Standard Disclaimer: I own nothing in regards to Harry Potter or Spartacus. All properties therein are those of their creators. I am only a writer working on my skills with worlds and characters that I love.

Note: In case you didn't see the change, Harry's inner animal is a black-maned lion. The tiger was an early draft that missed my eye during the editing phase of the chapter.

Note: Changing the order of events here so that the ranking contest happens earlier. I think it makes things flow a bit better and allows for certain changes I desire to occur more smoothly.

Chapter Six - The Ranking

Harry was enjoying a rare moment to himself and watching the sunrise from his place sitting at the edge of the ludus ravine. He found an odd sort of peace there, at what felt like the edge of the world, just… breathing. The dominus and his father had returned to Capua for an early games exhibition that morning, leaving the gladiators with orders to rest before the coming house tournament. It wouldn't do for the men to fight at anything other than top form. It would skew the results. Something else that gave warmth to his being was the new weight of coin in the pouch at his waist. It seemed that while the dominus took most of the match winnings and pay, the gladiators themselves too were given a small amount as well. Harry was given to understanding that most put their winnings toward wine or women, but some put it away to attempt to buy their freedom at a later time. It was an interesting concept as he'd expected to not receive anything at all for his labors.

The young man was just getting ready to see about grabbing a late breakfast when the sand beside him stirred and another man took position beside him. When he failed to speak, Harry offered, "Gannicus, I welcome you, brother."

"Aye, you are that now." The house champion moved his head from side to side, taking in the vast expanse and depth of land and mountain crevasse alike before them. "You choose a strange place for respite."

"I like the quiet. No one else appreciates spaces where they are this close to death."

"Makes you appreciate being alive all the more." the champion nodded his understanding. Then he said no more.

Now, Harry was a patient man, but even his patience had its limits. So after five minutes more he had to ask, "What brings you over here?"

"I… do not know. Not exactly." Gannicus admitted. "Ever since what happened with me and Mellita, something has been… wrong, deep inside me. I find myself thinking things I shouldn't, feeling things that are horrible, and both are open betrayals of Oenomaus and her. Yet I cannot stop them."

The wizard took a moment to look at the man in full, and saw a face full of worry and eyes sunken with lack of sleep. Something truly was stuck on his mind. A knowing suspicion began to build in him as he asked, "Why come to me with this?"

Gannicus took a deep breath and let it out, eyes locked on the abyss below. "Oenomaus has spoken of how well you helped Mellita, and Mellita, well, she speaks often of how you helped her young friend Diona." Slowly his face turned to lock eyes with him. "I was hoping you might help me as well. I know not how you do these things and I will not ask, but I am desperate."

"Yes, I can see that." Harry thought about it for a moment and decided to agree. He cared about these people after all, and helping another did nothing to hurt him. "You said you will not ask how I do these things. Promise me."

"I swear it."

"Then look into my eyes." The champion did so without pause, and within a few seconds Harry knew exactly what had brought the man to seek him out. The elder slave was plagued with dreams of Mellita. Sexual dreams of desire, want, affection, and what he thought had to be love. How wrong he was. Pulling out of the other man's mind he reached over and took his hand. Harry had long grown used to the old world's openness for male affection, and it was needed in this moment.

"You fear that you love Mellita." Gannicus' shame at that statement was evident. "Do not fear, brother, what you feel is not love."

"What?" The elder swordsman's eyes shot back up to his own, and Harry had to force himself not to fall into his memories once more. It was getting a bit too easy these days. "How can it not be? I feel-"

"You feel shock, pain, and confusion. None of which are helped by how close you were to Mellita as a friend before the trauma." Harry answered simply, squeezing the hand in his own before moving it to the other man's shoulder. "Look, what happened to you was just as traumatic as what happened to her, and your mind is trying desperately to find a way to protect itself. You have convinced yourself that there is love between you and her, because the alternative, that you violated her, is too raw and painful to even consider. To accept that both of you were violated beyond measure is how you can move forward."

Gannicus began to shiver under his palm, and Harry let him. Pointedly not looking at the way he scrunched up his face to try and power through the feelings rushing to the forefront of his being.

