Right on the first weekend of October, all of us Hogwarts students were lined up in the Great Hall. An excited whisper echoed through the hall, coming from groups of students scattered all across it. Behind the staff table, the professors sat patiently. The only ones standing were Filius Flitwick—a master duelist in charge of the whole tournament—and a lightly tanned Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, who had modified the Great Hall for today's occasion.
Almost immediately after breakfast, the dining tables vanished into the floor, and in their place, a raised dueling platform appeared straight down the middle of the Great Hall. It didn't look like something new, and certainly not like something a wizard could just create with a wave of a wand.
In length, it took up more than half the hall, while in width, it must have been five to six meters across. It was nearly two meters high, providing plenty of room for a properly mobile, high-quality duel.
Various magical runes were carved into the sides of the platform. They were etched in relatively small lettering, covering its entire height and width from my side. I assumed the other side was exactly the same.
Dumbledore spoke quietly with Flitwick, who finally nodded with a smile and turned toward us students.
He clapped his hands twice in delight and then held his wand to his throat. I read Sonorus from his lips.
He cleared his throat twice, the sound booming through the Great Hall. Once the students quieted down, he began to speak.
"Dear students, welcome to the newly opened tournament hosted by the Crossed Wands dueling club."
With a smile, he swept his gaze across the hall from left to right until he stopped at me and winked.
"By entering this tournament, you have accepted potential injuries, including fatal ones."
This time, he swept his gaze seriously from right to left.
"Inappropriate magic will, of course, be punished. Dark magic of an infectious nature is strictly forbidden, as are the Unforgivable Curses. Elemental magic is permitted."
An enthusiastic smile appeared on his face once more.
"Of course, you were all informed of the risks of duels before signing up, but it is better to remind you!"
We all kept waiting while Flitwick looked over us with a smile. After Snape cleared his throat, Flitwick ran a hand through his hair, tapped his foot on the floor a couple of times, and continued.
"Your entry slips are in the container on the table. We will randomly draw two names from them. The winner will advance to the next round, where we will proceed in the same manner. The loser, of course, will be eliminated from the tournament." He turned to Dumbledore. "Albus, if you would."
Dumbledore nodded and stepped toward the dueling platform. When he reached it, he placed his wand against its side.
In that moment, I felt the platform come alive with a powerful surge of magic. The carved runes flared to life one by one from left to right, and then began to fade in a cascading pattern. When the last one went dark, the glow vanished, but the presence of magic remained. It was strong. Invisible, but I felt it distinctly.
Dumbledore finally stepped back from the platform, held his wand to his throat, and cast Sonorus.
"The protective barriers around the platform have been activated. No spell can penetrate them, and sounds are dampened as well. So you have nothing to fear and can fully enjoy the bouts of our talented duelists."
He looked at us with a smile. Then his eyes rested directly on me, and he started walking in our direction.
What the fuck does he want?
I tried not to scowl, but I couldn't figure out why he was coming right over to us.
My whole group of friends was standing around me, along with those who were slowly becoming friends too—Rookwood and Mulciber.
Maybe we remind him of Voldemort's gang in his youth, I thought.
While Flitwick pulled two entry slips from the container, Dumbledore managed to walk all the way over to us.
"Mr. Rosier, a word." He waved a hand at me.
I obeyed and stepped toward him.
I wasn't at all surprised when he waved his hand again and suddenly I couldn't hear a thing. No excited whispering from my classmates. No Agnes and Theo comparing themselves to each other. The stranger thing was that I could feel his barrier, but in a completely different way than ordinary spellwork. Its presence differed from the spells and wards I had gained far too much experience with over the past month.
Curiously, I tried to focus on his sound barrier. I wanted to understand how he had created it in the first place, while Dumbledore watched me with an amused smile. I could also sense the curious glances of a few students.
In the end, I admitted defeat. I didn't have the faintest idea how he had pulled it off, and I certainly didn't want to stand in front of him for another half hour trying to figure it out.
"How did you do that?"
Dumbledore's blue eyes twinkled with delight, and he held out his left hand.
On his finger was a ring set with a plain, tiny quartz in the center. If I saw correctly, runes were carved into it as well.
"Thank you." I nodded with a smile. "Maybe I'll order something similar for myself."
"Master Vane would certainly have no trouble with that," Dumbledore noted. "However, sometimes it is good to engage in magic that does not aim to destroy something, Mr. Rosier."
"Easy for one of the most powerful wizards in the world to say, Headmaster," I replied in a dry voice. "But I doubt you came over just to show off a useful ring."
"A piece of advice for a piece of advice." He ran a hand through his long beard. "The density of your magic has increased significantly over the holidays. I know Professor Snape has already informed you of this, but for some reason, you ignored his advice..."
He paused for a moment.
"The density of your magic has increased considerably over the holidays. Left unchecked, magic of such potency can become addictive to those of weaker minds simply through prolonged exposure. Yours, in particular, carries the flavor of forbidden chocolate. Not even your role model, Gellert, allowed his magic to remain unchecked at all times, and certainly not without reason."
Dumbledore looked at me a moment longer before continuing.
