Saving Miss Granger (Small Edit)

Chapter 22 ~ A Glove in the Hand…

Supper in the Great Hall found everyone present but Severus and Minerva, who was off to Hogsmeade with most of the students. Marcus, who was enjoying a rare steak, looked down the table at Hermione and had the nerve to waggle his bushy eyebrows at her. Hermione gave him a black look and picked over her salad. Albus was watching Marcus with a sober expression on his face. The wizard was incorrigible.

The Headmaster was just wondering where the Potions Master was when the staff door was flung open and the wizard entered, immaculately decked out in dress robes and wearing a pair of black leather gloves, one of which he began to remove as he strode past his chair and down the dais, Hermione watching him with wide eyes. He stopped next to Marcus who looked up at him.

“THWACK!”

Severus slapped him in the face with the glove, his dark eyes glittering. Marcus was on his feet in an instant.

“I formerly challenge you to a duel, Mr. Delaluci,” the Potions Master said as Marcus rubbed his reddened cheek. “For the exclusive right to court Miss Hermione Granger.”

The DA teacher scowled. Severus had given him quite a slap with that glove. Suddenly Marcus threw a right cross, which the Potions Master easily slipped, a small smirk on his pale face.

“I accept,” Marcus growled. “Just tell me where and when.”

He was miffed he had missed the wizard with his retaliatory blow. Snape was quick. To swing at him again wouldn’t be honorable. Marcus was a beast for the most part, but could act honorably if required to. And this situation required it…at least until it came to the actual duel.

Severus looked at Albus.

“I claim the right to an open duel with Cuttlesbury Rules, Headmaster,” he said to the old wizard who nodded.

“Very well, Severus…your request has been duly noted. Do you agree, Marcus?” he asked the wizard, whose violet eyes rested on the Potions Master angrily.

“I’m in, whatever rules. You’re going to fry, Snape,” he seethed at the wizard.

“Just be prepared to put your wand where your mouth is, Mr. Delaluci,” Severus said, replacing his glove and striding past Hermione and out the door.

The entire staff and remaining student body were silent with shock as they looked after the wizard. Then every eye turned on Hermione, who blushed furiously.

“Marcus, since Severus initiated Cuttlesbury Rules, you have the option of setting the date and time. The place is already established,” Albus said to the blonde wizard, who sat back down, scowling blackly at Hermione.

The little bitch must have gone to the Potions Master and told him everything. He had underestimated her. She wasn’t willing to take the high hard one from him just on his claim he could beat the wizard. He had been sure she would do the Gryffindor song and dance. Shit.

Hermione might have gone that route if she hadn’t talked to Dumbledore first and tried to handle the situation on her own. But one thing she learned from dealing with Harry and Ron was to find someone to tell when there was trouble brewing. She trusted the Headmaster and had done the wise thing in this case.

“Fine,” Marcus said, turning his violet eyes on the Headmaster, “A week from today around this time. Now what are Cuttlesbury Rules?” he asked.

“No lethal hexes are cast during the duel. Only those designed to impair. The arena you will be dueling in has a charm on it that works somewhat like a temporary Wizarding Oath. When combatants enter, they are instantly placed under its influence and cannot cast deadly spells,” the Headmaster said, smirking a bit as the wizard’s face darkened.

Hermione stared at the Headmaster. Arena? What arena?

”In addition it is not an ordinary arena. There are a number of pillars and mounds which you can utilize for your attacks and defense. The duel is over when one combatant can no longer cast spells. Then a geis comes down that cements the loser to honor the terms of the duel. In the event that you or Severus win, the loser will not be able to approach Miss Granger with the intent of courting or intimacy. Ever,” Albus said soberly.

Marcus smiled at this. He could get his vengeance after all. Hermione might not ever accept him in her bed, but he could make it so Snape couldn’t have her either. He grinned evilly in the witch’s direction.

“That suits me just fine, Headmaster,” he said, his eyes on Hermione, who was looking at him with horror.

Marcus was as vindictive as they came. If he had attended Hogwarts, he would have definitely been in Slytherin.

The wizard returned to his meal as the staff and students talked in hushed tones about the duel, glancing at Hermione from time to time. The witch gave it all of ten minutes, then left the Great Hall. Marcus rose and followed her, Albus frowning after him.

Marcus didn’t waste any time catching up to the witch.

“So, you decided to tell him, eh?” the wizard said, glowering down at Hermione as she continued to walk quickly, “And fixed it so I couldn’t kill him. Maybe you should have been in Slytherin instead of Gryffindor witch. But it won’t matter. If you’re going to get in any fucking with him, I suggest you start now and try to embed it in memory. Because next Saturday…you’re going to lose him forever,” the wizard said with an ugly smirk before turning off and heading for the DA corridor.

Hermione watched the wizard stalk away angrily. He was wrong. She hadn't planned this. She knew nothing about the Cuttlesbury Rules of Dueling or any enchanted dueling arena. Obviously Severus had talked to the Headmaster…but Albus looked just as surprised at the Potions Master’s entry and subsequent challenge as Hermione did.

