DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters. They are the property of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros, etc. No money was made from the creation of this story.
Chapter Twelve: The Start of the Dueling Club
The Christmas Holidays flew by faster than anyone had expected or wanted. Harry had explained everything that he and Keung discussed in the Forbidden Forest to Hermione, Ron, and Nancy, and he could tell that the idea of Voldemort building an army of Flamora wielders scared them terribly. He also told them about how the original Flame could be extinguished, and, in turn, it would remove the Flamora abilities from all its users.
They tried to approach Dumbledore to ask him about what he had written on the scroll, but he was always preoccupied with other Hogwarts matters. Their first two tries failed because he was busy discussing school matters with other professors. Their third try never took place due to the fact that they weren't able to locate him. Their fourth and final try was thwarted by an urgent message from the Ministry of Magic that forced him to leave the school for a couple of days.
By that point, they had given up on talking with Dumbledore and Hermione told Harry that he needed to asked Keung about it the next time they saw each other. The idea made Harry snicker slightly because if he were to stay out of trouble, Keung wouldn't have a reason to show up.
Aside from worrying about Voldemort's next move, Harry and Hermione spent a lot of their alone time together, but their relationship had still remained a secret. The two talked about their relationship and knew that they had to tell Ron and Nancy soon. They didn't like keeping their relationship hidden from them, but they also didn't enjoy pretending to only be friends around other people.
By the first Monday of January, all the students were back in class and going through their usual school routines. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were incredibly anxious to get back to their Defense Against the Dark Arts class because today would mark the start of the Dueling Club. It was the only thing the sixth and seventh year students could talk about when they attended their practical Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons during the earlier half of the year.
Harry and Hermione stood together with a large group of students as they waited for Professor Spencer to return to the class with the seventh year students. The practical Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons were held in a large and empty circular room. Professor Spencer usually stood in the middle of the class while the students assembled into groups of two or three and practiced their defensive spells. When a day came when they needed to practice their offensive techniques, Spencer would set up several different target dummies and allowed the students to release their frustrations upon them.
During the first session of their practical lessons, Spencer had them practice their basic defensive spells. He was keen on having them be able to perform the charms perfectly, especially if today marked the first day of the Dueling Club. After their first session was over, he told the class to prepare themselves for the Dueling Club was going to commence as soon as he brought the seventh year students.
Harry and Hermione knew that something was seriously bothering Ron. Ever since Harry had returned from the Forbidden Forest, Ron has been amazingly rigid when he was around either of them. It seemed subtle at first, but by the time school had restarted, he was completely ignoring them. Harry and Hermione tried talking to him on several occasions that day, but he would simply give them a cold shoulder and walk away.
Harry looked around the large group of students and found Ron standing by Seamus Finnigan and Neville Longbottom. Ron wore a frustrated face as he noticed Harry's gaze, but he didn't bother to even turn his head to acknowledge it. Harry looked at Hermione and gave her a shrug, not knowing what could possibly make Ron this upset.
Hermione's eyes suddenly went wide as she looked up at Harry. "Do you think he knows?" Hermione whispered, her eyes uncertain. "You know, about us?"
"I don't know," Harry replied softly as he looked over at his red-haired friend. "He could know…but I figured that he'd say something about it…you know how he usually blows up…but it is Ron…."
After about a half-an-hour, the front doors opened and Professor Spencer entered the class, carrying a large brown bag over his shoulder, with the seventh year students traveling in his wake. Harry and Hermione waved to Nancy and she walked over to them, giving them a bright smile. However, the concerned looks she received in turn, made her feel that something was wrong.
"Do you know why Ron has been ignoring us?" Harry asked as he took another look at Ron.
"I have no idea," Nancy replied as she looked over at him. "He hasn't mentioned anything to me about it."
"Did you notice anything out of the ordinary about him recently?" Hermione asked as Professor Spencer made his way to the center of the classroom.
"No," Nancy answered as she thought back. "He hasn't mentioned anything about it. I noticed that he seemed somewhat distant, but that was about it."
