Chapter 12: The Interhouse Wager
It was an eventful Monday morning when the students went down to breakfast in the Great Hall. The mail had come early that day and both Lily and Potter were already buried in letters. Though both were very different in regards to what happened over the weekend.
Lily's pile consisted of apology letters from the Gryffindor Quidditch team, assorted flowers from her male admirers, and consolation chocolates from her female admirers.
Potter's pile, on the otherhand, was mostly cut-and-pasted notes threatening his very being, envelopes filled with hot bubertuber pus, and, last and least wanted, a Howler from his parents. When he touched the red envelope it opened up and an angry voice echoed around the Hall.
"JAMES DANIEL POTTER!
HOW DARE YOU TREAT A WOMAN THAT WAY OVER A MEANINGLESS PRANK! WE ARE ABSOLUTELY ASHAMED OF YOU! YOUR FATHER AND I DID NOT RAISE YOU TO ACT THAT WAY TOWARD ANYONE, LEAST OF ALL A SCHOOL PREFECT!
IF YOU DARE PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE YOU WILL BE DISOWNED IMMEDIATELY! YOU HAVE BROUGHT SAME TO YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY!
THIS IS YOUR FIRST AND LAST WARNING FROM US!"
With that the letter burst into flames and a resounded silence filled the Hall.
Potter was completely shaken, as though the severity of the crime he had committed finally hit him in the face. Not only was he sitting at the end of the table alone, but his friends had given him the cold shoulder and his own parents had threaten to disown him. He had tried to speak to them and try to explain, but they turned deaf ears to his pleading. Even Sirius, his longest and loyalist friend, was not up to hearing him out.
Worst of all, when he looked at the further end of the table, he saw Lily amoung a gaggle of her friends and admirers giving him the same hate-filled look as she had done in the infirmary. It made him so sick he felt like he was going to vomit than faint. That filling only increased when he saw Severus motion for her to sit with him at the Slytherin table, and she actually got up and did so, amoung the amazement of the other students.
The silence did not last too long, much to the relief of the guilty party.
Professor Dumbledore stood up and called the attention of the entire Hall.
"Good morning students, teachers and staff! I hope you have all had a restful sleep last night. If you have, then you are all ready for the day. If not, my sympathies and condolences to you.
"Now to business," he continued after a slight pause. "As you all know, it is around this time of year that the Dueling Club usually meet for the preparation of the their annual Dueling Tournament. However, as of today, any and all further meetings have been canceled."
Many whipsers and protests came from many of the students. All except for the club's president, vice president, and overseer, Lily Evans, Severus Snape and Professor Flitwick.
Raising his hands for silence, Dumbledore spoke again, "The reason for this is because there will be an Interhouse Dueling Championship Tournament. Each House will have a preliminary tournament to determine their champion, then all four House champions shall duel in order to claim the title of Hogwarts Champion.
"I will now leave further explainations to the Dueling Club's president, Ms. Lily Aurora Evans," he concluded to the sound of whistles and appaulse as Lily went up to the podium.
"Thank you, Headmaster," Lily said with a smile. Then she turned to face the other students, who had quieted down to give her their full attention, especially the boys, who had moved further up the tables closer to the stage.
"Every fifteen years this event has been held at Hogwarts for as long as its establishment. It is a proud tradition to carry on, and must not be taken lightly. The purpose of the tournament is to sharpen, not only one's spellwork, but also the duelist's reflexes, quick thinking and resourcefulness with whatever is around him, or her, at the time. The awards and previlages are not given lightly, so you must be prepared.
"In order to make sure that none may try to take this too lightly, here are the rules, and I suggest you all listen carefully," she added, looking at three certain Marauders at the head of the table while ignoring the outcast at the far end.
"First of all, nobody under fifth year may participate in the actually dueling. However they may attend the events pertaining to the tournament, which I will explain later.
"Second, there will be a total of eight witches and eight wizards competing in their House Preliminary Matches. Each witch will paired up against each other, as will the wizards. The final witch and wizard standing shall duel to see who will be their House Champion. A sign up sheet will be posted in your common rooms, as well as a schedule later on.
"Third, after the House Champions have been decided, nobody is permitted to tell anybody outside of their House who their champion is during the entire tournament. Any one caught breaking that rule shall not be allowed to join in the upcoming events to follow, and shall lose fifty points from their House total.
"Finally, in order to determine the winner of each bout, the opponet's wand must be knocked out of his or her hand wand three times." Lily paused at this point to allow it all to sink in before continuing. The Hall was all a buzz about who they thought would be their House champion and who were going to participate.
"Now, for the events and prizes pertaining to the Tournament," she continued when everybody had quieted down. "First off, after the House Preliminary Tournaments, at which time the House Champions have been determined, there will be a Yule Ball on December the twenty-fifth. You are encouraged to bring partners from other years or other Houses.
"Next, there will be a special prize given to each of the House Champions to hide their identies. I am now pleased to show you all the House Champions' Armor."
