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 Fourteen: Complicated Choices
Several weeks had passed since Valentine's Day, and Harry and Hermione were relieved that Ron and Nancy were once again on speaking terms. Ron still didn't understand why Nancy reacted the way she did and would constantly ask Hermione for a girl's point of view about the subject. Hermione would try to answer his question but felt that it was more of something that Nancy should answer. Ron, however, never did bring it up with Nancy; worried that reminding her about the subject would instantly anger her.
It was Friday afternoon and it meant that it be another day of duels at the Dueling Club. The duels had progressed a lot faster than Professor Spencer had hoped. He had high hopes for his students, looking forward to well-strategized duels, but would always be disappointed by the performances of the majority of the students. The duels usually ended within the first minute and caused by dumb mistakes. Spells often backfired; ultimately causing several students to knock themselves out of the platform, while some accidentally fell out due to bad footing and not keeping track of their surroundings.
Madame Pomfrey was truly glad that the Dueling club was progressing without many of injuries. The worst injuries that students suffered were bruises from how they landed on the floor once they were launched off the platform. She suggested that Spencer should summon cushions for the students to land on, but he felt that their performances, or lack of there of, didn't earn them the privileges of a soft landing.
Even Harry's duels were somewhat disappointing to Professor Spencer, not because of Harry's performance but how none of his opponents were truly a match for him. For the exception of his duel with Ron, Harry had easily dispatched his opponents within the first minute of the duel and with the use of only one or two spells. Harry felt somewhat guilty after his matches. A lot of the students found him incredibly intimidating when it came to situations like these. The constant question being thrown around was, "How do you duel the boy who defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"
The other students that Professor Spencer had his eyes on were Nancy Mason, Hermione Granger, William Weinstein, and Draco Malfoy. Spencer knew that those four were the only wizards and witches that possessed the same potential as Harry. He recognized the potentials before the Dueling Club began and purposely assigned them to face more difficult challengers during the later half of their duels, wanting to truly them to test their abilities.
Both Nancy and Hermione had elegant styles of dueling, though completely different strategies. Nancy was a student who figured out how to defeat her opponents during the match. This made her seem a bit reckless, however she never once lost control of the duel, always attacking her opponents when they least expected it. Hermione, on the other hand, was the type of student who studied her opponents and found their weaknesses before the match. When her matches took place, she literally had all the spells she would need to use planned out and how to systematically dispatch her opponents.
Malfoy fought his opponents with tenacity and merciless rage. He would often enter the platform with a cold expression and unleash his most powerful spells on his opponent within the first minute of the duel. The majority of his opponents could never prepare themselves for his charge, allowing Malfoy to push them off the platform with ease. Malfoy had been victorious in every one of his duels with the exception of the duel against Nancy, where she gleefully tricked him into slipping off the platform by stepping on his on his own ice charm.
William had a very strict defensive strategy that completely puzzled Harry and Ron. The two always figured him to be the type who would constantly attack his opponent with spells and insults, until he or she cracked, but he was the exact opposite. He allowed his opponents to hit him with everything they had, and when they ran out of things to do, William would use a simple spell to knock the out of the platform. However, to Harry and Ron's incredible dismay, he would then begin to gloat, flashing his perfect smile and have the majority of the girls in class starting clapping an cheering.
Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Nancy stood by the edge of the platform and watched the students duel one another, waiting patiently for their turns. Today marked the day for their fourth duels, and they were all exceedingly anxious. Harry and Hermione were mainly concerned with Ron and Nancy due to the fact that they were going to be the next two students to duel. Ron was somewhat tense, continuously pacing back and forth to keep himself from going insane. Nancy was standing completely motionless, as if she was in some sort of trance. Every now and then, the two would make eye contact, but neither would say anything to the other.
Aside from worrying about Ron and Nancy, Harry and Hermione would have their work cut out of them today. Harry quickly looked through the room and found a very disgusted Malfoy staring at him. Harry fists tightened as he felt his rage build up inside him. Spencer had assigned the two to duel and Harry was couldn't wait to use everything that he has learned against him.
Hermione's eyes found Cho talking to William Weinstein and her heart started to race. Hermione had been secretly waiting for this day. She and Cho had their moments when they could have discussed their differences, but she knew that Cho would never give up on Harry. Hermione knew that she would always be after him, and she needed do everything in her power to prevent Cho from taking him away.
Hermione had watched Cho duel carefully, making mental notes to herself of how to defeat her. However, to Hermione's displeasure, Cho had improved miraculously since the time of the D.A. Cho had a style where she would unleash multiple spells one after the other, usually causing a great deal of misdirection for her opponent. When her opponent completely lost control, she would use the attacking form of Expelliarmus to send them off the platform. The only strategy Hermione could form to counteract that of Cho's was to try to misdirect her as well. Though she was having a bit of trouble, because unlike Cho, she wasn't skilled enough with her wand to launch consecutive spells right after another. She felt incredibly nervous, but took several breaths to keep herself calm, unable to stop her doubt from building up inside her.
"You okay?" Harry asked as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
Hermione smiled softly and nodded, but Harry could tell that she was looking over at Cho. He moved so that he was standing in front of her and looked deeply into her eyes, placing his hands gently on her shoulders.