"Well his distance has completely got me aggravated," Harry said in a low tone as he looked over at Ron again. "I'll be back in a bit, I'm going to go talk to him."
Before Hermione could say anything, Harry was had begun to maneuver his way around students towards Ron. Hermione let out a soft sigh and crossed her arms, completely frustrated at how the situation was. Nancy noticed this and patted Hermione gently on the shoulder.
"I'm sorry Nancy," Hermione said with another sigh. Hermione gave her a weak smile and took a deep breath. "I just hate it when those two fight about something."
"Does it often happen?" Nancy asked as Professor Spencer got the students to take a few steps back, forming a very large circle around him.
"Those two rarely ever fight," Hermione replied as she started to back up with Nancy. "The last time they fought was back during our fourth year over something really stupid. The thing that was really horrible was that it took Harry nearly getting killed for the two to make up."
"So that's what you're afraid of," Nancy said with an understanding look on her face.
Hermione nodded and the two looked back towards Ron. Harry was still making his way around the students, but the moment Ron noticed that Harry was approaching him; he started to move away from him.
"What is he doing?" Harry groaned to himself as he continued to follow his friend, moving through the crowd of students.
Professor Spencer noticed Harry and Ron's peculiar behavior but decided to say anything about it. He snapped his fingers and an incredibly large circular platform appeared above his head. He signaled for the students to move and he did as well as the platform lowered itself. The students stared at it with expressions full of confusion and interest when the platform settled itself onto the floor.
The top of the platform rose about a foot of the ground and it seemed to be made out of smooth black stone. There was an attractive symbol of the sun and moon in the center of the platform written in gold. There were also several posts that were placed along the edges of the platform, each with a red gem connected to it. Lastly, there were two silver circles placed on opposite sides of the large black platform, each several yards away from the center symbol.
"This dear students is the Dueling platform," Professor Spencer announced as he hopped onto the large platform and dropped his brown bag in the center. "All the duels that will take place will only be done on this platform. It is specially designed for civilized Dueling competitions and is the only platform suited for spectators to watch without having fear of being struck by runaway spells."
"What are the posts with the red gems for, Professor?" Hermione asked as she raised her hand in the air.
When Spencer turned to look at her, Harry took this as his opportunity to quickly sneak up to Ron. Ron was unaware of this, nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt someone take a hold of this wrist. Ron turned and found Harry giving him a stern look. Ron returned Harry's sternness with a glare as he tried to walk away, but Harry wouldn't let him go.
"The red gems, Ms. Granger, is what keeps the spectators safe," Spencer replied with a smile. He pulled out his wand and pointed it towards one of the gems when he noticed Ron and Harry struggling behind him. He turned and looked at them with utter bewilderment; however, they didn't notice his gaze. He sighed softly and continued, walking slowly towards them. "These gems absorb magical spells when they pass a certain boundary, almost like a fence. While a body can pass through it with ease, a magical spell won't. This way, spectators are shielded and generally safe from injury."
Hermione and Nancy gave each other worried looks when they saw that Professor Spencer had stopped right in front of the struggling boys. Harry noticed Spencer's tapping foot and immediately released Ron's wrist. Ron's eye went wide and the two immediately stood straight as if they weren't doing anything wrong.
"I don't know what you two are fighting about, but keep it outside of my classroom," he said to them in a low tone, his eyes serious. "Though," an eerie smile formed on his face, "then again, keep that rage bottled up, you two will need it today."
Spencer smiled at the two and turned around to move back towards the center of the platform, leaving them completely confused. He stopped in the center of the platform and started again, his voice loud and firm. "As I stated earlier in the year, you will all each participate in seven matches. Each match will last for five minutes only and you will receive a score on your performance at the end of each match.
"Now the four students who have the highest point values by at the end will each receive twenty-five points for their house. The last four will then engage in a small tournament where one true champion will be determined. Now the champion will not only receive a gold medal for his or her achievements, but also earn another fifty points for his or her house."
