~Off~ by brOkEn sHaRDs

¡¿Off¿¡

! untitled ¡

The bathroom was quiet. The white tiles were slightly wet with water splashed from the sink, and a small part of Harry's brain was afraid of slipping and injuring an ankle even before the duel began. The lanterns hanging from various corners gave the place an eerie glow, and the shadows loomed and shook with each flicker of the candles.

In front of him, the boy's red hairs seemed to tremble slightly in the nonexistent breeze, and his eyes glittered from across the bathroom. His hand unconsciously tightened its grip on the wand he held as his arm fell by his side. He viewed Harry carefully through his alert blue eyes, not letting any emotion slip from his mask of indifference.

A ball of nausea curled up in Harry's stomach. The apprehension of impending doom mixed with the allure of anger unfurled, uncontrolled and unrestrained resulted in this feeling of uneasiness that soured the adrenaline pumping through his veins. He had never been in a real Wizard's Duel before. The closest he'd come was in his second year, when he'd fought Malfoy in front of everyone in the Dueling Club. But now there were no other students to cheer him on, no teachers to make sure nothing got out of hand. He smiled bitterly. And this time he wasn't dueling against Malfoy either.

There was a flushing sound and a few seconds later a cubicle door opened. A boy emerged, pulling his robes straight. He walked calmly to the sink, as if unaware all eyes were trained on him, and washed his hands deliberately, taking care not to look up. He finally switched off the tap and wiped his wet hands on his robes.

"Done," he said quietly, and he took his wand out of his pocket. "Are we ready?"

The two other boys faced each other and nodded tersely before making their way to opposite ends of the room. Harry took the dueling stance he had learnt, his arm stretched out in front, pointing his wand directly at his opponent. His feet were a comfortable distance apart, one positioned in front of the other, and his left hand hovered near his waist.

He waited for the first spell to come charging out of the other Griffindor's wand, but there was nothing. Not a sound was made from both adversary and Second. Harry bit back his misgivings and lifted his head. He'd already planned beforehand what spell he'd use first. It would be poetic justice really. She had forgotten Harry, and now he would forget her.

"Obliviate!"

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