"What? How many secret dueling clubs does Hogwarts have?" I incredulously asked.

Zack chuckled at my expression, "There are three other clubs, the Dragon Fangs, Hidden Lotus, and the Relentless Wanderers."

When I heard how many secret clubs there were, I almost rolled my eyes. I seem to be becoming aware of more secret orders and organizations than I know what to do with, from Voldemort and his death eaters to the Order of the Phoenix that confronts them. Not to mention the Whithorn syndicate and my uncle's secret cabal that opposes them. Now secret underground dueling clubs, I'm beginning to think secret societies are like crack to wizards. They can't seem to help themselves.

"Do the clubs ever interact with one another?" I asked.

Zack's brown eyes shone with amusement, and he explained, "You may face some challenges at some point, but that's half the fun. Although most of our interactions still happen at the dueling conference in December.

"How many members do they have?"

Shrugging, Zack replied, "It varies, normally within the range of 10 to 14 members. numbers constantly shift, some graduate, or sometimes one of the members will quit because they lose interest or decide that dueling isn't for them."

Looking around at the six other Hogwarts students, I questioned, "Why don't we have more members? Surely there are more students with aspen wands at Hogwarts."

"Not as many as you might think. But you're right; there are more than just us. However, just because someone has an aspen wand doesn't mean they like dueling. To be an accomplished dueler, you have to put in a lot of time and effort, and some students aren't interested in doing that, or they may not enjoy dueling, it can be difficult to put effort into something you don't enjoy doing."

"Why didn't you recruit me last year?"

"A couple of reasons, the first is that none of the clubs are allowed to recruit first-year students." Seeing my raised eyebrow, he added, "Rules from the headmaster. Also, most first-year students have little exposure to magic and hardly know any spells. Plus, it gives the clubs time to evaluate which students would be the best to recruit."

Zack nodded towards The auburn-haired Ravenclaw witch and remarked," Thankfully, Laleh was able to get you your invitation before the Hidden Lotus made their move and tried to recruit you."

"I would have thought that they would have assumed that I would be joining the Silver Spears."

Similarly, annoyed looks appeared on everyone's faces, and Zack explained, "Normally yes. The Dragon Fangs and the Relentless Wanderers leave aspen wand holders to us, but over the past five years or so, Hidden Lotus has been trying to poach aspen wand users."

"Well, considering what you said about aspen wand users typically being talented at combat, it only makes sense that they would be targeted for recruitment." I pointed out.

With an annoyed look appearing on his face, Zack explained, "It would be one thing if they tried to recruit following the rules, but they have been breaking the rules. We first found out when they tried to recruit me in my first year. Luckily, my uncle is a member of the Silver Spears. Otherwise, I might have joined them. After being chastised for breaking the rule on recruitment, they changed tactics, so we try to make sure to be first to recruit. Unfortunately, they got a kid two years ago."

"Can he switch clubs?" I asked.

"That is one of the rules all the clubs abide. We're not allowed to recruit any current or past members from other clubs. So, even though that kid no longer belongs to the Hidden Lotus, we're still not allowed to recruit him," Zack explained with a scowl on his face.

"That sucks, why did he quit?"

Narrowing his brown eyes, Zack explained, "When he found out about our club, he showed some interest in leaving and asked us if he could join. Even though we turned him down, his club found out and kicked him from their group. I'm half-convinced someone in their club orchestrated the whole thing. So, don't be too surprised if they approach you over the next couple of weeks."

"Speaking of which, let's make this official. Alex, would you like to join the Silver Spears?"

Having already made up my mind, I replied, "Of course. Everything you've told me about the Silver Spears has made clear that this is the perfect place to hone my dueling skills."

Zack grinned and pulled a ring and handed it to me. Finally able to get a closer look at the club ring, I noticed that the ring had two silver spears on the ring facing one another, possibly as a reminder of the duels to come. After sliding the ring on my right ring finger, the silver ring shrank until it fit snugly on my finger.

"Great, now that you're officially in the club, there are a few rules to explain about our dueling club."

Seemingly out of nowhere, a line surfaced from my previous life. Finding it amusing and appropriate, I said, "Let me guess, rule number one is that you don't talk about fight club."

Zack laughed and said, "Not a bad way to put it. However, while none of the dueling clubs go around and advertise that we exist, we aren't precisely forbidden secret either. If a student is really into dueling, they will generally discover one of the clubs, many times by invitation. Also, if you plan on challenging an opponent of another organization. There are protocols to set that in motion without announcing it to the whole world."

"Should I be preparing for challenges right away?" I questioned.

"No, most challenges happen after the December conference. Mainly when someone is holding a grudge over not advancing and wants to prove something." Zack explained.

"Finally, I want to go over practicing. If you plan on attending the conference this December, I recommend getting as much practice in over the next few months. Dueling isn't just two people entering a ring and slinging spells at one another. There is a lot of strategies that are involved in winning and advancing in a match. This is why a duelist who refuse to join a club and tries to compete, have such difficult times in the beginning."

Motioning towards the other members, Zack continued, "You can count on the rest of us to help, all you need to do is coordinate times. During the week, after dinner, you can almost always find a couple of us down here dueling. And on Saturday and Sunday, all of us spend a few hours down here dueling."

After Zack finished going over the basics, I spent the next half-hour being introduced to the other members. After a while, I headed back to the Ravenclaw tower with plans to meet up with Zack the following day as he had offered to begin my training.

