Chapter Thirteen – The Sparring Team
Everyone had seated themselves as Dumbledore approached his podium for announcements. He said, "Welcome, newcomers, and welcome back, old-comers alike. The Gryffindor Dueling team is open for audition for anyone 2nd year and up. Please consult Sheridan Brae for details. Quiddich tryouts for Ravenclaw will be held on Tuesday…"
Eila whispered to Rana, who was sitting next to her, "I didn't know Steven had a brother."
"Yeah, he does. You didn't know that? Well, he's sitting right across from us." Murmured Rana. Eila eyeballed over to Sheridan. He was very handsome; he looked like an older version of Steven. He looked like he was in his 4th year. Eila whispered back to Rana, "He's cute."
"No, he's not!"
"Well, it's not my fault that you have anomalous taste." Said Eila.
"I know too many pure-bloods already! And I'd be darned if I marry a pure-blood."
"They're pure-bloods? Steven pretty nice for a pure-blood."
Rana looked away and said, "Yeah…I guess…" She spooned some food into her plate and started eating. After a while, she saw Eila tap Sheridan's arm.
Eila, trying to avoid eye contact with Sheridan, nervously squeaked, "Umm…I was wondering…if my friend and I could…uhhh….join the Dueling…Club…please…?"
"You're going to have to try out, like the rest of them, but 2nd years never make it anyway...not to mention girls."
Eila scoffed and said, "Girls can too fight better than boys, Pretty Boy!" Rana was now watching this in interest.
"That's Mr. Pretty Boy to you, Little Miss Cream-Puff."
"You're mean, you…mean-face…head…person…" Eila said. She finally resorted to sticking her tongue out at him childishly. Rana whispered, "Aren't we so mature, Eila? You still think they're nice?" Eila grunted and flicked a piece of corn at Sheridan, for which he didn't seem to notice. For the rest of dinner, Eila was making faces at Sheridan and flicking small bits of food at him. Rana was sitting next to Eila, making fun of her.
Just then, Steven sat next to him brother. Eila quickly stopped flicking Skittles at Sheridan and, instead, stuffed them in her mouth. Steven said, "Hey, Eila."
Eila waved back, her mouth full of Skittles. She swallowed with a gulp.
"You have a little spot on your face…right there."
Eila wiped it off hastily with her robe-sleeve. Rana coughed and got up. She said, "Oh, and the password is Treacle-Ginseng." She had exited the Great Hall; she really didn't like to be around Steven, she thought of him as a popular prick.
She was ranting in her head as she walked, not paying much attention to anything else but her own thoughts until she felt something hit her shoulder, then a scattering of paper and books.
She snapped back to reality soon as she looked back to see a small Slytherin boy with a pallid complexion and shoulder-length, greasy, black hair. His eyes were a dark brown as they met hers. She apologized politely as she started to help pick up the unknown boy's books.
"I'm sorry, er…"
"Severus, Severus Snape, and you are…"
"Black—er—I mean Rana Black, sorry for bumping into you, I'm sure that hurt."
"No, that's alright, it didn't really hurt that much." Severus replied absent-mindedly, "You're a Black? How come you are in Gryffindor? I thought that the whole family was in Slytherin, like the other pure-blooded families."
"Yeah, well, let's just say I do not like the pure-blood garbage—but I have nothing against a pureblood!" She looked at his sinking head.
"No, I evenly dislike that stuff too." Snape blushed slightly as he excused himself and made his way down to the dungeon."
"What a strange boy!" she thought to herself as she made her way up to the seventh floor. Eila, Sirius, Remus, James and Peter were chatting merrily. Eila looked up at Rana, who was sitting alone on a loveseat strumming a duck-taped acoustic guitar, tuning it quietly.
"Rana, what happened to your guitar?"
"Stupid doxies dropped it off the fifth-floor staircase, had to duct tape it together so I could get it here in one piece, I didn't have my wand with me then."
"Oh, are you going to try-out for the dueling club?" asked Eila.
"Of course, I have to beat that Sheridan jerk. His britches are pulled way too high for his own good. Let's practice some basic spells tomorrow after Potions class."
