Duelling (Harry Potter)

Duelling was a formal practice in wizarding culture in which two or more wizards or witches engaged in combat under the condition that only magical means could be used. 
The combatants faced each other and bowed, as a sign of respect, before they placed themselves in an accepted combative position and, at the count of three, attempted to disarm, stun, injure, defeat, or kill each other in order to force submission, and thus a winner would be decided.
Duelling also existed as a sport in the same way that fencing is a sport in the Muggle world. Outside of actual combat it could be turned into a friendly sporting competition.
==History==
Sometime before 1984, a room was set aside at Hogwarts Castle to allow students to practise duelling. The marks on the walls from various spells were left as a visual reminder of the dangers associated with the practice. Duelling outside of this environment was strictly forbidden and grounds for expulsion.
They had previously learnt how to duel from a secret duelling book found in the Artefact Room. In response, Albus Dumbledore formed the Hogwarts Duelling Club, under the supervision of Professor Flitwick and Jacob's sibling's Head of House, to allow students to practise in a safe and supervised manner. The club presumably ended sometime before 1992.
During the 1992–1993 school year, Albus Dumbledore allowed then Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, Gilderoy Lockhart, to start a Duelling Club at Hogwarts, perhaps in part because he saw dark times coming in the wizarding world and therefore the need for training students in the art of battle. Professor Lockhart taught the formalities of duelling: bowing, holding the wand in a certain way, and flourishing the wand in the attack. Harry found himself, two years later, facing Voldemort in a desperate duel to the death. Voldemort used the Imperius Curse to force Harry to bow and obey the other niceties of duelling. Harry, who had learned to resist the Imperius Curse, used the moment to duck for cover, although he later successfully defeated Voldemort using the one spell he learned from Snape during Duelling Club — the Disarming Charm.
A full-on wizard's duel was something incredible to behold. The duel between Dumbledore and Grindelwald in 1945 was legendary, and the duel between Dumbledore and Voldemort in the Ministry Atrium at the climax of the Battle of the Department of Mysteries was equally spectacular.
Many duels involved non-verbal spells for speed, but saying the incantations aloud seemed to be preferred if there was time (e.g. Voldemort used verbal spells in his duels with Harry). The Shield Charm was one of the most common duelling spells. Other spells typically used in duelling included Stunning Spells, the Impediment Jinx, the Full Body-Bind Curse, and the Dancing Feet Spell. Harry’s use of the Disarming Charm in duelling could be considered somewhat unusual in more serious and life-threatening situations, but this spell was actually one of the key spells to any duellist’s arsenal.
==Rules==
There were rules and customs that defined how a proper duel was performed, and that were normally known to wizards and witches born to magical families, even at a young age. For instance, Ron Weasley told Harry Potter some of the rules of duelling as a first year student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry after Harry was challenged to a duel by Draco Malfoy in 1991. In the 1992–1993 school year, Gilderoy Lockhart formed the duelling club, in which duelling strips were used in a system similar to that of modern fencing.
===Limits===
There was a standard rule in duels that only magical means could be used to fight an opponent, and that there was to be no physical contact (which wizardkind refers to as Muggle duelling) between the duellists. Millicent Bulstrode broke this rule when she duelled Hermione Granger in 1992 in the Duelling Club; the much larger girl ended up wrestling Hermione to the ground and holding her in a headlock.The parties of a duel could also agree to other limits, unless they were planning to duel to the death, which was only common practice in a war. For example, Minerva McGonagall informed fellow professor Horace Slughorn just before the Battle of Hogwarts that if any Slytherin attempted to sabotage their defence efforts or to fight them, they would "duel to kill", which alarmed him. This may indicate that duellists generally agreed not to use particularly dangerous and/or illegal spells, such as the Unforgivable Curses.
==Notable duels==
===1946–1994===
Duellists 	Circumstances 	Outcome
James Potter and Sirius Black versus Severus Snape	When Sirius Black was bored after an exam, James Potter then noticed Severus Snape outside and decided to bully Snape to lighten Sirius's mood, prompting Snape to get his wand out upon seeing them. 	Snape was disarmed by James and hit with a Scouring Charm when Lily Evans came to his defence. However, Snape regained his wand and shot a misaimed Sectumsempra curse at James, resulting in James and Sirius together suspending Snape in mid-air and humiliating him further after he called Lily a mudblood in his frustration.
Gilderoy Lockhart versus Severus Snape 	A demonstration for the Duelling Club in 1992. There was also small duels between Harry and Draco, Seamus Finnigan and Ron Weasley, Neville Longbottom and Justin Finch-Fletchley, and Hermione Granger with Millicent Bulstrode. The outcomes of these duels were Harry getting knocked down but placing a Tickling Charm on Draco, Ron's broken wand had knocked Seamus over, Neville and Justin were lying on the ground beaten and Millicent had Hermione in a head lock and both their wands on the floor.	Snape easily defeated Lockhart, who was made to look even clumsier than usual.
Harry Potter versus Draco Malfoy 	A demonstration for the Duelling Club in 1992. There was also small duels between Harry and Draco, Seamus Finnigan and Ron Weasley, Neville Longbottom and Justin Finch-Fletchley, and Hermione Granger with Millicent Bulstrode. The outcomes of these duels were Harry getting knocked down but placing a Tickling Charm on Draco, Ron's broken wand had knocked Seamus over, Neville and Justin were lying on the ground beaten and Millicent had Hermione in a head lock and both their wands on the floor.	Harry communicated with the snake conjured by Draco, therefore learning (along with the rest of the school) that he could speak Parseltongue.
