Disclaimer: I don't own HP, I only own Evan and Iris.
5-6-2023
Chapter Seven
The Duelling Club
Over the next few days, Aludra thanked Mother Magic and Merlin both for the distraction of having the boys looking into what could have caused Mrs. Norris' petrification. Only the Lady Herself could know what the pair would've done without that (and Quidditch training for Evan) to keep them busy. It went to show how eager they were to solve the mystery, that they went into the library willingly. Despite their increased time there, however, their grades continued to slip. At least, their grades slipped until Evan was ordered to a meeting with Professor McGonagall, who warned him that he would be removed from the Quidditch team if he didn't get his grades up quickly. That straightened him out swiftly, and he turned to Aludra for help, which she willingly gave.
She offered to help Ron as well, more out of obligation to Evan than any desire to spend more time with the redhaired boy, but he swiftly refused. He was angry with her. He hadn't taken her dismissal of the whole Malfoy-as-the-Heir theory very well, and still tried to argue his case, though his argument was a mere 'it's Malfoy and he hates muggleborns'. His scowl grew blacker every time his theory was countered by one of the others, especially Aludra. Even Evan was getting fed up with his friend.
Ron was such a child, Aludra mused to herself as she pulled her hair into a fresh braid, out of the way of her eyes. She was already dressed in her Quidditch robes. She was excited for the game, as always, but a bit disappointed too. Her father had called her on the mirror earlier, full of apologies, to inform her that he couldn't make it to the game. There was a vote on today for a law he'd been trying to push through since Damocles Belby had released the Wolfsbane Potion in '87. It would make it mandatory for all werewolves to take Wolfsbane, which would be provided to them free of charge from St. Mungo's. A charity supported by the Blacks would provide the money to the hospital to make the potion.
Aludra knew how important the vote was and didn't begrudge her father his absence, but she couldn't help but be disappointed that the days had coincided with one another.
"Ready, Aludra?" Angelina Johnson asked her with a smile.
Aludra snapped out of her daze and grinned confidently at her teammate. "Born ready, Angelina," she assured the older girl, as they left the changing room and joined the boys.
Oliver gave a speech, just like last year's, but at the end he turned to Aludra with a serious expression. "Malfoy has the best broom on the market right now, there's no denying that," he said grimly. "But you're the best Seeker in the school, Aludra. Better than that piece of slime could ever try to be. It's up to you, Aludra. Show Slytherin that a better broom is nothing when the Seeker has no talent. We've got to win today, we've just got to!"
"So no pressure, Lu," George winked at her. He was the only one who called her that.
Aludra ignored him as she nodded sharply at her captain. "Don't worry, Oliver," she assured him. "Malfoy couldn't catch the Snitch if it was flying in front of his nose!"
The twins chuckled and Evan smirked at that.
Oliver, meanwhile, gave a grave nod. "I know you won't let me down," he stated. Glancing at everyone else he added, "None of you will. Now, let's go out there and win this thing!"
The team cheered and followed their captain out of the changing rooms, onto the field. They were greeted by a roar of noise, with Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw all cheering for Gryffindor. The Slytherins were making their boos and hisses heard just as loudly.
They went through the usual routine, Madam Hooch demanding a clean game and the two captains trying to crush each other's hands before everyone mounted their brooms and took off on the referee's whistle.
Aludra flew up and began circling the field, eyes already the expanse in search of the little gold ball.
Malfoy was quick to reveal that his strategy was to hound Aludra and annoy her. She did her best to ignore him, flying around him and keeping her eyes moving. But it didn't take long for her to notice that something was wrong with Evan. One of the Bludgers kept going after him, and Fred had taken to guarding him constantly while George tried to defend the rest of the team alone.
Thankfully, Oliver too had noticed what was happening and signalled for a time out, and the teams landed, the Gryffindors huddling around their youngest Chaser.
"What's going on, Evan?" Oliver demanded.
"I don't know," the black-haired boy complained. "That bloody Bludger won't leave me alone! It must be hexed."
"Those slimy, cheating-" Oliver snarled.
