Unofficial Portkey Archive

"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing...Only I will remain." -Bene Gesserit Litany

* * * * *

"There are four Houses here. The four Houses of Hogwarts represent more than just division among students. Each stand as a pillar of our beliefs. Do not take this task lightly. You are being asked to present your House with honor and pride. Through the vestiges of time and the ruin of the winds and the rain, the four Houses have stood for more than a century. Do your House proud and enlist the full forces of your power within this match."

Professor Trow spoke with such ease and authority for a sick and frail man. A silence fell over the Third Years as the gray-haired professor of Strategy spoke. They were in the courtyard of Hogwarts, blocks of students separated into four distinct groups.

In one group, a towering redhead stood above all others, a golden lion stitched onto his tight fitting, gray clothing. A small brunette stood in the center of the group, her eyes oddly distant and her back turned towards the cluster in the far corner of the courtyard. There, green snakes adorned their clothing. In the center, a skinny boy with unkempt dark hair and bright green eyes stared at her back. To the other corners were a group of boys and girls with a yellow and black badger crest. The others were wearing ravens along their chests.

"Each of the Houses will have a Portkey." Professor McGonagall made a circuit to each House, her face strict and unpleasant. Each Portkey was a replica of their House representation. Attached along the side was a wide ring that could be easily grasped.

"When signaled, each member of the House will grab onto the railing. The Portkey will be activated when every member of the House is attached. From there, you will land in your designated points and commence the match," Professor Flitwick announced.

"You are tasked with defeating all of the other Houses. The last remaining member from the last remaining House will claim victor of this match," Professor Moody spoke gruffly.

"You are only eliminated if you are Stunned. Please note that you are still active even if you don't have your wand," Professor Lupin emphasized. "So that goes for both sides. Make sure your opponent is Stunned if you want him to be eliminated from the match. We will take care of the rest."

"Finally, there is some leeway given regarding the severity of your curses. This is a live simulation and will be treated as such. Make no mistake, we will be watching," Headmaster Snape finished.

Almost all of the teachers in the core curriculum were present, save for Professor Slughorn. He was left with temporary administrative duties while the Third Years competed in this match. It was just after noon, the sun hanging high in the sky and the brisk wind keeping an otherwise balmy day cool. Harry knew that this match was of some importance since even the professors looked quite nervous.

"Houses, please gather," McGongall ordered.

It was an empty, however, as each House had already clustered into their respective groups. Harry didn't miss the lingering glance Justin had on him as they separated nor did he ignore the nervous atmosphere among his own Slytherins. Perhaps it wasn't wise to inform them of the other House's intentions. There was a discernible jumpiness to every one of them that wasn't going to suit Harry well.

In the middle of the Slytherin group, there was a silver snake with a wide ring encircling it. Harry reached a hand out to grasp part of the ring, the cool silver cold against his hand. Professor Lupin stood a bit further away from the proceedings, eying the silver articles cautiously. To either side of Harry was Blaise and Tracey, resolute and grim expressions on both of their faces.

"There is no time limit. The match will end when all other House members are eliminated," Snape announced.

The wind picked up, but the chilly blast didn't penetrate their weather-proof robes. Though they would only stand certain temperatures, it was more than enough to handle the unusually warm early spring. Extreme temperatures would test the charms on these particular robes, but they were perfectly suited for today's environment. Harry felt strangely calm, matching the swaying of the wind as he looked up right before Snape said the magic phrase to activate the Portkeys.

Eyes locked again as green met brown and Harry held his gaze until Snape said the words. Granger stared right back at him, blank and cold, the mask of rationality and objectivity layered carefully on her face. There was no turning back now.

"No fear."

* * * * * *

The intense tugging sensation disoriented Harry for a moment as the Portkey activated. It felt as if he were being yanked by the navel, straight into the air, and then thrown back down to the ground at a rapid speed. Before he could even blink, he was splattered against dead leaves amongst a clearing surrounded by wood and bushes.

Scrambling to his feet, Harry first made sure all his body parts were in place. The dizzying sensation was still upon him and he swayed his feet, his small breakfast lurching in his stomach. After verifying the existence of all his limbs, Harry did a head count to make sure all of the Third Year Slytherins were present. Satisfied, Harry made his way to Tracey, who was still seated on the ground, her head between her legs.

"You alright?" Harry asked, offering a hand to help her up.

"One second. I've never liked Portkeys," said Tracey's muffled voice. After a moment, she procured three vials from her pocket.

"What are those?" Blaise grumbled, brushing off dead leaves from his shoulder.

"Pepper-Up Potions," Tracey answered. "Thought they might help us."

"Aren't those Fifth Year potions?" Harry sounded impressed.

"Potions is the one thing I'm good at." Tracey shrugged, handing each of them a vial and downing her own. Harry quickly swallowed the potion and found himself feeling considerably chipper.

"Okay. To me!" Harry ordered, trying to get a lay of the land.

