Unofficial Portkey Archive

Hogwarts had never been more alive, buzzing in anticipation of their visitors. The house elves, rarely seen, were flying around around their ankles, hastily preparing the last decorations and ornaments. Classes were cancelled for the day and the students took the opportunity to roam the halls, staking out spots to see the new arrivals. The massive flow of students crowding the hallways did allow Harry the opportunity of finding Justin and indicating that they should meet. Harry chose to meet in secret, unsure of how others would react should they see him holding a long conversation with the Hufflepuff.

It was a bright and perfect day, sunny enough to negate the slight chill in the air without the accompanying humidity usually associated with the heat. In another one of the high towers, Harry awaited Justin with his wand already in his hand. It was not so long ago that the Hufflepuff had attempted to kill one of his friends and the potential danger was not lost on Harry. Though he doubted any sort of conflict, a sizable dose of paranoia wasn't unhealthy.

The Great Lake rippled below, a soft cascading wave pushing through. It was strange to think that leagues below, there was a cave that lay directly underneath the lake. It must have been built long before their time, during the conception of Hogwarts. He could see students milling about in groups like tiny, little ants as well as the steam rising from the chimneys in Hogsmeade. He pushed some of his hair behind his ears, reminding himself to get it cut before it became a distraction.

"Potter."

Justin's voice broke him out of his reverie and Harry looked over his shoulder to see him standing in the doorway. Harry subtly turned so that one hand looked as if it were bracing him against the windowsill but in reality, he was holding his wand tightly. Justin walked up to the windowsill and Harry kept his front to him as the Hufflepuff leaned his elbows against the stone and peeked out over the edge.

"So, what do you want to know?" Justin asked as he looked at the students milling about the lake.

"Has Diggory said anything in particular to his friends about me? Is there a reason he comes to watch us practice so much?"

Justin shrugged. "None so far as I know. He talks about you. Discusses some of your strategies. Nothing out of the ordinary as far as I know."

"Just a peaked interest in me?"

"Cedric's always been sort of like that. He likes to be prepared."

"You mean to tell me he has nothing else better to do than to watch some Fourth Year practice?"

Justin rolled his eyes. "As you know, you have a way of attracting attention."

Harry frowned, leaning his elbows against the stone ledge as he peered over the edge as well. A lazy tentacle rose out of the water, splashing in the middle of the lake as some of the students pointed and laughed. It was a picturesque scene of tranquility, something not usually associated with Hogwarts these days.

"What else can you tell me about him?" Harry asked.

"You know, if I were neutral about this whole thing, it'd be easy to say that you're the one that seems to have an unhealthy obsession on keeping tabs on Cedric."

"It might be cynical, but when someone starts helping you out of the blue and giving you helpful advice for no reason, I tend to take pause. You say Cedric likes to be prepared, well so do I."

Justin chuckled, his shoulders shaking in unison. "Have you ever considered that he might just be doing it out of the goodness of his own heart?"

Harry mustered the glare he used when addressing his house and Justin raised his eyebrows at his somber expression. Justin was picking at the cuff of his robes, a sign of nervousness. Good. Harry wanted him to be nervous.

"What's there to say that you don't already know? Not all of us have deep, dark secrets," he said with a tinge of bitterness.

"Humour me."

Exasperatedly, Justin continued, "He's a golden boy. I don't know anyone that doesn't like him, besides Slytherins of course. He gets good grades, he's top ten in the Master List, he's the leader of his year, almost every single girl in Hufflepuff fancies him. In some ways, he's worse than you."

"Sounds too good to be true."

Justin raised his eyebrows again at the skepticism in Harry's voice. "Whatever you may think, Diggory is the real deal. You're wasting your time here."

"Maybe," Harry said, unconvinced. "Keep an eye out for him anyway."

"Hold on there," Justin pushed himself off the ledge and Harry readied a spell on his lips as a precaution. Instead, the Hufflepuff continued to speak instead of lashing out.

""I wasn't under the impression that this was an open ended project. I helped you out by you blackmailing me of course. I did my part."

"And you'll keep helping me or else I'll tell the whole school of how you tried to kill Tracey."

