Harry Potter does not belong to me. If I did- I'd be a whole lot richer… and it would contain a whole lot more smut. It would literally have been Harry Potter the tale of a horny teenager and his just as horny friends books one to seven. I'm. Just. Saying.

She was getting winded now. The burning down the side of her body was getting stronger, the pulses of pain starting to stretch further and deeper. She couldn't give up now though, she was so close to safety… so close. Just a little bit more and he wouldn't be able to attack her… a little more and… snap. Her legs quickly folded underneath her as her left ankle began to throb; she'd missed those damned tree roots and now she was going to get captured. She reached for her wand a mere foot away from her grasp until a foot slammed down so hard upon it she was sure that the wood had snapped in two. She squeezed her eyes shut and awaited for the barrage of torment to begin.

"A Witch without her wand, how utterly pathetic" he mocked letting his foot roll over the long piece of wood. Ah good, at least it's still in one piece.

"A Wizard attacking an unarmed Witch- how vile" she snapped back, her eyes never leaving the rocking boot. "If you want this to be an honest fight then you should consider returning my wand to me unless you wish to claim victory in this manner. Should you do so would insure that you are indeed a coward and completely without honour" she hissed with her chin held high with defiance. If she was going to go down, it wouldn't be without a fight. However short that fight may be.

"A victory, little girl is a victory nonetheless. If one could claim it even without honour it does not mean it is no longer a victory. There are many souls in this world, many who are far more benevolent than I. I do not pretend to be a knight in shining armour nor a paragon with the highest of morals. I will take whatever victory I can get. A win is a win… my dear" his voice almost predatory as his eyes raked over her form. She forced back the urgent need to spit in his face as he toed her wand over to her reach. She quickly snapped it up and healed her ankle with a hushed incantation. Pushing herself from the palms of her hands she gingerly allowed weight back onto her previously injured foot, still very sore yes, but well enough to fight or to flee.

"Well then, I guess you do have some honour after all. You have been most gracious in allowing me a fighting chance"

"Honour has nothing to do with it Lady Ravenclaw- I just like a challenge" his teeth bared by his smug grin, "Now- we duel."

Rowena steadied herself, she tried to recall all the different spells Godric had taught her. Stupefy, stun him first Rowena- then run to safety. She knew she was a great Witch, there could never be a doubt about it, however she also knew that the man in front of her could out duel her twice over. She'd never given much thought to duelling, always holed up reading books about it rather than practising- her instincts were not attuned for it. Yet. If she made it out of there in one piece she promised to continue her duelling lessons with Godric.

Before she could even utter the words her body betrayed her; her arms knitted to the sides of her body and her legs bound together. She couldn't move, no matter how hard she tried to her body was under his control now. She had never felt so much panic in her life until this very moment. Rowena was a woman who believed in self control and not being in control of her own movements frightened her to no end. She wished she could have closed her eyes so she wouldn't have see what was to come, to see that look of satisfaction on his face, the triumph in his eyes.

"Tsk tsk tsk- I guess I didn't need to give you the wand back at all Lady Ravenclaw"

I hate you.

"Maybe I should have given you a sword or bow, perhaps you may have more luck with those"

You are scum.

"At least have drawn some blood, mark a bruise on my flesh…"

Your neck will have my hands etched upon your skin even when you pass into oblivion.

"Alas… you have proven to be too weak" his disgust was dripping from his tone. "Not worth my time, not worthy of my spells" he flourished his hand and the invisible bonds around her body constricted painfully labouring her breathing to light rasps.

Ouch.

He made his way over to her prone form and stood over her with one foot on either side of her body. She could barely make out his face from her angle on the ground, his entire face was bathed in shadow- it was better this way. He allowed himself to fall into a crouch and prodded her chin up with his wand. The pain of him forcing her head away from her chest was unbelievable. His spell forcing her head back against his wand as it tried to go back to its original position. She was thankful that she couldn't open her mouth to let the impending scream out; she didn't want to give him the pleasure.

He pulled his wand away from her and let her head drop unceremoniously against her chest with a soft thud. She couldn't stop a few stray tears of agony falling, the moisture finally coating her drying eyes.

"Enough"

Her bonds immediately disappeared and with her body freed from its imprisonment her limbs fell away from her, her eyes squeezed shut and her mouth tore open. She couldn't hold it in, the scream, the pain and the humiliation. Before she knew it she was crying uncontrollably into the dirt, her tears leaving a muddy trail. She tried to stop crying, hell, she didn't even know why she was crying- but she couldn't. Her pain was tangible and intense. She had lost.

