Harry Potter: Reborn as Draco Black Chapter 49 49

The duel with Nymph was interesting, not for or for her, but for the spectators, who genuinely seed to believe the girl might beat . Throughout the duel, I kept showing them exactly where and how her defense could be broken through. It frustrated her enormously, and yet she could not say I was wrong. Unlike the others, she understood it was a performance. I had dealt with Flint quickly, but he simply could not deliver the performance needed to hold the crowd's attention. Whereas she could...

In any case, the two of us put on quite a show on the dueling platform that day, and in the end I won. Flitwick wrapped things up with a speech, the gist of which was that anyone wishing to achieve results of that kind would need to pass the trials for the Dueling Club.

The places in the club were not limited, but Flitwick had set a minimum threshold of knowledge and skill. That minimum varied by year, and it began in the second year.

More precisely, up until the end of the first year, students could co to the trials and demonstrate what they knew. Those who showed sufficient skill would be admitted to the Dueling Club from the second year on. That did not an mbership was guaranteed to last. The standards for existing mbers were considerably stricter, with an assessnt every six months.

In short, simply getting in would be hard enough. Staying in would be harder still.

The requirents for each year had been given to the Heads of House, who posted them on the common room bulletin boards. After that, the workload increased substantially, because Flitwick had decided to put the trials for the first three years on my shoulders. He was clearly enjoying himself.

I did not complain. If he trusted not only to teach but to run trials of this sort, it ant he was confident in my abilities. That gave motivation not only to work harder, but to study harder as well. I had no intention of disappointing my Master.

I could also honestly admit that over the course of the year, I had co to understand the material for the first three years considerably better than before, simply because I had been forced to explain it over and over again to a roomful of restless children. By the second half of the year they had beco considerably more attentive. It had apparently dawned on them that the end-of-year prize might be worth their while. Even so, many of them still found the material unclear and ca to for explanations. I had ended up setting aside an extra two hours a day for precisely those conversations.

Still, the holidays were not far off...

Well, "holidays" in the loosest sense, since Flitwick had already begun threatening with an intensive sumr program, my mother had arranged tutors at my request to help take all my year-end exams early again without difficulty, and I had begun making plans of my own...

My thoughts were interrupted by the vibrating mirror I used to keep in touch with Fleur.

"Hello, hello."

A smile found its way onto my lips of its own accord, and Fleur, who had initiated the call, made no effort to conceal her own happy smile, which only made her more beautiful...

I shook my head slightly.

Adolescence was going to test my self-control far more than I'd anticipated.

"Hello, my dear..."

Fleur said with a smile, and shivers raced down my spine. She'd been greeting that way for about a month now, and I still hadn't grown used to it.

"Hello, my joy. How are you?"

I even set my book aside to talk to her properly. Rest was important too, after all, and we only spoke once a week. It was worth giving the conversation my full attention.

"I am well. Studying... training in the dueling arts. Actually, I've finally started paying proper attention to other elents as well, so next tournant they won't knock out as easily."

"Good."

I was glad for her, though I was aware that next year would be harder than this one. My semi-final opponent would certainly not be giving up his title without a fight.

"My dear..."

A faint growl crept into Fleur's voice.

"Yes, darling?"

When she didn't rush to continue, I played along and asked.

"Why am I being pestered with letters imploring , an extraordinarily magnanimous young woman, to forgive so wretched worm who opened his mouth when it was most unwelco, and dared to empty its filth in my direction?"

I snorted, and Fleur, unable to help herself, laughed as well.

"So he did write to you after all..."

I nodded slowly, since I hadn't forgotten about that journalist.

"...though honestly, I'd expected him to have the nerve to write to your father instead of bothering a sweet and apparently far too forgiving young woman."

"And yet?"

"Well... your father is aware of the situation, so you can get the full story from him. But briefly, that particular gentleman... if I'm not mistaken, his na was Quartz?"

