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"...Are we still going in?"
Hermione looked at the overwhelming crowd that could terrify even the most mild-mannered introvert and asked hesitantly.
"Of course, we're going in!"
Harry declared, charging into the throng, using his small frame to push his way through.
Neville wasn't about to be outdone. The source of thɪs content is 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹•𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒•𝙣𝙚𝙩
Though his build was sturdier than Harry's, it wasn't much help against the third-years in the crowd—he just couldn't push through.
Meanwhile, inside the office, Professor Kasenhis, in an effort to maintain order, had no choice but to stand atop his desk.
Honestly, if it weren't for this mess, he wouldn't have realized just how popular he was among the students.
"Everyone! Everyone, listen to me! Please, listen to me! I'm deeply touched by your enthusiasm for coming here!"
"But please trust me! I don't need duel assistants, stand-ins, or anyone to go sneaking around and assassinate Professor Quirrell in his office. Believe me, I can handle this on my own, alright?"
The students inside the office and those packed in the hallway gradually quieted down. Finally, after Kasenhis's heartfelt, almost desperate pleas, they relented and left his poor, overcrowded office.
A little while later, only Kasenhis and the four students remained in the now-quiet office.
"I hope you're not here to help me assassinate Quirrell," Kasenhis said, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course not, Professor!" Hermione quickly clarified.
"Yeah, even if we had the idea, we wouldn't have the ability to pull it off," Harry added with an awkward laugh.
"I sincerely hope you don't even entertain such thoughts," Kasenhis said firmly.
"Oh, we won't. By the way, Professor, are you confident about the duel?" Harry asked.
"Fairly confident, I'd say. Honestly, this is something I've been wanting as well. If Quirrell hadn't challenged me today, I would have done it myself."
"After all, letting him roam freely in the castle is a potential danger. If I can use this duel to confine him to the hospital wing, it's a small but meaningful contribution to Hogwarts' safety."
"So, Professor, you're pretty sure about this, huh?" Neville chimed in.
The duel came quickly.
From the moment Quirrell threw down the challenge—well, technically, he threw a handkerchief since he didn't have gloves—to the moment they stood on the dueling platform, only half an hour had passed.
At precisely 2 PM, the Great Hall transformed.
A dueling platform appeared in the center, with Kasenhis and Quirrell standing on opposite ends, each holding their wand pointed at their chest.
In the middle of the platform stood Snape, who addressed both the duelists and the gathered students, explaining the significance and rules of the duel. When he finished, he instructed the two to bow to one another.
The situation had escalated this far, so both Kasenhis and Quirrell bowed to each other—it was, after all, a Hogwarts duel, not a WWE match.
There was no pre-fight trash-talking or rage-inducing theatrics here.
After the two bowed, they turned simultaneously and walked toward their respective ends of the platform. At Snape's signal, they spun around in unison to face each other again.
Quirrell was the first to act. He slashed his wand upward and shouted, "Serpensortia!"
A massive serpent, over four meters long, suddenly appeared, slithering rapidly toward Kasenhis.
Kasenhis, however, casually waved his wand. Flames, pixelated and flickering, crawled across the snake's entire body in an even spread.
Without missing a beat, he sidestepped, letting the serpent's fiery form tumble off the platform below.
With that, Kasenhis shrugged at Quirrell, raising his hands in a gesture that could only be described as the universal 'really?' expression.
"It's not over yet," Quirrell snapped, his wand darting downward. A trail of earthen spikes erupted from the ground, rushing toward Kasenhis's feet.
Unfazed, Kasenhis scratched his chin thoughtfully, then tapped his wand lightly. In an instant, the entire dueling platform transformed into a sleek surface of obsidian. The spikes, their roots severed and their magic nullified, crumbled into dust upon hitting the ground.
Kasenhis admired his work briefly, only to look up and find Quirrell casting yet another spell. This time, a silent incantation sent a streak of red light hurtling toward him.
Judging by Quirrell's general vibe, Kasenhis couldn't immediately tell if it was a harmless Disarming Charm or the more sinister Stupefy.
Of course, there was an even greater possibility—this was a Bone-Breaking Curse.
Kasenhis wasn't about to take chances. He skipped the theatrics, didn't even bother with his wand this time, and simply waved his hand upward. A black obsidian wall sprang up, absorbing the curse but shattering into shards upon impact.
But Quirrell wasn't done. Barely a moment passed before another spell surged forth—a blazing red dragon of fire barreled straight toward Kasenhis.
Snape, seeing the cursed Fiendfyre conjured by Quirrell, immediately leapt off the platform and turned to Dumbledore with alarm etched across his face.
Dumbledore, however, merely waved a hand dismissively, gesturing for Snape to relax. He even seemed intrigued, as if watching an experiment unfold.
Meanwhile, on the platform, Kasenhis wasn't quite as composed as Dumbledore. Although his face betrayed no concern, the fiery monstrosity in front of him was clearly no ordinary flame.
One hand held his wand, while the other gripped a shimmering orb of water he had summoned. In his mind's eye, the dueling platform was overlaid with a grid of transparent cubes, marked by a three-dimensional axis.
What he needed was simple: in one instant, he would fill every cube within that grid with water blocks and make sure none of them flowed.
This instantaneous spatial compression would essentially rob the Fiendfyre of its existence, eliminating its occupied space. To put it simply, the water blocks would "overwrite" the cursed fire, like a program overwriting corrupted data.
Kasenhis watched as the massive fiery dragon grew larger and larger, nearly touching the ceiling of the Great Hall. With one hand, he tossed the summoned water source block into the corner of the room. With the other hand, he aimed his wand at a specific point on the Hogwarts ceiling. Instantly, an enormous cube of water materialized between the two duelists.
The previously all-consuming fire dragon vanished without a trace.
With the dragon extinguished, Kasenhis hadn't forgotten his original goal. From provoking Quirrell to accepting this duel, it was all for one reason: to ensure the man spent several days confined to the hospital wing.
But just days. Dumbledore had made sure to telepathically remind him before the duel began: under no circumstances could Quirrell lose his life.
That single restriction meant he couldn't use his Wither Skeleton skulls.
And while a TNT blast would make for a flashy spectacle, it was far too mild to achieve the desired outcome of ensuring Quirrell stayed bedridden.
Fortunately, in his time at Hogwarts, Kasenhis had made quite a favorable impression on both students and faculty. This was his moment to cash in on that goodwill.
Kasenhis waved his wand lightly. A hovering purple cube, surrounded by shimmering violet outlines, appeared in midair.
The moment the End Crystal materialized, it shot toward Quirrell with astonishing speed.
The explosion sent Quirrell flying across the platform. He landed with a resounding thud, motionless but very much alive.
The Great Hall fell into a stunned silence.
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