Chapter 292

The following meeting was utterly unproductive; Albus Dumbledore's brother seemed demoralized by rumors and said almost nothing. Doji's thoughts had already drifted from the Horcruxes to his new position—leader of the Order of the Phoenix! Even if only interim, it was enough to send him into a frenzy.

In the end, the meeting concluded haphazardly with a vague resolution to "keep trying." Back at school, Harry seized the chance to finish his homework; he knew the first meeting of Dumbledore's Army awaited him that night—but that was something he felt utterly confident about. Everyone kept saying Harry was the leader of Dumbledore's Army, until he almost believed it himself. By comparison, Harry found the Draught of Living Death essay more challenging.

After spending the entire afternoon revising, he brought the essay up to a level where Snape wouldn't fly into a rage—still short of Harry's own expectations, but quite impressive. To perfect it further would mean missing the Dumbledore's Army meeting.

When Harry rushed into the Room of Requirement, he found everyone gathered in a circle, with Klester standing in the center, speaking loudly.

"Look!" His previous topic cut off abruptly, "First order of business—who is the leader of Dumbledore's Army?"

Dean Thomas, nearest the door, immediately shouted, "He's here!"

"Oh, Harry!" "We've all been waiting for you!"

Amid the cheers, Harry walked boldly up to Klester and stood beside him before the crowd.

"We were just talking about the ring Luna designed for everyone," Klester held up a small, gleaming golden object with a tiny bird's head, "Phoenix… finger—what's it called again?"

"Phoger," Luna stepped forward and said, "A blend of Phoenix and Finger."

"Brilliant," Harry examined the delicate item; it looked like gold, inlaid with a tiny ruby. The design was flawless, though he worried it might be too expensive for students.

"It contains dragon bone powder," Luna said in her airy voice, "a kind of spirit dragon that never gets lost."

Everyone nodded politely; The Quibbler had always had a habit of fabricating magical creatures, and it had twisted Luna's thinking.

"This ring has another function: when you press your finger against the Phoenix's eye—the ruby—and hold it for three seconds, it begins to warm. At that moment, all other rings will sense it, warm in unison, and the Phoenix's tiny tail will point toward the person seeking help. If multiple people call for aid, the tail will point to the nearest one."

"Any member who performs excellently in training and wishes to join Dumbledore's Army may receive a Phoger free of charge. If you have an extra Galleon, I can make yours solid gold—Harry's is solid gold." Klester placed the ring in Harry's palm; it was heavy. "Only three slots per week."

Watching the students' eager glances, Harry had to admit: Klester was quite shrewd.

"Good. Shall we begin training?" Harry glanced at the Auror.

"Yes. Tonight, I'll teach you the Disarming Charm. It sounds basic, but there are four forms—do you know that?" Klester said seriously. "Their power increases progressively, but so do the magical cost and casting time."

"There's such a thing?" Some wizards with little dueling experience widened their eyes.

"Harry, do you know?" Klester asked.

"Yes. When we normally learn and use the Disarming Charm, we use the weakest form," Harry said naturally, having heard this from Sirius. "Fastest to cast, least magical cost—but it only removes the enemy's wand or sword. If the enemy wields something like a spiked mace, we must slightly increase cost to disarm any weapon they hold."

"Even if the object isn't technically a weapon but still poses a threat—say, evidence of cheating on an exam—you can sacrifice a bit of speed and still use the Disarming Charm to remove it. Finally, the most powerful form expands the concept of 'weapon' to its extreme: if your magic is strong enough, the Disarming Charm can even pull out every fang from a dragon's mouth."

Amid the students' awe and admiration, Harry finished his explanation. He felt wonderful.

"So we'll focus on practicing the first two forms," Klester took over. "As Harry said, you can hold another weapon to avoid having your wand disarmed. If that weapon is a spiked mace, it also helps drain your opponent's magical energy."

