Grandson,
Your letter came as a pleasant surprise, as in recent years owls from you become less frequent. I hope that the lack of them is due to you choosing to dedicate your time to your studies.
I commend you on your interest in the subject of history, the knowledge that the past gives us will be vital for you when you become Lord Malfoy. Our ancestry is of great value to wizardkind as you know, and it is favourable for you to look into it. However, I am curious as to why you are querying on such a specific subject.
You must understand that 1945 was a different time. We were affected by the Muggle war, and had our own conflicts as well. It shaped the world we live in today, for the better or the worse. It was during that time that many of our values were becoming suppressed, and we saw an increase of mudbloods integrating with wizardkind.
There were more important things to fight for than some mudblood who got killed. Plenty of our own good Purebloods were dying, including our own family. I did not care to remember the name of some girl that died in a bathroom, doomed to haunt it forevermore. There isn't much you can learn from that.
As I previously wrote, I am delighted that you are taking history seriously. I've attached a manuscript by Septimus Malfoy, perhaps it would be more valuable to you as the Heir to read his accounts of when he served as advisor to Minister Osbert. Do let me know how you get along with it.
Yours sincerely,
Grandfather
The letter was signed Lord Abraxas Malfoy in beautiful cursive calligraphy. Harry read through it a few times, trying to gather as much information as he could. It seemed like Abraxas Malfoy had a lot more to say between the lines, which was something Harry was unfamiliar with. Most people he knew wrote openly, preferring their words to be clear to everyone that read them.
"He seems like quite the character." Harry commented.
"You can say that again," Draco snorted, leaning his head back against the sofa armrest. They were back in the all-house common room, with Draco spread across one of the loveseats. He had one of his arms over on the backrest of the sofa, with his legs crossed at the ankle and propped up on the opposite armrest. Harry chose to sit cross-legged in one of the armchairs, which he pulled closer to where Draco was sat. "Grandfather is very much set in his ways, which much to his disappointment society no longer accepts. Not that he cares really, he still lives with hope that Wizardkind will return to 'the old ways'. There's a reason I've been avoiding him. He's convinced that after graduation I will take up the Minister's advisor position and do what he says."
"And I assume you're not going to?"
"Of course, I won't. I have very little interest in politics and it will do nothing for me, or my family." Draco replied. "I won't become Lord Malfoy until my Father's death, and he's still in his prime. The only reason he got the title before Grandfather's death is because Abraxas caught dragonpox and barely survived it. I'm still convinced that man is going to outlive us all."
"So, what are you going to do then?"
"I could sit around and do nothing. We are wealthy enough." Draco pondered. "Although I think I would go crazier than some of my Aunts if I actually did that. I want some kind of profession, not sure what exactly yet."
"Whatever it is, I'm sure you'll be great at it. Hard to deny that, seeing what the professors say about you." Harry replied.
"Thanks. Back to the matter at hand though – I wouldn't be surprised if Grandfather actually didn't care about the girl's identity, it would be something he would do. However, with the way this is worded, it sounds like he's trying to divert my attention from the topic, and not just for my own well-being." Draco said. He sat up and plucked the letter out of Harry's hands. He pointed at one of the lines, turning his head to address Harry. "What he did do though, was accidentally tell us exactly what we needed."
"The girl left a ghost behind, didn't she?" Draco nodded.
"Presumably. The problem is, Hogwarts is one of the most haunted places in the country. There are literally hundreds of ghosts here – and I never heard of a ghost that was a dead student." Draco frowned, attempting to remember if he has ever stumbled upon such a ghost. "One would think it would be one of the biggest talking points of the school."
"It's obvious the whole thing was covered up so it wasn't talked about for years on end. Maybe they forbidden the ghost from talking about it too." Harry pointed out. "I guess we'll just have to ask around and search girls' bathrooms until we hopefully find her. How many of those are there in the castle anyway?"
"Too many," Draco said grimly. "We're going to get so many weird looks, aren't we?"
"Yep."
