Trio

14

Albus

"Partner up!" Their professor announced. It was their dueling day the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom was redecorated to fit the occasion. There was a long stage in the center of a class, where the dueling would take place. Scorpius was muttering hexes and jinxes under his breath, and not just any hexes and jinxes, very terrible ones at that, because he was partnered up with Cedric Chang and saw this as an opportunity to show them he's just a pretty face. "Don't you think you need to practice, defensive spells too?" Albus whispered to him, cutting him short. "Pfft. Oh please, as if he would be capable of casting anything." He said and gave a cocky grin, then he gulped and flipped the pages of The Dark Forces: A guide to self protection to the chapter about defensive magic. Albus didn't even bother to read, his partner didn't look exactly threatening.

"Now, the first pair to duel is..." The professor began, as he ruffled pieces of parchment inside a small bowl around and picked a piece up. He then read it silently and smiled. "Tedros Nott and Raine O'Flaherty." The professor said and ushered the two students up the stage. Tedros looked determined as he climbed up and raised a brow at Raine, who was shaky and trembling. They walked to the center, facing each other. "One!" The professor said. The two students put their wands up to their face. "Two." The students lowered their wands to their sides and bowed. They then walked opposite each other and poised, ready to attack. "Three." Professor finished. "Everte Statum!" Tedros exclaimed wildly, pointing his wand at Raine, who was sent flying backwards flailing miserably and hitting hard on the edge of the stage. There were cheers from the Slytherin students. The Hufflepuffs groaned and went cheered themselves because Raine stood up and poised for attack. Tedros looked mildly surprised but kept his ground too, mimicking Raine.

"Rictusem–!"
"–Expelliarmus!"
Raine cried the disarming spell quicker than Tedros could have casted the tickle charm. Tedros was caught off guard as the spell hit him and his wand flew out of his hands, clinking loudly from somewhere off the stage. There was a cheer from the Hufflepuffs as the professor moved forward and raised on of Raine's hands. O'Flaherty looked politely shocked and and pleased and she turned a shade red as she smiled at the crowd of supporters. "Well done, Nott!" Chapman said bitterly, her voice full of sarcasm. Tedros glared at her direction. "What's it got to do with you?" He challenged. "Oh nothing. Just the fact that everyone will find out that Hufflepuff's are better duelers than Slytherin's. You could've blown our reputation!" She spat. "Yeah? Well why don't you go up there with your partner and show us how it's done." Tedros barked. "Maybe I will!" Polly snapped and turned to look at the professor. "Oh Professor! Can't me and Humberstone duel next?" She asked in a false sweet voice. The professor contemplated this and smiled. "Alrighty then. Miss Chapman and Miss Humberstone, if you please." The professor announced and went down from the stage as Humberstone and Chapman took center stage.

They did the same process as Tedros and Raine did, and on 'two', they both had their wands facing each other. "Three!" The professor cried, and just as quick as it had started, Humberstone yelled "Petrificus Totalus!" Extremely quickly it was hard to distinguish what she just said, and she said it just before Polly could utter a single word. The spell hit her squarely on the chest she went as rigid as a board and hit the stage floor hard. There was silence, until the Hufflepuffs began cheering loudly for their quick win. Polly's cronies rushed forward towards their leader as the professor muttered the counterspell, and Albus and Scorpius couldn't help but smile. They took secret delight in Polly's downfall, and even Tedros was smirking at her as she skulked back into their place. "Could've done it." She grumbled. "Stupid duel." She cursed under her breath as her two 'friends' nodded fervently.

The professor pulled out a piece of parchment from the bowl and he smiled as he read it silently. He then looked onto them and read aloud, "Scorpius Malfoy and Cedric Chang!" He said and left the stage. Albus felt Scorpius tense up beside him, his eyes darting from page to page. Cedric climbed onto the center stage, looking as handsome as ever and flashing a toothy grin to those who were egging him on. "Mr. Malfoy?" The professor called out. Albus gave Scorpius a little nudge, who looked up suddenly and gulped. "I can't do it, Albus." He rasped. "You were so confident a while back." Albus reasoned, pushing him forward. Scorpius gave a nervous squeal. "Go get him, Scorp." He said. Scorpius nodded as he shakily made his way towards the stage and did the same process before positioning himself on the left hand of the stage, casting nervous glances at Albus who nodded encouragingly. Cedric was pretty chill, as if dueling Scorpius wasn't that much of a big deal. "Three!" The professor cried again.

