Chapter 2
Garreth felt most comfortable in an empty potions classroom, crouching over notebooks filled with recipes and ideas. He felt so comfortable, in fact, that he currently was only half-dressed. His robe was tossed lazily on the stone floor, several buttons were undone on his shirt, and his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Right now, this served as a necessary preventative measure from overheating, as his athleticism was being put to the test.
Professor Sharp had not given him a sufficient enough answer when Garreth had asked if stirring clockwise instead of counter-clockwise when brewing a Hair-Raising Potion had an effect on the outcome. “The correct way is counter-clockwise, so that is the direction you will stir it, Mr. Weasley.” Sharp had answered. Obviously, this provided Garreth with no true insight. Would the potion be any less potent? Would stirring in one direction brew the potion quicker than the other? Garreth had no choice but to take his knowledge into his own hands, which was as common as it was frustrating. That git of a professor should be thanking Garreth for actually taking an interest in the art of potion-making, rather than sleeping through his lessons like Everett Clopton.
Currently, Garreth was about halfway through the brewing process. This experiment was meant to teach him new things, and already he had learned one valuable piece of information: brewing two potions simultaneously was very difficult. As he tried to time everything perfectly even though the two cauldrons were not directly beside each other, he worked up a sweat running back and forth between potions. His absolute mane of hair didn’t help matters, sticking to his forehead in quite an uncomfortable manner. He found himself quite frequently wiping his forehead with the back of his arm, though the action did not help matters much. In the end, Garreth was physically, mentally, and quite honestly emotionally, exhausted.
The two completed potions side-by-side seemed identical. There was not one difference to be found; not in the green color, not in the shimmer, and not in the scent. They took the exact same amount of time to brew. But, he had yet to test the most important quality - how well it actually works.
Unfortunately, that was not a test he could run here. No, this would require... “volunteers”. The two best subjects for his experiment would probably be Maeve and Saoirse - they both had longer hair, and he had easy access to them. Plus, since they were usually together, so he could easily both potions at once to see the results side-by-side. This plan, however, this would require a great deal of stealth on his end, and he came to the realization that he may not have his answer for a bit. Sighing, he got to work cleaning up his mess and lazily collecting his belongings.
He caught a whiff of himself as he exited the classroom. Merlin, he really had worked up a sweat in there. He looked at the time, and if he was calculating correctly, he would have just enough time to head back to the dormitories and shower before his friends would be interested in heading to Hogsmeade. With the first week of classes coming to a close, they all were itching to debrief their experiences thus far over mugs of butterbeer. Come to think of it, that may be the perfect opportunity to test out his Hair-Raising Potion. He made a mental note for later.
“Garreth!”
He smiled before he even turned in the voice’s direction. Looking down the corridor, he saw Maeve heading his direction. She looked like she was bursting at the seams, with her eyes bright and her smile wide, but her movement was awkward and forced like she was trying very hard to contain her excitement.
"If it isn’t my fellow chatterbox. How did the chat with Aunt Matilda go?” He greeted as she approached. He really tried to ignore the fact that she likely could smell him as well, but maintained a safe distance between them, just in case. Though, he realized his state of undress potentially could look cool. He put his hands in his pockets, but not before running a hand through his messy, sweaty curls to really add to the look.
Her eyes darted around in all directions after he asked, like she was scanning their surroundings for other students. He was just about to ask her if she was feeling alright, when suddenly she was throwing her arms around his neck and squeezing him in a tight hug. Well, so much for keeping a safe distance. He caught himself from falling backwards, hesitating before wrapping his arms around her in return. He struggled to find the right amount to hug her. If he was too gentle, would she think he felt awkward about hugging her? Sure, maybe he did feel awkward about hugging her, but not because he didn’t want to. Still, he didn’t want her to get that impression. They were friends after all, and it’s totally normal to hug your friends. But, if he hugged her too tightly, would that prompt a completely different thought? Luckily, he barely had time to make a decision, as Maeve released herself after just a few moments.
“It’s happening!” She exclaimed, her smile remaining in a wide open smile as she awaited his response.
Instantly, he knew what she was talking about. There was only one thing on the mind of the great Maeve Delaney lately, and that was the Regional Dueling Tournament. She had been talking about it, well, since they met truly, but it really picked up since the previous year’s tournament upon her realization that her turn was next. It turned to near constant since their arrival this year, and he could tell the lack of details thus far was making her an anxious wreck. He felt a huge weight lifted off his shoulders at this news - he couldn’t imagine how she must have felt.
“I told you!” He cheerfully replied, embracing her in a second hug. This time, he approached it with more confidence, lifting her in a tight hug and spinning her around before placing her back down. “So, what, are they not asking for volunteers this year? I thought she only called you and Sallow.”
“I suppose they’re asking a male and female from each house to duel for the positions.” She explained. “Sebastian and I were just the only ones in this specific class that they’re asking, I suppose, but your aunt is asking throughout her classes today. Even I don’t know who they are, but we will tomorrow.”
