Snape honestly hadn't expected that someone in this world could be this shameless.
He had truly seen it now—and was utterly appalled.
Louis felt a little regretful that he didn't get the chance to "reasonably and legally" teach Lockhart a lesson in front of everyone. But since things had already gone this far, continuing to argue with him would make himself look bad.
So, his gaze naturally shifted—onto Snape.
"Professor?" His meaning was obvious: are we doing this or not?
"Since Professor Lockhart insists," Snape said flatly, though his tone carried a jab, "why don't we show everyone what a real qualified professor's duel looks like?"
Louis's eyes lit up. That was exactly what he wanted to hear. He'd been wanting to test how strong the wizards of this world really were.
Severus Snape was among the top-tier wizards—solidly within the second echelon.
The first echelon, of course, consisted of legendary wizards like Dumbledore and Voldemort.
If the system were to classify strength, Snape's level would probably be "Perfect-Grade."
"All out?" Snape couldn't help but let out a dry chuckle. A second-year student asking him to go all out?
You're quite bold, kid.
"Whether I go all out or not depends on your performance," Snape said, raising his wand. "Begin. You may attack first."
Even as a professor, Snape still had his pride.
"Then…"
Since Snape wanted to see what he could do, Louis wasn't going to be overly polite either.
Of course, he had no intention of using his full strength—if he did, Snape's skinny frame wouldn't survive three punches.
Against sheer speed and brute force, a wizard was still just a fragile human.
So Louis decided to fight with magic instead.
"Let's use Transfiguration, then."
Louis planned to use just one spell—and call it done, win or lose.
Combining the powers of the Rat Talisman, Dog Talisman, and the basic Transfiguration Spell, the dueling platform beneath his feet began to churn. Huge slabs of wood and stone twisted together, fusing into the shape of a massive, menacing serpent.
The serpent coiled protectively around Louis, its enormous head rising high, forked tongue flicking as it slithered toward Snape.
The air temperature seemed to climb as every student in the hall collectively gasped.
They instinctively stepped back several paces, afraid the monster might turn on them next.
This display of magic utterly dwarfed Draco Malfoy's earlier attempt at a Dark Arts spell.
What Malfoy had used on the Quidditch pitch was a Summoning Charm, a sub-branch of Transfiguration.
But Louis had used only Transfiguration—and produced this?
The realization hit many of the young wizards like a revelation.
For students like Cassandra and Hermione, who had already learned many spells, this was an eye-opener.
And for others, it was simpler—there were those who could only blurt out "Bloody hell! That's insane!"
And then there were those like Ron and Harry, who suddenly burned with a fierce desire to learn such a spectacular spell themselves.
"A very beautiful Transfiguration," Snape remarked, genuine surprise flickering across his normally stoic face.
"Just that one spell alone puts you above many seventh-year students who cry their way through the N.E.W.T. exams."
Despite the giant serpent gliding toward him, Snape's expression remained calm—utterly unshaken.
"Thank you for the compliment, Professor. I still have a lot to learn," Louis said modestly.
Snape nodded slightly, then raised his wand and cast a Reversal Charm at the massive serpent.
The counter-spell to Transfiguration—Reparifarge—worked on most transfigured creations. Unless the caster's magic was overwhelmingly strong, it could instantly undo even the most elaborate transformations.
But to everyone's surprise, when the spell struck the giant serpent, only a few wooden planks and stones fell from its chin. The rest of its body remained perfectly intact.
"Professor," Louis said calmly, "if you want to dispel this serpent, Finite Incantatem would work better. This isn't a single transfiguration—it's the result of many transformations woven together."
He showed no concern at all about revealing his spell's supposed weakness. In truth, even Finite Incantatem wouldn't do much, because the power sustaining this serpent came from the Charm of the Zodiac Talismans, a form of dark-energy magic that operated on entirely different principles from the magic of this world.
The universal dispelling effect of Finite Incantatem simply didn't apply to dark-qi magic.
Snape's eyes widened further in astonishment.
"Excellent work. Slytherin—twenty points!"
So generous! Only Professor Snape could hand out points this easily.
But while he was praising Louis, his wand never stopped moving. He might have underestimated the boy earlier, but that didn't mean he was out of options.
"Vipera Evanesca!" Snape intoned.
Louis hadn't heard that spell before, but from the name, he guessed it was designed specifically to counter serpents.
Not daring to underestimate it, Louis commanded the serpent to shield itself with its tail.
The fiery sphere slammed into it—and instantly began eating away the serpent's body like acid.
Interesting spell, Louis thought with mild curiosity.
He simply ordered the serpent to sever the corroded portion, and the furious creature lunged at Snape once more.
Now Snape's face turned grim. He realized that if he didn't get serious, he'd end up as humiliated as Lockhart.
Seeing the massive jaws rushing toward him, Snape raised his wand again. This time, he was going to use his trump card.
"Sectumsempra!"
Snape's signature spell—his own creation back in his Hogwarts years—a deadly charm that conjured invisible, high-speed blades of magic. Wounds caused by it couldn't heal without a specific counter-curse.
It was hard to believe that such a spell, one step short of being classified as an Unforgivable Curse, had been invented by Snape when he was only in sixth year.
Its power was, of course, tremendous.
No one even saw the attack; they only saw the result—the enormous, fearsome serpent suddenly beheaded by an unseen force.
Dark blood sprayed through the air—then instantly turned back into chunks of wood and stone.
There was no reason to sustain a Transfiguration once the transformed creature "died."
Louis calmly dispelled the magic, then used a combination of Reparo and the Horse Talisman's restorative power to mend the dueling stage, seamlessly re-absorbing the serpent's remains back into the platform.
"I lost," Louis said easily, with no hint of frustration.
Snape's expression was complicated as he lowered his wand, his mind racing.
He could feel it—Louis hadn't gone all out. There was an odd, uncomfortable sense that this second-year student had been holding back for his sake.
"…Neither arrogant nor servile. Excellent composure." Snape finally spoke, forcing down his unease. "Slytherin—fifty more points."
That made a total of one hundred and twenty points for Slytherin in a single club meeting.
The other houses were fuming, but no one could argue.
Because Louis really was that good—
and, admittedly… a bit petty too.
----
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