There's Something About Albus
by sweaterweather21


Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Last Chapter: Cat helped to save a first-year from the Great Lake and survived Back-to-School Girl's Night with Annie, Cecily, and Dahlia.


Chapter 3: The One Where Cat Gets Tied Up

Sick of all these people talking, sick of all this noise
Sick of all these cameras flashing, sick of being poised

Castle - Halsey


The first week of the school year passed without event. Cat's professors were business as usual, and her friends had managed to remain hangover-free for their classes since that disastrous first day in which Annie fell asleep in all of her classes and Dahlia narrowly avoided puking during Transfiguration. Even Scorpius had stopped complaining about patrols, which was a minor miracle in itself for the lazy Slytherin.

It wasn't until her free period Friday morning until Cat felt energized enough to reply to her mother's letter. Though the temptation to simply ignore it was strong, she knew failing to reply promptly would only encourage her mother to send another barrage of those bloody pink envelopes.

Tucked away in her favorite corner of the library and partially hidden behind a stack of books Madam Pince had yet to shelve, Cat opened her book bag and pulled out a piece of parchment, her favorite quill, and a pot of blue ink.

Her ancient wooden table was located in the History of Magic section, quite a distance from the main tables and surrounded by such dull tomes that students rarely ventured over. However, Cat found the solitude productive, and superior to her dormitory, which was usually occupied by her very chatty best friends and to the Slytherin Common Room, with its limited tables that tended to fill up very quickly. Occasionally she did feel like a bit of a recluse tucked away in this particular alcove of the library, but hermitage was a sacrifice she was willing to make if it meant she could get some work done.

With a heaving sigh, Cat picked up her quill.

Dear Mother,

I apologize for cutting our conversation off short the other day. I was merely startled by the train whistle and thought I should attempt to board before it took off. Rest assured, I would never dream of shirking my responsibilities.

As much as I appreciate your research into a variety of different venue options for my party, I think I prefer the idea of hosting it ourselves. The Ministry's Atrium and the Water's Edge Hotel are both lovely locations, but I like the flexibility of hosting it at the manor. I'd never want to inconvenience Grandmother, either, but tell her thanks for offering.

Speaking of Grandmother, I'm sorry to disappoint her with my lack of a romance. The beginning of the school year is a very busy time, especially with my additional duties as Prefect, and I've found myself far too busy to even think possible relationships. Scorpius and I are just friends, as I've reminded you in the past, as is Tanner Clarke. Unfortunately, Mrs. Baddock must have misconstrued our interaction as something other than completely platonic.

Matty sends his love as well. He's been keeping out of trouble since term started – no detentions yet!

Please tell Father I say hello.

Love,

Catalina

Though she knew the Envelope-Sealing charm, Cat chose to enclose her letter the muggle way. Licking the envelope, despite its bitter taste, gave the whole letter-writing process a certain air of finality Cat needed after dealing with her mother. The woman was several hundred miles away, but still managed to make Cat feel exasperated. It was lucky that Cat's faint sarcasm was undetectable to her mother in correspondence, because she found writing a completely serious response to the never-ending list of inquiries an impossible task.

At least she had mastered the strategy of revealing as little of the actual truth as possible back in first year. To be honest, Cat didn't give a damn about the location of her absurd coming-of-age party, but hoped that choosing the smallest venue from the list would affect the size of the guest list, and hopefully limit the damage that this party could cause. The bit about Matty was an outright lie as well, or at least quite a stretch of the truth. He had certainly not "sent his love" and though he had managed to stay out of detention, Cat was pretty sure he had already lost at least thirty house points for refusing to wear his uniform tie and for using magic in the corridors.

Sadly, the only completely truthful part of the letter was her lack of a boyfriend.

Refusing to give that train of thought any more momentum, Cat glanced at her watch and realized she only had ten minutes to get to Charms class. Gathering up her books and quills, she shoved them in her bag hastily and dashed out of the library.

Cat made it to her favorite class mere seconds before it began. Although she wasn't late, she now faced another dilemma: where to sit. Charms wasn't a particularly difficult subject to take at the NEWT level, so most of the desks were occupied. Cat's friends were already paired up as well, making her decision even more difficult – Annie with Sam Eubanks, her boyfriend, Dahlia with Cecily, and Scorpius with Tanner.

Grumbling to herself, Cat settled into a desk in the back of the room. She usually preferred the front, as she needed her glasses to see from a distance. As she reached into her bag for her glasses case, she accidentally bumped into the boy in the chair next to her, who was deep in conversation with his other friends seated in the back.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she mumbled distractedly as she opened the case, sliding a dark pair of frames over her nose.

"Hey, don't worry about it," a familiar voice replied.

Cat didn't need the lenses correcting her vision to recognize the boy who had turned around to face her.

