Continued from: https://absitomen.com/index.php?topic=20335.0

"You're lucky wizards aren't too keen on muggle culture, otherwise this would probably be a bad venue for that little Cosa Nostra demonstration of yours." Lennie replied.  "Besides, everyone knows Jack the Ripper was actually just Arcturus Black perfecting his own version of the entrail-expelling curse. Sorry to get your hopes up champ."

Lennie strolled along, now at a much more languorous pace, toward the auror offices pointing things out to Rigel. The Wizengamot office, the Improper Use office, the boss's office.  The paddock for the MLE herd.  The interrogation rooms were unfortunately empty at the moment, so he lead the way through the room full of aurors' desks to the dueling/simulation room. He walked in and motioned for Rigel to follow him without mentioning the room's purpose.

"Ready to stretch your legs a bit, chief?"

Rigel liked the tour that Lennie gave, especially of the interrogation rooms. He always had this wild fantasy of wanting to see how long he’d last in one of those rooms. His wits to the test and up against some of the best.

“Would much rather be interrogated then duel in an empty room. Can’t really adapt to your surroundings here.”

An empty room always scared Rigel. He can’t read anything about it except from its scars. Which don’t always tell the best stories.

"Who said anything about dueling? Assumptions, assumptions." He lightly admonished Rigel, shaking his head and giving his best I'm-not-mad-just-disappointed look. "It's important for both aurors and magical lawyers not to see what they expect, but what actually is."

Lennie went silent and a look of intense concentration came onto his face. He stared not at RIgel, but past him, through him.  He brought to mind a particularly brutal fight with some snatchers he'd had the distinct displeasure of being a part of during the war.  Holding the memory in his mind as clearly as possible he began to swish his wand in wide sweeps and circles, turning slowly to transform the room bit by bit. His circle completed, the room was unrecognizable, seemingly supplanted by a silent forest scene.  Dark with twilight underneath a verdant canopy of green leaves overgrown moss, the air was heavy and smelled of damp earth and greenery.

Lennie turned his attention back to Rigel, holding out his wand. "Lumos." he said, lighting up the dim forest scene around them. "My keen detective skills have lead me to the conclusion that you're quite sure of yourself.  That's good, 'cause hesitation can get you killed in a real fight. But this isn't going to be easy, Rigel, and hubris will get you killed just as fast.  Now Greyfriar went to extra trouble to put the two of us together and the ol' teddy bear doesn't do anything without a good reason. That makes me think you've got something worthwhile beneath that shiny, braggadocios swagger you wear like those suspenders. Keep your wits about you and you'll do fine. And stick by me. Questions or ya' ready?"   

This is why Rigel hated empty rooms. In a concentrated instant fueled by Lennie’s concentration the room filled with trees, beyond the horizon. The moonlight piercing through the trees, showing the beautiful vines and roots forcibly claiming their stake of the Earth.

Rigel took note of the uneven ground, observed his surroundings as it changed with Lennie’s wand lighting it up. He followed suit, flicking his wand as if the light was at the base trying to get out with a violent flick.

Lennie’s quip was recently backhanded, Rigel’s favourite. Lennie needed someone cool and quick but not overzealous with their confidence. Or hesitant with their anxiety and insecurities. This would be a nice niche that Rigel thought he could fill.

“What’re you waiting for? Do you need me to lead the way so your old arse doesn’t trip and break ya hips?”

Rigel had no idea where he was going but he would often walk into trouble regardless of direction. Hopefully this applies to this forest.

Lennie rolled his eyes at Rigel’s huff and puff, staring with a raised eyebrow.  Without any further pomp, he flicked his wand and the scene around them sprang to life.The sweet, mildewy smell of the moss was counterpoint to the deep smell of the earth and mouldering leaves. The trees swayed as the leaves blew in the breeze and distant thunder quietly rumbled.  As lightning lit the undergrowth a pair of men stalked out quietly from behind a tree that was too small to hide them both.

“They’re up beyond that rise.  Seem to be camping out, prolly tryin’ to avoid yours truly…” said the shorter man.  He was older than Lennie, with a slim craggy face and well kept mustache.  His hard eyes gave away more about his demeanor than his smartallecky comment. “There are only two of them sitting around the fire right now, so we should be able to do this no muss, no fuss.”

