The Room of Requirent felt empty with so many students gone for the holidays, the reduced number making the training space seem larger than it actually was. The usual noise of overlapping conversations was missing, replaced instead by a quieter, more focused atmosphere as the remaining mbers of the United Group gathered in front of the practice targets.
Alia didn't waste ti setting the tone. She looked over the group once, her gaze lingering briefly on the lower-year students—third, fourth, and fifth years who were already shifting uneasily—before gesturing toward the targets without any explanation.
"Cast on the dummy," she said.
A few of them hesitated, clearly expecting instructions first, but Alia didn't repeat herself. One of the younger students stepped forward and raised his wand, focusing for a mont before attempting the spell.
Nothing happened.
The magic failed to take shape, flickering weakly at the tip of his wand before fading out entirely.
Alia said nothing, which sohow made it worse.
Another of the lower years tried, this ti forcing more effort into it. A burst of magic ford, but it collapsed midway, dispersing before it could reach the target. A third attempt went off improperly, the spell forming too late and shooting wide, striking the padded wall instead.
Behind them, the sixth- and seventh-years had already begun pairing off. Unlike the younger students, their spells ford reliably, but their exchanges lacked structure—more instinctive back-and-forth than anything resembling proper dueling.
Alia let the initial attempts finish before speaking, her tone calm but cutting through the room with ease.
"If this is what you rely on, then you're not ready to duel anyone," she said, folding her arms. "You're casting without knowing what you want the spell to do, and it shows."
A few uncomfortable glances were exchanged, but no one argued.
She stepped forward, pointing at the targets again. "You're going to try again, but this ti you decide first. Not where the spell goes—what it does when it gets there. If you can't answer that in your head before casting, don't cast at all."
The second round began with more hesitation, but also more focus. The lower years took longer before casting, their attention turning inward as they tried to form a clear outco before releasing the spell. The results improved slightly, though not consistently.
One student cast and watched in frustration as the red light appeared at the tip of his wand before dissipating. " I don't get it."
Alia stepped in beside him. "What did you want it to do?"
"Stun properly."
"That's not an answer," she said. "If you can't describe the effect, you don't understand it. Try again, but this ti decide exactly what you expect to happen when it lands."
He frowned, thought for a second, then cast again. This ti the spell ford cleanly and struck the dummy with a sharp impact.
"Good. Keep practicing," Alia said, already moving on to the next student.
A 3rd year student near Gilderoy attempted a spell again, only for it to collapse before forming. He tried again, this ti with visible frustration, and failed in exactly the sa way.
Gilderoy stepped closer. "What are you trying to do?"
The student looked at him. "Make it work."
"That's vague enough to fail every ti," Gilderoy replied. "What should happen when it hits?"
The student hesitated, clearly unsure.
Gilderoy nodded slightly. "That's your problem. You're casting without a result in mind. Decide the intent first, then commit."
The student tried again, taking a mont longer this ti. A red spell burst from his wand and struck the dummy with a solid clang.
"…Oh," he said, blinking at the result.
"It's not complicated," Gilderoy said. "You're just making it harder than it needs to be."
Another student, who had been watching, stepped closer. "Can you help too?"
Within minutes, more of the lower years had drifted toward him, each one asking in turn as they tried their spells again under his guidance
Pandora watched the shift with clear interest. "You're attracting a crowd," she remarked.
"Well, I, Gilderoy Lockhart, do not mind imparting my knowledge to eager students," he said, a confident smile spreading across his face, his tone dripping with that familiar boastful flair.
Several of his peers—those who had known him for years—exchanged looks before sighing in unison, a few already rubbing their temples as the familiar act returned in full force.
Gilderoy caught it imdiately.
His smile widened just a little more, bright and utterly shaless, as he t their gazes one by one, holding it just long enough to be irritating.
The reaction was instant.
Annoyance flickered across their faces, restrained but very much there, as he turned away as if nothing had happened at all.
The lower years took their ti before casting, fewer spells failed outright, and their control improved noticeably. The older students continued their duels, but even then, their exchanges remained rough, lacking the discipline that ca with formal training.
