They Didn't Know We Were Seeds
"I wanna be the champion of the second years."
Severus pauses in revising his recipe for a faux-Basilisk poison (which is not going well at all) and looks over the edge of his diary at the scarred face of Scabior. Raising an eyebrow at the second-year, he says, "And what, pray tell, does that have to do with me?"
Scabior narrows his eyes in what he must think of as an intimidating slant as he says, "You know spells no one else does."
He sighs and closes his diary. The enchantments he placed on it previously engulfing the diary once more, making it nigh impossible to open without Severus. He reminds the boy, "Dueling is more than just spells."
"I know 'ow to duck an' dodge," Scabior reminds him.
Severus's gaze settles on the boy's scar. He supposes the second-year likely does. If that scar hasn't taught Scabior the importance of weaving and ducking, Severus doesn't know what will. Shrinking the diary down by half so it will fit more snuggly in his pocket, Severus stands up from his armchair and warns, "There's no guarantee you'll win."
Scabior nods along easily. "At least I'll 'ave a fightin' chance."
Unable to find a way to disagree, Severus presses his lips into a thin and warns, "Don't you brag to anyone about me helping you out. I'm not interested in tutoring all of Slytherin's third years and under."
The boy pauses next to him, eyes leery. "Why're you 'elpin' me then? I know it can't be 'cause we're mates."
Severus jerks his head in the direction of Scabior's scar. "I already let you get that. I'm not about to be responsible for another one."
Scabior's fingers go to it, tracing the curving raised line. "When I say it was your fault?"
"You didn't have to, I know it is."
The second-year scoffs, but doesn't disagree with Severus.
-o-O-o-
It's just the two of them again (finally). They are in their classroom they hardly visit together anymore; Lily sits on one desk, legs dangling over the tabletop's edge. Severus sits with his own crossed on another desk across from the girl. He's long ago set aside his diary of potions and plans and is just watching Lily in the dim candlelight as she pens her latest letter home to Petunia and her parents.
It reminds him he needs to write the Jones girls soon. They send pictures covered in vanish-resistant sparkles when he keeps them waiting too long on updates about the wondrous world of Hogwarts. Lily, who notices his looking, leaves her letter to dry on her knees as she puts aside her quill and re-corks her inkwell. She smiles at him. "Something on your mind?"
"Tomorrow is Defense."
Her head tilts sideways with confusion. "It is," she agrees.
He sighs. "We'll be dueling one another."
"Oh."
"Is that all you truly have to say on the matter?"
Lily puts her hands out in an open, helpless gesture. "What would you like me to say?"
Sometimes, Severus wishes Lily was better at thinking ahead. Thinking of everything and how it matters when all together. But since when did Gryffindor teach its pupils' forethought? Rubbing circles into his temple, Severus says, "We can't put our everything into it. We would arouse suspicions."
"Ah," Lily murmurs. "Perhaps we should pick a handful of spells to use?"
He eyes her. "How many? Three? Four?"
"Hmm… How about two 'advanced' spells and three or four ones any regular fourth year knows? Everyone already thinks we're a pair of geniuses, so it shouldn't be too odd for us to have a wider range of spells than most of our classmates."
Severus nods. Then, smirking, he gets up and gives her his hand to shake. "No matter who wins and loses, no hard feelings, right?"
Lily smiles back. "Of course!" Teasingly, she says, "Don't you dare go easy on me because we're mates, either!"
"I wouldn't dream of it."
-o-O-o-
The duels leading up to his and Lily's are for the most part quick and clumsy. The children have little clue what they are doing – even with several months of lessons on the matter from before today. If Severus were not used to incompetence, he may have been upset (his grandfather certainly seems to be). Thankfully, those he truly fears for (Sirius, Sage, dare he say it? James) seem to at least be able to hold their own, even if they don't win in the end against their opponents. Severus is rather relieved in all honesty that Sage lost against Remus after the later used a rather clever evasion spell which let him get the upper hand and steal his brother's wand with ease. He wouldn't have wanted to go against the boy and defeat him with the same efficiency he's been using on all of his opponents today.
Lily faces off against Sirius. She, thankfully, puts the cocky lad right in his place. She dodges his sloppily aimed knockback jinx and easily freezes him in place with a firm, "Locomotor Mortis!" and then as Sirius is trying to find a way to protect himself while stuck to the spot he stands in, Lily disarms him. When Lily does the reversal for the enchantment on him, he has the intelligence to look shame-faced. He knows he let his previous three wins get the better of him and Severus feels hopeful he'll remember that the next time he's in a duel. Just because he has a good track record does not mean he will always win.
Severus is far from pleased when it comes around to the last couple of rounds and he has to duel James. Severus more or less respects the prick these days, but dueling him reminds him of his true childhood. Unlike Sirius who'd let his previous victories go to his head, James seems very aware there's little (no) guarantee he will win this battle with Severus.
Changing up his tactics for the lad, Severus lets James cast the first spell. Deflecting it with a basic shielding charm, Severus throws back a jelly-fingers curse. James jerks out of the way of the tangerine current and casts an insect jinx at Severus in return. Smirking as he steps with ease out of the way of the jinx, Severus can't help but think perhaps he should copy James. Spell for spell.
He points his wand at James and repeats the incantation he spoke only seconds before. The boy's eyes blow wide behind his glasses and he ducks down hard to get out of the red light's path.
