The Accident
...
"Who here is reasonably confident in their duelling abilities?"
All of the hands in Róisín's class went into the air, including her own.
"And who here is confident in their duelling abilities in the dark?"
Most of the hands fell back down.
Rivers nodded slowly. "That's what I expected. Duelling in the dark is an exceptionally difficult skill, which is exactly why it is offered on this programme."
The class had switched out the stuffy conference room for a large training hall, where they now gathered in a circle around Rivers.
"Now," he said, motioning for the class to spread apart, which they did, "I'm going to ask Potter and Black to demonstrate a simple duel for us all. Stand well back, everyone."
Potter and Black joined each other in the center of the room. They first took a quick bow and then separated by a few paces, their wands poised for action.
Potter started with a Shield Charm, which was quickly broken by Black's Stunning Spell. Potter retaliated with an Impediment Jinx, which Black shielded himself from. Black returned another Impediment Jinx, which missed and hit the far wall. With Black distracted, this allowed Potter a chance to send a Stunning Spell, which hit Black squarely in the chest and pushed him to the ground.
"Fantastic!" Rivers cried. "Very well done, both of you."
Potter hurried over to Black and helped him back up on his feet.
"Now, we're going to make this a bit more difficult for the both of you," Rivers said. With a flick of his wrist, darkness befell the training room, apart from a small sliver of light from his wand. "I want you boys to demonstrate how different - and how difficult - duelling in the dark is."
Rivers' wand extinguished, and a moment later the duel began again in earnest. All that Róisín could make out were flittering flashes of light as the two Aurors cast various spells and incantations, along with the sound of shoes squeaking on the floor. Hardly two minutes passed when Róisín heard a wand fall to the floor, quickly followed by a thump as one of the Aurors also fell.
Another flick of Rivers' wrist and the lights were back on. Potter was lying on the floor perfectly still, his wand some meters away from him - only his eyes moved back and forth rapidly. Black remained in his fighting pose, although now he was on the opposite side of the room.
"Great work, boys, great work," Rivers cried with a slow clap, soon joined by the rest of the class. Black assisted Potter to his feet and a student returned Potter his wand. The Aurors then took a mock theatrical bow to the group and blew fake kisses into the audience.
"Now," Rivers said, silencing the class, "can someone tell us the key difference between those two duels?"
"The lights were off," Saghart called, followed by a few soft laughs from the class.
"Apart from that," Rivers replied.
Cynthia offered, "Potter won the first duel with the lights on - Black won the duel with the lights off."
"Spot on," replied Rivers, turning to the two Aurors. "Boys, did you plan it that way?"
"No - you didn't tell us that we would be duelling until fifteen minutes ago," Potter replied.
"And do you two practice duelling together regularly?" Rivers asked.
"I can't remember the last time we practiced together," said Black.
"So it was a completely natural, unscripted duel," said Rivers. "Potter, would you like to explain to the class why you won the first one?"
"Sirius was distracted by his spell misfiring and I took advantage of that," said Potter.
"I misfired because I didn't guess James' position correctly," Black explained. "I was distracted by the hair in my eyes and the students watching."
"So what was different with the second duel?" Rivers asked.
"My ears are far, far better than my eyes," Black replied, "so I was able to pinpoint James' position better because I had less distractions. I also used Apparation to my advantage because I knew that that would confuse him even more."
"Yeah, and my eyesight is bad enough with the lights on, so I didn't stand a chance!" James laughed.
"So, what we have here is a demonstration of the importance of strengths and weaknesses in a team," Rivers said. He thanked both Aurors, who retreated to the back wall of the hall. "Due to their differences, when put together, Black and Potter achieve much better outcomes than if we paired two Aurors who both were skilled duellers in the light, or in the dark. This class is about more than learning the practicalities of duelling in the dark - you will also learn the importance of team-building and balancing the talents of your crew."
Rivers paused for a moment, and then added, "Now it's your turn. Potter, Black - would you like to choose one member from each of your groups to duel against another student?"
Saghart's hand flew up in the air, and Potter shrugged his shoulders and said, "Looks like we have an eager volunteer."
Black scanned Róisín's group but no hands rose. His gaze lingered on Róisín for a moment, and he seemed to make up his mind.
"Róisín," Black told Rivers, "my fellow ABBA fan! I'm sure she would like to do it."
