Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to it. No money is being made with this story. This applies to all chapters.
Duelling Class
The Slytherin common room was completely empty. Everyone else was in the Great Hall eating or spent the time till their next lesson somewhere in the castle. I was glad about that. The headache had found me again and I preferred to be alone in this state. Away from all those people and their expectations. Slytherin leader, respectable Black daughter, responsible older sister; I was expected to be many things. Most of the time, I was proud to be all of that but sometimes I just needed to rest.
I didn't remain alone for long though. There were steps outside the common room entrance. I sighed, leaning back. Getting whoever it was to leave again wouldn't be too difficult but I'd rather have avoided the trouble.
The person outside said the password and I recognised his voice right away. Rodolphus, the only one I didn't mind being around while I was in this state. I wondered if he was here by accident or if he had come to look for me. I hoped for the latter even though I'd never say that aloud of course.
Rodolphus walked into the common room and I smiled at him. He sat down next to me, looking at me in a slightly worried way. "Is there something wrong? You've left lunch really early."
Usually, I never told anyone about things like having a headache. Only weak people would complain about something so trivial. With Rodolphus, that was a different matter though. He had a talent for healing magic and could make it vanish without any effort so why should I continue to put up with it?
"My head's aching a bit," I admitted.
"Do you want me to help?" he asked right away.
"Yes, please," I said.
Rodolphus seemed even more worried. Probably because I had used the word "please." It must have made him think that I was feeling really bad. That wasn't completely true though. The word had slipped off my tongue because I loved it when he used his gift on me.
His magic told him where the problem originated. I closed my eyes as he touched the back of my neck, finding the places where my muscles had clenched, which spread to my head. Every time he touched me, the aching lessened until it was gone completely.
The power he held over pain was really intriguing. I didn't doubt that it could be used to achieve the opposite effect as well. The people who thought they could belittle him needed to be careful indeed.
I had also been wondering what else he could do with it. He'd probably be shocked if he ever found out. Rodolphus was mainly interested in books and plants and potions as well. Sometimes, I found myself tempted to ask for his help even if there was no real need but I couldn't do this too often of course. If I did, even he'd think I was weak.
Usually, I had no trouble putting into words what I wanted. This was more difficult though. The boys didn't even acknowledge that I was a girl. My sisters were girls, Lily Evans and Alice Fawley from Gryffindor were girls but I was simply one of them and I wanted it that way. Most of the time, but not always.
I was trying to think of something to say that would at least give him a hint, when the stone door opened once again. My cousin Evan Rosier walked in, accompanied by Jeremy Wilkes and Colin Avery.
"Bad moment?" Wilkes asked with a grin.
I did not blush. Blushing really was for lesser people then me. "Not at all," I lied. "Where did you leave Severus by the way?"
Jerry grimaced. "You have three guesses."
"In the library?" Rodolphus suggested.
"Try again," Jerry said.
"He's following Lily Evans around, attempting to get her to talk to him again," I said, rolling my eyes. It was really hard to believe that Severus didn't realise how much he was embarrassing himself that way. He was intelligent, wasn't he?
"Correct," Jerry said cheerfully before imitating Severus. "Lily, I'm so sorry. I never meant to call you a Mudblood."
Everyone laughed, well everyone except for Rodolphus.
"Severus isn't the one who should apologise," he said. "This little piece of dirt can barely keep from smiling when Potter and his lot are making fun of him. Even back when she was still supposed to be his "friend." Severus was useful to her before she went to Hogwarts because he knew about magic. Now she knows cooler and more popular people and he has become inconvenient. She's only been looking for a reason to end their "friendship". I hope he finally gets this and stops blaming himself."
"I'm sure he will," Evan said.
Rodolphus and Severus frequently argued about Lily Evans. They were quite close because they had similar interests but Rodolphus hated Evans with a passion.
I didn't really mind Severus' friendship with her. She was no pureblood of course, but neither was he. If she stayed with him, she wouldn't seduce a pureblood and bring Muggle blood into his family. I couldn't really believe that Evans was a real first-blood witch. She was too talented for that. Her mother must have had an affair with a wizard, probably a Weasley or Prewett if her hair colour was anything to go by. This would explain the extreme difference between her and her sister as well.
