Chapter 74: The Duel Genius George

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"Turn to stone!"

As soon as the battle began, Matthew instantly cast his full-body bind spell, a technique he had mastered better than most third-year wizards.

However, before he could even finish his incantation, his whole body stiffened, leaving him immobile.

It turned out that George had already cast the full-body bind spell ahead of him.

"Finite Incantatem!"

Stepping forward, George dispelled Matthew's bind and said in an encouraging tone, "You're already very skilled. I just happened to be a little quicker this time."

Although George had won, he couldn't let his character crumble. He had to seize this moment to win people over.

Sure enough, upon hearing George's words, the disappointment that had clouded Matthew's face lifted considerably.

"I'll practice harder. Next time, I'll definitely beat you."

He convinced himself that perhaps he was only a bit behind George.

Of course, this naive thought would soon be shattered by reality. Matthew would eventually realize that even by graduation, he might never be able to defeat George—especially since George hadn't even used his full power.

"Stop, everyone stop! We're supposed to be dueling with wands, not fists!"

They were interrupted by Lockhart's anxious shouting. As both Matthew and George looked around, they noticed that the entire dueling platform had descended into chaos.

Most of the lower-year wizards didn't actually know many combat spells, and even those who did often forgot them in the heat of battle.

Someone like Matthew was certainly one of the standouts among them.

This led to many young wizards, upon realizing that magic alone couldn't win the fight, resorting to fists—especially those who already harbored grudges.

Even Hermione, a studious witch who had mastered dozens of spells, was now grappling in close combat with her opponent, Millicent, a second-year Slytherin.

Their wands lay discarded on the ground. Millicent had Hermione in a headlock, but Hermione wasn't backing down, furiously punching Millicent in the thigh. She was surprisingly fierce.

At this age, girls could fight just as ferociously as boys.

While some older students avoided hand-to-hand combat, they weren't exactly behaving either. Instead of using just the Disarming Charm as instructed, they were experimenting with all sorts of random spells.

The Weasley twins were the most mischievous of them all.

As a result, many young wizards ended up injured in various ways.

"Get up, Macmillan... Careful, Miss Fawcett... Pinch it tightly, the bleeding will stop soon... Boot..."

Lockhart darted around the crowd, his expression frantic—this was not the outcome he had envisioned.

Meanwhile, Snape clearly wasn't concerned. He seemed to think that a few scrapes and bruises weren't worth worrying about. His attention was focused solely on Harry and Malfoy.

He simply wanted to see Harry humiliated by Malfoy. However, Harry was clearly quite gifted at magical dueling. The two were evenly matched—one was hit by a Dancing Jinx and was twirling uncontrollably, while the other was struck by a Tickling Charm and couldn't stop laughing.

"Stupefy!"

"Stupefy!"

Shaking his head, George quickly cast two Stunning Spells, knocking out both Hermione and Millicent, who had been grappling.

He then moved through the crowd, sending out spell after spell. Before long, all the first and second-year wizards who had been brawling were knocked out cold.

Next, he turned his wand on the older students. Even some of the third- and fourth-year wizards couldn't last long against him—until he faced the two most powerful seventh-year students.

"Stupefy!"

"Protego!"

"Expelliarmus!"

The senior wizards were nothing like the younger students. As soon as George joined the fight, he immediately experienced the power of seventh-year wizards in serious combat.

His Stunning Spell was fast, but the opponent's Shield Charm was just as quick. Not only did it block George's attack, but they also countered with a Disarming Charm.

Luckily, even though George hadn't mastered the Shield Charm, his reflexes were far superior to most, and he swiftly dodged the Disarming Charm's strike.

"So, it's George. Want to spar with us? Be careful then!"

Seeing the first-year Slytherin star join the fray, the two seventh-year wizards were surprised, but they had no intention of stopping.

Thus, the duel became a three-way battle.

The two seventh-years unleashed a flurry of advanced spells, with magical light beams crisscrossing like lasers. Their fierce combat quickly drew the attention of everyone present.

In fact, George had already caught the eye of many non-participating students when he knocked out the lower-year wizards earlier.

As the famed Slytherin star, recently invited to join England's national Quidditch team as the youngest player ever, George had been under close watch since the moment he stepped into the magical duel. Many students were now just as captivated by him as they were by the so-called "Chosen One," Harry Potter.

Now that George had bravely joined a duel against seventh-year wizards, and even managed to hold his own without being knocked out, he mesmerized everyone.

"Who would've thought? Not only is he brilliant at school and Quidditch, but he's also incredibly gifted in magical combat!"

"I swear he must have cat blood in him. Look, he's dodging every spell without even using a shield charm!"

"He's so cool! And kinda cute. Merlin, how am I swooning over a first-year boy?"

"I'm only three years older than him. Age is just a number—I'm interested!"

As the chatter below grew louder, both Snape and Lockhart noticed the escalating situation.

Seeing George hold his own in a three-way fight against two seventh-years, Snape's face broke into a rare smile of satisfaction.

George was exactly what he needed. If it weren't for George's friendship with Harry, Snape wouldn't have bothered sending the incompetent Malfoy to duel Harry in the first place.

"It looks like I'll need to teach him a few more combat spells."

Snape was pleased with George's innate talent for magical combat, but he couldn't help but think George was at a disadvantage using the same few spells against more experienced opponents. Snape resolved to teach George some of his own specially developed spells.

Given that the Chamber of Secrets had been opened, it wouldn't hurt for George to learn a few more spells to protect himself in case of danger.

In the past, Snape had thought it was unnecessary for a first-year to learn such powerful spells—ones that were too difficult for someone so young.

But now, he reconsidered.

A genius should not be taught by conventional standards.

"Everyone, take note of how well George is doing! He's been asking me for tips on magical combat recently, and I'd say he's picked up quite a few of my techniques."

At that moment, Lockhart shamelessly stepped forward, trying to take credit.

Snape almost lost his temper, barely restraining himself from kicking Lockhart off the platform.

He knew George often sought Lockhart's advice, but it had nothing to do with combat techniques. George was only learning spells like the Memory Charm, False Memory Charm, and Memory Modification.

This only strengthened Snape's resolve to teach George his own spells. Next time George used them, if Lockhart dared to claim credit, Snape would humiliate him right there on the spot, leaving no room for him to weasel his way out.

(End of Chapter)