Chapter 115: school life
*Narrator pov*
After the first official Hogwarts duel the atmosphere seemed to shift, it was as if the whole dueling thing became much more serious in the eyes of the students.
No one liked losing but, these prideful wizards HATED it. So much so that they actively practiced in their free time now.
In the hidden recesses of Hogwarts Castle lies an abandoned classroom, forgotten over the years. The heavy wooden door creaks eerily as you push it open, revealing a space frozen in time. Dust dances in the muted sunlight filtering through the tattered curtains, casting an ethereal glow.
Rows of desks, now covered in dusty sheets, stand like silent sentinels, each one holding the echoes of lessons long past. Faded chalk drawings on the blackboard depict forgotten spells, and textbooks lay scattered, their pages yellowed with age.
A cracked crystal ball rests on a worn-out table, remnants of divination practices that once took place here. The walls, adorned with peeling tapestries and moth-eaten banners, whisper tales of forgotten magic.
The air is heavy with a mysterious energy, as if the room itself mourns the lost knowledge and laughter that once filled its corners. It remains a secret sanctuary, awaiting discovery by those curious enough to venture inside.
The door creaked open, "Wow!" the young voice of Lily Evans sounded as she stepped into the dusty room
A scoff could be heard behind her, "Walk inside already, can't believe our other practice room got taken," Severus Snape did not sound like a happy camper
Lily giggled, "I can't believe after everything you still refuse to be near them," her laughter seemed to calm Severus's annoyance
"We aren't friends just acquaintances," he replied with a roll of his eyes closing the door behind them
Looking around the abandoned room the two students grinned, "This will do," Lily said nudging Severus on the side
He chuckled captivated by the ambiance, "I suppose so," he wondered why this room was abandoned
"Well shall we get to work," Lily said brandishing her wand, "Tergeo," she muttered flicking her wand
The wiping charm handled all of the dust siphoning it away, then Severus flicked his wand, "Scourgify," causing the room to become clean and almost spotless
Lily spun around with appreciation, "Now, shall we start with potions or the fun stuff?" she chuckled seeing Severus's flat stare, "Potions are the fun stuff," he replied blandly
Lily opened her bag taking out the potions homework, "Well, might as well start with potions and then get to charms and dueling applications," she announced
Severus nodded taking out his own textbooks, "Well then, let's get started,"
Soon the room was filled with the sound of them arguing over potion recipes and facts, and later it would be filled with thoughts over spells that could be used for dueling.
***
In another abandoned classroom, actually, the one where Severus and Lily first tried to use the marauders were lounging around while doing 'homework'.
"I can't believe you dolts have done none of this," Remus sighed massaging his temple
Stiles groaned, "Hey! Don't count me with those two blockheads I did my assignments," he was currently reading a book on elemental magic
Nothing dangerous just the history of the wonders of elemental magic.
"Aye! I resent your words I'm working at my own pace!" Sirius yelled while laughing along with James as they repeatedly tried to perfect the animagus transformation
Alas, they were failing horribly not even able to advance a little bit.
"Relax you two, it's going to take us a while to learn the Animagus transformation," Stiles said stifling a yawn this time out of tiredness and not because of his condition
James nodded, "You are right, we should focus on dueling," he said with a smirk twirling his wand
Sirius barked in laughter, "Same rules?" he asked
"Same rules," James confirmed with a grin making both Stiles and Remus to laugh loudly
The duel was unlike any other duel, no typical spells were used instead they used random charms like the jelly leg hex, the hole-blasting spell Deprimo, Obscuro which blindfolded the target, and many more. The marauder's theory was by practicing with lesser used or in some cases useless spells they have a safer environment to practice spellwork and footwork while forcing them to make creative choices in their dueling.
It was a mind exercise more than anything. What was interesting was this practice was used years ago by a smaller school in Africa, and that school went on to produce some of the most creative duelists.
Of course, the trouble-making Gryffindor didn't think about all of those positives they were just having fun while also learning how to use different spells outside of their norm.
The Gryffindor students continued to take turns dueling while sneaking in some homework for James and Sirius between the matches. The Abandoned classroom was lively as their jokes and laughter warmed the atmosphere.
Across the castle in the dungeons, one of their dueling teammates was having yet another difficult discussion with his seniors.
"I'm not agreeing to anything without my father's approval," Evan said rolling his eyes at his seniors trying to intimidate him
One of the seniors scoffed, "Your father will obviously agree to join our Lord, what's with the hesitation some would think you are not agreeable to his cause?" the senior leaned close to Evans his eyes cold and calculating
Evan smirked, "Why would I not agree with him? I find the cause promising once my father sends word I will agree," he shrugged
"You are missing an opportunity to join early Evan, the Lord is very interested in you said your duels were promising, don't disappoint him," the senior leaned back giving Evan some room
Evan laughed, "I'm glad he liked my duels, I look forward to meeting with him now if you excuse me I need to finish my homework," he walked past the senior and his followers heading to his room
Evan had to hold the sigh forcing its way up his throat, he really hated house Slytherin sometimes. The seniors went from implying something about a dark lord to all but forcing him to join.
They became more and more bold as time went on, and sadly Evan didn't know if his father would agree to bow down to a lord. If he didn't, his school life might her harder. But, Evan had a secret, he didn't want to bow down either. It didn't matter to him what the cause was serving another wizard sent chills down his spine.
***
As night descended and stars blanketed the sky the students found themselves heading to the dining hall for some food.
Severus and Lily acting like they didn't just spend most of the day together studying, the marauders acting like they were studying and not fooling around.
Morpheus sat at his seat enjoying his food, a small mysterious smile adorning his face.
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