The Slytherins grouped in formation, spread out in a semi-circle like they had practiced. It was easy now to walk in formation. They weren't under duress from spells or attacks. Even the usually unassailable Slytherins could manage this formation for a short period of time. It would have to do for his plan.

Behind him, a wall of thick trees stood lined with sharp thorns and a denser bush between them. It extended to either end as far as he could see. This must have been the artificial barrier Snape and company provided. If the layouts in the map were correct, that would mean that Gryffindor was due Northwest of their position. Ravenclaw would lie directly West while Hufflepuff would be to the North.

"What now, Potter?" asked an unusually edgy Malfoy.

"Forward. Northwest."

So with much trepidation in their part and a little bit of discomfort on Harry's, they started navigating Northwest on a purposeful march. Harry gave constant orders to check surroundings, rotating the array of students so that a different set were always on the front lines. He kept Blaise and Tracey in the rear, trusting them to overtake some semblance of control should he fall.

"Keep your eyes open," Harry commanded, a stern timber to his voice.

For once, no one complained. Perhaps it was the tenseness of their situation that silenced their often complaining voices. Every snap of a branch and creak of a tree was met with whipped heads and raised wands and Harry was guilty of the same reaction. At any moment, they could run into Hufflepuff or any one of the other Houses. Harry was gambling almost everything on this particular movement.

"Keep forward."

Once, Daphne jumped and dove to the ground when she swore she spotted the purple of Ravenclaw in between trees. Harry had taken the time to pause and scan their surroundings, even using a few of his unique trapping spells to ensure that if someone was moving within the shrubbery, they would get caught. Once it was determined that there was no one there, they kept moving, but it was a sign of things to come.

Every few minutes was punctuated by a silent hiss and a Slytherin pointing in a certain direction if they saw movement. Their formation would be of no use if they were easily flanked, but Harry was banking on the fact that the three Houses would regroup first. Since their initial movement was towards Gryffindor, there was little chance their paths would cross. Furthermore, Harry also hypothesized that neither of the Houses would send a student or two as a scout. Most likely, they would want to be at full strength.

"Push on."

As they progressed, Tracey fell into pace with him, matching his steps. Quietly, so as only Harry could hear, she asked, "Do you think this is the right call?"

"It's as good as call as any," Harry answered. "Surprise them while we can."

Tracey nodded but still looked unsatisfied. "In theory, your plan sounds good. Hit them with an initial attack and then progressively retreat and make them come after us. Then splinter into groups to have them chasing us and keep them in front of us. Still..."

"It'll work out," Harry cut her off.

Tracey nodded, her blue eyes cast towards the ground as she paused any other questions she might have had. Harry ordered a rotation, moving Crabbe and Goyle to the forefront while withdrawing Malfoy and Pansy behind them. In truth, much of this was a farce. Harry knew exactly what was going to happen when they made contact and it wouldn't be pretty. There was a considerably high chance that it would all fail.

He made eye contact with Blaise and the dark skinned boy nodded back at him. There was little they could do now but wait.

"Contact," Pansy hissed.

They fell into a simultaneous crouch as Harry's eyes scanned the perimeter. There was a definite nervousness in the air as the forest surrounded them. Harry noticed a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye and judging by the lack of reaction, no one else did. Tightly gripping his wand, Harry stood up and gave the order.

"Press forward."

The Slytherins stood up cautiously, their wands now raised in front of them though not in dueling position just yet. Every step felt like walking into a trap and even the dimmest of Slytherins were not ignorant of this fact. Their head movements became faster, their march slowing down to a turtling speed as cautiousness got the best of them.

"Forward," Harry more urgently ordered.

They picked up the pace, but the formation was starting to scatter. Gaps were showing between the lines and Harry had to order them back into position. It would be no use if they were struck by a surprise spell that would send everything into chaos. He needed to keep control of the situation.

"Harry, we're getting close," Tracey said as she looked down on the map. "If I'm right, we're about as close as we can get to the Gryffindor position without revealing ourselves. They have to be just ahead."

Harry nodded. "Okay. Forward."

Tracey looked at him incredulously then down at the map then back at him. "But Harry..."

"I said forward." There was a finality in his tone.

Malfoy overheard this conversation and grumbled, "This fucking bullshit. Going to get us slaughtered, Potter."

In truth, you might be right. Harry didn't voice his thoughts aloud, but determinedly lead the way, setting the pace as they barreled on ahead. Tracey looked distraught and discontent beside him, but stowed the map as it was of little use now. The alliance of Houses was surely up ahead unless it was all a clever trap by Justin, sending Susan over to them. While he didn't put it past the conniving Hufflepuff to do so, Harry trusted his instincts.

The paths were starting to clear and there was a rustling ahead. Harry pressed onwards, eyes and ears at full attention as he sensed combat ahead. Harry didn't know if it was his heightened senses, or passive Occlumency, or pure adrenaline that alerted him of the presence ahead. It was probably some combination thereof, but he was in no mood to analyze which.

"Contact," Harry said.

