A group of students made their way across the snow-covered grounds toward a remote clearing that lay next to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Their footsteps crunched through the thin layer of snow that had accumulated over the past few days, leaving a clear trail behind them that marked their passage through the winter scenery.
This particular location had been chosen with careful consideration for its remoteness and isolation as it was far enough from the castle's main paths and populated areas that no professors or prefects would stumble upon their activities by accident, yet close enough to the school that they could return quickly if circumstances needed a hasty withdrawal.
It was the perfect choice for students to settle their disputes.
After an inspection of the surrounding area to confirm that no annoying onlookers were lurking behind trees, Ron and Malfoy took their positions in the center of the natural arena, facing each other.
Harry moved closer to Hermione's position at the edge of the clearing, and spoke in a low voice.
"What do you honestly think?" He asked quietly, his eyes never leaving the two figures preparing for battle. "Do you believe Ron has a chance of defeating Malfoy?"
"It's none of my concern," Hermione replied indifferently, crossing her arms defensively across her chest while maintaining a disinterested facial expression that showed nothing about her true feelings about the situation.
Harry chose not to pursue this topic further, recognizing that whatever was troubling Hermione would need to be addressed at a different time and place.
Instead, he focused his attention on the confrontation developing before them, though he couldn't help but think that Ron was correct—Hermione had indeed been behaving strangely during the past few days, and her temper hadn't been good either.
However, despite her claims of indifference, the fact that she had chosen to accompany them to this remote location showed that she still cared about Ron to some degree.
Meanwhile, in the center of the clearing.
"The rules are quite straightforward," Malfoy said with lazy confidence as he drew his wand from within his robes. "Whoever gets knocked down first, or surrenders, will be declared the loser. Simple enough even for a Weasley to understand, I should think."
Ron's fingers tightened around the handle of his own wand and his jaw clenched with determination.
"Those terms suit me perfectly," He replied with more confidence than he actually felt. "However, I want to establish one additional condition—this is strictly a duel between the two of us. No one else is permitted to interfere in any way, regardless of how the fight develops."
As he spoke these words, he casted a telling and warning look toward Crabbe and Goyle, who stood behind Malfoy.
"But of course," Malfoy agreed with apparent magnanimity, though his own gaze shifted somewhat warily toward Harry's position at the edge of the clearing.
After all, Potter was someone who had somehow managed to defeat a Dragon during the first task of the Triwizard Tournament. While Malfoy felt reasonably confident about his chances against Weasley in single combat, he had no illusions about what would happen if Harry decided to intervene on his behalf.
Meanwhile, Neville shuffled nervously at the edge of the clearing, swallowing hard as he considered the potential consequences of what they were all about to witness. His face was pale with anxiety, and his hands trembled slightly.
Harry was also sharing Neville's uneasiness as he observed the two preparing for their confrontation.
Although Ron and Malfoy had engaged in various forms of conflict throughout their years at Hogwarts, this would be their first formal magical duel since they were both children with limited spell knowledge and even more limited ability to cause serious harm.
Times had changed since those early encounters. As fourth-year students, they now had enough magical knowledge and practical experience to support a genuinely dangerous confrontation, with access to spells that could cause lasting injury or permanent disability if used with malicious intent.
This escalation in potential consequences meant that what had begun as a matter of hurt pride and social humiliation could easily transform into something far more serious.
"Are you quite ready, Weasley?" Malfoy inquired with his distinctive sneer, his face twisted into an expression of supreme confidence. "I do hope you won't go crying home to your dear mother when this is all over."
"I'm nothing like you, Malfoy," Ron shot back without hesitation, his voice carrying a cutting edge. "At least I don't spend half my time bragging about my daddy's influence and the other half whining about how unfairly the world treats me."
"Enough of this tedious banter," Malfoy snarled, his composure cracking slightly as Ron's barb found its target with unexpected accuracy.
Without further warning, he raised his wand with swift precision and cast the first spell of their confrontation.
"Densaugeo!"
A streak of blue light shot toward Ron's face. Ron's reflexes kicked in just in time, throwing himself sideways in a desperate evasive maneuver that sent him stumbling through the snow.
