Duelling: Part Two
A/N
Another one in the books for you.
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Harry watched as Fleur dispatched of a Durmstrang student with ease, the boy in question having to be tended to by Madame Pomfrey for the various injuries he had sustained. As she stepped off the platform, she gave him a blank look before turning sharply away and stalking off the field.
"Bloody hell, that was brutal," Terry exclaimed.
"It was," Harry agreed. "That fire charm was not needed."
She had been much more reticent in the preliminary rounds, now, however, she was seemingly not holding back and had announced herself with quite the statement in the group stages.
Harry was to be pitted against Viktor Krum, Lee Jordan of Gryffindor and Cassius Warrington of Slytherin. He had yet to see Krum duel, but Warrington and Jordan had proven their worth with their previous performances.
"Not that," Terry huffed, "I meant the look she gave you. What's happened?"
Harry did not have an answer for the boy and gave a shrug instead. He hadn't spoken to her since the morning the Daily Prophet printed the retraction.
" Do you not think that is the problem?" Tom broke in.
" We agreed."
" No, you put her on the spot and didn't give her a choice in the matter."
" Just, leave it."
He had tried not to think of the girl, had tried to put her to the back of his mind so he could focus on what needed his attention. Tom was certainly no help when he would lapse, and the voice would point out he was thinking of her.
It was difficult not to. The night they had spent by the lake was something he couldn't forget, and he knew that a part of him didn't want to. Tom knew it too and it had become a point of heated debate between them. Tom questioned why he refused to allow himself some happiness and Harry was insistent it had been a mistake for them to allow it to happen. Tom would not accept that answer and Harry would discuss it no further.
"How do you think you'll do?" Harry questioned.
"I will be fine. They didn't look all that in their first matches," Terry replied.
He had been placed in a group with two Beauxbatons students and Dean Thomas from Gryffindor. Terry had one of the easier groups in Harry's opinion.
"Don't get cocky, Terry. If you don't advance, I will never let you live it down," he warned.
"I'll use that as motivation," Terry returned as his name was announced for his bout against the fourth year Gryffindor.
He opened the duel by conjuring a flock of yellow birds that flew towards his opponent. What he hoped to achieve from this, Harry did not know. Nevertheless, they were immolated by a ball of fire from Thomas who returned with a disarming charm and quite the impressive blasting curse that buckled Terry's hastily erected shield.
Harry nodded appreciatively at the effort.
Undeterred, Terry's rebuttal came in the form of a stunner and a hex that Thomas did not see following. As such, as he avoided the first, he was hit with the second and doubled over by the kicking hex that caught him between the legs. Instinctively, he dropped his wand and Terry summoned it before rushing over to apologise.
Surprisingly, Thomas took it in his stride and even laughed as he waved the apology off. It certainly could have been worse than a kick to the groin. Terry could have used a fire spell and the conversation being had would not be so amicable.
"Really, Terry?" Harry asked, an eyebrow raised at the boy.
"It wasn't intentional," Terry defended. "I was aiming for his knee."
"You'd better work on your aim then," Harry returned dryly.
Terry shook his head and Harry turned his focus back to the ongoing duels. Thankfully, he wouldn't have to wait around so much this time around as the number of competitors had been reduced by half.
Another two, rather lacklustre performances later. He was called forward to face off against Warrington, the seventh year Slytherin.
The boy leered at him as he took his stance and immediately sent a pair of cutting curses his way the very second the duel was started. Harry leapt over them and swatted away what would have been a very painful searing curse that had been aimed to hit him whilst he was mid-air.
Landing on the balls of his feet, he twirled his wand and sent a torrent of water towards his foe who raised a shield, deflecting the considerable stream either side of him. Harry had anticipated this and focused on the displaced water, animating it into a sizable golem that formed behind Warrington.
Panicking, the boy hit it with a blasting curse and breathed an audible sigh of relief as the construct dissipate into droplets that were carried off in the January breeze, or so he thought.
With a flick of his wand, Harry froze the water, and with another, transfigured the now tiny balls of ice into spikes and sent them towards the back of Warrington who had turned his attention back to him, a smug grin adorning his features in light of his apparent success.
The grin formed into a look of shock and then a scream of agony as he fell forward with several of the projectiles protruding from his back. None would cause him permanent damage, but it would not be pleasant few days for him whilst he recovered.
"WINNER, POTTER," Maxime declared shaking her head at Harry as he left the platform and returned to Terry.
"You're a terrifying bloke, you know that, right?"
Harry snorted.
