Jtyw - welcome! Can't believe you caught up that fast!

I Found two interesting very short pieces written by Neci . I recommend reading them. One is advice from Arthur to Ginny, and the other is called 'Valiant', sort of a brief Ode to Gryffindors.

A/N: Well, I've finally done it. Some of you already know that this Slytherin lass has developed a bit of a fascination with a certain Gryffindor, and that I've had a little plot bunny nagging me insistently for quite some time. (Pesky as pixies, those bunnies.) I've finally started on a story for him. (Sorry, not you, Scott.) I'm talking about Sirius Black.

It's called Days of a Dog Summer and it begins where POA leaves off, after Sirius has been on the run with Buckbeak. It's rated R to give me a little more leeway where I walk a fine line sometimes with the rating. The prologue of sorts, and the first real chapter are up. Let me know if you think it has promise.

Oh, and since I've been busy this week with Sirius and the duel, Tom will be back next chapter. ;)

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The Duel ~*~

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The morning had dawned cool and misty, but by afternoon the fog had burned off and left a gray, clouded sky over the clearing where the council was to meet again. Nearly forty-eight hours had elapsed since the group had last been present, and as the council members arrived to take their seats, many of the Nemorosi witches and wizards gathered to witness the not-often-seen event.

Perth stood a ways off in the trees, watching as Severus paced agitatedly back and forth in front of him, black robes swirling every time he turned.

"This is ridiculous," he snarled for the third time, whirling and pacing back the other way.

"It'll be over soon," Taber said. "You're going to be fine, Severus. You've just got a case of nerves, that's all," the older man said, trying to calm the younger one down.

"I still can't believe that I ever let you talk me into opening my mouth in front of that bloody council!" Severus snapped, venting his frustration on his newly acquired teacher.

Taber laughed. "I merely gave you the suggestion, my friend. You're the one that decided that she was worth putting yourself on the line for."

Snape stopped pacing and stared at Taber. "I suppose that you've gotten what you want? You're convinced now that I really care about her?" He asked.

"I am." Perth still looked a bit amused.

"Splendid." Snape hissed.

Taber smiled at him warmly. "I believe that she is as well." He indicated where Lorien was walking towards them, looking lovely with her hair up and clad in rich green Nemorosi robes. "I'll meet you over there," he said quietly, leaving Severus to speak with Lorien alone.

"It's nearly time," she said softly as she came to stand near him.

He shrugged.

"You don't have to do this, you know," she said.

"I know," he said with a sigh. "Promise you'll do your best to patch me back together afterwards."

"I have before," she teased. "And when you've survived much worse than Marius, at that," she said as she moved closer and reached up to gently touch his temple. "It's all up here, Severus." She placed her hand against his cheek. "You're the most talented wizard I know, and I have ever so much faith in you."

Severus looked into her eyes and reached out to draw her closer. He leaned down a little to kiss her as she closed her eyes, but stopped abruptly when Marius walked by and commented.

"Get a good one in now, while you're still standing, old man," Marius sneered. He laughed and continued to walk away.

Severus looked unbelievingly at Lorien. "Old man? Did he just call me old man?"

Lorien cringed a little. "Yes."

"On second thought, perhaps you'd better be ready to patch Marius back together," he snarled, and turned to walk in the direction the younger blonde wizard had just gone. He whirled abruptly again, covered the distance back to Lorien in a few steps, grabber her around the waist and pulled her sharply against him. He kissed her soundly as before she could even react. "Hold that thought," he commanded, and let her go to follow Marius to the clearing.

Lorien looked up as she saw Rachel, Ilizabeth, and Althea approach.

"Ready, love?" Rachel asked squeezing Lorien's hand.

Lorien nodded, and her three friends accompanied her to watch the duel.

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Draco walked to the clearing and spotted Harry standing in a spot not far from Remus and Sirius so that he could witness the duel between the brash Marius and the Hogwarts Potions master, and he went to stand a short distance away from the irritating Gryffindor. He wanted to be close at hand to be able to say 'I told you so' when Potter lost their bet.