Aludra interrupted. "We need a substitution, Oliver," she urged. "Swap Alicia Spinnet for Evan. Then Evan can hide from it in the changing room and it should be fine."
Oliver grimaced, but nodded. If the Bludger knocked Evan off his broom, they'd need to call in their substitute Chaser anyway. Better to get in early and keep Evan from getting hurt.
Alicia was called over, Evan was sent to the changing room to wait for the game to end, and the game re-started.
Malfoy continued to focus on harassing Aludra over actually making any effort to search for the Snitch, but even with the rain that had started it didn't take long for Aludra to spot the Snitch hovering above Malfoy's left ear. Malfoy, too busy taunting Aludra about being a Daddy's Girl (as if Mr. 'My-Father-Will-Hear-About-This' had any place to talk), hadn't seen it. She wheeled around in the air and flew straight for him. He let out a cry of fear (a very girly one at that, Aludra noticed in amusement) and she reached out, snatching the Snitch out of the air and raising it in the air, smirking viciously at her cousin.
"Gryffindor wins!" Lee Jordan announced. "200 to 30! Take that you slimy, cheating-"
"JORDAN!"
Aludra turned, preparing to head to the ground, and Evan exiting the changing room. The bewitched Bludger was speeding towards him.
Aludra flicked her wrist to bring her wand from her holster and pointed at the ball. "Finite incantatem!" She cried desperately. Her spell connected a moment too late, as the Bludger had already slammed into Evan's left arm, which he'd raised defensively in front of his face.
"Evan!" Aludra cried, racing towards him and hopping off her broom. "Are you alright?" She asked worriedly, fussing over her friend. "Come on, I'll help you to the hospital wing."
"No need for that, Miss Black," Lockhart called out jovially, hurrying to them trailed by a crowd of concerned Gryffindors. "I can sort that arm out in a jiffy."
"Oh no, not you!" Evan moaned in distress.
"Concussed I expect," Lockhart chuckled to the others. "Doesn't know what he's saying."
Aludra moved in front of her friend protectively.
"With all due respect, Professor," she began, adding mentally, that is, none at all. "I really think that Madam Pomfrey ought to look Evan over."
There was a clicking sound and Evan groaned. "No photos, Colin," he pled. "Professor, Ally is right. I'll go see Madam Pomfrey."
"No need, I've done this spell a thousand times," Lockhart insisted, forcing Aludra aside and raising his wand. Before she could do anything to stop him, there was a loud bang and suddenly Evan's arm was, wrong. It fell flat against his side, seeming to sink down as if...
"You vanished his bones!" Aludra shrieked, losing her composure due to the sheer amount of horror and rage that filled her. "Why, you incompetent fool! What if that was his skull, you moron?! You might've killed him!"
"Ah, well, that can happen sometimes," Lockhart said sheepishly, and Aludra very nearly hexed him.
"It wouldn't've happened if he'd gone to the hospital wing, you idiot!" Aludra seethed.
"That's his throwing arm!" Oliver agreed in horror. "What if he can't play Quidditch after this?" The captain looked about to have an aneurysm at the thought of losing his star chaser.
"Ah, well," Lockhart shifted uncomfortably. "Accidents do happen, I'm afraid. But the important thing is that his arm is no longer broken! Now, ah, Miss Black, kindly escort Mr. Potter to the hospital wing, please," he requested.
Glowering at him, Aludra helped her friend to his feet. "Come along Evan," she gritted out. "Madam Pomfrey will be able to fix you."
The others joined them, seething, and Aludra carefully didn't hear Susan muttering about helping the twins to get some payback. At least Lockhart would get some punishment. It was better than nothing.
Aludra imagined that Madam Pomfrey would agree, given the shriek of outrage she gave when she saw Evan's arm missing its bones.
The following day was one shock after the next.
First, news spread that Colin Creevey had been found Petrified, apparently having been on the way to visit Evan in the hospital wing. All the muggleborns were, justifiably in Aludra's opinion, terrified. Suddenly, the danger was real. Students were in genuine danger. Her father's team had been called in and were crawling all over the castle, searching for clues and any signs of the Chamber itself.