"You're going to win, Hermione. I believe in you. You'll do just fine."
"Thanks Harry," she replied softly as she leaned in and gave him a tight hug, resting her head on his chest. When they released each other, they looked over at their friends and walked over to give them a few encouraging words.
"You ready?" Hermione asked Nancy with a soft smile on her face.
"I guess," she replied as she looked over at Ron. He was still pacing, his hands in his pockets and a stern expression on his face. Nancy smiled and looked back at Hermione. "It's going to be hard dueling against him."
"You'll do fine," Hermione grinned as she walked closer to Nancy and whispered into her ear. "You have a chance get him back for liking Fleur."
"I've always wanted to get him back for that," Nancy giggled as her eyes lit up.
Harry shook his head slightly as he made his way over to his nervous friend. "Ready for Nancy, Ron?" Harry asked as he watched his friend move back and forth.
"You kidding me," Ron replied as he looked into Harry's eyes. Harry could tell that Ron hadn't done a good job of mentally preparing himself for the duel. "There is no way I can beat her. Didn't you see how she beat those other guys without every breaking a sweat? I might as well just not bother getting into the platform and forfeit."
"You can't forfeit. You'd be embarrassing yourself and you won't be able to pass the class. Besides I think you have a shot if you think everything through," Harry said as Ron started pacing again. "She isn't going to use everything on you."
Harry wanted to say more but a round of claps and cheers stopped him. He turned and looked towards the platform to see Neville standing in the center with a big smile on his face. Professor Spencer got up onto the platform and started to scribble something onto a piece of parchment. Harry noticed that he was writing with a black quill. He had gone through over two-dozen quills since the start of the Dueling Club, habitually chewing on them when he watched an agonizingly horrible duel.
Spencer looked around at the students and announced, "Mr. Longbottom will receive two points for the win, two points for time, and two points for complexity…giving you a total of six points. Ms. Myles, that will be three points to you."
Neville hopped off the platform and smiled at Dean and Seamus as they patted him on the back. Spencer crumbled up the parchment and touched it with the tip of his wand, causing the parchment to vanish with a puff of smoke. He turned to face the bulletin board and pointed his wand at it. A series of white sparks flashed from the tip of his wand and flew directly into the bulletin board, causing numbers to change and ranks of the students to alter slightly.
Ron looked over at Nancy and she gave him a soft smile as the two got up onto the platform. Spencer smiled at the two as they took their positions on the silver circles. Spencer pulled out another parchment out of his pocket and quickly made his way off the platform. The two saluted and the students started to cheer and shout again.
"Okay…Mr. Weasley, you currently have fourteen points and a record of two and one…Ms. Mason, you have twenty-three points with a record of three and zero…you both know the rules and what you can't use?" Professor Spencer asked as he looked at the two. They both nodded, not taking their eyes off of each other. "All right then…commence!"
Ron and Nancy instantly went into their dueling stances. Hermione leaned against Harry and he wrapped his arms around her waist as the two watched their friends ready to battle.
Ron started to take a few steps forward and Nancy cautiously didn't the same. Ron's eyes were focused on hers, waiting to see if she was planning on making the first move. When she refused to do so, he gritted his teeth and prepared himself.
"Expelliarmus!" he shouted as he launched yellow sparks towards her.
Nancy quickly moved to her right, allowing the sparks to hit the barrier behind her. She then lifted her wand towards Ron and shouted, "Incendio!"
Ron took a step back and scratched the air with his wand causing the fireball to hit an Invisible Wall. Ron and Nancy readied themselves again in their dueling stances, both taking in a deep breath.
"Deflagratio!" Ron shouted as a wave of fire rushed out of his wand.
"Fulguritus!" Nancy shouted, in turn, as a wave of lightning left her wand, colliding with Ron's wave of fire in midair.
The two stood their ground, each pushing as hard as they could. The collision in the center caused a large fireball to be formed, contained by several waves of electricity. Ron gritted his teeth as he used all the strength to push himself forward, causing Nancy to take a few steps back towards the edge of the platform.
Nancy dropped herself to one knee and pulled back on her wand, causing the lightning wave to vanish, but before the fireball had a chance to move, she pointed her wand at it again and screamed, "Excisio!"
The fireball exploded, causing several of the students to shield their faces and take a few steps back. Ron had fallen onto his back, but not off the platform. Nancy slowly stood up as she watched Ron lift himself to his feet, his face black from the explosion. Nancy couldn't contain her giggle from the totally confused look on his face. Ron gave her a smirk as he lowered himself to his dueling stance again, Nancy doing the same.
"Incendio!" Ron shouted as he launched the fireball at Nancy.
"Protego!" Nancy roared back as she shot the fireball back towards him.
"Compello contrundo!" Ron called as he moved out of the way of the fireball. The yellow sparks flew towards Nancy, but was stopped by her Invisible wall. Ron landed on the ground and immediately got his feet with his wand raised.
"Ron!" Nancy shouted as she pointed towards his robes.
He turned and his eyes grew wide to see that he wasn't successful in completely dodging the fireball. He started to jump up and down before he started to insanely pat the portion of his robes that had caught on fire.
