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 Sixteen: The Final Four
It was a warm Saturday morning, and the Great Hall was filled with excited and noisy students. Today marked the day that many of them had been patiently waiting for, the day of the Dueling Tournament. The tournament that would decide which of the top four students in the Defense Against the Dark Arts was to be named the Dueling Champion of Hogwarts.
The four long tables had vanished, and in their places was a large dueling platform surrounded by an extreme number of chairs. This dueling platform was a lot larger than the one the sixth and seventh year students were accustomed to dueling on. The dueling surface had almost doubled and the surface of the platform now raised a good three feet off the floor.
The students took their seats and immediately started arguing about whom they believed would win the tournament. The chatter mainly revolved around the top three competitors: William Weinstein, Nancy Mason, and Harry Potter. When strong enough assumptions were declared, bets involving sweets and low amounts of money were made.
Hermione sat in her seat next to Harry with her arms crossed and a very disappointed look on her face. Harry wrapped his arm around her shoulder, but it didn't seem to lighten her mood. She looked at the platform and let out a depressed sigh. Hermione was disappointed because she wasn't able to make it into the fourth slot. She usually wouldn't allow such a thing to upset her; however, what made the matter unbearable was that the only person who beat her to it was Draco Malfoy, and only by a single point.
The previous Thursday was the last day of competition, and Hermione was absolutely determined to defeat her last opponent to achieve the needed points to earn the fourth slot. Malfoy had won his final duel and earned himself six points, putting Hermione behind him by seven points. Hermione observed her last opponent and felt that she could defeat him. All she needed to do was earn enough points to tie Malfoy, because she knew that in the case of ties, Professor Spencer would choose the student with the better record to advance, which meant her.
However to her great dismay, her last opponent wasn't the least bit challenging. She was able to defeat him within the first minute of their match with the use of only one spell. She was completely shocked by how quickly she won the duel, and in turn, fell into a greater shock for only achieving six points for the match. And when she thought the situation couldn't get worse, Malfoy added insult to the injury by making snide comments about how she only needed one more point to beat him.
"Hermione…" Harry whispered as he leaned in and kissed her cheek softly. "Don't be disappointed. You did very well during your matches."
"I can't believe Draco Malfoy beat me," she muttered, her arms still crossed. "Of all the people in this school…why that boy?"
Harry let out a defeated sigh and placed his chin on her shoulder, giving her his pouting frown. She knew that he was trying to make her feel better, but she wanted to stay angry and release her frustrations. She did her best to avoid looking at him, but it wasn't long before she glanced at his silly frown and released a soft giggle.
"Listen," Harry smiled, happy to feel her body relax against him, "I'll talk to Professor Spencer after the tournament and we'll see if we can schedule a duel between you and me…since you're so anxious to embarrass me."
"I'm not anxious to embarrass you…I just want to see what's like to duel a really good opponent," she replied with a soft grin. She noticed him blush slightly at her compliment and she gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. "Though, you'd let me win, wouldn't you?"
"What kind of a boyfriend would I be if I didn't?" he answered with his lopsided grin. She giggled at him as she started to rub his cheek tenderly with her hand.
"You better be careful," Hermione said with a weak voice as she looked into his eyes.
He slowly closed them and leaned forward, feeling her soft lips kiss him. He didn't care about the tournament. Win or lose, as long as he could return to her, it didn't matter.
"How sweet," Nancy giggled as she and Ron walked over to the two. "Good luck kisses, I take?"
"Of course," Hermione smiled, her cheeks a deep pink.
Harry gave her a quick peck as he stood from his chair and took in a deep breath, his palms slowly starting to sweat.
"Good luck, you two," Ron said with a smile as he took Harry's seat.
"If you two face each other…don't be too rough," Hermione grinned.
"Yeah," Ron added as he looked at Nancy, "we still need him for Quidditch."
Harry and Nancy gave them reassured nods and walked over towards the area designated for the professors and the top four competitors. They found their seats next to Professor Dumbledore, who greeted them with a smile. They sat down and shook hands with the professors as they started to congratulate them. Harry felt a large hand pat him on the shoulder and was incredibly pleased to see Hagrid giving him a proud look.