"Don't worry, Terry. If I face you, I'll aim elsewhere. You just better hope mine is more accurate than yours."
Terry paled and said nothing.
He didn't want to even consider the prospect of facing Harry in a duel, though he knew Harry wouldn't hurt him, well, he hoped so.
(BREAK)
" Are you going to tell us what that was all about?" Marie asked, having watched Fleur dispatch her opponent in an unusually brutal fashion.
" I am here to win. I held back too much last time."
" And the cold look you gave to 'Arry?"
" I did no such thing," Fleur denied.
" You did and you have been in a bad mood since you came back. What happened between the two of you?" Fae questioned.
" Nothing. He said it was a bad idea for us to be seen together after the article and that was it."
" And you were fine with that?"
" Of course, why wouldn't I be?"
Marie and Fae shared a knowing look and the former shook her head.
" Oh, so you won't mind if I go and speak to him?" Fae asked as she stood.
She was pulled back into her seat and received a similar glare to what Harry had.
" You will stay away from him."
" Fleur, if you don't talk to us, how can we help you?" Marie almost pleaded.
" There is nothing you can do. 'Arry has made up his mind."
" Well, I am getting sick of this. You will either tell us what happened, or I will ask him."
Fleur deflated and shook her head knowing that Fae would follow through with her threat. Since Harry was no longer speaking to her and would unlikely do so, she saw no reason to keep the pair in the dark any longer to what happened. She cast a glance around to ensure they would not be overheard before speaking in a low voice.
" What was printed in the article was not everything. When we finished dancing, 'Arry walked me back to the carriage and I kissed him."
Fae's eyes widened comically as Marie grinned.
" I knew you liked him," the latter declared.
" I do not," Fleur denied.
" Why did you kiss him then?"
Fleur shrugged.
" I don't know. It must be as 'Arry said. We just got caught up in the moment."
" So, he kissed you back?" Fae pressed.
Fleur nodded.
" Yes, and then he was gone. He left and I didn't see him until he told me he didn't want to see me again."
" There has to be more to it than that," Fae broke in. "It's obvious you both like each other, do not deny it," she added, preventing any protest, "why would he do that."
" Maybe he doesn't want a veela," Fleur responded morosely, "not that it would go anywhere. We will go back to France and he would be here."
" Wow, it's not like we can be in a different country in less than a few seconds," Fae huffed sarcastically.
" He is only fourteen."
" Something that won't matter in a few years," Marie pointed out.
Fleur giggled unwittingly.
" My grandmother said the same thing," she explained.
" Fleur, I'm no expert but isn't it really difficult for you to meet someone like him? I don't mean Harry Potter but someone who can like you for you," Marie asked gently.
Fleur could only shrug. What did it matter when he had already shown he wasn't interested in her? He had rejected her, and she needed to move on, though it was difficult. Her grandmother had been right when she said about her kind bonding with someone. She had ignored it, but it had begun the very night she had arrived, something she had difficulty admitting to herself. For some reason, she had been drawn to him like a moth to a flame time and time was worrying how much she thought about him and what he was doing, more so why he had turned her away.
She didn't understand it. If he had his regrets, she could accept that but she at the very least deserved to hear it from him, something she had thus far refused to broach. Hearing it would extinguish what small hope she had that he would come for her. In her weaker moments, she imagined him finding her and admitting he had been wrong, that he had made a mistake.
Those moments happened more often than she would like, and she quashed them as best she could. She didn't want to lament on what had happened, no matter how good the memories were. Even remembering the odd time they would bump into one another brought her comfort she tried to dismiss.
" It really doesn't matter," she muttered.
" You could always talk to him," Fae offered. "Make him listen to you the way you do everyone else."
" I do not do that," Fleur replied hotly, watching as Harry took to the duelling platform.
" Yes, you do," Fae returned. "Where's that veela spirit? You've always gone after what you want, why not now?"
" Because I've never wanted anyone who doesn't want me before," she answered honestly.
Fae offered her a sympathetic smile as a scream rent the air. Harry had disposed of his opponent quickly and left the platform, not even gracing her with a look as she had him.
(BREAK)
There was little that could be seen in the murky depths of the lake. Even though the sun had yet to rise, the lack of light from the surface had little to do with it. It was dark here and would always be so.
Harry conjured a bright ball of light of light that sent a nearby shoal of fish scattering in panic at the intrusion. With his vision only slightly improved, he swam further into the abyss, his senses on high alert.
