The Duel
The Great Hall had been transformed for the event. Long tables were pushed aside, leaving a clear space in the center where a dueling platform had been set up. Students lined the edges, buzzing with anticipation.
Harry stood on one side of the platform, his wand held loosely at his side. His expression was calm, detached, as if he were entirely uninterested in the proceedings. Across from him, Draco Malfoy wore his usual smug smirk, clearly relishing the chance to humiliate Harry in front of everyone.
Professor Lockhart, beaming with enthusiasm, stepped onto the platform between them. “Now, now, no need to be nervous! Just a friendly duel to test your skills. Wands at the ready!”
Harry’s eyes narrowed slightly as he focused on Malfoy. He hadn’t wanted to participate in this ridiculous display, but his housemates had all but pushed him onto the platform. Still, if he had to do it, he’d make it quick.
“Bow!” Lockhart instructed.
Harry barely inclined his head, keeping his gaze fixed on Malfoy.
“Wands at the ready!”
Both boys raised their wands.
“Three… two… one… begin!”
Malfoy was fast—he fired off a spell almost instantly, but Harry was faster.
With a smooth flick of his wand, Harry deflected the hex with ease. He didn’t stop there. In one fluid motion, he cast a disarming spell, sending Malfoy’s wand spinning out of his hand and across the platform.
The crowd gasped, but Harry wasn’t done.
Before Malfoy could react, Harry cast another spell, a simple but effective Stinging Jinx that hit Malfoy square in the chest. The blond boy yelped and stumbled back, clutching at the spot where the spell had struck.
It had taken less than a minute.
Lockhart clapped his hands together, looking mildly stunned. “Well! That was… efficient!”
The students erupted into cheers and laughter, though the Slytherins’ reactions were more subdued. Malfoy’s face turned bright red as he retrieved his wand, glaring daggers at Harry.
Harry, meanwhile, simply stepped down from the platform, already dismissing the event from his mind. The duel had been a waste of time, but at least now it was over.
Later, as he walked back to the common room, Pansy Parkinson hissed under her breath, “You didn’t have to embarrass him like that.”
Harry glanced at her, his expression as unreadable as ever. “I didn’t. He embarrassed himself.”
Her mouth opened to retort, but Harry was already walking away, his mind elsewhere.
The duel meant nothing. What mattered was the growing sense that something in Hogwarts was stirring, and Harry knew it was only a matter of time before it revealed itself.