"Yeh gonna win…jus' like yeh with the Triwizard Tournament," Hagrid exclaimed as he bowed his head to Harry.
Harry gave Hagrid a confident nod, which made the half-giant smile even brighter. As Hagrid made his way to his seat, Harry noticed Madame Pomfrey with a look of utter disapproval and a concerned Professor McGonagall.
"I don't like this at all, Minerva," Madame Pomfrey sighed as she started to rub her temples with her hands. "The only thing that will be accomplished from this is the massacre of four students."
"Everything will be all right, Poppy," Professor McGonagall said with an unsure voice. "Everything will be okay."
Everyone started to quiet down when they saw Professor Spencer jump onto the platform. He quickly made his way to the center, and gave everyone a large smile. He cleared his throat and with a firm and loud voice, he announced, "Welcome professors and students to our First Annual Dueling Tournament. This tournament has been the result of hard work and determination by our sixth and seventh year students. We are here today to determine which of the top four students is the Dueling Champion of Hogwarts."
The students started to cheer again, clapping and howling as loud as they could. Professor Spencer placed his finger over his lips, causing the students to quiet down and listen intently.
"With the permission of Professor Dumbledore," Spencer spoke as he turned and bowed at their headmaster, "may we start the tournament?"
"You may proceed, Professor Spencer," Dumbledore answered with a smile, causing the students to cheer again.
Harry and Nancy looked at each other as they tried to take in the enormous sound being produced by the students. Harry looked over towards Dumbledore and saw Draco Malfoy sitting next to him with his arms crossed and a smug look on his face. He then noticed William Weinstein sitting next to Malfoy with a straight and intense look on his face.
"William is being awfully quiet," Harry shouted to Nancy, the crowd still as loud as ever.
Nancy looked over at him and shrugged at Harry, unsure of why William wasn't wearing his usual conceited grin and bowing to his loyal fans.
"The final four will participate in a single elimination match, where the victor of the matches will be given the honor of Hogwarts Dueling Champion," Spencer roared over the crowd, causing them to quiet down. "Before we begin with the rules, let's first meet our final four.
"First we have, seventh year student from Gryffindor, William Weinstein!" William rose from his chair and flashed his sparkling smile, causing a roar of screaming girls to fill the hall. "William earned himself sixty-points and is ranked first amongst sixth and seventh year students.
"Next we have, sixth year student from Slytherin, Draco Malfoy!" Draco stood up and smiled towards the large section of Slytherins, all cheering at the top of their lungs and waving their green Slytherin flags. Harry looked over at Hermione and noticed her give Malfoy an icy stare. "Draco earned forty-two points and is ranked fourth amongst the sixth and seventh year students.
"Seventh year student from Gryffindor, Nancy Mason!" Nancy rose from her chair with an embarrassed smile on her face. A roar of students, mainly boys, soon started. Nancy looked over at Ron and couldn't help but giggle when he slumped into his chair with an agitated look on his face. "Nancy is ranked in second with fifty-five points.
"And last, sixth year student from Gryffindor, Harry Potter!" Harry stood from his chair and received an incredibly loud cheer from everyone with exception to the Slytherins. Harry looked over at Hermione as he sat down and a warm feeling washed over him when he saw her blow him a kiss. "Harry earned fifty-three points and is ranked third.
"The rules are very simple. All spells may be used during the duel. Spells only, no physical attacks. The winner of the duel is the one that knocks his or her opponent off the platform. There is no time limit and there is no scoring system. The winner of the match will face the winner of the next match. There will be a five minute break between duels," Spencer announced as he slowly walked towards the edge of the platform. He hopped off the platform and onto the mist, it slowly lowering him to the floor. "Now the first duel will be between Gryffindors Nancy Mason and Harry Potter!"
Harry and Nancy looked at each other completely surprised. The two knew that they would eventually duel each other, but they never once actually thought about the scenario. They both stood up and made their way to the platform, the students around the Great Hall cheering their names.
Harry hopped on the platform and reached out his hand to Nancy to help her up. The action confused the students slightly and left Professor Spencer with an eerie feeling in his stomach. Harry and Nancy took their positions in the silver circles and saluted each other.