Spencer heard the students murmuring amongst themselves and he grinned to himself. He knew by including house points in the competition, he gave the students more incentive to try harder and apply the skills that they have learned. He placed his finger to his lips and room quieted down again.
"Now," Spencer began as he took a breath, "the point system is not very hard to learn. Plus I will set up a bulletin board on the wall that will display a your win-lose ratio, your total points, and your current position amongst your year and amongst everyone participating in the dueling club.
"The winner of the duel is awarded two points. A winner can only be established when any part of his or her opponent leaves the platform and touches the floor, whether it be by choice of the dueler or actions of the duel. In the case of a tie, when neither duelist is knocked out off the platform or both are knocked out at the same time, neither duelist will receive points for the win.
"Now there are other ways to earn points. Time will play factor in your overall score. Remember, the most time two students will receive for a duel is five minutes. The faster you defeat your opponent, the more points you will receive. The most that can be earned for time is three points. Only the victor of the duel will be awarded for this category.
"The last way you can earn points involves the complexity of the spells you use and your strategy behind it. The most your can receive is five points, and this is when I will really be judging you. This is the only category where the both the victor and the defeated can earn points.
"Therefore if you add everything up, the most you can receive for one duel will be ten points. However, you can be penalized points as well. You will lose five points from your total score every time you use a spell that isn't permitted in the duel. At the beginning of each day, I will remind you of what is legal and what isn't. Though hear this. This dueling club is meant to prepare you for the real world. This a really opportunity for you all to see what you're really made of…take this competition seriously."
Professor Spencer looked around at the students and was pleased to see that they were all listening to him. He looked over at Harry and Ron and also gave them a smile, since the two had stopped fidgeting. He walked over towards his brown bag and pulled it into his hands.
"I have all your dueling schedules in this bag. I'll walk around and hand them out to you. This may take some time, so feel free to catch up on any readings and feel free to practice."
Harry looked over at Ron, who still had an angered look on his face. Harry crossed his arms and thought for a second before he turned and took a deep breath. "Ron, why are you ignoring Hermione and me?"
"Blimey, Harry…do you think I'm that thick?" Ron replied with a voice filled with hurt and anger. "Honestly, you have no respect for me."
"Ron," Harry retorted, almost on the verge of shouting. "Please, what is it? Just tell me?"
"I don't need to tell you anything," Ron grumbled as he crossed his arms.
"Now, you're acting really thick," he growled as he turned to face the platform again.
Hermione and Nancy watched the boys' progress and let out depressed sighs when they saw the two were still angry. Nancy looked at Hermione with worried eyes and Hermione shook her head, muttering something to herself.
Several minutes had passed, yet the boys still refused to speak to each other. Harry turned and tried to say something to Ron on several occasions, but nothing came out. He was afraid that he would lose his temper, and getting into scuffle wasn't something he was looking forward to. He would then return to his grumpy form with his arms crossed.
"Here you go, Ms. Granger…Ms. Mason," Professor Spencer smiled as he hand them their dueling schedules. The two smiled at him and read through the list to see if they knew any of the students they were dueling.
"I'm going to duel Draco Malfoy for my second duel!" Nancy smiled excitedly, which caused Hermione's eyebrows to rise.
"Bit excited, aren't you?" Hermione said with a sarcastic smirk as she looked through the names on Nancy's list.
"I'd love to knock him right out off the platform and onto his bottom," she said with a triumphant voice that caused Hermione to laugh a little. Her eyes continued to travel down the list and suddenly went wide. "I am going to duel Ron for my fourth duel."
"Oh no," Hermione giggled as she patted Nancy gently on her shoulder. "A lovers' quarrel…"
"Oh, it's nothing like that. Ron and I are just friends," Nancy replied, her cheeks turning red. She started to giggle with Hermione before she asked, "Who will you be dueling?"
"Let's see…" Hermione started as she looked through the names on her list. "Lavender Brown, Neville Longbottom, Padma Patil, Cho…Chang…"
"Cho Chang?" Nancy asked with an intrigued voice.
