Hogwarts: This holy light is righteously evil

Chapter 162 We're going to have a duel! But... we don't need Puni to be the referee, right...?

The three of them chose a secluded, dark corner in the stone chamber and carefully hid all the props.

Deep within the silent, deserted stone chamber, the sounds of objects being moved and faint magical triggers soon broke the silence, accompanied by the twins' barely suppressed low chuckles.

Although the Gringotts theft and the mysterious magical items Hagrid took away still lingered in Harry's mind and aroused his curiosity, at this stage, what occupied most of his energy and thoughts was another new passion: the Quidditch arena.

Since learning that his biological father, James Potter, was Gryffindor's most talented ace Seeker, Harry felt a strong sense of identity and confidence, convinced that he could inherit that talent and deliver outstanding performances on the field.

And indeed, the facts proved his guess right. Harry's talent on the field far surpassed that of all other freshmen in his class, and his abilities to fit the Seeker position were all outstanding.

In order to retain this rare first-year student spot, Wood deliberately kept the team training low-key, allowing only Gryffindor team members to attend and participate, attempting to make Harry the team's hidden trump card for the season.

But every Gryffindor player who personally participated in the team's training camp saw it all clearly.

Harry's flying senses, turning speed, and game predictions completely filled the void left by Charlie Weasley's graduation, and his overall talent and potential were even superior.

Most importantly, Charlie had never owned a top-of-the-line new broom like the Nimbus 2000 during his time at school. The hardware advantage, combined with Harry's innate talent, amplified his advantage on the field.

The sustained high-intensity training completely reshaped Harry's mindset.

This was the first time in his life that he had won the unanimous recognition and praise of the entire team, without relying on his family background or the help of others, solely through his own talent and hard work.

This pure sense of accomplishment solidified his love for Quidditch, transforming it from merely following in his father's footsteps into a heartfelt passion for the sport.

From then on, Harry's daily routine revolved almost entirely around Quidditch.

He often daydreamed in class, eagerly awaiting the bell to ring. As soon as class ended, he would rush back to his dormitory to retrieve his Nimbus 2000 and head to the sports field to practice his flying skills.

However, Hogwarts' Quidditch pitch has a strict house schedule and is not open to Gryffindor for training every day. Because of this, Harry made quite a few silly mistakes.

That afternoon, Harry, as usual, grabbed his broom and headed straight for the field. From afar, he saw a team training on the field, so he stood outside the fence and watched, subconsciously preparing to go in and practice.

Puni, who was assisting with the training on the sidelines, spotted Harry standing alone and took the initiative to walk over to him.

His gaze fell on the other person's hand, which was tightly gripping the broom, and he couldn't help but make a joke.

"Harry, did you come all this way just to observe our Ravenclaw training? Judging by your full gear, it looks like you're here to have a friendly spar with us."

The sudden teasing startled Harry, his cheeks flushing red as he frantically hid the broom behind his back.

However, he was still quite young and his height was far shorter than the broom, so no matter how he tried to hide it, he was still very conspicuous, and his movements were clumsy yet cute.

"No! I... I just came to take a look!" Harry hurriedly explained, still full of doubts, completely unaware that today's stadium schedule did not belong to Gryffindor.

Hurried footsteps came from behind. Ron jogged up, panting, and grabbed Harry's arm. "You're running too fast! I can't keep up! Today isn't our house's practice day; it's Ravenclaw's intensive training!"

Only then did Harry belatedly realize that he had made a fool of himself, and he was so embarrassed that he didn't know what to do.

Puni stopped teasing the embarrassed Harry and calmly defused the situation: "Don't be embarrassed. The stadium is open to the public. You and Ron can sit in the stands and watch. As long as you don't enter the stadium and disturb our training, it's fine."

He then added with a smile, completely revealing the current situation: "The news that you have become Gryffindor's new Seeker has already spread throughout the entire school. There is no need to keep it a secret anymore, and you don't need to deliberately hide it."

Harry had nothing to say, and could only blush as he led Ron to the side stands to obediently sit down and watch Ravenclaw's training camp.

As the winning house of the previous Quidditch Cup, Ravenclaw's team training sessions are always highly anticipated, attracting many students from other houses to watch every day, resulting in consistently high attendance in the stands.

Puni didn't care at all. With Madam Hooch supervising the whole process and professors from the school present, no one would dare to use malicious magic to interfere with the training in public.