To make matters even more serious, the first thing out of Evan's mouth when he found the four others was that Dobby had visited him over night. As they had suspected, it was him who had sealed the barrier and it was him who had enchanted the Bludger the day before, hoping to force Evan back home.
Telling Sirius was hard but necessary. He listened, took a memory from Evan of Dobby's confession, then sent them off to class with orders not to go anywhere alone.
They weren't the only ones going around in groups. None of the first years, from any House, were going anywhere by themselves, always with at least one more person with them. The first years were taking the attack the worst. Ginny Weasley in particular was utterly distraught, and nothing her brothers did to cheer her up worked. Even Aludra and Susan tried talking to her, but nothing worked. She was hysterical and nothing could calm her down.
December arrived, and with it came an announcement.
"Duelling club?" Evan read off the noticeboard. "That should be interesting. Who d'you think will be running it?"
"I hope it's Flitwick," Aludra mused. "He was a champion on the duelling circuit before becoming a teacher. And he's one of the best teachers in the school. I bet he'd be brilliant at running this."
"Shall we give it a go, then?" Susan asked.
They all agreed, and that Thursday they, along with almost every other student in the school, made their way to the Great Hall. At the sight of the two professors awaiting their arrival, however, the group very nearly turned and marched right back out.
"Oh no," Evan groaned.
"Snape and Lockhart?" Aludra said in horror. "That's just cruel. What did we do to deserve this?"
"I don't know, but this isn't going to go well," Evan declared glumly.
Still, for whatever stupid reason, the quintet stayed.
Lockhart waved an arm for silence and called out to them. "Gather round, gather round! Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent! Now, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little duelling club, to train you all in case you ever need to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions—for full details, see my published works."
Aludra rolled her eyes internally. Didn't the man do anything other than promote those fictional 'books' (that were really just ramblings about how amazing Lockhart was) of his?
"Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape," Lockhart went on, flashing a wide smile.
"Snape doesn't like that," Evan whispered, nodding at the Potions Master's black expression.
"He tells me he knows a tiny little bit about duelling himself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin," Lockhart explained. "Now, I don't want any of you youngsters to worry—you'll still have your Potions Master when I'm through with him, never fear!"
"Wouldn't it be good if they finished each other off?" Ron muttered to the rest of them.
"Cross your fingers and hope to Mother Magic for it," Evan whispered back.
Snape's upper lip was curling. The hatred in his eyes was worse than that he aimed towards Evan. Aludra wondered how Lockhart was still smiling. If Snape had been looking at her like that she'd have been running as fast as she could in the opposite direction.
The two professors turned to face each other and bowed; at least, Lockhart did, with much twirling of his hands, whereas Snape just jerked his head irritably. Then they raised their wands in front of them.
"As you see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position," Lockhart told the silent crowd. "On the count of three, we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course."
"I wouldn't bet on that," Aludra murmured, watching Snape baring his teeth.
"One—two—three—"
The two men swung their wands above their heads and pointed them at their opponent. Snape cried out, "Expelliarmus!" There was a dazzling flash of scarlet light and Lockhart was blasted off his feet. He flew backward off the stage, smashed into the wall, and slid down it to sprawl on the floor.
Malfoy and some of the other Slytherins cheered. Nearby, Lavender Brown was dancing on tiptoes. "Do you think he's all right?" she squealed through her fingers.
"Who cares?" Evan and Ron said together, sounding gleeful.
Aludra hid a smirk with the mask of a perfect pureblood princess, even as she cackled away in her mind. Susan's lips were twitching. Nobody would notice if they didn't know her as well as Aludra did.
Lockhart was getting unsteadily to his feet. His hat had fallen off and his wavy hair was standing on end. "Well, there you have it!" he said, tottering back onto the platform. "That was a Disarming Charm—as you see, I've lost my wand—ah, thank you, Miss Brown—yes, an excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, but if you don't mind my saying so, it was very obvious what you were about to do. If I had wanted to stop you it would have been only too easy—however, I felt it would be instructive to let them see…"
Snape was looking murderous. Possibly Lockhart had noticed, because he coughed and changed the subject hastily. "Enough demonstrating! I'm going to come amongst you now and put you all into pairs. Professor Snape, if you'd like to help me—"
They moved through the crowd, matching up partners.