Draco, of course thought the whole idea of a wandless duel was absolutely pointless, and he had little respect for the blonde wizard's abilities, but if the man was willing to go to this much trouble to make life difficult for Snape, well, Draco had to admit that it did score a few points in his mind.

"Isn't this unreal?"

Draco looked to his left to see Beska stepping into place next to him, looking at the clearing. She was wearing the traditional green Nemorosi robes this afternoon, and Draco noted quickly that they clung here and there in all the right places as he looked her over.

He smiled at her. "Good afternoon, Beska," he drawled. "You look very nice," he commented offhandedly.

The dark haired girl blushed a little. "Thank you. That's sweet of you to say so." She smiled at the taller boy.

"Sweet, nothing. One look at you and I can almost imagine myself in that clearing." He flirted shamelessly, taking in the exposed areas of her olive skin.

Beska laughed and blushed a deeper shade. "You're a wicked one, Draco."

He touched her arm for a second and looked into her eyes. "You have no idea." He purred.

Beska laughed again as Draco suddenly caught Harry glancing his direction. He frowned a little.

"What?" Beska looked where Draco was looking. "Your classmate - he's Harry Potter, isn't he?" She asked suddenly.

Draco was annoyed that she knew who Harry was so quickly, and also that she had that typical trace of awe in her voice. "Yes," he said with forced patience.

"It must be difficult for him to be so famous," Beska commented. She looked back at Draco. "I suppose it must be difficult for everyone around him at times as well."

Draco stared at her, surprised at this view from the young Nemorosi. He shrugged. "Annoying is more like it."

"I guess I can see your point," she said. "It's not really his fault, but does it bother you that he constantly gets all kinds of attention?"

Draco shrugged. "I guess. You know, I think you're the first non- Slytherin to ever say that to me about Potter," he said, scrutinizing her a little. "What makes you so insightful?" He asked, flirting once again.

She rolled her eyes. "I went to school with Fleur Delacour. That should speak for itself."

Draco grinned at her, knowing that it was probably annoying for a lot of the girls to fall in the shadow of the overachieving witch of veela descent.

"Talk about annoying," she said, 'if it wasn't one thing about her, it was another."

"Tell me! It's always Potter this, Potter that!" Draco sneered.

"I bet he practically has his own fanclub, doesn't he?" She commiserated.

"And the worst part is the teachers. They absolutely adore him," Draco replied.

"Doesn't the favoritism just make you want to gag?" She asked.

"Daily." Draco admitted, and then looked to where the duel was about to get underway.

He watched Snape sweep into the clearing, an imposing tall figure in black, and thought about what Beska had just said. Snape was one of the few teachers that didn't blatantly favor Potter. Even now that it was so apparent that his loyalties no longer were with the dark lord, Snape still refused to grant Harry any extra leeway. There was something to be said for that, and Draco found that it was one of the things that he still grudgingly respected in the man.

Draco took one last look at the dark eyed girl beside him. Her comments had been a breath of fresh air in place of all the usual Potter-worship, and he found that he thought maybe she wasn't so bad, for a Nemorosi treehugger, anyway.

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Snape barely heard any of what the woman at the head of the council was saying as he glared at Marius. The arrogant younger Nemorosi was looking at him the same way, and he found himself furious that the idiot would go through all this just to annoy Lorien and make things difficult all the way around. He took a deep breath, and forced himself to marshal control of his anger. It wouldn't do to enter the duel in an irrational state, and Snape knew he needed to have his wits about him if he were going to have any chance of standing up to Marius.

Marius himself was pleased with the mayhem that he had created, and was looking forward to dispatching Snape quickly. He knew that there was little chance if any that Lorien would look on him favorably afterwards, but it was enough to annoy his ex to no end, and Marius considered that payment in return for her ending their relationship.

He'd seen the irrational anger that his comment had elicited from Snape a few minutes before, and he turned to listen to the last instructions that the head of the council gave, quite pleased with himself.

He was less pleased when he glanced again at Snape and saw the calm, unblinking stare meet his own with a cold, glittering, black gaze. He had the faintest impression of a predator lurking in the shadows of those dark eyes, waiting patiently for the right moment to spring forth and snatch unsuspecting prey. He didn't think he liked what he thought he saw.

