The morning of the next day, Antonio opened his inn at his usual time and seated himself behind the counter. It was a time when hardly anyone visited the inn—for no matter how weird the wizards and witches were, they would not begin to drink early in the morning.
Antonio was seated behind the counter, reading the morning newspaper, when the door of the inn was pushed open. He raised his eyebrows, wondering who it could be, when a familiar face walked inside. It was none other than Bellatrix Black. She, meanwhile, remained calm as she closed in the distance and took her seat on one of the stools along the counter.
"A drink, please… whatever is the specialty of your place," she said as she stared directly in Antonio's eyes.
Antonio raised his eyebrows as he picked one of the bottles from the shelf and poured Bellatrix a drink. It was the wine that the Olario family had been brewing for generations and was their speciality.
Bellatrix took a sip and commented, "It is a fine drink."
"Thank you, Miss Black," Antonio replied.
"Now, may I ask, what is it that you want from me and what is the purpose of your visit?" he asked. "Or should I assume that Miss Bellatrix Black has a habit of getting drunk early in the morning?"
Bellatrix did not respond immediately, as she took a few more sips of the drink and calmly placed the glass on the counter.
"A duel," she said dispassionately.
Antonio raised his eyebrows. "A duel? With me?"
"Why?" he asked.
"Because in our generation," Bellatrix said with an air of confidence, "there is no one who could even stand up to me."
"Even if I am drunk," she added, referring to what had happened the previous night.
"You want revenge for that?" Antonio asked.
She shook her head, "Satisfaction."
"Ever since I started to learn magic… started to use a wand… since I was 12 years old, I had never been satisfied in a duel. It always felt as if I was crushing small ants," she explained seeing the confused look on Antonio's face.
"Only the people of older generations had the prowess and skill to stand up against me."
"You," she said, pointing her index finger towards Antonio, "are the first in our generation who could stand up to me."
"And what makes you think I can satisfy you in a duel?" Antonio asked. "For all I know, I may be the same as the others."
"You are not like the others, Lord Olario," Bellatrix said with a tint of respect in her voice. "Even if it was only for a brief period of time, the way you dealt with my spells- no ordinary wizard could have done it. Only a highly skilled wizard would have the ability to do so."
Antonio did not respond immediately, as he kept gazing at Bellatrix.
"Let us assume," he said, "that it is as you say- that I can actually satisfy you in a duel then what do I even get in return?"
"Honestly, I have no interest in duelling with you."
Bellatrix chuckled, "If you can defeat me in a duel, Lord Olario."
"You can have me," she added as she leaned forward with her face close to Antonio.
Antonio did not know if Bellatrix was intentionally trying to seduce him or not, but the way she had spoken the last sentence made him feel a rising lust inside him. No doubt Bellatrix was extremely beautiful, and the only thing stopping Antonio from making a move immediately on her was the possibility that she might be a Death Eater.
"If I win, I want some answers," Olario said with finality in his tone.
Bellatrix did not think much as she nodded in agreement. If Antonio truly had the capabilities to defeat her, she would not mind giving him answers to some of his questions.
"Where do we go?" Antonio asked.
"I have a place," Bellatrix said as she extended her hand towards Antonio.
A hesitation flickered in Antonio's eyes as a thought crossed his mind—what if it was a trap set up to ambush him? But that thought was soon discarded. He did not have any money or influence or anything else for Bellatrix to go to such lengths to set a trap. And even if it was a trap, as long as Voldemort himself did not come, Antonio had full confidence in escaping from the ambush.
With strengthened resolve, Antonio took Bellatrix's hand in his own. He was still wondering about how soft her hand was when he felt the space around him shifting, and he found himself in a new location.
Antonio let go of Bellatrix's hand almost reluctantly and looked around.
He was now standing in a circular expanse of land enclosed by large boundary walls; the diameter of the walls was almost 200 feet. But the most attention-drawing part of this land was the terrain inside it.
At the centre of the expanse was a small circular arena with a bed formed of soil and sand. The remaining land was filled with large trees and rocks of all sizes—from large boulders to small pebbles. Water, in the form of a stream, constantly flowed around these trees and rocks.
This was a terrain specially crafted for duels, a place where every branch of magic- charms, transfiguration and dark arts could be freely used.
"This is the only piece of property I own," Bellatrix said as she walked towards the centre of the arena. "And of our generation, you are the first person I have thought capable enough to even bring to this place."
"Do not disappoint me," she said as she whipped her wand, and a red spell shot towards Antonio. This spell was powerful and faster than the spells she had used the previous night, but Antonio did not even move as the spell whizzed past his head. The spell had never been aimed for him, and Bellatrix was not a novice who would miss her target.
"It is going to be fun," Bellatrix smiled, impressed by Antonio's trajectory judging accuracy, which was no small feat. Another spell left her wand, and this time it was coming directly towards Antonio's face.
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