Just realized that I spectacularly cocked up the chapter order. Lots of reposting mania and fiddling to get this back to sanity.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor do I make any profit out of writing this fanfiction.
Chapter Eight: The First Round
Conyeri hurried towards The First-Year dueling stage, trying to avoid being crushed by the multitude of students behind her. She found Mark Aritt and the Gryffindors glaring at Rissa Mothley, who was with several Slytherins, but apparently her house was near the back of the crowd trying to get in.
"Hey!" Mark greeted her, grinning ear to ear. "Conny, right? Jonmarc talks a whole lot about you."
"Uh-oh." She joked. "I don't really keep an octopus in my room."
"What?"
"Damn." A handful of sickles passed hands.
"You bet on Jonmarc's stories being true?" She asked.
"Yep." Mark laughed. "Congrats, Bill."
The red-headed Weasley boy grinned, pocketing the money. "Thanks."
"You gonna use it to replace all that Horklump Juice that git Borridge nicked? Snape will kill you if you don't have any again on Friday."
"Ugh, I suppose." Bill grumbled. "I'll have to get one of the seniors to buy some next Hogsmeade Weekend. They sell it at Dogweed and Deathcap, right?"
"I think so."
"Right." Conny was saved from the conversation she knew nothing about by the timely arrival of Lucy and co., the former of which jumped on her back and nearly killed her.
"Ugh!" She groaned. "Get off, you weigh a tonne!"
"Meanie." Lucy returned to standing position, dusting off her robes. "So, we all ready to kick arse?"
"Language, Miss Ra." Flitwick wearily reminded her from where he'd appeared on their stage. "Now, first-years, if you'd gather around me so I can explain how this will work."
He pointed to a large blank tapestry on the wall. As they watched, a list of names spread across it. Nimmle vs. Martin. Lockhart vs. Mothley, C. Ra vs. Acshtin. DeHayersae vs. Crymge.
Conyeri groaned as her name appeared next to Ralphus'. She was dead; Ralphus had demonstrated just how many jinxes and hexes he knew in their Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons. She looked over at Lucy, who was cracking her knuckles at Feol. Lucwitt vs. Weasley came up, and she saw Jonmarc go pale.
"These are your preliminary matches. You will duel your opponent, no swapping, until according to the rules of the All-England Junior Dueling Championship, you have lost. Dark Magic is, of course, disallowed, as is permanent maiming or disabling. Matches to last a maximum of ten minutes."
Flitwick stopped for a breath, then continued. "Any interference in the duel will result in the offending student's expulsion from the competition. At the end of this round, the winning students will go through to the second round, and the house with the most winners will be awarded thirty points, the second twenty, the third ten."
"We'll start as the tapestry says- Nimmle and Martin, don't be shy, come on up." Corfax and a smiley Gryffindor boy took to either side of the stage. The score-post at the centre flickered, one side becoming yellow, the other red to represent the houses to which the boys belonged. "On my signal- bow- three, two, one-"
Two flipendos crackled into life at the exact same time from the two boys' wands. Corfax was sweating profusely, but also had better aim. His spell hit Martin in the ear, whereas Martin's missed him by an inch or so. Another round of spells, this time verdimillioses, were used. Martin had noticed (it was somewhat hard not to) that Corfax was quite rotund and slow, so he aimed centrally this time. His spell hit the poor Hufflepuff in the nose, sending him rocketing back, bouncing on his bottom. The score-post made a 'ding!' noise and Martin was awarded the advantage.
Corfax got back up, his face now beetroot-red, and nodded for the round to continue. He used a weak Blasting Charm that hit Martin on the leg, making him wobble and misdirect his stumbling hex.
Martin, angry now and being cheered on by his fellow Gryffindors, wound up and let off a particularly nasty Fish-Lips charm, taking Corfax off-guard. His face began to swell and his pink lips ballooned to a frightening size, compromising his vision, even hanging off his face like some strange new organ.
"Finish it!" The Gryffindors chanted, whooping and hollering. All Martin then did was a simple stunning charm and Corfax, unable to see what was going on, was hit in the stomach and fell. The score-post dinged again and Martin was given the win. Gryffindor whooped as he bowed and jumped down. Flitwick had employed several seventh-year students to help with the counter-cursing, and these ferried Corfax off to a make-shift sick bay that had been constructed behind the teachers' table.
"Excellent! Martin, if I may say, try not to be so vociferous with your charms, but wonderful nevertheless! Now, Lockhart and… Mothley, C? Ah, Clarissa, yes, take your positions…"
They bowed and got ready. Flitwick signaled for them to start, and before Lockhart even knew what was coming, Clarissa growled "Immobulus!"
