Both of the young wizards seemed somewhat reluctant.
“Let’s encourage them!” Lockhart shouted, clapping enthusiastically and calling out their names.
At moments like this, the advantage of having fans was clear.
His actions were immediately met with enthusiastic responses.
Hermione, who had originally wanted to give Harry some last-minute advice, quickly stood up and joined the frantic applause.
People naturally followed the crowd mentality, and in an instant, the entire Great Hall erupted into cheers.
Initially, Draco Malfoy looked reluctant, but as countless eyes turned towards him and the Slytherins around him began shouting…
“Well done!” “Show some spirit!” “Don’t embarrass us!” …his mood started to change.
Tom!
…Oh no, Harry!
Draco suddenly began to understand what Lockhart meant by ‘fairy-tale story.’ Wasn’t this the very scene he had always dreamed of, standing in the spotlight before everyone?
He drew his wand stylishly, glanced sideways at Harry, and gave him a smirk of disdain and provocation before swaggering towards the raised platform.
Could Harry possibly tolerate that arrogant attitude?
Overcoming his nervousness, he followed with firm, determined steps.
His expression was so solemn that he looked as though he were marching off to fight a Dark Lord.
And yes, Professor Lockhart had guessed correctly.
In Harry’s eyes, Draco was a Dark Lord.
Well… perhaps he was not quite at the level of a Dark Lord yet.
At best, he was just an evil Slytherin.
After all, Harry had defeated the evil Voldemort in his first year!
Very soon, the two of them arrived on stage.
The atmosphere brimmed with fighting spirit.
However, Professor Lockhart stretched out his hands and pressed them onto the boys’ shoulders, suppressing their urge to act.
Then he lowered his head and whispered in a tempting tone that resembled a devil’s murmur.
“Now, use your stereotypes.
Imagine that the evil Slytherin in front of you is a scheming conspirator, rotten to the core.
It seems as though he is plotting something sinister every second of every day.
You must step forward bravely to stop him and save the people!” Harry Potter nodded.
This wasn’t difficult at all because he already thought that Draco was exactly that kind of person.
In fact, he believed that he was actually stopping an evil conspiracy right then and there.
Then Lockhart turned towards Draco.
“Now, imagine that you are engaged in a great and righteous cause, but there is always some reckless brute trying to destroy your plans without understanding anything.” His voice flowed like a hypnotic current as he guided Draco further.
“They refuse to listen to your thoughts or analyze your plans.
They stubbornly insist that you are evil and that everything you do must also be evil.
They oppose everything you do, and because of that, you despise them more than anything in this world.” Draco pressed his lips together and gave a slight nod.
To be honest, Professor Lockhart’s words were really getting to him.
Looking at Harry Potter, he suddenly felt unusually irritated.
“I know this is difficult for you,” Lockhart continued softly.
“To immerse yourselves in such a groundless fairy-tale story.
But trust me, if you truly immerse yourselves in these roles, you will gain power unlike anything you have ever experienced before!” Draco wanted to sneer and say that it wasn’t difficult at all.
In that moment, he found Harry Potter incredibly annoying.
But then he noticed that Harry was seriously trying to enter the atmosphere that Lockhart had described.
Draco’s expression sharpened immediately, and he quickly focused, listening carefully to Professor Lockhart’s whispered guidance.
He did not want to lose this.
“Excellent.” Lockhart looked at the two boys, who were glaring at each other like fighting cocks, with satisfaction.
Then he turned towards all the young wizards below the stage.
“One very important aspect of a fairy-tale story is this: under the gaze of the entire world and amidst everyone’s expectations, you fight while carrying an endless sense of mission.” “Now then, cheer for the classmate you support!
Shout their names as loudly as you can!” In an instant, the entire Great Hall nearly had its roof blown off.
“Harry!” “Draco!” “Harry Potter!” “Draco!” “The Boy Who Lived!” “Draco!” “…” The two boys on stage competed with each other with murderous stares, while the students below shouted themselves hoarse, trying to outdo one another.
As though infected by this atmosphere, the expressions on Draco’s and Harry’s faces gradually changed.
To ensure that no accidents beyond his control occurred, Lockhart invited all the professors onto the stage, too, claiming that they should observe the performance up close.
He even declared that in a fairy-tale story of a hero battling a Dark Lord, the elders’ expectations were especially important.
Consequently, the pressure on Draco and Harry increased.
But that was the wondrous thing about the atmosphere.
Too many people were shouting their names.
Harry gripped his wand so tightly that he seemed as though he might crush it; he was panting heavily.
Meanwhile, Draco was taking deep breaths continuously.
Their emotions were already completely ignited.
“Please begin your duel!” Lockhart flicked his wand elegantly and took a step back, leaving the stage to the two young wizards.
That single step back took him behind the professors.
By this point, of course, nobody was paying attention to him anymore.
Even Dumbledore was watching the scene thoughtfully, observing Harry’s condition with great interest.
The first to act was Draco Malfoy.
He could not be bothered with proper dueling etiquette when facing a brute like Harry.
Completely immersed in the atmosphere of “fairy-tale story,” he naturally cast the spell he was most proficient in at his current level, and the one that looked the most sinister.
“Serpensortia!” With a sharp flick of his wand, a black shadow shot from the tip of his wand and landed on the floor.
It was an enormous python.
Perhaps it was due to his “firm will.” Or perhaps it was the “wonderful imagination” created by the atmosphere.
Or perhaps it was their “overflowing emotions.” No.
More accurately, it was because he had immersed himself completely in the world of a fairy tale.
For a moment, Draco truly believed he was a great leader trying to change the world.
When he looked at the brute before him, who opposed him blindly without trying to understand him and acted as though this were a clichéd ‘hero versus dark lord’ tale, Draco felt intense disgust and hatred.
And thus, a marvelous moment appeared.
Unlike the snakes he had conjured in the past, which were less than two meters long, this giant python coiled there with an unknown length, its thick body alone larger than his head.
The shocked cries of the audience instantly filled him with a strange sense of exhilaration.
And then…
“Expelliarmus!” A dazzling flash of light rushed straight towards him.
Before he could react, his entire body, and the wand in his hand, were blasted backwards through the air.
Not only him.
Even the giant python he had conjured was hurled flying upwards.
Bang!
He flew all the way to the edge of the stage, slamming hard into a pillar before finally stopping.
He collapsed onto the ground without having time to catch his breath, his pupils contracting violently at the huge shadow looming above him.
“No!” He screamed in terror.
Bang…!
The giant python crashed directly down onto him, nearly knocking yesterday’s dinner right out of his stomach.
Professor Snape, who had originally been watching with great anticipation, looked down at Draco at his feet with obvious disdain.
Bending over, he grabbed the boy by the collar, hauled him upright, and dragged him back in front of Harry Potter, signaling for the duel to continue.
“That was the finest Serpensortia and Disarming Charm I’ve ever seen!” Professor Filius Flitwick exclaimed excitedly from the side, waving his arm enthusiastically as he looked up at Lockhart.
“You awakened their potential, Professor Lockhart!” Lockhart revealed his trademark dazzling smile and proudly raised an eyebrow.
“Well?
Isn’t it fascinating?” “Yes!” Professor Flitwick praised sincerely.
“When immersed in fairy-tale story, magic itself becomes more wonderful!
What an extraordinary discovery!” (End Of This Chapter)