The Dueling Club, Harry and Malfoy's Skill

8 PM.

Great Hall.

The long tables have been moved away, and in their place stands a Winky golden stage.

The flickering light of hundreds of candles illuminated the entire Great Hall.

"Lucien, can we just have a normal duel later? We can promote your stuff, that thing, after the duel..."

Harry asked as if to be sure, but then forgot the name of the alchemical tool Lucien had mentioned.

Lucien nodded and reminded him:

"Just do what you practice normally, perform at your usual level. That's called VR glasses, virtual reality."

As he spoke, Lucien produced a silver-white rectangular object resembling a helmet, which appeared to be able to cover his eyes and part of his face.

Its front has two lenses covered with blue and silver patterns.

This technologically advanced item is actually a purely magical creation. Its effect is to provide the wearer with dueling tutorials and virtual combat practice. It certainly can't compare to real-person instruction, but it's still better than listening to a story or watching a play.

Lucien only created the first-generation VR glasses for dueling training. Further improvements can be made, and after tonight's promotion, they will be put into sale in the Seventh Workshop.

Given how long the young wizards have struggled with Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, they shouldn't have trouble selling it.

"Lucien, speaking of the teacher who runs the Dueling Club..."

"Look, isn't that already here?"

Follow Lucien's gaze.

Lockhart, dressed in a crimson robe, swaggered in with his signature smile, his teeth Winky in the candlelight.

In stark contrast, Snape, dressed in black, maintained his usual cold expression, but his eyes held a conflicting mix of disgust and anticipation.

Snape hated being around Lockhart, who was all talk and no action, but the thought of being able to openly "attack" Lockhart and teach this good-for-nothing who had stolen his position Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts filled Snape with a little anticipation.

Upon seeing Lockhart and Snape approaching together, Harry's face immediately fell, and he muttered:

"Lockhart is really unreliable, and Snape... Snape teaches potions, he shouldn't be involved in this, right?"

Seeing Snape's sour face, Lucien guessed what the Old Bat was thinking. He probably wanted to indulge his craving for teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts and, incidentally, give Lockhart a legitimate reason to be beaten up.

Well, if Lockhart is forced into early retirement and Dumbledore can't find a timely replacement, I wonder if Snape will be able to fulfill his wish?

"Come around here, everyone!"

Lockhart waved to the crowd, as if he were hosting a fan meeting.

The large number of people who came pleased Lockhart. His purpose was to showcase some of the dazzling magic in advance, laying the groundwork for his planned appearance to rescue people later.

To be honest, with Tom's guidance in the diary, Lockhart felt that he had made great strides during this period and was no longer the person he used to be!

"Very good, can everyone see me and hear me?"

He was greeted with cheers from a group of female fans, Lockhart nodded slightly.

"Thank you, Headmaster Dumbledore, for allowing me to establish this Dueling Club. I am honored to have this opportunity to teach everyone the combat techniques I am skilled in!"

"Believe me, this might be able to protect you in the future. If you want to understand more deeply, you can read my works!"

Lucien, watching Lockhart's performance from below, twitched at the corner of his mouth, suddenly realizing that there were other things he could learn from Lockhart, such as his unparalleled confidence and his shamelessness.

Well, if Lockhart used the Obliviate on himself to forget the memories of the stolen experiences, truly believing those experiences were his own and that he could genuinely control those magical abilities, would he actually be able to use them effectively?

Lucien knew the idea was absurd, but this was a magical world, and the power of the mind seemed to actually work...

How about we get our hands on Lockhart Obliviate and try it out when we have the chance?

Let me introduce my assistant— Professor Snape!

"Believe me, your Potions Professor actually knows a thing or two about dueling, and he's been very generous in offering to help me demonstrate."

"Haha, no need to look so worried. Don't worry, I'll definitely give you back a complete Potions Professor after this is all over!"

Lucien, watching from below the stage, noticed that Snape's eyes were growing colder and his fists were hardening.

Snape, you've endured this much just to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts; you'll succeed at anything!

Hmm, now all that's missing is pulling out my wand and unleashing a barrage of Sectumsempra.

On the golden stage of the Great Hall.

Lockhart and Snape stood at opposite ends, bowing to each other first.

Unlike Snape, who stood up straight with a clean and efficient posture, Lockhart reversed his arms and struck a fancy but ultimately useless pose.

