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October 13, 1973. A crisp, brilliantly sunny Saturday morning at exactly 9:00 AM.
The sun hung high in the Scottish sky, making it an absolutely perfect day for playing Quidditch outside the castle or lazily basking by an open window. Yet, despite the gorgeous weather, well over a hundred little wizards were currently aggressively packed together inside a windowless, brilliantly lit, highly spacious spare Great Hall—which had been officially requisitioned as the dedicated venue for the Hogwarts Dueling Club. They were eagerly, breathlessly awaiting the club's highly anticipated first official points tournament.
Those students proudly wearing the custom, golden crossed-wands badges pinned to their collars and holding a short piece of glowing parchment were the official, mathematically vetted club members. The others standing behind the ropes were the friends and supporters they had brought along to watch the bloodshed. Regulus had strictly decreed that this was currently a highly "internal" beta event, and outsiders absolutely could not participate unless explicitly invited by an official member for the time being.
Professor Flitwick, Professor Stokke, and the heavy-set prefects from all four Houses were already present, securing the perimeter.
Twelve small, square dueling platforms, magically raised slightly from the plastered stone ground, were perfectly, mathematically arranged across the massive hall. Alongside the walls, various types of heavily enchanted, highly battered spell-training dummies were placed for warm-ups. And behind the primary dueling platforms, there was also a highly conspicuous, heavy granite long table prominently displaying ten mysterious, cylindrical objects of various sizes; some looked exactly like raw, glowing natural minerals, while others looked like polished, heavy alchemical metals.
And near the heavy oak doors, there were even massive, towering silver platters overflowing with fresh sandwiches, sweet snacks, iced water, and cold pumpkin juice—all generously provided entirely free of charge, thanks to Regulus's highly lucrative, secret negotiations with the kitchen house-elves.
(A fed army is a happy, highly compliant army, after all.)
Regulus, impeccably dressed in a tight-fitting, tailored black combat suit and a pristine, silver-lined House cloak, sat comfortably on a high wooden stool in front of a raised scribe's desk. A heavy, leather-bound scorebook automatically flipped open on the desk in front of him, and a highly enchanted silver quill popped out, rapidly writing the exact date and time on the top left of the blank page.
"Good morning, everyone! Welcome officially to the Hogwarts Dueling Club's very first points tournament!" Regulus's magically amplified voice cut smoothly through the noisy chatter. "Today's highly competitive results will definitively determine your initial, mathematical ranking on the official leaderboards!"
"Board One, located to my left, records the official combat scores of the sixth and seventh-year students. Board Two records the fourth and fifth years, and Board Three records the second and third years."
"We will also formally have a highly classified Fourth Board—personally, meticulously designed by Professor Flitwick himself—but I will keep the exact mechanics of that specific bracket a secret for now and officially introduce it to you all after the primary competition concludes."
"The highly lethal matches for Board One will be personally, strictly supervised and refereed by Professor Flitwick. Board Two will be medically guided by Professor Stokke, and Board Three will be closely overseen by the House prefects operating in rotation. Let's give our faculty a massive, heartfelt round of thanks!"
A deafening, highly enthusiastic round of applause broke out across the hall.
"The tournament formally adopts a highly competitive, Muggle-inspired 'Double-Elimination with Resurrection' bracket system," Regulus explained smoothly, dropping his CEO terminology. "Participants will be officially eliminated from the tournament entirely only after losing two consecutive, verified matches. After the first round of duels, the winners will directly advance up the bracket, while the losers will immediately face off in highly stressful 'resurrection matches' between pairs to fight their way back. There is absolutely no resurrection system allowed after the quarter-finals. Accurate, unbiased scoring will be completely handled by the enchanted magical quills."
"Your exact, designated match time and your specific platform number will be dynamically displayed on the glowing parchment currently in your hands. Please keep the parchment extremely close to you at all times. Without any further ado, the little wizards whose names are currently flashing for the first round, please immediately take your defensive positions at the platforms! Other little wizards, please closely follow the magical broadcast or check the parchment in your hands for the upcoming queue."
Regulus's voice turned incredibly strict. "Please be absolutely on time! We will not wait for latecomers, and a delay will result in an automatic, highly humiliating forfeiture."
