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On weekends at Hogwarts Castle, the usual academic bustle was replaced by a more relaxed atmosphere. Sunlight streamed through the high windows onto the corridors, illuminating the fine dust motes drifting lazily through the air.
When Lynn and his three roommates strolled to the entrance of the large classroom used for the Dueling Club, they found that the sounds of colliding spells and Professor Flitwick's clear instructions were already coming from inside.
Lynn peeked through the crack in the door and saw that quite a few students were already facing off in pairs on the practice grounds.
Professor Flitwick's small frame moved nimbly around the room. From time to time, his wand tapped lightly to reinforce the magical barriers protecting the audience, or he called out reminders to students:
"Keep your wrist steady, Miss Green! The power of a spell comes from determination, not brute force!"
"Combine your dodging with footwork, Miss Brown! Don't just stand there like a target!"
Edgar pulled out his Magic Phone and glanced at the screen showing the time. He scratched his head in confusion.
"That's strange. We aren't late, are we? Usually, at this time, the club is only just starting to set up, and there are barely any people here. Why is everyone already fighting today? There's still half an hour before the official start time."
Just then, busy as he was, Professor Flitwick's gaze swept toward the four people peeking in from the doorway.
He pointed his wand toward a small side door of the classroom, above which hung a sign reading: "Participant Waiting/Preparation Area."
The meaning was obvious: stop blocking the entrance and wait inside.
Lynn and the others understood immediately and headed toward the side room.
As soon as he reached the door, Lynn caught the sounds coming from inside and was instantly amused.
Draco was bickering with Harry.
The content was nothing more than the classic routine:
"Scarhead, are you here to embarrass yourself again?"
"Still better than some Ferret who only knows how to hide behind his father's reputation!"
Lynn's eyes lit up. In the spirit of enjoying the spectacle, he pushed open the door to the waiting area.
When the door swung open, the scene inside surprised him slightly.
There were quite a lot of people in the room, from first and second-year students with childish faces to upper-year students observing quietly with folded arms. Students from all four houses were present, totaling around twenty or thirty people.
Some were checking their wands, some were discussing tactics in low voices, and others were purely there to watch the drama unfold.
Draco and Harry each stood at opposite ends of the room surrounded by their respective groups, continuing their "friendly exchange" of glaring and verbal attacks across the crowd.
The sound of Lynn opening the door wasn't loud, but for some reason, it instantly attracted the attention of many people in the room.
Keeping a perfectly natural expression, Lynn casually waved. "Good morning, everyone."
The room fell silent for a moment before uneven greetings rang out one after another.
"Good morning, Lynn."
"Morning."
"Hi!"
After greeting him, Draco immediately turned back to continue criticizing Harry's robes for the day, while Harry withdrew his gaze and muttered something quietly to Ron.
Seeing there was no further gossip worth watching, Lynn and the others noticed a few empty seats beside Cedric and walked over to sit down.
Edgar, naturally unable to sit still for more than a few seconds, immediately began looking around curiously.
He nudged Cedric with his elbow and lowered his voice.
"Cedric, what's going on with the club today? Why are there so many people? I don't remember it being this lively even near the end of last semester. They're already dueling outside, and there are still this many people waiting in here?"
Hearing this, Cedric gave a somewhat helpless smile.
He gestured toward the main arena outside and whispered, "The result of Professor Moody's teaching. His Defense Against the Dark Arts class… well, the style is quite unique. You've probably already experienced it yourselves."
"He keeps emphasizing how badly we lack practical experience and thinks the Dueling Club is a good place to improve. Quite a few people got 'stimulated' into coming this week."
He paused briefly before adding, "Professor Flitwick probably received some kind of notice too, so he opened the venue early and let everyone practice freely."
As he spoke, Cedric seemed to remember something and turned toward Lynn.
"Speaking of which, Lynn, I heard people saying that in Professor Moody's class, you almost 'defeated' him. Is that true?"
Cedric sounded skeptical. After all, something like "defeating Mad-Eye Moody" sounded far too exaggerated to be believable.
Lynn waved his hand modestly, his tone extremely sincere.
"No, no, those are just rumors. People exaggerated it too much. The actual situation was that Professor Moody suddenly asked me a question, and then while I was sitting down after answering, he suddenly fired an Expelliarmus to test my reactions."
"I got lucky and barely managed to dodge it, and I threw something to interfere with his line of sight. It was nowhere near 'defeating' him. The Professor was just testing me."
After listening, Cedric nodded thoughtfully.
"So that's what happened. That makes much more sense."
This version sounded far more reasonable to him. After all, for a fourth-year student—even one with an Order of Merlin—to defeat a battle-hardened former ace Auror on the spot was simply absurd. Being able to react to and dodge a sneak attack was already incredibly impressive.
"Still, that's amazing. I've heard Professor Moody's attacks are both fast and tricky." Cedric smiled slightly. "By the way, it's rare to see you at the Dueling Club. Usually, on weekends, you're either fishing by the Black Lake or hiding in the dormitory. Since you're here today, are you interested in having a duel with me later? Just to exchange pointers."
Cedric spoke very politely. Part of the invitation came from his curiosity regarding Lynn's strength, considering the Order of Merlin and his multiple Special Contribution to the School Awards.
The other part was genuine interest in sparring and learning from one another.
Hearing this, Lynn showed a slightly embarrassed smile. He rubbed his nose and declined:
"That… I don't think that's necessary. It would feel a bit like bullying."
Cedric assumed Lynn was simply being modest or didn't want to duel publicly, so he nodded understandingly.
"True. If I fought you, it might indeed feel a little like bullying. After all, I'm two years older than you and have practiced longer. We should probably each find other opponents instead…"
However—
"Pfft—!"
"Hahahaha!"
"Cough—cough!"
The moment Cedric finished speaking, Edgar, William, and Ollie almost simultaneously burst out laughing.
Edgar laughed the hardest. He slapped his own thigh while turning around to smack Cedric heavily on the shoulder, laughing so hard tears nearly came out.
"Oh… Cedric… you… you misunderstood! Hahaha!"
Cedric looked completely baffled by their reaction.
"What… what do you mean? Did I say something wrong?"
He mentally replayed his words but genuinely couldn't figure out what was funny.
Edgar finally managed to stop laughing long enough to wipe the tears from the corners of his eyes.
"Cedric… what Lynn meant… wasn't that you fighting him would be bullying him…" Edgar wheezed between breaths. "He meant him fighting you would be bullying you! Hahaha!"
After saying it, he immediately lost control and burst into laughter again.
Cedric: "!!!"
The smile on his face froze instantly.
His eyes widened as he slowly turned toward Lynn in disbelief. Lynn, meanwhile, was scratching his head awkwardly.
"Lynn… is that really what you meant?!"
Cedric Diggory was widely recognized as one of the top students in Hogwarts. His practical magic grades had always ranked among the best.
Although Lynn possessed an Order of Merlin and several Special Contribution to the School Awards, Cedric also had considerable confidence in his own abilities.
To be considered someone who would get "bullied" by a younger student?
That was simply…
Faced with Cedric's widened eyes and the suddenly focused attention from everyone nearby, Lynn answered vaguely:
"Uh… it's mainly because my fighting style probably isn't very suitable for this kind of… friendly club sparring."
He didn't deny it?!
Cedric took a deep breath.
"In that case… Lynn, we definitely have to have a match!"
He stood up directly.
"Duel me! Right now! Let me see exactly who is 'bullying' whom!"