- Draco: "Everte Statum!"
- Harry: "Rictusempra!"
- Draco: "Serpensortia!"
- — Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter during the Duelling Club[src]
The Duelling Club was started by Professor Gilderoy Lockhart when the Chamber of Secrets was opened during the 1992–1993 school year. He was given permission to teach students how to duel in an attempt to help them learn to protect themselves. Lockhart was joined by Professor Snape, who worked as his assistant. However, Lockhart merely made a fool out of himself as Snape's Disarming Charm sent him flying across the stage.
Known meetings
- Lockhart: "1...2...3..."
- Snape: "Expelliarmus!"
- — Gilderoy Lockhart and Severus Snape during the Duelling Club[src]
During the first meeting, Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy duelled. When Draco conjured a snake to attack his opponent, it was angered by Lockhart who launched it into the air, and Harry learned, along with the rest of the school, that he was a Parselmouth when he stopped the snake from attacking Justin Finch-Fletchley. This led some to suspect that Harry was the Heir of Slytherin who had released the monster from the Chamber of Secrets.
Student audience.
Hermione Granger duelled Millicent Bulstrode in the club; despite a standard "no contact" rule in duelling, Millicent ended up putting Hermione in a headlock. Hermione later used the dark hair that came off Millicent's robes onto her own when she brewed Polyjuice Potion in her, Harry, and Ron's efforts to sneak into the Slytherin Common Room to find out who Slytherin's Heir was. The hair she used, however, ended up being from Millicent's cat. Ron Weasley duelled Seamus Finnigan where his spell went horribly wrong with his broken wand.
Impact
Tom Riddle, a famous Parselmouth
- "Leave him alone!"
- — Harry Potter to a snake in Parseltongue[src]
Because of the events of the duelling club, everyone in the school was now aware that Harry was a Parselmouth (could talk to snakes), which led to the suspicion that he was the heir of Slytherin, as Salazar Slytherin, founder of Slytherin House, was a Parselmouth, and Tom Riddle (otherwise known as Lord Voldemort), the most famous Dark Wizard in history, was also known to speak to snakes. However, when Harry went down into the Chamber of Secrets and confronted the culprit behind the attacks on Muggle-borns (actually the 16-year-old self of Tom Riddle preserved in a diary which he used to posess Ginny Weasley and have her do his bidding), the rumours about Harry ended now that everyone knew that it was Voldemort behind the attacks and not Harry.
In truth, the reason Harry Potter can speak to snakes is because the night Voldemort tried to kill him and the Killing Curse backfired, Voldemort accidentally transferred some of his powers into Harry. This included Harry's snake-speaking ability and his connection to the Dark Lord's mind, which he can gain access to or close his mind to, thought he had difficulty with the latter. These reasons, along with the reason his scar hurts when Voldemort is feeling a particularly powerful emotion, are because a part of Voldemort's soul lived, until recently, in Harry, as Voldemort unknowingly created a Horcrux the night he gave Harry his scar.
Disbandment
Presumably, the club was disbanded when Lockhart lost his memory and was removed as the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. The Club was, though, reinstated by Headmaster Albus Dumbledore in 1996 as a precaution when Lord Voldemort had been officially announced at large once again. Each house, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Slytherin and Gryffindor had their own head of duelling club member who acted as a leader and would arrange practice duels. Each house also had their own personal duelling area from which students of all houses could go to duel. [1]
Known members
Gryffindor
- Angus Matlock (1996-1997 school year)
- Edward (1992-1993 school year)
- Emily (1992-1993 school year)
- Harry Potter (1992-1993 school year; 1996-1997 school year)
- Hermione Granger (1992-1993 school year; 1996-1997 school year)
- Neil Randall (1996-1997 school year)
- Neville Longbottom (1992-1993 school year)
- Romilda Vane (1996-1997 school year)
- Ronald Weasley (1992-1993 school year; 1996-1997 school year)
- Seamus Finnigan (1992-1993 school year)
- Stewart (1992-1993 school year)
Hufflepuff
- Anthony Otterburn (1996-1997 school year)
- Heather (1992-1993 school year)
- Hufflepuff Duelling Club Captain (1996-1997 school year)
- Justin Finch-Fletchley (1992-1993 school year)
- Karl Limpley (1996-1997 school year)
- Kouta Ohnishi (1996-1997 school year)
- Rhonda Fladbury (1996-1997 school year)
Ravenclaw
- Alannis (1996-1997 school year)
- Andrew (1992-1993 school year)
- Helen Dawlish (1996-1997 school year)
- Rebecca (1992-1993 school year)
- Shoma Ichikawa (1996-1997 school year)
- Trevor Birch (1996-1997 school year)
Slytherin
- Bridget (1992-1993 school year)
- Draco Malfoy (1992-1993 school year; 1996-1997 school year)
- Fergus Cowley (1996-1997 school year)
- Irfan Mustaq (1996-1997 school year)
- Maynard Hatton (1996-1997 school year)
- Millicent Bulstrode (1992-1993 school year)
- Peter (1992-1993 school year)
- Rachel (1992-1993 school year)
- Roy (1992-1993 school year)
- Slytherin Duelling Club Captain (1996-1997 school year)
See also
Appearances
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (First appearance)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film) (Flashback in Disc 2)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (Mentioned on a poster)
- Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4
- Harry Potter LEGO Sets