Lennie shot a glance back over his shoulder at Rigel as they were slowly sneaking their way up to the rise and found him following along intently, no question or hesitation in his stride whatsoever. If he isn’t overly cocky this kid might do well for himself, he thought. The lightning and thunder intensified as it began to rain. Bloody hell, I forgot about that detail Lennie thought as he began to soak through. The canopy of the trees thickened even more and compounded the dark from the clouds and the setting sun.  With no lumos to light their way, Lennie’s vision swung wildly between well adjusted night vision and lightning blindness.

They reached the rise and flattened against the ground, crawling up close to the edge. Lennie drew a quiet breath and exhaled heavily in anticipation of what was about to transpire.  He shot Rigel a knowing glance and nodded. He met Lennie’s gaze and seemed to take a breath to steel himself as well. Hope he’s actually ready for something like this, Lennie thought.

They crawled slowly to the precipice and carefully glanced over, there were only the two snatchers by the fire, looking ragged and feral.  One was a giant of a man, who could have passed as a circus strongman as easily as anything else.  The other was a small stoat of a man, with twitchy mannerisms and even twitchier eyes.

The shorter man that was leading them surveyed the two below and then turned to Lennie and gave a slow, obvious nod. He stood and quickly, raising his wand and shouted, “Incarcerous!”

Just as the ropes began to spring forth from the tip of his wand toward the ferrety fellow below three things happened almost simultaneously.  First, a large bolt of lightning lit up the entire horizon, revealing the silhouette of a snatcher off their right flank. Second, the silhouette screamed, “Avada Kedavara!” and launched a green light at their group leader.  And last, Lennie screamed involuntarily in fear, “Peter!”

As it turns out, the inevitability that came with knowing didn’t blunt the sting of Peter’s death, even the second time around.

Rigel grew wide eyed as he looked at Lennie’s genuine reaction at Peter’s death. His grip strengthened around his wand, whitening his knuckles.

At the instant Peter’s body was being struck and the green light was coursing through him, Rigel thought of all the possible outcomes of this scenario. His adrenaline pumped and it was time to be serious.

Before Peter’s body had even fallen, Rigel was thinking about cover in anticipation of the rain of green that would hail down upon the two. If there were people on their right then there must be some on the left and behind as well. Not to mention the two men at the fire. However they were farther away then the rest.

He could use Peter’s body, leaving Lennie without cover. The trees around Rigel would do fine with a growth spell, leaving them open from the behind. Cover is cover. The camp would be easier to defend from. Okay, here goes nothing.

Rigel ran past Lennie, took his left arm and hoisted himself over the lip of the steep embankment. He swung his feet over, fully committed to his actions with no regrets or regards. As he was beginning his decent about how way down the 15 foot drop, “Arresto Momentum,” to slow his fall.

Hitting the ground he rolled, ready to face two known enemies rather than an unknown amount. Two tents and a fire accompanied the two men. The bigger man was the first to show his face, as soon as his shoulders peaked past the tent Rigel predicted his momentum and prefired, “Avada Kedavara,” rage fueled the push of his diaphragm.

The man was no longer, however the momentum followed the same trajectory with his head leading the way for legs that would no longer respond to its commands. Rigel sprinted to the man's body, hopped over oriented his body towards his last position and crouched by the primitive cover awaiting his companion to seek revenge. As Rigel predicted had he not moved the man would have got the jump on him, he rounded the corner wand at the ready. Rigel deemed this man weaker than the rest.

“Incarcerous.” A successful hit, wrapped the man writhing like a worm and hit the floor. Rigel looked up to see if Lennie had followed suit.

As the kid jumped down into the bowl of the depression below Lennie thought, Yep, I made the same mistake the first time too. Assumptions..  There was nothing for it now, the kid had cast their die. He leveled his wand at the tall man still crouching, dumbfounded, on the other side of Peter’s now limp body. “Carpe Retractum” he pronounced and vines shot out and grabbed the other man, as if so many octopus tentacles.  He grabbed his wand with both hands pulled with all the strength he could muster.  The owlish fellow fell fully prone and skidded toward him on the slick mud of the hillside just as a bolt of green hit the ground where he had been crouching. 