"Rí and Saghart, up you come," Rivers said, a sweep of one short arm inviting the two students to the center of the room.
Róisín joined Saghart in front of the class, offering him a small bow, which he returned. They raised their wands to each other and the duel began with a quick Stunning Spell from Róisín, which Saghart dodged. He cast a Shield Charm, and Róisín hit it with three Impediment Jinxes until the shield broke. She quickly fired another Stunning Spell, but Saghart Apparated away from it and Róisín lifted a Shield Charm. Saghart hit her shield from behind with a Body-Bind Curse, which Róisín deflected. She then conjured a flock of black birds to distract Saghart - they flew in a circle around him, giving Róisín the chance to stun him properly. Saghart collapsed to the wooden floor, his wand clattering down with him.
"Very well done, Rí!" Rivers clapped, while Saghart slowly picked himself up off the ground. Róisín smiled at Rivers' praise and mouthed an apology to Saghart. Róisín glanced at Black, who gave her two thumbs ups and mouthed, "Well done."
"So, what we saw there at the end was Rí using a visual distraction," Rivers said. "Obviously, that won't be possible when we turn off the lights. We also saw very good use of defensive magic by Saghart with his powerful Shield Charm at the beginning. Great work, both of you."
Róisín and Saghart returned to the center of the room and gave another polite bow. With a flick of Rivers' wrist, the lights went out.
Róisín felt confident and powerful: she took a moment to adjust to the darkness and immediately cast a Shield Charm. A soft shuffling of feet approached her and she darted further away, casting a Stunning Spell. The flash of light from the spell allowed her to see just how close Saghart was to her, and she ran the opposite way. The hairs stood up in arches on the back of her neck as she felt as if she was being watched by a thousand invisible eyes. She spun around in circles, no longer even knowing which direction was left and which was right. She cast another Shield Charm for protection, but that was quickly broken by Saghart, who then hit her with another Stunning Spell and she collapsed to the floor.
Róisín's head felt like it might split open when she came to. Black helped her to her feet and Saghart handed her her wand back. She thanked both men briefly, before returning to the centre of the room.
"What happened here?" Rivers asked.
"Saghart used Róisín's own technique against her," Black said. "While Róisín tried to distract him with the birds, he distracted her with the noise of fake footsteps and she couldn't place which were his real footsteps and which were incantations."
"And at the end, I gave away my position by using a Shield Charm," Róisín added. "I should have used noise as a distraction too, but I was too unnerved by the fact I couldn't see anything."
"Fantastic analysis," Rivers replied, with a broad smile. "Would you both like one more go?"
Róisín and Saghart both agreed: after a quick bow, darkness fell once again over the training hall. This time Róisín immediately cast fake footsteps to distract Saghart and protected herself with a Shield Charm. Realising her position was compromised, she quickly Apparated to the opposite end of the room. She heard Saghart approach and cast an Impediment Jinx, which she easily deflected. Róisín couldn't stand the idea of losing another round, so she ran past Saghart while sending more fake footsteps the opposite direction. But before she could Disarm him, she felt her entire body tense up and she collapsed to the floor with a shooting pain in her foot.
The lights came back on and Rivers began slow clapping again, but was interrupted by Róisín crying out in pain as soon as the Body Bind jinx was lifted.
"My- my ankle," she cried, clutching her twisted foot.
"Medic!" Rivers called.
"I'm so sorry!" Saghart cried. "I didn't mean to!"
Róisín withered in unbearable pain on the floor until two medics arrived and took her away on a stretcher to the first aid wing of the Auror Office. Black and Staghart followed closely behind, Black carrying Róisín's wand in his hand.
...
Róisín remained in the first aid room for the rest of the day with a tight white cast around her right foot. Whatever pain medication the medic had given her, it had left her feeling groggy and dizzy and she had slept through most of the afternoon. When she awoke, the clock on the wall read five-thirty. She sat up slowly in bed, taking in the small room. Four beds lined the walls, each with its own cabinet and closet. She had been put in the bed furthest from the door. Her first thought went to her wand: after a momentary panic, she found it on top of her bedside cabinet next to a glass of water. She tried to draw her foot closer to herself to examine the injury (knowing that was pointless, because it was wrapped in a cast), but her leg hurt too much to move.