At this time, Puni had not yet been rotated onto the field. He was standing side by side with the current captain on the sidelines, working together to refine and improve the team's new training plan.

He specifically combined the characteristics of each custom-made Nimbus 2000 broom in the team to maximize the performance advantages of top-of-the-line brooms.

These brooms were all custom-made by him. They were not of uniform specifications, but were adjusted in terms of center of gravity, speed and stability according to the different roles of goalkeepers, chasers and batters. They were precisely adapted to the tactical needs of each position, so as to allow each player to give full play to their strongest advantages.

The players on the field cooperated seamlessly, their movements were fluid, and the pace of offense and defense transitions was extremely fast. The dazzling training scene captivated the attention of the entire audience.

Just as the training camp was progressing steadily, a heated argument suddenly broke out in the stands, growing louder and louder, shattering the tranquility of the stadium.

Puni looked to the side where the noise came from and found that the source of the argument was Harry and Draco Malfoy.

The two argued louder and louder, their tone sharp and confrontational, their shrill shouts echoing across the empty stadium, seriously disrupting the team's training rhythm and making the situation increasingly awkward.

The argument between Harry and Draco in the stands didn't erupt out of thin air; the root of the matter still revolved around Harry's exceptional selection to the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

During a previous flight lesson, Neville accidentally fell and dropped his Memory Ball, leaving it in the center of the field, where Draco picked it up on the spot.

Harry, disgusted by Draco's attempt to humiliate Neville, spoke up to stop him, and his question caused the usually arrogant Draco to lose face.

Relying on his years of flying experience and boasting of his superb skills, he even braggarted that his control was enough to dodge Muggle flying machines. In a moment of impulsiveness, he took to the air, deliberately provoking Harry to come forward and retrieve the item himself.

But the outcome of that aerial contest completely overturned everyone's understanding.

Harry's incredible speed, agile maneuvering, and quick thinking completely overwhelmed Draco's prized flying skills. It was this stunning duel that allowed him to secure the Gryffindor Seeker's seat, a first for a Hogwarts freshman.

This was just a minor exchange in class. If the two had maintained their close relationship from the summer vacation, it would have been nothing more than a harmless bickering that wouldn't have escalated further.

But now, old grudges and new jealousy have combined to escalate the argument, and their tone has become increasingly sharp and sarcastic.

Draco was the first to lose his temper, completely shedding his usual arrogance and mockery. Overwhelmed by the shame and anger of defeat, he deliberately picked the most hurtful words to sting Harry, openly slandering Harry's parents and mocking the Potters for their reckless and overconfident behavior, which led to their tragic deaths.

These vicious words completely ignited Harry's anger.

His parents were an absolute bottom line for him. In his rage, Harry could no longer restrain himself and immediately retorted, pointing out the Malfoy family's misdeeds and accusing Draco's parents of believing in dark magic, aiding and abetting evil, and being dark wizards with blood on their hands.

Once a dispute between children involves their closest relatives, there is no room for reconciliation.

Harry and Draco are very similar in nature; both are stubborn, proud, and unwilling to admit defeat, and neither will back down an inch on matters of principle.

In an instant, the atmosphere between the two plummeted to freezing point, and a verbal argument escalated into a standoff.

To settle all grudges, Draco immediately proposed a wizard duel, his eyes cold and his attitude firm.

"Since words can't resolve right and wrong, let's settle this in a wizarding way. Tonight, we'll have a formal wizarding duel. Only wand spellcasting is allowed; no close physical contact is permitted. What, have you never even heard of the rules of a wizarding duel?"

Harry was momentarily stunned by his anger and stood frozen in place, unable to respond.

Ron immediately stepped forward and took over the conversation for him, while turning to look at Draco with an imposing presence.

"Of course he knows! I'm here to be Harry's duel sidekick. So, tell me, who are you going to have stand up for you?"

Draco glanced at Crabbe and Goyle, who were following closely behind him, quickly weighed their reliability, and finally raised his hand to point to the burly Crabbe.

"Crawb will be my assistant. The duel will be at midnight in the trophy room, which is always unlocked so no one will stop us beforehand."

"No problem! Anyone who backs down in the face of battle is a complete coward!" Ron was about to finish his harsh words when the hem of his wide wizard robe suddenly flipped up unexpectedly, covering his mouth and nose and cutting off his words.

A light, steady footstep approached slowly. Puni walked slowly to the middle of the three, raised his hand and waved his wand lightly. A gentle magical force parted the fabric covering Ron's mouth and nose, breaking the tense atmosphere of confrontation.

