Apologies for the delay.
This chapter is dedicated to ~Diet Coke Addict, whose reviews enticed me to upload early. Thanks for reading so far.
Minerva POV
"Students, may I have your attention please!" I cried to the entirety of the first years assembled in the now repurposed great hall. All the tables had been removed to make room.
This was going to be hilarious I thought, barely able to contain my amusement. I noticed that many of the older students had turned out to watch the hatchlings flounder too. The poor first years always made fools of themselves during this exercise.
"Now I know you've all finished your exams and are anxious to start the Holidays but please pay attention!" I projected via sonorus waiting for the students to quiet themselves.
"Professor Bones has decided on holding this somewhat engorged final D.A.D.A. class to better prepare you for your second term curriculum and because I'm sure she believed it would be a fun way to end your first. Susan, would you?" I offered stepping aside for the former Auror.
Susan reminded me much of her aunt. It was strange to see such a gifted witch return to teaching after what seemed to be an illustrious career at the ministry.
"Thank you Headmistress. Right. So this will be your formal introduction to, and the official formation of our first year dueling club. In addition our session here will serve as a preview for what will become a large part of your D.A.D.A. studies in following years. As you know dueling was introduced into the curriculum as a post war measure to better prepare the general community for possible future conflicts. And of course as an initiative by Harry Potter to fill the Auror gap without lowering the qualification standards. The department of magical law…"
"Susan? Perhaps we might do with a little less history and politics, and instead introduce the club itself?" I asked before Susan could digress into the finer intricacies of DMLE policy.
"Oh yes… of course." She coughed. They would always be our students I mused to myself.
"Well, there will be four captains acting as representatives for each house, and a president to oversee tournaments and other club activities. Each years president receives certain special privileges and commendations which we will discuss later, as well as a thirty point bonus towards his or her house cup." She finished over the rising din of excited students.
That piece of news got their attention I chuckled watching the students exchange wagers, challenges and whispers.
"Now the first year captains are chosen by their overall grades with a focus in D.A.D.A. and any additional dueling experience they may have had before now while the pres…"
"Thats bollocks…" someone shouted from the crowd. Their objections weren't without merit. The purebloods and second generation war heroes had an advantage here it was true. Muggle born witches and wizards almost never made first year captain.
"Hold on this is clearly unfair." others shouted.
"Quiet! Challenges may be made at regular intervals later on so don't fret too much at the moment. You'll all have a chance to move up the ranks when you've gotten more experience. As for the president… well…the two most worthy candidates have already been chosen by magical ballot. These two students will start off the club by dueling each other right here for the position." Susan finished pulling a piece of parchment from her robes.
"Lets watch the kiddies trip over themselves. Maybe they'll make rainbows come out of each others arses." cackled a group of second year Slytherins. I hated to admit it, but this was one of my favorite parts of the term. First years rarely had any real experience and quite often made fools of themselves.
"Now if I may? Our four first year house captains are as follows:
For Gryffindor, we have our own Louis Weasley;
for Hufflepuff, Maximilian Macmillan;
for Ravenclaw, there's Rose Weasley;
and for Slytherin, Albus Potter."
Only half of the Slytherins applauded or shouted their approval when their captain had been named. I noticed Scorpius whispering something into a fearful Al's ear as soon as his name had been called. Albus merely nodded mechanically.
"Ok ok, moving on. This time our first year presidential candidates are from the same house so the victor will assume the presidency and the vanquished will be house captain. Our candidates this year are not only first and second in class respectively but have also had extensive defense training by their families. This saves me having to explain certain protocols, so students, merely watch your peers for now. Follow their movements and their stances and remember the match will be a best of three points so…"
"Announce them already Suzy! We're dying of anticipation." Cried Teddy Lupin abrasively from the sidelines, interrupting rudely.
"Mr. Lupin do not think your age gives you license. That will be five points for impertinence! You will address your Professors appropriately from now on." I snapped quickly.
"Sorry Mini!" He yelled back through cupped hands, changing his hair to a bright red. What nerve. All the students laughed at his antics except for Al and Scor… who looked entirely too anxious to notice. I guess they knew they would be dueling each other.
"Our first candidate is the Slytherin Captain, Albus Potter." Susan called above a roar of disapproval from the the other houses. "And our second…" she started loudly.
"I'm sorry, but may I forego the duel by forfeit?" Al squeaked timidly to Professor Bones, tugging softly at the side of her robes to get her attention.
"What? Oh sorry Al, but that's not how it works. Tradition demands a first duel."
