Return of Salazar Slytherin

Daphne was spot on with her guess; the professors soon made their appearance. Flitwick, Lupin, and Snape stepped onto the circular platform, standing side by side in a line.

The crowd fell silent at once, the students' excitement palpable as they eagerly awaited the professors' "performance" for the evening.

Lupin and Snape looked as they usually did—one in a simple robe, the other dressed like a giant bat.

Flitwick, however, had swapped his usual tailcoat, which always made him resemble a band conductor, for a vest, shirt, and suspenders. He appeared exceptionally agile and ready for action.

It was clear that agility and evasion were crucial traits in dueling. Either you could take hits like Hagrid, or you needed to be as nimble as Professor Flitwick.

Pleased by the students' prompt silence, the three professors each turned to face a different direction and gave a slight bow of acknowledgment to the crowd. Then, Professor Flitwick took the lead in opening the first session of the dueling club.

"Gather around, children... Oh! Mr. Weasley, you're far too close! You're practically halfway onto the stage, and poor Miss Patil in front of you looks like she's suffocating. Keep this up, and I might have to swap places with Severus."

At Flitwick's remark, Fred and George, perfectly in sync, took two steps back.

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

A ripple of low laughter ran through the crowd.

Seeing that the students had responded, Professor Flitwick began explaining the reason behind the creation of the dueling club.

As Flitwick spoke, the expressions on the young wizards' faces gradually turned serious. Who would dare to try and infiltrate Hogwarts? Could it be remnants of you-know-who's followers? But hadn't the most fanatical of them already been locked up in Azkaban?

Some students from families with more complicated backgrounds even considered sending letters home to ask their fathers if they and their "old friends" had been up to anything lately.

"I believe everyone here can learn something valuable from this club. Personally, I hope you'll never have to use what you learn here. However, if the day comes when you must defend yourselves, what you gain here might prove useful."

The students broke into applause for the professors.

"Now, I'd like to introduce my assistants—Professor Snape and Professor Lupin. Both are highly skilled duelists. Before we begin, let's have them demonstrate a proper duel for you. They'll show you the full process of a formal duel."

According to Flitwick, having Lupin, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, as an assistant was sufficient. However, before the session began, Snape had approached him, expressing a desire to assist as well.

Flitwick thought for a moment before agreeing. He understood perfectly well what Severus had in mind, but Flitwick believed that having him participate would make the opening of the dueling club far more exciting. 

Besides, a proper duel did require a referee. 

When they saw the malicious grin on Snape's face, many students silently began to worry for Professor Lupin. 

"This is bad... Oh, Merlin, I hope Professor Lupin wins," Ron mumbled under his breath. 

Standing ahead of him, Fred and George heard their younger brother's comment and exchanged a knowing smile. 

Lupin had been at Hogwarts for a while now, and it was painfully obvious how Snape felt about him—even to those who were the least observant. If Harry Potter topped Snape's blacklist, Lupin undoubtedly held the second spot. 

As the students whispered among themselves, Snape stepped to face Lupin. Snape's expression was icy and severe, while Lupin maintained his usual genial smile. 

"Duelists, bow to each other!" Flitwick stood between the two and called out loudly. 

Snape and Lupin gave each other the bare minimum of a bow, a quick nod more than anything. 

"Three, two, one—begin!" Flitwick's shout signaled the start of the duel. 

Both men raised their wands sharply over their shoulders— 

"Expelliarmus!" 

"Protego!" 

A brilliant red light shot from the tip of Snape's wand but was deflected by the translucent shield conjured by Lupin. Lupin prepared to counterattack, but Snape's second spell arrived almost immediately. 

A plume of black smoke erupted from Snape's wand, coalescing into a large serpent that lunged at Lupin. 

"Impedimenta!" 

The serpent struck an invisible barrier mid-air, halting its advance. 

Initially, to accommodate the younger students present, both professors limited themselves to basic spells. However, after a few exchanges, the duel began to heat up. 

Snape cast a spell that blasted a crater into the ground at Lupin's feet, sending shards of stone flying and striking Lupin's thigh.

Lupin retaliated with a sweeping motion of his wand, and it looked as though an invisible fist had slammed into Snape's face. Blood immediately began streaming from Snape's hooked nose. 

"Levicorpus!"

When Lupin shouted this spell, a flicker of irritation crossed Snape's face. Just as he braced himself to defend against the spell, he realized Lupin hadn't cast it at all.

Eh?

Instead, Lupin seized the moment to toss a black, egg-shaped object near Snape.

Bang!

The black egg exploded, releasing a dense, nauseating stench that instantly enveloped Snape.

While Snape could dodge a curse or reflect an incoming spell, he was caught off guard and had no immediate solution for this kind of "area effect" attack.

"Brilliant!" Just as Snape was forcing himself to stay composed and preparing to pinch his nose and counterattack, Flitwick stepped in decisively. He conjured a barrier of air between the two, abruptly halting the duel.

"Excellent quick thinking! Students, unless explicitly prohibited, using magical tools during a duel is perfectly allowed," Flitwick said, his gaze sweeping over Fred and George's faces. "If I'm not mistaken, that was a Dungbomb, wasn't it?"

The hall erupted into laughter from the young witches and wizards.

Snape stood stiffly beside Flitwick's right hand, his expression dark and his figure radiating a foul smell. It was evident he was keen to continue the duel, but he hadn't anticipated Flitwick would intervene and call it off so decisively.

So, Snape made his choice: he didn't bother to clean off the stench clinging to his robes—after all, it was mostly on the hem of his cloak, and Flitwick would find it far more unpleasant than he would. Humph!

Sure enough, Flitwick's expression froze for a moment. Without saying another word, he pulled out his wand and cast a cleaning charm to rid Snape's robes of the offensive smell. 

Once Snape was no longer emanating any foul odor, Lupin, still limping slightly but wearing a cheerful smile, made his way to Flitwick's left side. 

"No laughing," Flitwick said, taking a couple of deep breaths of the now-fresh air before continuing. "If Professor Lupin had created a poisonous fog instead of using a Dungbomb, the outcome of the battle would have been decided immediately. Children, this truly has been a duel full of valuable lessons!" 

The students erupted into applause in appreciation for the two professors.

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