He knew not what creatures lurked here. He of course knew of the giant squid and judging by the thickets of weed below him, he could only assume there would be Grindylows also. He remembered learning about them from Remus the previous year and the lake was the perfect habitat for the tricky little beasts. Whatever else could be found other than those and the merepeople, he couldn't be certain. Simply learning that they existed beyond muggle movies and literature had been quite the surprise.
FLASHBACK
Harry ended his stream of fire as he glowered at the egg that sat on the sand innocently, as though it was not the cause of his irritation. For hours he had been trying to decipher the clue within and had yet to yield anything, a pounding headache being his only result thus far.
Finally giving in to his already fraying temper, he banished the egg into the waves and took some calming breaths, irritated with himself that he allowed something so innocuous irk him so.
Tom's mocking laughter was not helping.
" You have no idea how close you are to solving it. Although I do not approve of allowing an inanimate object to provoke you so much, you are finally on the right track."
Harry ignored the voice and narrowed his eyes. He had tried everything he could think of. He had burned it, blasted it and cast every translation charm he could think of on it, and yet, it continued to screech at him like a banshee, though it was not the sound of one. Something he had managed to deduce early in the process.
" By banishing it?"
Tom remained silent as he had any other time Harry had tried to question him.
With a sigh, he approached the ocean whilst casting a bubblehead charm on himself. It would no do to lose the egg before solving the conundrum it presented. Thankfully, the water was calm, so it was likely it hadn't been carried far.
He submerged himself into the shallows, frowning as an unexpected sound could be heard from nearby. He was certainly no expert on the seas but even he knew that singing was not a regular occurrence. He swam, following the eerily beautiful voices until he came upon the egg nestled in a bed of small rocks, opened and emitting the song. He listened to the words that made little sense to him.
Come seek us where our voices sound,
We cannot sing above the ground,
And while you're searching, ponder this:
We've taken what you'll sorely miss,
An hour long you'll have to look,
And to recover what we took.
But past an hour - the prospect's black
Too late, it's gone, it won't come back.
He listened to it in its' entirety several times to memorise the odd verse before grabbing the egg and making his way back to the shore.
"They've taken what I'll sorely miss? Not bloody likely," he grumbled. "Anything I'd miss, I have with me at all times."
" It could be symbolic."
Harry shook his head.
"No. They will take something, and I'll have an hour to find it. Since this thing only opens in water, I'm guessing they will put it in the lake," he mused aloud. "It's the only place at Hogwarts big enough to host a task that has enough water."
" I would agree."
"The only question is, who does that voice belong to?"
END FLASHBACK
Again, Tom had not been forthcoming with an answer and Harry had been left to his own devices to discover the origins of the voice, something that had taken only a few moments by perusing his copy of Hogwarts: A History and reading the section on the lake. Though the passage was not very informative, it did mention that a colony of merepeople resided there and it had been as simple as cross-referencing that titbit of information with a book on aquatic creatures in the library to confirm his suspicions.
Thus, he found himself exploring the depths, both to familiarise himself with the body of water and locate where the merepeople settlement was.
Assuming that he would likely find what he sought in the deepest part of the lake, he pressed on, swimming high enough above the weeds so that any creatures hidden there could not take him by surprise or stage an ambush.
For several minutes, all remained peaceful with only the occasional fish intruding upon his space, their curiosity getting the better of them as they approached him cautiously before being spooked away by one of his flailing limbs. It was strangely serene, though he could not shake off the thought that he was being watched by many pairs of eyes. Such a thing was likely, and he remained vigilant. Just because he couldn't see much further than a few feet in front of him, it didn't mean what dwelled here couldn't see him. He was at a significant disadvantage down here, something he was very aware of.
Feeling something brush against his leg, he turned sharply, his wand held aloft only to find the prevailing darkness. Feeling decidedly more uncomfortable, he conjured a few more balls of light it the hope it would deter anything else from approaching him.
It seemed to have the desired effect as he descended deeper with no further intrusions. It wasn't until he came upon the village that he realised how far he had come.
His arrival, however, had not gone unnoticed. Floating in front of a stone arch was a dozen merepeople clutching tridents, following his movements. They were certainly a far cry from the way muggles depicted them. Their skin was green and eyes wild and yellow, their scaly tails trailing behind them in the gentle current.
He kept a respectful distance and observed them for a few moments before heading back towards the surface. He didn't know what kind of reception he would receive from them during the task, but they did not seem to be very welcoming to outsiders.
" I would exercise caution throughout the entirety of the task. There are things in the lake that may take an interest in you beyond curiosity."