Gil froze on the spot, totally unmoving. Clarissa then send two stunning charms his way. She gained advantage, then win, in barely ten seconds. Even Flitwick was rather stunned.
"W-Well done, my dear…" he said, glancing over to where Professor Killory was trying to break up two fourth-years who had been transfigured into warthogs by accident and were now wrestling. "Match to Slytherin, then…"
Rissa didn't even bow as she got off the stage. Lucy whistled under her breath. "So it's true… Killory has been making them practice, like, every evening."
"Does she want her house to win that badly?" Conny asked.
"Probably. Slytherin haven't won anything since all their best students went off to become Death Eaters."
"Shhh!" Conny chided, looking anxiously around for any Slytherins that might have heard her. "If it's more enemies you're after, you're going the right way about it!"
"Pssh." Lucy flipped her long hair over her shoulder haughtily. "I'll be fine. I'm only up against Feol."
True to her word, Lucy got up on stage and disarmed the black boy immediately before, amusingly, making him grow a scaly tail and a beak before stunning him out of the competition. She gave a great flourish of a bow and hopped down as McGonagall was called over to deal with the improper transfiguration.
"Minerva, I am of course very sorry, but-"
"These kinds of spells can be very dangerous!" McGonagall said furiously, removing Feol's tail and beak. "Did you teach this?"
"Transfiguration is your subject."
"We've barely covered inanimate objects, let alone humans!"
"Well, he's looking fine now, we'll continue. Thank you for your help-"
"Don't expect it again!" McGonagall gave Lucy a death-glare and stormed off when she saw that a third-year had conjured a cloud that was raining beetles. "This is chaos!" She could be heard grumbling. "Donovan, for Merlin's sake, point your wand somewhere else!"
Flitwick cleared his throat and wiped his brow. "Well, anyway… DeHayersae and Crymge!"
Feeling as though she had an orgy of basilisks in her stomach, Conny climbed the stairs to the platform. She could see Ralphus grinning darkly and flexing his wand menacingly, his dark hair falling over his face. "I'll make you sorry you even came here, Conyeri."
"I love you too." She replied, teeth gritted. How should she start? It was obvious that he'd go straight for a strong spell… maybe a stun? Likely, or he'd use his trademark Trembling Jinx. She went through all the spells she knew. How few there were! She was only a first-year, after all. She wasn't even twelve yet. How was she supposed to work under this pressure?
"Ready? Bow." Flitwick said. They bowed stiffly to one another, wands out. "Three… two… PRUDENCE, WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING WITH THAT BABOON?"
"It's my boyfriend, sir!" A girl said from somewhere, but Ralphus had already started the duel with a powerful Vermillious charm. Conyeri who was looking at Flitwick, was hit under the chin with the bolt of red light and thrown across the stage. Something cracked in her neck and she gasped, an explosion of pain hitting her. Ralphus laughed.
"Aguamenti!" he yelled, a stream of water erupting from the end of his wand. It hit Conny with perfect aim, exactly where Ralphus had wanted it- her mouth. She didn't have a moment to think bastard before a flash of yesterday came to her unheeded: the choking, breathless, dizzy sensation of drowning… six sets of dark eyes under hooded cloaks on her… encroaching darkness…
With a start, she saw a face she recognized. Professor Killory, in their first lesson together. The vision came to her unheeded. Diligence, the beautiful woman was saying, smiling ever so slightly, her eyes piercing. If you do not allow your mind to be intimidated, neither will your body.
The sight of Killory calmed her. She could feel the water on her face, but it was no longer powerful, no longer evocative. She turned her head to the side, removing her mouth from the jet, coughed up a large amount of water, and gripped her wand tightly in slick fingers.
"Bombarda!" She spluttered, her wand pointed towards the grinning Ralphus. His eyes went wide and he dodged out of the way, but wasn't nearly quick enough. A small explosion went off next to his thigh, and with a roar he stumbled backwards, clutching the injured area.
She didn't even care about the score now. She supposed he'd won, but nevertheless she cried "Vermillious!" With great gusto, hitting his forehead. "Vermillious! Ver-"
"Tremulus!" Ralphus roared. The two bots of light, hers red, his light blue, met in the middle and burst into a shower of stinging purple sparks. Conny caught one in her stomach and yelped as it burned through her jumper, but Ralphus took one on the hand, the shock causing him to twitching and drop his wand.
She took the chance. "Algaseata!"
Ralphus stumbled and teetered on the edge of the stage, covered in seaweed, then lost his balance on algae-covered feet and slipped, toppling off the stage into the Gryffindors. They hastily parted, allowing him to come down hard on his shoulder on the stone floor.