The curse grazed so close to his ear that he could feel the magical energy singing through his hair, before it continued past him to strike the trunk of a oak tree that stood at the clearing's edge.
The bark of the tree immediately began to swell and bubble, developing several ugly boils that oozed a foul-smelling yellow substance.
While the Tooth-Growing Curse might not sound particularly lethal to outside observers, Harry recognized it as an extremely practical spell for wizard-to-wizard combat.
If the spell had found its intended target, Ron's front teeth would have expanded to such an enormous size that clear talking and therefore spellcasting would have become nearly impossible.
It was exactly the kind of clever, incapacitating magic that could end a duel within the first few seconds, leaving the victim helpless.
Hermione pressed her lips together into a thin line of concentration, her supposedly indifferent facade cracking slightly as her gaze remained fixed on the two duelists with concern for the outcome.
After regaining his balance and shaking the snow from his robes, Ron quickly launched his own counterattack.
"Rictusempra!"
The Tickling Charm streaked toward Malfoy with reasonable accuracy carrying the same potential for incapacitation as the spell that had nearly caught Ron moments earlier.
If it connected with its target, Malfoy would fall to helpless laughter, completely unable to maintain the concentration necessary for spellcasting.
However, Malfoy's response showed a level of magical sophistication that immediately highlighted the disparity in their respective training and abilities.
"Protego!" He casted with contemptuous ease.
A shimmering, translucent barrier appeared in the air between them, its surface rippling like disturbed water as Ron's spell struck its protective field.
There was a brief shower of golden sparks as the magical energies interacted, then the Tickling Charm dissipated harmlessly into nothingness, leaving no trace of its existence except a faint shimmer in the cold air.
"I trust the initial testing phase is now complete, Weasley," Malfoy observed with leisurely satisfaction, his gray eyes gleaming with dangerous anticipation. "Perhaps we can move on to more... serious considerations."
Without giving Ron time to prepare an adequate defense, he suddenly began casting spells in rapid succession, his wand moving through the air like a conductor's baton as he unleashed an absolute torrent of magical attacks.
"Expelliarmus! Expelliarmus! Stupefy!"
The Disarming Charms and Stunning Spell flew toward Ron like a coordinated battering, forcing him to abandon any thoughts of counterattack in favor of purely defensive survival tactics.
He threw himself into a series of clumsy rolling maneuvers, diving and scrambling through the snow as the spells crackled in the air and exploded against trees behind his position.
His school robes quickly became thoroughly soaked and stained with a mixture of mud, slush, and decomposing leaves, while his combed hair became disheveled and filled with twigs and debris from his desperate evasions.
When the magical barrage finally stopped, Ron managed to erect a hasty Shield Charm that barely deflected the final Stunner, the protective barrier was flickering weakly before dispersing. He was only left breathing heavily.
Harry observed this exchange with growing alarm and a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Even though only one brief round of duel had occurred, the difference in skill levels between the two was obvious to anyone with eyes to see.
Ron was outmatched, badly outmatched and unless something exceptional changed in the next few minutes, this duel was going to end in complete defeat for his best friend.
The disparity wasn't just a matter of natural talent or magical power; it was clear that Malfoy had received significantly more advanced training in practical combat magic.
Seeing the obvious effectiveness of his tactical approach, Malfoy's confidence grew exponentially, his face showed the cold, predatory smile.
"What's the matter, Weasley?" He taunted with amusement. "Already running out of breath after such light exercise? Is this truly your bragged ability? How utterly pathetic!"
"Shut your mouth, Malfoy!" Ron snarled through gritted teeth, his face flushing red with a combination of physical exertion, cold air, and burning humiliation.
He raised his wand with stubborn determination, attempting to cast another offensive spell despite his obvious disadvantage, but his movements had become sluggish and predictable after his exhausting defensive efforts.
Malfoy simply stepped aside casually, easily avoiding whatever curse Ron had tried to cast.
Then, with the timing of a predator moving in for the kill, Malfoy raised his wand and spoke a incantation.
"Levicorpus!"
This particular spell had achieved something approaching legendary status among Hogwarts students over the years, though few people could identify its original inventor or explain exactly how it had become so widely distributed throughout the school.