Harry could only nod as he broke the surface and removed his bubble with a wave of his wand. That too would be something he would have to address. Though useful for a peaceful swim, it would be unlikely to survive any conflict. He would not risk drowning because he settled on using an inferior charm.
The sun had risen during his time in the lake, and as he suspected, it had made no difference to the visibility and doubted anything would other than the conjured lights he himself had employed. What approach the other champions would take, he neither knew nor was interested, but having seen what awaited him, he needed to ponder his own further.
That, however, was for another day. Today he would duelling twice having only faced off with Warrington the previous day, and that was what he needed to focus on.
With that in mind, he swam ashore and returned to the castle to prepare. He knew that Lee Jordan would likely favour hexes during their bout, his time spent with Fred and George over the years having given him much knowledge on the subject.
With Warrington sent to the Hospital Wing, his duel with Krum had been postponed and he had missed when the Bulgarian and Jordan had crossed wands. According to Terry, the Gryffindor had put up quite the fight but had eventually been overwhelmed by a powerful onslaught of curses, his shield having collapsed under a particularly strong blasting curse.
Such a thing did not concern Harry. Shielding was always a last resort and he was confident his speed would negate the need to raise one. How Krum would adapt to that, he did not know.
After showering and dressing, he exited his room to meet Terry in the Entrance Hall, the other boy only having one more duel to complete today against having defeated one of the Beauxbatons students in a closely fought contest after his victory over Dean Thomas.
"Are you ready for Krum today?" Terry questioned as they headed towards the Quidditch stadium.
"If he can duel half as well as he can fly, it will be interesting," Harry replied with a shrug.
"He's not bad," Terry offered. "I don't think he'll beat you, but you can bet Karkaroff will do whatever he can to make sure he wins."
Harry nodded as he frowned. It wouldn't surprise him if Karkaroff took Polyjuice potion and posed as the Durmstrang Champion to make that happen.
The duo was among the first to arrive and took their seats in the stand. Slowly but surely, the other seats around them filled over the next hour and the festivities got under way.
"Malfoy is doing better than I thought he would," Terry huffed as the fourth year Slytherin took down a very game Durmstrang student.
"I suppose being the son of a Death Eater with endless amounts of money can pay off," Harry snorted as Draco swaggered back to his seat.
He was by no means an excellent duellist, but he was holding his own and winning so far.
"I'm still hoping he comes up against you. He won't be so smug then."
Harry hoped so also. He had no time for bigots in his life. He would relish the opportunity to take the boy down a peg or two and even rub the fact that he was a half-blood in his face. Not that such a thing counted for much. Tom was one as was Dumbledore and despite any personal feeling towards the two, it could not be denied that they stood above most when it came to magical power and ability.
"NEXT UP, WE HAVE LEE JORDAN OF HOGWARTS TAKING ON HARRY POTTER, ALSO OF HOGWARTS," Professor Flitwick announced.
"I'm betting it lasts less than a minute," Terry predicted.
Harry ignored him and approached the platform, his opponent appearing quite nervous but offering a smile and bow, nonetheless. Harry returned the latter as he took his position.
As expected, Jordan opened with a salvo of hexes that may have caught him off guard were they not such elementary spells. His technique and form were very good, but his repertoire was lacking, as was his knowledge of spells more useful for duelling evidently.
He batted away a hair-growing charm and fired a shield-breaker. Jordan, not recognising the spell erected a shield, his eyes widening as it collapsed, and he was hit by three others before he could react. His hair lengthened, covering his eyes before it turned orange and his feet were grown by several shoe sizes. Being unable to see and unsteady on his new appendages, he tripped and found himself sprawled across the deck, absent his wand a few seconds later when he was hit with a disarming charm.
"WINNER, POTTER," Flitwick announced.
Being a good sport, Harry approached his down opponent and undid his work before helping him to his feet.
"There's a book in the restricted section named ' 101 Spells for Duelling'. Avoid using hexes and learn some of those. You have really good technique and movement," he said, offering his hand.
Jordan shook it and nodded.
"Thanks for not impaling me with ice," he returned with a grin. "I've got a bet with the twins that you'll win this. Don't cost me ten galleons."
Harry simply shook his head as he walked away and re-joined Terry who gave him a thumbs up.
"So, how much have you bet on me?" he asked.
Terry flushed at the question but knew better than to deny it.
"Twenty galleons," he mumbled.
"I might lose on purpose to teach you not to gamble."
"You wouldn't do that."
