When the first meeting of the Hogwarts Dueling Club concluded, the air in the old ballroom still hummed faintly with lingering magic — the kind that clings to the walls like smoke after a battle.
Students filed out in breathless clusters, chattering about spells and Professor Thorne's theatrics, some stealing glances back at Cassius Snape with awe or fear.
Even the seventh-years had been shaken by the display — the "almost Killing Curse," as it was already being whispered in the corridors.
Cassius lingered near the dueling floor, watching the crowd thin.
Thorne dismissed the last group of students with a tired grin.
"Not bad for an opening act," he muttered, turning toward Snape, who was still watching Cassius with that unreadable expression of wary pride.
"You took a risk," Severus said quietly. "Too much of one."
When they finally left, the ballroom fell silent except for the faint crackle of extinguishing torches.
Cassius stood alone in the fading light, to others he was conducting visualization training, but really he was just trying to keep himself from bursting out into manical laughter.
The dueling club may have started thanks to Professor Thorne, but it was run how Cassius wanted it to be.
Using the Hogwarts house-elves, Cassius had switched out the original dueling club agreement for one of his own making.
The origional was a mere farce afterall, just simple tacit approval from all the students who attend to 'promise' to use what they learned for good.
But the replacement parchment, this was a magically binding contract, one that looked almost exactly like the origional save for a few secret clauses.
The agreement still stood that all signatories had the right to participate and learn from the dueling club, while agreeing to not use anything they learn within, against one another save for during classes, or sanctioned duels.
The terms were agreeable after all anyone would agree to gain power, but the hidden clause accounted for the brash nature of students.
Should a student break their promise, an imbeded spell would activate, an Obliviate charm, one that would upon activating wipe their memory of everything they learned during dueling club, instead being replaced with memories of doing some menial tasks instead.
"Mistress Draconis," he whispered.
The flames around him dimmed, as if the very air bowed in reverence.
A spectral shimmer rose before him — the faint silhouette of a woman, regal and distant, her features half-hidden in mist.
Her voice echoed like silk through water.
"My little dragon… your work proceeds well."
Cassius inclined his head. "Yes my lady, a fertile ground from which to raise up a proper generation of witches and wizards."
"And the conditions?"
"As we discussed," he said, touching the parchment with his wand tip. "One clause ensures obedience to the club rules. The second… prevents betrayal."
The specter tilted her head in approval.
Cassius had long since confided in the ghostly woman, sure there was the risk she would not agree with his views and report him preventing his rise from ever happening, but instead Lady Draconis upon hearing about what Cassius planned for the future couldnt help but become overjoyed.
Wizards had entered into hiding after her death, a move she felt was not the smartest choice.
By choosing to seperate themselves from the rest of the world, they indeed secured protection from muggles while being able to restrain those of their numbers who had a predilection to enslave muggles, lording their magical abilities over them.
For her, having Cassius at the forefront of a world-wide revolution bringing wizarding kind back into the open and once more merging magical and muggle realms together.
Not to suppress the muggles but instead to elevate them.
Humans afterall fear what they dont understand most of all, so what if they could be made to understand.
Made to know that magic wasnt outside of their reach, and all it would take as to submit willingly to the views of the young Cassius.
Not to rule as a darklord, but surely some would see him as such.
A soft knock echoed from the doorway.
Cho stood there, her hair loose, still in dueling robes.
"I thought you'd be gone by now," she said softly, stepping inside.
"I had… paperwork," Cassius replied smoothly.
Eyes scanning the room looking for the now absent Ghost lady.
Cho's eyes flicked toward the faint scorch marks still visible on the platform.
"You scared them half to death, you know."
"That was the point."
She frowned slightly.
"Cassius… do you really think it's wise to teach everyone? Even the ones who don't like you?"
"They won't use it against me," he said simply.
She studied him for a long moment, her brow furrowed. "You sound certain."
He turned to her then, the faintest smile on his lips. "Because they can't."
Cho tilted her head. "You did something, didn't you?"
Cassius only smiled wider. "Let's just say the club has… safeguards."
"Cassius—"
"Relax," he said gently, stepping past her toward the door. "No harm will come to anyone who honours the rules. I only wish to ensure no student here becomes a threat to themselves… or to me, since once they get a taste of power they will surely try to use it, and if theres one thing i cannot stand it is bullying."
There was a moment of silence before Cho sighed.
"You sound just like Professor Snape sometimes."
He paused at that, glancing back with an amused expression.
"C'mon, we'd best be getting back to the common room."
As they left the ballroom together, the torches dimmed behind them, snuffing out one by one until the room lay in complete shadow.
~
The next morning, the Great Hall was alive with chatter about the club.
Word of Cassius's duel with Professor Thorne had spread like wildfire.
Some called it reckless genius.
Others whispered he was dangerous — too powerful for his age, too calm about using forbidden incantations, even in jest.
Ron Weasley muttered loudly at breakfast,
"Bet he'd curse half the school if Dumbledore let him."
Seamus shot him a glare. "He's teaching people how to defend themselves, Ron."
"Yeah, sure," Ron scoffed. "Defense. Until he decides to start attacking for real."
Across the hall, Cassius sat with Cho and even a few other house members, quietly sipping a hot cocoa ignoring the noise around them.
The small clatch was formed thanks in part to Cho, her friends from her year in Ravenclaw, but Cassius didnt mind, the Draconis Commonroom might be restricted, but sharing a table with a bunch of girls?
No the worst thing in the world, espeically since they followed Cho's lead in praising him, and his actions during the dueling club meeting the day before.
It might have been 'cheating' in a sense, but
Thinking i'd attack students?
No way..., well not unless they attack me first, self-defense is perfectly fine in my mind.