"Yes," Hermione replied softly as her eyes moved around the room. She found Cho standing by a laughing William Weinstein. Her eyes narrowed as her mind started to imagine the many things she would do to her when it was time for their duel.
"What's wrong, Hermione?" Nancy asked, noticing Hermione's body tensing.
"It's nothing," she replied with a shrug.
"I really doubt it's nothing," Nancy said as she walked in front of Hermione so she could look right into her eyes. "What's going on? I know you're hiding something."
"All right," Hermione replied with a soft sigh as she took Nancy's hand and moved them to an area of the room that wasn't overly occupied. She took a deep breath and let out another sigh before she began. "I like Harry."
"I know you do," Nancy replied with a soft smile. "A person must be pretty thick not to notice how you both act around each other."
Hermione gave her a weak smile. "Well, Cho Chang was the girl that Harry liked for the past few years. The two of them went out for a little bit last year…I mean…they even kissed."
"So you're afraid that he still has feelings for her?" Nancy suggested.
"No no, it's not that," Hermione said as she shook her head. "It's more like…I'm not sure if I could live up to her."
"Hermione, Ravenclaw or not, you're a hundred times smarter than that girl ever will be," Nancy said softly as she placed her hand on Hermione's shoulder. "I mean, a person must really have ruddy priorities if they are willing to be close with a boy like William Weinstein."
"It's not just books…it's everything," Hermione cried out softly as she looked over at Cho. "I'm worried that I won't live up to what Harry expects of me...you know, after spending time with her."
"Oh my, Hermione," Nancy said with a stern voice as she placed both her hands on Hermione's shoulders. "You really think that Harry is going to choose that girl over you? Now, I'm not sure how much you've noticed, but Harry really likes you too."
"I know," she giggled softly as her cheeks turned a deep shade of pink. "He and I have been…together for a while now."
"Really?" Nancy replied, her mouth hanging open. "How long?"
"Before our sixth year started," she said softly, watching Nancy's eyes grow wide. "I really wanted to tell you…we both wanted to tell everyone…but we weren't sure how to tell Ron."
"Why not Ron?"
"We felt that Ron has fancied me for the past few years," Hermione replied softly, worried that Nancy would be infuriated with her. "It seemed that his feelings for me had passed, but we weren't sure and we didn't want to hurt him."
"Oh." Nancy's eyes went wide again. "So you think that's the reason why Ron is mad at you and Harry."
Hermione nodded as she looked towards Harry and Ron again, only to find the two weren't talking to each other. She drew in a shaky breath as she returned her attention to Nancy. "You're not mad at me…are you?" Hermione squeaked.
"Mad?" Nancy replied. "Oh…about Ron? No no…like you said it's all in the past. Besides it's none of my business who he likes…we're just friends."
Hermione was relieved to hear this, but she could tell that there was some hesitation in Nancy's voice.
Nancy looked over at the two boys and smiled back at Hermione. "Don't worry about them Hermione. Boys will be boys; I'm sure they'll work it out. If not…we'll just have to hex some sense into them."
Hermione giggled at the comment and gave Nancy a firm nod with a bright smile on her face. However, her smile soon sank when Nancy raised her eyebrows at her and gave her a knowing grin.
"So…have you…you know…" Nancy started.
"What?" Hermione replied, completely confused.
"You know…have you kissed him?" Nancy asked slyly as she nudged her shoulder. Hermione's face turned a deep shade of pink again, but she remained speechless. "So you have…well how was it?"
Harry looked over at the girls and found them giggling at each other. Seeing Hermione's smiling face made him feel a lot better, and his patience had somehow come back to him. He looked again at his stubborn friend and was about to say what was scrambling through his mind when Professor Spencer walked up to them.
"Well, here you go boys," Spencer smiled as he handed them their lists. "The last ones. Now you two get ready."
"Ready for what?" Ron asked as he watched the Professor get up onto the platform.
"You and I are the first to duel, and it seems like we're dueling today," Harry replied with somewhat surprised, but suppressed voice.
"And what makes you say that?" Ron retorted as he turned to him.
