Duel Club

A low chuckle rippled through the crowd, but no one seemed surprised by the scene. Edmund glanced at the upperclassman who had been thrown back; he saw him struggling to his feet, head bowed, face expressionless.

"I'm sorry you had to see this, Edmund!" Lucius said helplessly. "This Alan Harrison, only his father is a wizard, as for his mother..."

"If it weren't for Dumbledore, a guy like him wouldn't deserve to be in Slytherin, to be ranked alongside you and me. Some people, whose parents don't know the rules, don't know how to respect themselves, and have gone mad to marry Muggles."

A vein bulged on Allen Harrison's forehead, and his jaw was clenched tightly, clearly indicating that he was enduring something.

"And their children, well, you know. How can parents like that possibly raise good children?"

Lucius spoke with a half-smile, then paused for a moment, as if expecting the student he had insulted to jump up and refute him.

Harrison ultimately held back his outburst, while Lucius smugly raised his chin at Edmund, as if showing off his control to this fellow "pure-blood nobleman." Edmund, seeing this, gave a subtle smile.

"That's a beautiful silent spell. Can I learn it here?"

Lucius chuckled twice upon hearing this, his expression saying, "What a child."

"If your expectations for the Duel Club stop at 'Silent Charm,' then you're not greedy enough, nor imaginative enough!"

The arrogant white peacock's eyes lit up with a brilliant idea. To lure Edmund into a trap, he turned his shoulder and pointed his wand at Harrison, whom he had just humiliated.

"But words are no proof, and you mean the same thing, don't you? Come on, Allen, straighten up, grab your wand. Come up on stage with me for a duel and show the Slytherin freshmen the glory of the Duel Club."

This was no different from saying, "Come here and be my punching bag." Alan Harrison didn't look up or respond. But even though he was stiff all over, he still followed Lucius's footsteps and stepped onto the dueling platform in the center of the classroom.

For some reason, this reminded Edmund of the magical creature gladiatorial contest he had just witnessed... He swallowed two mocking laughs, praising the savagery inherent in the wizard's nature.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

Lucius leaped onto the rectangular dueling platform, raised his hands, and gave an arrogant, fake smile.

"I hope your spells haven't gotten dulled from the holiday. I'll be picking a few lucky unlucky ones for a spot check."

His words elicited laughter. Many malicious glances darted around; the students knew very well that this was not a simple teaching check, but a deliberate attempt to humiliate them.

"And I'll also demonstrate a few advanced spells that I've recently learned. Oh... I swear, I don't mean to show off. If you're a real wizard and not a pathetic imposter, you've always heard how to use them from your elders, hehe."

This silenced his supporters. Just then, Harrison climbed onto the dueling platform. The two wizards each took two steps forward; Harrison bowed to Lucius, while Lucius remained motionless, refusing even to nod his noble head.

Then both of them raised their wands to their chests. An older girl clapped her hands, her laughter urging on this unfair duel: "One, two, three—"

As soon as the words were spoken, the duel began. Both of them simultaneously brandished their wands.

To be honest, Edmund could hear a lot of murmured chatter, all saying pretty much the same thing. None of the students watching felt the duel was any real suspense.

This isn't to say that Lucius is exceptionally strong, but rather that he never challenges opponents he's not confident he can defeat. Alan Harrison, a year younger than him, is the person he most frequently "mentors" since he started running the Duel Club.

First, a bright flame burst forth from the tip of Lucius's wand, hurtling straight at Harrison. The flame shot out at incredible speed, seemingly leaving him no room to dodge.

Edmund was eager to know what the effect would be if the spell hit. But Harrison quickly raised his wand and cast a defensive spell. A stream of water rose rapidly like a barrier, extinguishing the thin flame. Steam rose into the air, and the surrounding temperature rose sharply due to the collision of the spells.

A murmur of surprise rippled through the students below the stage, as if some were wondering why Harrison wasn't being submissive enough today.

"Not bad, Allen." Lucius's lips curled into a smile, but his eyes remained cold. "However, that's enough for the warm-up."

He had barely finished speaking when he swung his wand again, unleashing a dazzling beam of light from its tip that shot straight at Harrison. Harrison, unable to conceive a counter-spell, scrambled to the ground to dodge, narrowly avoiding being struck by the beam.

Only then did everyone return to their comfort zone, and the students below the stage began to cheer, showering their "amazing prefect" with compliments. Lucius, however, was in no hurry to win; he was as smug as a leading man making his stage debut, as if everything was under his control.

"What did I say?" Lucius raised his chin. "Clever tricks alone are no match for a wizard with true depth and experience."

Harrison said nothing, seemingly neither angry nor embarrassed. Lucius patiently waited for him to get up before reciting the next incantation.

"Tear it apart." Blade-like magic shot from the staff, which Harrison barely managed to deflect with the Stonewall Charm. The spell struck the hard stone wall with a terrifying sound.

Lucius gave a mocking smile, his lips moving as if muttering a word. It was probably quite malicious, because only then did Harrison's expression change.

A cold light flashed in his eyes, and without warning or hesitation, he uttered a spell. Edmund drew upon his past memories and recognized it as a variant of the word "thunder and lightning" in the Rune language.

The spell did not erupt as quickly as Edmund had expected; instead, it first entangled itself on the water-soaked ground, forming a vortex of lightning.

The students below the stage gasped in surprise, but Lucius on the stage was even more astonished. A hint of disdain flashed in his eyes as he lightly waved his wand, casting "Protective Armor".

Lucius was about to scoff, believing it to be a failed spell and that he could rest easy. But then a comical scene unfolded:

Lucius's long, pale blonde hair flew upwards uncontrollably, like an ominous omens.

Only then did Lucius's disdain and arrogance completely vanish. But as the lightning vortex took shape, a thunderclap illuminated the entire classroom.

The audience was completely silent.

……

Lucius was unharmed, only his wizard robes were faintly emitting black smoke. His face was ashen, his eyes flashing with dull terror and even more fury. He suddenly flicked his wand, unleashing a curse without a word, sending Harrison flying once more. The half-blood, who had remained indifferent until now, cried out in pain, and some blood oozed from beneath his wizard robes.

Just as the surrounding classmates hesitated, unsure whether they should step forward to mediate, a round of applause rang out from the crowd.

Without a doubt, it was Edmund.

"Sigh. You win!"

Edmund's tone was full of admiration.

He couldn't wait to ask Lucius: which alchemy shop did he buy his protective gear from?

—If it weren't for Galleon's help, that spell would have at least roasted Mr. Malfoy to medium-rare.