Unofficial Portkey Archive

A month had passed since the Heirs and the Order of the Phoenix had battled Voldemort and his Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries. April was starting to give in to May, spring just around the corner. The weather was brightening, the days filled with cloudless skies and a warming sun. Flowers were beginning to bloom around the grounds of Illustris and the trees of the forest were sprouting leaves. It was a lovely sight to behold.

During this time, the training at Illustris for the Heirs and their friends had escalated dramatically. More determined then ever, all of them had thrown themselves into their lessons. The Four Heirs had further developed their skills as a team, working off of each others moves and predicting each other excellently. The four companions of the Heirs proved to be much stronger than thought before, not as good as the Heirs but able to keep up with them.

Ron seemed determine to prove his worth after his displays at the Ministry. He was often seen taking extra dueling lessons with Lupin and conversing with Harry about the upcoming battle. Every night he disappeared to somewhere in the castle, no one besides two knowing of his whereabouts. He was being taught something extra, in the hopes of it helping his friends and somehow bringing the Trio together again in a more symbolic way. For though he was frightened for his life and the others lives, he refused to be left behind in any way.

The worth of the companions of the Heirs was also starting to come to light as more days passed by. Every time a tension settled between the Four Heirs, Blaise, Luna, Hannah, and Ron were immediately there to bring them back together. Every time the slightest amount of trust started to shake, the other four helped steady it, refusing to allow the Heirs to break. The extra support was slowly working, as the Heirs found themselves bonding even more strongly and relying on the different powers of each other.

The Prophecy of Merlin was now carried around with them. Each realized the importance of it's words and how much the Key could mean to either winning or losing the Final Battle. The Heirs were striving to establish it even harder then before, and slowly, it was starting to come together. One more major test had to be met and then the unbreakable bond would be sealed.

Before the test of their bond arrived, one final test of the Heirs' and their companions' powers and strength was to be taken first. Dumbledore had made the decision for it to be a set of duels, to see how much everyone had learned and to let them all assess each other one last time before the battle.

So that was where the Heirs, their companions, and a few of their teachers found themselves on a sunny afternoon at the end of April. Dumbledore was visiting them and was at the moment, standing on top of the green hill, smiling down at the group before him.

"You have now come to the final test to prove yourselves. Several duels will take place to let you and your companions understand where each of you are at with your powers and your use over these powers. I ask that no Unforgivables be used. Even though you will meet them at the Final Battle, I do not think it wise to use them here against each other. You may use any other spells, curses, and powers against your opponent. And to the Heirs I say, please try and recognize your full potential, you will realize that great things will happen when you do. Now, Miss Granger and Miss Lovegood, if you please."

Hermione and Luna quickly climbed up the hill before Dumbledore. He gave them a nod and pointed to the opposite sides of the hill.

"Please take your positions and then we will begin."

Dumbledore descended the hill and waited with the rest of the group. Hermione and Luna walked to their places before turning and bowing to each other. They then both raised their wands and set their bodies into a fighting stance. The two Ravenclaws stared unblinkingly at their opponent, waiting for the command from Dumbledore.

There was a brief pause, where nothing but the wind resounded in the ears of everyone. Harry and Ron each took in a breath, anxious for the duel to start.

"NOW!" Dumbledore shouted.

Hermione swung her wand forward and yelled her spell before Luna had barely moved.

"Stupefy!"

Luna rolled to the ground as the red light blasted over her head. Picking herself up quickly, she retaliated with her own curse.

"Incendio perdo!"

A thick flame of fire shot directly at Hermione, roaring and scorching the ground below it. Not even flinching, Hermione dropped her wand and raised her hands, summoning out of the clouds above a sudden downfall of rain. The line of fire was doused seconds before it hit Hermione. An instant later, with a flick of her hand, her wand was back in her grasp and she was fighting again.

A cloud of the white smoke, which Dumbledore had used in the Department of Mysteries, erupted from her wand, completely obscuring Luna's vision.

"Expelliarmus!" Hermione shouted.

"Protego!" Luna answered through the smoke, causing Hermione to duck her own rebounded spell.

Luna caused the smoke to vanish with another flick but her eyes widened in shock when she saw Hermione running straight at her. A blast from the brown-haired witch's wand caused Luna to be knocked off her feet, her wand flying off into the grass.

"Accio sword!" Hermione called.

A gleaming silver sword shot into her hand out of nowhere and she lowered the blade to Luna's throat. There was no question of who had won that fight.