After concisely, ruthlessly announcing the complex rules, Regulus began rapidly reading out the first match list, while the massive crowd of other little wizards eagerly watched from safely behind a glowing yellow ward line.
Having set the system in motion, he lightly jumped down from his high stool and walked casually toward his older brother, who was currently standing near the front of the lower-year matches, stretching his arms.
Meanwhile, James Potter was standing right beside Sirius, looking highly confused, seriously counting on his fingers as he tried to mentally process the highly complex Muggle concepts of "double-elimination," "resurrection matches," and "dynamic Elo points."
"Regulus, honestly, only a terrifyingly organized Slytherin like you could somehow sort out and implement such an incredibly complicated, flawless rule system," Sirius commented with a massive, highly charismatic smile.
Sirius's devastating grin instantly made several nearby upper-year little witches' hearts pound significantly faster, causing them to giggle and blush violently.
Regulus merely shrugged. A highly competitive, global e-sports club he had heavily participated in during his past modern life had historically arranged their massive tournament schedules exactly this way; he had simply, shamelessly copied the flawless logistics, combining it perfectly with the strict safety opinions of Professor Flitwick and Professor Stokke. Safety first. The venue absolutely shouldn't be too physically massive, fearing the professors couldn't medically supervise the chaotic crossfire properly.
"Technology actively changes our lives for the better," Regulus said, casually raising the glowing parchment in his hand. "Our localized, developing 'SMS' paper did absolutely fantastic work organizing this massive bracket queue today. It's honestly no exaggeration to say—Professor Flitwick aggressively praised my structural runic work for three solid minutes before the tournament, and he even formally awarded Slytherin thirty House points for the 'innovative administrative magic'."
Regulus smirked. "However, I honestly told him that you were also heavily involved in the core R&D design, Sirius, and he generously added twenty points for Gryffindor as well."
"Yeah," Sirius grinned broadly, a rare, incredibly sincere, deeply unburdened smile breaking across his handsome face. "We're honestly not bad at all as a team, are we?"
"Is this... is this complex glowing paper truly your own original Transfiguration work?" A highly pleasant, musical voice, completely filled with genuine surprise and intense academic curiosity, suddenly came from directly behind Sirius's shoulder.
Regulus turned. Vibrant, incredibly bright emerald-green eyes, and soft, beautiful, perfectly tumbling dark red hair—it was Lily Evans.
Regulus nodded politely, offering a flawless aristocratic smile, and greeted her. "Good morning, Miss Evans. And good morning to you, Miss Macdonald."
This was officially the very first time Regulus had ever actually spoken face-to-face with Lily Evans—the legendary, beautiful Gryffindor girl that the Marauders would aggressively, obsessively "chase all those years ago."
Lily was perfectly fine and highly composed, but her Gryffindor best friend, Mary Macdonald, reacted entirely differently. Mary's eyebrows curved upwards in sheer shock, her face instantly beaming with overwhelming joy and deep, girlish shyness. She had absolutely, truly never, in her wildest dreams, expected that Slytherin's famously arrogant, wealthy 'Ice Prince' Regulus Black would ever stoop to actively speak directly to her, let alone so gently and politely. She completely froze, couldn't even manage to stutter a proper greeting, and just nodded her head frantically.
James Potter, currently standing frozen right beside Sirius, had a highly similar, utterly stunned reaction; he stood completely still, his jaw dropped wide open, looking exactly as if he had just accidentally swallowed an entire Golden Snitch whole.
"When is your first match officially scheduled, Miss Evans?" Regulus asked smoothly.
"It should be very soon," Lily said, looking down at the glowing text on the developing paper. She held the parchment tightly to her chest, looked at it with deep fascination, and then looked directly back up at Severus Snape's highly mysterious, wealthy Slytherin friend.
Severus had honestly, obsessively talked about his brilliant new friend Regulus almost the entire summer... And, Lily thought, evaluating him, he actually seems like a genuinely good, highly polite person. He seems completely, wonderfully lacking the toxic, violent arrogance typical of almost all the other pureblood Slytherin little wizards.
"This is genuinely amazing, highly advanced magic! You're only a second year, aren't you, Regulus? Honestly, I dare say that many N.E.W.T.-level older students couldn't pull off localized communication spells like this," Lily said admiringly, her sincere, warm smile sparkling.
