Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and just write for fun, not earning any money from this.
Chapter 22: Duels with the DA
3 November
Sunday evening found much of the Hogwarts staff meeting in the Headmaster's office.
"Thank you all for coming." Dumbledore said, looking around. "We are here to discuss progress with Harry and Hermione's apprenticeships. I have decided it is time to implement the second stage, but I want to be sure everyone has a chance to offer their observations."
Professor Flitwick looked around and then began.
"The dueling practice is going well. They are both quick studies. Harry has more natural talent in the area, much as he has shown on the Quidditch pitch, but Hermione seems no less talented somehow. They're both hard workers. I have noticed in Harry a tendency to hold back. He seems motivated most by being on the edge of failing, so I have tried to hide how really very talented he is. Bill Weasley almost gave it away after their duel, but I think I managed to stop him before Harry suspected. Hiding anything from Hermione is much more difficult, but she knows best how to motivate Harry and seems to do it naturally."
"I have hidden from him how truly advanced their performance is. After speaking with Remus, I realized he does the impossible without thinking as long as it is couched as a task just out of his reach rather than completely unheard of in a fifth year Hogwarts' student. As a result, he is doing more non-verbal and even significant amounts of wandless magic, none of which I have let on is anything unusual. I have encouraged him to be less than open about these abilities to hide his progress from Voldemort." Flitwick continued.
Professor McGonagall nodded, "He was upset with me for taking him to task for antagonizing Umbridge. The next class I had with him, he wandlessly vanished a snail. That represented a huge leap in his transfiguration ability and he has continued on his new trajectory."
Snape looked ill, but finally spoke up. "He has done marvelously in potions class. It is clear that he and Miss Granger are researching the potions in advance with superior alternative methods of preparation. They take turns implementing the alternative methods, which are identical to the alternatives that Lily and I devised during my time as a student. Both are highly skilled in occlumency and if tested by a Ministry tester, would likely be considered at the mastery level, although I have more work I desire to do with them maintaining shields while dueling, since I'm sure the Dark Lord will test that skill."
Dumbledore sat, hands steepled in front of his face. "I am a bit concerned about the episode with Mr. Malfoy yesterday. While I was initially concerned it would result in another educational decree, this fear was unfounded. The Minister tried, but the Wizengamot blocked the move, jealous to maintain the power of the Pureblood Houses. Harry's use of the Pureblood laws was masterful and even his enemies would not risk the Ministry taking away their traditional prerogatives. During the duel itself, I would much rather have seen him use a less harmful spell, with disarming, stunning, petrifying, or incarcerating spells all being preferable to a piercing charm."
Both Flitwick and Snape looked eager to answer that.
"I think we must be realistic, Albus." Professor Flitwick said, "He used exactly the spell I would have… if I'd decided not to kill Mr. Malfoy. It was enough to make an impact on the boy's actions, knowing Harry could have killed him and likely in the future will if further provoked. It incapacitated his wand arm. It was relatively easy to heal. Perhaps in Heidelberg I would have been more likely to use a cutting curse due to the popularity of dueling scars; however I don't think he wanted to give Mr. Malfoy an honor mark."
"Headmaster, the spell he used was lighter than most his enemies would employ." Snape said, "While trying to keep him from becoming the next Dark Lord is a consideration, making sure he defeats the current holder of that title is paramount. I have been inside his mind. He may have many flaws, but being inclined to evil or even unnecessary cruelty is not one of them. I have watched Draco push him for the past four years. Given complete freedom to do whatever he wanted, I think he was remarkably restrained. After that arrogant toe rag called Lily a mudblood, I am uncertain I would have been equally restrained."
Dumbledore nodded. "Then none of you think this is evidence I should restrict my teaching of the more esoteric magics?"
"You don't dare, Albus." Minerva said, "The boy needs all the help he can get."
The others all nodded.
"Then we are agreed." Dumbledore said. "Is there anything else?"
H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr
4 November
Monday evening, Harry met with the Headmaster in his office.
"Harry, my boy, have a seat." Professor Dumbledore said in his most grandfatherly tone.
"Albus." Harry said with a nod, repressing a grin yet again as he tried to get used to calling his headmaster by his Christian name.
"Harry, you are coming more and more to remind me of me." Albus began, "Really, you remind me first and foremost of the best qualities of both your mother and father, but you also remind me of me. There are few wizards alive who really understand the limits of magical power. I am one. Unfortunately, so is Tom Riddle. You could become another."
Harry remained silent, planning to let Dumbledore reveal his plans in his own way.
"This is the reason I took you as an apprentice. I was afraid of Tom from the beginning, but I failed him. I did not want to teach him and perhaps give him a head start on grasping the power that he eventually grasped despite my efforts. However, I failed to mentor him in a way that might have prevented that. I have never truly worried you would follow his path. You know too much of the pain that can inflict. However, until recently, I never saw in you the readiness to take up the path I am going to offer you. Now I do."
"Hogwarts is a wonderful magical school, but no school can cater to every student need. Your situation is unique and I will be supplementing the Hogwarts curriculum in ways unique to that situation. I got a progress report from Professor Flitwick and he is satisfied with your progress. Professor Snape is satisfied with your progress, despite criticisms."
"The one area I have always been concerned about for you, is your academic progress. Since you bonded with Miss Granger, my worries in that area have evaporated. In many ways, I was more like her in my passion for academics. By the time I graduated from Hogwarts, I knew many archaic magics and was in demand when masters sought apprentices. Sometime afterwards, I was lucky enough to study with Master Nicolas Flamel, the great alchemist. I learned secrets of alchemy that are unknown to any others to this day. I continued my pursuit of obscure magics for many years and expanded my knowledge beyond my wildest dreams. When I faced my Dark Lord, Grindelwald, I had this knowledge to draw on. You will not have this luxury, so I will impart a truth that I learned in my pursuit of knowledge that may help you. Few can use it, but you may be one such."
"In my explorations of the globe, looking for more and more magical knowledge, I eventually went to Tibet. I studied with a Zen charms master. He trained me for almost a year before telling me his secret."
Harry leaned forward, riveted, wondering what the secret was. Albus' eyes sparkled as he enjoyed his greatest love, teaching a promising student.
"He told me, 'Albus, the secret to magic is that once you have mastered magic, you will no longer need spells.' I thought he was speaking of wandless magic and embarked on a yearlong effort to perfect my wandless casting. It was a productive year and I am still glad I spent it, but at the end, the master again approached me and said, 'You are slow to learn. Once you have mastered magic, you will no longer need spells at all. Your magic will do your bidding.' Do you understand what he was trying to say, Harry?"
Harry shook his head, also confused, but now understanding better where Dumbledore gained his habit of answering direct questions with parables.
"I could not understand his meaning either until he showed me something in his pensieve. He showed me how I had learned to cast a difficult spell that Nicolas taught me, and then he showed me how I cast it when I was with him. It did not resemble how I had learned to cast the spell at all. I should have been completely unable to cast the spell in this manner, but it worked because I expected it to work."
Harry stopped to consider the implications of that.
"You mean that the years you spent learning the formal incantations and wand movements weren't necessary?"
"Oh, I think they were necessary." Dumbledore answered, "I was a very logical, rational young wizard. If offered that explanation early in my pursuit of knowledge, I think I would have failed to understand it. I was not in a position to use the knowledge until I had already learned the formal way. Even once I knew the Zen master's secret, I was happy I had learned the formal way, because it is dangerous to take that shortcut. If you try to produce an effect without knowing the theory, you could attempt something outside your power and kill yourself through severe magical depletion. I do hope you will keep this in mind, Harry, as you do have a tendency to be rash."