Lennie smacked him across the face as another flash of lightning lit the horizon around them again. He knew there were actually five men up here surrounding them, but the lightning silhouetted figures and temporary blindness that followed were fear inducing nonetheless.  He ignored the streaks in his vision, gave an obvious sideways nod to his avian looking companion, and used the same vine spell to drag Peter’s body over to them.  A hail of green bolts flew at them from all directions as Lennie pushed the still stunned man over the lip of the natural bowl with his foot and lifted Peter’s body to protect himself. “I’m sorry my friend.” He said to the memory made manifest, and though nobody would have been able to tell for the rain, tears streamed down both of his cheeks.  Whelp, down into the caldera he thought bitterly.

He landed with a soft thud just in time to see Rigel successfully hit the man-sized-mink with a solid Incarcerous.  And just in time from the eight other snatchers hidden in the enchanted tents to begin spilling out, wands in hand. His instincts are just like mine were. Lennie thought as he ran over to join Rigel behind the dead giant of a man. He flung a stupify at the woman first out of one tent and a bombarda at the other. Of course, I told him stay by me and he ran off the first chance he got, and I told him to see rather than to assume, so his listening skills seem about like mine were too.

Rigel thought it was funny how many people could fit in those tents. He would laugh later, his hand was doing all the talking.

Aimed at the top of the lip furthest from Lennie and him, he casted, “Expulso“ effectively concaving the lip. The rocks fell and crushed 3, on Rigels count that would mean 3 left including the ones coming up the hill now. The rest were camped behind the tent that still stood.

Aimed at the stake in the ground, “Reducto,” collapsed the tent. Exposed the three men who then shot green beams at Rigel and Lennie.

Rigel lead a shot with a likewise green beam and dropped a woman who’s body continued through the air as she was mid jump.

A cold fear ran down Lennie’s spine and settled as a knot in his gut. Lennie had no idea if the powerful enchantments in the scenario room would protect him from an actual Avada from another person, he’d never even thought to ask when training with other aurors. The kid is going to fucking kill me on accident his mind began frantically blaring on repeat. 

The scenario he’d conjured hadn’t gone down exactly the way had in reality, but it was close enough for Lennie to be fairly certain of what came next.  While they had been concentrating on the tents, the five snatchers that had surrounded them initially had circled around to the mouth of the natural depression the camp sat in. And they were about to renew their attacks from behind the pair.

The storm intensified, the rain became driving and the lightning frequent. Lennie and his brash ward were crouched behind the strongman, the two other snatchers from the tents were behind a fallen ally and kicked over bench. One on either side of them.  Spells and lightning danced and flashed, lighting up the camp around the four.

As they hastily flung spells back and forth over the tops of their makeshift barricades, Lennie snuck a glimpse the of the approaching hoard of forgotten snatchers working their way into position on their flank. As the snatchers behind them were about to raise their wands, Lennie grabbed the back of the bulky barricade’s clothes, pulled, and rolled hard.

He was just in time to intercept some of the wave of Avadas they shot.  However, as Rigel wasn’t a seer, and he hadn’t already lived this once, he was caught full in the back with one.  As his expression went slack and his eyes unfocused the forest began to evaporate around them.  Lenny caught the kid before his head could bounce off the ground and guided him down gently to the floor of the now empty room.

~

Rigel’s jaw unclenched from biting his cheek and with his back already in the process of developing a bruise, “You’re shit at watching our back mate.” He rolled over and pushed himself up, seemingly brushed the dirt off his clothes but… there was nothing. He stood in a blank room.

Rigel thought that he could handle the front and as surely he didn’t forget the ones behind neither did Lennie, clearly he saved himself rather than help his protege.

Lennie fixed an anger fed stare on Rigel.  This was not a fiery, shouting, shoving kind of anger. It was a deeper, colder anger. It’s surface was a scant boil, fumes drifted off it and sank to his stomach, his feet, the ground, lower and lower unending. He stood silent and unmoving. He knew that if he dared speak or release his clenched fists he would end this arrogant little swaggercock before he knew what he was doing. The silence stretched. Lennie stared.