Flitwick, who had been distracted by a seventh-year girl who was running around with a fire-breathing baboon, squeaked and fell off the stage himself, all flustered. "Someone help Mr. Crymge!" He said, muffled by a tapestry falling onto him.
Derek came forward and pointed his wand at Ralphus, saying 'Siccus' under his breath, evaporating the seaweed and allowing his friend to breathe. He helped the welsh boy up, though his eyes were unfocused and he was stumbling all over the place. He passed out once Derek got him to a nearby sofa (it had appeared after Dumbledore realized how tired and injured his students were getting), shuddering slightly.
Conny managed to sit up, shaking water out of her clothes. She was soaking wet and she ached from all the spells she'd been hit with, but she felt amazing. Wiping hair out of her eyes, she tumbled down from the stage in time to see the tapestry give her a little crown and move her into the next round. Lucy caught her, but was a bit skinny to support her. Surprisingly, since Jonmarc was up for his duel next and was already mounting the stage, Rissa Mothley came to help Lucy transport her to an armchair that someone had blasted across from the fourth-year stage. It was still smoking slightly from a large blast-shaped burn in the back, but was soft and squishy and perfect for the utterly exhausted Conny.
"You were amazing." Lucy gushed, giving her a light hug affectionately. "You really showed that cheating son of a doxy that he's not the hot stuff he thinks he is."
"Mmm." She agreed sleepily. A seventh-year helper came over with the same device that Madam Pomfrey had used yesterday and checked her, but didn't see anything to worry about. He recommended sleep and common sense snarkily before rushing off to deal with a second-year girl who was being devoured by a conjured pot-plant.
"Your dueling was excellent." Rissa remarked, idly wringing out Conny's sopping robes. "Professor Killory told us that it was nearly impossible to get up from your position and go on to win."
"Well," Conny giggled, feeling light-headed. "Professor Killory isn't always right."
"She is seldom wrong." Rissa said dolefully, looking over at her. "It is a shame she will only be here a year."
"Huh?"
"Oh, yeh, the whole cursed job thing." Lucy said, eyeing the Psychomancer. "That is a shame. Then again, I don't think I could take more than a year of bloody Diligence."
"It is a useful skill." Rissa argued, but they quietened down to watch Jonmarc's duel with Bill Weasley. The red-headed boy was good, very good- he was, of course, a pure-blood wizard. His parents had probably taught him a few tricks. A nasty hex caught Jonmarc's foot as he dodged, causing it to sprout mushrooms that gave off a foul-smelling cloud of spores. Jonmarc countered with several spells in quick succession. He gained an advantage after knocking Bill back, but then Bill hit him with a stun and Jon lost his cool, sending jinxes flying everywhere, actually taking out the fourth-year Hufflepuff chaser Gwenog Jones, who was in the middle of an argument with a friend. Her head turned into a slug-like protuberance.
"Oh dear. Jon's lost his cool." Lucy noted as the French boy narrowly dodged another stun. "Bagsy not comforting him later."
"Don't be cruel." Conny yawned, her eyes barely keeping up with the duels. "Oi, Gil!"
Lockhart caught his name and turned, then walked over at her beckoning. "What?"
"Listen, mate, you've already lost, right? So you've left the competition."
"I know."
"Canya make sure Jonmarc wins, then?"
His eyes widened. "No way! Flitwick would have my head. That's cheating."
"You cheated on that History of Magic test last week." Lucy pointed out cheekily. "And don't look at it as cheating… it's more… tactics."
"No. I'm not doing it."
"Two galleons?"
"Not worth it."
"Conny will do your Transfiguration homework until the end of term."
"And two galleons."
"Deal." Lucy and Gil shook on it. Conny's mouth hung open.
"Wait just a minute-!"
But Gil was already gone, slipping his wand out. Once he got to the stage, he whispered something and a nearly invisible jet of heat whizzed straight at Bill's wand hand. He yelped and dropped it, blisters welling up on his sizzling flesh.
"In for the kill Jon!" The Ravenclaws chanted. Jonmarc blinked, unsure of how he'd got the advantage, but Bill was picking up his wand already, so he fired off a vermillious.
His hesitation cost him the match. Bill managed to duck and grab his wand, flicking it across in a Tripping Hex. Jon fell, and because Bill was already in possession of the advantage, the score-post dinged and the Weasley boy won.
Gil shrugged, and Lucy made a rude hand gesture at him. "No win, bet's off." She mouthed.
He angrily ran off.
They didn't stay to watch the rest. Conny passed out somewhere between Professor Sinistra being hit in the eye with a fifth-year's stray curse and Corfax's lips finally getting back to relatively normal size. Lucy and Rissa carried her back to the Ravenclaw Tower, while Jonmarc glumly trailed behind them, nursing a mysterious hand injury that probably indicated that he'd punched a wall in frustration.