Nancy quickly made her way over to him and chanted, "Aquula!" A small jet of water came out of her wand and slowly extinguished the fire.
Harry and Hermione gave each other puzzled looks as they turned their heads to look at Professor Spencer. He was as dumbstruck as ever, with his teeth now chewing on the feather portion of his black quill. The students started to murmur again as Nancy walked back over to the other side of the platform, her face a bright pink when she realized that she wasn't suppose to be helping Ron.
Nancy settled back into her dueling stance and Ron took a deep breath as he lowered himself. However, when he took a step back, his shoe slipped on the water, causing him to fall backwards and off the platform. The students started laughing at Ron's misfortune as Nancy quickly made her way over to him, nearly slipping herself.
Nancy helped Ron up, and he couldn't help but turn red. Professor Spencer shook his head with a defeated look on his face as he hopped onto the platform and walked over to the area covered with water. He pulled out his wand and knelt down with tip of his wand touching the water. The water started to be sucked up the wand as if it was a straw and within seconds, the puddle was gone and the platform was dry again.
He stood up and looked at Ron and Nancy as he cleared his throat. "Good duel…Mr. Weasley…Ms. Mason. Mr. Weasley…I should of thought twice before having you duel another one of your good friends…especially after the last incident between you and Mr. Potter."
Harry lowered himself a bit and tried to hide behind Hermione as the students started to giggle. Professor Spencer finished scribbling on his parchment and announced, "Ms. Mason, you will receive two points for the win, two points for time, and four points for complexity…giving you six points. Mr. Weasley, you will receive three points."
Professor Spencer hurled white sparks over towards the bulletin board again, before he made his way off the platform. Harry looked at Hermione and gave her a soft smile. She leaned up and gave him a quick kiss before he released his hold on her and made his way up the platform. The students started to softly whisper as they watched Harry step onto the platform; but their whispers soon turned to full blown conversations as Draco Malfoy jumped onto the platform, wearing his usual snarled smirk.
"Ready to be humiliated, Potter?" Malfoy snarled as the two took their positions in the silver circles.
"Save your tongue, Malfoy," Harry replied with an icy glare as the two saluted each other, causing their respective houses to start cheering.
"All right…Mr. Malfoy, you have seventeen points with a record of two and one…Mr. Potter, you have twenty-one points with a record of three and zero…both of you aware of the rules and the restrictions?" Spencer asked as he pulled out another piece of parchment out of his pocket and began scribbling on it with his quill. The two turned to Spencer and nodded with firm expressions on their faces. "All right…commence!"
"Incendio!" Malfoy immediately yelled as he launched a fireball at Harry. Harry quickly lowered to his dueling stance with his wand ready.
"Protego!" Harry shouted as he scratched the air causing the fireball to launch move towards Malfoy.
"Incendio!" Malfoy roared again as he hurled another fireball, causing the two to collide in midair and explode. Harry immediately took a step forward, his wand trained on Malfoy's legs.
"Compe llo contrudo!" Harry yelled releasing a white jet of sparks.
The sparks caught Malfoy in the legs, causing him to his legs to suddenly jerk backwards, making him fall forward onto his face. The crowd started to roar as Harry slowly approached Malfoy, his wand trained on him. Hermione, Ron, and Nancy started to chant his name along with the other Gryffindors. Malfoy looked up at Harry, gently massaging the large bruise on his forehead.
"Conglacio!" Malfoy shouted as he pointed his wand towards Harry's feet.
Harry tried to retaliate but suddenly slipped, causing him to fall to his knees. He looked at his feet and saw that they were stuck in two large blocks of ice.
"Incendio!" Harry roared as he aimed his wand at Malfoy.
Malfoy quickly rolled out of the way as the fireball hit the ground and got back on his feet. Harry tried to stand, but the ice was making it too difficult to maintain is balance. Malfoy snarled as he took a few steps towards a struggling Harry, his wand readied.
"Isn't this convenient?" Draco laughed as aimed his wand for Harry's head and stopped when he was within a few yards him. "How pathetic…compello contrundo!"
"Protego!" Harry scratched the air just at the correct moment sending the sparks back at a completely shocked Malfoy.
It struck him square in the chest, causing him to fly in the air and land at the edge of the platform, completely winded. Harry smiled to himself as he pointed his wand to the ice blocks on his feet.
"Finite Incantatum," Harry chanted, causing the ice to vanish. Harry stood to his feet with his wand raised. He noticed Malfoy's grip on his wand tightened and he carefully lowered himself into his dueling stance. "Get up, Malfoy."
"Incendio!" Malfoy shouted as he quickly jerked his body up with his wand aimed at Harry. Harry ducked just as the fireball flew over his head.
"Fulguritus!" Harry shouted, causing a wave of lightning to strike Malfoy's body.
Malfoy fell back onto his back. But to everyone's amazement, within seconds, he managed to get up on his feet again. Harry knew he had a chance to knock Malfoy off the platform, but couldn't stand to hit anyone with a spell when they were down, even Draco Malfoy.
"Serpentsortia!" Malfoy roared as he released a snake out of the tip of his wand at Harry.