It was a dangerous bluff as Harry had no intention of doing so. Dragging Tracey into this mess would only make her relive the trauma of that night and it wasn't something Harry particularly wanted to do. Besides, there were more far reaching consequences should he do so. Justin might have suspected the same thing, but there was no way for him to know what was going on in Harry's mind.

Justin opened his mouth to respond, but then closed it, seething as he returned to his spot on the windowsill. That anger which had been nonexistent this year reared its ugly face again. He was wound far too tight, a certain unpredictability that kept Harry on guard. But Justin didn't do anything for a few minutes and the anger, at least shown through his face, subsided.

"Fine," Justin relented. "But I need you to do something for me."

"I don't need to do anything for you," Harry reminded him.

"Stop being an arse for five seconds and hear me out. Occlumency. I know you know it."

"And what about it?" Harry thought, trying to come up with reasons as to why Justin shouldn't counter reveal that he knew that particular branch of magic.

"Can you teach it to me?"

That was an unexpected question.

"It's not really something that's easy to teach and, trust me, I'm not a good teacher."

"But you know how to do it," Justin implored. "You can get me started."

Harry could give him tips, explain the defenses and intricacies of closing off the mind, but that would require performing Legilimency on each other and while Harry thought himself a vastly superior Occlumens to Justin, there was no way he was going to risk the Hufflepuff inside his head. Not after what he did and attempted to do.

Still, Harry could see the reasoning behind Justin's request. It had long been both he and Hermione's suspicion that Snape must have warped some sort of memory inside Blaise's head to invoke such an uncharacteristic reservation of violence. Had Snape done something to Justin to flip his switch? There was truly no way to tell since last time Harry invaded Justin's memories, he had found nothing at all in parts of his mind.

Did Justin realize that someone had tampered with his mind?

"Keep an eye out for Cedric for me and I'll see what I can do to help. I'm not promising to teach you, but I can get you started."

Justin, for once, looked thankful as he continued looking out at the vast lake. Just then, a loud horn sounded, the brazen note echoing across the expansive valleys surrounding Hogwarts. Justin snorted and pointed down at the lake.

"Look."

Harry looked over the edge to see a giant ripple with a focal point about a kilometer from the shore of the lake. As the horn blasted again, Harry could see the reverberations as more ripples overlapped, the waves constructing and deconstructing against each other. One last horn blasted, louder and longer than the others, before silence fell upon the outer parts of Hogwarts.

From their bird's eye view, they could both see the giant shadow rising from beneath the small waves. It was stock and elongated, a definite mass rising from within the Great Lake. As the mast broke the surface of the water, Harry could just make out the fin-like appendages on the sides of the boat retracting. From within the lake, the ship emerged bobbing heavily once as it fully surfaced.

That would have been enough excitement to break up the tedium in Hogwarts but the show was far from over as Harry spotted something fast approaching from the south horizon. Shading his eyes from the sun, Harry squinted and saw winged horses pulling what looked to be a carriage. It was a sight that was so comical that even Harry, who had few things to laugh about these days, managed a smile.

Justin snorted and shook his head at the display.

"Circus."

* * * * * * * *

The host of the tournament was usually inclined to prepare an entrance feast for the competing schools. The House Elves had outdone themselves this time, garnishing the Great Hall with festive decorations and the sigils of the two schools. It was a blend of the history of Hogwarts, the art of Beauxbatons, and the baroque sensibilities of Durmstrang. The tables had been rearranged, squeezing Slytherin closer to Ravenclaw as an extra table was added for the incoming Beauxbatons and Durmstrang participants.

Since there were guests, a more proper garb was required of the students and the slightly dressier robes reflected that. Harry didn't feel like asking for another set of Blaise's nicer robes and correcting them so he just wore his gray Battle outfit underneath a newer set of black robes. It was a second skin to him by now. There was a nervous excitement amongst the Hogwarts students as the table for the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students was still empty. As Snape stood, however, the crowd quieted.

"May I present the Durmstrang Institute."

With a large sweep of his arm, Snape lit the additional torch lights that illuminated the pathway towards the extra long table. The large double doors to the Great Hall burst open like a flood of water breaking through a dam, the ancient oak slamming against the concrete.