"No, I wouldn't," Harry agreed.
The duelling continued in earnest as Harry watched on eagerly. The standard of it was not what he had become accustomed to during his excursions into 'The Hag' of a summer's evening, but there was some potential on show.
Fleur had proven again she was one with much potential. Once more, her duel had been fast, ruthless and leaving no question to the threat she posed to anyone she may cross wands with.
To Harry, it was like watching an entirely different witch to the one he had seen in the first rounds. This was a side to her he had not expected. It was as though she had a point to prove and she was doing so at the expense of those placed in front of her. In a way, he supposed she did. She was a tournament champion after all and proving herself to the world is exactly why she had come here.
"She's not holding back, is she?" Terry asked as she left the platform.
Harry ignored the tightness in his chest as he shook his head.
"No, she isn't," he agreed. "You could win this."
"Not against you," Terry countered. "Do you even know how easy you make all of this look?"
Harry snorted.
"It only takes one mistake to lose a fight, Terry, and those happen to everyone eventually, no matter how good they think they are. I could even lose to someone like Malfoy if I mess things up."
"For the love of Merlin, don't do that," the other boy pleaded. "He will become even more unbearable."
Harry chuckled.
"What if you end up facing him?"
"Then I will happily lose in the next round so long as I get a go at him first," Terry answered, his demeanour unusually grim.
Malfoy really must have annoyed the boy to provoke such a response from the easy-going Ravenclaw. Harry had never even heard a negative word from Terry's mouth about anyone else.
"UP NEXT, WE 'AVE PHILLIPE LAURENT OF BEAUXBATONS TAKING ON TERRY BOOT OF 'OGWARTS," Madame Maxime announced.
Harry clapped along with the rest of the crowd as Terry took up his position to face off with his French opponent. Thus far, Terry had done very well. His casting could be laboured at times, but he was light on his feet and had good reactions.
The French student began the duel with a flurry of bludgeoning curses and a suspiciously aimed bone-breaker that whizzed past Terry's head.
"WARNING, LAURENT," Snape, the second referee declared with scowl.
Not wanting to be on the backfoot, Terry offered a reply in the form of a tripping jinx to serve as a distraction before sending a blasting curse towards his opponent who raised a shield to block it. Whilst he was doing so, Terry soaked the platform around the feet of the Beauxbatons representative and froze it with another spell, limiting his movement significantly.
Harry nodded appreciatively as he realised the method behind the move.
As expected, Terry began firing spell after spell towards his foe who attempted to dodge and lost his footing. Somehow, he managed to recover only to have to shield the next chain of spells heading towards him.
From his position, he had two choices; he could either risk dropping his shield and slipping on the, leaving him vulnerable, or, he could drop his shield and risk removing the ice, again, a move that would not leave him in a vulnerable position.
The one thing he could not do was hide behind his shield. He would tire much sooner than Terry would, and his protections would fail sooner or later.
Unfortunately for the French boy, he chose the latter of the three and fell victim to a stunning spell as soon as his shield fell.
"WINNER, BOOT," Madame Maxime declared, unable to hide the disappointment she felt in her student.
Terry left the platform amidst a round of applause and retook his seat.
"Not bad," Harry praised. "The ice idea was a stroke of genius."
"I might have stolen that from you," Terry admitted unashamedly. "When you took out Warrington, I thought that's what you were going to do with the water before he diverted it with his shield."
Harry shook his head.
"I anticipated that he would do that, if he didn't, he would have been soaked and I would more likely have frozen him. Your idea was very good. You put your opponent in a position where any choice he made was a risk."
Terry nodded gratefully.
"What do you mean you anticipated what Warrington would do?" he asked with a frown.
"Duelling is like a game of chess. As much as possible, you want to be several moves ahead of whom you're facing."
"That doesn't sound easy."
"It's not but you can get an idea of how someone will react to certain moves based on their stance and their strengths. Warrington wasn't going to transfigure the water, so his only option was to shield. The power behind the water meant that the stream would be diverted, and I could use the energy to form the golem. The most difficult part of what I did was reversing the energy that was carrying the water away when he blasted it. I needed to halt it and then make it change directions. The transfiguration and charms were the least taxing part."
Terry shook his head.
"So, you knew he would react that way?"
"I had my suspicions."
Terry snorted. He had not thought about duelling so deeply nor considered the wider implications the same way Harry had. Then again, Harry took everything he did seriously, so he wasn't surprised.
"NEXT UP, VIKTOR KRUM FROM DURMSTRANG WILL TAKE ON HARRY POTTER OF HOGWARTS."
