Chapter 8

The Dueling Club



Vera yawned as she woke up, then grimaced as she remembered where she was. Sitting up, she twisted her wrist experimentally. It was still sore, but the bones were mended.

Madam Pomfery hastened to the bedside and inspected Vera's wrist. "Well, it looks all right. You're free to go, but if it starts to act up, come and see me at once."

Vera nodded and quickly dressed behind the screens, eager to get out of the hospital wing. As she stepped past the door, and made her way back to the Gryffindor Tower, she heard a voice calling her from behind.

Turning, Vera stopped when she saw that it was none other than the caretaker, Argus Filch calling her and holding her cat within his arms. "Shields! I believe that this is your cat?"

Vera nodded numbly. "Uh, Yeah. Is something wrong?"

"I found her over by the. the. crime scene," he replied, before making an attempt to swipe at his eyes, showing he was still sensitive about the subject of Mrs. Norris. "Wouldn't want another cat to be hurt. Those are some unusual markings around her neck, the white spots."

Vera nodded as Athena leapt from Filch's arms onto her shoulder. "It was rather odd, they appeared just after I arrived at Hogwarts. I figure it's just something in the air. Well, thanks Filch."

She turned and walked swiftly away, wincing as Athena dug her claws into Vera's shoulder in an attempt to keep her balance. "I don't know what you were doing there, but please don't go there again. It's bad enough with everything going on, I don't need to watch over you too."

Athena purred and swung her tail in front of Vera's nose. Swatting it away, she sighed. "I mean it Athena. Wattlebird." The portrait swung open and Vera entered the common room. Athena jumped from her shoulder and settled herself in one of the vacant chairs.

Arms wrapped around Vera from behind and she grinned. "Hello Oliver."

"How did you know it was me?" Wood asked, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Now, who else would it be? George?"

Wood swung her around so that she was facing him and looked at her seriously. "Are you and George not telling me something?"

Vera laughed. "Oh, I didn't tell you that we were going behind your back?"

He laughed and pulled her closer to him. "I'm so sorry for everything Vera."

"I know you are, you can stop apologizing now. Just trust me in the future, all right?" He nodded and Vera smiled again, happy for the first time in days.

~*~*~*~

Vera sighed as she made her way into the common room, having just had a rather long stay in her Study of Ancient Runes class. One of her translations was extremely off, so she had to stay afterward to figure out what had gone wrong.

As the portrait swung outward, Vera was bombarded with a wave of sound, coming from the anxious Gryffindors inside. Pushing her way up to her dormitory, she dropped her stuff on her bed, waking the once sleeping Athena.

Katie nearly bounced into the room, showing obvious excitement. "Are you going tonight?"

"Going where?" Vera asked, hardly looking up as she started to organize some of her books, much to the dislike of the cat.

"Going to the first meeting for the Dueling Club!"

"What Dueling Club?"

Katie sighed in frustration. "Are you truly this dense? The whole school is talking about it! The first meeting is tonight! So, are you going?"

Vera paused to consider it. She had always known that she wanted to really know how to defend herself should certain ghosts of the past come calling. Trying to show as little ardor as possible, she nodded. "Why not? When do we go?"

Within moments, she found herself being pulled down the stairs and out of the portrait hole. They joined several more Gryffindors already on their way to the Great Hall, Wood among them.

"I see you managed to get her, Katie," commented Wood with a smile at seeing the somewhat dazed look on Vera's face. "Though I think a bit more grace could have been in order."

"I got her here didn't I?" replied Katie, smugly. "Otherwise I'm sure she would still be up there doing another translation."

Vera pulled her arm away from Katie. "Would you both stop talking to me as if I weren't here? I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions, thank you." The group turned into the Great Hall and found a place fairly close to the golden stage that had appeared along one wall. In a few moments, Vera gave a great sigh of defeat as Gilderoy Lockhart stepped onto the stage followed closely by Professor Snape.

"Maybe we should just go now," muttered Vera to Wood as Lockhart started speaking. "I highly doubt we are going to learn anything that's worth knowing tonight."

They both paused and looked up as Lockhart began a countdown. Then both Snape and Lockhart swung their wands above their heads and pointed them at their opponent; Snape cried: "Expelliarmus!" There was a dazzling flash of scarlet light and Lockhart was blasted off his feet: He flew backward off the stage, smashed into the wall, and slid down it to sprawl on the floor.

"Of course," put in Vera, wide-eyed, "I could be wrong." Vera tried to stifle her laugh as Lockhart climbed unsteadily to his feet and explained why he had just been outdone. Turning to the crowd, he and Snape descended from the stage, preparing to split people up into groups.