"Stop!" Dumbledore called. "Brilliant, Miss Granger! And the same to you, Miss Lovegood. Outstanding show of multiple skills!"

Hermione lowered her sword and smiled at Luna, offering a hand to the younger girl. Once she was off the ground, Luna couldn't help but hug Hermione.

"Well done indeed," the blonde said softly. "I especially loved the Elemental show, very catching."

Hermione snorted with laughter. "Thanks. You were great too. Those Death Eaters won't know what hit them."

Dumbledore climbed up next to the two girls and smiled gently.

"If both of you fight that way during the Final Battle, the Light side will have an almost sure victory. You were both wonderful and I know any opponent you each face will have a most difficult time. Now then, I want Miss Weasley and Miss Abbott to have a go. If you please."

He gestured for them to join the rest of the group as Ginny and Hannah scrambled up the hill. Harry gave Hermione a light kiss on the lips before smiling at her proudly.

"You were brilliant, love. I'd hate to be your enemy."

Hermione chuckled and kissed him back.

"Any interesting plans for your duel?" she questioned as Ginny and Hannah faced each other.

"A few," Harry replied vaguely.

Hermione rolled her eyes and turned her head to watch the next duel. Ginny had a determined look of concentration on her face, her eyebrows creased together and her wand being gripped tightly in her hand. Hannah appeared very calm but slightly nervous, chewing her lip absentmindedly. Hermione shifted her gaze over to Draco, who surprisingly had his fingers crossed and his gray eyes narrowed.

"Come on, Gin," she heard him whisper.

When Dumbledore gave the signal, Ginny managed to get the first spell out.

"Impedimenta!" she cried.

Hannah lurched backwards and yelled out, "Protego!"

Ginny leapt to the side and started to think of a way to startle Hannah and put her off guard. Remembering what Hermione had done, Ginny decided to follow in her example.

"Stupefy!" Hannah shouted, taking advantage of Ginny's lack of movement.

Ginny quickly procured her shield and launched forward as Hannah dived to escape her own spell. She pointed her wand at the grass before her and quickly muttered another spell.

"Incendio!"

The spot before her burst into flames and Ginny quickly focused on it, raising her hands forward. The small fire quickly conjured into a larger one, rising up into the air. Balling her hand into a fist, Ginny created a small part of it into a fireball and hurled it at Hannah.

Surprisingly, the other girl countered it easily, spraying the fireball with a jet of water from her wand. Ginny wasn't going to be put down though, so she managed to make the fire rise even higher, causing her to disappear from Hannah's view. Seconds later, the fire vanished altogether but no sign of Ginny was behind the scorched ground.

Hannah approached cautiously, feeling slightly confused. Just then, a strange feeling crept up her spine and she whirled around to see a bright red fox leaping toward her, it's teeth bared. In mid jump, the fox transformed into Ginny, who pointed her wand straight at Hannah's throat as she hit the ground. Grinning in amusement, Hannah lowered her own wand.

"Nice one, Ginny," she said with admiration in her voice. "I never even thought about you using your Animagus powers. That was unexpected."

Ginny smiled back. "Thanks, Hannah. And I must say, how you stopped my fireball was great, couldn't have done it better."

The older girl blushed as Dumbledore called for them to leave the hill and allow for Draco and Blaise to take their places. Draco squeezed Ginny's hand as he passed her, giving her a quick wink. Blaise nodded to her in respect.

"Nice one, Weasley," he said.

The two Slytherins reached the top and bowed to each other. They walked in opposite directions and stopped on their side of the hill. Blaise was smirking as he lifted his wand above his head.

"Got anything special planned for me, Malfoy?" he called out with a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

Draco merely raised an eyebrow and said nothing. He had plans all right. He was the second best at dueling, right behind Harry. Dumbledore waited for them to settle down and then let loose the signal.

Blaise decided to start small and sent a simple Stunning Spell at Draco, who managed to hurl a large rock in front of him to be blasted by the spell instead. Grinning cheekily, he flicked his wand and caused a shower of small pebbles to descend on Blaise, who ducked and threw up a shield.

"Serpensortia!" Draco yelled, a long black snake coiling out from the tip of his wand.

A flash of fear passed over Blaise's face momentarily as the snake bared it's fangs and sped forward in the grass, Draco hissing commands to it the whole time. His frightened demeanor faded as he remembered the snake was not real.

"Evanesco!" he cried.

