Professor McGonagall's face was alight with satisfaction as she soaked up the thunderous applause. Her display had achieved its primary goal: shattering the students' preconceived notions that dueling was merely about exchanging flashy, visible curses. She turned to Sebastian, a confident, knowing gleam in her eye, as if challenging him to match her precision.
"Sebastian," she addressed him, the formal address returning as they transitioned back to the professional dynamic, "your cooperation, if you please."
Sebastian bowed deeply across the arena, his wand pressed against his chest in the traditional duelist's salute.
Lockhart's voice boomed dramatically: "Three! Two! One! Engage!"
Sebastian struck first, his wand a blur as he launched a flurry of common, high-speed offensive spells.
"A Barrage of Stunning Spells!" Lockhart narrated excitedly. "He seeks to overwhelm the defense!"
Professor McGonagall, utterly composed, merely shifted her wand. One of the newly dissolved Lion Transfigurations instantly sprang back into existence, interposing its massive form between her and the incoming spells. The energy bolts harmlessly disintegrated the magically-bound wood of the Transfiguration.
"Did you witness that, students?" Lockhart declared. "Transfiguration is the ultimate counter-spell screen! If your offense is too slow or too weak, your enemy can simply conjure layers of expendable matter to soak up your attacks! Observe how the surrounding Transfigurations are now actively pressing toward Professor Swann, denying him space!"
Indeed, under McGonagall's subtle control, the conjured creatures were steadily tightening the ring around Sebastian, yet every time they crossed the precise center line of the arena, they were repelled by an invisible barrier Sebastian maintained.
McGonagall's movements were minimal, a masterclass in economy. She barely moved her feet, letting her transmuted proxies absorb all the incoming power.
"Exquisite! Utterly exquisite elegance!" Lockhart crowed, utterly missing the strategic depth.
Sebastian knew this was merely the first phase: demonstrating the use of Transfiguration for simple defense and denial. Seeing the lesson achieved, he sharply increased the power and complexity of his attack.
"Oh my stars!" the students collectively gasped.
The defensive Lions were suddenly sliced apart, not by a single curse, but by a series of precise, invisible cutting charms, and disintegrated into piles of splintered wood. Before the debris hit the ground, McGonagall's retaliatory counter-move began: the piles of wood morphed into hundreds of scuttling, squeaking Rats, a swarm of distracting, chaotic attackers surging toward Sebastian.
Sebastian countered with an Area-of-Effect Charm, casting a potent Blaze that incinerated the entire swarm in an instant, turning them to ashes.
"Professor Swann uses fire! A spectacular defensive measure!" Lockhart exclaimed, momentarily impressed. "However, one must never lower one's guard against a Transfiguration expert!"
Lockhart's warning was instantly validated. The residual Flames on the floor did not dissipate; instead, they coalesced. McGonagall, using the basic element of fire as her new raw material, transfigured them into Flickering, Fiery Lions that roared and lunged, burning through the air towards Sebastian.
Sebastian knew the time was right for the final flourish—a truly magnificent, advanced display of Elemental Transfiguration.
"Aqua Lucida! (Water as clear as a spring!)"
A massive, torrential gusher of water erupted into the arena from the very floor. Sebastian didn't use it to extinguish the fiery beasts. Instead, with a series of complex, rapid wand movements, the water was shaped and hardened, transforming into glistening, colossal Serpents made of Liquid Crystal.
These water-serpents immediately coiled around the fiery lions, wrestling them into submission, creating a dazzling, hissing spectacle of steam and light.
Simultaneously, Sebastian drew his own Wizard's Chess pieces—knights and pawns—from an inner pocket and flung them across the ring. These small pieces instantly swelled and transformed into a squadron of imposing, well-armed Magical Warriors, who immediately engaged McGonagall's remaining Giants in fierce, hand-to-hand combat.
The Great Hall became the site of an impossible battle—a clash of two magically-formed armies. Water serpents fought fiery beasts, and transfigured warriors exchanged thunderous blows with transfigured giants. The sound of clanking metal (conjured by the Giants' weapons) and the hiss of steam (from the elemental clash) filled the air.
Under Sebastian's masterful control, both sides fought with devastating, professional efficiency. Finally, as the dramatic climax reached its peak, the last water-serpent broke apart, the final fiery lion dissolved, and Sebastian's last warrior struck down McGonagall's last giant.
Both sides perished, leaving only steam and the residual energy of their creation behind. Sebastian swept his wand once more, clearing the arena of all magical residue.
"Truly breathtaking!" Lockhart managed, momentarily speechless. "Let's have a final, roaring round of applause for this incredible, strategic Transfiguration display!"
McGonagall descended from the platform, smiling broadly, and joined Sebastian as the applause continued.
Next, Professor Filius Flitwick bustled eagerly into the ring, skipping the formal introduction. Tonight, he was not the Charms Master; he was the Former Duelling Champion.
He was dressed in the same antique, high-collared battle robes he had worn during his tournament days. The fabric, though faded, was clearly of a tough, enchanted material, and the nicks and tears across its surface seemed to tell silent tales of glorious, rapid-fire magical combat.
