The Talisman of Monguk

Chapter 8: The Gauntlet Drops

At Hogwarts, Ravena Hawkins was enjoying her position as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. She had abandoned her fashionable wardrobe in favor of plain plum-colored robes with a matching witch's hat. Instead of her usual stylish coiffure, she wore her hair pulled back in a simple bun, tucked under her hat. Even so, she was still strikingly beautiful.

On her first day, all the boys in her classes sat staring at her with love-struck looks, hanging on her every word. However, the girls were more inclined to view her with skepticism. They sat with arms crossed, shooting dour glances over at the boys.

In her Dark Arts lessons, Ravena would frequently stray from traditional topics. She would bring in exotic creatures and items for study that she had encountered in her travels. One such creature was the Egyptian Sandbladder, which produces sandstorms if tread upon. She regaled them with harrowing tales of an encounter with a Sandbladder while on a trip through the desert.

In another memorable lesson, Ravena brought in a large glass case filled with elegant jewelry. It was part of the Marquis de Sade collection. It contained a bejeweled necklace, a diamond-encrusted tiara, and an emerald brooch in the shape of a spider. Many of the girls in the class admired the jewelry, until she explained that each piece was actually cursed. The necklace, called "le collier de mort," strangled the wearer. The tiara was fitted with a hidden compartment behind the largest jewel. Whenever a certain magic word was uttered, a sharp dart would shoot from it straight into the skull of its wearer. The brooch was, of course, poisonous. If one carelessly picked herself with the pin, the brooch would release deadly venom into her veins. This was followed by a lecture on other infamous Dark objects. Ravena's lessons were so fascinating that she managed to win all the students over in the space of a few weeks.

Of all her students, Draco, son of Lucius Malfoy, was perhaps the most enamored of her. He would sit in the front row of the classroom and ogle her throughout the lesson. He never tired of telling his friends that he was related to her. One day, he intentionally disrupted her class just so that he could have detention with her. Unfortunately for Draco, this didn't work out quite as well as he had planned.

Professor Hawkins kept a Gobflubber in a tank in her office as a pet. It was a gentle gelatinous creature. In quiet moments, Ravena liked to watch it lazily slither about the tank, leaving trails of chartreuse slime in its wake. She would study the patterns left on the glass, as if they were the artwork of a very young child, fit to be proudly displayed on the refrigerator. When the glass became too obscured to distinguish patterns, she cleaned the tank.

For detention, she assigned Draco the job of cleaning the Gobflubber tank without the use of magic. To his chagrin, Draco emerged from her office an hour later, his robes soiled with a green slimy substance and smelling like day-old fish. While he was able to remove the slime from his robes, the odor persisted for more than a week. He never disrupted her class intentionally again.

With the exception of Severus Snape, Ravena got along well with all of her colleagues. Her relationship with Snape, however, grew more hostile with each passing day. His snide comments had escalated to full-blown arguments in the staff room. Her popularity with the students and other faculty only seemed to further fuel his dislike of her. The situation reached the breaking point in late-October, when Ravena was called away from Hogwarts and Snape took over her classes for the day.

On this particular day, her students arrived to find Professor Snape sitting at Ravena's desk. They could barely contain their disappointment.

"Where is Professor Hawkins?" one student asked.

"She was called away on a private matter. It is fortunate for you that I am here today," Snape said, while flipping through her lesson plan. "It seems that my colleague has so filled your head with her tales and diversions that she has neglected the standard curriculum. You are woefully behind where you should be in your studies. Today, I will attempt to remedy that. We will be studying vampires. Please open your textbooks to chapter six and begin reading."

The class groaned in protest. Snape looked up with displeasure and added, "And since it also appears that you have grown lazy, you can write me an essay detailing the methods for warding off vampires. I want twelve inches of parchment on my desk by next Monday."

When Ravena returned the next day, she was bombarded by student protests. Upon hearing Snape's criticisms, she grew very angry. She stormed down to Snape's dungeon office and pounded on his door.

"Come in," said Snape.

When Ravena entered, Snape was sitting at his desk grading papers. His rather gloomy office was filled with shelves, containing jars of odd pickled things. He glanced up at her and resumed his work.

"What can I do for you, Professor Hawkins?" he said coolly.

