Author's Note: I would like to thank Angel for being my super speed beta for this fic. I would also like to thank all of the Kestrels for inspiring me to write about characters I never would have written about before. I've been trying to explore with the more under-appreciated or obscure characters, and hopefully, I've been writing them well. Please read and review if you have anything to say!
Just a heads up to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry, though I submitted this for a particular task, that prompt might not seem obvious. However, this fic is about how both winning and losing had affected Flitwick, and I thought it would be fun to include the contrast. I hope you don't mind!
Title/Link: One Door Opens
Team: Kenmare Kestrels
Position: Beater 2
Extension Used: Yes
Season 6, Round 6: October – Filius Flitwick
Optional Prompts: (object) Sickle, (word) refreshed
One Door Opens by ValkyrieAce
Filius Flitwick wasn't the type of person who looked for bloodshed actively, no matter how the stereotype makes it seem. Instead, he was a gentle and loving soul, choosing not to take his life and everything in it for granted. He taught in a way none of the other teachers did: laidback, fun and open. His smile was blinding, and his laughter and humour were infectious. He barely handed out detentions for tardiness, and he only preferred to give out homework when a student was at risk of falling behind. Students found themselves feeling refreshed in all of his classes.
This was why none of them could have possibly known about his former title as Duelling Champion in the Wizarding World.
Looking at the sickle in his hand, he knew that he was only a good teacher because of the losses he had had to face. For Flitwick, the road to becoming a Duelling Champion was littered with slurs and discrimination against his hybridity. He didn't want to win for the money or for the fame; he wanted to win so the world could see that the title of Champion could be given to anyone, even a human and goblin mix. He wanted the world to have refreshed opinions. The world was changing, but they were still stuck in their backward ways of thinking.
Years later, when he considered it once again, he felt that it was inescapable. He didn't have to fight only his opponents, but also the hate that trapped him in like a ferret in a cage. Still, he wiped at his glasses, shuffled past the insults with a large toothy smile, and gained a level of confidence he had never had.
The first fight had been tentative and quite an awakening into the mind of a dueller. He, of course, had started with the smaller spells, afraid of truly injuring his opponent. But his opponent had fended himself off and immediately jumped onto higher level hexes which almost bordered the mentality of the Dark Arts. Since then, he too used advanced spells, believing that everyone competing for the title would be used to an onslaught as such.
Getting past that duel had been challenging, but his smile was still present. The idea of a challenge had always reeled the Ravenclaw in. It made him push himself and see how far he would be able to go. The next few duels breezed past him, a win for him on all fronts.
Winning the right of Duelling Champion had been both exhilarating and terrifying. The pull towards human and goblin confused and hurt him –a thought akin to being drawn and quartered had entered his mind then– and left him feeling proud but invisible. Still, he smiled and moved onwards with his life.
He never realized the depth of despair this title could bring him.
Many came to request a duel in order to take the title home with them, but along with them came an affinity to use the Unforgivables, cheap tactics, and more often than not, the willingness to sacrifice innocence and hardship in favour of fame and recognition. Still, the worst reactions surfaced when they were defeated by Flitwick. Though Flitwick had stood strong through them all, it had shocked him. What was the point of fighting if they were not willing to accept losses?
It had been petty and pompous for the opponents to expect an easy win from a long standing Duelling Champion. It disappointed Flitwick, and even jaded him to the idea of victory without struggle. He had held pride over this title and always spoke of it with reverence, but if this was how the predecessors of the title had lost, then what had he been fighting for? What had he been working so hard for?
It was when he was at his most vulnerable that a man with sharp wit and reflexes came forth to challenge him. As soon as the man had seen Flitwick, he had declared to leave with the title as his winnings all in return for a sickle.
Flitwick had burst into laughter at the proclamation, convinced that the man was also here for the glory rather than the experience. And so, they duelled. Over the course of their entire duel, Flitwick could see in his eyes that the man wasn't sure he would win.
This piqued his curiosity. Why was he unsure? He had come all this way, won against many competitors, and yet, he was worried. The emotions in the man's eyes were raging. Unlike the nonchalance and annoyance the others portrayed, Flitwick could see that this man was overcome with sadness, yet there was a hint of joy in his eyes as he clasped the sickle in his palm.
The man had conjured a bubble of hazardous green smoke, which was then blown over to Flitwick's direction. Flitwick cast a Bubblehead Charm on himself as a response, and prepared to launch a spell at the man when something unexpected happened.
He could barely hear the Disarming Charm under the Bubblehead Charm he had conjured, and was promptly surprised to see his wand yanked out of his hand and fall onto the ground far from him. It had taken Flitwick a few minutes to understand that he had finally lost to the title. He had lost. And to a worthy opponent as well.
Upon this realisation, Flitwick had buckled onto his knees, with tears glistening in his eyes, his life refreshed by a strategic duel. His hope in humanity was restored by this middle aged man. With shaking hands, he stood and approached his opponent. Reaching up to the man, who had his eyes hidden in the crook of his elbow in an effort to hide his tears, he clasped his hand and shook it, the sickle rattling between their joined hands. As he pulled away, he also took the sickle, tossing it into the air cheekily with a toothy grin. The man returned the grin shakily, still feeling overwhelmed by the victory, and took his leave.
Flitwick looked at the sickle, his eyes shining with pride. It had been an honourable loss.
It was only later that he discovered the winner of their duel had used the winnings to educate his children in all things magical by enrolling them at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry.
Flitwick smiled as he heard the news. Even loss could bring him refreshed hope.
As he looked at the sickle, an epiphany hit him: inspiring hope into students was what he wanted to do.
Over the years and through the Battle of Hogwarts, Flitwick would wonder not if his students were using his teachings efficiently, but if they were able to advance through the struggles of life –and face their losses– confidently. And even after the Battle of Hogwarts had ended, he had rushed to the Great Hall to tend to the students in need of help.
Though the outcome had many casualties on both ends, he would find himself feeling sorrow to see many of his students shattered, yet he would also feel refreshed when he felt the collective conviction to overcome the veil of darkness that surrounded them.
He clutched his sickle in the palm of his hand and smiled as the first ray of sunlight filtered through the grey clouds.
This was why he was a good teacher.
And in the end, it was worth facing that loss.
Fin
Word Count: 1,244
Additional Prompts:
The Golden Snitch - Through the Universe - (object) 26. Blueshift - glasses
The Golden Snitch - Ollivander's Wand Shop - Pear: Write about Filius Flitwick.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry – Term #9: Assignment #1 – Muggle Arts: The Dying Gaul, Task #1 - Write about facing a loss (can be any kind of loss).
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry - The Return of the Chocolate Frog Cards Club - (Bronze) Clabbert
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry - The 365 Prompts Challenge - 318. Title - One Door Opens
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry - The Insane House Challenge - 979. Emotion - Proud