"Oh! Sorry, Benjamin – I didn't know you were in this class!" Cat flushed a bit at the sudden proximity of the cute Ravenclaw prefect.

"Well, you probably couldn't recognize me all dried off like this. I'm usually dripping wet after saving first years from the lake."

Cat laughed loudly at this, which earned herself a look from Professor Flitwick, who had just cleared his throat in an attempt to start class. Annie had also managed to tear her gaze away from her boyfriend for a moment, turning around and raising her eyebrows at Cat, communicating an awful lot via a single facial expression.

Cat bit her lip and looked away, hoping that Benjamin hadn't seen. Thankfully, when she turned around a second later, he seemed busy writing the date on the top corner of his notes.

For the next thirty minutes, Cat tried to focus on taking notes of Flitwick's lecture. Although she had top marks in Charms in her year, she was finding this task easier said than done. For one, Flitwick was lecturing about unbreakable charms, a concept that Cat had already read about and could perform in her sleep. The proximity of Benjamin Goldstein also made paying attention more difficult, as Cat found herself distracted by his pleasant cologne and his very organized notes.

She never knew nice handwriting could be such a turn-on.

It was only when Flitwick transitioned into possible applications of unbreakable charms that Cat's ears perked up. He mentioned that while charms were typically administered to everyday tools and utensils, their real potential was largely unrealized. Even as other students around her dozed off, Cat was entranced when Flitwick began extrapolating about applying the theory of unbreakable charms to other disciplines, such as increasing the structural soundness of building foundations or creating shatter-resistant protective gear for Aurors. Her imagination captured, she began scribbling furiously in the margins about what some of these spells might look like.

So distracted was Cat in her theorizing, she barely noticed when Flitwick stopped talking. It was only when Benjamin Goldstein gently tugged on her sleeve that she looked up from her messy notes.

"So, do you want to get started?"

Cat frowned in confusion as she pushed some stray pieces of hair behind her ear.

"Start what?"

"Flitwick wants us to write a summary of lecture today. He said we can work with partners, but if you want to find someone else…" he trailed off uncertainly.

"Oh, no! I'd love to work with you – here, I can write for us!" Cat exclaimed, hoping she didn't sound too eager.

"Sounds good," Benjamin acquiesced, and began relaying concepts from his notes for her to write down.

Cat quickly found out that Benjamin hadn't been sorted in Ravenclaw and named Prefect for nothing. He was an excellent partner, quick to extract the main points from his notes and to help Cat summarize them. They finished just as class was ending, while several of their less-efficient classmates were forced to finish the summary as additional homework.

"Hey, I didn't know you wore glasses," Benjamin commented just as they both started packing up.

"Ugh, I wish I didn't have to!" Cat scoffed. "It's just when I sit in the back, it's a bit difficult to see the board so I'm stuck with these ugly things," she finished, gesturing to her frames as she internally chided herself for babbling so much.

"If it makes you feel better, I think they look nice on you."

"Uh, thanks," she managed stupidly. A slightly awkward pause ensued. Eager to end the conversational drought, she glanced around the room for inspiration, her eyes landing on his notebook.

"Anyway, I was going to tell you earlier that you have excellent handwriting – for a boy, especially. Your notes are practically like a work of art! You don't see too many people who can write like that. Just look at my notebook – it's a wreck, even though I try to stay—"

As Cat grew more aware of the brilliant shade of red her cheeks were turning, she shut up. Why on earth had she decided to compliment the very attractive Ravenclaw on his handwriting, of all things? Merlin, she was such an imbecile when it came to talking to cute boys.

At least Benjamin didn't seem to be too disturbed by her bizarre compliment. He chuckled nervously for a moment before replying.

"I've never heard that one before, but thanks." He grabbed his notebook off the desk. "Oh, do you want me to hand our summary in now, since we finished?

Cat was slightly less flustered now that Benjamin hadn't decided to run for the hills after experiencing a full dose her awful attempt at flirting. She smiled quickly before she responded.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I've got it!"

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, totally!"

"Okay, see you around, Zabini."

Cat smiled again awkwardly as he walked off. Still lost in her thoughts, she drifted toward the front of the room and handed Flitwick the parchment from her desk before practically colliding with Annie, who was waiting by the door. Her blonde best friend had obviously witnessed her interaction with Benjamin, and was no doubt waiting for Cat to deliver the details.

"Where's Sam?" Cat asked, confused by the absence of Annie's Hufflepuff boyfriend.

Annie waved her hand dismissively.

"I sent him off to lunch early with his friends. Now fill me in about your Charms partner! He seems too hot to be a prefect, honestly…"

Cat busied herself by tying her hair up into a ponytail, using a spare ribbon she found in her bag. "Well, I was almost late to class and the only spot open was in the back, next to him," she began slowly.

