Ancient Wizards Return to Hogwarts...

Chapter 201 Snape vs. Lupin

Daphne was right; the professors soon appeared. Flitwick, Lupin, and Snape stood in a row on the round platform.

The audience fell silent, everyone excitedly awaiting the professors' "performance" tonight.

Lupin and Snape were dressed as usual, one in a simple robe, the other dressed like a giant bat.

Flitwick's attire was quite unusual. He usually wore a tailcoat and dressed like a band conductor, but today he changed into a vest, shirt, and suspenders, looking extremely agile and capable.

It's clear that agility and evasion are extremely important attributes in duels. You either need to be as resilient as Hagrid, or as agile as Professor Flitwick.

Seeing that the students had quieted down on their own, the three professors on the stage were very satisfied.

The three of them each faced a different direction and bowed slightly to the students. Then, Professor Flitwick, on behalf of the three, initiated the first gathering of the Duel Club.

"Children, come closer... Oh! Mr. Weasley, you're all too close! You're practically half a step away from the stage, and Miss Parvati in front of you looks like she's suffocating—if this keeps up, I'll have to switch places with Severus."

Upon hearing Professor Flitwick's words, Fred and George took two steps back in perfect unison.

"I don't expect every student to see me, but will everyone be able to hear me?"

A low chuckle rippled through the crowd.

Seeing that the students had responded, Professor Flitwick began to explain the origins of the Duel Club.

As Professor Flitwick explained, the young wizards' expressions grew increasingly serious: Who on earth dared to attempt to infiltrate Hogwarts? Could it be that person's remnants? But weren't his truly fervent loyalists already imprisoned in Azkaban?

Some young wizards from complicated family backgrounds even planned to write home to ask their fathers if they and their "old friends" had been up to anything lately.

"I believe everyone can learn useful knowledge in the club. I personally hope you will never need to use this knowledge, but if you need to defend yourself someday, what you have learned in the club may come in handy."

The students began to applaud the professors.

"Alright, next I'd like to introduce my assistants—Professor Snape and Professor Lupin. They are both excellent duelists. Let's have them give a short demonstration before we begin. We will show you the process of a complete duel."

According to Flitwick, having Lupin, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, as an assistant was sufficient. However, before the start of classes, Snape approached him and expressed his desire to become an assistant as well.

After a moment's thought, Flitwick agreed. He knew exactly what Severus was thinking, but Flitwick felt that with his involvement, the opening of the Duel Club would be much more exciting.

Moreover, a duel does indeed need a referee.

Seeing the malicious smile on Snape's face, many students secretly worried for Professor Lupin.

"This is terrible... By Merlin's grace, I hope Professor Lupin wins," Ron muttered to himself.

Fred and George, who were standing in front of him, exchanged a smile after hearing their brother's words.

Lupin has been at Hogwarts for some time now, and anyone who isn't blind can see Snape's attitude towards him—if Potter is number one on Snape's blacklist, then Lupin is definitely number two.

Amidst the students' whispers, Snape stood opposite Lupin. Snape's expression was terrifyingly cold, while Lupin still wore a smile.

"Duelists, bow to each other!" Flitwick shouted, standing between the two.

Snape and Lupin bowed to each other, which was considered a gesture of respect.

"Three, two, one, begin!" With a command from Flitwick, the duel began.

The two of them simultaneously raised their wands sharply over their shoulders—

"Disarm you!"

"Armor for protection!"

A dazzling red light flashed from the tip of Snape's staff, but it was deflected by a semi-transparent shield conjured by Lupin. Lupin prepared to retaliate, but Snape's second spell arrived.

A plume of black smoke billowed from the tip of his staff, which condensed into a large snake that lunged at Lu Ping.

"Obstacles are numerous!"

The giant snake seemed to have hit an invisible wall, stopping halfway and unable to move.

Seemingly to accommodate the young wizards present, the two professors initially used very basic spells. However, after a couple of rounds, they gradually grew more heated.

Snape cast a spell that blasted a large crater in the ground at Lupin's feet, sending flying stones hitting his thigh. Lupin retaliated, waving his wand, and Snape seemed to be punched hard in the face by an invisible fist, blood gushing from his large, hooked nose.

"Fuchsia!"

When Lupin uttered the spell, a flash of anger crossed Snape's face. Just as he prepared to defend against the spell, he discovered that Lupin hadn't used it, but instead took the opportunity to throw a black, egg-shaped object next to him.

boom!

The black egg exploded, and a strong, foul stench immediately enveloped Snape.

He could dodge the curse or deflect the incoming spell, but he couldn't deal with this "domain-type" attack in a hurry.

"Brilliant!" Just as Snape was bracing himself and preparing to retaliate, Flitwick decisively stepped in, intervening in the duel and placing an invisible wall between the two, forcibly ending the fight.

"Excellent quick thinking! Classmates, unless it's explicitly forbidden beforehand, magical items can be used in a duel." Flitwick's gaze swept over Fred and George's faces. "If I'm not mistaken, that was just a dung bead, wasn't it?"

The young wizards in the audience burst into laughter.

Snape, his face grim and reeking of foul odor, stood to Flitwick's right. He clearly wanted to continue the fight, but Flitwick had unexpectedly stopped it.

So he made a choice: not to deal with the filth on his body—it was just from the hem of his robe anyway, and Flitwick was more uncomfortable than he was.

Sure enough, Flitwick's expression froze instantly. He didn't say anything more, but instead took out his wand and used a cleaning charm to clean Snape's robes.

Only after Snape stopped emitting the strange smell did Lupin limp over to Flitwick's left with a smile.

"Don't laugh," Flitwick said, taking a couple of deep breaths of fresh air before continuing, "If Professor Lupin had created a cloud of poisonous fog, the outcome of the battle would have been decided long ago, children. This was truly a very rewarding battle for us!"

Applause erupted from the audience for the two professors.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The second update is here!

(End of this chapter)