Chapter 283: Dueling Competition
Chapter 283: Dueling Competition
Felix walked toward Classroom Seven, carrying a box of candies, still mulling over the questions he had just asked Dumbledore.
Neither he nor Dumbledore was easily persuaded. Expecting to convince them of Sirius Star's innocence with just a story was no easy task.
Both were masters of Legilimency, a skill they rarely used, but in critical moments, they would not hesitate.
The difference was that Felix was not very familiar with Sirius Star. Much of what he knew was hearsay, which was why he needed to confirm the Occlumency issue with Dumbledore.
Since Sirius Star was not skilled in Occlumency, his words were highly credible.
...
Felix arrived at a secluded corridor and opened the candy box. The miniaturized Sirius Star sat on a pile of candies, holding a small piece of cauldron cake, and asked dazedly, "Are we there yet?"
"Not yet—we need to make some preparations. You wouldn't want to run into Severus, and Harry is always carrying a Detecting Mirror to guard against you. We need to address these issues."
"What do we do?"
Felix didn't speak. He used wandtouching on a few candies in the box, and under the influence of magic, they transformed into a full set of armor. The style resembled the armor in Hogwarts Castle, complete with a closed helmet.
"Put it on quickly", Felix told Sirius Star.
"I like your idea", Sirius Star eagerly donned the new outfit, testing the movement of his body. "I feel like a real knight, but I'm missing a Knightly Sword."
Felix fulfilled his request, turning a Licorice Wand into a Knightly Sword.
Sirius Star, encased in the tightly sealed armor, skillfully swung the sword in his hand. Ignoring his palm-sized stature, he did indeed have the air of a medieval knight.
"This makes you look like a knight Magical Automaton. I can introduce you to other professors. Now, let me think about how to shield you from the Detecting Mirror..."
A layer of magical glow began to emanate from Sirius Star's armor. Finally, at the position of the helmet's eyes, Felix let Sirius Star choose between black and red. He chose red.
Thus, the knight's eyes were covered by a layer of crimson smoke, giving him a more intimidating and imposing appearance.
At 9:40 AM.
Felix entered Classroom Seven, where the room was bustling with hundreds of people gathered around a large, open area, engaged in heated discussions.
The open area was divided into seven zones, each with a different terrain: a flat area, a forest, a hill, a rocky beach, a swamp, a winding maze, and a small ice patch.
On the eastern side, which offered the best view, stood a platform with a row of seats. Flitwick and Snape were already there. Besides these two regular Dueling Class professors, several others had come voluntarily, conjuring chairs with excitement and anticipation.
Felix walked up to the platform and casually placed the palm-sized knight on the table. He greeted everyone warmly, "Filius, Severus... Professor Lupin, you're here too?"
"I'm just here for the fun of it", Lupin said. "We didn't have such novel things when I was a student."
Snape said slowly, "But your extracurricular activities were quite eventful, wandering around and causing trouble..."
Lupin responded tactfully, "Looking back, weren't we all ignorant fools in our youth?"
The knight on the table, encased in the closed helmet, clanked and clattered as it moved, vigorously swinging the sword, seemingly protesting Lupin's statement.
Flitwick, intending to change the subject, scanned the surroundings and his eyes lit up when he saw the 'knight.' "Felix, can this Magical Automaton move on its own?"
Felix smiled. "It's something I tried a long time ago, getting them to handle simple tasks—um... to free my Assistant from grading homework. She no longer needs to reinforce this basic knowledge."
"Is it Miss Granger?" Lupin asked. "She's a very intelligent witch, performing excellently in class."
Flitwick examined the knight on the table, and Sirius Star's nervous movements made it look more like a rusted metal puppet.
"Am I mistaken, or did I see a hint of awkwardness in its movements?"
Felix took out some Magical Automatons from his ring and distributed them to the professors. "I've been trying to get them to understand simple commands, similar to magical portraits, but the results aren't great. I need your feedback."
He subtly picked up the 'knight' and shook it, meeting Flitwick's puzzled gaze. "This one isn't very smart..."
Time quickly approached 10:00 AM. Percy and Penelope stood in the center of the open area. Percy was visibly excited, his voice wavering. "Ladies and gentlemen, this dueling competition is organized by the Student Council. I, Percy Weasley, will be overseeing the event with Penelope Clearwater."
"First, some basic information: there are 218 participants, who will compete in seven different arenas. Seven matches will take place simultaneously, starting with the first-year students."
