After dinner, Kai Adler headed to Lockhart's office under the sympathetic gazes of the other three.
As for why they looked so sympathetic, Ron put it best:
"Every time I see that git, it's like watching a ghoul in a cesspool preening. Kai, it must be absolute torture to deal with him up close…"
Kai politely knocked and entered the office, where Lockhart greeted him with a strained smile.
Torture? Hardly.
You usually had to pay to see a clown at the circus. But this… this was free entertainment.
"Kai! You're here!"
Lockhart greeted him in his usual over-the-top fashion, beaming and tugging at the sleeves of his glittering violet robes. To be fair, the man looked impeccable—like a prince out of a particularly dramatic fairytale. No wonder half the witches in Britain were besotted with him.
But beneath the polish was rot. Lockhart was the very picture of a man gilded on the outside, hollow within.
"Professor Lockhart. Professor Snape said you were looking for me?"
"Yes indeed!" Lockhart flourished his cape again, clearly pleased with himself. "How do I look?"
"Impeccable, Professor," Kai replied smoothly, smile polite and measured.
Yet Lockhart felt a subtle mockery buried in that calm tone. The boy always left him feeling vaguely unsettled—too poised, too unreadable.
His grin stiffened just a little. "Excellent. Now, about this afternoon's Dueling Club. It's being held in the Great Hall, and I'd like your assistance setting up the venue."
"But I'm just a second-year, sir," Kai replied with perfectly-measured humility. "My repertoire of spells is rather limited, I'm afraid."
Lockhart's smile twitched.
Who would believe that? A boy who walked around with a Class 4 magical creature on his shoulder and radiated raw magical talent like sunlight?
"That's perfectly fine. Professor Snape will also be helping, of course," he said, forcing cheer into his voice. "You'll both be assisting me."
"I see," Kai smiled again. "Will the two of you be demonstrating the duel?"
"Possibly," Lockhart said vaguely, dodging the question.
When the club began that afternoon, the answer became abundantly clear.
The long house tables had vanished from the Great Hall—presumably whisked away by house-elves or magic, as no one questioned it. In their place was a long, golden dueling platform, flanked by floating candles. The enchanted ceiling glowed with an ominous purple hue.
Harry and Ron stared up at it with weary expressions.
"Look at this peacock setup," Ron muttered. "Only Lockhart would turn a Dueling Club into a theatre production."
"We're not going to learn anything," Harry said glumly.
Hermione didn't answer—she was watching Kai, who stood beside the two professors on stage, an unreadable smile on his face.
She remembered what he'd said earlier.
"Not necessarily."
Whatever he had planned, Hermione was sure it would be… memorable.
The other students, less wary, buzzed with excitement—until they saw the trio on stage.
Lockhart, in a lavish robe with tulips embroidered on the sleeves, stepped forward dramatically. Beside him stood Snape in his usual severe black, looking like he'd been hexed into submission. Kai followed behind them, looking like he belonged there and yet was quietly removed from it all.
Hermione couldn't help it—she giggled softly.
The whole setup, the stage, the candles, the pacing of the two older men—it looked more like a wedding than a duel. If Kai had carried a flower basket, she thought, he would've made a perfect flower boy.
Lockhart caught her smile and took it, as always, for admiration. He winked at her.
"It seems our Miss Granger is already eager to begin!"
Hermione barely kept herself from rolling her eyes.
"Focus! Focus, everyone!" Lockhart clapped his hands. "Can you all see me? Excellent!"
"As you know, the wise and generous Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to create this Dueling Club—so that I might teach you how to defend yourselves, just as I have done countless times."
Ron leaned over to Harry. "Defend ourselves by fainting dramatically, I suppose?"
Harry snorted.
Lockhart continued, oblivious, "Now, I will of course not be leading this alone. I have enlisted the help of two assistants: our very own Professor Snape, and young Mr. Kai Adler."
He smiled broadly. "Of course, you'll want to see a demonstration. Professor Snape has graciously agreed to spar with me…"
Snape's expression made Harry instinctively lean back. Ron whispered, "Please let them hex each other unconscious."
Lockhart then turned toward Kai. "But before that, let's give young Adler a chance to showcase what he's learned. Kai, come up and face me."
Kai blinked once, slowly. So that was his angle. A public demonstration—Lockhart trying to humiliate him under the guise of teaching, to put him "in his place" while elevating himself in front of the students.
But did this fool truly know what he was doing?
Kai's smile mirrored Lockhart's own—calm, even amused.
"I'd be honored, Professor. Please go easy on me."
Lockhart gave a gallant bow. "But of course! I would never hurt a student. Even if, say, something went a little wrong, my potion skills are top-notch."
Snape scoffed audibly from the side.
The duel began. The two faced each other on stage and bowed. Wands were raised like rapiers.
Lockhart explained pompously, "As you can see, this is proper dueling etiquette."
They stepped apart. Wands at the ready.
"On three," Lockhart said. "One—two—three—Stupefy!"
A flash of red light shot from Lockhart's wand.
Kai raised an eyebrow, not even bothering to move.
But in the next second, his expression changed.
That wasn't just a Stupefy. Something was wrong with the magic.
It shimmered with an odd, unstable aura—something unfamiliar and dark, hidden beneath the stunning spell's surface.
Lockhart had tried to trick him.
And that… was a mistake.