-II-

Alastor smirked. "My sweet, innocent son. I'm glad you didn't stoop to what Victor did. Spells like that stomach cramp hex should not be fired outside a real duel. I'm proud of you for not being so low."

Severus was stunned. He had expected the worst, but not that.

"Still, you snuck into this room and let Victor goad you into firing hexes. Early bedtime for both of you, I would say. So up and into your room. I will go get Poppy."

Severus grabbed Alastor's arm before he thought about it. "Don't tell her."

Alastor raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

Severus looked down, knowing how stupid that had been. Alastor would always tell Poppy about something like this. "Nothing."

"I thought so. I want you to be ready for bed when I come to you with Poppy."

-II-

Alastor and Poppy had obviously spoken with Alexander before they came to their sons because they insisted on talking about what happened in greater detail. "What exactly did Victor say to insult you two?" Alastor asked.

"He said that we are weaklings and ninnies because we didn't want to duel with him," Harry explained.

"Is that all he said?"

Harry looked over to Severus shortly, but it was long enough to guide the attention to Severus.

After a short hesitance, Severus spilled out what happened and what had been said.

"And that affected you why?" Alastor asked.

Severus looked at him as if he had two heads.

"Obviously, you should have known that it was utter nonsense. We love you both, and that has nothing to do with how strong or experienced you are. What Victor said should not have affected you at all; you should have known better. You could have laughed in his face and left."

That was the typical solution for adults, but so unrealistic for kids. "I couldn't let him insult us."

"And that brought you where? Down on the floor with a hex on you. Who knows what that boy could have hexed you with. Severus, you should know better," Poppy scolded.

"Yeah, I should have known better that I'm no longer a feared Death Eater but a weak baby," Severus spat bitterly.

"You haven't been the feared Death Eater for long, and you aren't a weak baby now. You had no chance against Victor, but you are not weaker than your classmates. You managed to catch up with them quickly, and your magical system is developing quite well. So why do you still have to be so hard on yourself?" Alastor asked.

Severus did not reply and merely turned around, pulling the blanket over his head.

Alastor shook his head in resignation. "We will talk about it another time." He gently squeezed Severus' shoulder, and after Poppy and he had said good night to the boys, they left.

It was late in the night, but Severus had not slept at all. His arms and his stomach were itching. That could not just be from the Floo powder. Whatthehelliswrong? He groaned. If he was not able to sleep, he would make use of the night. He had made a decision. He would stop being a ninny. He would stop being weak and letting Poppy and Alastor solve his problems. He would pay that stupid brat back.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked just as Severus pushed the door handle down to sneak out of the room.

Severus rolled his eyes and turned in Harry's direction. He could make out Harry's dark frame in the dim light of the moon. "Go to sleep, Harry."

"Where are you going?"

"The toilet. Is that forbidden?"

"You never try to sneak out of the room silently when you want to go to the toilet. Don't try to fool me." Harry was climbing out of his bed and came over to Severus.

"Go back to your bed, Harry."

"Where are you going?"

Severus groaned. "I'm sick of being the little boy to be coddled and handled. I'm going to pay Victor back. I will show him how weak I am."

"Oh, great. Didn't you listen to Alastor? He was proud that you didn't hex Victor with something serious. Will you make him unhappy now?"

"I will not do something dangerous. I will just pay the brat back." He thought shortly because in reality he did not have a plan. "Maybe I'll drench him with water. Yeah, I think that's quite the idea."

Harry could not stop himself from grinning. Yes, it was not good, it was very stupid, and they would be in so much trouble, but damn it was fun. Finally, some mischief!

"So now that you know what I'm doing, go back to bed."

Harry snorted. "And let you get lost in the mansion alone? Surely not, big brother."

Severus groaned again. He knew he could not convince Harry to stay. "Then at least try to keep quiet."

