The Talisman of Monguk

Chapter 3: Dueling Lessons

On the next Saturday, Angela arrived at Grimmauld Place promptly at three o'clock. She was carrying the picnic hamper. Remus Lupin met her at the door.

"Hi, Angela," he said quietly. "You're right on time."

"Hello," she replied. "Where should I put this?" She held up the basket.

"Take it down to the kitchen and then come back up. We'll have our lesson in the drawing room."

Walking down the corridor towards the kitchens, she brushed against a pair of tatty curtains hanging against the wall in the middle of the hall. She had seen them many times before, but had just assumed that they covered the entrance to yet another room. She was totally unprepared for what happened next. As the curtains fluttered aside, she glimpsed a rotted hand lurking behind them. It was so close to her that Angela startled and screamed. She sprang away from the drapes, flattening herself in fear against the far wall. The curtains burst open, revealing a drooling old hag with a wild expression. When it saw Angela and Lupin, it began to shriek, "Filthy half-blood, dirty half-breed, scum, slime get out of my house." Lupin quickly pulled out his wand, stunned the old woman, and forced the curtain shut. The hag had stopped screaming, but Angela was visibly shaken.

"Sorry. It's just an old portrait. We've been trying to take it down for over a year now. They used a Permanent Sticking Charm. Are you all right?"

"Yes, I think so," Angela replied, but her heart was still pounding.

She hurried to the kitchens and back up as quickly as she could. When she passed the curtains on the way back, she shuddered. This house looked gloomy even on meeting nights when it was filled with people. When it was empty, it was even creepier. She was relieved to find Lupin waiting for her in the hallway.

The drawing room was a large room with high ceilings. It had long green curtains in the windows and a huge worn tapestry against one wall. Angela walked over to the tapestry to take a closer look. Although it was faded, she could still make out the writing on it. It depicted the Black family tree and was emblazoned with the motto "Toujours Pur."

"Forever pure," Angela repeated to herself. Clearly, this house had belonged to a pureblood wizard family and, from the looks of it, a Dark one.

"Shall we begin?" asked Lupin, rousing her from her reverie.

"Sure," she replied.

"Let's start with a short duel to see where you are. We'll limit it to two curses - a Stinging Hex and a Shielding Charm." He looked around. "Perhaps we'll need more room."

"Not a problem," Angela said.

She whispered a charm and flicked her wand. All the furniture in the room melted into the walls. The room was now empty except for the curtains, a threadbare carpet, and the tapestry.

"Nice trick," said Lupin with a smile. "Right then," he continued. "Are you ready?"

"I'm ready," she said with an apprehensive sigh.

They stood back to back, walked ten paces apart, and then turned to face each other with their wands drawn.

"Begin on the count of three. One...Two...Three."

Beams of light emerged from their wands. Angela dodged the spell aimed at her and it hit the wall behind her leaving a hole in the plaster. She aimed a Stinging Hex back at Lupin that he met easily with a Shielding Charm. The two spells collided in midair and disappeared. In fact, almost all their exchanges ended the same way with Angela nimbly ducking most of the curses sent at her and Lupin expertly disabling all of the curses aimed at him. This continued for several minutes until Angela was hit on her wrist with a Stinging Hex that she just could not escape.

"Ouch!" she cried, rubbing her sore wrist.

"Let me see," said Lupin.

He walked toward her and examined her wrist. Her arm sported a huge welt where the curse had hit. He tapped the welt with his wand and it disappeared. Angela fingered the spot where the welt had been. Her arm was completely restored.

Then Lupin surveyed the room with a look of bewilderment, eyeing the now pockmarked walls behind Angela. He scratched his head, thinking hard.

"Hopeless, isn't it?" Angela said sadly.

Seeing her crestfallen expression, he replied kindly, "No, not hopeless. We just need to make a few adjustments." He ran his hand through his hair absently. "Now, let's see. We'll start with your stance. You were standing facing me squarely, leaving yourself completely open. Now, if you turn your body a little to the side, you'll be less exposed. In this position, it's also easier to move forward or backward to attack or retreat."

