Chapter 94: Duelling Class (Part 2)
Chapter 94: Duelling Class (Part 2)
"Young wizards, I need you to stand at the four corners of the stage as indicated by the academy", Felix waved his wand to dispel the sound-restricting spell.
The students in the audience looked confused, but Felix walked to one side of the gilded square stage and called out, "Slytherin, gather here!" Then he moved to another side, "Ravenclaw, gather here!"
"Gryffindor, gather here!"
"Hufflepuff, gather here!"
By the time Felix had circled the stage, all the young wizards understood what the professor meant and quickly took their positions.
"Ginny, over here!"
Ron called out to his sister. Harry looked over and saw Ginny standing still, holding hands with a Ravenclaw girl.
The girl wore a strange necklace, seemingly made of bottle caps, and her light golden hair was in a messy tangle.
She, like Ginny, remained motionless, and Harry thought she might not have understood the situation. She was staring wide-eyed at the young wizards passing by her.
Ron pushed through the crowd, followed closely by Harry and Hermione.
"Ginny, hurry up. Uh... who is this?" Ron asked, looking at the Ravenclaw girl.
"I'm her new friend", the girl said, her gaze sliding past Ron, pausing briefly on Harry, and finally settling on Hermione.
"I know you. Many people say you should have been in Ravenclaw", she said, her eyes fixed on Hermione.
"Is that so? I think Gryffindor is great", Hermione replied.
Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, and Harry said cautiously, "I think we should hurry up..."
Most of the young wizards had already taken their positions, making this small group quite noticeable.
Even Professor Hup looked over.
Ron tugged Ginny along, and the girl suddenly said, "Luna, Luna Lovegood. My name."
Harry, who was lagging behind, stopped and introduced himself, "Um, I'm Harry Potter."
"I know you", Luna said.
Harry muttered, "Do you?" The situation was awkward, and he quickly added, "Maybe we'll see each other again!" before rushing off to catch up with his friends.
Luna slowly made her way to the Ravenclaw group and waved at Ginny on the other side.
"Who's that?" Ron asked Ginny.
"My new friend", Ginny said, glancing at Harry and blushing slightly. "Our families actually live close to each other, but there's a mountain between us."
"Weasel Hill?" Harry asked with interest. He had visited Ron's house this year and learned about the place from the twins. According to Fred, one of their childhood dreams was to "fly over Weasel Hill on toy brooms."
Ginny quickly looked up at Harry and whispered, "A bit further north, their house is on a mountaintop."
On the stage, Felix retracted his gaze and thought to himself: Luna, with the red-haired young witch. That must be the youngest Weasley daughter.
Once the last young wizard was in position, Felix spoke, "Next, we need to practice in groups. You can choose your own partners, preferably from the same year."
The young wizards moved again, and Felix and Snape descended from the stage to organize the chaotic lines.
"Pairs, five meters apart."
Snape, gliding like a bat, silently approached Harry and Ron, who were chatting. He rolled up his sleeves and smacked both of their heads, "Focus, you two."
Harry and Ron watched Snape’s retreating back with scowls, Ron puzzled, asked, “How does he manage to walk without making a single sound?”
Five minutes later, the young wizards formed an orderly queue.
“Everyone, watch me and repeat the incantation,” Felix said as he returned to the stage. “Be careful not to point your wands at your partners. Make a small, controlled motion, then quickly jab, like this—”
“Expelliarmus!”
On the stage, a blinding red light, like a scorching bolt of lightning, shot out from Professor Hup’s wand.
The young wizards, divided into four groups, chanted in unison, “Expelliarmus!”
“Very good, continue.”
“Expelliarmus!”
“Pay attention to the angle of your wands, keep going!”
“Expelliarmus!”
“Very good,” Felix said. “Next, we’ll cover the theoretical aspects of the spell. I’ll focus on the most important points—”
About twenty minutes later, the young wizards were waving their wands with more confidence, but no one had succeeded yet.
Felix and Snape exchanged a few words, then Felix said, “Young wizards, take out the parchment we gave you earlier.”
The young wizards took out their parchments, unsure of what was coming next.
“—Professor Snape and I have discussed, and the main issues you’re facing are these seven. I’ll go over them, and you can compare your own techniques.”
“Balk, please come up to the stage. I need your assistance.”
After twenty minutes of talking, Felix’s throat was dry, but he knew his explanations would only help a few of the top students. For most young wizards, learning magic was more about “feeling” and “repetition.”
So, for the next half-hour, he and Snape moved through the crowd, giving specific guidance.
“Miss Pate, your jabbing motion isn’t decisive enough. Think back to my demonstration and check the seventh point on your parchment.”
“Mr. Warren, your incantation isn’t pronounced correctly. Yes, the incantation isn’t strictly necessary, but that comes with practice.”
“And you… you’re Neville Longbottom? You’re too nervous. Confidence is key! Imagine yourself successfully casting the spell. Yes, I suggest you visualize it twenty times in your mind.”
Every ten minutes, he would call a few typical mistakes to the stage for a demonstration. Felix found that showing errors was more effective than showing correct techniques—after all, many young wizards realized their own mistakes after a good laugh.
Of course, the young wizards who were laughed at received bonus points as compensation.
“Thank you, Neville, your issue is quite representative. Additionally, five points to Gryffindor.”
“And you, Miss Vera, your movements are too stiff. Don’t laugh, if Miss Vera were to show even a fraction of her talent in Ancient Runes, she would surprise you all. Five points to Ravenclaw.”
“Marcus… regardless, don’t try to imitate him. We should at least thank him for his courage. Five points to Slytherin.”
Felix wiped his sweat. Guiding the young wizards wasn’t the challenging part; it was maintaining their self-esteem and finding creative ways to praise them.
‘I should prepare a list of compliments and write down every reason I can think of. That way, I won’t have to think of them on the spot…’
Finally, after an hour and a half of the dueling class, a fifth-year young wizard succeeded.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
