Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine, and neither are the characters. I just adore Severus and let my imagination run away with him.

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The Duel

Snape stepped forward, waved his wand, and the snake vanished in a small puff of black smoke. Snape, too, was looking at Harry in an unexpected way: It was a shrewd and calculating look, and Harry didn't like it. He was also aware of an ominous muttering all around the walls. Then he felt a tugging on the back of his robes.

"Come on," said Ron's voice in his ear. "Move-come on-"

Miriam watched from a distance as Ron and Hermione dragged Harry from the Great Hall. How curious. It would seem that Mr. Potter was a Parselmouth; not that he even knew what that was, judging by the expression on his face. Severus was still staring at the door the trio had vanished through, while Lockhart was standing around with a somewhat dazed expression. Typical, Miriam thought with a sigh as she walked up the stairs to stand beside Professor Lockhart.

"I think that's enough excitement for the evening. Students, return to your dormitories." Miriam turned to Lockhart. "Professor, would you mind seeing to the students? I'm worried about them getting back safely, and I know with someone of your caliber watching over them everything will be fine," Miriam said as she smiled sweetly.

"Of course," Lockhart said as he puffed his chest out. "I wouldn't want you to worry. Should I help tidy up—"

"Oh no," Miriam cut him off. "Severus and I can handle this. You just worry about the students." Miriam smiled at him again as he swaggered off, herding the students in front of him. As soon as he turned away, Miriam's smile switched off like a light. The sooner he got everyone out of here the faster she could talk to Severus about what just happened.

Miriam made her way across the golden stage towards her husband. The pair stood side-by-side in silence as the last few students made their way out the door. When at last they were alone, Miriam sighed. "Took him long enough," Miriam muttered. "Sorry we're stuck with the cleanup, but at least we can talk now." Miriam warded the doors and cast a silencing charm before she turned to Severus. "Did you have any idea?" she asked.

"No," Severus said slowly as he shook his head. "And before you ask, I'm not sure what it all means yet. But I do know I will need to speak with Albus tomorrow."

"Well, if you don't mind I'll come with you. Tonight's 'dueling club' was a complete disaster. If Albus wants it done properly, he'll just need to hand it over to me," Miriam huffed as she stepped off the stage.

Severus' eyebrow disappeared into his hairline as he followed his wife. He raised his wand and began to help place the tables and benches in their original spots. "You and Flitwick would be good choices to head up a proper dueling club. I remember you being quite adept at dueling while we were in school."

Miriam smiled shyly at her husband. "Thank you, Severus. I remember you being rather skilled yourself. By the way, I enjoyed watching you tonight," Miriam said softly.

"Did you like that?" Severus asked with a smirk as he gave Mia a sideways glance.

"Like it? I loved it!" Miriam exclaimed with a laugh. "The only thing better would be if I got a crack at him, too. Oh, Gilderoy's face when he smacked the wall was hilarious!" Miriam snickered.

Severus joined in Mia's laughter. It felt good to finally get a jab in at Lockhart, and in front of almost the entire school, no less. He and Mia had very similar senses of humor—she could appreciate how good comeuppance felt. Finally, their laughter died away and together they resumed straightening the Great Hall.

When all that remained was moving the dueling stage and extinguishing the candles, Miriam turned to Severus. "It's a shame, though. To waste skills like yours on an opponent like Lockhart is such a tragedy."

"Mmm, well, who else was I going to duel?" Severus asked as he flicked his wand at the air. Several of the candles scattered through the room and their flames went out.

"You could duel me," Miriam said lightly.

Severus paused. "You? You want to duel. With me?"

"Well, we never got a chance in school. Flitwick always preferred to match houses against each other than housemates. Said it was better to learn from others who didn't think as yourself, remember? I would love a chance to duel with you, Severus."

Severus listened to Miriam speak, her words carrying him back to his own memories of the dueling club. Severus was a fair duelist, as was Miriam. He looked hard at his wife, sizing her up as an opponent. She was a few inches shorter than he, with a svelte build. She had soft curves where they counted, making her appear as though she was a vulnerable woman. Severus knew that assumption was a mistake. His wife was a fighter and had won her way out of several tight spots; she had an inner strength that Severus deeply admired. Dueling someone of her skill would be a challenge, and Severus rarely backed down from those.

"Unless, of course, you're worried about losing…" Miriam trailed off. She folded her arms across her chest and tilted her head, gazing at Severus through her dark lashes.

Severus smirked and matched her posture. "Hardly," he replied. "So you really want to do this?"

"Absolutely," Miriam said as she slipped off her robes. She sat the black cloth on the table, and began unbuttoning her jacket. The jacket joined the robes, followed quickly by her pointed hat.

Severus watched, curious, as Mia let down her curly hair. She shook it out and with a twist of her wand secured it in a braid. From the looks of it, she meant business. Severus shook his head and took his robes off. He tossed them on the table and walked to the stairs at the far end of the stage. He stepped on the stage the same time Miriam appeared at the other end.

"I think we should place a wager on this duel," Severus said as he eyed his wife from across the room.

"And what kind of wager are you proposing?"

Severus paused. He wasn't out to make Miriam grade his papers, or even scrub his cauldrons. No, he wanted something else from his witch. "When I win, I want us to go away for a weekend. No schoolwork, and no responsibilities from the business either. In fact, no telling Will where we're off to."

He watched Miriam, a frown creased her brow as she thought about his offer. Severus knew it would be a tantalizing, yet difficult prospect for Miriam to follow through on. Mia was a bit of a workaholic.

