24. The Masamune Duel
"I want you all to think of the most famous sword you've ever hear of."
The class stared blankly at Professor Argano as he sat perched on his desk. Weak February sunlight slanted through the classroom's windows.
Neville's hand raised slowly and Argano nodded, "Longbottom?"
"Excalibur?"
Ryan shook his head, "Fair guess, but that one's fictional. Anyone else?"
Even Hermione kept her hand down.
Ryan sighed, "I can't say I'm surprised, most weapon magic has fallen by the wayside over the past few hundred years. Which is why none of you have ever heard of the Masamune."
Seamus raised a hand, "What is it?"
"The only sword every successfully forged from mythril silver." The class continued to stare blankly at him and he sighed, "which of course means nothing to any of you. I had hoped that some of you might have been a bit interested in the subject matter and read ahead, but seeing as that was not the case, you're homework for tonight is to read chapter eighteen."
The class grumbled and there was a moment of quills scratching on parchment as they wrote down the assignment. Ryan smiled, "Good, moving on. I ask because for those of you who have taken an interest in weapon's magic, I've gotten permission to hold a little tournament, following strict rules of course, and named it in honor of the Masamune."
Dean Thomas grinned, "Do we get the sword if we win?"
"Very funny Mr. Thomas. So then, do we have any volunteers to represent Gryffindor? Oh, and I'm sorry to say Mr. Potter that you won't even be allowed to enter, Headmaster Sideson's orders."
Harry hadn't been particularly interested in the competition, but felt more than a bit irked that he was being unilaterally banned. He hoped Malfoy wouldn't find out, the entire Slytherin house would have a field day.
Ron raised his hand, "I'll do it."
Ryan grinned, "Excellent, Mr. Weasley. I'll want to speak with you after class, as for the rest of you, should you want to watch and cheer him on, the tournament will be two days from now, Thursday after dinner."
After class Harry and Hermione went ahead, with Professor Sprout in tow as they headed for the library. Hermione was a bit worried to say the least.
"Didn't they learn anything from the ridiculous dueling club in the second year? A couple years go by and they're ready to start the whole mess over again. And this time with swords!"
Harry suppressed a grin, "I'm sure it will be fine. Sideson approved it so it can't be that bad. Besides, I'm sure Ryan knows what he's doing."
"It's not Ryan I'm worried about," she muttered darkly, "it's Ron."
* * *
Worries about Ron were shoved violently to the side the next day at the end of Transfiguration.
"What!?" Dean's surprised exclamation echoed through the otherwise deathly silent room.
Professor McGonagall offered up an exasperated sigh and looked over her glasses at him. "Honestly, Mr. Thomas, this should not be such a surprise to you. Had you been paying any attention at all this year, you would have known that your Ordinary Wizarding Levels will begin March fifth."
"But that's only three weeks away!"
"Yes Seamus, three weeks. And one would hope that you would all have begun preparing long before now."
Hermione was the only one in the room who didn't look as if her world had dropped away from beneath her. Ron looked almost catatonic. Harry merely resigned himself to long, long hours of studying followed by long, long hours of wracking his brains to remember whatever he studied.
Professor McGonagall shook her head in exasperation, "Look at it this way, at least you won't have finals."
The class seemed to take that as small comfort as they trudged out the door and headed for Gryffindor tower. Ron looked almost ill with anticipation. "They can't expect us to remember everything from the past five years can they?"
Hermione rolled her eyes, "Please Ron, it's not everything. It's just the major components of our major courses. How hard can that be?"
"We're screwed," Ron moaned.
"I'd forgotten how close they were," Harry admitted. "How much Potions will they include from this year? It's not as if we've had a very flowing curriculum."
"I think you're both making this into far more than it is, I'm sure we'll all do fine."
Ron stared at her incredulously, "Fine, she says. Fine, when we've got three weeks to relearn everything we've covered in the past four and a half years?"
Harry nodded, "I wonder if we can get a special allowance to room in the library."
Hermione turned to face Ron, "I'm more worried about your duel tomorrow."
"Oh that. Professor Argano assured me that it's completely safe, what could go wrong?"
Harry grimaced, "I think you should know better than to ask that by now."
* * *
Though the tournament had only been open to fifth years, and only one student from each house had joined, word had spread and so a respectable crowd remained in the great hall after dinner to watch. The tables had been pushed to the sides and a large ring had been chalked out in the middle. The stone floor in the ring had been temporarily enchanted to feel like a squishy mat instead of, well, a stone floor.
Ron stood to the side in a simple red robe, next to him was the Hufflepuff challenger in canary yellow. In the center Ryan Argano stood to explain the rules, and to his side stood a slender girl in Ravenclaw blue. Beyond her, Draco Malfoy stood grinning, resplendent in Slytherin green.
