Dueling Club's "Iconic Scene" (Part One)

He deliberately stroked his handsome chin, blinked, and added in a witty tone, "Especially this face of mine, you know. In a few months, I'll be going to the Ministry of Magic to receive the Order of Merlin. Don't hit the face, all right? Anywhere else is fine!"

"Pfft—"

It was extremely faint, almost drowned out by the echoes in the Great Hall, but Harry, Ron, and Hermione at the front, along with the nearby Slytherin students, all clearly saw it—Severus Snape's thin mouth, whose corners always drooped downward, twitched upward in an extraordinarily rare and extraordinarily stiff motion!

It could not even be called a smile. It was more like a cold rock being forcibly twisted out of shape. It vanished in an instant, so quickly that one might have thought it an illusion. Yet that fleeting curve, paired with his eternally gloomy temperament and greasy black hair, created such a horrifying contrast that it sent shivers down everyone's spine!

Harry felt a chill shoot straight from the soles of his feet to the top of his head! Ron sucked in a breath and nearly bit his tongue. Hermione covered her mouth in astonishment. Malfoy's gray eyes went wide, as though he had just seen a Troll dancing ballet!

Snape seemed to realize his momentary "loss of composure" at once. That stiff curve vanished instantly, replaced by an even colder, sharper gaze, like a blade tempered in ice. He shot Lockhart a vicious look, as if he wanted to freeze and shatter that teasing smile on the man's face.

"Haha, you all saw that, didn't you? Professor Snape smiled! He agreed! Let's give another round of applause to one of the greatest wizards in Hogwarts history, and one of Europe's foremost potions authorities, Professor Snape! Let's make it even