Chapter NINE

Duel at Midnight

The mysterious benefactor who did his homework did not leave it at one time. He or she continued to hand in homework under Rick's name and quality homework too for he received top marks for each piece of work. He had yet to figure out who was behind it and why but to be honest, he was not that eager to know. As long as he or she kept it up, Rick did not get detention and he was as free as a bird after classes. The free time came in handy for his new after-school activity in the abandoned classroom and soon, he had not only mastered the Incendio spell, but also the Alohomora spell, a spell to open locks, the Severing charm, used to cut something and the Reparo spell, that was used to fix things. Rigel and Terri were acting normal again – he hadn't mentioned to them he didn't make the homework himself, he didn't think they would be thrilled to hear it and before he knew it, almost two months had passed since he started his Hogwarts adventure. Classes were finally getting a lot more interesting as they were starting to get past all the theoretical stuff and were beginning to actually practise the spells and incantations. Rick excelled at this of course, already having practised the spells alone, and at last he actually started earning Gryffindor points instead of just costing them. To Rick's delight, Cedric the know-it-all, wasn't as good as casting spells as he was at reading about them. Even after dozens of tries, the nerdy boy still couldn't properly cast a fire spell and Rick took pleasure in showing off how good he could cast the spell without having studied it in a book. Even Terri and Rigel were impressed but when they asked him how he got to be so good, Rick just shrugged.

"Just talent, I guess." He replied evasively. He still hadn't told them about the abandoned classroom and frankly, he was a bit reluctant to do so. The room was his discovery and it had become somewhat of a refuge. There, he could get away from doing homework and from pesky housemates like Cedric, who had taken to seeking out Rigel and Terri's company more and more often. Rick frequently found the three of them sitting together at one of the tables in the common room doing homework together when he came back from practise. It did not stop there either, the obnoxious boy would wait for them in the morning to accompany them to the Great Hall for breakfast and walked back with them to the common room after supper. He would even sit with them in the breaks between classes and at lunch. Rick was not happy about this. He did not really like Cedric all that much, the boy had a way of getting on his nerves the way he always knew better and constantly tried to get Rick to join them in doing homework together, which Rick always declined. For the most part, Rick tolerated the other boy's presence but he was starting to tire of him. One evening, after a particularly bad night filled with dreams about his mother's murder and then a day with both a Potions class and a period History of Magic, Cedric chose the wrong time to start talking to him. They were in the common room, sitting at one of the many small tables. Terri, Cedric and Rigel were writing their essay for professor Creedon while Rick was bouncing a ball he'd transfigured in class off the wall.

"Are you not going to join us, Rick?" Cedric asked as Rick handily caught the ball again. Why the nerdy boy kept trying to involve Rick in their homework was beyond him. He probably thought it would make Rick like him more. What a waste of time.

"No." Rick replied bored, aiming the ball for the same spot on the wall it had hit before.

"Really, it's easier if we do it together." Cedric persisted. "It's not that difficult, I'll explain it for you."

"Don't." Rick tried to intervene but Cedric was undeterred.

"Uric the Oddball thought he was dead because back then, the Augurey was thought to be an omen of death. Now, of course, everyone knows that's not the case but that was only discovered-"

"Listen up, four-eyes." Rick growled, fed up with Cedric's meddling. "I don't want or need your advice so sod off."

"I didn't mean to-" Cedric back paddled.

"Yes, you did." Rick stopped him. "Just because you are a nerd who's read every bloody book in the library, does not mean I am one. If I don't do my homework right now, that's my business and I don't need you to act all superior because you're a prissy sod who sucks up to teachers every chance he gets." Cedric turned beet red and was trying hard to control the tears forming in his eyes but Rick did not care. If it meant Cedric would get off his back now, he was just fine with it.

"And another thing," he continued. "Stop following us around, wil you? I thought Gryffindor was the house of the brave, not cowards who hide behind others because they're afraid Mordaunt and his friends will come after them again. Instead of spending all of your time with your nose in a book, you might try actually casting a spell to fight the sodding Slytherin off."

