CHAPTER 21

The Following Morning…

Pained dry-heaving was all that could be heard coming from the Second Year Gryffindor boys' bathroom. Locked in a private stall, a pale-faced Ron clutched the side of the toilet bowl as he moaned miserably.

"Um…Ron, you alright mate?" Seamus' worried voice sounded outside the stall.

"Yeah…'m alright mate, just not feeling too well." Unseen, Seamus frowned at how weak he sounded.

"Y'sure? Sounds like you need to go to the Hospital Wing."

"Yeah I'm alright. I think I overdid last night at the Feast. Too many pumpkin pasties I reckon." Seamus snorted in amusement, all too aware of Ron's infamous appetite.

"Alright then, so long as you're good mate." Ron replied that he was perfectly fine, closely listening for his roommate's footsteps to subside. Satisfied, the young Weasley leaned against the toilet bowl, his head still ringing from the effort it took to speak.

For the umpteenth time in the past weeks, he'd woken up with a terrible pounding headache, accompanied today by nausea. He still couldn't explain it, his memory was in increasingly odd bits and pieces. Flashes of darkened hallways…rows upon rows of potions…the same grime-covered bathroom sink…incensed meowing, maddened chittering…hissing…

With a violent shake Ron shook his head, attempting to clear it. He groaned once more, feeling his head rattle from the sensation. He pulled his knapsack closer to him, reaching his arm elbow-deep and pulled out three potions - Headache Relief, Stomach Soother, and Pepper-Up, downing all three in quick succession and feeling immediate relief. It never occurred to him that not only should he not have been able to stick his hand that far down his knapsack, he shouldn't have had that many healing potions on his person.

Quickly Vanishing the empty phials (not realizing that he'd done that non-verbally), Ron pulled himself into a sitting position and exited the stall, stopping by the sink closest to the door. A few spells later, it was firmly locked and warded, with a convenient Repelling charm should any of his roommates return to use the bathroom.

With a tired sigh, he quickly went through his morning routine of brushing his teeth and washing his face. Once complete, he stripped and went to the stalls to take a quick shower. As he lathered his skin, he started upon noticing the strange flesh-toned marks that marred the back of right hand.

"...the hell is that?!" Growing panicked he furiously rubbed at the back of his hand, practically scratching at the delicate flesh. He suddenly felt a gentle flutter graze his mind, as the tender yet firm voice of Rex Norvegicus echoed soothingly:

'Be calm. You are perfectly fine. Your hand is perfectly fine. There is nothing wrong here.' It took a few seconds, but Ron's entire visage relaxed as his lips turned upward in a beatific smile.

Finished with his shower, he quickly got dressed and disabled the wards on the bathroom door. Gathering the day's supplies he quickly packed his knapsack. Seeing The Quill, he ran a hand through its vane as he shuddered, allowing Rex Norvegicus' voice to sink that much deeper into psyche. Any lingering trepidation was banished deeper into his psyche as the Dark Lord sunk his poisonous tendrils into his mind.

Continuing his task, Ron smiled at seeing the secret compartment within his bag, contained with all manner of delightful things he fully intended to unleash on the worthless maggots within Hogwarts' halls. He'd already succeeded in one, thanks to the Toymaker's rather ingenious assistance. 'Such a pity he allowed himself to get killed.'

Weasley snickered upon seeing the Invisibility Cloak, delighted to have stoked Jim's violent ire against his little brother. Seeing the two brothers brawl had been an utter delight, and he was looking forward to seeing just what other kinds of…confrontations he could orchestrate between the two. He leveled a cruel grin at the Map, the same one he'd stolen from the Twin Terrors during that disastrous Slytherin vs. Gryffindor match. Which was only a disaster because the Potter boy hadn't been speared to bits of bloody lifeless flesh. "Hmph, never send an elf to do a wizard's job."

Done with his cataloging, Ron swung his knapsack over his shoulder and exited the dorm, whistling a jaunty tune. If there had been any muggleborn students present, they would've wondered how on earth a pureblood wizard knew a Rolling Stones' song, especially one as suggestive as "Sympathy for the Devil".

