Chapter 7. The Duel Club

And I more and more often notice,

That it feels like someone has surrounded me.

I'm joining the Duel Club,

I've broken my pink glasses.

***

"— Don't touch her and go to your rooms," Dylan told us when Neville Longbottom took a hesitant step toward the injured Hermione, who was quietly groaning on the floor of our common room. "Curfew's already in effect, so you're not allowed to leave the tower. Hector and Aubrey will bring the first-years in, and they'll take the traitor to the hospital wing. Until then, Olivia will make sure our second-year doesn't die prematurely. We don't need trouble with a body on the first day of school, right, Riley?" he looked at the prefect, who was glaring at the burned body of the girl, and smirked, "That's it, meeting's over. Have a good school year, everyone."

The Gryffindors began to disperse to their dormitories, and I couldn't tear my eyes away from the injured classmate.

I hadn't even tried to help her. I just watched as the flames consumed Hermione in seconds: melting her new robe, which stuck to her skin, burning her unruly hair, spreading through her entire body, bringing excruciating pain from the burns...

"— Kyle, let's go," Harry grabbed my arm and led me toward the boys' dormitory stairs, "We can't help her, you heard Dylan. Let's not make any trouble and draw attention."

Ha-ha... Twelve-year-old Harry Potter handled the sight of our burning classmate much better than I did. That's what they call childhood adaptability to cruelty and shock. And I probably should try to approach the situation more calmly and rationally.

She didn't die, right? Madam Pomfrey will surely get her back on her feet and remove all the damage caused by the fire. She will, right? Or will the girl have to live with disfiguring scars from now on?

I hope she won't suffer that fate. After all, whatever Hermione did in her first year — that was then, and in my value system, it certainly wasn't equivalent to the punishment meted out by the older students.

I couldn't even imagine what kind of misdeed would justify burning someone alive.

"— Yeah... let's go," I answered the boy, and we headed to our room to rest from the eventful day and reflect on its "fiery conclusion."

That whole night, I had nightmares about flames. I kept hearing a girl's voice screaming around me, and fiery flashes remained a constant in every dreamscape of my imagination. Hogwarts was burning, Nora was burning, and even the planet Earth was engulfed in fire in my dreams.

And it was strange. I hadn't reacted so strongly when events from the previous year happened and my classmates died. Yet here, the girl was still alive, but it shook me to the core.

What's wrong with me? Did I relax too much over the summer? Or did my reaction have to do with the fact that it was Hermione Granger who was the one being punished? I hadn't fallen in love, had I? Why was I so upset about this girl?

Yes, she meant something to me, in a way, even though things hadn't been as smooth between us as they were at the beginning of last year. Moreover, we hadn't exchanged a single word all day, as I continued to avoid communication with Hermione because of the events in the final trial.

I woke up very early, so the whole morning was spent in reflection. I tried to understand my own feelings and find a logical explanation in the depths of my mind for my intense reaction. And I succeeded.

It really was all about Hermione. But it wasn't my feelings for her that were to blame; it was who she was in the universe I knew from the books and movies of my past life.

Hermione Granger was one of the main characters in the Harry Potter saga. She was one of those who, alongside Harry Potter, faced all the hardships, fought in battles, and searched for Horcruxes...

After some deep thinking, I realized that I was still viewing this world through the lens of the works of J.K. Rowling. My mind was still firmly convinced that even such a dark version of the Harry Potter universe operated according to the same rules as the books, where there were certain main characters who would always make it through to the end and nothing critical would happen to them along the way.

Even when I was placed in Gryffindor, I was guided by this very premise. At that moment, I was scared, confused, and in a deeply concealed state of shock, which led me to cling to the familiar characters of this universe, believing that being near them would provide me with additional safety — even though that was an illusion. That's what made me choose Gryffindor.

And Dumbledore only reinforced my confidence when he entrusted the trials to Harry Potter and, in the end, left a huge hint about the boy's uniqueness and his value in the events to come involving Voldemort.