A large man stepped through, easily over six foot and a few inches. He had shoulders that seemed to fill the entire doorway, a massive top-heavy frame that blotted out the students behind him. Though he was an intimidating size, his strides were lithe and smooth, a contrast to his frame. His eyes were straight ahead, determined and focused as the rest of the Durmstrang students finally emerged from behind him.

"Viktor Krum," Tracey whispered.

Harry nudged her and asked, "How do you know him?"

"He's the famous Bulgarian Seeker. Plays for the national team even though he's only 17," she explained, a little starstruck.

"You don't know Krum?" Pansy asked.

"I didn't see the World Cup," Harry said.

Tracey was going to say something else, but several thuds interrupted her as the Durmstrang students banged their wooden staffs against the ground. Some of the students near the back carried drums tied around their waists and they brought the mallets down in a rhythmic manner, a beat forming as acrobatics were suddenly introduced. It must have been tradition for no one else batted an eyelid at these ceremonies.

Krum through off his fur coat with a flourish, the brown blanket flying through the air as a wooden staff flew into his hand coming from the opposite direction. Underneath his coat he wore a long sleeved brown sweater and Harry wondered if Durmstrang had an aversion to colors not within the Earth tone. Krum's muscles flexed and rippled underneath his shirt as he twirled around the staff for a few seconds, easily handling it as if it were a twig. The percussion stopped as quickly as it started as one last figure, an older man with a sparse goatee and sunken eyes strode through as if he owned Hogwarts.

"Headmaster Karakoff," Snape drawled the name out as if he didn't particularly like the sound of it.

Harry saw Karakoff sneer and bow in an exaggerated manner. The rest of the students followed suit and made their way to the extra table without saying anything at all. The thunderous display left the majority of the student body confused. Were they supposed to clap? A few students here and there brought their hands together but Snape continued without missing a beat as if he were part of the drums himself.

"And the Beauxbatons Academy."

The doors had closed again, only to be slammed opened for a second time. This time, a shower of doves burst forth, disappearing after a certain distance. It must have been an area triggered charm as a decidedly less aggressive group entered the Great Hall. Dressed in shades of light blue, Beauxbatons could not have differed anymore than Durmstrang in their entrance. There was a melody in the air, entrancing and subtle, as four girls danced forward on the tips of their toes. Dressed in loose, silk skirts and modest blouses, they presented Beauxbatons as a cultured school. Harry noticed that they were all girls, slender and pretty, save for one male towards the back, stalking forward instead of dancing.

Fairest of them all was a mesmerizing blonde in the middle. She didn't dance, at least not in the way the other girls were dancing. Her eyes danced, catching the light at different angles as if there were little diamonds within her iris. She was tall and slender and Harry couldn't take his eyes off her. The slender jaw line that led to a porcelain neck. The visibility of her hip bone underneath the silk skirt. The way her blouse stretched perfectly across her chest. Then she turned and smiled right at him.

"Harry."

"What was that?" Harry blubbered, his head clearing from a sudden fog.

"Who is what you mean and that who is Fleur Delacour. She's a quarter-Veela in case you're wondering." Tracey looked from Goyle to Nott to Harry and rolled her eyes.

"That does explain a lot," Harry mumbled. "Are you certain she's only quarter-Veela?" Harry asked, unable to tear his eyes off Fleur.

"Yeah. She's modeled in some mags that I've read. Seeing her in those rags don't give her justice though. She's quite breathtaking," Tracey commented.

Perhaps it was shock that finally broke Harry's line of sight as a large figure blocked his view of Fleur. He was so irritated that he almost sat up and craned his neck, but he finally regained control of most of his senses. He would have to exercise more caution in the future regarding Fleur. The way his body completely lost control was not something he wanted to repeat on a proximal basis around her. The person blocking his view must have been the Headmistress by the looks of her age and size. She could easily be identified as at least half-giant, towering over ten feet tall. She smiled at Snape, though it wasn't genuine by the look in her eyes, and gave a soft bow that the girls in front of her exaggerated by dipping their heads almost to their toes. The lone gentleman bowed low as well, folding his hands in front and behind him.

"Madame Maxime," Snape introduced her.