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Lorien stood next to Perth with her three girlfriends on her other side, and Remus and Sirius just beyond Taber. Harry stood near his godfather, and a bit beyond him, Draco stood watching with Beska LaRue. Lorien was nervous, and she hoped that it didn't show too much. She didn't want Severus to see any hint of doubt from her whatsoever, but she couldn't help but worry about the outcome.

Rachel took Lorien's hand, knowing that her friend must be worried about her wizard, and she smiled reassuringly at her concerned friend who gratefully clung to her hand. "Scared?" She asked in a whisper.

"A little." Lorien admitted in a low whisper.

"He'll be fine," Rachel said.

"I know," said Lorien quietly.

"He's gotten through worse," added Rachel. "You've said so yourself."

"I know," repeated Lorien.

"Then why do you look so worried?" Rachel asked.

"Do I?" Lorien was concerned that Severus would notice.

"Yes."

"Damn. I hope he doesn't see it. It's just that...Rachel, what do I do if it comes to a draw?" Lorien asked nervously.

Rachel's eyes went wide. She hadn't considered that it might end that way, and she looked at Lorien sympathetically. "Let's just hope it doesn't."

"Yes, but what if it does?" Lorien asked, still in a low whisper.

"I'd say that Marius is in deep trouble." Rachel said, quite amused.

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Remus and Sirius could tell that something was bothering Lorien, and Remus leaned closer to Perth. "What's got Lorien so frazzled over there?"

Taber leaned over to whisper back. "She and Rachel are worried about the duel ending in a draw."

"That wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, would it?" Remus asked very quietly.

"No." Taber appeared thoughtful.

"What happens if it's a draw?" Remus asked.

"Lorien will be the one to decide the outcome." Taber replied, watching as the two men moved to face each other.

"Oh." Remus said. "Shouldn't be a big deal then, should it?" He leaned away again.

Perth answered quietly, nearly to himself. "It could."

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The contrast between the two opponents was striking as they met in the center of the clearing. The slightly younger Marius was tanned, fair haired and ruggedly handsome, dressed in robes of crimson and brown, and he carried himself with an air of reckless arrogance. Severus painted a different picture altogether - taller, fairer of skin and raven haired, and as he watched the younger man with unnerving intensity in his ebony eyes, Marius was once again reminded of a predator's unblinking stare.

The two wizards squared off, eyeing each other for a moment longer, and then with a word from the head of the council it began.

Marius acted first, seeking to gauge just how much the foolish teacher had learned in the past few days, so that he didn't make any careless mistakes, and could end this quickly. He spoke a word and hit Snape with a moderate stunning spell, and was pleased when it drove the dark robed mage back a couple of paces. Snape had managed to block it, but it was apparent that what he had learned was going to have it's limitations.

Marius hit him twice more, with the same spell, toying with him, and Snape managed to parry it each time, but was driven backwards a few paces with each hex.

Marius grinned at the man across from him. "Shall we make it a little more interesting?" He asked sarcastically.

"Be my guest." Snape replied calmly.

'Arrogant bastard.' Thought Marius. 'Acting so calm when you're about to get your ass kicked.' He spoke a different spell and slammed Snape ferociously. He grinned as the Potions master was shoved back considerably, and nearly lost his balance.

Lorien tensed and gasped as she saw Severus nearly fall after being struck by the hex that Marius hurled at him. It was unnerving to watch this, knowing that she had to, and that she couldn't interfere.

Snape managed to recover and faced Marius calmly again.

"You don't look too worried," Marius commented, circling his opponent.

"Why should I be worried?" Snape purred, watching Marius with cold eyes.

"Because," Marius replied, slamming Snape brutally again and taking several steps closer to the backpedaling man, "you're about to be taught a lesson, Professor." Marius sneered the last word.

"Really?" Snape asked, sounding a bit bored. "And I suppose that you're the one that's going to give me that lesson?"

"Definitely," Marius said, and raised his hand to hex Snape again.

Severus fell back a few more paces - just far enough for Marius to remain convinced that he had the upper hand. "Very well then, Marius. Let's begin, shall we? I must warn you," he said, folding his arms across his chest, "I'm a quick study." Snape stood unmoving, black eyes boring into those of the Nemorosi mage.