19 November 1992 - Great Hall, 1:11PM

The entire Great Hall was abuzz with excitement, practically teeming with the entire student body. The announcement of a Dueling Club - formally titled the Dueling & Defense Association - had taken the school by storm, many of whom had neither been privy to a formal duel nor any type of exposure of a long-standing wizarding tradition. Interestingly enough, Hogwarts used to have a recreational dueling team that spanned all four Houses, founded in the early 1700s and often sponsored by the DADA Professor. While many members were Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, there were a fair few Slytherins and Ravenclaws who actively participated. Some members - like Professor Flitwick, Thorfinn Rowle, and Archibald 'Archie' Longbottom to name a few - had gone on to successfully compete in the Western European dueling circuit. However, Dumbledore's reigning tenure had seen the program cut short, the subject summarily removed from the DADA curriculum.

While the furor surrounding the events of Halloween Night had simmered down (especially with Mrs. Norris' restoration and the calming of Filch's ire), it hadn't completely disappeared. All sorts of rumors were being lobbied about the Chamber of Secrets and the Heir of Slytherin, some a tad more believable than others. Quite a few believed that Slytherin's descendant truly walked among them, and would soon unleash the true monster to cleanse the school of muggleborns. Others believed that the entire thing was a ridiculous hoax meant to scare the muggleborns into withdrawing from Hogwarts. There were some who thought it to be an overly elaborate (and rather cruel) prank played by the Weasley Twins "in the spirit of Halloween", a notion both brothers did not take well.

There were also others who thought it to be a prank played by Gryffindors even more clever than the Twins, but one aimed at further villainizing Slytherin House's already tenuous reputation. A very select few (mainly Cormac McClaggen) believed that Amy Wilkes was furthering her father's legacy, a Slytherin wolf in Gryffindor sheep's clothing that was secretly plotting to unleash the hidden monster and kill them all. Surprisingly, quite a few Gryffindors - like Saffron, Noel, Neville, and Hermione - didn't believe Cormac and told him as such, much to the young wizard's consternation. In fact, Amy's consistently stellar performance in Transfiguration, coupled with McGonagall's glowing praises and Hermione's (and Neville's) show of support was working to thin the proverbial ice. Granted, not everyone trusted or liked her, and quite a few still spoke poorly of her behind her back. Still, it was getting better.

In seeming response to the various rumors, Professor Lockhart had announced that he would be putting together a DADA club meant to provide real-world examples and applications to aid any interested student who sought to protect themselves from the "forces and leagues of Darkness". Which, apparently, constituted almost the entirety of the student body.

To host everyone, the Great Hall had been cleared of all furniture, save four reinforced wood pews that lined both sides of the massive dining hall meant to hold the various spectators. Members of the same House sat together, chattering excitedly amongst themselves. Small end-tables in the corners held various refreshments provided by the Hogwarts elves to be enjoyed during intermission. One long dueling platform emblazoned with the Hogwarts crest lined the center of the room, about 40x15 feet in size. The Head Table was empty, with the Professors opting to sit in the pews alongside the students. Soon, the last of the students trickled in and got settled.

As the final student (a Ravenclaw Third Year) entered, Gilderoy Lockhart strutted in with this usual cocky flair, wearing a sleek and well-fitted 'battle uniform' in shades of rich emerald and forest greens lined with shimmering gold. With a flourish he unholstered his wand and cast an Amplification Charm to allow his voice to boom.

"Hello hello! Can you all see me?" he preened. "Can you all hear me?" He strutted and elegantly hopped up onto the platform, striding to stand in the center to face the assembled crowd. "Welcome students and faculty! And welcome to the first of what I hope will be many meetings for the Hogwarts Dueling and Defense Association! I am most pleased and excited that you could all join me this afternoon on what will be the most splendid of demonstrations, ha-Ha!" This was the fiercest one yet, literally reverberating off the walls. Several of the students and faculty winced (Snape openly rolled his eyes).

At this point, the DADA professor went through a brief history of professional dueling, Hogwarts' own history with the sport, and the current status of the European Dueling League, ending with glowing praise for Professor Flitwick's own achievement in the sport and his contribution to the afternoon's event. Several of the assembled Ravenclaws politely applauded their Head of House, along with many others from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Slytherin, naturally, was the most subdued.

