Chapter 160 - 159 — Dueling Club

Chapter 160: Chapter 159 — Dueling Club

Chapter 159 — Dueling Club

Harry knew Snape suspected him, so he tried to look confused, as though he were wondering who had done it.

But Snape didn’t believe a single one of his expressions.

As long as there was someone in this classroom who looked like James Potter, that person was bound to be a bastard!

"He knew it was me!"

Harry whispered after they left the classroom.

"He has no evidence. Don’t worry!"

Ron whispered back.

They were afraid that Vesey, who was completely "unaware" of what they had done, would find out and feel uncomfortable.

After all, how could Vesey, who had always been so upright and honest, possibly get involved in something like this?

Harry thought about it seriously.

A week later, just as Hermione announced that the Polyjuice Potion was almost ready, they noticed a notice posted in the entrance hall.

"They’re opening a Dueling Club!"

Ron said excitedly after reading it.

Harry and Hermione’s eyes lit up as well.

Only Vesey looked worried.

"No one will get hurt, right? I wish I could help everyone."

[Ding! Energy Points +10]

[Ding! Energy Points +10]

[Ding! Energy Points +10]

[...]

Harry and the others rubbed Vesey’s long hair.

Vesey was always so kind. They already knew that.

"Don’t worry. The professors will definitely be there. They won’t let the students get hurt."

They reassured her confidently.

Eight o’clock that evening.

They packed up their things and headed to the Great Hall.

All the dining tables had been pushed to the sides, and a raised platform had been set up in the middle.

Almost every student had come.

Everyone was looking forward to the Dueling Club.

With the Chamber of Secrets having been opened, they felt it was a good idea to learn some defensive magic.

"Who do you think will teach us?"

"Maybe Professor Flitwick. He was a dueling champion when he was young!"

"Maybe Professor McGonagall!"

"That would be great! But Professor McGonagall is too strict. I hope they can find a professor who isn’t so fierce!"

A professor who wasn’t fierce?

Vesey was sitting there and almost wanted to give them a spoiler.

Lockhart definitely isn’t fierce. I hope you like him.

But there was no need for her to say anything.

Because Lockhart had already rushed onto the platform.

He was wearing a purple robe and a red cape, looking particularly dazzling.

Standing beside him was Snape in a simple black robe.

Just looking at him was enough to make people nervous.

Vesey could almost hear the desperate groans of the students around her.

Most of them were probably thinking:

If we’d known this was going to happen, we never would have come!

These were practically two of the professors most students disliked.

Of course, Vesey didn’t think that way.

She pretended to be surprised and greeted Snape.

"Professor, you’re amazing!"

she said loudly.

Snape gave a reserved smile and proudly raised a hand to wave at her.

Lockhart saw everyone cheering for Snape and immediately shouted,

"Come on, come on, children! Cheer for me just like Miss Potter did! Just like her!"

Vesey’s mouth twitched.

Then she pursed her lips and looked slightly angry.

Everyone knew why she was upset.

Lockhart had caused all the bones in Harry’s arm to disappear, leaving him in pain throughout the night.

That had made Vesey furious.

She hadn’t even called him "Professor Lockhart" since then.

And now, after she had just greeted Snape, Lockhart was acting as though she had been cheering for him.

Still, Vesey apparently decided to spare him some embarrassment and didn’t tease him to his face.

But everyone felt that Lockhart probably wouldn’t appreciate her restraint.

Everyone knew how thick-skinned he was.

Sure enough, Lockhart didn’t notice that Vesey was angry at all.

He continued proudly,

"Dumbledore has allowed me to open this club so that I can properly train everyone in case anything unexpected happens to you one day.

"Now, let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape. He heard that I was organizing this Dueling Club, so he came over to help. He has even agreed to give a demonstration with me for everyone to learn from."

Snape’s lips curled into a sinister smile.

Almost everyone who knew him recognized that he had ulterior motives.

And the target of those motives was probably Lockhart.

Harry and the others were delighted.

They genuinely hoped that both Snape and Lockhart would suffer.

Of course, it would be even better if Snape could kill Lockhart outright and then somehow get himself into trouble.

Lockhart had no idea that so many people were secretly wishing him ill.

He and Snape stood on opposite sides of the platform.

Lockhart bowed.

It was an extremely flashy bow.

Snape, on the other hand, merely gave a slight nod, looking impatient and eager to get this over with.

They each raised their wands in front of their chests like swords.

"On the count of three, we’ll cast our first spell. Of course, neither of us will take the other’s life. I’ll return your Potions Professor to you completely unharmed!"

Snape gave another mocking laugh.

"Not necessarily."

Lockhart apparently hadn’t heard him clearly.

"Sorry?"

But Snape had already begun counting.

"One..."

"Two..."

"Three!"

"Expelliarmus!"

Lockhart’s wand flew out of his hand.

The force of the spell sent him flying off the platform. He slammed into the wall and then crashed heavily to the floor.

Vesey was speechless.

As someone who disliked Lockhart, she watched him carefully.

The moment she saw that he could still get back up, she smiled.

She even gave Snape a thumbs-up.

Snape tilted his head proudly.

He had come to this Dueling Club specifically to vent his anger on Vesey’s behalf.

Vesey had been furious because Lockhart had injured Harry.

Snape, meanwhile, had been furious because Lockhart had pushed Vesey aside, causing her ankle to swell.

Until he got this anger out of his system, he simply wouldn’t be able to sleep properly at night.

Malfoy and the other Slytherins even cheered.

Of course, they weren’t the only ones.

Even Harry and the others, who had always disliked Snape, thought Snape’s performance had been wonderful.

Still, it would have been even better if Snape had killed Lockhart outright.

If Lockhart died, Snape could go to Azkaban, and the wizarding world would finally have some peace.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to happen.

Besides students like Vesey, who wanted to see Lockhart get beaten up, there were naturally still some of his admirers.

There weren’t many, but a few remained.

For example, Miss Brown kindly picked up Lockhart’s wand.

Another girl Vesey didn’t recognize helped him back to his feet.

Perhaps because he had received some support from his fans, Lockhart immediately regained his courage.

He boldly declared,

"Did you see that? That was the Disarming Charm, and as you can see, I lost my wand.

"But it doesn’t matter. I know Severus can do it.

"Honestly, I had a hundred different ways to stop Professor Snape just now, but I deliberately didn’t use any of them because I wanted everyone to see clearly.

"Well, Severus, your technique really is excellent!"