The Midnight Duel
Draco Malfoy may be the worst boy Arthur had ever met, even more than that blonde oaf from his primary school. Arthur was glad that he and the other first year Gryffindors only had Potions with Slytherins, that way they didn't have to put up with Draco much.
Well, at least they didn't until everyone in the common room saw a notice pinned up making them all groan. It turns out that flying lessons would be starting on Thursday and both Gryffindors and Slytherins will be learning together.
"Just great. For all I know, I'll make a fool of myself on a broomstick in front of Draco." Arthur groaned the loudest. He was extremely excited to learn to fly possibly the most out of everyone and now Draco is gonna ruin it.
"Don't worry, you won't make a fool of yourself. Besides, Draco keeps saying he's good at Quidditch when I'm sure he's not even close." David argued. He had a point, Draco did talk about flying a lot, Arthur even heard him say so when they first met at Madam Malkin's, complaining that first years never made it to the house Quidditch teams and even told rather unbelievable stories that he narrowly missed Muggle helicopters.
Of course, Draco wasn't the only one with stories involving broomsticks. Seamus seemed to have spent most of his childhood zooming around the countryside on a broomstick. David talked of him playing Quidditch games with his siblings with their home pitch and that he almost hit a hang glider.
Mike explained how his spare time would be spent on a broomstick, flying around, having inherited his mother's skill on a broomstick.
If there was one constant Arthur learned, it's that everyone that came from a wizarding family talked about Quidditch and he'd talk with them so that he'd learn and find himself more and more into the sport.
David and Dean at one point had an argument about football, David thinking that a sport where there's only one ball and no flying is just not exciting. He even caught him shaking his head at Dean's West Ham poster that had the football team on it.
Neville said he's never been on a broomstick in his whole life. This was because his grandmother never let him near one. Arthur felt she did the right thing because of his streak of bad luck and accidents, even when both feet are on the ground.
Chrys was nervous, though not as much as Neville as she was intrigued with the idea of flying on a broomstick. She and Arthur would read a library book called Quidditch Through the Ages, which was a great read because it explored the history of the sport and the various roles and rules.
During breakfast on Thursday, Arthur was reading the book again and was shocked out of his reading when the owls arrived to deliver the post.
He didn't have a single letter since Hagrid's note, but he didn't mind. However, Draco noticed as his eagle owl always brought him packages full of sweets from his parents and would open them gloatingly at the Slytherin table. Arthur rolled his eyes every time this happened because he can't stand spoiled brats.
Another barn owl that wasn't Athena brought Neville a small package from his grandmother. He opened it up excitedly and pulled out a glass ball the size of a large marble with a gold ring around it, which was full of white smoke.
"It's a Remembrall! Gran knows I forget things. This tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red- oh…." He explained before his face fell because said item started glowing with scarlet smoke. "...you've forgotten something…."
He was trying to remember what he forgot when Draco, who was passing the Gryffindor table, snatched the Remembrall out of his hand.
Arthur, David, and even Mike jumped to their feet, ready to give Draco a piece of their minds. But McGonagall, who was able to spot trouble quicker than any other teacher at the school, appeared in a flash.
"What's going on?" She asked sternly.
"Malfoy's got my Remembrall, Professor!"
Draco scowled as he quickly dropped the item back onto the table.
"Just looking." He said, trying to be innocent before sloping off with Crabbe and Goyle behind him.
Later, at three thirty in the afternoon, all the first year Gryffindors hurried down the front steps into the grounds to get to their first flying lesson. They were all glad to see that it was a clear and breezy day with the grass rippling under their feet as they went down sloping lawns to a smooth lawn that was on the opposite side of the grounds to the Forbidden Forest, which had its trees swaying darkly in the distance. It was very foreboding.
It looked like the Slytherins were already there, as well as twenty broomsticks lying in neat lines on the ground. Arthur remembered Jack and Kevin saying to him and David that the school brooms would start to vibrate if they flew too high and that they always flew slightly to the left. Why couldn't the school just get better brooms?
After they got there, their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. Arthur could've sworn that she was birthed from a hawk because she had short grey hair and yellow eyes just like said bird.
