Dueling for Salem

"You really don't know anything, do you?" Filius asked as he made them all take seats in his chambers. "Aurelius and Athena have quite the history."

"He was the head teacher while she was principal," Myra said weakly, though she knew it wasn't what Filius was looking for.

"Do you think I'm really your uncle?"

"Of course you aren't. You're our mother's uncle."

Filius looked at them all with surprise. "Did she tell you that?" He paced about the small room, picking up books off the small tables and bookshelf. "Look through these."

One of the volumes was old and dusty. When Myra, sitting in the middle, opened it, they saw that it was actually a scrapbook of sorts, holding stories from newspapers in the 1940s. "Filius Flitwick defeats Igor Karkaroff for the Dueling Championship," "Flitwick International Champion Again," "Flitwick Undefeated for Entire Dueling Season," and some silly human-interest stories: "Small Wizard, Big Power," "Diminutive Filius Flitwick Reaches Children for Dueling."

"You dueled?" JP asked excitedly, though she didn't know what this display had to do with anything.

"Yes, I dueled for years, until I became a professor and training became less pragmatic. I forgot about dueling for almost a decade until I read this." He handed them a second volume, this one beginning with a story from an American paper. "Surprise Upset: 13-year-old Athena Gault Defeats 17-year-old Favorite for Junior U.S. Dueling Championship."

JP gasped and turned the page. All of the articles concerned their mother, more than thirty years ago. "When I heard of her," Filius continued, "I brought her over here every summer for the rest of her education and trained her. By the time she was seventeen and qualified for the adult international competition, she was undefeatable."

"Former Champion Flitwick Speaks Out on New Trainee," the headlines read. "Junior Champion to Compete Internationally," "Filius Flitwick's Second to Duel for Herself."

"She dueled?" JP practically shrieked.

"And she won. Four years in a row, she was the undisputed champion. Every year, she went against Aurelius Exeter for the U.S. championship, and every year she defeated him easily. Eventually, being ten years older than Athena, he grew tired of it, and found a coach of his own - my former rival, Igor Karkaroff. Karkaroff was a dark wizard, involved in the first war against Voldemort. When Exeter came to the championship, he knew more dark magic than any wizard in the country, and he was determined to win. What he didn't realize is that dark magic does not automatically lead to success. He was defeated again, and others became suspicious of him when Karkaroff was arrested after the war. It seems he has never forgiven her for the defeat, or indeed, for being named principal of Salem over him when he had more experience."

"17 Year Old Athena Gault Defeats Previous Champion Aurelius Exeter," "Gault World Champion Again," "Undefeated International Dueler Speaks on Coach Filius Flitwick," and finally, "Champion Dueler Gault Retires, age 22, to Teach Charms."

"So you're telling me that this is based on a thirty year old grudge?" Jared asked, watching Filius' expression, which had grown distant and nostalgic.

"Jared, you'd be surprised at how much of magic is based on thirty year old grudges."

JP was practically jumping out of her chair to ask Filius her question. "Uncle Filius, why won't she let me duel?"

"Well that, Joan, is another story entirely."

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Thea and Clive sat on Troy's worn-down sofa, drinking tea out of chipped mugs and eating sandwiches on stale bread. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't expecting anyone," Troy had said over and over.

Thea had changed into some of Troy's women's clothing, and she felt strange in tight jeans and a sweater, though she had often dressed as a non-magic person in the past. They had watched TV for the past hour, and Thea was starting to slip into a half-asleep apathy. The reality of the day's events was beginning to hit her. She felt responsible for everything; maybe if she had just told Armistead where the placed wizards were, he would have recalled them without exposing everyone. The possibility didn't actually seem likely, but she couldn't help but wonder. She also worried that a fight was quickly becoming necessary. Taking back the school was the right thing to do, but she had not dueled for years, and had never fought in a real battle.

Troy was in the kitchen, calling Jared's phone over and over. "It won't work if he's in a magic place," Clive called as an explanation. He gave up and called Holt, Wheeler, Wyatt, and Brown several times, but no one was at the office to tell him whether James Holt was safe. "Troy, sit by us," Clive said. "I feel like I don't even know you."