"Please don't forget my brother's massive part in the structural design," Regulus said modestly, smoothly deflecting the praise. He then reached into his pocket, took out a small, familiar crystal glass bottle filled with a shimmering liquid, and shook it gently. "And Severus must have given you a fresh bottle of his upgraded 'Vitality Tonic' this week too, right?"
"Mm. Yes, he did," Lily nodded, her eyes lingering on the bottle. She then pointed across the room, asking highly curiously, "Regulus, exactly what are those strange, heavy stones placed on the long granite table over there for?"
Regulus smiled mysteriously, slipping the potion back into his pocket. "You'll know exactly what they are for after today's primary matches are officially over."
"Is it directly related to that highly secretive 'Fourth Board' you mentioned earlier?" Seeing Regulus remain completely, stubbornly silent on the matter, Lily laughed cheerfully. "Okay, fine! Keep your secrets. I'll just wait patiently and see."
Regulus, unsurprisingly, absolutely dominated and won his first bracket match without a single ounce of suspense.
During his second match...
While casually waiting on the platform for his terrified opponent to draw his wand, Regulus noticed a massive commotion two platforms over. Avery had violently, illegally used the highly lethal 'Snake Summons' Dark spell during a match against a Muggle-born.
Regulus didn't even hesitate. He snapped his wand, casually casting a blindingly bright, corporeal Patronus Charm from across the room. The massive silver lion aggressively drove Avery's terrifying venomous snake back into the shadows. Regulus immediately, loudly ruled it as an unforgivable use of highly restricted Dark magic, and ruthlessly, publicly banned Avery from the Dueling Club for two full months. He also happily, smugly received another ten House points from a highly impressed Professor Flitwick for his quick, defensive reflexes.
During his third match...
While waiting in the queue, he efficiently used a highly targeted 'Lax Charm' to violently separate two furious fourth-years who had completely abandoned their wands and were currently aggressively, physically wrestling each other on the floor. It turned out they were both actively pursuing the exact same girl, and romantic rivals meeting in a combat arena were particularly, violently aggressive. Both idiots earned a highly disgusted, icy glare from the Black heir, and both were instantly banned for two months for "unsportsmanlike physical conduct."
During his fourth match...
While waiting, he used a flawless Reviving Charm to safely wake up a highly concussed third-year who had been blasted unconscious into the wall. Severus, acting as the combat medic, immediately rushed over and provided the corresponding, highly effective healing Potion.
While waiting in the semi-finals, he flawlessly used a highly compressed Aguamenti charm, rapidly summoning a localized, massive downpour to completely extinguish a raging wall of uncontrolled, highly dangerous flames accidentally summoned by a panicking fifth-year student on Board Two.
The older, fifth-year prefects who were supposed to be medically overseeing the matches simply stood there completely, utterly dumbfounded by the second-year's terrifyingly fast reflexes and sheer magical power.
During this grueling, highly competitive time, he officially dueled and narrowly defeated Severus in a brilliant, highly tactical exchange of hexes. James Potter was humiliatingly, beautifully eliminated by a flawless parry from Lily Evans, and Lily herself was eventually eliminated after a highly intense, incredibly close match by Sirius.
And finally, the very last match of Board Three...
It felt incredibly, deeply familiar to him—
He honestly couldn't help it. The highly skilled opponent currently standing directly in front of him on the final platform was the exact same person who had been aggressively, violently sparring with him every single day all summer long...
His own older brother, Sirius Black.
"Well. I absolutely knew you'd make it to the end, little brother," Sirius said softly. He executed a flawless, deep, highly formal duelist's bow to his younger brother—
"Do absolutely not hold back on me," Sirius commanded, rising from the bow. Standing proudly on the raised dueling platform, his dark hair hung elegantly, dangerously down his face, his grey eyes burning with sheer competitive fire.
"Of course not. Same to you," Regulus replied coldly, raising his hawthorn wand.
This highly anticipated, incredibly dramatic final duel between the two legendary Black Family brothers undoubtedly, instantly attracted the absolute, undivided attention of every single person in the entire Great Hall. The room fell dead silent.
The Slytherin prefect, Filius, acting as the final referee, took a deep, highly nervous breath and shouted, "Begin!"