They had a faint idea of where Victor's room was, and so they tried to sneak close to that area. "What now?" Harry asked when they were in the hall they had seen Victor and the other kids vanish in yesterday.

"Don't know. I guess we will have to try the doors."

"You want to just open them and look? What if we stumble into Joren's room? Or Rupert's?" Harry shivered. The idea of stumbling into Alastor's brother's room was scary. The man was as dangerous as his brothers, of that Harry was sure.

"I don't know. Do you have a better idea?"

"Victor said magic can't be tracked in the mansion."

"You lack of reading between the lines, Harry. Magic cannot be tracked by the Ministry, but why do you think Alexander came down to the dueling room?"

"Damn, I hadn't thought about that."

"Yeah, as-" Severus had to push Harry behind a suit of armor because a light went on. Victor stumbled out of a room farther down the hall. He yawned and then vanished into the bathroom.

"Our chance. You stay at the bathroom and watch out that he doesn't come out before I'm finished."

Harry wanted to protest, wanted to ask what he should do if Victor came out too early, but Severus was already down the hall and in Victor's room. His breath quickened, and he tried to fight down a cough. Poppy's potions had done him well, but he was still ill. Nevertheless, he quickly ran over to the bathroom to listen. He heard Victor shuffle inside and hoped he was not already done. He heard a hiss and a curse. "Damn, that hurt. It's so unfair. It was just a cramp hex."

Harry grinned evilly. So Victor had been punished and now had problems sitting down. The toilet was flushed, and Harry started to panic. Please let him be well-educated enough to wash his hands. Otherwise he would come out before Severus was done.

Finally, Severus emerged from Victor's room, just when Victor turned off the water. Harry had problems breathing when he ran alongside Severus back to their room. When they arrived he broke down, and Severus finally realized what was happening. "Stay calm. I have the emergency kit." He shuffled in his pocket and pulled out the injector. Quickly, he lifted Harry's pajama top and injected the potion into his stomach.

"Great. I can't even do mischief without getting an attack."

Severus grinned. "Of course you can. You just need me at your side." Then his face turned serious. "I'm sorry I forgot to take it with me. Why didn't you use yours?"

Harry waved over to his night table on which the applicator lay. "I think we have more in common than we thought." He rested, exhausted, against the bed-frame, and Severus sat down beside him on the ground.

"So what did you do? You didn't use magic, did you?"

"No, I still don't have my wand back from Alexander. I did what I could. The most fun part was that there was a magically-refilling water glass in his room. He will have such a nice surprise when he gets into his bed, and his unclothes also got quite the shower."

Harry grinned. "The brat deserves it." Harry held his hand up, and after Severus stared at it, Harry took Severus' hand and clapped it against it. "That's called a high five, and it means something like 'Well done, big brother.' It's time you behave like a teenager."

"So spanking your hand makes me a teenager?"

"Spanking?" Harry snorted. "Oh, speaking of spanking, Victor had a bit of trouble sitting down in the bathroom."

"As much as I hate to say it, I feel sorry for him. I doubt it will change his behavior at all. He most certainly thinks he was unfairly punished."

"Yes, I fear you are right." Harry rested his weight fully against the bed frame. "Spankings are stupid. They don't teach the kids anything but fear. Standing in a corner to think about what he had done wrong would have been more helpful."

"That calls for him being able to think at all, and I doubt that he is capable of that."

Harry giggled. "Right."

Severus scratched his chest. Damn, it was slowly becoming painful. "Let's try to sleep."

"Great idea," Harry said after a yawn.

X-X

"What about a duel? Old against young. Except for Victor, of course. He has other duties to take care of," Alexander said.

Victor looked grumpy and shot a death glare over to Severus and Harry. He knew exactly who had been in his room and soaked his clothes and bed. His clothes smelled now, and no refreshing charm could get rid of the smell. Too bad Victor had discovered his wet clothes only in the morning. His bed was quickly spelled dry after he had jumped into it. That had made him quite awake, and he had not been able to fall asleep again. He had feared they would come back.