Harry nodded.
"To use this alternative way of generating magical effects, you must have a powerful magical core, an organized mind, and a good talent at visualizing. I think you have these traits, more so now that you have deeply pursued the art of occlumency." Dumbledore said, "To test you, I am going to ask you to generate a flaming rope, a spell I know you have not learned in Hogwarts…unless Miss Granger discovered it and taught you?"
Harry scanned his mind for the information, to see if he'd unknowingly picked it up from Hermione. "No, she must not have gotten to that one, yet."
"Very well." Albus said, eyes sparkling, "Imagine restraining this dummy in a rope of fire and then unleash your magic. Do not worry about the room; it has been heavily warded against damage."
Harry focused on what he wanted and then pushed his magic out. A puff of whitish substance, much like a Patronus shield form shot from his wand, but then dissipated.
"Not a bad start, Harry, but you must both visualize it more clearly and also let your magic know what you want. If you recall any bouts of 'accidental magic' you did as a child, think of how that felt, because that's the sensation you should have."
Harry went through his recently reorganized memories and quickly found the day he'd vanished the glass in front of the snake's cage. He realized now he'd used a vanishing spell, but without wand, without incantation, and without even knowing what he was doing. How much easier should it be now?
He lifted his wand, touched his core, and strongly visualized his desire. A flaming rope shot from his wand and wrapped around the dueling dummy.
"Well, done, Harry!" Albus applauded, "I know you will teach Miss Granger. I do not doubt she will be in an excellent position to use this knowledge so long as she survives the aneurysm. Please do not share it with others, who may not have the strength to safely use this knowledge. I will continue to teach you some of the obscure magics I have learned, for the knowledge if nothing else. You can only imagine so much and the more you know is possible, the more you can attempt."
Dumbledore went on to teach him the massive cyclone of fire spell he had used in their duel.
"This is particularly good when in the midst of a horde of inferi. Less well received when amongst your allies, but a sufficiently powerful wizard can control and direct the flames. The greatest of wizards can cast it using fiendfyre, but that is very dangerous. Ah, I think Miss Granger is approaching."
Harry could feel Hermione coming up the staircase. She came in the door, kissed his cheek, and sat next to him.
"Miss Granger, I am pleased you could join us after your work with Minerva was concluded."
"Thank you, Headmaster." Hermione said politely, "I wanted you show you what I've achieved with the horcrux map."
She pulled a case from her bag and a rolled parchment from within. She spread it on Dumbledore's desk, waiting the corners with silver instruments he had on top. Engraved with exceedingly fine detail appeared to be a map of the UK.
"I have assumed that Voldemort is a bigot, based on his Pureblood views. I assume he will have kept all Horcrux within the country, although given that he was outside when Professor Quirrel first encountered him that may be incorrect. I was hesitant to actually try the parchment in case it alerted him or triggered any offensive wards when we initiate the scrying."
"Very good, Miss Granger." Dumbledore said, "I will raise wards to prevent harm to us should this happen. I do not know that we can prevent detection of our efforts if he has sufficiently enchanted the Horcrux, but suspect he will not have planned for the discovery of one and scrying efforts based on possession of it."
Hermione focused on the map and incanted, "Reperio Anima!"
Waves of golden energy flowed over the surface of the map like water, beginning to accumulate in certain areas and finally condensing in glowing sparks on the map. There appeared to be six, although several were superimposed very near each other.
"I actually used muggle map data for the basis of the maps." Hermione explained in her lecturing tone, "Devising a spell to transfer from computer to parchment was complicated, as magic tends to destroy electronics. Luckily, a compact disk can contain the information while being electronically inert. We can zoom in on points of interest by tapping the surface with a wand while holding the intent to gain greater detail in mind."
Focusing on several superimposed dots in Northern Scotland, she tapped her wand. The Hogwarts' grounds were revealed. Another tap zoomed in to a duplicate of the Marauder's Map. One dot was in the Room of Requirement, a space she had added to the map once she'd become familiar with it, the other was in the Headmaster's office.
"Confirming that we calibrated off the fragment in Harry, we have located Harry. The other appears to be in the Room of Requirement. I suggest we search it." Dumbledore said.
She picked another superimposed dot and tapped, zooming until the map refused to proceed further. "Interesting, an unplottable location, but we have the general vicinity of Wiltshire, England."
"Malfoy Manor is in that area." Dumbledore stated.
She tapped another set of superimposed dots in London and eventually located it within Gringott's in Diagon Alley.
"Interesting." Hermione said, "Any ideas for getting that one?"
Another tap and they zoomed in to Grimmauld place.
"Oooh. This one would be unplottable, except we have permissions for the wards and are aware of the secret, circumventing the fidelius. How is there a Horcrux within Grimmauld Place?"
Finally, tapping on a lone dot in Northern England, they found it on the outskirts of Little Hangleton.
"I believe this is showing us the location of the Gaunt house, Tom Riddle's mother's family. It is near Riddle Manor. You have both been nearby when you were in the Graveyard. Through other information, I had come to suspect this as a likely location." Dumbledore explained, "Your map is truly an ingenious creation, Miss Granger. To tie a scrying spell for soul fragments similar to the one in Harry's head and thus available for our inspection, then merge it with the truly creative talents of the Marauders and their map. This is truly Mastery level work."
"Thank you." Hermione replied, "I'm glad you think so. You wouldn't mind saying something to that effect to Professor McGonagall? I do plan to use this as work outside of my field to count towards my Mastery if I don't pursue a Mastery in Charms as well."
Dumbledore chuckled at that.
"We need to discuss how we act on this information." Harry said, "Will Voldemort be aware if we approach any of these and if we destroy them?"
"I think not." Dumbledore said, "You destroyed the one in the Diary and there is no evidence he was alerted. I expect that Lucius has informed him since then, but I doubt he knows we have discovered the nature of the item or I suspect he would have gathered his Horcrux and better protected them."
"Nevertheless, I think we should try to gather all those outside of his direct control. Which would be all but these two, I would think." Harry said pointing at the two near Wiltshire, "Destroy them all at once, leaving at worst two to destroy once he is aware of his vulnerability."
"I think your idea has merit and is the most conservative option. I will contact the Goblins and discuss the possibility there may be a very dark object within their bank. Using another application of your scrying spells calibrated to the soul fragment, I believe we can determine exactly where it is. I think they will be willing to allow us to take it if it is revealed as dark magic, as that is something they have little tolerance for. You may contact Sirius and discover what is hidden in his house. I will go the Gaunt house and retrieve the object there. If you will, please see if you can locate the object within the Room of Requirement. No, let us all go now; we will have that one at least."
Looking at the Marauder's Map, they checked the corridor outside the Room of Requirement was empty. Then Harry walked in front of the blank wall three times while focusing as intently as he could on needing a room where he could find the Horcrux. A door appeared. Professor Dumbledore opened it and they walked into a cavernous room that seemed to hold the accumulated detritus of centuries. They walked carefully inside.
"Point me." Hermione said, holding her wand in her hand. It initially vacillated back and forth between pointing at Harry and then elsewhere in the room. Hermione blushed and altered her spell slightly to exclude the soul fragment within Harry. Then, her wand spun to point down a row of junk. They proceeded down the row, looking around carefully. Hermione used the charm several more times until they discovered it pointed unerringly at a bust with a discolored old tiara perched on top of it, with an aura mixed of pure blue and dark, dark black. Unlike the fragment within Harry, the colors were intermixed, the black swirling through the blue.
