Lockhart was taken to the Hospital Wing, but it wasn't because William hit him too hard.
Primarily, he fell quite hard without any defense, and no one present wanted to see him get up again and continue his bragging.
Under Professor McGonagall's silent gaze, Snape put down his magic wand. Thus, amidst thunderous and prolonged applause, William stepped down from the stage, with the little wizards chanting his name, reaching out to touch the boy as if they were embracing their king—
"...How did you do it?"
As William passed through the enthusiastic Gryffindors and Ravenclaws and returned to the Hufflepuff crowd, Cedric immediately struggled his way to his side, asking excitedly. It was hard not to be excited—this was perhaps the first time in the history of Hogwarts...
A minor wizard, having been enrolled for merely half a year, nearly defeated a professor in a direct duel.
Anyone who wasn't blind could see that Snape wasn't just demonstrating, as he claimed. Even those newly enrolled little wizards could see he was serious, yet William remained calm, not even breaking a sweat.
William didn't answer; he looked up and down at the excited boy in front of him, then leaned close to his ear, "Do you want to learn?" he whispered.
"Of course!" the boy responded without any hesitation.
"Then follow me in a while."
"Alright!"
William nodded. Over the past six months, he had a good impression of this Hufflepuff boy—brave, smart, friendly, loyal to friends, and even excellent academically. Except for some mistakes typical of teenage boys, he exemplified the peak of little wizards at his age.
Moreover, he saw the shadows of several friends in the boy, though those people were probably all dead.
People in the Magic Realm do tend to live long lives, but there aren't many like Dumbledore. Besides, there have been multiple wars in the past century, and apart from portraits and wizard hats, he hadn't found any familiar faces.
With the recent increase in research workload, he was just planning to recruit some help... no, finding a trustworthy apprentice.
...
"Severus..."
"I have urgent business with the headmaster now, I'll leave it to you here."
Looking at the excited crowd beneath the stage, Snape didn't give Professor McGonagall a chance to continue speaking. He put away his magic wand, turned around, and swiftly walked off the stage. The group of Slytherins parted in the middle, watching as the black cloak fluttered out of the side door of the hall.
"Sonorus. (Sonorous)"
Professor McGonagall pointed her magic wand at her throat, and the next moment, her voice overwhelmed the noisy hall, "Now, the event is over. Everyone, return to your respective common rooms under the prefect's guidance..."
Her words were drowned out by an even louder and more synchronized sigh, "We haven't had a lesson yet, the Duel Club was just getting started—" a little wizard among the crowd desperately shouted.
The showdown between Snape and William had clearly excited everyone, and they all shouted together, unwilling to return to their dorms. Even though Percy nearly shouted himself hoarse, nobody wanted to listen, and he was then dragged to the back of the crowd by two boys who also had red hair.
"...But Professor Snape has already left."
McGonagall was somewhat helpless; her voice could no longer suppress the bustling little wizards. And observing the plight of the prefects trying to assist her, it was evident things had reached a critical point of excitement.
"You could teach us too—" "Or let William do it, he just beat Snape!" "Right, let William do it!" "William! William! William!"
The crowd's cries grew more fervent, and in the end, just like two and a half minutes before, they were all chanting William's name together. Without understanding the background, one might think it was some cult gathering, with William being their revered evil god...
But in the end, McGonagall was a veteran professor with decades of experience. Although such "rebellious" scenarios were rare, she quickly restored order. However, the request for William to teach was ultimately turned down.
Although she didn't know how William "defeated" Snape—by the time she arrived, William and Snape were already in the final stage of their spell duel, and she instinctively interrupted their fight without thinking much. When she considered asking about the details, Snape had already left in a huff.
So, she subconsciously assumed Snape held back, while the little wizards believed the battle she interrupted was won by William. Otherwise, how could a fifth-year wizard defeat a Hogwarts professor head-on...
That second scenario sounded far too fantastical.
Thus, she conjured a lion once more, and its deep roar interrupted the little wizards' repetitions, "The club can continue, but..." McGonagall's gaze swept across the crowd below, finally resting on William's face, "No using evil curses, no harming others, no..."
Professor McGonagall laid down more than a dozen prohibitions, stopping just short of "No casting spells with magic wands."
Under her direction, the crowd gradually dispersed, and the little wizards paired off, each finding their opponent—"Now, all the wizards assigned number one, raise your magic wands, and recall the Disarming Spell used by Professor Snape...and William just now..."
Professor McGonagall's voice sounded from the stage, "Then, recite the spell!"
"Expelliarmus!"
"Expelliamix..."
"Espliaramis..."
Among the crowd, few successfully cast the Disarming Spell, mostly students above the fourth year. Most little wizards merely managed to make their magic wands flicker, and then there was no further movement.
Harry was among the successful; a thin red light shot from the tip of his magic wand, hitting his opponent—Hermione.
The girl staggered, and then her magic wand fell from her hand. Although it didn't fly high, it still landed on the ground.
"Harry, you have talent!" Picking up her magic wand from the floor, Hermione said excitedly.
"...Really?"
Harry looked at his palm with disbelief; he thought he would fail, but now... he instinctively turned to look at William in the crowd—not far away, Cedric's Disarming Spell hit the boy, but he just yawned.
When could he be that strong?
"Of course, now it's my turn—" Hermione pointed her magic wand at the boy.
But before the girl could cast the spell, a raspy, deep voice suddenly came into his ear, as if from hell—
"Where are you? I smell it, I smell the scent of flesh and blood, I will tear you apart, I will kill, kill, kill you!"
The voice came from underground this time. The malevolent voice made Harry uneasy, and he instinctively looked around. Clearly, once again, only he could hear it.
"What's wrong?" Hermione paused her spell, asking in confusion.
"Shut up!" Annoyed, Harry covered his ears, instinctively yelling.