Penelope Clearwater added, "You are all familiar with the rules. I want to emphasize that professors will comment on some of the more exciting duels and alert you to any rule violations. Please adhere to the rules, especially the prohibition against using Dark Magic."
She surveyed the crowd with an authoritative gaze, and Percy cleared his throat beside her. "That's right, exactly."
"Those whose names are called, please come forward to draw lots to choose your terrain. Once the terrain is set, your opponents will also be determined."
The crowd erupted in a deafening cheer. Harry gripped his wand tightly, his heart pounding so hard he thought it might burst, and his blood surged through his veins. But the people around him seemed even more nervous. Ron's lips trembled, and Hermione muttered to herself. Harry moved closer and heard her rapidly reciting the Duel System Essay, which she had just completed the third revision of.
Across from Harry, Draco Malfoy looked paler than usual. His two cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, kept swallowing nervously. Goyle choked on his own saliva and started coughing uncontrollably.
Draco frowned and moved to the side. When Harry came into his line of sight, Draco flashed a sinister smile—at least, that's how Harry interpreted it. Surprisingly, Harry's nervousness calmed down.
If he had the chance, he would love to see Malfoy's face blossom with bruises.
The competition officially began.
The first-year matches were rather dull, with only one student successfully casting a dark spell, earning sparse applause. Most of the others just scowled and kept casting ineffective spells.
After just three rounds, the final match was set, and a cute little girl won the first-year championship.
Next came the second-year matches. Ginny efficiently used a Stunning Spell to take down her opponent and went on to win several more matches, securing the championship.
"Ginny is already this good?" Ron exclaimed in surprise.
"Yeah, it's not really a surprise. She's been attending our group activities with us", Harry said.
Percy's stern voice rang out—
"There are more third-years, so the first group has fourteen participants: Millicent Bulstrode, Hermione Granger, Daphne Greengrass, Blaise Zabini, Justin Finch-Fletchley—these contestants, please come forward."
Hermione shakily made her way to the front, almost tripping over Neville. She shuffled to the draw area and was surprised to find that the others were just as nervous. The Zabini student seemed to be walking on a cloud, his steps light and unsteady.
Hermione drew the rocky beach terrain and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. If she had drawn the ice, she wouldn't have been able to stand, let alone fight.
Once the fourteen third-year students were in position, Percy announced in a drawn-out voice, "Duel begins—"
Across from Hermione stood Daphne Greengrass, an old rival. Their previous conflicts had been limited to the Magical Automaton, but this was their first real duel.
"Expelliarmus!" Hermione shouted, her mind quickly recalling the content of the Duel System Essay. My attack is faster, she must dodge, and then I will have the upper hand...
But things didn't go as planned. Although Daphne was slower than Hermione by more than a step, she still managed to cast a spell: "Stupefy!"
Hermione watched helplessly as her Disarming Charm hit Daphne, causing her wand to fly out of her hand and spin toward her. At the same time, a red spell grazed Hermione's hair and hit the rock beside her.
Hermione froze for a few seconds, instinctively grabbing the flying wand. Seeing Daphne's angry face, she realized she had won, but Hermione didn't feel any joy from the victory. She couldn't help but lean in and whisper, "Why didn't you dodge? You should have dodged..."
Daphne glared at her. "Why should I dodge?"
"But, but—" Hermione was full of questions. "Your attack speed is slower than mine, according to the rules—"
"Whose rules? You used a Disarming Charm, and I used a Stunning Spell. If I hit you, I win."
Hermione wanted to argue that it was too risky and had no practical value, but Percy was already reminding the students who had finished their matches to leave the area. She glared at Daphne and stormed off.
Back in the Gryffindor crowd, Hermione was still grumbling, "She was just taking a lucky gamble. I don't believe she would do that in a real fight—"
Harry tried to reason with her, "Actually, she has a point. Normally, she wouldn't stand a chance against you, but if her strategy succeeds—"
He closed his mouth when he saw Hermione looking like a puffed-up lion.
"Next, the second group, those whose names are called, please come forward—Draco Malfoy, Seamus Finnigan, Ron Weasley, Gregory Goyle—"
"Let's watch the matches", Harry said. "It's my turn soon."
But Harry's name wasn't called in the second group, so he had to wait patiently. In this group, an accident occurred. A young wizard mispronounced a spell, causing his opponent to sprout a pair of snail antennae. The young wizard, on the verge of tears, asked, "What spell were you trying to use?"
Madam Pomfrey quickly approached and, after a brief inspection, said, "You won't recover for at least three hours, dear."
