"Leg-Lock Curse." Despite the dust cloud obscuring the view, Severus Snape nonchalantly waved his arm, sending a dull wave of magical energy toward the spot where Glenn was about to land his foot.
The timing was impeccable. Glenn's balance had already shifted, and if he stepped down, he would immediately be affected by the Leg-Lock Curse, his feet bound together, leaving him utterly defenseless.
"I can't engage Snape head-on. My magic needs to focus on offense; that's my only chance to win," Glenn thought to himself. He knew his magical power couldn't compete with Snape's. Only by channeling his magic into attacks and waiting for the right moment could he hope for victory.
Otherwise, being slowly drained of magic and stamina by Snape's relentless tactics would leave him with only one outcome: defeat.
Glenn never treated these demonstrations—or "exhibition matches"—as mere performances. Every duel with Snape was fought with unyielding determination.
Only through such effort could he grow stronger.
Instead of stepping down, Glenn quickly adjusted his posture, performing a diving roll to avoid the range of the Leg-Lock Curse. His left hand pressed firmly against the ground, flipping his body upright and steadying his stance in an instant.
Snape, however, had no intention of giving Glenn any opportunity to react or rest. Chanting under his breath, his wand twitched slightly, while his wide sleeves occasionally concealed his hand movements. Almost simultaneously, two or three binding spells flew toward Glenn from different angles.
"Immobulus, Obstacles Galore, Weakness Unleashed..." Hermione Granger stared intently at Snape's wand-holding hand, hidden beneath his sleeve, muttering the incantations to herself.
In duels, wizards often employed subtle tricks to gain an advantage. One such technique involved altering the movement of their arms to perform the correct wand gestures while using the fluttering of their sleeves to obscure their wand. This could effectively prevent opponents from deducing the spells being cast.
However, such tactics were only effective against inexperienced wizards. Skilled and knowledgeable wizards could easily see through such disguises.
Naturally, the astute Hermione belonged to the latter category. She was closely observing Snape's spellcasting techniques to hone her own perceptive skills.
Snape did not expect such tricks to fool Glenn. His movements were merely instinctive.
"Diffindo!" Glenn immediately halted his evasive movements and charged straight at the binding spells. His magical circuits swiftly shifted to the cutting spell configuration, channeling energy through his arm to his wand tip, unleashing the spell toward the incoming binding magic.
The binding spell, known as Immobulus, was a control-type spell that essentially summoned a thick rope to bind its target. Snape's three spells had blocked Glenn's escape routes, forcing him to choose the most efficient way to break through.
The white cutting spell collided with the rapidly advancing rope, slicing it cleanly in two without resistance. The spell's momentum continued, heading straight for Snape.
Meanwhile, Glenn's figure rapidly closed the distance between him and Snape.
Unlike typical wizards who excelled in long-range combat, Glenn's strength lay in close-quarters dueling. By applying pressure at close range, he could exploit his opponent's mistakes.
But Snape was fully aware of what this slippery little brat was planning.
Why had he placed the physical binding spell between the other two spells?
A sinister smile crossed Snape's face as he unleashed his prepared spell.
"Pitfall Collapse, Slippery Slope!"
Without warning, the ground within a five-meter radius around Glenn collapsed into a deep pit. The rubble and broken ground were then enchanted with a slippery spell, reducing their surface friction to zero.
The previous spells were merely bait. The environment created by these two spells was the true "trap" Snape had prepared for Glenn.
In all their duels, Snape had never lost to Glenn.
But how did he win?
1. Exhaust Glenn's magical power and stamina, then use spells to incapacitate him.
2. Directly immobilize Glenn, rendering him unable to act.
This little rascal was as slippery as a mudfish. Even Snape found it difficult to hit him directly with targeted spells.
Instead of aiming to hit Glenn directly, it was far easier to affect the environment around him using magic.
As Glenn's figure began to fall into the pit, Snape was determined not to waste this opportunity.
"Consolidate and Lock!" Snape pointed his wand directly at Glenn, giving it a quick flick and rotating the tip in a circle.
"Boom!"
A loud explosion shook the arena. Dust and debris filled the air as a jagged, irregular sphere formed mid-air from the collapsed ground and broken stones. It hovered, spinning slowly, while the fragments continued to attract and collide, producing sharp, terrifying noises of hard objects grinding against each other.
Nearby, Professor Flitwick, who was maintaining the protective enchantments to prevent the duel's aftermath from affecting the spectators, twitched slightly.
Severus, you lunatic! Why are you using such a spell?!
If Glenn were hit by this, trapped inside the stone sphere, it wouldn't be a matter of recovering in the hospital for a few weeks—it would be far worse!
Glenn was just a young wizard. This was going too far!
Professor Flitwick shook his head but made no move to stop the match.
He knew that Glenn had not been hit by the attack.
And among everyone present, only three others besides himself were aware of this fact.
Snape clicked his tongue and prepared his next move.
While the surrounding young wizards were still in shock, Hermione's gaze had already shifted upward toward the arena.
From the moment Snape cast Pitfall Collapse, Hermione's eyes had been fixed on Glenn.
She was eager to see how Glenn would respond to the carefully crafted trap.
Hermione wasn't worried about Glenn's safety. She knew he wouldn't be harmed by such an attack.
Sure enough, in Hermione's view, just before the jagged stones collided, a shadow shot skyward.
It was Glenn.
"Reverse Suspension." Glenn and Hermione simultaneously muttered the spell under their breath.
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