metanoia

Chapter Seventy-one

Like every other Friday evening, Professor Flitwick held his dueling club in the Great Hall after dinner. The room was filled with students of all ages from every House, watching the Charms Professor magically rearrange the room to where the four long, wooden tables were pushed to the sides so the space in the middle could be used for dueling. James laughed at Sirius' bad pun, caught off guard when his girlfriend appeared at his side. "Since when are you into dueling club?"

Lily shrugged, returning the kiss her boyfriend pressed on her temple as she looked around the Great Hall at the dozens of excited, chatting students, "Since we were recruited to fight in this War. I'm inept enough in Charms and Potions, but I can't have you lot fighting for me. I need to be able to protect myself."

"Okay, pro tip then," Sirius mused, directing her attention across the room towards Gilderoy Lockhart and Xenophilius Lovegood. "Lockhart's only spell is the Memory Charm and he will try to use it. However, his aim is rubbish, so you should be alright."

Professor Flitwick clapped his hands loudly, catching the attention of every student in the Great Hall. The Charms Professor scanned the room, his eyes finding two of the best duelists at Hogwarts, "Our first pairing for the evening will be: Ms. Worth and Mr. Snape."

Alex pulled her hair into a low ponytail, removing the cardigan she'd been wearing and handing it to Remus as she unsheathed her wand from her pocket. Remus happily caught his cardigan, nudging the Head Girl with his elbow, "Watch her, she's brilliant and if there is anything you can learn today it will be her defensive techniques."

"Don't say that too loud, you'll only inflate her ego," Letti teased as Alex proudly basked in his compliment. "But really, she's probably the best duelist here. If Snape lands something on her, I'd be surprised."

The Slytherin stood at the opposite end of the Hall, watching as the blonde took her stance across from him. They bowed deeply at one another, never breaking eye contact as Professor Flitwick urged them to begin the duel. Flashes of green and red light dance between them with every spell, hex, jinx, curse and counter-curse they verbally and silently send at each other. Alex harshly jabbed her wand at Severus, managing to propel him backward a few feet.

She couldn't help but laugh with those who stood audience to their duel, allowing him to get off the ground so they could continue because she wasn't the type to hit a man when he was down, "You're off your game, Snape. It's like you've lost a step."

"See usually, I have a.. let's call it a sense, for my opponent," he coughs, pushing himself off the ground and readying himself to continue. They shared a nod and began sending enchantments at each other, each one faster than the other. He narrowed his eyes at the blonde, trying to land something on her, "Almost as though, I know their next move before they make it. But right now, let's just say I'm having a hard time reading you."

Alex couldn't help but laugh, knowing that if there were anyone in the world who he couldn't anticipate and read it would be her. She blocked his leg locker curse with a flourish, "Well, I'm not like your normal opponents. I actually know what I'm doing."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes," she snorted, silently sending a jinx at him which earned herself cheers from her friends and words of encouragement from her cousin. "I'm not a sniveling twit. I can duel, Snivellus."

Snape viciously slashed his hand through the air, his blood boiling at the name she spat at him with such gusto, "Sectumsempra."

Lily watched Severus cast one of the most dangerous spells she'd ever seen in her life. Normally Alex was fast, but this time she wasn't fast enough to not get hit in her shoulder by the spell and she fell hard and fast to the ground, bleeding profusely through her shirt and onto the ground around her as though she'd been cut by an invisible sword, "What in the Bloody Hell was that?"