You got some nerve

They stood in silence for a second, focused on the figure moving on the clearing. Remus willed himself into complete stillness, breathing controlled and eyes easily focused in the dark. He had only needed a few moments until his sight had adjusted and the open space before him came into clean focus in the dark. Next to him he felt Severus silent and concentrated. Their closeness crept into Remus' mind for a short moment, Severus' hand still on his arm, but he didn't have time to pursue the thought further.

Then the shadow on the clearing moved into a spot where the moonlight shone through the trees, and remained standing in the dim spotlight for a short moment. Remus made out a face, brutish features, and small gleaming eyes. Within a split second it clicked in his mind and he knew whom he was looking at.

"The man from the newspaper - "

His voice was but a whisper, perfectly silenced into a barely audible breath.

But Severus understood him. His own gaze was fixed upon the man, too, and when Remus threw a quick glance at him he couldn't quite interpret what he saw in his face. He didn't react immediately, still focused on the clearing. Remus ran through a number of possible scenarios, his hand tightend on the wand in his cloak pocket. They couldn't allow the wanted man to come any closer to the castle, that much was obvious. Going by strenght in numbers they had the clear advantage over their single interuder. It didn't seem like any elaborate tactic would be necessary. He turned towards Severus, motioning with his head towards the clearing.

But Severus' hand on his arm stilled his movement, and looking at Remus he slowly shook his head, still perfectly silent. Then he took a step back, careful not to tread on any dry branches on the ground. Noiselessly he drew a hand over the buttons of his cloak, opening them with silent magic, and slipped it off his shoulders. Repeating the movement with the buttons of the frock coat he was wearing underneath and slipping that off, too, he effectively freeing himself of the layers of black fabric that were his trademark. Surprised Remus stared at him.

"What - "

But Severus shook his head again, and moved to drape his cloak over a nearby branch. Without thinking Remus held a hand out. Severus paused, but then placed both items in Remus' hands.

"Don't intervene."

Even in his mind the voice was but a dim whisper, but Severus looked straight at him and Remus frowned.

"Are you sure - ?"

The concentration on Severus' face made way for the small malicious grin.

"Yes."

Then he turned around.

Slowly and almost noiselessly he walked through the underwood, a feat on the uneven floor with all the dried branches that probably was only enabled by a cleverly placed spell. Then he was on the path in the open, strolling leisurely towards the clearing where the man Remus knew from the newspaper - what had been his name? The ministry spy? He couldn't remember - was walking around trying to determine where he was.

Remus wasn't fond of letting Severus approach the clearing on his own. He had ample fighting experience himself, and it felt strange being forced to stay on the sidelines of what was with certainty going to turn into battle. But then Remus had a clear view of everything and could intervene at any given moment. Still feeling slightly frustrated by being relegated into idleness Remus draped the coats properly over his arm, noticing how lightweight the heavy-looking fabric actually was, and despite his mind being busy with other things picking up the subtle smell of verbena, strong assam and smoke clinging to the fabric. Irritated he forced his attention away from their idle straying and back into focusing on the clearing.

Severus reached the section where the path merged with the clearing quickly and stood still for a moment. Remus only saw his back, with his hands innocently clasped, conveniently hiding his wand from sight. Remus hadn't even noticed him taking it from his cloak, or wherever it had been hidden before. For a split second he became aware that he hadn't seen Severus use his wand at all in the past weeks, neither for brewing nor for performing other spells. It seemed that he still needed it for a good fight, though.

At first nothing happened. The man still had his back to Severus, who simply stood waiting, his white shirt gleaming slightly in the weak light. He seemed strangely relaxed, as if he had been wandering the forest at night going on a leisurely stroll and had only on accident ended up on the clearing.

When the man finally turned around and realized he wasn't alone he made a very fast movement betraying the accomplished fighter and then stopped. Severus didn't flinch.

"Ha, so it was you? Creeping up to me, you lucky bastard, could've killed you."