"That's enough." Terri intervened sternly. "Cedric..." she tried to comfort the boy but before she could say anything more, Cedric had turned around and run up the stairs to the dormitory. "Cedric!" She ran after him but he'd already disappeared into the boys' dormitory.

"Not cool, mate." Rigel scolded him.

"Oh, don't start." Rick replied annoyed. "Tell me his constant hovering and lecturing didn't bother you as well?"

"It didn't, actually." Rigel replied defiantly. "Cedric is a good friend and a great help with homework, which you would know if you had bothered to get to know him." Before Rick had time to respond, Terri came back looking angry.

"Why do you do that?" She berated him.

"Do what?" Rick replied bored.

"Chase the people away who are trying to help you." Terri elaborated. "He was just trying to be your friend." Rick pulled his nose.

"I don't need him to be my friend." He stated.

"Well, I certainly don't need a bully like you to be my friend." And with that, she grabbed her books and essay and stalked off.

"What's got her knickers in a twist?" Rick asked.

"Probably your sparkling personality." Rigel answered sarcastically, also gathering his things.

"What are you doing?" Rick asked, a little alarmed. Rigel sighed.

"You can't keep acting like this or you're going to chase away all your friends." He replied.

"What, you as well?" Rick asked but Rigel didn't reply and just continued to gather his things. It annoyed Rick to think that his best friend would chose Terri and a nerd over him. "Well, fine, go then. I'm used to doing things by myself, I don't need you or anyone." He snapped angrily. Rigel wasn't impressed.

"You don't mean that." He replied calmly and he left Rick alone to contemplate the matter.

They did not see Cedric in Transfiguration class the following day, in fact, they did not see him all day. He did not show up for classes and Rick figured he was either still crying his eyes out somewhere or hiding out in the library. True to her word, Terri wasn't speaking to Rick and purposefully sat as far away from him at all times. Rigel stuck with him, trying to mediate between Rick and Terri, though he made it clear he did not condone Rick's behaviour. Rick wasn't that bothered by Terri's hostility. He was still enjoying the peace and quiet that came with Cedric's absence and Terri would come around eventually, he was sure.

Cedric returned to class the next day, his usual know-it-all self but Rick noticed that despite Terri's attempts at kindness, he kept his distance from the three of them. That evening in the common room, Terri approached the table where Rick and Rigel were playing a round of wizard's chess.

"We should sit with him." She said with a nod to Cedric who was sitting all alone at a table scribbling away like his life depended on it. Rick knew she'd addressed the invitation to Rigel but he replied anyway.

"Why?" Rick asked. "He's fine over there, he's busy." But Terri threw him a crushing look that quickly shut him up.

"An apology would be appropriate." She said coldly.

"Sorry?" Rick said, not really sure what he was apologizing for.

"No to me, to him!" Terri shrieked exasperatedly. "Idiot." Shaking her head, she turned her back on them and went over to sit with Cedric. Rick huffed.

"Girls."

Only in flying class the following Tuesday afternoon did Terri let up a little. By now, they were allowed to do more than just hover and they were learning how to bank. The bad thing about that was that everyone kept crashing into one another and you had to keep your eyes open. The good thing was that all the little accidents kept Shaw plenty busy and Rick, Rigel and Terri embraced the opportunity to race each other across the lawn. They were having so much fun, Terri even forgot to be mad at Rick.

"That was some excellent flying there." Shaw praised them after class as they stowed away their broomsticks. "Have you considered trying out for your house team next year?" While Rigel happily engaged in a discussion with Shaw whether it would be wiser for him to try out as a chaser or as a beater, Rick caught Mordaunt throwing them an envious look and smirked.

By the time they finished talking quidditch with Shaw, everyone had left and Terri, Rigel and Rick walked back to the castle together, still dreaming out loud about making the team. They got as far as the corridor off the main hall before a familiar voice stopped them in their tracks.