The snake landed on the floor and started to make its way to Harry. Harry looked up at Malfoy with a surprised look but snickered to himself as he pointed his wand at the snake. A smile started to form on his face when he realized that Malfoy was running out of spells to use on him.
"Coniectio!" Harry shouted with his wand trained on the snake. The snake started to hover slightly of the ground and with a flick of his wrist, the serpent was thrown at Malfoy.
"Incendio!" Malfoy roared as he launched a fireball at the snake flying towards him.
Harry took this as his opening and quickly lowered his stance with his wand trained at Malfoy's chest.
"Compello contrudo!" Harry howled as white sparks left his wand.
Malfoy looked at the sparks and his eyes went wide just as they collided with his chest, causing him to fall off the platform.
The crowd started to clap and whistle as Harry raised himself from his dueling stance, lowering his wand to his side. A smile grew on his face as he turned and looked at Hermione, Ron, and Nancy. He made his way to the edge and stepped down, placing his wand back into his pocket. Hermione jumped into his arms and gave him a tight hug.
"Blimey!" Ron shouted with a bright grin on his face. "That was the best duel I've ever seen!"
"Though, you had us worried a bit back there," Nancy smiled as she patted him on the shoulder.
"Good job, Harry," Hermione whispered into his ear. Harry's gripped tightened around her as Professor Spencer made his way up onto the platform.
He placed his finger over his lips and the students quickly quieted down, turning their attention towards him.
"Congratulations you two! That was the some of the best dueling I've seen all year!" Spencer announced as he beamed at Harry. "Mr. Potter, you are awarded two points for the win, one point for time, and five points for complexity…you have earned eight points for the duel! Mr. Malfoy, you earned five points! Good job to you both!"
The students started to clap again, and Harry suddenly felt Hermione's body tense. He released her and leaned forward to give her a soft kiss. He gave her a bright smile and rubbed her cheek softly. She gave him a reassured nod as she stepped onto the platform with a nervous look on her face. Harry crossed his arms and took a deep breath, his heart starting to beat at an uncontrollable rate. Harry felt more nervous about Hermione's match with Cho than he did about his last with Malfoy. Ron and Nancy looked at each other before turning to look at Hermione slowly make her way to one of the silver circles.
Cho Chang stepped onto the platform and her eyes met with Hermione's. Harry gritted his teeth slightly as he looked at the two, almost positive he could see dangerous sparks flash between their eyes. Cho took her spot in her silver circle and took a deep breath as she pulled her wand out. Hermione closed her eyes for a brief second before withdrawing hers.
"You can do this, Hermione," she muttered softly to herself as she tightened her grasp on her wand. "She wants your boyfriend…you're not going to let her have him…he is yours."
"Ms. Granger, you have twenty-one points with a record of three and zero…Ms. Chang, you have sixteen points with a record of two and one. Now ladies, you both understand the rules and what spells you're restricted from using?" Professor Spencer asked, noticing the tension between the two. They both turned to him and nodded. He smiled at them as he pulled out a fresh piece of parchment and stepped off the platform. "Okay ladies…commence!"
"Compello contrundo!" Hermione instantly shouted as she fired white sparks at Cho. Harry gritted his teeth tighter when he watched Cho dodge it.
"Incendio!" Cho retaliated as she hurled a fireball at Hermione. Hermione scratched the air and the fireball dissolved into an Invisible Wall.
Hermione went into her dueling position and slowly started to advance towards Cho. Cho examined her surroundings before she took a few steps forward. Harry noticed Cho's eyes moving and quickly looked over at Hermione, trying to predict what Cho was planning.
Be careful, Hermione, Harry though to himself as he watched Cho's footwork. She is planning something.
"Expelliarmus!" Cho screamed as she launched the attack at Hermione.
Hermione quickly moved to her left but her eyes suddenly grew wide when she realized that Cho's wand was pointing towards her feet. Cho grinned before yelling, "Conglacio!"
The floor underneath Hermione's feet suddenly turned to ice. She cursed as she tried to keep herself upright, but found it incredibly difficult. When she was finally able regain her composure, Hermione looked at the ice and pointed her wand to it. However, before she could do anything, Cho started to advance towards her with her wand raised.
"Fulguritus!" Cho shouted as lightning left her wand towards Hermione.
"Protego!" Hermione screamed as she scratched the air with her wand, causing the Reflective Wall to deflect the lightning upwards until it struck the upper barrier of the platform. Hermione looked towards Cho's feet and an idea formed in her head. She pointed her wand towards Cho's portion of the platform and shouted," Conglacio!"
Cho managed to move her feet just in time as the sparks from Hermione's wand caused her portion of the platform to be glazed with a layer of ice. Cho looked up at Hermione and gave her an irritating smile. Hermione was unsure what the smile meant, but she tried to take a step forward only to nearly slip.
"You should of thought more about this, Hermione," Cho smiled as she started to walk around the ice with ease.
Hermione's eyes grew wide again when she saw Cho's ability to move freely on the ice. Harry's heart sank when he saw the situation Hermione had just placed herself in.
"C'mon Hermione!" Nancy yelled as he started clapping for her, causing the Gryffindors to start clapping as well.
