Harry Potter: The Duelist of Hogwarts

"Sean, look," Blaise whispered, nudging him. "Where's our Head of House going?"

Sean followed his friend's gaze toward the staff table. Professor Snape had just risen from his seat and was sweeping out of the Great Hall through a private door behind the dais, his black robes billowing behind him like a thundercloud.

It was highly unusual for a professor, especially a Head of House, to leave the Start-of-Term Feast. It had to be for a significant reason. Or, a small, mischievous part of Sean's brain supplied, perhaps he just had a stomach ache.

The image that followed was so vivid, so absurd, that he couldn't suppress it: Snape, in the cold, echoing confines of a Hogwarts lavatory, his severe expression fixed in a grimace of intense gastrointestinal distress...

Pfft...

A choked snort of laughter escaped him.

Blaise, Andy, and Jensen all turned to stare at him, their expressions a mixture of confusion and concern. One moment Sean had been lost in thought, the next he was visibly struggling not to laugh.

Sean just shook his head, offering no explanation. How could he? Sorry, lads, I was just imagining Professor Snape on the loo. They'd think he was a pervert, or worse, a lunatic.

The feast began in earnest. Sean carved himself a thick slice of roast beef, the outside seared to the perfect, well-done crispness he preferred. He ate with relish, pointedly ignoring Blaise's preference for beef so rare it practically mooed.

After the last of the treacle tart had vanished, the students made their way back to their respective common rooms. For the Slytherins, this meant the familiar descent into the dungeons. The new password, a portrait of a stern-faced wizard hissed, was "Purity." It was a stark reminder that the old ideas of blood status were still deeply entrenched in the heart of their house.

In truth, Sean's own bloodline was impeccable. Though his father was a Squib, he was a Bulstrode, a direct descendant of one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. It was this heritage, as much as his talent, that had granted him entry into the Slytherin Brotherhood's preparatory organization. More than half its members were pure-blood purists; without the right name, no amount of achievement would have earned him a seat at their table.

Back in his dormitory, Sean was greeted by a familiar hiss. Kulkan, now noticeably larger than when he'd left, slithered out from his new, more spacious nest. Since the snake had grown, Sean had stopped carrying him hidden in his robes; it was simply too obvious. Kulkan had been quite put out by this development, sulking for two days straight.

After summoning a house-elf for a glass of water, Sean sat at his desk, ready to read. He'd barely opened his book when a sharp knock came at the door.

He opened it to find Blaise, who brushed past him with an air of conspiratorial excitement. "Sean! Have you heard what happened to the Savior and his faithful sidekick?"

Sean knew, of course, but he played dumb, shaking his head. "No, what happened to Harry and Ron?"

"They missed the Express!" Blaise crowed, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. "So Weasley stole his family's flying Muggle car, and they flew it all the way to Hogwarts! Got seen by a dozen Muggles on the way. I heard they're going to be expelled!"

Sean smiled, shaking his head. "Blaise, why do you dislike them so much?"

"Because they're Gryffindors," Blaise said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "And because they nearly cost us our seven-year winning streak last year."

The rivalry was an ancient, immutable fact of Hogwarts life. Sean had no desire to change it. "The chances of them being expelled are practically zero," he said calmly. "They're still just kids, and considering what they did last year, the staff isn't going to expel them for anything less than a truly irreversible mistake."

"A shame, that," Blaise said, though there was little real disappointment in his voice. He flopped down onto Sean's bed and began to chatter about this and that, his conversation meandering aimlessly. As the minutes ticked by, Sean grew suspicious. It was late, and Blaise was usually keen to get back to his own room. To linger like this, talking about nothing...

"Blaise, is something wrong?" Sean finally asked. "I get the feeling you're trying to avoid your dormitory."

A deep blush crept up Blaise's neck. He cleared his throat. "Well, um... Sean? Can I sleep here tonight?"

"What's going on? Is someone after you?"

Blaise scratched the back of his head, the picture of awkwardness. "If you want to put it that way... my ex-girlfriend is camped outside my door. I really don't want to deal with her, so I thought I'd hide out here."

"I thought you two broke up."

"We did! But she came to find me just now, talking about getting back together. I told her it was over, that I didn't have feelings for her anymore, but she's... persistent. And she's older than me, so..."

Sean connected the dots. "So you can't beat her in a duel."

Blaise nodded miserably. "That's about the size of it. Sean, please. Just for tonight."

"You can run, but you can't hide forever, Blaise."

"Uh, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Never mind." Sean sighed, a long-suffering sound. "I'll cast a Disillusionment Charm on you. You can sneak back to your room. She'll never see you."

Blaise's face fell into a theatrical pout. "Sean, are you saying you don't want to share a bed with me?"

Rolling his eyes, Sean pulled out his wand and pointed it at his friend. Blaise felt a sensation like a cold egg being cracked over his head, an icy liquid trickling over his entire body. He looked down and saw nothing. He was completely invisible.

"Wow! This magic is brilliant! You have to teach me sometime."

"If you have time, I'll teach you. Now go. The charm won't last forever. If you keep dawdling, it'll wear off, and you'll be right back where you started."

"Right, I'm going. See you later!"

"Get lost."

Sean watched as the door opened and closed seemingly on its own. As the caster, he could feel Blaise's presence moving away down the corridor. He shook his head with a helpless sigh. It was only their second year, and he had a feeling Blaise's complicated relationships with older girls were going to be a recurring problem. At a school for magic, a scorned older girlfriend was not something to be taken lightly.

(End of Chapter)

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