Its practical effect was both simple and utterly humiliating—it would suspend the target upside down in mid-air, typically causing their robes to fall over their head and expose whatever undergarments they happened to be wearing.
The spell carried minimal potential for physical injury, but its capacity for social and psychological damage was unlimited, especially when used in front of witnesses who might preserve the moment through magical photography or simply spread the story throughout the school's gossip network.
Before Ron could even begin to raise his wand in a defensive gesture, Malfoy's curse struck him directly in the chest with accuracy. There was a brief moment of disorientation as the spell's magic seized control of his body, then his feet were suddenly lifted from the ground by an invisible hand that flipped him completely upside down.
His wand tumbled from his grasp, falling to the ground below with a soft thud. His school robes immediately obeyed the laws of gravity, falling down around his head and shoulders to expose his underwear there.
"Hahahaha!" Malfoy's laughter rang out across the clearing. "Look at this! Everyone look at the mighty Weasley now! Goyle, where's that camera you brought? We absolutely must capture this moment for future!"
Goyle frantically pulled a magical camera from within his robes, his thick fingers fumbling with the controls as he prepared to freeze Ron's humiliation for future entertainment purposes.
The camera was clearly something they had planned to bring along from the very beginning, meaning that this entire confrontation had been orchestrated with malicious consideration rather than arising from spontaneous anger.
Harry knew that he could not allow this photograph to be created under any circumstances. If images of Ron in such a position were to circulate throughout Hogwarts, his friend would never recover from the consequences.
The damage to Ron's reputation would be everlasting, making it impossible for him to show his face in public, let alone get a dance partner for the upcoming Christmas Ball or maintain any dignity within their friends' group.
Harry quickly raised his own wand and casted the first spell that came to mind.
"Expelliarmus!"
He wasn't entirely certain whether a camera would qualify as a weapon under the technical definition used by the Disarming Charm, but fortunately the spell's magic was more flexible than its textbook description.
A bolt of red light shot from his wand tip, striking Goyle's camera and yanking it from his grasp with force. The device spun through the air in a graceful arc before landing safely in Harry's waiting hands.
Goyle stared at his empty hands for several confused moments, struggling to process what had just occurred and why the camera he had been holding was no longer in his possession. His eyes darted around the clearing as if the missing device might emerge somewhere within his vicinity.
Meanwhile, Ron continued to hang upside down in the cold air, his face now completely red with a combination of reversed blood flow and embarrassment.
His eyes burned with helpless rage as he struggled futilely against the magical bonds that held him suspended like a piece of meat in a butcher's shop.
"Put me down this instant, Malfoy!" He demanded through gritted teeth.
Harry released a long, weary sigh. He had known from the moment this confrontation began that Ron was likely to lose.
As Ron's closest friend, Harry desperately wanted to intervene and help him from this disaster, but the nature of their situation prevented any such help. This had been established as a formal one-on-one duel at Ron's own insistence, with specific rules prohibiting outside interference from any party.
So, there was nothing he could do for now.
At that critical moment—
"What are you're doing out here?"
A cold rebuke suddenly rang out.
Everyone froze as they saw Professor Snape glide out from behind a tree like a giant bat.
Snape's gaze swept over Harry holding the camera, Malfoy with his wand raised, and finally settled on the suspended Ron.
Without further comment, Snape flicked his own wand in a sharp, dismissive gesture.
The Levicorpus effect disappeared, and Ron fell to the snowy ground with a "thud." He then got up with an ugly expression, brushing snow and mud off his body.
"I assume you all have sufficient reasons to explain the scene I witnessed." His voice was like a venomous snake, chilling to the bone.
Malfoy immediately stepped forward, his face breaking into a smile as he bowed slightly. "Professor, we were just... practicing spells in a friendly manner. I'm sure you understand that practical combat is very important."
As he spoke, he looked at Harry and the others with a provocative gaze.
He knew that as the Head of Slytherin House, Snape would definitely not—
"Ten points will be deducted from each of your houses,"
A cold statement interrupted his fantasy.
Malfoy's smile froze on his face as his brain struggled to process what he had just heard.
'Wait...
Did I hear it wrong'
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