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The following afternoon, Veratia returned to Hogwarts.
Harry was studying in the Great Hall when he felt a tap on his back. Turning around, he was surprised to see Veratia.
"Hey, you're back?" Harry said with delight. "I was just—"
"Come on, let's step outside," Veratia said with a bright smile, pulling Harry up from his seat. "Let's head to the Black Lake…"
Grinning, Harry followed her out of the Great Hall.
At the Slytherin table, Cassandra watched the scene unfold, her hand tightening into a fist.
Suddenly, she remembered her Invisibility Cloak. Standing up, she resolved to follow them and see what was going on. Hmph! I won't let Potter, that kid, be taken advantage of by this wicked woman! Cassandra thought to herself. She slipped into an empty corner, draped the Invisibility Cloak over herself, and trailed Harry and Veratia all the way to the Black Lake.
The two arrived at the lake's edge and sat on the lush, verdant grass.
In the distance, the sun gleamed with golden brilliance, while a gentle breeze brushed against their faces, soft and tender like a lover's touch.
"Come here," Veratia said, patting the ground beside her as she settled onto the grass, motioning for Harry to sit.
As Harry sat down, Veratia gently pulled him closer, and he found himself lying with his head resting on her lap.
A sweet, floral fragrance enveloped him, and Harry, nestled against her soft thighs, felt a moment of daze.
Veratia's cascade of hair fell across his face, tickling him and stirring a flutter of nervous excitement.
From a distance, Cassandra watched, her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles whitened.
That shameless German woman!
Her heart roared with indignation. She wanted to intervene but couldn't think of a justifiable reason to do so.
"About that thing you mentioned," Veratia said with a warm smile, "joining the Duelling Club? Sure, I'm in. No objections."
"That's fantastic!" Harry said, grinning. He shifted to a more comfortable position, rolling over.
But in doing so, he could no longer see Veratia's face, his view entirely blocked by… justice.
Veratia reached out, her fingers gently tracing Harry's face, her touch so tender it was intoxicating.
Nearby, Cassandra's fists tightened even further.
This can't go on! she thought. If this continues, poor Potter will be completely devoured by that Grindelwald woman…
Before she could dwell on it further, a sudden burst of frantic barking interrupted her thoughts.
Harry sat up abruptly, turning toward the sound. Sure enough, a large black dog was charging toward them, growling fiercely.
"What's that?" Veratia asked, unperturbed.
"It's a black dog," Harry replied. "Looks angry. Wonder who provoked it."
Veratia glanced over, but the dog had already slunk away unnoticed.
"Professor Trelawney made a prediction for me," Harry continued. "She said I have 'the Grim,' and the Grim is a black dog. Could this be related?"
"That dog?" Veratia frowned thoughtfully. How could a black dog be connected to Harry?
"Not exactly," Harry clarified. "It's from the prophecy book." He then launched into a detailed explanation of tea leaf divination.
After listening, Veratia chuckled and pinched Harry's cheek playfully. "Oh, Harry, you're adorable. You believe in such unreliable nonsense? If you really had the Grim, Gellert would've told you."
Harry thought to himself, Gellert tell me? He'd probably want to stew me in a cauldron…
Unbeknownst to them, the black dog was indeed after Harry.
Its barking had been deliberate.
That dog was none other than Sirius Black, recently escaped from Azkaban.
Now, he was racing through the Forbidden Forest, tears streaming as he let out a mournful woof.
Prongs!
He howled in his heart.
I've failed you, Prongs!
Our dear boy, Harry, has been deceived by a Slytherin woman!
Not only was she several years older, but she had him wrapped around her finger!
In anguished fury, Sirius let out a series of woof woof woof barks, his front paws frantically digging at the ground.
Prongs, I've let you down!
No, I have to keep an eye on Harry. I can't let him be fooled by that Slytherin woman!
Our sweet little Harry can't have a Slytherin girlfriend!
Slytherins are inherently wicked… evil fiends. I won't let Harry be corrupted!
With this resolve, Sirius made up his mind.
This time, besides catching that traitorous rat, he would also protect Harry from being deceived by that Slytherin woman!
Disrupted by the black dog, Harry decided it was time to return to the Great Hall.
He had no idea the dog was his godfather, Sirius Black.
Cassandra, however, was delighted. That black dog's got some sense…
She strode back to the Great Hall with a spring in her step.