The two were suddenly startled because everything had gone silent. The looked around the platform and noticed that the students were still cheering and clapping. Harry realized Professor Spencer had enchanted the platform with a silencing charm to help the duelers concentrate. He was greatly thankful for this; he was able to hear himself think for the first time since the start of the tournament.
The two looked towards Professor Dumbledore and Professor Spencer. Dumbledore gave them a soft smile and a firm nod. The two turned to each other and with a quick nod, they both lowered themselves into their dueling stances, their wands ready.
"Incendio!" Nancy cried as she launched a fireball at him.
Harry instantly scratched the air causing the fireball to hit an Invisible Wall. She gave him a soft grin as they lowered themselves back into their dueling stances and slowly approached each other. Harry knew that she was testing his reflexes.
"Expelliarmus!" Harry shouted, a jet of yellow sparks leaving his wand.
Nancy quickly moved to her right, avoiding the sparks. She pointed her wand at him as she took a large step forward.
"Stupefy!" she screamed, red sparks of light blasting towards Harry.
"Protego!" he shouted sending the sparks back towards her.
"Protego!" she shouted, resending the sparks at him.
Harry swiftly took a step back, scratching the air in front of him, relieved to see that the Invisible Wall was able to hold the sparks back.
The two lowered themselves to their dueling stances again, slowly moving around the platform with their wands trained on each other. Harry noticed Nancy's footwork and with a sudden movement, he prepared himself.
"Fulguritus!" Nancy shouted, a large wave of lightning leaving her wand.
Harry quickly dropped to the floor, allowing the wave to pass over him.
"Aquilonis!" Harry shouted, causing a cold gust of wind to leave his wand and consume Nancy.
Nancy gritted her teeth as she tried to keep herself upright, but force of the wind made take a few steps back. Harry slowly stood to his feet, still producing the powerful wind. He retracted his wand and pointed it towards the ground under Nancy's feet.
"Adfligo!"
She quickly jumped out of the way as the ground where she once stood shattered, causing a small hole to be formed.
Harry swiftly followed her motion, his wand aimed. "Expelliarmus!"
"Protego!" Nancy shouted as she scratched the air, sending the yellow sparks back at Harry.
Harry prepared himself to form an Invisible Wall, but his eyes went wide when he noticed Nancy's wand.
She aimed it at him again and screamed.
"Fulguritus!"
Harry quickly dropped to the floor as he dodged the first attack, but was startled to see the wave of lightning fly towards him.
He quickly scratched the air and shouted, "Protego!"
The lightning bolt flew back at Nancy and she easily destroyed it with her Invisible Wall. Nancy smiled at Harry as he quickly stood to his feet, his pulse racing. He hated to admit it, but dueling Nancy was fun.
Harry took a deep breath as he lowered himself to his dueling stance. He quickly moved his eyes around the platform, trying to plan out his next move. He noticed the small hole he had recently made and he softly grinned as a plan formulated in his mind.
"Deflagratio!" Nancy shouted as a large wave of fire flew towards him.
"Conglacio!" Harry shouted back, a wave of ice leaving his wand and colliding with the fire wave, creating large quantities of water to fall from the massive collision.
Nancy's eyes grew wide when she noticed that the ice wave was pushing her flame back.
Harry took this as his chance and quickly moved over to his right, trying to push Nancy towards the small hole. He lifted his and roared, "Compello contrundo!"
"Protego!" Nancy shouted as she scratched the air and turned to face him.
Harry tried to stop, but his foot slipped on the freshly made water, leaving him completely unprotected. The sparks collided into his chest, causing him to be thrown into the air. He landed on his back and quickly looked towards a prepared Nancy.
With a flick of her wand, she cried, "Silencio!"
Harry pushed hard against the platform with his hands, and was able roll out of the way just as the sparks made contact with the floor. Harry aimed his wand again and shouted, "Aquilonis!"
Nancy shielded her eyes as the cold wind consumed her body again, forcing her to take a few steps back, nearly slipping as the water from the platform started to move towards her. Harry carefully rose to his feet, keeping the wind on Nancy.
"Incendio!" Nancy screamed as she launched a fireball towards Harry.