"This," Harry answered as he showed Ron his schedule and pointed out the line: Duel #1: Ronald Weasley.
"Can't be," Ron replied as he looked down at his own schedule and found the first line underneath his name stated: Duel #1: Harry Potter.
"All right," Professor Spencer announced as he clapped his hands together to everyone to quiet down. "Now we have enough time left of our class to have one duel. Now, please pay attention, because these two young gentlemen will be first to duel in our club. I expect you all to be observant. The best way to learn is by example."
The students were silent as they moved and crowded around the platform, waiting patiently for the first two students to duel. Professor Spencer smiled at his class as he hopped off the platform. He started to clap his hands as he announced, "The students for Duel one will be Harry Potter and Ron Weasley!"
The students started to murmur to themselves as Ron and Harry got onto the platforms. Hermione and Nancy's faces went white as they saw the two boys make their way towards the center of the platform. Harry looked at Hermione and shrugged his shoulders, a look of bewilderment on his face.
"Okay, now boys," Spencer instructed as he pointed towards the silver circles. "Take your starting positions at the silver circles. Now, you may not use any form of transfiguration spells on each other or summoning charms on items outside of the platform. No form of curses or jinxes can be used. Also, you may not use any form of physical combat. This dueling club is here to perfect your dueling technique and strategy only. All right boys, you have five minutes, commence!"
Professor Spencer pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill. He gave the boys a nod and flipped a small hourglass over. The crowd of students started to cheer and clap as they watched Ron and Harry salute themselves with their wands. Harry and Ron slowly started to pace around the platform, each of them taking deep breaths.
Harry gritted his teeth as Ron started to lower himself into his dueling stance. Harry stopped moving and did the same, but when he readied himself, he saw Hermione standing behind Ron with a look of absolute dread on her face.
Harry lowered his wand and looked at Ron with sincere eyes. This action caused a lot of the students to whisper amongst themselves as well as leave an incredibly puzzled look on the face of Professor Spencer. Ron was also confused by Harry's actions but knew that Harry's eyes were being serious.
"Please Ron," Harry said with firm voice, "What is bothering you so much?"
"Is this the place to discuss this?" Ron asked as Harry looked down at Hermione. She gave Nancy a soft smile and with a deep breath she nodded to Harry.
"Yes, better here so everyone else can hear," Harry said with a weak grin. "You know how fast word gets spread around here…no need for false rumors to start."
"Oh I can't believe this! Is this really necessary?"
"It is if you refuse to talk to me!"
"All right, fine…you want everything out in the open. Fine by me! Why didn't you tell me about you and Hermione?" Ron asked with a hurtful voice, causing everyone around them to immediately start murmuring again.
Spencer's mouth dropped and his grip on his parchment and quill loosened, causing them both to fall to the floor. He was completely taken back by what was taking place inside the Dueling platform. His belief of a well thought out duel was shattered.
"We were worried that you still fancied her," Harry explained. "We didn't want to hurt you."
"First off, I do not fancy Hermione," Ron growled as took a step forward. "And second, it hurts me more when you keep things like this way from me. I'm supposed to be your best friend! Best friends don't hide secrets from each other!"
"I'm really sorry, Ron," Harry pleaded. "We're both very sorry. And don't you think for you second that you're not our best friend. We promise…no more secrets."
"No more secrets?" Ron asked with a sigh, a soft smile growing.
"I promise, no more secrets," Harry nodded, a grin forming on his face.
"Good…I'm glad that is settled then," Ron smiled as he placed his wand in his pocket. "You know it's really great by the way…you and Hermione."
"Thanks…I wanted to wish you the best with…" Harry also about to put his wand away, but immediately stopped when he looked over to a very agitated Professor Spencer, who was now chewing furiously on the top of his quill.
"Umm…" Spencer groaned, his face trying to dissolve back into a peaceful one. "As much as I like the fact that you two are good friends again, you have two minutes left to finish the duel. So…how about you take out your wands and get a move on if either of you are planning on earning any points for this duel."
Ron gave Harry a lopsided grin as he took out his wand and lowered himself into his dueling stance. Harry did the same and held his wand firmly in his hand.