"How amazing." Albus said, "It appears to be Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem. It has been thought lost since her death."
Dumbledore enlarged a steel box, heavily engraved with runes all over the surface. With a gesture, he sent the diadem into the box and sealed it. "I will store it in a small vault in my office until time to destroy them all together."
Hermione tucked herself up against Harry's side. He pulled her against him. They were striking against Voldemort, even if it didn't feel like a big step.
When they left Dumbledore's side, they hurried to Harry's room. Grabbing the mirror, they went down to the common room.
"Sirius Black." Harry spoke clearly to the mirror. Several minutes passed before Sirius' face appeared in the mirror.
"Harry?" Sirius asked, concernedly, wrapping his robe closer around him, "Is something wrong?"
"Maybe, Padfoot." Harry said, "Wrong and right at the same time. Do you mind if we come there?"
"Not at all, pup." Padfoot said, "Come on through."
Harry took a handful of floo powder he'd gotten from Dumbledore's office and threw it in to the fireplace. "Number 4 Grimmauld Place." He stepped through the green flames.
He didn't realize it, but he stepped through as steadily as he could be. Hermione stepped out after him.
"Ok, what's up, pup?" Sirius asked.
"Have you ever heard of a horcrux?" Harry asked.
Sirius looked ill. "I have, but only because I'm a Black and a former auror, so I may be one of the best read wizards when it comes to Dark Arts in the country. Even then, I don't know much."
"Well, that's how Riddle stayed alive." Harry said, "He made six of them after splitting his soul into seven fragments. Hermione figured out how to locate them. One of them seems to be in this house."
"In this house?" Sirius gaped, "Are you sure? It's full of cursed items, but I wouldn't think a horcrux would be amongst them."
"We're sure." Hermione said, "My spell showed it quite clearly. I didn't map the inside of the house, not thinking I would need it, so it doesn't show more closely where it is, but it's within the house. I have a spell I can use to locate it."
"If it's in this house, Kreacher can find it." Sirius said, "One of the house elves' powers is to know exactly where everything in their house is. Wizards are terrible about losing things. Kreacher!"
A good house elf would have appeared the minute his name was spoken, knowing his master wanted him. Kreacher was not a good house elf and only popped in after several calls.
"Master wants Kreacher?" the pitiful wrinkled elf said, "He has halfbloods and mudbloods in my Mistress' home, maybe he wants Kreacher to get rid of them?"
"No, Kreacher." Sirius said, "I'm looking for an object, something Voldemort would have had. Bring me Voldemort's horcrux."
Kreacher's eyes grew wide and he mumbled as if to himself, "Not the locket! Master Regulus gave the locket to me to destroy, I can't lose it. I must follow his orders. Not the locket…"
"It's a locket?" Sirius asked commandingly, "Bring it to me!"
Kreacher whined and tried to resist, but his house elf bond was forcing him and he screeched in pain.
"Bring it to me!" Sirius thundered.
"You're hurting him!" Hermione cried, "You said Regulus told you to destroy it? Who is Regulus? Bring it to us and we'll help, we want to destroy it too."
"The mudblood dares speaks to me?" Kreacher whined, even his usually understandable grammar slipping in his distress, "But she says they is destroying it like Master Regulus commanded me. I would obey his order if they destroyed it, but what if they wants it for themselves? I don't know what to do!"
"Bring it to me!" Sirius said, "We will destroy it and you may have what is left if my brother gave it to you."
Kreacher looked at Sirius and sensing the truth disappeared, only to reappear with a silver locket with a serpentine S picked out in green stones. He hesitated, but handed it to Sirius.
Harry and Hermione, looking at the locket through auramancy, saw an evil greenish aura mixed with the evil blackness of Voldemort's horcrux. It was nothing like the clear emerald light of Harry's aura, but ugly and evil even before Voldemort's desecration.
"Thank you, Sirius." Harry said.
"We'll destroy it and then bring back whatever is left, if anything." Hermione said.
"Kreacher." Sirius said loudly, "You are to communicate this to no other than the three of us and not even to us if any other is in the room. If you do, you could keep us from destroying the locket. Do you understand my command?"
"Kreacher understands." The poor elf said, "I would not endanger my mission to destroy the locket. It was the last order Master Regulus gave. If you help me, I will finally have performed my duty."
Harry and Hermione called through the floo to Dumbledore's office. The Headmaster answered and they told him they'd found something, although not what, not trusting the security of the floo. He beckoned them through.
"Headmaster's office, Hogwarts." Harry said and stepped through, Hermione right behind.
Once through, they showed Albus the locket, which he placed in a separate warded box, locking both away in a small vault in his office.
"You have done well, today." Albus said, "To think, before we had only ever found one and now we have one destroyed and two in our grasp. There is hope. Goodnight."
The couple left the Headmaster's office and walked towards the Gryffindor common room. Hermione kept pulling Harry along when he would have continued towards the portrait.
"Where are we going?" he asked, confused.
"Room of Requirement." She said, "I won't be able to sleep for awhile." She looked away and blushed, "Unless you help me."
They walked hand in hand to the seventh floor corridor, Marauder's map in hand to clear the way. Creating the door with their need, they opened it up to a single version of the Gryffindor dorms. As soon as the door closed, Hermione pushed Harry against it and kissed him desperately. They kissed greedily, losing all track of time, until Hermione grabbed Harry's hand and pushed it under her uniform skirt. She was wearing nothing underneath and he felt her moist sex. He pushed a finger into her immediately, feeling how wet she already was and knowing from her actions that she needed this for some reason. She pushed back against his hand, thrusting her hips into his palm as he continued to kiss her.
"That's it, Harry." Hermione gasped, "Rough, quick, I need it."
"Then come here." He said, picking her up. She wrapped her legs around him and he carried her to the bed. The bed seemed to lower as he reached it, sensing what he wanted. It was soon exactly the right height. So as he tossed her onto it, with her legs still dangling over the edge, and sank to his knees, his face was at the perfect level to press right into her wetness. He swung her knees over his shoulders and began to lick her from back to front, paying special attention to her hard nub. Pressing one finger into her, being careful not to break her hymen, he began to stroke the front wall of her vagina wall licking her furiously. She pushed against his shoulders with her legs and wrapped her hands in his hair. He pushed his magic roughly across the barrier, knowing it would take her over the edge and it did, as she yelled out her pleasure.
"Oh, Harry!"
He continued to bring her to orgasm after orgasm until his face was wet with her juices and she was too tired to even move much. Harry stood and again, the bed was the perfect height, right at hip level. He pressed his cock against the slick folds of her wet cunt. He felt her tense and knew she was wondering whether he'd lost control or become impatient. He barely let the tip slide into her, carefully controlling his depth and angle, pushing forward enough to push his head out of her and over her clit. He kept up that motion, letting the tip just nudge the outside before sliding over her clitoris, over and over.
"Oh, Merlin, Harry, I didn't think I could come again, but I'm almost there."
Harry could feel her pleasure washing over him through the bond and he let it all through, letting it synchronize their pleasure. As she fell over the edge into the most powerful orgasm of the night, he felt himself spraying over her already wet cunt, into her, over her, dripping down her thighs and pooling on her belly. He collapsed on top of her after being sure he wouldn't slide in.
"Oh, Harry." Hermione said softly, "I hope they brewed that potion well this month."
