Duelling

A Duel is a one-on-one confrontation betweeen two wizards/witches. The combatants face each other, bow, and then attempt to disarm, injure, or kill each other in order to force submission, and thus a winner. Duels are not common in the civilized magical society, but there are several occurences that merit mention.


 * Professor Lockhart and Professor Snape simulate a duel in order to show the students how it is done during the first gathering of the newly formed Duelling Club in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Professor Snape manages to make Professor Lockhart look even more clumsy than normal.
 * Harry and Draco Malfoy are then chosen to engage in a duel as an example to the rest of the club. This duel ends with Harry talking to the snake produced by Draco, and therefore learning (along with the rest of the school) that he can speak Parseltongue.
 * Harry duels Lord Voldemort in the graveyard near the end of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Voldemort uses Avada Kedavra and Harry uses Expelliarmus. Because of the twin cores of the wands, the wand streams lock and through Harry's willpower, Priori Incantatem is triggered from Voldemort's wand.
 * Harry duels Lord Voldemort at the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Voldemort uses Avada Kedavra and Harry uses Expelliarmus. Because Voldemort is using the Elder Wand, which really owes its allegiance to Harry at this point, the spells both end up directed at Voldemort and he is finally killed.
 * Albus Dumbledore duels the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945 and defeats him. This is even more impressive because Grindelwald possesed the Elder Wand during this battle.