Indeed, there was a group in the clearing ahead, meeting in a haphazard way. Judging by the sheer numbers, Susan and Luna were correct. There was well over one House in this clearing. Harry couldn't see all of them, but he would have bet all of Blaise's Galleons that his hypothesis was vindicated.

"Oh hell," Pansy moaned. "It is all three Houses."

Harry nodded along, focused on one target in particular.

"What do we do now, Potter?" Nott asked.

Harry was about to answer when a voice from behind him answered instead.

"What to do indeed?"

Justin Finch-Fletchley smiled as he emerged from the trees, accompanied by a spatter of Ravenclaws and Gryffindors. The large group in the clearing suddenly stopped milling around, all focusing their attention in the direction of the Slytherins the tree line.

They were irreversibly fucked.

* * * * *

"Come on, come on! Hand over your wands!"

They were surrounded as the larger group in the modest clearing suddenly sprinted towards them, wands raised. The rear facing group consisting of Justin and a matching smattering of Ravenclaws and Gryffindors had them pinned in the crossfire. Still, the Slytherins came together back to back. Wands jerked to and fro as the thirty or so other students surrounded them.

"Tell them to put down the wands, Potter!" bellowed Ron Weasley.

Eyes jerked towards the raven haired boy. He was in the center as the Slytherins had unconsciously surrounded him to keep him in the middle. Nevertheless, they would never survive this onslaught. They were in close range surrounded by a numerically superior force with little cover or advantage. It was a trap.

"Tell them, Potter!" Padma Patil's voice rang out.

Harry was solely focused on Justin, the tiny smirk at the edge of his lips infuriating him. How he would have liked nothing more than to wipe that smirk off his face. No doubt Justin wasn't courageous enough to face him one on one. Such a duel would no doubt be tipped in Harry's favor and even the Hufflepuff might have suspected it so. In the cover of so many supporters though, Justin grew strong and could whip up the crowd.

"You've lost, Slytherins!" Justin addressed the whole group instead of just Harry. "Your fearless leader couldn't see a trap even as he was wrapping the noose around his neck!"

The Slytherins cast darting glances at the Boy-Who-Lived, looking to him for instruction. Even Draco, armed with an expression of pure disgust, chanced a glance at Harry to see what the direction was. Harry made no move, however, keeping his eyes solely focused on Justin. Licking his lips, Harry looked around, spotting all of the familiar faces he had dueled and fought against.

"We're putting down our wands!" Harry announced.

A ripple of gasps ran through some of the Slytherins at such an easy capitulation. Harry made a show of raising his off hand in the air and then raising his wand hand. The wands focused on him jerked upwards, but Harry held the tip of his wand loosely, signifying defeat.

"I'll get it," Neville Longbottom bundled forward, conjuring a bag for the displaced wands.

Justin laughed as he watched the portly Gryffindor stumble forward. "Look at that, Potter. Now it's Neville that's going to be taking your wand."

Longbottom stepped forward, his eyes still downcast and not as combative as when they had met in the hallway. Harry symbolically stepped forward and without meeting Longbottom's eyes, placed his wand inside the bag. Looking around at the shocked Slytherins, Harry motioned for them to do the same.

"Go on then," he said coolly. "No need in yourselves getting hurt over this."

One by one, as if in disbelief that they had finally lost, the Slytherins took turns placing their wands in the bag. For some, like Malfoy it was far more difficult to succumb to such a lowly Gryffindor. He practically snarled at Longbottom, but to the Gryffindor's credit, he didn't flinch. At last, all of the Slytherins were disarmed and stood in the center of this pow wow.

"Move it along!" Justin jerked his head, forcing the group to move into the clearing.

The pack shuffled along, defeated and disconsolate as they helplessly watched the three Houses gather together in front of them. It was hard to describe the feeling a wizard had without their wand. It was a nakedness, an emptiness that longed to be filled. Tracey wrapped her arms tight around her body, disappointedly looking at Harry.

"Why didn't you listen to me?" she asked as they were moved to the center of the clearing.

Harry looked at her, a pained expression behind his glasses. "I'm sorry, Tracey. This is just the plan."

Tracey shook her head and her disappointment struck a hurtful pang in Harry. He didn't quite realize how upsetting her disappointment would be. Nonetheless, this was the plan and he had to stick to it. Looking around, he realized that Padma, Blaise, and Ron were gathering in front of them.

"So how are we going to do this? Should we just stun all of them and then declare a truce to regroup our Houses and then proceed forward?" Padma asked, her hands on her hips.

"Sounds fair," Justin agreed. "What do you think, Ron?"

"Good to me," Ron said shortly.

Justin glanced at Harry, who was still mutely glaring at him. The anger bubbling within Harry's chest consumed him as he watched Justin prance around as if he owned the forest. Everyone else was in a semi-circle surrounding the Slytherins while the three leaders convened, but Harry kept his eyes solely focused on Justin, the animosity evident to anyone around them.

"Don't look so glum, Potter," Justin scoffed. "Hermione had you perfectly pegged. Said you would be headstrong and rush straight towards us."