He looked up at her face and saw the corner of her mouth quirk upwards.
"It's worked every other time." He said.
"Yep, but I bet it gets a workout this time. Not every potion has to overcome the magic of Harry Potter." Hermione teased, "That was as close as we could come to the real thing, wasn't it?"
"I think it was." Harry said, "When are we setting the date? I want that every night."
"This Spring?" Hermione asked, "Beltane is a magically powerful date and has the right symbolism."
"Sounds good to me." Harry said, "Although if Yule worked…"
"Beltane it is." Hermione whispered, "My mother will want more time than Yule…"
They fell asleep, wrapped in each other's arms, and only woke in time to clean up and barely make breakfast.
H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr
5 November
Tuesday was becoming one of the two highlights of Harry's week. Tuesday was for improving himself as a duelist. Although he snatched every second of every other day he could, Tuesday was the dedicated day. Wednesday was for Dumbledore's Army. Harry never called it Potter's Army, not even in his subconscious, but his heart had accepted ownership and cherished the time he had teaching. Dueling and Quidditch were his talents, but teaching was his calling, even if he hadn't figured that out, yet.
Walking into the dueling classroom, hand in hand, Harry and Hermione saw only two people.
"Professor Flitwick, Professor Snape." Harry said, "Good evening."
"Good evening, Mister Potter!" Filius said, "Miss Granger."
"Potter, Granger." Snape said with the tiniest of acknowledgements.
"You may have guessed that today we'll be working on legilimency and occlumency in dueling." Flitwick said, "It's a vital part of dueling, because if neglected, it will ensure you never proceed past the mid-tier of duelists. No matter how fast you are, if your opponent can know your next move, you won't land a single spell. Every competitive duelist is an occlumens and legilimens. That doesn't mean all of them are any good, but they're all at least acquainted with the arts. Occlumency is more important than legilimency. You can survive not knowing ahead of time what your enemy intends for you, but you can't survive your enemy knowing what you intend. I will turn the lesson over to Professor Snape."
"You have managed to come through my training to this point with some understanding of the subtle arts of occlumency and legilimency." Snape said, "Enough that I think you have a basis, no matter how scant or shoddy, for applying these skills to the duel. Potter, protect your mind!"
Snape struck, sending a spike of mental power at Harry. Harry calmly sank to his center and watched as the attack crashed through his falsely thin superficial wards, before striking his subtle wards and dispersing. The subtle wards groaned under the onslaught.
"Satisfactory." Snape hissed. "Remember that the Dark Lord is more powerful than I. Miss Granger, empty your mind!"
Snape struck, getting no further against Hermione. He grunted his contentment.
"Remember, legilimency is useless if it isn't at a completely wandless, non-verbal level. You may as well not try if you have to say the incantation. You'll be much too slow to accomplish anything other than opening yourself to counter-attack." Snape lectured, "Your occlumency is most important. Do not sacrifice your defense for offense. It's a losing trade."
"Filius, we are ready." Snape said, walking briskly to the opposite starting point of the dueling strip.
Harry took his place, reinforcing his subtle wards, while sinking his conscious mind deeper into his center and allowing his subconscious to take control. The Machine came to the forefront more and more easily the more Harry summoned it. It sometimes scared Harry, remembering how he'd struck Ron when they'd fought on Black Isle and knowing that had been the Machine. The Machine had no mercy, no trepidation. It worked and succeeded or failed. There was nothing else.
"Bow, salute, and begin." Flitwick said, swishing his wand down between the two duelists and stepping back.
Harry thought to snap out a quick stunning spell, but he put his focus into his occlumentic shields as he felt the sensation of an incredibly powerful mental attack slam through the false outer shell before breaking through the subtle shield. Harry threw his power into his main barriers, keeping only enough attention outwards to monitor his body and protect it in case Snape attacked physically.
Snape's mental avatar was himself, only more so. Taller, leaner, even more batlike. The palpable sense of menace around the potion master in mind space was terrifying. He looked around a moor, lonely, empty. Ahead of him was a giant tower, so black as to be a hole in reality.
Snape strode towards it, initially splashing through the muck of the moor, but quickly learning how to walk above the surface. He smiled evilly as he got closer. He hadn't taught Potter everything and he would enjoy breaking the boy's wards on the first attempt.
From behind a thick tuft, a grey form arched his back, growling low in his throat. Snape turned towards the threat, smiling. Potter had learned how to create active defenses! Maybe this wouldn't be so elementary as he'd assumed.
His avatar never noticed the female of the pack slink silently out of her cover until she had fangs buried in his hamstring. The dank water closed over his head as he fell, his floating ended by these defenders as they tore into his avatar. His physical eyes opened wide as a stunning spell slammed into the forehead between them.
"Get out of my mind!" Harry growled.
"He's unconscious, Harry." Hermione said, "He can't hear you."
"Bloody bastard." Harry said, breathing heavily.
"Mister Potter!" Flitwick scolded, "Professor Snape is taking his evening time to work with you. Please show your appreciation properly."
"Oh, I thought I had." Harry said under his breath as Flitwick cast enervate.
"Miss Granger, I am going to assume your defenses are the same as Mr. Potter's?" Snape said, rising slowly to his feet, "I will continue to test him, otherwise you will each be fresher by half than you should be. I will test you at a later time, so do not worry, you will have your turn."
Harry and Snape each took their places, bowed, saluted, and began the fight.
This time, Snape's avatar couldn't get out of the dank marsh. He tried every trick to rise up out of the stinking water, but nothing worked. He crept forward slowly; water soaking through his boots beneath the soggy hems of his robes. Howling rolled over the moor from the distance, but didn't sound like it was coming closer. Snape continued forward, seeing a strange geographic dilation as the tower seemed to continually get further away. He tried every one of his many tricks to stop this effect, to snap the tower back to him, but was unable. While it felt like hours before he reached the tower, he knew that in the mindscape, it was much shorter. When he reached the gate, it was open.
'Strange' Snape thought, becoming even more cautious, 'He's naïve and has no natural talent for occlumency, but I'm sure the boy wouldn't leave his defenses open to me. Perhaps it is some sort of rudimentary trap.'
He proceeded forward slowly, mentally casting about for more defenders. There was nothing, the distant howling the only suggestion of a defense. No guards roamed the walls or guarded the gates. What was Potter thinking?
Snape reached a heavy metal doorway. It appeared to be some exotic metal, likely almost indestructible, but no mental barrier could be stronger than the mind that formed it. His caustic potion would melt through the door and allow him into Harry's defenses.
As he approached the door to pour the vial on the handle and lock, it swung open. Snape looked up into eyes of emerald green in a face framed by auburn hair. He gasped and involuntarily took a step forward.
"Lily?"
Immediately, he felt himself slammed out of Harry's mind and launched backwards by a sheer wave of force. He landed, arms and legs akimbo, like a bat that failed to notice a glass window and flew into it at full speed. He didn't stay down, rising to his feet enraged.
"Potter, don't you dare…"
"No, Professor, don't you dare." Potter said icily, "If you're to test me, then test me. I won't hold back. Dumbledore told me I was holding back as it was. You know if I'm to win, I must break that habit. Now attack me, we don't have all night."
"With pleasure." Snape hissed.