Harry, Ron, Hermione... They were supposed to survive to their final years, repeating the fate of their alternate selves. That's what I thought. And that's why I was so deeply shocked by the fire spell cast by Olivia.

Because if Hermione Granger could so easily die like that, it meant that there were no main characters in this world. And I wasn't protected by some "plot armor" just because I was friends with them — something I hadn't consciously considered before.

Anyone could die here, and neither Hermione nor I were exceptions to the rule — that's what I finally realized this morning.

"— Wake up, guys. The school calls," I began to wake up my dormmates.

"— Ughh..." Ron stretched and yawned loudly, "I was really hoping Hogwarts was just a dream and I'd wake up in my room..."

"— Thank your lucky stars we at least have beds now," I chuckled, then began shaking Neville, who was still fast asleep.

Ten minutes later, the guys were fully awake and dressed, and we all headed out of the room. But as soon as the door to the dormitory opened, floating square pieces of paper suddenly appeared in front of us, hovering in the air right at the entrance to the dorm.

"— What the...?" Seamus rubbed his eyes. "No, it's not a trick. What's this?"

The enchanted letters boldly entered our room and began flying to different people. One landed on Harry's hand, another one came to me, two went to Seamus, two to Ron, and one finally landed in Neville's hands.

Once I was sure the spell on the letters had ended, I began reading the contents of my single letter:

"Invitation to the Duel Club.

Kyle Golden, 2nd year.

To accept the invitation, you must arrive today at 16:30 at the Duel Hall (1st floor, Hall #111).

P.S. Attendance is mandatory.

Co-chair of the Duel Club,

Dylan Blair"

"— An invitation to the Duel Club with mandatory attendance..." I looked at the other guys, who were also reading their letters. "Do you all have the same?"

"Not me," Harry answered first. "It says I've been appointed as the Seeker for the Quidditch team... It says I need to be at the field after classes, and that it's mandatory."

"I got an invitation to the Book Club," Neville said, looking surprised. "But there's nothing about mandatory attendance."

"What about you, Ron, Seamus? And why did you get two letters each, while we got just one?" I approached the boys to peek at their letters.

Both of them had invitations to the Duel Club, but without any mention of a mandatory requirement, unlike mine. They also each had another invitation, this time to the Explorers Club. And to join that club, they needed to show up at the same time, but at a completely different hall.

"So, does this mean you're free to choose which club to join?" Harry suggested. "But then why did they leave both me and Kyle with no choice?"

"The prefect decided everything for me, you heard his announcement yesterday," I answered. "But you... I think the Quidditch team wants only the best flyers, so they get to choose their members before all the other clubs."

School clubs. I had heard about them here and there, seen badges on students' robes last year, but of course, I hadn't had the chance to ask the older students about them. The Weasley twins gave me a bit of insight into this topic when we talked about it one day in August.

From what I understood, clubs at Hogwarts aren't just casual interest groups; they have much more significance in the student social structure. Like the houses, they bring together specific groups of students, offer them various privileges, but also impose obligations.

The Duel Club, according to the twins, is the largest and most prestigious club at school, though members of the Quidditch teams would argue that Quidditch teams are also a form of club activity, but specifically focused on the magical sport.

"Well, since you, Kyle, are only going to the Duel Club, I guess I'll go too," Seamus shrugged.

"I will too. Fred and George are on the Quidditch team, Percy's in the Book Club, so there's no point in me going to the Explorers Club alone. It would have been nice if you, Harry, could join us. It would be great to all go to the same club," Ron sighed.

"It would be awesome. But I love flying, and Quidditch looks fun," Harry replied.

"And I guess the only place for me is the Book Club since I wasn't invited anywhere else," Neville said sadly.

"Well, you don't have to join anything if you don't want to," Harry responded uncertainly.

"No way! A student without a club is without protection from the older students, and besides, my mum told me that those students often run into bad things at Hogwarts," Seamus retorted. "So, Neville, don't be upset. At least you were invited to the Book Club."

That's pretty much what I had suspected when the twins mentioned that joining a club was something important and mandatory for my own good.