Harry was ready to defend himself, but let out a sigh of relief when he saw the fireball vanished from the strength of the wind that he had summoned. He gritted his teeth as he continued to push forward, forcing her to take another step back.
"Adfilgo!" Harry quickly shouted as he ended the wind and pointed his wand towards Nancy's feet.
Nancy quickly jumped backwards as the ground exploded, however to her incredible shock, she stumbled into the first hole Harry had made, causing her to lose her balance.
Harry aimed his wand and shouted, "Compello contrudo!"
The jet of white sparks hit her in the stomach, throwing her out of the platform and onto the soft mist. Harry was suddenly startled when he heard the full volume of all the cheering students again. I guess the silencing charm only works during the duel.
Harry made his way over to where Nancy had fallen to find her smiling at him. He gave her a reassured nod as he hopped off the platform, the crowd chanting his name louder and louder.
"Good match," Harry smiled, trying to catch his breath.
"Very good match," she grinned back, trying to comb her hair with her hands. "Very crafty, Harry."
"Good job you two!" Hermione exclaimed as she ran up to them, giving Harry a tight hug before helping Nancy with her now frizzy hair.
"Blimey, that was brilliant, Harry," Ron smiled as he patted Harry on his shoulder. He then turned to a struggling Nancy and said with an apologetic voice, "Sorry about the match."
"Oh it's all right," she smiled as she and Hermione were finally able to tame her hair. "The better witch won."
"Witch?" Harry replied, his mouth slowly dropping. The three laughed at his expression as they made their way back to Ron and Hermione's seats.
After a few minutes of surprisingly soft chattering, Spencer announced that the next duel was about to begin. Harry gave Hermione a quick kiss on her cheek before he and Nancy made their way to their seats next to Dumbledore. The two were stopped along the way by different professors who wanted to compliment them for their outstanding duel. The two felt incredibly proud when they saw a very satisfied look on the faces of Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall.
Harry sat in his chair and waited patiently for the next duel to begin. He was extremely worried about this duel. He wasn't the least bit concerned if he had to face Malfoy in the finals. In fact, he'd think of it as a blessing. Facing William was something else. Harry had carefully watched each of William's duels and he could never seem to find any flaws in his style. Harry knew that if Malfoy didn't do something miraculous, William would be his opponent in the finals.
After repairing the platform, Professor Spencer stood to his feet and looked at the students. The students quieted down and he was pleased to see that they were starting to remember his patterns. He made his way off the platform and patted Malfoy and William on their shoulders. The two nodded and stood from their chairs.
Harry watched them carefully as they jumped onto the platform and took their positions in the silver circles. Nancy noticed his gaze and could tell that he was anxious about the upcoming match.
"What are you so worried about?" Nancy finally asked as the students started to cheer and shout again, the Great Hall echoing with their cries.
"It's just William…I don't know…something just doesn't seem right," Harry replied with an aggravated voice. He leaned back against his chair and crossed his arms. "Malfoy doesn't stand a chance against him."
Nancy leaned against the chair and watched the two salute each other with their wands. The two lowered their wands and, too, had confused look on their faces as they examined the crowd. The two looked at each other again as they started to pace around the platform. Nancy let out an annoyed sigh, noticing the two were comparing their massive egos.
"You're going to regret ever meeting me," Malfoy snarled as he lowered himself into his dueling stance.
"Too late Malfoy, I've already regretted meeting you," William replied with a grin. "Now I am going to finish what we started in Flourish & Blotts."
"You are just as bothersome as Potter!" Malfoy roared as he started to edge his way towards William. William laughed softly and watched Malfoy advance towards him, his wand still lowered. Malfoy tightened his grip on his wand and shouted, "Stupefy!"
"Protego," William sighed as he scratched the air with one swift movement, sending the sparks back at Malfoy.
"Protego!" Malfoy roared, sending the sparks back towards William.
William quickly moved to his right, allowing the sparks to hit the barrier.
"Do whatever you want Malfoy," William smiled as he slowly started to make his way towards him. "You know you can't beat me."
"Incendio!" Malfoy fired a blazing ball at William.