They no longer even saluted before Snape's mind slammed into Harry's defenses. The outer defenses fell predictably, their very weakness essential to the lie they were telling Voldemort, that Harry had no effective barriers. The subtle wall stood longer, having gained strength during these duels, Harry channeling his now substantial mental strength into them. However, Snape was a master legilimens. Perhaps he did not live up to Dumbledore's standard and he was perhaps without the ruthless power that had seen Riddle rip the minds of many defenders of the light during the first war, but he was infinitely sneaky and thus effective nonetheless. He penetrated the moor, avoiding the wolves with thoughts that sent fog to hide him, foul smells to cloak him. He infiltrated the outer defenses of the castle, reaching the door. Without waiting for it to open, he hit it with a hurled vial of his most corrosive potion, the visualization of his mental attack making short work of Harry's carefully constructed defense. He was within the inner defenses!
Even within the defenses, it was clear Harry had constructed redundant security. The inside of the tower was broken up into rooms with stout doors. A narrow spiral staircase led upward with barred grates blocking upward progress regularly. Snape knew Harry's most treasured memories would be at the top, with his control centers occupying the most secure location. He glided up the stairs, his cloak billowing behind him in full intimidation mode, his dark eyes flashing as he drove to the center of his student's defenses.
He reached the top of the stairs. Bursting through a thick door, he found shelves upon shelves of leather bound books, their quality likely indicating their importance to their owner. Snape pulled one off the shelf. It was not at random, he had the feeling this one was important. Opening the book, he was instantly deep in a memory. Strangely, it was the memory of him being dangled upside down by James Potter. He felt his rage rise and effortlessly suppressed it, his status as a master occlumens allowing him to drive even that primal emotion down.
'I didn't realize Potter had even seen this memory, let alone that it would be so important to him.' Snape thought, 'It does reveal what a git his father was, perhaps he truly didn't realize.'
Snape opened another memory and it was him with Lily before Hogwarts. 'Wait, all of Potter's most important memories can't be of me. They all have his parents in them, but…'
He tore book after book off the shelf, realizing they were all his memories. 'What is this?!' he howled.
Behind him, a black haired boy removed a silvery cloak, drifting into view.
'They're not my memories, Professor.' He said flatly, 'They're yours.'
The tower shimmered for a moment, before resolving into a replica of the Hogwarts Dungeon. Snape had his hand in a potion's cabinet, with a vial in his hand, the memory a silver thread twisting inside. This was the representation of his mind, his memories, and through the last door were his control centers.
"No!!" Snape howled, before his scream cut off, not by spell, but by simple thought as Harry exerted control. He held it for the briefest moment, before releasing it.
Snape came off his knees like a shot, his wand leveling and a stream of dark curses flowing off the end. Harry dodged or shielded all of them, his wand moving like lightning as he sent them all away from himself, away from Snape, away from Hermione. Reality was warped where some hit the castle, the semi-sentient being groaning in pain before shimmering shields snapped into place to protect the walls and the students from some of the darkest of dark arts.
"Professor." Harry said, continuing to defend himself.
Violet fire arced from Snape's wand, barely snapping into existence before a wave of pure blackness rolled off behind it, gibbering madness shooting towards Potter before being casually deflected into the shields around the ceiling. Snape was a master of the dark arts, better at the subject that was even more of a passion for him than potions.
Flitwick's eyes were wide. He had dueled Severus frequently. He, Albus, and Severus were very active duelists and they only had themselves to practice against usually, so they took any opportunity. It was readily apparent that Severus had been holding back. He could have given Flitwick a run for his money when he was an active duelist. His technique was excellent, but his choice of spells was truly horrific. He would likely have won on the circuit if he weren't thrown in Azkaban first.
Harry was masterful, blocking, dodging, defending as if he knew exactly what Snape were going to do before he did it. It was only that eventual realization that stopped the Professor.
"After all I've done, you mock me?!" he said, stopping his attacks to reassert his absolute control over his own mind. Harry's legilimency was nothing compared to the force of Severus' occlumency.
"Mock you, Professor?" Harry asked, his voice full of sincerity, "Mastering what you taught me to the utmost of my ability is mocking you? Is that really what you think?"
Harry lowered his own mental shields to Snape, letting his teacher see the truth of what he said.
"I managed to deflect your attack back at you and rode your own attack into your mind. I hid and merely used my avatar to confund you, so you saw my defenses while you penetrated your own with ease, as they recognized their master." Harry continued, "I am not proud of what I saw and now I understand why you hated me for so long, but I never intended to mock you."
Severus remained focused on Harry, using his legilimency to read him deeply, reading the truth of his words and exploring everything Harry had seen while in his mind. Eventually, he withdrew.
"Very well, Potter." Snape said, "Five points to Gryffindor for finally listening to something I taught."
With that, Severus turned and swept from the room without another word.
Harry sank to the ground, his legs losing their strength as he realized he'd survived.
H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr
6 Nov
Hermione was frantically writing in her day planner.
"I think it will work. Barely." She said, looking up at Harry.
"If we can do it, I think it will add a lot to the group." Harry said.
"It's going to be difficult." Hermione said, "Both from a time standpoint and from a human nature standpoint. If you rank people, you're going to make them mad."
"True." Harry said, "But the whole school already thinks I'm a nutter. How much more damage can I cause?"
"Harry!"
"As far as the time aspect goes, what if we add a little time at the end, make it voluntary, and only people who want to participate in the ranking part of the group stay? The others can go or can keep working on whatever we focused on that day, or whatever they want." Harry mused.
"Why bother planning it all out?" Hermione asked sarcastically, "You're just going to wing it anyway, aren't you?"
"Good point." Harry said, "Hey, Ron! Come here. I've got something I want to talk to you about."
"Sure, Mate, what's up?"
"I have something I want to try…" Harry said.
H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr
The Golden Trio walked to the Room of Requirement together. They'd cleared the way with the Marauder's Map. Umbridge and her Inquistorial squad were getting more and more aggressive in trying to find where they practiced, all while they avoided anything to do with Harry Potter. He couldn't quite understand how they could do both, because what did they think would happen when they caught him? He dismissed it in his mind. He'd decided long ago that their behavior where he was concerned made about as much sense as Luna's concept of zoology.
Inside the room of requirement, they found Neville already practicing with Ginny while Luna was reading a book by the sidelines. Neville got distracted as the door opened and Ginny hit him with stunning spell. Harry managed to catch Neville with a wandless levitation spell just before he would have hit the floor face first.
"Good one, Gin." Harry said, rotating Neville until his back was against the floor before waking him.
"How does he do that without a wand?" Ginny mouthed to Ron, who shrugged and mouthed back a single word, "Harry."
"Ok there, Nev?" Harry asked.
"Brilliant, Harry." Neville said, standing and brushing his robes off.
"Good." Harry said with a grin, "I've got a plan for how to make the DA even better, but it's going to take a lot of work and might piss some people off."
"You've never hesitated to do that before, Harry." Luna said dreamily, looking up from the book she was reading upside down.
Harry thought about that and finally decided she was right.
"My idea is to have a dueling portion to the DA. We'll have a limited number of duels each session and they'll be by challenge only. I've tried to rate each member of the DA into five categories. To move up, you have to challenge someone above you. If you win, you move up one level and they move down one level. Due to time constraints, we'll only allow each person a certain number of challenges. Each person can only challenge another member once each term. The results won't have anything to do with who my assistants are and being my assistants won't have anything to do with your ranking - except that if I didn't think you were the best, I wouldn't have picked you." Harry said, pacing in his excitement.
"That's a great idea, Harry!" Neville said.
Hermione looked on that comment as a real indicator for how far Neville had come. Before, he probably would have said something about how he was guaranteed to be in the lowest tier, but now he was confident enough to know he wouldn't be and competitive enough to look forward to the challenge.
