Chapter 18 – Dueling Club
With tryouts out of the way and classes kicked off at a steady pace, Lizzie took to scanning her Potions Book for notes that might offer remedy or insight into her lingering afflictions. She trusted Slughorn but wanted simpler methods to curb the other symptoms. Notes on internal bleeding helped her develop something that cut the pain. Appetite anecdotes and sleeping remedies both served her well over the couple weeks that had passed.
Lizzie took pause when she noticed inscribed on bottom of the last page 'this book is the property of the Half-Blood Prince.' She hadn't bothered to check who it belonged to until she read through to the end. There was a ton of notes she skipped over trying to find resources specific to her personal afflictions and decided to hold onto the book.
"Oh look, your books finally came in," Hermione said bitterly, having felt slighted by all the helpful tips and tricks in the Half-Blood Prince's version.
"Good," Lizzie said curtly, but simply switched the covers of the new and tattered version to give Slughorn back the otherwise brand-new copy.
"Why are you holding onto it? Surely, you're above cheating..." Hermione growled.
"I'm not cheating," Lizzie laughed. "This has a bunch of brews and concoctions that have helped me a lot outside of the classroom as well, Hermione. If you haven't noticed I'm a walking parasite," Lizzie said incredulously.
"You're fine at Potions, I don't know why you need an edge," Hermione said dismissively.
"I don't, it's nice being not being just one step behind you in something other than Defensive Magic though," Lizzie winked. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"You need to be careful with invented Potions, Lizzie," she warned.
"I'll take my chances. It can't get worse than being eaten from the inside out every time the evil genocidal snake man gets his knickers in a bunch," Lizzie said sarcastically. Ron chuckled at the image.
Lizzie turned around and startled out of her skin at a young Slytherin girl standing behind her.
"Hi..." Lizzie said apprehensively.
"I'm.. Daphne... Professor Snape told me to give this to you," she said.
"That's not code for Pansy Parkinson sending a curse is it?" Lizzie asked a little too harshly. The girl looked confused and a little abashed.
"I'm sorry... Daphne... joke, thank you for bringing this," Lizzie said apologetically. The girl left looking awkward.
Lizzie used her wand to open it just in case, but it was more fact a letter from Snape.
'Miss Potter,
Saturday, 8am, consultation about Dueling Club. My office. If your second chair isn't selected, I will be choosing someone from my house.
Professor Snape'
Lizzie groaned. "Of course he would interfere with practice..." she mumbled. Hermione snatched the note.
"Who are you choosing? I'm too inundated with NEWT courses," she said. Lizzie mouthed Hermione's words mockingly, but smiled at her facetiously.
"Don't look at me, Ron, if you're too good for Hagrid, then you're too good for Dueling Club," Lizzie said reproachfully. "I'm supposed to choose someone younger anyway," she said.
"What about Collin or Dennis?" Hermione asked. Lizzie simply stared back at her with a look that screamed a hard no. They were nice enough but from their time in the DA they couldn't take hits well.
Lizzie looked at the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables but didn't know any of the younger students well enough, except for Luna. She considered Luna for a few moments and then thought about what her instruction would sound like and decided against it.
"Ginny!" She said suddenly. Ginny whipped her head around. "Head up Dueling Club with me?" Lizzie asked with an enticing smile.
"With Snape? God no," she answered with a laugh.
Lizzie got up and moved to sit down right next to her. "Proximity isn't going to change my answer... also, you have rancid coffee breath," Ginny said sarcastically.
"I'll leave if you say yes," Lizzie said, covering her mouth to test her breath, which made her wince.
"Liz... really? I don't know the first thing," Ginny pled.
"Bull freaking shit, Gin, you went to the bloody ministry to head off death eaters, you're perfect," Lizzie said.
"If I don't pick someone... preferably someone younger... Snape is going to pick for me... please," Lizzie said desperately.
"I will make it up to you, Hogsmeade trips on me all year," Lizzie added.
"Deal, but I expect a pet unicorn for Christmas, Lizzie," Ginny said reproachfully.
"But that's a yes, YES! Ok so Saturday at 8am, Snape's office," Lizzie said, hugging her and getting up to head out before Ginny could change her mind, but Lizzie turned on her heels and headed back in a moment later.
"Ron, Kady, get the word out that it's 10am on the pitch Saturday, I'll switch the booking," Lizzie said hurriedly. Ginny shot her a look that she returned with an innocent smirk and darted back out of the hall.
