Chapter 9: Chapter 9: Hufflepuff v.s Slytherin
On October 1st, everyone woke up early to watch the excitement. The champions from each grade were even more nervous, waking up early and revising spells that they could use. Toby also woke up early as per the norm. On the first of every month, he could create a spell, so this time, he decided to mimic one of his favorite anime characters.
Opening up the book, he took a quill and dipped it in ink to write,' Teićhois: A spell that can only be used when the user is touching the ground. When uttered, whatever material the floor is made of will rise up in front of the user. The length, breadth and height depend on the will of the user and the amount of mana inputted.'
Upon writing the spell, Toby burnt the page in the Ravenclaw Dorms. After a minute, the spell was mastered in his mind.
"What are you doing?" A pleasant voice interrupted his thoughts. Toby spun around to see Penelope looking at him curiously.
"Nothing much. Just wondering if flames are solid, liquid, or a gas." Toby spun some nonsense out of his head, but luckily, Penelope bought it and also started thinking about this. This riddle spread through the entire dormitory and all the Ravenclaw students were holding their heads trying to find an answer.
Meanwhile, the instigator of the riddle of a century was eating breakfast with Fred and George. "You know, I wish I could start a duel between Gryffindor and Slytherin," said Fred.
"Why would you do that?" asked Toby
"Because we are bored. Plus, we will get to participate in a fight and not get in trouble," said George.
Toby looked at both of them and said," You know, if you used your intelligence for something productive, you could get a really good job."
"What are you? Our mother?" said George.
"You know, we are actually going to open a joke shop after we graduate." said Fred with a grin.
"Oh a joke shop huh," Toby remembered that Fred and George did open a joke shop, but unfortunately, one of them died due to an Avada Kedavra curse.
"Did you invent anything yet?" asked Toby.
Fred reached into his pocket and pulled out a dozen Fireworks," Behold, the Weasley Makeup Fire-Crackers. Once lit, it will automatically locate the person in front of you and explode into pink smoke. Then the target will come out with very heavy makeup.``
"And this is your first product?" asked Toby.
George said," This is the only set we made using some old firecrackers we found in Flinch's office."
Hearing this, Toby raised an eyebrow," You stole a bunch of firecrackers."
"We didn't steal," corrected Fred," We liberated them for the greater good."
Toby looked at them," I don't believe that you only liberated some old fireworks."
Fred said,'' We might have also liberated some dung-bombs, a bunch of fake cockroaches, and a dusty old parchment." Saying so, Fred pulled out an old beige piece of paper," This beauty is completely waterproof, so we know it's magic, but we don't know how to activate it."
Toby looked at the map carefully and felt like it was familiar. To test out his theory, he took out his wand and said," I am solemnly up to no good!" and lo the map appeared. Ink started to fill the paper and it read,' Moony, Padfoot, Prongs, Wormtail proudly present to you the Marauders Map.'
A map of Hogwarts appeared to them with all the names and locations of everyone present in Hogwarts. Excited, Fred and George looked at every nook and cranny of the paper.
Leaving them to their excitement, Toby made his way over to the quidditch grounds where most of the students had already chosen a spot to watch the duel. Having no choice, he sat at the topmost left corner of the stadium with Penelope. Finally, the duel began.
At the center of the stadium, Professor Ilona stood there waiting until it seemed like everyone settled down. Glancing over, she saw all the professors seated, waiting for the duel to start. Once she received a nod of confirmation from Professor Dumbelodore, she began.
Using an amplification charm, she said," My dear students. The wait for this long anticipated duel is finally over. Please give our Duelist's a huge round of applause."
As cheers and clapping reigned the stadium, the Slytherin and Hufflepuff teams both entered the stadium with their respective Prefects leading them.
Professor Illona took out a piece of paper with the candidates names and said," When I say your name, please step into the circle marked for the duel."
While reading the piece of paper, Professor Ilona's face showed an expression of questioning, confusion, and finally understanding. Unable to bear the suspense anymore, Professor Mcgondall asked," Is there anything wrong with Ilona?"
Ilona chuckled and said," From the Slytherin side is Prefect Warner!"