His voice was coarse and Remus instantly knew that he was looking at the man he had seen at the Opium den. So this was where he had known the face in the newspaper from. He cursed silently for not seeing the connection earlier, and then looked through the leaves once more. This was going to be very interesting, then, and it also explained why Severus had been keen on keeping Remus away from the situation.

But then the fight seemed to develop only slowly, and it looked as if the man on the clearing wasn't even expecting one. He stood straight and overconfident, and next to him Severus suddenly appeared much smaller. He seemed to make a strange effort to appear less threatening than he actually could be by one simple manipulation of his posture, shifting from his usually stable stance into a strange constant movement. As soon as the man had adressed him he had started to fidget on the spot, coming into a rocking motion, shifting his weight from his toes to his heels in a stupid, constant movement that seemed as if it could throw him completely off balance any minute. It annoyed Remus almost immediately.

"Must be my lucky day, Overy."

Even Severus' voice had shifted, returning to the dark purr that had nearly driven Remus crazy in the Opium den, and for a moment Remus wondered what kind of facial expression went with it this time. But he only saw Harold Overy - now he remembered the name! - and the sudden lust in his face.

"Oh yes, it is your lucky day for sure."

The man idly stepped forward, but didn't move further. Severus didn't seem to mind, humming something under his breath, still swaying gently back and forth.

"Just wonder, you know, how you came here. Really, haven't expected you here."

Overy laughed.

"You know, there are spells. Stuff you don't understand, of course, but let me make it easy for you. I'll try to explain. We have these pattern tracing spells, very useful little things used to understand apparition behavior - are these too many long words for you? Well. I wasn't sure if it was you I saw in Diagon Alley, but I recognised that rugged bloke you were with and voilĂ , here I am."

Remus was offended, not because he hadn't thought of himself as a rugged bloke, but because Overy spoke with Severus as if he were facing a slightly slow house elf. But then Severus didn't look very smart, fidgeting on his spot as he was, and the slight shift in his speech patterns didn't help. To Remus' the act was painfully obvious, but Overy seemed genuinely of the impression that he was the smart one when talking to Severus - something people usually came to regret very soon. But right now Severus still seemed to enjoy the little charade.

"I see. Fancy thing, that spell."

Overy flashed a grin.

"Told you I can do great things with magic."

The self-praise and the sense of selfhood almost made Remus choke.

"So you said. Does your fancy spell also tell you where you are?"

The grin on Overy's face stayed steady, broadened even. He looked around once more and then shrugged.

"Some wood in Scotland. You live here?"

Strangely enthusiastic Severus nodded.

"Splendid! You really know everything. A wood in Scotland, yes."

The sugar in his voice would have been enough to give a grown man diabetes, and Remus nearly choked at the cattiness of it all. But at the same time Severus stopped his swaying movement - finally, if one had asked Remus - and moved a few steps in onto the clearing. Overy had no idea, but Remus realized that he was placing himself between the castle and the man, blocking the only open pathway from which the clearing could be left. The man wouldn't get out of these woods, that much was sure.

"Yes yes, I live here. It's called Forbidden Forest, isn't that a nice name."

Surprised Overy raised his eyebrows.

"Oh dear me, we're in Hogwarts? Really? My alma mater! Wonderful. You know, I'm a Gryffindor."

It took all of Remus self-control to not slam his palm against his forehead, and he could have sworn that he almost heard Severus' choked laughter.

"What a surprise."

For a small second his voice fell out of his treacly drawl, and the sudden dryness would have alerted any sober human being to the impending danger. Overy, however, was immune to such details.

"Yes, the House of the Brave and the Loyal. How come something like you lives here? They employ squibs?"

It seemed that either Overy was just as dumb as Remus imagined, or he had a rather special sense of humour. Severus crooked his head slightly, and Remus wished he could have saved this moment somehow, just for the sheer pleasure of watching someone call the Head of Slytherin a squib and being entirely convinced he was right.

"They found a nice little spot for me here, nice and calm. There was a bit of space in the dungeons, you see."

Remus waited for the explosion, the final second of understanding in Overy's face after a hint that strong. But he put too much faith into the stout ministry worker turned incapable self-employed spy. Severus could have thrown silver-and-green glittering snakes at him and Overy would have thought it a nice touch for his welcome that simply had ended up on the wrong end of the colour-palette.