"It was not your fault, Gannicus. I tell you the same thing now that I told her. You could not have refused the order and you both survived regardless of the pain experienced." With his free hand he lifted the older man's chin and stared into his eyes once more, layering his words with power and willing them deep into his subconscious where he hoped they would take root, "You are not in love with Mellita. You are, however, ashamed of what you've done. My advice is this. Go to her, but only speak to her with Oenomaus present so that your impulses do not take control. To them both give apology, and then embrace them as family as you once have before. Oenomaus as your brother, Mellita as your sister. They are the family of your heart and, no matter what else has occurred, that has not changed."

Gannicus stared at the younger man with wide eyes and, voice trembling, said, "I-I could hear you. I-In my mind-"

"You swore not to ask how I do these things."

"I… Yes, I did." The swordsman gulped and looked away again before standing once more. "I think you are right, and I will do as you suggest. Thank you, Harry. I don't know why but I feel… different somehow. Lighter."

"Perspective and clean mind will do that. Now go, before you change your mind."

The champion of the house did so, leaving Harry to finish his morning in peace once more. The afternoon, he knew, would be a whole other matter.

Elsewhere

Lucretia carefully returned her 'special' honeyed wine to the farthest reaches of the kitchen shelves. Titus' return had filled her with dread, and initially she'd resorted to using 'it' once more. The last time he had returned it had caused enough mimicked symptoms of sickness such as hard breathing and chest palpitations to make him seek drier and cleaner climates in Sicilia, thus leaving them in peace at last. Now, she had thought the need for its return was at hand. Yet the way her husband had spoken of his and his father's last meeting had caused her to rethink certain plans. Perhaps… perhaps it would not be needed this time. Perhaps the old goat was finally on the course he always should have been. Seeing his son for the wonder of a man he truly was. The woman was a proud wife and could forgive almost anything except for the slighting of the man to whom she had given her heart. If Titus was indeed changing his tune then she supposed she could leave him his health for what little time he had left upon the earth.

Lucretia gave the jar one last caress of her fingers before sliding all the other clean varieties back in front of it and took her leave, deciding that if the need returned then at least it would always be where she left it in the future. She never saw the confused young slave kneeling on the floor on the other side of the counter where she'd been cleaning a stain left behind by the cooks the night before.

A Few Hours Later

The hour following lunch saw the ludus gladiators gathered in lines before the balcony to the villa where Titus and Quintus both stood shoulder to shoulder staring imperiously down upon them.

The snap of a whip sounded and Oenomaus screamed out, "Gladiators! Attend!"

"Batiatus!" "Batiatus!" "Batiatus!" The men cheered, until raised hands from the Romans settled them once more.

Titus, as the paterfamilia, addressed all gathered. "Greetings on this day. Many of you are no doubt wondering why we have gathered you here instead of letting you progress with the day's training. To that end, I give word to thoughts and say that we are to have a tournament. Each of you shall fight to determine your worth and status amongst your number. And to make it interesting, my son and I have decided on a little incentive."

The two men shared a look and the elder gestured for the younger to take his turn as the speaker. They had argued about this for some time, with Titus having been of the opinion that the least skilled should be sold to the mines, but his son had argued that weakening their house in such a way in current times, with current troubles, was hardly wise. In the end, he had won out. Quintus placed a hand on the bannister to steady himself and proclaimed, "Any man who reaches position in the top three of the Brotherhood shall be granted any one boon they desire short of freedom or the full purse of their arena victories." An excited rustle of murmurs started up amongst the men, and the lannistas let them continue for a few moments before shushing them once more.

Quintus commanded, "Line up on either side of the sands. The doctore has your pairings and shall call you out to face them. Stand firm and fight with honor."

And fight they did. Well, most of them did. Their early bouts went well, but no one was overly flashy. Then Asher ended up facing Barca, and even with a barely healed arm, the dark skinned spearman could plainly be seen to face no challenge from the Syrian. He dodged, struck, shielded, and humiliated every strike the shorter man sent his way, until at last he swept his legs out from under him to slam his body into the dirt before resting the wooden tip of his spear against his throat to end the bout.

More time passed. Harry and Crixus each destroyed a couple of younger men, Gannicus easily bested a bald man with a sword and shield. Dagon surprised everyone by lasting six minutes against Auctus before falling beneath his spear as well. Then came a moment of interest as Crixus was called, but he and Harry had the same thought and they took the sand as one.

Titus glared down at them and demanded, "What is the meaning of this."

As was his way, Crixus gestured for Harry to do the talking. "Dominus, if this is indeed a contest to discover the best in this house, Crixus and I would both like to request a speedier resolution. By our count, we've each already won a bout, and three more must follow to show victory. However, that does not show you our true skill. We desire to fight all three of our next opponents at once. We save time, you see our true merit, and we gain our victory with no shouts of unfairness."