"Found yourself a new protector, did you?" Rick wondered who Mordaunt was tormenting now.

"Leave him alone, Mordaunt." The unmistakable voice of Lewis replied.

"How dare you even speak to us, you mudblood?" Martin Rydell replied. "We should teach her a lesson, Livius, curse her so that she can't open her mouth." Rydell snickered at his own suggestion.

"You leave her alone." Rick, Rigel and Terri looked at each other. That was Cedric's voice. They hurried around the corner and came face to face with about five Slytherin boys cornering Lewis, Cedric and Frank McCallum. Mordaunt seemed surprised to see them but it quickly turned to annoyance.

"Coming to the rescue again, O'Connell?" He sneered.

"You know me Mordaunt, any reason to kick your ass is good enough for me." Rick countered, feeling confident. If Mordaunt or Rydell tried anything, at least he was able to defend himself with magic now.

"Insolent worm." Another boy, a bit bigger than Mordaunt, replied.

"No need for name-calling." Rick admonished with a grin. He grabbed his wand tightly in the pocket of his robes, anticipating the moment to defend himself.

"Enough of this." Rydell intervened. He pointed his wand at Rick and yelled "Locomotor Mortis!" Rick dodged the curse, aimed his own wand at the Slytherins and shouted the first spell he could think of.

"Incendio!" The familiar huge burst of flames sprout forward from the tip of his wand and made his opponents scatter. Lewis shrieked as the flames caught her robes and she vigorously stomped out the fire.

"Enough!" A voice bellowed through the corridor, followed by its owner, Professor Griffiths. "Duelling in the corridors is strictly forbidden." He said.

"O'Connell tried to curse me, professor." Rydell exclaimed.

"Really?" Griffiths replied sarcastically. "I imagine that was a response to the curse you sent bounding through the corridor and that nearly hit me?" Rick marvelled at the stunned look on Rydell's face. Clearly, he had not expected his accusation to backfire.

"Twenty points from Slytherin, Mr. Rydell, and don't let me catch you doing it again. Now run along before I change my mind and give you detention." The Slytherins quickly made themselves scarce as Griffiths turned to Rick, who braced himself for the coming reprimand.

"That was quite an impressive spell, O'Connell." For a moment, Rick was flabbergasted. "But try and keep it in the classroom, would you?" Griffiths said with a wink before walking away. Rick could just mutter a "Yes, professor." before Griffiths was completely out of earshot.

"I can't believe you got away with that!" Rigel exclaimed as he clapped Rick on the shoulder.

"Me neither." Lewis uttered, noticeably less enthused than Rigel. "You set fire to my robes, O'Connell! What were you thinking?"

"That a thank you would be nice." Rick replied saucily.

"You could have seriously injured me, you oaf!"

"Yes, and if I hadn't done something, Mordaunt surely would have." He replied facetiously.

"You don't know that. He was just being his annoying self, calling us names and uttering empty threats. You were the one who taunted him until he reverted to curses." Lewis admonished.

"You just cannot stand the fact that I just saved you just now." Rick said smugly. He was rather enjoying having the moral high ground over Lewis for a change.

"Oh, please, don't start pretending you're a hero all of a sudden." Lewis sneered and with that statement, she stalked off with McCallum in her wake.

"You're welcome!" Rick yelled after her. Now alone in the corridor, Rigel turned to Cedric.

"Are you okay?" He asked. Cedric adjusted his glasses and smoothened his robes.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thanks for saving me from Mordaunt." He replied. "Again." He added with a pitiful chuckle.

"Not to worry, what are friends for?" Rigel replied.

"Friends?" Cedric repeated with a glance at Rick. Rick felt Rigel and Terri stare at him expectantly and he suddenly realised that if he rebuffed Cedric again, Terri and Rigel would probably turn their backs on him for good. Besides, Cedric had proven he was braver than Rick had given him credit for, standing up to Mordaunt and Rydell like that and he began to feel a little guilty about his outburst against Cedric. He knew exactly what it was like to be called a freak and to be harassed by a group of hateful boys and now he'd done the same to Cedric and for what? Because the boy had offered to help?