…
In the end, they chose to put off their search for bathrooms for a while. Instead, they decided that they needed to go back to their research, hoping to find something there that didn't require them searching for girl ghosts in girls' bathrooms. Draco did say that if he hears anything worthwhile during his Head Boy rounds, he would investigate, but otherwise it would be put on a backburner. Harry wholeheartedly agreed, thinking of his work load as well. He didn't have time for a wild search with no end.
Draco was kind enough to guide Harry through the potions assignments. He didn't give him the answers, but rather, briefed him on what Snape told the class before the summer. He also lent Harry his personal copies of some useful books (so he didn't have to search the library for them), and charmed paper cranes to peck him in the forehead whenever he spaced out from writing the essay.
"Oh also, I wouldn't bother with the History of Magic essay." Draco pointed out, looking through Harry's to-do list while the latter boy was working. "I haven't done a History of Magic essay since second year. Binns never checks them – so long you study before the January mock exams, and the NEWTs, you will be fine."
Relieved, Harry went back to comparing the ingredients between the Draught of the Living Death, Dreamless Sleep, and Potion of the Sleepless Mind.
…
Sunday came to an end much too fast, as far as Harry was concerned. He finished the Potions assignments in the late evening, and fell asleep late into the night while trying to read more on Free Transfiguration. He woke up, startled, curled around his textbook and still in his day clothes when the first light trickled in through the window.
Pulling himself out of bed, he caught a look of himself in the mirror while going to the bathroom. His clothes were all rumpled and creased, and there was an ink stain on the collar of his jumper. Red lines marred his cheek from where he rested it on the side of his textbook. His hair was an even bigger mess than usual, his glasses askew slightly. There were bags under his eyes that were not there before. He didn't look good, and he remembered exactly why he didn't want to go to school in the first place.
Resigned with his fate, he hopped in the shower and tried to scrub off the ink stains that somehow managed to get on his elbow. It was a stubborn spot and wouldn't come off, so he decided just to leave it. His uniform would cover it anyway.
He gathered his things after getting dressed, and left the dormitory. He was in a particularly sour mood, remembering that the bet would finish tomorrow. He was still nowhere close to getting the spell correct.
To his surprise, he found Hermione heading to breakfast at the same time as he was.
"What made you get up so early?"
"Good morning, Harry. I always try to get up a little bit earlier on Monday mornings, I have a meeting with Headmistress McGonagall before classes start. Head Girl business."
Harry nodded in understanding, the two walking down towards the Great Hall.
"How did you find your first week at Hogwarts?" Hermione asked a little bit later on, between bites of scrambled egg.
"Terrible," Harry admitted, laughing. "Don't get me wrong, I love that I made the friends I did, and I'm doing some cool things. I do hate actually going to most of the classes though, and I'm not used to this amount of schoolwork. I knew I made the right choice with the apprenticeship and this just proved my point more."
"I can't promise less work - it is our final year! - but hopefully it will become more manageable. I'm here if you need help, Harry." Hermione said sincerely. "Both as Head Girl, and your friend."
A warmth spread through Harry's chest at Hermione's admission. It always felt good to know he got support from the people he cared about. In the past, it was mostly his parents and Rowan as he was the closest to them. Having friends his own age that he felt like he could actually have a connection with felt incredible. He couldn't help but give Hermione a hug for that, at which she squeaked in surprise.
"What's this for?" She laughed.
"For being totally awesome."
"I can accept that."
…
Classes were a blur. They concentrated mostly on theory for some reason, which made for long and boring lessons. A lot of note-taking and textbook reading that Harry did not appreciate. He felt like he was wasting his time, and absolutely did not learn from his Free Tranfiguration notes fiasco. His parchment still looked like a five-year-old scribbled all over it.
Instead of actually paying attention, Harry chose to read the thin notebook Hermione gave him. It was a copy of her notes from Professor Quirrell's extracurricular learning and was far more interesting than the numerology charts Professor Vector was analysing.
The only other thing that made Monday more bearable was Defence class. They had a shorter session near the end of the day, and Professor Quirrell announced it would be a practical. Harry eagerly jumped up from his seat when the Professor asked them to move their desks against the walls.
"We won't be doing anything too strenuous, but from the looks on your faces I can tell a practical will be a welcome change for today. I'm guessing there was a lot of theory analysis today?" The class muttered in agreement. "Well, welcome to your seventh year, it's only just the beginning."