The young wizard touched the antennae on his head and, surprisingly, said, "It's not that bad. Can I stay here to watch the matches, Madam Pomfrey? I don't want to go to the Hospital Wing."
Madam Pomfrey looked at him in puzzlement. "It's possible, but aren't you afraid of being ridiculed—"
"No problem there."
The boy finished his potion and excitedly returned to his house, showing off his new headgear to his peers. Around him, a chorus of exclamations and envious gazes erupted.
Ron also returned triumphantly, saying with satisfaction, "Actually, my first spell failed, but I hid behind a rock. Goyle stood there like a fool and got tied up by my next spell..."
"Next, the third group—Dean Thomas, Neville Longbottom, Vincent Crabbe, Ernie Macmillan, Harry Potter..."
The dueling competition was in full swing, reaching the semifinals for the third-year students, which even the older students couldn't help but watch with interest.
"Who is that Xiao Yuan? He's going toe-to-toe with Potter."
"I'm not sure, he seems to have appeared out of nowhere."
"He must be a friend of Potter's, look how happy they are together."
"I think I've seen him before, in Potter's dueling study group..."
In the final of the third-year competition, Harry looked at Draco in surprise. "I didn't expect to see you here, Malfoy." They had drawn the forest as their arena, with a dozen ancient trees scattered around.
Draco grinned. "You should have seen how I taught that Weasley a lesson, using my newly learned magic."
Harry glanced back at Ron, who was sitting dazed on the ground, looking a bit like Luna.
"The match begins—" Percy, who was already somewhat tired, called out, but it was Penelope's cool voice that rang out.
Harry instinctively took a step to the side, simultaneously casting a Disarming Charm. The first spell wasn't for power; he aimed to gain the upper hand. Draco indeed retreated, hiding behind a sturdy-looking tree trunk. "Potter—Silencing Charm!"
Harry quickly jumped away, and the spell went wide. He estimated the distance and countered with a binding spell. A magical rope flew out and tightly wrapped around the tree trunk. He heard Draco grunt but was about to move forward when a sense of danger surged within him.
He quickly cast a Shield Charm on himself. "Armor Shield!" he called, and an invisible barrier formed in front of him, blocking Draco's carefully prepared spell.
"Bell Hammer!"
"Bang!"
The sound of a heavy bell rang out, and Harry felt as if he had been struck by a large hammer. The magical barrier cracked like a spider web. Even behind the Shield Charm, he was affected, his ears ringing continuously.
He endured the discomfort, staring wide-eyed at the opposite side. After a dozen seconds, his vision cleared.
'Ron must have endured this spell. Even with a shield, it still causes a brief dizziness and disorientation, like being hit by a large hammer in a clock tower.'
Harry watched Draco, who remained hidden behind the tree, occasionally releasing a 'Bell Hammer.' He couldn't help but feel anxious. He quickly closed the distance between them. A red light flashed, slightly off target, almost hitting him. Harry was startled and darted behind a tree, and the arena fell silent.
"Malfoy, weren't you going to show me your new magic? I've seen it. Do you need me to remind you that I thought of construction workers, wielding a large hammer and swinging it around?"
Harry crouched, waiting for two seconds, and preemptively cast a Shield Charm. Sure enough, a red light flew at him and was blocked!
Without hesitation, he stepped out of the protection of the Shield Charm. Draco was just about to peek out, and a bright red beam shot from Harry's wand, striking Draco squarely in the chest.
Draco was knocked back, crashing into a tree. His eyes rolled back, and he passed out without a sound.
"Victory!"
Harry shouted in excitement. The battle was much harder than he had anticipated, mainly due to the terrain. His spells weren't powerful enough to destroy trees with a three-foot diameter, limiting his advantages.
He thought of Professor Hepburn's advice—mastering more magic means being able to handle different situations calmly. He couldn't help but wonder: if he had mastered the Blasting Curse and Fire Spell, would the fight have been easier?
He knew what he needed to do next.
"Brilliant!"
The spectators held their breath, watching the high-level duel, and only erupted into enthusiastic cheers and applause when the result was clear.
Harry scratched his head and looked up at the judges' stand. Lupin smiled at him, Snape looked down impassively, Professor Flitwick was visibly excited, and Professor Hepburn chuckled, her hand moving gracefully. In front of her, a steel automaton was waving, no, swinging its sword.
Was that a new Magical Automaton the professor had created?
Harry suppressed his inner joy, trying not to let his smile become too wide, and waved back in acknowledgment.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