"Friends." Rick confirmed and Cedric smiled.

"Thanks, Rick." Terri cleared her throat and looked pointedly at Rick, who rolled his eyes.

"And I'm sorry about what I said earlier." He added. Cedric beamed.

"Apology accepted." He replied. "But you were right, I am kind of nerdy and I know I'm not really Gryffindor material." He added dejectedly.

"Nonsense." Rick dismissed his statement. "The sorting hat sorted you into Gryffindor for a reason, you belong with us. Now come on, genius, let's go eat." He clapped Cedric on the shoulder and led the way to the Great Hall.

From that moment on, Cedric became their friend and Rick was pleasantly surprised that once he got the know the boy a little bit better, he found he wasn't as bad as he'd expected. Cedric knew quite a lot and despite his goody-good appearance, he was not averse to a joke now and then. For his part, Cedric stopped annoying Rick with pleas to do homework together and he even agreed to put his books aside once and a while to play a game of Gobstones with them. With Terri, Rigel and Rick as his friends, the Slytherins stopped harassing Cedric but Rick was convinced Mordaunt and his gang would not let slide the humiliation they suffered because of him. He was on guard the next few days, waiting for some kind of retaliation but other than some nasty glares, nothing happened. They had two classes on Friday with the Slytherins and not once did Mordaunt make an attempt to take revenge for his hurt pride so Rick put the thought out of his head, especially since it was Halloween and he had other things to look forward to. There was to be a feast on Hallow Eve and the castle was already being decorated for the occasion. Grille was levitating enormous pumpkins the size of small cars through the Entrance Hall when they returned from breakfast on Saturday.

"Blimey, if that's the size of the pumpkins, I wonder how big the bats are going to be."

"Don't even joke about that." Terri said with a shiver.

"Why, you don't like bats?" Rigel asked and Terri shook her head.

"Hate them." She said. "They're like flying rats that want to suck your blood." She shuddered again.

"You know that's a common misconception, don't you? Most bats are insectivores, meaning they only eat insects. It's only the vampire bat that actually-"

"Thank you, Cedric." Rick cut him off before he really got going.

"Right." Cedric acknowledged. Cedric had a habit of not knowing when to stop chatting so they'd agreed that they would stop him if he got going. "Well, as long as there's no troll, I'm happy." Cedric said.

"There's not going to be a troll, Cedric." Rick said rolling his eyes at Cedric's concern. Crusher, Doolan and Hurst had tried to make them believe the teachers always set loose a troll to make the feast properly scary but they were fairly sure the older boys were only joking.

"Trust me, Cedric, the only trolls who are going to be present tonight are Zayne and Trevill." Rigel said with a dark look as said two boys crossed the Entrance Hall and headed for the dungeons. Zayne and Trevill were notorious for bullying other students, often muggleborns. Just last week, they'd gotten a hold of Frank McCallum and petrified him in a corridor. Poor Frank had lain there for more than an hour before someone found him and lifted the curse. Letting Zayne and Trevill pass from their minds, the four friends spent the rest of the day enjoying the peace and quiet of the common room, which was unusually empty for a Saturday.

"Where is everyone?" Rick wondered as he moved his bishop forward to take Rigel's tower.

"It's Halloween. Every student in third year and up is in Hogsmeade." Rigel replied as he moved his knight to take Rick's bishop.

"Hogsmeade?" Rick inquired.

"The nearby village, the only one in Britain that's completely magical." Cedric explained, looking up from his book. "That's partly why it was so popular as a headquarters for wizards and witches during the goblin rebellions. That way, they did not have to worry about muggles seeing-"

"Thank you, Cedric." Rigel stopped him before he really got going. "It's a village where teachers and students in third year and up go to get away from school and have some fun." He explained. "A shame we don't get to go yet, I'd love to visit Zonko's."

"Zonko's?" Rick asked again.