Scorpius had merely sighed at that, placing his hand on Al's shoulder before both boys had turned and begun walking towards opposite ends of the stage to take up their positions.
"Our second candidate… who so cheekily has already assumed his own selection happens in fact to be Scorpius Malfoy." Susan said eyeing the blond who had already mounted the platform and drawn his wand. It was strange how the two communicated so effortlessly.
Watching Al duel would certainly be interesting. I could already feel the students anticipation at watching this duel.
My Al was growing up.
"Let's do this for real Al, no holding back. Who knows, you might be surprised."
"Chess Scor… Chess." Al shot back bowing low.
Scorpius bowed with him and suddenly both took up unusual and very advanced stances. The kids were so adorable I thought watching their miniature forms.
"Begin!" Cried Susan.
"Stupefy—" Both boys shouted together, flashes of red firing from their extended wands.
Albus had spun smoothly away from Scor's spell which crashed violently into a third year who'd been observing too closely from behind.
Scorpius had chosen not to dodge what was obviously the stronger spell. Instead he pulled back his wand in a spiraling coil twisting Al's spell artfully in circle after circle to send it right back. The strength of Al's spell might be his undoing I thought watching Scorpius's careful movements.
"Stupefy." It was little more than a whisper.
"Protego!" Al yelled as he watched his own spell race back towards him. It crashed harmlessly against the invisible shield. Al's spells were amazing, but the first point had already gone to Scorpius.
Al had failed to notice that the blond had sent a second jet of red in the shadow of returning Al's first back at him. It hit precisely where the previous blast had and broke through Al's shield. Scorpius's stunner, slowed by the impressive shield charm, had barely hit Al with enough force to sway a palm leaf in the wind. The weak spell had been enough and was a beautiful play.
Al just stood there too shocked for words watching a smug Scorpius smile.
"Point to Scorpius." I called.
"If you have time to gawk Al, you have time to duel. I told you not to go easy on me, so whose fault was it if you didn't listen?" Shot Scorpius with an enormous grin. Their friendship was a bizarre occurrence and an amazing testament to the strangeness of fate. I had to chuckle, the look on Al's face suggested he hadn't imagined Scorpius might ever best him.
"Ready? Begin."
"Stupefy" Cried the boys in unison. This time the spells merely collided in a hail of sparks and smoke.
Jets of red flew from Al's wand. Merlin he had forgotten the verbal commands. Scorpius swatted the spells away over and over as Al pressed forward. The blond looked intensely pressed until suddenly he grasped a small opening.
"Aguamenti" he shouted spraying a jet of water into the next oncoming blast. The water exploded into a cloud of tiny moist droplets.
"Glacius, Ventus." Scorpius shouted in succession. Most of the droplets froze solid into a hail of little needles and blew with gale force speed towards Al. This was too much…
"Immobulus." Cried Al watching the ice and water stop suspended in mid air.
Another jet of red was already speeding towards Al. They were quick.
"Lumos Solem." Al said smiling.
"Al that won't stop it!" Cried Rose.
Al merely closed his eyes and ducked. Why had he…
"AHhhhh".
The light from Al's Wand had dispersed through the suspended water and refracted off of the crystalline frost creating a nimbus of blinding colors and light. When I looked again Al was standing arms crossed and Scorpius sat blinking his confusion from his position on the floor. "Hows that for rainbows Ed?" Al asked turning towards the Slytherin who had mocked the first years.
Nobody spoke. It wasn't that two first years had used advanced spellwork, It was the creative ways in which both boys had used their simple spells. They were naturals. What frightened me was Scorpius's control. Conjuring water like that was advanced spellwork. Professor Patil had warned me of what she had witnessed that night on the lake…
"Point goes to… " Al said annoyed.
"Um…Albus." said Susan with wide-eyed stupor.
The whole hall was speechless.
"Chess…Huh?" Said Scorpius slowly rising to his feet.
"Ready. This is for the win… Begin!"
"This your idea of chess Al?" Scorpius called before Al had a chance to fire.
Scorpius dodged and had suddenly started spinning wildly calling out spell after spell.
Sparks, clouds, lights of all colors, shapes and intensities flew from Scorpius's wand. It made no sense.
Many of the spells weren't offensive or defensive at all. I recognized some that were designed to change the properties of the air and lighting. Some were designed to change the room temperature or the wood density of the stage platform. Al looked not so much confused as irritated. He scowled as though he had an idea of what Scorpius was attempting but couldn't stop it.
