A certain Hogwarts professor of runes

Chapter 205 Flitwick's Seventeen Duels as a Lesson

For young wizards at Hogwarts, the dueling class held on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month is definitely a large-scale competitive social activity that helps them relax and get some exercise.

Many people believe this course has the potential to rival Quidditch itself. At least they can actually participate, rather than just being spectators on the field.

The Great Hall was bustling with people. Before the professors arrived, students were chatting animatedly in small groups. Harry saw Percy talking animatedly about how he earned his 12 OWLs, while Hermione's eyes lit up.

"I'll be right back," Hermione said, leaving Harry and Ron behind.

They saw her squeeze into the crowd, whispering something. Percy, who had been somewhat indifferent at first, quickly widened his eyes. The two of them swiftly pushed past the crowd and ran towards a corner of the hall where four long tables were piled up.

As he passed the twins, Percy stopped and warned them, "I don't know what method you used to avoid my sight, maybe a tracking charm or something—"

The twins exchanged a glance, and Fred winked, saying, "Did you hear that, George? The tracking spell... another fruitful day!"

George gave an exaggerated bow, one hand behind his back: "Noble conduct, Percy! Just for contributing to the great cause of pranks, we'll leave you with a name."

"The size of a palm—"

"No, a large badge is enough. We only need to write the words 'Big Head Boy' on it, and it will be immediately clear."

Harry chuckled from a short distance away. He quickly shifted his gaze to Ginny, whose face turned bright red, as if she were about to faint in the arms of her good friend Luna Lovegood.

"Do you need me to tell you a corny joke?" Luna asked abruptly, her eyes wide. Harry was used to it; he knew this little girl was always like this.

"Any insightful thoughts, Luna?" He glanced quickly in Percy's direction; they were already standing under a suit of armor, speaking in hushed tones.

"Your mind is a mess. There must be a bunch of harassing flies nesting in your head lately..." Luna said seriously, shaking her bracelet. "I can help you get rid of them."

"How?" Harry asked, as he caught a glimpse of Professor Hyp appearing at the Great Hall entrance.

"You need to calm down first, and become less attractive to harassing flies..."

"Thanks, I don't think I have that weird idea in my head," Harry said quickly.

Professor Hyp and Snape walked in, just as he expected. No, there was another professor too, Flitwick, whom he had just missed.

Hermione hurried back from a distance, and the young wizards lined up in the academy's designated spots.

Felix amplified his voice to make it louder and said, "Welcome back to Duel Class, young wizards! I see many familiar faces, and quite a few new ones too..."

In front of their respective houses, a row of little kids peered out with a mixture of shyness and curiosity. They were the new students of their respective houses this year. Harry saw the little witch named Romida Vannie staring at Professor Hyp with starry eyes.

"Before the course begins, please allow me to introduce our third resident Duel Class professor, Felius Flitwick!"

The short-statured Flitwick took a few steps forward. He was dressed very formally today, in a sharp little suit, and he elegantly twirled his wand as if it were a conductor's baton.

A burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted from Ravenclaw House, and sparks flew from the crowd, eventually coalescing into an eagle, the symbol of Ravenclaw House.

Harry thought they must have drawn inspiration from the pattern on the answer sheet parchment—the two looked very similar.

Students from other colleges were also applauding enthusiastically. When it came to popularity, Flitwick was definitely the best among the four college deans.

"Thank you, thank you—" Flitwick was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes. He took out a handkerchief embroidered with a Ravenclaw pattern and wiped his eyes. "I'm so excited today, it's like the first time I've stood on this stage."

Today was Flitwick's special day. Felix and Snape deliberately downplayed their presence, allowing Flitwick to showcase his charm. Flitwick bowed to the two professors and then began casting spells with abandon; in his hands, spellcasting seemed to be equated with art.

After a few minutes of showing off his skills, Flitwick got down to business. He flicked his wand, spewing out large plumes of bronze-colored smoke from its tip. The smoke coalesced into blurry figures that stood on the gilded stage.

These bronze-colored figures stood in pairs, facing each other, seemingly engaged in a duel. Each pair had a short wizard, who must be Flitwick.

The young wizards counted carefully and found there were seventeen groups in total.

Flitwick shrieked, “Please allow me to recall a glorious moment from over sixty years ago… After seventeen duels, I was crowned the Wizarding Duel Champion of 1931.”

He waved his wand, bringing the first group of bronze figures to life: the tall wizard raised his hand and cast a spell, while the short figure, head bowed, counterattacked, knocking down his opponent in a single blow.

Flitwick, acting as commentator, said, "See? My opponent underestimated me. He thought I was short and couldn't be very good, but this was one of my easiest victories."

"It was short, but also wonderful. We can learn a lot from it..."

"First rule: never underestimate your opponent in a duel. Many of you can think of this, but few wizards actually do it."

"What else? That's right, seize the opportunity. I didn't stand still and defend; instead, I launched a counterattack. This also reminds us that wizards are most vulnerable when attacking. You must protect yourself and learn to leave room for maneuver."

"Then things will get tough. Does anyone know why? Just so you know, it's related to my unique height." Flitwick looked expectantly at the young wizards below the stage.

Harry's eyes lit up; he had heard a similar expression from Professor Hyp!

He was the first to raise his hand, and when his name was called, he said excitedly, "I want to create a combat system that best suits my personal characteristics."

Flitwick laughed. "Excellent, Potter! Yes, individuality, that's important. We are all unique, and you have to accept everything about yourself, the good and the bad..."

"I used to be troubled by my height and build. In most cases, I had to tilt my head back during duels. Being short also brought another disadvantage: I wasn't fast enough, my arms weren't long enough, and my opponents could easily judge the range of my spells."

The young wizards listened quietly, eager to know how Professor Flitwick would solve these problems.

"—But I later emerged from the shadows, I accepted my imperfections, and after a while, my height actually became my advantage. Few wizards had experience dueling with someone as short as me; they always made mistakes, either due to their mindset or their habits."

"My physique makes it easier for me to dodge spells, and I no longer pursue speed, but instead train more agile footwork..."

Flitwick said with a look of emotion, and a burst of enthusiastic applause rang out from the audience. He heard someone from his college shouting, "Dean, you are the best!" He couldn't help but wipe his eyes again.

"Next, let's watch the second duel. I met a very interesting person, and we later became friends."

……

More than an hour had passed, and Flitwick, drawing on his own experiences, had described vivid duel scenes to the young wizards, who all felt they had gained a great deal.

Harry even thought he could stuff those words into his paper without changing a single one and hand it to Professor Hyp.

But this is something you can only dream about.

Felix walked to the center of the gilded stage, smiled and said, "There is less than half an hour left. I discussed it with the two professors and decided to switch to a guidance battle next."

Students choose their professors for one-on-one guidance, and after a whole year and summer of this past year, many of you must be quite confident in your abilities…”

He looked around and saw eager faces.

"Then, let's show it to you!"

(End of this chapter)