Chapter 38: The Duels
Nearly twenty minutes had passed since our conversation with the family, and I was already standing there, waiting for my turn. Fleur was beside me, tapping her wand lightly against her left palm with barely concealed nerves.
"Anxious?"
"No..."
She caught herself and glanced at me.
"...Yes. I don't know who my next opponent will be, and it's unsettling. I can see what the others in my group are capable of, but still..."
Fleur frowned slightly.
"...The nerves won't go away."
"Well, from what I saw yesterday, you are quite strong. But the others..."
I tilted my head thoughtfully.
"...Don't underestimate them. It is entirely possible that someone is conserving their strength for a particular bout. Or, as I have done, I made a wager and am limiting myself to a certain set of spells for now..."
"Not everyone can afford to do that... Good luck."
We both noticed my name appear above one of the platforms at the same time. I walked over to it and waited for my opponent. I did not have to wait long. This time I was facing a girl my own age, who watched me with slightly narrowed eyes.
"Anna Dolokhova, Russia, instructor Vitaly Pechkin, versus Draco Black, Great Britain, instructor Filius Flitwick."
We stepped up onto the platform together. The examiners checked us for artifacts and prohibited items, and reported to today's referee, a different one from yesterday, that we were both clear.
"Three, two, one, begin!"
During the countdown I gave the girl an elegant bow, which she returned with a respectful nod. The moment the count ended, I sent an Expelliarmus at her almost instantly. She rolled sideways to avoid it and sent a pair of Slashing Hexes back at me, which my shield caught. Another Disarming Charm left my wand, and she was forced to roll the other way, and then again, and again...
Light laughter drifted from the spectators, and I stopped. Making my opponent a laughingstock had never been the plan. For her age, she was thinking clearly. Not confident in your shield? Get out of the way of the spell. Simple logic.
She went still, watching me, and I gestured with my wand for her to stand.
She rose slowly and gave me a grateful nod, then settled into a defensive stance.
"Expelliarmus."
The spell left my wand almost the instant I named it. This time she did not roll aside. She simply leapt back, then sent two Disarming Charms, a Knockback Jinx, and a Bone-Breaking Hex back at me in quick succession.
"Expelliarmus. Petrificus Totalus."
She dodged the first spell, but I had aimed the second at the exact spot where she needed to land, and she landed precisely there. The charm caught her cleanly. She went rigid and toppled onto the platform.
"Winner, Draco Black, Great Britain."
I made a polite bow to my opponent, who was revived almost immediately, then to the referee, then to the spectators, and stepped off the platform.
"You took longer this time..."
Fleur said it with the faintest trace of amusement.
"I simply don't want to show everything I can do just yet. I'm still planning to challenge the winner of the next age group, and putting all my cards on the table now would be a mistake."
"You want to fight me?"
"Why not?"
I shrugged.
"If you win your group, we'll almost certainly meet when I'm offered the chance to challenge the next age group's champion."
"Hmm..."
She gave a thoughtful nod. It was obvious enough, really. There was no other path open to me. Challenging the champion of the next age group was an unwritten tradition of dueling tournaments. Fail to do so, and every newspaper would brand you a coward before the ink was dry.
"I understand. But don't expect me to go easy on you just because you're charming."
I let the corner of my mouth curve up.
"Don't expect me to refrain from using that charm to my advantage if I can."
"Pfft!"
The tips of Fleur's ears turned pink. Our friends and both families, who had heard all of this, exchanged glances and smiled. Fleur noticed and allowed herself a flash of irritation, though she refrained from stamping her foot. Instead, she stepped onto her platform and simply demolished her opponent with a rapid sequence of ten Fire Spells.
"Pfft..."
That was Fleur's response when she came to stand beside me after I'd congratulated her on her latest win. And as before, we did not linger. She watched a few of her potential future opponents, and then we left the venue.
"So... what are your plans? For life, I mean."
I tilted my head slightly, looking at her.
"I'm not sure yet... I love Charms, so I've been thinking about finding a master who might take me as an apprentice. But with my... nature..."
She gave a small, slightly sad smile.
"...there aren't many Charms masters who would agree to that."
"Well..."
I shrugged, watching her carefully.
"...I do understand. But you would be looking for a master after you finish school, wouldn't you?"
"Yes..."
She shrugged easily.
"Would you come to me?"
"I'm sorry?"
Fleur blinked in mild surprise. Her parents, seated at the next table with mine, began paying noticeably closer attention.
"I'm asking whether you'd come to me as an apprentice. I plan to earn a mastery in Charms and Spellwork within the next couple of years. A knowledge and skills mastery, not a raw power mastery..."
I shrugged lightly.
"I'll have to prepare a formidable project for the examining committee, but I can manage that. So I'm offering you the chance to be my first official apprentice."
"Hmm..."
She paused, taken aback.
"I... if you earn the mastery, then yes, I would, but are you certain?"
"Quite..."
I gave an easy nod.
"Is something bothering you?"
"N... no..."
She shook her head and dropped her gaze to the table.
"It's clearly bothering you."
