Harry Potter: I became Snape

"Everything must be done in order!" Professor Flitwick declared, perched atop his high stool, firmly rejecting James's request. "And remember, you're all classmates!"

James pursed his lips, his face clouded with reluctance, but he had no choice. He could only face the other opponents first. With each victory, his expression grew darker.

By the time Severus Snape stepped onto the stage to face him, James's face looked ready to drip with water.

Snape tilted his head slightly, his eyes brimming with disdain and provocation.

"Now, bow to each other," Professor Flitwick called out.

They barely nodded, their gazes locked intensely on one another.

"Oh… very well. One, two, three—begin!"

In an instant, dazzling beams of light shot across the stage, the sound of colliding spells reverberating through the Great Hall.

Professor Slughorn's expression shifted, and he hurried forward, joining Flitwick in waving their wands to conjure a protective barrier in front of the audience, deflecting the occasional stray spell.

This duel was fiercer than any before it. The crowd erupted in excited cheers and shouts. Some even conjured chairs to stand on, craning their necks to watch.

Snape's eyes were icy, his face radiating menace. His wand moved like a nimble serpent, unleashing spell after spell toward James without mercy.

As he brandished his wand with force, Snape advanced on James, his black robes billowing with a whoosh in the gusts of air.

Finally, Snape closed the distance. With a sudden movement, he swung his free hand, landing a fierce punch on James's stunned face.

A sharp crack rang out. Blood spurted from James's nose, splattering across the stage.

"Stop!" Professor Flitwick screeched, waving his wand. A flash of blue light forcibly separated the two. "No fists!"

Knocked back by the spell's aftershock, Snape retreated a few steps, glaring at Flitwick. "Professor, I didn't break any rules!"

"From now on," Flitwick shouted, his voice shrill, "Rule number five: absolutely no physical contact!"

With a wave of his wand, a golden light flashed, healing the wounds on James's face.

"Fine," Snape said, rolling his neck impatiently. "As you say, Professor."

They repositioned themselves. James's teeth were nearly grinding audibly, his eyes burning with resentment as he glared at Snape.

"Stupefy!" Snape struck first, a red jet of light shooting toward James.

James dodged to the side, barely steadying himself when Snape followed with a Cutting Charm—"Diffindo!"

Caught off balance, James could only watch as the spell hurtled toward him.

Bracing himself, he decided to take the hit. After all, it was just a basic charm used by younger students for cutting materials—its power and lethality were limited. Even if Snape didn't hold back, it wouldn't incapacitate him.

But the expected pain never came.

A collective gasp rose from the audience.

James glanced down instinctively, his eyes widening in shock. His wizarding robes had been sliced into strips, flapping in the air.

Worse still, his hairy legs gleamed under the candlelight.

But the chilly sensation at his backside, coupled with the rising shrieks from the girls behind him, made James realize it wasn't that simple.

His cheeks flushed crimson. In a frenzy, he raised his wand to retaliate.

But it was too late. In a flash, Snape's Disarming Charm was already upon him.

With a whoosh, James's wand flew from his hand, spinning high into the air.

Snape didn't bother catching it. He had more pressing matters.

Before Flitwick could declare the winner, Snape flicked his wand, and James was hurled into the air.

At the peak of James's ascent, Snape cast another basic charm—"Alohomora!"

"No!" Flitwick's voice was laced with horror. His face paled as he unleashed a flurry of spells to counter Snape's attack.

Some of the spells struck the ceiling, sending ripples across the starry enchantment of the Great Hall's dome.

"Stop! The duel is over!" Flitwick's high-pitched voice drowned out the gasps. He leapt between Snape and James, casting multiple Shield Charms to separate them. "It's over! Snape wins!"

"From now on, rule number six—absolutely, absolutely no Unlocking Charms! Anyone who uses one will be disqualified immediately!"

With Slughorn's help, James drifted slowly back to the stage. His robes were now mere tattered scraps, flapping pitifully in the draft.

As soon as he landed, he rolled across the stage, scrambling to retrieve his wand, ready to attack Snape.

Flitwick flicked his wand, and an invisible force bound James tightly.

"Potter, go change your robes," Snape drawled, a mocking smile curling his lips.

The Great Hall erupted in stifled laughter. Several girls covered their flushed faces.

"You filthy—" James's neck veins bulged as he struggled against the magical bonds, his eyes blazing with fury and humiliation.

After the match, the audience buzzed with whispers, their faces puzzled.

They hadn't fully grasped why Flitwick had reacted with such panic, frantically casting multiple spells to stop Snape from using a simple charm.

A Ravenclaw student in the front row suddenly widened their eyes, as if struck by a realization. Their voice trembled: "Merlin's beard! He used 'Alohomora'! If that spell had hit Potter…"

The rest of their words were drowned out by gasps. The once-noisy hall fell eerily silent, everyone exchanging looks of shock and lingering fear as they turned to Snape.

The crowd around Snape, Patrick Abbott, and Pandora quickly dispersed, leaving a wide empty space.

Snape paid no mind to their reactions, merely watching coldly as Sirius, Remus, and Peter led James away.

The lazy arrogance on Sirius's face had vanished entirely. He gripped his wand tightly, his eyes burning as he stood quietly in the crowd, waiting for his turn.

In the duels that followed, Snape's opponents barely stepped onto the stage before turning and jumping off, forfeiting immediately.

One Ravenclaw girl even slipped on the steps, refusing to climb up in her panic.

Thus, it wasn't long before Sirius and Snape's duel was next.

————

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