Hogwarts: This holy light is righteously evil

Chapter 163 How did we become brothers in misfortune...?

The two had barely begun to decline when Puni calmly interrupted them.

He raised his hand and pressed down on Harry and Draco's shoulders simultaneously, applying just the right amount of pressure to lock their movements, a relaxed smile on his face.

"Don't be so formal. I'm just here to help out, and I won't accept any payment."

Harry and Draco both inwardly complained that it wasn't a matter of unfamiliarity at all; it was simply that Puni was too proactive and enthusiastic, forcibly intervening in this private confrontation.

Before the two could object again, Puni had already finalized all the arrangements on his own, directly changing the time and place of the duel.

"It's settled then. Meet at 8 PM tonight in front of the main staircase on the sixth floor."

He turned to Ron, Crabbe, and Goyle, and quickly assigned everyone their roles: "Ron, Crabbe, and Goyle, you three also need to be here on time. Don't limit yourselves to being second-in-commands; just be spectators. How can a serious duel be complete without some onlookers? I'll also invite a few extra people to watch the match, so I guarantee it will be lively."

Listening to Penny's endless arrangements, Harry and Draco both looked helpless and felt heavy-hearted.

They knew Puni's character all too well; once he got involved, there was no turning back.

In just a few seconds, the two who had been at loggerheads and eager to prove themselves quickly put aside their hostility. Taking advantage of the pause in Puni's speech, they exchanged quick glances, silently conveying the same thought—this time, the trouble had really gotten out of hand.

After the commotion on the sidelines, Harry and Draco both learned the same profound lesson: from now on, no matter what, they must never bring up any topic of private rivalry within Puni's sight and hearing range!

Once targeted by this person, they will only suffer and be embarrassed in the end.

Puni enthusiastically explained his entire planned process, the arrangements for the onlookers, and the details of the venue. Only after confirming that the two had no objections did he finally let the two, who looked utterly helpless, go.

The reason he stopped there was because the Ravenclaw team captain came to summon him, needing him to return to the field to continue compiling the training records for this training camp.

Watching Penny's departing figure, Harry and Draco silently breathed a sigh of relief side by side.

When they looked at each other again, the intense hostility that had been there before had completely dissipated, leaving only a deep sense of helplessness and headache.

A heated argument was abruptly turned into a public event from which there was no way to escape.

Unaware of anything amiss, Puni turned and left with a composed gait, but secretly he was chuckling to himself.

He knew very well that these two freshmen, who had not even fully mastered the basic attack spells, would likely only embarrass themselves in public if they impulsively decided to duel.

However, he immediately thought that if the two of them stood on the field tonight and were so nervous that they couldn't cast their spells smoothly, and the entire duel ended hastily and without any progress, it would be too boring and not worth watching at all.

After a moment's thought, Puni quickly came up with a safe and interesting plan to ensure that the atmosphere tonight would definitely not be dull.

At 8 p.m. that evening, the main stairwell corridor on the sixth floor was dimly lit and the long corridor was empty and quiet.

Puni arrived at the agreed location on time, completely concealed by a large invisibility cloak.

Draco, who had been waiting impatiently at the stairwell for a long time, was pacing back and forth in frustration when suddenly the air around him shifted and Puni abruptly removed his invisibility cloak, revealing his true form.

The sudden noise startled Draco, who froze, a torrent of complaints welling up inside him, yet he couldn't find a suitable word to describe it. He could only feel that Puni's style of doing things was always unpredictable and unfathomable.

Compared to Draco's sudden surprise, Harry was already used to Penny's way of doing things, and remained calm without any ripples in his expression.

On the contrary, the Weasley twins, who were standing behind Harry and Ron, immediately started complaining when they saw Penny appear, breaking the silence of the corridor.

"I'm telling you, you're really slow! We've been waiting here for ages!" Fred raised his hand to rub his eyes, his face full of impatience.

"We should all be back in our dorms resting at this time. If this hadn't been interesting, we wouldn't have come here on purpose."

George followed closely behind, letting out a long yawn, his eyes full of drowsiness.