"Oh, you mean, like a 'neutral bow' stance," she exclaimed.

"A what?"

Angela assumed a Muggle fighting position with her right wand hand forward.

"Yes, that's it!" replied Lupin.

"Second, you're ducking all the spells. That's not the best strategy. It's far better to block a curse with a Shielding Charm whenever possible. That disables the blow. Why is it better to block a spell than to avoid it?" he asked.

Angela thought for a minute and replied, "Well, I suppose that the spell could hit an object behind me and rebound back on me."

"Exactly," he said. "Or you could be hit by heavy objects dislodged by the curse."

As if to underscore his point, a sizeable chunk of plaster fell from the ceiling above and almost landed on Angela. She jumped back out of its path just in time. It smashed on the carpet, raising clouds of dust.

"You do have amazingly quick reflexes. That's your greatest strength," chuckled Lupin.

Angela gave him a most peculiar look. "Did you plan that?"

"No," he replied honestly. "But it did illustrate my point nicely."

He waved his wand at the gaping hole in the ceiling and uttered a Repairing Charm. The plaster reassembled itself and flew back up to fill the hole.

"Are you ready to try again?" he asked Angela.

She nodded.

"This time I'd like you to try blocking each curse with a Shielding Charm, then attack with a Stinging Hex. Remember block, then attack."

They assumed their dueling positions and began sparring. This time, Angela did better. She blocked many more of the Stinging Hexes. Then she followed her parries with Stinging spells as instructed. Still, she could not overcome her instinct to evade the spells rather than blocking them. After several minutes, Lupin stopped the duel.

"That was much better," he encouraged. "But you still have a tendency to dodge the spells. How can we change that?" He thought for a minute or two. "I know. Let's try this. I'd like you to stand here in a dueling stance."

Angela stood where instructed. He waved his wand at her shoes and they stuck fast to the floor. Lupin then conjured cushions on the floor all around her.

"Now I'm going to aim Stinging Hexes to either side of you and I want you to try and block them. I promise I won't aim any directly at you. The pillows will protect you if you lose your balance. All right?" He walked twenty paces from her, turned, and said, "Ready?"

Angela nodded and the exercise started. For the first couple of tries, she flinched and attempted to move away from the spells hurtling toward her, almost losing her balance. But shortly thereafter, she began to relax and started aiming Shielding Charms at the incoming curses. Her first few blocks flew wide of their mark and a couple of the Stinging Hexes hit her arm. Gradually, she began to improve and, by the end of the lesson, she was successfully blocking most of the Stinging Hexes that Lupin shot at her.

"That's enough for today," Lupin said.

He strode to her side and waved his wand, vanishing the cushions and releasing her shoes from the floor. "Now, let's see that arm."

Angela held out her arm. It was covered with about a dozen welts. As before, he tapped her arm with his wand and the welts magically healed.

"You did very well today," he said with an encouraging smile.

"That was the best Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson I've ever had," she gushed. "Harry was right. You are good."

"I don't know about that," Lupin replied modestly.

Then he continued, "For homework, kindly read the first two chapters of Wizard Dueling Basics. I'd like an essay describing the ten most common dueling spells and how to defend against them. About twelve inches of parchment should be sufficient. I have the book for you downstairs."

"Homework?" she protested.

"Of course," he answered. "Besides, it will replace next week's lesson. I won't be able to make it. I'm busy. We'll resume our lessons in two weeks, so you'll have plenty of time for that assignment."

"Oh, all right," she replied. "Well, I suppose we should put this room back in order."

Lupin waved his wand and repaired the holes in the plaster. Angela waved hers and the furniture reappeared in the room exactly as it had been when they began. Then Angela and Lupin made their way downstairs to kitchen for dinner.

