- Suikoden belongs to Konami, Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. This is definitely only for our own entertainment. -


"Why did we have to do this on the roof?"

It was, for all intents and purposes, a normal day, a normal weekend, with the September sky overcast but benevolent enough to withhold its rain for the moment. They were at the top of North Tower in the wide open, circular space usually filled with students and telescopes during the midnight hours, empty now but for the twins facing off and Sarah sitting primly on Sinistra's bench watching.

"Expelliarmus!"

Sasarai's wand flew out of his hand and clattered to the stone several feet away, to a nearly perfect-timed burst of cheers from the distant quiddich pitch. Sarah glanced over the wall to see what was going on, but it was too distant to tell, and she was too hot to care. The air was thick and horrible, humid enough that her hair was still damp from the morning's shower. She was inclined to agree with Sasarai.

"We're here so no one will see you screw up." Luc, kind as always, flicked his wand and pointed it at his brother again, who was moving to retrieve his weapon. "Hurry up. You wouldn't have this luxury in a real duel."

"It isn't much better in the castle," she said, closing her book to watch. "And he's right, you know..." If he went into a duel this badly prepared, it would be the end of him.

Sasarai snatched up his wand and pointed it at his twin. "Well this isn't a real duel."

Luc's eyebrow quirked and he slashed his wand across between them. "Reducto!"

The older twin leapt out of the way and stumbled against the wall, aiming again and shouting, "Petrificus Totalis!" But his brother's shielding spell deflected it, and he had to move quickly to dodge his own curse.

"Any idiot can dodge, brother," Luc called acidly, dispelling the shield. "We're here to teach you how to duel, remember?"

Sasarai sighed sharply, let his arm drop to his side. Frustration was clearly etched in his expression, but when he replied, his voice was no less snappish. "That doesn't preclude moving around, does it? I'd be an idiot not to move too, so where does that leave me?"

"I wonder."

"Luc, please." Sarah turned her eyes up to the sky again, wishing it would rain and put an end to this session. The heavy, gray mist of clouds above them seemed ready to burst at any moment, yet rain did not appear to be forthcoming. "Can we just get on with this? The weather isn't going to be this pleasant forever." And sooner or later, the quidditch match would be over too, and their peaceful little retreat would be invaded by other students.

"Fine, fine. Velios!"

Sasarai countered with his own disarming charm and missed. Sarah bit her lip, and wished he would focus more on his shielding charms, and stop trying to score hits. Defending was just as important as attacking, and his spells thus far had not been very advanced. She knew well he did not study charms and curses much outside of the required work for class. It would be very obvious for anyone who cared to watch.

Another chorus of cheers distracted her from their next exchange, and she glanced over the wall again to see a flash of red score a goal - Gryffindor, of course. Quidditch wasn't terribly high on Sarah's list of Important Things, but it was her house playing the match today, and even if she didn't care, the rest of the school - mostly the Slytherins - wouldn't let her hear the end of it if they lost.

Not that anyone expected them to win today.

"Morsus!" Her gaze snapped back to the duel at Sasarai's shout and she winced as Luc threw a stunning spell and both found their targets. The elder twin collapsed and the other jerked back with a hiss of pain.

Sarah placed her book on the bench with a sigh and rose to approach Luc, pulling her wand out of her pocket. "Are you alright?" she asked when she reached him, bending to peer into his face. He hadn't been hit by many of Sasarai's spells, but stinging hexes could be quite nasty.

He shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. His wand clattered to the ground from fingers covered in red welts. "I didn't expect..."

"Compenso," she said softly, pointing her wand at him. "I don't think he realized the hex would be this brutal, or I doubt he'd have spent the time to learn it." Luc relaxed as she watched, but Sarah took his hand anyway to examine it and make sure the welts had faded. It seemed fine after a moment, but she couldn't see any other part of his body to compare it with. "Is it better? Can you feel anything else?" Would she have to use a true healing spell? There weren't many available to students.

"Better." He straightened, freeing his hand to shake it out with a wince.

"You should go easier on him." Sarah tapped her wand against her fingertips and cast a short glance over her shoulder at the other twin's crumpled form. "He isn't going to learn a thing if you keep asserting your superiority like this."

Luc scowled at her, bending to pick up his wand. "He should have learned this years ago. It's a little late now to 'go easy' on him." She lifted an eyebrow, and he met it with his own. "We don't have time, if we're supposed to be worried about the Dark Lord."

There was no little contempt in his last words. It made her wonder just what he thought about the matter; he never really elaborated on it, aside from assuring her he did not care. She knew well enough that not every Slytherin was a supporter of the Dark, but that did not mean he was safe. If only there were ways to change Houses - she would try to watch out for him there, or pull him to the safer companionship of the Ravenclaws.

