Author's Note: I don't know if any of you have seen "Strictly Ballroom," a Baz Luhrmann film, but this fic is based loosely on that plot.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Except for Melpomene Astramorde. Ten simulated cookies to whomever picks up on her name…(hint--Star Wars fans should get a kick out of it)
Strictly Dueling
Harry had known that Defense against the Dark Arts had definitely improved the minute he walked into the classroom. A short, willowy blond witch in a black robe sat behind her desk, humming merrily. Beside her was a stack of books that looked ready to topple.
"Finally," Ron muttered beside him. Hermione pooh-poohed, but Harry saw her eyes light up when she saw the books.
"Move it, Granger." Draco shouldered her out of the way as they walked in.
"Watch it, Draco," she said back coolly. "Prefects aren't exempt from having points taken…"
"Great, we've got class with Slytherin." Ron's mouth twisted.
"Come on, it should be fine," Hermione said. "I want a good seat."
"You always have a good seat," Ron complained. "We don't have to sit near the front every time."
After they were all seated, Willowy Blonde smiled at them all. "I'm Professor Melpomene Astramorde. This is my classroom, and we will follow my rules."
"Blimey," Ron muttered.
"I have heard you all had a dueling club a few years back," Professor Astramorde said. "Can anyone--yes, Miss…"
"Granger," Hermione said, lowering her hand. "We had a dueling club four years ago…with Professor Lockheart."
"Gilderoy?" Astramorde said, her lips twisting up. "And you still call it a club?"
Ron snorted, and Hermione turned slightly pink. "He taught us the basics, Professor. With Professor Snape."
"Ah, yes, Severus…" Astramorde said softly. She walked across the front of the classroom, lost in thought.
"Very well," she said finally. "The dueling club will be meeting again this evening, for those who wish to improve their skills. You will be learning spells and standards that may be used and will be useful here and later. I suggest you all show up."
"Now then, who can tell me where you left off last term?"
Hermione's hand shot up into the air.
"Astramorde's wicked," Ron said that evening, between great gulps of his meal. He chased some loose peas around the plate.
"Honestly, Ron, don't play with your food," Hermione sniffed. "She's alright. I just hope she's better than the last ones."
"I think she actually knows what she's talking about," Ron said.
"That's generally the point, isn't it?" Hermione asked dryly.
"Well, yeah, but Dumbledore hasn't been picking 'em too well…." he turned to Harry. "The dueling club could be interesting."
"We'll find out, won't we?" Harry said. "It's open to everyone."
"I can't wait," Hermione said fervently. "We'll be learning so much! The rest of our class would do best to show up, it really is--"
"Shut up, Hermione," Ron said affectionately.
"Well." She sniffed.
Harry watched as Ginny traipsed by behind Ron, her arm linked with Dean Thomas's. Ginny paused. "Did you hear about the club?"
"Yes, we're going," Harry said.
"Us, too," Dean said. "Come on, Gin, I'm hungry."
"It's not my fault you had to go to the Library first. If you had just been careful with the book in the first place, Madam Pince wouldn't--" they were gone behind the curtain of Ginny's hair.
"I wonder what she'll teach us?" Hermione mused.
That night, Harry, Ron and Hermione joined the throng of Griffindors streaming down to the Defense against the Dark Arts room.
"The Dueling Club used to be a regular meeting club, outside of classes, before V--Voldemort," Hermione whispered furtively. "I read it in--"
"We know, we know," Ron hissed. "In Hogwarts, A History."
"You know, Ron, if you'd let me finish my sentences--"
"Shut it, you two," Harry said. The general murmurs of the crowd had died down suddenly, and the lights had dimmed. Harry could see Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott not too far away; Neville was standing by Luna, and Harry saw a shock of white-blond hair flicker nearby.
"Malfoy's here," Ron growled.
"The Slytherin were invited too, Ron, it's no reason to get upset--"
"That's like teaching the enemy, that's what," Ron said. "She should turn them away."
"Well, we'll just have to be better than them," Hermione said. "Honestly."
They entered the room, where students were so packed in, they were crushed up against walls. Astramorde was standing on top of her desk, looking pleased, and the grim frown of Snape was evident nearby. She muttered something, tapping her throat with her wand.
"I'M SO PLEASED TO SEE YOU ALL HERE!" Her voice soared above the crowd, and all of the murmur stopped completely. Harry was squished up against Ginny; Dean was a row ahead, and Hermione and Ron were on the other side of Neville and Luna. Between Harry and Luna stood Cho Chang, the pretty seeker of Ravenclaw. She gripped Michael Corner's hand tightly, smiling sweetly at him from time to time.
Harry ignored her.
"WE'RE A FEW MORE THAN I THOUGHT WE'D BE, SO EVERYONE HEAD DOWN TO THE GREAT HALL. IT WILL BE SET UP WHEN WE ARRIVE." She nodded to her right, and the nearby students shuffled around as a "pop" sounded.