The two held their wands upright in front of their chests.

"We grip the wands in a dueling stance, and when we count to three, we will unleash the first spell."

Lockhart finished explaining with a smile, and then began to count:

"One two three--"

As soon as the word "three" was uttered, Lockhart and Snape simultaneously raised their wands.

Snape: "Expelliarmus!"

Lockhart: "Prismatic Pierce!"

A dazzling red light emanated from the tip of Snape's staff.

Lockhart's staff tip flashed with a blazing white arrow of light, surrounded by swirling, colorful smoke.

Lucien, watching from below the stage, raised an eyebrow. Oh, Lockhart actually used magic, instead of being directly blasted away by Snape?

Tom did teach Lockhart something, namely the power of the spell...

"Pfft~"

The crimson Disarming Charm shattered the smoke-shrouded light arrow and struck Lockhart squarely in the chest.

He was sent flying backward, crashing into the wall with a loud thud. Whether Snape's blow was too forceful or not, Lockhart clung to the wall for a few seconds before sliding to the ground, curling up in a ball.

Looking at Snape gently waving his wand, Lucien sensed a hint of reminiscence in the Old Bat's eyes, as if he wanted to do it again.

When their headmaster displayed his extraordinary prowess, the Slytherin students naturally applauded and cheered.

"Lucien, Lockhart hasn't gotten up yet. Was he killed by Snape? Will Snape go to Azkaban?"

Ron leaned close to Lucien's ear and whispered something, his voice low but filled with anticipation and excitement.

This is truly a double blessing!

Before Lucien could say anything, Lockhart had already gotten up and was trying to tidy up his spiky curls.

Lucien glanced at Ron and saw the undisguised disappointment on the kid's face.

While wondering if something was wrong with the spell Tom had taught him, Lockhart picked up his hat from the ground.

"Oh, thank you, Miss Brown."

Lockhart took his wand, which had been knocked away, from the little witch, and forced a signature smile despite the pain in his chest and back.

"Haha, that's what I was just demonstrating to everyone—the consequences of being hit by Disarming Charm."

"However, Professor Snape's movements are still very easy to catch; if I want to dodge or parry, it's effortless..."

Lockhart suddenly stopped talking, because Snape's expression, which had eased slightly, darkened again, and his eyes were even colder than before.

Watching the Old Bat perform his face-changing act, Lucien had no doubt that Lockhart would be dead if no one else were around.

Lockhart coughed lightly.

"The demonstration is over. Professor Snape and I will now pair you up..."

Lucien was grouped with Parvati Patil from Gryffindor, whom he vaguely Lions; her twin sister Padma Patil was also his Ravenclaw classmate.

Parvati and Lucien chatted for a few moments before proceeding with the pre-duel rituals.

Once the duel began, it was less of a duel and more of Lucien instructing Parvati.

Lucien corrected her casting movements and incantation while dealing with the stray bullets around her.

Yes, the Great Hall is only that big, and the level of Hogwarts' young wizards has really declined in recent years, especially in Defense Against the Dark Arts; they basically just throw spells by feel.

So every now and then, mis-aimed spells would be fired at Lucien and his group.

"The ' Petrificus Totalus ' spell has a relatively slow cast time and is difficult to aim, making it more suitable for use within three meters. Keep your wrist relaxed; this spell doesn't require too much tension..."

After receiving Lucien's guidance, Parvati nodded repeatedly, a look of sudden realization on his face.

"Lucien, you truly are a learned Ravenclaw; no wonder my sister mentions you so often."

"Sis, didn't you ask me that yourself?"

Padma Patil had somehow "floated" behind her sister, said quietly that the two sisters looked exactly alike and could only be distinguished by their different school uniforms.

Parvati, embarrassed by her sister's revelation, was about to offer an explanation when Lockhart's urgent shout rang out in the Great Hall:

Stop! Stop it now!

"Today we'll only practice the Disarming Charm!"

No wonder Lockhart was so flustered. Some of the young wizards were hit by each other's spells, either dancing comically or lying flat on the ground asleep. But many more spells missed and flew around, searching for their lucky victims.

Lockhart also saw some young wizards abandon their frail wands altogether and start using their powerful fists and feet!

"Boom!"