With a pop, the snake disappeared, leaving Draco looking disappointed. Noticing his lapse, Blaise sent a powerful Stinging Hex at the blonde's chest, who yelped in anger as a red welt rose on his skin. Glaring menacingly, Draco hurled out the spell that Dumbledore had taught him.

"Validus colligatio!"

The spell struck Blaise before he could even react and his blue eyes widened as another voice entered into his mind.

Hello there, Blaise. Draco's voice said with a hint of a smirk in it. Thought I'd try something new. You know, my telepathic powers are quite effective with discerning the plans for attack of my opponent.

Blaise gasped as the connection was lost, feeling slightly overwhelmed. Thinking quickly, he sent forward a curse that conjured a thick cloud of black, impenetrable smoke, hiding Draco from his view. Smirking in victory, Blaise moved forward but was stopped by a sword landing inches from his feet, the point buried in the dirt. Jumping back, Blaise looked around wildly and saw Draco running toward him from his right.

Crying out, Blaise desperately sent a Stunning Spell at him but Draco threw his arm out, avoiding the spell and at the same time causing a tremor to run through the ground right under Blaise's feet. The dark haired Slytherin was knocked on his back, Draco standing over him with his wand pointed directly at his chest.

"Yield, Blaise?" he questioned mockingly.

The other boy sighed in annoyance. "Yes. You beat me this time."

"Good choice," Draco said with a laugh as he helped his friend up.

Pulling his sword out of the ground, Draco tucked it into his belt and started off down the hill. Dumbledore was smiling happily at him, looking more and more pleased with each duel that took place.

"Very interesting trick, Mister Malfoy. The use of the sword was different but well done. Good job to both of you."

Draco gave a small smile before looking over at Snape, who was nodding at him in approval. Ginny raced up to him and threw her arms around his neck before kissing him soundly.

"Amazing, Draco! Amazing!" she said, causing her boyfriend to smile even wider.

Dumbledore was now calling up Harry and Ron, who both looked extremely cool and collected. The two best friends were now facing off, each ready and knowing not to give the other an ounce of dueling comfort. They needed to be prepared for the battle and the only way to do this was to act as if they were true opponents, with some small exceptions. The rest of the small group excitedly moved forward; this was the duel they had been waiting for.

Hermione and Luna stood off to the side a little, each looking nervous and biting their nails. Ginny came to stand beside them, having a hard time deciding whether she should cheer for her brother or her fellow Heir. All the teachers looked anxious, especially Remus and Moody, who had spent a lot of time with the two before them. It was sure to be a very interesting duel.

Dumbledore motioned for Ron and Harry to walk to their positions. With brief smiles at each other, the two did as they were told and then faced each other, raising their wands. A collective breath was taken in by everyone and even the wind seemed to have died away, a silence descending upon them.

When Dumbledore let loose his signal, the series of spells that followed were so quick that eventually they all blurred together, causing a field of multiple colors to emerge before their eyes.

"Stupefy!"

"Expelliarmus!"

"Protego!"

"Impedimenta!"

"Incendio!"

"Protego!"

"Stupefy!"

Harry hit the ground as the Stunning Spell flew over him before flipping over and standing up.

"Clavus flagellum!"

A long black cord with a glinting silver spike erupted out of Harry's wand and lashed out at Ron. A portion of it wrapped around Ron's torso before he managed to fight his wand forward to disengage the spell.

"Finite Incantatem!" he cried, the black whip vanishing from sight.

Ron then leveled his wand forward and cast a powerful surge of energy at Harry, which could knock any opponent flat on his back. Harry screwed up his strength and cast a tricky spell that Remus had taught him. It was a like the Banishing Charm but much more powerful and could dispel items that were not solid.

"Complano!" he shouted.

The energy field was blasted away, immediately letting Harry shoot off another spell.

"Stupefy!" he yelled, hoping to catch Ron off guard.

The red-head smirked and simply cast the same spell as before, the energy field reappearing. Harry shot his hands forward, a sudden gale of wind coming from the sky, which intercepted the field and disengaged it.

Harry repositioned his wand and cast his next spell.

"Confundus!"

Unfortunately for Ron, this spell hit him, his body swinging oddly around as a deep sense of confusion fell over him. Staring at his limp wand in his hand, Ron barely noticed as Harry ran toward him, ready to Stun him and claim victory for the duel. At the last second, Ron gathered all his strength and shook some of the confusion off, turning around in time to see Harry inches from him.

Reeling backwards, Ron managed to cry out through the fog in his mind.

"Expelliarmus!"