Upon hearing this, Puni slightly pursed his lips and replied in a calm tone, "I never invited you here. You insisted on joining in the fun."

The twins completely ignored his attempts to refuse, and one of them raised their hands and pressed down on Ron's shoulders, the force of which made Ron's body sag and he almost stumbled and bent over.

"How could I possibly miss such a rare private duel?"

Fred raised an eyebrow and suggested, "The refereeing positions tonight are best suited for the two of us brothers!"

The two of them came completely uninvited.

During dinner, they overheard Harry and Ron discussing their duel with worried expressions. They immediately sensed something interesting and decided to come over that night to watch, even wanting to take over as referee and control the situation.

Puni crossed his arms in front of him and made a clean and decisive no-fight gesture, his attitude firm: "Rejected. I am the sole referee for this duel."

"Then let's be the official witnesses!" the twins immediately changed their tune, unwilling to give up their sense of participation.

Still ineffective.

Puni spoke very quickly, directly cutting off their escape route, "I have already made arrangements for the notary personnel, who are currently waiting for everyone to arrive at the dueling venue."

The twins were momentarily speechless, quickly racking their brains for a new identity, trying to gain a place in this lively scene.

Before they could come up with a solution, Puni finalized the arrangements: "You guys just need to behave yourselves and be spectators with Ron. Watch the whole thing quietly and don't cause any trouble. Otherwise, I won't hesitate to record it and report it to the academy to deduct your credits."

"Points deducted?"

Those two simple words instantly made the twins catch their breath, and their playful expressions vanished.

The two instantly realized that the notary Puni had found was most likely a faculty member of the school, which meant that all the procedures tonight were under the other party's control, and there was no room for them to cause trouble.

Puni ignored the quick-thinking twins and looked straight past everyone, landing on the shadowy corner of the corridor.

There was a slender figure always half-hidden behind the pillar, quietly observing what was happening here.

Upon realizing that Puni's self-light had locked onto him, the figure panicked instantly and instinctively tried to hide completely in the shadows to avoid being seen.

"Miss Granger."

Puni deliberately raised his voice, his clear words penetrating the corridor and reaching every corner, "I don't mind having one more spectator. Why don't you come out and join everyone?"

With nowhere to hide, Hermione could only compose herself and step out from behind the pillar, exposing herself to everyone's view, her face showing undisguised embarrassment.

The moment Ron saw her, his tone immediately turned displeased, his face showing no sign of kindness: "What are you doing following me here secretly?"

Are you planning to report us on the spot and stop this duel?

Hermione, not to be outdone, raised her voice as well, her tone firm and assertive: "Of course I'm doing this to stop you from causing trouble! I absolutely will not allow you to break the rules at will and needlessly deduct a lot of credits from Gryffindor."

She scanned the crowd and continued in a somewhat lecturing tone, "It's good that you all have some sense, not setting the duel after curfew. If you violate the rules by gathering in groups to confront each other late at night, and are caught by the school authorities, you will all face severe punishment, and could even be expelled from Hogwarts."

Since enrolling, Hermione has deliberately maintained a self-disciplined and proud demeanor.

Having just arrived in an unfamiliar environment, she was afraid of being looked down upon or bullied by her peers, so she always argued her case and strictly adhered to the rules.

However, her way of speaking is too straightforward and rigid, with every sentence carrying a didactic feel, making it difficult for people to like her. On the contrary, it easily arouses the rebellious psychology of others.

At this moment, Ron's face was full of impatience, and he wouldn't listen to her advice at all.

Noticing the increasingly tense atmosphere, Penny spoke up to defuse the situation, her tone calm and confident: "Don't worry, Miss Granger. I will oversee the entire duel. It may appear to be a private confrontation, but it will be completely compliant with regulations and will not violate any Hogwarts rules."

As Ron and Hermione's argument escalated, Penny stepped in to mediate.

Both Ron, with his straightforward nature, and Hermione, who strictly adhered to school rules, deeply admired Penny's tact and reliable character. Out of respect for him, they immediately stopped arguing and ceased their debate.