The announcement was made by Igor Karkaroff, Harry's name said with more than a hint of loathing. He was not pleased that the man would be refereeing the duel. Harry certainly didn't trust him to be impartial, but he relaxed as Dumbledore stepped forward as the second official, seemingly giving the High-Master of Durmstrang a stern glare.
Karkaroff did not appear to be happy with Dumbledore's insistence of officiating the match alongside himself, but he did not vocalise any protest and Harry approached the platform, the crowd oddly quiet in anticipation for this bout.
It was the first time two of the champions would be in direct competition with one another and the atmosphere had turned serious to reflect that.
(BREAK)
"Who do you think will win?" Neville Longbottom questioned Hermione.
The girl worried her lip nervously. Her and Viktor had grown close since he had arrived, much to her surprise. He was not the grumpy or unapproachable person people believed him to be. He was quietly brilliant, determined to make his way in the world from his own hard work and kind along with it.
She, however, had her doubts that he could defeat Harry. From his showing in the first task and the duelling so far, he appeared to be far beyond most within the school.
The Gryffindors and Ravenclaws shared very few lessons together. During first and second year, only flying lessons and astronomy and in third year, the electives. She knew that Harry was quite brilliant in both runes and arithmancy but had never known how much so in other subjects. It wasn't until she had questioned the other Professors out of curiosity about this.
Flashback
Having watched the magic that Harry had displayed whilst facing the dragon, she had been in awe at his ability. She had been concerned for the boy when his name had come out of the goblet initially and had even considered offering her help. Harry, however, all but vanished from that night and the opportunity to do so never presented itself.
Her musings about the magic had naturally led her to the library to seek out the answers to the many questions she had, but to no avail. She could find no books that would explain what it was he had done.
Frustrated, she sought out her Head of House who had always proven t be a well of knowledge when it came to magic.
Arriving at the door to the office, she knocked and was bid to enter.
"Miss Granger, what can I do for you today?" Professor McGonagall greeted as she gestured for her to stake a seat.
"I'm sorry to disturb you, Professor, but I had some questions about what Harry did during the task."
McGonagall gave the girl a rare smile. She was a curious girl, one that hungered for knowledge, something the older woman could certainly respect. How she ended up in her house, she did not know.
"What is it you would like to know?"
"What was it?" Hermione asked.
"Well, that is a complex question to answer, Miss Granger. What Mr Potter did was employ of combination of magicks, primarily practical runes and elemental magic."
"I thought so, but we don't have any books on elemental magic in the library."
"And you will find none within the school. Elemental magic is very dangerous to practice. It takes flawless levels of control to perfect and should not be attempted lightly."
"And Harry can do that?"
McGonagall nodded and sighed.
"Mr Potter has proven to be a very exceptional wizard, Miss Granger. There are those of us that have the potential to be brilliant and there are those that can excel beyond it and seemingly do things that we see as impossible. I have met four wizards in my life who possess such talent and two of them reside within this castle."
"Professor Dumbledore and Harry?"
"Indeed"
"Who were the other two?"
"Gellert Grindelwald and Lord Voldemort," McGonagall answered darkly.
Hermione's eyes widened and the Professor held up a hand to prevent the impending retort.
"Just because they were not good people, the level of their brilliance cannot be denied. We are fortunate to have equals to stand against people like them and Mr Potter will undoubtedly be that person of your generation."
"I never knew he was so good."
"Why would you? You are focused on your own spectacular performance. You will go far in this world, Miss Granger and will make such a marked difference in whatever career you pursue, of that, I have no doubt. Mr Potter will likely become what Professor Dumbledore is. People will look to him to solve their problems, to lead the fight against prospective dark lords and shoulder burdens they should not have to bear. Already, his legacy is exceptional and will only continue to grow."
Hermione nodded her agreement. Harry Potter was one of the first names she had heard when entering the wizarding world.
"I've not really seen much of him. We speak and he lets me use his owl to write home. He's always been nice to me. Is he really that good?"
"In all my years of teaching, I have never taught a student with such a gift for transfiguration. Before him, that title belonged to his father who was just as brilliant, just not as focused. I'm sure the James Potter I knew would be proud that his son was the one knock him off his pedestal."
"What was he like, Harry's dad?"
McGonagall smirked.
"James Potter was the biggest thorn in my side for the first six years he was in this castle. The boy was as exceptional as he was a nuisance, but the school was not the same when he left. I had high hopes that he would one day accept my offer of an apprenticeship and return. Had he done so; it is likely he you would be having this conversation with had he not been murdered in cold blood."