"Expelliarmus!" Cho yelled as she launched a whole series of sparks at Hermione.
Hermione started to scratch the air repeatedly stopping all of Cho's attacking spells with her Invisible Walls. Cho cursed herself when she found Hermione standing.
"Talk as much as you want Cho, I'm not going anywhere," Hermione said with a stern voice as she slowly took a step forward. She pointed her wand towards the platform again and shouted, "Finite Incantatum!"
Cho watched the ice around Hermione start to vanish and she knew that she had to do something quickly. Cho pointed her wand at Hermione and screamed, "Incendio!"
Hermione knew she didn't have enough time to call upon another Invisible Wall and quickly dove for the ground to avoid the fireball. However to her dismay, she landed on a portion of the platform still covered with ice and slowly slid towards the edge. Hermione was able to make herself stop, but she felt something hot hit the ground next to her feet.
"Incendio!" Cho shouted again as another fireball flew towards a fallen Hermione. Hermione noticed that the ice next to her feet had turned into water and quickly pointed her wand towards it.
"Coniectio!" Hermione screamed as she swung her wand upwards, causing the water to rise off the platform to make contact with the fireball. The fireball and water vanished into large amounts of steam, and the Gryffindors cheered louder when they saw Hermione stand up.
"You're pretty good Hermione," Cho said softly to her as she pointed her wand at Hermione again. Hermione couldn't help but smile to see that she was starting to irritate Cho.
"C'mon Hermione!" she heard Harry call out from her right. She turned her head and found Harry clapping and cheering for her. Her heart skipped a beat as she turned her head and gave Cho a small smile. She looked back down at the ice around Cho's feet and a new idea formed in her mind.
"Deflagratio!" Hermione shouted as aimed the large wave of fire towards Cho's feet.
Cho quickly dove out of the way as the fire made contact with ice, instantly turning it into water.
"Expelliarmus!" Cho yelled as she launched yellow sparks at Hermione.
Hermione quickly ducked under the spell and pointed her wand towards the water.
"Coniectio!" Hermione shouted as she swung her wand in direction of Cho. A large wave of water rose from the platform and crashed onto an unsuspecting Cho. Hermione found her opening and aimed her wand and screamed, "Compello contrundo!"
Cho was completely taken by surprise as the white sparks made contact with her stomach, sending her off the platform. Hermione was stunned to see that her plan had worked. She slowly rose to her feet, water dripping down from her hair and robes. She turned and looked at the Gryffindors and they all cheered as she stepped down from the platform.
"Good job," Harry smiled as she wrapped her arms firmly around his neck firmly. Harry wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into a tight hug, not caring that his robes were also starting to get wet. "You were unbelievable."
"Really think so?" Hermione asked as she looked into his eyes. Harry smiled at her as he leaned forward and rubbed her noise gently with his.
"Great job! Ms. Granger, you will receive two points for the win, one point for time, and five points for complexity…giving you a total of eight points for the duel. Ms. Chang, you will receive five points. You both did a wonderful job," Spencer smiled as he continued to scribble on his piece of parchment.
"Hermione," Harry and Hermione heard a soft voice call from behind them. The two turned to see Cho with a soft smile on her face.
Cho extended her hand out to her. "That was a good duel. The better girl won."
"I was lucky…you're really good, Cho," Hermione replied as she released Harry and shook her hand.
"It was more than luck," Cho said with a small smile on her face. She released Hermione's hand and looked up at Harry. "You take care of her, Harry."
"I will," Harry replied softly as he nodded to her.
Cho gave him another soft smile before she turned made her way to her Ravenclaw friends.
"Well that went by okay?" Ron said with an uncertain voice as he looked at Hermione and Harry.
Harry stood there with a confused expression on his face, but was then brought back to reality when he felt Hermione's arms wrap around his waist. He gave her a warm smile and kissed her forehead gently.
"So do you think everything is okay between you and Cho?" Ron asked Hermione as the four took their sits at the Gryffindor dining table for dinner.
The Great Hall was filled to its maximum capacity with students grumbling about their schoolwork and how they wished they didn't have so much to do over the weekend.
"I really doubt it," Hermione replied as she leaned against Harry. Hermione's hair and clothes were still somewhat damp from the match, but she didn't seem to mind it at all. Harry, on the other hand, teased her every now and then about the only reason she was getting dry was because the water from her robes was soaked up by his.
"It's like a temporary truce," Nancy added as she took a bread roll from the center tray. "As of now, she and Hermione are okay, but anything could break their truce."
"I swear, you girls are all mental," Ron smiled as he watched food magically appear on his plate.
"It's not something we ever expect boys to understand," Hermione said as she took a sip of her pumpkin juice.
"Now what's that suppose to mean?" Ron asked as he picked up a piece of chicken with his hands. "I reckon we'll understand if you explain it to us."
"I don't like where this conversation is going," Harry said with low voice as he looked at Ron. "It's things like this that always gets us into trouble."
"And since when did you become the voice of reason?" Hermione asked with a grin as she nudged his shoulder.
"I do my part," Harry replied before he took a bite out of his bread roll.
"Go on then, explain," Ron urged as he took a bite out of his chicken.