"The joke shop." Rigel explained. "You can find everything there from Dungbombs to Filibuster fireworks."

"Now that is a shame." Terri jumped in. "I could do with replenishing my Dungbomb supply."

"Checkmate." Rigel exclaimed gleefully as he moved his tower.

"Not again." Rick complained. It was the fifth time in a row Rigel had beaten him. "I'm rubbish at this game."

When they entered the Great Hall that evening, they were in for a bit of a surprise. Grille's enormous pumpkins had all been carved out to look properly scary and were charmed to hover above the students' heads as they ate. They served as excellent hiding places for the hundreds of bats that had been conjured for the occasion – Terri kept looking up uncomfortably. The house tables were decorated as well, with loads of fake spiders and cobwebs strewn everywhere for a true scary dinner. They hadn't had such an elaborate feast since the night they arrived and Rick made the most of it, stuffing himself. That wasn't the best idea he soon learned as he nearly lost his stomach content not much later when, after dinner, the ghosts re-enacted the beheading of Nearly Headless Nick. The enjoyable evening was only marred by the arrival of the Slytherins near the end of the evening.

"Enjoyed the feast, did you?" Mordaunt sneered hatefully as he passed their table. He must have made a detour just to torment them.

"Well we were, until you lot came along." Rigel replied, looking warily at Mordaunt and his cousins, Martin Rydell and Zacharias Mordaunt, who were accompanying him.

"Funny, Bailey. If your spellwork was as quick as your wit, you might just be able to outdo that ridiculous cousin of yours." Mordaunt raised his arm in a hatefully imitation of Regina. "Ooh, pick me professor, I know the answer." The other Slytherins laughed hatefully as Rigel's cheeks reddened.

"And if your humour was only half as good as ours, you'd actually be funny." Rick countered, making Terri, Cedric and Rigel laugh. Mordaunt fumed.

"You think you're so clever, don't you? Getting away with hexing us? Next time Griffiths will not be there to save you. I'd like to see you beat us then."

"What are you on about?" Rick asked, not understanding what Mordaunt was hinting at.

"A duel, O'Connell. I challenge you to a wizarding duel tonight in the Trophy Room in one hour. Or are you too much of a coward?" Mordaunt challenged. Rick didn't hesitate. He wasn't scared of the Slytherin and this might be his opportunity to shut the boy up for once and for all.

"I'll be there." He assured him and Mordaunt left with a smirk, his mates in tow.

"Are you insane, O'Connell?" Lewis said snappily from across the table. Apparently, she'd been listening in on them. "It's forbidden to roam the school at night. If you get caught, Gryffindor will lose points again."

"Then I must make sure not to get caught, mustn't I?" Rick told her smugly.

"I should report you to professor Griffiths." She threatened.

"But then I'll surely get caught and lose points. Is that what you want, Lewis?" Rick challenged her, already knowing the answer. Lewis bit her lip in hesitation.

"Come on, Sam, let's go." One of her friends called her as they got up to leave. Reluctantly, she obliged.

"Don't do it." She warned Rick a last time before she left.

"Perhaps Sam has a point, maybe we should forget about this duel?" Cedric suggested.

"Are you kidding?" Rick asked. "This is our chance of putting Mordaunt in his place. Besides, we've already said we would be there, he'd never let us live it down if we chickened out."

"Rick's right, we have to go." Rigel agreed.

"I'm in." Terri confirmed eagerly.

"Well, I… it's getting quite late and I'm kind of tired and-"

"Cedric, if you don't want to go, just say so." Terri said.

"I don't want to go." Cedric said flatly.

"You head back for the common room then, we'll deal with Mordaunt." Rick told him. Cedric agreed and left with the other Gryffindor boys while Rick, Rigel and Terri lingered in the Great Hall under the guise of enjoying the last deserts until most students had left. They joined up with a last group of Ravenclaw students who headed up the stairs to their common room but instead of following them up the stairs, the threesome split off on the third floor. From there, they reached the trophy room a little before midnight without trouble. It was empty when they entered it.