Ravena approached his desk and leaned over toward him. Her face was very red and her knuckles white.

"Professor Snape, from the beginning, you've made it abundantly clear that you don't approve of my appointment to this post. But this time, you've gone too far," she hissed.

"Whatever do you mean?" inquired Snape indifferently.

"If you have objections to my appointment, it is your right to take them to the Headmaster. I can even overlook your comments to the other faculty. But it is quite another matter to disparage me in front of my students. I will not tolerate you undermining my authority. I demand an apology."

She pounded her fist on his desk. The inkbottle that he was using toppled, spilling ink over his parchment. He lazily waved his wand and the spill vanished.

"I owe you no apology. I only commented on what I observed," he replied. Then he added, "Surely you cannot deny that your lessons have deviated from the standard Dark Arts curriculum."

"And what if they have? As long as I cover the required subjects by the end of the year, I should be free to amend the curriculum as I see fit. It is, after all, my class. I do not tell you how to run yours," she protested.

"Well, I have been teaching here for fifteen years. I am not a neophyte," scorned Snape.

"Are you implying that I am incompetent?" she retorted incredulously. "So you think that you could do a better job?"

"I do not think so. I know so," bragged Snape, rising to his feet to face her.

"You pompous, overblown, condescending bat! You are so full of words. Perhaps you'd like to back them with a little action. An apology is no longer acceptable. I demand satisfaction."

She pulled out her wand and pointed it at his chest.

"Are you challenging me to a duel?" Snape sneered.

"I am. Just name the time and the place, if you've got the courage," she challenged.

It was Snape's turn to become angry. He pursed his lips tightly and his face became pale with suppressed rage. He spat, "Saturday at two o'clock on the Quidditch field." Then he added with a sneer, "In front of the whole school."

"That's fine with me," she retorted, glowering at him. Then she added with a smirk, "It should be an educational experience for all. Mark my words, the students aren't the only ones who'll be taught."

She spun around on her heels and hastily left, slamming his office door behind her. As she left, she could hear the sound of several jars smashing on the stone floor. She smiled with grim satisfaction.

* * * * * * * * * * *

The student body was abuzz with excitement when they heard the news. It was billed as a dueling demonstration. Headmaster Dumbledore himself was asked to officiate at the proceedings.

On Saturday, the entire school assembled in the Quidditch grandstands to watch. Dumbledore was given a prominent seat where he'd have an unobstructed view. Professors Snape and Hawkins emerged from opposite sides of the field and stopped, facing each other in the middle. On their faces were looks of mutual loathing. Cheers and jeers erupted from the stands. Headmaster Dumbledore addressed the crowd.

"We are gathered here today to witness an unprecedented event in the history of Hogwarts. Two of our esteemed faculty, Professors Snape and Hawkins, have asked to present a dueling demonstration for your educational enrichment. The duel will consist of three rounds. Without further ado, let the contest begin."

He sat down. Ravena and Snape turned back to back, walked apart ten paces, and then turned to face each other with their wands drawn.

"Ready?" Dumbledore said. "On the count of three. One...Two...Three."

Before the last word even left Dumbledore's lips, Snape yelled, "Expelliarmus." A red ray of light flashed from his wand. His spell hit before Ravena could counter. Her wand flew from her hand and she was knocked backward several feet. The Slytherins in the crowd cheered. The rest of the students booed and hissed.

Amid protests, Dumbledore announced, "The first round goes to Professor Snape."

Ravena rose to her feet and gathered up her wand. With her blue eyes flashing, she faced Snape once more.

"An unsporting trick!" she said through her clenched teeth.

Snape, who was looking very confidant now, merely smiled back with a look of derision.

The second round began. This time, Ravena was prepared. His spell was met in midair by one of her own. What followed was an intense battle. Volley after volley of charms filled the air. Snape and Ravena uttered spell after spell, as beams of light erupted from their wands and bounced off each other. Occasionally, a spell made it past the defenses of the other. "Petrificus totalus!" Snape's arms and legs snapped together stiffly and he keeled over. Immediately, he rose to his feet. "Impedimenta!" Ravena was knocked backward several feet. While still on the ground, she fired a Stunning Charm back at Snape. "Stupefy!" This exchange continued for quite a while, until Ravena saw an opening. "Expelliarmus!" Her spell hit! This time, it was Snape who was disarmed. The crowds in the stand exploded with jubilation, drowning out the jeers of the Slytherins.