Evidently Cat's storytelling pace wasn't fast enough for her best friend, because Annie slapped her lightly on the arm.

"No shit, warlock. I saw you come in. I want to know what you talked about! Now spill!"


By the time Cat and Annie sat down at the Slytherin table for lunch, Cat had relayed every single embarrassing syllable that had come out of her mouth during her interaction with Benjamin. For the most part, Annie had been a sympathetic listener, although she had cringed slightly when Cat admitted she had complimented him on his handwriting.

"I'd say you're hopeless, Cat, but at least he said thank you," Annie chattered on, her food left abandoned on her plate as she busied herself analyzing her friend's attempt at talking to the cute Ravenclaw prefect. "And he ended with 'see you around,' implying that he wouldn't mind if you two happen to run into each other again. I mean, I wouldn't go around complimenting all the cute boys you know on their handwriting, but in this case, it might have worked for you. You sort of have that whole endearing thing going on, anyway… maybe he thought it was cute? Boys are sometimes—"

Cat cut her off, a slight frown etched across her face. "Endearing, really?"

"Cat?" a new voice questioned, entering the conversation. "Oh, fuck no."

Matteo, the source of the interruption, slid into the empty seat next to Cat. She frowned, but he continued anyway.

"Sis, you stopped being endearing after the first time you got into the bathtub with your socks still on."

"There was a second time?" Annie asked, amused.

"There were multiple times."

Cat groaned and attempted to defend herself. "You know, it's actually pretty easy to forget you're wearing socks!"

In response, Annie snorted. "Uh, no actually, it's not."

Matteo leaned across the table to give her a high-five, united in their harassment of Cat.

"Okay, in my defense, I was still young and getting a bath was still pretty exciting!"

"Cat, you were ten," her brother retaliated.

As Annie began laughing so hard she nearly choked, Cat fixed her brother with a glare.

"I was not!"

Matteo gave her a knowing look.

"Whatever," Cat conceded. "At least I wasn't banned from having playdates with Sabine Urquhart because I kept trying to kiss her."

"What can I say? I'm a ladies' man, always have been." Completely unashamed, Matteo simply shrugged off Cat's rebuttal with large smirk. "I bet if I tried that stunt with Sabine again, she'd be into it."

Cat grimaced, but Matteo continued anyway.

"Hey, nothing wrong with it. At least I've had some success with the opposite gender since then. More than you can say!"

Cat noticed Annie nodding in agreement, so she reached across the table to flick her in the forehead even as she started protesting. "That's unfair! I've had success with the opposite gender!"

Annie gave her a dubious look. "You know," she drawled, pointing at Cat with her unused salad fork, "your encounter with Benjamin today tells quite a different story."

Matteo laughed and exchanged a high-five with Annie for the second time in their conversation.

"Whatever happened to me being endearing?" Cat piped up with a fake pout.

"Maybe you should settle for mostly awkward and occasionally not repulsive," Matteo retorted without missing a beat. He continued to scoop mashed potatoes onto his plate until it resembled a mountain.

Cat elbowed him in arm so hard that he dropped the serving spoon on the ground. "Well, what about you, Romeo? You're still single, unless there's someone I should write mum about."

"Silly Cat. Just because I'm currently without a girlfriend doesn't mean the ladies don't love me. I'm just weighing my options here."

Cat rolled her eyes. "The ladies do not 'love you,' Matty. You're fourteen. Do you even weigh 50 kilos yet?"

"Do you even weigh 50 kilos yet?"

Cat scoffed. "Of course I do. I just didn't think the Quidditch team allowed shrimps to play for them."

"Hey! The Seeker is supposed to have a light build!"

With a doubtful glance, Cat eyed the huge mound of food that now covered the plate in front of her brother.

"Not for long."

Matteo made a rude gesture toward his sister that she pretended not to see, and purposefully ladled an excess amount of gravy on top of his potaotes.

"So, how is the Quidditch team looking this year?" Annie piped up. "I'd ask Scorpius, but he's still pissed that Azalea Baddock got captain over him."

"Oh, Scorp should be fine. Baddock's a seventh year, so he's a lock-in for next year. He'll get over it as soon as we as we trounce Gryffindor in our first match. Baddock may be a complete bitch, but she's a damn good captain. She's been working our arses off in practice–laps on top of laps, honestly—so I highly doubt those bloody lions will be able to keep up with us."

"Merlin, Matty!" Cat scolded. "You sound worse than a banshee with all that cursing!"

Matteo ignored her. "What was I saying? Oh yeah, plus Baddock was working with Scorp and Lily on a new Chasing formation that'll hopefully really confuse Wood. Bloke doesn't have too many brain cells up there to begin with, anyway. Not to mention my dives have really tightened up recently. I've shaved off a full second on my diagonal between the hoops and I reckon my turns have been sharper as well."

