Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 177 Draco: That's it?

"The two sides exchanged greetings..."

On the candlelit platform, Snape, opposite Melvin, raised his wand and bowed. The wand in his hand was unusually long, thirteen and a half inches, made of birch wood. It was a light-colored wand, but it was unknown how much tung oil and potions had been applied to it to give it this dark color.

Snape's wand was extremely mysterious; even Flitwick and Sprout didn't know its origin. Rumors circulated among the students that it was made from the nerves of a snake or the wing membrane of a Voldemort bat. At first glance, this seemed fitting for the Slytherin headmaster's style, but Ollivanders was the only wand shop in Britain, and the wands sold there used only three types of cores:

Phoenix feathers, unicorn tail hair, and the heart nerves of a fire dragon.

Unicorns reject dark magic, and dragons prefer violent spells, neither of which fit Snape's character, so Melvin is more inclined to believe the answer is a phoenix feather.

There were scattered cheers and shouts around the platform.

Melvin listened carefully and was pleased to see that most of the students were cheering him on. Even the Slytherin students had their supporters; the young wizards were indeed discerning.

Flitwick grinned, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle: "Both professors are ready for battle, but I must remind you that the main purpose of today's exhibition match is to demonstrate the Disarming Charm and the Ironclad Charm. Please try to avoid involving other spells, especially dark magic, okay?"

“Yes, Professor Flitwick,” Melvin replied with a smile.

“…” Snape simply nodded slightly.

"Ready, one, two, three!"

【Expelliarmus】

Snape's eyes narrowed, and he quickly turned to the side and swung his wand, casting a disarming spell.

"Buzz!"

A brief flash of white light lingered in mid-air, rippling outwards with a silvery sheen.

"Professor Levent's Ironclad Charm is outstanding!"

Flitwick's booming voice echoed throughout the auditorium, "Everyone, pay close attention and carefully feel this wondrous magical shield. It has no fixed shape and no bright color. If your casting action is quick enough, it will be difficult to attract the enemy's attention, causing their attack to miss unexpectedly."

"However, Professor Levent needs to be careful. This is a dueling class exhibition match. Try not to use silent casting or wandless casting techniques. The students, like Professor Snape, are not prepared."

The young wizards watching burst into laughter: "Hahahaha..."

Pretending not to notice Professor Snape's dark expression, Melvin nodded apologetically: "Yes, Professor."

【Expelliarmus】

As soon as he finished speaking, Snape launched a new attack. His wand was almost a blur as he swung it, and each strike unleashed a swift disarming spell. If they weren't on the platform, his attacks could have covered almost half of the Great Hall.

Snape was trying to find a weakness in the Ironclad Curse through frequent and rapid attacks, or rather, to force Melvin to reveal a weakness, so as to defeat this impolite young colleague in one fell swoop.

However, a series of soft sounds came from mid-air, which were the dense ringing of more than a dozen spells hitting the iron armor.

Melvin softly chanted the incantation, raising his wand. Although it was just an Ironclad Charm, it covered the entire area in front of him. Whether the spell was aimed at his chest or his toes, it crashed into the unbreakable magical shield, producing a deep metallic tremor.

"Many wizards believe that the Armor Charm can only summon a small shield to block a single spell attack, but Professor Levent's demonstration proves this wrong. The incantation for the Armor Charm is Armor Protection, which can protect the whole body like solid armor and block incoming spells as well as arrows and axes."

"Bang bang..."

The dull thuds continued in succession.

Snape remained expressionless, his gaze growing increasingly intense. He had noticed this during the last duel performance; this guy's Ironclad Charm wasn't just armor, it was practically a tortoise shell, protecting not only his entire body but also some spells that brushed past him.

He made several probing attacks, almost completely off-target from the platform, but they were still blocked.

Sturdy and reliable.

But as he tried to slow his attack, an ominous premonition arose, and the unexpected turn of events ahead made his pupils shrink.

The disarming spells cast in the previous round were blocked, but instead of being annihilated in front of the magic shield, they trembled with light and splashed back in a different direction.

Flitwick couldn't help but raise his voice to comment: "Watch closely! The Ironclad Charm can not only defend, but also seize the opportunity to counterattack. A skilled wizard can use the Ironclad Charm to deflect the enemy's spells."

