Hogwarts VII, A Duelling Championship
June 2nd, 1975
There was something strange in the air that morning. The very moment Agnes had opened her eyes in the Ravenclaw dorms, she had felt different. Was it her being nervous about the incoming duelling championship? Or was there really something unusual? She realized a scent of fresh summer mornings was traveling through the walls and the corridors.
It would be lying if she said she wasn't a tiny little bit anxious about today. She really wanted to win her matches. Maybe by doing that and winning more house points for Ravenclaw, she could prove her worth and be entirely accepted among other students.
For some, she was still the Beauxbatons transfer french girl, even after a year spent together. She did not mind it, really. But it would be nice to be a fully acknowledged Hogwarts student.
The sun shined bright outside and the grass looked greener than ever. They had endured a lot of rainy days in spring, and it was a relief to witness the change of season into warmer days. The last challenge to finish the year beautifully was to win that championship.
The Great Hall had been decorated for the occasion, and one large and long table was placed in the middle of the room, serving as a platform for the incoming competition. Benches and standing spaces had been organized for the public.
Agnes was wearing the official duelling uniform, a tight jumper with the Ravenclaw blason on the side of the chest and tight navy blue trousers. Her long brown hair had been tied into a high ponytail with a blue ribbon.
As she was walking through the corridors for the pre-game team meeting, people were wishing her good luck and gave her high fives and some of her housemates shouted "GO RAVENCLAW" which made her laugh.
She really didn't mind the attention, on the opposite. It felt good to have people reaching for her and showing her their support. The excitement and adrenaline was slowly increasing and she felt her heart beat so strongly in her chest she feared people might notice it.
The two other members of her house team were already in the Great Hall, chatting about the impressive re-structuration of the place where they were used to eat their meals. It looked much more official and big now that they got rid of the long tables.
The duel professor seemed all over the place, trying to give instructions to both the participating students and Filch the caretaker, trying to reassure him the hall would not be damaged this time (referring to the previous year where a student had accidentally tore a portrait apart during a duel).
The championship would begin in an hour or so, and each teams were elaborating some last-minutes strategy and encouraging each other to do their best. The schedule of duels was then announced, and some students started to swear, unhappy with their first opponents. Some were high-fiving each other, satisfied and confident in their potential victory.
Agnes looked at the black board when all the participants names were writtent down.
First duel : Agnes Lenoir ; Thomas Brown.
Alright. Her opponent was a gryffindor who had started attending the club at the same time as Agnes. He was not the best skilled member of the club, but not the worst either. She had already battled once against him and knew his weakness. It would not be too hard to start with him.
Slowly, students from all houses and professors started to enter the Great Hall, amazed by the changes operated in the big room. Soon, the whole place was filled with people eager to watch the championship and the public was chatting together, waiting for the headmaster to arrive and announce the beginning of the games.
Albus Dumbledore entered the hall a few minutes later, shutting everyone at once. A solemn silence in the room was followed by the old wizard's speech, and the next moment, the first students were climbing up the platform to start their first duel.
The audience yelled and applauded enthusiastically to support their housemates who were competing. On the end of the table, the duel professor was the referee and announced the kick-off.
About 15 minutes in, Agnes had won her first duel, and felt more and more confident. She had barely used her most basic tactics and her opponents had folded in one or two spells. She knew that the more duels she won, the more challenging the encounter would be. Also, she was not bothered by the public and was able to stay focused, unlike some of her classmates who made mistakes due to their stage fright.
She had now qualified for the quarter finals and was waiting on the side for her turn. On the large table, a hufflepuff and a Gryffindor were duelling passionately, and Agnes could hear their houses yell some encouragements with the same enthusiasm.
On the front line, the young witch noticed James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter watching eargerly the on-going match. Lupin turned his head, as if he had felt her eyes on him and smiled at her and pronounced a silent "good luck" in her direction.
She smiled back and felt even more excited than she already was. Hassan Shafiq was on the other side of the platform, looking carefully at the duel, although he kept nodding negatively to the two students on stage. It was true they weren't that skilled, but they really were doing their best. After all, duelling was also about the performance.
Soon enough, Agnes was about to win her second to last duel. Indeed, if she got that one, she would be in final at last and maybe earn the chance to win the championship. In a skilled Experlliarmus, she disarmed her opponent, a ferocious Slytherin who used his aggressive techniques to win over his previous adversary.