He cleared his throat, his small stature amplified by his commanding tone. "I shall share with you the Triad of the Duelist—the philosophy of combat that wins tournaments. To achieve true mastery, you must categorize and practice spells in three distinct areas:"
Attack: Spells designed to immediately neutralize the opponent (e.g., the Stunning Curse or the Petrifying Charm).
Defense: Spells designed to block, deflect, or mitigate damage (e.g., the Ironclad Charm or a powerful Shield Charm).
Disruption: Spells designed to impair your enemy's senses or environment (e.g., the Smoke Charm to obscure vision, or a trip jinx to break concentration).
"Furthermore," Professor Flitwick raised his voice, a high, excited squeak. "Do not limit yourself to single spells! Combinations are key! For instance, a rapid succession of the Water-Making Spell followed instantly by the Freezing Charm gives you a rapid, unexpected ice projectile! A simple Blasting Curse can be amplified by a secondary Friction Charm to double the heat and destabilize your opponent's footing! This rapid, layered application is what sets a master apart!"
He beamed, looking straight at Sebastian. "And I must attest, Professor Swann is unparalleled in this discipline. His ability to string together subtle, unexpected spell combinations is truly terrifying."
Flitwick, true to his word, provided precise, concise tips on maximizing the potential of even simple, first-year spells. Students who had dismissed the Duelling Club as frivolous quickly produced quills and parchment, scribbling furiously as Flitwick spoke.
"The field is vast," Flitwick concluded, stepping back. "Success here requires exploration, curiosity, and relentless practice. Now, if Professor Swann would humor me with a brief, high-speed demonstration?"
Sebastian rejoined the champion duelist in the ring. Their subsequent exchange was less a battle and more a dance of controlled, elegant energy. Flitwick's wand movements were minuscule and fast, each spell combination flowing into the next like a liquid, while Sebastian reacted with equal grace, always finding the perfect, economical counter-spell to neutralize the threat.
The speed and subtlety of their exchange—the invisible shields, the deflected jinxes that bounced off non-existent barriers, the rapid-fire incantations—left Lockhart speechless once more. He understood the flash, but not the technical brilliance.
Thankfully, Professor McGonagall stepped up to the commentary platform to provide the necessary intellectual breakdown. She explained the use of Non-Verbal Charms and the concept of spell layering—the technique of using one charm to enhance the effect or complexity of a second.
The students, now with an academic filter to apply, began to grasp the complexity and cheered the mastery displayed on the platform.
The demonstration concluded with a simultaneous raise of both wands, freezing the action in a moment of potent, shared magical equilibrium.
The applause died down quickly as Professor Severus Snape strode into the arena. His black robes billowed dramatically, creating an intimidating, theatrical silhouette. The hall fell into an absolute, chilling silence—a silence usually reserved for the tense atmosphere of a Potions final.
Ron Weasley instantly shrunk back. "Oh, dear Merlin. What could he possibly teach? To slip poison into our opponent's pumpkin juice?" he muttered to Harry, his voice laced with genuine terror.
"Ron, quiet!" Harry hissed, slightly irritated, but also unable to deny the sheer menace Snape radiated. "Just watch. Professor Snape is one of the most powerful wizards here. He must have something important to show us."
Snape surveyed the hushed crowd, his expression utterly blank, though his eyes seemed to assess every student with cold, clinical scrutiny.
"Unlike the two previous demonstrations," Snape's voice echoed, resonant and dangerously calm, "I will not waste your time with the parlor tricks of Transfiguration or the overly dramatic flourishes of basic Charms."
He paused, letting his words hang heavy in the air.
"What you truly need to learn is not how to strike, but how to survive."
"The fundamental truth of combat is this: You must deal with danger before it deals with you. The only shield guaranteed to never fail is the one you build in your own mind. I am speaking, of course, of Occlumency—the magical defense of the mind against external intrusion."
Snape's introduction immediately plunged the dueling club from a fun exhibition into a serious, even frightening lesson on mental defense and counter-attack.
"The most devastating attacks are often not the ones that affect the body, but the ones that breach the mind. The ability to read intentions, to implant suggestions, or to break your will are the true hallmarks of a dark wizard's power. A successful duelist must possess absolute mental clarity and an unassailable inner fortress."
"We will not be practicing Occlumency tonight," Snape stated flatly. "That is a study for advanced students, and requires ruthless, focused instruction that most of you lack the discipline for. Tonight, you will learn the practical extension of this principle: the Counter-Curse."
He looked toward Sebastian, who stood ready with his wand.
"Professor Swann," Snape requested, his voice devoid of emotion, "you will act as the aggressive opponent. I will demonstrate the true meaning of deflection and immediate reversal."
This was the final, and perhaps most terrifying, exhibition. The charm of McGonagall's lions and the speed of Flitwick's spells faded away, replaced by the grim reality of a cold, psychological duel.
Harry leaned toward Ron and Hermione, his voice now barely a whisper. "This is the most important lesson. Snape is going to show us how to fight back when you're facing a relentless, powerful enemy. We need to pay attention, especially if we're going to survive that corridor again."
Do you think the students will grasp the importance of Snape's lecture on defense and counter-curses, or will they be too intimidated by his mannerisms to focus?