"Let's go," I said. "We don't want to be late for DADA. Duelling today, I've heard."
I was really looking forward to this lesson. This year's Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Vance was really good. A former duelling champion who had taught us quite a few useful tricks.
I really hoped she could stay but it wasn't very likely. None of our DADA teachers had been there for more than a year so far. In case of Professor Slinkhard, our teacher from last year, no one had minded very much. He had believed that a theoretical education was more than enough and we hadn't been allowed to use our wands even once during his class. If we hadn't secretly practiced in the Slytherin rooms, we'd probably all have failed our OWL. Not that Slinkhard would have found out. He had left Hogwarts to continue writing his book two weeks before our exams. We weren't quite sure if that was due to his fear of the curse supposedly placed upon the position or because of the pranks, my cousin Sirius and his friends had played him. I suspected a combination of both.
"Maybe we'll have to get Severus away from Potter and his gang again," I said while we were walking upstairs.
Severus' newly-found interest in the Gryffindor living quarters led to much more frequent meetings with his enemies which usually ended with Severus hanging upside down, having his robes dyed pink or similar. It was quite embarrassing. We kept telling him to stay away from the Gryffindors when he was on his own, but he wouldn't listen.
Today, he had been lucky though. He had only walked into Alice Fawley who attempted to explain Evans' behaviour to him. "Once again, a simple apology isn't enough. This word is more than just a petty insult. I can't understand why you don't seem to get this."
"I just let it slip because I was angry," Severus said. "But why am I talking to you anyway? You're just one of those who have tried to get us apart all the time. "None of my friends can understand why I even talk to you." She told me you see."
Severus, stop making a fool of yourself, I thought. I'd have to put a stop to this soon.
"Yes, I've told her so," Fawley admitted. "And do you want to know why? Because of your foolish obsession with a deranged mass murder. You actually celebrate when there is news about more dead or tortured Aurors and Muggle-borns. Of course I have to warn her."
"I'd never harm Lily and you know that."
"How am I supposed to know that? If you really believe in the things he's standing for, you want her dead. Listen Severus, you're so intelligent. Do you really think that this is about justice and more power for Slytherins? Voldemort wants to cause pain and death, nothing else."
I had listened silently for a while but this went too far. Didn't she have any respect?
"Don't say the Dark Lord's name!"
Fawley looked startled for a moment, she had been so focused on Severus that she hadn't noticed our arrival. She caught herself quickly though. "It's the name he has chosen for himself, isn't it? Why shouldn't I call him that?"
"The Dark Lord's name isn't spoken aloud. Especially not by some Blood Traitor like you," I told her.
Fawley looked at Severus again. "You're really surprised that Lily doesn't want anything to do with you as long as you're friends with those people?" She turned away and sat down with the other Gryffindors.
"I hate Alice Fawley," Severus said as he sat down with us on the other side of the corridor. "She and this awful Mary Macdonald have tried to get me and Lily apart all the time. And now they got their wish."
"If Lily were a real friend, she wouldn't care about their opinion," Rodolphus told him. Severus didn't answer. He preferred to stare moodily at the wall on the opposite side of the corridor, avoiding anyone's eyes.
"I don't understand what's the matter with Alice Fawley either though," Rodolphus said to no one in particular. "We used to get along really well back in fourth year but she's changed completely."
"I don't think she's the one who has changed," I didn't tell him that but I had never liked this developing "friendship" between the two of them during our fourth year. One of the boys being infected by Gryffindor girl-fever was enough.
"You used to have all those problems with your wand and so on back then. She probably thought you needed her pity. You were her good deed of the day or something. Now that she knows how powerful you really are, there's no need for this anymore."
The fact that he had been caught with a forbidden book about the Cruciatus curse at the end of our fourth year probably didn't improve their relationship either.
Almost too late as always, Sirius arrived with Potter, Lupin, Pettigrew and Evans.
