Chapter 2
"Expelliarmus!" cried Lucius Malfoy, but his spell was no match for Bellatrix Black. She instinctively casted a shield charm then stunned her opponent. She stalked across the long dueling strip until she stood over him, her crooked wand angled toward his pale face. She pinched her face up in a disgusted look, which Rodolphus read easily as he watched the duel: this younger boy had been too easy for her. It took her less than a minute to have him at her mercy. She pushed her long, dark hair back over her shoulders. She bowed to the onlookers and walked off the strip. A professor quickly restored Malfoy and he knit his brow together and walked from the hall.
Hogwarts' Dueling Club was quite popular. Many students came just to watch others try to defeat their opponents while other, braver students tried their luck at a duel. After the evening meal, the tables were vanished from the Great Hall. A great combination of dueling strips and seating replaced them. The 3rd years were the youngest duelers allowed, and they usually started the evening's proceedings. Once the younger students got their turn, the older students stepped onto the strip, eager to prove themselves. Tonight's meeting was on the last night before the winter holiday was set to begin.
Rodolphus knew Lucius never stood a chance. He didn't understand why the younger boy challenged Bellatrix. It was well known that she was the best dueler in the school, among the students. The boy had an ego the size of a mountain troll, he reminded himself. His parents, like Bellatrix's, no doubt, fill him up with pure-blood pride. Rodolphus watched as Bellatrix stepped back onto the strip, eager to prove herself again. Before he could think, he found himself walking up the steps of the dueling platform, and walking towards the middle to bow to her, as the onlookers excitedly chattered. Among the crowd, he could see Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Slughorn. The latter worshiped Bellatrix, and he could see the excitement growing on the Slug Club moderator's face. Rodolphus felt his cheeks burn as he stood under the scrutiny of his professors. He was a capable wizard, but not a prodigy like Bellatrix. Rodolphus and Bellatrix bowed to each other, and Bellatrix looked excited for the challenge that he brought. She paced away from him and then posed with her wand up, preparing for the ensuing duel. Rodolphus didn't carry the dueling record that Bellatrix did, but he still managed to prove himself as a very threatening opponent. He knew rare spells and was tough to take down with a simple stunner or disarming charm.
He casted a stunning spell at her, which she deflected, and she reflected the jet of light back towards her opponent. She cast another spell at him, and he did not react as quickly as she had. It knocked him backward and he stumbled for a few feet. The onlookers gasped. Nearly everyone in the Great Hall had their eyes turned towards Bellatrix and Rodolphus as their wands projected spell after spell that attempted to penetrate the other's defenses. Bellatrix conjured ropes that fitted themselves around Rodolphus's arms and waist, but he was able to cast a spell to free himself by moving his wrist, which wasn't bound. Rodolphus conjured water which sprayed in a strong jet from the tip of his wand, but was countered with Bellatrix shooting a steady stream of air from her wand. She was winning, it seemed, as his jet of water shortened, deflecting to the sides and soaking the crowd. Her face lit up as she realized her spell was more effective than his, and she cast another stunner at him.
A quick brandish of his wand arm deflected the stunner. He paused for a moment, considering, and Bellatrix took advantage of his moment of respite. She cast a spell, binding Rodolphus's legs, and conjured up more ropes, tying him more securely then the first time. She waited for him to stop struggling, and then she bowed to the crowd, who clapped loudly as she descended from the platform. She left the Great Hall, and Rodolphus waited for McGonagall to free him so that he could leave as well.
He watched as Hogwart's champion witch walked out of the Hall, and thought about her tremendous skill. He had a small thought that kept nagging him since Rosier had first told Bellatrix about their service to the Dark Lord, that maybe she would be a good servant to him as well. It was a dangerous and sometimes terrible job though, he reminded himself again and again, thinking of the mere minutes he had endured the Cruciatus Curse and how tremendously awful they had been. With that memory, he easily shut the troublesome idea out of his head, preferring to keep Bellatrix away from the Dark Lord's dangerous tendencies. He decided to go look for her, as it appeared she had snuck out onto the grounds alone, and night was quickly falling.