"Thank, Neville." Harry said, "I'm glad you like the idea, because being assistants is probably going to open you up to a lot of challenges. You'll also be challenged because you're highly ranked, so beating you will help almost anyone move up."
"Have you already ranked everyone?" Ron asked with some trepidation. He'd already heard the idea, but he hadn't thought he might already have been ranked.
"No, Ron." Harry said, "I thought about it, but Hermione pointed out that was the part that was going to cause the most heartache. So instead I decided to do a tournament on the first day today. We'll have a simple dueling tournament, single elimination, whichever round you're eliminated is your initial ranking. It will end up creating more 1's than 2's, more 2's than 3's… so there's more room at the bottom and more motivation to move up!"
"30 members right now, so the first round 15 will be eliminated, leaving 15 to move forward. Harry gets a bye, so 8 will move forward to the third round. 4 move forward to the fourth round. 2 move forward to the fifth round, ending our tournament, because we want five ranks."
"And making sure you and Harry don't have to actually fight." Luna observed over the top of her book.
Hermione had the grace to blush. "We thought we'd set a rule that no dating couple have to fight each other."
"That's good then." Luna said, returning to her reading.
"We'll just start out alphabetically by last name." Hermione said, "Only changing it up to ensure no siblings or dating couples have to duel for the first round."
She pulled out a carefully inked bracket with the first round already filled in.
"I've declared Harry and I both Weasleys by adoption." Hermione said softly, "I hope you don't mind, Ron."
Explaining how they'd run the tournament took a few more minutes. The Room itself cooperated with the plan, marking out clear dueling strips and creating a chalkboard with the brackets already written complete with names for the first round.
They warmed up together for the rest of the hour before the meeting.
"Welcome back to Dumbledore's Army!" Harry shouted.
"Hi, Harry!" Colin Creevey shouted back.
"Thank, Colin!" Harry replied, laughing, "I'm excited today, because I've got something new for you."
Harry and Hermione explained the new system they'd be starting that day. There seemed to be overall murmurs of acceptance, although a couple members seemed put off by the idea, the most notable being Marietta. She scowled.
"So let's get started, because there's a lot to do today!" Harry said, "Everyone split into pairs and work together on the Patronus. We'll do that for fifteen minutes."
Everyone split up into pairs and worked very hard. More were achieving the shield forms, but only one student managed a new Patronus. Harry was unsurprised when Cedric produced a badger patronus.
"Wow, Cedric, amazing job!" Harry said, then with a smile he added, "What good memories have you been giving him, Cho?"
Cho looked down and blushed.
"That's for me to know!" Cedric said laughing, "And you to keep your nose out of, Potter!"
Harry laughed, too. They'd developed a fun rivalry. Cedric was older, but respected Harry after their time together in the Tri-Wizard tournament and on the Quidditch pitch.
Harry blew the whistle, gesturing everyone to gather around him.
"Two new spells today." Harry said, "We're going to use dummies for these, but I still want you to split into pairs so you can coach each other. I'm going to teach you the cutting curse and the piercing curse. For both of these, there are as many versions as there have been wizards that wanted to cut something or put holes in something. The big secret is that there isn't much difference between most of them."
"The cutting curse or severing charm I'll teach is cast like this.." Harry said, making a clear, exaggerated slashing motion while clearly enunciating, "Diffindo!"
The dueling dummy fell into two pieces. There were gasps.
"Thanks, guys, but it's one of the basics." Harry said, "Pretty simple and fast. Here's the other one that's even a bit faster. Foro!" Harry called while jabbing his wand forward in a hard thrust. A neat hole appeared in the dummy's head.
"That spell is actually somewhat difficult." Harry said, "It has a short incantation, an easy wand movement, so that leaves your mind to do most of the work to make the effect happen. It is dead useful, though!"
He gave them thirty minutes to practice those two spells against the dummies while he and his five assistants moved around the room helping. Finally he whistled.
"Short water break while I explain the new ranking system and then Hermione tells you where to be for the tournament." Harry said, "So I want us to get some experience dueling. We'll do this by initially setting up an artificial ranking system. Don't get too hung up on it, because it's going to be really meaningless at first, but after a while it should get more accurate. You'll be able to challenge one person at each meeting with the caveat that you can only challenge an individual once each term. If you challenge someone above your level and win, you move up and they move down. Now, I say it's going to start meaningless, because we're doing the ranks by this tournament and if two really good duelists draw each other first round, one of them is going to be a 'one' even though if the pairings had gone differently they coulda been a 'five'. Don't worry about it. Just let it motivate you to try to move up!"
"I'll call your names in order. Each pair move to the strips in order." Hermione said, "Abbott vs Brown, Bell vs Bones…"
The Room continued to be helpful, setting the duelists names at their positions on the dueling strips.
"Ok, to make this work, every other strip will need to wait." Harry said, "You will judge the strip next to you, then when they're finished, they'll judge for your bout. Remember, we've set a practice ward on the room, so lethal spells will not kill, they'll just knock you out if they would have been lethal or be appropriately debilitating if they would have just taken a limb. Remember, this is a formal duel, so take your places. Bow. No, not like that! Crisply, like you know what you're doing. Then salute. This is where you can put your individualism into it. Make up your own salute, give it some style!"
Harry dueled Parvati first. He had decided to take it seriously. He'd actually decided he need to always take each duel seriously; otherwise he might get into a bad habit that might bite him in the future. He decreed in the Kingdom of his own mind that the Fantasia duel with Sirius didn't count. He spent a moment while he walked to his place putting his mind into the right mindset.
Zacharias Smith and Alicia Spinnet took their places as judges for his first match.
"Bow. Salute. Begin!" Zacharias shouted pompously.
Harry flicked his wand three times, sending three non-verbal spells shooting at Parvati. Her wand flew to his hand, she was stunned, and she was wrapped in ropes.
Around him, more than a few jaws dropped at his speed and his non-verbal casting.
"Oh, shit." Smith muttered, making Harry happy.
Hermione simply stunned Anthony Goldstein before he even had a chance to blink, let alone cast.
Luna stunned Lee Jordan almost as quickly.
Neville was judge for her match, then he faced Angelina Johnson. With a quick combination, he disarmed and petrified her. Showing what a gentleman he was, he caught her with a levitation charm before her petrified body could topple to the floor.
Ron blasted Justin Finch-Fletchley with a reductor, which hit him dead center, indicating a lethal blow by stunning the boy.
Fred Weasley turned Dean Thomas into a canary, identical to the result of the canary cream.
George did the same to Michael Corner a second later.
"Copycat." Fred said.
"I think you stole the idea from my head, brother." George replied.
"Did I?" Fred asked.
Ginny faced off against Marietta Edgecombe and tried to look menacing, cracking her knuckles. It was hard for her to look menacing when she was several years younger and couldn't weigh more than 80 pounds soaking wet. Marietta just sneered at her until the duel started. Ginny sidestepped Marietta's stunning spell and hit her with a powerful bat bogey hex. Marietta yielded the fight by tradition when she stepped off the strip and started running around the room, trying to escape her own animated snot.
Hermione, realizing the alphabetical pairings had been problematic to keep from pairing all the Weasleys against each other, decided to try all the first of the alphabet winners against the end of the alphabet winners. While she was preparing the pairings for the second round, Harry stood to speak.