"Slugulus eructo!" the Gryffindor cries.
With the same smooth practice he's shown before, Severus raises his wand and says, "Protego!" which puts a barrier between him and the charm and causes the putrid green current to shoot off in the direction of the classroom's ceiling. Severus repeats the incantation for the slug-vomiting charm, wand still pointed in James's direction.
Unfortunately, when the boy tries to side-step the enchantment, he's not quick enough and it clips him in the shoulder. Moments later he's on his knees heaving up slugs by the dozens – wand a handspan away from him. Severus spells the wand into his hand and holds it up for his grandfather to see. Demitri calls him victor and summons a bucket to hand James as he vanishes the slugs that are currently on the ground.
Putting a hand on James's shoulder, he guides him up to stand and calls, "Is there anyone who'd like to assist Mr. Potter to the infirmary?"
No hand goes up immediately. There's some whispering among the remaining Marauders and he sees Sirius and Remus touch their noses. Peter scowls. "I'll take him, Professor!" he calls out, turning away from his now grinning mates.
Once James is gone, there are a couple of more duels. Both he and Lily spend little time letting their opponents practice their skills on them. They want to end this now so that they will duel today rather than drag this out another week. It'll both please Demitri to have his champion of the Gryffindor and Slytherin class and cut out the tension that's been growing between Severus and Lily as they prepare for the battle.
Finally, after Lily dispatches her final competitor, Severus's grandfather calls them to the front. He looks between them with a stern expression. "Remember that no serious harm should come to either of you during this duel."
Severus nearly rolls his eyes, but restrains himself to stop any chance of getting a detention. They know they need to be careful. Pretend to be less experienced than they are – even if it's not by much these days. They've been doing so since they first arrived back in the past without even a hint of an idea as to why. He and Lily square off with one another in preparation for the first spell. When their eyes are locked in a silent contest of who'll blink first, Severus seizes on the chance to cast a knockback jinx at Lily while she's distracted. Unfortunately, she's not as unaware in a duel as she is to the need to keep their true capabilities understated. Feigning right, she throws her own hex his way – Severus dodges it narrowly and directs a jelly leg jinx at Lily.
Lily, once again, dodges, red hair flowing away from her like a flag. Pointing at him, she yells out the incantation of his toenail-growing hex. While he almost completely misses it, the hex still manages to brush against his left leg. Cussing out his luck, he tosses up a quick shielding charm and casts the reversal on his feet. Long, gnarly toenails are still sticking out from his now ruined shoes, but they have stopped growing and will be a hindrance to him no longer.
When he looks back at Lily, he sees her smirking at him. It irks Severus enough that he decides to change up one of his "advanced" spells for a milder version of his cutting curse. He'll cast it just so when the opportunity arises and lob off the majority of Lily's hair. His friend has few vanities, but her hair is something she loves and cares for meticulously. It might just upset Lily enough that he can disarm her. It'll also show her for trying to make him look the fool in front of the other students.
(Let it be said, Severus was nothing if not a vindictive man).
Over the next few minutes, they exchange a range of jinxes and hexes, dodging and shielding themselves from them all with practiced ease. When Lily's gaze slides to the students watching them, Severus leaps on the opening to cast his cutting curse. It slices right through her hair, causing a cascade of red to flutter to the stone floor of the classroom.
Lily's expression becomes one of shock, only to turn quickly into one of anger-laced determination. At a rapid-fire pace, she shoots off alternating stinging and tripping jinxes. Severus imagines she hopes he'll step right into one, causing him either to drop his wand from the fall of a trip or from the pain of a stinging hex. Unfortunately for Lily, he's not easily ruffled. Jumping straight back, Severus yells out, "Petrificus Totalus!"
She stumbles as she attempts to throw herself out of the way of that one. Not wasting the weakness, he uses the same spell she used on Sirius at the start of class to freeze Lily's legs. She falls to the classroom floor hard, unable to move her legs. While Lily points her wand at her legs and tries to undo the curse, Severus silently summons her wand to himself.
"The winner is Mr. Snape!" Demitri calls out, a pleased note to his tone.
Severus knows better than to look at the man, to let him know he's happy to have not only won, but earned the man's pleasure as well. Instead, Severus walks over to Lily and cancels the curse on her legs. He hands her back her wand and says, "I don't have a hair-growing potion made right now, but I can have one for you by tomorrow."
Lily's hand goes to her unevenly cropped hair. "It's fine. I'm sure one of the girls in Gryffindor will offer one to me the minute they lay eyes on this hack job."
He smiles sheepishly. "I didn't plan on doing that," Severus tells her. "The idea just sort of came to me while we were dueling."
She smirks. "That was some clever thinking. It certainly made me mad enough to stop thinking straight."
"…You're not upset with me still, are you?"
His friend shakes her head. "No," answers Lily. "You stuck to our rules and it can be fixed easy enough." She smiles sweetly at him. "No harm done." Next, she holds out her hand and asks, "Are you going to help me up now, or just stand there?"
Severus barks a laugh before he gives Lily his hand and yanks her up to stand beside him.
And that's the end of the classroom duels! What did you think of the fights? Like them? Could have been better? What about the first scene with Scabior? How did you all like that?
Thank you guys very much for reading!