The crowd settled as Ryan raised his arms and explained the rules and conditions. "Welcome to the first annual," he grinned, "and judging by how these things usually go, probably the last annual, Masamune duel!" He paused a minute to let those gathered cheer, with a smattering of good natured laughter mixed in. Hermione wasn't the only one who recalled the failed dueling club three years before. "We are here to see which of these four possesses the greatest skill and style with a blade. These swords are identical, their edges have been padded and both have identical enchantments. A hit on the body is a point, hits on the head are two points. Matches will go to ten points.
"For our first round, Slytherin versus Hufflepuff!"
Malfoy jumped confidently into the ring and picked his blade off the floor with a whirling flourish. The stout boy from Hufflepuff entered more calmly, picked up his blade and squared his feet.
"Oh, I forgot to mention, stepping out of the ring is an automatic loss. Begin!"
Malfoy darted forward with a low jab, which he turned into a feint to slash above the Hufflepuff's parry. The Hufflepuff boy barely brought his blade up in time to block.
Hermione shook her head, "Slimy rich snob, doesn't it just figure he's had fencing lessons?"
Malfoy stepped back from a slash, letting his opponent's weight overbalance him, then stepped in to land two blows on the Hufflepuff's head before dancing out of range again. Looking a bit dazed, the Hufflepuff boy stepped back, closer to the boundary line. Malfoy made as if to make a high downward strike, then tucked his blade to his side and rolled under the anticipated cross swing. He ended up crouched on the line, to the back and side of his opponent. The Hufflepuff boy, still leaning back to avoid Malfoy's previous strike, had no chance when Malfoy swung into the back of his legs and took his feet out from under him. The Hufflepuff boy landed with a thud outside the ring and Malfoy jumped lightly to his feet.
Ryan nodded approval. "Excellent show. Next match is Ravenclaw versus Gryffindor." Ron and the Ravenclaw girl, Mary-Kate, entered the ring. "Begin!"
The match was over almost as soon as it began.
The Ravenclaw slashed high and Ron brought up his blade in a smooth, double handed riposte. Their hilts locked for a moment until, with a deft twist, Ron sent Mary-Kate's blade sailing out of the ring. He tapped her ten times on the flank with his blade.
Then his eyes fluttered open and he seemed a bit confused.
Harry uttered a low whistle in the otherwise silent room, "That's just too creepy."
Hermione nodded, "Professor Argano said he was a natural but…"
"But I had no idea," Harry finished. Harry's memory flashed to an image of Ryan Argano with eyes closed floating through the air, guns blazing. He shivered.
Ryan clapped his hands together a few times. "Beautiful! Looks like we have some raw talent here!"
Hermione shook her head, "I don't think Ron's ever held a sword in his life. That beginner's luck is going to hold against Malfoy."
"I think it's Malfoy who's going to need the luck."
"The final match, Gryffindor versus Slytherin."
Draco reentered the ring and sneered, "Face it Weasley, you're whole family's second rate. None of you could ever hope to best a Malfoy."
Ron nodded solemnly, "You're right, ferret, we can find much better standards to beat."
Draco's sneer became a snarl of rage.
"Begin!"
Draco tried the low jab again, this time following through instead of feinting. Ron sidestepped it neatly with a spin and tapped his blade lightly against the side of Malfoy's head, then he spun away just as quickly and waited.
Hermione looked more worried than ever, "I've never seen Ron move like that before." Harry said nothing, but he too felt a sense of unease creeping into his belly. The image of Ryan as a mindless killing machine flashed into his head again.
"Open your eyes damnit!" Malfoy hissed, "I won't let you humiliate me like this!"
He rolled forward then, slashing vertically in a strike that should have caught Ron under his chin and tossed him out of the ring. Instead it found only air as Ron spun on his ankle to end behind Malfoy once more. His blade tapped the back of Malfoy's head twice.
Malfoy howled in inarticulate rage and spun on his knees to bring his blade in at Ron's ankles. Ron jumped the slash landed in its wake. Then he thrust forward his blade to catch Malfoy in the chest. Draco tumbled back off his feet to sprawl on his back. The tip of Ron's blade landed once more on his chest and then between his eyes.
"Perfect match!" Ryan almost howled in his delight.
Ron's eyes fluttered open again, he silently handed the sword to Ryan, then turned away. He stumbled a bit as he left the ring. Hermione rushed to his side ahead of the throng of jubilant Gryffindors. "Ron, are you all right?"
Ron nodded shakily, "Yeah, I'm just exhausted."
Harry caught up as well, "How was it you did that Ron?"
Ron shrugged uneasily, "Part of the enchantment I guess."
Harry spared a glance and sure enough, Ryan was watching them leave with an unreadable expression.
Hermione shook her head, "That scared me Ron," she said quietly, "I hope you don't have to do that again."
Ron still seemed a bit shaken and was quick to agree, "Me too," then he managed a smile, "I guess we've got some studying to do."