"Alright, let's head down for breakfast. We won't go to these clubs until after classes anyway, and we still have to survive them," I concluded, ending the discussion.

"I wonder what clubs the girls got invited to," Harry voiced his thought aloud.

"We'll find out at breakfast," I said, heading for the exit of the dormitory, with the others following behind me.

Hermione wasn't at breakfast — she was probably spending her first school day in the hospital wing. The other Gryffindor girls, however, eagerly joined in on our discussion about the clubs:

"— I only got an invitation to the Explorers Club," Sally-Anne said, frowning as she poked at her porridge with a spoon. "Am I not good enough for the others? Who decided that, they don't even know me..."

"— Maybe the older students didn't talk to us directly, but they've probably been keeping an eye on our progress throughout last year. Maybe they selected us based on grades or some other criteria," I replied.

"— But I would have liked to join the Duel Club too," she said. "I wasn't even invited there."

"— The only one of us who got a letter from the prefect is me," Parvati Patil suddenly spoke up. "But... Kyle, I wanted to join the same club as Lavender. We're best friends, after all... And Padma, my sister, also got an invitation there."

"— It's fine, Parvati, I don't mind if each of us goes where we want to. Besides, we wouldn't be able to join the same club together anyway. But where do you plan on going?" I asked the girls, who seemed to relax a bit after my words.

"— The Girls' Club, of course," Lavender Brown said firmly. "My mom told me a lot of interesting things about it this summer..."

"— Ha, the Girls' Club," Ron chimed in. "Finch-Fletchley would love it there. It'd be a laugh if he got invited only there."

"— So, you think that just because we're girls, we're scared?!" Lavender shot back at her friend's joke, slapping her hand down on the table for effect. "And don't forget, Weasley, that we actually drank that deadly potion!"

"— Yeah, Ron," Sally-Anne joined in. "You'd better bite your tongue."

"— I was just joking," Ron shrank back from the sudden onslaught of girl power.

"— Looks like the joke didn't land," I patted him on the shoulder, diffusing the tension. "Fay, where were you invited?"

"— To the Craft Club..." she replied quietly. "They probably make magical things there. Anyway, like Sally-Anne, I wasn't invited to the Girls' Club, so I'll go there. Maybe I'll like it..."

"So it looks like we're all going to different clubs..." I looked around at my classmates. "But let's agree that we'll tell each other what's going on in our clubs. And I'm curious, is it possible to switch clubs? There must be a way, at least somehow..."

"Hey, guys," a third-year student, Richie Cutt, who we had talked to at the welcome feast, approached us. "Just make sure you follow the rules of your clubs. They're all different, but they keep a close eye on that. And, Kyle, about switching clubs: you can only do it next year, after you've joined, or if you get kicked out of your club. But the problem is that other clubs might not accept you, especially if things didn't work out with your previous one. So, yeah, they're not without their pitfalls, but there are upsides too," he smirked, lost in thought.

After breakfast, we headed off to our much less exciting classes. Remembering the horrors of last year, I feared that something traumatic and shocking was waiting for us this year, but as each class went by, none of the professors surprised us with anything new.

The Charms lesson with Flitwick passed by as we walked through the spells we had already learned and listened to an inspired lecture on the "new horizons of achievement that more complex charms would open up for us." Then came History of Magic with Binns, which proceeded as usual in complete silence, except for the creaky and dreadfully boring narrative from the ghost about the new historical period of the magical world that we would be studying this year. Even the dreaded Transfiguration lesson with the strict McGonagall ended without incident, and no additional residents were added to the hospital wing among the second years.

Perhaps the professors were primarily focused on keeping the first years in check, which is why our lessons passed so smoothly and painlessly. And as sorry as I felt for the new Hogwarts students, I was immensely grateful for their upcoming sacrifice for the sake of our safety.

It was finally time to head to the Duel Club's domain, as invited.

