The deaths of four senior Slytherin students were a serious matter for Hogwarts—but to most of the student body, it simply became new gossip fodder.
The students from the other three Houses found it hard to feel sympathy or grief for the four who had died—especially considering their open admiration for Voldemort's extreme pure-blood ideology.
Even within Slytherin, reactions were measured. Most Slytherin students were pragmatic by nature. While some expressed mild regret, it didn't go much deeper. After all, Voldemort's purist ideology was far from universally embraced, even in Slytherin.
As time passed, the tragedy's impact faded. Aside from the Slytherin Brotherhood's internal reorganization—where a new fifth-year boy was elected to replace the late Dickey as class leader—conversation around the deaths quickly subsided. Hogwarts gradually returned to its usual rhythm of lessons, homework, and Quidditch chatter.
But the peace didn't last long.
A new announcement appeared one morning in all four House common rooms, drawing fresh attention from the students.
"Dueling Club?"
Sean stared at the notice, his expression unreadable.
He remembered the Dueling Club, of course. But in his memory, it hadn't started this early in the school year. Its sudden appearance now likely had something to do with the recent incident—four students killed by dark wizards was no small matter.
Of course, it might also have something to do with Lockhart's eagerness to make himself famous.
Due to Sean's interference, Lockhart was exposed much earlier than in the original timeline. The Dueling Club had likely been his final attempt to hold on to his crumbling image—a last-ditch effort to convince others that he truly had some magical prowess.
But Dumbledore had clearly seen through the farce.
Instead of confronting Lockhart directly, he assigned Professor Severus Snape as Lockhart's assistant for the club to enjoy tearing Lockhart's façade apart. While derailing Lockhart's grand performance, Snape also taught genuine dueling techniques and real magic to the students, something Lockhart could never have done.
This arrangement said a lot about Dumbledore. He may not have wanted to expose Lockhart personally, perhaps out of politeness or politics, but he certainly wasn't fond of the attention-seeking fraud. By placing Snape at his side, Dumbledore had let nature take its course—with malicious precision.
After all, without Dumbledore's intervention, even if Snape's brain had been kissed by a troll, he would never have willingly cooperated with Lockhart to start a Dueling Club.
"Lockhart… Sean, should we sign up?" Bryce asked hesitantly.
"Of course we should. Lockhart's presence doesn't matter. We have our Head of House, don't we?"
"…Alright then. If you're joining, I'll join too."
And with that, Sean and Bryce submitted their names. Both were quickly confirmed as members of the Dueling Club.
But Sean had more than just casual interest in mind.
He was already wondering if he could preserve the club—even after Lockhart inevitably crashed and burned. Hogwarts forbade private student duels outright; they were strictly against school rules. Even the traditional pure-blood duels within Slytherin existed outside formal policy—an unspoken custom, not sanctioned by the staff.
This is why the injured people in previous pure-blood duels were always sent to the school hospital as cases of failed experimental magic
So if Sean could keep the Duel Club running he would have a proper way to duel openly and regularly which would undoubtedly become a very steady source of skill improvement for him
Another point was that Sean had never given up on Lockhart's Oblivion Charm which was almost maxed out in power in this duel club Sean felt there might still be a chance to fight Lockhart one on one and as long as he could avoid using any extreme means Sean would try his best not to do anything too outrageous inside Hogwarts
Um..As much as possible
The Dueling Club was scheduled for Friday afternoons.
There were basically no classes at that time and the students who came to join were mostly from first to fourth year fourth-years were already few and above fifth year almost no one came after all Lockhart's reputation was not a secret anymore and from fifth year onward most students were already focused on exams naturally they had no interest in wasting time on Lockhart's nonsense.
In fact if Sean wasn't eyeing Lockhart's Oblivion Charm and hoping to build up the Dueling Club he probably wouldn't have bothered joining this so-called club at all.
When Sean and Blaise arrived at the club quite a few students had already gathered.
The Dueling Club was held in a small auditorium near the Great Hall not too crowded but not empty either each of the four houses had clustered into their own little groups when the Slytherin students saw Sean and Blaise approaching they immediately made way for them letting the two walk to the front without saying a word.
The fact that Sean had joined the reserve ranks of the Slytherin Brotherhood was no longer a secret. His impressive strength only added to his growing reputation, and most of Slytherin treated him with a notable degree of respect.
Of course, there were exceptions—like Malfoy and Miles Bulstrode—who refused to acknowledge him. But their opinions didn't matter much anymore; their influence had already waned. Still, whenever they saw Sean, Malfoy would let out a sharp, contemptuous snort, his jealousy barely hidden. Miles, on the other hand, would lower his head slightly and smirk, his expression full of disdain.
Sean noticed their reactions, but paid them little mind. He was more focused on watching them carefully—especially Miles, who now possessed the diary.
It had been some time since the last attack. Judging by the diary's behavior, Sean was certain another one was coming soon. And this time, he suspected he might be the target. If Miles managed to sway the diary even slightly, Sean's chances of being attacked would rise significantly.
"Gather around, gather around—can everyone see me? Can everyone hear me? Wonderful! Truly wonderful!"
Like a stage actor in full stride, Gilderoy Lockhart spun and strode across the platform set up for dueling, arms waving grandly as he addressed the gathered students. When he passed directly in front of Sean, his face momentarily twitched, but he quickly smoothed over the reaction and returned to his cheery façade.
"Hogwarts has been a bit... unstable recently. We've all heard about the tragic events that have taken place. What a shame I wasn't there at the time—none of those dark wizards would have stood a chance against me! No harm would've come to a single Hogwarts student."
He sighed dramatically.
"Alas, I was simply too busy. Far too busy. But now I've cleared my schedule—just for you! With Professor Dumbledore's permission, I've founded this little Dueling Club, to teach everyone how to properly defend themselves in a duel!"
He paused for effect, smiling proudly.
"Of course, you can always refer to my book for deeper insights. But now, allow me to introduce my assistant—Professor Snape!"