Chapter 185: Tirith Secret Society

"But to be honest," Luna said seriously, "I'm not very good at dueling, and I have nothing to teach others. If we really form a dueling club in Ravenclaw, I'm afraid I'll fail."

"You can still exchange ideas with us," Malfoy said. "And Zhang Qiu will take special care of you, right, Harry?"

"To be fair, excluding her secret spells," Harry scratched his head, "I'm still not sure if Zhang Qiu can earn the respect of others."

"You're right—truthfully, Slytherin's situation isn't much better," Malfoy said seriously. "But since a dueling club must be formed anyway, why not let us start it? This is such a rare opportunity—I hope none of you give up lightly."

"I don't see the point," Luna shook her head.

"Connections, leadership, reputation—the magical world is small. Every student who graduates from Hogwarts might one day hold an important position," Malfoy said earnestly. "And even setting those aside, honing your dueling skills is vital. If the magical world descends into chaos, we must at least have the ability to protect ourselves."

Harry nodded in agreement, finding it hard to believe these words came from Malfoy. But in some ways, Malfoy wasn't truly fickle or treacherous—he had his own convictions, just ones that slightly conflicted with Harry's.

"I understand. I'll do my best," Luna said firmly.

After this gathering, Harry passed another uneventful week. With everyone carrying their own thoughts, classroom discipline actually improved. Even when Moody proposed using the Imperius Curse on students to train their willpower, no one voiced objection.

When another weekend arrived, Neville had already gathered a large group of boys in Gryffindor eager to learn dueling techniques, and together with Ron, he spent Friday afternoons teaching them—mostly what Donald Fontroy had taught them in second year.

Watching the Lionheart Club's meetings thrive, Harry couldn't help seeking out Zhang Qiu to inquire about Ravenclaw's situation.

"You mean there's no organization at all?" Hearing Zhang Qiu's answer, Harry couldn't help feeling disappointed.

"There's nothing to be done—you know Ravenclaw students aren't keen on dueling or socializing. Forcing it would only lead to embarrassment," Zhang Qiu sighed. "I plan to observe how each house organizes first, then decide on the best strategy."

"Organization?" Harry paused. In his mind, it should be like Gryffindor—with a leader like Neville who could pass on his unique insights on wizard dueling.

"Exactly. Haven't you noticed?" Zhang Qiu said with a hint of exasperation. "The pure-blood heirs in Slytherin all refuse to submit to each other, yet each has some skill—so Malfoy formed the Silver Blood Alliance, where heirs from pure-blood families gather to discuss dueling techniques, then pass them on to less experienced half-blood wizards."

"Malfoy isn't strong enough—not strong enough at all," Harry said regretfully.

"Hufflepuff is the opposite—everyone is willing to follow others, yet no one has any unique skills," Zhang Qiu continued. "So Cedric started a Defense Association, where everyone practices Disarming and Shield Charms together, and faster-progressing students help slower ones."

"Defense Association, D. .?" Harry felt an inexplicable familiarity with the name. "Or maybe the Dumbledore Army?"

"Shh—if the Ministry finds out, they'll force them to disband," Zhang Qiu made a hushing gesture.

"Then what's Ravenclaw's defining trait?" Harry asked. "Everyone has some skill, and they're willing to listen to others?"

"More accurately," Zhang Qiu said helplessly, "they're all bad at dueling, and no one wants to follow anyone else. If you talk theory, they'll chatter all day—but as soon as it comes to action, they start making excuses."

"This problem…" Harry had no good solution, but he knew he wasn't the only one concerned. "I think we should talk to Malfoy again."

Before finding Malfoy, Harry first asked Neville for his opinion.

"The reason Ron and I were able to build credibility and actually have something to teach," he said, "is largely thanks to Donald Fontroy."

"Though many understand Dark Arts Defense, Donald might truly be a rare expert at capturing students' interest. I suggest you consult him," Neville said sincerely.

