"The salute," Flitwick demanded.
I stepped forward, moving from my spot and approaching the center of the circle. Rookwood did the same. We met at wand-point distance, and in that brief approach, I managed to notice everything: his uneven breathing and the dark circles under his eyes, the way he was gripping his wand too tightly, his hand trembling visibly.
I had done everything to weaken my opponent enough that those who knew him personally would be convinced not that I was so strong, but that my opponent was simply weakened. To those who didn't know him, I needed to demonstrate just how monstrously powerful I was. In truth, there was another purpose to last night's actions with the two adversaries, but now I needed to focus on the duel.
"Wands at the ready!"
We simultaneously raised our wands to chest level. The tips pointed upward, and we paused for a second. This was a sign of respect and a sign of readiness. A formal check that both acknowledged the rules and were prepared to follow the Duelist's Code. Even though the Code did not negate the fact that in a second, the opponents would try to blast each other's heads off. The magical world is cruel, and nothing can be done about that.
I looked up at him, he looked down at me, and even this shamed my opponent. Three years' difference in age… a handicap of double the time, so losing was a reputational death sentence for him.
Flitwick paused, then solemnly raised his wand vertically upward. A bright, pure white light flared at its tip. Immediately, total silence reigned — even breathing froze in a hundred throats.
Taking the signal, we lowered our wands, turned, and walked back to our positions.
The professor's gaze swept over us. It lingered on me for a moment, and a hidden smile flickered at the corners of his lips. Apparently, he was trying to show he was rooting for me. Very touching. Ah, I really do love Flitwick. The best professor at Hogwarts!
As soon as we returned to our positions, another turn and the most important part — the bow.
I performed the movement smoothly and precisely. I inclined my torso approximately thirty degrees. This was the equal bow of a duelist acknowledging the other as a worthy opponent. True, I didn't like my opponent and therefore didn't respect him, but for appearances, I needed to show manners.
Rookwood's movements left much to be desired. His bow was jerky and disjointed. Too much tension for such an action. It was good that Kriger had drilled the entire ceremony into me so thoroughly that even if awakened in the middle of the night, I could perform it all with my eyes closed, lying in a pool of blood. Thank you, old perfectionist. I wonder how he's doing now?
Meanwhile, the professor began abruptly.
"In the name of law and magic, I ask you to observe honor, rule, and prudence." His normally squeaky voice rang out, amplified by magic, echoing off the walls and penetrating the farthest corners of the hall. "Ready!"
Rookwood had already assumed a combat stance — a classic dueling stance, with his wand pointed forward and slightly upward. A stance that allowed for a quick attack from the very beginning.
"Three…"
I decided to wait until the last moment to use the element of surprise. So at that moment, I wasn't really in a stance at all; I was very relaxed! Moreover, I had placed my left foot forward, as if my dominant hand were my left, all so that I could rest my wand, tip pointed down, on my left palm. Provocation? Possibly. But beneath this external relaxation, every nerve inside me was waiting for the signal.
And this position of the wand was a gesture that had existed for centuries: "I hold fate in my hand, but I choose honor."
"Two…"
Well, Torbin. Let's see what six years have taught you. Until the last moment, I stood like this, so that at the signal, the world would be turned upside down for both Torbin and the more than a hundred students watching.
The world shrank to the size of the platform, to the figure opposite, to the tip of his wand. Sounds became muffled and distant. My heart beat slightly faster than usual, and seconds for the world became minutes for me.
"One… Duel…"
My perception of time had already shifted. The professor hadn't even finished the countdown when, like a compressed spring, I began to move in a natural, fluid motion, opening up my stance.
"…Begun!"
He abruptly lowered his wand.
An incomplete movement resulted in an instant Flipendo Tria from his wand. Rookwood hadn't expected such an instantaneous attack, considering my stance half a second before the duel began. That's why he attacked immediately as well.
A couple of short, and therefore very fast, flicks, and three crimson clots of Flipendo Duo, one after another, flew towards me. For an ordinary third-year, this would have been fatal. Very fast, but I was faster, and the Verdimillius Tria that flew from my wand immediately after my first attack was proof of that.
