A few days before the Christmas holidays, a notice appeared in the Hufflepuff dorms.
"A duelling club! At Hogwarts!" Ernie was practically bouncing on his toes. Charlie pat his shoulder, with a grin.
"Lockhart's heading it. Do you really think it'll be very useful?" Ernie deflated.
"Hey, leave professor Lockhart alone. He's a wonderful teacher." Alex rolled her eyes.
"Come off it, Megan. Not even you can believe that. Bet you anything duelling club will be another excuse to talk about himself. No thanks."
"You're not going?" Hannah asked.
"Even if by some miracle Lockhart teaches us anything, standing in front of another student while they try to cast spells at me doesn't seem productive."
"That confident with your protection spells?" Cedric joined the conversation, taking a seat next to Alex.
"Managed to hold you off, didn't I?" She referenced the time Hooch made her defend herself against him in the sky.
"I suppose you did." He admitted.
"Don't you have any friends in your year?" She asked.
"You're bordering on mean, Alex." Megan cautioned.
"You're ruining my fun." She teased, flicking her hair over her shoulder. She turned back to Cedric. "Will you be attending the duelling club?"
"Possibly." He shrugged. "I haven't yet made up my mind."
"It's tonight."
"Tomorrow for me. Are you going?"
"Probably not. I'll have to hide from Hermione though."
"I'm sure you could stand at the back and observe." Charlie said. "If you don't want to participate."
"How many chances do you get to show off your skills? I mean, you don't have a partner to practice against in your solo DADA class." Ernie asked.
"Maybe I just want to accumulate my skills in secret." She smirked. "Only to one day turn it on all of you and force you to do my bidding."
"Oh, I'm shaking in my boots." Megan scoffed.
"You should be." Alex grinned in reply before glancing at the clock. "I have to go. DADA." She said.
"See you at dinner." Charlie called.
"Maybe." She stood. "I might just get a plate from the kitchens." She said, and left.
"I don't know how you expected me to fit an entire debate on protection wards versus protection charms on a single foot of parchment." Alex grumbled, as she handed in her essay.
"And yet you managed." He smirked.
"It took ten drafts of adjustments." She said. "I had to cut back without leaving out anything important."
"I've never seen smaller writing." He squinted.
"Oops." She didn't sound very apologetic. "This will be my last defence class, won't it?"
"Yes. Are you packed?" She nodded.
"Yeah, all ready. What are we doing today?"
"We'll be going over the basic defense spells in Japanese." She nodded, looking interested and he sighed. "You've already done that haven't you?"
"Sometimes Kichiro's asleep so I just practice my spells. I didn't want to be too behind." She said.
"Then I suppose I'll be testing you." He gestured to her wand. She picked it up. "Do you know the incantation for a shield charm?"
"Kabe." Alex said. "It means wall."
"Okay, now try it." Alex lifted her wand up, and traced a small rectangular movement in the air. "Kabe." She said. A blue light emitted as a holographic brick wall conjured before her. Snape looked impressed. He walked closer and reached out to touch it, pulling his fingers back as it zapped him. "Are you okay?" She asked, lowering her wand. The wall stayed up.
"Yes, I'm okay. This isn't a variation I've seen before." He said. "I wonder..." he mused, before reaching over to his desk and grabbing a quill. He used it to prod the shield, only for the quill to disintegrate as it passed the shield rather than be forced back.
"Woah." She said, eyes wide. "I didn't know it could do that. Venus can get through it without any harm."
"Unicorn magic protects her." Snape explained.
"Finite incantatem." Alex said and let the wall fall. "What next?"
By the end of the lesson, Alex had managed to perform charms and jinxes, along with her defensive spells in Japanese.
"Do you think you can manage a patronus?" Snape asked. She frowned.
"I don't think I've seen the Japanese incantation for that." She replied. He took out another book. It looked old and delicate. She grabbed it softly, but eagerly and looked at the title. She frowned a little as she tried to read it. "Um, defensive spell for... experts?"
"It's the only book that has the Japanese adaptation of the patronus charm. Just a little challenge." He said. Her eyes brightened. "And there are a few other difficult spells in there. In case you want to try your hand."
"I can do it!" He smiled.
"I think that's all the time we have for today. Remember, you're to go visit madam Pomfrey tomorrow for a check up."
"I am? Why? I'm fine?"
"Just to make sure. The headmaster didn't inform you?" She shook her head. "Have you even been to see madam Pomfrey since you fainted or about your sleepwalking?" Alex didn't respond. "Alex?"
"Headmaster Dumbledore said I could go see madam Pomfrey if I was concerned about my sleep."
"And you aren't?"
"I was. But sleeping in the bed next to the boy I petrified didn't sound fun."
"You have no definitive proof that it was you." She just shrugged. "This evening, after duelling club, you're to visit madam Pomfrey."
"You said I could go tomorrow. And I'm not going to duelling club."
"I said you could go tomorrow when I thought you'd already gone to make sure you're okay. Merlin's wand, Alex, you collapsed in the lab."
"Yeah, but I'm okay now."
"I'd rather have the opinion of a medical professional to back up that claim." She crossed her arms. "Just humour me."
"Fine." She said, glaring.
"So why aren't you going to duelling club?"
"Well, it's hardly a duel if my opponent can't actually use magic against me."
"Just because you can't be directly affected by spells, does not mean magic can't be used against you." Snape told her.
"Yeah, like you summoning my wand that day I wanted to hex Draco instead of disarming me." She pointed out and he nodded.
"Exactly. Are you sure you don't want to go to duelling club? You can stand and watch from the back." There was a hint of amusement in his eyes.
"Watch what?" She asked suspiciously.
"Well, surely Professor Lockhart can't duel against himself."
"You're going to be there." She grinned and he nodded. "Fine, but I'm not participating. I just want to see him humiliated."