Harry nodded slightly, already forming a plan. If he had to choose someone to write to Donald, the best candidates were clearly Cui Ge or Hermione. But since this concerned Ravenclaw's club and Luna's reputation among students, Cui Ge was likely the most suitable.

He had no intention of approaching Cui Ge himself. Harry believed Cui Ge was also struggling with the club's structure—so if he simply mentioned it casually at Torchwood gatherings, Cui Ge would naturally come to him for help.

In fact, Cui Ge sought help faster than Harry imagined. At the next gathering, he said directly: "I encountered difficulties forming a club in Ravenclaw, so I wrote to Uncle Donald for advice. But his solution seems… rather extraordinary?"

"Oh? What did he say?" Malfoy asked curiously.

"He first described a magical ritual that channels multiple people's magic into a single person," Cui Ge paused. "So he suggested I establish a 'Tirith Secret Society,' where during each duel, we select a 'Guardian,' channel four to six people's magic into her, then have her duel."

"I don't understand—how can one person withstand the power of four to six peers their age without exploding?" Pansy asked.

"The ritual doesn't grant her more magic than her own capacity," Cui Ge flipped through the letter. "It merely allows rapid replenishment after depletion. Also, the ritual itself consumes 20% of the total magic—so if six people channel into the Guardian, she actually gains the equivalent of only five people's magic."

"Does that mean the wizards supplying her magic can't cast spells or move while maintaining the ritual?" Malfoy suddenly asked.

"Let me check… yes, he did write that," Cui Ge glanced at the letter again.

"Then isn't this ritual useless?" Ginny said discontentedly. "It's just for dueling club tournaments—why not just have six people fight together in real combat?"

"You're right," Malfoy interjected. "This channeling ritual is usually used in large magical ceremonies, where multiple auxiliary wizards assist a primary caster in performing spells requiring immense magic. Now, modified by Donald, it's adapted to empower a student for dueling—I think, in a sense, it's purely for tournament purposes."

"But it does have real combat value," Harry recalled Zhang Qiu's assessment of Ravenclaw students. "Rather than dragging students who lack both skill and will to the battlefield—where they'd be useless and distract others—it's better to have them maintain the channeling ritual from behind, allowing a few skilled and courageous students to fight with greater strength."

"You're overthinking it," Malfoy said coldly. "This ritual normally requires the channelers and the recipient to be no more than three meters apart."

"Not anymore," Cui Ge lifted his head. "Donald specifically mentioned his modified version works within a hundred-meter range. The 20% magic loss seems to sustain that connection."

"Is the ritual limited to six channelers at once?" Crabbe asked.

"Yes," Cui Ge said. "He said if more than six participate, the ritual becomes unstable. But as long as the six channelers haven't exhausted their magic, they can continuously supply it—so each of the six could themselves receive channeling from six others, recursively."

Harry couldn't help considering other uses for the ritual, but fundamentally, it only increased total magic volume—the number of spells cast—not the output power of each spell.

For powerful wizards like Dumbledore, their own magic reserves far exceed spell consumption, so they rarely need such rituals. It might temporarily elevate an ordinary student to professor level, but it offers little benefit to professors themselves.

"Regardless of its effectiveness, the concept is excellent," Harry mused. "We can organize it this way—establish the Secret Society, elect a Guardian, and let the Guardian freely visit other clubs to exchange ideas."

"Exactly," Malfoy agreed. "Each dorm selects a dorm captain to channel magic into, each dorm captain channels into their year's prefect, and finally, the year's prefect channels into the elected Guardian."

"That's more or less the idea," Cui Ge put away the parchment and looked at Luna. "What do you think?"

"It's fine," Luna's voice was calm. "Who should be the first Guardian?"

"Pick a seventh- or sixth-year student, someone widely recognized as capable, to hold the position for now," Pansy suggested. "As long as you establish yourself as a leader in your year, you'll naturally build a reputation across the entire house eventually."