Once in the kitchen, Angela started unpacking her picnic hamper. She pulled out some sausages to grill, a loaf of fresh bread, a fruit and custard tart, and a covered baking dish that was still hot.

"What's for dinner?" asked Lupin with a peek in the dish. "It certainly smells good."

"It's a Mediterranean dish," she explained. "Baked tomatoes, peppers, and other summer vegetables stuffed with a mixture of rice, cheese, and herbs. It's nice for the summer when you can get lots of fresh vegetables. I have cookbooks from all over, but I especially like the recipes from Italy, Greece, and the south of France. I hope that you like it."

"Do you travel much?" he asked.

"Hardly at all," she answered. "But my cousin has traveled all over the world and she sends me cookbooks from the places that she visits."

Angela busied herself in the kitchen. She lit a fire in the huge fireplace, set up a small grill, and started preparing the sausages. Dinner was ready in no time. A short while later, they were clearing the dinner plates.

"Thank you, Angela. That was excellent," said Lupin, carrying the dishes to the sink.

"There's a bit leftover. You're welcome to take it home," Angela replied.

Lupin laughed. "I won't have to take it far."

"Is this your house?" Angela asked with surprise.

"No, the house belongs to Sirius, a friend of mine. I just stay here. I have a room upstairs."

Angela paused, trying to remember the name on the tapestry in the drawing room. Then she gasped, "You don't mean Sirius Black, the escaped Death Eater wanted for murder?"

"He's not a Death Eater," Lupin answered. "He worked for the Order and he was framed for those murders."

"How do you know?"

"I saw Peter Pettigrew two years ago with my own eyes. He's the one Sirius supposedly killed. But he's very much alive. He's the real Death Eater."

"But this house certainly looks like it belonged to a Dark wizard family," Angela protested.

"It did. That portrait in the hall is of Sirius' mother. But Sirius hated the Dark Arts. His family disowned him. He inherited this house after they'd all died, and gave it to the Order for headquarters," he explained. "Look, I know it sounds far-fetched and I don't expect you to believe me, but it is the truth."

She studied his face intently and then said quietly, "No, I believe you."

After a short pause, she asked, "Black is a member of the Order? Why haven't I met him?"

"He's dead. He was killed by the Death Eaters a month ago." The words seemed to catch in Lupin's throat.

"I'm so sorry," Angela replied sympathetically. She hesitated and then added, "It's hard to lose someone close to you. My Dad died five years ago. It still hurts."

After an awkward silence lasting several minutes in which neither one looked at the other, Angela cast about for a new subject.

"Did you attend Hogwarts?"

"As a matter of fact, I did," Lupin replied.

"What house were you in?" she asked.

"Gryffindor," came his reply.

"My two older brothers were in Gryffindor. I was a Ravenclaw," said Angela. "I remember that sorting ceremony like it was yesterday. I was so nervous when Professor McGonagall called my name and put the sorting hat on my head. There was little chance that the sorting hat would put me in either Slytherin or Hufflepuff, but I desperately wanted to be in Gryffindor, McGonagall's house. When the sorting hat put me in Ravenclaw instead, I almost cried. You should have seen the looks of disappointment on my brother's faces."

Angela continued, "You see, Professor McGonagall and my mother are good friends. They met when my brothers were in school. My brothers were full of mischief and always in trouble. Mum spent lots of time in Minerva's office because of them."

"I spent a fair amount of time in Minerva's office myself, but not as much as my friends did," Lupin confessed with a twinkle in his eye.

"Oh, I'll bet there's an interesting story behind that," Angela coaxed.

"Maybe some other time," Lupin replied evasively.

"Well, I spent plenty of time in Minerva's office too."

"Oh?" Lupin looked surprised.

"Not for detention though."

"I thought not."

"Transfiguration class was my favorite. I was always pestering Professor McGonagall for extra instructions and spells," she elaborated.

"That's just what I would expect from a Ravenclaw," Lupin said with a laugh.

Angela shot him an exasperated look.