After resolving the minor conflict on site, Puni wasted no more time. He turned and strode forward, leading the hastily assembled team toward the pre-selected secluded location.

The group was much larger than originally planned, and the lively group made steady progress along the corridor.

Harry, Draco, Ron, Hermione, Crabbe, and Goyle were completely unfamiliar with the route ahead. Filled with curiosity and trepidation, they could only silently follow behind.

Only the Weasley brothers, looking in the familiar direction of travel, knew exactly what was going on. They strolled along at the back of the group, whistling lightly.

The group eventually arrived at a long corridor filled with antique stone armor.

Hogwarts Castle has a very distinctive structure. Almost every floor is decorated with a large number of armor pieces that have stood the test of time. They are solemn and heavy and are the most representative decorations of the castle. The long corridor in front of us is the most hidden part of it.

Puni walked straight to a suit of armor covered in scratches and looking weathered.

The armor's joints were slightly loose, and it looked unremarkable, as if it hadn't been touched for years.

He slightly raised his lips and uttered the special password to open the secret passage.

The moment the order was given, the previously silent and rigid armor suddenly came to life.

The loose joints returned to their original positions on their own, and the overall posture became upright and dignified, giving Puni a standard medieval knightly salute.

Immediately following, a two-meter square stone wall behind the armor rotated ninety degrees, creating a spacious entrance and revealing a hidden, independent space behind it.

This space was originally an abandoned secret room at Hogwarts, covered in dust and dilapidated, and very few people knew of its existence.

After discovering the secret passage, Puni secretly arranged for house-elves to thoroughly clean and tidy the place, completely clearing out the clutter, tidying up the floor and walls, and even adding simple facilities suitable for the dueling scene, transforming it into a clean, tidy venue perfectly suited for magical duels.

The first-year students present all stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with shock.

Since enrolling, they had always followed the rules and regulations, only ever having access to the publicly accessible teaching areas and activity venues. They had never known that such a hidden private space existed within the walls of Hogwarts, which overturned everyone's understanding.

Puni glanced at the surprised expressions on everyone's faces and quickly noticed Hermione, who had the strongest reaction.

She frowned slightly, her lips moving slightly as she muttered to herself, frantically recalling all the Hogwarts books and historical records she had read, but she couldn't find any record of this secret room. She was filled with doubt and confusion.

Seeing Hermione's serious yet bewildered expression, Puni secretly found it amusing, but on the surface, he remained calm and composed.

The Weasley brothers had heard of this place before; it was Penny who first discovered the secret passage and told them its location.

However, the opening and closing of this secret room is quite noisy and would easily attract Filch's attention, making it unsuitable for secretly hiding from patrols. Therefore, the two brothers rarely lingered there.

The two men, beaming with pride, gestured to Puni and swaggered forward: "We knew this was the place! Puni, let's go in and see just how meticulously you've arranged this dueling arena!"

The two quickly walked into the entrance on the left side of the stone wall, but just a second later, the two figures came back out from the exit on the right side looking a little disheveled, their expressions changing drastically in an instant.

This sudden reversal startled the first-year students present, who took a half-step back, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.

Fred stood frozen in place, gritting his teeth as he looked at the calm-faced Puni, his tone helpless: "Puni, you've gone too far—you actually invited Professor Flitwick to oversee things?"

When Puni mentioned the penalty of deducting points, the two brothers had already vaguely guessed what was going on and had some premonition in their hearts. However, they never expected that the other party would actually dare to invite the professor in charge of the course to supervise the entire private duel. This was truly beyond their expectations.

Professor Flitwick?

Harry and Draco exchanged a glance, both looking distressed and devastated.

The two originally only wanted to settle their grudges and determine a winner in private, but Puni turned it into a public scene with a professor watching. They were both amused and exasperated, feeling that this farce had gone too far.

Faced with the complex expressions on everyone's faces, Puni remained unmoved, even composed. Turning to Hermione beside him, he calmly retorted, "It's just a friendly magical sparring match. What's the problem? Miss Granger, you've been observing the whole thing. Tell me, in what way have we violated school rules and should we lose house credits?"

