Author's Note - The Duelling Club! Yay!
Chapter twenty-four.
It was a light evening, but it was dark inside and the fires were only just beginning to glow as Hermione sat silently on her bed contemplating. While she had been seeing a different side of Malfoy with Alice she really wanted to go back to playing jokes on him, it had tested her courage, her mind and gave her a challenge, especially since they had been doing it so as not to get caught doing something so immature. And even if she was pretty sure the rest of the school was placing bets on the outcome of this hilarious feud. The hair hackled on the back of her neck and she swung around, shouting out a quick Body-Bind at the person who had silently opened the door and was slipping through.
Alice didn't even blink as she ducked under the spell. She looked at her with an eyebrow raised from the floor and Hermione blushed, "Oh Alice, I'm so sorry! I-"
"Don't sweat it mate, I knew it was coming. Luna gave me this cool necklace that glows if you're about to be attacked, even if its in self defence or surprise. It's a kinda divination device that she's been working on, it doesn't work all the time, but still, it can work." The New Zealander explained, curiously fingering the bulky red and white pendant.
Hermione still blushed, "Oh. But still, I'm sorry."
Alice smiled kindly as she sat on her bed, flicking through an old textbook that Hermione didn't recognise. It must be an Australian one, she mused. "I know, I get edgy sometimes too, especially since after the war. But you really need to stop being paranoid, someday you're going to attack someone who doesn't know how to defend themselves."
She blanched, "Merlin, I hope not."
Alice just gave her a comforting smile and continued to read. Hermione frowned, "I didn't realise you knew Luna."
"Oh, I just met her! Lovely girl! Of course her theories on Nargles are incorrect-"
Hermione smiled knowingly and Alice continued on.
"-She had obviously translated her Runes wrongly, as Nargles don't reside in mistletoe, but in bamboo forests. I hate them, those bloody blighters stole my swag."
Hermione frowned, no one ever really contradicted Luna, they just let her be and allowed her to think that they agreed with what she said, it was just easier that way. "Wait, so you believe her?"
Alice blinked at her owlishly, "Don't you?"
"Why should I? There's no evidence that they exist!"
"There's no evidence that they don't either."
"So you're saying that Nargles are real?"
Alice looked at her oddly, "Yes, I thought I covered that when I told you that she had translated the wrong Runes and had been led to believe that they hang around mistletoe when its really bamboo. That and the fact I just told you they stole my swag when I was in China."
Hermione spluttered, "Th-that's not possible!"
"That's what everyone said when the Aussies sent you Pommies a platypus. They thought they were playing a joke by sewing a duck's bill and a beaver's tail onto the body of a rat and saying that it was an animal of Australia."
Hermione sighed. "Help me?"
Alice looked up, interested, "With what? Understanding the flora and fauna of the world? Or was it a rhetorical question…?"
"I want to play a joke on Malfoy."
"Hey, if necessary, you have the entire Australian and New Zealand Air Force backing you up! What're you gonna do?" Alice asked eagerly.
"Well, tomorrow is the first meeting of Lupin's Duelling club…"
The students gathered around the tall duelling stage, mingling and talking, excited even though they had to give up their lunch break to attend.
"Wow, it's even more packed then when Lockhart taught!" Harry whispered to Hermione from the back of the room, out of sight from the students, they saw Neville talking to Remus near the elevated platform.
"That's because you're even more famous than him, Harry." Hermione whispered back, smiling as Harry made a face at her.
"Ah, glad to see you two are here, now we're just waiting for Professor Malfoy." Lupin came up to them, smiling brightly.
"Wait, Malfoy's doing this too?" Hermione started to ask, but Lupin was already gone, striding onto the stage and getting the giggling students to quiet down.
"Duelling was once a tradition between two wizards when honour came into question, when they both wanted the girl or when one had slighted the other! Nowadays, witches are also a part of this tradition and - "
Harry turned to Hermione and, tuning Remus out, started whispering to her.
"'Mione… What…what does Alice think of me?"
Hermione shot him a puzzled look, "Alice? What has that got to do with anything?"
"Nothing." He said quickly, before turning back sharply and listening intently to Lupin, who was explaining the various styles of Duelling.