Rigel held his gaze. Adjusted his stance to hold more of his weight, right foot in back. Lennie was silently fuming. He held the silence. Readied his right arm to lift his wand. After all this was a dueling room. Rigel took a deep breath, stood strong and held his gaze. Lennie can take his time - he will not break the silent boundary that he has forged with his body language.

Lennie had begun to regain control of himself, moving his thoughts away from the icy forge that burned inside him. Then he saw Rigel’s right arm twitch with tension, holding his wand ready, as if to duel.

“Drop your wand on the ground right this bloody instant you little ingrate.” Lennie quietly grated out through clenched teeth. It was barely more than a whisper, but in the silent room the emotion behind the words roared like an avalanche.

“If you have an emotional reaction to everything I say to you, my words control you. Breathe Lennie.” Rigel shifted his left foot, ready to bear the weight of a strong spell with his right foot back and supporting the kick of the wand.

Rigel took a deep breath, knowing that he had aggravated Lennie to his tipping point.

He thinks we’re stilling playing a damn game Lennie thought as the frozen coals of his anger were stoked into an icy white blaze. His friends had died here. This was one of the worst days of his life. And the kid thought it was fun to throw around unforgivable curses. “Enough you pissant!” he roared, “Drop your wand now! I won’t tell you again.”

Why is he so upset? This is just a simulation. Rigel stood, coldly.

“No.”

Almost before the word had cleared Rigel’s mouth, Lennie flicked his wand from his hip. STUPEFY! His arm raised in a fluid motion from his hip to his offensive ready position about head high and to the side.  En route his hand flicked three more times in the span of a heartbeat. Maybe two. Expelliarmus! Relashio! Incarcerous!. The room flashed like a demented rave from the litany of unpleasantness he unleashed.

Rigel was surprised at the speed. His footing lost its grip and to compensate he started backing up. Deflecting all of Lennie’s spells but not having enough time to cast any counter attacks. His energy was poured into defense. This was a battle he would have to concede shortly. He studied Lennie’s form closely. Watched his movements, his eyes. The light flickered off his iris and went into the depths of his pupil forever lost. He was five feet closer to the wall, he started considerably further up then Lennie. If only he could push back. All he had was defense.

Lennie felt grim a delight at Rigel’s struggles. Though he was still gripped with icy fury, a small part of his mind was able to appreciate that this kid had some natural talent. He had blocked all four of Lennie’s spells, but had won the battle at the expense of the war.  Lennie pressed his advantage, taking big strides toward Rigel as he unleashed another quick flurry of spells. A nearly inhuman laugh bubbled up in him, taking sheer delight in toying with this helpless little shite.

Rigel was up against the wall. His eyes were cold but he was starting to fear for hand to hand combat. It brought him back to Florence and being raised by the Mafia smuggling contraband for Wizards and Muggles. He had to learn how to fight dirty, keep himself above others at all costs. He was trained by a few, in knives, guns, wand disarming and a mix of martial arts that helped kill or fend off rival gangs. Lennie is a monster. Rigel had one last ditch effort, “Ascendio” his body propelled upwards as he wanted. At the apex of his jump, about three feet high towards the ceiling, he pushed his legs off the wall to get to the middle of the room ready to tuck into a ball to roll over Lennie.

“I don’t need spells to teach you a lesson, kiddo.” Lennie said dropping his wand. He reached up and grabbed the wrist of Rigel’s wand hand.  He jerked him down to the ground with a motion akin to cracking a whip, sending Rigel’s wand skittering across the floor.  Lennie stepped across his body and planted his right heel firmly on Rigel’s right foot. In a single motion Lennie simply turned his body, tugging Rigel’s wand wrist with his left hand and cuffing on the temple with his right. Not able to take a step to compensate, Rigel toppled over and went skittering after his wand.

“Well now that that’s all done,” Rigel stood up, straightened his pants realigned his glasses and fixed his suspenders, “you have my attention.” He spit out the blood in his cheek from his earlier injury. Picked up his wand and this time stood in a neutral position. When there are two “alpha” males in the room, one is bound to get wounded. It was Rigel.