Of course, he told nobody about it. The shame that he had left his room unprotected was just too big. His father and grandfather would have scolded him for not putting some wards up. Even in your family's house, you should take precaution. That's what he had learned over the years.

Severus and Harry noticed, relived, that Victor obviously had not said anything about their prank. Not that they thought that it was to protect them. They assumed he was ashamed that they had been able to pay him back.

"Great idea, Dad," Joren said, excited. "I haven't been dueling for a while."

"Then your uncles and I will have an easy duel against you and the youngsters."

"Ha, we will see, old man," Joren said and clapped his father on his back.

X-X

"Alastor, do you really think that is a good idea? Harry is still ill, and he didn't look much better this morning. Even Severus doesn't seem to have slept well," Poppy said when they were back in their rooms.

"They will be all right, Poppy. Right, boys?"

Both nodded feverishly. They wanted to try out the dueling room, and without Victor it would be great. Severus hoped he could prove that he was able to cast some good spells. He had been better in Defense Against the Dark Arts lately, and he was good at shielding.

Poppy sighed and shook her head in resignation. "All right, all right. Just don't think I will cuddle you later when you come out of there with scratches and who knows what."

Alastor laughed. "You would be all over us in a second, my dear wife. You couldn't stop yourself from going into Mediwitch mode. And even if you could, in a few hours we will be surrounded by Healers and Mediwitches who would love to take care of us."

"Oh, you..." Poppy said and waved her finger in Alastor's face.

"Time to go, boys," Alastor said and quickly guided them out of the room.

X-X

Severus was panting behind a wooden shield. Harry was beside him. "They take this really seriously," Harry said, looking wide-eyed at Severus.

"Yeah, that Stinging Hex almost hit me in my face."

"And I was almost caught by Alexander's Binding Spell."

"Already tired, boys?" Joren asked when he came to a stop beside them after a jet of fire had almost burned his bum. Hard tremors shook the wooden shield, and Harry and Severus jerked their heads down each time. Joren just grinned. "Time for a bit of strategy, boys. I will give you cover by firing at them. One of you will sneak to the right. Rupert is hiding behind that armor. You need to surprise him and get a Binding Spell on him. If you manage it, you've won your part of the mission. The other one needs to take down your father. That's the harder task. He will be alert, and you need to sneak up very close so he has no chance of countering your spell. Bind him and you win. I will take care of my father as he is the hardest part. Even if I don't get him, we would win if you two manage your tasks. So who will do which?"

Another bombarding of the shield followed, and Alexander teased them. "What? Hiding like little chickens? What a leader are you to them, Joren. That office job isn't doing you well, son."

Severus and Harry had shielded their heads during the attack. Little pieces of wood rained down over them. Harry looked over to Severus. "Can you take Alastor?"

Severus face fell. He was the big brother, so what choice did he have? He nodded.

"Decision made?" As the boys nodded and Harry got into position to his right, Joren looked at Severus. "Alastor will be behind the iron shield. I saw him firing from there. Be careful. Concealing Charm, and be silent."

ConcealingCharm.Great. The spell that Severus hated the most. It cost so much energy to hold it up, and he was already exhausted. At least Alexander had given him another magic feed this morning. The new kind of magic made Severus feel a bit more powerful.

"Okay, on the count of three. One...two...three!" Joren stood up from behind the wooden shield and fired fire bombs out of his wand. Severus caught a glimpse of Alexander, who had been peeking out from behind the iron shield that he, and most likely Alastor, was hiding behind. Then the fire bombs started to blend him, and he hoped his Concealing Charm would work.

X-X

It was a bit funny to see Severus creep closer and closer to him. His form appeared and disappeared with flickers. The shield was pathetic, but Severus was only twelve. For his age and his lack of practice it was okay. Taking his damaged magic system in account as well, it was quite good. Alastor looked at Alexander and nodded in Severus' direction. "He's almost drained. Let's end it."

