The Duel Begins

The wind at Hogwarts tonight felt somewhat boisterous. The Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom was packed with students and professors, all waiting for the impending duel between Slytherin and Hufflepuff.

"Portable magnifying glasses! See every spell clearly! If it's made by Weasley, it's a masterpiece!"

The Weasley twins were even selling their homemade magnifying glasses in the classroom; after all, without some help, it was hard to see the duel in the center through the gaps in the crowd.

Professor Snape had led the students of Slytherin to arrive early, waiting for the arrival of Hufflepuff. However, the other protagonists of this duel, the students of Hufflepuff, were nowhere to be seen.

"They wouldn't have gotten scared and run away, would they?"

Vane stood behind Professor Snape, speaking with a look of dissatisfaction.

Meanwhile, just outside the door of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, Wentworth, Cedric, and the others were standing there.

"Wentworth, aren't we going in yet?"

Coke leaned in and asked.

Wentworth replied unhurriedly:

"Prefect Coke, no need to rush. The protagonists always arrive last. Let them wait a while; it's best to let them get impatient before we make our entrance!"

As the agreed-upon time drew near, a stir began to ripple through the crowd of Slytherin students. Some even started wandering off, while others gathered in small groups to chat.

Vane finally couldn't help himself. He walked up to the three professors serving as judges for the night and asked quite anxiously:

"Professor, if the agreed time arrives and Hufflepuff still hasn't shown up, does that mean we, Slytherin, win?"

Professor Flitwick, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Ilona exchanged glances before speaking:

"Of course. If the time arrives and Hufflepuff has not appeared, according to the rules of the duel, Slytherin will naturally be the winner."

Hearing this, Vane couldn't help but feel conflicted. On one hand, he hoped Hufflepuff would show up so he could give them a good thrashing; on the other, he hoped they wouldn't, so Slytherin could win without a fight.

Just as Vane and the other Slytherins were feeling incredibly conflicted, the appointed time was about to arrive.

Outside the door, Wentworth checked the time one last time and turned to the Hufflepuff students behind him:

"It's time for us to enter, the protagonists of tonight!"

Just as the clock was about to strike six and Vane was staring longingly at the classroom door, it was suddenly pushed open from the outside.

Wentworth was the first to push open the door to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and walk in. Behind him, Cedric and Coke followed closely on his left and right.

Originally, Wentworth had wanted Coke to walk in first, but Coke had refused. After seeing Wentworth's complete plan, Coke was immediately won over, so he insisted that Wentworth take the lead.

Behind them, all the Hufflepuff students walked in, heads held high, arranged in two neat, orderly rows and wearing clean, tidy yellow Hufflepuff robes.

The spirited and orderly Hufflepuffs immediately made the loose, disorganized Slytherins look inferior. Even Gryffindor, who had never had a good impression of Slytherin, began to cheer for Hufflepuff under the leadership of the Weasley twins.

Seeing this, all the professors showed satisfied expressions, except for Snape. Sprout and Ilona looked the most proud.

"Did you Hufflepuffs all get lost in Hogwarts?"

Vane, who had been waiting for a long time, spoke up with a sneer.

On the Hufflepuff side, before Wentworth could speak, Coke retorted from behind:

"How strange. I've seen people fighting for food and fighting for seats, but this is the first time I've seen people fighting to get beaten up!"

Seeing that a shouting match was about to break out between the two sides, Professor McGonagall, acting as a judge, coughed twice and said:

"Enough, both of you! Do you want the other houses to make a joke of you? Remember, you represent Slytherin and Hufflepuff!"

This finally made Vane and Green shut their mouths!

Seeing this, Professor Flitwick stepped forward and said:

"Alright, according to the prior agreement, both houses will hand the list of duelists to Professor Ilona, and I will reiterate the rules of the duel!"

"First, it is forbidden to..."

While Professor Flitwick was reiterating the rules, Vane was the first to hand the Slytherin list to Professor Ilona, while simultaneously giving Green a fierce look.

Afterward, Vane also handed the Hufflepuff list to Professor Ilona, while giving Vane a smile.

For some reason, when Vane saw Green's smile, he shivered. He felt that Green's smile tonight seemed sinister, as if it were hiding some conspiracy.

When Professor Ilona saw the lists submitted by both sides, her brows tightened as if she had discovered something. But a moment later, as if she had figured something out, her brows relaxed, and she revealed a meaningful smile.

After Professor Flitwick finished explaining the rules, he looked toward Dumbledore. Dumbledore stood up gracefully and said:

"Everyone, we are reopening the Dueling Club at Hogwarts tonight in the hope of enhancing communication between students, not to determine who is superior, and certainly not to decide life or death. I hope that no one will be injured in tonight's duel!"

"So, are both sides participating in the duel ready?"

"Ready!"

Vane and Wentworth said simultaneously.

Seeing this, Dumbledore raised both hands and announced:

"Then, I declare the duel between Slytherin and Hufflepuff officially begun!"

As Dumbledore's voice fell, a burst of enthusiastic cheering erupted from the scene. However, looking closely, most of the cheering came from the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw students, while the Slytherin and Hufflepuff students were nervously watching the representatives of their respective houses in the center of the arena.

Accompanied by the cheers, Hogwarts Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Ilona walked slowly to the center of the dueling arena and said:

"The first duel, the representative sent by Slytherin is—Vane!"

Accompanied by the cheers of Slytherin and the jeers of Hufflepuff, Vane walked onto the dueling platform without a moment's delay.

As Vane took his position, Professor Ilona continued to speak:

"The representative for Hufflepuff is—Wentworth!"

As Professor Ilona called out Wentworth's name, the scene instantly fell into a deathly silence, with all the students staring blankly at Wentworth as he walked onto the dueling platform step by step.

Even Dumbledore and Snape wore expressions of astonishment and confusion.