"Well, what are you all waiting for? Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up." She barked at everyone. Arthur glanced down at the broom he'll end up using. It looked old with some twigs sticking out at odd angles.
"Stick out your right hand over your broom and say 'up!'." She then instructed.
"UP!" Every student shouted. Arthur's broom shot up into his hand instantly, being one of the few to have their brooms in their hands. Chrys' simply rolled on the ground before eventually shooting up to her hand and Nevile's didn't even move. It would seem that like horses, brooms can tell if you're afraid. Arthur wasn't even close to being afraid. Whereas with Neville, he heard his voice quaver, signifying he wanted to stay on the ground.
After everyone got their brooms, Hooch then showed how to mount them without sliding off the end. She then walked up and down the rows, correcting their grips.
Both Arthur and David were beyond delighted to see her tell Draco that he'd been doing it wrong for years and used Arthur's form to demonstrate how to do it, further embarrassing the pale Slytherin student.
"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard. Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet and then come straight back down by leaning forwards slightly. On my whistle, three, two-" Hooch said but got cut off when Neville, nervous, jumpy and frightened of being left on the ground, pushed off too hard before Hooch's lips even touched her whistle.
"Come back, boy!" She shouted, but he rose straight up a lot like a cork being shot out of a champagne bottle, going up to twelve feet and then twenty feet. Arthur was able to make out his scared white face looking down at the ground falling away, gasping, slipping sideways off the broom and then…
WHAM!
A thud and a nasty sounding crack rang in the air as Neville lay, face down, on the grass in a pathetic heap. His broomstick, though, was still rising higher and higher before drifting lazily towards the Forbidden Forest until it was out of sight.
Hooch bended over Neville, her face being as white as his. His injury must be gnarly.
"Broken wrist. Come on, boy… it's alright, up you get." She muttered softly to Neville, helping him up on his feet before turning to the rest of the class.
"None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch'. Come on, dear." She said. Neville's face was stained with tears as he clutched his wrist, hobbling off with Hooch, who had her arm around him.
Once they were out of earshot, Draco burst into laughter, making all the Gryffindors glare at him.
"Did you see his face, the great lump?" He asked his fellow Slytherins, who all joined in with his laughter.
"Shut up, Malfoy." Parvati Patil snapped.
"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom? Never thought you'd like fat little cry babies, Parvati." Pansy Parkinson said, a hard faced Slytherin girl.
"At least he doesn't look like a pug's offspring, Parkinson." Mike retorted, resulting in all the Gryffindor's laughing at the insult, which made Pansy glare at the young McGonagall.
"Look!" Draco suddenly said, darting forward and snatching up an item out of the grass.
"It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him." He said, the Remembrall glittering in the sun as he held it out.
"Give it here, Draco." Arthur growled, making everyone grow silent. Draco smiled nastily in response.
"I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to collect. How about… up a tree?" He pondered.
"Give it here!" Arthur snappend, trying to grab it but Draco leapt on his broomstick and took off.
It seemed that he did fly well, much to Arthur's dismay, hovering at level with the topmost branches of an oak tree,
"Come and get it, Pendergast!" He challenged. Arthur would get into trouble, but he didn't care. He'd rather get expelled for doing the right thing instead of doing something stupid. So he grabbed his broom, blood pounding in his ears and kicked off hard against the ground.
He soared up into the air, feeling the wind rush through his hair and robes, which whipped behind him. He ended up feeling elating joy as being on a broomstick felt so natural and right. He finally found something that he can do without being taught. It was just so easy and exciting. As he pulled the broom up a bit to get higher and reach Draco, he heard gasps from the girls and cheers from David and Mike in particular.
He then turned his broom so sharply to face Draco that he looked like a blur. Draco looked stunned, like he found an even better flyer than him.
"You give it here or I'll knock you off your broom!" He then warned the pale brat.
"Oh, yeah?" Draco sneered yet looked worried.