The Defence Professor paired them up at random – Hermione and Ron ended up in a pair, as did Draco and Pansy. Harry ended up in a pair with Blaise, who he didn't really speak much with, but knew he was decent folk as Draco was close friends with him. He smiled warmly at the Slytherin boy, who returned a smirk.
"In Monday sessions, we will be having practical sessions on battle magic. Sometimes they will be replaced by a quiz or a practical test, but I will warn you ahead of time so do not worry." Professor Quirrell took the stage. The seventh year students were crowding around the platform, stood with their partner. "We will be doing a quick exercise today, nothing too demanding as we don't have a lot of time. This will be an exercise to test your team-work, creativity, and knowledge. In your pairs, you will be duelling another pair with a three-minute time limit."
Professor Quirrell asked them to get up onto the stage. He then promptly hopped off it, and with his wand started to burn a large circle into the stone floor of the classroom. It glowed with a blue light when the shape was complete.
"This is your arena." He pointed to the circle. "You win if you knock your opponents' outside the parameter, or you knock their wand outside of the parameter. Just removing it out of their hands isn't enough, as they can try to take it back if it's still in the arena. If at the end of the three minutes you haven't done either, we will determine who wins by who still has their wand in their hand. Otherwise, it will be a draw. At the end of each fight, we will have a short discussion on what each pair did well and what they could improve upon. Does that sound fair?"
Professor Quirrell used a spell to randomly pick who would be duelling each other, the set order appearing on large piece of parchment he summoned.
"We do not have an even number of pairs, so it seems Mister Crabbe and Miss Bulstrode will need another pair to volunteer to duel them. We can decide who that shall be once we get there. Now let's begin, before we run out of time."
The first two pairs stepped into the ring. Gregory Goyle and Lavender Brown moved to the right side of the ring, whilst a nervous looking Neville Longbottom joined Sally-Anne Perks on the left. The four of them drew their wands, waiting for Quirrell's word to start. Neville kept glancing nervously at Sally-Anne, who paid him no mind and just looked determined to win.
"Poor Neville." Dean laughed good-naturedly as he noticed the other boy's mood. "He doesn't feel confident with duelling as it is, and now he's going to be worrying about impressing Sally-Anne so Hannah doesn't think he's an idiot."
"What's this about Sally-Anne and Hannah?" Harry asked. He vaguely remembered that there was a Hannah in his year – he heard the name mentioned in one of the classes he shared with the Hufflepuffs.
"Neville has the biggest crush on Hannah Abbott right now." Dean explained. "Sally-Anne is her best friend, so of course she will tell her how the class went. This could go very well for Neville, or it could ruin his chances for losing to Goyle and Lavender of all people."
Harry made a sound of understanding, and turned to watch the duel. Goyle seemed to be using spells that were simple, easy to cast but packed quite the punch. His downfall was his speed – with his wide shoulders and large body, he was quite slow in his speed and not very agile. Lavender quickly realised that, and decided to use Goyle as shield for the spells that were aimed at her, and did her best to stand up to the other two Gryffindors. She didn't seem to have known, or mastered, a lot of the battle magic. At one point, she used a hair-growing charm on Sally-Anne, which made the girl's fringe grow to cover her eyes and momentarily distract her.
Sally-Anne was doing remarkably well. She was quick to dodge most of Goyle's spells, and was decent enough with her own spell-casting. However, she didn't seem to try and work together with Neville during the fight at all, rather choosing to fight alone and leave him to do his own thing. That threw Neville off, on top of Sally-Anne being Hannah's best friend. His spells were sloppy, and nervous, so when they hit the mark they weren't full-force. In the last minute of the duel, he did seem to somewhat find his footing. The duel ended with both Lavender and Goyle knocked out of the ring – Neville was sending Tickling Charms at Lavender and Goyle to try and distract them, which drove them to the edge of the arena. It was then that Sally-Anne took it upon herself to use a Tripping Hex on Goyle. The Slytherin boy tripped over, and while stumbling he fell into Lavender. The girl fell out of the ring, and Goyle's wand slipped out of his hand and rolled away from the arena as well, leaving Neville and Sally-Anne victorious.
