how wonderful they were.

Suddenly, Lockhart's panicked voice rang out. "Oh! Miss Fawcett, squeeze hard, the bleeding will stop immediately!"

While dodging a spell that seemed to be coming from nowhere, Miss Fawcett of Ravenclaw accidentally stepped on her own foot, tripped, fell to the ground, broke her nose, and started bleeding profusely.

The blood poured cold water on the young wizards' excitement, and even those who were really engrossed in their fight stopped. Only Harry continued dancing, and Malfoy continued laughing.

Miss Fawcett, in her daze, actually believed Lockhart's advice and foolishly pinched her nose.

Seeing that this person had no sense of responsibility as a professor, Snape couldn't stand it anymore. He ignored Lockhart and went to Fawcett's side, gave her a disdainful look, and roughly stopped the bleeding with Healing Spells.

"You lot, take her to Madam Pomfrey." Snape quickly instructed a few young Ravenclaw wizards to take Fawcett to the Hospital Wing.

He then went to Harry and Malfoy, using the Finite Incantatem to remove the Tickling Charm and Dancing Charm from them. He shoved them back to their respective house areas, Harry's initial gratitude quickly dispelled by Snape's rough shoves.

Seeing Harry stagger down, Ron gently nudged his shin. "What happened? With your dueling skills, you shouldn't have been unable to withstand that Dancing Charm?"

"Hiss~" Harry gasped. "Don't move, I'm getting a cramp."

Seeing that Ron was about to hit him a few more times, he quickly grabbed him. "Scar, my scar just hurt a little."

"Oh no, don't tell me Voldemort is back again."

"It shouldn't be, it didn't hurt that much, it passed quickly..."

The Great Hall was eerily quiet. The young wizards stared silently at Lockhart, Snape remained silent as well.

Hermione, with her hands in her pockets and a thin layer of sweat on her face, couldn't hide her excitement as she skipped over to Loren.

Loren reached out to straighten her disheveled robe and collar, and asked softly, "How did you get like this?"

He only knew that the good-for-nothing Lockhart had started Duel Club and that Harry would reveal Parselmouth, but he didn't expect the others to fight like this, turning the entire Great Hall into a complete mess.

Hermione obediently let him fiddle with her clothes, showing no trace of the way she had just been beating Millicent: "Lockhart put us in pairs, and then this is what happened. But, I got some of Millicent's hair, hehe..."

Polyjuice Potion requires something from the target. She had this idea when she was paired with Millicent. Otherwise, given Hermione's dueling skills, she could have easily outmaneuvered her with spells from a distance without needing to fight her hand-to-hand.

Loren vaguely remembered that Hermione had mixed up her hair and Cat Hair, making her unable to see anyone during the Christmas holidays. He patted the back of Hermione's robe and asked, "Are you sure it's hair from her head? You didn't make a mistake, did you?"

Hermione shook her head. "I initially wanted to pull it off her head, but I was worried she would notice. However, this one was taken from her collar, so it can't be wrong."

Loren nodded. "If you say it can't be wrong, then it can't be wrong."

Who wouldn't want to see Hermione the catgirl?

After Snape brought the situation under control, Lockhart hurriedly stepped to the center of the stage, fearing that the Duel Club might change professors. "Ahem, Professor Snape did the right thing, just what I wanted him to do. I think it would be best if I taught you how to stop unfriendly magic next."

He glanced at Snape, was stung by the cold gaze, and immediately turned away, abandoning his plan.

Snape had originally intended to have Snape stand still to break the spell, but then thought better of it. Lockhart looked down at the audience and said, "Oh, I need a pair of role models. Anyone willing to come up? Lomberton and Finley, what do you say?"

Neville and Justin shook their heads so fast they left afterimages.

"That's not a good idea. Those two are too stupid to serve as a good example. We should—" Snape was interrupted before he could finish speaking.

"How about I talk to Morgan of Gryffindor?" Crabbe stepped forward, grinning maliciously at Loren.

He didn't understand why the great Dark Lord was paying attention to this Mudblood. Although he had arranged for House-elf to monitor him, there was no hostility between them. In fact, he was even reprimanded for trying to harm Loren.

Why should a Mudblood like him...?

The young wizards chattered amongst themselves, completely unaware that Vincent Crabbe of Slytherin had gotten into a fight with Loren Morgan of Gryffindor.