Tracey came alive with a gasp and a step forward. "Why you stupid little bitch!"

Granger coolly regarded Tracey, her face as impassive as always. "Shut it, Davis."

Tracey looked at Granger and then back at Harry, her face a mixture of hatred and convulsion. Harry kept his jaw tight, glancing away from Tracey in an attempt to avoid her humiliating gaze. Harry could practically hear Tracey ask, "Why did you trust her?"

Unable to look at his best friend, Harry watched the conversation in front of him unfold. Padma and Justin were still squabbling over the terms of Slytherin's impending defeat and how they would fairly split up their forces afterwards to avoid a free-for-all. Neither of them trusted each other enough to just stun the Slytherins and walk away from the problem. In the meanwhile, the other members of the respective coalition milled about, the Gryffindors near the back.

"The easiest way is to just Stun them one by one and then call a truce over it," Justin explained.

"And how do I know you won't just Stun us as soon as they're finished." Padma was proving to be a tough negotiator.

"I came to you with this plan, didn't I?"

"And it would be just like you to turn it around on us."

"Well, I can't exactly do that with Gryffindor here, can I" Jason rebutted.

Padma looked lingeringly at Weasley and Granger and finally turned to her sister. She called her twin over to discuss something in private while Justin rolled his eyes at the pair of girls. The Hufflepuff turned his attention towards Harry again, that lazy smile returning to his pudgy face.

"Pretty good, right Potter?"

As Padma and Ron discussed the terms of Slytherin's surrender, Justin walked right up to Harry, nose to nose as he was of equal height. Wandless, Harry could do nothing but glare back, silently steaming over the Hufflepuff's impetuousness. Justin must have known for this, but his mocking smile disappeared. Instead, a vicious and cold look overtook his face.

"I'm going to win, Potter," Justin whispered so that only Harry could hear. "You're nothing special, Potter."

The phrase echoed inside Harry's skull, further igniting the fire within. Harry held his gaze, his green eyes glossing over and seeing past Justin. Hermione stood off to the back, watching Justin and Harry with a regarded approach. Beside her, the remaining Gryffindors were also situated towards the backs of the rest of the students.

"Agreed upon then!" Padma clapped her hands together after finishing her discussion with Ron and Parvati. "We'll stun them and go our separate ways. After that, we can begin in earnest."

Justin walked backwards, his eyes never leaving Harry's. "Sounds good to me."

The Hufflepuff boy raised his wand. "On your knees, Slytherins."

It was a move made to embarrass them, an overt act of submission that would only further the sting of defeat. The Slytherins shuffled around, pride taking control of them as not one made a move to lower their posture. Flicking his wand, Justin cast a Stinging Hex towards Tracey.

She hissed as it stung her arm, dropping down in one knee from the pain. Blaise stepped forward, yelling "Oi!"

"I said get down," Justin reminded them coldly.

Harry looked at Tracey, the numbness spreading like a spider web throughout his body. He didn't know he could feel so much pain. He didn't know he could feel the regret of this plan. He didn't know how much he could feel Tracey's acute hurt. He didn't know how angry this could possibly make him.

"Let's get this on with," Padma grumbled as Ron slinked towards the back.

There they were, the Slytherins kneeling in the middle of the clearing in the woods. The sun hung high above them, nary a cloud in sight. Only the slight refractions of the beams of light streaking through the branches made any shadows. Gathered in a semi-circle, the Houses of Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor surrounded the green contingent.

If there was an oddity, it was that the almost all of the Gryffindors were towards the back of the antagonizing group.

Padma strode towards the front, casting a weary look at Harry. The Slytherin had no doubt that she was part of Justin's plot, but she didn't seem to share the same virile attitude towards him. Instead, Padma looked at him appraisingly, with cautious but respectful approval. Still, her hand in this backstabbing plot proved her cunning.

"Do you want the honors, Justin?" she asked him sarcastically.

The feral grin on his face was answer enough. The Hufflepuff took one step forward, separating himself from the others in obvious fashion. This was to be his crowning moment. The undefeated Slytherins were at his mercy and were powerless to stop him. Harry could feel the nervousness and anger flowing from his fellow house mates.

If only they could feel his anger.

Justin looked at Harry in the eye, his wand slowly rising. "To think, this is how the mighty Harry Potter and his undefeated Slytherins will fall - on their knees without so much as a spell shot off between them."

The Hufflepuff boy stood there, his blond hair perched on his brow with a bit of curl. Harry was on his knees, staring up at him with no small measure of contempt. The staggered positioning reminded Harry of that dark, moonless night. They were not within the Forbidden Forest. Instead, they were within the supposed safety of the hallways of Hogwarts. Four bullies stood above a cowed and damaged boy. They were taunting him, kicking him, degrading him.

In this moment, Harry understood with great clarity what was supposed to happen. All of these days and weeks had been leading to this moment. The paths might have crossed where they should have not and the origins were far from the same, but they all led to this clearing in this forest. It was a giant puzzle, coming together and providing Harry with some lucidity once and for all and in this moment, he felt no fear.