He was desperately trying to strike through the insane outpouring of random magic. Every time Scorpius worked in an actual piece of offensive magic Albus easily knocked it aside yet it was clear that he was being pushed back.
The air in the room was becoming distorted as the heat waves rose around the two. Al looked more and more frustrated and eventually frenzied. Scorpius was smiling. He looked like he was dancing.
Then something happened and Al smiled too. It was mischievous and entirely too reminiscent of his cousin Fred after he'd pulled a prank (although Al's was decidedly more Slytherin). Al had just dodged one of Scor's disarming spells when he suddenly jumped back into the line of fire. Scorpius watched paralyzed as Al's wand flew straight into the air and across the room to land in his own palm.
"Point goes to…"
Just as the carved piece of wood landed in a stunned Scorpius's hand Al took his chance. He crouched low and inhaled deeply, drawing back his right middle and index fingers in front of his mouth.
"Phchrhroooo".
All of the charged heat and magic in the air ignited like a breath of flame from Al's mouth as he exhaled and raced jet like towards Scorpius, lifting him off his feet and flinging him several yards backward.
"No, thats my idea of chess." Al said smugly towards his toppled friend. The whispers erupted immediately afterwords. The whole room looked scared and confused. Suddenly realizing what he'd done, Al's face fell into such abject terror that it rivaled that of the students watching.
"Did you see that?"
"It was advanced magic…"
"He did it wandlessly…"
"Look what he did to Scorpius…"
"How could a first year know spells like that?"
"Do you remember the rumors about…"
"So it was true?"
"I heard he…"
"What a freak…"
"He could have hurt us all…"
Scorpius had already gotten back up and had worked his way over to Al.
"The point goes to Al." Said Scorpius lifting his dejected friends hand up. Silence swept over the hall at the motion. All the whispers had stopped.
"Well? To our new club president." he continued impatiently.
Rose, Louis and the Parkinson girl were the only ones to start clapping and hooting. After a few moments other members of the Weasley troupe joined in as well as Matheus Goyle, Max Macmillan from Hufflepuff and the Scamander twins from Ravenclaw. Even Marvolo's older friend had joined in.
The Avery boy was smiling and clapping, much to his companion's apparent displeasure. They were strange those two. Avery had several years on Marvolo yet they were rarely seen separated.
Albus was going to have trouble from the other students after this. Controlled wandless magic in a duel was hard enough for professionals. For a first year it was unheard of. I was not surprised the other students had reacted the way they had. I would have to watch them all closely after this. Severus was right about them…
SPOV
"Come on Al it wasn't that bad." I said finally to a dejected Al. "I mean, you could have lost." I offered looking at Al over the cover of his book.
"That might have been better than my little display today… now everyone is going to think…"
"Al… just forget the duel ok? Relax… you've got me, Rori, Maddy and the rest of your enormous family. Nobody is going to do or say anything. We're going to have a nice holiday and by the time we come back no one will even remember."
"…" God his silence was more telling than any of his actual whining I thought watching him lower his book in contemplative reflection.
"I tell you to relax and you get even more anxious."
"I am relaxed."
"You can't fool me Al. Now you're just nervous about our parents and the holidays."
"Scor. I'd rather just not talk about it ok?" He sighed. Oh Al…
"Ok fine. Do you want to just try an early night? The older students will most likely be staying up to celebrate but we…"
"Sounds fine Scor." he offered weakly closing his book.
Truth or Theory, Myth or Mystery: A Treatise on Ancient Wizarding Lore vol. 23; Hate and the origins of Darkness.
Merlin I never saw him reading any material from our own year…
"Thaaaat looks fa-sci-na-ting…" I shot sarcastically pointing at the tome. I had to get his mind off of everything.
"Shut up… it is…"
"Mind if I read it after you?"
"As long as you don't mind ponderous writing and theoretical metaphysics of foundational magic."
"I love anything from the restricted section. Besides I will have to brush up on foundational magic if I intend to solve the riddle before you."
"…" Al merely rolled his eyes.
"Okay okay. I wont do anything stupid trying to solve it. Promise… lets just go to sleep."
"… Fine"
Hope you guys enjoyed the dueling. let me know if i wrote it appropriately. Fights are always difficult to write out.
Next chapter: Through the eyes of the Abyss. It is written from Marvolo's POV. Just a little insight into his mind and the strange way he relates to people.
(Chapters 23, 24 and 25 i added recently, they weren't originally supposed to be here i just thought i'd add some extra content before the boys actually have to introduce each other to family.)