They followed suit and sat down at the extra table, leaving ample space between them and the Durmstrang students. The introductions now made, it was Snape's turn to take center stage and while Harry half-expected some sort of song and dance from Hogwarts, he knew it wasn't Snape's style. There would be a speech, direct and functional.

"We would first like to thank the Durmstrang Institute and the Beauxbatons Academy for travelling here to participate in this grand event. As hosts, we will do everything in our power to accommodate these two prestigious schools."

It would have sounded elegant if it wasn't for the fact that most of it was probably rubbish coming from Snape.

"The Tournament of Champions is an opportunity for each school to put forth students that represent their respective schools. It is a rigorous and dangerous tournament, but measures have been put in place to protect the safety of the students involved to the best of our abilities. Let it be said that participation in the Tournament is on an entirely volunteer basis. Your names will be submitted into the Goblet of Fire."

With a wave of his arm, Snape produced a large goblet upon a pedestal in the middle of the Great Hall, drawing oohs and ahhs from the student body. Harry ticked his head, wondering whether it was particularly difficult to perform wandless magic like that or whether it depended upon the spell. He had seen several displays of innocuous spells like levitation or summoning objects done without wands but Harry ddin't think that summoning the Goblet of Fire was easy magic.

"You will have a fortnights time to submit your names within the Goblet of Fire. It is an ancient and powerful magical artefact and has been bewitched to disallow any students under the age of fourteen from participating. All you have to do is write down your name on a slip of paper and we will have another feast in a fortnight where the champions shall be chosen. The Goblet will decide who will represent their schools."

The goblet in question was very inconspicuous, a wooden basin that would have been a serving bowl had it not been for the illuminating green fire within. It flickered and wavered softly, a nonthreatening flame that illuminated the area around the goblet. A loud clatter of footsteps interrupted his viewing as a large figure stood up from the extra table. Krum, his imposing figure towering over the seated students, strode forward confidently. The students were silent, perhaps more surprised that someone would dare interrupt Snape in the middle of his speech. Krum took no notice of the surprise and proceeded straight towards the Goblet of Fire. In his large, meaty fist was a small strip of paper that he dropped unceremoniously into the goblet. The flames turned blue for a second, the fire roaring to life before calming down into its calm green.

Krum's scowl deepened even further but his fellow mates reacted differently. They started pounding their fists against the table, a slow, rhythmic beat that echoed loud in the strangely quiet hall. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

Karakoff smiled, crooked and stained teeth giving him a grisly facade. The Durmstrang students continued banging their fists down against the table until Krum returned to his seat, a few of them patting the large man on his back. They finally settled down when Karakoff raised his hand for silence. Snape looked at Karakoff, his dark eyes suddenly menacing and the slightest flicker of a twitch at the corner of his lips. His displeasure was obvious to everyone and it was a remarkable thing for Snape to actually show emotion.

Everyone expected him to resume speaking, but he waited. The pregnant pause stretched out so everyone could fully absorb the awkward and tense exchange. Just as if it seemed Snape wouldn't speak again, his mouth opened but his words seemed harsher, his tone more aggressive. Even Snape, most likely dead inside, did not appreciate being slighted in front of all three schools.

"After the First Event, there will be a special ceremony in...honor...of these three schools and this important event. There will be a Yule Ball to mark the celebration of the return of this tournament and the participation of our champions. It will be a fancy dress attire and I implore all of you to make plans to stay for the duration of the winter break as well as acquiring suitable clothing for the event."

A burst of chatter livened the previously dour affair as the Yule Ball grabbed their attention. This was also the apparent end of Snape's speech as he sat back down, still glaring at Karakoff. Food and drinks appeared despite the abrupt ending to the commencement of the Tournament of Champions.

"So are you going to do it?" Tracey asked.

"Do you think I should?" Harry asked back.

Tracey looked contemplatively at the goblet, her hand coming to her lips as a finger rubbed around it. Harry watched her finger go around the glossy lips before snapping his eyes away.

"You are one of the best students here. I would be shocked if it didn't pick you."

"That doesn't answer the question of if you think I should do it in the first place."

"I think you need to make a choice," she said.