Eila looked at her shoes angrily, as if she were going to start spitting acid at them at any moment.
"He's…I hate him." Said Eila. She looked up from her shoes, "He doesn't think that girls can fight. He doesn't think we'll make it on the squad!"
"I know; I heard him too! What a jerk, he is!"
"I can't believe that Sheridan's related to Steven; I bet he thinks that I can make it on to the squad!"
"What do you see in Steven, anyway?"
"Well…He's smart, he's strong, and he listens to me."
"I don't like any of those Braes—"
"Just because they're pure-blood, right?"
"Well, their parents are pure-blood maniacs—"
Eila exclaimed, "Well, that doesn't mean that their children are. I don't know about Sheridan, but I know for a fact that Steven is not. I mean look at you and Sirius."
Rana rolled her eyes and continued playing her guitar, trying to block out everything else.
XxXxX
The next day was the tryouts for the Gryffindor Sparring Squad (now called G.S.S, because we are lazy). Eila and Rana had both agreed to meet in the courtyard in front of the Herbology greenhouse.
Rana looked at her watch nervously, "She's late, and only two more hours until tryouts, What the bloody hell was she thinking?"
Eila ran up to Rana, panting, "I'm sorry I'm late, but I had a little run-in with Professor Slughorn. He wants to have you over for a party tomorrow, and he insists that we come."
Rana smirked, "Take a breath, Eila, you are not that late, I just got here myself," Rana lied. "Anyway, are you prepped for tryouts?"
"Yeah, I have everything, I'm just a bit…a bit scared, that's all."
"What is there to be afraid of? It's just a bunch of sweaty jocks who think they are good with magic. Gryffindor hasn't won a dueling cup for almost a decade, it shouldn't be that hard."
"Yeah, I guess," Eila returned shyly "But they are a bit older than us, so they will know mare magic, won't they?"
"Well, obviously, Eila. But that is why you are here. did you nick that third-year book off of that Hufflepuff kid?"
"Yeah, here it is, Basics for expert beginners, volume three by Harold G. Wandypants."
Rana smirked as Eila read the last mane of the author, "That's hilarious! Wandypants! Are you sure that's what it says?"
"Yeah, it's in big gold letters here," Replied Eila, "Okay, let's practice." Rana looked in the book and turned to Eila. She said, pointing her wand at Eila, "Piscus Verto!" Eila then, turned into a bright green fish. Rana cheered, "It worked! Okay, Piscus Reverto!" Eila then turned back into herself.
Rana said, "Okay, now it's your turn."
Eila lifted her wand and squeaked, "Multis Lacrimis!" A purple jet of magic rushed out of her wand and hit Rana. Rana started crying immediately.
Eila gasped, "Oh, I'm sorry, did I hurt you?!?"
Rana started laugh-crying and said, "No, I'm…fine…that's the spell…it makes you cry…It'll ware off…hopefully…Rictumsempra!" The spell had hit Eila and she started rolling on the floor, laughing maniacally.
Once both of these spells wore off, the two friends laughed at how stupid Eila looked as a fish.
XxXxX
Rana and Eila both walked into the Gryffindor Dueling Gym. Rana looked very confident and angry, however, Eila looked nervous and scared. The gym was laden with 4th, 5th, 6th, & 7th year boys. There were no other girls. This gym was pretty big, but it was very beautiful. It looked about three and a half miles around. There was a long stage in the middle of it, where Sheridan Brae was standing lazily, his wand clutched in his right hand .
Rana smirked confidently at the people, who were parrying spells off one another, "Ha! These guys look whimper than I thought!" Rana drew her wand and looked around, "Eila, I think that we sign up over there; come with me."
Eila followed Rana to a small table, where an older Gryffindor was sitting, carefully calculating something. H looked up at the two girls, "You two are in the wrong room, charms club is the next door. This is the dueling squad."
Rana smiled and laughed softly as she remarked, "Oh, I'm sorry, but you seem to be in the wrong room, this is not the ninny-pantywaist-pansy- ickle- wittle miss muffin baking class, either. We are here to sign up to duel."