He dramatically clutched his chest, his face displaying pure offense. “So, this is how I find out that they aren’t asking me!”
This made Maeve chuckle. “Please, you wouldn’t hurt a lacewing fly.”
He found himself feeling oddly defensive at this comment. He wasn’t some weak ninny who couldn’t defend himself - he just didn’t duel often, was all. He wanted to remind her that in fact, he has won several duels against their classmates over the years in their Defense Against the Dark Arts classes. Not to mention, look at the workout he just had back there in the potions classroom! He wasn’t sure where to start in defense of himself, or if he should even push back at all. He hadn’t felt nervous about this before, but he couldn’t help but wonder, did Maeve see him as some wimp?
Before he decided his approach, she added, “Oh, that reminds me, don’t tell other people yet. I’m not supposed to tell anybody until they announce it tomorrow.”
This piqued his interested. “Who else knows about it?”
"You’re the only one I’ve told. I’m on my way to tell Rowan now, but otherwise it’s a secret until tomorrow!”
His defensive mood from just a moment ago completely evaporated. She wasn’t allowed to tell others, but she couldn’t help but tell him. Sure, maybe it was just a case of being in the right place at the right time, and had she not ran into him just now she may have kept it a secret from him as well, but that didn’t matter. His heart swelled in his chest out of pride, and he was sure that the stupid grin on his face reflected that. Gryffindors feel pride very intensely, after all.
“Well, do I have the pleasure of escorting our next Regional Dueling Champion toward Ravenclaw Tower while you tell me more?” He smoothly said, extending out his arm for her to grab onto.
“Why, certainly. But put that arm down, I can walk myself.” She said in faux-annoyance, pushing his arm back down to his side.
All the way until Maeve and Garreth went their separate directions toward the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor common rooms, respectively, he couldn’t help but wear the fact that he was the first one she told like a badge of honor. He wasn’t sure what it was about the gesture that stuck with him so much, but he couldn’t get it out of his mind. Even as him, Maeve, Natty, and Saoirse hung out over butterbeers in The Three Broomsticks later that evening, he couldn’t help but smile whenever the topic was brought up.
Despite Maeve’s claims that she would keep the secret from Natty and Saoirse, she ended up telling them almost immediately. The four of them spent the entire evening discussing the various possibilities for other students who were asked to compete, and Maeve’s progress in the actual tournament after her inevitable win in the Hogwarts duels.
Garreth was so fascinated as he watched Maeve talk about dueling. It was almost as if someone cast Lumos within her, because suddenly her eyes and smile would shine twice as bright. She could talk about the topic for hours without taking a single breath, and lose no energy along the way. Those who knew her were careful most days to not mention even the smallest of things that could ignite that switch in her - an article in The Daily Prophet that included the name of a known dueler, the Clock Tower Courtyard, Sebastian Sallow in general - or else they were in for a long conversation diving deep into the subject. But now, there was an unspoken agreement between Natty, Saoirse, and Garreth that the night was about celebrating Maeve and thus allowing her to discuss dueling to her heart's content without interruption. Tonight, she mostly shared stories of her father’s past experience in the Regional Dueling Tournament, as well as her own as an audience member and daughter of a duelist.
Through getting to know her and hearing her stories over the years, Garreth felt he had a pretty decent grasp on Maeve’s dueling history. Her father was Elias Delaney, who dueled professionally for several years. Maeve was only two or three when her father retired and he shifted his attention toward training her in the sport. By no means did it involve her using magic at that age, of course, but he did apparently spent a lot of time teaching her things like the proper stances and the best way hold a wand. As she got older, he incorporated more and more skills, training her reaction time and also casting (harmless) spells her way to have her dodge. It made sense that she had always been significantly more skilled than her peers, given that her dueling training was so extensive before she was even allowed to start honing her magic.
Upon arriving to Hogwarts, she quickly made a name for herself as a student to look out for. Even now, Garreth was dumbfounded when he thought about it, amazed that she sought out that much attention so early on. He supposed it made sense for a Gryffindor to seek out competition and unapologetically display their talents, though he couldn’t say he would’ve had the guts to do the same when he was eleven. Crossed Wands didn’t formally exist until Lucan Brattleby started at the school four years ago, but even back in Garreth's first year, students were still using the Clock Tower Courtyard for secret duels between students. With Maeve being so interested in the sport, it didn’t take long for her to find this out. She was the only first year who dared to ask to participate. They almost didn’t let her, but an older student recognized her last name as being significant in the dueling community and wanted to see what she could bring to the table.