"Oh, oh," Jerry said, casting a quick look into Severus' direction. He was looking at the wall even more moodily. Evans was talking to Lupin about something, maybe their prefect duties. It wasn't hard to guess what Severus had to think though.
Sirius smirked when he noticed me looking at him, I smirked back. Neither of us would admit it in front of our friends of course, but at home, we got along quite well. Duel practice with Sirius was really fun.
A few minutes later, Professor Vance arrived and unlocked the classroom. We walked in behind her, Sirius and his friends managed to secure the best seats in the last row. We had to settle with the row in front of them. Potter and Sirius used the chance to charm paper balls so they'd fly at Severus and stick in his hair.
Emmeline Vance wasn't one of the teachers who tolerated this kind of behaviour when it was done by a Gryffindor against a Slytherin though. She took ten points from Potter as well as Sirius. "There's no room for this kind of childish behaviour in my classroom. Do something like this again and you're going to clean all the toilets of the school for detention. Without magic."
Many people laughed at the mental image. Sirius and Potter themselves joined in at the end. This was one of the main differences between them and Severus. He let this kind of thing get to him way too much.
"I'm not quite sure if I should hope that they attack Sev again," Evan whispered to me. "Watching those two clean the toilets would definitely be worth it."
"Let's get started," Professor Vance said. "I told you that you were going to show me your duelling skills in an actual duel today. As an added motivation, each Hufflepuff student will duel a Ravenclaw student and each Gryffindor a Slytherin. The winner will receive ten house points but I may award extra points as well if you give me a reason to do so."
"I always knew she was a sadist," Jerry whispered. "She wants to see blood."
I grinned at him. This was definitely going to be fun.
Professor Vance told us to come to the front of the classroom before clearing a large space off desks and chairs. She did this herself, unlike Professor McKinnon, our teacher during fourth year. At the beginning of our lesson about the Unforgivable Curses, McKinnons' order to do this had resulted in a phenomenal Gryffindor vs. Slytherin chair and table fight with quite a few injuries. The Auror Professor McKinnon hadn't allowed anyone to go the Hospital Wing before she had finished her lesson though. Maybe she had warned Vance, both were rather close to Dumbledore after all.
"Do you remember, during our fourth year before we had our lesson about the Unforgivables," Sirius said to Potter and I couldn't keep myself from laughing. Sirius did so as well. I hoped that I that I'd be paired with him. Our skills and fighting styles were very similar; this would be one hell of a duel.
We all put our names on pieces of parchment and Professor Vance threw them into four different boxes. "You know the rules. Every legal spell is allowed. You're free to voice your support for the person you want to win. Let the fights begin."
She drew the first two names. "Mr Wilkes versus Mr Lupin please."
It got really loud. We were jeering Jerry on while the Gryffindors and everyone else supported Lupin. The pair was very evenly matched. Both fought well though there were no extraordinary spells. In the end, Lupin got the upper hand and it was no surprise that he won. The first points went to Gryffindor. His house mates gave him raucous applause.
In the next duel, an astonished Ravenclaw boy was fought to the ground by Hufflepuff Dorcas Meadowes. Evans and Fawley were cheering for her as well.
Sirius' name was called out next, but I didn't get my wish. He had to fight Agrippina Rookwood, a girl from my dorm. Agrippina was a rather bookish person who was more interested in the theoretical side of Defence Against the Dark Arts. She was holding herself quite well but was no match for Sirius.
"It's not looking too good for us," Evan commented.
"I hope I get Fawley," Severus said. "I want to cut her into pieces."
"Severus," I said admonishingly before adding in a whisper. "Not so loud."
Medea Mortimer won the first victory for us. She seemed rather shy and withdrawn which probably was the reason why Dearborn underestimated her. Maybe the half-blood didn't believe that girls were able to fight at all. Anyway, he didn't seem to be prepared for her spells and ended up on the ground quickly.
Medea's victory was greeted by loud cheering from all the Slytherins. "Well done," I told her and she smiled slightly. She didn't really have a reason to hide, but maybe she thought it was wise to do so. Dearborn's friend Frank Longbottom talked to him quietly, probably telling him what he did wrong.