"Steleus–!"
"–Protego!" Cedric casually deflected the incoming spell with his wand, smiling brightly at Scorpius. Scorpius began taking deep breaths and thought hard.
"Immobulus–!"
Blocked again and this time, the spell was reflected back to Scorpius, who ducked just in time and gave a huge sigh of relief.
"Titillando–!"
And he was blocked. Again. And again. And again. Scorpius broke into a sweat as now, it was Cedric who began casting spells at him, and Scorpius, not able to cast a shield charm fast enough, ducked and avoided the incoming jinxes. Until, "Expelliarmus!" Cedric cried and Scorpius's wand flew out of his hand and he was completely disarmed. There was a loud cheer from the Hufflepuffs and chantings of Cedric's name as he beamed brightly at them. Even the professor was impressed at Cedric's skills and awarded Hufflepuff House extra ten points for rad wand-work.

Scorpius groaned as he stood beside Albus, his fear and nervousness gone and was instead replaced with fury. His crimson face contorted with rage as he watched Cedric being patted on the back by his housemates, who spotted Scorpius and smiled at him dazzlingly, Scorpius giving off obscene gestures before the Professor took off five points from Slytherin when he caught him. The list went on and on. The Hufflepuff's were surprisingly swell at dueling and it was as though they practiced what they were casting. "Cheaters!" Scorpius hissed back at Albus when Albus shared this thought with him. The first Slytherin Victory was with Tricia Davis, who narrowly escaped the disarming charm (which they noticed, the Hufflepuffs used a lot), and cast a petrifying hex and earning their house a victory they cheered loudly for.

Albus thought he was about to earn his house the second victory today, but how wrong he was. As he and Winona Hopkins, the scrawny girl began to duel, she outsmarted him spot on. And to think, she didn't even look that capable of holding a wand, and after she deflected Albus's hex, she began tossing around different jinxes and in the end, disarmed Albus before he could whip up a better hex to send at her. "The winner for best house dueler is... Hufflepuff! (Particularly Cedric Chang. Oh, how I love that guy!") and he passed a faux golden trophy to a nearby Hufflepuff and they began dancing around passing the trophy everywhere as the Slytherin's scowled at them. "Hope the Gryffindor's don't get much of a boost, too." Scorpius mumbled as Albus unenthusiastically clapped for the Hufflepuffs, he was one of the few who did. Scorpius straight up booed at them, taking away from them another five points as the Hufflepuffs were awarded twenty for each success. "As long as the Gryffindor's don't win." Albus agreed at Scorpius.

***

"We won!" Rose squealed excitedly as she sat between them in the Slytherin table at lunch the next day. The two boys gaped at her, and she looked pleasurably flustered. "I mean, the Ravenclaw's were putting up quite a fight but in the end, we still went out on top. All those all-night studying paid off." She said enthusiastically, smearing jelly onto her toast. "You hardly slept!?" Scorpius asked, bewildered. Rose snapped her fingers at him. "I've been asleep for two days I hardly felt the need to." She said, taking a bite. "Really?" Scorpius said, snatching the toast from her and taking a bite. "Really." Rose said, snatching the toast back. "Did you see any Hufflepuff's? I suspect they cheated." Albus said bitterly. Rose laughed. "Oh, Albus always so bitter when you lose." She said and ruffled his hair. Albus frowned. "What did they do to get such good marks?" Albus pressed further, snatching the toast and taking a bite. "They studied." Rose snapped, snatching the toast back and rose to leave. "Now, I better go before any of you finish my lunch." She said and trotted off to the Gryffindor table, the second years all excited and intent on talking about their victory.

"Wish not come true, then." Albus mumbled to Scorpius. "Wish not come true." Scorpius agreed, gaping at the trophy sitting at the Gryffindor table.