Once back, Harry and Veratia approached Cassandra.
"Cassandra," Harry said, "I need to talk to you about something. Can you come with me?"
Cassandra glanced at Veratia, her lips curling slightly. "Oh, isn't this Potter with his wicked woman?" she said, standing up. "Does Mr. Potter have something to discuss?"
Despite her words, Cassandra followed Harry obediently to an empty classroom on the second floor.
"So, what's this about?" she asked.
"I'd like to invite you to join my Duelling Club, Cassandra," Harry said directly. "As you know, you're my friend, and I'd love for you to join us…"
"Oh, is that so?" Cassandra drawled. "Sorry, but I'll have to decline. I'm not interested in your childish games, Potter. Have you forgotten? You're a sixth-year, not some idle kid. Why are you always playing pretend?"
Harry opened his mouth to argue, but Veratia spoke first.
"It's like our duelling wands, Cassandra," Veratia said with a smile. "We practice spells together, have some harmless duels. Or perhaps… you're afraid to face me in a duel?"
Cassandra, ever prideful, was easily goaded—especially by a rival.
At Veratia's words, she took the bait.
"So you're playing house with Potter too," Cassandra said, waving a hand. "Fine, I'll join your little Duelling Club—but I have one condition, Grindelwald."
"The Duelling Club is Harry's, not mine, Cassandra," Veratia replied, still smiling.
"Fine. My condition is that I want to duel you in the club," Cassandra said, lifting her chin. "It's been years since our last practice duel, hasn't it, Grindelwald? Let's see how much you've improved after arriving in this century half a year before me!"
"Sounds good," Veratia said, her smile unwavering. "Don't worry, Cassandra, I'll go easy on you so you don't end up crying…"
The two women locked eyes, neither willing to back down.
Just then, a clap of thunder rumbled outside, and rain began to patter down.
"Alright, enough," Harry said, stepping between them, though his height barely reached their shoulders.
Cassandra stood nearly six feet tall, and Veratia… well, Veratia was already six feet.
Harry? Just a five-foot-something beanpole—boys do develop later, after all.
"See you tonight," Veratia said lightly. "Hope you don't cry, my dear Cassandra."
"Oh, really?" Cassandra shot back, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "If only your skills matched your words."
They glared at each other, unyielding.
Then, in unison, they let out a hmph and turned away.
After dinner, around seven o'clock, Harry quietly gathered the Duelling Club members and led them to the Room of Requirement.
Seeing two older Slytherin girls among them, everyone was at a loss for words.
Well, they're both Slytherins…
"How nostalgic," Cassandra said, settling into a familiar seat in the Room of Requirement. "Just like old times, isn't it?"
"Alright," Harry said, taking the lead. "As you can see, the Duelling Club is expanding again. We're welcoming two new members. First, Cassandra Malfoy. All in favor of her joining, raise your hands."
Everyone raised their hands, especially Draco, whose arms shot up eagerly.
"Didn't know you had French blood," Ron quipped.
Most wizarding families weren't aware of the French surrender stereotype, but Ron had picked it up from Hermione.
"We do have French heritage," Draco replied proudly, missing the sarcasm.
"Cassandra's in," Harry continued. "Next, Veratia Grindelwald."
Again, unanimous approval—even Draco raised his hand reluctantly, unwilling to openly cross Veratia, the terrifying transfer student who'd disciplined Slytherins with ease.
"Since both passed unanimously, let's give a round of applause for our new members!"
Harry clapped, and the others joined in, Hermione cheering loudest—she was an ardent fan of this Grindelwald, not the one locked away like a caged parrot.
"The holidays are over, and this is our first Duelling Club meeting of the term," Harry said cheerfully. "To see if anyone's gotten rusty, we'll pair up for duels. Let's start grouping."
Both headstrong women gave Harry face. The moment he finished, Cassandra stood up.
"Come on, Grindelwald," she said eagerly. "Let's show them how it's done—us seniors, that is."
Everyone sat up straighter. They'd heard of Miss Grindelwald's dominance over Slytherin, but the details were murky. And Miss Malfoy was clearly no pushover…
"Alright," Veratia said, standing and drawing her wand. "Let's move to the side so we don't hurt anyone. Agreed?"
They stepped to the center of the Room of Requirement's duelling area, which had expanded to Harry's specifications—roughly the size of a basketball court, by his estimate.
Cedric and the others eagerly took seats conjured by the Room, surrounding the duelling platform.
