Chapter 10

                                    

                                          
"Good afternoon Dra- oh Merlin!" Astoria yelped, seeing his bloodstained clothing.
                          
"Sorry." He muttered, taking his coat off and chucking it into the laundry basket. Draco's hair was in a mess, and he was a shade paler than usual, his skin covered with beads of sweat. It's only been a night he skipped, but grey shadows started to form under his eyes. Exhausted, he dragged himself off for a shower.
                          
Little did he know, Pansy would be tapping her foot impatiently right outside the bathroom door as Blaise knocked on it tirelessly 5 minutes into his routine. "Your husband and your Aunt are having a friendly duel now."
                          
"10 minutes." Draco sighed, forced to shorten his routine. His hair was still in a wet mess and his clothes barely presentable when he came out of his bath. Reluctantly, he let his friends drag him to the public square, listening to them nag about how 'the match might be over by now' and that he took '7 minutes longer than promised'. 
                          
The square was packed with people by the time they arrived, although Draco managed to get a good spot given his royal privileges. Harry and Bellatrix were in the centre, neither of them giving the other the upper hand. While Harry held an elegant silver sword inlaid with rubies, Bellatrix held 2 longer and thinner curved blades, one in each hand. Personally, Draco felt like Harry had quite a bit of an disadvantage there, but chose to stay quiet about it.
                          
Harry was agile, his movements clean-cut and sure. There weren't extravagant moves, unlike Bellatrix's. Draco had watched her countless times, duelling people in the same public square, although he was never into it much. Yet he knew that the sound of metal against metal was never quite as intense as this. His Aunt always had a signature smirk when she dueled for entertainment, but this time there were barely any traces of smugness on her face.
                          
"How long has it been?" Astoria asked Neville, who had been there the whole match.
                          
"30 minutes." He murmured. She looked puzzled.
                          
"No one lasts even 10 minutes with her." Blaise said as some sort of explanation.
                          
"Well, Harry has been undefeated." Hermione chirped from the back, engrossed in the action.
                          
The fight continues for another 2 hours, until the sound of swords clashing numbed the ears instead of causing them to prick up. Both seemed to move even faster, if it all possible. Harry dodges her next blow, then swings and locks his elbow around hers. The sudden motion causes her to drop one of her blades, leaving it skidding to the side. 
                          
Bellatrix looks for opportunities to get her weapon back, but Harry smartly takes the offence, pushing her further and further away from it. Draco recognises the look he had very well, one that his Aunt often had- testing, waiting patiently for the other side to slip up. 
                          
Suddenly, Harry lunges forward, his sword hooking against Bellatrix's as he sidestepped her feeble defence. She loses her balance and in a split second, his blade was pressed against her neck. Harry outstretched a hand and helped her up, and she rushed to pick up her swords. They shook hands, each with equally tired smiles of respect. 
                          
Pansy was the first one to clap, followed by Parvati, and then Oliver. Soon enough the whole public square was filled with thunderous applause. Bellatrix clapped Harry's back as they left, probably discussing some strategies that Draco wouldn't understand. 
                          
"You sure he doesn't have a brother or something?" Astoria whispered, admiring his adorable smile. After the exhausting battle, his skin was gleaming with sweat, flattering the muscles on his arms and back. "We could be in-laws, think about that!" She exclaimed with a grin despite seeing Draco's glare. "And he's talented too. I will never understand this! How is it that I spent my whole life searching for a man like this and never got one, but you just take a random pick get married to just about the hottest-" Astoria blushed as she stopped mid-sentence. "Hello, Harry."