"Have you heard? The Duelling Club is being reinstated!" Ron said with great seriousness as he sat in the Great Hall eating lunch. "It hasn't been held for years."
"What exactly is a Duelling Club?" Harry asked, pausing with his glass of pumpkin juice halfway to his mouth.
"It's all about wizarding duels!" Ron replied happily. "Two wizards using every skill at their disposal just to defeat their opponent…"
"Strictly speaking, not all skills," Hermione interjected from the side. "The Dark Arts are strictly forbidden."
That made sense. Harry nodded in agreement. If the Dark Arts could be used freely, wouldn't Unforgivable Curses like the Killing Curse be far too much of a cheat?
"But I read that the club was originally suspended because of a terrible accident," Hermione added thoughtfully. "Apparently, a second-year student died."
"What?" Ron swallowed nervously. "It won't be that dangerous this time, will it?"
"Of course it will..." a harsh, drawling voice interrupted. "Ah, Weasley, are you already trembling with fear?"
Ron turned his head to see that thoroughly annoying boy standing behind him.
"That's none of your business, Malfoy," Harry said, glaring up at the blond boy.
"Of course it is," Malfoy sneered, his eyes narrowing maliciously. "Especially if Weasley ends up facing..."
He suddenly lunged forward. "Avada Kedavra!" "Ah!" Ron shrieked in terror, throwing his hands up to protect his face.
But there was no flash of green light; it was merely Malfoy's cruel idea of a joke.
Seeing Ron so utterly disheveled, Malfoy burst into laughter. "Just you wait, Weasley. If we get paired up to duel..."
"...I could defeat you without even drawing my wand." With a dismissive flick of his hand, he strutted away toward the Slytherin table.
"What a foul git," Harry muttered. He frowned, watching Hermione attempt to comfort a still-pale Ron.
"If there's a chance to duel later, let me fight him," Harry said, tightly gripping his wand.
"Or me," Hermione grumbled unhappily. "I'll jinx his front teeth out."
Even though the interactions between the students were far from friendly, it certainly proved how highly anticipated the Duelling Club was.
Later that afternoon, the Great Hall was absolutely packed. The dining tables had vanished, replaced by a gilded dueling stage.
Almost every student from first to sixth year who didn't have a class had gathered eagerly around it.
"I wonder what Professor Lockhart will teach us," Hermione said excitedly, bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet. "He must be incredible at wizarding duels."
"I just hope he doesn't try to teach us how to block curses with a dazzling smile," Ron muttered from her side.
He earned a sharp glare from Hermione, but perhaps because she was just glad to see he had recovered his nerve, she didn't scold him.
Harry looked around the room curiously. "Duels require two people, don't they?"
"If Professor Lockhart is one of the duelists, who is he going to duel against?"
"I don't know," Hermione said, shaking her head. "I asked Professor McGonagall about it this morning."
"She didn't seem to know either."
"Could it be Professor Flitwick?" Harry wondered aloud. He had heard rumors that the tiny Charms Master was once a European Duelling Champion.
"It's highly possible," Hermione agreed after pondering the idea. "Professor Lockhart's opponent certainly won't be weak."
"If the skill gap between the two sides is too large, the demonstration will just look like bullying."
"I know who it is," a light, dreamy voice suddenly drifted over, causing the three Gryffindors to turn their heads.
It was a younger girl with straggly, waist-length pale blonde hair. She tilted her head, her protuberant eyes giving her a distinctly ethereal look.
"Who are you?" Harry asked, looking at her with a confused expression.
"I'm Luna Lovegood. And you are Harry," Luna said, her unblinking gaze shifting between them. "You are Ronald, and you're Hermione, right?"
"You actually know me?" Ron asked in surprise. "And nobody really calls me Ronald."
"But that is your name, isn't it?" Luna replied, tilting her head slightly.
"So, who is dueling Professor Lockhart?" Hermione interrupted, having little patience for pleasantries right now. "It's another professor, right?"
"Mm," Luna nodded earnestly. "It's Lyla."
"Lyla?" The three Gryffindors exchanged baffled glances.
"Wait, isn't that Professor Hamilton's first name?" Hermione asked, her brow furrowing.
"It is Professor Hamilton," Luna nodded, confirming Hermione's realization. "But I much prefer to call her Lyla."
"Isn't that a bit disrespectful?" Hermione asked, slightly scandalized. "Professor Hamilton is a highly qualified witch... Wait, so she is the one dueling Professor Lockhart?"
"Mm-hmm," Luna hummed softly. She was now staring intently at the empty space just above Hermione's head.
"I think you might have an infestation of Wrackspurts," she noted dreamily. "They fly in through your ears and make your brain go fuzzy. They will certainly interfere with your judgment."
Her sudden, bizarrely mystical diagnosis stunned the three of them into absolute silence.
"Ah well... I'm going to find a better vantage point," Luna said with a serene smile.
She shrugged, then casually climbed onto a nearby chair using both hands and feet to perch herself high above the crowd.
"Are all Ravenclaw students like that?" Ron whispered incredulously. Harry and Hermione just exchanged bewildered looks.
Clang. The heavy oak doors of the Great Hall were thrown open. In walked Professor Lockhart, resplendent in magnificent golden robes embroidered with the Hogwarts crest and his own sweeping signature.
"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen of Hogwarts!" he boomed, striding confidently toward the dueling stage. His smile was dazzlingly bright.
"Through my tireless petitioning, Headmaster Dumbledore has finally agreed to reinstate the Duelling Club!" he declared, raising an eyebrow to clearly take full credit for the event.
The arrogant display made Harry and Ron feel slightly nauseous.
Hermione, however, looked enraptured. She even started applauding Professor Lockhart's grand speech.
"Alright, alright, my dear fans, no need for such thunderous applause," Lockhart said, waving a hand modestly. "I didn't persuade Dumbledore just to hear you clap."
"I did it because I want every single one of you to learn how to defend yourselves!" He raised his wand theatrically and pointed it back toward the closed doors of the Great Hall.
"Now, please welcome my esteemed assistant, who has graciously agreed to help me run this club..."
"Professor Lyla Hamilton!"
Amidst a wave of surprised gasps from the student body, the doors slowly creaked open again.
A petite figure draped in a heavy black robe and wearing her signature silver mask stood in the doorway.
She silently surveyed the packed hall for a moment before she began to slowly walk forward.
As if driven by a subconscious instinct, the students' murmurs and applause faded into complete silence.
Everyone watched in awe as the terrifyingly silent Professor glided up to the stage to stand by Lockhart's side.
"Thank you for your assistance, Professor Hamilton." Lockhart flashed her a brilliant smile, then quickly raised both hands to hype up the crowd.
"Everyone, please give a warm round of applause for Professor Hamilton, won't you?"
"Because very shortly, we are going to perform an unparalleled dueling demonstration for you... one that will surely go down in Hogwarts history!"