Maeve lost her first duel, of course. They paired her up with a second year who had only a few duels under his belt, and while he was obviously more skilled than the brand new witch, he was the closest thing they had to a fair match at the time. Still, she showed incredible promise with how effortlessly she dodged several of his spells, and even got in a few hits with a basic cast. All she really needed was the time to get more comfortable using magic before she was a force to be reckoned with, given she seemed familiar with several of the other components of dueling. Garreth hadn’t been there himself to witness this - he didn’t even know about the dueling or the Clock Tower Courtyard until months later - but over the years, several students had verified the story.
In the years following, Maeve rapidly progressed her skill. After working out the awkwardness of spell casting as a first year, she started winning against the other students her age consistently, and even students who were a year or two older than her on a semi-regular basis. She made up for any lack in magical training with her evasive maneuvers and rare talent for anticipating when her opponent was about to cast a spell her way. Garreth has tried to ask her about this before, and she tried to explain how she can see this change in their eyes, or sometimes she just gets this weird gut feeling, but he couldn’t really make sense of it. Regardless, her approach to dueling made it so she could effectively avoid damage while her opponent tired themselves out, causing them to become sloppy and create opportunities for her to cast a quick but powerful spell.
By the time she was a fifth year, this approach was combined with the fact that she no longer was behind most other students when it came to learning offensive spells, and she became a truly formidable opponent. This was the first year of Crossed Wands. Truly, it was not a much different experience than in years past, but the second-year Lucan Brattleby now acted as the gatekeeper for the sport. He started keeping track of various students’ records and planning more organized nights of dueling, drawing the attention of more students. This year was when Garreth started regularly attending the duels as well, though he wasn’t sure that had anything to do with Lucan, per say. In the end, two seventh-year students ended up the Crossed Wands champion and runner up, and Maeve ended up in third. Everyone was preparing for the force she would become the following year after those two graduated.
Then last year, their sixth year, Maeve's dueling was truly a sight to behold. She had a nearly undefeated run that entire year. It was heartbreakingly broken twice - once in a close duel against Sebastian, and once in a poor showing against a fifth-year when she was recovering from a particularly nasty case of Scrofungulus. But ultimately, she ended up the Crossed Wands Champion. Garreth would’ve bet on her every single day to win, but there wasn’t really anybody betting against her.
The only real break she ever took from dueling was in her fourth year, but nobody really ever speaks about that time. It was after her father passed away. It happened over the summer prior, so he wasn’t sure how everything happened exactly, but he knew that it was from an unfortunately fatal case of some sickness. She returned to Hogwarts at a complicated but livable part of her grief, but she was a completely muted version of herself. The loss of her father, her coach, left her void of any desire to duel. Other students of course understood, but no one could deny that Maeve's absence didn’t heavily impact their experience in that courtyard. Luckily, towards the end of that year, Saoirse and Rowan were able to successfully encourage Maeve to just try dueling one more time, which led to two more times, then three, and eventually resulted in her joining the other duelists in Crossed Wands again. Slowly but surely, the life inside Maeve was coming back.
Now, watching her completely lighting up talking about the Regional Dueling Tournament, he was smiling nearly as wide as she was. There was no one he could imagine in there more than her, nobody deserved it more than her. She was not only incredibly talented, but she worked her arse off to improve constantly. Halfway through their fifth year, Garreth showed her a hidden corridor he stumbled upon one day that housed three dueling mannequins for practice, and se would spend hours nearly every single day performing different drills she found in obscure dueling manuals in the library. He was honestly quite annoyed at first because it took up so much of her time when he was just starting to really become friends with her, but he then saw it as an opportunity to sit on the sidelines and complete his assignments in her presence while she trained.
“Garreth?”
He snapped from his thoughts, becoming aware of the fact that he was just blankly staring in Maeve’s direction for entirely too long. He silently begged that his face didn’t flush as well to add to the embarrassment. He cleared his throat, “Huh?”
“I asked if you were ready to go. Sirona is giving us that look she gives when we’ve stayed too far past last call.” Maeve said.
“Oh, yeah. Let me just bring up my mug - ” He started.
“Natty already grabbed it.” Maeve grinned at his oblivious state.
Sure enough, he looked at the table to find his mug has been taken, glancing back and seeing Saoirse and Natty placing the group’s mugs on the bar. When did she take that? Wow, he really had been lost in his thoughts. He looked back toward Maeve, who was still smiling at him. “Come on sleepyhead,” She said, standing up and gesturing for him to do the same. “We’ll have another long night of discussion after the announcement tomorrow. You need to rest up.”
Dramatically, he slung his arm heavily around her shoulders, drooping his head low. “You need to carry me... I’m too tired.” He punctuated his statements with obnoxious, loud snores, right in her ear. If there was one thing Garreth Weasley knew how to do, it was distract with theatrics.
Maeve rolled her eyes, but made no effort to remove his arm from her shoulder. Instead, she gave in to the position with a supportive arm around his waist, helping to lift his dead weight. “I’ll consider this phase one of training, I suppose.” she mumbled as she walked the two of them with Saoirse and Natty out of The Three Broomsticks.