"Harry, you referee," Veratia called, glancing at him.
Harry stepped forward, clearing his throat. "Alright, get ready!"
"3!"
"2!"
"1!"
At his signal, both women raised their wands and shouted in unison:
"Expelliarmus!"
Two red beams shot from their wands, clashing and dissipating in midair.
Cassandra was quick, her wrist flicking twice. Nearby chairs transformed into roaring snakes, lunging at Veratia.
Veratia countered, transfiguring chairs into explosive barrels and hurling them into the snake pile. She then flung another barrel-chair toward Cassandra.
"Vera Verto!"
Cassandra turned the barrel into a squeaking white mouse, which scampered across the floor.
She fired several red curses at Veratia, who blocked them with a reinforced Protego. Veratia retaliated with two Stupefy spells—one collided with Cassandra's curse, but the second hit Cassandra square in the chest.
"She's hit!" Hermione shouted instinctively.
But Veratia didn't celebrate. She spun around, alert.
Sure enough, Cassandra had somehow appeared behind her.
"Depulso!"
The spell grazed Veratia's hair. Undeterred, Cassandra followed with an Inflation Charm.
"I'd suggest using that one on yourself, Cassandra," Veratia teased, flicking the spell away with her wand. "Look at you—sixteen and still so… flat. I could draw a straighter line than your curves."
"At least I'm not as shameless as you, Grindelwald," Cassandra shot back, transfiguring chairs behind Veratia into armored knights that charged with swords raised. "Maybe focus your energy on studying instead of preying on underage boys…"
At this, everyone turned to Harry.
"What are you all looking at?" Harry asked, scratching his head. "Is there something on my face?"
"They're talking about you, mate," Ron whispered.
Everyone nodded. Cassandra's jab about "preying on underage boys" was no secret—Veratia was often seen hugging Harry like a child, a fact well-known at Hogwarts.
"Expelliarmus!"
Veratia chained a Disarming Charm, stripping the knights of their weapons and hurling them at their necks.
While doing so, she shielded herself with armored knights to block Cassandra's spells and slipped in another Stupefy.
"Not bad, Grindelwald," Cassandra sneered, summoning a bolt of lightning toward Veratia. "I thought you were an untouchable mountain."
The lightning struck Veratia's shield, which crackled with electric sparks, forming a barrier of lightning.
"Nice idea, a lightning shield," Cassandra said, offering rare praise. A water dragon erupted from her wand, crashing against Veratia's shield.
But Veratia suddenly lifted off the ground, floating in midair.
Cassandra's follow-up lightning spell hit the ground instead.
"I've studied physics, Cassandra. I know a few basic tricks," Veratia said with a grin. "Your little ploys won't work…"
Hermione cheered, "Go, Veratia! You're amazing!"
Perhaps this was another take on "master math and science, and the world's yours."
"You're a tough one, Grindelwald," Cassandra said, her lips curling. She conjured giant pythons to guard her front.
As expected, the snakes fell, petrified one by one.
"You know me, and I know you, Grindelwald," Cassandra said coolly. "Your ancient magic can't be blocked by shields, but objects can stop it… But the game's over, Grindelwald."
Veratia's legs were suddenly bound by two giant pythons.
"If you surrender now…" Cassandra said, arms crossed, smirking, "I'll let you off, Miss Grindelwald."
"No chance!" Veratia struggled.
"Pity," Cassandra said, snapping her fingers. The pythons opened their gaping maws toward Veratia.
But something felt off. Cassandra dodged to the side as a spell whizzed past her nose.
"Nice decoy, almost fooled me," Cassandra said, giving Veratia a thumbs-up. "If I didn't know how cunning you are, I'd have fallen for it."
"You're just as tricky," Veratia replied, her voice echoing from both herself and the decoy bound by the snakes, perfectly identical.
"So, which one's the real you?"
Cassandra didn't relent. The pythons crushed the decoy into a burst of purple light.
"As expected, a fake," she said, stepping back and blocking two probing spells from Veratia with a shield.
The audience below was riveted. Even Cedric and Megan were stunned—this was beyond the skill of any sixth or seventh year. Most Hogwarts students combined couldn't match this level of spell mastery.
Harry grew worried. These two were getting heated.
On the platform, dark clouds gathered around Cassandra, while purple flames ignited around Veratia.
Just as Harry feared, they were truly angry now.
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