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The first meeting of the Dueling Club was both a failure and a success.
It was a failure because the host had been sent to the hospital wing due to a spell mishap.
It was a success because after he left, Dudley took over the club meeting and achieved great success.
Under the disciplinary group's demonstration, the students gained a general impression of what dueling was.
The later practice, with two students paired against two students, did not produce any major accidents either.
There were two whole professors present to protect the students, Snape and Flitwick.
They were not empty displays like Lockhart, but wizards with genuine ability.
Any accidents caused by the students' spells could be stopped in time.
The first meeting of the Dueling Club gradually came to an end.
No matter which House they came from, when the students left, they all seemed as if they had not had enough.
They kept asking Dudley and the others when the second meeting would be.
In response, the disciplinary group could only say that everyone should wait for the notice board announcement.
When the meeting ended, Dudley found Harry and motioned for the two of them to go outside the castle and talk alone.
The night at Hogwarts was undoubtedly beautiful.
Above their heads, the sky was full of brilliant stars, completely unlike the dark sky in cities polluted by artificial lights.
Walking across the grass outside the castle and feeling the gentle breeze, Dudley saw that Harry still refused to confess first.
So Dudley could only take the initiative.
"Harry... say it. I don't think there should be secrets between us brothers."
"It's nothing..."
Harry lowered his head, looking somewhat uneasy.
"Really nothing?"
Dudley shook his head gently.
"When you lie, you don't like looking at other people's eyes. You look at the tips of your shoes instead. I understand that better than you do."
"If you tell me, perhaps I can help you. You should know what I'm capable of."
Seeing that Harry still refused to confess, Dudley felt slightly disappointed.
Harry, you have changed.
The old you was not like this.
"Harry, we're brothers."
"Big D..."
The expression on Harry's face showed obvious struggle.
His small face flushed red, though whether from excitement or something else was impossible to tell.
In a voice barely louder than a mosquito, he said, "I... I think I might like a girl..."
"What?"
It was not that Dudley had not heard him.
It was just that the content surprised him a little.
"You mean you're in love?"
"Shh, shh!"
Harry's face grew even redder, the color stretching from the roots of his ears all the way down to his neck.
He waved his hands frantically at Dudley.
"Keep your voice down, Big D. Do you want everyone else to hear?"
"What is there to hide? If you like someone, just admit it openly."
Dudley spoke without concern, then rubbed his chin.
Twelve years old.
At Harry's age, it was about time for a first love.
"Which House is she in?"
"There's an old saying: when a gentleman meets a girl he likes, he should pursue her bravely."
Who would have thought that the moment Dudley finished, Harry would object.
"Big D, don't try to fool me. Families like hers are supposed to be reserved. How could there be such a bold old saying?"
"So the girl has East Asian heritage?"
Hearing Dudley suddenly say this, Harry's heart jumped.
Sure enough, nothing could be hidden from Big D.
Seeing that Dudley had guessed so accurately, Harry had no choice but to confess.
"Ravenclaw. Cho Chang."
"A senior one year above us?"
Dudley's mind brought up an impression of Cho Chang.
Cho Chang was honestly quite pretty.
At the very least, she was prettier than the version in the films.
More importantly, she looked naturally pretty, with none of the awkward styling Dudley remembered from the movies.
One thing had to be clarified here.
Cho Chang was not a foreign exchange student who had traveled thousands of miles to attend Hogwarts.
Strictly speaking, Cho Chang was a British witch of Chinese descent.
Aside from her appearance and bloodline, she was born and raised in England.
Harry's heart sank.
He thought Dudley did not agree.
If that was the case, then he could only endure the pain and...
Of course, Dudley would never object to his little brother liking an older girl.
Being one year older was nothing.
Besides, slightly older girls had their own appeal.
One year older meant maturity.
Three years older meant treasure.
Thirty years older meant an estate.
Three hundred years older meant an immortality potion.
Three thousand years older meant you were probably dating a goddess.
Just as Harry was struggling over how to give up this relationship, Dudley asked, "How is your relationship now?"
"?"
Seeing Harry's confused expression, Dudley continued asking, "What stage have you reached? Confession? Holding hands? Kissing? Or further?"
It seemed he had not cared enough about his little brother.
He had not even discovered that Harry had fallen in love.
"..."
Harry remained silent for a while.
Under Dudley's gaze, he confessed honestly.
"I only know her name is Cho Chang, and that she is from Ravenclaw... She might not even know me."
This time, it was Dudley's turn to be silent.
He understood what Harry meant.
So this was the legendary one-sided crush?
"Pfft."
A faint sound came from nearby.
It sounded like someone trying very hard to hold back laughter and failing.
"So how much longer are you going to keep watching?"
Dudley said helplessly.
"???"
Hearing Dudley suddenly say this, Harry had a bad feeling.
Don't tell me...
"When did you notice?"
Hermione's clear voice, like a skylark, rang out.
Then her figure appeared in front of Harry.
The Disillusionment Charm.
A spell that could make one's body invisible.
Strictly speaking, like the Shield Charm, it was one of the spells Aurors were required to learn.
Required was required.
Whether they could actually use it was another matter.
Even in Hogwarts's Charms curriculum, it was an advanced spell one would at least encounter in fifth year.
If it were only Hermione, Harry could still comfort himself this way.
Then came a swish.
It was as if a curtain had been pulled down from the air, revealing the scene inside.
Malfoy, Ron, and Neville were squeezed together.
In their hands, they were holding a transparent cloak.
His Invisibility Cloak?
Did that mean everything he had said just now had been heard?
Harry seemed to have been struck by the Full Body-Bind Curse, freezing in place.
"Spells and Invisibility Cloaks can indeed block sight, but your heartbeat, footsteps, and breathing are far too obvious. To my ears, you might as well be visible."
Dudley explained.
He had discovered their traces long ago.
He simply had not exposed them.
"We were only worried about Harry."
Everyone explained in this way.
At that instant, the color gradually drained from Harry's body.
"There is strength in numbers. Let us all think of a way to help Harry together."
Hearing this, Harry, whose face had been ashen a moment ago, gradually brightened.
If everyone could help him pursue Cho...
Then this was not impossible to accept.
Harry thought this with very little principle.
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