He could smell their fear, the cowards. From his post in the tree he watched them sneak into the house, one at a time. Once he was sure they were all their, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, silvery cylinder. It was an inch wide and had a tiny red button on one end. He grimaced as he placed his thumb over the button. They were Death Eaters, one and all. They deserved this death, at the hands of something non-magical. He laughed to himself at the irony of it. The precious purebloods, taken down by Muggle weapons. This would be one to remember, one to relish for the rest of his days without his wife and child. He pushed the button and the house disappeared in a ball of flame.

By the time Harry had arrived at the room for tryouts, there was already a sizable crowd at the door. McDouglass and Schmitt sat just inside the doors at a desk, taking down the names of those trying out for the club. Vandermine and Stringer stood at a podium at the head of the room, in front of a rapidly swelling sea of chairs. Harry gave Schmitt his name and hurried over to his friends, grabbing a seat between Neville and Ron.

"Did I miss anything?"

Ron shook his head. "Just a bunch of kids asking for autographs. It looks like half the school applied for this club."

"Not much of a surprise there. This thing seems to be a big hit."

Neville leaned closer and whispered to Harry, "How do you think they'll have us tryout? I hope I stay with you guys."

"Don't worry about it, Neville. You'll do fine."

Neville did not seem convinced, but he agreed. Then he saw someone else from Gryffindor and rose to get their attention.

"Ron leaned over and jerked his head in Neville's direction. "no offense to him, but I doubt he'll make it. He-"

"Ron," Harry scowled and Ron fell back in his seat, holding up his hands apologetically.

"Just saying."

"Keep it to yourself. You never know with Vandermine. After all, he helped Neville take on the giants."

Neville dropped back down into his seat, disappointment on his face. "Seamus didn't see us. He's over there, with Lee, Fred and… wait a minute, aren't they supposed to be in class?"

Ron and Harry stood up to get a better view. Sure enough, Fred, George and Lee were sitting low in their seats, in the back, trying to stay unnoticed at the moment. Ron scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Like they'll make it. They'll be sent packing in a few, don't you worry."

Neville laughed at his Ron's confidence and toyed distractedly with the cross necklace he was wearing. Harry glanced at it and saw that it was the same one from when he had met Neville leaving Vandermine's office.

"Neville, what's with the necklace? Didn't Vandermine give it to you?"

Neville stared at Harry for a moment before recognition dawned on his face. "The necklace? Oh, that's right. You were there, I forgot." He paused and stroked the necklace. A pained expression crossed his face. "This belonged to my mother before… you know… they died."

Harry and Ron's mouths dropped open in astonishment. Harry recovered before Ron and patted Neville on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's fine." Neville reached for the necklace again. It glowed faintly at his touch. "My mother wore this necklace when she was faced with danger or hard tasks. Vandermine said it gave her courage. I think he's right. I always feel better when I hold it."

"How did Vandermine get it?" Ron blurted out.

Neville's face drooped and Harry thought he saw a single tear form in his eye.

"He was part of the team that found their bodies. He said that they had been close before You-Know-Who attacked. He said they had saved his life a few times." His voice broke and Harry heard a choked sob escape his lips. "He… said that they… they were the best wizards he had ever known."

Harry let out a low whistle and cast Ron a meaningful glance. Ron nodded and leaned back, keeping his mouth firmly shut. Neville leaned forward and buried his head in his hands, trying to halt the flow of tears.

"It's okay, Neville."

Neville sniffled and wiped away the tears. He cleared his throat and sat straight in his seat. His eyes were very red, but he looked rather calm considering he had just been crying a second ago. Harry noticed that his hand was clutched tightly around the necklace. It was glowing brighter now.

"Thanks, Harry. Sorry about that. Oh, we're starting."

Harry looked back over to the podium. Vandermine was whispering something to Stringer. She listened and nodded affirmatively before marching off down an aisle. She walked right up to Fred, George and Lee.

"Busted," Ron said.

Fred, George and Lee groaned as she pointed to the door. They stood and shuffled out, grumbling and complaining about the History class. Harry, Ron and Neville laughed as they left. It was good to see them get caught every once in a while.