"Great job! I saw some really amazing stuff. What I didn't see enough of was defense. Remember, punch-counterpunch just results in taking a lot of punches. You need to dodge, you need to shield, and unless you can do those things and attack, wait to attack until you have an opening." Harry said, "Also, remember half of the DA lost this round. So if you're ashamed to have a '1' rating, don't be. It just gives motivation to challenge!"
Hermione spoke, "Ok, the pairings have been chosen. Look at the board and head to your strip!"
Hannah Abbot drew Ron. They took their positions, bowed formally, and saluted. Ron looked extraordinarily focused, as if he were playing chess. Ron knew he had something to prove. He was determined not to let that feeling drive him to act like a jealous git anymore, but he had decided letting it motivate him to prove himself wasn't a bad thing.
Hannah shot a decent stunning spell as her opening attack. Ron had kept Harry's advice in mind and had held his own attack while being ready to dodge or to cast a shield. He dodged to the side and returned fire with a stunning spell chained with a body bind right behind it. Hannah tried to cast protego, but was too slow and was stunned and petrified.
Katie Bell lined up against Ginny. She was several years older, but had a lot of respect for the younger girl, especially after seeing her bat bogey hex. They bowed, saluted, and the duel began. Ginny, trying to take advantage of her speed, chained together a pattern of stunner, body bind, bludgeoning hex, starting over with that pattern when she finished. Katie dodged the first several, but was clearly surprised when Ginny kept casting. So far none of them had seen a sustained chain of attacks and Katie was growing flustered while she kept trying to dodge. Katie cast a shield, which blocked Ginny's attacks for a moment, then returned fire.
"Stupefy!" Katie yelled with a large wand flick.
Ginny dodged out of the way, returning her own stunner, which Katie barely dodged. The audience was cheering for this unlikely cat fight. Most had expected the older girl to win handily, but Ginny was rapidly demonstrating why she was one of Harry's assistants.
"Stupefy!" both girls called out simultaneously, the red bolts of energy colliding between them and ricocheting off. One glanced off safely into the ceiling. The other hit Colin Creevey who toppled silently, caught by other DA members, who laughed when they realized what had happened. Meanwhile the duel continued at full speed.
"Terebro!" Ginny called out, hitting Katie with a bludgeoning hex. The larger girl was hit in the abdomen and had the wind knocked out of her. She struggled to catch her breath, while Ginny stalked towards her. Pointing her wand straight between Katie's eyes, Ginny looked down on her opponent.
"Yield."
Katie nodded.
The DA cheered the exciting duel, applauding the younger girl for her surprise victory.
Ginny reached down to help Katie up.
"Good duel." Ginny said quietly, "Don't feel bad, I've been training with Harry and Mad-Eye Moody all summer."
Katie gave her a small smile, silently thanking the girl.
George took the dueling strip and rapidly stunned Cho Chang.
"I've seen her on the Quidditch pitch." He told Harry as he walked off afterwards, "I didn't want to give her a chance."
Cedric took the strip against Fred Weasley. The boys appeared well matched. Cedric was the more serious of the two, but the Weasley twins were known to excel at magic they actually cared about. The two carefully bowed to one another, saluted respectfully, and began their duel.
"Terebro!" Cedric called, firing a bludgeoning hex at Fred.
"Foro!" Fred shouted, trying for one of the quickest spells.
Both dodged the other's attack, slashing wands at one another again. Cedric sent a short chain of bludgeoning and stunning spells at Fred. Fred dodged and returned fire with a string of piercing charms, which Cedric dodged.
"Mutatio avis flavus!" Fred called, trying one of his favorites.
"Stupefy!" Cedric called, sticking to short attack spells, which paid off as Fred's attack took longer to cast. He barely completed his canary spell before being hit with Cedric's stunner. Cedric sidestepped the canary spell, winning the match.
"Good one, Cedric." Fred said to the Hufflepuff after he was woken, "I knew not to go for the showy ones, I just couldn't help it."
"Yeah, I considered trying to transfigure the couch to attack you, like I did the dragon in the tournament, but decided I couldn't afford the time. So you weren't the only one with a similar idea." Cedric said, a good sportsman as always.
Luna disarmed and stunned Seamus before he could even attack. She was just glad Hermione had tweaked the pairings to keep her from having to face Neville.
Hermione took the strip confidently against Ernie. They bowed to one another, saluted, and the match began.
Hermione flicked her wand and non-verbally summoned a powerful appearing shield, watching as Ernie's single attack spells bounced off. Ernie cast confidently, but his repertoire was limited to the DA spells they'd already worked on. Hermione carefully watched, ready to dodge if any threatened to break through her shield, but it proved strong enough to block anything Ernie could throw. He grew winded after sending a slow steady stream of attacks at her.
Hermione dropped her shield temporarily while he was breathing heavily. She flicked her wand in a more complicated pattern of tight movements, sending a non-verbal spell without clear effect. Carefully she continued watching Ernie in case he caught his breath and counterattacked.
"Stupefy!" Ernie called.
Hermione casually blocked. Ernie started another spell, but was surprised when a lion leapt on him from behind, springing from where a bookshelf used to be. Growling, it crouched over him.
"Yield?" Hermione asked, grinning.
Ernie could only whimper and nod his head very slowly.
Alicia Spinnet was older and appeared confident as she took her place against Neville Longbottom, long reputed to be a near squib. She had been as surprised as everyone else when Harry had picked him as a teaching assistant. They bowed, saluted, and began the fight.
"Reducto!" Neville called.
"Protego!" Alicia said, with a fairly precise wand movement worthy of a Hogwarts upperclassman.
Everyone was shocked when Neville's reductor blew through Alicia's shield like it wasn't there. The dueling wards protected her from true harm and the spell simply knocked her back ten feet, knocking the wind from her.
"Yield?" Neville asked with a smile. Alicia nodded, eyes wide.
There were only 8 members left and all but George Weasley and Cedric Diggory had spent at least part of the summer on Black Isle training together.
Harry took the strip against Cedric.
"No fair, Potter." Cedric said teasingly, "You already proved you could beat me last year, now you got a round to rest. What chance do I have?"
"None, Cedric." Harry said, "Who said life was fair?"
The respect they showed for each other was clear as they gave each other precise bows. Harry gave his crisp salute, his body language already changing as his normal friendly demeanor changed and a cold indifference settled over him.
Neither launched an attack spell immediately. Harry's wand moved in a very complicated pattern as he cast a series of non-verbal spells without immediate clear effect. Cedric transfigured the cushions into dogs, which he set to attack Harry. Harry, barely looking, flicked his wand at the pack of dogs, turning them against Cedric and enlarging them to five times their initial size.
"Reducto! Reducto!" Cedric called, blowing the dogs into pieces as they ran towards him. He managed to just catch the last giant dog before it reached him. He grinned at Harry and began another spell.
"Before you attack me, you might look behind you." Harry said.
Cedric glanced behind him and saw a handful of animated suits of armor with halberds leveled at his back.
"Yield?" Harry asked, the corner of his mouth quirking up.
"Right, mate." Cedric nodded, "I yield."
Harry waved his wand, returning all the transfigured furniture to its original state. The dogs quickly became torn fabric and feathers. With another wave, they were all repaired and returned to their normal places.
George took his place against Hermione. He looked nervous. They bowed and saluted.
They both attacked, George with a chain of standard attack spells. Hermione started with a non-verbal spell with no visual signature. She had to quickly sidestep to avoid George's attack.
"Squeak!" the yellow rubber-ducky that had been George made a squeaking noise as it hit the floor.
Hermione inclined her head towards the rubber-ducky and gave a small ironic salute.
