Harry walked to the Great Hall alone on the first day of classes. Ron had said Harry was taking too long getting ready and left, and he had no idea where Hermione was. When he reached the Great Hall it was already full, but Ron had a seat saved for him across from Hermione who was sitting with Regina.

As soon as Harry sat McGonagall stood up. 'Weird' Harry thought, 'Usually there aren't announcements at breakfast.'

"Before your schedules are handed out, I would like to inform you that all Seventh years must take a required dueling and self defense class with Professor Hardigg. This class will be once a day, every day, all houses together. Thank you." McGonagall sat down as the heads of houses began passing out timetables.

"That's odd", Ron said. "They've never done something like this before."

"Well it must be because of the war." Hermione cut in. "We can't all be running around with nothing besides that useless lesson on dueling in our second year."

As Ron and Hermione continued to talk, Harry looked at Regina. She hadn't said a word since he sat down and she was still staring at McGonagall.

"Um…Regina?"

She spun around quickly and her hand jumped to her hair which was in a bun with a stick through it holding it up. "Yes" she said tightly.

"Um…so…how was your first night at Hogwarts?" Harry gave a weak smile.

Regina seemed to visibly relax. "Fine I suppose. Every one is very nice and the dorm is wicked awesome…it look so medieval!" Harry just smiled at her

Hermione suddenly shot Harry a look and then glanced at Ginny Weasley a ways down the table. Harry gulped. He had forgotten about her for a while. He didn't particularly feel like he wanted to wait for her anymore but he had promised her in a way and he would hold to it. Ginny suddenly caught his eye and stood up.

"Harry…I need to talk to you" she said nervously. She glanced at Ron and Hermione. "Alone."

"Yeah…um yeah sure lets go." Harry stood and left the Great Hall with her. "So…what was it you wanted to talk about Ginny?"

She wrung her hands. "Well Harry you remember what we talked about at the end of last year?" He nodded, not quite grasping where she was going with this. "It's just that…well Neville asked me to Hogsmeade and I really want to go but I said I had to check with you first so now here we are"

"Ginny"

"So I figured I'd ask you…oh how do I say this?...Well I mean its not that I don't like you its just –"

"Ginny!"

She looked up at him as though just realizing he was there. "Yeah?"

"I wanted to talk to you about that too…and you should go out with Neville and I'll go out with…someone."

"Are you sure Harry?" She said hopefully.

"Positive."

She gave him a big smile and they walked back to the Great Hall, both considerably happier.

The seventh year students were milling around the dueling classroom, chattering and sitting on desks. The door slipped open mostly unnoticed, except by one student who immediately took her seat and stared at the board at the front of the classroom.

"Ten points to Gryffindor for paying attention."

The classes heads snapped around to see Regina sitting at her desk staring at Professor Hardigg, a tall man in his thirties with the hardened look of a seasoned auror about him. They all immediately took their seats.

"In this class you will learn to constantly pay attention to all your surroundings." Hardigg began. Harry smirked. Constant vigilance. "In an attempt to show you that we all must do this, I will reward you if you can incapacitate me in any way when I am facing your way in class, as you would be in a duel. If a hex or jink touches me, 25 points to your house. You knock me down, 50 points. If you manage to completely tie me up, 100 points to your house. I will warn you that no one in any of my classes of aurors has ever completed the last one, but you are welcome to try."

The students all looked around with a hungry look. One hundred points. That could win the house cup. They all sat up a little straighter and paid close attention.

"Ms…Black" Hardigg said looking at his class list. "Tell me, in your opinion, what the most important element of dueling is." He glanced at her hands sitting wandless on her desk and visibly relaxed.

Regina looked at him with a bored expression. "The element of surprise, sir."

"In a duel, Ms. Black, you do not have the element of surprise." Hardigg looked like he was going to move on when Regina spoke up again.

"You always have the element of surprise."

Hardigg looked like he wasn't used to having back-talk. He spun to face Regina again, looking as though he was trying very hard not to get angry. "Tell me, Ms. Black, how you have the element of surprise when your opponent is facing you with his eyes on your wand?"

She twisted a piece of her hair that had fallen out of her bun around her finger. "Do something no one would expect."

"Like what, Ms. Black, pray tell." Hardigg ground out.

She glanced at him amusedly. "Like this." It happened so quickly that many students missed it. She grasped the stick in her hair and pulled it out and in a fluid motion pointed it at Hardigg and said levelly "Incarcerous". Ropes immediately snaked out around his arms and legs catching him completely off guard. He fell to the floor with a thud as the class stared at Regina who twisted her hair, now hanging past her shoulders, around her wand.

"So, Professor, do I get the points?"