Snape wanted him to do it. The age requirement couldn't have been a coincidence. If Snape wanted him to participate, then there was an ulterior motive at hand. Then again, what was Snape's agenda in the first place? Why did he purposefully give Harry an inordinate amount of obstacles? Harry had promised to himself that he would start resisting Snape's machinations but what would his classmates think of him if he didn't submit his name? What would the rest of the school think? Did he care what he thought?

A student suddenly stood up from the Gryffindor table. Whilst the others were busy eating and gossiping about the tournament and the Yule Ball, one student had written down her name on a small piece of parchment. Perhaps inspired by Krum, this student strode forward but without the bravado and confidence of the Bulgarian. She was unsure in her gait, but she kept a brave face while stepping towards the goblet.

The goblet erupted in blue flames as it accepted another name. The whole of Gryffindor stood up to clap as she made her way back almost sheepishly. Harry kept his eyes on her, knowing that she would look his way at least once. He was not mistaken.

"Oh, Hermione. What have you done?"

* * * * * * * * *

The excited rabble continued even after dinner. They couldn't stop talking about the imposing and famous Krum or the wonderous girl from Beauxbatons or the Yule Ball. Yet, the only thing that occupied Harry's mind was Hermione's dramatic throwing of her hat into the ring. It was a statement of intent from her and it certainly riled up her Gryffindor cohorts. But did she really want to participate in the tournament?

He fished the coin out of his pocket and rolled it in his fingers, examining the way the light would bounce off it at a certain angle. Placing his wand against the coin, Harry inscribed a message for Hermione.

Why?

They had never really communicated this way. It was always a message to relay when or where they would meet. There was only so much room to write on the coin, but she had piqued his curiosity.

Why not?

He really hated her sometimes. The coin glowed warmly in his hand, a second set of words replacing the first ones.

Learning from you.

Harry put the coin down for a moment and contemplated the meaning of her message. He assumed that she submitted her name because she wanted to make her intentions known regarding the tournament, but she could have also done it for appearance's sake. Certainly, it would be a page out of his book to project a stronger image than she actually held.

Did it work?

He wrote back to her, curious to see if his line of thinking was correct. There was a rustle as someone else climbed out of bed, but as Harry opened his drape to investigate it, the coin warmed in his palm again.

To be seen.

Harry smiled to himself, glad that Hermione was doing something to take charge of Gryffindor. It would have been a travesty had they at least not try to follow her leadership. There was more activity in the dormitory, but Harry had drifted off to sleep again.

He was walking through Hogwarts, similar to the other night. This time, he walked towards the rear of the castle near the Great Lake. Looking back at the castle, Harry felt the rumbling along the ground and braced himself for the coming explosion. It erupted from within, splintering apart the foundation as debris rocketed into the air.

An ear splitting scream grabbed his attention as he saw a figure running towards him in the distance. It was high pitched, most certainly a girl. She emerged around the corner, but she was too far away to identify. A monstrosity followed behind her, a slithering, disgusting thing that was most certainly the source of her fear.

Harry watched, mesmerized, as it kept following her, snaking along the ground in a natural manner. He completely lost track of a girl, his eyes focused on the coiling and twisting beast. Harry locked eyes with the beast and felt a searing pain in his forehead.

His eyes snapped open, he sunlight bursting through his drapes. He was perspiring heavily, his scar tingling with the aftershocks of pain. Twice now he had dreamt of Hogwarts' destruction, but this giant snake was a new development. He had sworn that he remembered the creature from one of his lessons, but he couldn't recall it off the top of his head. Climbing out of bed, Harry found himself face to face with the only other person in the dormitory.

Draco looked at him, fully dressed and seemingly waiting for him. "Class is in ten minutes, Potter. We were getting worried when you didn't show up for breakfast."

"And they sent you back?" Harry asked as he haphazardly put on a shirt and scrambled to find his combat robes for the first class of the day.

"I had to come back anyway." Draco looked away for a moment as Harry pulled on his trousers. "Can I ask you something, Potter?"

"What?"

"Why did you start all of this? The Commander? Lestrego?" Draco asked. "Some of the others might just take comfort in following you, but I can't say that it hasn't made me curious."

