A/N: Hogwarts Houses Challenge - Camp Hogwarts Challenge.
Prompt: Archery - Write about a medieval duel.
Words: Approximately 1580.
Enjoy bad pranks, grumpy-can't-take-a-joke friends, a duel, and another redhead who thinks with his stomach.
Disclaimer: YES, I AM THE GREAT AND POWERFUL SORCERESS KNOWN AS JK ROWLING! *crickets chirping* ...Okay, so I'm not. Let's get on with the show then, shall we?
"Is this truly necessary, Zar?" complained a young red-haired man as he followed his dark-haired companion along a barely-there path that meandered through the trees of the forest nearby their camp. In the near darkness beneath the boughs – this early, the sun would not make its way to the ground for hours yet – he could still see the way Salazar's straight back stiffened even further. For the love of Magic, the man had entirely too much pride – at seventeen, they were both barely adults, yet Salazar acted as if he was already a greybeard! "T'was merely a jest."
The other young man spun on the redhead, who choked back a laugh at the sight of the other wizard as he smacked his hand over his mouth and turned his head so Salazar could not see his expression.
"Godric Gryffindor." Godric was sure his friend meant to sound intimidating, but at their age, the other wizard's tone reminded him more of Rowena's attempts at scolding. "You turned my skin purple. Without considering how to undo the spell! And you continue to laugh about it!"
The red-haired wizard choked again, trying, for the sake of his friendship with this young man, to keep himself from laughing. Eventually, despite the hilarity of the glare on Salazar's (purple!) face, Godric calmed himself and nodded. "I will concede that it was… remiss of me not to confirm the reversal spell before jinxing you…" His expression twisted to something that might have been described as 'wheedling' if it had been on a face besides that of the great Godric Gryffindor (even if he was only seventeen, Godric was sure that he and his friends would be known as great witches and wizards very soon). "But is a duel really an appropriate response to something so…" Once again, the redhead had to fight back laughter at the result of his own prank – Salazar looked positively ridiculous – and coughed before finishing, "harmless?"
"YOU TURNED ME PURPLE!" his friend shouted, obviously having had enough of Godric's protests, the skin of his face darkening to something resembling a plum. Just as quickly as he had lost his temper, Salazar calmed himself, though the effort to impose control on his emotions was visible. "I want the chance to take that out on your hide."
"T'is words like that that make Rowena and Helga think you are going to be a true Dark Wizard, Zar," Godric said mildly, not taking his friend at all seriously. Certainly, Salazar had an interest in the darker side of magic, but the only one of the other three who could truly claim no curiosity was Helga. There was power to be had in the Dark Arts and much could be learned through them – aspects that drew Godric and Rowena. Godric did no more than the equivalent of dipping a toe in, but Rowena and Salazar… The only reason the raven-haired witch did not like Salazar's research was because he did not learn it simply for the sake of knowledge, as she did – he planned to apply some of it practically as well.
Salazar made a dismissive gesture and Godric added, "Besides, t'is only a duel to disarm – you shan't be taking much out of my hide." His friend snorted – actually snorted, really, he would have thought Salazar too dignified for that, but then again, he always managed to get under the other wizard's skin – before turning and continuing down the path, which was just a bit clearer now as the sun rose above the horizon.
"Disarming will end the duel, yes." Godric sensed the 'however' in his friend's tone and nearly sighed – Salazar tended to have the faster wand hand, so the other wizard was likely to cast – and land – the first spell, setting the tone for the mock-battle. Which meant Godric might actually have the dark-haired young man's ire taken out on his 'hide'. Lovely.
Eventually they came to a medium sized clearing, Godric stopping at the edge and Salazar continuing across until he reached the other side. There, he turned to face his friend, his wand already in hand and held loosely at his side.
"You realize that it would be better to spend this time trying to undo the jinx rather than dueling?" Godric made a last ditch effort to talk sense into his friend.
Salazar sneered at him. "Is the brave Gryffindor heir afraid?"