"Amnis," William called with a smile on his face. A rush of water left his wand and made contact with the fireball, immediately extinguishing it. "Anymore tricks up your sleeve?"
"Fulguritus!" Malfoy shouted, a sense of panic in his voice. The lightning wave flew at William, only to be stopped by his Invisible Wall.
"Honestly, if that's the best you have, you'd better just step off the platform," William smirked as he slowly made his way towards Malfoy.
"This is going to be bad," Harry muttered to Nancy. His eyes were fixed on William with complete astonishment and dread. The crowd had died down quickly, the students shocked by how powerless Malfoy was against his opponent.
"I'm happy that you beat me now," she replied with a soft grin.
Harry took a deep breath and tried to relax in his chair, but watching William's cold composure against Malfoy was absolutely unsettling. Harry would generally be overjoyed to watch Malfoy get kicked around by someone for once, but in this current situation, he was actually cheering for Malfoy.
William stopped his advancement when he was within a few yards of Malfoy. Malfoy looked at him with a look of sheer panic, unsure of what he should do. He carefully looked around the platform, but nothing came to his mind.
"Expelliarmus!" Malfoy shouted hurling all his strength into the attack, only to have it deflect off of William's Reflective Wall and back into his chest. Malfoy flew back several feet before landing on his back. He shook his head before he stood up again, his wand clenched tightly in his hand.
"I think you better put that down before you hurt yourself with it," William chuckled as he pointed his wand towards his. "Ardeo."
Malfoy's wand suddenly glowed a bright orange-red. Malfoy immediately released it and held his hand with an agonized look on his face.
"I told you not to play with it. Accio wand," William smiled as Malfoy's wand started to float towards him. "Aquula." A stream of water fired out of William's wand, splashing into Malfoy's burning wand. When it emerged from the water, it was back to its original black form.
William opened his left hand and Malfoy's wand floated into it. William lowered his wand and pointed Malfoy's at him. "Now, you be a good boy and get off the platform."
Harry looked at Dumbledore and he was somewhat frightened to see Dumbledore with a concerned look on his face. He turned and looked at Nancy. Her mouth was hanging slightly open, unsure of exactly how to interpret everything that she was currently seeing.
"I will not leave this platform," Malfoy growled towards William as he took a step forward. Harry let out an aggravated sigh to see how proud Malfoy was going to be in this situation. "You just try to make me leave."
"Suit yourself," William replied with a soft voice. "Compello contrudo!"
Malfoy was hit with such an enormous force that he was thrown back at least fifteen yards before he landed at the edge of the platform. Harry was completely amazed at the strength that William possessed. Harry had performed that spell many times on different students, but he has never once caused someone to fly for such a great distance.
Malfoy coughed softly and took in a deep breath of air. Malfoy tried to pick himself up, but lost his footing and fell out of the platform, completely confused and lost. Several Slytherins quickly made their way over to him, followed by a worried Madame Pomfrey. William handed Malfoy's wand to Pansy Parkinson and slowly made his way to one of the silver circles. He turned and looked at Harry with a small smile on his face.
"He doesn't want to wait the five minutes," Harry muttered as he rose from his chair.
"Harry, you better be very careful with him," Nancy pleaded as she stood from her chair as well. "Something doesn't feel right about this…keep your guard up."
Harry nodded at her as he slowly made his way towards the platform. He looked towards Hermione and her eyes looked into his. He could tell that she was worried, but he knew that there was nothing he could do about it. He jumped onto the platform and unhurriedly made his way passed a grinning William and towards the other silver circle. His heart started to beat uncontrollably and his breath started to get short. He took his position in the silver circle and started to wish that Nancy did beat him in his previous match. Unlike his match with Nancy, he knew that this duel would not be fun.
"Looks like the final duel is going to being!" Spencer yelled as he rose from his chair, his eyes fixed on William.
Harry heard the roar of the Hogwarts students again, but the moment William and he saluted each other, the noise of the crowd instantly vanished. Harry stood there quietly, his wand still saluting William.
"You okay, Harry?" William asked with a curious tone.
"Yes, everything is fine," Harry lied as he finally lowered his wand.