"I don't like losing," Harry simply answered.

"A pathological fear of losing? I don't buy that either."

Harry fixed Draco with a look, wondering why he was suddenly all so curious when he had been one of the few that had followed his orders over the course of the past few weeks. At the end of the day, he was still a Malfoy. Despite all of this, Harry shared some of his thoughts. Perhaps it was the weeks on end of mental isolation that had greased his wheels.

"I can't carry all of you forever. There has to be a structure. There has to be a program. If I can somehow implement that and then pass it on to Slytherins, then this House will continue winning even if I'm forced to be in the Board Room or I'm taken out through subterfuge. Can you understand that?"

"I can understand that," Draco said.

"People like having a hero to look up to," Harry muttered.

Draco snorted. "There are no such things as heroes. Only villains who think they're heroes."

Harry looked at him oddly. "That's a unique way of looking at things."

Draco smiled, but it was delayed like he had to think about it.

"And what if I'm right?"

* * * * * * * * *

When Harry and Draco arrived at the corridor containing the Room of Requirement, they found it curiously less full than usual. In this case, only the Slytherin House was present with Snape instead of all the Houses. Harry steadied his walk and Draco intelligently fell in line behind with him, providing the illusion that he was leading Draco. For all of his faults, Draco did know how to keep appearances.

"Where is everyone?" Harry asked in general, but it was mostly directed to Snape.

Instead of answering, Snape paced in front of the wall three times until a door appeared and gestured them inside. Considering the fact that he hadn't given them instructions, Harry assumed there would be a secondary waiting room inside the door and didn't prepare his wand. The rest of his classmates followed suit and his l were correct as he found himself in a blank room with one silver object in the middle. It was the same one they had used in the forest last year.

"When you are ready, link everyone together and touch the artefact in the middle of the room. It will take you to the proper area."

Snape vanished without another word, keeping the directions purposefully vague. It was also the first time Harry would participate in a battle since he had been banished to the Board Room. Leave it to Snape to design something entirely different than their usual circumstances just after the introduction of the Tournament of Champions. Harry brought his wand out and paced around the ornate silver snake, wondering what Snape had planned for him now.

"Did any of you see the other Houses?" Harry asked.

There were a murmur of voices until Tracey spoke for all of them. "None of us saw them, Commander. I got here five minutes early and not a single person from any of the other Houses were in the hall."

Harry appreciated her use of his moniker. He meant to praise her, but he was starting to realize the significance of their isolation.

"They still had to have had this class and Snape led us to this assumed Portkey because our entrance is timing based. Leaves me with one conclusion. Does anyone else know what that is?" Harry quizzed them.

After a moment, Blaise said, "They're waiting for us."

Harry made eye contact with his once best friend and nodded. "Very good, Zabini."

"But - that's not fair!" Pansy sputtered.

But Harry had no time to think about what was fair or not. He needed to focus all of his attention on a plan to somehow weasel their way out of another tight bind. If the other Houses had their time tables altered to attend class early, then that would mean Snape gave them ample time to set up. Furthermore, it was highly likely that this Portkey would lead them straight into the lion's den, figuratively speaking. It was a replication of the situation in the forest last year, except the Houses would be prepared this time and not allow a farce like Finch-Fletchley of old.

"They're probably going to be waiting for us on the other side of this," Draco added, reflecting Harry's own thoughts.

Harry continued pacing around the giant silver snake, slightly shaken by the giant snake in his dreams. He didn't understand the meaning of these dreams and was perturbed that they seemed to be continuing. Shaking his head, Harry refocused, trying to imagine how he would set up if he had ample time to prepare. The three Houses would likely implicitly cooperate. That wasn't an arrogant line of thinking. It was just realistic on all of their parts. Slytherin was top House for a reason and if Snape was purposefully giving them an opportunity to gang up on Slytherin, they would take it. Thus, Harry entered his plan with two very reasonable assumptions. They would be teleported right into their firing sight and that all three Houses would be working together.

"Everyone together." He motioned for the entire group to cluster around the Portkey. Physically situating them where they were supposed to go, Harry formed a tight, overlapping circle of arms. It was just wide enough in circumference to avoid stepping on the Portkey and Harry placed himself and Draco in the middle.