Once Prefect Warner came onto the stage, he looked at Prefect Wison with a provoking expression, but Wilson just glanced at him with a look of pity.
Illona cleared her throat and said," And the first duelist from Hufflepuff's side is John Keats."
John Keats, a fourth year Hufflepuff, stood up and made his way onto the stage where a baffled Prefect Warner stood there. All the students stared at John blankly, as he stepped onto the duel arena. John Keats was not a famous student, but he was at least a renowned comedian among the 4th year students.
At the scene, the students of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw suddenly burst into clamor, some people couldn't believe it, some people were mocking, and some people were thinking.
"Wilson Green! What are you doing? I've said it for a long time, I'll be the first to appear! Our Slytherin appearance order will be from the fifth year to the first year! You actually let a fourth year student replace you! Are you afraid?"
Seeing that the person standing in front of him was not his old rival Green, but a new Hufflepuff, Welling suddenly felt as if he had been humiliated, and said loudly in the direction of Hufflepuff.Wilson, on the other hand, seemed to have not heard anything at all, chatting with Cedric next to him.
Seeing that everyone's attention was drifting away, John Keats spoke up," Prefect Warner. You thought that you would be dueling Prefect Green, but it is I! John Keats! Who will be dueling you today! I have hidden my strength for the past four years, but this time, I will let all of Hogwarts know my might."
This brought everyone's attention to the duel as no one expected John Keats to utter such boastful words. Professor Dumbelore leaned forward and said," Pomona Dear, is what he said true?"
Baffled, Pomona said," How should I know? This is the first that I heard of this. Dumbeldore, do you think he learnt some sort of Black Magic?"
Dumbeldore said," I don't know my dear, but I do hope he did no such thing. Everyone have your wands out and be ready to stop the duel in case."
"Since both sides are ready, the duel officially begins now! Both sides bow down!"
As Professor Ilona's voice fell, John and Warner bowed to each other. After the wand was put down, John and Warner each turned around and walked, waiting for Ilona's final instructions.
The atmosphere at the scene gradually became silent. Even the most noisy Gryffindor Weasley twins held their breath and looked nervously at both sides.Dumbledore, Snape, and even Professor McGonagall stared at John without blinking, trying to see every movement that he made
Seeing that John and Warner were about to reach the edge of the duel arena, Professor Ilona said loudly,"Start!"
Following Professor Ilona's instruction to start, Warner turned around abruptly, raised his wand at the same time, pointed it in the direction of John, and began to cast, "Expe~"
However, John didn't look back. He raised his hands very calmly, and said to the audience at the same time, "I surrender!"
There was an uproar at the scene by the Gryffindor and Slytherin students who booed feverently.
Stunned, Dumbeldore fell back in his chair. Professor Snape looked at John with a baffled expression. Even Professor Mcgondall almost fell out of her chair in surprise. Professor Flitwick laughed with tears in his eyes at the joke, but also felt offended that a sacred ritual like a duel could end like this.
Warner, who was fighting against John, was very close to being choked to death by his own saliva. Although he won the duel, his chest felt empty and dull.
"Next up, we will have the second duel between Hufflepuff and Slytherin! For the second duel, the representative sent by Slytherin is Mike Frost from the fourth grade! The representative of Hufflepuff is their prefect, Wilson Green from the fifth grade!"
Hearing Professor Ilona announce the name list for the second match between the two sides, a louder noise broke out at the scene, and everyone was talking about the match. Between the voices of discussion there were also a few crisp applause. Looking in the direction of the applause, it could be seen that many Ravenclaw students were applauding Hufflepuff for their witty but shameless approach to winning.
In the other direction, the professors at Hogwarts seemed to have understood Hufflepuff's plan. Slytherin's dean, Professor Snape, sat up instantly from his seat. His eyes widened and he looked in Hufflepuff's direction, but unfortunately, in the direction of Hufflepuff, no one looked at him, and everyone was cheering for Wilson.
Immediately, Snape turned his attention to Dumbledore again, and saw that Dumbledore was looking at Alyssa with an expression of admiration.After looking around, Snape saw that no one noticed him, so he couldn't help but glanced in Alyssa's direction one last time, and sat down slowly again with a gloomy expression on his face.