Arthur knew what to do, feeling like he was in his element. He leant forward, grasping the broom tightly with both hands and he shot forward at Draco like a javelin. Draco was only able to get out of the way barely in time; Arthur made another sharp turn, holding the broom steadily. Some of the students clapped.
"Look at that, no Crabbe and Goyle to save you now!" He pointed out, making Draco remember this fact.
"Catch it if you can, then!" He shouted before throwing the glass ball high into the air before streaking back towards the ground.
Arthur saw the ball rise and then fall as though it were all in slow motion. He leaned forward, pointing the broom handle down. The next second, he gathered speed in a steep dive, racing after the ball. Wind whistled in his ears and stung his eyes, but it did little to affect his flying.
As he heard the screams from the other students, he stretched out his hand and when reaching a foot from the ground, he managed to catch the Remembrall in time to pull his broom straight and land on the grass with his feet, the Remembrall safely in his hand.
"ARTHUR PENDERGAST!"
His heart sank much faster than it ever had in his life. He turned and saw McGonagall running towards him. His lips trembled in fear.
"Never… in all my time at Hogwarts-" She seemed almost speechless with shock, her glasses flashing furiously.
"-how dare you… might have broken your neck-"
"It wasn't his fault, Professor-"
"Be quiet, Miss Patil-"
"But Draco-"
"That's enough, Mr Merlon. Pendergast, follow me, now."
Arthur was able to catch sight of Draco, Crabbe and Goyle, who all looked triumphantly as he left, walking with a numbness consuming his whole body in McGonagall's wake as she stormed to the castle. He knew that he wanted to be expelled doing the right thing, but it still didn't lessen the fact that getting expelled was something he dreaded.
McGonagall swept along without looking at him, resulting in him needing to jog in order to keep up with her.
They made their way up the front steps, up the marble staircase in the Entrance Hall and she still didn't say anything to him. He started thinking she was disappointed in him, which ate him up inside.
She forced doors open and marched down corridors with him following her extremely depressed. He assumed that she was taking him to Dumbledore. But this wasn't the case because McGonagall stopped outside a classroom. She then poked her head in after opening the door.
"Excuse me, Professor Flitwick, could I borrow Wood for a moment?" She asked.
What did she mean by that? His answer came when a burly fifth year boy came out of the classroom looking really confused.
"Follow me, you two." McGonagall said before they all marched on through the corridor with Wood taking curious looks at Arthur.
"In here." She pointed them into an empty classroom. Well, empty except for Peeves, who was busy writing some rude words on a blackboard.
"Out, Peeves!" She barked at the poltergeist, who threw the chalk into the bin, which clanged loudly. He then swooped out cursing. McGonagall slammed the door behind him and turned to face Arthur and Wood.
"Pendergast, this is Oliver Wood. Wood, I've found you a Seeker." She said. This made Wood's expression go from puzzlement to delight. Arthur knew what she meant by Seeker. It's a role in every Quidditch team. He was just shocked with amazement.
"Are you serious, Professor?" Wood asked.
"Absolutely. The boy's a natural. I've never seen anything like it. Was that your first time on a broomstick, Pendergast?" McGonagall asked crisply.
"It… it was. It just felt like I was in my element." He replied, expressing how it felt.
"He caught that thing in his hand after a fifty foot dive. Didn't even scratch himself. Kenny Merlon couldn't have done that." McGonagall told Wood, who looked as though his dreams had finally come true.
"Ever seen a game of Quidditch, Pendergast?" He then asked Arthur excitedly.
"Wood's captain of the Gryffindor team." McGonagall explained.
"He's just the build for a Seeker, too." Wood said, starting to walk around Arthur, starin at him.
"Light, speedy, we'll have to get him a decent broom, Professor. A Nimbus Two Thousand or a Cleansweep Seven, I'd say." He then said.
"I shall speak to Professor Dumbledore and see if we can't bend the first year rule. Heaven knows, we need a better team than last year. Flattened in that last match by Slytherin, I couldn't look Severus Snape in the face for weeks…." She replied. Arthur was shocked to see her be so passionate about Quidditch and he ended up feeling like he had to do her proud.