Troy sat on the arm of the sofa, looking over Jared's parents, one of whom was in his drag clothes. "There's not much to say, but I might as well be honest. I'm a law student and a drag queen."

"How long have you been with Jared?"

"Since September."

"I'm sorry we haven't met. You must think we're terrible people."

Troy shook his head. "No, Jared hasn't met my parents either. And he probably won't."

Clive and Thea fell silent, turning back to "Wizard Watch."

"Professor McFarland, may I ask you a question?"

"You don't have to call me that," Thea said. "I think we're past that stage already."

"They said you were the most powerful wizard in America. How do they know that? Is there a rank?"

"Not really. I was a dueling champion in my early twenties. I think it's just a label men like Aurelius Exeter have put on me to make me more dangerous on the news."

"And this man is your nemesis?" Troy said with a laugh.

"That's one way to put it. We were dueling rivals, and I usually defeated him. Actually, I always defeated him."

"And he's mad at you for that?"

"Among other things."

"Well, if you're more powerful, can't you fight him?"

"That was thirty years ago. And I've never actually fought in a war."

"There haven't been any."

"Not that you've seen." Thea stared off, across the room, her guilt returning with the possibility of another war. "There have been two wizard wars in my lifetime. The first happened while I was in England." She knew she didn't have to tell the story, but saying it out loud felt necessary. "There was a wizard who called himself Lord Voldemort, and he was undoubtedly the darkest, most evil man of our age. Everyone had to take sides, and Filius was a major part of the war. I knew I should fight; I had been spending every summer in England and was the most skilled dueler in the world. But Filius gave me a choice and I opted to leave. He paid one of their spies to smuggle me out of the country. After that, I gave up dueling. What good is being able to fight if you won't?"

Troy nodded slowly, and Clive even looked surprised. "Thea, that was a long time ago," he said. "This is a totally new situation. No black magic, no Dark Lords..."

"Not yet. Aurelius Exeter was trained by a dark wizard, and they are on a quest for power."

The discussion was interrupted by the appearance of Octavius Armistead on the TV screen. "Secretary Armistead, thank you for joining us," the anchor said. "You are the leader of the wizards, and you have something to say to the nation."

"Yes, thank you." He was dressed in non-magical clothing, a gesture he would normally have found far beneath him. "I am the leader of an organization who call themselves the 'Witches and Wizards.' I mean to tell you that we, as a formal, recognized organization, mean no harm to any citizens of this country. This is a noble group, a secret society of members who are devoted to upright living and scientific and technological discovery. Historically, we have made no claims to fairytale magic; we have used the term 'wizard' to denote progress beyond normal human ability, much the same way that Benjamin Franklin may be considered a wizard. The threat lies in people who have taken our doctrines and perverted them, turning our noble work into a religious and cultish farce, parading about claiming magical powers, and hiding members of our society in communities all across the country.

"I am here tonight to make an appeal to the American people. Please do not fear the officials who are inspecting the country for hidden members of our society. Aid them in any way possible. Watch for those who attempt to fight or to run. Turn them in. Help us to save our organization and the livelihood of this country. Thank you."

"Thank you, Mr. Secretary. On that note, the Threat Level in this country has been raised to Orange while several members of this society are at large. The most wanted of these criminals is Athena McFarland, who escaped from custody earlier today. McFarland is considered armed and highly dangerous. Also missing is her husband, Dr. Clive McFarland, who is not part of the Wizards, but whose whereabouts are unknown. Any information on either of these suspects..."

Thea and Clive looked at each other. "You sure you still want to be part of this?" Clive asked Troy.

"I'm sure. This isn't fair. They don't understand you. It's a witch hunt."

"Literally."

"What do we do?" Troy asked, looking between them.

"I don' t know," Thea said. "We have no support. All of the Aurors have turned against us. The professors may be armed, but they're outnumbered and surrounded. Magical people are in custody or in hiding, or they side with Armistead. Non-magic parents and relatives are probably terrified. We can't appeal to the public. We're freaks at best."

"That may actually be helpful."

"How so?"

"You're not the only freaks in this country."