There was only anger.

Harry raised his arms wide and to either side of his body. Justin hesitated, his wand paused over them. Silence overtook the clearing like a blanket over a fire. Harry matched the Hufflepuff's curious stare, his body completely exposed and his arms reaching towards an invisible force to either side.

"What are you doing, Potter?"

Harry looked at Justin, knowing what he had to do.

"No fear," Harry answered.

Only anger.

And he finally met Hermione's eye. She was standing behind several people, but could still see him even as he was kneeling down. The rest of the Gryffindors were arranged in a similar fashion, to the rear of the rest of the students. It was time for their plan to come alive.

She raised her wand subtly and pointed it at him. He knew the spell without having to hear it. It was the one they had agreed to prior. The spell hit him immediately and he could feel her presence in his mind. Then, he heard it. It wasn't a forceful command or a rallying cry. It wasn't panicked or excited. It was a firm, gentle caress. It was as if she had grasped onto him, rolling him in a tight embrace as she whispered the word into his ear.

Now.

* * * * * *

No one had the same account of what exactly happened.

Everyone agreed that after Harry spoke, he clapped his hands over his head. Everyone also agreed on what happened afterwards. There was a loud boom as if a thunderclap had descended upon them, but that was impossible since there was not a cloud in the distance.

What almost no one could explain was what happened after the roar from the sky.

Ron Weasley swore that Potter had somehow used a Time Turner to steal a wand and that his second self was waiting in the forest and cast a spell over them. Lavender Brown said a burst of light filled the clearing and somehow Potter was in her mind. Parvati Patil saw none of this as the concussion had forced her onto the ground. Susan Bones described something akin to lightning in a bottle but couldn't see anything else because of the brightness. Neville Longbottom swore on his grandmother's not-too-soon grave that a phoenix had risen from within Harry.

Draco Malfoy protested that it was actually he who had casted the spell as he had somehow hidden his wand. Of course, no one else could validate that claim but Malfoy persisted. Theodore Nott claimed there was a bright light that turned everyone momentarily blind. Gregory Goyle cowered against the ground when he felt the concussion wave pass through him and thus saw nothing. Daphne Greengrass saw Harry clap his hands over his head, but the resulting sound boom forced her to the ground. Pansy Parkinson thought it was all a conspiracy and that the teachers had helped Harry out.

Mandy Brocklehurst thought Potter summoned his wand wandlessly and had cast a spell that was above their grade level. Hannah Abbott thought it was all nonsense and that obviously someone else besides Harry had cast this spell that rendered everyone blind, deaf, and dumb. Dean Thomas intimidated that centaurs had come from the forest, annoyed at their temporary displacement, yet couldn't explain the bright light. Seamus Finnegan had used his hand to shield the light from his eyes and told anyone within earshot that light was pouring out of Harry's eyes, mouth, and ears.

But one person saw it all.

She had unflinchingly watched because she knew what was supposed to happen but honestly couldn't believe it until she saw it for herself. This was their tentative and crazy plan. Lure everyone into one area so that they were all in sight. Then, Harry would cast the spell he had been working on all year. In the resulting confusion, Hermione and the rest of the Gryffindors would attack the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws while they were caught off guard. After that instance, it was every House for themselves.

Hermione had her doubts on whether or not Harry could actually come through with a spell that he was supposed to create. Couple it with the fact that he would most likely do it wandless and Hermione wanted to relay him a message that his plan would statistically fail. Still, there was not much she could do after she received the message from Blaise Zabini of all people. He had come in the night, a message of importance carried with him. She had the dark Slytherin repeat it twice because she was convinced the first telling was just a tall tale. After that, it took some considerable cajoling on her part to attack the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws after Ron m ade the deal. It took telling Neville the truth behind the cave to get him on board, but it had worked. It was cunning and backstabbing and not one of them felt happy with themselves, but that was the price of winning.

So she kept her eyes open as Harry clapped his hands over his head. The key to the spell would be an innate understanding of exactly what he wanted to do. She saw the magic around his hands form and watched as it sped towards Justin, but she didn't expect the concussive wave of magic that forced her to kneel on the ground. Still, she kept her eyes focused on the dark haired boy with round eyeglasses. The magic jumped from Justin to Padma. Then, it arced towards Ernie MacMillan. Hermione watched as it kept going and going, jumping from one student to another. She watched in awe as it struck almost fifteen people, the light blinding at this point as the interconnected beams of magic held together for a majestic second.

Then, it snapped.

Everyone connected to the spell was lifted off their feet, spiraling and twisting in mid-air. Another sonic boom threatened to shatter her ear drums and Hermione had to clap her hands over her ears at the awesome sound. In the end, fifteen students were crumpled on the ground unconscious and a few trees had embers in their branches. In the middle of it all was Harry, kneeling with his hands still clapped over his head and an almost imperceptible shield of magic around him. A thin sheet of sweat covered his face as he breathed heavily with his eyes closed. Harry opened his eyes slowly and looked at her, green meeting brown.