Lockhart was stunned by the explosion; how could someone openly use Blasting Curse!

He wanted to shout at that moment, "How did these little wizards learn Defense Against the Dark Arts before? The scene is like a chaotic dance of demons!"

"Finite Incantatem!"

Snape waved his wand, sending up a large plume of shimmering green smoke that quickly filled the Great Hall.

All the spells failed, and the young wizards' agitation gradually subsided.

Lockhart tried to separate the young wizards who were still physically fighting each other, wiping the sweat from his face as he shouted:

"This is too chaotic. A duel shouldn't be like this. Let's have one group of students demonstrate first. Anyone want to come up?"

Lockhart had barely finished speaking when two voices rang out, one after the other:

"I'll do it!"

When Snape on the stage saw that Harry and Malfoy had raised their hands, he frowned, clearly not expecting the two to be so enthusiastic.

Harry and Malfoy walked onto the stage and simultaneously gave Lucien an OK sign in the audience.

Lockhart glanced at the two of them and solemnly emphasized:

"Wait until I count to three before we officially begin the duel, understand?"

Seeing that Harry and Malfoy both nodded, Lockhart began to count:

"One--"

But as soon as Lockhart uttered the number one, Harry Malfoy sprang into action.

The two of them cast the Basic Barrier Charm on themselves almost simultaneously, a prerequisite spell for the Shield Charm.

The next second, Harry raised his wand high.

"Expelliarmus!"

The red laser shot towards him at high speed, but Malfoy nimbly dodged it to the side, having no intention of taking it head-on.

In Lucien's little class, the two had practiced countless times. Malfoy knew that Potter's specialty was the Disarming Charm. Not only was it fast, but it was also powerful. Anyone who tried to fight him head-on with this spell was a fool!

"Floating in mid-air!"

Faced with the spell shot by Malfoy, Harry chose to deflect it, then ducked and rolled to avoid the next attack, while simultaneously pulling several vials and jars of potions from his pocket.

"Waddiwasi!"

The containers of potions accelerated and shot towards Malfoy. Although Malfoy couldn't dodge them all, the one or two that hit him were stopped by his basic barrier spell. The fragile bottles shattered, and the potions dripped onto the stage.

Snape, standing behind Malfoy, frowned and casually stopped the potion bottle Accio towards him.

Snape knew that Harry probably didn't do it on purpose, but Snape still couldn't help being angry and wanted to deduct Gryffindor.

However, Snape is now more focused on the magical abilities that Harry and Malfoy are demonstrating. Their fluency in casting spells and their judgment of timing are far superior to those of their peers!

Snape turned his gaze to Lucien in the audience. He was surprised to find that Lucien had taught the two boys Defense Against the Dark Arts and dueling skills quite well.

On stage, Harry and Malfoy were locked in a fierce battle. Compared to the other young wizards' "fooling around" earlier, the two were now displaying much sharper and more professional skills.

"Serpensortia!"

As Malfoy finished chanting the spell, three black serpents burst forth from the tip of his staff, slithering toward Harry.

Its cold, slippery appearance terrified the young wizards on either side of the stage, causing them to scream and back away.

Seeing this, Lockhart quietly swallowed, then said:

"Let me take it away..."

But Harry had already calmly provided a solution.

"Lumos!"

A powerful ball of light slammed into the three venomous snakes, the blinding light causing them to stop moving.

He then quickly cast three simple Levitation Charm, which allowed the snakes to float in the air without harming others.

The blinding light not only dazzled the viper but also caught Malfoy off guard, blurring his vision.

"Expelliarmus!"

Harry used his signature spell to knock Malfoy's wand away.

After a brief silence.

The Great Hall erupted in enthusiastic applause and discussion.

"Wow, that was an amazing match!"

"Well done! Gryffindor has defeated Slytherin once again!"

"What are you yelling about? That was just a minor mistake by Malfoy. Shall we have another round?"

Seeing that another group of young wizards was about to start fighting, Lockhart quickly stepped forward and spoke up:

"What an excellent demonstration! Of course, this is also thanks to my instruction on wrist movements last week..."

Ignoring Lockhart's boasting, Harry had already taken out the silver-white rectangular glasses from his Shrinking Satchel.

Are you all curious about how I did it?

Lockhart's smile froze as he was interrupted. Harry's opening line... it sounded so familiar...