"Now," he clapped his hands boisterously, "onward to the festivities!" He gestured towards Lily, who was standing near the Slytherin section nursing a cup of coffee, her expression placid. "Professor Evans has kindly agreed to serve as my partner for today's kick-off demonstration. We will have a duel in line with French rules, which means 15 by 40 corridor dueling space, which we - and by that I mean Professor Fitwick - mimicked with this platform. We will make proficient use of offensive and defensive magic, wherein you'll see us make use of Averto, along with…real-world applications of the hopscotch and double-dutch drills Team Counterstrike has been making exceptional use of." Several murmurs went through the hall, quite a few of the Professors intrigued. A curious lift of the brow was the only response Lily gave in response to his statement. "Now, let the games begin! Ha-Ha!"

Banishing her coffee cup, Lily calmly strode to the platform. As she climbed the stairs, a non-verbal spell transformed her robes into a sleek black dueling uniform with stylish dragonhide accents. Several gasped at the display of her power. She came to stand about two feet away from the DADA Professor, expression perfectly composed. Lockhart merely quirked his brow, staring unblinkingly at the redhead witch. With that, he nodded to Professor Flitwick who made his way onto the platform, coming to stand right in front of the two Professors.

With a sweep of his wand, he used the Pyrologos Charm to write a small list of spells. The flaming words spelled out the three Unforgivables, Fiendfyre, and a small list of curses which very few in the Hall recognized.

"These spells," said Flitwick in his squeaky voice, "are the only offensive spells not permitted for competitive dueling at the Advanced Level under the rules set forth by the Western European Dueling Association." A few seconds passed before Flitwick slashed his wand and dispelled the flaming letters. "Duellists, assume your positions." Lily headed to one end of the platform while Lockhart went to the other. The diminutive professor quickly explained the dueling protocol, and then the two teachers met in the middle of the platform and raised their wands in salute, before quickly bowing and heading back to their original starting points.

"Our two competitors will be playing "jusqu'à la mort", which translates to "to the death". Now, this doesn't mean their physical deaths of course, but rather, to the conclusion of their match. Whoever first succeeds in disarming their opponent will be the ultimate winner." With a nod, Flitwick leaned down and tapped the platform three times with his own wand and cried out "CERTAMEN!" A glimmering shield wrapped itself around the perimeter of the platform before fading into transparency. Designed specifically for competition dueling, the Certamen shield would prevent any missed or deflected spells from hitting anyone in the audience. The Charms Professor raised his wand high and then slashed down quickly to signify that the duel had begun, before quickly disembarking the platform.

In a flash Lockhart launched a volley of Cutting Hexes at Lily, all of which she easily (and very quickly) parried away with her Averto shield, a tiny, barely visible bubble (no more than three or so inches across) centered on the tip of her wand. She swiftly responded.

"SAGITTA OPPUGNO!" Obsidian black arrows appeared and hurtled directly towards Lockhart's face and body. A slash rendered them to sand that he sent directly back at Lily. However, he didn't think to check behind him, having to quickly duck, dodge, and parry (as though jumping through double dutch ropes) as arrows attempted to lodge themselves into his back and head. Vanishing the sand sent at her, Lily pressed her advantage.

"CONCUSSUS MAXIMA!" she cried, followed by a Defodio slightly to his right. Eyes widening Lockhart ducked as whizzed just right above his head, crashing against the Certamen shield before exploding in a shower of angry red sparks. The crowd gasped at the effect. The Gouging Hex to his right took quite the chunk out of the stage, right where his left leg would have been had he not had the sense to dodge to the right to avoid being hit. Nonetheless, quite a bit of debris blew back and scratched at his face, leaving small wounds.

'Going for blood eh?' thought Lockhart, as his eyes burned in excitement. 'Alright then Evans.'

"VENTUS MAXIMA!" cried Lockhart, putting emphasis on the second syllable of Ventus as opposed to the first. Tornado force winds whipped out of his wand and buffeted powerfully at Lily, who grunted as she braced herself in a manner similar to a sprinter at starting point. As if made of stone, her dragonhide boots dug firmly into the stage as she was slowly pushed back against the winds, all while trying to parry away a bevy of Cutting Hexes launched at almost every part of her body. A few got through and slashed at her face and neck, drawing blood.

"ALARTE ASCENDARE!" With a grunt Lily was launched straight into the air as though she were a geyser. Several in the audience gawked and gasped (a few Firsties screamed), thinking she would fly directly through the charmed ceiling. She did not. At the apex, Lily crossed her arms in an X-formation and leapt off the column of air created by Lockhart's spell, spinning to rapidly descend to the ground as though she were a flower whirling in a soft breeze.