Suddenly asked a question in front of everyone, Hermione, who is usually eloquent and always able to find the right questions, was speechless for a moment and couldn't say anything.

She carefully reviewed the entire process and could only respond truthfully: "No, all your current actions are completely compliant, and there is no violation that could result in points being deducted."

Everyone instantly realized that the current situation was completely different from a regular private duel.

They were simply gathering to discuss and exchange magical techniques, with professors present to supervise and witness the entire process. Even if they encountered other inspecting teachers, they didn't have to worry about being held accountable, which was like having an extra layer of protection.

Moreover, the duel has not officially begun yet, and there is no illegal confrontation.

Seeing that everyone had thoroughly considered the pros and cons, Puni didn't give them any more time to deliberate. He urged them in a lighthearted tone, "Alright, let's not waste any more time. Everyone, get in and get ready to begin."

Puni was the first to step into the renovated secret room. The others looked at the unfamiliar place in front of them, and although they were very nervous, they could only grit their teeth and follow him into the hidden underground space one after another.

Harry followed closely behind Puni, becoming the second person to step onto the field.

The moment you step through the stone gate, a wide and well-organized battle area comes into view.

The room is divided into a long and narrow, well-organized area with clean lines and a symmetrical layout. Its design is exactly the same as a regular fencing arena, and it is a dueling venue specially designed for one-on-one combat confrontations.

Professor Flitwick wasn't the only one waiting in the spectator area at the edge of the field. A total of three figures stood quietly on the high platform on the side of the field, waiting for everyone to arrive.

One of them was Qiu, who stood quietly in the corner, composed and waiting for the next steps.

Another teenager was Lee Jordan, a close friend of the Weasley twins.

With his loud and clear voice and witty and fluent speaking skills, he has been selected by the school to serve as the exclusive announcer for this year's Quidditch tournament.

However, his usual broadcasting style tended to favor Gryffindor and was highly subjective, which made the other three houses quite critical of the result and harbored many grievances.

Of everyone present, only Ron felt a distinct sense of unease upon seeing Lee Jordan, and his face turned slightly pale.

Whenever he sees the other person, he can't help but think of Lee Jordan's family of pet spiders.

The image of countless crawling insects instantly flooded his mind, making him feel numb all over and even unsteady on his feet.

Upon seeing Puni and his group enter, Professor Flitwick on the platform immediately smiled broadly, raised his hand to greet each student present warmly.

Seeing the professor's unusually excited state, everyone had the same question in their minds: his current high spirits made them wonder if he had been drinking alcohol beforehand.

Everyone knows that Professor Flitwick is a veteran powerhouse in the world of wizard duels, having won numerous dueling tournament honors.

He was short and thin, seemingly insignificant, but in reality, his combat skills were extremely solid, and his overall combat strength far exceeded that of most teachers in the school.

However, he has always followed the rules of regular wizard duels, emphasizing restraint and balance, and is not used to the deadly and ruthless fighting style of dark magic combat.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Professor Flitwick got straight to the point, his gaze fixed on Puni, his tone filled with anticipation and eagerness.

"Puni, the new wizard dueling teaching method you discussed with me before can now be officially demonstrated. All the students who participated in the practical training are present. I am very eager to see the new training model you described with my own eyes."

Only then did everyone in the room fully understand that Puni's success in persuading Professor Flitwick to personally oversee the event was not due to private maneuvering, but rather stemmed from this brand-new practical teaching program.

In recent years, the teaching of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts has been extremely unstable, with teachers changing every year, and there have even been frequent cases of unexpected events and forced resignations midway through the semester.

The gap in teaching and the chaotic curriculum have led to a significant decline in the practical skills of graduates from year to year. The vast majority of students are unable to even use basic self-protection magic proficiently, making them unable to cope with sudden external risks after leaving school and unable to match various jobs in the magic world.

Professor Flitwick, who has been in charge of teaching spells and delving into the fundamental theories of magic for many years, is deeply worried about this.

