Return of Salazar Slytherin

After the "exhibition duel" between the two professors, it was time for the instructional segment.

Professor Flitwick conjured a wooden dummy holding a stick and proceeded to demonstrate how to use the Disarming Charm.

"A highly practical defensive spell, and simple enough to master," Flitwick remarked as he summoned a blackboard and began writing down the key points for casting the Disarming Charm.

While Flitwick's explanation floated through the air, Rhys found himself recalling the history of the Disarming Charm.

He had read modern magic textbooks and knew that wizard historians still debated the origin of the Disarming Charm. Some believed it was invented by Merlin, while others said it was already widely used in Madagascar in the 11th century.

According to Miranda Goshawk, author of The Standard Book of Spells, the charm's inventor was a witch named Elizabeth Smudgling, based on evidence of her using it in a dueling tournament in 1379.

Rhys leaned toward the last theory.

In the era when he had been active, there was no such spell as the Disarming Charm, as wizards of that time considered it too impractical. Why go through the trouble of disarming an enemy? If he is the enemy, just kill him and if you want to capture someone, why not use a spell like the Stunning Spell?

The theories of Madagascar or Merlin as the origin didn't seem credible to him. In the 11th century, Madagascar was still largely covered by untamed forests, with few wizards settled on the island. Those who were there would have been reclusive hermits at best—hardly the context for "widespread use."

Furthermore, in such a harsh survival environment, spells would naturally prioritize practicality, and something as "niche" as the Disarming Charm would not have gained much traction.

The second theory was even less credible.

By the time Rhys and his peers were young, Merlin was already a legendary figure in magical history. If he had truly invented the Disarming Charm and passed it down through the ages, Rhys and his contemporaries would undoubtedly have heard of it. 

There was a minuscule chance that Merlin had created the spell and then hidden it away in a labyrinthine secret realm, placing the magical book containing the spell as a "reward" in a treasure chest for anyone who completed the maze. 

And even if that were the case, Rhys could only conclude that Merlin must have had far too much time on his hands. 

That said, it wasn't entirely accurate to claim that no disarming magic existed in that era. There were spells such as the "Drop Weapon Spell" and the "Weapon Expulsion Spell," either of which might have evolved into the modern Disarming Charm. 

Many court wizards liked to use the "Drop Weapon Spell" to check whether visitors were concealing weapons. The "Weapon Expulsion Spell" was more violent—if you could "convince" yourself that part of your opponent's body was a weapon, the spell could forcibly eject that "weapon." 

For instance, if you were utterly convinced that your opponent's fist was a weapon, this spell would sever their fist from their body. Still, it was largely impractical—if your spell could hit the enemy, wouldn't it make more sense to use a spell with greater destructive power? 

Incidentally, there was a persistent rumor in Slytherin House that Merlin had once studied there.

Rhys suspected it was a fabrication. It was more likely that a student named Merlin had attended Slytherin, and centuries later, some Slytherin students, flipping through old student rosters, mistakenly assumed it referred to the legendary wizard. 

While Rhys's mind wandered, Professor Flitwick had already begun demonstrating the Disarming Charm for the students. 

"Expelliarmus!"

The wooden stick held by the wooden dummy flew out of its grip, and the dummy was knocked to the ground. 

Watching the effect of the Disarming Charm, Rhys confirmed that the spell was most likely a combination of multiple spells. He could see traces of many different magical principles in it. 

After explaining the theory and performing the demonstration, it was time for practical exercises. 

Professor Flitwick gestured for the students to spread out across the hall.

With a wave of his wand, he conjured a group of wooden roly-poly dolls, equal in number to the students. Each roly-poly doll held a stick roughly the size of a wand. 

Flitwick had given the choice of teaching aids a great deal of thought. Initially, he considered pairing the students to practice with each other. However, given the "little trolls'" actual skill levels, he quickly abandoned the idea—you could never underestimate the destructive power of young witches and wizards. 

Then he discovered that roly-poly dolls were excellent training aids.

Even if a spell missed its mark, the dolls were difficult to knock over or send flying, effectively keeping the situation under control and preventing chaos. 

"All right, I'll count to three. One, two, three—"

Once every student had found their designated roly-poly doll, Flitwick announced the start of practice. 

The moment his words fell, the hall was filled with a cacophony of "Expelliarmus!" Sticks flew in all directions, signaling that many young witches and wizards had already grasped the simple charm. However, some struggled with accuracy; errant spells either struck another student's roly-poly doll or, worse, accidentally hit classmates standing nearby. 

Rhys yawned and half-heartedly used the Disarming Charm to knock the stick out of the hand of the roly-poly doll in front of him.

Flitwick's roly-poly dolls had an ingenious little design: a flexible cord was attached to the bottom of each stick. When the stick was disarmed and flew away, it would return to the doll's hand, allowing students to practice casting the spell repeatedly.

Just as Rhys was idly observing the spellcasting skills of the young wizards around him, he suddenly felt a twinge of something amiss.

Instinctively, he sidestepped, and a streak of red light narrowly grazed his robes, striking the roly-poly doll diagonally in front of him and causing it to wobble unsteadily. 

Rhys turned his gaze in the direction of the spell and saw Malfoy, standing behind him, suddenly take an intense interest in the floor of Hogwarts. 

Raising an eyebrow, Rhys turned back and resumed practicing the Disarming Charm as if dismissing the earlier event as a mere accident. 

Malfoy's eyes narrowed at once: Rhys had let his guard down—his golden opportunity had arrived! The previous Disarming Charm had narrowly missed, but this time, Malfoy was determined not to fail. 

Glancing at Marcus, who stood beside him, Malfoy gave a subtle signal. Marcus caught on immediately, aligning his wand slightly off-center from Malfoy's to cut off Rhys's escape route. 

Not far away, Daphne noticed the entire exchange. A glint flickered in her eyes as she discreetly adjusted the angle of her own wand. 

Rhys, seemingly oblivious to the scheming duo behind him, continued his practice. 

"Expelliarmus!"

Two streaks of red light shot toward Rhys from both sides, but just as they were about to hit his back, they mysteriously disappeared.

A moment later, the same Disarming Charms reappeared, reversing their trajectory and flying back toward their casters, simultaneously blasting Malfoy and Marcus off their feet. 

At the same time, another spell hit Malfoy from a cunning angle. 

As Malfoy crashed heavily to the ground, a wave of nausea surged through him. Struggling to sit up, he turned slightly, only to let out a loud hiccup—and a massive, slimy slug erupted from his mouth. 

The nearby students leapt away in disgust, their faces contorted in revulsion. 

Seeing this, Daphne smiled happily.

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