A Real Duel
"Boys, boys," said the masked hero, Lockhart, as he walked among the students, looking over the aftermath of the duels.
"Up you get, Macmillan. Easy there, Miss Fawcett. Pinch him hard, Boot, and he'll stop bleeding in a minute," he said in an almost commanding tone, putting on the air of someone in charge of the Dueling Club while shaking his head in disapproval at each student.
That made Hermione, who had finally calmed down, unable to help feeling embarrassed for a moment as she picked up her wand.
"It seems we'll need quite a few of these lessons before everyone improves. Although I did notice that some of you weren't all that bad," Lockhart said a moment later, his gaze sweeping across the students before settling on Harry as he spoke those last words. "Even so, perhaps starting with offensive spells was a bit too much for you. I should begin by teaching you how to intercept spells, just as I did earlier with Professor Snape," he added with a satisfied air.
"It may be that our earlier demonstration wasn't quite enlightening enough, Professor, since it ended rather quickly," Snape said immediately, his expression making his true intentions painfully obvious.
Lockhart, who had been standing with his arms crossed, froze for a moment.
"Er... well. I don't think that's really necessary," he said quickly.
"I insist, Professor. After all, we didn't truly demonstrate very much. And with your remarkable skill, you should be able to dodge another two or three spells with ease, shouldn't you?" Snape pressed.
Lockhart cleared his throat and adjusted his mask once again.
"Well, I suppose there's no helping it. I hope you'll understand if I don't perform at my very best. After all, ever since my battle against that wicked Dark Knight, the scar on my face has been a constant nuisance, preventing me from concentrating fully. But, as you said, I should be able to deflect two or three spells."
"Oh, even better. Let's have a proper duel, as it should be. That way the students can see exactly what they should expect to learn under your instruction this year," Snape added with a mocking smile, as though this had been his plan from the very beginning.
Even the students seemed to understand what he was really after.
After all, who didn't know that Snape had always wanted the Defence Against the Dark Arts position, the one that never seemed to end up in his hands?
That only made the spectators even more excited, their eyes shining with anticipation.
Even the masked hero's admirers began cheering him on, wiping away any chance he had of escaping the duel.
"Then, as you wish, Professor Snape," Lockhart said, trying to sound calm, though he looked noticeably nervous.
That drew a particularly unpleasant smile from Snape.
There wasn't much left to say after that, so both professors climbed back onto the platform beneath the excited gazes of the students.
Some of them were watching with more than a little nervousness.
Even Harry and Percy couldn't help watching with genuine interest.
The previous demonstration had ended far too quickly to prove much of anything.
But now...
Now they would find out whether what Lockhart had done earlier had simply been luck...
Or something else.
The hall fell silent.
Every eye was fixed on the two professors as they took their places opposite one another, exchanged the customary bow and formal courtesies of a duel, then lowered their wands and walked to opposite ends of the platform.
"Granger, if you'd be so kind as to do the count," Lockhart said with a smile.
That made Hermione flinch slightly.
But she quickly cleared her throat and began.
"One... two..."
She couldn't help squeezing one eye shut, as though she were afraid someone was about to get hurt.
And if anyone was...
It would almost certainly be the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor.
"Three!"
The instant she spoke the final number, both professors moved their wands at the same time.
But this time Snape moved several times faster than he had during the previous demonstration.
As though he wasn't holding back in the slightest anymore.
Even the incantation left his mouth so quickly that some of the students didn't even manage to hear it properly.
"Expelliarmus!"
Lockhart didn't lose his smile until he saw the red flash hurtling toward him at a speed that was almost impossible to follow.
For the first time, his expression turned serious in an instant.
And the movements that had seemed slightly clumsy before suddenly became firm. He flicked his wrist just as he had earlier, catching the Potions professor's spell.
But this time he didn't make an exaggerated spin.
Instead, he simply swept his arm over his head with phenomenal skill.
And sent the spell right back where it had come from.
But as if Professor Snape had already expected that, he raised his wand.
"Protego!" he shouted, and an invisible shield stopped the spell in front of him, making it vanish.
This time, however, Snape's face showed genuine surprise.
As though he hadn't expected Lockhart to actually be capable of defending himself.
If he'd thought it had merely been a coincidence before, that thought disappeared completely now.
But it didn't stop him.
"Confringo!" Snape shouted, changing spells.
This time, a ball of fire shot from the tip of his wand, a little slower than Expelliarmus, and Lockhart prepared himself to receive it.
But halfway there, the spell exploded in midair.
Three smaller flames burst from the explosion.
Much smaller...
But much faster.
They shot toward Lockhart with the same explosive power.
Lockhart's eyes tracked all three projectiles.
Then he intercepted the one coming straight at him and flicked his wand like a whip, sending it crashing into the projectile on the right.
The two collided in an explosion close enough to make several students duck, hoping not to end up with Ron's hairstyle.
Though, judging by the size of the flames, Snape seemed to have reduced the spell's power considerably.
Lockhart caught the third projectile and began spinning his wand, forcing the flame to whirl around as though it had been trapped inside a tiny vortex.
Then he raised his wand over his head and sent the projectile back at Snape.
All of it happened in a single instant, before Snape could even finish casting his next spell.
The Potions professor had no choice but to stop mid-cast and raise his wand to intercept the projectile.
But unlike Lockhart, Snape sent it toward the ceiling, as though he couldn't replicate what the Defence professor had done.
Or rather...
Judging by the look on Snape's face, that was exactly the case.
A look of surprise.
Confusion...
And unmistakable disbelief.
But before the professor could make another move, Lockhart actually raised both hands, his smile returning to his face.
"I surrender."
"What?" Snape asked, his wand still poised to launch his next attack.
"I think that's enough. I believe the students have seen enough to learn from," Lockhart said calmly as he looked toward the students, whose mouths hung open in surprise and excitement.
Even among them, Ron looked the most shocked.
Not counting Percy and Harry, who were staring fixedly at the Defence professor, as though they had never expected him to actually be this good.
Hermione, who had covered her eyes with her hands while secretly peeking through her fingers the entire time, immediately turned toward her friends with a smile that clearly said:
See? I told you so.
And at that moment...
No one had a single word to argue with her.
Snape let out an annoyed grunt, relaxing from his fighting stance before putting his wand away, looking far from pleased about winning that way.
"Well, I think our lesson has gone on a little longer than expected, so I'm afraid we'll have to end it here. But don't worry. The next Dueling Club meeting will be next week, where we'll continue studying disarming and spell deflection," Lockhart said, taking charge of the class once more.
Several students, still excited after watching the professors fight, looked eager to try it themselves.
Unfortunately...
That was all for today.
As the students began filing out, Harry looked at Lockhart one last time.
He was no longer sure which was stranger.
That the professor had hidden that level of skill for all this time...
Or that he seemed so afraid of using it.