The miniscule piece of Godric that possessed the most sense could almost be heard to sigh as the hot-tempered wizard's resistance to this duel crumbled – trust Salazar to press that trigger. Godric Gryffindor could not tolerate any implication that he was afraid of something. It had been the way to get the young man to do anything he hesitated to do for ages – ever since they had known each other, in fact.
Had Rowena or Helga been there, they would have shaken their heads at the way Godric immediately pulled out his wand and took a ready stance.
"I am never afraid."
Salazar smirked. "Prove it."
Godric whipped his wand through the air with a speed that would impress even an experienced duelist, but Salazar was faster. The knock-back jinx slammed the redhead into a tree, but he was already flicking another disarming spell at the dark-haired wizard, which was blocked non-verbally with an almost negligent gesture before he cast a mild cutting curse.
It failed to land as Godric got a shield up in time to block it, casting a rapid series of jinxes meant to confuse and distract his friend as he tried to close the distance between them. Salazar managed the appropriate counter-curses and shields before flinging his own attacks at the other wizard, keeping the distance up. He knew Godric was the better fighter in close quarters, able to rely on both magic and his physical capabilities to win – just as Salazar was a better range fighter.
The duel dragged on, each wizard landing spells but not managing to disarm the other – not that Salazar was actually trying to do so at any point. He was too busy making good on his words to take his anger out on his friend.
When Rowena and Helga came looking for them (much) later, they found the two wizards slumped to the ground on opposite sides of the clearing, panting for breath and covered in minor cuts and bruises – Salazar's skin now streaked with green and Godric's a hideous mix of blue and yellow. They had only just agreed on a short break, brought about by mutual exhaustion.
Seeing them, the two women simply shook their heads, Rowena pulling out her wand and casting a spell that reversed the abnormal discoloration of their skin while Helga dug in her bag for healing potions. Of course the bookworm of their group would know the counter-curse.
"The two of you are the most…" Rowena started, her voice taking on the scolding tone she tended to use when she thought they were being blithering idiots. Godric sighed, smiling thankfully at Helga as she passed him the potions, and glanced at Salazar, who grimaced back at him – he disliked Rowena's berating as much as Godric did. Just because she was the oldest…
Jinx reversed and insulting insinuation forgotten, as soon as the healing spells and potions took effect, Godric stood and crossed the clearing, reaching out a hand to help his friend to his feet. Salazar eyed the hand for only a moment before he huffed, the sound familiar enough for Godric to recognize it as a laugh, and took it, allowing the other wizard to pull him up.
The redhead flashed his friend a grin before stepping back and stretching his arms out over his head, arching his back with a satisfying series of pops. Shaking his body in a move reminiscent of a lion, Godric smiled around at his group of friends – Helga returning the expression easily, Rowena glaring at him for ignoring her lecture, and Salazar barely letting his lip curve upward at the corner.
"I'm hungry," he announced, ignoring the quietly choked laugh of Salazar and the irritated sigh of Rowena. "What say you to a meal?" He looked to Helga, waggling his brows at the plump witch because he knew she was his best chance of ready agreement.
She knew it too, being no fool for all her soft heart, and laughed at his antics. "It is noon," she said, looking at the other two with a benevolent smile that invited them to join her. "An appropriate time for lunch, wouldn't you say, Rowena? Salazar?"
"I am not opposed to some vittles," the dark-haired wizard responded first. Three pairs of eyes turned to their fourth friend, who sighed and crumbled beneath the combined weight of her companions' appetites.
"Lunch is appropriate," she grumbled, and three grins - one wild, one warm, and one barely visible - responded to her words.
"Back to camp then! To lunch!" Godric exaggerated the onward gesture - thrusting his arm forward as if they were a company on the march - and started off, only to be pushed aside by Salazar.
"Do not even try - you would have us lost in the woods for days," the dark-haired wizard drawled. "I will lead us back to camp."
Godric took no offense, laughing as he fell in behind his friend, knowing all was well if the other man was teasing him about his terrible sense of direction. "Of course, Zar. Of course."
A/N: Heeeeey... do fics written for forum challenges get reviews? :D