"And my advice? If you control your magic and keep a leash on it despite its greater density, your mastery of magic will improve. And its density may increase even further…"
It made sense to me. I didn't trust him completely, but I doubted he would give me bad advice.
"Thank you. What did I do to deserve such advice?" I nodded with a grateful smile. "I'll try to work on it as soon as possible," I added, right after failing to pull my magic in completely.
"Piña colada on the beach, Mr. Rosier." He offered me a smile with twinkling eyes.
"Then I advise trimming the beard as well." I smirked at him. "Thank you, I really appreciate it, and the tan suits you."
Dumbledore rubbed his beard with amusement, nodded, and with a wave of his hand, headed off.
He's not as bad as I thought, flashed through my mind.
"What did he want?" Agnes asked immediately.
"Just to give me some advice," I answered truthfully. "About my magic..."
On the platform, two students were already facing each other. A boy from Gryffindor and his opponent from Ravenclaw. With eyes full of determination, they glared at each other, waiting for Flitwick's command.
"Who's that?" I asked my friends.
Agnes looked like she wanted to keep prying, but fortunately Theo was sweet enough to nudge her and answer.
"Fourth years. Stimpson against Patricia MacFarlan."
At Flitwick's command, which echoed not only inside the barrier but throughout the entire hall, the duelists stepped toward each other. When they met right in the center, they bowed to one another, straightened up, and raised their wands to their chests.
At the next command, they turned back-to-back, and as Flitwick counted down, they both took five steps away from each other.
Flitwick clapped enthusiastically with a broad smile and began counting down.
"Three, two, one... Start!" he commanded.
Right at the start of the duel, both fired off a red spell. Without hearing the incantation, one had practically no chance of determining what they had just used. A huge number of spells shared the same color, and the exact shade depended on both the amount and quality of magic used. The same spell cast by two different wizards simply didn't have to look identical.
Even so, my guess was that both used Expelliarmus.
The Gryffindor comfortably dodged the red beam with a sidestep and immediately kept casting. My namesake tried to do the same, but instead of an elegant sidestep, she only stumbled clumsily.
The next spell, a purple one this time, hit her directly. Her legs immediately began dancing, and she started hopping helplessly on the spot.
As soon as she got rid of the spell, an orange beam struck her in the shoulder. It hurled her sideways, spinning her in an uncontrolled pirouette toward the edge of the platform. Instead of falling, however, the protective barrier caught her, and she slammed into it with a silent cry.
I was sure the Gryffindor heard it. He paused his attack for a moment, looking at her with an uncertain expression.
The barrier bounced Patricia back onto the platform. Quickly, though quite clumsily, she began pulling herself up from the floor. Once she managed to stand, she stumbled one more time, but resolutely lifted her chin and waved her wand.
A small flock of birds appeared in front of her.
The Gryffindor reached into his pocket, pulled out an object, and tossed it in front of him. Mid-flight, he transfigured it into a dog, which began growing larger by the second.
While the boy disposed of the flock of birds, Patricia managed to get rid of the dog. After that, it was just a slugfest—sluggish and slow.
Patricia was slow. Physically and mentally. And it was rather sad to watch.
At that point, I already knew who would win.
Judging by the expressions on the others' faces, I wasn't the only one.
"What did Dumbledore want with you?" Agnes whispered again.
"I'm curious too," Augustus chimed in with a smirk.
Draco, Tobias, Alex, and Theo were all looking at me as well. I let out a heavy sigh.
"Apparently, if I don't control my magic and pull it in, everyone can feel it, and someone could become addicted to it... He said it feels like forbidden chocolate," I replied.
"Well yeah, we can feel it... but that's like when someone wears a good perfume," Theo joined in with a smile. "If someone smells good, you want to be near them, so I wouldn't take it so seriously."
"Pretty much," Augustus agreed with a nod, and then added with a smirk and a wink, "I'd be more worried about the fact that HE senses you like FORBIDDEN chocolate."
While I chuckled, the others burst out laughing. I had to admit it was a funny remark. Especially knowing his history with Grindelwald.
"Though the chocolate part fits..." Agnes said once she finished laughing. "When we start training, it's like a really thick chocolate pudding... and later, maybe a chocolate milkshake."
"Watch out, Patrik. Agnes would practically drink you up," Theodore laughed.
"Just you wait," Agnes growled at him. "In a moment, the two of us are going to duke it out."
Before they could continue arguing, the duel on the platform ended. Patricia lay on the floor, bound by ropes and disarmed.
"Patricia brought shame upon the Patriks," I smiled slightly. "Hopefully I'll be next."
"I'd like to be next," Draco muttered. "If I'm going to get knocked out, might as well be right at the start."
"Don't be nervous, Draco. You'd defeat that fourth-year too," Alex offered encouragingly with a smile. "Maybe you'll get Granger as your opponent."
Draco spat out a scoff, the rest of us burst out laughing, and Alexander looked between us in confusion. Theo winked at me, so I knew what was up.
Meanwhile, the duelists stepped off the platform, and the next draw followed. I didn't want to miss this one, so I watched Flitwick closely.