Thousands of emerald-green sparks flashed in the air, intertwining into a dense, slowly rotating sphere. Humming, it flew towards my opponent, and Rookwood's three Flipendo spells entered it one after another, extinguishing almost without a trace, absorbed by this strange barrier. The sphere of sparks was very good at distracting attention from my figure following behind the projectile. And even though even such a slow spell was faster than me, it didn't matter.
Torbin, despite my first attack, held his ground thanks to a Protego Duo, and before my Verdimillius could reach him, he took action.
"Stupefy Tria!" he roared, sending a more powerful spell at my green sphere, which blasted it into a firework of sparks.
But while he was breaking through that cloud of green sparks, which scattered even more brightly, I managed to get closer, concealing myself in the sparks. Jumping up and using Ascendio to boost my jump height, I soared into the air, flying over the scattering green sparks, and from above, at the perfect moment, I rained fire down on him.
A specially modified Incendio, almost a wave, would have engulfed him, but Rookwood managed to raise a Protego at the last second.
"Fumos Duo!" I said, landing on the platform after the Banishing Charm.
Rookwood's shield flared, absorbing the wave of fire from the modified Incendio, but this was just another maneuver.
The smoke from Fumos had already nearly filled the nearby space. A thick, black cloud erupted from my wand tip, obscuring the entire circle and hiding us both from the curious spectators. In this darkness, where you couldn't even see your own hands, I knew what to do, while he didn't dare lower his Protego, enhanced to the Tria variation. In short, he was lucky.
Because I wasn't about to let him recover. A wave of my wand and a quiet incantation.
"Everte."
A dark crimson beam flew from my wand with a low, vibrating hum. A combat spell, compressed into a spear of magical energy, which I rarely used, had to be hidden by the smoke. The beam pierced the smoke along its trajectory and struck the spot where his shield had just flared and collapsed.
A loud crack from the impact scattered the smoke in all directions. Everyone in the hall could only see a crimson flash in the smoke, and then Rookwood's figure thrown to the edge of the platform. He crashed down but, clinging to his pride, began to get up.
I wouldn't have let him get up, but he, half-lying, shouted a spell.
"Avis!"
A flock of small, agile birds burst from his wand, and he used Oppugno to direct them at me. A hundred beaks and claws flew towards my face.
Torbin lunged from the edge inward to give himself room to maneuver.
I used Immobilius. A clot of blue energy flew into one of the birds and, with the explosion of a magical cloud, froze all the flying birds, holding them suspended in the air.
Rookwood finally engaged in the battle. No sooner had I dealt with the birds than a stream of fire erupted from his wand following this cunning attack, threatening to burn me. The fire was already licking the edge of my robe, but Rookwood was too primitive.
"Aqua Eructo!"
A powerful jet of water shot from my wand, colliding with his fire. The air filled with hissing and clouds of steam. Visibility dropped again. He tried to beat me, praise be for that, but I gave him a chance to show his skill. In a second of unequal combat, the water extinguished the fire and, with powerful pressure, swept my opponent back again. He managed to defend himself with magic and not be thrown from the platform, but as soon as he dispelled his latest Protego, the duel was essentially over.
My wand instantly spat out a blindingly white lightning bolt — Baubillious. The spell hit Torbin directly in the chest with such force that he staggered, the air expelled from his lungs, and he began to crumple.
The final touch was a sharp flick at the moment of his fall.
"Diffindo!"
A flash of the Cutting Curse vanished into the steam. I aimed directly at his wrist, and, to my surprise, I hit very well. A cry of pain — and his wand, tracing an arc, clattered across the stone.
"Flipendo."
And the impact of the spell to his knee toppled him, forcing him to fall onto it, bowing his head in a grotesque, parody-like bow before the victor. Blood continued to pour from the nearly severed wrist, forming a huge puddle on the stone.
"The duel is over!" Flitwick shouted, rushing from his spot, ready to disarm me at any moment.
Flitwick instantly dispersed the steam, and everyone saw Rookwood, kneeling on one knee, clutching his right hand to his chest. From the deep, terrible gash on his wrist, blood gushed, soaking his robe, the floor, and everything around. The cut was so deep it had almost severed the hand — only some tendons miraculously remained, still holding it in place.