It was glorious.

It was powerful.

It was beautiful.

* * * * *

He was tired.

Harry felt as if Dudley had taken him onto one of those Muggle thrill rides that rocketed you up and down and forced him to ride it hundreds of times. Fatigue was sewn into every muscle in his body, but there was still one more thing he had to do or it was all for naught. Looking at Longbottom, Harry reached out his wand and focused all of his magic into one last spell, using his Occlumency to tunnel it all towards this purpose.

"Accio bag!"

The bag of wands that Longbottom had collected lurched and Harry panicked as he thought he failed for a moment. Then, it popped into the air, hurtling end over end until it plopped in front of him. The last iota of magic left him and Harry collapsed onto all fours, breathing heavily as sweat perspired down his back.

"Blaise, wands!" Harry croaked, his vision swimming.

Blaise scrambled forwards, his ears still ringing as his hands fumbled along the grass for the leather pouch. Grasping it between his fingers, Blaise procured his own wand first, managing to toss the bags to the rest of his house mates as he looked around.

Harry tried to stand up but his knees weren't cooperating. It was as if someone had placed a Jelly-Legs jinx on him. He faltered and cough as his vision blurred and he had to settle himself once more as he heard the commotion start to rise around him. There was shouting in the distance and in the back of his mind, he knew that it was only a matter of time before the other students got to their feet.

Tracey retrieved her wand, the magic buzz radiating through her as the feeling of unification washed over her. She stopped as she looked towards Harry, weak and still on all fours, looking ready to pass out on the ground. Looking up, Tracey could see that the Gryffindors were on their feet, stunning the remaining Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. Harry reached out and tried to say something but failed yet again.

Her heart broke at the sight of this feeble act. There was no doubt he was the cause of all this chaos and while Tracey didn't exactly know what had transpired, she knew enough that Harry had given them a fighting chance from the jaws of defeat yet again. She would be damned if that was to go to waste.

In a voice she didn't know she had, Tracey screamed, "TO HARRY! RALLY TO HARRY!"

Thankfully, Blaise echoed her cry. "TO HARRY!"

"TO HARRY! SHELL! SHELL! CLOSE RANKS!"

Tracey crawled forward and pulled Harry backwards as the cries echoed throughout the rest of the Slytherins. Even Malfoy, caught in the moment and filled with adrenaline screamed, "To Harry!"

The Slytherins came together in a perfectly formed shell, shields staggered so that they could still attack. Tracey had to half carry, half drag Harry by his armpits as she continued to yell out instructions, inspired by some emotion she knew she carried but refused to identify.

"Towards the tree line! Keep tight!"

The Gryffindors were mopping up few Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs left. Mandy Brocklehurst and Susan Bones were putting up a fight but Granger was in the lead, directing them forward and leaving one eye towards the retreating Slytherins. She spotted them in formation and barked some orders as a slice of Gryffindors broke off and started pursuing them.

"Gryffindors ahead!" Blaise reported. "Spells incoming!"

Vines and leaves leaped up from around them, threatening to tie their legs down. Daphne and Pansy struck back, severing the vines that threatened to constrict them. A few spells were traded but the Gryffindors were reluctant to press. They opted for diversionary tactics, trying to slow them down with tree vines and branches while peppering them with other offensive spells.

"Keep it tight!" Tracey ordered from the middle of the shell as they neared the tree line. Hopefully, they could take some cover there and revive Harry.

They finally made it to the tree line, but even that was just a short reprieve. Harry's spell had started fires in some of the trees and now those embers were leaping across the dried leaves of the winter, fueling the fire and spreading it outwards. The Gryffindors halted their pursuit as the Slytherins fell deeper into the forest until Tracey finally ordered them to stop.

She laid Harry against the trunk of a tree, carefully leaning his head against it so he wouldn't get any more injuries. Blaise finished the last of the perimeter defensives, setting Slytherins up in a half circle facing Gryffindor's last position while leaving Daphne in the rear to scout any flanking maneuvers. He walked over to Tracey, kneeling down in the dirt beside her as she tried wipe away the sweat from Harry's brow.

"You didn't tell me you were going to do that!" Blaise exclaimed.

"Didn't know if it was going to work." Harry said it, but it was almost a sigh and it was barely above a whisper.

Cradling his face between her hands, Tracey looked him in the eye and asked, "Harry, are you okay? We need you here."

He nodded, but he did it with his eyes closed. "You need to get Granger."

"We know, but is there something specific? What's our plan?"

Harry's head lolled to the side and Tracey struggled to keep his body upright.

"Get Granger," he muttered. "Have to take her out..."

"I sincerely hope he means that in a tactical sense," Blaise grumbled.

"What else would he mean?!" Tracey snapped.

"Nothing! Bloody hell!"