"Ah, but," Zacharias Smith crossed his arms and stared wide-eyed, "I doubt Death Eaters use the Disarming Charm?"

"If they use the Killing Curse—I know Donald has trained you in that," Klester said, "but they won't use it on members of Dumbledore's Army. You're all students. If they don't want to be hunted down by professors and parents, they'll stick to Disarming Charms, Stunning Spells, and Petrifying Charms. We'll start with the Disarming Charm."

Especially since several students in the room were children of Death Eaters brought by Malfoy, who now watched Smith with mockery and disdain.

"Next, I'll explain the key points of Disarming Charm practice: first, accuracy; second, speed," Klester continued. "Many ancient spells are incredibly powerful, yet why is the Disarming Charm the most practical duel spell? Because its incantation and gesture are extremely brief, allowing the fastest possible release and nearly zero projectile trajectory."

"Now pair up and begin practicing," Klester nodded, then began moving among them, correcting and explaining for those still struggling. Harry should have done the same, but he quickly noticed—among students, many had already mastered this technique.

Neville and Ron initially took turns disarming each other, but soon began wrestling. Though Ron had learned some French dueling techniques at Beauxbatons—like using the Summoning Charm—he clearly preferred his own physical fists over magical ones.

Luna was accustomed to a guardian-style duel; after showing off a flurry of flashy Transfiguration spells, she collapsed from magical exhaustion and became the first to pause training.

Malfoy and Pansy seemed to possess a secret technique for deflecting spells; they kept firing Disarming Charms at each other and deflecting them—looking exactly like they were playing badminton.

Ginny performed the most precise form. Harry couldn't help but encourage her, then pointed out that Ivy's wand motion was too large—that was why she lost to Ginny.

Harry walked around the room several times and noticed: for those who needed to learn, they were indeed practicing diligently. But for those already designated as official members—or those already exceptionally strong—Klester's first lesson was far too simple.

After two laps, Harry decided he could go check on Zhang Qiu. She had come with a roommate named Marietta, a timid girl with reddish-brown curls. Perhaps Zhang Qiu was holding back; she kept her hand behind her back.

Marietta's wand was aimed at Zhang Qiu, but her hand trembled. As Harry stepped closer, he finally heard what Zhang Qiu was saying.

"I'll bet you a Galleon—the Disarming Charm won't work on me," she said coolly, with absolute confidence. "Try casting it. Maybe it won't even take effect."

"But I have a habit: if someone casts a spell on me—even if it fails—I'll kill them." She paced, smiling faintly. "How about it? Try. If you win, I'll give you a Galleon. If you lose, you lose your life."

Marietta dropped her wand. Zhang Qiu smiled again, confidently: "You're smart."

Harry's lip twitched. He stepped forward and greeted them: "Looks like you're playing something new?"

"That's Arnold's psychological tactic," Zhang Qiu shrugged cheerfully, while Marietta glared at her with wounded eyes.

"Very good," Harry said reluctantly.

"Oh, by the way—I think I should warn you," Zhang Qiu lowered her voice. "Klester gives me the same feeling as Donald—or rather, their dueling philosophies are very similar."

"Hmm?" Harry frowned. Was something more going on?

"Just think: where did this philosophy—fast, precise strikes, deciding victory in an instant—come from?" She blinked, then took Marietta's hand again.

Harry instantly recognized the origin: Western cowboys. British dueling rarely emphasized such split-second decisions; people preferred using Transfiguration to shape the battlefield, then exchanging elaborate minor curses.

He quickly realized: if Klester was connected to the Magical Congress, then Bai Gong wasn't fully aiding the Death Eaters. Klester trained Dumbledore's Army at Hogwarts as an Auror of the Ministry; the Daily Prophet pushed relentless propaganda; former Chief Clerk Arnold taught here. Clues linked together in Harry's mind: perhaps the Ministry and the Magical Congress had reached an agreement, and Bai Gong had bet on the Red Side—using Dumbledore's Army to make Harry the new magical deterrent.