"EXPELLIARMUS!" In a motion too fast for most to catch, Lily's wand erected an invisible shield that blocked Lockhart's Disarming Charm, dissipating it without effect. From his position, Flitwick clapped in absolute delight at the flawless execution of the Anti-Disarming Counter-Jinx, non-verbally to boot! As she neared the platform in her descent, Professor Evans' wand was a blur of motion as she cast a multitude of lethal non-verbal spells.

Confringo, Lacero, Diffindo.

Silently, Lockhart summoned a stone wall with an Aegis Shield that blocked the first two spells, the third slipping past to cut at his knee. Grunting, he transfigured the crumbled wall into bullet-like steel spears, banishing them at Lily.

Lily's wand blurred in response. Arresto, Avifors, Oppugno Horribilis. The spears froze and transformed into crows with razor sharp talons that could rip a man into shreds. As one they flew at the Defense Professor with lethal intent. "SYRTES!" The stage underneath a struggling Lockhart turned to quicksand, dragging him under as he fought off the relentless crows.

"IMMOBULUS MAXIMA!" The crows froze, a black cloud of death suspended between time and space. A sharp slash later, and all were rendered into dust. "ASCENDIO!" Lockhart - bloodied, scratched, and bruised - was propelled straight into the air, doing an impressive backflip and landing as his wand flashed once more.

"AQUA ERUCTO! BAUBILLIOUS!" A powerful jet of water hit the Muggle Studies Professor hard and dead-center. Lockhart thrust his wand downard as he released the electric spell, watching it follow the thin trail of water straight to his opponent. The effect was near instantaneous.

"AAARGH!" cried Lily, body jerking violently as she dropped to one knee in anguish. A mix of outraged jeers sounded from the audience, mixing in equal measure with whoops of delight. Only a fair few (like Flitwick, Snape, and Dumbledore) noticed that Lockhart didn't press his advantage, instead choosing to watch the redhead witch twitch and groan as attempt to recover.

"E-EBUBLIO!" She waved her wand over her person, sagging in relief as a full-body rubber shield cloaked her. With a sharp sweep, every bit of water evaporated and her shield disappeared. She locked eyes with Lockhart, irises glowing Killing Curse green. The DADA Professor had the gall to wink in cheeky response.

Canus Ferus Tria, Defodio Duo.

Lockhart's eyes widened as three miniature hellhounds appeared and charged in a rage, closely followed by two Gouging hexes aimed at his legs. Three fierce slashes beheaded the dogs while he straddle-hopped to avoid losing his legs as he countered.

Acus Venenatus.

The canine corpses were transformed into multiple silver needles that split into three groups before rapidly swarming his opponent. One group hurtled directly into Lily's front, the second circled behind her, and the third flew straight above and rushed downward. She was surrounded and wouldn't have enough time to spell the projectiles away. With a snarl she made an X-formation with her arms, before turning in a rapid pirouette movement that made her spin like a Tasmanian devil. The resulting rotational force created a full-body column of air that repelled most of the needles into the Certamen shield. Some even flew directly back at the DADA Professor and forced him to dispel them. As she slowed down, she stumbled. Lockhart struck.

"EXPELLIARMUS TOTALUS!"

Harry watched with wide eyes (as did many others in the audience) as the Disarming Charm flew directly at his mother. From his vantage, the Charm would hit her dead center and strip her of her wand. He did not want her to lose. It had been incredible to her duel up close, her movements as precise as they were fast. He'd seen her duel Severus sometimes in the training room at the Evans' Keep, but their sessions tended to lean more towards calisthenics than 'duel-to-the-death'.

"C'mon mum," he muttered fiercely. She would need a miracle. And just like that, a miracle happened.

As the Charm closed in on Lily she slashed her wand downward center that caused a loud BANG!, coupled with a flash of bright light that obscured her completely (and somehow repelled the Expelliarmus). The light faded…and TWO Lily Evans appeared!

Lockhart gawked, an expression mimicked by many in the surrounding audience. Fred and George exchanged an amazed glance, before their expressions turned devious as they realized the potential of such a spell being added to the arsenal.

Gaining his bearings, Lockhart cast two Laceros at Left-Lily and two Gougers at Right-Lily. Left Lily blocked the Cutters while Right-Lily parried the hexes into the Certamen shield. That should not have been possible with the Doppelganger Defense Charm. As one, the witches turned and nodded at each other before turning back to Lockhart (who gulped with as much dignity as possible).

