"Oh no! Stop! Stop! This isn't wizard dueling!"
Watching the chaotic scene before him, Professor Lockhart's expression immediately became panicked and broken. He shouted incoherently, trying to salvage this out-of-control situation.
But as the protective badge on Draco's chest completely lost its luster, a pink cold gleam spiraled from Hermione's fingers, finally forming an exquisite butterfly knife that stabbed viciously beside Draco's ear.
Sparks and stone fragments from the blade scattered onto Draco's ear and cheek, bringing waves of stinging pain.
The Gryffindors below the dueling platform fell into eerie silence. Everyone looked at each other in disbelief, thinking Hermione had stabbed the knife through Draco's head.
"Merlin's lace panties... She didn't really..."
Ron instinctively swallowed. He suddenly felt that knife wound he'd gotten in the girls' bathroom wasn't really that bad...
"I surrender! I surrender! Stop!!!"
Draco stopped struggling amid his screams. His face turned extremely pale the moment the blade fell, as if all his blood had frozen. His slightly trembling eyes still held traces of fear.
"Where's that poor little girl?"
Hermione's eyes narrowed as she pressed the blade against Draco's cheek, her voice overflowing with threat.
"What... what..."
Draco looked at Hermione in terror, tears in his eyes. He had no idea what she was talking about.
"Oh, there she is..."
The cold blade patted Draco's cheek. Hermione smiled brightly, like sunlight breaking through clouds. Her originally fierce gaze showed traces of mockery.
Realizing he'd been mocked, Draco immediately trembled with rage.
Just as he prepared to retort, Hermione released his collar, stood up, and walked off the dueling platform without looking back.
Her steps were composed as the pink butterfly knife became a chaotic blur, spiraling and folding between Hermione's fingers before being neatly tucked into her robes.
"Well done."
Seeing the know-it-all miss return to his side, proudly lifting her little face, Tiger's eyes couldn't hide his amusement. He saw some Shelby shadows in her.
Hearing the praise she'd long awaited, though the girl kept her lips tightly pressed and expression unchanged, she couldn't help happily rising on her tiptoes.
Slytherin gradually erupted in applause. Because they saw the essence—the essence of sword-wand combat.
Confronting enemies wasn't just about technical competition, but psychological warfare and mental suppression. In every aspect, this know-it-all miss had performed perfectly, including the post-battle mockery.
She was so bad. They loved it...
Draco glared viciously at Hermione, quickly returning to the crowd as Blaise and others' teasing laughter followed.
"Listen to me, children! We are wizards..."
Gilderoy Lockhart stepped onto the dueling platform, trying to get the dueling practice back on track, but gradually closed his mouth under Snape's cold stare.
"Weasley, Bersted." Professor Snape glanced toward the platform below. "You organize what comes next. Hurry up and end your ridiculous game. Things are chaotic enough lately."
With that, he turned and walked off the dueling platform. Seeing students' attention had all turned to the two houses' prefects, Gilderoy Lockhart could only follow with an embarrassed expression.
"Scarhead! Pauper! Get out here!"
Unable to stand his friends' teasing, Draco angrily walked toward Harry and the others nearby, planning to fight two-on-one to prove his strength.
If I can't beat that damn woman, can't I beat you two?!
Under Percy Weasley and Head Boy Bersted's arrangements, upper-year students from both houses stepped onto dueling platforms, sparks flashing in their gazes toward each other...
Tiger showed little interest in the intense duels gradually unfolding on stage. Gryffindor had few people to begin with. Even if exceptionally capable individuals appeared, they could hardly withstand Slytherin's final wheel battle. The outcome was obvious.
So Tiger slowly rose, holding the basilisk staff, walking composedly toward the other side of the Great Hall. Theodore and Tiamat followed closely behind.
Hermione looked somewhat exasperatedly toward Harry and Ron. These two were still excitedly discussing tactics, waiting for the dueling platform to free up so they could teach Malfoy a lesson.
She actually knew Malfoy's abilities quite well. Plus with his earlier accumulated anger, these two little wastes were probably in for serious trouble...
"Children, fleeing isn't shameful. What you must do first is survive..."
Professor Flitwick stood on his chair, his passionate and penetrating explanations echoing over the dueling platform.
This legendary figure who'd won eight consecutive dueling championships was highly regarded within Slytherin. But relatively speaking, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw's gazes were rather indifferent.
Not that they didn't respect this professor, but students from these two houses had no fighting spirit, or rather, their interests weren't in dueling.
If the Great Hall were currently hosting a quiz competition or cooking club, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students' enthusiasm and madness would ignite the entire Great Hall.
Professor Flitwick obviously understood this point. Just as he was troubled by this, Tiger's fierce, rebellious face suddenly entered his vision.
As if by fate's clever arrangement.
"Mr. Shelby..." Professor Flitwick suddenly stopped explaining, his slightly sharp voice carrying some encouragement and anticipation. "Please allow me to invite you to join me in providing a dueling demonstration for the students."
Practice beat teaching. The danger lurking in Hogwarts was definitely not an ordinary wizard—or rather, this danger might not even be a wizard.
To keep students alert and master experience in avoiding danger, no one was more suitable than Tiger.
"Professor..." Seeing everyone's gaze turn toward him, Tiger's eyes paused slightly. He reminded seriously: "You know my Charms grades. In wizard dueling, my methods aren't very orthodox."
Professor Flitwick laughed cheerfully. "Mr. Shelby, dangers in this world are almost never orthodox..."
As his words fell, this dueling champion jumped down from his chair, placed his right hand behind his back, leaned forward slightly, and extended an invitation to Tiger in a manner both solemn and approachable.
"Then I won't hold back..."
Facing Professor Flitwick's invitation, Tiger's eyes flashed with barely suppressible excitement.
He handed the basilisk staff to Tiamat. He tossed his robes wrapped around Gunpowder to Theodore.
Gunpowder: ???
The previous casualness and randomness were instantly dispelled, replaced by aggression no different from a wild beast.
Like a tiger that had been lazily sunbathing, suddenly standing alert upon seeing an opponent, the aura from the top of the food chain spreading freely.
Feeling this sudden oppressive presence, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students instinctively tensed up, even though they weren't the ones dueling on stage.
As Tiger stepped onto the dueling platform, muscles under his suit unconsciously tightened, trembling minutely from scalp to fingertips.
Every cell greedily absorbed this energy about to explode, restless and eager...
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