With a flick of her wand, a long glass case had been revealed from under the stage, and inside of it were four sets of armor that looked like each of the House symbols.
The Gryffindor armor was a golden lion, with clawed boots and gauntlets tipped with rubied for the nails. The helmet was shaped like a lion's head and the eyes were clear rubies that could hide the color of the wearer's eyes, but still permitting the wearer to see without their sight being disturbed by the red coloring. The tail was wrapped around the waist and the chest was stamped with its House crest. At the side was a thin scabberd to hold the owner's wand.
The Hufflepuff armor was a pale-gold otter, with its own boots and claws tipped with ebony for the nails. The helmet was shaped like an otter's head with ebony eyes that shared the same property as the lion's ruby eyes. Its tail was also wrapped around its waist and it had its House crest stamped on its chest, as well as a scabberd.
The Ravenclaw armor was a bronze eagle, with sapphire tipped clawed boots and feathery gauntlets. Unlike its brothers, save for the helmet, crest and scabberd, its design had the wings folded around the body like a sapphire lined cloak, completely layered to show the feather patterns.
Last was the Slytherin armor. It was silver and emerald scaled up and down its body, making it look like it was smoother to walk in than the others. Its eyes were narrowed and emerald green, and it showed its crest more profusely than the others.
After many oohs and aahs from the crowd, Lily proceeded with her speech, "Each suit shall be secretly given to the House Champions at different times, and shall be fitted to conform to the height of the champion. Once the wearer's wand is in the scabberd, it will be charmed to hide its identity as well, so the opponet cannot determine who's it is.
"The two Champions of the semi-finals shall claim a replica of the opponent's crest to be combined with their own. Once all of the crests are combined into the Hogwarts crest it shall hang from the Champion's neck for the remainder of the year.
"Not only will the Champions' armor be displayed in their common room once the tournament is over, but the Hogwarts Champion shall recieve a grand total of two hundred points to be added to their House total at the End of Year Feast for the House Cup, and will also recieve full marks in his or her Defence Against the Dark Arts exams.
"I hate to disappoint the OWL and NEWT students, myself being one, but this does not apply to our tests. Only the classes," Lily concluded.
Even at the news that the additional credit would not be going on their OWLs and NEWTs, the students could not help but give a hearty round of applause as Lily said an inaudible thank you and returned to her guest seat at the Slytherin table.
When the bell rang to go to their first class the students could be heard talking about the tournament. Some excited that it was happening that year so they could experience it, others worried that they were not good enough to be one of the sixty-four contestants, and the rest were discussing about who they wanted to go to the Yule Ball with.
"I'm guessing you two are going to be entering the tourney then?" Bella asked Lily and Severus as they were about to separate for class.
"I am," Lily answered, excitement in her voice at the opporutunity of retaining her title as Gryffindor Champion. "Professor Flitwick said it would be okay for members of the Dueling Club to go ahead and submit their names, so I did. Besides, as club president it is my duty to represent my House as well as the club," she added quickly as Regulus gave her a crooked smirk.
Wrapping her arm around Lily's shoulder Bella said, "You really need to stop justifying yourself, Lily. It's no crime to want to be the first in anything before everybody else. It's quite natural for someone as determined as you are."
With that she, Rudolphus and Regulus left for their respective classes while Severus and Lily walked to their Potions class, talking about the prospects of the tournament since they had both signed up earlier.
When they got to the dungeons the door was opened and their potions master, Professor Slughorn, ushered them in. When he saw the pair come in he broke into a huge smile, which he saved just for his two best potioneers.
"Ah, Ms. Evans and Mr. Snape! Good morning to you both! I trust you both have already signed up for the tournament?" he asked as they made their way to their seats at the front of the class, sitting beside each other as usual.
"Yes sir. We have," Severus confirmed with a nod.
"Excellent!" the pudgy professor said, clapping his hands together. "It would be nice to have two champions in my House once this year is over."
"Two champions in your House, sir?" Lily asked, confused as Severus was.
"Oh, did I say that out loud?" he asked, a look of worry crossing his face. "Well, we better get started. Class, since the news of the tournament has gotten everybody overly excited, we will be brewing a very helpful potion called the Draught of Peace. Can anybody tell me what that is?" he asked, trying to change the subject.
Severus raised his hand and answered, "It is a calming draught so powerful that the drinker will immediatly be put at ease, and stay that way for a period of time despite whatever else maybe going on."
"Excellent. Ten points to Slytherin. Now, can anyone tell me what types of situations the Draught would be used for?" he continued.
"The Draught can be used when the drinker is under sever stress due to a near-fatal accident, traumatic experience, or overstimulation to the point that he, or she, is on the verge of going mad. It is often used in the medical field to help patiants relax before they are treated to any form of healing regiment," Lily answered, still puzzled about what the professor said earlier.