Even Toby couldn't help but applaud at their shameless behavior. Penelope glanced at Toby," As a proud heir of Gryffindor, shouldn't you be jeering at Hufflepuff."
Toby ignored her jab and continued to watch with an expression of a bystander to all these proceedings.
Helplessly, Slytherin could only watch as Wilson Green annihilated Mark Frost without any suspense. From there onwards it was manslaughter. The only time everyone in Hogwarts applauded was when Cedric won against a third year Slytherin after a long battle.
Finally, it was three to one in favor of Hufflepuff with only Cassandra and Alyssa remaining. When Hufflepuff won the third duel, enthusiastic cheers broke out from Hufflepuff Academy, and then, perhaps infected by the cheers, or admiring Hufflepuff's strategy, Grid Ranffindor and Ravenclaw also received thunderous applause.
And in the cheers that resounded through Hogwarts, Green and Cedric hugged Alyssa from left to right, and then, with the help of other Hufflepuffs, everyone tossed Alyssa up into the air again and again, who was the main contributor to Hufflepuff's victory.
All the professors watching the scene in front of them stood silently, and did not say anything to stop them. Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape and other people who knew Alyssa's identity were all thinking the same thing at this time.
From now on Alyssa has become the most famous person in Hufflepuff! After conquering all the stomachs of Hufflepuffs with her excellent cooking, she conquered Hufflepuff with her wit and excellence!
But what Ilona thought at this time was that Alyssa was only in the first grade at this time. If nothing unexpected happens, Alyssa would stay here for seven years. This is Hogwarts! This is an era of magic! It turned out that the new leader of The Alliance came to Hogwarts because she planned to monopolize the magical talents of this era in Britain! When Ilona was Rosier, she learned that Alyssa had a plan hidden in her heart, Ilona kept on guessing what it was, but was never even close to determining an answer.
To this day, Ilona has finally determined one thing. Just like the former Gellert Grindelwald, Alyssa is following in his footsteps, creating her own legacy. Just as most of the professors were immersed in their own thoughts, while Hufflepuff was immersed in joy, and Slytherin was immersed in sadness, there was one person who was always awake.
"Hey! Are you done celebrating? This duel isn't over yet!"
Hearing a feminine voice, everyone fell silent.
Everyone looked in the direction the voice came from, and saw a green-eyed girl wearing a green robe with a graceful figure, holding a magic wand, standing on the duel arena, waiting there.
"Cassandra, we...we've lost..."
Seeing this, Warner walked behind Cassandra and persuaded her with a face full of frustration.
"It's you who lost, not me! I haven't played yet! Also, stay away from me! You're not worthy of Slytherin's greatness!"
Cassandra's remarks made Warner blush and retreated involuntarily, while the other Slytherins also looked ashamed.
"Professor Ilona, maybe Slytherin has lost, but I haven't lost yet! Please also announce the list of the next duel!".Cassandra looked forward firmly and readied herself for the challenge.
Looking at the stubborn and arrogant girl in front of her, for some reason, Ilona suddenly felt an image of her younger self overlap over Cassandra's body.Just when Ilona fell into memory, Alyssa took the initiative to walk out of the crowd of Hufflepuff's students and said the same,"That's right, the duel isn't over yet."
Seeing this scene, Ilona raised her list," Cassandra, did you choose Toby Maguire as your helper for the duel.?"
"What!" exclaimed Toby as pandemonium spread across the room seeing that Cassandra chose a Ravenclaw, that too a first year student as a helper. Principle Dumbeldore also gave an inquisitive look at Snape who nodded back in response.
Alyssa raised her hand, " Madam, can Slytherin select a helper not from their house. Besides, this matter has nothing to do with Ravenclaw."
Cassandra challenged," Why does it matter to you? Is there any rule against choosing anyone else who is not from Slytherin."
Unable to refute this, Alyssa could only acknowledge this. Professor Ilona said," Toby Maguire, please come onto the stage."
Ignoring the snickering from Penelope he made his way towards the center of the arena. As he walked, he passed by Fred who slipped him his Weasley Makeup Fireworks. Thanking him politely, he walked to the center of the stage where he stood right next to Cassandra while glaring at her. To this, Cassandra seriously said," Help me win to preserve Slytherin's honor. It's too shameful to lose this badly.``
"What do I get?"
