Below the dueling platform, Harry was holding his breath as he watched the two professors take their positions. Never in his wildest imagination had he expected that Professor Westeros and Snape would be the ones ultimately standing opposite each other on this stage.

As the two faced each other across the dueling platform, Harry's nerves stretched. His eyes darted between the two figures, trying to read their surface expressions.

But what struck him most was the change in Snape's demeanor.

There was no longer the casual contempt he had shown to Lockhart. Snape's eyes had taken on the look of a predator that had finally found prey worthy of its attention.

There seemed to be hunger in that gaze not the petty satisfaction of defeating a fool like Lockhart, but the deep satisfaction of a true hunter facing a genuine challenge.

Adrian, by contrast, seemed unaffected by the waves of intimidation coming off from Snape's oppressive aura.

However, Harry noticed that while his expression was relaxed, his gaze never left the wand in Snape's hand.

Adrian tilted his head slightly and said to Lockhart beside him: "Professor Lockhart, could you trouble yourself to serve as our referee?"

At this moment, Lockhart seemed lost in thought. Upon hearing Adrian's words, he finally snapped back to reality and smiled awkwardly: "Oh, yes, I'd be happy to, Professor Westeros."

Adrian nodded lightly, his gaze still on Snape.

Snape's face showed no expression, his eyes were looking cold and stern. Clearly, he was serious.

Standing in the crowd, Harry clenched his fists nervously. He naturally hoped Professor Westeros would win, but Snape was obviously no simple opponent either. Yet he had a feeling that Adrian seemed capable of handling this battle.

As Lockhart stepped forward to begin his referee duties, Harry couldn't contain himself any longer. "Go Professor Westeros!" He shouted out loud nervously.

The words rang out across the Great Hall, and several heads turned in his direction. Some students looked surprised at his outburst, others nodded in agreement, and a few Slytherins shot him dark looks. But Harry barely noticed any of them—his attention was focused entirely on Adrian's reaction.

Adrian turned slightly in Harry's direction and gave him a small nod.

That simple nod flooded Harry with confidence. He had spent countless hours watching Adrian work with magic, had seen him perform feats that seemed impossible, and had witnessed his abilities that were genuinely unfathomable.

So, he did not believe that Adrian would lose.

Lockhart cleared his throat and raised his voice, trying to project the authority of his position despite his recent humiliation. "Gentlemen, when I give the signal, you may begin. Remember, this is an educational demonstration for our students' benefit. Three... two... one... begin!"

The moment the word left Lockhart's lips, both Adrian and Snape moved.

"Expelliarmus!"

Snape's opening attack was identical to his previous attacks, but everything else about it was different. Where his spells against Lockhart had been casual, almost contemptuous, this casting carried all magical power behind it.

Adrian had expected this choice after all, they were performing in front of students, and even Snape wouldn't dare use truly dangerous magic in such a situation.

In a private confrontation, he would likely open with something far more lethal. Sectumsempra, perhaps, or one of the other dark curses.

But this wasn't a private duel to the death it was an educational demonstration, which meant certain rules had to be maintained.

This spell was much thicker than the one he had used against Lockhart earlier—clearly, Snape had been holding back before.

But against Adrian, he felt no need to hold back. He knew that for Adrian, this spell wouldn't be troublesome.

This was merely a test.

Sure enough, Adrian held his wand suspended in mid-air, and a transparent barrier appeared before him, steadily blocking the red light.

The barrier only rippled slightly, like a water droplet falling into a lake beyond that, there was no effect.

The students applauded. Adrian's naturally graceful demeanor formed a stark contrast with Lockhart's earlier panic.

At this moment, Snape's pupils contracted slightly.

Adrian hadn't even spoken an incantation.

That is to say, this was nonverbal casting. But it wasn't just the silent casting that had caught Snape's attention. It was the power behind it. For a nonverbally cast Shield Charm to demonstrate such strength, such stability, spoke to magical abilities that went far beyond what most wizards could achieve even with spoken incantations and perfect technique.

Snape's mind went back to their confrontation the last year. At that time, Adrian had been powerful but not this powerful. His Shield Charms, even when properly cast with wand and spoken incantation, had been barely adequate to rebound Snape's attacks.

But this time, that Shield Charm seemed to absorb his Disarming Spell entirely.

In just one year, this young man's progress was simply terrifying.

"Nice power, Professor Snape," Adrian smiled slightly, pointing his wand at Snape: "However, this alone isn't enough."

His progress over this year had been immense, worlds apart from his former self. He had not only gained the "Energy Amplification" ability from the Tree of Wisdom, but had also undergone specialized dueling training and participated in dueling competitions.

