Into Fight Club
Ron blinked for half a second to find another fist slinging in his direction. He ducked and skirted to the corner. He heard a voice in the background, as if it was repeating itself patiently. "If this is your first night, you have to fight."
Harry hadn't jumped to the same spot, he was on the other side of the room, hidden behind a crowd of men shouting and chanting. Ron was attempting to escape the circle they had formed, a rough boxing ring made of bodies. It was no use however and so he turned to face the well-built man who had challenged him.
He noticed that the man's face was very beautiful, but for a huge swollen eye, scabbed over and the color of pale red roses. It was strange to become so observant all of a sudden when someone was throwing punches and kicks in your direction. Ron ducked another blow only to get hit in the stomach unexpectedly.
His opponent had found a weak spot in Ron's defensive tactics and the only way for the red haired boy to escape this unscathed was to hit back. He aimed a right hook and missed, scraping past the shock of blond hair that his opponent had spiked earlier in the day. It was like an halo atop his perfect head and had earned him the nickname Angel. Ron aimed again with a left hook and missed again.
His opponent landed a punch into his stomach and Ron reeled, feeling the urge to purge his stomach, filled with steak and kidney pie from lunch at Hogwarts. He caught his breath however and ran towards the blond man, lunging into his midsection and wrapping his arms around him. They both fell back into the floor and Ron had the advantage as the top man. He started to punch until his fists ached and finally his opponent tapped out when the blood streaming from his nose started to hamper his breathing.
The man stood with some help from Ron and shook his hand. "Well done." He said, clapping Ron on the back. He raised Ron's hand in the air and the boy let out a whoop of joy.
"Next fight." Called the voice from the background.
Harry stepped forward knowing full well what this was all about. The boys had fallen into the movie Fight Club and the voice in the background was none other than Tyler Durden. Harry had the honor of being challenged by Mr. Durden while the men around them shouted in tongues at Ron and the man called Angel.
He sized up his opponent who was shirtless, a cut man in the prime of his fighting days. Harry was breathing heavily as he stood it the human ring, opposite the man who was about to hand his ass to him.
"Don't worry Harry." Tyler said gently. "I want you to hit me as hard as you can."
Harry looked at him surprised. An open shot. He started to wind up and Tyler smiled. "Don't hold back." He said.
Harry didn't. He hit Tyler with as much force as he could muster, but he hardly seemed to dent the man. Tyler's eyebrows arched, the left side lifting a piece of medical tape holding together an old scratch from a previous fight. He punched Harry in the stomach and the boy fell immediately to the ground. He could hear Ron yelling at him to stand up, but the noise sounded more like the pounding of waves in the ocean. It was a strange feeling like his head was underwater and every sense was dampened.
He stood only to find a fist connecting with his nose. His eyes watered and he felt the blood begin to trickle down the back of his throat. The taste was acrid, like drinking hot metal. He didn't want to go down in this fight, not after Ron's spectacular performance against Angel. He started to swing wildly and felt two of his ten punches actually connect with Tyler, but they still had little effect.
What had Harry been doing the past few years that he couldn't hold his own in a fight? He remembered suddenly that he had never really had to fight before. He had always been fast enough to run away, but this was a fight where you couldn't run away. You had to make a stand and fight here.
He smiled as Tyler connected another punch with Harry's right cheek. If he ever made it back to Hogwarts he and Ron were going to start a chapter of Fight Club. Even getting the crap kicked out of him felt good.
After several more punches, Harry had to tap out. Tyler had hit him in just about every part of his body (with the exception of the junk or the family jewels if you will, which Harry assumed was below such a great fighter). Ron helped him out of the ring, and found some rags to clean up his friend's bloody face.
"That was great." Ron said breathlessly.
"If you say so." Harry replied winded. Yet inside he agreed and he had never felt better in his life.
The boys watched several more fights before they decided to leave, having spotted the red door earlier in the evening after their matches. "You want to start…" Ron began.
"A chapter when we get home?" Harry finished. "I was thinking the same thing." He cracked a smile, showing his bleeding gums, where Tyler had landed a punch square on his mouth. They walked through the door and into their next adventure.