Harry headed for the Quidditch pitch, Fay went up to the upper floors of the castle, Neville made his way toward the library where the Book Club met, Lavender and Parvati went to the second floor, and Sally-Anne even descended into the dungeons by the Badger's entrance.

As for me, along with Ron and Seamus, our path led to the Duel Hall on the first floor. And all the way there, I kept my fingers crossed, sincerely hoping that the club would bring no surprises.

***

The students from all years and houses gathered in the Duelling Club's hall. Our group was joined by other second-years: Michael Corner and his friend Wayne Hopkins, Draco Malfoy and Theodore Nott from Slytherin, and Stefan Cornfoot, Roger Malone, and the Korean girl Sue Li from Ravenclaw. Not many people had received invitations, though. From Hufflepuff, only Hopkins had been invited. Or was there someone else, besides Parvati, who chose another club instead of the Duelling one?

— Newcomers? Come in, the opening ceremony is about to start, — one of the older students greeted us at the entrance.

There was quite a crowd of students in the hall. The room was round, with stairs leading to the second level, where most of the students had gathered, leaning over the railings, chatting, and waiting for something.

We, as a large group, headed towards one of the stairs when we were stopped.

— Each house takes a specific place. Gryffindor, this way, — said another older student, pointing to one of the staircases. — Slytherins, go that way, Ravenclaws, over there, — he directed us to the other staircases, — and you, Hufflepuffs, over there. And hurry up, the opening and the election of the president are about to begin.

At the top, we were greeted by other Gryffindor students.

— Three newcomers, great, — said a student who approached us. — I'm Austin Watkins, but you can call me just Austin, — he shook our hands. — I know you, Kyle Golden. Ron Weasley, all clear with you. And who's this?

— Seamus Finnigan, — my friend answered firmly.

— Irish? Got it. Anyway, my job is to help you three, tell you about the club and everything. Don't hesitate to ask if anything's unclear. We've all been where you are and understand there's a lot you still don't know.

— Um, Austin, right? Can you tell me what exactly happens here? Just dueling? Or are there other activities? For example, will we learn any spells here? — I took the opportunity to ask.

— The Duelling Club... isn't exactly just about dueling. No, we have a special room with a platform, and sometimes you'll learn to duel in its traditional sense. But that's just a small part of what the club is really about. Mostly, we practice magical combat, skipping the duel rules with all the bows and restrictions. You know, it's all about battle magic, even though it's called the Duelling Club. And yes, you can definitely learn new spells, including advanced ones used by Aurors and other special wizarding services. But all that is learned through practice or with a mentor, someone older you'll have to find. Not every student is eager to help younger ones unless they see clear potential or gain. But guiding you on spells, pointing out mistakes — that's something everyone does. But don't expect us to spend extra time, we're all swamped with work. Anyway, you'll ask more later — look, they're coming out now, — Austin gestured toward the platform where four older students from different houses were taking their places. Among them, I recognized Dylan Blair — the Head Boy.

— Attention, attention! The Duelling Club for the new school year is officially open! Co-chairs, are you ready? Let the fight begin! — shouted one of the students, and the four of them swiftly began battling.

Wands appeared in their hands, and spells flew toward their opponents. Rays of different thicknesses and colors sped toward the combatants. The older students raised golden and blue shields, blocking the spells, while they moved around the arena, dodging magical blasts and firing spells in return.

— Wow, — Ron said, his eyes wide as he watched the battle.

Everything happened quickly, and I couldn't track the path of one spell before more were flying toward the participants. The older students displayed an excellent level of combat, though I had never seen such magical battles before. But the way they acted, how quickly they reacted to threats, and counterattacked, made a strong impression on me. The spectacle was mesmerizing, and it worked on all of us — students were watching intently, some even excitedly cheering for their favorites.

At first, everyone attacked everyone without visible strategy. A Slytherin fought with a Hufflepuff, a Ravenclaw with a Gryffindor. After a few spells, they'd change their target, trying to take advantage of an unexpected attack from another opponent. Meanwhile, the attackers were constantly watching their surroundings, prepared for spells coming from other directions.