"The second round goes to Professor Hawkins," Dumbledore announced.

Ravena and Snape returned to the center of the field to face each other for the third and final round. Both of them were breathing hard and drenched with sweat. Ravena's hair, once in a neat bun, was now falling down around her face. Her hat had long since been discarded. She glared at Snape with a mixture of distrust and determination. For his part, Snape looked considerably less confidant. He seemed to be thinking quickly. Then his eyes narrowed and he flashed a sinister look.

The third round began. Once again, the wands flashed as volleys of spells crisscrossed the stadium. But this time, Snape had a few tricks up his sleeve. He uttered an incantation and a snake emerged from his wand. The snake hissed menacingly at Ravena. She took aim at it. Her spell hit and the snake flew up and became a rope. The rope coiled and sprang at Snape, trying to bind him. He waved his wand and the rope evaporated.

Ravena pointed her wand at a statue of a dog that guarded the stadium entrance. It sprang to life and began charging Snape with its teeth bared. Snape fired back and the snarling cur became a flying dragon. It reversed course and flew at Ravena. She countered with her own spell and the dragon exploded with bang of fireworks.

In the confusion that ensued, Snape yelled "Ignitus!" and a ball of fire sailed toward Ravena. With her wand, she conjured a ball of water, which doused the flames when they collided.

"Tarantallegra!" shouted Snape. Ravena's feet flew out from under her in a wild abandoned jig. Under the spell, she began twirling involuntarily in a manic dance. Momentarily, Snape dropped his guard, amused by the spectacle. In rapid succession, Ravena let fly a Disarming Charm at Snape and a countercharm at her own feet. Her Disarming Charm corkscrewed toward Snape. It hit him hard, sending his body twisting through the air. His wand flew from his grasp and he landed with a heavy thud face down on the lawn. As for Ravena, she stomped down hard on her foot as the dancing spell lifted. She raised her hand with a flourish and yelled what sounded like "Olé!"

The spectators rose to their feet, clapping and cheering wildly. Dumbledore also stood clapping and announced, "Well done. Very well done. The third round and the match go to Professor Hawkins."

Hoots and hollers erupted from the crowd for a second time. On the field, Ravena bent down, apparently lacing her shoe. Then she walked over to collect Snape's wand.

Meanwhile, Snape had risen to his feet. His forehead was bleeding and he looked as if he'd rather slink away. But Snape was no coward. He turned to face the crowd, burying his humiliation behind a blank façade and clenched teeth.

Ravena approached him and took hold of his arm. Then she turned to the stands and motioned for quiet. She addressed the crowd.

"With all due respect to our beloved Headmaster, I declare this match a draw," she said with a little nod to Dumbledore and then to Snape.

With a jerk of his head, Snape turned toward Ravena, one eyebrow raised quizzically. The crowd booed and groaned.

Ignoring them, Ravena continued, "Today, you have witnessed a fine exhibition of dueling skill thanks to my colleague here. Lest you think that it was only for your entertainment, it was for your education. Therefore, I expect an essay from each of my students due on my desk no later than Friday. You are to choose at least three of the spells that you've seen today. For each one, describe the spell and its counter curse."

Murmuring and grumbling were heard from the stands.

"Finally, let's have a round of applause for Professor Snape for his remarkable performance today."

Only the Slytherins cheered heartily. The rest responded with timid claps.

"Surely you can do better than that or would you like an essay on manners as well," she scolded.

This produced louder cheers from the Slytherins and tepid applause from the rest.

She concluded, "Thank you. You are dismissed."

Then Ravena turned to Snape. Still gripping his arm tightly, she said, "Severus, would you please be a gentleman and escort me to the infirmary? I seem to have broken my ankle." She raised her skirt modestly to show her ankle bound in a splint.

Then she added, "And while we're there, perhaps Madam Pomfrey will take a look at that cut on your forehead. It looks rather nasty." She took out her handkerchief and dabbed it on his forehead.

For his part, Snape stood rooted to the spot, dumbstruck. That she would be gracious in victory was the very last thing that he had expected. Perhaps he had been mistaken about her after all.