Regulus didn't even open his mouth to incant. A massive, roaring torrent of violent orange flame instantly erupted from the tip of Regulus's wand. With a sharp flick of his wrist, he violently wove the fire into a massive, highly complex, inescapable network of burning chains in the air, aggressively throwing it directly over Sirius's head without a single second of hesitation—
The sheer, raw intensity and lethal heat of the spell used was clearly, terrifyingly higher than anything Regulus had used when he had dueled any of the other students before!
This is the special, highly lethal treatment reserved strictly for my own brother, Regulus thought coldly.
"Shield Charm! Freezing Charm!" Sirius roared, slashing his oak wand. His two highly compressed spells violently intersected mid-air, instantly forming two massive, interlocking barriers of solid ice and magic directly in front of him, violently stirring up a massive layer of hissing, steaming white mist as the fire hit the ice.
But Regulus's follow-up spellcasting speed was terrifyingly faster than Sirius had mathematically expected—a blinding, highly compressed beam of concussive light shot violently out of the mist, aimed directly at Sirius's exposed right flank!
Sirius instantly, instinctively threw his entire body sideways, his long hair violently swaying. The highly lethal spell whistled past his robes, a terrifyingly narrow miss, and the exact second he dodged, Regulus's next, highly chained spell was already violently close behind it!
The two Black brothers were completely, terrifyingly hyper-focused, aggressively trading blinding, high-speed blows. The massive audience below watched in absolute, stunned silence, their eyes wide. Many of the little witches in the front rows were physically holding their breath in sheer terror for the two handsome boys...
This was officially the very first time Regulus had ever publicly displayed his raw, highly lethal spellcasting ability with such terrifying density—every single spell was incredibly, mathematically precise, and the complex transitions between offensive and defensive magic were completely seamless.
If it were me standing up there... could I possibly withstand even ten seconds of that terrifying onslaught? Rabastan Lestrange thought, trembling slightly in the crowd. Only Rabastan absolutely did not join in the sudden, spontaneous applause. He hadn't even had the time to properly, arrogantly gloat about his temporary third-place ranking in Board Two's points before violently falling into a state of deep, highly paranoid self-doubt...
When one of Regulus's highly compressed, non-verbal Blasting Curses finally, powerfully shattered straight through Sirius's fading shield charm, knocking his brother onto his back, Professor Flitwick actually leapt up from his referee chair and excitedly, wildly clapped and cheered.
Standing directly beside the diminutive Charms master were Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout, who had quietly come down to the Great Hall to nervously check on the safety of the situation—
Unlike the inexperienced little wizards who could only blindly watch the flashy, explosive spectacle of the light show, these highly experienced, veteran Professors had already naturally noticed Regulus's outstanding raw magical ability in class. But what profoundly, deeply surprised and terrified them more tonight was his cold, terrifyingly precise, highly calculating combat judgment—he absolutely wasn't just blindly, emotionally casting spells like Sirius; he was constantly, mathematically calculating distance, aggressively pressuring his opponent's weak side, and ruthlessly waiting for the exact micro-second opening to strike!
This is absolutely, undeniably the result of highly advanced, highly lethal, and incredibly systematic pureblood combat training, Professor McGonagall realized, her heart skipping a beat.
I absolutely must massively increase the academic difficulty of the Transfiguration coursework for these two terrifyingly brilliant Black brothers just to keep them properly occupied, Professor McGonagall thought grimly, tightly holding the 'developing paper' in her hand. However, a very slight, incredibly proud smile finally appeared on her usually tightly pursed, strict lips.
"Minerva, these little wizards are truly, miraculously improving their combat reflexes day by day!" Professor Sprout gasped, clutching her hat. She hadn't actually seen Regulus aggressively cast spells much in the Greenhouses, and she was undeniably the most deeply surprised among the teachers.
Professor McGonagall simply smiled proudly and nodded, her deep Gryffindor satisfaction entirely evident.
"Indeed they are!" Professor Flitwick also said cheerfully, clapping his hands. "Ah, it is truly, genuinely heartwarming to see these ambitious young little wizards miraculously manage to get a highly functional Dueling Club going so beautifully!"
"Pomona, Minerva! You absolutely must stay and closely watch the highly experimental matches on the Fourth Board later!" Flitwick squeaked excitedly. "If you ask me, that's where the truly interesting, highly advanced magical part of the evening actually is!"