"I'll train as hard as I can, Professor. I'll even train all day on weekends if I have to." He then promised, demonstrating that he'll make sure she didn't regret not punishing him.
This ended up making her smile.
"Your father would have been so proud. He was an excellent Quidditch player himself." She revealed.
"No way!"
It was currently dinner time and Arthur had just finished telling David about what had happened when he left with McGonagall.
"Seeker? But first years never make into the team. You have to be the youngest house player in-"
"-a century, I know. Wood said so." Arthur finished his friend off, shovelling some roast chicken into his mouth. David was just gobsmacked.
"I'm supposed to start training next week. Just don't tell anyone because Wood wants it to be a secret." He then made his friend promise. He then saw Jack and Kevin come into the Great Hall and make their way directly to him.
"Congrats, Arthur. Wood's just told us. We happen to be on the team, too, as Beaters." Kevin informed him.
"We're gonna win the Quidditch Cup, no question. We haven't won since Kenny left school. But this year's team will be brilliant. And based on Wood almost skipping when he told us, you must be amazing." Jack then explained, making Arthur blush slightly.
"Either way, we've gotta go, Lee Jordan reckons he's found a new secret passageway out of the school."
"It might be the one behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy that we found during our first week. See you." The two made their way back out of the Great Hall. Not even two seconds passed when Arthur felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Mike standing there with a smile.
"Congrats on being Seeker." He whispered to his ear, sending some goosebumps on Arthur's back and neck. Mike then walked off before Arthur could say something. David watched with curiosity.
Eventually, however, the good mood was ruined when Draco turned up, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle.
"Having a last meal, Pendergast? When are you getting the train back to the Muggles?" He sneered.
"Oh look at you. All brave with your cronies backing you up like a snivelling coward." Arthur called him out coolly. Of course, because the High Table was full of teachers, all Crabbe and Goyle can do was crack their knuckles
"I'd take you on anytime on my own. Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel. Wands only, no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel, I suppose?" Draco challenged.
"Oh, I have. David will be my second in fact." Arthur shot back, both him and David standing up. Draco then looked at Crabbe and Goyle, sizing them up.
"Crabbe. Midnight, alright? We'll meet you in the trophy room, that's always unlocked." Draco said before he and his friends left. Arthur was really glad he knew what a wizard's duel is, having read about them in books in the library.
"You do realise there's a chance he won't really be there, right?" David told him, knowing just how much of a snivelling snake Draco is.
"I don't care. If he is there, he has to be taken down a peg or two." Arthur replied, being very aware of this fact.
"Excuse me." They turned to see Chrysanthemum Ranger standing by them.
"Yes?" The two boys asked in unison.
"I overheard what you and Draco said. Are you sure you want to do this, knowing you might get into trouble if you get caught?" She asked, not bossy, but with genuine concern. Arthur knew she was just concerned but he had to stick to his word as he's not one to just back down.
"Yes, I do. I'm not one to just not accept a challenge." Arthur told her. She sighed, heading further down the table and ate by herself.
Once nighttime rolled around, Arthur laid awake, listening to Dean, Seamus and Mike falling asleep (Neville still wasn't back from the hospital wing). Throughout the day, David gave his friend some helpful tips about duelling. They both knew that they had to be really careful to avoid being caught by either Mrs Norris or Filch. And also to avoid Peeves as well.
"Half past eleven. Let's go." David said after the other three boys fell asleep.
They pulled on their dressing gowns, picked up their wands and silently made their way out of the dormitory, down the spiral staircase and into the common room. A few embers were still glowing in the fireplace, making the couch and all the armchairs turn into hunched black shadows. They had almost reached the portrait hole when they heard a voice speak from the chair nearest to them.
"Hello, boys." A lamp flickered on and they saw that it was Chrys, who wore a purple dressing gown.
"What are you doing up?" Arthur asked her, whispering to ensure he doesn't wake anyone up.
"I'm coming with you. I just want to make sure you don't get caught." She told them.
"How do we know you're not just gonna snitch on us to a Prefect?" David questioned her.
"Because I'm not some bossy know it all who sticks to the rules." She snapped back at him. The two boys decided that since she's genuine, they'll let her come.