In spite of himself the old man was actually interested by this new prospect. "You realize," he called down, "that if you lose to any one of them then you will be at the bottom of your quartet?"

"We do, dominus, and we are willing to take that risk."

"Very well. Harry, you shall face Asher, Brexa, and Dagon. Crixus, you have Runo, Tiguna, and Alduin." Titus made those choices purposefully, and beside him Quintus shrugged to show he'd understood why.

Harry had already shown dominance over veterans of the ludus in his practice and arena performance so he was now to face three others of the new crowd instead, thus showing off more of his son's purchases and their skills at once. Crixus, on the other hand, would be facing three branded brothers that the old man had purchased before leaving for retirement, meaning he'd be facing veterans instead of those he'd already gained experience practicing against. It was a chance to show if Harry's abilities were an outlier, or if both were truly men of value. It was a disadvantage at both ends.

At the doctore's whip crack Harry took to the center of the sands and the two Syrians moved to stand at opposite ends from him while the third member took an equidistant position at the far end, forming a triangle. The formation forced the Briton to either face one way or rapidly turn to keep any one of them in his focus. Now that just wouldn't do. At the dominus's shout of, "Begin!" He moved.

Uncoiling every fiber of muscle in his quads and calves at once he launched forth in a massive leap directly at Asher instead of waiting to be squashed between all of his foes at once. From the look on his rapidly approaching face it was a tactic the other man hadn't seen coming, and he was slow to react. So, as Harry moved in low under the raised shield and shot up to smash his forehead into the Syrian's nose, Harry allowed himself a moment of glee in his success. Yes, together they outnumbered him, but they'd crippled their advantage by moving to spaced out ends of the field. They'd given him the perfect chance to fight them one on one instead of a group, thus he held the real equal advantage.

As Asher rocked back from the blow, Harry lunged beneath his legs, gripped his ankles and tore his legs out from under him, planting him face first in the dirt before placing the tip of one weapon to his neck. To his credit, the goateed man had been attempting to slice at him, but he was simply too slow to connect. Once more Asher had shown himself more bark than bite in front of his Brothers.

From the sidelines Oenomaus called out, "Asher is eliminated." So Harry rolled away from the man and reclaimed his feet just in time to avoid a trident strike by Brexa. He was new to the weapon as the Batiatus duo had only recently decided to add it to their ranks, but as a trained spearman it wasn't hard for the Greek man to figure it out.

Of course Harry could see Dagon slowly moving forward as well, or at least slow to his enhanced senses, so he decided to make quick work of this opponent as well. Shocking everyone by the audacity of such an action he reared back and launched his left handed sword directly at his opponent's face, forcing him to wildly wave his net up to knock it aside as the Briton raced to close the distance. Just as he made it in striking range Harry turned two fingers of his free hand down to the earth, and the trident that had been raised to block his strike dipped noticeably down toward the ground with the weight of the focused summoning charm. In that instant the sword tip struck true, passing through the now open guard, and stabbing painfully into Brexa's kidney, doubling the man's face down only to be impacted with an elbow strike that robbed him of all sense and sent his mind to oblivion.

"Brexa is out!" Oenomaus declared, and was that a hint of pride in his voice?

Turning once more to take in the temporary battlefield, Harry expected his last opponent to already be rushing at him. A few seconds was more than enough time to reach a stationary target after all. Yet he noted that his third opponent had not yet closed the distance. Instead he had stayed back and watched as he waited in a ready position, observing how the Briton moved. Smart man, he'd chosen to wait and see instead of going off by the seat of his pants like the others. Or, in his case, the seat of his loincloth. It at least provided time to retrieve his dropped weapon.

Up above Titus shook his head. "Another poor showing for Asher. He hasn't shown good results in any of his fights." The old man knew that his son had made prior use of the man, if not how he was used, so he was shocked when Quintus rubbed his chin in genuine thought and actually agreed with him!

"Yes, father, he is rather disappointing so far. Honestly, he showed great promise when he first came here, but his skills have sadly plateaued. Whereas Dagon has grown noticeably stronger, as shown by his earlier match. I wonder if perhaps he would serve us better as a quartermaster than a gladiator?"

"You seek to put him in charge of supplies?"

"The man I bought him from did say he had a head for numbers. And at this rate he would only die in the arena after a few fights, thus showing poor return on investment."