"Lizzie, what are we supposed to talk to him about?" Ginny whispered as they stood outside Snape's office hesitating to enter.
"Logistics I think... just a heads up, he can read minds and he really hates having conversations with me so it might get ugly," Lizzie whispered pushing the door open.
Snape looked up and immediately looked annoyed. "I should have figured," he sneered, looking at Ginny who suddenly appeared abashed.
"Good morning... Did you have someone else in mind? This one has been in the thick of it, comes highly recommended," Lizzie winked at Ginny.
"By you?" He asked. Lizzie nodded.
"Alright, we're meeting on Saturday afternoons at 3pm. My house has been mandated to join, so you should get used to it. Get the word out for the others. I've already outlined the curriculums. You'll carry these out explicitly and you'll host demonstrations," he explained.
"Can I input..." Lizzie started to say.
"No, Potter, you hosted an illicit organization last year where you got all the input you wanted and left out my house entirely," he berated.
"Well, sir, to be fair, the whole point was not to get caught by frilly cockroach and your house was full of pink cardigan arse kissers," she retorted. Ginny tried to make her laugh sound like a sneeze.
Snape's eyes flashed and Ginny startled for a moment. He stood and splayed his hands on the desk looking down at her closely. "Don't test me, Potter, I'm not tolerating much from you," he hissed.
Lizzie put her hand to her forehead as a salute in recognition, but he snatched the hand harshly and slammed it down on the table. Ginny stared with wide eyes and mouthed 'it better be a really pretty unicorn.'
"Ok, thank you for creating the curriculum, we will see you next Saturday," Ginny said timidly, and pulled on Lizzie's arm to leave.
"Have a good weekend professor," Ginny added politely, and he nodded back at her. Lizzie glared at him, deliberately saying nothing, and then turned to leave.
"He always that hostile toward you?" Ginny asked when they rounded the corridor.
"He's usually worse," Lizzie admitted. "I used to really like Dueling Club, too," she whimpered, looking behind her sulkily. Ginny rubbed her arm apologetically.
They both stopped in their tracks when Draco Malfoy rounded the corner with a girl on each arm. She didn't recognize them but he smirked and it seemed to take a considerable amount of effort for him to refrain from saying anything snide to them. She narrowed her eyes at him and he continued to walk as though she didn't exist.
"How weird, ever seen those broads?" Lizzie asked.
"I don't know, Liz. Forget the creep, let's get to practice," Ginny insisted.
Dueling Club the following Saturday was as Lizzie expected, infested with Slytherins. After twelve matches in a row with 5th, 6th, and 7th year Slytherin students who only managed to graze her twice, Lizzie looked to Seamus for reprieve.
"I don't want to get my arse kicked," he smirked. Lizzie shook her head and laughed. He threw up his hands after a few minutes of dueling to concede the match. Lizzie was hoping he had the Cedric enthusiasm, but he seemed to hesitate too much trying not to look incompetent and also trying not to hurt or embarrass her.
"Seamus, I am not glass, just hit me with your best... I will neither be embarrassed or hurt, promise," she said, and he wondered how she near read his mind.
The next match was better. He jinxed her twice, but she disarmed him and won the round. Lizzie walked up to him briskly for a more assertive hug than she anticipated, and he lingered a little longer than she expected.
"Lizzie, Hogsmeade weekend next weekend, do you want to... meet up there?" He asked nervously. Lizzie smiled.
"Yeah, that sounds good, Seamus," she said sweetly and his eyes flickered a little in shock.
"Yes? Alright great. It's a um," he said.
"It's a date, yeah," she reassured him and he smiled wider.
"You done?" She heard Snape drawl from behind her and her mood shifted instantly.
"Yep, think we're done," she said aggressively, rolling her eyes and walking away.
"Thanks for coming out, everyone. You did a great job..." she said, catching eyes with Snape who gestured for more. Not thinking it through, she added impulsively, "Professor Snape wants me to remind everyone wearing green that they're royalty and not to let a bad match make you lose touch with your insufferable pretentious attitudes. Have a great weekend," she smiled sweetly as everyone but the Slytherins choked on laughter.
Snape caught Lizzie's arm as she left and held her back until the room was empty.
"You best mind your pompous attitude, Azalea," he hissed, her upper arm still locked in his grip.