"Hmmm…lets see," Nancy said to herself as she took a sip out of her pumpkin juice. "One rule that you must always remember is that a girl may forgive you for something, but she will never forget."
"Like elephants?" Ron asked as he took another bite out of his chicken. Nancy and Hermione's eyes grew wide at his comment. "I mean…you know how elephants never forget…"
"I knew, I wouldn't like where this was going," Harry groaned as he pulled up his left sleeve and gazed at the face of his wristwatch, waiting for Ron's initials to appear.
"Not like elephants!" Hermione blurted as she glared at him. She then picked up her fork and held it in a very threatening manner. "Another rule is that a girl would never like to be referred to as an elephant."
"I'm sorry," Ron replied as he raised his arms in front of him. "I didn't mean it like that…please continue."
"Because a girl never forgets," Nancy continued as she took a deep breath, "it makes it very difficult for them to let things go…especially if they are unsettled."
"So a girl may say that she wants to be friends," Hermione said as she started to cut her chicken with her knife, "though she may want to change her mind later."
"And when boys are involved in the situation," Nancy added, "things always seems to make themselves a lot more complicated."
"So Cho and you will always have problems until Cho gives up on Harry," Ron concluded as he took a bite out of a bread roll. "See…told you it wasn't all that difficult to figure out. I don't know what the big deal is?"
Hermione was about to say something when they heard a screech coming from one of the windows. Harry looked up and found Hedwig flying towards him with a note attached to her leg. Harry stood up and held his arm out. The snow owl landed on it and gave Harry a soft hoot. Harry took the letter and gently stroked her feathers. He placed the letter on the table and gave Hedwig a piece of his bread roll. She hooted again as she took his offering and flew out of one of the windows.
"Wonder what's that all about?" Ron asked as Harry took his seat again.
"Who'd be sending me a letter now?" Harry asked as he picked up the letter and examined it. Hermione placed her utensils down and leaned closer against him as he opened it.
Harry Potter,
I know that you need to speak to me about a few things. I'll be waiting by Hagrid's hut tonight at nine o'clock. Bring your friends if you would like.
Your Second Shadow
"Second Shadow?" Nancy whispered as she looked at Harry.
"It's him," Harry said with a low tone as he placed the letter inside his pocket. "We need to talk him and figure out some things out."
"Wait…something doesn't seem right. How did he know that Hedwig was your owl?" Nancy asked as she learned forward, making sure that no one else could eavesdrop on their conversation.
"He could of saw Hedwig when he saved me on the Knight Bus," Harry replied, somewhat shocked by Nancy's statement. "Besides, who else would sign the letter in that way?"
"Remember what Dumbeldore said," Hermione said as she looked up at him. "I think we should go Hagrid's hut, but we need to have a plan incase it turns out to be some kind of trap."
"Hagrid will be there," Ron insisted as he took a sip of his pumpkin juice. "He'll be plenty of protection."
"We'll can't just rely Hagrid," Hermione disputed as she looked over at Ron. "Hagrid won't be a match for Flamora weapon."
"All right then…I have an idea," Harry said suddenly as he looked at the three.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Harry quietly approached Hagrid's hut with a cautious look on his face. He constantly looked over his shoulder to make sure that no one was following him, and he would scan the area in front of him to make sure that there wasn't anything odd happening. With every step towards Hagrid's hut, he felt his heart beat faster with anticipation and dread. He noticed that there was light coming from the inside hut. This gave him a sign of hope, because he would at least have Hagrid there if something were to happen.
When he reached Hagrid's hut, he noticed that everything was still. This made his stomach feel uneasy. Harry slowly approached the door and softly knocked on it. However, there was no answer. He quiet made his way to the window and looked inside. Hagrid's hut was well lit from a fire inside his fireplace along with a series of candles, but there was no Hagrid in sight.
He heard the rustle of leaves from the right side of the hut and he immediately pulled out his wand. He slowly made his way around to investigate but found that there wasn't anything there. He turned back to move towards the front door again, but nearly jumped out of his skin to see a figure standing next to him.
"Oh, sorry Harry," Keung snickered as he smiled at him. "I didn't mean to scare you."
"Oh, it's okay," Harry sighed softly as he gave Keung a smile.
"I'm happy, you didn't come alone," Keung said as he started to walk towards the front of the hut.
"Come alone?" Harry replied with a look of shock and amazement.
"I know everything about your Invisibility Cloak," Keung grinned as he opened the front door to Hagrid's hut. "Also, when I saw you approaching, I heard more than one set of footprints approaching…so I figured that your friends are somewhere behind you under your cloak."
At that point, Ron, Nancy, and Hermione, threw off Harry's Invisibility Cloak with astonished looks on their faces. Keung smiled at the group as they all entered the warm cabin. The four settled in the chairs inside Hagrid's hut as Keung walked over to the fireplace and picked up a whistling teakettle. Fang stood up the moment he noticed Harry and the others and immediately made his way over to Harry's feet before settling back down again.
"Where's Hagrid?" Harry asked as he looked around Hagrid's hut. Hermione sat in the chair next to his and gently took his hand in hers.