Vandermine tapped his wand on the podium and everyone quieted down. Harry took the opportunity to study his appearance, noticing the dramatic change from his usual garb. He wore plain Muggle clothes, a long-sleeved shirt under a padded, tight-fitting jacket. A long pair of jeans and brown boots completed his wardrobe. He had an elongated wand strapped to his hip. It was two feet long and Harry had the distinct feeling that it had a blade running up the last half of it.

"Students," Vandermine began, "I thank you all for coming. It is good to know that there is such an interest in this Dueling Club. This Club has not been allowed at Hogwarts for some time. Dumbledore graciously agreed to reinstate it, and put me in charge of it. This Club will cover a wide range of topics: fencing, dueling, flying, targeting and, for those who feel up to it, racing.

"For your tryouts we will split you all up by your Houses. Each House will proceed from one station to the next when they are done. These stations include spellcasting, the senses, flexibility and strength, and endurance. One of us," he indicated the members of his team, "will be at each station. Your House member will lead you to your first station."

Vandermine stepped down from the podium and waved to the Gryffindors. They rose from their seats and followed him out of the room. He led them down the hallway before turning abruptly into a room hidden between two paintings. They filed in and spread out along the near wall.

The room was huge, about half the size of the Great Hall. Harry saw a long, circular track running around the edge of the room, as well as large square areas marked off with chalk. He recognized most of the stuff from the public school PE classes he took. A knot formed in his stomach as Vandermine faced them.

"All right Gryffindors, welcome to the endurance room. Here I will test your speed, strength and endurance." Several of the students looked at him curiously. Harry realized that they were all from wizarding families; they had never done PE before. "Form a line on the track."

The students lined up obediently. Vandermine looked at the line carefully, making several adjustments to their order. Finally satisfied, he pulled a whistle out from a pocket and addressed them.

"This drill is called the Indian Run. When I blow the whistle, starting jogging. Next time I blow the whistle, the person at the rear of the line will tap the one ahead of him on the shoulder and sprint to the front. Any questions?"

No one spoke, but Harry could see some looking uncomfortable. He groaned inwardly as Vandermine raised the whistle to his lips. He had hated these in PE. Dudley and his friends had always been tripping him as he ran to the front. His glasses had gotten broken more than once from one of their trips.

"Let's do this," Vandermine whispered, and he blew a short, clear note on the whistle. The students took off at once. At first it was easy, with Vandermine blowing the whistle about once every fifteen seconds. But by the time they had made three laps around the room, he was blowing the whistle almost constantly. They ran three more laps at that pace.

Harry gritted his teeth to keep a frustrated groan in as they rounded the corner to start their seventh lap. He was near the rear of the line. Neville and Ron were just ahead of him. Neville was panting and heaving, Ron was puffing like a bullfrog. Harry seemed to be in the best shape of the bunch. They had made it halfway through the lap when they heard Vandermine shout, "Sprint to the finish and you're done."

At once the pace picked up, with the exhausted students running as fast as they could to be done with the running. Harry stayed back with Ron and Neville, encouraging them the rest of the way. They were the last ones across the line. Ron and Neville immediately collapsed on the ground, gasping for air, while Harry leaned forward and put his arms on his knees.

Vandermine watched them all with a blank face. He gave them a minute to rest and then told them to form back up in the chalk-marked area. "Who knows how to do pushups?" They all stared at him blankly. He stared back, Harry thought that he might have actually been surprised.

Harry raised a hand timidly. He had done them before, kind of. At least he knew what they looked like.

"I think I know how to, sir."

Harry dropped his hand quickly as Neville stepped forward. He looked nervous, but Vandermine nodded appreciatively and indicated a spot on the floor.

"Let me see it."

Neville lay flat on his belly, shaking like a leaf. He put his arms out beside his shoulders and held his feet together straight behind him. Then he pushed off slowly, rising until his back was flat and supported by his hands and feet. Then, slowly again, he lowered himself down until his nose touched the floor. He pushed himself up once more and then lowered himself back onto the floor. He stood up rubbing his arms, which were no doubt sore from the running. He had a peculiar way of running, with his arms flailing forward and back like scythes. Harry had not bothered telling him, but it actually slowed him down and was bad for his shoulders.

