Oliver Wood stepped onto the dueling ring amid the shouts of the Weasley twins. He was the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team and a fifth-year student. The crowd erupted into applause as he took his place.
Reluctantly, Marcus Flint of Slytherin walked up to the ring, egged on by the roaring Weasley twins. Flint, also a fifth-year student and captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team, was known for his role as Chaser and for being Wood's long-time rival.
Their rivalry had escalated a few days ago during the Quidditch semifinals when Flint had sent a Bludger Wood's way, breaking his arm. Madam Pomfrey had mended him up nicely, and he was only discharged from the hospital yesterday.
The moment Wood heard about the restart of the Dueling Club, he founded the Gryffindor Quidditch Dueling Club, determined to teach Flint a lesson.
Flint, tall and muscular, was infamous for exploiting the rules and bullying Gryffindor players. However, his magical skills were no match for Wood's.
"Flint, I'm going to teach you a lesson today," Wood said, putting his wand on his chest with a mocking smile.
The two had shared many Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms classes, so they knew each other's strengths well. Wood was confident.
"It's not certain who will teach whom," Flint retorted stubbornly, his large teeth making him look a bit comical.
"Both sides, ready!" Professor Flitwick called out. He knew the two had been at odds for a long time, but with professors watching, it was a safe opportunity to let them resolve their conflict. Flitwick, having seen the semifinals, was quietly rooting for Wood.
At Flitwick's command, Wood and Flint prepared. They bowed, stood their wands upright, and stared each other down.
"3!"
"2-"
Before Flitwick could finish the countdown, Flint flicked his wand and cast a spell:
"Serpensortia!"
The spell hit Wood before he could react. His incisors began to grow uncontrollably, surpassing Flint's own prominent teeth, prompting laughter from the Slytherins.
Flint looked smug. Wood and his friends often teased him about his teeth, and now Flint had turned the tables.
"You cheated!" Wood yelled angrily.
"Slytherin isn't lying about it," Flint declared relentlessly, waving his wand.
"All arrows are fired!"
The younger students, particularly the first and second years, gasped as the powerful spell was cast.
Though Artel had never learned this particular spell, he recognized it instantly. In the original book, after Ron won a Quidditch match, Lavender had run to kiss him, and later, Hermione used this spell on Ron out of jealousy. The audience dubbed it "Angry Birds."
Dozens of birds materialized around Flint, chirping like arrows as they darted towards Wood.
"Armor protection."
Wood quickly cast the iron armor spell, blocking the attacking birds. He then raised his wand, firing off two more spells in rapid succession.
"Stop the stiff legs!"
"Dizzy!"
Wood first immobilized Flint with a leg-locking spell, then hit him with a stunning spell. However, Wood held back on the magic, so Flint wasn't knocked out cold, just temporarily dazed.
"Great!"
"Amazing!"
The duel stage erupted in cheers from the students, with the Slytherin twins being the most enthusiastic, applauding and whistling.
"Then I declare Mr. Wood the winner of the duel!" Professor Flitwick announced, clapping. Professor Snape, standing beside him, looked displeased. Flint, after all, was from Slytherin and had broken the rules by attacking first, only to be bested by Wood.
Flint's intent to humiliate Wood had backfired. Had he used a more serious spell, Wood might not have been able to resist.
Wood stepped down from the duel stage amidst the applause and cheers.
Professor Flitwick continued to call up students who had signed up for dueling practice. Gryffindor and Slytherin had significantly more participants than the other two houses. This was partly due to the long-standing rivalry between the two houses and the inherent characteristics of each.
Ravenclaw students preferred studying, while Hufflepuff's little badgers were more inclined towards culinary delights.
For the first and second-year students, the senior duels were thrilling, especially the intense battles between Gryffindor and Slytherin.
There was even a real fire in the two colleges, but because Professor Flitwick and Professor Snape were there, it didn't cause any trouble. The disastrous fire like the one that occurred in the Great Hall did not happen again.
As evening approached, it was almost time for dinner in the Great Hall. Professor Flitwick stood on the duel platform, looking down at the students below, and said:
"I have a few more words for you to remember. Fair duels and duel etiquette between wizards only exist in school demonstrations or competitions. If it's a real battle..."
"Don't worry about fairness and etiquette. You have only one purpose: to do your best to knock down your opponent."
Professor Snape stood aside, nodding in agreement. Flitwick's advice was practical, and even Snape, known for his strictness, agreed with it.
It was a pity that the current Hogwarts policies did not permit the teaching of black magic. Otherwise, Snape thought it might not be a bad idea to teach young wizards more powerful spells.
"Okay... so this week's dueling club—"
Before Professor Flitwick could finish, Hermione, who had been watching attentively, raised her hand. Professor Flitwick, fond of the clever witch, paused and asked with a smile:
"Miss Granger of Gryffindor, do you have a question?"
"Professor Flitwick," Hermione began without hesitation, "I would like to ask, is the school restarting the dueling club to prepare for potential troubles in the future?"
Professor Flitwick was silent for a moment, then nodded.
"Then why aren't our first and second-year students allowed to join the dueling club?" Hermione continued, a hint of stubbornness in her voice. "If one day war breaks out in the wizarding world, where can we hide? In school? What about our families? Our friends?
"If this war is inevitable, it will sweep through both the wizarding and Muggle worlds, and we will be included. I don't want to rely entirely on others for protection. I don't want to be helpless."
She looked at Flitwick with determination and said, "So, Professor Flitwick, I hope the school can allow first- and second-year students to join the dueling club. We need training too, so when danger comes, we don't have to put our hopes in others or be defenseless."