"You're still going to have to catch the snitch before Albus Potter," Cat pointed out, still peeved at being ignored by her little brother and eager to get a reaction out of him.

It worked.

"You'd take Potter over your own brother?" Matteo asked incredulously, straightening up in his bench seat and swiveling his gaze to glare directly at his sister.

"I'm just saying he's caught the Snitch the last ten games in a row," Cat retorted. "I'm pretty sure that's a school record."

Matteo frowned. "Since when do you know shit about Quidditch?"

"Since I've been to every single game since you made the team last year!"

"That still doesn't explain how you know so much about Albus Potter!"

Hastily, Annie cut into their conversation. "Look, I hate to break this up, but Matty, you'd have to be a hermit to miss Potter breaking the school record. And Cat, you could probably stand to have a little more Slytherin pride."

"Sorry," Cat deadpanned, satisfied now that she had finally gotten a reaction out of Matty. "Go snakes."

"That's what I like to hear!" Annie exclaimed, happy with herself for diffusing the argument. "Although, Matty, I have to admit you'll have your work cut out for you against Gryffindor. I can't wait to watch—seems like it'll be an intense game."

"They're definitely our toughest competition," Matteo admitted. "Ravenclaw may have won the Cup last year, but rumor is James Potter's had his team training with a vengeance."

He pushed the remnants of his potatoes around his plate around a bit, looking deep in thought. He only perked up when a trio of glossy-haired Slytherin fourth-year girls approached.

One in particular, a curly-haired brunette with a lot of eye-makeup caught Matteo's attention as she strolled by.

"Hi Matteo."

Cat watched as her brother's face quickly transformed to reflect his interest in the speaker.

"Sabine," he nodded, gazing up in her direction. The brunette in question gave Matteo one last flirty smile before sitting down further down on the bench.

He waited a few seconds before turning back to his sister with a prideful smirk plastered across his face. "All I'm saying is that she doesn't seem too repulsed by me now, does she?"

"She would be if she had any common sense," Cat snapped back. "And really, what's with the head nod? I thought you were smoother than that."

"Hey, it works!" Matteo inclined his head slightly toward Sabine, who was not-so-surreptitiously twirling her hair around her index finger as she occasionally glanced toward their section of the table.

"Better make sure that condom works, too. Don't want to get her pregnant!" Annie chimed in with a laugh. Cat spluttered at the horrendous thought, but Annie began tugging her away before she could manage a response.

"Time to go, Cat! We've got Double Defense today, and we're dueling! See you around, Matty!"

Matty waved goodbye cheekily as Cat was forcibly dragged from the Great Hall by her best friend. She did her best to glare at the both of them as she left, unsure of who was more deserving of her displeasure.


As always, Annie quickly managed to wriggle her way back into Cat's good graces. The two of them were giggling like third-years on Cheering Charms by the time they reached the Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom, where they found spots near the front of the room and continued chattering. Annie had been regaling a story about a conversation with her boyfriend that almost had Cat in hysterics.

"… and then I told Sam, just because your Patronus is big, it doesn't mean you have a big…"

"Miss Bristow," the deep, booming voice of their Defense professor interrupted, "I'd like to begin class now, if you don't mind."

Surprisingly, Annie managed not to blush, though Cat turned red enough for the both of them.

"No, go ahead, Professor." Annie at least had enough decency to look down as she replied to Professor Tsabala, a tall, dark-skinned fellow who more closely resembled a mountain than a man.

"Thank you, Miss Bristow."

Professor Tsabalala moved toward the large blackboard at the front of the room, and in all capital letters, scrawled two words in white chalk: WIZARD'S DUEL. This was accompanied by such an austere stare that Cat found herself gulping despite her previous excitement for the day's lesson plan. Next to her, Annie had reverted to her childhood nervous habit of biting her nails.

"I want you all to take this process seriously today. Dueling is no laughing matter. Many men and women with ten times your skill and stamina have perished at the end of a duel. Unlike your mothers and fathers, we are lucky in that dueling is not a necessity in our everyday lives. Therefore, I request that you all respect the process and follow the rules to have a productive class. Are you all in agreement?"

He paused for a moment before the class responded, more or less in unison, with a resounding, "Yes, sir!"

Striding to the front of his desk, Tsabalala smiled for the first time since class had begun. "Excellent. Now, these duels are only for me to get a sense of your skill level, as well as a bit of excitement before what is sure to be a less exciting unit covering defensive spells, so don't go crazy and go for the jugular. The rules are as follows: no curses with the potential to draw blood, no summoning of dangerous creatures and/or spirits, and absolutely no Unforgivables. I assume you are all bright enough to adhere to these rules, but I am obligated to inform you that you risk expulsion and a sentence in Azkaban if you attempt any one of the Unforgivables. I will be pairing you off and the duels will proceed one at a time on the platform to the side of the room. I have cast the necessary enchantments so all spells will remain within the designated arena, and I expect this to go smoothly. If not, Healer Pomfrey is on call in the Hospital Wing."