Vandermine gave him a thumbs up and turned to the others. "That is a pushup. His form was a bit loose, but it was better than I expected from a young wizard. You guys are brought up soft, no offense." He added quickly. "Everyone find a spot on the floor and do as many as you can for five minutes. Do not push yourselves too hard. Keep track of how many you have done so I can record it."

The students spread out and took positions on the floor. Soon the air was full of grunting and smelled of sweat as they pumped out as many pushups as they could. Harry tried to keep a strong pace of one every two seconds, but four minutes later his arms shook so bad he had to take ten second breaks between each one. By the time their period with Vandermine was over, they were all exhausted, sore and soaked with sweat. They passed the Ravenclaws on their way to the next station. Harry could not suppress a grin at the horrified looks on some of the youngest Ravenclaws when they saw the sorry state they were in. He stifled a laugh when one of the Gryffindors, Seamus, called out to them, "Have fun, Ravens."

The room they had been in before was completely different from when they had first entered it. The floor was completely bare except for twenty evenly spaced pillows lying on the ground. Kathryn Stringer welcomed them in and pointed them towards the seats. There were a couple left over, and she dismissed them with a wave of her wand.

"Right," she started, "I've got you for the next fifteen minutes. We'll be working on flexibility and strength in here, so-"

Ron raised his hand and she stopped. "Yes, Weasely."

Ron's cheeks flushed a little as she looked at him. "Sorry maam… uh miss, but didn't we just get tested for strength?"

She laughed, not at him, but at the faces on the others. "This isn't the same thing. I'll explain it when we get there. But for now, I want you all to slide off your pillows and spread your legs."

Harry glanced quizzically at Ron, who shrugged, and they hopped off. Stringer rose and walked among them. "Good, now reach down and touch you right foot. Keep your leg straight." Harry leaned over and reached for his foot. To his surprise, he hardly got his hand to his shoe. After a few seconds she told them to switch feet.

Harry smiled to himself as they stretched. This was a lot easier than Vandermine's work. The stretches were relaxing and felt good on his muscles. The only problem was that it got harder and harder to concentrate on the stretches as time went on and they got to more complex stretches. Kathryn Stringer was walking around offering tips, helping and demonstrating how to do the stretches. Every once in a while he stole a glance around the room and saw that he was not the only one distracted. A couple of the boys were staring openmouthed at her as she went from one person to the next, correcting mistakes.

She noticed their looks and flashed them a smile. The boys faces flushed deep red and they went back to the stretches. Out of the corner of his eye Harry saw the girls behind them kick them lightly. He chuckled at that.

The fifteen minutes disappeared in a flash. Soon they were outside on the lawn, looking at Martin Schmitt. He looked a lot more sinister in the moonlight, almost demonic. He stood in the middle of a circle in the lawn. One by one the students took turns standing in the circle. Inside they were bombarded with sounds, feelings, smells and touches. It was a hectic and crazy experience, several of the students freaked out, but it was by far the easiest one yet. Harry kept his head in the circle and came out with a good score.

After fifteen minutes they were sent over to the final station. Judder McDouglass stood at what looked like a Muggle shooting range. He lined the students up at the waist-high wall and they spent fifteen minutes blasting objects out of the air. It reminded Harry of the class they had had with Professor Lupin. This time they were graded differently, though. The more complex the spell, the more points they got for making a hit. Firing a load of quick, easy spells was an easy way to get points, but when he fired the slower, more complex ones, his score rose exponentially.

Finally, a quiet but piercing whistle echoed across the grounds. McDouglass looked up from the range when he heard it and waved his wand to get their attention.

"Form up, kids. We're heading back to the room." He waved his wand again and a the air in front of them shimmered. A door appeared and he held it open. They walked through and found themselves in the main room. The chairs were back, so they filed in and took their original places. Slytherin was already there and Harry saw Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle sitting off to one side. They were all gasping for breath and Harry guessed, by the way Draco's face was twisted, that not all of the tests had gone well for them. He nudged Ron in the shoulder and pointed. They laughed quietly.

Once the other Houses had taken their seats, Vandermine went back to the podium. He looked at them all for a moment before starting.

