A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

"Well, next..." Professor Lockhart stammered slightly, "I believe it's best to teach you how to counter unfriendly magic. Yes, unfriendly, just like I've written... as recounted in my personal experiences."

"Would a willing pair come forward—Longbottom and Flitwick, how about you? Professors Harp and Snape, we should leave the stage to them..."

Felix Harp idly toyed with his wand, "A fine suggestion, Professor Lockhart. But before that, I think it's necessary to acquaint the young wizards with what a true duel is like, even if it's more of a demonstration duel."

Lockhart's expression momentarily froze. He looked around, noticing that the young wizards in the audience were quite intrigued. He struggled to find words.

"Professor Snape, what are your thoughts?" Felix inquired of Snape, who had remained silent all this time.

The Potion Master regarded him with a deep, unexpected gaze. He parted his lips, forming a smile. "Are you challenging me to a duel, Felix?"

"Merely an exhibition match."

Neither of them had considered Lockhart.

Snape gave him a profound look, saying little, and smoothly drew his wand.

To the side, Lockhart suddenly found himself miraculously breaking free from the vortex of confusion. His face regained its enthusiastic demeanor. "It seems that our curriculum will have an impromptu addition—a duel to welcome our two professors!"

This time, the applause from the audience was fervent. Ron excitedly pestered Harry, "Honestly, I've been waiting for this day forever! Do you think Snape will end up in the hospital?"

As a "Harp enthusiast," standing by Professor Harp's side was only natural for him.

"It's just an exhibition match," Hermione emphasized, though she couldn't help hopping up and down on her toes.

Lockhart retreated to the edge of the stage and magically boosted his voice—thanks to his practice with the Sign and Lecture Charm, he was quite skilled at it.

"Now, I shall provide you all with commentary. Although this is merely an exhibition match, real dueling isn't like this. It requires sharper anticipation of danger—to learn more about this, please refer to my published works." Lockhart spoke confidently. "But—this will still be beneficial for you. Now, a bow..."

However, the two on stage paid him no mind. Instead, they exchanged a few words.

"Felix, what do you intend?"

"Professor, I just happened to be passing by, and I thought I'd lend a hand."

"Don't lie to me!" They were very close, allowing their conversation to be only for each other's ears.

"Is it because Professor excels in Legilimency?" Felix quipped.

Snape snorted. In his eyes, this former student had a strong sense of purpose in his actions. His current behavior, naturally, fell under the category of "Felix's first step towards seizing power."

They both bowed and took seven paces backward, turning to face each other with wands raised to their chests.

"As you can see, the two professors are holding their wands in a standard dueling position," Lockhart fulfilled his role as a commentator, "one of the common three positions. Next, I'll count to three, and they'll cast their first spells."

The students below held their breath, the atmosphere entirely different from Lockhart's previous "demonstration."

"One... Two..."

"Snape won't be instantly defeated, will he?" Ron shouted excitedly.

"I don't think so, Merlin—," Hermione started to say that Professor Harp held Snape in high regard, but she was swiftly stunned by the dazzling spectacle on stage.

"Three!"

Snape shouted, "Expelliarmus!" A dazzling red light flashed, and the spell shot swiftly towards Felix Harp.

Felix Harp swung his wand, smoothly conjuring a "Armor Charm." An invisible magical barrier formed before him, deflecting Snape's spell. He then gently flicked his wrist, causing the barrier to emit a dazzling white light as it flew rapidly forward.

Snape cast two consecutive spells to break through Felix's Armor Charm, causing the magical barrier to quickly dissipate.

However, the white light of the Armor Charm obscured Snape's vision. Instinctively shifting his position—years of habit saved him. Three dim black lights grazed past him, with the nearest one almost touching his nose.

All this happened in the blink of an eye. From Snape's initial advantage, to Felix's defensive counterattack and the three stealthy spells released using the cover of the white light—less than three seconds had passed.

Lockhart: "..."

Young wizards: "..."

The duel continued. Snape didn't dare to underestimate it. It had been nearly a decade since he last dueled physically. Despite not abandoning magical exploration, his main focus had been on potion improvement.

Nevertheless, he was swiftly recalling his combat experience. After narrowly averting danger a few times, he finally began to counterattack.

Their spells flew in a chaotic dance, yet with an unspoken understanding, they avoided harming any students.

Various defensive, offensive, and disarming spells cut through the air, emitting sharp whistles. The distance between the two alternated between closeness and distance, their feet constantly shifting.

After a spell barely missed his hair, Lockhart wisely jumped off the stage. Still, he continued to comment loudly, "The duel is getting intense... Can you see their footwork? Move, move, don't just stand still!"

Lockhart had some skills, at least when it came to eloquence. Through his commentary, many young wizards suddenly understood a bit more. He managed to salvage some of his reputation.

However, Snape sneered at this. Agilely deflecting a spell, he seized the opportunity to counterattack. He felt that Felix's spells were growing in potency, increasing the pressure on him.

Damn it, the kid's trying to rattle me!

"Why does it feel like Professor Harp's spells are getting stronger?" Even many young wizards had noticed this, but with their limited knowledge, they could only gauge spell strength based on appearance.

Snape's wand trembled violently. He cast an intensified version of "Protego" as two scorching red lights collided against it, emitting a "thud" sound. The magical barrier tore open a breach.

Incredible magical prowess...

Sweat was forming on Snape's face.

The young wizards in the audience were dazzled. For the first time, they realized that a duel wasn't just about facing each other and casting spells blindly. Casting speed, timing, defensive strategies, footwork, awareness... there were so many nuances.

What they didn't know was that neither of them was using their full power.

Felix easily sidestepped a red burst, capitalizing on the brief gap to cast a spell. He swiftly evaluated the limit of this Potions Master's abilities.

Snape's skill shouldn't be like this...

The next second, a sudden alertness surged within Felix. He quickly cast three successive Armor Charms, sending them flying far ahead to block the anticipated path.

A powerful crimson spell sliced through the air, piercing through the first two barriers and then hurtling fiercely toward the third.

The young wizards widened their eyes. While they might not gauge the strength of spells accurately, Snape's spell left a trail of burning light in the air and managed to penetrate the Armor Charm barrier. They saw it clearly.

"Thud!"

A resounding explosion echoed through the hall.

Felix's third Armor Charm proved effective, deflecting Snape's unexpectedly potent curse.

He sensed a taint of dark magic...

Incorporating the characteristics of dark magic into the Disarming Charm, Professor, you truly exceeded my expectations.

Do you have even stronger spells? Do you have an ace up your sleeve...

Snape wasn't finding this as easy as he had anticipated. He did have a few spells hidden away, but they were all dark magic, inappropriate for public use. And judging by Felix's performance, even if he were to use them, their impact would be limited.

He has surpassed me...

Snape had never been so acutely aware of this fact.

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