Chapter 82 — The First Bout
Chapter 82: The First Bout
"Greg."
I nodded to the Auror who had come to the box with his small daughter.
"And you must be Gretta?"
"Mm."
The little girl stared at me with enormous eyes, all but unable to move, both hands twisting the fabric of her dress.
"My name is Draco. Very pleased to meet you."
"Me too."
The tiny squeak from her was enough to provoke severe fits of excessive goodwill in every adult present, including her own father.
"Allow me to introduce..."
I introduced everyone in the box, then suggested a photograph, which Gretta received with enormous enthusiasm.
On the back of the wizarding photo, as is customary, words appeared: To young duelist Gretta Schulz, from Draco Black, with every good wish. Remember: never turn back from the path you've chosen. In the photograph itself, I not only had her settled in the crook of my right arm but was spinning my wand with my left, making small fox ears appear on top of her head.
When she looked at it, all she could do was squeak and hide behind her father's back.
"Thank you, Mr Black."
He smiled and extended his hand, which I shook warmly.
"Best of luck in the tournament, and to you as well, Miss Delacour."
"Thank you."
Fleur was reserved, but she accepted his good wishes with a smile.
Greg and his daughter left after that. I had offered to let them stay, and Gretta had clearly wanted to, but the Auror plainly didn't want to impose on two families as prominent as the Blacks and the Delacours, so he made his excuses promptly.
Jean, for his part, took Fleur's signing of the betrothal agreement in relatively good stride: he gave her a mild scolding for being hasty, but in truth he had already seen this coming.
"Draco."
Apolline had decided to speak with me. She had spent the entire previous day in a state of happy celebration. Her elder daughter had acquired a fine match, and now, it seemed, she was ready to talk.
"Yes?"
"Tell me, could you take in part of the coven? I know you've been purchasing houses and..."
"Don't expect to be given a great deal of space."
I shook my head.
"But I could allocate five three-bedroom flats to the coven."
Apolline pressed her lips together.
"Don't react like that."
I shook my head.
That is actually quite a lot. Any wizard with a working knowledge of spatial expansion could turn each room into a full three-bedroom flat in terms of floor area, and a skilled one could turn each into three separate flats.
Apolline relaxed slightly.
"In that case... that works out to..."
"Forty-five three-bedroom flats. If you're not extravagant and go with two-bedroom layouts..."
I shook my head.
"I understand that you're used to different arrangements in the coven."
"What if I told you we need ten flats, and that some of us would be happy to convert part of the space into growing areas for potions ingredients?"
I glanced briefly at Bella and Cissy.
"It's your call, son."
"It's not really my decision."
I shook my head.
"Are you still planning to buy more houses?"
"Yes, at least ten more are being bought out gradually, though some residents are being stubborn. If necessary, a little persuasion could be applied. But as you said, only as a last resort."
I nodded and turned back to Apolline.
"In that case, I'm prepared to give you an entire house."
She looked at me in considerable surprise.
"On the condition that you take on not only plant ingredients, but some animals as well. I'll cover the cost of converting the flats and of bringing in the very best spatial-expansion wizards, so the house will offer as much space as all of your coven's land in France combined. And if you're also willing to take on partial responsibility for supplying the quarter with food..."
"I'll need to speak with the Elders."
Apolline clearly had not expected this approach.
"Am I right in thinking you want to draw the entire coven to your side?"
"You are."
I nodded.
"Though for now that won't be entirely straightforward, and living in Britain will not be entirely comfortable, given that certain politicians simply don't understand when to act and in which direction."
"I've heard. Even so, there are girls in the coven who would come to Britain right now if asked. They'd wear a collar bearing your family's crest just to keep people from bothering them."
I raised an inquiring eyebrow at Apolline.
"Simply because everyone already knows you're reasonable enough. And once you take my daughter as your wife, you'll have the recognition of the Veela of France, just as Jean once earned their recognition and support."
The man let out a small snort.
"A pity we never managed to get him to become Minister. Then there would be no need to think about moving, but that's no longer relevant."
"Calling the first combatants in the junior age group, eleven to twelve! First combatant: Andrei Uralov, from Russia!"
The applause for the boy was sparse.
I glanced over and watched a lad make his way toward the dueling platform looking distinctly unhappy about it. And fair enough: he had drawn me in the first round.
"His opponent: last year's dark horse, this year's favorite, the reigning champion, Draco Black, Great Britain!"
I gave a nod to everyone in the box, made my way out, and arrived at the dueling platform without hurrying.
"This year the rules have been amended slightly. Permitted movement has been reduced by half."
The referee ran through the restrictions placed on competitors, and only once he had finished did he invite us up onto the platform.
I walked calmly to the center and extended my hand. My opponent was somewhat at a loss, but that didn't stop him from making his way woodenly to the center and extending his in return.
"Don't be nervous. Show me everything you've got."