Ron suddenly took a step forward and shouted, "Incendio!"
"Protego!" Harry yelled as he took a step back, scratching the air with his wand.
The fireball struck the wall and flew back towards a prepared Ron. He, in turn, scratched the air with his wand causing it to vanish as they struck his Invisible Wall. Harry grinned at Ron as he readied himself again.
"Compello contrudo!" Harry shouted as he launched white jet of sparks at Ron.
Ron was ready to form another Invisible Wall but waited to long to summon it. The white sparks rammed him directly in the chest causing him to fall back onto his back and slide off the platform.
"Ron!" Harry yelled as he quickly ran over to where Ron had fallen. He stood up with a smirk on his face and started to rub the back of his head as he shrugged at Harry.
"Well done Mr. Potter," Professor Spencer said with reluctant smile as he stood on the platform and clapped for Harry. The students started to clap and cheer, while some others, mainly the Slytherins, stood in the places with disgusted looks on their faces.
"Well…you get two points for the win…one point in terms of time…I truly hope you don't plan on making friends with everyone you duel against…and three points for complexity, your Reflective wall was superb. That brings your total to six. As for you Mr. Weasley, you will receive two points for successfully producing an attacking and a defensive spell.
"Okay, that's enough for today. Everyone listed from Duel two to Duel twenty, be ready by next Friday. All right, class dismissed."
Harry and Ron walked over to the girls, and they were both greeted by smiling faces. Hermione for the first time was able to give Harry a warm hug, no longer worried about hiding her feelings for him. The two did hear a few students snicker and murmur, and a few snide comments coming from the Slytherins, but it didn't matter to them.
"Oh, you two aren't going to start snogging or anything?" Ron said in a whiny tone as she took his spot by a giggling Nancy. "It's like watching your brother and sister…yuck."
Harry and Hermione looked over at the Ron and gave him a disturbed look as they all made their way out of the classroom.
Hermione noticed Cho staring at the two with stern eyes, and she couldn't help but smile at her as she leaned closer to Harry and took his hand in hers. Harry looked at Hermione with a grin on his face as he leaned over slightly and kissed the side of her head.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
"You doing okay, Seamus?" Harry asked as he and the other Gryffindor Quidditch players were ready to take flight.
It was their first practice of the new term and Harry noticed that Seamus hadn't stopped shaking since he set foot on the Quidditch pitch. Seamus looked up at Harry and nodded slowly as he mounted his broom and slowing lifted off the ground.
Harry flew over to him and patted him on the shoulder. "So you remember everything, right? You remember all your defensive positions and covering positions?"
Seamus nodded hesitantly and Harry gave him another pat on the shoulder. "Okay then, we're going to run a basic defensive drill. You and Jack will be ready with your bludgers and the only thing you need to do is try to stop the Chasers from taking shots against Ron. It's a pretty simple drill, so don't worry too much about it."
Seamus nodded as he flew over towards his guarding position next to Ron and Jack. Harry flew over to William, Ginny, and Dean, who were hovering over the center of the pitch. He explained the drill and the three nodded in compliance. Harry flew high above the pitch to monitor the practice and with a loud yell; the Chasers had begun their run.
Harry watched Jack and Seamus move forward and take up their defensive positions, a smile growing on his face. Ginny approached from the right side holding the quaffle with William flying behind her while Dean brought up the left. Seamus watched them carefully and when he noticed Ginny had passed the quaffle back to William, he raised his bat and prepared to hit his bludger.
When William was within the proper range, Seamus and Jack both struck their bludgers; however with Harry and Seamus' immediate shock, Seamus' bludger veered directly to the left instead of forward. Harry watched the bludger fly and realized where it was heading. He opened his mouth and tried to yell, but it was too late. The bludger struck a very surprised Jack, who started to stagger on his broom, before slowly falling off.
Harry and others immediately landed and ran over to their fallen Beater. He laid on the ground motionless with a complete look of shock on his face.