Harry Potter versus Draco Malfoy 	Outside of Potions class 	Harry fired a Pimple Jinx at Malfoy. At the same time, Malfoy fired a Densaugeo hex. The spells hit each other and ricocheted everywhere, with Harry's hitting Goyle and Malfoy's hitting Hermione.
===Second Wizarding War===
Duellists 	Circumstances 	Outcome
Harry Potter versus Lord Voldemort	In the graveyard of Little Hangleton in June 1995 after Voldemort's return (Duel in Little Hangleton).	Voldemort used Avada Kedavra and Harry used Expelliarmus. Due to the twin cores of the wands, the wand streams locked, and through Harry's willpower, Priori Incantatem was triggered from Voldemort's wand and Harry managed to escape.
====Battle of the Department of Mysteries====
Duellists 	Outcome
Albus Dumbledore and Fawkes versus Voldemort	In the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic at the end of the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, between the two most powerful wizards alive (Duel in the Ministry Atrium). Dumbledore managed to protect Harry Potter from Voldemort, who was forced to flee when Ministry officials arrived and saw him. Fawkes swallowed a Killing Curse sent at Dumbledore.
====Battle of the Seven Potters====
Duellists 	Outcome
Remus Lupin, George Weasley and Severus Snape versus several Death Eaters 	Snape's Sectumsempra, intended for a Death Eater who was trying to kill Remus, permanently cut off George's ear, but he and Remus escaped.
Harry Potter and Rubeus Hagrid versus three Death Eaters and Stanley Shunpike	Harry and Hagrid held off their attackers until they got to the safehouse.
Harry Potter versus Lord Voldemort 	Harry's wand recognised Voldemort as an enemy and fired golden fire at him, allowing Harry and Rubeus Hagrid to escape. Hedwig was killed by a stray Killing Curse.
====1998====
Duellists 	Circumstances 	Outcome
Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Dobby versus Bellatrix Lestrange, Fenrir Greyback and Lucius, Narcissa & Draco Malfoy	Harry and Ron were freed from the dungeons by Dobby and raced to rescue Hermione Granger, who had been tortured into unconsciousness with the Cruciatus Curse.	Ron disarmed Bellatrix. Harry Stunned Lucius Malfoy. Bellatrix threatened to kill Hermione with her knife and stole Harry and Ron's wand from them but Dobby dropped the chandelier on Bellatrix and Hermione and it narrowly missed. Harry stole back his and Ron's wands and he took Draco's too. Harry stunned Greyback with the 3 wands and the spell was so powerful it lifted Greyback off his feet and he flew to the roof and back down again. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Dobby escaped with the wands of Bellatrix and Draco, but Bellatrix threw her knife and killed Dobby as he Disapparated.
Minerva McGonagall and Filius Flitwick versus Severus Snape 	Shortly prior to the Battle of Hogwarts 	McGonagall was duelling Snape alone until Flitwick enchanted the suit of armour that Snape was hiding behind. Pomona Sprout and Horace Slughorn were behind Flitwick but didn't cast any spells. Snape ran away when Flitwick came.
====Battle of Hogwarts====
=====Second part=====
Duellists 	Outcome
George Weasley and Lee Jordan versus Corban Yaxley 	George and Lee defeated Yaxley.
Aberforth Dumbledore versus Augustus Rookwood 	Aberforth defeated Rookwood.
Rubeus Hagrid versus Walden Macnair 	Hagrid defeated Macnair, hurling him across the Great Hall.
Ronald Weasley and Neville Longbottom versus Fenrir Greyback 	Ron and Neville defeated Greyback.
Filius Flitwick versus Antonin Dolohov 	Flitwick defeated Dolohov, who fell with a scream; it is unknown and unlikely if he survived, as he fell from a likely lethal hight.
Arthur Weasley and Percy Weasley versus Pius Thicknesse 	Arthur and Percy defeated Thicknesse (see above).
Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood versus Bellatrix Lestrange 	After Bellatrix's Killing Curse nearly struck Ginny, Molly Weasley took over the fight. Molly refused to let any students help her as they duelled.
Molly Weasley versus Bellatrix Lestrange 	Molly struck Bellatrix in the chest with a curse while Bellatrix was laughing, killing her.
Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minerva McGonagall and Horace Slughorn versus Lord Voldemort	Voldemort knocked the three backwards when he saw that Bellatrix Lestrange had been killed; the three of them survived.
Harry Potter versus Lord Voldemort 	Voldemort used Avada Kedavra and Harry used Expelliarmus. Because Voldemort was using the Elder Wand, which owed its allegiance to Harry, not only was Voldemort disarmed, but his own curse rebounded, killing him (Duel in the Great Hall).
==See also==
*Duelling Club
*Duel in the Ministry Atrium
*Duel between Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald]
*Duel in Little Hangleton
*Voldemort's Last Stand
==Appearances==
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*Harry Potter: The Wand Collection
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==External links==
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==Notes and references==
Category:Duelling