Making magic hover in midair wasn't anything remarkable.
Many spells naturally had that effect, such as the Illumination Charm, Flame Blaze, and the Super Shield Charm, as well as the Obstacle Charm Voldemort had just cast.
But making magic hover without expending any energy, as Voldemort did, was entirely different.
Snape had heard of this ability of his enemy before, but this was the first time he had witnessed it with his own eyes.
"Armor Charm, Armor Charm, Armor Charm..."
Voldemort cast seven Shield Charms in a row before stopping. Then he cast a string of other spells.
"Stupefy, Barrage of Spells, Flame Blaze, Expelliarmus..."
After the blue and green spells came seven shimmering shields.
Then came a dazzling array of offensive spells. They floated silently on either side of Voldemort, waiting for his command to turn them into attacking magic.
"Good heavens, how is Professor Quirrell doing that?"
"There are so many spells. If he fires them all at once..."
"I thought Professor Quirrell was going to lose, but it's turned out to be the complete opposite."
The students chattered among themselves, and many Slytherins urged their Head of House to attack.
But Snape didn't. He simply watched Voldemort, the corner of his mouth curling into a sneer. How could he be so calm?
The answer soon became clear. Just as Voldemort finished setting up his spells and prepared to begin the fight, Snape struck first.
It was still a nonverbal spell, and the magic he sent flying was silent, invisible, and colorless...
But with a whoosh, the blue-green Obstacle Charm at the front seemed to be pierced by something. It didn't shatter, but it failed to stop the spell.
Then came four consecutive "scritch, scritch, scritch, scritch" sounds.
The first four Shield Charms were slashed through. Only the fifth managed to block Snape's attack.
Voldemort narrowed his eyes, recognizing the spell: Sectumsempra.
A curse Snape himself had invented as a student, Sectumsempra carried the Dark Curse's "irreparable" effect.
Voldemort glanced at the skills in the lower-left corner and suddenly regretted it. In his current state, he couldn't cast Dark Magic.
But then he thought it over and felt reassured. If he used Dark Magic, he might give away his identity—or let someone observant, like Snape or Dumbledore, realize that he was Voldemort.
"Professor Snape."
Professor McGonagall spoke, her voice stern. "You know what you've used. That's enough. Don't go any further."
Snape said nothing. Voldemort remained silent, too. The students had no idea what was happening, while the professors looked tense.
A Dark Curse had already appeared. Would the Unforgivable Curses come next?
Voldemort didn't think Snape would use those three spells, but he knew Snape was capable of it.
Could Snape kill Dumbledore with the Killing Curse? Voldemort didn't believe for a moment that Snape didn't hate Dumbledore. The most basic emotion needed to cast the Killing Curse was an intense desire to kill the other person.
Even if Snape was a master of Occlumency, and could deceive others, could he deceive himself?
Did Snape hate Dumbledore?
It was quite possible. Dumbledore had been involved in Lily's death.
And even if that hadn't happened, perhaps Snape could still have used the spell on Dumbledore. He'd been able to invent a Dark Curse as a student. Voldemort would be the first to object if anyone called him a good person.
A multitude of thoughts flashed through Voldemort's mind in an instant. As he met Snape's gaze, he saw the other man's fighting spirit.
"Whoosh."
Voldemort pointed his wand forward, and a barrage of spells shot out, surging toward Snape from all sides.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."
Snape cast several Sectumsempra spells in succession before shifting to defense.
Faced with the barrage of spells, he finally stopped standing still. He retreated, casting Shield Charms to deflect each spell one by one.
But there were simply too many spells. Some still struck him, though most were hard-hitting attacks like Barrage of Spells. He chose well, taking the hits from spells his body could withstand.
Meanwhile, Voldemort kept retreating and adding more Shield Charms to defend against Sectumsempra.
Their distance widened. Just as before, when they had closed in on each other, their contest shifted from speed, skill, and reflexes to another arena: a clash of power.
Snape showed the vicious sharpness of Sectumsempra, while Voldemort displayed his magic's control over time and space.
Professor McGonagall was deeply displeased. She wanted to stop them, but didn't know where to begin.
The two, now at a distance, launched a second attack. This time, Snape spoke the incantation aloud, making Sectumsempra even more powerful.
Voldemort, too, chose to use more spells, abandoning weaker attacks like the Stunning Spell.
But just as both sides sent their spells flying, a red glow flashed. Beneath the Fire Phoenix stood Dumbledore, tall and imposing.
He bent forward slightly and swept his wand upward. The desks and chairs near the space between Voldemort and Snape shot into the fray.
As they flew, the furniture twisted and transformed into two Treants carrying thick wooden shields.
They stood back-to-back, each facing one of the two wizards, then slammed their heavy shields onto the ground with a thud.
A clatter of crashes followed as the two shields blocked every spell. The Treants themselves were completely unharmed.
At last, Voldemort and Snape stopped staring each other down. Both turned their eyes toward the Treants, whose eyes betrayed not a hint of emotion.
"That was a splendid exhibition of dueling."
Dumbledore, wearing a deep-red robe and a soft, triangular hat of the same color, stepped into the center of the battlefield and spread his arms theatrically.
He lightly tapped the Elder Wand in his right hand. The two Treants strode back to their original places and transformed into a long table once more, leaving several sword marks behind.
"Perhaps the timing wasn't quite right, but that certainly opened everyone's eyes."
He continued speaking as if to himself, paying no attention to the displeasure on Snape's face. Voldemort, on the other hand, gave a slight bow, as if taking a curtain call after a performance.
"Let's give the two professors a warm round of applause for their splendid performance."
The Headmaster's sudden appearance and words were rather baffling, but the students responded enthusiastically. That Transfiguration had been so cool, and Dumbledore's power had truly stunned them.
And it wasn't just them. Even Snape and Voldemort were shocked, not to mention Professor McGonagall. As a true master of Transfiguration, she could see even more clearly how extraordinary Dumbledore was.
Amid the applause, Dumbledore bowed to the students like an actor about to leave the stage. But at the very end, when he looked toward Snape and Voldemort, his gaze turned unusually cold.
"Come with me, you two remarkable professors."
His voice still held a hint of amusement, but neither of the two he'd called out felt like laughing.
Snape was unhappy that Dumbledore had stopped him. He thought he could have won.
Voldemort, meanwhile, was furious at Dumbledore's strength. It made him feel that the road ahead was long and arduous, with no end in sight.
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