Not having enough time to defend himself, Harry leapt into the air and transformed into a beautiful Phoenix. Ron fell to his knees and crawled forward, blinking and managing to mutter the counter curse for the spell on him. The Phoenix circled in the air and then pointed downwards, meaning to strike Ron in the back. Leaping up, Ron saw the Phoenix and did the most remarkable thing, which caused everyone, besides Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall, to gasp in shock.

The red head was no longer there and in his place stood a majestic, and very large, black panther. The sleek cat growled at the Phoenix, which had slumped momentarily in his flight before continuing to dive downward. The great Panther leapt into the air and the two Animagus' crashed into each other before falling to the ground below. Seeming a bit dazed, the two creatures backed away from each other before the Panther leapt forward to try and pin the Phoenix. With a cry of his piercing song, the bird flew into the air and landed on the other side of the green hill.

Ron and Harry then transformed back into their original forms, both sweating and panting from exhaustion. Another round of spells followed as they continued to move closer to each other. A few feet apart, they both called out the same spell.

"Expelliarmus!" they yelled, echoing each other.

Both were blasted off their feet, their wands flying and switching to land by the opposite owners. Both rose quickly and grabbed the other's wand, pointing it forward. Then they both halted and with grins at each other, lowered their wands.

"Tie?" Harry said, looking greatly amused.

Ron smirked. "I'd say so."

Then Harry tilted his head and looked at Ron, confusion all over his face.

"Ron, when did you learn to become an Animagus?"

"Ah…well…" Ron stumbled out.

Dumbledore interrupted them as he walked up the hill. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet, looking ecstatic and many years younger.

"Wonderful work, Mister Weasley and Mister Potter. Such a display of magical abilities. And now, I think that was enough for today." He turned to the rest of the group and addressed them as well. "You all proved yourselves amazingly well today. I believe, with the consent of the other teachers, that you have all passed the test of dueling. I have no doubts that the Final Battle will go in our favor but remember, do not think too highly of the skills you possess because that would prove a sure downfall for us all. Let us all return to the castle now."

Dumbledore walked down the hill with Harry and Ron behind him. The other students rushed up to them, so many questions burning to be answered. Before one word could be spoken though, McGonagall stepped up to Ron and smiled genuinely at him.

"Beautiful Animagus form, Mister Weasley. Your hard work paid off very well."

She laid a hand on his shoulder before moving off to the side and started conversing quietly with Lupin. Hermione watched her favorite teacher leave before swinging around to look at Ron.

"Ron!" she exclaimed. "How is that possible? When did you learn to become an Animagus?"

Ron blushed furiously before speaking.

"You know how I've been disappearing every night this past month since I arrived here? Well, I asked Dumbledore and McGonagall if it would be possible for me to learn how to be an Animagus in a short period of time. McGonagall checked and was able to determine that I could turn into an animal but since it wasn't magical, the timing would not take as long as it did for you four. So she trained me hard and I worked at it in secret. I've only been able to transform completely for the past couple of days so I was surprised I was able to use the form in the duel."

Ron kicked the toe of his shoe in the dirt and gave Harry and Hermione a guilty look.

"I'm sorry you two, I should have told you. I've wanted so bad to be a part of something that you were involved with for so long, ever since I knew you were both Heirs. Since I'm not an Heir there's not much that I can learn like you do, but, I wanted to do this, to be an Animagus. We can be like the Marauders now. We're more of a trio now."

Harry sighed and shook his head.

"We've always been a trio, Ron. And we always will be. You didn't have to prove yourself so much. Though, I will admit, it is cool that you're an Animagus too."

Harry grinned at Ron's shocked look, causing them to both burst out laughing as Hermione dissolved into tears of happiness and hugged her boys. Ginny was smiling like mad at the scene before her as Draco snorted in disgust.

"Such sappiness," he muttered.

Ginny smacked his arm, causing Blaise to laugh as Draco winced.

"Oh, shove it, Zabini," he hissed as the dark haired Slytherin continued to chortle.

Luna came up and wrapped her arms around Ron's waist as the Trio parted. She gave him a kiss as she smiled dreamily at him.

"I'm so very proud of you, Ronald."

Ron blushed again before a thought struck him and he turned sharply to his sister. Ginny was holding Draco's hand as the blonde kept bantering with Blaise. She looked thoroughly annoyed but said nothing. Her eyes shifted and locked onto Ron's, who looked from her face to her hands. Stepping away from Luna, he approached his sister.

