Chapter 11: The Brute, the Schemer, and the Instigator
The two young wizards seemed somewhat unwilling.
"Let's give them some encouragement!" Lockhart clapped loudly, shouting their names.
This was where having fans came in handy. His actions often received a great response. Hermione, who was still trying to cram in some last-minute advice for Harry, quickly stood up and joined in the enthusiastic applause.
People tend to follow the crowd. In an instant, the entire hall was filled with cheers.
Draco Malfoy was initially reluctant, but as countless eyes turned to him, and the Slytherins beside him shouted, "Well done!", "Show some spirit!", "Don't lose face!", etc...
Tom!
Oh, no, it's Harry!
Draco began to understand what Lockhart meant by "fairy tale romance" – wasn't this scene before him the very spotlight he had long anticipated?
He stylishly drew his wand, glanced sideways at Harry, gave a provocative sneer, and swaggered towards the platform.
Could Harry endure such arrogance?
He instantly overcame his initial timidity, stepping forward with firm strides, his gaze as serious as if he were about to slay a great demon king.
Yes, Professor Lockhart had guessed correctly. In his eyes, Draco was a demon king, oh, no, not quite a demon king yet, just an evil Slytherin.
He had defeated the evil Voldemort even in his first year!
Soon, they both arrived on the stage.
A sense of battle surged.
Professor Lockhart, however, reached out with both hands, grabbing their shoulders to suppress their eagerness, and lowered his head, whispering softly like a devil's murmur.
"Now, play on your stereotypes. Imagine this evil Slytherin before you is a scheming villain, rotten to the core. He seems to be plotting something sinister at every moment. You must bravely stand up and stop him! Save the world!"
Harry Potter nodded. This wasn't difficult, because he felt that Malfoy in front of him was exactly that kind of person, and he himself was in the process of stopping an evil plot.
Lockhart then said to Malfoy, "Now, imagine you are doing a great and righteous thing, and there are always some reckless brutes who want to disrupt your plans regardless."
He gently guided him, "They don't even want to listen carefully to your ideas or analyze your plans. They are just stubbornly convinced that you are evil, so everything you do is evil and must be opposed. You feel very, very resentful about this."
Draco pursed his lips and nodded slightly. To be honest, Professor Lockhart's words made him feel quite agitated looking at Harry Potter in front of him.
"I know this is difficult for you, wanting to immerse yourselves in this baseless fairy tale romance, but please trust me, try to immerse yourselves in the atmosphere of these fairy tale roles, and you will gain unprecedented power!"
Malfoy really wanted to sneer and say that it wasn't difficult at all; he already found Harry Potter particularly annoying.
But he suddenly noticed that Harry Potter was trying very hard to enter the atmosphere Lockhart described, and his expression immediately tightened as he focused on listening to Professor Lockhart's whispers.
He didn't want to lose this.
"Very good." Lockhart looked at the two children who were now staring at each other with crossed eyes in satisfaction, and then at all the young wizards below the stage, "Fairy tale romance has a crucial element, which is to fight with an infinite sense of mission under the gaze of the world, under everyone's expectations."
"Now, please cheer for the classmate you support, shout their names loudly."
In just an instant, the entire hall almost had its roof blown off.
"Harry~"
"Malfoy~"
"Harry Potter~"
"Malfoy~"
"The Savior~"
"Malfoy~"
"..."
The people on the stage were trying to kill each other with their eyes, while the people below the stage were shouting themselves hoarse, competing with each other. As if infected by this atmosphere, the expressions of both Malfoy and Harry changed.
To ensure that no unexpected events occurred that he couldn't handle, Lockhart simply invited the professors onto the stage as well, saying it was to let them observe the performance up close.
He also claimed that in the fairy tale plot of the brave warrior battling the demon king, the expectations of the elders were particularly important.
Thus, the pressure on Malfoy and Harry increased.
But this was the wonder of the atmosphere. Too many people were calling their names. Harry was even breathing heavily, as if he were about to crush his wand, while Malfoy kept taking deep breaths. Their emotions had already been completely ignited.
"Begin your duel!"
Lockhart flicked his wand and elegantly stepped back, giving the stage to the two young wizards.
With this step back, he retreated behind the group of professors. Of course, no one would pay attention to him at this moment.
Even Dumbledore was watching this scene thoughtfully, observing Harry's state with interest.
Draco Malfoy was the first to act. He didn't bother with any dueling etiquette with a brute like Harry. Deeply immersed in the atmosphere of "fairy tale romance," he naturally cast the spell he was most proficient in at this stage, and the one that looked the most evil.
"Serpensortia!"
With a flick of his wand, a patch of black shadow shot out from the tip, landing on the ground and transforming into a huge python.
Perhaps it was "firm will," perhaps it was the "wonderful imagination" brought by the atmosphere, perhaps it was the overly "abundant emotions"...
Oh no, it should be the immersion in the atmosphere of "fairy tale romance."
Malfoy once truly felt like a leader trying to reform the disciplined world. Looking at the brute before him who opposed him without asking anything, acting like a hero fighting a demon king, he felt extreme annoyance and disgust!
Then a wonderful moment occurred.
Unlike the snakes he had conjured in the past, which were less than two meters long, the giant python before him coiled there, its length unknown. Its mere thickness was larger than his head.
The gasps of surprise from below the stage made him feel particularly wonderful for a moment.
Then...
"Expelliarmus!"
A dazzling light rushed towards him. Before Malfoy could react, he, along with his wand, was sent flying backwards.
Not only him, but even the giant python he had conjured soared into the air.
Bang~!
He flew straight to the edge of the platform, colliding with a pillar, before finally stopping and falling to the ground. Before he could even catch his breath, he stared at the black shadow before him with wide eyes and screamed in terror, "No!"
Bang~!
The giant python crashed directly onto him, almost making him throw up his dinner from the night before.
Professor Snape, who had been quite expectant standing nearby, looked down at Malfoy at his feet with some distaste, bent down, grabbed him, and dragged him over to face Harry Potter, signaling the fight to continue.
"This is simply the best Serpensortia and Expelliarmus I've ever seen!" Professor Filius Flitwick excitedly waved his arm beside them, looking up at Lockhart, "You've activated their potential! Professor Lockhart!"
Lockhart gave a standard charming and brilliant smile, raising an eyebrow smugly, "How was that? Interesting, wasn't it?"
"Yes!" Professor Flitwick exclaimed, "Immersed in fairy tale romance, magic also becomes wonderful! What a great discovery!"
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