"Scary." Ron whispered to Fred, who nodded.
"Ummm… Hermione?" Fred said after a few minutes, "Can you change my brother back? None of my spells seem to work."
She just looked at him.
"Please?"
"Since you asked so nicely." She said with an innocent smile. A wand flick and George was back.
"Blimey, I knew I should have yielded before we got started." George stammered.
Luna took the strip against Ginny. They stared at each other. Both friends for years since they were from the same area and the same age, there was a subtle rivalry brewing between them.
Colored flashes bounced between them almost too fast for the eye to see. Both girls were petite and graceful, Ginny in a more obviously athletic way, Luna in an ethereal way. It was quickly clear that grace was very real as both moved in almost-impossible ways as they dodged and struck. Luna seemed to anticipate what Ginny was going to cast and be ready to counter, while Ginny was just a hair faster. Both advantages seemed to offset and they were perfectly matched.
"Stupefy, foro, terebro, expelliarmus!" Ginny called, whipping her wand around in a continuing movement.
"Reducto, diffindo, foro, stupefy!" Luna called, sending a similar chain at Ginny.
Both girls danced around the colored beams of light streaking towards them.
"Reducto!" Ginny cried.
"Protego maxima!" Luna cast, a bright shield springing up in front of her in the nick of time. Her shield reflected Ginny's attack directly back at her. Surprised, Ginny was knocked to the ground and slid several feet by the force of her own powerful attack.
"Stupefy!" Luna called, stunning the redhead while she was already trying to stand.
"Whoa." Neville said, his mouth open.
"Yeah, exactly." Ron said, "What have we gotten ourselves into? I don't want to face them."
The last two remaining, Ron took the dueling strip against Neville. They walked towards each other and shook hands.
"Good luck, Mate." Ron said.
"You, too, Ron." Neville replied.
They took their places, bowed, saluted, and began the duel.
Neville knew Ron was a strategic genius. He didn't want to give him time to think or plan. He also knew his own strengths lie in being fairly magically powerful, something he'd only realized over that summer while using his new wand.
"Reducto, reducto, reducto!" Neville cried, starting a continuous chain of reductor curses, a powerful attack that he hoped played to his strengths.
"Shit." Ron mumbled, dodging left, right, and trying to roll out of the way. He quickly realized that while Neville wasn't as fast as Harry or Ginny, his spells were seriously powerful, kicking up rock chips where they impacted around him. "Protego!" he called, to give himself time to recover.
Neville's spells slammed into Ron's shield, breaking it in two strikes and hitting him with the third.
"Oof!" Ron called involuntarily as he took a weakened reductor to the ribs, "Stupefy!" he hissed out with the last of his breath.
Neville sidestepped, "Terebro!" firing a bludgeoning curse into the same side.
His breath knocked out of him completely, Ron yielded.
"Good one, mate." He said once he'd caught his breath.
"You're not mad?" Neville asked quietly.
"Well, I would have rather won." Ron admitted, "But I don't really want to fight Harry, Hermione, or my girlfriend. This may have worked out best for me."
Hermione quickly posted the next pairings, Harry vs. Neville and herself against Luna. She then took the strip to give Neville a minute to rest before having to fight again.
Harry spoke up, "These are the last two fights. Remember, everyone did a fantastic job. I hope you've all learned something about dueling. I'm excited about this part of Dumbledore's Army. I think it'll give us something fun to look forward to every meeting. Now for what you're all waiting for…. Granger vs. Lovegood!"
The two girls stood across from each other. Both in uniform, Hermione's trimmed in red and with red and gold house tie, Luna's trimmed in blue, with blue and silver house tie. Hermione's face was serious where it was framed by her chestnut colored bushy hair. Her expression was cold and detached, much like Harry's before a duel, unsurprising since they essentially shared each other's minds. The ethereal blonde stood against her, seemingly unfazed by facing the smartest witch of her age, a title that would likely have been Luna's if Hermione didn't own it. Luna's blue eyes glinted with a much more focused expression than her normal. Both girls clearly wanted to win.
Luna launched a blisteringly fast set of non-verbal attacks. Hermione was impressed by the non-verbal casting, a really advanced feat for the fourth year, but only a side part of her mind even thought about that while her main attention was on the astoundingly complicated wand movement she was making. A black spot appeared immediately in front of her just before the stream of spells hit, swallowing them whole. Luna initially kept up her attack, but seemed to sense something wrong, trying desperately to spin away before the same stream of spells hit her in the back, knocking her unconscious. She cancelled the tunnel spell and both ends disappeared.
She walked up to Luna and woke her.
"You ok, Luna?" Hermione said, leaning down.
"I'm fine. I think I'll be a bit sore, but that's ok." Luna said, "That was an amazing spell, Hermione."
"Thank you." Hermione said, "I knew I'd need to bring out my best to beat you."
"That's nice of you to say."
Once the two girls moved to the side, Harry and Neville took their places. Harry was so focused he seemed distracted; his eyes distant as he immersed himself deep in his subconscious and let the Machine come fully to the surface. He bowed like an automaton, gave the crisp sweeping slash that was his signature salute, and settled lower into his stance. Neville's eyes glittered as he focused, wanting to prove himself. Silence settled over the room as the crowd hesitated even to breathe, afraid they'd miss something. The two duelists studied each other, looking for an opening. Nobody noticed whatever twitch set them off, but both began an attack nearly simultaneously.
Neville fired a string of reductors, much as he'd done against Ron, powerful blasting curses screaming through the air at Harry. Harry was faster. He cast something none of them had seen before, a strangely colorless small bolt of light that shot towards Neville. As had happened earlier, Harry's attack hit Neville's first reductor, but instead of richocheting off, it seemed to consume the other spell, taking on the reductor's color and appearing brighter. It absorbed the next reductor and the next, growing brighter and larger with each curse it consumed, before it hit Neville in the chest. The room's dueling wards flared, working hard to dissipate the excess energy and saving Neville's life as even with the fail safes he was thrown backwards, sliding along the floor until he stopped against the wall, unconscious. After the sound of the reductor's impact, the sliding sound of Neville's robes along the floor, and then the meaty thunk there was again perfect silence for a moment. Harry remained focused, wand trained on Neville, until he seemed to snap out of it and ran to his fallen friend.
"Enervate!" he cast, as he reached him, "Neville, Nev, are you ok?"
"Uuhhhh…" Neville groaned quietly, "Did anyone else see a giant? That had to have been what hit me."
There were scattered nervous giggles as everyone realized Neville was all right.
"What was that?" Hermione asked quietly, "I would swear I knew almost anything that would be cast in a duel."
"Errr, that's because that didn't exist until right then." Harry whispered back, "I made my magic create something I wanted to happen. Dumbledore taught me it was possible."
"You just made that happen?" Hermione asked, dumbfounded, "That wasn't a spell?"
"Not until now, it wasn't." Harry said, "What about you? What was that tunnel spell?"
"That was something I researched, something that's probably been lost for several centuries. I didn't just make it up!" Hermione whispered back vehemently.
"Well, I'm not much of a researcher." Harry replied with a grin. Hermione just huffed back at him, crossing her arms under her breasts.
"Harry."
H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr
A/N: My story is coming to have very many duel scenes. This is difficult to write, because JKR's magic tends to be a bit repetitive. I wonder if that's why she didn't end up writing many fight scenes. I'm working hard to avoid that, but I'm not sure how successful I'm being.
I hope you like this chapter. I welcome reviews.