The young wizards' eyes widened. Professor Levent had demonstrated the Ironclad Charm's rebound before, but it wasn't as visually striking as it was now. They now realized that Professor Levent's Ironclad Charm could rebound over a wide area.

On the left side of the arena, Snape's brows were already furrowed. He had just used a spell to test for gaps in the defense, which covered almost an entire area. His armor spell was not as proficient as Melvin's, and the magic shield he hastily erected could only block a portion of the spells coming from directly in front of him.

If it were a battle in the wild, a single Apparition would suffice to evade it, but this is a ring.

His own attack was too swift, making it impossible for him to defend himself.

As the curse struck, Snape subtly adjusted the direction of the Armor Charm.

As a former Death Eater and the headmaster of Slytherin, Snape had ample combat experience and could utilize his dueling wisdom even when at a disadvantage.

"Bang bang..."

The spell directly in front struck the magic shield first, a mirror-like silver light flashed, and the spell changed direction, not towards Melvin opposite, but towards the other spells that were about to hit him.

As the light burst forth, the two spells collided, creating a shockwave that caused the candlelight to flicker and sparks to fly, making the scene as dazzling as fireworks.

The two professors stopped simultaneously, bowed again in respect, and were met with a round of applause.

George and Fred led the way in whistling and screaming, their shouts nearly lifting the auditorium off its feet and making our ears ring.

In a corner of the platform where no one was paying attention, a spark landed on Flitwick's robe, nearly igniting it, which startled him so much that he immediately patted it off.

"Um……"

Professor Flitwick watched the two leave, his eyes filled with suspicion. He wasn't sure if it was an accident or something the two had planned.

They just recruited them as teaching assistants, why burn their robes?

"Cough cough..."

Flitwick coughed twice, suppressing the long-lasting cheers: "Thank you again to the two professors for the wonderful exhibition match. Well, I still have to say that the techniques they just demonstrated are not very useful for reference, and the teaching effect was also very average... Students can refer to their ideas, but do not try to replicate their techniques. Normally, a wizard would not throw out a dozen or so disarming spells in a row, and the armor spell could not cover such a large area."

"Now, let's begin our group practice."

"..."

Melvin, as a guest teaching assistant, mingled among the students, guiding their practice and chatting with Snape for a bit.

Having suffered a minor setback in the ring, Snape was slightly indifferent, but not angry. He didn't put on a bad face, only occasionally making sarcastic remarks during the conversation.

But then again, when has Snape ever spoken without his barbs?

Melvin didn't see any problem: "There will be dueling classes every week from now on. Will Professor Snape continue to be a guest teaching assistant?"

“This is Felius’s club, not mine.”

Snape was instructing a Slytherin student to raise his wand higher when casting spells. After three repetitions, the student still wouldn't listen, so Snape rolled up his sleeve and gave him a whack on the head, making him hold the wand still. The headmaster's gaze was extremely intimidating, frightening the student into raising his wand like a quail.

Snape chatted with Melvin while keeping an eye on the students' movements: "We've already taught the Disarming Charm and the Armor Charm. Next time, let Professor McGonagall come up on stage and demonstrate the role of Transfiguration in duels."

"I agree."

Melvin saw that the student's hands were trembling and his face was contorted with pain, looking like he was about to cry. Kind-hearted Melvin couldn't bear to see a student being punished, so he shook his head and turned away.

As Melvin walked among the students, guiding and correcting their spellcasting movements, he suddenly stopped, his eyes brightening as if he had received some good news, and quickly walked out of the auditorium.

……

"Harry Potter!"

The platinum-blonde-haired young wizard held a hawthorn wand, his face filled with the determination to face his nemesis. The wand was 10 inches long, longer than half an arm, with a unicorn tail hair core that reflected the essence of magic and was not easily affected by other spells.

"Draco Malfoy."

Harry held up his destined wand, his expression and eyes equally resolute: "You've been looking forward to this duel for a long time, haven't you?"

Yes, I know you are too.

"..."

Harry pursed his lips, feeling slightly guilty.

He wasn't really looking forward to it. He spent a few days in the hospital during the holiday, and after being discharged, he was only interested in having fun. When he had some free time, he was thinking about the Basilisk, the Chamber of Secrets, and the Professor's plans. He didn't really care about this battle.

"What do you mean? Why won't you speak!" Draco said angrily, pointing at him.

“Ahem…” Harry cleared his throat. “Yes, I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time too.”