Rodolphus got Peter Pettigrew as an opponent. He looked quite disappointed, a very understandable reaction. "Wormtail" as Sirius called him stood no chance whatsoever of course. Rodolphus even attempted to let him cast a spell of his own but they were all easy to fight off. After only a few minutes, Pettigrew lost his wand to a well-placed disarming spell.
"Ten points to Slytherin because you've won the duel, Mr Lestrange," Professor Vance said. "And another ten points for fair treatment of a weaker opponent."
Some of the Gryffindors including Potter, Sirius and Longbottom protested. I wasn't surprised. The idea that Slytherin received points for fairness was rather alien indeed. It had never happened since I had been here. Rodolphus himself seemed rather embarrassed as well but he always was if he received any kind of praise.
"Well done, mate," Jerry said.
"Not that the rat deserved it," Severus added.
"Well, he was that bad, doing anything to him would be like kicking a House Elf. You just don't do it," Rodolphus said.
"Yes. And for this attitude you do deserve fairness points," Evan told him.
The next Gryffindor-Slytherin duel was fought between Longbottom and Colin Avery. Their skill levels were almost as different as those of Rodolphus and Pettigrew, only this time; the Slytherin was the weaker one. Colin attempted to use the Sectumsempra-curse but it didn't really work and Longbottom's next curse threw him to the other side of the room and against the wall. Professor Vance wasn't impressed with either boy's performance but awarded Longbottom his points. At least, Colin wasn't injured.
Evan Rosier got bested by Lily Evans, a fact that none of us was really glad about. Well, Severus maybe but he didn't say it aloud. "My parents are going to kill me when they find out I was beaten by a first-blood witch," Evan muttered when he returned to us. I knew very well that this wasn't a joke. He'd better not tell them.
Severus was next. I started to get impatient. I wanted my chance to prove myself and I really hoped I'd get an opponent who was actually good. I didn't want to earn fairness points, I wanted to fight.
Severus didn't get Alice Fawley as his opponent, he got James Potter. At first, no one was cheering, when those two met. We all knew how much they hated each other. After a few moments of awkward silence, Potter's friends started to do it though and we were voicing our support for Severus as well.
There were a few minutes of fast and furious duelling which looked quite good at the beginning. I hated to admit it, but Potter had the upper hand. That must have been due to Severus' nerves. He just couldn't keep his usual calm around Potter. The Gryffindor managed to apply some charm that made boils appear on Severus' face but Severus ignored it and fought on. Potter's next charms turned Severus's hair pink and made him sing "A Cauldron Full of Hot Strong Love."
Somehow, Severus managed to use a nonverbal Sectumsempra curse despite of that. Deep gashes appeared on Potter's chest. He still managed cast a Disarmer at Severus. It missed its mark however.
This was the moment where Professor Vance stopped the duel.
"Enough. You need to go to the Hospital Wing. Both of you. There will be no points for either. I want to see you both in my office when you've recovered. Mr Lestrange, you know the counter spell for this, don't you?"
He had used it in one of our practice duels before. While Severus had made up the curse itself, Rodolphus had come up with the counter spell.
"Yes, Professor," Rodolphus said.
"Would you use it on Mr Potter? I don't want to send him to the Hospital Wing like that."
"Of course," Rodolphus said.
"Why Lestrange?" Sirius asked rather aggressively. "He's the best mate of the person who did that and he's a Slytherin. He hates James."
"I'm sure Mr Lestrange is sensible enough to put this hatred aside for a moment," Professor Vance said. "He's also the only one in this class who has a strong talent for the healing arts and who is familiar with this counter spell. We shouldn't waste any more time now. Go on Mr Lestrange."
I was worried that the derisive remarks and stares from the Gryffindors might distract Rodolphus from the spell but nothing like that happened. He drew his wand, tracing Potter's wounds and muttered the incantation that would make them close. He performed the spell as if he were alone with his wand and the injured boy. After the first round, Potter's wounds stopped bleeding, after the second one, they closed.
"Thank you very much," Professor Vance said. Even the Gryffindors looked impressed.