His first exclamation was addressed towards her, but his second yell was directed towards the Gryffindors that had pressed forwards into the forest. Spells lit up the air around them as the congested woodwork had the spells coming in hot. Tracey angrily fire a spell back towards them, hoping that the stray would hit Granger.

A loud explosion rattled the ground as a tree trunk gave way to their right and croaked as the bark splintered into thousands of pieces. It came falling towards them and Tracey scrambled to pull Harry out of the way. By some divine intervention, the tree collapsed on an adjacent tree, staying its descent. The spells resumed as a crackle of magic in the air whipped right over Tracey's ear.

"Harry, tell us what to do?!" Tracey shouted over the roar of spells.

Harry gulped, struggling to hold his head up high. "You have to get Granger. Cut off the head..."

"I sincerely hope that was figurative," Blaise remarked as he dodged a Sidewinder Curse that would have twisted his legs together.

"Shut up, Blaise!" Tracey screamed.

Manging to raise his arm and gently grab Tracey's shoulder, Harry brought her face close to his.

"You have to get Granger."

Tracey licked her lips as she saw the fatigue on Harry's face. "Harry...I know how strong she is. What about you?"

Harry shook his head and collapsed against the trunk. His hand came up to pat his chest twice.

"Nothing left."

Tracey gulped, nodding as the realization dawned on her that Harry was genuinely exhausted of all his magic. Resolving to keep him under cover, Tracey picked him from under his shoulder, lifting his body so he would be behind Slytherin's cover. As she dragged him towards the destined spot, she heard a shout from Blaise.

"TRACEY, WATCH OUT!"

The snap of a tree branch alerted her to the danger as someone sent a Cutting Hex towards it. With Harry near unresponsive, she did the only thing she could and pushed him out of the way, rolling her body along the ground so that the main limb of the tree avoided crushing her. The tertiary branches scratched her face as she wildly looked around for Harry. Finally spotting him, she called out to him, telling him to take cover. Harry didn't seem to know where he was as he was still on his feet, clearly unsteady and lurching to and fro.

"Harry!" Tracey yelled, reaching a hand out through the branches in a helpless act to get to him.

The Stunner smashed into his chest, lifting him off his feet. His expression was one of gratefulness as unconsciousness slipped over him and he was out even before his body collapsed against the dead leaves of the forest. Fighting her way out from under the tree limb, Tracey raced towards her fallen friend. Aside from being unconscious, Harry seemed to be okay yet the psychological loss of him hit her hard.

She looked towards the pitched battle and spotted Blaise looking back at them in shock. His eyes had grown big and the white contrasted with the darkness of his skin. They fluttered from Tracey to Harry, seemingly unbelieving of what happened. Tracey looked over his shoulder and spotted Granger's bushy mane peeking out from behind a tree.

The Gryffindors were slowly gaining ground as Granger started slashing the tree branches above their head to scatter and possibly injure them. One branch caught Daphne across the head, knocking her unconscious and providing a deep bruise and cut along the brow of her head. The Slytherins were unable to get a foot hold on some cover as every fallen tree branch scattered them. Tracey looked at that stupid bushy hair and saw red.

After making sure Harry was physically okay, she rose up and walked towards the front lines. Pointing her wand in the air, Tracey bellowed at the top of her lungs while shooting sparks in the air.

"BREAK RANKS! ATTACK!"

Still shooting wildly colored sparks in the air, Tracey ran forward, sprinting over fallen tree trunks and scattered branches. The Gryffindors were seemingly in shock from the sudden attack and Tracey was heartened to hear Blaise's voice behind her.

"ATTACK! WAAAAAH!"

His guttural yell almost made her laugh at the absurdity of the situation. There they were, two Slytherins sprinting across no man's land right into the hands of the Gryffindors that sought to defeat them. Yet, Tracey only had one goal and it was to fulfill Harry's request. She was going to take out Granger with every ounce of magic she had within her.

The remaining Slytherins, the six of them still standing, matched Blaise's enthusiasm and jumped from their cover as they yelled nonsense in a psychological ploy to frighten the Gryffindors. Even Draco Malfoy, he of who little enthusiasm or inspiration, ran step for step as he screamed at the top of his lungs.

"FOR SLYTHERIN!"

Malfoy placed a foot on a fallen tree trunk and launched himself into the air, his body floating there for a split second with a mad look on his face and his wand slashing downwards with an unknown spell.

He was promptly hit by a Stunner in the chest, collapsing him mid-flight as he landed awkwardly on the ground.

It was Granger, forgoing cover as she stood tall with her wand at maximum distance on her arm, looking at the charging Slytherins with nothing but calculation in her eyes.

"STAND TALL, GRYFFINDORS!"

It was unrestrained pandemonium, spells flashing back and forth as green and gold came together in a cacophony of destruction. Bodies went flying through the air, various curses and hexes struck and formed strange defects. It swirled around in a massive hurricane of magic, the air thick with smoke from the ongoing fire as Slytherin and Gryffindor went toe to toe. There were no tactics or strategy at this point. Lost were the ploys and schemes. This was brutal close combat warfare between two rival Houses.