Hermione slowly turned her head back, contemplative and confused.
"Now, the Professors Potter, Granger, Malfoy and Longbottom have all agreed to help you with this club, so appreciate the time they're giving up to help you, because they have no need to do this. Starting it off, Professor Malfoy and Potter will be demonstrating a traditional duel to you, before Professor Granger will be showing you some more unorthodox fighting."
Hermione's eyes widened in surprise, "I will?" She whispered as Harry chuckled.
"-And Professor Longbottom will be demonstrating various other weapons used during a wand-less Duel. Now, students, please step back as I place a protective circle around this stage, so no stray spells can hit and hurt you."
They did as they were told and soon Harry and Draco were facing each other on the stage. "Remind you of something, Malfoy?" Harry chuckled.
"Yeah, I have the strangest feeling of Déjà vu… No Parseltongue now, Potter!" Draco joked. The two shared a silent chuckle before Lupin announced the beginning of the Duel. Needless to say, this Duel was much more impressive than the one between Snape and Lockhart in their second year; spells were swapped and deflected at a fast pace as the students looked on in amazement. Hermione eyed them with a critical eye, Harry was too defensive, not putting up much of an offensive attack, but that was just how he rolled… Draco on the other hand, favoured firing to Harry's left but that left himself open on his right hand side and as he didn't rely on defencive spells too much, he was getting a lot of hits there.
At one point Alice walked in, Madam Pompfrey having sent her in case someone hurt themselves…which probably would happen soon. Draco's back was to the door so Harry had full view of her arriving. He watched out of the corner of his eye as she walked up to chat with Hermione at the back of the room, before watching them with concern. Suddenly her eyes locked onto his and his concentration lapsed as he smiled goofily. That left Draco with the perfect opportunity to send him a Jelly Legs jinx with a Permanent charm; he had heard Fletcher and Granger discussing the kids who had been sent to the ward and thought the Ravenclaw kid was a genius. What he wouldn't give to see Potter as a blob.
Unfortunately for Draco, his spell rebounded off of Potter and disappeared into the nethers of the shield surrounding them. Cursing Potter, he renewed his attack. 5 minutes in and neither side was wavering, it was when a brother and sister (reminiscent of the Weasley twins) started a betting pool on who would win that Lupin decided to call it a tie. The two wizards, sweating and panting, shook hands and got off the stage. "Whew, I think that released a lot of pent up anger and stress, right there." Draco said, grinning at Harry, who smiled back.
"Yep, best anger management I've ever had!"
Alice nodded at Hermione as she went on stage and the students crowded around eagerly. She looked a bit uncomfortable at all the attention, even if she faced the students each day; to be on a stage was a new experience. She glanced over at Lupin and shrugged, she had no idea what he wanted her to do. Lupin walked onto the stage as well and addressed the pupils.
"Now, as you should all know, when fighting, not everyone is honourable and sometimes one has to defend themselves against not one, but two foes. And that is what the lovely Professor Granger will be demonstrating today, against the Professors Potter and Malfoy. The object of this Duel is for Professor Granger to escape and for Professors Potter and Malfoy to capture her."
All three paled, one at the thought of having to fight two trained Aurors, and the other two at being on the receiving end of Hermione Granger's wand. And she had some good old and forgotten hexes locked away in that massive mind of hers that would guarantee pain and a hard time for the hospital staff.
This time round the fight was really intense, the winning line blurred because the two male Professors were still exhausted from their previous Duel and Hermione was desperately pulling every spell she knew out of her arsenal. With a flash of brilliance, Hermione's wand exploded and dark smoke came bursting out and cloaked Draco and Harry. Thus distracting them, leaving Hermione free to skip off the stage without getting hurt and winning…rather triumphantly too.
Harry's voice came out from the thick fog, "Hello? Draco? I think I got her!"
Draco just grunted as he fell to the floor, the victim of Harry's misdirected Full Body Bind.
Author's Note - Does anyone have an idea of what Hermione's diabolical plan is? And what does she need Alice for? Seriously, anyone? I'll take any ideas, I have a very vague idea, but I'd like to know what you guys want them to do!