The battle raged on.

Sagitta Oppugno, Mactasses Maxima, Expelliarmus.

Lockhart spun sharply to the right and dodged most of the arrows. One grazed his left cheek as the other grazed his wand arm. He hissed as he felt his skin blacken and began peeling, the pain maddening. 'Poisoned arrows, how delightful.' Protego blocked the Bludgeoning Hex as he quickly switched to Averto to block the Disarmer. Unperturbed, the two Lily's pressed their advantage.

Lacero, Furnunculus Horribilis, Everte Statum, Flipendo.

The Cutting Curse hit true, slicing Lockhart's wand arm as blood spouted from the wound. He gave a sharp right riposte to dodge the modified Boils Hex, before parrying the Pushback and Knockback Jinxes into Right-Lily. To his shock, she parried them right back to him, forcing him to duck and dodge (while swearing viciously). Left-Lily recast three rapid-fire Cutting Charms at his legs. Two struck his left, forcing him into his knees.

"VERTIGO!" Lockhart's head swam as he fought to regain his bearings as the room spun and his leg throbbed in pain.

"CAPILLA MEDUSA!" cried Left-Lily, smirking in satisfaction as Lockhart's hair lengthened and stretched into furious cobras. A few wrapped around the struggling wizard's neck while the remaining lengthened to wrap tightly around his body.

"LEVICORPUS!" Lockhart was hoisted in the air by his ankle, dangling as his snake-hair tightened and began asphyxiating him.

"EXPELLIARMUS!" Lockhart's wand flew directly into his Right-Lily's hand, effectively ending the match. With deliberate strides, Left-Lily marched straight up to Lockhart and gestured with her wand. Lockhart (still upside down) levitated upward to come eye-level to the witch, who stared unblinkingly. A few seconds later, she winked out of existence.

Reaching the platform, Flitwick raised his wand high and then slashed down quickly to signify that the duel had ended, proclaiming Professor Evans as the victor.

The crowd went wild.

Fifteen Minutes Later…

Several students surrounded the DADA and Muggle Studies Professors, peppering them with all manner of questions regarding their performance as they enjoyed their refreshments. The two adults - fully healed from their exchange - graciously answered the unending barrage of questions. Naturally, the hottest topic was the duplication charm Lily had utilized to defeat Lockhart in their final showoff. Professor Evans had bashfully claimed that it was the Doppelganger Defense Charm (shocking Lockhart), and that it'd taken "a lot of practice" to be able to get her illusory duplicate to act as autonomously as it did. In response, quite a few NEWT-level DADA students outright begged her to teach it to them.

As Lily dealt with the adoration of her new fanclub, there were a few factions of students who were not partaking in the hubbub. One such group was Cassius and his cronies, huddled in one corner near the pastry table. Beside them was Miranda and her cohorts, muttering amongst themselves as they enjoyed their beverages. In truth, Miranda was eavesdropping on her cousin and his idiot stooges to gauge their reaction to that thrilling and extraordinary display by Potter's mother. Said cousin oscillated between glaring at the mudblood professor and her pathetic admirers and vigorously chewing on his strawberry pasties.

"I don't see why everyone's in such a bloody frenzy over the mudblood," muttered Cassius Warrington to his Pureblood associate Miles Bletchley. "I mean, Lockhart went pretty easy on her with those basic spells, and she practically cheated with that duplicate spell at the end. Don't you agree?" Miranda barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his enduring idiocy, once more wondering how he'd fooled the Hat into a Slytherin Sorting.

"Are you mental, Warrington?!" the other Pureblood exclaimed, staring at the boy as if he'd quite literally gone mad. "That was bloody battle magic in play, most of it very lethal. The fact that she not only kept up with Lockhart but was able to retaliate as much as she did - nonverbally for quite a bit too! - is nothing short of bloody incredible! Most magicals couldn't pull off half of those spells, much less at the speed they were going. Blimey, she split herself into bloody two and was able to use her magic twin to cast spells! Bloody incredible it is!" Bletchley's expression turned haughty as he sniffed at the other Pureblood disdainfully. "And frankly, I've seen your dueling attempts in the European Student League - Novice no less - and I think…no, I know you wouldn't have lasted ten seconds."