"Can I send the two of you to the Hospital Wing without either of you attempting to murder the other? Probably not. Miss Meadowes, would you accompany them?"
The talented Hufflepuff duellist agreed to do that and the three left the classroom.
The next duel was fought between Hufflepuff Diana Lufkin and Ravenclaw Edmund Stebbins. It ended without serious injuries and with another Hufflepuff victory. Underestimating Hufflepuff duelling skills wasn't a clever thing to do, I noticed.
Afterwards, there were only two people left. Alice Fawley and myself. Drawing pieces of parchment wasn't really necessary anymore, it was clear that it would be us. I was quite satisfied with that. Fawley might not look like it with her round face and very feminine body, but she was by far the best duellist among the Gryffindor girls.
We walked towards each other. I was more than a head taller than she was but that didn't seem to impress her. Judging by the look in her eyes she seemed to be as eager to fight as I was.
The spectators formed the usual groups again. Slytherin was supporting me and everyone else supported Fawley. I didn't mind that very much, it was the same with Quidditch.
We bowed like the rules demanded, and then the fight began. Duelling was by far my favourite form of magic use. Casting curses, blocking the ones of my opponent, quick reactions and the constant thrill of excitement were quite addictive.
In the beginning, I thought that I might be able to beat Fawley with superior magical strength but that strategy didn't work. She was quite able to block everything I threw into her direction. I had to stop doing this or I'd exhaust myself too quickly.
Fawley's spells were always on the spot, the exactly right amount of power. She moved quickly, had excellent reflexes and extremely strong protective charms. All of that was true of me as well. I was able to cast my spells a bit more quickly while her shield charms were better than mine.
It was almost like a dance. Both of us were completely focused on the opponent's actions. I couldn't let my attention slip even for the shortest moment. It would end the fight for me right away. She knew that the same was true for her.
There were some narrow misses and one spell of hers did not miss. I felt something burning hot hit my face. I hardly registered the pain though. It didn't matter. Winning the duel did matter. I couldn't allow her to hit me again.
A leg-locker curse from me passed her and made one of her legs grew stiff. She didn't let that distract her either though. Her next stunning spell almost hit me
I managed to block it and sent one of my own into her direction. Her shield charms were growing weaker, she was getting tired. There was handy little spell which would speed this process up. The Fatigo-spell was borderline dark but not forbidden. We had learned it from Professor Vance even though most people didn't understand what it was supposed to be useful for. I did. Using it non-verbally, I could cast it without her noticing anything. Soon the spell showed its effects, draining her magical defences. She became nervous, her spells less focused.
I used the Collabefio-spell. It was something like a cross between the Stunning Spell and the Full Body-bind, directly interfering with the victim's magic. Normally, Fawley's shields where strong enough to block it, weakened by the Fatigo-spell they were not. The flash of blue light hit Fawley's chest and she crumbled to the floor, unable to move. The effect wouldn't last but that didn't matter. I could take her wand and declare myself the winner of the duel.
My house mates were applauding.
"That was impressive, both of you," Professor Vance said when they had fallen silent again. By now, I realised that I was breathless and tired too. My injured cheek was burning. Alice was still on the ground but she was able to lift her head to listen to Professor Vance's words.
"The spell will wear off by itself quite soon," I told her. "Great fight by the way. I would have hated to have someone clueless as an opponent."
Fawley moved into a sitting position. The look on her face made it quite clear that she was anything but satisfied with the result of the duel.
"Ten points to Miss Black because she won the duel. Ten points to both for the excellent fight and another five points to Miss Black for her good strategy. Used on a person with weaker defensive skills, the Fatigo spell is quite painful. If someone's able to block this aspect of the magic like Miss Fawley, it becomes hard to notice the spell's influence," Professor Vance said.
That was interesting, but I couldn't truthfully say that I had thought about it much. Professor Vance didn't need to know this though.
"I hope everyone's been watching closely. That's what duelling is about. Not using the most painful or humiliating spells you can think of but the most efficient ones," she added.
"The painful and humiliating ones are used after the duel is won," Evan whispered to us.