"Dumbledore set him on a quick errand to Diagon Alley. He'll be back by tomorrow morning. Though, I know you didn't come all the way out here to ask me that…so what was it that you needed me to answer?" Keung asked as he started to pour tea into five cups at Hagrid's table.
Harry noticed that his composure had completely changed. He had shaved his face and his hair was combed in an orderly fashion.
"How did you know that we needed to ask you something?" Harry asked with a confused look on his face.
Keung grinned at him and removed his black robes to show the four that he was wearing a Hogwarts uniform underneath it with a green and white tie. "When I said that I was going to be your second shadow, I wasn't pulling your leg. I've been watching you move around the castle for the past several months disguised as a student."
"Really?" Ron asked as his mouth dropped. "We've never noticed that someone was following us."
"I was trying my best not to get noticed…by you four or anyone," Keung replied as he handed Nancy and Ron each a large cup of tea. "There would no point in looking after you four only to make you feel paranoid about being followed. On occasion, I would eavesdrop on your conversations and I remember hearing that you needed to ask me a few questions. When I figured that it was safe for you to ask me them, I found your owl in the owlery and had her deliver a message to you."
"Wow…this is really good," Nancy said as she took a small sip of her tea.
"Thanks," Keung smiled as he handed Hermione and Harry their cups. "I've been around to different places on my travels and I learned this brew when I was in…Spain, I think. Though that's another story…what is it that you wanted to ask me, Harry?"
"Well…" Harry started as he took a sip out his cup, his mind circling around the burning questions in his mind. "Could you tell us that poem again about how to put out the Flame of Flamora?"
Keung settled in a chair and crossed his arms. He looked up at the ceiling a bit, before he started reciting:
"Flame of Flamora isn't meant for the light of heart,
Its powers can kill and split the world apart.
For those who wish to end the misery of its burning reign,
Dispatch thy love, fury, and sorrow into the flame."
"Did you ever talk to Dumbledore about its meaning?" Harry asked carefully, giving Hermione's hand a soft squeeze.
"I did talk to Dumbledore about it…though he told me that it was a task that I needed to accomplish on my own," Keung replied as he picked up his cup of tea and started to drink. "He told me that the Flame thrives on the emotions of the Flamora wielder and that it would only accept the request of being extinguished by a wielder that purely wishes it. Dumbledore said that he had the utmost confidence in me and that I would solve the riddle in time. So whenever, you four were in class, I went to the restricted section of the library and did research on the Flame."
He reached for the table and picked up a large black book. He opened it and flipped through the pages. He stood up and handed Harry the book. Ron and Nancy moved their chairs closer to him to see what t information the large book contained. The chapter they were looking at dedicated itself to The Myth of the Eternal Black Flame of Flamora.
"It says that according the legend," Keung started as he sat back down in his chair, "the Flame of Flamora lies in the heart of a volcano somewhere within a mountain range in an area that is now Russia…which mountain range or which mountain…it doesn't say."
"To my recollection, there are plenty of volcanoes in Russia," Nancy stated as she looked up from her book.
"There are…and Dumbledore has checked every single one…but he wasn't able to find nothing," Keung groaned as he scratched the side of his head. "There are a lot of enchantments guarding the Flame and it's not anything the naked eye can see. Unless the location is determined, there is nothing more that can be done. A person could spend their entire life wandering about those mountains and still not find anything."
"What are we going to do?" Harry asked him as he turned the page.
"Well, I'm glad to know that Dumbledore can help us on this part of the problem, but he still hasn't found anything yet."
"The book keeps talking about chambers guarding the Flame," Hermione stated before she looked back towards Keung. "Do you know what these chambers are?"
"According to the Flamora Scroll, there are four chambers that guard the Flame," Keung replied as he looked back up to the ceiling. He thought for a few seconds before looking at them. "The wielder who wishes to destroy the Flame must make it through the four chambers, collecting pieces of a key that will unlock the door leading to the Flame."
"Do you know what's in these chambers?" Harry asked with an unsure tone.
"I don't know," Keung responded with a shrug. "I honestly don't believe that anyone knows…well…aside for the warlock who first created the Flame, I don't believe anyone has even seen the Flame. I reckon the chambers were created to prevent any other wizard or witch to ever extinguish the Flame."
"Do you have any ideas of how to put out the Flame?" Harry asked, his voice growing tense. Hermione looked at him and noticed that he was shuddering softly.
"A few ideas did come to mind," Keung replied with a soft grin. "Though an idea that keeps resurfacing in my mind is for me to simply throw myself into the Flame…that should surely end everything, now wouldn't it?"
Harry's heart nearly stopped when he heard the one answer he didn't want to hear. He immediately rose from his chair, causing the book and his cup to fall onto the floor, tea splashing everywhere. "That cannot be the solution to the riddle!"
Hermione was startled by Harry's actions and nearly jumped out of her seat. Ron and Nancy were speechless, moving their gazes from Harry to Keung. Keung looked at Harry with an uneasy look on his face.
"Harry…I'm not saying that that is the solution. But…"
"No buts!" Harry cried, his face turning red. "You're not going to throw yourself into that flame!"
"Harry," Keung said with a firm voice. "I didn't say that I was planning on it…but if that is what the situation calls for it, I have to do it."
