The rumors about Headmaster Dippet's announcement spread like wildfire on the crisp morning that was Friday. He had spoken of an event taking place at Hogwarts that hadn't happened in quite sometime, but would continue to happen for a long, long time. That was the only hints he gave the whispering crowds Thursday night. By Friday morning, everyone had an idea of the event that they thought for sure was correct. They were muttering them all during breakfast and during the first class of the day which happened to be Study Hall for First-Year Gryffindors.
The more I heard everyone's ideas, the more they sounded ridiculous.
The spread of whispers continued out into the corridors after Study Hall but before the next class was to start.
"I heard that two professors are dueling!" said one girl who seemed to have taken some extra hyper pills during breakfast. The image of Professor Dumbledore sending a ray of red light at Professor Donovan popped into my head and I smiled as I looked back at the extra excited girl. She jumped up and down as if the idea of two professors dueling was the high point of her day. I was about to contradict her thought when a loud bang erupted from the end of the corridor I was walking along. "What the bloody hell was that?" James and Kyo muttered in unison as I stood breathing heavily. The shotgun sound had given me a start, that's for sure. I did nothing but shrug my shoulders as the students looked this way and that for answers. A group was starting to form at the end of the corridor, and I, being the curious person I am, went to investigate, following Sirius to the scene of the disturbance. I could hear the patter of Lily, James, Kyo, and Remus jogging behind me. I passed Sirius in the crowd already gathered, and was pushed to the inner edge of the open circle.
On the ground was a red-haired boy, clutching his right arm with his left hand. Standing above and a little east of him was a girl who had a strange likeness to Sirius. Same hair and eye color, but she was…different. She didn't have the mischievous glint in her eyes. No, her eyes were full of hatred, not innocent fun. I recognized her instantly as Belletrix Black, Sirius' older cousin, one of the muggle-haters James had pointed out to me on the first day.
She was pointing her wand down at the boy. As his fingers crept toward his wand, which was laying a foot away from him, I realized that Bellitrix was in Slytherin house and the boy was one of us: a Gryffindor.
"How'd you feel now you little creep. That was just a starter. You should have learned never to give me cheek…" Bellitrix was muttering as her face grew redder and redder with anger. She must have been thinking of what hex or jinx to use on him, because a moment later she opened her mouth. Her hex was cut off however by a blast of goldenrod light from behind me, and a shout of "Petrificus Totallus". The next moment, Bellitrix was face up, arms and legs tight together, and Sirius was pushing past me with a quiet "Sorry for scaring you".
He walked out into the open circle toward his cousin. He looked down at her with a serious expression on his face.
"You do that enough to me at home. I won't let you do it to anyone here" he said in a barely audible whisper. Then his face broke into a smile as he turned to face the injured boy. As he knelt down, I noticed another Slytherin, a boy quietly pull his wand from his pocket and point it at Sirius. I withdrew mine as well, but James sent another Full Body Bind hex his way before I could mutter the incantation. Remus, Kyo, and James had already approached Sirius, so I joined them as they surrounded the injured boy, who was checking out the frozen Bellitrix over Sirius' shoulder. He was smiling at the defeat of his attacker, but was still clutching his arm, which looked as if it was bleeding heavily.
"Thanks, err…Sirius." The boy said. "Thanks a lot. I'm Denin, by the way, Denin Tribal."
"Well Denin," I said after we had all made our introductions. "We need to get you to the hospital wing. Your arm is bleeding pretty bad." Remus and James escorted Denin to Madam Pomfrey in the hospital wing as Kyo, Lily and I congratulated Sirius for a job well done.
"That was extraordinary," Kyo exclaimed.
"Amazing" I agreed.
"Thanks girls, but it's not over yet. Bellitrix isn't going to take this too well." Sirius replied, even though he was grinning ear to ear.