Penny, who had been sitting through this entire exchange, gave Fleur a gentle nudge with her elbow.
"Go on and admit it. An offer like this. And you're turning your nose up at it..."
"I am not turning my nose up..."
Fleur looked at Penny, her voice and expression making it clear that she considered this an inaccurate account of events.
"It's simply a great deal to take in at once. I thought I would have to find a master on my own. I had even started wondering whether I would end up going hat in hand to the goblins and working off some punishing contract to cover the cost of tuition, and now this..."
She shook her head.
"Actually... what are the terms?"
"Simple enough..."
I shrugged.
"You work yourself to the bone, and if you earn your mastery within five years, the total cost of your training is ten thousand."
"Per year?"
Fleur frowned slightly. That was a substantial sum. Certainly not ruinous for a master to absorb, and in fact considerably less than many masters charged, but for her...
"For the entire training. Period."
"Don't play games with me..."
"I am not. Ten thousand Galleons total if you earn your mastery within five years. Fail to meet that deadline, and the rate changes: you'll owe me ten thousand for every additional month you study under me."
"Cough, cough!"
Fleur spluttered.
"And don't worry. The contract will specify that I'm required not merely to offer vague encouragement, but to teach you properly and in good faith, giving you every reasonable chance of earning your mastery within five years. Think of it as the carrot and the stick. On the one hand, you get training under a master for next to nothing. On the other, if you prove less than diligent, you'll be signing something that makes a goblin contract look generous."
Fleur closed her eyes. A small, rather charming line appeared between her brows, telling everyone present that she was weighing the proposition carefully.
"I... I think I agree."
She gave a slow nod as she said it.
"Good..."
I gave a satisfied nod in return.
"And now, can we perhaps move on to something a little less..."
She waved her hand vaguely, unable to find words for the intensity still churning inside her.
"Of course."
I shrugged, as if to say there was nothing remotely unreasonable in the request.
"Wonderful. Then it is my turn to ask... what are YOUR plans for life?"
"Well... being a Black, I suppose..."
I shrugged with studied casualness.
"...what I mean is, as the Head of House I shall have a great many responsibilities. Mastery in Charms and Spellwork will make me a sought-after master, but that is not the real point. What matters is that my own abilities will grow through it, making me more capable in everything else."
I scratched my cheek thoughtfully.
"I may manage to double the family fortune."
"Wha...?!"
Fleur stared at me.
"The Black fortune is the stuff of legend! Not that it's impossible, but you are already extraordinarily wealthy. There can't be more than a hundred Houses and individuals in the entire world richer than you."
"Actually, there can be. Quite a few more than a hundred, in fact..."
I shrugged lightly.
"There is a tendency among wizards to forget that the ordinary world exists. And in that world, there are a great many people. A great deal of money circulates in their economies. There are already quite a few individuals in that world who can match the Blacks financially, and what will things look like in ten years? In twenty?"
"That is... very mature thinking for someone your age..."
She said it and immediately covered her mouth with her hand, a flash of alarm and guilt crossing her face, as though she had just said something offensive. I simply gave a short, amused snort.
"Spoken like a true ancient. You and I were both shaped from childhood to avoid embarrassing our families, so the fact that I know more than my peers and have rather more of my life mapped out is hardly remarkable. What is remarkable is that most of our peers go all the way through school without once stopping to think that one day they will need to support or lead their House."
"Well..."
Fleur shifted slightly in her chair.
"I think that happens because they want a carefree childhood while they still can have one. Wizards live longer than Muggles, so spending an extra ten years on education after school is not a great sacrifice for us. People like you and me, tearing ourselves apart while still at school, are the odd ones, really."
"Perhaps..."
I gave a nod.
"Oh, enough already!" Penny cut across us both. "Why did you go and get all serious? We are celebrating! So let's actually celebrate!"
Penny's words reminded Fleur and me that we were, in fact, sitting in a restaurant. And though the table was covered by a Silencing Charm that extended to cover both the adult table and ours, so neither party could overhear the other, still...
"Fair enough. Forgive me..."
I raised my hands in surrender.
"We got rather carried away..."
"Mm..."
Fleur nodded in agreement.
"...we'll try to do better. So, Penny, what sort of boys do you like?"
"No! Not that topic!"
"Oh, come now. Draco won't tell anyone, and otherwise it's just us girls. Harry's over there with his godfather, so..."
"No! Leave me alone!"
But Fleur kept pressing, and I sat back and watched with a smile. There was something genuinely pleasant about sitting in good company like this, even if we had started off on rather heavier topics than anyone had planned.
-----------------------------------------
"Chapters on Patreon progress: Currently at;
1. Harry Potter: Satan? Nah, Just My Family Crest = CHAPTER 227
2.Marvel: Cosmic Forger of Infinity = CHAPTER 159
3.Harry Potter: Beyond Good and Evil in the Wizarding World = CHAPTER 230
4.Harry Potter: Reborn as Draco Black = CHAPTER 86
support me on Patreon for instant access to the 80+ advance chapters: patreon.com/redofic"