"Ohoho," he chuckled. "This time, in our mixed tournament, we have another match between students of the same year. From Gryffindor, Harry Potter against..."
He paused deliberately, savoring the sudden dead silence that settled over the hall.
"Agnes De Mille from Slytherin!" he finished with a smile. "Duelists, to the platform, please."
"Good luck, Agnes," Theo wished her, and the others joined in immediately.
Before she could step forward, I spoke up too.
"You don't need luck, Agnes," I told her truthfully, looking straight into her eyes so she knew I meant it.
She smiled at me and nodded with determination. The nervousness didn't completely leave her eyes, but she walked toward the platform with newfound resolve.
Harry Potter was already waiting for her up top. He was taller and larger than her. Under Sirius's care, he had clearly gained weight, and fortunately, he had new glasses. A calm smile played on his face, but his cheeks were red as a tomato.
Does he have a crush on Agnes? flashed through my head with a smirk.
"Is it just me, or is Potter actually blushing?" Draco chimed in.
"It's not just you," Theo replied with a smirk.
"I heard his mother had red hair like Agnes..." Alexander joined in.
Flitwick began guiding the duelists once again with precise instructions. They both faced each other, bowed, and then turned back-to-back. At Flitwick's signal, they began counting five steps away from each other.
Agnes looked thoroughly determined and quite eager. I could've sworn I saw tiny flames flickering in her eyes beneath the nervousness. Potter, by contrast, was completely composed, even if he was still blushing.
"Three, two, one... Start!" Flitwick commanded.
Right on command, both launched into a rapid flurry of spells. While Potter managed to fire two differently colored beams, Agnes got off one more than him.
Agnes stepped aside and instantly fired another purple spell, followed immediately by an orange one. Potter awkwardly dove to the side and returned her attack almost blindly with a white beam.
Agnes laughed, pulled her shoulder back, and cast a similar white beam. Right after, she shook her head and added an orange one with a smirk.
Potter hurriedly conjured a shield charm. The faint blue Protego caught both beams, which shattered against it, but the shield held. The Boy Who Lived definitely possessed an above-average magical core. Then again, so did Agnes.
"Fifty Galleons on Agnes," Theo offered.
"Even I can tell Agnes is winning the initial exchanges," Tobias muttered.
I preferred not to comment and kept watching the duel. So far, it was just a feeler match of weaker spells. Agnes had completely shaken off her nervousness and was trading curses with Potter with a smirk.
Agnes had a massive advantage in movement. While she moved quickly and fluidly, Potter simply hurled himself sideways by instinct with every attack.
That's why it didn't surprise me at all when the orange spell hit him square in the stomach. The remaining two beams missed him on either side, but one hit was enough. He was predictable.
The spell violently launched the boy into the air, flipping him as it threw him a few meters back, where he crashed hard onto the floor.
Agnes broke into laughter, which Potter seized upon immediately. Despite a pained grimace, he rolled over from the floor in her direction and fired a purple spell at her.
Our friend noticed the incoming beam too late. She tried a wild dodge, but her legs tangled. As she fell to the ground, the spell struck her right on the arm.
"She gets that arrogance from you, Patrik," Theo laughed.
Without a word, and with growing concern, I watched the fallen Agnes and the effect of the spell. I doubted it was a harmless Aculeus. Meanwhile, Potter waited like a gentleman for Agnes to get back up.
Big mistake, I thought.
When Agnes stood up from the floor, the Great Hall erupted in laughter.
There was no trace left of her thick red hair, which used to reach halfway down her back. It was all lying on the floor. Eyebrows included.
Agnes now looked like an egg with blue eyes.
It was such a drastic change that almost everyone couldn't help laughing. Even the corners of my mouth twitched.
The moment Agnes realized what had happened, her face instantly flushed red, and she began screaming so loudly that we could hear her muffled voice even outside the barrier. For a moment, I was afraid she'd have a stroke right there from pure rage.
"I WILL FUCK YOU UP, POTTER!" she shrieked at the rapidly paling Boy Who Lived, instantly showering him with a barrage of curses.
"EVERTE STATUM!" "LEVIOSO!" "DESCENDO!"
***
Author's note:
Yes, even student duels can turn lethal... an overpowered Diffindo can easily sever a head, even if it was originally meant for cutting parchment. You can't have real duels without real danger—and everyone in the wizarding world knows that!
The Crossed Wands tournament is officially underway. Who knew Patrik's magic tasted like forbidden chocolate?
Poor Agnes. All that laughter, all that gorgeous red hair... gone with a single spell. Poor Harry has no idea what kind of storm he just unleashed on himself.
Do you think he'll survive?
***
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Upcoming Chapters – Already Written(15):
104. Fire and Thunder
105. Better to Be Feared
106. A Serial Killer Under the Bed
107. The Legacy of Rookwood Castle
108. Worse Than Horcruxes
109. Cleansed by Fire
110. Running Dead
111. I'm Dying
112. AM: Everything We Had Left
113. Still Breathing
114. The Headmaster Is Expecting You
115. The Silver Hand
116. Last Thoughts and Pancakes
117. Hello, Father
118. Detention, Slytherin Style
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