Lockhart reached her first. "Shields, let's see, why don't you pair off with Bell here. And Wood, why don't you go with Flint."

Wood opened his mouth to protest, but the Professor had already moved away. Turning around, he faced Flint with an emotionless expression on his face. "Flint."

Vera looked at them before turning to Katie. "They are going to kill each other unless we do something!"

"Vera, they may be rivals on the Quidditch field, but they aren't going to do something to hurt each other."

Vera held back her frustration. In a few moments, she told Katie what had happened the night she told Wood, how Flint had come in. Katie's eyes slid over to the two boys staring hard at each other. "They are going to kill each other."

"Face your partners!" called Lockhart, back on the platform. "And bow!"

Katie and Vera bowed, their eyes locked on the pair next to them. "Wands at the ready!" shouted Lockhart. "When I count to three, cast your charms to disarm your opponents - only to disarm them - we don't want any accidents - one . . . two . . . three - "

Wood and Flint seemed to move simultaneously as they swung their wands high and yelled, "Stupefy!"

Two jets of light erupted from the ends of the wands and collided, ricocheting off each other and turning to the two watching girls. Vera and Katie both dropped to the ground with a small yell of alarm, the spells flying harmlessly overhead to hit the wall.

Glancing at each other, they looked up again to see Wood and Flint exchanging punches before Lockhart started screaming, "Stop! Stop!"

The two boys separated away from each other as Snape shouted, "Finite Incantatem!" Flint nose was obviously broken as blood trickled down his face, dripping onto his ripped robe. Wood's own robe was ripped as he wiped at a bloody cut on his cheek, still glaring at Flint.

"Dear, dear," said Lockhart, skittering through the crowd, looking at the aftermath of the duels. He stared at the two bloodied sixth years, before moving on, not wanting to know what had started to fight.

Vera and Katie climbed to their feet and came to Wood's side. "Good Lord, Oliver, what did you do?"

Wood didn't quite stop staring at Flint, even when Adrian Pucey came and steered him away. "We never quite finished our business."

Vera rolled her eyes and turned to watch as Harry and Malfoy faced each other. On Lockhart's mark, Malfoy raised his wand quickly and bellowed, "Serpensortia!"

A long black snake shot out of Malfoy's wand and landed heavily onto the floor. Some screamed as everyone backed away, trying to put as much distance between themselves and the snake that was prepared to strike.

Lockhart tried to get rid of the snake, but only made it fly ten feet in the air and land closer to those trying to get away from it. The snake then headed towards Justin Finch-Fletchley and prepared to strike.

Harry ran towards the snake and shouted at it, but instead of normal words, an odd hissing sound came out of Harry's mouth, and the snake slumped to the floor. Vera gasped in surprise. "He's a parselmouth?"

Wood was just as surprised. "I had no idea." They watched as the Hufflepuff stormed out of the Hall and Snape made the snake disappear. Moments later, Ron and Hermione tugged Harry out of the Hall, leaving a very nervous group of students behind.

"Right, well that will be all for this first lesson," said Lockhart, trying to sound cheerful. "You can all leave now. I will be in my office if anyone would care for some additional advice."

Vera rolled her eyes and pulled Wood out of the Hall, heading for the Gryffindor Tower. She hardly spoke as they made their way into the common room, too busy trying to sort out everything that was going on in her mind.

When they entered the room, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were speaking quietly in a corner. Vera pushed Wood onto the couch and sat on the table opposite him. "Would you please tell me what happened?"

Wood shrugged. "I told you that we had some unfinished business."

Katie rolled her eyes. "Not good enough Oliver. Try telling the truth."

He was reluctant to repeat Flint's words, but yielded under the stare of both girls. "He said that he hoped the next attack was on Vera, so that he didn't have to see us together."

Vera paled visibly. She looked down at her hands, trying to ignore the sudden silence around them. Forcing a laugh, she said, "Is that all."

"Vera, it's going to be all right," replied Wood, trying to reassure her. "Nothing is going to happen to you."

She looked up, shaking her head. "You don't know that." Taking the sleeve of her robe, she wiped away the blood from the cut across his cheek. "You can't be sure." She stood up and left the room, leaving Wood and Katie behind.

Wood sighed and ran a hand over his face. "This is not good. Look, tell me if anything happens."

Katie nodded. "Though maybe she won't have any bad dreams with the thought of you breaking Flint's nose."

Wood smiled. "I can only hope."



~*~*~*~

Hehe, Wood broke Flint's nose. Hehe. Anyway, I hope that everyone is enjoying this story, every bit of feedback means a lot to me. The next chapter's working title is: Comforting Sleep. Once again, subject to change. Anyway, click on the little button on the bottom and let me know what you think. Thanks again! ~ Alexandra