Chapter 45: Percy Unhinged (Continued)
"Adult wizards couldn't take down Vaisey?" Ron scoffed, still posturing, his hand now in his pocket. "So what? That just means he has a basic level of magical skill."
"SO WHAT?!" Percy, now completely unhinged, screamed. "I'll tell you 'so what'! It means that we'll all be hanging from the ceiling by our ankles!" His words came in a torrent. "In our second year, Vaisey was already as skilled in a duel as I am now! And that was years ago! I suspect he is now just one step away from becoming an Elite Wizard! And you want me to go and fight him?!"
Harry, the designated second, felt his face go pale. He suddenly felt a strong urge to come down with a sudden case of dragon pox.
Hermione, on the other hand, was worried. She could tell that Vaisey held Ryan in very high regard. She was afraid that Ron, in his current state, would refuse to apologize and truly set Vaisey off. I should find Ryan, she thought, her brow furrowed, but he's never in his dorm at night...
Fred and George, who were not stupid, had put two and two together. Percy's reaction, combined with Vaisey's comment about looking forward to dueling him again, led to an inescapable conclusion: Percy had been thoroughly thrashed by Vaisey in the past. And this time, Vaisey was angry, angry enough to want to thrash every Weasley in sight. The twins exchanged a look. There was only one logical course of action: throw Ron under the bus.
As for taking a beating alongside him?
"No, Percy!" Fred wailed. "Ron's our brother!"
"A brave son of the House of Weasley!" George added, pulling something from his pocket and rubbing it under his eyes. A moment later, his eyes were red, and fat tears were streaming down his face. "He cannot bow to a Malfoy!"
Hearing this unexpected display of brotherly solidarity, Percy's sanity meter ticked down from "unhinged" to "merely furious." "Vaisey won't just let this go," he said, "not after what Ron said about Ryan and the club. Do you two have a plan?" He looked hopefully at his suddenly resolute brothers.
"We demand a thousand Galleons!" they declared in unison.
"A thousand Galleons? What are you talking about?"
"For our emotional distress!" they explained. "And he has to sponsor our joke shop!"
Percy felt a distinct snap in his brain. The world went dark for a moment, and a low ringing started in his ears. He began to laugh, a strange, unhinged sound. "That," he said, a wild look in his eyes, "is actually a brilliant idea."
....
"Draco, remember what I told you," Vaisey said as they prepared to leave. "If he insists on a duel, you don't have to aim. Just keep up the pressure with a barrage of simple hexes. You first-years haven't had any formal duel training. He won't be able to dodge." He glanced at the clock. "It's almost time. We should go."
"Right," Malfoy said, jumping up from the sofa. "I'm going to make him pay for what he said." He straightened his robes and meticulously combed his hair. "Vaisey," he asked, "what if he's too afraid to show up?"
"That would be a shame, Draco. A true shame," Vaisey said slowly. Malfoy, however, thought it would be a rather fortunate turn of events for Ron. A few days ago, his own plan would have been to arrange the duel, not show up, and then report Ron for being out after hours. He was sure Ron hadn't thought of that. He followed Vaisey out of the common room.
Vaisey waved his wand, and Malfoy felt a sensation like a cold egg being cracked on his head. "The Disillusionment Charm," Vaisey's disembodied voice explained. "Essential for any nighttime excursion. Better than an invisibility cloak."
They made their way through the castle, passing several wandering ghosts and even a few Ravenclaws sneaking towards the library.
Inside the trophy room, Malfoy looked around, his eyes wide. "Merlin's beard," he breathed. "Ryan has a lot of trophies! Award for scholastic achievement, special services to the school…"
"It shows that his donations of books and potion recipes are not without reward," Vaisey said, then looked towards the door. "Someone's coming."
Malfoy clutched his wand, his heart pounding. The door creaked open, the sound echoing through the castle like a dying banshee.
"Ron, I told you to let me open it!" Harry's voice hissed from the corridor. "Now Filch is sure to hear us!"
"The door isn't usually that loud. You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Fred accused.
"He knows we were going to sell him out," George whispered. "He's trying to get us all caught together. A final act of revenge."
"Grease it! Silence it! Use a charm!" Percy's voice was frayed.
"Oh, Merlin, Filch is going to be here any second," a small, panicked voice said. Vaisey was surprised to hear that it was Hermione. He remembered her as a rule-follower.
The Gryffindor contingent finally entered the room.
"Behold!" Fred declared. "A whole new generation of Weasleys is here! This duel will not be a stain on our family's honor!"
"What Fred said!" George seconded.
Percy, who looked pale and ill, stepped forward. "Insulting Ryan behind his back was Ron's mistake," he said, his voice strained. "I have already reprimanded him, and he has promised it won't happen again. As for the issue between him and Malfoy, you know our families have a history. Lucius has been... overly aggressive."
"So," Vaisey said, his hand casually drifting towards his pocket, "Mr. Ron Weasley, in the spirit of 'family rivalry,' felt the need to righteously and fearlessly attack his opponent?"
"Of course not! He's just a child," Percy argued. "I was hoping they could have a quick fight. In Ryan's words, a duel is just a spirited conversation, is it not?"
The trophy room was dark, the only light coming from the faint starlight filtering through the windows. Vaisey noticed that Ron was standing in the shadows, silent. It was not the silence of contrition, but of simmering, defiant rage. He was curious to see what Ron would do to defend his "dignity."
"Of course!" Malfoy shot back, stepping forward. "I'll show him what a Malfoy is made of! Come on, Weasley! Let's get this over with before Filch shows up!"
~~~
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