Rigel recounted in his head the move that Lennie had used, stored it for later. It was after all eloquently executed despite the target being in mid air and above oneself, Rigel could apply it now. He tousled his hair with the sweat adding to its shine.

“What is my lesson.” He stood, not shaken nor trembling but with an eerie calm of a loser determined to not lose like this again. Evaluated both sides, analyzed the good, the bad and the ugly. Highlighted Rigel’s weaknesses along with his strengths accompanied by Lennie’s. There was some wiggle room, however Rigel didn’t know all of Lennie’s variables. To be determined. He smiled - showing his white teeth with the browning red of blood covering them.

“Your wand privileges are hereby revoked. If you ever, ever have the audacity to sling another unforgivable curse in my presence, or if I even hear a rumor about you using one, I will drag your scrawny arse to Azkaban myself.” Lennie hissed. Cracks were forming the icy rind of rage that had enveloped him before. He wished briefly that he hadn’t struck the kid, but only briefly.

“If you’re going to roar like a lion, you better be a damnable lion kid.  Let’s recount the things I told you before we started this and see how many you listened to. Name one.” he commanded.
 
“Keep my wits, stick by you. Then you proceed to have me thrown in a war zone. Do I look like a veteran to you? I know you spent your time there. I can see it. Am I supposed to wait for a shell shocked soldier to jump out of danger? You also said don’t hesitate. I didn’t.”

Rigel was getting worked up, another adult who is incapable of seeing his talent and industriousness. “Oh and what am I supposed to do Auror? Not cast an unforgivable. You say it like it just didn’t happen to Peter. War is hell. Simulation or not.” Rigel thought he went too far, bringing up Peter was risky. If Lennie got emotional his reason would follow his emotions in the fiery pits of hell. And burn there.

He needed to keep his cool if Lennie didn’t. Rigel was either going to shut up and take it, or get his ass kicked again. Maybe I could learn a new move.

Lennie stared at the kid a second and then repeated coolly, “Let’s recount the things I told you before we started this and see how many you listened to. Name one.”

“Ah. Stay by you.” Rigel said calmly, he saw what was about to transpire. A power play that would be useless to fight.

“Did you?” Lennie asked flatly

“No.”

“Name another.” Lennie said, nodding.

“Keep my wits.” Rigel replied.

“Did you?”

“Define wits.” Rigel hoped Lennie’s definition was the same as his.

“The thing that you have when you don’t need its definition.” Lennie said smugly

“Language is fluid. Each word has attached…”

Lennie interrupted Rigel before he could get going, waving him off with a hand and saying “Stop, stop, we’re not going to have a semantic discussion. Did you respond quickly and cleverly to everything that transpired?”
 
“Yes.” Rigel shot back.

Lennie raised an eyebrow slightly and asked, “How many men were left when you got knocked out?”

“Four.” said Rigel.

“Seven.” Lennie corrected. “Name an-”

Rigel interrupted, “How many times have you been in that scenario?”

“I lived it once, and then once today.” Lennie said with a blank face. “Name another.”

Jesus. “Don’t hesitate.”

“Did you?” asked Lennie.

“No.”

“Another.” Lennie demanded calmly.

“Don’t be overconfident. And yes Lennie, I was.”

“Good. And the last thing?”

Rigel thought for a moment, “Stay calm.”

“Good guess, I may have even said that.” Lennie admitted. “But more importantly, you let your expectations run you around by your nose instead of taking a moment to see what actually was.”

“You’re right. If you’re done with your lesson, I’d like to start mine.”

“I’ll let you know when we’re done kiddo.” Lennie said with a smirk. “We’ll call the wits thing a tie and count it as half, so out of five things I told you, how many did you accomplish?”

“One plus the gracious half you so generously bestowed upon me.” Rigel bowed with hands extending outwards with his palms up.

“So, mister perfect OWLs, please tell me, would 30% be considered a passing mark?” Lennie asked, ignoring Rigel’s feigned obsequiousness.