"Protego shields everyone."

They all brought up shields and since they were so close together, it made a near impenetrable fortress. The problem was that holding shields were dependent on magical energy. The more spells hit the shield, the weaker it became and the chances of holding them at bay dwindled with each spell. It was not a defense they could hold forever, but it would buy them some time.

"Hold out for as long as you can. I'll do my best. If I split an opening, I want everyone to split into their groups and go into full self destruct. Take down as many as you can. There will be no maneuverings or tricks. If Snape wants this to be unfair, then we'll go out with a blaze."

A murmur of agreement was all he needed. Before he grasped the ring around the silver snake, Harry told Draco, "Create a lot of noise. I'm going to need some distractions to pull this off."

Once Draco acknowledged, Harry took a deep breath and grabbed the handle, knowing the imminent danger on the other side.

* * * * * * * * *

It was even worse than Harry imagined.

As soon as his feet hit the ground, spells sparked across the air, slamming against their shields. There was an audible pop from the number of spells fizzing through their at once. Harry had just three seconds to register the fact that they were completely surrounded in an open plain by the three other Houses. It was a literal shooting gallery and Slytherin was in the middle.

Casting a Disillusionment Charm around himself, Harry noted that Draco was conjuring fog and haze as well as firing the Lostrego spell in the air, creating a sort of mist around them. Crouched low, Harry doubted that the others could easily identify him in the rabble of spells. The next part of his plan was something he wasn't quite sure of.

In all honesty, he wished he had studied some more Apparation. While it was widely known that one couldn't Apparate on Hogwarts grounds, there wasn't any evidence that the same could be said about the Room of Requirement. After all, the environments were distinctly different every time. If he could Apparate, then Harry would be able to get behind enemy lines in the blink of an eye. Without that option, he would have to resort to other means to get behind them.

Hoping he didn't blast his own legs off, Harry pointed his wand down at the ground.

"Repello!"

The Repelling spell really wasn't intended for this purpose, but Harry assumed the principle would remain the same. If he cast the Repelling spell at a spot on the ground, it would push him away from it. Thankfully, it worked to a degree. He hurtled through the air as if he were launched from a catapult, tumbling end over end as the spells and battle raged on below him. Orienting himself, he placed a Cushioning Charm to make sure he didn't break his neck. The landing was still awkward as if he bounced off a strange cushion. Standing up, Harry recognized that he found himself behind the Ravenclaw contingent.

He hit four of them with Stunners before they even recognized something was wrong. A total of eight of the ten were incapacitated by the time they identified that someone was Disillusioned behind him. Harry cleaned up Mandy and Terry with ease and then blasted another Lostrego into the air. The sky was littered with the green lightning bolts and Harry quickly made his way around the rim of the basin from which they were firing upon Slytherin.

The landscape was laid out in such a way that Slytherin teleported right in the middle of a basin. The rest of the Houses were positioned along the rim in an elevated position, making it even more fruitful for their advantage. As Harry raced around the top, he counted on the distraction of the spells to disguise the perceptible visible distortion caused by his Disillusion Charm.

Yet, Hermione must have picked up on the fact that the Ravenclaws were no longer firing at the Slytherins for a spell only she would have learned in such a short period of time hit him in stride, breaking the Disillusion Charm. His body suddenly appeared in plain sight, right next to the Hufflepuffs. It would take a lot of his magical strength, but he would have to gamble.

"Fulminare!"

His spell lifted five Hufflepuffs off their feet, blowing them back a good ten feet. The rest were more prepared this time, summoning and conjuring random objects to absorb the rest of the chained spell. He had no time to examine the situation of the rest of the Slytherins and hoped someone would take the impetus to lead them out of the basin. For now, he had to worry about the five Hufflepuffs facing him down, including Justin.

They struck quickly and more importantly, spread out a great distance to encircle him. Harry didn't exactly know how far his spell would extend. After all, there weren't a great variety of circumstances to test it on. They clearly outnumbered him and even Harry didn't fancy his odds at this point. It wasn't his preferred option but a quick exit would always be a viable option.

"Repello!"