"Fine, then study this!" Marius cried, and hit Snape with the very type of spell the Potions master hoped the now overconfident younger wizard would. A large blast of fire blazed from where Marius had conjured it and struck the black robed man dead on.

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Rachel, Ilizabeth, and Althea gasped as the fireball hit Snape, and Lorien leaned forward a little to see better what had happened though the cloud of flame and smoke. She prayed to Merlin that the amulet she had given him had done its job, or she was indeed going to have her work cut out for her patching him back together.

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Marius shook his head in disgust. Snape hadn't even had a chance of blocking that one. He hadn't even tried. It was over too all too quickly, and he took a step forward to see if the man had even survived as the flame and smoke evaporated.

Snape involuntarily squeezed his eyes shut as the enormous blast hit him, and as the temperature around him soared upwards to a frightening degree, he found he remained unharmed by the flames. He thanked Merlin at that point that the witch that loved him was also large green fire-breathing lizard, and it occurred to him at that moment that there was just something damn sexy about the woman being a dragon. Save that thought for later.

When the smoke cleared, Marius was more than a little surprised not to find Snape in a smoldering pile of burning black robes, and even more surprised when the man stepped forward quickly and grabbed him by the front of his own robes.

"My turn," Snape said in a low dangerous voice, and he dumped the contents of the small vial he had pulled out of the small velvet pouch at his belt down the front of the robes that Marius wore. A single word ignited the flammable mix and Marius suddenly discovered that he was the one on fire.

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Lorien smiled on the sidelines as she watched the discomfort that Marius was now in while he worked at extinguishing the flaming robe he wore. She thought he'd better put them out quickly, because she'd be damned if she were going to lift a finger to heal the portion of his anatomy that was now in jeopardy.

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Severus had plenty of time to pull another vial as Marius cursed heartily and jumped around for a moment while he was trying to extinguish the flames. This one was a smoky violet color and Snape downed the contents himself, hoping the Class IV would restore his vision quickly should Marius go for a blinding hex.

Marius looked at Snape furiously as he finally cast off the burning robe and they faced each other again.

Snape dodged the next curse, not knowing what he had just avoided, but knowing enough Nemorosi to know that it sounded nasty. The following one he blocked deftly, and likewise the one after that.

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Perth distractedly hit Remus in the arm each time his newest protégé correctly blocked the next spell, excited that he'd lasted this long. Remus merely rolled his eyes at Sirius.

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It was dawning on Marius that Snape was indeed a quick study, and that he was better prepared than he'd originally thought as the man actually cast a wandless hex that Taber had taught him the night before. It was a simple spell inducing severe vertigo, but Marius was surprised enough at Snape actually casting a spell on the offensive, that he didn't block all of it effectively in time. It was something that Perth and Severus had hoped for.

As Marius felt the ground start to spin away underneath him, he realized that he'd been hit, and he furiously lashed out at Snape again before falling to his knees.

Severus had dreaded this particular spell, and when it hit him he knew that he had no effective defense against it. Darkness surrounded him completely, and he hoped that Marius would be incapacitated long enough for the restorative potion to go to work. IF it worked. The Potions master's hand involuntarily went to his eyes, as disorientation set in and he dropped to his knees to keep from falling backwards.

Marius was miserable as the world spun around him. It was all he could do to remain upright on his knees while the intense sensation of imbalance and nausea that was quickly setting in. He could see that Snape was also on his knees, sightless with a hand pressed over his aching eyes. If he were going to be able to finish this it was right now, and he practically crawled the few feet to where Snape knelt.

Severus knew that Marius was closer, but how close he was he couldn't judge until his head was snapped back by forceful contact from Marius's fist, and he found himself knocked backwards, hand now going to his jaw. "Bastard!" He spat, tasting blood and feeling it on his chin as he struggled back to his knees.

Snape was beside himself. He'd been hit in the face more times than he'd care to recall recently, and the taste of blood again would have made him see red, if he could see at all.

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Lorien saw the blood as Severus hit the ground again, and involuntarily took a step forward. She stopped as Perth grabbed her arm and held her back, shaking his head silently as he drew her back to him. "Leave him," the gray haired wizard said softly.

