Ch273- King of the Duelling Club!
Join my Discord!
The group made their way into the Duelling Club, where the usual bustle of students practicing spells filled the air. Sparks flickered as incantations echoed throughout the room, the occasional thud of a spell hitting a practice dummy adding to the chaos. Spell books hovered nearby recording each student's progress. It was a useful tool, showing everyone exactly where they messed up and what needed improvement.
Harry stood off to the side, arms folded, watching the group with mild interest. He kept an eye on Draco and Blaise, who were locked in a light-hearted duel, their banter as sharp as their spells. He couldn't help but smirk when Draco's wand sent Blaise's flying with a well-aimed Expelliarmus. Blaise groaned from the floor, but the grin on his face suggested he wasn't too bothered by the loss.
"Not bad, Draco," Harry called over, his tone casual.
"Better than 'not bad,' thank you very much," Draco retorted. Blaise muttered something unintelligible from the floor, earning a laugh from Daphne and Pansy, who were watching the spectacle.
Suddenly, a small figure darted through the group, heading straight for Harry. Astoria came skidding to a stop in front of him, her eyes bright with excitement as she thrust her spell book at him. "Harry, look!" she said, practically bouncing on her feet. "I leveled up to two in Wingardium Leviosa!"
Harry glanced at the page, noting the neat record of her progress. He let out a low whistle. "That’s quick," he said, genuinely impressed. "Well done, Astoria." He reached out and gave her a quick pat on the head.
Astoria beamed, her cheeks flushed with pride as she tucked her spell book back under her arm. "Thanks! I've been practicing loads," she added, clearly pleased with the acknowledgment.
"Keep it up," Harry said with a nod.
Harry turned to Draco, a sly grin on his face. “Don't get too comfortable, Malfoy. You know what happens when you do. Might have to humble you.”
Draco, knowing full well what "Harry's humbling" meant, gave a nonchalant shrug but wisely kept his head down, pretending not to hear. Harry chuckled, letting him off the hook for now.
Shifting his attention, Harry called out to Daphne, “How about you try dueling that thing over there?” He pointed toward a peculiar device at the far side of the room, a sleek black sphere with intricate runes etched across its surface.
Astoria, who had been quietly listening, tilted her head in curiosity. “What is that?” she asked, her eyes wide with interest.
Harry smiled, pleased with her enthusiasm. “It’s something I’m working on. A training device. It remembers the spells you use on it, and then fires them back at you after a delay based on your spell’s level. So, if you cast Wingardium Leviosa, which I know you’ve just leveled up to two, it’ll attack you after 1.9 seconds. If it were a level three spell, it would hit back in 1.8 seconds.”
Astoria’s eyes lit up with understanding. “So, you’ve got to be quick and know how strong your own spells are?”
“Exactly,” Harry confirmed. “It forces you to anticipate and respond to your own magic. It’ll keep you on your toes.”
Daphne raised an eyebrow, glancing skeptically at the device. “And what happens if it fires back something like... I don’t know, a Stupefy?”
Harry grinned, sidestepping her poke effortlessly. "Not a chance, Davis. You'll just have to keep guessing."
Tracey scowled, but there was a glint of mischief in her eyes. "You’re no fun," she pouted.
Draco, leaning against one of the dueling dummies, shook his head, smirking. "You’re really not going to tell us, are you?"
Harry shot him a glance, the grin still playing at the corner of his lips. "Wouldn’t be any fun if I did."
Astoria, who had been watching the exchange quietly, piped up. "What about a duel? You against all of us? Bet you can’t beat all of us."
Harry raised an eyebrow at the suggestion, clearly amused by the idea. "All of you? At once?" He let out a soft chuckle. "Not sure that’s entirely fair."
Pansy rolled her eyes. "Oh please, Potter, like you’d actually need help against us."
Harry shook his head. "No, really, it wouldn’t be fair... for you lot." His tone was light but confident, a slight tease in his voice.
The group groaned collectively, rolling their eyes as they muttered under their breaths. "You and your big head, Potter," Pansy shot back, tossing a glare his way as she turned to leave. "It’s going to be your downfall."
Pansy turned sharply on her heel, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she started walking away. The rest of the group, grumbling their agreement, followed her lead, though some cast amused glances back at Harry.
Harry just chuckled. "C’mon, I’m just giving you a reality check," he called after them, his tone light, though there was an edge of challenge. "Don’t want you lot thinking you’re unbeatable."
Tracey paused mid-step, shooting Harry a mock glare. "Unbeatable? You just wait. We’ll come up with something that'll knock you off that pedestal," she said with a mischievous glint in her eye before jogging to catch up with Pansy and the others.
Harry raised his voice, "Hear ye, hear ye! The King of Duelling Club doth accept thy challenge!" He waved his arms dramatically, "I await thee, brave challengers!"
The group didn’t even bother to glance back, rolling their eyes at his antics as they walked away. Harry chuckled to himself, his smile wide as he watched them disappear into the distance. Shaking his head, Harry followed behind at a slower pace, hands casually in his pockets.
--
Please rate and review! Much appreciated! Leave a comment, tell me what you think!
To Read up to 50 advance Chapters (25 for each novel) and support me...
Please drop a comment and like the chapter!