"I remember, there was much space there. So what are you doing, some sort of janitor job? They are running a program to integrate squibs into wizarding society at the school now?"

Severus tilted his head again.

"Something to that extent. But, really, I adore our little chat, but I have to get back, they won't be happy. What can I do for you tonight?"

Overy stepped forward once more, and Severus released his arms from his back and dropped them to his sides, effectively bringing his wand into Overy's line of sight for the first time. The man stopped again.

"My, who gave you a wand? Do you even know how to use it?"

Severus cast a glance down at his left hand, and then shrugged.

"So many difficult questions. Is that important?"

Overy stared at him, now with open and unabashed hunger in his eyes.

"No, not really I guess, though I'm not sure if a squib having a wand might not be against the law."

While he spoke Severus changed his standing position, shifting his weight just a bit, and started to unbutton his cuffs with the slowest of movements, all the while still balancing his wand between his fingers. With the ease of someone having all the time in the world he rolled both sleeves up to a point just underneath his elbow, and then stretched. Remus knew it was nothing but show, but it worked. Overy couldn't take his eyes off him. The Dark Mark seemed strangely visible in the pale moonlight.

"Oh yes, what do I want. You see, we had that agreement, and it was really rather favorable."

Dropping his arms back to his sides Severus shrugged.

"Ah, but you're worthless now. Blew your cover, did you, and who's going to give you information now? Nay, you're no longer interesting."

That kind of answer - or any kind of resistance - was something Overy hadn't expected, and his eyebrows shot up.

"Not sure you're meaning that, boy. Anyway, why let's not go somewhere a bit nicer than these woods, you sure have a hut somewhere, don't you?"

Remus rolled his eyes in the dark. He wasn't sure he had ever met someone as dense as Overy. But then Severus clearly enjoyed the strange game unfolding on the clearing. At least up until this point.

"As much as I enjoy our lovely chat, really, absolutely adore it - you're starting to bore me. I'd say it's time for you to leave."
Gone was the dark drawl, replaced by a tone of voice Remus and every student Severus had ever taught knew too well. And even Overy picked up on that.

"New side of you, boy? You got a lot of nerve. Nice, I like them a bit feisty. It's just a little too dark here, don't you think? Let's go somewhere with a bit more light. You're not that ugly, after all."

For a short second nothing happened. Then, out of nowhere, Overy stood in a ring of fire that suddenly soared up from the ground, burning the grass and making the man yelp with surprise. For a split second the whole clearing was lightened by its intense golden glow, casting long shadows in the darkness. Then it was gone again, though the scent of burnt grass remained in the air.

"What the hell - "

Overy didn't finish his sentence.

"I thought you wanted light."

Another flame shot into the air centimeters away from Overy's right foot, and the man jumped into the air like a scared cat. Remus snickered in the dark. Now this was getting entertaining.

"What - who taught you these spells? It's illegal for a squib to use a wand like that and -"

But he couldn't finish his sentence, having to flee again from the fire that suddenly emerged from beneath his shoes.

"I'm terribly sorry. You see, that fire is a bit difficult to control."

Severus shrugged, still standing rather relaxed. He hadn't even moved his wand. Overy needed some effort to collect himself and sooth his ruffled feathers.

"Who taught you that? Is that dark wizard now training his underlings in these things?"

The scent of burnt grass was now much more prominent, with smoke added to it, but even though Overy carefully regarded the meadow beneath his feet nothing happened.

"But you always said you liked playing with fire."

Overy growled, producing his own wand from his pocket.

"Now don't make me overpower you."

Remus grinned in the dark, and he heard Severus laugh softly.

"Spare yourself the pain. You will apparate away from here within the next twenty seconds, and we will forget about this."

It was an order, not a suggestion, but Overy didn't take well to being ordered around.

"And if I don't you'll do what? Come on, don't be ridiculous. You don't stand a chance against me."

