Harry Potter: Another Chance

Chapter 130: The Duel Part 3

Disclaimer:

"Harry Potter" and all its characters belong to J.K. Rowling. I own nothing but the original characters I create.

Dialogue

'Thoughts'

-Author's notes-

Chapter 130: The Duel Part 3

The red spark of light was held in place at the tip of Harry's wand.

From where Draco stood, it appeared Harry had suffered a clean hit, but he quickly realized that if Harry had been hit, the red light from the spell should have dissipated.

"What is this?" Draco didn't understand how Harry was holding his spell in such a way. It was something he had never seen before.

In fact, of all the people in the room, only the two Professors and the few seventh-year students who came to watch were familiar with this technique.

During seventh-year Defense Against the Dark Arts, students are taught about two defensive moves that one could perform during a fight.

One was 'deflect,' and the other was 'hold.'

To deflect, one must create a protective layer around the wand, like a miniature Protego charm, and use it to bash spells away. This allows for a gain in tempo, as the caster can use the momentum to throw their own spell while the opponent is recovering.

The 'hold' version is considered a lot more advanced. One needs to create the charm in a very specific shape to contain the opponent's magic. A slight mistake could lead to the spell detonating in one's face, and because of this, the 'hold' is considered a much more dangerous option.

That downside leads people to prefer deflecting spells or simply dodging them, while 'hold' is rarely used, not even in professional dueling.

The fact that Harry had opted for this was a show of how confident he was in his own abilities.

"Impressive, Mister Potter!" Professor Flitwick appeared delighted.

The main advantage of using 'hold' over 'deflect' was that it allowed the user to return the spell back to its owner. If followed quickly with another spell of your own, it would be an almost guaranteed victory.

Which is exactly what they were expecting Harry to do next.

Instead, Harry gave the wand a swift flick, sending Draco's stunning spell flying toward the upper part of a wall, where it fizzled and disappeared.

The spectators were surprised to see this. They all thought that Harry was about to end the duel right there. Even Draco had a shocked expression on his face.

However, Harry knew enough about Draco's personality to understand that ending the duel at that point would not have been enough to convince the boy to leave him alone. Had he left it like this, Draco would come up to him the next day claiming that he got lucky and demanding a rematch.

After all, the blonde boy did not understand the complexity of what Harry had done. He would need something more impactful to get the message across.

"What kind of trick was that?" Draco demanded to know.

Harry ignored his questions and continued walking towards Draco. He was now just five feet away.

The Slytherin boy was going into panic mode. His pupils were dilated, and his body was shaking. 'His eyes! Why is he looking at me like that? I…I have to…'

Draco gazed upon Harry's intensely bright green eyes. He recognized the look Harry was giving him. It was the same look that Draco gave to all those from inferior backgrounds than his own, a look of complete indifference. Something he reserved for those beneath his notice.

Draco clenched his teeth as rage tried to replace his fear. 'I won't allow him to look at me like that, I am…'

"I am Draco Malfoy. Don't look down on me!"

He made a slashing motion across Harry's face. "Difindo!"

Draco put as much magic and rage into that spell as he could muster. He wanted to cut Potter's face, maybe even cut his head if possible. Consequences be damned now.

Harry didn't even flinch. As soon as Draco started moving his wand, he was ready to counter his spell.

He followed Draco's motion with his wand, and as the cutting charm left Draco's wand, it was immediately 'grabbed' by Harry's.

This time, Harry did not send the spell away.

With a follow-up upward slash, he flung the cutting charm at its new target… Draco's wand.

The charm had enough potency to cleanly cut the wooden wand, along with the tip of one of Draco's fingers.

The blonde boy screamed as he fell down on his butt.

Draco looked up and saw Harry towering over him, his wand aimed directly at him.

The Slytherin boy could not take his eyes away from Harry's. The bright green color of Harry's eyes reminded Draco of the Killing Curse right now.

He would never forget the day his father demonstrated this curse to him.

He was told it was forbidden by the Ministry, but he would need to learn it regardless.

His father told him that this was a very important spell to know, along with the other two Unforgivables, and that all proper wizards should have mastery over them.

Draco listened to everything his father said. He wanted to be a proper wizard like him one day. At that time, the green light brought Draco a feeling of joy.

But now, it made him feel nothing but dread.

'He is going to kill me!' Draco thought as he stared into Harry's eyes.

Pure white light appeared at the tip of Harry's wand. "Reducto!"

"Noo!" Draco yelled. 'This is it! I'm really going to die!' He thought.

"Mister Potter, stop!" Professor Flitwick yelled as he pulled out his own wand.

"Daddy!" Draco called with a loud scream.

"Just joking," Harry said with a grin.

All the pressure and dread that Draco was feeling disappeared all of a sudden.

"Incarcerous." As Harry cast the spell, a white rope came out of his wand and wrapped tightly around Draco, preventing him from making a single move.