Chapter 10 – Let the games begin
The next morning found Tonks, Lupin and McGonagall in the kitchen before anyone else woke up.
"Remus, Albus was right last night. We have come about a potion that can help. The only setback we have is that there no other such horcruxes that we can try on." McGonagall explained. "This brings me to what I want you to do."
Lupin nodded for her to carry on.
"The potion should be ready the day before full moon, so I know you would be inconvenienced, but till then I want you to start duelling with Harry. In case this doesn't work and we need a back-up plan, he needs to ready for it."
"I'll help too Minerva. It would be nice to beat someone else's arse than his every day." Tonks nudged Lupin naughtily. Lupin gave her a sly smile.
"That would help very much. We can start with just one of you, and increase to both of you, and so on and so forth. Let us try and get the others slowly involved too, but just Harry for now." McGonagall agreed.
"Sure professor. When should we start?" Harry entered, unnoticed by them.
They all swirled to see dishevelled, barely awake Harry.
"Good morning Harry." Lupin greeted "When would you like to start?"
"Anytime you want to start, as long as I can have my breakfast first." Harry replied sheepishly
"I'll get to that. Was sure I was forgetting something, this was it."
As Tonks went to talk to the elves about breakfast, McGonagall invited Harry to sit in her vacated seat.
"Harry, I think you should read up on various duelling techniques, stances, spells, hexes, curses et cetera, before actually diving into duelling with Remus." McGonagall reasoned with him. "I understand that most of the things are instinctual when it comes to the field, but the material will help you get started nonetheless."
Nodding, Harry agreed to what his professor had to say.
"Professor, you mentioned involving everyone one by one, which means we should all start reading up on the material. And knowing Hermione, she would have already begun." Harry smiled at the very obvious Hermione behaviour.
"That sounds like her and Blaise coming right now, let's ask her."" Lupin noticed.
"Good morning everybody" Hermione cheerily greeted the kitchen occupants.
As Harry had correctly guessed, Hermione had already read up on the duelling material and was more than willing to break down the material into precise pointers for everyone else.
"So, while the basic casting is the same as what we have learnt, the force and intensity of the spell determines how well it'll affect the opponent." Hermione finished.
"One more thing Hermione, would the same rules apply when you are faced with multiple opponents? Suppose I'm going against Professor Lupin, Tonks and Blaise all at once, for example" Harry asked
"It would be the same, yes, but you would have to be faster too, to be able to offend and defend at once."
"That makes sense. Though I'll properly need to practice to really make more sense out of all this"
Unknown to them, Blaise had perked up instantly upon hearing his name in their conversation. 'So Harry, you have been thinking about me too?'
"Professor Lupin, may I have a word with you?" Hermione approached Lupin as he was entering his room.
Nodding for her to join him, he led the way to a small sitting area at the end of the corridor.
"What's on your mind, Hermione?" He asked.
Fiddling with the end of her shirt, she pondered how to begin. "Well sir, I've explained to Harry the basics of what's to be done and how to go about it."
"I've been keeping an eye on you lot, I'm aware of how you've taught them." Lupin said proudly
Hermione gave a tentative smile.
"That's all fine sir but we've only learnt the simple spells. What happens when we're not aware of the spells being sent towards us? Or what if things go out of hand and we are forced to use the ones that we shouldn't even mention? What happens when we have to fight fire with fire?"
Hermione was on the verge of tears. She knew that absolutely anything can go wrong, no matter how meticulous your planning may be. There was always a little loophole.
"Hermione…" Remus came and sat on the arm of her chair, giving her an awkward yet reassuring hug "Once we get into the intricacies of duelling, I'll be there guiding you at every step. We'll work on everything, every imaginable spell and tactic there is. We will be successful, okay?"
Hermione sniffled but nodded.
"Thank you professor, it seems I just needed a pep-talk." She admitted sheepishly.
"Oh that's plenty fine Hermione, we all need one from time to time." Lupin gave her a smile.
"Now, what do say about calling Sirius around and learning about Animagi? Let's get our minds of this nonsense for now." Lupin readily changed the subject.
"I think he was mentioning about it last night during the party too." Hermione agreed.
"Oh, then we mustn't keep him waiting. You don't know how impatient he can become." Lupin joked.
They made their way laughing to the floo room.
"Potter, tell me something." Blaise interrupted Harry's reading.
"What would you like me to tell you Blaise?" Harry couldn't quite muster up the courage to look at Blaise in the eye.
"Am I suddenly becoming delusional, or have you been purposely avoiding me all day?"
Harry sighed; he knew this topic would come up at some point.
"You gave me a lot to think about last night Blaise; I still don't know how to approach you about it. In fact I don't know how to approach myself about it."
He finally managed to look up at Blaise. 'What am I thinking? Just look at him, how have I not noticed him before? Holy Merlin, what am I thinking?! Get a hold of yourself Harry!"