There were a few titters, but Professor Tsabalala quickly silenced them.

"I am not joking."

The class promptly shut up, and Cat was quickly reminded of the rumors that flew around the school about their Defense Professor. Back in first year, she had heard some of the older Slytherins gossiping that Tsabalala had been a former Auror for the South African Ministry of Magic, and had been forced to duel his own uncle, an aspiring Dark Lord, to the death.

Cat doubted the veracity of those rumors, but she had to admit the large South African professor still commanded a lot of respect.

Contradicting his previous statement, Tsabalala suddenly broke out into a smile. The class shifted uncomfortably, not sure what to think.

"I am looking forward to the duels today. Depending on the duelists' skill level, it can be a highly entertaining event. Of course, it is still an ancient tradition, with many rituals that should be followed. Remember the proper dueling etiquette we've gone over in the past classes, but that being said, don't be afraid to get creative with your spells and maneuvers. Besides increasing your chances of victory, creativity makes for a far more interesting duel for the rest of us to enjoy! And to all of you, good luck."

Cat was inexplicably excited to duel. She was an excellent Defense student, and even Tsabalala's warnings couldn't prevent the anticipation she felt creeping into her bones. She didn't have any real reason to be confident in her abilities, having never dueled before, but she did like to compete occasionally, much to the shame of her mother. It didn't hurt that this sort of activity seemed exactly like something Natalia Zabini would hate for Cat to partake in.

It was only too bad she wasn't called first. That honor went to Lucy Weasley and Connor Hepburn, a stocky Gryffindor boy.

She watched curiously as the two opponents made their way to the raised platform. Interestingly enough, it seemed that Hepburn, despite his supposed Gryffindor courage, was by far the more nervous of the two. Cat didn't need to put her glasses on to tell that his wand was shaking between his fingers. On the other hand, Lucy was as cavalier as always, her wand still in her pocket as she patiently waited for Tsabalala to announce the start of the duel.

It turned out that Hepburn was right to be nervous. It took Lucy less than a minute to break through his Shield Charm with a barrage of jinxes that grew more creative every time. She went on the offensive instantly, starting with a basic Petrificus Totalus, progressing to a Jelly-Legs Jinx and a series of charms that Cat recognized as Hair Color Charms. Evidently Hepburn had never tried dyeing his hair, as he didn't realize the harmless nature of Lucy's spells. He pushed a lot of energy into his Shield Charm to deflect them, which gave Lucy an opportunity to take him down with a simple Tripping Jinx. She then Summoned his wand and did a quick little curtsy to the applause of the class before stepping off the platform cheerfully. Even Tsabalala awarded Lucy a rare smile as she handed Hepburn back his wand. For his part, the Gryffindor accepted his defeat at the hands of a petite redhead humbly, although Cat did catch him grumbling to his mates afterward.

Rose Weasley was up next. Despite the differences between the two cousins, they were alike in that they both decimated their opponents. Cat watched, enraptured, as Rose showed no mercy on Lilia Stevenson, a pretty Hufflepuff with not much else going for her beside her looks.

"I hate that bitch," Annie commented, her tone mild despite her scathing words.

"Who? Rose?" Cat asked as she looked up from the duel, thoroughly confused. Granted, Rose was notorious for her competitive streak and did seem a little peeved at drawing Lilia as a partner but the redhead hadn't really done anything to deserve such criticism. And that was coming from Cat, who didn't particularly like her in the first place.

"Ugh, no," Annie scoffed. "Lilia."

Cat wracked her brains, trying to remember if the two girls had ever had any beef. She was pretty sure that it had been one of Cecily's ex-boyfriends that had rebounded with Lilia, not one of Annie's. Merlin, she couldn't forget those terrible boils that had scarred Lilia's face for weeks afterward. That was definitely Cecily's work. She had no idea why Annie wasn't a fan of the blonde Hufflepuff.

"I give up," she said, finally exasperated. "Why?"

"Defense class. Third year. Don't you remember?"

"No." Cat's tone was flat.

"She faked a fainting spell after the lesson about Dementors just so Teddy would have to halt class and carry her to the Hospital Wing! It was such an obvious ploy for attention! She looked so desperate, honestly, I'll never forget it…" Annie trailed off, still shooting daggers at the Lilia.

Cat rolled her eyes. Despite her the presence of Sam Eubanks in Annie's life, her crush on the young Transfiguration professor had hardly diminished. "Since when have you been on a first name basis with Professor Lupin?"

