41: The Dueling Club

[3rd Pov]

The moment Lockhart called for the students, some of the younger ones eagerly gathered near the platform, hoping to catch a glimpse of the two professors. With a self-important air about him, Lockhart cleared his throat and began his announcement.

"Now, Professor Dumbledore gave me permission to start this small club in case any of you as to defend themselves," Lockhart announced, gazing over to at least three-quarters of the school's student body.

"I assure you there won't be any more incidents like poor Colin because me, Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defence League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award — read my published works for more — will protect you!" he continued.

'As if,' Lysandra and Alaric rolled their eyes in sync, even if the two were on opposite sides of the Hall.

While she wasn't exactly a fan of dueling, she came alongside her friends with the expectation of seeing Flitwick in action, or, if the half-globin wasn't the one teaching, perhaps she would be able to see her brother put on a show.

"But!" Lockhart interjected, eager to maintain his spotlight. "In the unlikely event that you find yourselves in danger without me around — which, of course, is highly improbable — this club will teach you how to protect yourselves, just like I've done on numerous occasions. You can find all the details in my books!"

The students were largely unaffected by Lockhart's self-promotion, engrossed in conversations and discussions that filled the Hall.

"Quiet down, settle down!" Lockhart pleaded, raising his hands to quell the incessant chatter. "I know you're excited to learn even more under my tutelage, but we must proceed!"

Gradually, the noise subsided, and most students directed their gazes toward the professors

"Now, let me introduce my esteemed assistant, Professor Snape," Lockhart announced, flashing an overly enthusiastic smile. "He claims to possess some knowledge of dueling and has graciously agreed to assist me with a brief demonstration before we start. Rest assured, my young friends, your Potions master will remain intact once I'm finished with him. No need to worry!"

Snape's upper lip was curled, and Alaric swore he saw a hint of a smile flash through the Potions professor's face.

"I'd be running already," said Blaise near Alaric. If Snape had been looking at him like that he'd have been escaping as fast as he could in the opposite direction.

"It'd be good if Snape finished him off..." Tracey muttered with much less enthusiasm, which had disappeared the moment she spotted Lockhart on the platform.

Her comment made Theodore turn his head to her, while the boy stared at the girl with a weird look.

"What?" she said, with a raised eyebrow.

"N-Nothing," Theo stuttered, quickly adverting his gaze.

They watched as the two professors turned to each other and bowed, Lockhart with an excessive twirl of his wand, while Snape only jerked his head irritably.

"Do you see how we're holding our wands?" Lockhart said to the silent crowd, grasping his wand in a fencer-like manner. "On the count of three, we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course, or else you'd have to find a new Potions teacher,"

"I wouldn't bet on it," chuckled Alaric, watching Snape's Occlumency falter for a second.

"One... two... Three!"

"Expelliarmus!" cried Snape as a scarlet flash came shooting out of his wand. Without even uttering the incantation to a spell, Lockhart was blasted off his feet. He crashed against the wall, before sliding down and sprawling on the floor.

Alaric and his friends cheered, alongside most of the students in the Hall.

Meanwhile, Hope was holding in place a worried Hermione.

"Do you think he's alright?" the bushy-haired girl squealed through her fingers.

"I hope not," the red-haired girl said, getting a chuckle out of Lysandra.

Lockhart struggled to regain his balance as he rose to his feet. His hat had tumbled off, and his once-perfectly-coiffed hair now stood dishevelled. He dusted off his robes, attempting to straighten them with a self-important air.

"Well, there you have it!" he said, dusting off his robes and trying to fix them. "That was the Disarming Charm — as you see, I've lost my wand!"

"Yes," Snape added with an impassive look. "I must've put too much power into the spell for you to end in such... state,"

Lockhart coughed, nearly choking on his own saliva. "E-Enough with the demonstration! How about we invite two younger students up here to give it a try? I'm sure the older ones are already familiar with this charm!"

Excitedly, most of the students raised their hands, eager for a chance to step onto the platform and participate.

The two professors made their way through the crowd, scanning for suitable candidates to demonstrate the charm. Eventually, Lockhart's gaze fell upon the raven-haired girl standing next to Hope.

"Ah! Ms Grindelwald, one of my devoted fans. How about you?" he proposed, gesturing toward her.

Lysandra gave him an annoyed look, before shrugging and making her way to the stage.

Automatically, Lockhart looked to Hope, but before he could say anything, Snape interrupted him.

"Mr Grindelwald, come over here," Snape sneered while looking at Lockhart's annoyed face. "Let's see what you make of your Gryffindor sister,"

Alaric strutted past the students and smiled lightly when he saw his sister doing stretches.

"I see you're taking this seriously," he said, stopping in front of her.

Smirking, she finished doing her stretches before looking at him. "If you go easy on me, I'll beat you up,"

"Remember, you asked for it," Alaric said, walking to his position. He gave her a challenging grin that she returned.

"Face your partners!" Lockhart called near the platform. "And bow!"

Alaric and Lysandra inclined their heads, not taking their eyes off each other. In professional duelling, the duel started the moment you stepped onto the arena.

"Wands ready!" shouted Lockhart.

The moment the siblings entered their duelling stances, the atmosphere in the Hall suddenly changed.

Everyone had their eyes on the stage, glued to the two students who were about to duel.

"We should've brought our betting stand," whispered George to his twin.