Why had her foot not healed yet? How long would it take to heal? What was she going to do until it did? She would miss out on so many classes - surely she would fail the programme. How could she possibly catch up to her classmates?
"How are you feeling?"
The voice startled her, dragging her out of her reverie. Black had quietly entered the room and now stood nearby to the right of her bed.
"I've been better," Róisín mumbled. It suddenly hit her that her mouth was disgustingly dry, and she took a sip from the glass on her cabinet.
Black pulled up a chair and sat down.
"The medic said that you might be feeling groggy because of the medication. She also said you would need crutches for at least six weeks. You can stay here overnight, if you want - but you'll be alone. It's five-thirty, so everyone is heading home."
"No, no... I'll go home," Róisín replied. She made a feeble attempt to move but was abruptly stopped by the shooting pains from her foot. She winced, causing Black to summon a small vial from a shelf on the opposite wall.
"Here - for the pain," he said, offering her the vial. She gingerly took a sip and sat back into the deep pillows. The balls of her hands found themselves pressed hard against her eyes until she could see swimming stars.
"What am I going to do?" she groaned.
"Kill Saghart, for a start?" Black joked. His smile fell when Róisín didn't respond. "He does feel awful about it, you know."
"No, I mean... I'm going to fall behind, am I not? Will I have to drop out of the programme?"
"Hey - hey - lets not catastrophise this, now," Black said reassuringly. If he was trying to be reassuring, it wasn't working. "You absolutely won't have to drop out-"
"How am I possibly going to catch up?" Róisín cried. "I've- I've never failed anything before - I - I can't fail - I just can't!"
"And you won't," Black said calmly, "but first lets just focus on getting you back on your feet."
Róisín glared at him, and he sheepishly replied, "Sorry, bad phrasing. Let's get you home. I have Floo powder in my desk - does your house have a fireplace?"
She agreed, grateful for his help. He summoned a pair of crutches for her and helped her out of bed. Gently, he helped her slip her arms into the crutches and supported her shoulders as she stood. The movement was far less painful due to the painkilling potion, but Róisín still moved tenderly.
Black returned with Floo powder after a few moments - Róisín met him by the fireplace. She went through the network first, with Black closely behind.
They emerged in Róisín and Cynthia's living room. Behind her, Róisín felt Black dusting some soot off her shoulders. She offered a quiet, "Thanks."
Black helped her to a soft, tall armchair in the corner of the room. As he did, Róisín caught a rich, honey scent from his clothes and something nearly earthy. She only now noticed what he was wearing: a dark-blue velvet suit with a black waistcoat adorned with a gold pocketwatch. The dark colour palette suited him very well. Once she was seated, he took a half-step back and glanced towards the kitchenette.
"Can I get you some tea while I'm here?" he asked.
"Haven't got any - haven't had a chance to buy many groceries yet," Róisín said apologetically. "I'm sorry I can't offer you anything for all you've done."
He brushed her off with a wave of his hand. "Don't worry at all - it's the least I could do."
Feeling another overwhelming sense of shame, Róisín buried her head in her hands again and cried, "What am I going to do? I've never been out of commission like this!"
Black sat down on the armchair next to Róisín's and rested his hand on her shoulder.
"I could coach you when your foot is healed," he offered.
"No, no - I couldn't ask you to - I'll just train with my classmates - it's fine-"
"Róisín, I'm offering," Black said firmly. Róisín lowered her hands. Black was leaning closer to her than she'd realised, and it dawned on her that she had never held a conversation this long with him before. What kind of impression was she making? It also suddenly occurred to her just how grey Black's eyes were. Like dark storm clouds, but as comforting as a soft blue sky.
"Why?" she asked.
"I feel like this was my fault, somehow," Black confessed. "If only I hadn't picked you from my group, perhaps you wouldn't be suffering like this now. I'm sorry, Róisín."
"Don't be silly - you didn't know this would happen!" Róisín replied, to visible relief from Black. "But... I do appreciate your offer."
"Alright - it's decided, then." Black smiled and clapped his hands together. "Until then, you can focus on the theoretical parts of the programme."
He rose from his armchair and pulled out the Floo powder from his pocket. Róisín gave him a grateful smile.
"Thank you, Mr Black," she said softly.
"Oh - please - call me Sirius," Black laughed. "And it's fine, really. Just focus on getting better."