Warrington's eyes flashed angrily as he snarled. "Well, listen to you, Miles. A little light show from a dirty mudblood made you go soft? Whatever would your father say?" Bletchley's expression turned vicious as sneered at the boy. Cassius started, not expecting that reaction from his friend.

"I imagine he'd say he was proud that he didn't raise me to be a fool, Warrington. Whatever our disagreements about politics, that Mudblood has got more NEWTs that either of us ever have a chance of seeing, and with today's display, she proved herself as someone not only worthy of those accomplishments, but also one not to be trifled with." Miles stepped closer to Cassius, using his greater height to crowd the seething boy's space. "If you can't see that she is an infinitely better witch than you are a wizard and has bigger balls than me and you, that's your blindness. Not mine."

With that, Miles stormed off to join the students clamoring around Lily Evans, leaving a fuming Cassius Warrington behind. Miranda hid her smirk behind her teacup, before also making her way over to the crowd with her group. Lucian Bole quickly cleared his throat and took his leave, citing "needing the lavatory" as Derrick scuttled off after him. Incensed at the insults (real and perceived), Warrington looked around to see if anyone had seen the altercation.

The only person nearby was a red-headed Gryffindor Second Year who stood about ten feet away, staring at him with an unreadable expression as he delicately sipped at his tea. "What are you looking at, brat?" snarled Cassius.

Ron Weasley shrugged. "Drama?" he said before turning and walking away, softly whistling "God Save the Queen".

8:39PM

A soft knock sounded on the door of Lily's private quarters, interrupting her nightly reading. Not expecting anyone, she quickly cast a charm to reveal the identity of who stood behind her door. Her eyes widened.

"Um…come in Jim." The door opened to reveal her eldest son, who looked every bit as nervous as she felt. The last time the two had crossed paths, things had not ended well. She'd arrived at the tail end of his fight with Harry, just as Severus had separated the two and was reading the boy - in scathing sotto voce - the riot act for his "unconscionably appalling and ceaseless delinquency that was almost on par with James Potter's!"

Enraged, Jim had turned to her to insist that Harry had stolen his Invisibility Cloak and left a 'calling card' to mock him. He'd begged/screamed at her to "make him give it back!", but Lily had been unmoved. She'd responded that Harry was not a thief and that her son would never steal from his brother. Growing more furious, Jim had screamed at her for being a "horrible excuse for mother", citing that he hated her and never wanted to speak to her again before storming off. It was only thanks to Lily that Snape hadn't taken off more points and assigned him a lifetime's worth of detentions scrubbing the toilets raw.

"Um…hi?" said Jim awkwardly. Lily's brow quirked.

"Hello Jim. Would you like to sit down? Tea perhaps?" He nodded jerkily before shuffling to sit in the divan across from her, muttering his thanks as a cup of sweet milky tea appeared in his hand. Internally, he wondered how she'd known that it was his favorite way to take tea. A few very awkward moments passed before Lily spoke:

"So…may I ask why you're here?" Jim grimaced and cringed for a few moments, before seemingly making up his mind.

"You…you were amazing today." Lily's eyes widened comically. "That was the most incredible display I've ever seen in my life. That twin spell?! Bloody incredible!" Lily snorted a laugh, before gently thanking him for his praise. Jim nodded as he sipped at his tea, his expression becoming nervous, restraining himself from asking what he really wanted. Lily decided to take pity on him.

"Jim…is there something you would like to ask me?" Her son fidgeted for a few moments before his expression became resolute.

"Teach me."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Teach me," he repeated. "If I'm meant to survive the Dark Lord in one piece and… fulfill my destiny (he sneered), I need every bit of skill I can get my hands on. Granted I don't think I'll ever be as amazing as you were today, but I only need to learn what's needed to kill the bastard." He set his tea down and turned imploring eyes at his mother. "Please, I need your help. Please teach me."

Lily could only stare in response.

AN 1: That was damn good fun! Granted while the two could have finished off the other with much fewer spells, part of competitive dueling is putting on a show, which I think Lily and Lockhart effectively did. As I've mentioned before, we'll see in future chapters Lily (and Tom and another Knight) duel against Death Eaters, along with Lily and Miss Demeanor's face-off.

AN 2: Lily did use the Doppelganger Defense Charm, but it's a unique variation created by Tom to help their war efforts. More on that later.