Watching the Dementor pinned against the wall, the Little Wizards in the crowd all gasped.
The atmosphere in the entire Duelling Club instantly froze, as if on cue. All the students held their breath, their eyes fixed on the silver-white Patronus Charm.
After a moment of silence, gasps of astonishment erupted from the crowd.
"Merlin's Patronus Charm! Longbottom actually defeated many high-grade students and became the first person to face a Dementor and cast a Patronus Charm."
"No wonder he had the courage to step forward just now. Turns out he really has some tricks up his sleeve."
"Who can tell me how this little guy did it? I can't even muster a single happy emotion in front of a Dementor."
"Neville is amazing! That hedgehog Patronus Charm is tiny, but I didn't expect its power to be so awesome."
"Don't embarrass yourself. Professor has said many times that the power of a Patronus Charm has no direct relation to its size."
Sebastian smiled slightly and clapped, looking at Neville with a gaze filled with appreciation and approval.
Beautiful!
The young man finally became brave.
Sure enough, to make this little guy grow quickly, he must first be given a clear goal.
"Congratulations, Neville! He is the first person tonight to successfully cast a Patronus Charm when facing a Dementor! Excellent! Let's give him a round of applause!"
He walked forward, patted Neville's shoulder, and then gave him a thumbs-up.
"I like your firm will just now. Remember that feeling, and your spellcasting level will greatly improve."
"Alright, put away your Patronus Charm. Don't torment our teaching aid anymore."
Neville's face flushed. He put away his Patronus Charm and, amidst the applause, walked to the rest area with his head down.
Malfoy was clapping absentmindedly, his gaze fixed on Neville, complex emotions churning within him.
This usually inconspicuous little transparent had actually accomplished a feat that many top students had failed to do, right before everyone's eyes.
He had to admit that, in terms of the Patronus Charm, Neville had already surpassed him.
At the very least, he had no confidence in successfully casting the Patronus Charm in front of a Dementor.
Could it be that he wasn't practicing hard enough, which was why he was surpassed?
Damn it!
So unwilling…
He tried hard to suppress the unwillingness in his heart, nudged Ron next to him with his elbow, and said sourly.
"Weasley, are you sure this is Longbottom, that timid, clumsy Longbottom?"
"It couldn't be someone impersonating him, could it? I'm not familiar with him, can you confirm it for me?"
Ron was also full of disbelief; he hadn't recovered from the shock yet.
He rubbed his eyes hard, looked at Neville, who was talking to the high-grade students, and nodded with a complex expression.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, only managed to blurt out: "It's him… but… how did he do it? I don't know either!"
"Honestly, I also feel like he's become a different person recently."
Ron's voice was full of confusion, and his mood was as complex as Malfoy's.
He had always firmly believed that he was stronger than Neville, but he never expected that this friend had unknowingly surpassed most people.
He looked at Neville, who was surrounded by many high-grade students asking for tips, and envy was evident on his face.
If only it were him standing there…
Ron's mind raced, and he began to consider the feasibility of this idea.
After being attacked by a Patronus Charm, a Dementor should be injured, right?
He looked at the Dementor floating in the corner and found that it was much weaker now compared to before.
There's a chance!
His eyes suddenly lit up, and his heart rate quickened a bit.
The Dementor had been tired for a long time, and now that it was injured, this was its weakest moment.
If he challenged it now, wouldn't he be able to take advantage and become the second person tonight to successfully deal with a Dementor!
If so, he could mock Fred and George and really hold his head high.
Thinking of this, he raised his hand high and shouted, "Professor, I also want to challenge the Dementor!"
"Weasley," Malfoy scanned Ron up and down, and said in surprise, "Are you out of your mind?"
"Ron," Hermione frowned slightly, "You need to be careful."
Harry also sent his blessings: "Ron, go for it!"
Ron looked at his companions beside him and confidently raised an eyebrow.
Watch me!
He stepped out of the crowd, stood confidently in front of the Dementor, and raised his wand, ready.
Feeling another student approach, the Dementor immediately stood ready.
It hurt!
It hurt so much to be hit by the Patronus Charm just now.
What was more heartbreaking was that a lot of the delicious food it ate tonight had been vomited out.
It had to admit, these students were quite powerful.
It seemed it still needed to try harder!
After hearing the command to start, it sucked hard at Ron with all its might.
Instantly, Ron's wand-waving hand immediately froze in mid-air, and his face visibly turned pale.
"Hoo… hoo… Expecto…"
He felt his body getting softer and softer, and no matter what, he couldn't shout out the spell.
How could this be?!
Where had all his happy emotions gone?
This feeling was much more terrifying than the one on the Hogwarts Express at the start of the school year.
So, this was the reason Percy and the others failed.
Before he could fall, he heard Sebastian's voice: "Challenge failed!"
Immediately, the feeling of his happiness being absorbed completely disappeared. Ron suddenly snapped back to reality and began to gasp for air.
He had wanted to take advantage, but now he had completely embarrassed himself.
As expected, he would become the laughingstock of everyone.
He lowered his head, preparing to face everyone's ridicule.
Looking at the nearly shattered Ron, Sebastian said gently.
"Although Ron's challenge failed, his courage is worth learning from everyone."
"After all, failure is not scary. What's scary is not even having the courage to challenge."
"Everyone, comfort this brave young man and give him some encouragement."
Hearing the Professor's words, the Little Wizards who were originally preparing to tease Ron suddenly felt ashamed and spoke up one after another.
"Ron, well done!"
"Don't be discouraged, you'll definitely succeed next time."
"Go for it!"
Hearing everyone's encouragement, Ron slowly raised his head, thanked Sebastian, took the chocolate, and walked to the rest area.
Ron's performance seemed to give the remaining Little Wizards a shot in the arm. The Little Wizards, unwilling to show weakness, raised their hands one after another, scrambling to come forward.
Harry and Malfoy exchanged determined glances, secretly competing in their hearts, wanting to be the next hero to defeat the Dementor.
This silent competition spread among the students, with everyone desperately gathering strength in their hearts, wanting to prove themselves tonight.
Gradually, Percy, Cedric, the twins, and Harry found a way and learned how to mobilize their inner strength when facing a Dementor.
In the end, all of them successfully cast their Patronus Charms and completed their revenge against the Dementor.
As it neared the end, Sebastian shook his head slightly, looking at the incredibly miserable Dementor.
He waved his wand, collecting the happy emotions scattered by the students in the air of the Duelling Club, and fed them all to the Dementor.
This teaching aid was quite dutiful and had to be well-maintained.
He couldn't let the students break it…
…
…