The next day, I found myself back in the Silver Spear's dueling circle with Zack. The diameter of the ring was precisely forty feet. As we both stepped into the ring, Zack asked, "Are you familiar with the rules of dueling?"

Nodding, I said, "Yes, I can't cross the line running down the center of the circle. If I do, I would automatically forfeit the match. The duel starts with each dueler standing in the small three-foot circles on opposing ends, and the first person who is forced from the smaller ring is deducted points. After the first person has left their starting ring, the other may freely choose to leave their ring without losing points. Also, should you win the match without leaving the starting circle, you are granted additional points."

Satisfied with my understanding, Zack replied. "You've got the basics down. But remember, the most important thing is winning the match. The points you earn in a match don't have anything to do with winning, merely the ranking system. Nothing is more embarrassing than refusing to move from the starting ring, when doing so may allow you to win.”

Finished Zack asked, “Now, before we begin, do you have any questions?"

"Well, I understand a little about the points, but what else are they judging in the match," I questioned.

Zack pulled out a small leather book and handed it to me and explained, "This book has everything that they judge and how points are assigned. You should study this carefully. Most of the top-ranked duelers have reviewed books like this and tailored their style to maximize points in a match."

As I opened the small leather-bound book, Zack asked, "Have you ever wondered why duelers don't just cast the stunning spell at one another? It's one of the most effective ways to take someone down, one hit, and they go down for the count. Instead, top duelers try and use a wide variety of spells, from hexes, jinxes, charms and transfiguration spells. The wider the array of the spells used, the more the judges assign points. The same goes for defense. You can rack up more points if you can cast the counterspell or even block with the shielding spell."

After hearing all the different ways to increase your ranking, I was beginning to understand how much work I had to do before December. I didn't want just to win. I wanted as high of a ranking possible.

Seeing how eager I was to get started, Zack grinned and said, "I can see you're anxious to get started. How about we leave everything else for later?'

My eyes lit up in excitement, and I grinned and quickly replied, "That sounds like a great idea."

Confident that I would be able to surprise Zack with my skills, I headed towards the starting position on one side of the ring. Once inside the small circle, I inquired, "Do we start with wands out?"

"No, I find it best to practice like this is a real match, and drawing your wand is part of the duel. Although, I'm just going to focus on defense because I want to see your offensive capabilities." Zack replied.

After seeing Zack's relaxed face, I tried not to smirk. I rather doubt that Zack would be expecting me to have on a dueling gauntlet. Not to mention, I imagine he thought I would only know some basic spells. Last year, dealing with Micheal, and preparing for the Grendel had led me to learn some combative spells. I was pretty sure I would get the jump on him.

One hour later, I found myself kneeling on the ground with sweat pouring down my face, head pounding, and feeling humbled. I had spent the last hour getting schooled on what it was like facing a skilled dueler.

Not only was Zack not surprised about my dueling gauntlet, but he had one himself. Even though we both had gauntlets, he beat me in getting his wand out first.

I made a mental note to practice speed drawing my wand from my gauntlet and possibly buying a newer one. The one I had was relatively old and had been left long ago at Hogwarts. I bet they're better models out there.

If losing the draw surprised me, what came next was somewhat embarrassing. Every spell I sent towards Zack was countered. He didn't even have to dodge or use the shielding spell, he just used the specific counters spells.

Dragging myself up to my feet, I complained, "What are you, a mind reader? How the hell were you able to counter ever spell I used?"

Zack chuckled, and replied, "What were you expecting? I have spent thousands of hours practicing, not to mention getting trained by my uncle, who was a two-time International Dueling Champion. So while the spells you used were impressive for your age, I have a lot of experience countering them. When you see the same spells cast towards you so many times, it becomes second-hand nature to counter them. That's why constant practice and developing a deep repertoire of spells is crucial to being a successful duelist."

I glared suspiciously at Zack. I was still half-convinced I was up against a master of Legilimency, although the more rational part of my brain informed me that I was just embarrassed and making excuses.

A small part of me had thought I would be able to go toe to toe with Zack. Being reminded that as talented as I was, I was still human and had limits. I think I had been letting all my successes go to my head again. Maybe getting humbled every once in awhile was a good thing.

Coming over to my side of the ring, Zack praised, "You know, I was expecting a lot worse. You're way better than I was at your age. Not only do you know a great amount of spells for your age, but your aim is also surprisingly good. It is astonishing how many inexperienced duelers have trouble hitting their opponent from forty feet away."

Happy with his praise, I bragged, "Yeah, I got really good by practicing hitting bludgers with spells last year."

After hearing about how I learned, Zack's eyebrows rose in surprise. After a moment, He shrugged and said, "Well, whatever you did, keep it up. If you keep practicing, I bet you're going to surprise everyone this December."

Knowing that constructive criticism was influential in improving one's self, I asked, "Is there anything else you noticed I should work on?"

Seeing how receptive I was, Zack smiled, and said, "A couple of other small things. Your wand movement, while precise, I would recommend trying to make the movements as small as possible. Also, try to be as quiet as you can when chanting your spells. You want to make it as difficult as you can for your opponent to know what is coming his way. Other than that, I would say just keep practicing with opponents and learning more spells."

We ended up calling it a day, with plans to continue practicing throughout the week. Before he left, Zack recommended spreading out my practice sessions with different members as it would expose me to different styles of dueling.

He also suggested that I spend some time watching the others duel, as ideas and strategies could be learned from watching others.

When I made it back to my room, I dug out my enchanted coin and sent a message to my friends for us to meet up at the Room of Requirement. I had a lot of information I wanted to share.