Susan was paired with Lisa Turpin, Neville with Justin Finch-Fletchley, Evan with Malfoy (a disaster in the making, Aludra had no doubt), Ron with Seamus Finnegan and Aludra herself with Daphne Greengrass.
"Well met, Heiress Greengrass," Aludra greeted her Slytherin year mate with a curtsey.
"Well met, Heiress Black," Daphne replied with a slightly lower curtsey, in acknowledgement of Aludra's higher status. While the Blacks were Most Ancient and Noble, the Greengrasses were merely Ancient and Noble. In muggle terms, it was the equivalent of a Duchy versus a Marquessate.
"Shall we?" Aludra asked, going into the position her father had taught her. It was less formal than the one demonstrated by the professors, but better for fighting. Daphne, unsurprisingly, took up a matching position. Most pureblood nobles taught their children to duel.
"We shall," Daphne agreed.
"Expelliarmus!" They cried together, but Aludra was a second faster, not to mention her practice at dodging under Sirius, Remus, Madam Bones and the Longbottoms' watchful eyes (depending on who was free) as well as avoiding Bludgers, let her best her opponent.
"Very impressive," Daphne noted, collecting her wand.
"So were you," Aludra smiled back. "Shall we go again?"
The two of them got along and duelled well together, but others weren't doing so well.
Evan and Malfoy were attacking each other with everything in their arsenal, and Ron's wand had done Merlin knew what to Seamus. He was bleeding, at any rate, and looking dazed. Susan's hair was lime green and Lisa's skin was blue with orange polka dots. Justin was hanging upside down by his ankle, and Neville was trying to tug him down, apparently having forgotten the reversal spell.
In short, the entire hall was in chaos.
Lockhart shouted for everyone to stop, but it took Snape's intervention to settle everybody down again. He made Neville flinch in fear at the enraged look the Potions professor shot him when he got Justin down.
"Dear, dear," said Lockhart, skittering through the crowd, looking at the aftermath of the duels. "Up you go, Macmillan… Careful there, Miss Fawcett… Pinch it hard, it'll stop bleeding in a second, Boot… I think I'd better teach you how to block unfriendly spells," said Lockhart, standing flustered in the midst of the hall. He glanced at Snape, whose black eyes glinted, and looked quickly away. "Let's have a volunteer pair—Weasley and Finnegan, how about you—?"
"A bad idea, Professor Lockhart," Snape interrupted, gliding over like a large and malevolent bat. "Weasley's wand is a disaster waiting to happen. We'll be sending what's left of Finnegan up to the hospital wing in a matchbox. How about Malfoy and Potter?" Snape suggested with a twisted smile.
"Excellent idea!" Lockhart cheered, gesturing Evan and Malfoy into the middle of the hall as the crowd backed away to give them room.
Aludra quickly grabbed Evan's arm and hissed in his ear. "Evan, Malfoy will play dirty. He always does. Remember to shield."
Evan nodded grimly, then marched onto the stage like he was heading for the guillotine.
Lockhart spoke to him briefly, making a strange motion with his wand, while Snape whispered to Malfoy. Aludra had no doubts on whose advice was more helpful.
She watched with clenched fists as the two boys nodded their heads at each other before raising their wands.
"On the count of three!" Lockhart called out. "One, two, three!"
But Malfoy, lousy cheater that he was, acted on 'two'.
"Serpensortia!" He cried, and a giant Black Mamba appeared on the stage beginning to slither towards Evan, who conjured up a shield.
"I'll deal with it, no need to worry," Lockhart announced, and Aludra's dread increased. She was right to worry, because all Lockhart did was make it angry by throwing it in the air.
The serpent caught sight of Justin Finch-Fletchley, frozen in terror, and began slithering towards him.
Aludra didn't think, she acted. She jumped between Justin and the snake, and let out a scream of pain as the fangs sunk into her arm.
The last thing she remembered before fainting from the pain was Susan's screams for help.