Snape didn't understand either, but he smelled a familiar scent on Crabbe, a stench unique to Death Eater.

Harry and Ron had witnessed Loren's strength and believed that no one in their grade could beat him, so they excitedly shouted in his ear.

Harry wiggled his ankle to relieve the pain in his calf. "Come on, Loren! Use the Dancing Charm and the Tickling Charm on him together, make his stomach and legs cramp up!"

Ron nodded repeatedly. "Make him cry, let Slytherin see what we're capable of."

Loren narrowed his eyes and lowered his eyelids slightly, concealing the faint, crystalline blue light in his eyes, as he looked at Crabbe.

Crabbe's Magic Power fluctuations were more substantial than those of his peers, but still some distance from the level of those who could unleash Magic Power multiple times.

There was no serpentine Magic Power outline or aura on his body, so Voldemort shouldn't be on him. It's worth noting that there's a patch of black light on his chest, somewhat similar to the black light on Snape's arm.

Hermione frowned, unable to understand why Crabbe had stepped forward to challenge Loren, and instinctively felt something was wrong. Although she didn't know what the other party was planning, she didn't want Loren to get hurt. The little Witch tugged at his sleeve and shook her head, signaling him not to accept the challenge.

"It's alright, Professor Snape is still here, nothing will happen," Loren reassured her, gently patting Hermione's hand before stepping onto the stage and assuming a dueling stance against Crabbe.

Snape approached quickly with a cold expression, leaned down and whispered in his ear, "Something's wrong with him. Be alert, and if things get suspicious, run to me."

Loren chuckled twice, "Professor, shouldn't you be reminding the young wizards in your own academy?"

Snape remained silent, rolled up his sleeves, flicked him on the head, and walked away.

Other young wizards who had the same question immediately understood when they saw Loren being beaten. This was the normal Professor Snape; he must have been warning Loren.

If Lockhart could hear their conversation, he would definitely agree with Loren's words, "Yes, you are the Head of House of Slytherin, why are you helping a Gryffindor instead of helping your own little wizard?"

Confused as he was, Lockhart still adopted a professorial demeanor, walked over to Crabbe, and cheerfully patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, just do that when Loren points his wand at you."

He raised his wand and waved it left and right, trying to make some complicated and cool tricks, but accidentally dropped it on the ground.

"Oops, my wand got a little too excited," Lockhart quickly explained.

"Get out," Crabbe said coldly.

Insulting a professor?

Lockhart wanted to reprimand him, but when he looked up and met his violent gaze, he couldn't say anything and could only awkwardly back away. He stood by the stage, looking at Crabbe with a strange and complicated expression.

As Loren and Crabbe walked to the center of the stage and bowed, Crabbe muttered under his breath, "Mudblood!"

He chuckled and walked away without saying a word, Loren said he'd ripped his ribs off in a minute.

No one shouted "start!" Crabbe quickly raised his wand. "[Petrificus Totalus!" A bluish-white light flashed, and the spell flew straight toward Loren's face.

Loren slowly turned to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack in the eyes of the young wizards below the stage.

The young Gryffindor wizards were furious. "A sneak attack! You despicable Slytherin! Admit defeat and get out of here!"

The young wizards of Hufflepuff were on good terms with Loren and all voiced their support.

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. At this rate, Crabbe wouldn't even be able to touch Loren's clothes by dawn.

Amidst the commotion, Crabbe unleashed two spells in quick succession:

"[Incarcerous] "

"[Stupefy]"

Two spells struck Loren's shoulders from the left and right, blocking all his escape routes, but leaving an opening in the center. Loren leaned back slightly and dodged again. He wanted to test Crabbe's strength, especially to figure out what the black light on his chest was, so he wasn't in a hurry to end the fight.

The cheers stung Crabbe's heart, and he hardened his resolve. "[Sectumsempra!"

Three Shattering Curse sealed Loren in three directions, making it impossible for him to escape unless he could fly. Crabbe grinned maliciously, waiting to see his flesh and blood splatter.

Snape had already raised his wand, ready to save Loren.

Loren finally raised his wand, dodging two spells as he conjured a transparent shield at the tip: "[Protego]"

Snape lowered his wand.

The Shattering Curse surged through the transparent shield, and due to the subtle angle of interference, it flew even faster toward Crabbe's chest, the black light piercing straight into his chest before even Snape could react.