Professor Quirrell made them shake hands with each other – Lavender looked quite disgruntled about that as she massaged her sore back from where she fell on it. Sally-Anne looked positively smug about it. As a class, they discussed the duel – pointing out that Lavender's use of unusual spells for battle to be ingenious, and that Sally-Anne was doing well, but was completely ignoring Neville, among other points. Soon enough the next group was taking their places in the ring.
Harry took the switch-over time and used it to talk with Blaise about their own duel. They were going to fight Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan according to the list and were due after the next duel.
"What are your strong points? Any blind spots you need covering?" Harry asked, leaning against Quirrell's desk.
"I'm not much of a fighter. I'd like to think I'm somewhat a pacifist." Blaise smiled charmingly, flicking his dark curls back. "Although, I do have my moments. My preferred spells are ranged, rather than close-combat though."
"Sweet," Harry grinned. "I can distract and fight them up close, while you attack them from the back. I'll try to keep them on the edge of the arena if I can while you do that. Sounds good?"
"Absolutely," Blaise agreed. "Just get out of the way when I tell you to, or you might get caught in the crossfire."
Hermione and Ron stepped into the arena whispering to each other, seemingly taking the time given to them from the previous fight to come up with a plan. They were followed by Draco and Pansy, who shared one confident look and took their places.
The fight was truly an art. Immediately as the start was announced, the four of them jumped into action. Pansy was closest to Hermione, so she immediately engaged her into the duel. Similarly, Ron and Draco immediately started to cast spells at each other. Within moments, Ron and Hermione were back-to-back in the middle of the arena, with Draco and Pansy circling them like vultures. Spells were shot back and forth, dodged and blocked with a Protego. The longer they fought, the more advanced spells came out.
Hermione's aim was impeccable. If it weren't for Pansy's quick spellwork with Shield Charms, she would've hit bullseye every time. She had a calculating determination in her eyes, her wand movement quick and precise to match. Ron on the other hand, what he didn't have in precision, made up on sheer ability to know what Draco's next move was going to be. It felt like he was playing an elaborate chess match. Ron kept saying things to Hermione, strategizing on the spot as they kept switching duelling partners due to them circling around them. Hermione was quick to respond, never hesitating on anything Ron said.
Meanwhile, Draco had a flair to his spells that could only be achieved with years of practise. His spell work was smooth, more like a dance than a fight. There were no angular, harsh movements like Ron's. All of Draco's moves lead from one into the next, never stopping. He was an even match to Hermione's precision and Ron's quick-thinking, as was Pansy. She was a sneaky little thing, feinting and trying to trick Ron into thinking she was going to do the opposite of what she actually planned. Her small statue aided her in that, as she ducked and cast spells at Ron's legs rather than chest, knowing that it would be less obvious.
The duel looked like it was going to be a draw, and Harry was staring in fascination at the battle in front of him, along with the rest of the audience. It was at just past the half-way part that Ron yelled for Hermione to duck, just as he did so himself. The spell that Draco cast that was aimed at him flew just above their heads, missing them by a hair length – and hitting Pansy right in the chest as she didn't have time to react. The Slytherin girl was sent flying out of the arena, leaving Draco alone to fight their opponents.
At that point, it looked like Draco was done playing around. Soon after Pansy's defeat, Ron was sent stumbling into the side lines. The ginger collected himself quickly, and was left shouting guidance and encouragement at Hermione. He could fully concentrate on figuring out a way to beat Draco from outside the arena – he was defeated, but he didn't look like he was about to give up.
Hermione was alone in the arena fighting Draco. It was clear that the two of them were the top students of their year. The arena looked like a firework display with the amount of flashing lights hitting the magical barrier surrounding it, or the Protego charms of either student. They were an even match, and obviously only a small slip up or stroke of luck would give either victory.
The fight felt like it was longer than three minutes, but the bell announcing the end of it rang that only that time has passed. Hermione and Draco lowered their wands, breathing heavily on either side of the arena. Applause and cheering erupted from the rest of the class, who were on the edge of their seats the whole time. There was no winner, but the fight itself was worth it. Harry was secretly glad it was a draw, as he didn't want to hear either Hermione or Draco bragging for weeks on end about beating the other.
