Chapter 61
Chapter : Family Duels and New Beginnings
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Alex's POV
After hours spent in the lab, buried under the weight of ancient tomes and alchemical theory, I decided it was time to stretch my legs and clear my mind. I had been making progress, but even my brain needed a break from the dense magical research. Sirius had suggested a bit of dueling practice, and honestly, I welcomed the challenge. Nothing helped refocus like a good duel.
"Come on, Alex," Sirius called from the yard. "You can’t spend all day cooped up in that lab. Let’s see if you’ve still got that sharp wand work."
As I stepped outside, I found Sirius, Nymphadora Tonks—or "Dora," as I had started calling her much to her initial protests—and Harry waiting for me, each wearing mischievous grins.
Tonks shot me a playful glare. "If you call me Nymphadora one more time, I swear I’ll hex your hair purple."
"Wouldn't dare," I replied, giving her a teasing smirk. "But Dora suits you better."
She raised her wand, but Sirius chuckled and pulled her back, shaking his head. "Now, now, save it for the duel. We've got a morning of practice ahead of us."
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The Duel Begins
Sirius paired us up—me against him, and Harry against Tonks—with the challenge of seeing who could push the other harder. It wasn’t my first duel with Sirius, but each time felt like I was fighting a whirlwind. His unpredictability and raw power, honed through years of fighting in the Order, made him a formidable opponent.
But I had my own tricks.
We started slow, exchanging basic defensive spells—Protego, Stupefy, and Expelliarmus—all met with equal force. Then, I upped the ante. I began weaving illusions into my attacks, something I had been practicing for a while. It made the duels more interesting when your opponent wasn’t sure what was real and what was just a figment of your imagination.
Sirius wasn’t fooled for long, though. His instincts were sharp, and his combat experience quickly saw through most of my illusions. He launched a barrage of offensive spells in quick succession, forcing me to dodge and defend. For a moment, I was on the back foot.
"Not bad, Alex," Sirius taunted as a jet of red light narrowly missed my shoulder. "But you’ll have to do better than illusions if you want to take me down."
I grinned, focusing on creating a more complex illusion—a mirror image of myself that darted in the opposite direction, drawing his attention for a split second. That was all I needed to send a non-verbal Petrificus Totalus toward him, catching him off guard.
Sirius dodged—barely—but his grin widened. "Cheeky."
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Harry and Tonks’ Duel
From the corner of my eye, I watched Harry and Tonks dueling. Tonks had an advantage in experience, but Harry was holding his own with surprising skill. His focus was intense, and though Tonks tried to trip him up with sudden morphs—changing her appearance mid-duel to distract him—Harry kept his eyes on her wand, where the real danger lay.
"You’ve got good instincts, Harry!" Tonks called out, morphing her hair into a shock of electric blue. She sent a well-aimed Stupefy his way, which he deflected with a solid Protego.
"You’re not bad yourself," Harry shot back, sending a Disarming Charm in response.
The duel continued, friendly but challenging, until Tonks finally managed to land a Levitation Jinx on Harry, sending him floating several feet off the ground before gently lowering him back down.
"Alright, alright, you win," Harry laughed, shaking his head as his feet touched the ground again. "That was unexpected."
Tonks grinned, offering him a hand. "You’re getting better, though. With a bit more practice, you’ll be giving me a run for my money."
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Sirius and Alex’s Final Round
Meanwhile, my duel with Sirius was reaching its climax. We were both pushing each other to the limit, each spell faster and more precise than the last. My illusions were no longer fooling him, so I switched tactics, focusing on speed and quick-fire offensive spells.
Sirius, of course, matched me spell for spell, grinning like a madman as we exchanged curses and hexes.
Finally, with a well-timed Incarcerous, I managed to bind Sirius with ropes, earning myself a momentary victory.
"Not bad, kid," Sirius said with a laugh, easily breaking free of the ropes with a flick of his wand. "But don’t get cocky. We’ve still got a lot to work on."
I grinned, wiping sweat from my forehead. "I’ll take that as a win."
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After the Duel
After a morning of dueling, we all collapsed on the grass, breathing heavily but feeling accomplished.
"I’d say we’re getting better," I said, glancing over at Harry, who looked pleased with himself despite his loss to Tonks. "Sirius, you’ve still got it."
"Of course I do," Sirius replied, turning into his Padfoot form and bounding around playfully before shifting back. "And don’t forget it."
Tonks rolled her eyes at his antics but smiled. "You’re all a bunch of show-offs."
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Harry’s POV
For the first time in a long time, I felt... happy. Really happy. The friendly banter, the teasing, the duels—it all felt so natural, like how a real family should be. I’d never had that before, growing up with the Dursleys. But now, here with Sirius, Alex, and even Tonks, it was like I finally had what I’d always wanted—a family.
"That was fun," I said, smiling as I watched Sirius shift back into his human form after pranking Tonks with a quick nip to her shoe in his dog form.
"Yeah, fun for you. I’ve still got dog drool on my shoe," Tonks muttered, though she couldn’t hide her grin.
Sirius clapped me on the back. "You did great, Harry. You’re getting better every day."
I felt a swell of pride at his words. "Thanks. It’s been good, you know, finally having people to learn from."
Sirius looked at me seriously for a moment, his usual playful expression softening. "We’re family, Harry. And no matter what happens, we’re in this together. You’re not alone anymore."
I nodded, feeling a warmth spread through my chest. For the first time in my life, I truly believed that.
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Sirius’s POV
As the morning wore on and the dueling practice wrapped up, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride. Both Alex and Harry were growing into strong, capable wizards, and watching them made me realize just how important family was—both by blood and by choice.
But it wasn’t all fun and games. There were dark times ahead—Voldemort was still out there, and Halloween had proven that. But for now, we were here, together. And that was enough to give me hope.
I glanced over at Marlene, who had been watching us from the sidelines, smiling softly as she caught my eye. She knew as well as I did that the future was uncertain, but we were ready to face whatever came next—together.
And in the meantime, I had Marauders Inc. to think about. With the shop opening soon, things were busier than ever, but I wouldn’t trade this life for anything.
Not anymore.
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End of Chapter