What was particularly interesting was seeing the use of Transfiguration. The older students used small items they had brought with them. The Ravenclaw student clearly excelled in this, skillfully transforming tiny balls into small animals, which would rush into battle and distract opponents.

But then, the situation changed. Dylan Blair, a Gryffindor, was attacking alongside a Ravenclaw student against a Slytherin. The Ravenclaw student was also defending himself against spells from the Hufflepuff. And suddenly, as if by a snap of the fingers, the three students from different houses all simultaneously changed their focus and attacked Dylan.

The Head Boy clearly didn't expect this, and did his best to surround himself with shields, but they were quickly broken. He dodged one spell, then another, but dodging spells from three directions was too much, even for a quick wizard like Dylan.

The first spell hit his left arm, freezing it in an icy crust. The second hit his stomach, knocking him back several feet, and the third struck his head, causing him to lose consciousness and fall out of the fight.

Now the battle continued among the three students who, after knocking out Dylan, completely forgot about their temporary alliance. A couple of Gryffindors rushed down to help Dylan regain consciousness.

— Why did they all attack him together? — I asked Austin, who was clicking his tongue disapprovingly as he watched the rest of the fight.

— Didn't want to give him a chance to win, so they teamed up beforehand. These kinds of intrigues aren't rare at events like this, so get used to it. After all, Dylan managed to become Head Boy, and they didn't want to give him any extra power in the club. It's a shame, though, Dylan wasn't really expecting to win. See that guy, Goodwin from Ravenclaw? He's much stronger in a fight.

Meanwhile, the Slytherin and Hufflepuff students were closing in on Goodwin, forcing him to fall back into a defensive position, just like Dylan had. It was evident that, although the student was managing to defend himself against the attacks of the snake and the badger, he had no opportunity to counterattack. With each passing second, the raven was getting more exhausted, draining his energy just to dodge the incoming curses. From what I gathered, some spells could bypass the barriers, so relying solely on shields in combat was not a wise strategy.

I was beginning to think that Goodwin might make a mistake from sheer fatigue, leaving the badger and the snake to face off one-on-one, but the situation changed with the sudden attack of the Hufflepuff on his own teammate. It was so unexpected and well-timed that with a single spell, the badger knocked the Slytherin out of the competition and continued to bombard Goodwin with more spells.

It seemed he had hoped that the raven's fatigue would give him an advantage, believing he could finish the fight alone.

They fought fiercely for a few more minutes, until the transfigured dog distracted the badger, and the Ravenclaw seized the chance, speaking aloud a long and complex incantation.

Most of the duelists had been using non-verbal spells, but when it came to more complex or rare charms, they had to speak them out loud.

And here, from the raven's wand, a burgundy-gray beam shot out, heading straight for the distracted Hufflepuff. The Hufflepuff noticed the threat and dodged the spell's trajectory, but the charm, continuing just a little farther, suddenly changed course and struck him in the side, spinning him through the hall. The third participant was eliminated from the fight.

— "The Duel Club Chairperson is determined: Thomas Goodwin!" — loudly announced the same student who had declared the start of the match.

The hall erupted in applause from the other years, with cheers from Ravenclaw.

— "Phew," — Goodwin walked to the center of the hall, cracking his neck and stretching his sore muscles, — "How was the show, Hogwarts?" — he asked the crowd, who responded with a approving hum. — "Great. Then, I suggest we start with the ladder matches. Sixth year, get ready, you're next. And before dinner, we'll let the newcomers watch, so they can see how the other duels go."

Dylan made his way up to our section of the upper tier, stretching his arm, which still had bits of melted ice in his sleeve. The other Gryffindors greeted him approvingly, loudly complaining about the treachery of the other houses, but they didn't seem particularly angry. It seemed like this kind of thing was just normal here.

— "So, so, so. Golden's here. Weasley, Finnigan, welcome to our club. I'd be surprised if you preferred the travelers over us. Watkins, how about you? Did you tell them what's what?" — Dylan approached us with a friendly demeanor.