He took several deep breaths as he watched William lower himself into his dueling stance. Harry carefully moved his eyes around the platform and they fell upon Hermione. Harry's body started to feel the tingly sensations he loved so much and he softly smiled to himself, his bravery slowly returning. He looked back at William again before lowering himself into his dueling stance.
"I've always wanted to duel you," William smiled as he and Harry started to make small steps towards each other.
"That's good to know," Harry replied somewhat sarcastically as he aimed his wand at William's head.
"How about you don't hold anything back?" William suggested, his eyes sparkling. "Let's see what we're truly made out of."
"Whatever you want," Harry answered, completely worried about what William was truly capable of.
"Fulguritus!" William shouted as a large bolt of lightning left his wand.
Harry took a step back and scratched the air with his wand. The lightning bolt struck the Invisible Wall, but to Harry's shock, the wall had given in and the bolt struck him in the chest, causing him to fall to the ground. He gritted his teeth as he felt his body ache and spasm slightly.
Harry pushed himself off the ground and rose to his feet, his body stinging terribly. He remembered Professor Spencer told them how the Invisible Wall reflects the power of its users and can be overcome by the attack of a more powerful wizard. This left an incredibly horrid feeling in his stomach when he realized that William was a much more powerful wizard than he was.
"Compello contrundo!" Harry shouted as he launched his attack at William.
"Protego!" William responded sending the sparks back at Harry.
Harry scratched the air with his wand again, but his eyes went wide when he realized that the sparks that William had sent back were larger and more intense than the original sparks he sent. Again, his Invisible Wall failed, causing the sparks to hit him hard in the chest. Harry flew back several feet and landed hard on his back, feeling the wind get knocked out of him. He started to cough, air slowly returning to his lungs. His hand gripped his wand even tighter as he forced himself up.
"You're pretty good, Harry," William smiled as he started to approach him. "I haven't faced many opponents who could stand up after taking such hits."
"Where did you learn how to duel like that?" Harry asked, as he slowly started to move away from the edge of platform, trying to gain more ground.
"My dad was an Auror," William replied as he carefully monitored Harry's movements. "He taught me how to duel and everything. The most important thing he taught me was the strategy of instant victories."
"Instant victories?" Harry asked as he felt that he was a good enough distance away from edge of the platform.
"Yes, for example…if you can't move during a duel," William answered with a disturbing grin, "your chances of winning are slim to none. Impedimenta!"
Harry didn't have time to react. The sparks from William's wand hit him directly in his left leg. Harry suddenly felt his left leg go numb and eventually completely limp. He tried to remain upright, but fell to the floor the moment he tried to apply weight to his left leg. His leg refused to respond to every command he gave it.
"I'm sorry Harry, but I didn't mean for the match to end like this," William sighed as he walked closer to a fallen Harry. "No hard feelings though. We still have a Quidditch Cup to win together."
"Yeah," Harry replied with a soft growl. "No hard feelings."
William stopped walking when he was within several yards of Harry. He pointed his wand to him and took what looked like sorrowful breath. William nodded his head at Harry as readied his wand to perform a spell. "Expelliarmus!"
Harry managed to roll out of the way just as the yellow sparks hit the ground. Harry pointed his wand at William and shouted, "Amnis!"
William was taken by surprise when a large jet of water hit him in the chest, forcing him to take a few steps back. Harry ended the spell and slowly rose on his right leg, still unable to move his left one. William shook his wet head and slowly started to make his way towards Harry again.
"Now what was that suppose to accomplish?" William asked as he stopped in his previous location.
"Oh just something cousin should me once," Harry replied as he pointed his wand towards a small stream of water that ended at William's feet. "Fulguritus!"
A wave of lightning struck the water, suddenly launching William up into the air and onto his back.
Harry lets out a soft sigh as he pointed his wand towards his left leg and muttered, "Finite Incantatum."
Harry left his left leg start to ache terribly, but he was glad that he was able to move it again. He wasn't surprised when he saw William pick himself up from the platform. He knew that he had just made William angry with that stunt. Though that was something he was hoping he could do. Maybe if I get him mad enough, he'll start to make mistakes in his defense.