He laughed, a brutish sound deep in his throat, despite the small display of fire still very sure of himself. He hadn't lost many a duell in the past years, that much was obvious from the way he handled the situation.

"That remains to be seen. But what do I do then? Cashing in on the money on your head seems tempting, but simply getting rid of you would be rather pleasurable, too."

Somehow Overy seemed to suddenly develop a certain grasp on the severity of the situation he was in. He cast a more doubtful glance at Severus, his wand gripped a bit tighter then before.

"You think you could kill me like that?"

Severus shrugged.

"It's less about being able to than about being willing to, wouldn't you agree."

He tipped his head to the side, in a slight angle.

"I could offer you my current body count to enable you a good shot a guessing the probability of your survival?"

Now the last trace of the feigned innocence in Severus' voice was gone for good, and the neutral coolness implied that he was not only in the possession of something like a body count, but also kept it immaculately up-to-date and had no qualms about adding another corpse to it. Remus noticed that Overy took on a stance resembling the basic duelling positions he had seen in his youth in the corridors. His visible preparation for a fight looked strange compared to Severus, who still seemed perfectly relaxed and at ease.

"You wouldn't - who do you think you are?"

Ever since Severus had slightly moved onto the clearing Remus could not only see his back but also his profile, and it wasn't difficult to pick up on the fact that somehow Severus seemed to enjoy the situation more then he was supposed to. The slowly spreading smirk on his face reminded Remus of a cat playing with its dinner while the unfortunate creature was still alive and squealing.

"I never knew you were a man for these big existential questions! Let's keep this a bit lighter, less complicated. What do you think I am?"

Overy tried to look uninterested, still gripping his wand rather tight.

"Some bored low-ranked Death Eater, I assume. Thought you were a squib, but it looks as if you lied to me."

Somehow the last part of Overys sentence indicated that he was deeply flustered by the mere idea of being lied to by someone as unimportant as a bored low-ranked Death Eater. The slightly sardonic smirk on Severus' face broadened.

"Ah, the lying, it's a character flaw. But you were very easy to lie to, probably the worst would-be-spy I've ever encountered. You should really have picked a different trade."

Overy stared at Severus from across the clearing, eyes narrowed, obviously trying to remain as aloof as he had been before. But the first cracks in his arrogant exterior were visible. Then he lifted his wand.

"I will not have a half-wit like you insulting me."

All of a sudden Severus looked positively satisfied with the outcome of their little discussion.

"Finally. Challenge me and we can fight this out, I'm in the mood. Still - "

He sighed and shifted his position again.

"See, you're not just everywhere, and there's a certain protocol I have to keep with. So, if you don't mind - "

He cast a glance around the clearing once, all the while being stared at by Overy who apparently had never before pointed his wand at someone who didn't seem particularly flustered by the whole affair. Then Severus looked at Overy again, and at the same time the clearing was flooded by a field of cold energy. It caressed Remus' skin for a brief second, his body tingling from contact. But it was soft, almost strangely familiar, and Remus realized that Severus had dropped the masking spell concealing his magical powers without bothering to hide the darker side of it. But before Remus could entertain that particular thought further he watched Severus slowly raising his own wand.

"Harold Overy, you've intruded on the grounds of Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, without invitation and with malicious intent. As residing Head of the House of Slytherin I order you to either leave immediately or face consequences for your intrusion."

The look on Overy's face was priceless. A mixture of intense surprise and anger flew across his features, distorting them into rage.

"What? You dirty liar, you - "

The remaining insults were drowned out by the first curse he almost immediately threw into Severus' direction, who hardly moved and simply blocked it. Hidden away behind his bush Remus hastily drew up a protecting shield of his own. He was well out of sight, but any fight could leave badly aimed curses flying into the surrounding areas, and he wasn't sure whether Overy had a good aim.

In the meantime the clearing erupted with the pure power of the thrown curses. Overy was a good fighter and as trained auror obviously had faced extensive duelling training, but it quickly became clear that Severus seemed mostly unimpressed by his attacks. But he remained mostly passive, reluctant to attack himself, using simple but powerful deflecting spells that kept the curses well away from their aim.