"It seems we have our first draw, congratulations to the four of you for the spectacular display of duelling techniques." Professor Quirrell said, once the applause died down. "Mister Weasley, Miss Granger that was some wonderful team-work. I applaud you for the good use of your time, and strategizing ahead. Mister Weasley, you have some strong battle magic skills, and the tactical thinking you have is rare to see these days. You should consider a career with the Aurors, you would go far with them."
"Thanks Professor. I won't have the NEWTs for it though, I didn't do Potions." Ron smiled sheepishly.
"Hmm, perhaps Hit Wizards then." He said. "If anything, you'd be more suited for that. They don't have required NEWTs for their program, I suggest you look it up if you get the chance. It would be a shame to waste this talent."
Ron made a non-committal noise, although he did look like he was thinking it over. Professor Quirrell quickly led the class to discussing the other points of the duel – Parvati Patil pointed out the precision of Hermione's spells and how she seemed less tired than the rest of them. Harry was impressed when Hermione admitted that she mathematically calculates the exact power each spell she practised needs to work efficiently, and taught herself how to control it. She also said that she does quick calculations for the correct trajectory when aiming. Harry was immediately jealous of the mental maths skills Hermione possessed.
They quickly discuss Draco's flawless skills while he tried not to preen like a peacock, and commented on Pansy's sneaky choices. Lavender mumbled something about Pansy not playing fair – which Professor Quirrell quickly pointed out was part of the assignment.
"In the real world, people you will be duelling won't be playing fair, Miss Brown. Even in duelling competitions, wizards will do anything to get an upper hand on the competition. You should pay attention to Miss Parkinson – perhaps you will learn something that will help you."
Lavender looked like she swallowed a lemon for a long time afterwards. Harry couldn't help but snort as he walked past her to get to the arena.
Harry and Blaise stood on the left side of the circle, with Dean and Seamus stood opposite with their wands drawn. It felt different to be stood inside the glowing line than watch from a safe distance – the area seemed smaller now that Harry was closer. Not that it mattered, he was used to tight places.
Blaise took a step back to stand a little behind Harry. His wand was lowered slightly, and Harry noticed that he slipped marbles into his other hand and was playing with them. Neither Dean nor Seamus seemed to have noticed that.
"How are you with snakes?" Blaise asked quietly, as the class was settling down to watch. Professor Quirrell was stepping up to call start.
"I'm friends with some, aren't I?" Harry replied.
"- and BEGIN!"
Immediately, Harry went into a defensive position, casting a strong shield over himself and Blaise. In good time too, as Dean and Seamus both shot at them just as fast. The spell lights flashed as they hit the shield, fizzling out into nothingness. Harry didn't wait for another attack, instead shooting the Knockback Jinx at Seamus. He dodged it, but jumped back and closer to the edge, which was what Harry wanted.
Harry moved to the side, making sure to be the body shield between Blaise, Seamus and Dean. He just needed to keep them busy for whatever Blaise was planning.
"Impedimenta!" Harry pointed his wand at Dean this time, who was closer. The jinx hit its target. Dean became immobilised, wand raised and half-way through casting a shield charm.
"Harry, move back now!"
He didn't have to be told twice. Harry jumped back, just as the marbles Blaise was holding rolled towards Dean and Seamus. They circled around their feet just as Seamus cast the counterjinx on Dean. The boys noticed them and frowned as they looked down in confusion.
A flare of magic ensnared the marbles, coming from Blaise's direction. Immediately, the marbles melted into another form – and clusters of hissing, irritated snakes slithered around Dean and Seamus' feet. There were plenty of them there to keep the boys' occupied, the mass climbing over their legs and nipping at their ankles. Multi-object transfiguration spell, which made sense as it was one of Blaise's better subjects.
Dean looked positively green at the sight around him, yelling as he tried to get them away from him. Seamus was doing better, although not by much. He kept blasting the snakes away from him, sending them flying – some unfortunately in Dean's direction.