In addition, the magic world has been in a peaceful state for the past decade, without external crises or pressure. Most students are complacent and neglect to practice combat magic, resulting in a decline in overall combat strength from one generation to the next.

Just when the professor was at his wit's end, Puni took the initiative to approach him, claiming that he had developed a brand-new teaching model that could systematically improve freshmen's combat abilities and avoid the risks of duels. This successfully moved the professor, who then made a special trip to witness it.

Faced with the professor's urging, Puni did not delay and directly took out the complete set of props he had prepared. The operation was simple and intuitive, without any complicated devices.

Upon closer inspection, the props consisted of only two ordinary-looking wands and two simple, standard badges—nothing more.

Professor Flitwick, who had been excited and full of anticipation, calmed down instantly upon seeing the two simple props, and his expression became cautious and puzzled.

Harry, Draco, and their group behind them were also completely baffled.

Everyone had thought tonight would be a proper wizard duel practice, but looking at the simple props in front of them, it seemed more like a bizarre magical exhibit, with absolutely no practical value.

Professor Flitwick picked up one of the wands, examined it carefully for a moment, and then casually waved it to try casting a spell. The wand did not generate any magical fluctuations or produce any magical effects; it was completely empty.

"This should be a replica wand with the core removed, right?" Flitwick frowned slightly and asked.

“That’s right.” Puni nodded in confirmation. “This wand doesn’t have any core inside, so it doesn’t have the casting limit of a regular wand, but it can still channel basic magic power and trigger special magical effects.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Puni raised his hand and picked up another complete, specially made wand, his wrist turning cleanly and swiftly.

A burst of bright red sparks erupted from the tip of the staff, shooting straight upwards and striking the stone wall of the secret chamber like a streak of light.

The moment it touched the wall, red sparks exploded in all directions, turning into countless tiny specks of light that scattered outwards. The visual effect was striking, but it had no impact or destructive power whatsoever, and would not cause any damage or harm whatsoever.

The students present still couldn't understand the training significance of such flashy but impractical magical effects, but Professor Flitwick's pupils lit up slightly as he instantly grasped the core value and training logic of this set of props.

He immediately picked up the replica wand in his hand and actively replicated Puni's spellcasting action. A beam of red sparks of the same origin shot out from the tip of the wand and flew straight towards Puni's direction.

Faced with the oncoming beam of magic, Puni remained calm and unhurriedly raised his staff to meet it.

This time, the head of his staff shone with a completely different warm yellow light, instantly condensing into a smooth and transparent mirror-like magic barrier.

The red sparks hurtling towards the yellow barrier were instantly deflected, changing direction and returning along the same path, landing squarely on Professor Flitwick.

Flitwick quietly felt the touch of the red sparks landing on his body. There was none of the expected impact, stinging pain, or magical fluctuations. His body did not experience any abnormal state and was completely unaffected.

After confirming that the attack effects had caused zero damage, his interest grew even stronger. He immediately raised his hand and gripped the specially made magic wand, intending to cast the spell again and continue his sparring test with Puni.

After a brief moment of thought, Flitwick instantly grasped the design logic of the entire set of props, and spoke with obvious approval and inquiry in his tone.

"Red simulates offensive spells, yellow corresponds to protective barriers, and blue is a spell-stopping effect that interrupts spell casting. Your set of items perfectly replicates the three core basic spell mechanics in actual combat."

"You see things very clearly."

Puni readily agreed, knowing that with Flitwick's magical accumulation, a simple demonstration would be enough to fully understand the core design. "These two specially made wands without cores, while unable to unleash orthodox high-level magic, can reliably produce three different colored magical sparks, specifically designed to simulate the three most common spellcasting scenarios in wizard duels: attack, defense, and spell breaking."

As he spoke, Puni picked up the standard badge next to him, held it in his palm, and explained it to everyone in detail.

"The red spark has been completely stripped of its lethality and destructive power, with the aim of preventing injuries to younger students during combat training. When used in conjunction with this sensor badge, if any part of the body is hit by the red spark, the markings on the badge's surface will be deducted accordingly. Once the value reaches zero, the badge will automatically emit a warning sound, indicating that the player has lost the round."