"You have to think out of the box, brother! Who said we couldn't do bets?" responded Fred, before taking a piece of parchment out of his pocket. "Hey — you — buddy..-"

While the twins tried to organize some makeshift bets, on the other side of the Hall, Hermione had an even more worried expression.

"Do you think she'll be ok?" she asked.

"He's her brother, Hermione," said Harry with a scoff. "And it's only the Disarming Charm — what could they possibly do?"

"And it's not like he's Malfoy," Ron added as if it was the most important part.

"At the count of three, you will cast your spell!" exclaimed Lockhart. "And remember — only to disarm each other — we don't want any accidents!"

"One... two... Three!"

With minimal movement and an absent voice, the twins' spells collided mid-air, causing red sparks to fly everywhere.

'Nonverbal incantation?' thought Snape, arching an eyebrow at the siblings' display.

With a quick swish of her wand, Lysandra sent, instead of a Disarming Charm, a stunner in her brother's direction. However, with ease, Alaric deflected the spell with a small Protego, before making the platform's carpet take hold of Lysandra's ankle.

The girl was raised upside down in the air, the carpet acting as a tentacle to keep her hanging.

Casting a Diffindo, the carpet was cut, and Lysandra landed on the ground.

"I said disarm only!" Lockhart shouted in alarm, while the twins proceeded to trade spells. The crowd had to crouch to avoid some of the sparks or the occasional stray spell.

"Stupefy!" yelled Lysandra, putting more power behind her Stunning spell.

This made her unable to react to the water jet that erupted from Alaric's wand. The water crashed against her, sending her tumbling through the floor.

Even with her wet hair dangling all over her face, Lysandra quickly tried to get up and retrieve the wand that she had lost. Yet, she found herself unable to get up from the floor, her hands and shoes glued to it.

"My win," With a smug grin on his face, Alaric confidently approached his sister, keeping his wand trained on her. He couldn't be too cautious, considering her unpredictability.

"Whatever," she muttered, a slight pout forming on her lips. "Just undo the spell."

Alaric flicked his wand with a flourish, quickly dispelling the spell that had caused his sister's defeat. He then extended a helping hand to her, though she remained slightly irritated from the loss. Meanwhile, the majority of the students in the vicinity observed the siblings in awe, their eyes wide with amazement.

Lockhart, feeling a surge of delight, chimed in, "Splendid! As expected from my most devoted fans!"

Lysandra shot him a disgusted glare before turning to her brother. "Why does he keep saying that?" she inquired.

Before Alaric could respond, Lockhart redirected his attention to the crowd. "Are there any more volunteers? How about you, Mr. Potter—"

"Actually, professor," Alaric interjected. "I was wondering if I could have a chance to duel against you. Going up against a wizard of your calibre would truly be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," he added, forcing a strained smile.

"Oh," Lockhart muttered, displaying a surprised expression. "Well, I don't see why not!"

Signalling for his sister to step aside, Alaric moved toward one of the edges of the platform, while Lockhart positioned himself on the opposite side.

"Don't worry, students. I'll take it easy on your friend here!" Lockhart chuckled as if he had just cracked the funniest joke in all of Britain.

Both participants bowed, with Lockhart emphasizing his actions through dramatic flair, while Alaric simply nodded.

"Wands at the ready!" the professor exclaimed.

The crowd fell into a hushed silence, attentively observing as the student and the professor prepared themselves for the upcoming duel.

While Tracey stared at the platform with stars in her eyes, Blaise and Theodore had less fanatical expressions, but were excited nonetheless.

"Please please please..." whispered Ron with his eyes closed and hands together in prayer.

"What are you doing?" asked Harry, confused by his best friend's antics.

"Something I thought I would never do," said Ron. "Praying to Slytherin that Alaric finishes Lockhart off!"

Answering the inquiry, Ron rapidly continued his prayers. Harry stared at him for a while, before shrugging and clasping his hands together to do the same.

"Now Alaric, it may happen too fast, so be sure to be ready!" Lockhart said. "One... two... thre- Expelliarmus!"

Dodging the slow spell, Alaric raised his wand. "Expulso!" he shouted, a bright white curse hitting the man.

Similar to Snape's slightly powerful Expelliarmus, Expulso was a curse that sent opponents flying through the air. It was unique as it provoked an explosion that used pressure instead of heat.

This time, the wall couldn't handle the impact. When Lockhart crashed against it, the wall broke, and the professor went right through it, into the corridor.

The students were silent for a moment, staring at the hole in the wall. Suddenly someone broke into cheers, and like a domino, everyone started to do the same.

Under the heavy cheers and applause, Alaric stepped down from the platform with a satisfied smile plastered on his lips.

"That was amazing!" said Blaise, swinging an arm over Alaric's shoulder.

"Did you see the way he flew?" laughed Tracey.

"I think we should get out of here," said Theodore, watching the wobbly figure of Lockhart emerging from the hole.

Alaric chuckled, before looking at his sister and winking, to which she tried to hold in her laugh, probably because of the ashen face Hermione had on.

"Mr Grindelwald," Snape called, as the four tried to exit the Great Hall. Alaric turned to him, seeing Snape glide to them like an overgrown bat.

The other three recoiled in fear, while Alaric only stared at the man as if expecting something.

"20 points to Slytherin," Snape said, quickly turning back and walking away, leaving behind a bunch of flabbergasted kids.

**********

A/N: Sorry for taking too long to update, but no I'm here to stay. I'll update around 4-5 chapters a week, on weekdays.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Ps: I didn't have time to edit this chapter, so if you see any error please point it out!