Midnight Duel

After receiving another invitation to detention from Professor McGonagall, Horatio returned to the Great Hall.

The moment he entered, he saw Malfoy challenge Harry to a date... pfft, a duel.

"A wizard duel? Interesting. Count me in. Harry, I'll be your second." Horatio suddenly appeared behind Harry like a ghost.

"Horatio?? You... you're not allowed to join." Malfoy went pale as he stared at the suddenly appearing Horatio.

"Hm? Malfoy, are you itching for a beating? You dare refuse me?" Horatio drew his wand. "Should I use the Cruciatus Curse on you? Or the Cruciatus Curse? Or maybe the Cruciatus Curse?"

Malfoy was terrified out of his wits and hurriedly looked at Harry with pleading eyes.

Although Harry hated Malfoy, he was kind-hearted and did not want to see Malfoy tortured by Horatio. "Sorry, Horatio, but Ron already agreed to be my second."

"Fine. Where are you dueling tonight? I'll be the referee. The winner gets a small alchemical item from me, and the loser has to perform a handstand while gnawing on a pig's trotter tomorrow." Horatio finally agreed.

"We're planning to start at eleven tonight, in the Prize Room on the fourth floor of Hogwarts," Harry answered.

Horatio made an OK gesture. "Then I'll wait for you there. Don't be late. If you dare run away before the battle... heh heh, you know the consequences."

Seeing Horatio's gloomy expression, Harry and Malfoy both shivered and hurriedly nodded, promising that they would come.

During dinner, Hermione leaned over to Harry and Ron, who were discussing what to do about tonight's duel.

"I just heard that you're going to duel Malfoy tonight," Hermione said. "No, you absolutely cannot sneak out at night. Gryffindor will lose points."

"What made you think we still have points left to lose?" Ron muttered.

Hermione glared at Ron, but when she saw Gryffindor's pitifully low score on the hourglass, she immediately deflated.

"Th-then... then you'll be expelled if you get caught." Hermione was getting anxious.

Ron shook his head. "I don't think sneaking out at night is that big a deal. Compared to the things Horatio has done, even being sent to Azkaban would be getting off lightly. Look at him—he's still bouncing around just fine."

Hermione became even more desperate. "Professor McGonagall will give you detention."

"Detention? I'm the most qualified person here to talk about detention." Horatio's anti-talking-about-Horatio-behind-his-back radar went off, so he came to investigate the marked location. "And which one of you was talking about me behind my back? Step forward honestly."

Ron went pale, but he still bravely stepped forward.

Horatio glanced at Ron. "You've got guts. Since you have a duel tonight, I won't punish you. But if you lose tonight, then tomorrow's meal will be baguette dipped in holy river water from Parvati's hometown, with blue cheese."

After saying that, Horatio went to ask Parvati for some Ganges water.

Harry shrugged and said to Hermione, "See? It's not that we want to go. We have to."

At ten-thirty that night, Harry and Ron slipped out of their dormitory and ran into Hermione, who had been waiting for them in the common room.

"I was going to tell Professor McGonagall, but..."

Harry and Ron ignored Hermione, whose little mouth was chattering nonstop. After leaving Gryffindor Tower, they encountered Neville at the entrance, having forgotten the password.

In the end, the four of them headed to the Prize Room on the fourth floor together.

Malfoy had already been waiting in the Prize Room with Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle for quite some time.

Malfoy had thought that bringing two extra people would catch Harry off guard, but he had not expected Harry to bring two more as well.

At that moment, Horatio emerged from another room while holding Hathor. "Yo, so many people. Perfect, we can do four versus four."

"Oh, and don't go that way after the fight." Horatio pointed down one side of the corridor. "There's a three-headed dog in one of the rooms over there. It seems to be guarding something."

The moment Hermione saw Horatio, she launched into a barrage of complaints. Horatio dug at his ear and said helplessly, "Hermione, admit it. Deep down, you're a Gryffindor. You like adventure, or you wouldn't have come along."

"And you don't want to lose to Slytherin and get mocked by Malfoy, do you?"

Hermione shut her mouth and ultimately took her place opposite Pansy.

"Come on, pick your opponents and throw out some pre-match trash talk." Horatio stood between the two groups.

"Wait, that's Peeves. He'll tell Filch," Hermione said, pointing at the suddenly appearing Peeves.

Horatio sighed and said to Peeves, "You. Come here."

The moment Peeves saw Horatio, that devil, he was terrified out of his wits. Trembling, he approached Horatio. "What are your orders, Lord Horatio?"

"Go get me a bag of sunflower seeds. I'm going to enjoy the duel here. If you dare let anyone else know, you know the consequences."

Peeves turned and fled as if for his life.

"Have you chosen your opponents? If you have, decide who goes first."

"Wait, that's Mrs. Norris. She'll tell Filch that we're here." Ron pointed at the cat sitting at the end of the corridor.

"Sigh. Hathor, call her over."

"Meow~"

Mrs. Norris trotted over eagerly, lying on the ground and wagging her tail like a dog as if trying to curry favor with Hathor in Horatio's arms.

"What's taking so long? If you don't start fighting soon, this referee is going to step in and beat all of you up himself."

Harry and Malfoy helplessly drew their Magic Wands and stepped forward.

"Wait, that's Filch! Run!" Harry shouted.

Everyone had been about to flee immediately, only to discover that they could not move their feet at all.

"Will you people ever finish? Are you fighting or not?" Horatio snapped.

"Filch, do you still want that Levitation Charm magic wand?"

Hearing this, Filch hurriedly rubbed his hands together and approached Horatio. "What does Young Master Horatio require?"

"Go cut me a watermelon."

"Right away. Please wait a moment."

Amid the young Wizards' shocked yet admiring stares, Horatio lifted the spell restraining them.

"All irrelevant parties have been cleared away. Today, you must determine a winner. I swear it on the honor of the Night-Prowling Prince."

Harry and Malfoy still ended up brawling with each other. At first, they used their Magic Wands to shoot a few fireworks at one another, but after firing for a while, they realized they could not cast any magic at all.

In the end, the two threw away their Magic Wands and began enthusiastically pummeling each other with their bare fists.

Horatio covered his face. He could not bear to watch.

"Is this what Hogwarts teaches? I suggest you go learn Muay Thai in Southeast Asia instead."

"Hogwarts certainly does not teach young Wizards to stay up at night and fight here." A white-bearded old man arrived.

Dumbledore looked at the young Wizards, who had been frightened into trembling chicks. "Children, I need an explanation."

"Tch." Horatio snapped his fingers.

Everyone and everything except Dumbledore and Horatio seemed to have had a pause button pressed. Everything froze.

Horatio looked at the stunned Dumbledore and said, "Time-Space Suspension. The most basic time-space magic. Is that explanation enough?"

Dumbledore fell silent for a while before speaking. "I believe you've convinced me, child."

Horatio released the Time-Space Suspension and said to Harry and Malfoy, "After friendly negotiations, Old Deng has agreed to serve as the assistant referee for this duel tournament. Therefore, the match continues."

Horatio and Dumbledore held the watermelon Filch had brought, cracked the sunflower seeds Peeves had delivered, and sat on the steps watching the young Wizards below enthusiastically brawl. From time to time, they even commented on the competitors' performances.

Hermione was simply far too overpowered among this group of young Wizards who could barely cast any magic. She took on all four of Malfoy's side by herself and defeated them.

Horatio stood and announced, "Gryffindor wins this duel. Hermione gets MVP. Everyone else just got carried."

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