Hermione felt a little pulse in her belly as she remembered how the wizard declared the duel was for “the right to court her exclusively” in front of the entire school. Oh, the gossip that was going to go on now. The proximity of their rooms wasn’t going to help a bit. And of course it would get back to Harry and Ron, both of whom would be up in arms that Snape would make such a declaration, and then be horrified to find out the witch was actually interested in having a relationship with the wizard.

Gods, Severus had slapped Marcus hard with that glove. It must have been very satisfying to the wizard. Hermione wouldn’t have minded taking a whack at the blonde wizard herself, preferably with a Quidditch bat.

Hermione paused at the entrance to the dungeon corridor, then turned around. She needed to check something out.

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Madame Pince was happily re-cataloguing the Restricted Section when Hermione walked into the library and gave her a precursory wave as she went straight to the book catalogue. She pulled open the “C” drawer.

“Cuttlesbury…Cuttlesbury,” she said, leafing through the cards.

She found several books and wrote the reference numbers down on a piece of parchment, then located them on the shelves. Carrying an armload of tomes, she sat down at the nearest table and began to read.


Cuttlesbury, Augustus b.1487 – d.1676
Father of the Cuttlesbury Rules of Dueling.

Hermione found out that Augustus Cuttlesbury was an aristocrat who lost two sons, several friends and numerous acquaintances to wizarding duels in which they were called out by wizards far superior in skill. At that time, dueling was also being used as a tool of assassination, wizards being hired by enemies to call out and kill individuals they wanted out of the way for one reason or another. After a long and unsuccessful campaign to make dueling illegal, Cuttlesbury instituted the Cuttlesbury Rules, a method of dueling where a wizard won by defeating his opponent, rather than killing him, supported by a spell to insure the rules were followed.

It was an idea whose time had come, and simply had to be invoked by one of the combatants. The other could then set the time and place of the match. In addition, the area where the duel was held was to provide cover and the combatants were allowed to move about the arena, rather than pace off and stand stationary as spells were fired. This was done in order to give less skillful wizards a sporting chance of winning. It was also called “The Gentleman’s Duel.” The loser of the duel was then magically bound to honor whatever the terms of the duel were. In this case, it was not to pursue or be intimately involved with her.

Hermione’s blood ran a little cold at the thought of this. What if Severus didn’t win? She could never be with him. And Marcus was determined that she wouldn’t be.

The witch sighed. This was awful.

Severus just had to win. He just had to.

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The Potions Master returned to his rooms and removed his leather gloves. It had been quite satisfying to strike the surprised Marcus. Severus would have enjoyed it more if he used his fists, but that would have undoubtedly caused a brawl in the Great Hall. The brawling could wait until the duel itself. The combatants weren’t limited to using spells. They could physically attack each other as well. Severus hoped he would get the opportunity to knock out a few of the wizard’s teeth.

He loosened the collar of his dress robes and prepared himself a firewhiskey, carrying it from the small bar in the corner of his study to the armchair resting in front of the fire. He took a sip and grimaced a bit as the fiery liquid slid down his throat, warming him. His dark eyes rested on the flame for a bit. By challenging Marcus he had done the honorable thing by Hermione, but was also taking a great risk. If the DA teacher bested him, he would lose the witch forever…regulated to being nothing more than an acquaintance for the rest of their lives. The Potions Master’s eyes narrowed resolutely.

He would not lose to Marcus. Hermione was too precious to lose.

Severus had quite an arsenal of both defensive and offensive spells, but wasn’t going to take any chances. Tomorrow evening and every evening until the duel, he planned on brushing up on his skills in the Room of Requirement. He might even visit the ROR at Order Headquarters. That room generated opponents from the mind of the trainee. He could blast Marcus to hell as much as he liked there, though the golem would be only a basic construct. If he were familiar with Marcus’ fighting skills, the golem would be much more challenging. But he had to work with what was available.

He wasn’t worried about Marcus’ knowledge of the Dark Arts. The Potions Master could have taught that class as well, if not better than the wizard. He was prepared to face whatever Marcus threw at him. He was prepared to win.

The wizard took another sip of his firewhiskey, his mind turning towards Hermione and how close he came to whisking her away to his bed this afternoon. He wouldn’t have asked her. Just taken her.

His cock throbbed powerfully.

“Soon,” he thought at it, draining his glass and setting it down on the small table next to the armchair.

As far as Hermione went, the wizard had made the decision that Friday night would be the night he took her…after their date. He knew exactly what he was going to do to wipe the memories of Lucius and Marcus from the witch’s mind. He would make his preparations Thursday night and have his room ready for her when they returned. By the time Severus finished with Hermione, the only man she’d want embedded in her psyche and her body would be him. Uncreative indeed.

The wizard growled in the back of his throat at the thought of her erroneous assessment of his sexual prowess. He would correct that perception thoroughly. Last night Hermione proved she was quite limber when they tangoed and she had liked his roughness during the dance.

Both qualities would come in handy, to be sure.

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A/N: Wow, a duel with Cuttlesbury Rules. Ought to be interesting. And Friday night is to be The Night. Mmm mmm. Hope the week goes fast, don’t you? Anyway, please review.