"Something you want to tell me, Gin? I'm not daft, you know, I've just been a bit preoccupied this past month so I let it slide. But really, want to tell me what's going on between you and Malfoy?"

He crossed his arms over his chest as Ginny gulped nervously. Draco swung his head around and fixed Ron with a steady glare.

"What's it to you, Weasel King?" he snapped.

Hannah rolled her eyes and made a huffing noise at the comment.

"Oh, not again," she moaned in distress. "Don't start, Ron."

Ron ignored her and glared back at Draco.

"What right have you to date my sister? Explain now or I'll hex you to the next eternity."

"Ron, no," Ginny warned, hoping to stop the upcoming fight. "It's my life, don't get involved."

"Shush, Gin," Draco said quietly, stepping in front of her and facing Ron fully. "I'll handle this."

Ginny started to protest but he waved her off, turning his attention to the seething red head. Draco had to admit, Ron could probably put out a pretty good duel, if his display from before meant anything. But for once, he wasn't going to take that chance.

"It's really very simple, Weasley. I love your sister, isn't that enough?"

Ron looked taken aback and looked to Harry and Hermione for help. Both of them were nodding though, already knowing Draco's feelings. The arrogant Slytherin was no longer present to them, having become more of a friend and ally over the past months. Neither wanted to damage that. Ron bit his lip, feeling as if he was outnumbered. As much as he had helped the Heirs over the month, he still couldn't completely trust Draco, it was too much to ask.

"You love her?" he finally whispered, studying the blonde for sincerity.

Draco nodded, not breaking eye contact. Ron sighed and stepped further forward, causing Draco to stiffen and reach for his wand. Ginny laid a hand on his arm, stopping him from doing anything rash.

"All right, Malfoy, I believe you, truly. But I warn you, if you hurt my sister in any way, if you betray her trust and love for you, you won't have to worry about Voldemort killing you, cause I will."

His tone was deadly serious and Draco knew not to mess around with what Ron had just said. Nodding his head, he answered.

"Deal, Weas….Ron," he said before sticking out his hand. "How about a truce?"

Ron's eyes widened in shock, not expecting anything like that to occur. Very slowly, he reached forward and grasped Draco's hand in his own.

"Truce…..Draco," he replied.

Then the two smiled at each other, one of the many barriers between them breaking down. They were in no way friends yet, but they were on their way, much like Harry and Draco had been so many months earlier. Ginny squealed in delight next to them and gripped them both in a hug, kissing their cheeks. The rest of the group smiled in relief, happy to not have to be picking up any broken bodies.

The group then finally walked back to the castle, Ginny walking between Ron and Draco, hooking her arms through each of theirs. Luna walked beside Ron, holding his hand and laughing at something he said. Hannah and Blaise followed behind them, talking comfortably and seeming to be more of friends. Behind them, Harry looped his arm around Hermione's waist and held her close to him.

"You're always right, you know that, 'Mione? You knew we would be able to settle our differences and get along, like the Prophecy said."

Hermione smiled and squeezed his arm.

"Yes, I believed in it the whole time. I guess I just never wanted to give up on any of us."

Harry smiled down at her and gave her a gentle kiss.

"You're amazing. I couldn't ask for a better best friend and love."

Hermione smiled brightly at him, her eyes shining.

"I feel pretty lucky myself."

They then entered the castle with the others, feeling more ready than ever for whatever ever faced them beyond Illustris.

............................

Author's Note: Oh gosh, so so sorry about the delay with this! My work schedule keeps getting more hectic and I was working practically all this past weekend and this is really the first chance I got to write. I wrote this chapter all in one go so I hope you all enjoyed it! I wanted to show how the Heirs and their friends have improved with dueling since the DoM. Let's just say that the incidents there really made them determined to improve. I know, not too much action with the plot in here but it's coming, I promise. The next chapter is just about how their training is completed. Nothing big but essential nonetheless. I work again tomorrow but I hope to write before that. It should be up in a day or two.
I probably made some of you wonder about the part with Ron being an Animagus now. The explanation as to why I did that is exactly what Ron said, I wanted to include him more with the Heirs, since I consider him the most powerful of the other four that joined them. If you're wondering as to the speed of his ability, I just figured since his animal is non-magical, it wouldn't take as long as he practiced every night. I hope none of you minded :)
Oh, and here's the English translation for some of the spells I used: Incendio perdo - fire blast; clavus flagellum - spike whip; complano - flatten. All the other ones are either in the canon books or written by me earlier in this story. Thank you for the amazing reviews and I hope to see more from all of you!
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