"You are not mistaken."

She nodded, confirming the na was correct.

"Right. So, this gentleman was a reporter for the publication 'Pure Blood Forever' during my brief interview after the tournant. He made so rather unflattering remarks about you."

"About ?"

"Precisely. The conversation turned to you and , and I did not deny the possibility that sothing more than friendship might develop between us, and that..."

I pressed my lips together, swallowing the insults.

"...that differently gifted individual could not find anything better to do than offer his opinion on your bloodline. As a result, I promised to make his life a living misery, one that would continue until the Delacour family saw fit to forgive him. I rather expected him to write to your father, not to you."

I shook my head disapprovingly.

"...coward."

"A-l-l-l-l right..."

Fleur closed her eyes. She looked, in that mont, faintly like a great cat, languidly watching its surroundings, not quite hungry, but ready to spring at an enemy without a mont's notice. Or perhaps it was sothing more avian.

"...a-l-l-l-l ri-i-i-i-ight..."

"Fleur, breathe. In... out... in... out..."

I decided to try to calm her down a little.

"...those were words for which he is already paying. Whether the punishnt continues depends entirely on you. He has lost his job. His creditors imdiately called in his debts. His wife found herself a lover and left. His children, deprived of their father's money that used to get them out of trouble, are now under investigation. Though if there is anything particular you would like added to that..."

I shrugged.

"Ahem... no."

She shook her head, composing herself.

"...that is sufficient. I have no intention of forgiving him either. Though... may I ask you sothing?"

"You may try."

I smiled wryly, and she gave a small, irritated click of her tongue.

"If he has the sense to leave the country, say, if he flees to Australia or Arica, there's no need to follow him there. But if he stays in England..."

"No problem at all."

I shrugged.

"Good. Now let us talk about sothing more pleasant."

"Let us."

I smiled at her, and we moved on to our plans for the sumr, which were quite ambitious.

We did not finish talking for another forty minutes, after which we blew each other a kiss and ended the call. I returned to the book I had been reading before Fleur contacted .

The following day.

"Now then, dear students of years one through three. I congratulate you. Today is the final day of Dueling Club trials. If you do not make it through today, the next trials will not be held until the end of next academic year."

"Ohhhh..."

The crowd of students murmured unhappily. The majority of those present, it had to be said, had no particular interest in learning the art of dueling. What they wanted was mbership in a prestigious club run by Professor Flitwick himself. I suspected the sa frenzy would have surrounded a club run by McGonagall, or Sprout, or even Snape. The real reason was simple: Flitwick had connections, and being noticed by him and by the students who genuinely wanted to join...

In short, connections.

And it showed. The students who truly wanted to study dueling had already passed the trials by their second attempt, so only just above the minimum threshold, and they had not abandoned their training in the anti, channeling their efforts into physical conditioning and spell practice. The others, though... they kept turning up in the hope that this ti I would simply announce that everyone had passed.

"Weasley?"

I looked at the sixth-year with mild confusion. I had noticed him in the crowd entirely by chance.

"What are you doing here?"

"I ca to try out!"

He practically shouted it. I shrugged.

"The door is that way."

I pointed to the exit.

"I did not impose the ban, and it is not mine to lift. Co back with Flitwick's written confirmation that you are permitted to participate, and I will let you through. Without it..."

I shrugged again.

Whatever my personal feelings about the sixth-year, I had no intention of denying him the right to participate if Flitwick approved it. Besides, dueling might finally do sothing useful for him. It might make a thinking person out of him rather than simply a number. Though... perhaps that was too ambitious. Simply a person would be enough. A thinking person was probably beyond reach.

The sixth-year grumbled, but did not argue this ti. He evidently understood that I could not overturn a decision made by his Head of House, and left the room. I turned my attention back to everyone remaining in the small hall.

"Right. Everyone form a single queue..."

I clapped twice and they quickly arranged themselves into a rough line.