"Jack!" Harry shouted as he knelt down next to him, his hand moving in front of Jack's dazed eyes. "Do you hear me? You okay?"
"No, Professor McGonagall…" he blurted out with a dizzy expression on his face, "I didn't turn my cat into a rock. She doesn't want to be one…she'll be mad at me for ages if I do it."
Harry looked up at the other players with a look of puzzlement. Ginny gave Harry a quick smirk as she knelt down next to him and reached her hand over to Jack's face. With a quick motion, she swung her hand, slapping Jack across the face. Jack suddenly jerked and sat up, breathing in quick breaths.
"Things like this always require a lady's touch," Ginny smiled as she stood up.
"Yeah, real ladylike," Ron exclaimed, completely horrified by his sister's action. Ginny stuck her tongue out at him as she and Harry helped Jack to his feet.
"I'm really sorry," Seamus exclaimed as he looked at Harry and Jack. "I didn't mean to do it. I swung the bat and I just hit it the wrong way, and…"
"It's okay, Seamus," Jack replied as he started to rub his sore chest. "Just give me a fair warning next time."
"Can you still practice?" Harry asked as he leaned down and picked up Jack's broom.
"Oh yeah," Jack replied as he nodded. "Little hit like that shouldn't put anyone in the hospital."
Harry gave him a smile and gave Seamus a sympathetic pat on the back as the Gryffindor team took flight again. The practice progressed slowly; the team needing to take breaks every now and then to nurse a player that was accidentally hit by Seamus' rogue bludger.
William was getting unbelievably frustrated with Seamus. He couldn't stand to have such an unskillful player on the team and was utterly infuriated that Seamus never covered an offensive Chaser properly. Seamus was assigned to protect William as he flew for the opposing hoops. Seamus' job was to cover William and ward off the defensive Chasers and Beaters, allowing William to get a clear shot at the hoops.
During several runs, as Ginny and Dean flew up to William in an attempt to steal the quaffle, Seamus would strike the bludger towards them. However instead of splitting the defensive to allow William a clear shot at the hoops, the bludger would nearly strike William. William took particular offense when he was forced to dodge Seamus' bludger for the third time, and began ranting about how Seamus was intentionally trying to injure him.
Ginny didn't enjoy listening to William's cries and simply wished that a bludger would strike him off the pedestal that he placed himself on. Dean noticed her comments and tried to calm her down, but when he noticed the fire in her eyes, he decided otherwise and took a few steps back.
Seamus tried to leave several times during the practice, feeling that his mistakes would surely caused him to be kicked off the team, but Harry stopped him every time. Harry knew that it was his first practice and how was positive that he would improve over time. Seamus was truly surprised by Harry's kindness towards him, especially after taking an unsuspecting hit in the right shoulder by one of Seamus' inaccurate swings.
Practice finally came to an end, the Gryffindor team entering their locker room feeling more sore, more bruised, and more beaten than any game they have ever played. Ron laid down on a nearby bench, commenting on how playing against the Slytherins was more civilized. Harry shook his head and told Seamus to ignore them and be prepared for next week's practice.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
"Not so hard," Harry winced softly as Hermione massaged his right shoulder.
"Really Harry, did you all get into a fight?" Hermione asked with a concerned voice as she continued to massage his bruised shoulder.
She and Nancy were sitting in their armchairs, while the boys sat on the floor in front of them. The girls were completely shocked when they saw the Quidditch team slowly drag their feet into the common room, each of them looking like they had just been on the losing half of a brawl.
"No, it was just a very physical practice," Harry replied as he moved his hand up and placed it on top of Hermione's delicate hands.
"Physical…" Ron added as he jerked slightly when Nancy rubbed a part of his back that collided with one of the hoops when he had to dodge one of Seamus' misfired bludgers. "It was a bloody firing range. Seamus was slowly taking his time to knock us all off our brooms."
"Isn't that Seamus' job as a Beater?" Nancy asked with a completely puzzled look on her face.
"It is…but he hitting the wrong people…and…when they don't expect it…oh never mind," Ron replied as he slowly bent his back.