Watching the potentially deadly theater on the clearing Remus tried to remember when he had seen Severus fight the last time, and came to the conclusion that it must have been sometime in their school years in one of the corridor brawls they had ran into all the time. Possibly Sirius had been the opponent, or James, or all of them together - Remus wasn't sure. It hadn't taken him long after their graduation to understand that the four-against-one-fights they had kept on going all these years hadn't been exactly what a fair battle was supposed to look like. On the other hand they had been on the receiving end of more than one nasty hex or creative curse in these days, too, and even in their younger days Severus had never been one to step down when being challenged to a proper brawl. His pride had ensured that he had never backed down, not once in Remus' memory, and from what he had heard from Andreas Libavius things apparently hadn't changed at all during Severus' days at Oxford. And what had that been about a Duel Team?

But was also obviously that what was happening on the clearing had nothing to do with proper duelling and a lot with street fighting. Overy was throwing an abundance of rather dark and powerful hexes into Severus' direction, who sometimes came up with small spells that made Overy jump and change direction, but generally just kept himself out of the line of attack. The tactic behind the whole scenario dawned on Remus rather quickly. Overy was exhausting himself with the sheer amount of magic needed for his barrage of curses, while Severus made sure that his opponent would keep on moving around, teasing here and there and inciting more rage. It would be only a matter of time until the would-be-spy would run out of energy to supply his curses with the necessary strength, lending a good opportunity to overpower him without any real risk.

So all Severus had to do was to keep Overy moving, and that was exactly what he did. To Remus' disappointment he wasn't showing off, hardly using any spells Remus didn't know, and nothing that belonged into the realm of the Dark Arts. He didn't seem to need his wand to keep most of the shielding spells up, and the small hexes he placed here and there required only minimal wand-waving. There was something lazy about his movements, as if the fight was boring him, and it drove Overy even deeper into his rage. They exchanged some insults here and there, but used nothing that had the capacity to make Remus blush or seemed terribly creative.

Just when Remus started to wonder when Severus would grow tired of his opponents' anger the fight slowed down. Overy stood on his side of the clearing, slightly out of breath and still growling with anger.

"Nothing but a sad little trickster, are you. But I'm done with being friendly now. I will no longer tolerate the disrespectful behavior of some random Death Eater with delusions of grandeur. This will end here!"

He pointed his wand straight at Severus, seething with rage. Remus suddenly felt the looming danger, hair on his arms rising with the gathering dark magic.

"Now you will learn a lesson! Cru - "

He didn't even manage to finish his spell. The silent counter curse hit him straight in the chest, and he gasped for breath once more before he tumbled to the ground, a mass of limp body parts. His wand fell into the trampled down grass next to his body.
Annoyed Severus lowered his own wand and shock his head.

"Random Death Eater with delusions of grandeur? Be glad that killing people has gotten terribly difficult these days, really, otherwise -"

He sounded mortally offended, for the first time during the whole fight. Then he walked over to his motionless opponent, stood above him and in a strange movement circled his wand above the body once, murmuring a soft spell that Remus just so managed to understand.

"Silete, silete, silentium habete."

It was more of an incantation than a spell, nothing Remus had ever heard, a strange melody. But at least Overy had been right - it was over. Remus sighed a breath of relief, and dissolved the shielding spell he had kept up during the fight. Severus still stood in the middle of the clearing looking down on the completely motionless Overy who, if Remus guessed correctly, probably was out like a light and would stay that way for a rather long time.

But just as Remus was about to leave his hiding place a sudden stream of light flooded the open space around the two duellists. As quickly as he could Remus retreated back into the safety of the shrubbery and stared at the clearing, adrenaline making his heartbeat loud in his ears.

"What is happening here?"

As if he had appeared out of thin air Albus Dumbledore stood in the middle of the clearing, his wand pointed straight at Severus. The air was prickling with the amount of power surrounding him, and he didn't look amused at all.


(c) Fayet - 25/11/2014 (heavily revised 1/11/2015)

Silete, silete, silentium habete - be silent, be silent, keep the silence!