"Don't you want to help your friends?"
"Cedric is a much better friend to me than you, so I favor Hufflepuff."
While they were silently talking, Alyssa and Cedric also entered the stage. Alyssa whispered a few words in Cedric's ear to which he hesitantly nodded. Seeing that the strategic discussion was over, Professor Ilona signaled them to bow down.
Cassandra and Toby stood line to line with Alyssa and Cedric, who was giving Toby an apologetic face. Toby shrugged it off, but suddenly raised his hand," Principle Dumbeldore, may I use the Sword of Gryffindor during the duel, or did I just pull out the Sword for no reason at all?"
Professor Dumbeldore stood up and said," This is a non-lethal duel. Powerful artifacts are not allowed to be used in the dueling club."
Even Snape used this chance to give a jab at Toby," Do you even know how to use a sword. A fool will only swing a club foolishly like a troll."
"But a Ravenclaw will throw a sword at the opponent and watch the blade slide into his rib cage," retorted Toby much to Cedric's horror.
"Relax," said Toby," I won't throw the sword at your ribcage."
When Cedric gave a sigh of relief, he continued," At most, you might lose a limb or two, so chill man!"
Ignoring their bickering, Professor Illona swished her wand," Begin!"
Immediately, Toby bent down, tapped his wand on the ground and said," Tećhos". In front of him, a large wall of dirt rose up to block a tripping curse sent by Alyssa towards Cedric before she could even react.
Cassandra also bent down and said viciously," Why did we not even get a proper countdown."
"Constant vigilance. Never expect the enemy to give you a heads up." said Toby.
"How many walls can you make?" whispered Cassandra.
"Enough to do whatever you are planning."
"Good," said Cassandra," Save me from whatever Cedric is doing. There's no way that Alyssa can be as good as me."
'There's no way that Cassandra could beat a secret heir to a Black Wizard Organization,' thought Toby, but he decided to comply. If he did not give his best, he would be targeted by Slytherin students and Professor Snape at the same time.
He pulled himself out of his stupor and said,"Okay, I'll run and create walls on the left while you run to the right."
Toby pointed his wand at her and said,"Aòratos."
Cassandra blinked as her body started to turn transparent, but still could slightly be seen when moving. "Where did you~"
"Reducto!" A loud blasting spell sent by Cedric tore through the wall's defenses completely, to see no one there.
"Where did he~" Cedric began to talk, but Alyssa suddenly dodged a spell thrown by Cassandra. Cassandra cursed and hid behind another spot.
Alyssa stood back to back with Cedric and said," They must have used the Disillusionment curse."
Cedric was surprised," The disillusionment curse? That's a spell taught in 6th year textbooks. How did he learn it?"
"No time!"
The duo began to dodge multiple jinxes being thrown at them by Cassandra. Toby could only just watch as he saw Cassandra just rapidly firing spells that he didn't even recognise. Getting out of his stupor, he took one of the Weasley Fireworks and threw it in the direction of Cedric. Poor Cedric was now covered in white powdery makeup, Bright red lipstick, and rosy cheeks for the rest of the duel. Unfortunately, at the end, Alyssa was able to disarm Cassandra when she noticed that Cassandra's wand was still visible when she was casting spells.
Hanging on for dear life, Cassandra almost stumbled down from mana exhaustion, but both Toby and Alyysa ran forward to help her onto her feet. Professor Snape took out a potion and gave it to Cassandra.
Cassandra whispered to Snape in shame," Professor, I was unable to withhold Slytherin's glory."
Snape did nothing but pat Cassandra on her shoulders and say," You did well, my student. You have made me proud."
The entire audience burst into applause as if acknowledging the statement. It was a nice touching moment for the two of them, but it was ruined by Toby," What about me? Did I make you proud?"
Poor Toby was fined with two weeks of detention for ' not trying hard enough ' during the duel, but Toby's impression had risen considerably in the academy. Everyone saw his skilled usage of the disillusionment charm, a charm which even most adult wizards found difficult.
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