"Welcome students to the end of the year exams!" Professor Hamish sang with fluttering jazz hands as birds squawked around his large green hat festooned with twirling buttons and Quidditch patches.
He was a small and wiry old man who had grown more eccentric with age.
"Now as you can see, we are doing something quite different this year!" He announced loudly as he pointed to the large grounds of the Quidditch Arena, a long wooden table set in its center.
Sirius stood behind Amelia, arms wrapped around her waist.
"Blimey, that hat's something." He stated.
Amelia laughed. "Its better than the living flower exhibit he sported a few weeks ago on the first day of Spring. A literal sunflower grew from his head. It was wildly distracting, he left a trail of petals wherever he walked!" They both stifled laughter as their Professor continued.
"I can teach your young and nimble minds all year long but this here is the real test! Wand to wand combat!" The professor yelled with a sad attempt at a boxing combo, his lime green robes exposing his knobby ankles and belled elf shoes.
At his words the atmosphere changed among the students, some were jumping with excitement while others were terrified.
Sirius and James smacked a high five to one another as they turned to look at Snape who smiled back wickedly.
Professor Hamish waved his wand and an image of a lion roaring at a large fanged badger appeared in the sky.
"Gryffindor and Hufflepuff! Pick five competitors."
The students dispersed into their houses, huddling in large circles. Gryffindor and Hufflepuff selected five students who walked to the center of the Arena. Professor Hamish stood in the middle of the two groups and turned to the class.
"Here's how this will work, one from each team will step up to the dueling table and challenge one another. Once one member has been stunned or put on their back, they have five seconds before they are called out and the next will advance and so on and so forth.
Extra points to the house that exercises impressive strategy!" He encouraged.
"Because of my love for sport, you will be receiving house points based on your victories. For example, if Hufflepuff puts all of their Gryffindor opponents of their back, well then 5 points for Hufflepuff!"
The students applauded and broke up into small groups discussing strategy.
The first group set off in bright sparks of light as one spell after another was thrown. In the end, Hufflepuff did pull out a surprising victory winning three out of the five fights.
Professor Hamish squealed with glee at the victory of his own house. After every round he would flick his wand to the sky and every student would look heaven ward to see which two animals would fly out to battle next.
A Snake hissed and curved itself ready to strike at a bounding Eagle who flung its wings ferociously.
Gryffindor and Hufflepuff immediately began to chant and cheer for Ravenclaw to win. Only encouraging the Slytherins to pull out an even more impressive battle.
Amelia immediately volunteered to be in the first round at the rapturous applause of her house and loud hollering from Sirius and his band of merry men.
The group of Slytherins approached the arenas center until one competitor was harshly ripped away by a wild haired girl, tall and slender with crazed dark eyes pointed intently on Amelia with a small wicked smile.
"I'll take the first turn." The girl demanded, full of motion as she paced back and forth on the dueling ground. Her wand hungry in her hands.
"That's Bellatrix Black . . . Sirius' cousin." Patty Ling whispered from Amelia's group. "I don't want to go up against her, she's crazy!"
Immediately Amelia knew she was facing her tormentor. She looked for a moment at Sirius who confirmed her curiosity with burning fury in his eyes. Pushing to the front of the line, Amelia stood tall, calm and collected, hands steadily wrapped around her wand, face composed and waiting for Professor Hamish to count down.
"Alright ladies, remember, wand at the ready, never take your eye off of your opponent, 5, 4, -"
Before Professor Hamish could finish, Bellatrix shouted to the sky as a harsh shot of red burst from the tip of her wand. Flipping Amelia into the air before ripping harshly back down, The wind knocked out of her and focus spotted she grasped her wrist which was bent the wrong way and pounding with pain.
Bellatrix laughed at the sight of her while the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs booed and yelled for reprimand.
"Cheap!"
Professor Hamish took two points from Slytherin for the unfair attack before counting down from five to see if Amelia was well enough to continue.
She lifted herself, picking up her wand in the other hand, hunched over and still breathless. Bellatrix howled once again as another shot came from her wand towards Amelia.
Still crouched over, Amelia raised her wand with a quick rebounding charm, causing the curse to turn and attack Bellatrix with volts of electricity that shook her body.
One charm after the next was thrown and deflected, absorbed and endured, one of them could have easily pulled out a charm that would lay the other flat on her back, but neither girl was looking for the easy victory, they wanted blood.
Throwing one hex after another, Amelia caught Bellatrix off guard and shot her with a spell that threw her to the ground with a loud skidding thud.
"Are you finished!" Amelia yelled after her, sweat dripping from her own forehead, lip sliced open and bloody.
Bellatrix stood warily, a cut on her head.
"Not even close." She hissed with fury.
Amelia deflected her next spell and immediately pointed to herself and shouted "Multiplio!"
Suddenly she was multiplied 20 times over springing herself in jesting taunts to the extreme delight of the class.
Bellatrix looked furiously at her laughing classmates and screamed wildly before pointing her wand at one of the clones and shouting
"CRUCIO!"
The clones vanished instantly as Amelia screamed and writhed in pain at Bellatrix's feet.
Sirius yelled from the crowd as he pulled out his own wand and threw a spell at his cousin.
Professor Hamish was utterly stunned and yelled for Bellatrix to stop before he pulled out his own wand, his spell combining with Sirius' curse, stopped her.
Amelia lay barely breathing on the ground. Her head pounding with pain as her blood began to boil.
"Amelia!" She heard Sirius scream as he ran toward her.
Her mind was dizzy, smoke and fire demanding all control of her thoughts and grasp on reality. She could feel the heat in her eyes, the mending of her broken wrist as Olliphet commanded to be released.
"I'm so sorry Professor, you said there were no rules..." Bellatrix lamented in fake innocence.
"I said nothing of the sort!" He shouted.
Bellatrix looked over at Amelia with a smirk as Professor Hamish declared the duel between them over and class dismissed.
The still ground beneath them began to quake furiously. She could hear Remus yell for everyone to back up and move away. Bellatrix was mortified as she tried to stay upright but idiotic pride kept her feet planted and wand ready.
Sirius stopped running towards Amelia as the ground began to crack.
Amelia crouched to touch the ground and felt the earth rip open as Olliphet raised out of its core, made completely of lava and flame. The students ran away in terror at the sight of the horrible creature. The dragon landed next to Amelia and walked itself over to Bellatrix, screeching loudly in her face before blowing a ring of fire around her.
Sweat beaded down Amelia's face, her teeth gritted while the flaming dragon crouched to attack.
Different Professors we're now running towards the Quidditch stadium that was billowing in black smoke.
Olliphet continued to screech, ready strike his prey but seemed to be choked back by an invisible chain.
Amelia had a controlled grasp. She was in control but she could feel the anger and fury bursting through her body demanding that they get revenge for being tortured. The sound of screeching that had the likeness of a hurricane clouded her thoughts. In the midst of the sound she could hear the muffled voice of someone yelling for her to stop, begging her not to do it.
Turning her head toward the class, Olliphets own flame covered neck turning in unison, the remaining students all screamed and shuddered in fear hiding behind the Professors.
Their terror sobered Amelia as she saw the monster she had become. The lucid moment calmed her long enough for her to turn and jump onto the dragons back. Transforming him into a manifestation of dirt, roots, and flames. He crouched once more screeching loudly at the cowering state of the sweating and pleading Bellatrix before flying away over the forbidden forest.