Annie flat-out ignored her question so Cat resumed watching the duels. Lilia had finally stopped sniffling after losing to Rose, and Tanner was in the middle of a close match-up with Minnie Longbotton. He won on a lucky off-target hex that deflected off the window pane and struck the feisty Gryffindor witch in the chest.

Talia Boot was called next, paired with Cheyenne Thomas. Cat wasn't sure what it was exactly that inclined her to cheer against Albus's girlfriend in favor of the dark-skinned Ravenclaw girl. Nevertheless, she felt faintly disappointed when Talia outlasted her after 10 minutes in what had been the most evenly-skilled duel of the class so far.

Cat was temporarily distracted by the celebratory hug Talia shared with Albus afterward and didn't notice Annie being called up. Her opponent was Julian Dempsey, a Chaser on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. He had about a foot on Annie in terms of height and a better grasp on defensive magic to boot. Nevertheless, Cat watched proudly as her best friend fought back with her characteristic feistiness. Defense had never been Annie's strongest subject, but her determination had gotten her through the O.W.L., and it was powering her through the duel as well.

Annie was clearly on the defensive, resorting to scampering around the platform to avoid Dempsey's spells. Paired with her already petite frame, she was a difficult target to hit. Although Cat could tell she was wearing out, she had hope yet.

Just when Cat thought Annie had finally managed to land a Leg-Locker Curse on Dempsey, he countered with a series of hexes that forced her to retreat to the back wall, which he used to his advantage. Annie succumbed to his Sticking Charm and found herself plastered against the hard stone, unable to move and in a terrible defensive position. Her Shield Charm faltered a few spells later and she lost her wand.

Annie wriggled for a few moments uncomfortably before Tsabalala cast the counter-charm. Dempsey walked across the platform to return Annie's wand, which she accepted gracefully after she straightened her rumpled skirt.

Annie was still smiling sweetly as she sat down next to Cat.

"Taking that loss like a champ, I see," Cat commented, slightly surprised to see her friend in such good spirits after losing a duel.

Annie's smile took a turn for the mischievous as she raised her eyes conspiratorially, making sure no one was looking. "On the contrary," she responded, "I'm just working out how to sneak laxatives in his breakfast tomorrow."

Unable to discern whether Annie was kidding or not, Cat glanced over at the tall Ravenclaw Chaser warily. She shook her head, wondering if the poor boy would make it to class tomorrow. "Sometimes I wonder if you're too evil for Slytherin, Ann."

"No such thing." Annie shook her head dismissively. Cat snorted.

Scorpius was announced to duel next, cutting off their conversation. While outwardly, he appeared as nonchalant as ever, Cat could tell he was pleased with his selected opponent: Jacqueline Bonnacord, a very beautiful and and very friendly Ravenclaw who just happened to be part-Veela.

It was apparent to Cat early on that Jacqueline was no match for Scorpius in terms of magic or dueling skill, though Cat was puzzled where exactly Scorpius had picked up his dueling technique.

For whatever reason, Scorpius seemed to prolonging the duel intentionally, and he moved almost lazily across the platform. Cat suspected his use of a few water-based spells was intended to soak through Jacqueline's white blouse. After a few of those spells landed, he ended the duel abruptly with an overpowered Summoning Charm. Caught off-guard, her wand flew right into Scorpius's outstretched palm.

Tsabalala nodded in approval as Scorp sauntered over to Jacqueline to return her wand. One of her friends lent her a sweater to cover up her damp blouse, but that didn't stop Scorpius from flirting with the blonde Ravenclaw for the rest of class.

A few more duels passed quickly and uneventfully. Annie kept up a running commentary that occasionally had Cat in peals of laughter. The only duel that really drew Cat's attention was that of Benjamin and Dougie Macmillan, a Hufflepuff. While Cat definitely admired the quiet confidence her Charms partner displayed on the platform, she grew worried by Dougie's increasing frustration. He was a big guy, and not particularly known for being able to restrain his temper. It culminated with Dougie dropping his wand and attempting to settle things the muggle way. Luckily, Benjamin was quick on his feet, and managed a Stunner before Dougie's fist connected with his own well-structured jaw.

Now that would have been a shame.

Still caught up in her musings about Benjamin's fantastic jawline and distracted by the Hufflepuffs who were doing their best to calm Dougie down, Cat almost didn't hear her own name being called. She blinked a few times before Annie poked her in the side.

"You're up, champ!"

Recalling Tsabalala mentioning that flowy robes were a hindrance in a duel, Cat removed hers before stepping up to the platform, clad only in a short-sleeved blouse and her uniform skirt. Her attention momentarily shifted to the side of the room, where Benjamin was now shaking hands with an apologetic Dougie.

It wasn't until she found herself standing on the white 'X' denoting the starting position that Cat realized she needed to get it together. Here she was, still thinking about a cute Ravenclaw prefect when she was about to begin dueling.

She looked up suddenly, and almost groaned.