"No!" Harry shouted back. "I don't want you to end up like the rest!"
Before Keung could say another word, Harry had stormed out the front door of Hagrid's hut. Hermione stood up from her chair, but Keung shook his head at her. He stood up and placed his cup on the table, as he let out a soft sigh and looked that the three worried students.
"You three stay here. I'll go talk to Harry."
Keung walked outside and found Harry behind the hut, furiously kicking a tree. Harry noticed Keung approaching, but his emotions had risen to another peak and he needed to do something to release it. Keung found a patch of dry grass and slowly sat down, his eyes on Harry.
"You know, your foot is going to break before that tree does."
"You can't sacrifice yourself," Harry said softly as he stopped kicking the tree, refusing to face Keung. "I've lost too many people…I can't handle it anymore."
"Dumbledore told me about everything that happened to you," Keung replied as he turned and looked towards the Forbidden Forest. "I'm really sorry about all the people you've lost in the past…but I'm sorry Harry, this is situation is bigger than you and me. I guess you could say that this my purpose in life."
"Purpose…" Harry retorted softly. "The only purpose I ever had was to cause those around me to die or get hurt."
"Harry," Keung said softly, looking at him again. "Come here…sit down."
Harry reluctantly turned and made his way towards Keung. He sat on the grass and Keung noticed that his eyes were watering. Keung gently rubbed his back, before he took a deep breath and let out a relaxed sigh, leaning back on the grass.
"Look at those stars," Keung said as he reached out with his right hand. "They're all out tonight."
"What's so wonderful about that?" Harry responded with an uninterested voice. He didn't want to let his anger fade. He didn't want to let another person he cared about die.
"My father told me something very important before my fifth year at Hogwarts," Keung started as he let out another sigh. "He told me that when a child is born, he knows the answers to all the problems he will ever face in his life. He'll know the choices he'll make, he'll know what kind of person he'll be, and he will even know what mistakes he'll make. As he grows up, he learns about life and his mind is filled with knowledge. As he grows, the answers he once possessed are pushed farther and farther back in his mind. They are never lost, mind you…they are just forgotten for a while."
Harry looked over at Keung and could see that he had a soft smile on his face. "He told me that whenever I needed help in finding my answers I should lie under the stars and simply gaze. You see, the stars are meant to guide us…just like how they guided the first Muggle sailors to cross the oceans. They possess knowledge far greater than anything or anyone in this world. They were here before we were born and they will continue to be here the day after we go.
"The stars have observed us since the day we were born and like us, they know all the answers that we will ever need. If you gaze long enough and listen…they will tell you exactly what choices you'll make, what kind of a person you will be, and what mistakes you will make."
Keung sat up and looked at Harry with sincere eyes. "I've stared at these stars for so long…looking for my answers…but I had always known what my purpose was. Ever since I was struck by Magnolia Reins' Flamora blade, I knew that my purpose was to prevent her from harming more people. The only way to do such a thing without becoming a murderer myself…is to extinguish the Flame of Flamora…and I will do it by whatever means is necessary to accomplish it."
Harry tried to say something but he couldn't. Keung noticed the tears streaming down from his eyes and he knew that Harry was experiencing the same pain and sorrow that he felt. He placed his hand on Harry's shoulder and softly squeezed it.
"I'm happy to see that you care about me so much. In all honesty, I've grown quite fond of you and your friends. Don't ever believe for one minute that I want to kill myself…because I don't. I may have lost everything that was dear to me in this world, but it doesn't mean that I am going to simply end my life. However, I need to do everything in my power to prevent the deaths of innocent people, and if necessary, my life is expendable."
"Your life isn't expendable," Harry said softly as he wiped away his tears. "No ones life is ever expendable."
"Listen to me," Keung started as he looked up at the night sky again. "Another thing my father told me is that there are times when the only thing you can do is let go and allow things to take their course. I know that it isn't easy, but this isn't your decision. Please don't worry about it. I don't want to die…and I will do everything in my power to prevent it from happening."
Keung sat up and offered his hand to Harry. Harry took it and Keung easily pulled him to his feet. The two heard something rustle besides Hagrid's hut. Harry moved his hand into his robes to pull out his wand, but he felt Keung place his hand on his shoulder. Harry looked carefully again and he saw Ron, Nancy, and Hermione step forward into the light, all of them wearing incredibly worried looks on their faces.
"You do have purpose in life, Harry…and I believe that it's one of the most important purposes in the world," Keung said softly as he looked at Harry. "You possess a form of bravery and loyalty that I've never seen before in a person of your age. Now, you have two best friends, willing to follow you to the ends of the earth, and you have a very, very special friend who cares more about you than anything else in this world."
Harry looked up at Keung. Keung gave him a soft smile before continuing. "Protect them Harry…they are the only ones in this world you should never let go off."
Harry felt a soft breeze behind him. He turned and wasn't amazed to see that Keung had vanished. He turned and gave his friends a weak smile. Hermione shook her head softly and immediately ran to Harry, throwing herself into his arms. Harry wrapped his arms around her tightly as he looked towards Ron and Nancy. The two smiled at him, and with a deep breath, Harry gave them a reassured nod.