"I still think," she continued after a moment of silence, "that you should be a little nicer about it. He isn't like you. He doesn't have the same motivations. Failure only discourages him."

He looked away and said nothing. After another lengthy pause, Sarah sighed again and turned on her heel to approach poor Sasarai and kneel at his side. He hadn't twisted when he fell, though after four stunning spells, she would be surprised if he woke up without a headache.

She, for one, was grateful they had chosen such an out-of-the-way place to conduct this lesson. Sasarai had a hard enough time dodging the ridicule of the other students without being seen like this. Luc had bested dozens of others aside from his brother, but Sasarai was easy to tease.

"Eneverate." He came to with a startled gasp, eyes wide, and Sarah slipped her hand under his head so it wouldn't fall to hit the stone again. "Are you okay?"

Sasarai nodded and struggled to sit up, hand already pressed to his forehead as he blinked owlishly at his brother. "Fine, I think." He twisted to reach his wand. "I'll be okay if you help me up."

"I really think you should take a break and rest." She did as he asked, linking her arm with his to pull him to his feet, but she didn't smile or give any other sign that she intended to tolerate this foolishness any longer. This plan had rubbed her wrong from the beginning. Luc knew what he was doing, but he wasn't a very good teacher when it came to his twin.

"No. I want to finish this." He shook her off and she sighed for what felt like the thousandth time, leveling a look at him before backing away a few steps. For once, he didn't seem to mind her disapproval.

"Luc-"

"This will be the last round, Sarah."

Well, that was something to be relieved about, though 'last round' didn't mean it would be easy by any means. Nor that this would be the last duel; they were determined to go through with this, that much was clear. Whether it was Sasarai's injured pride, his father's pressure, or simply some sadistic glee on Luc's part was not, however. She wouldn't put it past any of them.

She pressed her lips together. "Fine. But hurry up. The match isn't going to go on forever." Not with Potter on the field, it wouldn't. He had an uncanny talent for ending games quickly.

"Don't worry, Sarah." Sasarai offered her a swift smile, shaking his sleeves out and raising his wand. "I didn't expect him to make it easy. It's okay."

Luc was taking it easy, as out of character as it was for him. That was more worrisome than the number of hits Sasarai had taken, though that also concerned her. He would feel it tomorrow, if he didn't today. And if he considered this difficult, they had a long road ahead of them.

It seemed wise to take another several steps back when the twins shifted into duelling stance again. She watched, wand in hand, as Luc threw the first spell, and it seemed that it might be the last, but Sasarai managed to shield himself at the last second.

"It's about time," Luc commented in a drawl so similar to Malfoy's she wanted to smack him. "I thought Hufflepuff had dulled your reflexes beyond-"

"Reducto!"

"Protego!" Again, Luc shielded, but his smirk slipped and he abandoned insults to throw another curse, then another before his brother could recover from evading the last.

Sarah's grip on her wand tightened in anticipation of a blow, but again Sasarai cast a shielding spell, just barely in time to avoid his brother's curse. That one would have sent him to the hospital wing - clearly, Luc was not inclined to keep things easy. If Sasarai would only move a little faster, this wouldn't be so harrowing to watch.

He was normally so good with defense. Today had been a bad day for him.

"Implico!"

Sasarai twisted out if the way and his wand shot toward his brother's. "Orchideous!"

"Taranta-Ahh!" Luc dropped his wand as, in a burst of violet and white, flowers sprouted from the tip into full bloom. Sasarai laughed and lowered his wand, relaxing, but his brother's expression was one of disgust, once it seemed he stilled his shock.

The elder twin wandered over to look at his handiwork, stuffing his own wand back into his robes. "They are rather garish, aren't they?" he asked with a smile still playing over his lips, scratching his ear. "I could have chosen a better shade, but the spell does all."

Luc's expression was flat, his voice sharp. "I trust you can fix it."

"Ah, well..." Sasarai glanced at Sarah, and she shrugged, shaking her head. "There was no counter-curse in the book, but I'm sure it exists somewhere. I thought... maybe Sarah could..." he trailed off, wilting under his brother's glare as the flowers would under the beating summer sun. "Sorry."

"Sarah?" If she hadn't known better, she might have thought there was a hint of pleading in Luc's voice this time. They couldn't go to a teacher. Sinistra had given her blessing for their use of her tower, but she wouldn't appreciate being approached with this problem - technically, there were rules against unauthorized duelling.

"Fine," she muttered, walking toward them with her hand out. Somehow, this always happened. Sarah always had to fix things. They were lucky she didn't mind. "Give it here..."


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For Shadrad! ~ <3

That was random and senseless Latin, for those of you who aren't familiar with it.

I totally imagined Sasarai falling over the way he did in the game. ^^;