Speak of the devil and cute prefects. Of course her opponent was Albus bloody Potter.

He smiled at her, and even the combination of her exposed arms and the chilly Defense classroom couldn't prevent the flush of warmth that surged through her. He bent down in a bow, and she did the same, her heart beating at a pace she couldn't entirely attribute to anticipation of the duel.

Damn that messy hair and those green eyes. Looking that attractive was an unfair advantage.

Cat didn't have too much time to mull over it, though, because the duel commenced, and she immediately found herself scrambling to keep up.

Apparently Albus smiling at her hadn't meant he was about to take it easy. He led with some basic, but powerful jinxes, each cast at a slightly different angle, making it difficult for her dodge them all. Cat grimaced as she was forced to expend quite a bit of energy on a large Shield Charm just so she could avoid getting hit. With only the blue iridescence of her quickly-fading charm between them, Cat allowed herself one deep breath and a last-minute pep talk. This was a duel, the real thing. She needed to get her hormones in check. After all, she hadn't received an O on her Defense O.W.L. for nothing. She could do this.

Finally, she dropped her shield and prepared to cast her first bit of offensive magic, but was beaten by Albus, who was already sending more spells her way. A few were deflected by the quickly-disappearing fragments of her Shield Charm, but Cat was forced to take a few more steps in retreat. She managed to send a slightly off-kilter Tripping Jinx his way, but Albus batted it away with ease and continued his onslaught.

Cat gritted her teeth as she fought to not give up any more ground. She could feel the adrenaline swishing through her veins now as she parried Albus's hexes. He was casting at an incredible rate, one that she couldn't keep up with. Though she matched some of his spells with a few of her own, she was forced to dodge the rest. Her breath came in pants now, and Cat realized that if she didn't land a spell soon, the duel would be over before it even started.

Unfortunately, her use of energy-consuming shield charms and defensive magic left her offensive spells a slightly under-powered. Forced to think on her feet for a way she could still catch Albus off-guard, she dug deep into her repertoire for some spells he wouldn't recognize. She flung a few lesser-known hexes his way, ones Tsabalala hadn't lectured about in class. Albus moved toward the front of the platform, easily dodging everything she hurled at him, while evenly returning her fire with his own endless stream of spells. Desperate now for something to hit, she cast a Slow-Mo Charm in the general direction he was moving.

Concentrated on his own offensive attack, Albus almost missed the unobtrusive pale grey charm set to collide with him as he advanced toward Cat. At the last second, though, he saw the charm and halted his motion, letting her spell fly past him harmlessly.

Frustrated with her near-miss, Cat lost focus for a moment, and was slow to recognize the red beam of light heading straight for her. Her Shield Charm was a split-second late, and Albus's Stinging Hex caught her left arm.

A small yelp escaped her throat at the pain and she glanced down to where a thin strip of her forearm burned a dangerous scarlet. Another spell from Albus whizzed above her head, bringing her mind back into the duel, but whatever advantage she had gained a few moments ago was long-gone.

Albus was still advancing along the front of the platform, so Cat kept to the back to avoid him. They were closer than ever before, and if Cat peered through the haze of magic between them, she could make out his unmistakable green eyes.

Cat was exhausted, and though their exchange of spellfire continued for a while, she hadn't managed to cast any offensive spells in what seemed like several minutes. Every jet of magic that shot of her want was aimed at stopping one of Albus's never-ending spells. She could barely keep up, and yet she still felt the tempo of the duel increasing.

Her left arm was still bothering her. Despite the irritation and pain that clouded her brain, she marveled at the variety of different-colored hexes Albus kept sending her way. If she hadn't been on the receiving end of them all, it would've been quite the sight.

Suddenly, she lost sight of Albus throughout the rainbow haze. It was intentional, she now realized—the incredible rate of spells, the variety of hues. He was in a vulnerable position as he advanced toward her, and the display of magic was meant to distract her.

It had almost worked.

If she squinted, she could make out Albus's blurry outline in spite of the haze of magic that surrounded him.

This was her only chance. She needed to make it count.

A silver beam of light ignited from Cat's wand before she even realized what she was doing. She watched as the the jet of magic suddenly sparked, splitting into two separate spells, both taking separate trajectories toward Albus.

Though Cat was a bit horrified at the repercussions of the magic she had just unleashed, she couldn't help but take a perverse bit of pride in the way Albus's green eyes widened in surprise.

There was no time to gloat, however, because Albus had a surprise of his own. A strange golden spell erupted from his wand, immediately tangling with the two silver threads of Cat's magic. The three strands hung in the air a moment, a dazzling combination of colors, as the rest of the haze around them slowly faded. Puzzled, Cat watched as neither spell overtook one another, but merely intertwined in the space between them.