"Mordaunt isn't here yet." Rick whispered to his two friends.

"If he gets here, what do we do?" Terri asked.

"We have a duel." Rigel explained. "You bow to your opponent and then hit him with everything you've got." Rick nodded, got out his wand and waited. Some time later, there was still no sign of Mordaunt and Rick checked Rigel's watch. Almost half an hour had passed, where was he? Rick told himself he would be here any moment and he kept his gaze firmly on the door, just in case Mordaunt came barging in and started shooting curses right off the bat. Another ten minutes passed.

"He's late." Rick remarked.

"Perhaps he had to dodge a professor? Or Peeves?" Rigel suggested.

"I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this." Terri whispered. "What if Cedric and Lewis were right? If we stay here much longer, we'll get caught for sure."

"Sshh, someone's coming." Rick shushed her, listening to the approaching footsteps. The door of the trophy room opened but it was not Mordaunt who entered. From the light of her wand, Rick could clearly distinguish the features of Madame Whifferdill. Immediately, Rick felt someone grab his sleeve and pull him into the wall behind a row of shelves covered with trophies. It was not a minute too soon because Whifferdill raised her illuminated wand to try and see who else was in the room. Rigel was next to him and Rick could make out that Terri had managed to hide behind some shelves on the opposite wall. They could not stay there, Whifferdill would surely discover them sooner or later. Rick looked around for an escape and felt a rush of relief when he saw another door near the back to the room. He indicated it to Rigel. Together, they pointed it out to Terri, who nodded in understanding.

"I know you're here, come out where I can see you." Whifferdill said and for a moment, Rick thought she had spotted them but thankfully, she moved to another corner. Rick held up three fingers and counted down. All at once, the three friends dashed towards the door, yanked it open and sprinted down the corridor.

"Stop!" Whifferdill yelled but Rick, Rigel and Terri kept running. They were nearing the end of the corridor and Rick knew that if they could reach the staircase, they would have a better chance at losing Whifferdill and make it back to the common room without getting caught. Just then, Rick felt his legs snap together of their own accord and he crashed to the floor. Apparently, he and Rigel weren't the only ones who knew how to perform a leg-locker curse. Seconds later, Madame Whifferdill stood over him, slightly out of breath and her wand pointed at him.

"Got you." She said, pleased with herself. Rick looked behind him and saw Rigel and Terri on the floor in the same predicament and his heart sank. "Come on, we're going to see professor Griffiths and he can decide your punishment for being out after hours." Rick felt a bit relieved at hearing that. Griffiths was never keen to take a lot of points from his own house. Madame Whifferdill marched them to professor Griffiths's office and knocked on the door. The professor was still up and very surprised by the late visit.

"What is this?" He asked as he regarded them.

"These students were caught out of bed, professor." Whifferdill replied sternly. "Since they are of your house, I thought I'd bring them to you for punishment."

"I see." Griffiths replied and he directed himself to the three friends. "What were you doing out of bed?" None of them answered, realizing that telling Griffiths and Whifferdill about the duel would only get them into more trouble than they already were. Griffiths didn't wait long for an answer, seemingly aiming to quickly rid himself of this business. "I guess I will have to deduct points for this. Ten points each." As Rick had expected, it wasn't the most severe punishment and Madame Whifferdill apparently thought the same. She cleared her throat.

"Professor, these students have broken the rules before and I do not believe ten points will suffice this time." She said sternly. Griffiths didn't look pleased.

"Very well." He conceded reluctantly. "Thirty points each and detention on Friday. Now, if you would, Madame Whifferdill, please escort these students back to their common room." Griffiths said before Whifferdill could protest again. Whifferdill escorted them back to the common room where Cedric was waiting for them. He immediately knew from the looks on their faces that something had gone wrong but to his credit, he didn't reproach them when they told him what happened. Exhausted and feeling bad about themselves, the four friends got into bed, dreading the following morning when the rest of the Gryffindors would find out what had happened and who was to blame for the nearly hundred points they'd lost.