“No.” Rigel recovered from his bow.

“You’ve been smacked around before.” Lennie said decidedly and waited for Rigel to respond.

“What does this have to do with the lesson?”

“What makes you think this isn’t the lesson?” Lennie shot back.

“You have a superiority complex, PTSD, and like to power trip. If I’m to retain your lesson I need to see its coming from a teacher, not someone who needs to put me down to feel superior.” Rigel said.

Lennie smirked. “It’s not a complex if I’m actually superior, kid. You have natural talent, I’m not denying it. Greyfrair saw it in you too.  But you’ve been able to skate by on it for too long, and now things are getting real and you’re getting nervous. Casting around aimlessly and putting on a tough show of nonchalant disinterest.  As to the power trip, I literally have power over you. Physical power as demonstrated by the blood in your teeth, magical power as demonstrated by our duel and granted power as demonstrated by my ability to take you from your school and bring you places you’d never be allowed otherwise. I have power over you, but I’m also responsible for you. I’m not a teacher, and I’m sorry about that. I am also sorry I smacked you, although I did try a different route first if you recall. You damn near killed me with that Avada that went sailing past my face. Lastly, as to the PTSD, you’re probably right. I’ll give you my ex wife’s number and you can start a support group.”

“Now look who’s talking semantics. Right, okay, check in superiority complex. I don’t get nervous. You have power. If you recall, I hit all of my shots. Wounds heal Lennie.” Rigel said as he spit the blood out of his mouth for the last time. “I have been smacked around before, yes.”

Lennie took a breath and sighed. “You think that goading and wheedling people into a huff is control, Rigel. But it isn’t. Real control requires that you know your own weaknesses. Really and truly know them. Name them and learn power over them. It’s not about never showing weakness. It’s about showing weakness when it suits your purposes. Right now you take your talents and use them to manipulate the people around you for your own entertainment. Even still you’re trying to flick my earlobe and get my blood up again. But you’re like a child laughing while he pulls the wings off a fly. That is your biggest weakness. You don’t seem to understand that no matter how good or smart or big or clever or powerful you are, there will always be someone a step beyond you. I lived through that entire war, caught or killed more snatchers and dark wizards than I can count, and never once needed to use Avada. It was literally the first thing you did. Open your damn eyes.”

“Okay.” He smiled, emotions flushed and neutralized. Rigel lost, Lennie gained his respect.

“Good.” Lennie said cracking a smile. He held out Rigel’s wand to him and met his eye, “I meant what I said about the unforgivables. Also, let’s go ahead and leave off telling people about this whole thing alltogether.”

“I know you did. I’ll listen,” Rigel took his wand, “now you can blackmail me.” He winked. “Do what you wish with my transgressions.”

“Don’t be daft kid, I’d be in almost as much trouble as you. Prolly Knox too. We’ll chalk it up to a multi-sided lapse in judgement and move on. Besides, who wants to do all the Azkaban admittance paperwork?” He deadpanned the last and held Rigel’s gaze for a second before returning the kid’s wink.

Lennie’s tone changed, “I really am sorry I smacked you kid, you were so free with the big green monster in the sim I wasn’t sure what you’d do once I had you cornered... and I may have lost my temper a bit. Up for a drink before we head back to Hogwarts?”

“See Lennie, now you get why I don’t do my homework. So much paperwork. You wouldn’t be the first Authority figure to hit me. I forgive you. I’ve killed, not with the big scary green monster. I’m always down for a drink.” He brought up the killings with a smirk following his deadpan delivery. When in Rome, literally. Lennie is growing on him. He smiled.

“Good, but we’ll have to be quick. Need to make it an early night, because we’ve got leads to trackdown on the case we’re working tomorrow.  I’ll be at Hogwarts to pick you up at 5:30.” Lennie left the sincerity of the last ambiguous as he said it and thought wonder how surprised he will be when I actually show up then

“I’ll be ready. Got a fancy place? Or we going rowdy, tell me Lennie. How do you like to party?” He laughed imagining the lanky man dancing with pulchritudinous women. He mentioned an Ex wife, so at least he can have a relationship. “I’ll actually follow your lead now.”