"Very good. Ten points to Sl- I mean, Gryffindor," he corrected quickly before turning to the rest of the class. "Even though this Draught is often used for such cases, as Ms. Evans previously stated, it can also be abused. If taken too often, or in large doses, this calming potion can be used to cause sever stupors and make the drinker subcessive enough to do things he, or she, would otherwise deem too stressful or dangerous.
"Considering this you are all forbidden to drink it. However the fumes are not as powerful and, due to the overexcitement of recent events, this will act as a temporary calming insence while it is being brewed. So, pair up and be careful not to breath in too deeply," he concluded as he made his way quickly behind his desk, avoiding the emerald and obsedian eyes that were following him.
"What do you think that was about?" Lily asked her partner, Severus, after she gathered the ingrediants while he lit the fire under their cauldron.
"I don't know, and, believe me Lily, if I knew I'd tell you," he replied. Then they both turned to the brewing instructions and began their task.
After an hour into the lesson- as it was a double period- Professor Slughorn came around the class, inspecting everybody's cauldrons and rating their performance. He took a careful sniff at one pair's potion before turning his head quickly away, as it had smelled of dead skunk instead of pinestraws and grass. Another he passed by at a run after looking into the container, only to find that it was about to erupt in an orange, sticky goo.
When he came to Lily and Severus's table he took a quick glance and a gentle sniff before smiling at his star pupils. Their's had turned the proper shade of sky-blue and smelt of fresh pine straws and cut grass. Though he still avoided their eyes, which were not in the drowsy-calm stupor many of their classmates were in. They were careful not to breath in the fumes and wore white masks that they had conjured to block out the fumes.
"Excellent work, you two. Absolutely brilliant! I wouldn't expect less of my two favorite Sl- students," he said, trying to cover up his mistake. "Twenty points awarded to both of you, and an early release from class."
With a flick of his wand he bottled up a small flask of their concoction and vanished the rest. Then he headed to the back of the classroom to continue his inspection, and only passed by one, lone student without so much as a glance. That student was James Potter.
He truely had reached an all-time low on the popularity scale. Since the "incident" in the Great Hall last Saturday no one would give him a second glance, unless it was to throw daggers or flash dirty looks. He was utterly alone and miserable, and it only increased every time he saw his enemy and longed-for crush together in an usually close proximity.
"They'll probably wind up going to the Ball together," he thought sadly, trying to block out the images he had of them together, dancing and having a good time. "I can't face going home for the Christmas break. I can't participate in the Dueling Tournament because of the ban. My friends won't talk to me, and possibly won't ever again. What else can go wrong?"
As soon as he thought that his potion overflowed and drenched his table, books, parchment, quill and himself in a deep blue dye. By the time he got it to stop he closely resembled a peacock without the fan of feathers. To make matters worse Professor Slughorn saw the whole thing, and so did his friends.
Luckily, Lily and Severus already left before the potion fiasco and were heading outside to sit in their usual spot by the lake. On the way they met Professor McGonagall, who stopped them from going any further.
"Ms. Evans, Mr. Snape, where do you two think you're going during class?" she asked in a suspecious tone.
"It's okay, Professor," Lily said, showing her a roll of parchment with Slughorn's handwriting on it. "Professor Slughorn gave us permission to leave early since we completed our assignment before everybody else."
"I see," she whispered, scanning the letter. "I suppose it is like him to play favorites amoung his Sl- students."
"Sorry Professor," Lily said, catching what she almost said. "But I have a feeling something is going on between you two. Could you please explain? He made the exact slip up twice during class."
Resigning to the truth, Professor McGonagall ushered the two Prefects into an empty classroom nearby, and closed the door. She sat behind a desk and motioned for them to do the same thing before speaking.
"I have been an instructor here for a long time," she stated. "I have prided myself to uphold the traditions and expectations of my predessors, and I have not been ashamed of any of my decisions...until now."
Looking at her red headed pupil, she continued, "Ms. Evans, before you made the official announcement of the Dueling Tournament, Professor Slughorn and myself restarted an old debate of our's since your arrival four years ago. As you are probably aware, Professor Slughorn has made it quite obvious that he wanted you to be in Slytherin since you brewed your first potion with flying colors, and has often tried to convince me that I should transfer you in.
"'She belongs in a House that can nurture and grow her abilities,' he said. 'A House that sees her full potential for greatness, and not just her bravery.'
"And I told him, 'Horace, you know perfectly well that house placement has nothing to do with a student's potential. It has everything to do with a proper education and the encouragement of friends.'
"Then he replied, 'She could make better friends with better connections, if she were in my house. She already attends my little get togethers, but I believe being in the proper house with the proper company can help move her forward.'
"Soon our debate got so heated we...made a wager, concerning the tournament...and you," she said, looking at Lily with a sad look.
"What kind of wager, Professor?" Severus asked in Lily's stead, seeing as how she was too stunned to speak herself.
"If the Gryffindor Champion loses to the Slytherin Champion, then Ms. Evans..."