"Hm." Titus considered that and nodded. "That would save us the lost coin of selling him. Let's give him one last match to test his metal and if he fails then that will be his new role."

Down below they saw the Briton approaching the bigger Syrian and offering a few testing jabs and dodges to test the other man's reflexes. "In contrast, your Briton is in prime form, as suggested." He grudgingly admitted. The aged lannista could already see that he would win. Dagon was big and cautious, but he wasn't quick. As shown by his wide swings that the younger man easily danced away from. Experience had taught him that the latter was better in most cases. "At least two of your top spots are assured by my guess." Gannicus had chosen to fight all of his opponents in a row earlier in the day so he was already done and drinking in his cell once more.

"As I said, I have faith in my men." Quintus grinned as Harry sent Dagon staggering with a blow to the head before the big man got back behind his shield. "Now if only we could get them back into the games."

Titus allowed enough time to watch Harry slip beneath another wide swipe, twist his body fully, and slam both wooden blades into his opponent's skull, knocking him soundly unconscious before saying, "I might have some ideas to that effect, but let us wait for the end of this tournament before giving voice to thought."

They didn't have to wait long. Crixus' opponents learned from their predecessors and stood shoulder to shoulder as the start was announced, moving steadily with shields locked. Crixus was shorter than them, a fact that led many to underestimate him, but he was also twice as wide as the average man, and they thought a combined presence would offer advantage. Against anyone else they might have been right.

Setting his shield before him, the Gaul charged straight at them like a bull and shattered their formation like bowling pins, pushing one man flat to the sand, outright launching the second back, and laying a flurry of strikes harder than a hammer blow upon the last until his shield splintered along with the arm beneath, forcing him to fall to his knees and raise the Missio on high. Leaving him there, Crixus turned on a dime and parried a wild blow from the restored second man before locking his shield arm with his own, dropping his sword, and punching him squarely in the face once, twice, thrice, and more until the doctore called a halt to the violence for fear of losing the man's life. By then the third had reclaimed his feet just in time to dance back from the flat end on the Gauls shield as he used it as a blunt weapon. Instead of taking the time to reclaim his sword Crixus charged the last man relentlessly, giving him no time to rest or think until at last he stumbled over his sandals and Crixus dived low, sweeping him up at the legs in a classic wrestler's lunge to fall upon the sands whereupon the two writhed and swung limbs to and fro as they grappled for dominance until at last the Gaul had him in an armbar that also forced surrender by way of Missio. Many at this point were thanking the gods that the elder Batiatus had reinstated the practice.

As the next pair started up, Quintus stated, "Now that my men have reached your desired position, pray give voice to thought, for you've left expectant ears on the precipice of interest." Indeed, with that many wins under their belts Harry, Crixus, and Gannicus were now undoubtedly the winners.

Titus grumbled a bit at losing the wager, but his heart wasn't truly in it. Honestly the old man was bursting with pride. It had always been his dream for his son to step up into his rightful place as the head of their family and finally he had done so. "Very well." He gripped his son's shoulder firmly, "Congratulations on your victory, son. My thought was thus: If you are still so invested in claiming ideal position in the games then we must somehow reclaim good Varus' attention. If he backed you once he'd surely do so again. How did you do so before?"

Before Quintus could answer, Gaia entered with Lucretia on her arm and said, "We hosted him here and gave personal performance of the Batiatus wares. He was impressed and desired to see them in his games."

"Yes." Quintus admitted. "Though the man had strange tastes for what he wanted them to do."

"Ah." Titus' face turned grim. "He is one of 'those' types then." He shuddered a bit before moving to claim a seat. The continued fighting below no longer interested him in light of this news. The top spots were assured after all and Oenomaus would inform him of the rest later. "I have heard of such practices from the luduses in Rome, but had long hoped never to see the like here in Capua, let alone my own house."

Before Quintus could say something that would spoil the camaraderie that was finally starting to form between him and his father Gaia once more came to the rescue. "This ludus is far from the first in Capua." She simpered easily, the words drawing the older man's attention like a hawk.

"Explain."

"I have it on good authority from the ladies of Capua that Vettius and good Selonius have been offering bull privileges of their gladiators for many moons now."

"What?" "What!" Both Batiatus men exclaimed.

"It is true." Gaia continued. "And in my time in Rome I heard of countless similar arrangements in the arenas of the great coliseum, Morocco, Anatolia, and Nimes. It had become something of a norm, if only available to the highest of the nobility who can afford the privilege. It is a market that cannot be avoided if you wish to avoid falling behind the others."