In the end, there were only three left standing.

* * * * *

Blaise and Tracey circled Granger, trying to trap her in the middle as a fire raged around them. Stunned bodies of their fellow House mates lay around them like corpses and all three of them looked the worse for wear. Blood trickled down the side of Tracey's head, her usually perfect hair matted down to one side as she had been on the receiving end of a nasty Blood-Letting Jinx. The entirety of Blaise's robes were disintegrated from a Burning Hex and he stood there in just a bare shirt and pants.

Hermione Granger, on the other hand, still held all of her faculties with minimal injuries. Her lips were pursed tight as her eyes bounced from Slytherin to Slytherin. There was a lull in the fighting as they surveyed each other, trying to find a weakness. Yet, Hermione knew she had very little weaknesses. She had both of them covered on knowledge of spells, execution of them, and speed of dissemination. The only advantage they held was in pure numbers.

"Reducto!" Tracey jumped forward with a powerful spell, anger still boiling within her veins.

Hermione transfigured a tree branch into a shield and summoned it to block the spell. Flicking her wand twice without a word, the dead leaves rose into the air and formed a tornado that she sent towards Blaise. With the Slytherin distracted, Hermione magicked the tree branches into grabbing onto Tracey's arms. Tracey used a Cutting Hex to slice away the tree branches, her focus determinedly on the bushy haired Gryffindor.

"Inflamare!" Another tree was set on fire by Tracey, continuously limiting the area they could cover.

The smoke was thick and oppressive, stinging their eyes and sneaking down their lungs, but Tracey did not want Grange to get away to regroup. She had the Gryffindor trapped between her and Blaise and this was to be their moment. If Granger was to be defeated, it would be here. Blaise churned into action, blasting at her with various offensive hexes and curses. Hermione countered by transfiguring more shields from all of the debris around her while simultaneously striking at Tracey, keeping the pair off balance.

Blaise and Tracey circled again, trying to stay at different sides of Granger. It was a wordless affair, save for the curses and spells uttered. Tracey knew the extent of Granger's prowess but refused to be intimidated by it. This was for Harry and his efforts to save them against not one but all three Houses. The dark haired Slytherin suddenly stepped forward, her pace quickening as she slashed at Granger with a few cutting hexes.

Granger parried it well, leaving an opening for Blaise. He tried to take advantage of it, punishing her slight mistake, but it was a trap. He overextended himself as his aimed sky above Granger's head. Ducking into a boll, she rolled along the ground and Blaise felt his feet get caught in an Incarcerous spell. He tumbled over and Granger easily Stunned him, whirling around to deflect another hopeless spell from Tracey.

Tracey ground her teeth together at Blaise's fall. There was a trickling feeling of doom that was starting to come forth from the back of her mind. Granger looked at ease, still standing and looking far from exhausted while Tracey sluggishly shuffled sideways, always presenting a moving target. What could she do to defeat the Mudblood Champion?

And so Tracey decided to do the one thing that would have caught Granger off-guard. It was stupid as she knew how powerful she was in this particular branch of magic but perhaps a momentary distraction would afford her the time to strike at her when her guard was down. It was a risky play, but Harry had taught her to be unexpected. What was more unexpected than trying to best Granger at her own game?

"Legilimens!"

And it worked! For a split second, it worked.

Tracey accessed her mind and she could feel Granger's surprise in her thoughts. Tracey swam through memories of Granger's first meeting with Harry. She could feel the curiosity and apprehension of meeting Harry.

Then, she was on a snowy embankment, the road curving ahead of her as luminescent red lights flashed by her. Three Muggle vehicles, two bulkier ones and one normal car albeit for the lights on the hood screeched to a halt. Out stepped Hermione, dressed in formal clothing with what looked to be relatives. The little girl ran towards the lip of the road but a man dressed in official uniform pulled her away from it. Granger kicked and screamed, her arms reaching for something over the curve of the road. As Tracey looked over the edge, she spotted a mangled car smashed against a tree like it had gone round for round with the Whomping Willow.

Tracey suddenly found herself back in the forest, staring at Granger. The Gryffindor girl had tears streaming down her face and that break of her facade caught Tracey by surprise. She froze, the crushing depression associated with that memory lingering with her. Tracey was still with shock, breathing hard at the memory. Hermione, through her tears, held no such pity. Inaction would be her death if she allowed it.

Hermione didn't even move quickly, such was Tracey's stillness. Her wand came slowly in front of her and she spoke the incantation slowly. Both of their minds were far from the Forbidden Forest or House matches or even Hogwarts. They were both still in that snowy night, standing on the side of the road.

Tracey felt sadness, depression, and most of all, sympathy.

Hermione felt...nothing.

"Stupefy."

* * * * * *

A/N: Thank you all for the amazing reviews. I really appreciate all of them and hope to read more of them soon. I loved this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. There will be some time until the next update but I hope to bring the conclusion of this Third Year shortly. Thank you again and I'll see you next time.

Estimated update time: 24 days

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