"Not such a bad trick, Harry," William said in a voice that was too calm for comfort as he slowly lowered himself into his dueling stance. His grasp of his wand tightened and he took a step forward, shouting, "Conglacio!"
Harry quickly moved out of the way, causing himself to fall to the ground again. He quickly started to roll as he dodged spell after spell. He quickly got back up onto his feet and he softly smiled to himself when he noticed how frustrated he was making William.
"Speedy little bugger, aren't you?" William grinned as the two started to move around the platform again.
Harry noticed Hermione's gaze as he traveled around the platform. Her eyes were watering and her hands were covering her mouth. He noticed a sense of hysteria and fear in her expression, and he knew that watching him duel William must have been agonizing for her. His eyes soon fell upon Ron who had a very determined, but also, skeptical look on his face. Harry took in a deep breath and suddenly Keung's words echo in his mind. Protect them…protect them…never let them go…never.
Harry suddenly felt a new wave of courage and confidence sweep over him. The aching in his body had subsided and he felt that he had the power to do anything. He snuck another quick peak at Hermione and knew that somehow, he could win the duel. His only problem was actually doing it.
"Fulguritus!" William shouted as another huge wave of lightning flew towards Harry.
"Protego!" Harry yelled as he scratched the air was his wand. To his surprise, the Reflective Wall wasn't only able to hold the lightning, but was also able to send it back towards a startled William.
William quickly avoided the attack and his eyes grew wide when he turned back to Harry. "Seems like you've improved," William smiled as he lowered himself into his stance again. "Though another thing my father told me was that if you can't see, you definitely can't win. Sorry Harry, this isn't anything personal…no hard feelings."
"What are you talking about?" Harry asked as he prepared himself for William's next assault. He noticed that William was only a few feet away from the edge of the platform, but knew that those last few feet would be the hardest to gain.
"Conjunctiva!" William roared, his wand aimed at Harry's head.
Harry's eyes grew wide and he tried to summon an Invisible Wall, but the sparks were too fast. They struck him directly in his glasses, causing them both to shatter from the force. He stumbled back a few steps and was glad that his eyes weren't in throbbing pain, but was now completely helpless because all he could see were blurs.
"Sorry, Harry," William sighed.
Harry followed his voice and was able to make out a large dark blur. He took several steps forward and trained his wand at it. He heard William take several steps, but was unable to determine where William was going. The blur didn't seem to move.
"I'm over here Harry," William called out, causing Harry to quickly turned to his right to find another dark blur walking along what he hoped was the edge of the platform.
"Expelliarmus!" William roared.
Harry gritted his teeth as the sparks hit him, causing him to fly back a few hit before making contact with the ground. He slowly got up and stood to his feet again, ignoring the sharp pain he felt in his lower back. He focused upon the dark moving blur again, his mind racing. What am I suppose to do? I can't beat him. He's way too good. I mean…I can't even…see…wait!
Harry suddenly took a few steps forward with his wand aimed at the moving blur. He had just formulated a plan, but knew that if it didn't work, he'd be eliminated. William's blur stopped moving and Harry figured that this was a good enough time to try.
"Expecto patronum!" Harry shouted as the thoughts of kissing Hermione rushed into his mind. He saw the silver mist transfigure into a large blur as it charged towards William.
Harry noticed that William was completely startled by this maneuver and knew that he had to take this opportunity. Harry quickly ran forward with his wand raised. He watched William's blur try to fight off the silver one and with one finally step, Harry aimed his wand and shouted, "Compello contrundo!"
The white sparks connected with William, sending him into air. What Harry heard next was unbelievable. He heard the roaring and clapping of students fill the Great Hall, and he realized that he had just successfully knocked William off the platform.
He slowly sank to his knees and took deep breaths as he absorbed the massive sounds. He noticed three blurs running towards him and he couldn't help but smile. He knew that it was his friends.
"You did it!" Ron shouted as he wrapped his arm around Harry and tried to lift him to his feet. Harry sighed and reluctantly got up, feeling his body ache once again. "I've never seen such a comeback! We all thought you were a goner for a bit!"
