My Hogwarts has a serious problem.

Chapter 281, Section 278: The Duel Club

The weather was getting colder and colder, especially after December, when the students of Hogwarts welcomed the first snow of the winter.

Hermione and her friends' plan was progressing very smoothly. The Polyjuice Potion was currently being brewed in the bathroom where Myrtle was, and all they had to do was wait for it to be completed.

However, Lynn's progress encountered some minor problems.

On the third day after he sent the letter to Old John, the owl flew back again, but the letter did not contain what he wanted. Old John said that the information Lynn wanted to know was difficult to verify, and he would need at least two weeks to send someone to verify it.

Although Lynn was somewhat disappointed, he knew that such things couldn't be rushed, and he could wait two weeks.

His teaching career at Hogwarts had to continue.

During Defense Against the Dark Arts class the week before Christmas, Lynn announced to the students that, with Professor Dumbledore's approval, they would be opening a dueling club before the Christmas holidays, and any young wizard interested in wizard duels could participate.

As soon as the news spread, the young wizards, who had been suppressed by the opening of the secret chamber and the attack on students, began to stir.

Three weeks have passed since the day Finley was attacked. Since then, the successors of the Chamber of Secrets have fallen into silence. No one at Hogwarts has been attacked again, but as long as the murderer has not been caught and Finley has not emerged safely from the school hospital, the students' hearts remain in their throats.

Recently, a habit of wearing amulets has even become popular in the castle, because no one knows what the monster in the secret chamber is, and the young wizards feel at ease only if they carry something with them, regardless of whether it is useful or not.

Regarding the notification about the Duel Club, Harry and Hermione both agreed to go, and Ron did not object.

So, at eight o'clock in the evening, they hurried to the auditorium. The five long dining tables had vanished, and a gilded stage had appeared along one wall, illuminated by hundreds of candles floating overhead. The ceiling had once again turned as black as velvet, and almost the entire school had arrived, packed tightly together, each holding their own magic wand, their faces beaming with excitement.

"I heard that Professor Lockhart is going to teach us dueling techniques this time," Hermione said as the three of them squeezed into the bustling crowd. "I wonder who his opponent is?"

Harry seemed to know some inside information: "I heard that Professor Flitwick was a dueling master when he was young, and maybe he was Professor Lockhart's sparring partner."

Ron looked at the platform and said regretfully, "Unfortunately, you guessed wrong, Harry. Professor Lockhart chose someone you dislike the most."

They looked up at the platform when they heard Ron's words. There, besides Professor Lockhart, who was wearing a dark green robe, stood a man with greasy hair, a pale and gloomy face, and wearing a black robe that he never changed.

Harry cried out in anguish, "Oh! It's Snape!"

"No need for that, Harry. We're not here for Potions class today. Professor Lockhart is the professor who runs the Duel Club," Hermione reassured him.

Ron's expression also became somewhat excited.

"Yes, Professor Lockhart and Snape, I'd really like to know who's better."

Because this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts class was taught by Lynn disguised as Lockhart, they didn't think Lockhart was that bad. Moreover, they learned a lot from Lynn's class, at least in terms of knowledge and ability, Harry and the other two acknowledged Lockhart's abilities.

"Alright, everyone, you should quiet down now. I know you're all very excited. After all, I learned from Professor Dumbledore that Hogwarts hasn't held any large-scale events for a long time, except for Quidditch. So, in order to help you put your knowledge into practice and improve your combat skills, I specifically applied to Professor Dumbledore to start this Duel Club."

Lynn used an amplification spell so that every student in the hall could hear his voice. After he finished explaining the purpose of the dueling club, the young wizards present burst into cheers.

They had indeed been suppressing their feelings for a long time, and apart from Quidditch, there was really no other activity in the castle that could bring all the students of the house together.

"Now let me introduce my assistant, Professor Severus Snape. Actually, there's no need to introduce him, because you all know him." Lynn stepped aside so that all the young wizards in the castle could see the large bat-like creature dressed in black standing next to him.

This time, the only cheers came from the Slytherin students, mixed with some discordant voices such as "The professor should teach him a lesson!" and "Let him lie in the school hospital for a month, then no one will assign us any homework!"

Snape remained expressionless and showed no reaction, but in his heart he was already considering how to embarrass Lynn in front of so many people.

When Lynn approached him to ask him to be her assistant, he readily accepted.

Don't get me wrong, he wasn't targeting Lockhart, but everyone who sits in the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor's seat.

"Professor Snape is no less skilled in combat than any professor at Hogwarts. However, his most outstanding feature is his reputation as a Potions Master. Potions is recognized as one of the most difficult subjects in the wizarding world. If it weren't for the fact that Potions professors are even harder to recruit, your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor might not be me, but your Professor Snape."

After listening to what Lynn said, Snape's expression remained unchanged, but a careful observer would notice that the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned.

Hmph, your compliments sound nice, but you'll still embarrass yourself in a moment.

Lynn also glanced at Snape out of the corner of his eye.

Oh dear, after all, I've been taking advantage of the dean for so many years, I probably can't go easy on him later. I'll have to praise him a bit first to make him happy.

While the two of them were having their little ideas on stage, Harry and the other two were whispering among themselves below.

"Judging from Professor Lockhart's tone, he seems a little afraid of Snape, and he's even starting to say nice things to ask him to go easy on him later." Ron looked a little worried.

Although Lockhart wasn't his favorite professor, Snape was definitely his most hated professor, so he was naturally on Lockhart's side now.

Hermione, on the other hand, had complete confidence in Lockhart.

"Maybe he's just afraid of embarrassing Snape later, so he's saying a few nice things to put him at ease beforehand."

(End of this chapter)