He had even specifically consulted with that African wizard about the secrets of silent wandless casting.

As the dueling competition champion, the other contestants were happy to exchange their understanding of spell and magic with him.

After all, as Adrian had learned, the exchange of knowledge led to progress for everyone involved.

Returning his attention to the immediate situation, Adrian noticed that Snape had made no move to continue his attack. Instead, he had gestured with his free hand.

The general meaning was that it was Adrian's turn to attack.

A match with proper give and take would be more interesting for the audience.

Seeing this, Adrian stopped holding back. He casually waved his wand, and a spell flew out.

But this wasn't the straight-line attack that most wizards would expect. Instead of following the direct path between caster and target, Adrian's spell traced a complex arc through the air, approaching Snape from an unexpected angle like a snake striking from its camouflage.

Because Adrian had cast the spell nonverbally and his wand movement had been so minimal, Snape had no way to determine what type of magic was heading his way. The color and energy signature of the approaching spell were unfamiliar, leaving him to guess at its nature.

Faced with the unknown, Snape did what any experienced duelist would do, he raised his strongest general defense.

"Protego!"

The silver barrier that sprang into existence before him was stronger than the casual shields he had used in his previous encounters.

The curved spell struck his Shield Charm.

"Boom!"

The spell exploded against the silver barrier, the strong impact making Snape's black robes flutter.

This was a powerful Blasting Curse.

After the explosion's aftermath passed, those present were surprised to discover that several cracks had appeared in the stage beneath Snape's feet.

Clearly, this was caused by the Blasting Curse just now.

Snape brushed the dust from his robes and said in a low voice: "Interesting."

"You flatter me," Adrian smiled slightly.

The two's testing phase ended here—what followed would be the formal duel.

Adrian suddenly stepped forward, pointing his wand straight ahead: "Stupefy!"

The word rang out across the Great Hall carrying with it the expectation of a bright red stunning spell that should have streaked immediately toward its target. But to the confusion of everyone watching, no light emerged from Adrian's wand tip.

The expected crimson bolt simply didn't appear.

Students leaned forward, wondering if something had gone wrong with the spell. Had it failed?

Just as everyone was puzzled, Snape suddenly dodged to the right. A split second after he left his previous position, a yellow light shot through the space where he had been standing, missing his left shoulder by mere inches before smashing into the stone wall behind the platform.

"Boring tricks," Snape narrowed his eyes and said: "Flashy nonsense."

Adrian smiled without speaking. In fact, this was a new attack pattern Adrian had recently learned a method of delaying spell activation that made his attacks unpredictable for opponents.

By casting the spell normally but holding back its release until the optimal moment, he could create what he privately thought of as "fast and slow strikes."

It was a effective tactic in dueling, where split-second timing often determined victory or defeat. An opponent might dodge where they expected a spell to be, only to find themselves moving directly into its actual path.

More importantly, Adrian had no intention of giving Snape time to adapt to his techniques. In magical combat, seizing and maintaining the initiative was often the key to victory.

A defensive wizard was often a losing wizard in duels.

In the brief moment while Snape was still recovering from his evasive maneuver, Adrian struck again.

Waving his wand continuously, three different-colored spells flew toward Snape in succession.

All three spells were cast nonverbally, giving Snape no clues about their nature or intended effects. He was forced to make decisions based purely on visual analysis and combat instincts honed through years of dangerous experience.

Snape managed to twist away from the first spell.

The other two spells came too quickly and from too many angles for evasion to be possible. Gritting his teeth, Snape brought his wand up in the classic defensive position and conjured Shield Charms.

"Protego! Protego!"

Two silver barriers materialized just in time to intercept Adrian's remaining attacks.

The impacts were tremendous—far stronger than his first Blasting Curse had been. Even with his shields absorbing the direct force of the spells, the residual energy was enough to drive him back across the platform.

His boots scraped and skidded against the stone floor as he fought to maintain his balance. His black robes spread wide behind him like the wings of some bat as he stepped back.

Adrian was persistent in his pursuit of advantage. Before Snape had fully recovered from defending against the triple assault, another wave of spells was already forming at his wand tip.

Each spell was precisely calculated to block off possible escape routes, creating a tightening net of magical force that pushed his opponent back.

Snape also attempted several counterattacks during his retreat. But Adrian seemed to anticipate each attempted attack, and began deflecting incoming spells with casual flicks of his wand.

Such a scene made it clear to the watching students that Adrian held an undisputable advantage.

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