Her wand arm shook, but Cat held it aloft. She had never seen anything like this pulsating ball of magic of magic before, and it unnerved her.

She scrambled to release the magic from her own spell, but Albus was faster. The gold beam of magic from his own wand disappeared abruptly, replaced with another spell sent volleying back toward Cat, quicker than she could react.

Incarcerous.

She felt the ropes binding her to the nearest desk chair before she even realized what happened, her wand following momentarily after. The rough rope pulled at her skin uncomfortably, but the sensation paled in comparison to her overwhelming embarrassment.

Her mother had always told her that competitiveness was unseemly trait for a pureblood girl, but until now she hadn't found a reason to believe her.

She was stuck for what felt like minutes, but was probably only a few seconds in total. Tied to a chair, she was all-too aware of her blotchy cheeks and the dark wisps of hair falling out of her ponytail. She was anxious to wipe the sweat from her brow, but her arms were still confined to her sides. Cat sensed Albus approaching and looked away as he cast the counter-hex, refusing to meet his eyes even after the ropes disintegrated and he handed her wand back.

She heard his breath hitch right before she was about to step down from the platform. Her eyes flicked towards his own uncontrollably. They were met with an apologetic expression as he glanced toward her arms, which having been exposed, were now covered with some vicious rope burns, accompanied by a still-flaming strip of skin on her left forearm.

"Don't worry about it," she forced herself to speak. The cordial words felt strange on her tongue after forming spell incantations for the past few minutes. She tried to accompany these words with a smile, but she doubted her lips were even capable of stretching that way.

Unable to meet Albus's stare for even one more millisecond, she hopped down from the platform, wincing when she pushed off using her arms. Somehow, the fact that Albus felt badly about injuring her only made the whole thing even more shameful.

It would have been one thing if she had lost in a fair fight, but Albus had dominated the whole thing, culminating in her defeat even after she pulled out all the stops. Her last spell had been one of her own, the brainchild of a few weeks of independent research after one of Flitwick's lectures on Splitting Spells last year. She had managed to combine the principle of splitting magic with a few spells, the Confundus Curse in particular. Why she had decided to use the mostly-untested magic in a duel with the son of the most notable figure in the wizarding world was a mystery. She was lucky something hadn't gone terribly wrong.

A horrible mixture of self-loathing and embarrassment bubbled in the pit of her stomach as she sat down in an empty desk in the back of the classroom. She made sure to keep a straight face, leaving the rest of her classmates oblivious to her inner turmoil.

It was stupid to let losing a duel affect her like this. She consoled herself with the fact that at least she hadn't burst out into tears, like poor Lilia.

Annie took the seat next to her and was oddly silent for a few moments. Cat could tell she was itching to say something, but was refraining due to Cat's disappointment.

"Oh, out with it already," she muttered, sensing Annie wouldn't stop fidgeting until she said whatever it was that was eating her so much.

Annie grinned.

"At least we all known Al Potter's into bondage now, huh?" she announced. Her tone was conversational, and directed toward Cat, but she had deliberately spoken a bit too loudly.

Several students around the room burst into laughter, including Scorpius, who was chortling so heavily that Jacqueline looked a little disturbed.

Even Cat couldn't stop a small giggle from escaping. She couldn't resist sneaking a glance at Albus himself, either, and delighted in noticing that the tips of his ears had gone pink as he tried valiantly not to overhear.

"Just jesting, of course," Annie continued, and then dropped her voice an octave lower so only Cat could hear. "Honestly though, Cat. That was pretty impressive. I would've lost in ten seconds if that fine specimen of a man was my opponent. Even covered in sweat he looks damn good!"

Cat snorted, but in that moment, she was infinitely grateful for her best friend. Bad moods never lasted long with Annie around.

"He is almost unfairly attractive," Cat acknowledged.

Annie smirked in agreement, inclining her head toward where Albus stood among several of his Gryffindor friends on the opposite side of the room.

The temptation to look was too much for Cat to resist. Discreetly, she shifted her body so she could get more than just a quick glimpse of Albus. As usual, Annie's observations were spot on. His skin was still glistening with a thin sheen of sweat he had evidently worked up during their duel, making his hair stick up even further than usual. His shirtsleeves had been pushed up his forearms and he looked a bit rumpled in a way Cat thought was adorable, contrasting with his usually fairly put-together self.

Deciding she had been staring for too long, she faced forward once more to resume watching the duels. Rory Finnigan was currently taking on Christopher Montague.

"You just had to see for yourself, didn't you?"

Cat flushed. Merlin, she hated when Annie was right.


Author's Note: Sorry this took so long, but I hope that the length (over 7k words!) somewhat makes up for it! If you would, please take the time and let me know what you think :) I'd appreciate some input about the dueling scenes, as well as what you think of some of the characters. What was your favorite line?

Thanks again for reading!