Right in the middle of his chest was a scorched hole with charred edges — a direct hit from Baubillious at that range left considerable marks. Then he fell face-down onto the platform floor, into his own pool of blood.
And I had already raised my wand for a final blow, but alright. Soon, Flitwick was beside him. Madam Pomfrey hurried across the hall, pushing through the spectators.
I lowered my wand and exhaled. The silence in the hall was absolute. No one breathed, and more than a hundred pairs of eyes stared at me, standing in my perfectly clean robe, and at the pool of blood in which my opponent now lay. My perception of time returned to normal, the adrenaline subsided, and I had finished the duel. It had taken no more than ten seconds to crush my opponent.
Crone watched it all in shock. He did his best to avoid looking at me — apparently afraid of what he'd see inside. And rightly so.
Flitwick, standing over Rookwood's body, quickly stopped the blood gushing from his veins. Fortunately, Torbin's bleeding stopped almost instantly — all thanks to the professional reaction of a Master who had seen it all in his life. Madam Pomfrey, having arrived, pushed the half-goblin aside, taking her rightful place. Her wand glided over the wounds with surgical precision, while Rookwood, who had regained consciousness, whimpered, unable to suppress his humiliating sobs.
I stood on the platform, not moving. My wand was lowered, and my head was tilted slightly back. Oh yes, I was savoring the moment. Everything in my ears was muffled except the sound of my own heartbeat. My mind remained crystal clear.
Flitwick approached me. His face expressed a complex range of emotions — from professional admiration to sincere regret that such talent was being wasted on school squabbles.
"The winner of the duel — Mr. Arcturus Malfoy!" he announced, and his voice, amplified by magic, rolled through the hall.
A roar of voices exploded, even though everyone had stood in shock for a long time. Some applauded, some whispered indignantly, but most simply watched with a peculiar expression on their faces. Part fear, part admiration.
Flitwick raised his hand:
"Everyone disperse! The duel is over, please clear the room!"
Only then did we step down from the platform. The students reluctantly but obediently filed towards the exit. I noticed Crone, pale and with a twitching eye, being helped out by two other guys, one on each arm. Madam Pomfrey had already prepared everything for transporting Rookwood to the hospital wing.
Flitwick turned to me and said quietly, so the dispersing students wouldn't hear:
"Mr. Malfoy, congratulations. You know, I don't condemn you for duels; on the contrary, I love them, and you are an excellent duelist! I'm proud of you, but excessive cruelty towards a member of your own house is not so good. I understand the specifics of your house, but I think people shouldn't 'insult' you to the point of a duel anymore. I know you're smart enough to manage without this."
"Thank you, Professor!" I said, nodding.
I had expected nothing less. After all, from the very beginning, he wasn't reprimanding me for the duel itself, but for my exaggerating the situation to create a pretext for it. Professor Flitwick had seen through me from the start. He simply knew that this was typical Slytherin infighting.
My group had already gathered near the platform. Almost all the third-years, several from the fourth year, and even some older students. Also Merula and Esmeralda; Flitwick was literally trying to forcibly shoo the latter off the platform. Yes… she was shining like a polished Galleon!
"Not bad," Merula was the first to congratulate me, and I distinctly heard that sardonic note in her voice. "I, by the way, took care of two in a couple of seconds. And you took almost ten seconds to deal with one! Terrible."
This drew a slight smirk from me. And I allowed myself to play along:
"I wasn't fighting at full strength. And, unlike some, I didn't hit anyone in the back."
Merula snorted.
"That's a minus, not hitting him in the back," Avery chimed in lazily, yawning and scratching his head. "You could have acted like a proper Slytherin."
We laughed, and any remaining tension dissipated.
"Arcturus!" Esmeralda flew up to me, beaming with joy… honestly, like a quicksilver ball. Apparently, Flitwick had succeeded. Perhaps he had simply removed the blood. "That was magnificent! You just… you just…" She didn't finish, leaning in slightly and quickly pecking me on the cheek.
Hmm… pleasant. But that was it. The end of my peaceful life.
In that moment, as if in slow motion, I managed to see Amanda's face change. She had been standing slightly apart, waiting her turn to congratulate me. Her blue eyes narrowed, and her lips pressed into a thin line. To say she was displeased would be an understatement.