"Enough" he said again with even more force. The harsh and unyielding tone in his voice was palpable. It made her weep harder.

A hand was on her temple, soft and tender.

"I said, enough… enough Ro," that hand was running gently through her hair, another hand turning her face away from the earth. Wiping away the filth that gathered in glistening steaks across her face. "I'm sorry, I didn't realise that I was going too far. I didn't know that it was too much"

He was answered with more wailing and screams.

He took her into his arms, all limp and heavy with emotion. He cradled her as delicately as he could trying to sway her into being calm, she stilled. Her sobs becoming quieter and less frequent. Her breathing slowing to sporadic hiccups.

"You hurt me Laz," she whispered clutching onto her wand and his robe. "You actually hurt me- I was almost scared of you" the disbelief in her voice did not surprise him. He shook his head and left an affectionate kiss on her forehead.

"You agreed to this Ro, you asked, begged me to duel with you. To teach you as best I could. 'Don't take it easy on me Laz, I can take it' you said- but even so I gave you a safe area,"

"You didn't even let me reach that area" she interrupted

"Of course I didn't. Because when you duel, there is no safe area. A real duel, in real life with very real enemies is extremely different to what you read in books Ro. Not everyone follows the rules- more often than not there is none of that pompous bowing, having seconds to succeed you should you fall… there is only you and winning" he paused, letting his arms give her a reassuring squeeze before he continued. "In a real duel my love, there is no honour to be had. Just your life. I may have hurt you, and for that I apologise. I never want to be the cause of any pain for you- but you have to learn. I didn't even use a spell that would really cause you any harm- other people out there will not be as merciful."

"Merciful?! You call binding me and almost stabbing my face with your wand merciful?" she scolded trying her best to free herself from his grasp, without any success. He tightened his hold on her, again almost painfully.

"Yes, yes I was merciful. I may have wounded your skin and I definitely wounded your pride- but I did not violate you. I did not kill you. Others will not be so kind Rowena, people are not kind especially to those who are weak and like it or not Ro- you, just before- and right now- you were and are weak. I refuse to be like Godric and coddle you during these duels- doing so will only make you weaker."

She huffed indignantly into his clothes before relenting to his words. She didn't like it but it didn't cloud the fact that the bastard was right. She hated that. She knew that the people she may have to face in the future would be crueller and give her no chance to win. That the pain she bore today would be nothing to what may be inflicted on her by others.

"But I won't let you stay that way- you are too important to me to let you run around with only mediocre spells to defend yourself and no duelling experience to draw from in times of crisis" he breathed into her hair. "There will be times that I will not always be there to protect you, you need to be able to protect yourself."

Rowena loosened her death grip on his robes and let her gaze find his, his eyes filled with sincerity and passion.

"Or maybe one day Laz, I'll need to protect you"

He dropped his forehead onto the crown of her hair and permitted a small chuckle to escape his lips. Maybe this dirt covered, weeping girl was stronger than he thought.

"There is that Ro, there is always that," he picked her up dusting off the soil that marred her fine robes and steadied her on her feet. Seeing her wobble ungracefully before him he turned around and bent down ever so slightly offering his back to her. Within seconds he felt her clamber up hurriedly and clasp her arms around his shoulders for support. Her soft cheek against his ear, he could feel that she was fighting a smile. Even after all that, his Ro could find something to smile about- she really was stronger than he believed.

"Until that day Ro, I'll always be here to protect you"

"And to carry me!" she piped her mood seeming to brighten with the close contact of her lover. "I promise Laz, next time I'll be better. I promise I won't be weak anymore… but not right now. Right now- you carry me" she nestled into him and allowed herself to close her eyes and enjoy the ride. She could be strong another day, today, right now, she wanted to be protected, to be held and to be feel loved. To forget everything that happened earlier- those thoughts were for tomorrow.

"Whatever you say Little Ravenclaw, whatever you say"

He hitched her up higher as he walked, clasping her thighs a little harder to make sure she was secure against him. He too would become stronger- to protect the woman he wanted to carry, to hold, for the rest of his life. He wanted to be so strong that his love would never have any reason to be afraid or to feel pain again.

And he would do anything to get that strong no matter how difficult or unscrupulous; a dark promise he made to himself during the silence of their walk back to their newly acquired school. His strength and power were always meant for her- and she deserved everything.