— "I didn't have time, we only met as everything started," — Austin answered the prefect.

— "Then leave them to me. Since, thanks to our second-years, I became the prefect of the school, it wouldn't be too much to return the favor to their leader and his friends by introducing the new kids to the club myself. Go, get ready. The sixth years should finish up quickly, Green will tear them to shreds, ha-ha."

— "Okay, Dylan. You did great, by the way."

— "Yeah, I know, I know," — he waved off the praise and focused his attention on our trio.

— "Well then, guys. Our club, as you all know, is the coolest among the rest. Neither fanatics, nor travelers, and definitely not worms can compare to us. Moreover, our club is the oldest of them all, with twenty-nine years of existence. We have certain traditions, which you'll learn about soon, and every year we hold a March tournament, for which we prepare tirelessly all year round. As second-years, you should primarily prepare for duel competitions to become the best duelist in your year. In all other cases, you'll mostly be part of the crowd, so get ready to frequently feel the spells of your opponents, ha-ha. Don't worry, no curses or dark magic in our duels, because that could have serious consequences. Only battle spells, transfiguration, and other tricks designed to win in combat. And we patch up our own without Madam Pomfrey's help, and even have some potions in stock for serious injuries. All very grown-up, get used to it. Oh, by the way," — he pulled out three badges from his pocket, each featuring a vertical wand with two triangular shields on either side.

At my touch, the badge warmed up and soon returned to its original temperature. It was enchanted.

— "Wear them with pride, and if you have any issues with other students, don't hesitate to reach out to any member of your club. But if you decide to pick on any of your classmates, remember — you're on your own, and no one will clean up your mess," — Dylan continued. — "Any questions?"

— "Is there some sort of initiation into the club or something like that?" — I asked Dylan.

— "Once the upper years fight it out, you'll show what you're capable of in the ring and whether you're good for anything at all. That's your initiation."

While Dylan Blair was explaining all this, the sixth-year students downstairs took their positions.

— "Are they going to fight all at once?" — asked an astonished Seamus.

— "Of course. It's in a mass brawl that real fighters are made. We organize all sorts of battles, right now — it's the house battle. Each year determines its winning house," — Dylan answered, leaning on the railing. — "Give them hell, Green!" — he shouted to the sixth-year Gryffindor.

— "Definitely, Blair," — the Gryffindor responded with a grin.

— "Um, why is there only one Slytherin, but four Gryffindors? Isn't that unfair?" — Ron asked, confused.

— "Leave fairness for the duels, Weasley. And remember this: in the house battles, which will make up a significant part of your time, the winners are those who make the best deals and outwit each other. That 'one Slytherin', as you put it, will easily team up with three Hufflepuffs and two Ravens, and can take out our whole group without much effort. Then he'll team up with the two Ravens and do the same to the Hufflepuffs. They'll probably point their wands at the Ravens, and the lone Slytherin, who no one bothered with since he was alone, will finish off the rest. This won't happen exactly like that in this case, but I hope you get the system?"

— "Yeah," — Weasley nodded. — "So any opponent here can be defeated by teaming up with other houses."

— "Exactly. That's the beauty of these battles — besides the fights themselves, there are also battles for alliances, which can form and break apart even in the middle of the fight. We exist and have the best reputation because of the spectacle. People come to watch not only the participants of other clubs but also the headmaster and professors."

— "So without the tournament, you wouldn't exist? Why?" — I asked.

— "We wouldn't exist, Golden. We wouldn't. That's a condition set by Dumbledore. If a club is formed, it must have a clear purpose for its existence. A purpose that can be demonstrated to others throughout the year. Everyone has one. Ours is to show the battle skills of our members and put on a show, delighting the professors with the spectacle and earning extra rewards. That's just how things are here."

His words made me think of circus monkeys performing for the audience's amusement, but, of course, I kept those thoughts to myself.

At that moment, I just needed to absorb the information Dylan was giving me and not show off. After all, the Duel Club promised to provide exactly what I had lacked all of last year: practice with new spells.