The Pursuit of Phenomenally Unlikely Payoffs
III. Duelling Club
In Clint's opinion, Duelling Club has always been as much of an exercise in personality observation as spell-casting.
For instance, Sif Sigismund becomes short-tempered when her spells batter ineffectively against Maria Hill's Protego. And Protego is all Maria casts - until Sif rolls her eyes and turns away and Maria casts a binding spell on the Gryffindor - ankles, knees, elbows wrists. And then smiles, like a cat that's just worked out how to get the fish platter off the table.
Jane's laughing too hard at Tony Stark's charming sallies to effectively cast most of her spells, and quite unaware of the half-amused, half-envious expression of house-mate Pepper Potts as she tries to concentrate on defending against Thor Odinsson.
Defending against Thor is difficult, which makes Clint wonder why Professor Dex set Pepper up against him. Pepper's quiet and clever and efficient, but she's not very strong at the offensive spells.
Maybe that's the point.
Bruce Banner is up against the new kid, Steve Rogers. After the Potions accident, he still has a tendency to turn green every now and then - usually when in a temper. Even odder: when Bruce turns green, his spells are more aggressive in attack, more solid in defence. Professor Tam and Professor Frye are working together to find a cure for the greenness, but Clint sometimes wonders if Bruce would take the option if it was offered.
On the other side of the hall, Loki Odinsson is trying a variety of hexes against Erik Selvig, who seems to be holding them off, although Clint can see the sheen of sweat across the Ravenclaw boy's skin.
"Are we going to duel, or are we going to stare at everyone else?" Natasha's query breaks into Clint's thoughts.
He flushes. "Sorry. I like watching." Then, "Why didn't you just attack?"
Her shrug bounces the scarlet curls of her hair across her shoulders. "It's not real. I don't need to take you out now."
"And if you did?"
Cool blue eyes meet his. "Then I would."
Clint wonders what kind of a world she came from - to talk about taking someone out so coolly. "Okay, then."
He plants his feet and watches her chest as his instructors taught him. It's a nice chest to watch, although that's not why he's watching it; it's because it's the most central place on the body, and will telegraph any moves she makes before she makes it.
As it is, it barely helps. There's no warning other than a twitch, but he casts the Protego just in time to meet her spell. Her silent spell. He's so stunned he nearly fails to follow it up with a Jelly-Legs Jinx which she cuts down. After that her spells are audible, although barely. Whoever taught her to duel taught her the deadly version.
But Clint's childhood wasn't all sunshine and roses either. He knows how to duel deadly; he just doesn't show off the way Stark does. Why let them know what you can do?
What follows is one of the most intense - and exhilarating - duels that Clint's ever been in. Natasha's sharp and cunning and clever and sneaky, and it takes everything he has and is to attack her and defend himself. And he revels in every moment of it - every moment that he manages to stay standing while she tries to bring him down.
The only reason she gets him in the end is because a commotion rises at the other end of the hall - Stark and Rogers are going head to head - something about Stark poking Banner to see if he can make the Ravenclaw boy turn green at will, and Rogers taking offence.
It's an impressive spectacle, and one which distracts Clint for the barest of moments.
It's enough for Natasha to cast the Body-Bind on him, and Clint feels his muscles stiffen and his skin go cold.
He doesn't see the resolution of the fight between Stark and Rogers; what he sees is Natasha kneeling over him, her brow gently furrowed - a scarlet-haired angel of breathtaking glory.
tbc