Agnes had gracfully avoided his bombarda, and responded with a reducto spell, allowing herself to attack with the same intensity he used. The slytherin caught it right in the stomach, and was thrown outside of the table, knocking him out at once.
She went back to her inital posture and waited for the referee to call the duel over. As soon as she heard the whistle loud sound, she allowed a smile and bowed to her opponent who was still laying down on the other end of the room, and left the platform. In the hall, people were shouting in all directions, some supporting the slytherin, other happy for the Ravenclaw team.
Agnes walked down the few steps to her team who hit her shoulders in a friendly way, to congratulate her. One more left, one more left! They said.
The young witch was now glad she could compete with opponents of her level. She would not hold back. She was here to prove something.
- For the final duel of the yearly duelling championship, our last contestants are Agnes Lenoir andSeverus Snape ! Please, come up to the stage and get in position! Announced Dunbledore with a sonorus charm.
Oh. Yes, that made sense. Snape had been the only one to ever win a duel against her (besides her first duels of the year), and was a skilled student. She had not even realized he had won each of his duels of the day.
But she was not scared of him. She knew him well, after having observed him during the whole year, and was aware of all of his favorite spells and other tactics. It was not the time to back out. She was about to reach her goal.
On the side, she glanced one last time at the audience, and her eyes locked onto the Gryffindor group. James Potter was holding his fist in the air, proudly showing his support to Agnes. Sirius was focused on Snape, making weird hands movement towards him, as if he was trying to bewitch him into losing.
Lupin and Peter, on the other hand, were clapping to welcome the finalists and smiling towards Agnes. If she even had the Gryffindors on her side, she felt like she could win anything.
Hassan was shouting her name, proud to have a ravenclaw in the final.
She was ready.
Snape looked as stiff as usual, but she could see his determination in his eyes, glaring at her like she was his worst enemy. She admitted to herself he was slightly intimidating. The referee announced the beginning of the duel, and they both locked their eyes onto each other.There was noplace for making any mistakes or doubting their capacity.
Agnes couldn't hear the public anymore, and it was as if everyone around her had disappeared, leaving her alone with Severus Snape, their wand being the only witness of their encounter. Snape waited for her to start attacking. He was also a sneaky opponent as he always enjoyed seeing his rival get all tired before he would use one strong spell to achieve his goal.
She used Stupefy, which he dodged perfectly, and she continued with Bombarda, but it did not touch him one bit. His long and thin body allowed him to avoid easily every spell, but Agnes' skills and mastered techniques would certainly be useful.
Snape attacked at last with Expelliarmus with a noted violence, and some students in the public gasped from the intense exchange of spells. Agnes twirled elegantly to dodge it and did not wait to try a Stupefy alongside a Reducto which Snape caught in the arm, almost psuhing him onto the floor.
But he quickly ran back up and attacked again and again, and that's when Agnes knew he was losing his patience. Strands of hair were now striking his face messily, and he blew on it through his mouth, making it fall back on his forehead.
Agnes could not see it, but the four marauders in the audience, as well as her step brothers, were now silently watching the duel, in awe before her professional level. Agnes was back to her initial posture, waiting for Snape to catch his breath. But as soon as he looked back at her, she attacked again with a Petrificus Totalus, which Snape was too slow to dodge. The enxt second, the Slytherin boy was falling on the ground, petrified. Ravenclaw had won.
Agnes kept her eyes on Snape. Slowly, her ears caught the skyrocketting decibels in the Great Hall, students shouting in congratulations, Ravenclaw in particular, happier than ever. The referee climbed up the platform, and shook Agnes' hand, before he left it high in the air, announcing her victory.
She turned her head towards her team who were so happy they looked as if about to faint, and then back to the audience she was now facing. Below her, Remus, Peter, James and Sirius didn't seem to believe what they had just witnessed and were clapping mechanically, looking up at her just as though she was a magical creature. She smiled at them and they started clapping more intensively.
Joshua and Jimmy Dunbar were standing a few rows behind, and were waving at here excitedly. They had even prepared a banner with her name on it, making her laugh sincerely. They really were the cutest brothers she could have hoped for.
Looking around, she realized. She had won. For sure, won the championship, but mostly won her place at Hogwarts, and won precious friends along the way. And she felt like, somehow, it was only the beginning.