Dueling Invitation

As Harry spoke animatedly, Draco Malfoy quietly approached Tierra.

Crabbe and Goyle, one fat and one short, followed behind him.

All three of them glared furiously at Tierra.

Because during flying class that afternoon, Tierra had not only thoroughly humiliated Malfoy, but also insulted the entirety of Slytherin in the process.

This had sent the Slytherins, who had always cared deeply about appearances, into a rage.

Tierra did not care in the slightest about Malfoy and his two little lackeys approaching.

After all, they certainly were not here to fight, since the professors were seated at the front.

Malfoy might have been frightened, but if he could swallow this insult, he would not be Malfoy.

So he came up with a nasty plan.

"Tierra, midnight tonight, in the Trophy Room. We'll duel one-on-one. Do you dare?" Malfoy said viciously, then added, "Wands only!"

Clearly, because Tierra's final Levitation Charm had made Malfoy look ridiculous, Malfoy hated the Muggle-born Tierra even more than Harry.

Tierra gave Malfoy a strange look, the upward curve of his lips widening. Harry, seated beside him, recognized that expression as mockery.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Tierra suddenly shouted. "Everyone, quiet down! Look over here!"

"Mr. Malfoy has challenged me to a wizarding duel!" Tierra cried, standing on the bench. "Tonight, at midnight! In the Trophy Room! Malfoy says he wants to defeat me in a one-on-one duel!"

With that shout from Tierra, nearly everyone's attention was drawn over.

Professor McGonagall's and Snape's gazes were the sharpest among them.

"Nonsense!" Professor McGonagall roared.

Snape gave Tierra a meaningful look.

Professor McGonagall was an old-fashioned, strict, traditional lady. Though she had done quite a few absurd things in her youth, she had become increasingly rule-bound as she grew older.

"You haven't even learned a proper spell yet. What if you hurt each other? Do you know—" Professor McGonagall began lecturing without end.

"Wait, Professor McGonagall." Snape interrupted McGonagall.

"Perhaps it is not that serious," Snape said.

"What do you mean, Headmaster Snape?" Professor McGonagall used an honorific.

"Perhaps we should let Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Wu duel now rather than wait until midnight," Snape said. "After all, wizarding duels are something they will encounter sooner or later. Rather than letting them encounter them later in books, or when they are unprepared, it would be better to expose them to them from a young age."

"But what if they get hurt? What if their magic goes out of control? What if—" Professor McGonagall said worriedly.

"We are here," Snape said. "And Professor Flitwick is a dueling champion. I think we can ensure their safety."

"But Tierra is a Muggle-born child." Professor McGonagall looked worriedly at Tierra. "He has barely learned any spells, while Malfoy—"

"Professor McGonagall, you said so yourself." Snape spoke without concern. "Tierra is a very talented young wizard. I think... that talent should be enough to make up for his lack of spells."

Having said that, Snape waved his wand.

The tables in the Great Hall moved to either side.

A large open space appeared in the middle.

Since not many people had finished dinner yet, moving the dining tables to the corners did not affect the young wizards present as they ate.

But who was in the mood for dinner now?

A wizarding duel!

Something this major.

They had only seen such things in books before, or perhaps had never even heard of them.

Thanks to Tierra's flashy performance in flying class, his name had gradually begun to spread among the young wizards. Though he was certainly nowhere near as famous as the renowned Harry Potter.

Still, he counted as one of the more famous figures among this year's first-years.

Tierra thought that was enough. He wanted to hide himself, but he could not remain too obscure either. Otherwise, others would see him as Harry Potter's follower rather than a complete, independent person.

So he needed to step forward from time to time and make his presence known. At the very least, he had to occupy a certain position in the hearts of Gryffindor's young wizards. That way, when facing Voldemort in the future, whether he organized the young wizards to resist or escaped on his own, things would be much more convenient.

But this was not the kind of presence he wanted, not this kind of attention from everyone.

Tierra was now caught between a rock and a hard place.

Malfoy was in a slightly better position than Tierra. He had already stepped into the center of the space, looking at Tierra with a cold sneer.

Malfoy had originally planned to lure Tierra to the Trophy Room at midnight, then tell Filch so that Filch would expel Tierra.

But he had not expected Tierra to refuse to play by the rules and announce it publicly instead.

He had originally thought the professors would stop them.

At first, Professor McGonagall had indeed wanted to stop them, but she had been interrupted by her own Headmaster, Professor Snape.

Still, that was fine. Even if he could not get Tierra expelled.

Defeating him in a one-on-one duel would still make him lose face badly.

Malfoy thought viciously.

Born into a wizarding family, and having practiced magic on House-elves since childhood, he had never considered the possibility that he might lose.

"What's wrong, Tierra? Aren't you going to come up?" Malfoy sneered. "Or are you afraid?"

"Ah..." Tierra sighed and walked reluctantly into the middle.

He had no choice but to accept this wizarding duel. Unlike children back home, foreign children admired the strong just as much as they despised the weak and the cowardly.

Especially within an aggressive little wizarding group like Gryffindor.

He could be almost certain that if he refused the duel today, the Gryffindor young wizards would mock and isolate him over it tomorrow.

After all, in the fourth year, Harry had become everyone's target over nothing more than a Goblet of Fire. How much worse would it be for him, a coward who dared not accept a duel?

Over time, Harry, who had always been easily influenced by the crowd, would likely drift farther and farther away from him. Then all his previous efforts, along with his research funding, would vanish into thin air.

"Don't go, Tierra!" As Tierra prepared to step forward, Hermione, the only one still somewhat rational, grabbed his sleeve. "You barely know any spells. Malfoy comes from a wizarding family, so he definitely knows more spells than you do. You'll be at a disadvantage."

"You haven't agreed to Malfoy's challenge yet, have you?" Amid the cheers of the Gryffindor young wizards, Hermione said, "You never said you accepted. You can completely refuse."

"What's wrong, Tierra? Want to say one last goodbye to your little girlfriend?" Malfoy, standing in the center of the space, mocked him, drawing a burst of laughter from the Slytherin table.