"Can't let me have one laugh at their expense? Bunch of their families were complicit in kidnapping me," she snapped, but as quick as she said anything he grabbed her jaw tightly.
"It won't happen again, professor," he said, gesturing for her to repeat the sentiment. Lizzie just glared back reproachfully.
Snape let go and smacked her quick on the cheek, grabbing her face again tighter.
"It won't happen again, professor," he repeated and waited while she said nothing.
"You don't need to call me professor," she mumbled, failing to keep her mouth from curling into a defiant smile, but he hit her harder in response.
"We can stay here all day," he warned, her face now back in his grip. After a few moments she conceded.
"It won't... happen again... professor," she said quietly. He nodded at her slowly at eye level with his intense stare and let go harshly.
"Was considering detention for that, but you'll have occlumency with me on Wednesday anyway. Dumbledore asked me to cover since he will be away from the castle," Snape said and she gathered her things to leave.
"No," she said shortly.
"That's not optional," he growled. Lizzie frowned at him.
"Are you just trying to pry? Gather intelligence?" She asked indignantly.
"You can confer with him about it when he gets back, he'll vouch for my intentions," Snape offered. "Are you any better?" He asked coldly.
"I've only been through one lesson with Dumbledore," she admitted. He smirked as though he expected as much.
"Well, it should help keep you less aware of his emotions and hence other problems at bay. I expect you at 7pm," he said, ignoring her disheveled looking face and demeanor. Lizzie wanted to put her fist through a wall at the thought.
"It's just..." she started to say.
"Just... what, Azalea? If I remember correctly you were asking for help recently, were you not?" He asked menacingly.
"I was... but... there's something different about it now," she said. He nodded slowly at her.
"Seven o'clock," he said, and she glared back. Snape noticed a desperate underbelly in her eyes that gave him pause.
Lizzie made her way back upstairs to change into something more comfortable, hoping to go for a walk on the grounds with Tonks, or find a quiet place outside to catch up on reading. She paused and hovered around the corner of the corridor when she heard her name come up in conversation from a group of boys just out of view but well within ear shot. It sounded like Anthony Goldstein, Michael Corner, and Cormac McLaggen.
"You still upset Potter didn't put you on the team?" Corner said, presumably directed at Cormac.
"She'll realize her mistake. Brilliant flyer and all but I reckon more than a week of the cruciatus will jumble the brain, someone should really step in and help her make important decisions," Cormac said pompously, and Lizzie winced at the sentiment.
"Little harsh, she looks fine considering... I mean better than last term, really short fuse before, with the exception of the DA," Anthony retorted.
"Looks fine considering," Michael mocked, "...got a thing for Lizzie?" He asked.
"Well... I mean..." Anthony started to say and the other two laughed.
"What's funny? Pretty, talented, funny..." Anthony rattled off.
"Intimidating, abrasive, murderous..." Corner added. "Though, when I was with Ginny, she was extremely fond of her... there's a soft side, doubt she's purely evil or anything..." he corrected. "Did you hear she inherited the Black Family fortune? Her godfather left her everything. Overheard Parkinson complaining about how it should have gone to Malfoy's mother before it ever went to Potter, but good old Sirius Black was the last heir and he wrote it over to Lizzie. Not that her dad wasn't rich either, and with nobody to share it with? She's by far the wealthiest person here. Tempting to slip her a love potion isn't it?" He asked. The others laughed.
"Well, if you ever want to snap yourself out of that infatuation with Potter, just remember how Diggory ended up," Corner said.
"Well now that's definitely too harsh, imagine watching that?" Anthony said.
"But a fair point nonetheless, Granger is pretty and funny too, I reckon the safer of the pair," Cormac added.
Lizzie took several quiet steps backwards and then proceeded forward with a more aggressive gait. They shut up when they heard someone walking around the corner and looked nervous when they saw it was her.
"Hiya Lizzie, good Dueling Club session," Anthony said awkwardly.
"Thanks, the greasy troll throws a wrench in it, but... making the best of it," she said back, not stopping for long.
"You got any plans for next weekend?" Corner asked, winking at Anthony.
"Yeah, I do. Heading out to Hogsmeade with Seamus," she said, thankful now that he had asked her.
"Finnegan?" Cormac asked incredulously.
"Mhmm," she said simply. "See you around," she added, walking away smiling to herself.