Chapter 156. Professor Wesson, Please Come Up
Severus Snape stepped onto the platform and took his place to Gilderoy Lockhart's left; the two men stood at opposite ends of the stage.
"Don't you worry!" Lockhart beamed with confidence, flicked his hair, and announced loudly, "Although our dear Professor Snape is rather accomplished in Potions, when it comes to duelling… perhaps he's just a teensy bit behind me—but have no fear!"
As he spoke, he struck a pose that looked professional at first glance but was, in truth, all flourish. "I shall hold back a little."
On the other side, Snape also assumed a duelling stance, but he said nothing.
Watching Lockhart's pose, Harry shook his head to himself.
Adrian Wesson had drilled him in duelling over the summer; after all that training, Harry was fairly familiar with proper form.
And Lockhart's stance now—honestly, it wasn't professional at all. It was slapdash, full of openings. The man looked like a permanently tipsy Niffler.
Snape, by contrast, stood steady, his wand angled towards his opponent; he was like a coiled viper, ready to strike a lethal blow at any moment.
With the comparison so stark, Harry didn't need to think to know who would win.
He truly had no idea why Lockhart was so confident.
Silence fell around the platform; every student was waiting for the clash.
Lockhart continued to wave to the students, sparkling as ever. "Well then, before we begin, a reminder—this is a friendly exchange of magical skill; no one shall be taking anyone's life. Now, we bow to each other, and on the count of three, we cast."
Lockhart and Snape faced one another, and bowed.
All Lockhart's pre-fight patter had worn Snape's patience thin; as the last number fell—
He struck without warning.
"Expelliarmus!"
A blinding red jet erupted from Snape's wand and shot towards Lockhart's chest, so fast no one had time to blink.
For Snape, this was standard.
Just as Wesson thought Lockhart would be felled in an instant—
Lockhart suddenly brought his wand across his chest; though the movement looked panicked, he managed, at the last split second, to throw up Protego and deflect the spell's trajectory.
The red light caromed away—straight towards where Wesson was standing.
"!"
Wesson hadn't expected to take a hit merely for watching from the side.
Fortunately, his reactions were razor-sharp. The instant the red light closed, he raised both hands. "Protego!"
He had no wand, but the air condensed at once into a transparent barrier.
With a muffled thud, Wesson's Shield Charm caught Snape's Disarming Charm; the red light scattered and faded like fireworks in the air.
Students near Wesson gasped as one.
On the platform, Lockhart and Snape also paused in unspoken accord.
"Quiet!"
Wesson called out, then drew his wand and flicked it towards the duelling stage.
Two semi-transparent screens immediately rose at the sides of the platform, sealing it off from the audience.
Seeing Wesson set up the protective barriers, Lockhart seized the moment. "Ah, thank you for your help, Professor Wesson," he said smoothly, then turned to the students with a smile. "Indeed, our duel—especially a duel between experts such as Professor Snape and myself—may be a trifle dangerous for beginners like you, but trust me! With Professor Wesson and me here to protect you, you'll be quite safe."
Wesson thought his voice trembled a little—perhaps because Snape's magic had nearly sent him to meet Merlin just now.
Still, whatever the case, Lockhart had blocked Snape's spell.
That made Wesson look at him in a slightly new light.
So, Lockhart wasn't entirely hopeless…
Just as Wesson was thinking that—
"Expelliarmus!"
Snape moved again; another red jet flashed towards Lockhart.
Lockhart had no time to react and was struck at once.
"Bang!"
Like a rag doll hurled across the room, Lockhart slammed into the stone wall; his wand flew from his hand and clattered onto the floor.
…
Wesson took back what he had just thought. Lockhart was still the same old Lockhart—not the slightest change.
He'd only blocked Snape by luck, most likely.
For two seconds the hall was dead quiet; then the noise swelled.
Some of Slytherin began to cheer—their Head of House had won.
After a moment, Lockhart finally managed to haul himself upright with a hand on the wall, swaying, and forced a smile onto his face.
"Er… as you've seen, that is what happens when you're hit by the Disarming Charm—I lost my wand. Of course, this was merely a demonstration. If I wished, I could have blocked Professor Snape as easily as I did earlier. Not difficult for me at all…"
As he spoke, he glanced down at his robes, noticed a tear across the front, and hurriedly hid it with his sleeve, embarrassed.
Meanwhile, Snape stood radiating murderous intent.
Wesson watched, amused.
Entertaining, wasn't it?
Just as Lockhart prepared to step back onto the platform, Snape's voice cut in, low and openly mocking: "Professor Lockhart, that can hardly be called an adequate demonstration."
Lockhart opened his mouth to retort—but Snape shot him a vicious glare.
"Well then…" he said awkwardly, "that concludes the demonstration. Next we'll…"
"Professor Wesson. Please come up."
Snape cut him off coldly. His gaze slid past Lockhart and fixed on Wesson, who was standing to the side with a pleasant smile.
The hall fell silent again at once.
Even Wesson, named so directly, was taken aback.
He pointed at himself, blinked, and asked, puzzled, "Me?"
He truly hadn't expected Snape to call him out here of all places.
Snape's mouth curled, a chill glint in his eyes—he looked every inch a serpent that had found its prey.
"Of course you, Professor Wesson," he said, advancing a step, voice unhurried. "Let us show the students what a real duel looks like. You won't refuse… will you?"
The pressure rolling off Snape was immense; everyone present unconsciously held their breath.
Lockhart, meanwhile, stood off to the side muttering to himself.
No one was paying him the slightest attention now.
Every gaze was fixed on Snape and Wesson.
"All right, it's for the students as well."
Wesson smiled lightly and walked onto the platform with unhurried steps.
"If you insist, I don't mind," he said, gently drawing his wand from his belt.
The students burst into cheers at once.
Snape versus Lockhart hadn't been much of a show.
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