"Agreed," Miriam said as she flipped her braid over her shoulder. "And when I win, I want you to take me out for dinner. Someplace fancy—Houdini's-yes, that'll do nicely."

"Agreed." Severus marched across the stage and met Miriam in the middle. They flourished their wands, bowed, turned and walked two paces. Severus spun around and assumed a fighting stance, his wand raised. Miriam had done the same; they stared each other down, and for a moment Severus' concentration faltered. Miriam's wand raised over her head and the scooped neckline of her dress left her breasts on full view. Miriam smirked at him and Severus frowned. She wasn't going to distract him so easily.

"Diffindo!" Severus exclaimed as he pointed his wand at Miriam's dress, severing a piece from the bottom.

Miriam gasped. "Colloshoo!" she shouted and immediately followed up with "Avis Oppugno!"

Severus cast a Protego for the birds and then a Lapifors. Several large tacks that held the padding to the stage popped up and turned into rabbits, hopping about Miriam's legs. Severus used the distraction to pry his feet from the floor.

And so the duel began. Miriam and Severus traded spells, jinxes, and even a few hexes. The flashes of color that emanated from their wands reflected off the windows of the Great Hall and cast beautiful, jewel-toned shadows on its interior. After about ten minutes, Miriam was two points ahead. They were both starting to tire as Severus looked for a quick way to end the duel. Severus summoned a shield from a suit of armor and cast a Ducklifors midair.

Miriam diverted her eyes from Severus to dodge the oncoming fowl. That was all the time Severus needed. "Carpe Retractum!" he shouted. The rope from his wand pulled her towards him, and Severus lunged forward and caught Miriam in his arms.

"Ha! I win!" Miriam stated triumphantly.

"How so?"

"You broke etiquette, Severus. Only magic is to be used, and you violated that rule by touching me."

Severus looked down at Miriam, her cheeks flushed from exertion and her grey eyes sparkled with excitement. Her lips were so close to his, lush like a ripe piece of fruit begging to be tasted. "So it doesn't matter if I do this, then?" Severus bent down and kissed Miriam, gently at first. He ran his hand down her side, releasing the spell as he did so. He kissed her urgently, and gently slipped her wand from her loose grasp.

Miriam slipped her arms around Severus' neck as he continued to kiss her. He chuckled softly and whispered in her ear. "I seem to have disarmed you, Madam Snape. I think that means I win."

Miriam frowned when she realized her wand was now in Severus' hand. "Hardly," she huffed. "Before your breach of etiquette, I was two points ahead. Even if I overlooked your foul, disarming me still puts you a point behind, Professor."

"Hmm," Severus said as he narrowed his eyes in mock concentration.

Miriam laughed. "Come now, Severus. Admit it, I bested you. Take your loss and treat me to dinner."

Severus pretended he was put out as he loosened his grasp on Miriam. She did win—this time, anyway. Besides, Severus was no fool; he knew admitting she won would make Miriam happy. And a happy witch meant a happy wizard.

"Fine," Severus grumbled. "You won this time, but next time I won't go easy on you."

Miriam grinned brightly and brushed Severus' cheeks with her thumbs. She kissed him lightly on the lips and replied, "I would expect nothing else." She straightened and held out her hand. "My wand, please."

Severus relinquished the slender piece of wood and watched Miriam slip it into her hidden dress pocket. She sighed when she saw the state of her attire. "I can't believe what you did to my dress! It's one of my favorites. Well, it was before you took a chunk out of it."

"Allow me," Severus replied. The severed piece of fabric flew into his hand. He waved his wand over Miriam's dress and the two pieces of material became one. "Good as new," Severus said.

"Thank you, Severus." Together they walked to the table and gathered their belongings. Severus summoned a small group of elves to take care of the dueling stage while Miriam scattered and extinguished most of the candles.

"So, I've thought about our earlier wager," Miriam began as she slipped her hand around Severus' arm. "Why don't you plan for that weekend away?"

Severus paused before the large doors. "But I didn't win the duel," he replied.

"I know, but there's no reason we couldn't combine our wagers. You can take me out while we're away," Miriam finished as she slipped her arms around his waist.

"For someone who lost, I feel as though luck is on my side today," Severus said as they embraced.

Finally, Miriam pulled back slightly. "You take care of me and I'll take care of you, dear husband." She gave him a quick kiss on the lips, and when she looked up at him Severus saw the twinkle was back in her eyes. "Let's go home."

"Are you going to soothe my bruised ego?" Severus teased.

Miriam smirked. "I was thinking I could soothe something else, Severus."

Severus' eyes widened in understanding before he yanked the door open and quickly ushered his wife through it. The large oak door slammed shut and extinguished the rest of the candles in the Great Hall.

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A/N: The first two paragraphs were taken directly from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, page 195. Rowling gets all the credit for that.

I absolutely love The Dueling Club chapter from the second book. It makes me laugh every time I read it! And I do love how it was portrayed in the movie; Alan Rickman's facial expressions are classic.

I have thought about this little one-shot for some time-this is the more tame version. My other one has more adult themes, shall we say. I often picture Miriam and Severus challenging and debating each other. Playful competition is a large part of their relationship. Am I the only one who thinks it would be absolutely scintillating to duel Severus?

All of the spells mentioned I pulled from the Harry Potter wikki. It was fun research :)

Also, I'm happy with ending the story here, but part of me feels like there is a second chapter. Most likely, that chapter would end up changing the rating of the story. Any thoughts?

Thanks for reading!