Hermione nodded sombrely. She had read how the man had fought the Dark Lord to give his wife a chance to escape with their son.
"What about his mother?"
"Very much like yourself," the Professor answered. "She too was brilliant, had an astounding talent for charms and potions and was an enormous loss."
Hermione noticed that speaking of them was difficult for the woman. Her voice had softened considerably, and she had begun to get lost in her own thoughts.
"Thank you, Professor," she offered as she stood.
McGonagall merely offered her a nod as she took her leave, pondering what she had heard.
END FLASHBACK
"Viktor is good but he's not as good as Harry," Hermione answered, the words of the professor ringing in her ears.
Neville nodded. He had never spoken to the boy, but he had proven himself to be an excellent duellist.
(BREAK)
Fleur looked on in interest as Krum and Harry took up their positions, the former scowling, his eyes focused on his opponent. It was strange to see the Bulgarian so tense and upright. His propensity for slouching had been forgotten as he waited for the command to commence to be given.
"BEGIN," Karkaroff barked.
Neither moved, waiting for the other to strike and they did so at the same time, their first offerings colliding in mid-air and dissipating to nothingness.
Harry nodded respectfully at the spell that had been sent his way and Krum flicked his wand, producing a long and hissing whip of fire.
" Merde, that isn't good," Marie commented.
Fleur nodded but Harry seemed unfazed by the action and deftly avoid the first strike along with the next two before he tapped his offhand with his wand. The next stroke of the whip came, heading for his chest, and Harry remained where he stood, causing her to cover her eyes. She was angry and hurt by his actions, but she did not want to see him painfully wounded, not unless it was her doing it.
" Impossible," Fae declared, and Fleur opened her eyes just enough to see what had happened.
Harry had snatched the whip from the air, and it was now wrapped around his wandless hand with steam pouring from it. Krum's eyes had widened at the move and he ended the spell as Harry created a whip of his own, this one appearing to be made of thick, black smoke.
" What is that?" Marie asked.
Fleur shrugged, her eyes not leaving the fight. She had never seen or heard of a spell like it.
Krum ended his own spell as Harry drew his wand back and returned with stroke of his own. Whatever he had created crackled as it flew towards the Bulgarian who hastily conjured a powerful, silver shield. Fortunately, it withstood the impact, though a loud bang sounded like a sudden explosion of thunder and he felt to his knees under the power of the spell. Small sparks of electricity bounced off the shield as Harry held it there the whip ramrod straight, defying all logic. The flame whip did not act in such a way and took confident physical control to wield. Harry's, however, seemed to cater to his whim as he flicked his wrist and a gentle wave rippled up the length of it.
Another deafening crack sounded as the tip snapped once more and struck the shield with another flurry of electrical sparks.
Krum's shield buckled but held, nonetheless. Finding himself in a bind, he dropped it and rolled to his side to avoid being struck. Whilst doing so, he fired a bone-splintering curse as he sprung to his feet, followed by a strangulation jinx and a cleaving charm below the waste.
In an unexpected display of skilful agility, Harry batted aside the first and jumped between the third and fourth, twisting almost horizontally and landed on his feet to avoid them.
" How can he do that?" Fae questioned.
No one answered as the duel continued with Krum sending a trio of bludgeoners towards Harry who seemingly conjured a large, bronze shield adorned with snakes from nowhere and intercepted them, each strike emitting a gong-like ring. As the final one hit, he threw the shield towards his fellow champion as though it were a muggle frisbee and flicked his wand towards it.
The shield split into a half dozen bronze arrows and impacted against a hastily conjured wall of granite courtesy of Krum who hit his own creation with a blasting curse and banished the debris towards Harry with a grunt. The chunks of stone never reached the intended target.
With a wave of Harry's wand, they stilled and sped towards Krum, surrounding him and setting him on edge. He followed them warily with his eyes as best he could, any spell he fired missing as they floated easily out of their path.
With another grunt, he tried to banish them once more, only for the speed in which they moved to increase. He continued to watch them, at a loss at what could be done and yelped as a piece of the floor beside him cracked and a wooden spike shot upwards, grazing his shoulder. Several others followed and though he managed to avoid further injury, they pinned him into place.
Unable to move, he could only watch as the pile of granite was dumped unceremoniously on top of him.
"WINNER, POTTER," Dumbledore declared, shooting Harry a questioning look.