"She's in the Order too, you know?" said Lupin.

"She is? Why haven't I seen her?" asked Angela.

"She was injured last spring. She's fine, but still has trouble getting around. I expect that you'll see her before the summer is over."

"I hope that I will," replied Angela. "Well, it's getting late and I really should go. Thanks for the lesson and I'll see you again in two weeks."

She packed up her things. Lupin handed her the dueling textbook and walked her to the door.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Work at the Ministry of Magic, patrols for the Order, and her dueling homework kept Angela very busy. The next two weeks flew by. Before she knew it, it was time for her second dueling lesson. This one turned out to be as interesting as the first. Upon arrival, she presented Lupin with her homework assignment. She had written eighteen inches of parchment on the topic of common dueling spells and their defenses. For several of the curses, she had also included the counter curse for removing the spell.

"Very impressive," Lupin said as he looked over her homework. Then he folded it up and put it in his back pocket. "Now let's see how much of this you remember. For the first half of today's lesson, we're going to practice defenses against these spells."

He guided her to one side of the room and conjured cushions all around her. Then he walked twenty paces away and turned to face her.

"Now, I'm going to aim these spells at you in random order and I want you to block them with an appropriate defensive charm. The cushions should protect you, if you happen to get hit. Are you ready?" he asked.

Angela assumed a dueling stance and replied "I'm ready when you are."

On the count of three, the exercise began.

"Impedimenta!" shouted Lupin. A red flash of light came streaking from his wand toward Angela. She blocked it with a Shielding Charm.

"Tarantallegra!" She executed another successful block.

"Petrificus Totalus!" This one got past her defenses and she was hit. Her legs and arms snapped together stiffly and she fell over onto the pile of pillows. Lupin waved his wand again and administered the counter curse. She got back up and prepared for the next volley.

The lesson continued with Lupin firing curses and Angela attempting to block them. This week, Angela was much better at blocking the spells. Only a few got past her and she had stopped trying to dodge them. After a while, Lupin seemed satisfied and ended the exercise.

"Well done," he said encouragingly. "And now it's your turn to cast the spells. We'll trade places and you'll practice on me. And since you know the counter curses, you'll practice those as well."

And so the second half of the lesson began. Angela launched the spells at Lupin, but this time he didn't block them.

"Impedimenta!" she shouted. Her spell hit and Lupin was blasted backward onto the pillows. He got back up.

"Tarantallegra!" His feet flew out from under him in a wild uncontrolled jig.

"Finite!" His feet stopped.

"Expelliarmus!" Lupin's wand shot out of his hand into the air landing on the carpet with a soft thud.

"Accio wand!" Lupin's wand flew through the air into Angela's hand.

"Stupefy!" Lupin froze and toppled over onto the cushions.

Similarly, Angela practiced each of the dueling spells and counter curses in turn. When she encountered a problem with one of them, Lupin came over and offered helpful advice. Then they would try again, until she had mastered them all.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

As the month of August wore on, the dueling lessons continued. These lessons typically started with a review of learned spells or the introduction of a new one. This would be followed by a sparring session limited to Stinging Hexes and Shielding Charms. Usually Lupin conducted the lessons himself, but sometimes he had help. Members of the Order were frequent visitors at Grimmauld Place, dropping by on business or sending messages to Dumbledore. Seeing a lesson in progress, some visitors would stop to watch. Others asked to join in. Kingsley Shacklebolt would often volunteer to spar with Angela. In this case, Lupin would observe from the sidelines, offering her advice and encouragement. By the end of the month, Angela had made considerable progress.

Dueling lessons were followed by dinner in the kitchen, accompanied by pleasant conversation. As much as she liked the lessons, she enjoyed the dinners even more. Their discussions were always interesting. Sometimes they reminisced about Hogwarts. Sometimes they discussed the Order's business. They also talked about the day's news, the policies of the Ministry of Magic, and many other subjects. By summer's end, Angela had grown quite fond of Lupin.