Alexander nodded and pointed in Harry's direction, where he was trying to melt into his surroundings to sneak up on a chuckling Rupert. He, of course, had already seen the boy sneaking up on him, even though his back was turned to Harry. First, he could sense his presence, and second, he could see him in the Reflecting Charm he had cast on the walls and shields around him. He nodded at his brothers and forced himself to stop chuckling. It would ruin the victory for the boys. He looked over to where Joren was firing out of his hiding place. The boy was good, but Rupert hoped he would be able to fire at least one Stinging Hex at Joren before Harry caught him. Just a moment before the ropes wound around his body, he was able to fire a hex at Joren and hit home.

That gave Alexander the chance to storm over to Joren. The hex had been aimed straight at Joren's hand, and he was just able to pick his wand up before his father came around the shield. Joren was up in a second and jumped out of range of the hex his father sent at him. The old men had ganged up on him. The moment he rounded the shield to escape Alexander, a hex was cast at him by Alastor. It struck him in the foot because he was not quick enough to jump out of the way. The next hex came from his father again, and Joren felt thick ropes around about his chest. His father loomed over him, a mischievous grin on his face. "Your office job really isn't becoming of you."

Joren laughed. "But it let's my wife sleep much better at night than yours."

Severus, meanwhile had snuck up behind Alastor, and when the man cast a hex at Joren, he quickly made his move. Ropes wrapped tightly around Alastor's body, and he hid his grin by pushing his chin to his chest.

X-X

"I did it," Severus whispered, surprised, and finally lifted the Concealing Charm. He was utterly exhausted, but he felt so good at the same time. Alastor surely was proud of him as well.

"My, it looks as if we are beaten, brothers. We are getting old." Alexander, who stood in the middle of the room over his bound son, waved his wand and Alastor and Rupert sat up.

"Yes, it seemed so," Alastor said, amused, and patted Severus' shoulder. "Well done, son."

Severus' heart flip flopped, and he could not stop himself from grinning stupidly up at Alastor.

"Oh my, I'm getting too old for this," Rupert said and stood up, grinning at Harry, who was standing close to him, unsure of what to do. "Well done, Harry. I didn't see your spell coming."

Harry shyly smiled at the old man and then looked over to Severus. His brother seemed to have grown a few more inches and he held himself up straight. Harry also felt much more powerful and confident. Not even his asthma could have stopped him from dueling with those powerful wizards. Joren's tactic had been great. That made Harry aware of the man who still was lying on the ground in ropes.

"Will you release me, father?"

"I will think about it over a hot cup of tea. Maybe you should wait here and think about what you could have done better to beat us."

Harry and Severus both looked shocked. It was due to Joren's tactic that they had won, and now the man was humiliated by his father because he lost. "But it was his idea to attack you from the sides. It was his plan," Harry said, stepping closer.

"Yes, and he knew where you all were and...and we won. So he won as well. You can't leave him like that."

"Then why have you not freed him?" Alexander asked in Severus' direction, raising his eyebrow.

Severus gulped. Was this a test? Would it be disobeying the wish of the master of the house if he freed Joren? A heavy hand sank down on his shoulder from behind and Alastor deep voice came from close behind him.

"It's the task of the partners in dueling to free their partner."

"Oh," Severus said. He could not remember that rule, but he hardly could remember much about dueling rules at all. He wondered how much Albus and Radgarid had sorted away in his mind. He waved his wand and the ropes around Joren vanished.

"Thanks, man. I really feared I would have to stay bound forever. I'm sure my father would have no pity on me."

Severus grinned back at Joren, and Harry did so as well.

"So we won," Harry said when he had run over to Severus. He raised his hand.

Severus rolled his eyes. "I really don't see the point in this, but if you insist." With that, he clapped his hand with Harry's.