Titus opened and closed his mouth for several moments before sighing as his firm gaze returned to his son. "Again you have proven me wrong, son. It seems that you were right that my ways are no longer those of the modern lannista."

"They still hold some merit, as shown by Oenomaus." Quintus acknowledged. "But what has worked before might work again."

"Indeed." Lucretia nodded, pointedly only looking at her husband. Yes, things with his father were getting better, but the old goat never missed a chance to snub her for failing to provide her husband with a son. It was the most important duty of a wife in his opinion and to his mind she had failed miserably. "In fact, Gaia and I actually ran into a noble from Rome named Petronius, who is apparently a close friend to good Varus, in the town earlier today and he expressed an interest in a repeat performance. In fact, he implied that many of his friends would also be interested, and willing to offer gold and favors in payment."

Gaia added, "He leaves for Rome again in two days so decision must be offered and conveyed soon."

All eyes turned to Titus at that, and he in turn pointed to his son. "I do not like this, but I am a man of my word, Quintus. The ludus and its command are yours now, as are decisions for its future. That said, I am not inclined to see such debauchery with my own eyes."

"Then accept well meant compromise." Quintus suggested before pouring his father a glass of honeyed wine. "Take a trip to Neapolis and invite Selonius to accompany you. You can enjoy the wine, peruse potential slave purchases, and enjoy the sea breeze. Meanwhile the three of us shall play host to Petronius and his friends and his friends. By this hour two nights hence we shall again be placed in honored position in the games of the new arena, Tullius be damned."

Titus nodded. "Such compromise sounds full of good thought. It will be a good chance to catch up with my old friend, and see a town from my youth. I agree."

"Excellent." Quintus grinned while nodding to a knowingly smirking Gaia. She was the perfect person to set up everything that was needed.

Later That Night

Harry, Crixus, and Gannicus were gathered in a line in the villa waiting for the dominus to come see them. The latter was noticeably more well rested and at ease. And small wonder, after the tournament's end he and Oenomaus had spent an hour sequestered in his cell before the two of them had meandered off to the iron door that led to the rest of the villa; no doubt to speak to Mellita. The champion had seemingly taken his advice and it was doing wonders for him.

They weren't waiting long before Quintus, Lucretia, and Gaia approached them. "Well, my victors," The dominus said with a wide smile. "A promise is a promise. What boon would you ask of me?"

Gannicus spoke first. "I just want to fight in the primus."

"Then we'll make sure it happens." The dominus laughed. "Our plan for that is already in the works. Crixus?"

The Gaul nervously shared a look with Harry before voicing thought to a desire that had been steadily growing over the past months. There had been a certain slave girl bringing wine to the domina on the villa balcony that had caught his eye. "The slave girl, Naevia…" he began, "I would like permission to court her." He turned to Harry and asked, "Did I say that right?"

"Yes, Crixus."

Crixus smiled and turned back to his master to await the response.

"That's it?" Quintus blinked. "You want to romance a fellow slave?"

"Yes. I have seen Oenomaus' happiness with Mellita and I would like to try for my own."

"I'll have her brought down to the cell door every night so you might converse." Lucretia promised.

"Gratitude."

"Now Harry, what about you?" Quintus grinned at the man he viewed as his most fortuitous find.

For his part, Harry had spent the last few moments perusing the lannista's mind and taking in the plans he had for his slaves to impress his noble contact. His wish became clear after seeing all of that. "I want Diona."

"Eh?" Quintus raised a brow.

"The slave girl, Diona. I want her. Completely. And I want your assurance that no other man will ever touch her."

The dominus let out a soulful laugh, "My, my, Harry, I was right when I bought you, you are indeed a beast. Done. The cell next to Oenomeus is currently empty. I will set up a pair of pallets there for you and Crixus and when Mellita comes to see your doctore she will be instructed to bring Diona with her. If things progress well with Naevia she can go as well in the future."

"And she will be exclusively mine?"

"I am a man of my word."

Harry searched his mind for any lie and found none. The dominus was already working through who best to replace the girl with in the coming festivities. "Gratitude."

"Good, then that is all taken care of. I like rewarding those of great skill." Batiatus said easily. "Now get back below and enjoy that new cell of yours. Tomorrow there will be great need for you and the others to be of full rest and virile energy."