"Right, as if I've got anything to show you."
"None of that."
I shook my head.
"Just do your best. I've also placed certain restrictions on myself this year, so you'll have a real chance to demonstrate what you can do."
The boy sighed. We let go of each other's hands, turned, and walked to our starting positions. We turned back to face each other and bowed.
"First bout begins in three... two... one... start!"
A combination of spells flew at me immediately. The boy was good, well-trained, with evident dedication. I could almost have paused to appreciate his attacking sequence, if I hadn't been busy meeting it with counterspells: some I broke apart, others I caught on the tip of my wand and sent back.
Fighting this way was not easy, but as I had told the boy, the restrictions I had placed on myself were not intended to demean my opponents. They were for my own growth.
Spell by spell I dismantled his attacks without moving from my starting position, while he was forced to dodge his own spells, which I had lightly amplified before returning them to him.
He simply couldn't keep it up indefinitely. One more Stunning Spell, caught on the tip of my wand, flew back and struck him squarely in the center of his chest.
"Stop! Winner: Draco Black! And once again he has shown us something extraordinary!"
The referee announced my victory and couldn't resist adding commentary.
I had already removed the spell from my opponent and was offering him my hand.
"Thank you."
He gave a short nod.
"You were good. I think next year you'll have every chance of making the semi-finals, possibly even the final."
"Thank you."
The boy clearly hadn't expected those words. We stepped down from the platform and went our separate ways. Shortly afterwards, once the first round of the junior qualifying bouts was complete, Fleur was called for her first duel.
She won easily. And she showed exactly the same weaknesses she had displayed last year, even though I knew she had worked on them.
"Cunning."
I shook my head when she returned to the box and we settled in to watch the rest of the day's bouts.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Of course not."
I nodded along as though I believed every word, though in reality I didn't much mind either way. Given her level, there was a fair chance we would meet in the cross-group bout at the end of the tournament. I knew her abilities, just as she knew mine, and she knew I was stronger, given that we had sparred a number of times over the past year since we'd met. But that didn't stop her from hoping to win.
If it had, I would have been disappointed in her.
"So then, what are our plans for this evening?"
When the last bouts of the day were done, I directed the question at Fleur and Penny.
"A restaurant?"
They said it simultaneously and in almost the same uncertain tone.
"That works."
I nodded, and the three of us headed off to find somewhere to eat. Honestly, somewhere in the back of my mind I half-expected trouble, much as had happened last year, but what I did not expect was for Luna to come bouncing across the restaurant floor towards our table.
"Hello, Draco."
She stopped at our table and looked at us.
"Penny. Fleur."
I was genuinely surprised she knew Fleur's name, though I didn't dwell on it.
"Luna."
I nodded to her.
"What brings you here? I thought you and Ginny had both turned down our invitation."
"Well..."
Luna tugged at her Radish earring and looked thoughtfully at Ginny and Mr Lovegood, who were making their way towards us.
"Ginny's parents wouldn't allow her to accept your invitation. So I asked Father to arrange a trip of our own."
"I see."
I glanced briefly at Fleur and Penny: both gave me a small nod.
"You're welcome to join us, if you'd like."
"I'd like that."
Luna sat down, which left Ginny and Mr Lovegood without much choice in the matter.
"Mr Black."
"Mr Lovegood."
We nodded to each other, after which Luna's father lost interest in us entirely. The girls fell into conversation, though Ginny was a little self-conscious at first. Eventually she joined in properly and stopped giving one-word answers.
The dinner together was genuinely pleasant, and when we left, I invited them to join us in the box. Then Fleur, Penny, and I set off on a more private outing.
An evening walk through Berlin was a thoroughly agreeable way to spend the time. We strolled through the streets talking, not paying particular attention to anyone around us, which was made considerably easier by the sheer number of Aurors. They were patrolling everywhere, and not only Aurors: ordinary Muggle officers were out in force as well, and that struck me as significant. It seemed the Muggle authorities were already reacting to encounters with the dark creatures coming through the rifts.
Which meant there was hope.
A chance to survive and adapt. In fact, I should think about having our mothers purchase surplus weapons from the Crown. It would support the manufacturing sector and give us our own supply, and if those weapons were enchanted…
"What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing really."
I shook my head.
"I saw the Muggle patrols and started thinking we ought to buy some conventional weapons from the Crown. A wand isn't always the most effective tool, especially in the hands of someone who's barely been trained."
"Their weapons are just as useless in untrained hands."
Fleur shrugged.
"True."
I agreed.
"But teaching thirty combat spells strikes me as harder than teaching someone to pull a trigger."
"Hm. I ought to try shooting one of their weapons. Just to understand what I'd be working with."
Fleur watched a Muggle police officer pass, thoughtful, and then we walked on. By the time ten o'clock approached, we turned back towards the hotel. We had an early start for the tournament.
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