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At 8 PM sharp, the very first meeting of the Dueling Club was about to begin. Augustus, Malfoy, Lillian, and Loki made their way to the Great Hall.
The long dining tables had vanished, replaced by a golden platform running along one wall, glowing under the light of hundreds of floating candles. The ceiling had turned velvet-black once more, and nearly the whole school had shown up. It was packed—students shoulder to shoulder, all clutching their wands, faces full of excitement.
"I wonder who's going to teach us," Lillian said, squeezing through the noisy crowd with the others. She tucked her long hair behind her ears and rubbed her forehead. "I heard Flitwick used to be a dueling champion when he was young. Maybe it's him."
Just as she finished speaking, Gilderoy Lockhart strutted onto the stage, wearing a dazzling magenta robe. And right next to him, still dressed in his usual black attire, was none other than Snape. Lockhart waved for everyone to be quiet, then shouted cheerfully, "Gather round! Can everyone see me? Hear me? Excellent!
"So, Professor Dumbledore has kindly allowed me to start this little Dueling Club—to properly train you in case one day you need to defend yourselves the way I've done countless times before. For more on that, do check out my books." He beamed and added, "Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape.
He tells me he knows a little about dueling himself, and he's generously agreed to help me give a quick demo before we begin.
"Don't worry," Lockhart said with a grin, "I promise to return your Potions Master in one piece after this little showcase—nothing to fear!"
Augustus smirked. There was a popular saying going around school lately: Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. It seemed especially fitting for Lockhart—assuming he survived this so-called demonstration.
Lockhart and Snape turned to face each other and bowed. Well, Lockhart bowed—with lots of flair, hands waving dramatically—while Snape just gave an impatient little nod. Then both raised their wands like arrows pointed at their chests.
"As you can see, we're using the standard dueling stance," Lockhart said to the now-silent crowd. "On the count of three, we'll each cast our first spell. Don't worry, of course—we're not aiming to kill."
"I wouldn't bet on that," Harry muttered, eyeing Snape's nasty smile.
"One—two—three!"
Both raised their wands high. Snape shouted, "Expelliarmus!"
A flash of red light burst from his wand—and Lockhart went flying. He flew off the stage, slammed into the wall, then crumpled to the floor like a rag doll.
Malfoy and a few other Slytherins broke into loud applause. Hermione stood on tiptoe, bouncing anxiously. "Do you think he's okay?" she squealed, hands over her mouth.
"Who cares?" said Harry and Ron in unison.
Lockhart staggered back to his feet, looking dazed. His hat had fallen off, and his wavy hair now stuck up in all directions.
"Well, there you go!" he said, stumbling back onto the stage. "That was a Disarming Charm—as you saw, I lost my wand. Ah, thank you, Miss Brown. Yes, quite right—brilliant idea of yours, Professor Snape, to show them that move. Although," he added, smiling too widely, "if I had wanted to stop you, it would've been no trouble at all. Still, great for educational purposes, wouldn't you say?"
Snape's face was pure murder.
Lockhart must've noticed, because he quickly declared, "Demo's over! Now, I'll be selecting one talented student to represent each of us for a demonstration duel!"
He rushed ahead before Snape could speak, probably to stop him from naming someone first. "Cedric Diggory—up you come! You'll be on my side." Lockhart looked smug, clearly confident in his choice. The Slytherins booed loudly.
Snape glanced at the proud-looking Lockhart with a sneer. His lips curled with disdain. "Augustus, your turn. Show Mr. Lockhart how a real student duel should be done."
The Slytherins fell silent at the sound of Augustus's name, then burst into thunderous cheers. Even Harry's side and a few Ravenclaws joined in.
Lockhart's face paled. He hadn't expected Augustus to be so popular. Nervously, he waved Cedric over and started striking poses with his wand, like he was trying to teach Cedric a few tricks. Cedric nodded politely, but the skeptical look on his face made it clear he wasn't impressed.
After finishing his "lesson," Lockhart seemed to gain a little confidence. "Right then! Do what I showed you—nothing can go wrong. Victory's in sight!"
Augustus and Cedric stepped into the dueling ring together. Augustus stood silently, his eyes fixed on his opponent. Cedric's palms were sweating. He'd never interacted with Augustus before, but as one of the school's most talked-about students, Augustus was no stranger to him. His duel with the senior prefect was legendary by now, and his role in protecting the Philosopher's Stone last year had made him even more of a figure to watch out for.
Cedric knew this guy wasn't someone to take lightly. If he wasn't careful, he might not last more than a few rounds.
With that in mind, Cedric didn't hesitate. He struck first.
He chose a control spell. If he could just pin Augustus down, he might be able to dictate the rhythm of the duel. A streak of blue light shot toward Augustus, trailing sparks.
Augustus smiled faintly. A control-focused opening, with attack as backup—his opponent's strategy wasn't half bad.
He flicked his wand, and suddenly, a wall of swirling wind appeared before him. The whirlwind was dense and complex, its gusts whipping his golden hair and billowing robes. Cedric's blue spell hit the barrier—and was completely shredded without a trace.
The crowd erupted in gasps. It was the first time most of them had ever seen someone cast a spell silently—and the spell itself was something none of the upper years, including Cedric, could even recognize. Confused whispers filled the hall.
Snape's eyes gleamed in admiration. Pulling off something like that at Augustus's age… it was enviable. Putting Cedric against him now almost felt like a waste.
Wind Wall—a fourth-level spell. Malfoy grinned. Maybe soon he'd be able to cast it too. Surrounded by the awed and envious stares of others, he felt a strange wave of pride. He knew it now—his life had changed completely from the moment he met Augustus. All that was left was to follow him, step by step, on the path to uncovering the true secrets of magic.
No matter how thorny the road ahead, as long as he followed Augustus's lead, he'd eventually find the way.
"....."