"..."

"Besides, don't you think something's missing if we start the duel like this?"

"What?" Draco frowned.

“Those famous wizarding duels all come with conditions; the loser has to pay a price,” Harry said solemnly. “I think today’s duel will also require a heavy stake!”

"What...what kind of bet do you want?"

Draco felt a little flustered, and many things flashed through his mind in an instant: breaking his wand and never using magic again, the loser losing his freedom and becoming a slave, having the other person's mark branded on his face, and the shame that would accompany him for a lifetime.

That's how it's written in storybooks.

"I want your house-elf."

"More than?"

Draco was incredulous. He had thought it was some kind of heavy bet, something that sounded so intimidating, but it turned out to be just this?
"That's right, it's Dobby. What do you want?"

"..."

Draco thought about it carefully and realized that there was nothing he wanted in this guy. The Potter family used to be in the shampoo business. The wealth accumulated over generations was not even as much as his family's income in half a year. What good stuff could he have?

"I haven't decided yet. I'll tell you when I do. Let's duel first!"

"I agree!"

Harry's thinking was simple: he wouldn't lose, so he didn't care what the other party wanted.

"Ready, one, two, three!"

……

Melvin walked down the corridor to the courtyard and strolled along the moonlit path. The snow had not completely melted, and some frost remained on the ground, stained with yellowish-brown mud, making it look dirty. The night was foggy, and the fog carried a faint, earthy smell, cool to the touch.

The students were all gathered in the auditorium practicing spells. The courtyard was quiet, and you could hear your own footsteps as you walked on the snow.

He could also immediately sense when others approached, such as the old headmaster who couldn't sleep. Dumbledore had a habit of going to the kitchen before bed to get a cup of piping hot cocoa, and then carrying the hot cocoa back to his room. One reason was that he didn't want to bother the house-elves, and the other was that he could take a walk. He always encountered interesting things at school at night.

Melvin found a secluded corner in the courtyard, intending to sense the fluctuations emanating from the Ouroboros mark. Before he could even close his eyes, he heard the old headmaster's footsteps.

"Melvin, what are you doing here so late?" Dumbledore approached with a smile, bringing with him the enticing aroma of cocoa.

"Just basking in the moonlight," Melvin replied irritably.

"Well……"

Dumbledore looked up at the sky. It was the day after the full moon, and it still looked like a full moon, a perfectly round, silvery-white mass. A few clouds formed from the melting snow drifted slowly beside it, making it look even more serene and beautiful.

"it's beautiful……"

Dumbledore sighed softly, "I don't like a full moon; it brings back some not-so-pleasant memories."

"Actually, there are more good memories than bad ones, but people have a deeper impression of negative emotions, so it's easier to recall bad memories." Melvin wasn't in a hurry anymore. Whether it was Rita or Peter, or whatever the news was, it wasn't urgent in these few minutes.

Dumbledore laughed upon hearing this: "Muggle psychology?"

"It's actually brain science."

Melvin explained, "The main structure in the brain responsible for memory is the hippocampus, but recall also requires the participation of the prefrontal cortex and amygdala. The amygdala is mainly involved in emotional control, especially intense emotions like fear and anger, which leave a lasting impression. Other memorable emotions include grief, sadness, and despair..."

Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully: "Perhaps I should take out the fond memories and store them separately, then put them in the Pensieve during the full moon to relive those wonderful times?"

"..."

Melvin remained noncommittal.

As the old headmaster slowly walked away and his figure disappeared around the corner of the corridor, Melvin closed his eyes and focused his mind on the ouroboros mark.

As his consciousness spread with the magic, he knew he was still in the courtyard of Hogwarts, but he clearly felt a sense of weightlessness. The castle walls around him seemed to melt away like snow, and the space turned into nothingness.

There was no tangible entity, only a hazy, indistinct gray mist.

A few clusters of silver light flowed through the gray fog.

Those were the anchor points of Apparition. At this moment, one of them was dim, but its shape was exceptionally clear. It was an ouroboros constantly spinning, transmitting strong emotional fluctuations.

Melvin immersed his consciousness in that ray of light.

A slightly salty sea breeze swept over him, and waves crashed against the rocks one after another. In the misty, deep blue waves, a short, stout middle-aged man floated on a piece of wood, as if he were about to fall into the sea at any moment.

(End of this chapter)