They reached Charlie the eagle knocker in no mood to answer a riddle. Charlie grinned at then (as much as a eagle could grin, anyway), and observed the tired crew. "You cannot enter, Clarissa."
Rissa shrugged and gently let Conny down, so Lucy and Jon could share her weight. "Tomorrow, then."
She turned to leave, then thought of something. "Here. Conyeri will need it when she wakes up." Rissa took a small, thin vial stoppered with a tarnished silver snake and handed it to Lucy.
"What is it?"
The Slytherin raised an eyebrow. "It is not poison, if that is your concern, Lucelia."
Lucy paused, eyes narrowing. "We're back to that, Clarissa?"
"We are if you do not trust me."
"All right then!" Lucy grabbed the vial and its light-blue contents, scowling. "Have a good night."
"The same to you." Rissa disappeared down the staircase. Lucy snorted and inspected the vial critically, but couldn't honestly say what it was. She wasn't sure if she trusted Rissa totally. Killory liked Conny and all, but she wasn't sure how deeply the DADA teacher's will to win the house cup for Slytherin went. If you wanted to nip Ravenclaw's point-scoring in the bud, the first-years were a good place to start. Teachers were renowned for, in most cases, (exceptions like that ghastly git Snape came to mind) giving points quite liberally to first-years.
"Well, give us the riddle then!" She snapped at Charlie, who'd been looking sagely at them.
"The impatience of youth." He sighed. "Very well. Who is the last to know yet the first to be told?"
Lucy's lips curled. "Very funny, Charlie."
"I see nothing humourous about it, if my opinion is worth anything." The knocker said mournfully.
"The last to know and the first to be told," Lucy sneered, "Is the traitor."
"Indeed it is, Lucy Ra." Charlie said.
They strode into the Common Room. It was relatively empty, since most people were still dueling. The Grey Lady floated through absentmindedly, inspecting her portrait critically before teasing the portrait of Basil Fronsac for a bit. Jonmarc helped Lucy up until the enchanted staircase up to the girls' dorms.
"Sleep well, Jon." Lucy said. "Listen, Bill is a really good wizard. There was no shame in your losing to him."
"Je sais." He sighed. "Mais… ah, ca n'est pas important. Bon-nuit, Lucie."
"Bon-nuit, Jonmarc."
She tugged Conny back up the stairs she'd pulled her down just yesterday, quite annoyed that her friend seemed to have fallen into the habit of passing out at important times. That said, she looked fondly down at her roommate. Conny was wonderful- normal, with a touch of curiosity that made her interesting. Lucy was all smoke and mirrors and laughing it off. She probably wasn't a very good friend either. Frowning at herself, she changed Conny into her pyjamas and tucked her up in bed. Lucy was fine with doing these things- little favours, she thought- but would she bail when her life or rep hung in the balance? Probably. Her family had never been very trustworthy.
Thinking it a perfect time, she took out another piece of parchment and wrote a letter to her brother.
Cell Fourty-Seven, Azkaban Prison, North Sea
Dear Khai,
Things are good here. Hallowe'en was… eventful, to say the least. My roommate nearly drowned. We had the first round of the Dueling thing. I beat my guy easy, but Conny did one better. You know the Crymges- Darla and Eric? The Dept. of Magical Law Enforcement goons that sent Jahnen down for two years? She beat the shit out of their son, Ralphus. He tried a dirty trick.
I think I'll stay with Conny this Christmas. She'll say yes, no worries. She's really nice. When you get out, you can meet her. So don't worry about me.
Everyone says hi. We miss you, Khai. You'll be out soon, I promise.
Love,
Lucy.
Lucy tried to go to sleep, but Conny was twisting and turning in bed, groaning. She could only imagine the horrible dreams that she'd be having. Ralphus was a really horrible person, to torture Conny with water the day after she'd drowned. She cracked her knuckles and vowed to take revenge on that smarmy welsh prat.
Conny suddenly woke with a shout, causing Lucy to stuff the letter into a textbook hastily. She was crying and breathing heavily, tears streaming down her face.
"Shhh." She went over, Rissa's potion in hand, and sat on the edge of Conny's bed. "You're okay now. Shhh. Here, drink this."
She offered the blue liquid and Conny shakily downed it, her fingers trembling almost too much to hold the vial. A few seconds passed before Conyeri's body became heavy and calm. The desperate fear in her eyes left, replaced with a sort of glazed-over look. She laid back on the pillow, breathing rhythmically. Lucy looked at the empty vial, wondering how Rissa could have known, and why on earth would she have such a potion on her person anyway? She sat stroking Conny's hair until she fell asleep again.
Lucy got into bed, but try as she may, she still couldn't fall asleep.