"House elves," Draco drawled. Harry turned, and saw him surrounded by a posse of Slytherins. Draco sneered. "How quaint. Granger must be beside herself."
"Shut it, Malfoy," Ginny said quietly. Harry gripped her wrist, and shook his head imperceptibly. He felt her slowly relax.
"Or what?"
"Just shut it." And then they were pushed back and out, toward the open area of the Great Hall.
Harry felt crushed in the flow of student bodies, and he maintained his grip on Ginny's wrist, that he'd know where at least one person was. She glanced back at him, her cheeks still flushed, and grinned abashedly.
"This is a lot of fuss, for one club meeting…"
Harry shrugged.
They streamed into the Great Hall, where the house tables had been cleared away. A large, wooden platform stood in the middle of the room, torchlight flickering all around it. Harry and Ginny were near the front of the group, and they looked around for the others, but no one was nearby.
Finally, Astramorde strode forward, Snape at her heels, looking sour. She climbed atop the platform. This time, they were close enough to hear her mutterings.
"It's going to be a night, Severus. Ready?" She looked at him, her gracious smile wide and perky. Snape fumed.
"Sonorus," she said, tapping her throat.
"WELCOME TO YOUR FIRST DUELING CLUB!" Again, the murmur died down. "I HOPE THAT YOU WILL ALL FIND IT BENEFICIAL ENOUGH TO COME BACK. WE WILL HOLD REGULAR MEETINGS EVERY TUESDAY AND EVERY FRIDAY, AND PRIVATE PRACTICES MAY BE SCHEDULED AROUND THEN. NOW, THEN, WE'LL GET STARTED WITH BASIC MOVES. YES, BONES?"
Susan Bones was waving her hand around. "Professor," she called, "Professor Lockheart taught us some of the basics…"
"YES. AS I WAS SAYING…EVERYONE, PAIR UP, PAIR UP! DO IT QUICKLY, PLEASE, SO WE CAN GET STARTED. IT DOESN'T MATTER YOUR LEVEL, NOT FOR NOW…"
Ginny looked over at Harry. "Well?" They walked to a slightly larger open space.
For the next 45-minutes, Astramorde and Snape demonstrated proper wand holds, proper dueling stances, and answered questions. Finally, Astramorde turned to them with a twinkle in her eye. "OKAY, NOW, WHEN I COUNT TO FIVE, I WANT YOU TO BEGIN A WIZARD'S DUEL. ONE PARTNER MUST TRY TO STUN THE OTHER, WHILE THE OTHER MUST INVOKE A SHIELD SPELL, AND A COUNTER-CURSE. NO SQUABBLING…YOU'LL EACH GET YOUR TURN. AND NOTHING DANGEROUS, MIND, OR YOU'LL BE BANNED FROM THE CLUB. I DON'T WANT MADAM POMFREY TO HAVE TO CLEAN ANY OF YOU UP." She smiled.
"ONE!"
Ginny and Harry raised their wands.
"TWO!"
Ginny indicated she would take the offensive first. Harry nodded.
"THREE!"
They planted their feet. Around them, hundreds of wands raised and feet planted.
"FOUR!"
A hesitation. Harry tensed his back.
"FIVE!"
"STUPEFY!"
Harry raised the shield as Ginny uttered the curse. Her little stream of light bounced off, as he muttered, "Expelliarmus!"
"Petrificus totalus!" Just as immediately, Ginny's shield was raised. He could see the challenge fill her eyes, and she cast again.
"Confundus!"
He ducked the spell. "Silencio!" He watched her lips move, ducked what was assuredly the bat-bogey hex, and sprung to his feet.
"Confundus!"
She mouthed something, and he said at the same time, "Impedimenta!"
The world slowed, and he saw something sparkling around him and Ginny and all the pairs on the floor…
"THAT'S ENOUGH! FINITE INCANTATEM!"
And then, like nothing had happened, the sparks vanished, the world sped up, and Harry and Ginny were both on their knees, staring at each other, their wands outstretched, panting. They glanced around; several people were lying on the floor, and Snape was gloomily stalking around. No one was looking at them, but for Astramorde. She seemed to be staring at them.
"GOOD FOR TODAY! SEE YOU ALL IN CLASS!" she yelled. "Finite incantatem." And then she was smiling at them, for no good reason.
"What happened?" Ginny asked.
"I--I don't know," he said.
"That was bloody brilliant!" Ron crowed, appearing at Harry's shoulder. He started, and looked over. In the meantime, Dean came by, sweeping Ginny with him. His last glance of her was her pale face, peering back over Dean's shoulder.
"Yes," Hermione said smugly. "I think we all did quite well."
"Don't rub it in," Ron grimaced. "Had me down right off," he muttered.
"I can't wait for the next meeting, that was very helpful. It will be so useful, too," Hermione went on.
Harry stared back at where he had last seen Ginny, confused. "Yeah."
"Come on, let's get back to the common room," Ron said. And they streamed out with the rest of the students.