"Gentlemen, you have quite the tempers."

Puni's gaze swept over the still agitated group, his tone calm and even, "I just overheard that you were planning to hold a wizard duel in the dead of night?"

Draco was a little intimidated by Puni, but he still nodded: "That's right, we've already made an agreement, and we must settle this tonight."

"I don't recommend that you do it in the prize showroom."

Puni gently shook his head, patiently explaining the risks involved. "You may not know, but the prize display room is right next to the restricted corridor on the fourth floor. Recently, the school has increased nighttime patrols, with several professors taking turns to patrol the entire fourth-floor area at irregular intervals. The purpose is to prevent students from accidentally entering the restricted area and encountering unknown dangers. The probability of being caught fighting there late at night is extremely high."

He paused for a moment, then changed the subject, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes, and his tone became lighter: "However, the duel itself is harmless, and there is no need to cancel it. I know of several absolutely safe and undisturbed secret rooms within the castle, which can provide you with a more secure venue."

Harry and Draco were both taken aback by what they heard, and a strange feeling arose in their hearts at the same time.

Both of them originally thought that Puni had come specifically to persuade and stop the duel, but they did not expect that he would not only not dissuade them, but would also actively help them avoid risks and choose a venue.

Before the two could react, Puni took the initiative to finalize the arrangements: "Since I will take care of the venue and security issues, I will also serve as the referee for this duel, supervising the entire process impartially to ensure that the rules of the duel are followed and that I will not favor either side."

Harry and Draco exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise and helplessness in each other's eyes.

At this moment, the two of them understood completely that this was indeed the most suitable style of Puni's behavior: free-spirited and insightful, never bound by rigid rules.

Draco verbally agreed to the wizard duel, adopting a confrontational stance of never backing down, but from the beginning he never intended to actually determine a winner with Harry.

He deliberately chose the prize display room on the fourth floor as the duel location, not out of sincerity, but to conceal his selfish motives.

He knew that the entire fourth floor area had been under strict control recently, and the professors patrolled every night without fail. If the two teams went to meet late at night, they would most likely be caught on the spot by the patrolling teachers. Harry and Ron would be the ones who would be embarrassed and punished. He could suppress his anger without lifting a finger.

Besides, he always harbored a fear deep down that he was unwilling to admit.

Since entering Hogwarts, he has never systematically learned any offensive spells. His basic magic skills are only enough to handle classroom assignments, and he is completely unqualified for dueling.

In contrast, Harry, with his title of savior who survived a great calamity, carries a legendary aura that makes Draco lack the confidence to truly challenge him.

Moreover, Puni and Harry have a very good relationship.

Will Penny teach Harry some powerful magic?

The scene from flight lesson is still vividly etched in Draco's mind; Harry was riding his broomstick at full speed straight towards him...

His relentless and fierce attitude completely shattered his arrogance.

Draco, who had grown up in luxury and was protected by his family, had never experienced a life-or-death confrontation.

But Harry's upbringing was completely different. He was bullied and bullied by Dali and his gang for many years, and he had long been used to facing conflicts and dealing with fights. Through these struggles, he developed a courage and ruthlessness that his peers did not possess.

This tenacity, ingrained in his very being, is a quality that Draco, pampered and privileged, lacks.

What Draco didn't know was that Harry, who seemed to have the upper hand, was just as flustered and at a loss the moment the duel was decided.

Since enrolling, Harry's attention has been entirely focused on Quidditch training, and he has never seriously studied offensive spells, nor has he mastered even the most basic practical spellcasting techniques.

Right now, he has the aura, but no magical means to use in a duel.

But the pride of a young man would never allow him to back down.

Even if he is eventually knocked unconscious by the opponent's spell and defeated in public, he will never run away from the agreed duel.

The private showdown between the two, which was originally full of undercurrents and calculations, was about to finalize the details when it was completely interrupted by Puni's sudden intervention.

Both Harry and Draco harbored the same concerns.

They were all very clear about Puni's style of doing things: he was casual, loved excitement, and was best at magnifying insignificant little things.

Once he gets completely involved, this private confrontation that originally belonged only to the four of them will definitely become public knowledge and completely get out of control.

Upon realizing this, the two, who had been at odds and unwilling to give in to each other, spoke at the same time with remarkable tacit understanding, wanting to refuse Puni's intervention.

"No need, Puni, we don't need you to referee this duel—"