"Let's go." Arthur said and all three of them climbed through the hole. They paused to look back at the portrait, seeing that the Fat Lady had gone off for a nighttime visit elsewhere, meaning that for now, they were locked out of Gryffindor Tower.
"Let's just hope she's there when we get back." David whispered before they made their way down to the end of the corridor. Once they reached there, the three stopped when a snuffling was heard next to them. This made them freeze, thinking that it was Mrs Norris. However, Arthur squinted through the darkness to see that it wasn't Mrs Norris and instead was actually Neville.
He was curled up on the floor, asleep, yet jerked suddenly awake when the three crept nearer.
"Thank goodness you found me! I've been out here for hours. I couldn't remember the new password to get in to bed." He told them.
"Shh! Keep your voice down. The password's 'Pig snout' but it won't help now because she's off somewhere." David informed him.
"How's the arm?" Arthur asked, wanting to make sure he's okay.
"Fine. Madam Pomfrey mended it in about a minute." Neville said, showing them his arm. Arthur realised that since the Fat Lady's off somewhere, Neville will have to come with them, which will make things more difficult but there was no choice.
"Good… look, we're heading somewhere and since we can't leave you here, you'll have to come with us. And please try to keep quiet." He said, stressing the part of being quiet.
"Okay." Neville meekly agreed, scrambling to his feet before Arthur led them all forward.
All four quietly made their way through corridors striped with bars of moonlight from high windows. Arthur felt like he was in the middle of a horror movie, expecting to see Filch, Mrs Norris or Peeves around every corner, yet they were lucky to not encounter any of them.
The four sped their way up a staircase leading to the third floor and tiptoed to the trophy room.
It was full of many different types of trophies. There were crystal cases that glimmered where the moonlight caught them. In them were cups, shields, plates and statues that winked silver and gold in the darkness.
However, Draco and Crabbe weren't there in the room.
The four edged along the walls, keeping their eyes on the doors at either side of the room. Arthur then took out his wand, just in case Draco leapt in and started without warning. As the minutes crept by, they finally accepted a fact.
"He's not coming." Arthur whispered.
"No doubt telling Filch to find us here." David replied.
"In case, we need to get out of here." Chrys added.
Before they could leave, however, a noise in the room next to them made them jump. Arthur raised his wand when he heard someone's voice and his heart sank realising that it wasn't Draco.
"Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner." Filch spoke to his cat. Now filled with horror, Arthur looked to the others, gesturing to follow him as quickly and quietly as possible.
They all scurried silently to the door away from Filch's voice. By the time Filch entered the trophy room, Neville's robes barely whipped around the corner.
"They're in here somewhere, probably hiding." They Filch mutter.
"Come on!" Arthur mouthed and, filled with tension, they started creeping their way down a long gallery full of suits of armour.
They heard the caretaker getting nearer and nearer. This made Neville let out a frightened squeak and broke into a run, resulting in him tripping, grabbing hold of David around the waist and the two toppled into a suit of armour.
All of the crashing was so loud that Arthur thought it would wake up the whole castle.
"RUN!" He then yelled and all four of them sprinted as fast as they could down the gallery, not even looking back to see if Filch was following. They swung around a doorpost and galloped down a corridor and then another with Arthur in the lead, not having a clue where they were or where they were going.
Eventually, they ripped through a tapestry and found themselves in some hidden passageway, which they ran through and had come out near their Charms classroom, which they all knew was miles from the trophy room.
"We've,,, lost him…"Arthur panted heavily, sitting against the cold wall, wiping his forehead with his sleeve. Neville bent over, wheezing and spluttering.
"That… bloody… brat…." David wheezed, referring to Draco.
"We're gonna have to get back to Gryffindor Tower now." Chrys said.
"Draco tipped him off. He was never gonna meet us. I'm gonna get him, I swear it." Arthur then snarled, getting back up on his feet.
"Let's go." He then said.
For a while, things seemed fine until a doorknob rattled and Peeves shot out of a classroom. He then caught sight of them and squealed in delight.