Without a word, he left the platform and returned to his seat. Pointedly ignoring the furious glare of the Durmstrang High-Master.
" He just gets better and better," Marie sighed, awestruck by what she had witnessed.
Fae nodded as Fleur narrowed her eyes.
She was determined to beat him if the opportunity arose. He must have a weakness. There had to be something that he would not be able to handle.
(BREAK)
"Merlin," Neville whispered as the duel came to an end.
Hermione had stood and gripped the back of the chair in front of her, pale-skinned and whitened knuckles from how tight she held it.
Dumbledore and Karkaroff were carefully levitating the chunks of granite from the heap and eventually freed Krum from his tomb, no worse for wear but quite shaken. He had been out of his depth from the beginning but had fought well despite this.
The crowd showed their appreciation with a resounding round of applause as he waved, showing that he was okay.
He joined them a few moments later after being tended to by Madame Pomfrey and offered a shrug in his usual manner.
"Are you okay, Viktor?" Hermione asked as she took his hand.
He gave her a rare smile as he nodded.
"There is no shame in losing to him. He vas the better man today," he replied. "Besides, it means I can focus on the tournament now."
Hermione nodded as he pulled her into his arms.
He was lucky not to be hurt by some of the spells Harry had used, though she acknowledged Viktor had started the exchange with his fire whip. He had evidently got more than he bargained for with Harry.
"He vill vin this, but I will get him when it truly matters," the Bulgarian vowed.
(BREAK)
"I don't even know what to say anymore," Terry huffed. "What other tricks do you have up your sleeve?"
"Much more than I would show here. Public displays of all your abilities is foolish. Remember that, Terry, and you will always have something to fall back on when you need it."
Terry shook his head.
"And where did you get that pearl of wisdom? From a Christmas cracker?"
Harry snorted.
"It sounds like it," he agreed.
" It is wise advice," Tom grumbled. "I shall not give you anymore if you are going to mock it."
" Stop moaning. I always listen to what you have to say and use it."
Tom hummed in response as the duels were ended for the day. Warrington and Krum would still face one another in what could only be considered a token duel as Harry had defeated both and Lee Jordan to advance in the quarter finals that would take place between the second and third task along with the semi finals and final.
He left the stadium with Terry and was making his way up to the castle to finalise his preparations for the second task that would take place in only a few weeks when his musings were interrupted by a heavily accented voice speaking his name.
He turned to find himself faced with one of Fleur's friends, the quieter of the two.
"Could I 'ave a word with you?" she asked politely.
Harry frowned but nodded and gestured for Terry to continue without him as he led the girl away.
"What can I do for you?" he questioned when they were out of earshot of others.
"I am worried about Fleur," she replied without preamble. "I know what 'appened between you and I want to know why you pushed 'er away."
Harry released a deep sigh.
"Please," the girl pressed. "I 'ave not seen 'er like this since our fourth year. She is 'urt and angry and I don't like seeing 'er like that. When she was talking to you, it is the 'appiest I 'ave seen 'er."
"What happened between us was a mistake. It shouldn't have happened."
" Liar," Tom muttered. Harry ignored the voice and continued.
"I never meant to upset her. Someone has entered me in this tournament and if she is close to me, she really could get hurt. I will not have that on my conscience."
The girl offered him a sad smile.
"So, you did it because you care about 'er?"
Harry felt uncomfortable at the question and certainly did not want to discuss it with a stranger.
"Whatever happened between us is best left alone," he responded.
"I do not believe that is what you want," the girl replied. "And what about Fleur and what she wants? She should get to decide if the risk is worth it, non?"
" She's got you there, Harry," Tom interjected smugly.
"Why do you care so much?" he bit back.
"Because it is 'ard for Fleur to make friends. She is beautiful inside and out and she deserves it, and now, you 'ave made 'er cold and sad. She deserves better than you if you will not even try to make 'er feel better."
With her parting jab given, the girl walked away leaving a rather melancholic Harry in her wake.
"Bloody hell, are all girls difficult?"
" Only when you give them a reason to be," Tom offered. "I stand by what I've already said."
"As do I," Harry returned sadly as he headed towards the castle once more.
He felt bad enough for what had happened. He didn't need others constantly reminding him of it. Despite how he came across to most, he wasn't heartless, nor did he want any to suffer because of him, and Fleur would likely do so.
If anything were to happen to her because of him, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself. For Harry, it was a no-win situation and he chose the one that would keep her alive long enough to maybe find some happiness in the future rather than squander her life to a limited amount of time with him.