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Marius fell over from the combined force of the contact of the punch at Snape, and the dizziness of the hex, and he struggled while feeling intensely nauseated to get back on his knees.

Snape made it to his knees first and pulled the other vial from his belt and waited. He'd only have one shot at this, and it was going to take a bit of a sacrifice on his part to be able to make it work. He braced himself as he heard Marius rising again, and waited for the next blow.

It came with alarming suddenness, and as Snape felt his head snap sideways again, he at least maintained the presence of mind to grab for the other man's arm, and he managed to pull the nauseated wizard backwards with him. Both men crashed into the ground with similar groans.

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Lorien's face sank into her hands as Perth tightened his grip around her shoulders. She hated seeing him bleeding, and she could barely bring herself to look back up.

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Snape knew that it was now or never and ignored the pain in his head and jaw as he felt Marius retching but trying to rise again next to him. If Marius hit him like that again, he was probably done. Severus swung his own hand blindly for Marius's head, but when he made contact it wasn't with a fist, it was with open fingers that grabbed a handful of long blonde hair and yanked the man's head back.

Marius let out a small grunt as his head was pulled back and he cursed at Snape as he reached up to pry open the deathgrip on his hair. It gave Snape just the opening he needed, and he flicked the top off the vial in his other hand with his thumb and aimed for where he guessed Marius's mouth to be. His blind estimate was only partially right, and Marius gagged as he swallowed a few drops of awful tasting potion.

If Marius had swallowed all of the petrifying draught, he would have found himself frozen in place until someone, and certainly not Snape, had managed to brew the correct mandrake restorative. He was fortunate to have only ingested a few drops, and he found that it just greatly impeded his movements. Between that and the intense vertigo he was experiencing, it was enough to keep Marius on the ground, struggling to rise.

Severus had let go of the handful of hair, and had fallen back again on the ground, panting from the exertion. He didn't know how much of the potion that Marius had received, and he didn't care. It evidently had been enough to stop the man from attacking again for the moment, and Snape could hear the man's ragged breathing a few feet away.

He wanted to get up, but between the blindness that had yet to wear off, and the ache in his eyes, head and jaw, it was difficult to know which way was up. He knew that all he had to do was make it to his feet again, and it would be over, and he struggled to make it at least as far as his knees. He might have actually won the duel at that point, if he had just a moment longer, but the woman that was the head of the council had judged that she'd given them enough time, and she finally called for the end.

Damn! Snape was frustrated at first, wanting to beat the arrogant Marius outright, but as he realized what he'd actually accomplished, he nodded to himself in grim satisfaction and was content with the draw. He'd kept his pride intact, and once someone cast the countercurse to the damn perpetual darkness spell, he would be free to go to Lorien, and the whole idiotic thing would be over.

He made no further attempt to get up, but stayed on his knees in the darkness, trying to catch his breath as the blood ran down his chin. Marius had made it to his knees nearby, and was now retching again from the vertigo-induced nausea.

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Mixed emotions broke out in the group standing around Lorien as several people went to help Marius and Severus to their feet. Taber stood there looking grave, Remus and Sirius were considering what Snape had just come through with grudging admiration, Harry was pleased that he hadn't lost the bet, and Draco was amazed that he hadn't won.

Lorien herself was standing looking at Rachel as if in shock until she heard Remus say something to her.

"I think they're going to need your help," he said, indicating the bleeding and staggering men that were being helped across the clearing. He frowned when he saw the look on her face. "Lorien, it's alright. Severus will be ok as soon as we reverse the blindness."

"It's not that," she said hoarsely.

"What's wrong?" He asked, now becoming concerned.

"It's a draw," said Rachel when Lorien didn't answer. "Now, Lorien will have to decide the outcome."

Remus shrugged. "So? All she has to do is pick Severus and it's over."

Taber finally spoke up. "It's not that simple, Remus. She has to face each of them in a duel herself, and which ever one defeats her is declared the winner."

Remus looked back across the clearing, and decided that he actually felt bad for the dark robed wizard that was at that moment, still blissfully ignorant of what was about to take place.