They didn't give up though. The two Gryffindors fought back as best as they could, exchanging blows with Harry and Blaise even with the snakes on their tails. It was weakening them though, as the creatures didn't seem to lose numbers no matter what they did.
It was moments after Harry took a Stinging Hex to the wand arm that was directed at Blaise that everything came to an end. While side-stepping a curse, Seamus tripped over a snake and Blaise took that as his chance to dive from behind Harry and cast the blow that sent the Irish boy flying out of the arena. He then aimed at Dean, which missed, but Harry didn't. Switching his wand to his other hand, he aimed at Dean a split second after Blaise – sending Dean's wand out of his hand and into his own. He didn't hesitate in throwing the wand outside the glowing circle, as Dean desperately dove to grab at it.
"Congratulations are in order, well done both teams." Professor Quirrell said, helping Seamus back onto his feet. "Mister Potter and Mister Zabini take this win. Interesting use of Transfiguration there, Mister Zabini. Are those Weasley Wizard Wheezle's Mass Marbles?"
"Yes Professor," Blaise said, cancelling the transfiguration on the snakes. With a final hiss, they became marbles tumbling around the room. A quick spell later, they were safely back in his pocket.
"Good preparation skills and using your strengths. Don't let me catch you using them in the corridors though, they are still Weasley merchandise and are prohibited. Also, that was some wonderful team work from both of you."
"Thanks," Harry grinned at the teacher, while returning Dean's wand to him. "That was a mean Stinging Hex, Dean."
"That was a mean everything, Harry. Did you have to put so much force behind that other Knockback Jinx? I'm going to have bruises for days." The other Gryffindor laughed.
"Sorry, force of habit." Harry smiled. It was true. The duel reminded him of working with his fellow treasure hunters, when they ended up in traps that required them to fight their way out. He just applied those same techniques to working with Blaise, which seemed to have paid off.
The part of the class that was in the audience quickly discussed the duel, pointing out the good things and the flaws of each person. Harry thought it was a good idea, as there were some things that the audience noticed that the class hasn't, which he would be able to improve on later.
The elated feeling of winning the duel didn't leave him even when Hermione and Draco were listing all the mistakes and wrong moves he made, as in the end he won. There would always be things he could do differently.
It was with that winner's high that he left the class with after the final two duels. Parvati Patil and Daphne Greengrass fought against Theodore Nott and Tracey Davis, which ended with Theodore and Tracey winning. Parvati and Daphne had a flair for theatrics, and their opponents exploited that into quickly hitting them in their blind spots and leaving them wandless.
The last duel was Vincent Crabbe and Millicent Bulstrode, who ended up fighting Dean and Seamus. The latter two boys volunteered for it, as an attempt to heal their bruised egos after their loss. It was a tight call, due to the Gryffindors being tired from the previous duel, but they won in the end. Neither Vincent not Millicent looked too bothered about it the result though.
The happy feeling followed Harry until dinner, when it dawned on him that the bet was coming to an end the next morning. His stomach dropped at the thought, suddenly the feeling of winning at something becoming less important. The more he thought about it, the more he felt like a weight was being piled onto his shoulders, and he felt like he wouldn't be able to stomach the delicious looking roast chicken that he piled onto his plate.
His Free Transfiguration reading wasn't helping him all that much. Harry pulled out the textbook with his dinner, but the words were leaving his brain as soon as he read them.
What did it matter that he won at a Defence duel? They were quick, and Blaise did most of the work. Harry just supported him as best as he could. The win didn't affect his grade, or the bet tomorrow.
Resigned, Harry pushed his plate away and grabbed his textbook. He got out of his seat, and bid everyone goodnight as he left for the dormitory to try and cram more work in. He didn't want to go into the all-house common room, in fear of bumping into Draco (who he didn't notice, but was staring at him from across the hall). Silencing spells and closed curtains would have to do in terms of privacy for studying.
It was going to be a long night.
…
A/N: Quite the long one! Some important stuff happening, and some things just for fun (and partially to set up for the future!). Next chapter: the end of the bet! Is everyone as nervous as I am?
As always, reviews & comments are much appreciated! I read all of them and they make my heart go all warm and fuzzy.