And we weren't even engaged yet… just awful. Maybe forget about her? Or maybe not…
Amanda snorted and demonstratively turned away. The whole way to the exit, she was silent, while the others chatted merrily and vied to offer congratulations. Esmeralda, it seemed, didn't even notice the effect of her action — or pretended not to. And I, to be honest, enjoyed it. Say what you will, but the crazy maniac was beautiful.
"Arcturus," Caden Fletcher appeared silently on my left, lowering his voice to a whisper. "He agreed to talk. But he wants to meet in a more public place. He said he'd wait for you in the library… before dinner."
I nodded, not stopping.
We stepped out into the corridor, and it was time to go our separate ways.
"I'll leave you here, friends. I have other business."
My gaze swept over the faces of those gathered.
"Amanda," I called out, as she was about to leave with the others. "Stay. We need to talk."
Everyone nodded understandingly and melted into the semi-darkness of the corridor. Merula gave me a brief look that said "you'll tell me later" and dragged the resistant Esmeralda off towards the dungeons.
I approached Amanda, who was intently studying the wall and anything but me. Sigh… the situation. She was standing with her back to me, tense as a drawn bowstring. What to do?
"Amanda…"
"Congratulations on your victory," she cut me off, not turning around. Her voice rang with icicles. "And on the kiss. Very sweet."
How infuriating! I wasn't even dating her…
I wasn't sure if she was playing games with me right now or if this was genuine jealousy. Alright, hormones, calm down, mustn't succumb to feminine wiles. Damn hormones!
But one thing I knew for certain: leaving this situation unchecked was impossible. Esmeralda's impromptu act had created a problem that needed solving here and now. Because future events, with even a slight misunderstanding, could lead to disaster within the Council.
I stepped forward, closing the distance between us.
"Amanda, look at me."
She slowly turned. Phew… good, no tears, but so much feigned indifference! Ah, the film industry lost a true actress.
"I'm looking. So what?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Why don't you stop being angry with me… over trifles?"
"And am I angry?"
"Am I so stupid that I can't tell your behavior? Stop doing that, it annoys me."
"Note, I didn't say that." Then, after thinking a bit, she added: "Fine."
And again, her voice wasn't right… Aaaah! How annoying.
I took another step. Now less than a meter separated us.
"It's not fine. You need to tell me why Esmeralda's action made you so angry."
"Mr. Malfoy, don't pretend you don't know the reason."
"Miss Rosier, believe me, I understand perfectly well. It's just better if you convince me otherwise. Because, imagine, for a moment it seemed to me that you, a free young lady, were jealous of me with another girl."
With these words, I wanted to show Amanda that jealousy was certainly her prerogative, but we weren't engaged and weren't even dating. That's why it wasn't wise to annoy me, because who said we would be engaged? In other words, she was supposed to understand my hint about Celine. That I was the one doing the choosing and such, but… her logic worked differently.
"As a simple 'free young lady,' I suppose I won't bother you any further, Mr. Malfoy. I hope that suits you. But…"
She turned to leave, but at that moment I approached her almost point-blank and gently touched her wrist, stopping her. I felt her arm tense and felt her breath.
"Amanda, stop…" I said quietly, "look at me."
She slowly turned her head. The cold was gone from her eyes — only confusion, anger, and something else I wasn't yet ready to name.
"I didn't get to finish. But…"
She suddenly leaned forward, and the next moment I felt her lips — quickly and timidly — touch mine. It lasted no longer than a second, but the world around seemed to disappear. Amanda pulled back instantly, her cheeks flushed bright crimson, an awkward smile on her lips — and without a word, she turned and almost ran down the corridor.
I stood there, stunned by the surprise. I touched my lips with my fingertips. What was that just now? Had I just repeated that awkward first kiss in this world? The kind where you clumsily peck each other on the lips… well, there it was…
Meanwhile, one central thought was spinning in my head: "She kissed me. Not me her!" And somewhere in the recesses of my consciousness, drowning out all rational arguments about politics, the Council, and future problems, a stupid and completely inappropriate thought pulsed: "I liked it." Damn adolescence! I hate hormones…