The boy looked at Rana as he took a quill and dipped it into some ink, "Name, and year here please, and sign these forms stating that yu will not sue if you get hurt. You duel at your own risk, got it, creampuff?"
"I get it," Rana sighed as she read and signed the papers, "So, when do I go on?"
The boy sighed again, "Rana Aries Black, Is it? You will be going against Captain Brae shortly. God luck (you'll need it)."
Rana thanked him as she sat down on a bench near a shaking third year, "Don-don't do it! They were absolute-a-a-absolutely b-b-b-brutal to me!" He started to cry. Rana ignored him as she examined the fighting style of the leader. "Very loose style, not very precise, just get behid him, and keep moving. A quick spell and…defend!" She screamed in her head as the previous dueler defended a spell. The other dueler was down for the cound and Sheridan wiped some sweat off his brow. He grabbed his clipboard and called out Rana's name. She quickly got up and stepped onto the catwalk. The boys looked at Rana and started booing her to get off the stage. Rana smirked as she nodded to Sheridan, "Ready when you are, Captain Brae."
Sheridan remarked, "I'm not going to fight a girl!"
"What, are you scared that you are going to get your arse kicked in front of these boys?"
The crowd jeered with excitement as Rana threw the insult at him.
"No, I'm afraid I migh hurt your, delicate frame." He said as he stroked her neck.
"Delicate? Who me? You must be talking about yourself!" She spat as she bowed, "Prepare yourself!"
Sheridan half-bowed as he walked to his spot, grumbling angrily, "Ready, six successful shots to be on the team . Ready? Go!"
"Expelliarmus! Perterreo!" Rana cast as she aggressively as she got ready to block.
Sheridan scrambled to get his wand, "Levicorpus!"
"Protego! Reducto!"
Sheridan blew backwards five feet and slammed into the wall. He recovered quickly and waited for Rana to approach. She did. He cast a quick spell, but Rana grabbed Sheridan's shoulder, and turned him around and cast Levicorpus at his back. He flew upside down, his pant legs goingdown to his knees. Rana undid the spell and called "Piscus Verto!"
Seriden turned into a fish. Rana picked up the little minnow and turned him pack, "Stupefy!" the match was over. Sheriden, who knew he was defeated got up to his feet and gave Rana her rank, "You are first Dea'arch. Congratulations." Rana smiled and got off the stage, boys parting their way, so she won't turn them into a fish.
Sheridan called out to the crowd, looking off of a clipboard, "Clough! Get up here!" Eila nervously walked up the steps and onto the stage. The crowd of boys were all laughing at Eila because of all people, Eila, the smallest of them all showed up to be on the Dueling team, of all teams. Eila took a deep breath and walked to the middle of the stage, bowed, as did Sheridan, turned back and put her wand at the ready. He said, "Good Luck I think you'll need it."
He said, "Expelliarmus!"
"Protego! C-Cruentus!" she said, rather quickly. The spell hit his chest, which was now gruesomely stained with blood.
"Incarcerous!" yelled Sheridan. Ropes emerged from his wand, aiming for Eila.
Eila ducked and yelled, pointing her wand, "R-R-Reducio! L-Levicorpus!" Both spells had hit Sheridan quite turbulently. He had shrunk to the size of a pocket-dictionary and was dangling upside down by his ankles. Eila counter-cursed these two spells and waited for him to attack.
He started, "Petrificus Tota—"
"Expelliarmus! Rictumsempra! Multis Lacrimis!" Eila said, in one breath. Sherdian's wand flew out of his hand, as he started rolling on the floor fighting between laughing and crying. It was quite funny.
After Eila had counter-cursed all of these spells, she walked up to Sheridan and helped him up.
He held out his hand as Eila took it Sheridan shook it proudly. He said, "Welcome to the team, mate."
"Oh…thanks…" she replied, "What position?"
"Second Dea'arch."
"Okay…cool…" she said, walking towards the back of the crowd to watch everyone else.