Chapter 139: Student Brawl

Displaying his physical prowess had a very noticeable effect. The students clearly understood that the young professor standing before them was no mere fraud.

Maintaining his smile, Jun Ma strolled leisurely to a chair at the very front of the classroom and sat down. "In this class, you won't be smelling foul-smelling potions, you won't be racking your brains to recite essays, and you won't be happily enjoying flying lessons! Here, in my Defense Against the Dark Arts class, the only thing you will ever learn is combat! Surely, you don't believe that reciting textbooks is enough to protect yourselves, do you?"

"Professor Ma, are you saying... you want us to learn how to attack?" Hermione asked, looking somewhat hesitant and uneasy. "What if someone gets hurt?"

"Don't worry, my little sweetie!" Jun Ma smiled warmly, casting a reassuring look in her direction. "With me here, I'll keep a close eye on all of you! Besides, Miss Granger, I know you are an exceptional student! However, reciting books is rarely as important as practical application! Believe in yourself!"

"Alright, Professor!" Hermione muttered, silently pumping herself up.

The rest of the students ranged from eager to apprehensive.

Neville Longbottom, in particular, that poor little fellow, wore an expression of sheer distress, as if someone had just snatched away his favorite candy.

Meanwhile, Draco, who had looked thoroughly defiant just moments earlier, was now brimming with excitement, practically bursting with anticipation for the upcoming combat.

"Now, I shall announce the rules!" Jun Ma said loudly. "Everyone, pair up for duels. The only spell you are permitted to use is the Disarming Charm. Pay attention: students from the same House are not allowed to be paired together! Once the combat concludes, the House with the greater number of victors will be awarded ten points! At the same time, you will all earn a chance—a chance to duel against me!"

"Wait, Professor!" Harry asked. "If this is combat, why are we restricted to a single spell?"

"Because for people of your current level, spells need to be mastered through proficiency rather than spreading yourselves too thin over a chaotic variety!" Jun Ma answered sternly. "Otherwise, just wait and see—many of you probably won't even manage to cast the Disarming Charm properly a moment from now!"

"Professor! If we win, how are we supposed to fight you? Is it..." Hermione asked.

Interrupting her, Jun Ma chuckled, "The winning House's students will together cast the Disarming Charm at me, and I shall demonstrate for you how to evade it!"

Competition was the best way to ignite people's enthusiasm, as everyone wanted to prove themselves superior to others. Furthermore, by dividing the students into opposing Houses, Jun Ma instilled a keen sense of House pride, which instantly galvanized the entire room.

Moreover, they were all eager to see how Jun Ma would handle the simultaneous attacks of dozens of students.

Gryffindor prided itself on being the House of the brave, and its members were raring to go for the impending fight.

Slytherin students, on the other hand, always carried an air of haughty superiority. Deep down, they believed themselves to be a cut above everyone else, viewing members of other Houses as commoners—especially those brainless brutes from Gryffindor. Consequently, they were equally eager for a proper showdown.

"Now, find your opponents!" Jun Ma announced, highly amused by the expressions flickering across their faces.

With that, the room dissolved into a noisy scramble as everyone began scrambling to pick their opponents.

Ron and Harry both targeted Draco, and Draco, of course, had his sights set on the two of them as well. After a brief negotiation, it was decided that Harry would face Draco.

Hermione chose a rather solidly built Slytherin girl, though she well knew that magical duels were not a contest of raw physical strength.

The most pitiful of all was Neville Longbottom. Several students rushed toward him, eager to pick the easiest target, throwing him into such a state of nervous panic he was nearly on the verge of tears. Turning his pleading gaze toward Jun Ma, he cried out for help, "Professor, I..."

"Neville Longbottom!" Jun Ma frowned sternly. "Find your courage! Remember, the Sorting Hat placed you in Gryffindor, and it is never wrong! Think of your parents—they were brilliant Aurors! Yet you let yourself be paralyzed by appearances. Pick an opponent and fight boldly!"

"Yes..."

...

Before long, everyone had selected their combat partners. Jun Ma swept his gaze across the room and nodded. "Very well. Only when you possess the courage to fight do you possess the courage to protect yourselves! Remember my rule: everyone is strictly restricted to the Disarming Charm. Anyone who dares step out of line will have twenty points deducted from their House, and will automatically fail this course! Is everyone ready? Let the combat begin!"

The moment the words left his lips, the students, whose enthusiasm had been thoroughly stirred, immediately cast their spells.

The Disarming Charm was the most fundamental of defensive spells. If the caster possessed sufficient power, it would knock the opponent backward while simultaneously disarming them of their wand.

However, since these second-year students were mostly matched in skill, successful casts merely knocked the wands from their opponents' hands, leaving zero possibility of actual injury.

Jun Ma had, of course, carefully calculated these factors before daring to let the students play rough. Otherwise, with broken bones and sprained limbs piling up by the end of a single lesson, he, as the teacher, would undoubtedly find himself facing considerable trouble.

All across the classroom, wands were sent spinning frantically through the air.

The battles were extremely brief. Many of the students only understood the theory on paper and had never actually engaged in genuine combat before.

A significant number of them couldn't even manage to cast the spell at all.

By comparison, the Slytherin students clearly demonstrated greater proficiency, at least managing to execute the magic with relative ease.

"Expelliarmus!" Draco shouted loudly, pointing his wand straight at Harry. Despite Harry's frantic recitation of the incantation and the spell successfully erupting from his wand tip, he was a split second too slow and was promptly disarmed!

To be frank, had it not been for Dumbledore's extensive cultivation, Harry would hardly have been a match for Draco in their later years.

On the other side, Ron was locked in a duel with one of Draco's lackeys. The two were closely matched, but alas, Ron was somewhat more inept and ended up disarmed.

Hermione, however, was a different story. Not only was her theoretical knowledge formidable, but her practical execution was equally impressive, allowing her to easily defeat her sturdily built opponent.

Ten minutes later, the fighting came to a complete halt.

"The victors, stand on my right. The defeated, stand on my left," Jun Ma instructed.

By now, the expressions of pure excitement had vanished from the room. The losers hung their heads in dejection.

"It seems the outcome is rather clear?" Jun Ma surveyed the assembled students. "Slytherin has the larger number of victors?"

The different Houses wore distinct robes, making the numerical comparison instantly apparent.

The little lions of Gryffindor looked thoroughly crestfallen, while the little snakes of Slytherin wore smug, triumphant grins.

"Have you learned nothing from this?" Jun Ma asked, his expression severe. "If you cannot even execute a simple Disarming Charm properly, how on earth do you expect to defend yourselves against the Dark Arts?"

"Professor, next time, we'll definitely practice harder!" Harry took the lead, the Gryffindor students puffing out their chests in a solemn promise. They looked full of fighting spirit, having already cast off the gloom of their defeat.

"I certainly hope so," Jun Ma nodded, shifting his gaze to the other group of students. "Congratulations, Slytherin earns ten points! You won, and that is worthy of praise! However... it is nothing to be proud of. Draco, what do you think?"

"We won, Professor!" Draco tilted his chin up proudly, his slicked-down hair gleaming brightly under the lights.

"Yes, you won," Jun Ma smiled. "And consequently, you have earned the right to fight against me. I hope that shortly, you all manage to gain something from the experience."