Simultaneously traversing: the pinnacle of all realms

Chapter 80 Duel Club

That evening, Xavier had just returned from the kitchen. As usual, he went to mooch some hot food and also asked the house-elves about Dobby's whereabouts, but none of them had seen him.

"Mr. Ethan, if we see any unfamiliar little elves, we will definitely tell you."

A bunch of ugly house-elves, their eyes as big as billiard balls, crowded at the kitchen doorway, watching Xavier leave.

One of them even waved the rag in its hand at him, its reluctant departure making Xavier feel like he was about to go on a long trip. He turned back and waved back at them, and the little elf sniffed and pressed the rag to the corner of its eye.

But Xavier learned something, and he confirmed one thing—Hogwarts' defensive limitations against house-elves were not as great as he had imagined.

For a wizard to use teleportation, they not only need to systematically learn and obtain a license, but also rely heavily on a clear visual imagination of the destination, and must follow the 3D principle of "Destination, Determination, and Deliberation".

Furthermore, the spellcasting process is accompanied by an intense feeling of oppression, suffocation, and pain, as well as loud explosions. If the operation is not performed properly, it can even cause a "split" accident that tears the body apart.

In the original storyline, Susan Bornes injured her leg during practice, and Ron Weasley also had a large chunk of flesh torn off his arm due to being split apart during his escape.

This curse is forbidden in many important places—Hogwarts is one of them.

It is strictly forbidden for underage wizards to use it, although not many wizards care about the Ministry of Magic's regulations.

House-elves' teleportation is a completely different matter.

That is instinctive magic that requires no learning, no wand, and no spells.

You can go directly there without prior familiarization with the location; it's silent, unhurried, and the process is smooth and painless.

Moreover, it has extremely strong penetrating power and can even ignore Hogwarts' many powerful defenses.

There was nothing they could do to stop him, not even the dungeons of Malfoy Manor or the cave where Voldemort kept his Horcruxes.

Their abilities are not controlled by the Ministry of Magic, but are firmly bound by the will of their masters.

This is actually quite dangerous, and to some extent it shows that many wizards do not regard house-elves as an important force; they seem unaware that house-elves are also very powerful.

If most house-elves hadn't been absolutely obedient to wizards and their minds hadn't been domesticated, something even more serious than the goblin rebellion might have happened.

After all, ignoring things often leaves more loopholes than fearing them.

As Xavier pondered these thoughts, he pushed open the door to the common room and saw Ernie run in from outside, bringing news that was even more enticing than dinner.

"Duel Club!"

He stepped onto a chair, held up a piece of parchment, and shouted, "Lockhart is starting a dueling club!"

Justin sat up from the sofa: "What dueling club? The kind that teaches you how to fight?"

"That's not called fighting, that's called a wizard duel, etc. It says later that the special guest is Professor Snape."

Ernie flipped the notice over and read it again. "Professor Lockhart and Professor Snape. Merlin's beard, these two standing on the same stage, just that sight alone is worth the price of admission."

"Lockhart and Snape?"

Hannah frowned, clearly imagining what it would be like for these two to share the stage. "One is a peacock that only knows how to read and display its plumage, the other is an old bat that exudes 'stay away' from head to toe. Can they even work together?"

"Perhaps Lockhart felt the need for a real wizard to save face," Ernie said.

The Duel Club’s first meeting will be held at 8 p.m. on December 17th in the auditorium.

The rally was hosted by Gilderoy Lockhart and Severus Snape.

The auditorium was indeed decorated differently after dinner.

Four long tables from the academy were moved to the wall, and a rectangular dueling platform was set up in the center of the floor. The platform was covered with an old, dark red carpet with a ring of bronze runes around the edge—these runes were quite old, and the edges were worn smooth.

Xavier squeezed forward and took a closer look at the standard dueling protection runes on the platform.

He is currently studying the basics of alchemy and has come into contact with similar things, so he can understand the general idea.

His gaze swept over the runes, making sure the spells didn't fly out of the dueling ring and injure the audience. It was a very old version; a few runes seemed to be carved at slightly off angles, suggesting they had been repaired later, but their basic functions were still intact.

The auditorium grew larger and larger, with students from all four houses crowding around the dueling platform, and the walls adorned with the flags of each house. An atmosphere of anticipation and curiosity filled the air, and several first-year students in the front row stood on tiptoe to peer at the stage.

Xavier stood on the edge of the Hufflepuff group, right next to the Gryffindors—Harry was among them—watching Lockhart on the stage waving to the crowd.

Lockhart changed into a deep purple robe with a gold embroidery around the collar, his hair was shinier than usual, and his teeth were so white they were almost blue.

Standing next to him was Snape, his black robes still pulled up to his chin, his face as if he had just drunk a cup of Bone Spirit.

Interestingly, when they stood together, Snape was a head taller than Lockhart, but for some reason, Lockhart's presence always made people forget the height difference. Some people emphasize their presence with every gesture, while others wish they could shrink themselves into a shadow.

"Come closer! Come closer! Can everyone see me? Can everyone hear me?"

Lockhart walked along, arms outstretched, saying, "To put into practice what you've learned in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor Dumbledore has permitted me to open this little dueling club for your full training."

Lockhart winked at the audience. "Perhaps one day you will need to defend yourselves, just as I have done in my own adventures, using the methods I have used countless times to protect yourselves—for details, please refer to my published works."

After saying that, Lockhart ostentatiously tossed his robe aside.

The deep purple robe arced through the air and landed precisely in a group of upperclasswoman students. A jubilant scream immediately erupted from the group.

"This Lockhart is quite something, isn't he? He's really brave."

Justin addressed Xavier, and seeing Harry squeezing in beside him, he held out his hand. "Justin Finley, from Hufflepuff!"

"Uh, nice to meet you, I am————"

Justin interrupted, "I know who you are. We all know, even those of us who are Muggle-born know you."

He spoke with great sincerity, and the bewilderment on Harry's face at being beaten to it was the very expression of every savior who had been recognized countless times in the first few months of school.

Lockhart's voice came from the stage. He shouted like a host and gestured to the big bat next to him.

At this moment, Snape slowly stepped forward, his face turning as black as the bottom of a pot because of Lockhart's opening remarks.

"Let me introduce my assistant—Professor Snape!"

"Today, we will witness a true contest between wizards! Professor Snape has agreed to help me with a small demonstration—don't worry, I will return your Potions Master to you safely after the demonstration."

He turned to Snape and winked at the audience. "I won't hurt him."