"Excellent. Now, one at a ti, co up to the platform and show what you have learned."

I gestured with my wand, which was already in my hand, and beckoned the first student forward. As on previous occasions, he showed nothing of note. That would have been acceptable enough on its own, but he had not even bothered to open a book on dueling etiquette. His bow was... frankly, it was easier to describe what he had not done wrong, and the only thing that qualified was that a bow had occurred at all. Everything else...

I sighed.

"Winston. Again?"

The boy flinched slightly.

"I believe I made a point of asking you last ti to please just open the Dueling Code. Read it. It is not long. Fifty pages, nearly ten of which are devoted entirely to the bow, explaining how it should be perford, why it should be perford that way, and what the consequences of performing it incorrectly are."

I shook my head.

"For example, had you bowed like that at the tournant I competed in, you would not only have been disqualified on the spot, you would have found yourself set upon afterwards by the other participants who witnessed it. Not one Auror or official would have intervened."

"But I want to join the club precisely so that soone can teach all of this!"

The boy was thoroughly put out by my dressing-down. Understandably enough, he was a third-year, and here I was lecturing him. Even with my reputation, even with the general understanding that I was soone worth listening to, right now he chose to push back.

Professor Flitwick and I have already made this clear. We are not running a Muggle nursery, where children are cared for and given the bare minimum before school starts. We are running a Dueling Club. We will not be spoon-feeding the basics here, because those basics are explained clearly enough in the literature listed on the club enrollnt notice.

"But..."

"That is enough."

I shook my head and placed a Silencing Charm on him.

"...enough. You have had five attempts. Five."

I shook my head again.

"Professor Flitwick and I are not here to wipe your nose for you. We can help refine skills, we can help correct them, but we are not here to instill knowledge and ability from scratch. You have not passed. If you are genuinely serious about dueling, I would suggest engaging a private tutor over the sumr and practicing at the Leaky Cauldron, or at the very least working through the literature independently, and coming to the trials next academic year. But that trial will not be before the New Year. Next year's New Year."

"But I..."

"I said next year."

Technically, the boy could have been admitted to a practice bout, but I had taught him for the first three years and knew perfectly well what he was capable of. There was no point in wasting anyone's ti. He was one of the weakest students I had, and not because he lacked ability, but because he could not be bothered to open a textbook.

I was not being prejudiced. I knew that so students absorb information by ear far more readily than from reading. For them, hearing a topic once in class is worth ten readings of the textbook. But this boy was not one of those students. He was simply lazy.

"Professor."

Hermione gave a short bow, and I returned it. For reasons I had never quite understood, she had decided she wanted to join the club. Her spell knowledge was not the problem. Her physical conditioning, however, was lacking. It still left sothing to be desired, though she had been training and clearly intended to make an impression in the year ahead.

"Three... two... one... begin."

I did not attack. I simply raised a Protego as a variety of spells ca flying at , none of which broke through the shield. But that wasn't the point. I stood and watched her carefully. Oh, she conjured water. Interesting.

With a quick, nearly imperceptible flick of my wand, I cleared the water from around my feet, leaving on a dry patch of the platform, surrounded by a puddle. My instinct was correct: a bolt of lightning struck the floor and shot across the water a mont later.

"That will do."

I gave a satisfied nod.

"What?"

Hermione looked bewildered.

"Well done. Good selection of spells, a clever move with the water and the lightning. Against soone else, it might well have worked. And you've been working on your physical conditioning. Conditionally passed."

"Conditionally?"

She blinked.

"Yes. I'll assess you again at the start of next year, and if your physical fitness is still below the required minimum..."

I shook my head.

"...you'll be removed from the club."

"Understood!"

She said it loudly, and I was now quite certain that this stubborn girl would do absolutely everything in her power to get into condition and keep her place.

In the anti, I had nearly a dozen more students to get through.

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4.Harry Potter: Reborn as Draco Black = CHAPTER 105

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