"Don't Peeves." David hissed, pointing a finger at him.
"Wandering around at midnight, ickle firsties? Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, naughty, you'll get caughty." Peeves mocked
"Not if you don't tell Filch, please." Chrys begged.
"Should tell Filch, I should. It's for your own good, you know." The poltergeist replied in a saintly voice, which contrasted against his eyes, which glittered wickedly.
"Just get out of the way." David snapped. Arthur saw he was about to swipe at Peeves and tried to stop him, but he was too late as David made the worst mistake possible.
"STUDENTS OUT OF BED! STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!" Peeves bellowed out.
All four of them ducked under him and ran for their lives all the way to the end of the corridor, where they slammed right into a door, which was locked.
"Move over." Chrys said as she pushed past David and Neville. She grabbed Arthur's wand and tapped the lock.
"Alohomora!" She whispered. The lock clicked and the door swung open. Everyone piled in, shutting it quickly and pressed their ears against it to listen.
"Which way did they go, Peeves? Quick, tell me." Filch said.
"Say 'please'."
"Don't mess me about, Peeves, now where did they go?"
"Shan't say nothing if you don't say please." Peeves said with an annoying sing-song voice.
"Alright… please."
"NOTHING! Ha Haaa! Told you I wouldn't say nothing if you didn't say please! Ha ha! Haaaaaa!" And then they heard Peeves whooshing away and Filch cursing in rage before walking off.
"He thinks this door's locked, let's go. Get off, Neville." Arthur whispered. Neville was tugging Arthur's dressing gown, the sleeve in particular.
"What is it?" He asked him, seeing that he was looking behind them with a look of terror. Arthur looked and was so sure he entered into a nightmare in real life, topping what had happened previously.
Arthur realised that they had all just entered the forbidden corridor on the third floor and there was good reason for it being forbidden.
They were facing a monstrous sized dog, one that filled the entire space between the ceiling and floor. The dog also had three heads, meaning three pairs of rolling, mad eyes, three noses, all of which were twitching and quivering in their direction, three drooling mouths that had saliva hanging in slippery ropes from sickly yellow fangs.
It stood there still, all six eyes staring at the four students. Arthur knew that they weren't dead now because it was surprised by their sudden appearance, however, it was quickly getting over it, which was clear because of the thunderous growls.
Arthur instantly grabbed the doorknob, knowing he'd rather face Filch's wrath over death.
All four of them fell backwards before Arthur and David slammed the door shut. They then run, downright flying back down the corridor. Filch had to have hurried off to search for them elsewhere because not once did they encounter him, though they didn't care, as they just wanted to get as far away from that creature. They didn't stop until they finally reached the portrait of the Fat Lady on the seventh floor.
"Where on earth have you all been?" She asked, looking at their dressing gowns hanging from their shoulders and their sweat soaked faces.
"Just forget it, pig snout, pig snout." Arthur panted, watching the portrait swing open. All of them scrambled through the hole and into the common room, collapsing into the armchairs.
All of them just spent a long while not even talking as they were catching their breaths. Poor Neville looked as though he'd never speak again.
"What the actual hell are they thinking?! Why is that thing locked up in a school of all places?" David questioned, finally breaking the silence.
"Clearly you didn't pay attention to what it was standing on." Chrys replied.
"Why would we look at its feet when it had three heads?" Arthur asked in disbelief. What's so important about the feet?
"Because it was standing on a trapdoor. It must be guarding something." She explained. This made Arthur sit up properly. Its guarding something? Could that something be what Hagrid took from that Gringotts vault? However, there was something he and all the others needed.
"Can we please just go to bed? I need sleep." He then said as his legs and arms felt sore.
All four of them made their ways up to the dormitories and upon reaching their beds, all of them dozed off. Arthur's last thoughts as he was about to enter deep sleep was: What's so significant about that package that it needs to be protected at Hogwarts?
Yeah... I would honestly be scared beyond belief if I had that encounter with Fluffy.
And here is where it's truly established that Chrys isn't like Hermione. She ain't a bossy know it all who feels the need (whether intentionally or not) to be the best at everything.