"It was his first practice," Harry added as he leaned back against the edge of Hermione's armchair. "He's still learning…he'll get it soon."
"He better…" Ron groaned as he slowly stood up to stretch his back, "…or we won't have much of a team left."
Hermione giggled softly at Harry as she got up from her chair. She helped Harry up, and he graciously sat down in it, taking a deep breath as he felt how comfortable it was. Hermione smiled at him as she then proceeded to sit on his lap, turning herself so that she could rest her head on his shoulder and hang her legs off the side of the armchair.
"Oh, come on now," Ron groaned again as he sat back on the floor. "Don't start all this."
"We aren't starting anything," Hermione replied as she leaned her head against Harry's shoulder.
Harry and Nancy let out soft sighs as they listened to Ron and Hermione's usual banter. Harry didn't pay attention much to the argument because he knew that it wasn't anything he could control. However, he was curious on how the argument went from Harry and Hermione's closeness to the essay that was assigned to them by Professor McGonagall.
Harry looked into the fire and thought about the day he spent with Keung in the Forbidden Forest. He replayed their conversation in his head, trying to see if he may have forgot about something that would help him figure out something about Magnolia Reins and the Flame of Flamora. He then started to think again about the poem that Keung told him, but was having trouble.
He stared into the fire and rested his head against Hermione's as his mind continued to go over everything concerning the poem. His eyes suddenly went wide when he remembered the most important line.
"I think I remember it," Harry said softly to himself, causing Hermione to look up at him.
"Remember what?" she asked softly as she sat up on his lap, looking into his eyes.
"The last part of the poem Keung told me," he answered. Ron and Nancy looked up and looked over at him. The two got up and knelt down next to armchair that held Harry and Hermione. Harry looked back up at the ceiling. "The majority of the poem talked about how the flame was bad and how it could end the world, but the last line said…dispatch thy love, fury, and sorrow into the flame."
"Love…fury…sorrow," Nancy repeated to herself as her eyes focused on the floor.
"What does that all mean?" Ron asked as he sat on the floor. "Love…fury…sorrow…they all sound like they contradict each other."
"Wait…" Hermione said as her eyes lit up. "Harry, you said that Flame of Flamora could only be extinguished by a person who can use the flame, correct?"
"Yeah," Harry replied with a nod, unsure of where Hermione was going with her train of thought.
"You also said that when Keung was able to form his Flamora sword, he needed to use all his anger and emotions to do so," she said as she looked at Nancy.
"So, maybe," Nancy continued as she looked back at Hermione with a horrific look on her face, "he needs to throw himself into the fire…you know…sacrifice himself."
"No, that can't be it," Harry said firmly, not wanting to accept that option as a possibility. "He isn't going to just throw himself into the fire."
"But you said it yourself that he looked really depressed," Hermione replied in a soft voice. "He said that he had lost everything dear to him…maybe that has been something he was planning."
"Wouldn't of he said something about it then?" Ron asked as he looked from Nancy to Hermione. "You know, wouldn't of he said something about it to Harry?"
"I really doubt he would," Nancy answered as she looked at Ron. "I mean…you're not going to just tell someone you're planning on killing yourself…he would of frightened Harry."
"Also," Hermione added as she looked at Ron. "He doesn't know where the flame is located…not even Dumbledore knows. It might be something his planning on doing once he finds it."
"But…" Harry objected softly, a feeling of complete dread falling over him.
Despite their short time together, Harry felt incredibly close with Keung. He felt a strong connection with him. Like him, Keung had suffered horribly from the loss of loved ones and he, too, was suffering from a curse he never wanted. He hadn't felt such a connection with anyone since Sirius had died, and the thought of losing another friend was starting to get unbearable.
"I need to take to him soon," Harry muttered to himself.
Ron noticed Harry's troubled expression and patted Harry's arm with a smile. "Well…all you need to do is throw yourself into the lake or something, and Keung will have to show up to save you."
"Ron, that isn't funny," Hermione retorted, but her expression lightened when Harry smiled at Ron and started to laugh softly.