All eyes were on Crabbe, who turned pale, exhaled, and then glared at Loren with even more venomous eyes, spitting out viciously, "Again!"

Snape breathed a sigh of relief; a junior wizard is just a junior wizard, the Shattering Curse is not very powerful.

There was a moment of silence, followed by a wave of cheers. "Wow! Cool!" The boys' enthusiastic cheers almost lifted the ceiling of the Great Hall.

The little Witch ' eyes sparkled with wonder.

Loren stared in astonishment at the black light on the chest that remained completely unaffected. The sensation transmitted to him by the Shield Charm was genuine; that Shattering Curse was real and powerful enough to shatter solid rock.

He pursed his lips and smiled almost imperceptibly. "Strong defenses? Then I'll open the door."

He recalled his knowledge of anatomy; the heart wasn't in that location. As long as she didn't die instantly, Madam Pomfrey should be able to be saved.

Crabbe stared intently at Loren. "You like to hide, don't you? Let's see how you dodge this spell: [Serpensortia]"

A loud bang came from the wand, the air exploded rapidly, and a long black snake darted out from it, landing heavily on the stage carpet, its head raised as it slithered toward Loren.

The crowd screamed and quickly retreated, moving away from the stage.

"[Gemino] "

During the process of swimming, Crabbe released Reparation Charm, creating more black snakes that swam towards Loren.

Black snake, Parselmouth?!

Loren paused for a moment, then decided to control the black snakes. He used Transfiguration on the carpet, and strands of yarn grew wildly like weeds, becoming longer and thicker. They wrapped and imprisoned all the black snakes like Devil's Snare, turning them into Hairball.

Just then, a gasp rang out from the crowd. A black snake had appeared out of nowhere below the stage, hissing and flicking its tongue as it slithered straight toward Neville and Justin. It raised its head, baring its fangs, and assumed an attack stance.

Neville and Justin trembled violently, too afraid to move in front of the venomous snake.

Closer and closer.

"Get away!" Neville suddenly shouted, and with a speed that the black snake couldn't react to, he grabbed the snake's tail and slammed its head against the ground like a whip.

Snap!

Snap!

Snap!

The snake's head shattered into pieces, blood and flesh splattered everywhere, and scales flew in all directions. The nearby young wizards quickly moved aside, automatically creating a large circle around it, trembling as they looked at the scene within, seemingly afraid of something.

As for the two people on stage, nobody cared anymore.

Neville finally got tired of tumbling, released the snake's tail, and let the black snake fly out, landing on the ground twitching, looking rather comical.

The scene fell silent for a moment, then erupted into even more clamorous discussions.

"What are you standing there for? Let's go!"

George, Fred, and Lee Jordan encouraged the people around them to rush forward and toss Neville up, cheering. If it were Harry or Loren, the three of them could easily toss him up, but Neville was a bit special...

"Ha, Serpensortia— " Lockhart stepped forward and spoke eloquently to the snake's corpse, "A simple spell, frankly, it has a bit of Dark Arts nature, do you know the simplest way to deal with it?"

To be honest, Loren had a bad feeling when he heard this. He wanted to step forward to stop Lockhart, but the voice that suddenly came from beside him stopped him in his tracks.

"The Evanesco!"

With Lockhart's magic, the shattered snake corpse was thrown into the air, landing resurrected and healed, now larger and more terrifying. Thicker than an adult's thigh, it was clearly beyond Neville's ability to wield.

"Hiss~ Sayahasahi"

"Hiss~ Sayahasahi"

What happened next was inevitable: just as the python approached the young wizard, Harry stepped forward and used his Parselmouth to drive it away.

Amid Justin's angry rebukes and the whispers of the crowd, Ron and Hermione quickly escorted Harry out of the Great Hall.

After cleaning up the mess Lockhart left behind and turning the boa constrictor into a wisp of black smoke, Snape ordered the Prefect to take the students back and instructed the young wizards not to spread rumors...

Inside the side door to the right of the High Table.

A clamor surged through the Great Hall like a tidal wave. Loren listened to the ominous whispers and asked softly, "Is this your plan, Headmaster Dumbledore?"

Dressed in white robes, Dumbledore gazed at the entrance to the Great Hall, where Harry was no longer visible. His eyes held a restrained and pained expression, devoid of any joy at the success of his plan, only profound sorrow.

"Phoenix, you must be reborn from the flames..."

Even if you pluck all the feathers.