Alia shifted her attention toward the sixth- and seventh-years, watching one exchange before stepping in. "You're both too slow," she said, cutting them off. "One of you keeps casting and doesn't stop. The other focuses only on defending—and if you see an opening, send sothing back imdiately."
The two students nodded, adjusting their stance as they faced each other again.
This ti, the exchange picked up pace. One began casting in quicker succession, forcing the other to react continuously instead of pausing between spells. The defender struggled at first, missing a block and taking a hit, but on the next attempt managed to raise a defense in ti and return a spell, albeit a fraction too late to capitalize fully.
"Again," Alia said.
They repeated it, faster this ti. The hesitation between their actions began to shrink, their reactions coming a little sooner, the gaps between casting and response narrowing with each attempt.
Nearby, Gilderoy watched quietly, noting the improvent as the exchanges grew slightly faster with each attempt.
Pandora's attention shifted toward him, a faint smile forming as she stepped closer. "Since you're being helpful today, why not duel with ?" she said, her tone light. "Just a simple exchange. Nothing complicated."
Gilderoy glanced at her for a mont, then gave a small, easy shrug as he stepped forward. "Sure. If you insist."
They moved into position, facing each other with just enough distance between them for a short exchange, the nearby students beginning to notice and subtly shifting their attention toward them.
Pandora moved first, her spell clean and deliberate. Gilderoy deflected it without difficulty and responded almost imdiately.
"Accio." He said aiming for her wand.
Pandora moved at the sa ti.
The spell caught her instead.
She was pulled forward with enough force to close the distance instantly, colliding into him before he could correct it. He caught her reflexively to keep them both from losing balance, his grip steady.
Pandora looked up at him, entirely unbothered by the sudden proximity. "Whoa, Gilderoy… where exactly were you aiming?" she asked, her voice laced with quiet amusent. Before he could react, her fingers gave a quick, subtle pinch to his backside.
"That wasn't intentional," Gilderoy replied at once, releasing her imdiately.
"Oh, really?" Pandora's brows lifted, her smile turning just a shade more mischievous as she held his gaze for a mont longer than necessary.
Behind her, Xenophilius watched the exchange with an expression that didn't quite match the situation. There was no tension in him, no trace of jealousy—only a strange, almost pleased smile, as if he found the entire outco quietly entertaining.
Is there sothing wrong with Xenophilius? Why is he smiling like that?
Pandora stepped back then, smoothing her robes with casual ease, the mont slipping away as if nothing unusual had happened at all.
The remaining ti passed with more controlled practice, the earlier chaos avoided through more deliberate casting. By the end, the difference from the beginning was clear enough that even the less confident students could see it.
Alia stepped forward once more. "That's enough for today. If you rember anything, rember this—if you don't know what your spell is supposed to do before you cast it, then you shouldn't be casting it at all."
There were nods this ti, more certain than before.
Regulus spoke then, his voice cutting through the room without effort. "Lockhart."
Gilderoy looked at him.
"You've been holding back," Regulus said, stepping forward. "You defeated . You reached the semifinals of the international dueling tournant. That's not sothing you reach by accident."
The room went still as the weight of his words settled, several students turning toward Gilderoy in shock, their faces frozen in outright disbelief.
Gilderoy didn't deny it. For once, he didn't deflect either. Instead, a slow smile spread across his face as he gave an exaggerated, almost theatrical bow.
"Ahh, I, Gilderoy Lockhart, did indeed participate in the tournant," he said lightly, straightening with practiced ease. "And yes, I advanced to the semifinals."
A few stunned looks lingered, the shift in perception almost visible as the group tried to reconcile this version of him with the one they thought they knew.
Gilderoy t Regulus's gaze without wavering, and in that quiet mont, it beca clear to everyone present that whatever assumptions they had made about him until now had been completely and irreversibly - wrong.
---
Drop stones.
I am releasing this chapter even though the power stones haven't reached target.
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spatreon/A_Peverel
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