"Oculus Reparo," Hermione chanted. Harry's glasses had repaired themselves and once again he was able to see. He focused on Hermione's smiling face. She quickly moved to Harry's other arm and helped Ron support him. "Really Harry…with all the spells at your disposal, you never once thought about fixing your glasses?"
"I didn't remember it," Harry grinned back as he looked at her. "I'm so use to you fixing my glasses, I thought I wouldn't need it."
"Honestly. Boys are way too dependent on girls," Hermione sighed as she looked at Nancy. Nancy started to giggle as the four started to make their way towards the edge of the platform.
The four stopped when they saw William jump back on with a large smile on his face. He valiantly walked over to them and stuck out his hand to Harry before saying, "That was an excellent move, Harry. Never knew you could summon a Patronus. I'll be better prepared next time."
"I don't believe there will be a next time," Harry replied with a smile as he removed his arm from around Ron and shook William's. "I'm going to avoid dueling you again if it's the last thing I do."
"You never know what the future has in store," William laughed as the two released their hands. William slowly bowed his head to Harry and made his way off the platform towards a large group of his screaming fans.
"What was that all about?" Ron asked as Harry wrapped his arm around his shoulder again.
"I don't know," Harry answered softly. "I guess he isn't such a bad guy after all."
"I think you've knocked your head one too many times during the tournament," Ron sighed as the four made their way off the platform.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
The party in the Gryffindor common room had finally died down. Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Nancy were the only ones still left in the common room once everyone had retreated to their dormitories. The room was left in another great mess. The books were dispersed all over the place, large empty mugs were placed in random locations, the chairs and tables were moved, and the rug was filled with stains from the spilt butterbeer.
"That was a wicked party, mate," Ron yawned at Harry as he slowly got up from the couch and stretched his back. "Wow, I'm beat."
"That means that it's time for bed," Nancy smiled as she in turn stood to her feet and started to massage her neck and shoulders.
"I'll be okay for a while more," Ron replied as he looked at a tired Nancy.
"No no, you should get to bed," Nancy insisted, causing Hermione to giggle softly as she rested against Harry in their armchair.
"What's with all the pushing?" Ron grumbled as Nancy started to gently push him from behind towards the staircase that led towards the dormitories. "Aren't you going to tell Harry and Hermione to get to bed?"
"They will get to bed," Nancy replied with a sigh. She stopped pushing and stood on her tiptoes and whispered into his ear. "They want some snogging time and I'm sure you'd be happier not watching them."
"Well then," Ron said instantly as he cleared his voice and looked at Harry and Hermione. "Good night, and I'll see you tomorrow."
Nancy couldn't contain her laughter at how quickly Ron had reacted to what she had told him. She turned and winked at Hermione and quickly followed Ron up the stairs.
"What was that about?" Harry asked as he let out a yawn.
"Oh nothing," Hermione sighed as she sat up in his lap. She looked into his eyes and she could tell that he was exhausted. She carefully repositioned herself so that she was still sitting on his lap, but was this time facing him. "That's a pretty impressive medal you have."
Harry looked down at the shiny medal that hung from his neck. Professor Dumbledore had given it to him during the feast that evening. He was ecstatic to receive the award, but currently thought of it, as a burden for it weighed several pounds. It didn't seem too troublesome at first, but it slowly took its toll on his neck muscles.
"The price of victory is always a heavy one," he read softly as he examined the back of the medal. "I don't like it when Dumbledore takes these sayings seriously."
Hermione giggled as she helped him remove the medal, discarding it onto the floor. She leaned forward and placed her hands on his warm cheeks, staring into his green eyes. Harry smiled softly, completely captivated by her.
"You really scared me today," she said with a weak voice.
"I didn't mean to," he replied as he placed his hands on her hips. "You know, you did help me out today."
"How?" she asked, leaning forward so that the foreheads were touching.
"You gave me the courage and strength to continue on with the duel when I thought I was finished," he replied as he looked into her brown eyes.
"I'm happy that I was able to help out," she smiled as she leaned forward and kissed him firmly, slowly moving her arms around his neck. His arms moved up and down her back before they pulled her tighter against him.
"So when are we going to duel?" she giggled softly as she broke their kiss.
Harry gave her a look of complete shock, but before he could reply, she leaned in and gave him another deep kiss.