Return of Salazar Slytherin

Gemma Farley, the seventh-year prefect, was a familiar face to the younger Slytherin students, as she was the one responsible for hosting the house's welcoming ceremony for new students.

Now in her final year, Gemma boasted an impressive record of Outstanding grades across all her O.W.L.s.

If she could maintain such excellence in her N.E.W.T.s, her future would undoubtedly be bright.

Tonight, she had come to the Dueling Club purely to spectate and enjoy the show.

However, witnessing her young housemate's remarkable performance had taken her by surprise.

A six-match winning streak—what a way to elevate the reputation of their house!

It had also sparked Gemma's competitive spirit. She wanted to see if she could hold her own against this younger girl who hadn't even been at Hogwarts for two full years.

What were kids eating these days to make them so formidable?

When Gemma stepped forward to challenge Daphne, a buzz of whispers spread through the crowd of young witches and wizards.

Given Gemma's outstanding track record, many were optimistic that she could "turn the tide."

After all, if a second-year student managed to defeat the entire school, where would that leave everyone else's dignity? 

At this point, the spectators weren't even thinking about teaching the fierce little girl on stage a lesson anymore—they just wanted to save face.

"Good evening, Prefect," Daphne greeted Gemma politely, showing a well-mannered and endearing side in front of the typically kind prefect.

"Incredible. You've truly amazed us all," Gemma said, her face lighting up with a gentle smile. "I'm genuinely curious to see which of us is stronger at this moment."

"Then let's duel." 

As with the previous six matches, the duel began at Professor Flitwick's signal. 

Facing the well-acclaimed senior, Daphne adopted an unusually aggressive approach, starting with three consecutive attack spells Rhys had taught her. 

"Protego!" 

Daphne's first spell was deflected by the translucent shield. Her second spell shattered the Shield Charm's defense, but the classic protective charm bought Gemma just enough time to sidestep the third attack.

With a swift motion, she pointed her wand directly at Daphne. 

A surge of danger welled up in Daphne's chest. She quickly dodged to the side, and in the next moment, a sharp "whoosh" came from where she had just been standing. The spell narrowly missed her, slicing a large tear in her sleeve. 

If she hadn't moved in time, the match might already have been decided. 

Daphne frowned, recognizing the spell Gemma had just used—a plain and unremarkable Severing Charm, introduced to students during their first year at Hogwarts. 

Clearly, Gemma had her own mastery over this seemingly simple charm.

"Serpensortia!" 

A black serpent lunged at Daphne but was swiftly cleaved in two by her attack spell. However, even such a devastating strike did not halt its advance. Instead, the severed halves writhed briefly before transforming into two slightly smaller serpents. 

Daphne flicked her wand rapidly, blasting the two snakes into dozens of pieces. 

She reasoned that conjured magical creatures had a limit to their resilience—if she broke them into small enough fragments, her senior would no longer be able to restore them. 

It was a sound strategy, but dozens of pieces clearly hadn't reached that "limit." Realizing Daphne had fallen into her trap, Gemma's smile grew even more confident.

With a flourish of her wand, she released a cloud of black mist that merged with the scattered "snake fragments," transforming them into numerous smaller snakes, each about the length of an arm. 

Dozens of black serpents swarmed toward Daphne. The sheer number made them an overwhelming challenge. Daphne frowned; this was the same spell Professor Snape had used earlier. She regretted not following Professor Lupin's example by using a barrier charm to block it. 

Without wasting another moment, Daphne flew five feet into the air, out of the reach of the snakes. At the same time, an idea struck her.

Mimicking the tone Rhys had used in the Chamber of Secrets, she hissed twice in Parseltongue. "Sss.. Hiss.."

The snake swarm: What the fuck is she saying???

Rhys: Pfft—!

Rhys almost choked on his own saliva.

Seizing the moment of confusion among the snakes, Daphne quickly waved her wand. Dozens of palm-sized ravens erupted from its tip, swooping down in an aerial assault against the serpents below.

Watching this unfold, many of the students' expressions turned peculiar.

While using birds to combat snakes was undoubtedly a sound strategy, the symbolic animals of Slytherin and Ravenclaw houses gave Daphne's actions an ironic twist.

Daphne was acutely aware of this, and her face visibly reddened in embarrassment. She couldn't help it—this was Rhys's fault.

The spells he had taught her for summoning creatures were primarily meant for reconnaissance, resulting in relatively small animals being conjured.

At her current skill level, Daphne could summon creatures like tiny finger-sized snakes, normal-sized sparrows, and palm-sized ravens to aid her. The choice was obvious—any of the other two would have simply become appetizers for Gemma's snakes.

While the ravens clashed with the snakes, Daphne turned her attention back to her duel with Gemma.

In terms of experience, Gemma held the upper hand. However, Daphne's elevated position in the air gave her a significant advantage. This positional edge allowed them to fight on nearly equal footing.

Daphne knew all too well that if the duel continued at this stalemate, she would inevitably lose.

Gemma was different from other upper-year students—she seemed to have a wealth of real duel experience. Engaging in an extended battle with someone like that could only end one way for Daphne.

In such a situation, it would come down to who made fewer mistakes, and Daphne had little confidence in that regard.

There was only one option left. She gripped her necklace tightly.

In the next instant, a remarkably powerful attack spell shot toward Gemma. Simultaneously, Daphne cast three more attack spells around Gemma, aiming to restrict her movement.

Gemma's face changed the moment she sensed the overwhelming power in the spell.

She quickly reached into her robes, pulled out a small vial, and hurled it to the ground.

The vial shattered on impact, and its fine, sandy contents scattered across the dueling platform.

As the sand merged with the platform, the previously solid ground suddenly became as soft and fluid as water, and Gemma "sank" into it in an instant.

Once she disappeared beneath the surface, the soil on the platform hardened again.

The three professors watching nearby and the students in the audience widened their eyes in shock. What kind of maneuver was that?!

Rhys was equally astonished.

From his observations, the small vial of sand Gemma had thrown had activated some form of "field effect" that altered the platform's soil, making it extraordinarily pliable and easy to manipulate.

"Tsk!"

If Gemma truly possessed such a technique, Daphne knew she wouldn't stand a chance. Her strongest attack was a one-time move, and if Gemma could simply hide within the platform, Daphne would have no way to break through her defenses. 

Daphne's spell struck the platform, shattering half of its surface.

The entire Great Hall was instantly engulfed in a cloud of dust and debris. 

The younger witches and wizards standing near the platform were all covered in a layer of dirt, their faces smeared with ash. 

But they had no time to complain. All they wanted to know was—who had won?

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