Chapter 105: The Dueling Club Without the Basilisk

After arranging a meeting with Professor McGonagall, Ino returned to his dormitory with his certificate and prize money.

While waiting for a thunderstorm, he also planned to lie low for a while.

Since the start of the school year, he had felt a sense of complacency, perhaps influenced by his ice magic, but overall, he hadn't been as grounded as he should be.

Snape's earlier warning and today's conversation with Professor McGonagall made him aware of his shortcomings.

The greatest takeaway from that conversation wasn't the information about Uagadou nor the factors influencing the Animagus transformation.

The most beneficial part was an offhand comment by Professor McGonagall— "Throw away your wand and transform a matchstick into a needle for me!"

A simple sentence shattered the last bit of pride he had.

…

"Arrogance stems from ignorance, humility comes from wisdom!"

In the dormitory, Ino sat by his bed, murmuring to himself.

Without his wand, he couldn't even transform a matchstick into a needle.

No matter how many excuses he made, no matter how proficient he was with ice magic, no matter how intimidating the basilisk was.

But facts were facts, without his wand, he couldn't perform Transfiguration.

Looking at the Best Newcomer Award certificate in his hand now, it seemed somewhat glaring.

The red wax seal felt more like a clown's nose, ridiculous and laughable.

Ino stood up without hesitation, opened the box by his bed, and placed the Best Newcomer Award certificate at the very bottom.

…

Time passed slowly but steadily.

Three days after Halloween, Hogwarts saw its first snowfall.

With the arrival of the first winter snow, the temperature dropped rapidly. The entire castle, draped in silver, looked particularly clean and dazzling. Perhaps because of the cold, the young wizards liked to stay in the common rooms, where the huge fireplace enchanted with a warming charm made the room as warm as spring.

It was probably due to the weather that the entire castle seemed a bit lethargic, and the young wizards' overall spirits were somewhat low.

However, when drowsiness comes, someone always provides a pillow.

After finishing the Charms class on Friday morning, Ino and Draco were crossing the entrance hall when they saw a small group of people gathered around the notice board, reading the text on a newly pinned piece of parchment.

The young wizards around the notice board looked very excited, discussing the content on the parchment.

When it came to watching the excitement, Draco was always the most enthusiastic. He squeezed through the crowd in no time, also making way for Ino.

"A Dueling Club? Lockhart! They've all gone mad..."

The content on the notice board left Draco incredulous. He couldn't understand when Lockhart had the capability to host a club, let alone a dueling club.

"What do you think, Ino?" Draco turned and asked.

"I don't think at all. I'd rather spend the time reading in the dormitory."

Hearing Ino's response, Draco couldn't help but roll his eyes. His good roommate had returned to his first-year bookworm state, uninterested in anything, spending all his time either in the library or the dormitory.

"I mean, how does Lockhart have the nerve to host a dueling club? Who gave him the courage?"

"Courage?" Ino chuckled and corrected him:

"It's fate! A rabbit walks into a trap for the grass, a donkey puts on a bridle for a carrot. Everything is predestined, they can't escape it, especially with an old hunter watching from the side."

"You're speaking nonsense again!" Draco grumbled helplessly.

"Ino, are you going? Let's go together. It's the weekend anyway, and it might be fun to watch the commotion."

Seeing Draco's eager look, Ino decisively refused.

"I'm not going! I need to study the weather! Theoretically, England's winter climate is typically influenced by the North Atlantic Drift and westerlies, characterized by a temperate maritime climate. Winter temperatures are relatively mild, with precipitation mainly as rain and fairly frequent, though thunderstorms are not excluded..."

"Enough, another one gone mad." Draco tiredly looked up at the ceiling of the Great Hall.

He now felt as if he hadn't fully woken up or had drunk a hallucinogenic potion.

…

Evening.

The Slytherin common room was unusually quiet, or rather, all four house common rooms in the castle were quiet.

Because more than eighty percent of the young wizards had gathered together, though their purposes were different—some to watch the spectacle, others with genuine anticipation...

In any case, the Dueling Club attracted a lot of attention. After all, the castle had been too quiet this year. There hadn't even been any fights, let alone any romantic disputes.

Of course, none of this had anything to do with Ino.

The round table in his dormitory was filled with various books about weather and climate.

At the moment, he was troubled by the thought of winter thunderstorms.

Calculating the time, it had been almost half a year since he last entered the fantasy world. Barring any surprises, the next entry would likely be before Christmas.

This was also why he was troubled, wanting to complete his Animagus transformation before entering a new story.

However, England's climate had seen only a handful of winter thunderstorms in the past decade.

Time passed minute by minute.

Unlike the quiet dormitory, the Great Hall was bustling and lively.

The four long house tables representing the four houses had disappeared, replaced by a golden stage along one wall, illuminated by hundreds of floating candles, while the ceiling turned velvety black once more.

After being knocked down twice in a row by Snape, Lockhart persistently got up, still remembering to take out a comb from his inner pocket to tidy his messy hair.

"Did you see that? To make it clear to you, I didn't hesitate to be knocked down twice. Although counterattacking is very easy for me."

Seeing Snape's face looking a bit unpleasant, Lockhart quickly changed the topic:

"Now it's your turn, Harry! Come up, don't be shy!"

When Harry stepped forward, Lockhart looked around and said loudly, "I now need someone to duel with Harry, preferably someone of the same year, to ensure a fair duel..."

"I'll do it!" Draco stepped forward, interrupting Lockhart's performance, then looked disdainfully at Harry.

"Hey! Potter, you'd better pray you're wearing underwear today."

An ordinary statement, but it made Snape, who was beside him, suddenly open his eyes. After thinking for a moment, he revealed a hint of anticipation.

On the other hand, although Harry didn't understand what dueling and underwear had to do with each other, he defiantly retorted.

"Malfoy! You're everywhere, like a noisy toad. Why can't you just be quiet? Sometimes I really don't want to deal with you, but you insist on getting in my way!"

Faced with Harry's near-personal attack, Draco's face turned red instantly.

Without saying more, he drew his wand and stood opposite Harry, showing his stance through actions.