"You all have done well. We'll be dismissing you back to your dorms in a few minutes. The results will be posted in the Great Hall by breakfast time." He paused and cleared his throat. "before you go though, I heard several of you talking about the fencing course. We will probably not have that this year at the school." Ignoring some grumbled protests, he went on. "It is too complicated and dangerous for you to try in your first year of the Club. However, Miss Stringer has agreed to give you a demonstration of what it looks like." Several of the students clapped.

Harry felt Ron bouncing in his seat as Vandermine and Stringer cleared the area where they would be fighting. He looked over and asked, "Have you ever seen this?"

Ron nodded enthusiastically. "I've seen it once, but the fighters were not very good. It is amazing to watch. Quiet, they're starting."

Vandermine and Stringer were standing facing each other, dueling wands in hand. They stood perfectly still while McDouglass approached with his wand in the air.

"Ready," he said. They both nodded. "Fight."

Stringer moved as soon as he spoke. She lunged forward, swinging her wand at his head. Vandermine bent backwards and brought his wand up at her wrist. She dodged at the last second, spinning to his right and sweeping low. Vandermine jumped over her wand and lashed out for her unprotected back. His wand stopped short though, as she fell to the ground and rolled on her back, bringing her wand to bear. There was a flash as they connected and fire shot out of both wands. His blue fire mingled with a purple stream of water, forming a hissing barrier between them that forced them both back.

Vandermine took a couple steps back, spinning his wand over in his hand experimentally. As soon as the steam died out he dove forward, slicing underneath the expected strike and coming to his feet on her left side. She stepped forward and away from him, whipping her wand between them just in time to deflect a well-aimed strike that would have hit her in the shoulder.

Harry leaned over to Ron, who was totally engrossed in the fight. "Is it usually like this? With the flames and all?"

Ron nodded distractedly. "Yeah, isn't it great? They are so much better than the last match I saw." Harry sighed and shook his head. It looked a lot harder than when Vandermine had described it. Suddenly Ron grabbed Harry's arm and pointed. "Look, a parry!"

Harry looked in time to see Stringer stumbling backwards, smoke coming from her wand. Parts of her hair were frozen, and she shivered as if cold. Vandermine was doing the same. The jacket sleeve of his left arm was coated in ice and he shook it to keep the blood flowing.

"What's a parry?"

Ron looked at Harry and grinned. "It's when their wands cast the same spell as they hit. The spells repel each other right back in the faces of the users. Depending on the spell, the effects of a parry differ. Ice parries, like that one, shoot ice back at the users. Fire parries create fireballs… There they go again."

Harry turned back to watch the duel. Vandermine and Stringer were blurs of motion now. Their wands struck up, down, across, clashed and withdrew faster than Harry could follow. Flashes of fire, lightning and water lit the makeshift arena as they fought. Stringer spun and twisted like a dervish as she sought an opening in Vandermine's defenses. Vandermine mixed hard, heavy strikes with quick lunges as she danced around him. Both came close to hitting the other time and time again, but the other was always to fast for the wand, blocking or dodging with scant inches to spare.

There was no noise in the hall other than the two fighters, apart from scattered clapping or muttering at a particularly amazing move. Harry stole a glance at Neville as the fight went on. He was staring unblinkingly as they fought. A single tear rolled down Neville's cheek. Harry frowned and started to ask Neville if he was fine, but though better of it and looked back at the fight.

The duel had been going on for five minutes when Vandermine ended the fight. He raised his wand in both hands and brought it down in what surely would have been a massive blow. Stringer rolled to the right at the last moment. Vandermine changed the direction of his blow as she rolled, following the move. She jumped to her feet on his left side to find his wand a mere inch from her eye. She froze, as did the students, as the wand stayed there, waving slightly in the air. Then Vandermine lowered the wand, and Stringer put her wand back in its sheath.

The hall was silent for a moment, then interrupted as the students cheered. Ron was on his feet, whooping and hollering in delight. Harry chuckled and rose slowly. Vandermine dismissed them, and he returned to the dorm. It was well past eleven when he climbed into the bed. Neville followed right behind him, with Ron at his side talking excitedly about the match.

"Neville," Harry said as they turned out the lights, "are you all right? You looked a little upset by the match."

There was an uncomfortable silence as Neville struggled to respond.

"'M fine. It's just that, well, my parents did that, back in the day. I remember watching clips from their fights. They were good at it too." Neville sighed. "Goodnight Harry. See you in the morning."