Harry and Draco stood at the back, listening intently, their eyes fixed on the two sets of props, and they instantly understood.

This safe, standardized, and controllable duel format is practically the perfect solution tailor-made for their private showdown tonight.

Puni didn't stop, continuing to explain the functions of the entire set of props, while raising his hand to condense another thin layer of yellow magic mirror.

"The yellow barrier simulates armor, which can not only resist simulated attacks, but also has a basic rebound effect. I deliberately shortened its duration to train the user's sense of rhythm in actual combat."

He pointed to the yellow mirror floating in mid-air and added, "The barrier exists for a very short time. To deflect the opponent's spell, you must control the timing of casting and the rhythm of offense and defense. Any hesitation will cause you to miss the best window of defense."

Flitwick nodded solemnly, expressing his deep agreement.

In traditional wizard duels, the timing of casting protective spells is equally crucial; it's not always better to activate them as early as possible.

Releasing the barrier too early will deplete your magic power prematurely. If your opponent anticipates your moves and deliberately holds back their attacks, you will waste your magic power and fall into a significant disadvantage in a prolonged battle.

Puni's prop design perfectly aligns with the core logic of a real duel.

"The final blue spark replicates the core function of the Curse Stopper."

Puni drew upon his magic once more, a flash of blue light passing through the tip of his staff. "It can directly interfere with the opponent's spellcasting state. Whether the opponent is charging up their spell or in the process of casting, it can forcibly terminate the flow of magic. It is effective against all three types of simulated spells: red, yellow, and blue."

"If the opponent is in an empty state and has not invoked any spells, the blue hit will not have any effect. However, once the interruption is successful, the opponent's wand will be temporarily locked with magic power, and they will not be able to invoke any magic for several seconds. At the same time, the badge they are wearing will also have a corresponding value deducted. This is a simulation of the effect of magic backlash."

Upon hearing this, Flitwick nodded repeatedly, his expression becoming increasingly approving.

He understood better than anyone else present the risks and power of spell interruption in actual combat. In a formal wizard duel, being forcibly interrupted during spellcasting would trigger a violent backlash of magic. At best, it would cause the wand to temporarily malfunction and magic to become disordered; at worst, it would directly damage the wand, severely injure one's own meridians, and cause irreparable magical damage.

The spell-sealing effect lasted only a few seconds, which was an extremely mild simulation effect.

After finishing the entire explanation, Puni slightly raised the corners of his lips, with the composure of a young man who had made a proud design, and took the initiative to ask Flitwick for his evaluation.

"Professor, what do you think of my training program? It's implemented in the form of a fun match, which can effectively train practical skills, is absolutely safe, and is highly practical."

The meticulously crafted innovative design naturally deserves to be shown and recognized by the client; this is Puni's consistent style of doing things.

After a moment's thought, Flitwick gave an objective assessment: "Although the transformative effect of the Long-Term Training is not yet apparent, it is highly adaptable. It is very suitable for lower-grade students below the fourth grade, who have weak control over magic and lack practical experience. They can use this set of props for transitional practice. Once their basic rhythm and offensive strategies are formed, it will be much safer for them to engage in orthodox wand duels."

"We can test the effect on the spot."

Puni picked up the conversation, gesturing to Harry and Draco behind him, "It just so happens that Harry and Draco had some conflicts before and originally planned to settle their scores in private, but neither of them has mastered any complete attack spells and doesn't understand the rules of proper wizard duels. They can only engage in simple physical fights, completely deviating from the essence of wizarding combat."

Harry and Draco, standing behind them, both wore helpless expressions upon hearing this, secretly cursing inwardly.

The truth was indeed as Puni said, but after he bluntly pointed it out, the two of them instantly appeared childish and clumsy, as if they were just two ignorant children who only knew how to argue and fight.

Both of them inwardly disagreed, but neither spoke up to defend themselves. While feeling awkward, they had to admit that Puni's statement was entirely correct.

The two looked at each other and suddenly felt a sense of shared hardship.

......