He pointed at the ground and rocketed through the air again but maintained his balance this time, knowing the weight of the spell. Ernie's jaw dropped as Harry careened through the air, landing on the other side of the basin with a well placed Cushioning Charm.

"He can fly?!" Ernie yelled.

Harry had no time to bask in their fright. He had jumped himself straight into the Gryffindors and found himself face to face with Hermione. She swirled on the spot and spoke a spell he couldn't hear. Black smoke enveloped her and Harry raised a shield as a precaution. The battle was raging on as Slytherin attempted to climb out of the basin using the human shield routine that Draco had perfected, but Harry was concentrating on finding Hermione.

The sizzle of a spell tipped him off. It came from his left but the source was invisible to his eye. Twirling his wand around the top of his head, Harry cast his own Disillusionment Charm and side stepped a few steps, trying to keep his movement to a minimum. If Hermione wanted to fight in the shadows, then he would match her.

There were a few constraints to the Disillusionment Charm. Any movement would be seen as a perceptible distortion of the surrounding world. More importantly, as with any spell that had to be held for a duration like the Protego, the Disillusionment Charm would only last as long as the strength of the caster. Harry knew he was stronger than her, so waiting her out would be an option as it looked like Slytherin was getting the upper hand as Draco cleverly stacked their shields so that there were four meat shields in front and three attackers behind them. The Gryffindors had yet to realize that increased mobility and an easy flanking would be a good tactic against the meat shield.

Hermione, however, would act as she would come to the same realization that neither could hide forever and her charm would falter long before his. The question remained: what would she do? Harry ran through some scenarios, but they had yet to learn a spell that could easily reveal the Disillusionment Charm. That would undoubtedly be something to learn quickly in the future. Yet, there were other ways…

The ground suddenly erupted beneath him as all the dirt rose into the air. He covered his hands and eyes and tucked his body into a tight roll, knowing that Hermione had the drop in him as the dirt settled around his body, highlighting his figure. The spells raced along the air and Harry, in anger, transfigured the dirt into small mirrors, blinding Hermione and protecting him against spells in the mean time.

As Harry came to his feet, he smiled as Hermione revealed herself. A spell came at her from behind and she reacted just in time to deflect it with a conjured blanket. Yet, she realized that the rest of the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs had been defeated during their short duel. Draco, Blaise, Tracey, and Pansy remained. Harry spotted a hobbled Millicent lying on the ground, nursing what looked to be a broken leg.

"Almost, Hermione," Harry grunted as he clutched his side. During the commotion, a spell had made a deep cut into his side that was blotting his robes with crimson.

Hermione took a step back and tapped herself on the wrist, saying another unknown spell. It looked innocuous to anyone else, but Harry had known her long enough to know that Hermione did nothing without meaning. But Tracey, who had never liked Hermione, was eager to end it on her terms and struck out with a simple Stunner

"Wait!" Harry exclaimed, unable to stop Tracey in time.

As soon as the spell hit Hermione, a blast of magic came off her body like a tidal wave. Harry put up a Protego Shield, but it wilted and disappeared underneath the powerful magic. He was knocked off his feet and landed painfully on his back some feet away, but he was still conscious. Groaning and rolling around to check for injuries, Harry tried to see if anyone else was still on their feet and found no one. The whole battlefield was littered with unconscious students except for one.

Hermione was on her knees, one hand braced against the dirt as she struggled to keep herself afloat. Tracey lay unconscious right in front of her whilst Draco and Blaise landed near Harry. Harry struggled to his feet, the heavy feeling of physical and magical exhaustion taking a toll on his energy levels. After several tries, he collapsed on the ground, unable to get onto his feet. Rolling onto his back, he stared at the blue sky and started laughing uncontrollably at Hermione's last play.

Who would be declared winner if no one could continue?

* * * * * * * * * *

A/N: I know. I missed my mark by a long shot. It's a busy time of year and I'm afraid that the next update won't come quick either. I'll do my best to hit the projected update time again, but things usually come to a crunch around this time of year for my profession. Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter as there are some fantastic ones ahead. Prepare to learn a lot more about the other schools as well as Krum and Fleur exploration.

Projected Update TIme: 37 days

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