Blaise stood silently, observing the run of emotions on Harry's face. Once it seemed that Harry had come to a metaphorical pause, he knelt in front of him, lightly supporting himself on Harry's knees.
"Harry, just because I feel a certain way about you, or rather the male species, it doesn't mean that you should too." Blaise came to a pause sensing Harry tense.
"Wait, you don't know, do you? You're confused because you…liked it?" Blaise raised an eyebrow at Harry. "Is that what's confusing you? That you've always preferred girls over guys and now that you enjoyed my touch last night, it's left you in a tizzy?"
Harry weakly nodded, leaving Blaise dumbfounded, until he broke into hearty laughter
"Oh dear Merlin, Potter!" Blaise roared.
All Harry could do was wait till Blaise got a hold of himself to ask why it was so funny.
"Umm, Blaise?"
Wiping the remnants of his laughter from his eyes, "Potter, do you fancy both?"
"What do you mean fancy both?"
Blaise just smirked, "Can't help you there Potter" and strode out the room, still chuckling at the situation.
Once again, Harry could only stare at Blaise's retreating figure.
"Neville, old chum" Sirius slapped Neville on his back, causing him to spit out the water he was about to drink.
"Good lord Sirius, some warning would've been nice." Neville managed to clean himself up before going in for a 'manly' hug.
Smiling widely at each other "So, Moony said you needed my assistance"
"Did I need your assistance? I don't remember asking Lupin for your assistance."
"Well I'm here anyway, so tell me, what's up?"
Just then Lupin and Hermione walked into the kitchen.
"Oh good, you're here already." Lupin went to hug Sirius as Hermione seated herself at the kitchen island.
Sirius made his to Hermione bowing comically low; he extended his hand asking for hers, "mi lady"
Hermione clearly amused, placed her hand in Sirius'. He placed a chaste kiss on her knuckles, giving her a cheeky wink.
"Hello cousin Sirius" Draco drawled "to what do we owe the pleasure of your company this evening?" he was clearly unimpressed by Sirius' antics; little did he know that that instigated Sirius to do more.
Casually draping his arm over Hermione's shoulder "Well dear cousin of mine, do ask your ex-professor Lupin why he has called me, for I am yet to find out too."
"Oh yes, I called you for two reasons, one, I needed something to distract that lovely lady you've captured, so two, I would love for you to educate said lady and her companions, on the art of Animagi. How does that sound?"
"Lovely lady that's true, but have I captured her yet?" Sirius looked slyly at Hermione who happened to be blushing intensely under his gaze.
Clearing his throat "You haven't, but I surely have, so if you wouldn't mind, do remove your arm from her shoulders." Draco ordered
"I must obey thy majesty's orders. Apologies sire for I have wronged thee." Once again bowing low, giving Hermione a cheeky wink, he straightened up and went to sit next to Lupin.
Draco took this opportunity to go stand next to Hermione, protectively holding onto her waist. He couldn't resist the smug smile that came upon his face as she melted into his side.
"So, how shall we begin?" Sirius was giddy with excitement. Neville couldn't quite place what he had just witnessed, but if it was true, and Draco had captured Hermione's heart, than he was sure that Draco really had changed, and that too, for the better. This was Hermione after all; she wouldn't let herself fall for just about anyone.
"Minerva, I hope I haven't interfered with anything?" Lupin questioned.
McGonagall had come around for a visit. Now that the school was off on vacation, she had a lot of time to herself, and as with every year, she was getting bored. And while every year she used to catch up on all the books she accumulated over the year to read during the break, this year she had the kids to keep her occupied, and she wouldn't say it out loud, to anyone, ever, but she loved it!
"I don't think this interferes with anything. The kids need to be kept occupied, and this is not only a useful skill, but it'll help them in the end game too." McGonagall agreed.
Lupin let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in. McGonagall's approval had always meant a lot to him.
"Do get them registered though, we don't want another gang like yours terrorising Hogwarts with their antics." McGonagall tried to be nonchalant, but there was no mistaking the gleam in her eyes and pride in her voice when talking about the Marauders.
Lupin chuckled beside her, "Even after the registration, there's no guarantee that they won't be terrors." McGonagall merely hummed her agreement.
"What do you think you'll become?" Hermione went around asking everyone.
"Hermione, we first need to see all your Patronus', only then can we test what you would become" Sirius explained. "Now as far as Harry has told me, most of you know how to conjure a Corporeal Patronus, correct?" Those that knew duly nodded. "Great, let's have a look, all together now"
And at once, Hermione, Ron, Harry, Luna and Neville raised their wands. "EXPECTO PATRONUM" they shouted, the area filling with misty shapes before evolving in to the various shapes of their Patronus'.
Ron's Jack Russell Terrier readily chased Hermione's Otter, whereas Harry's Stag royally moved around the area. Luna's Hare bounced around her head, while Neville's mist enveloped him, not forming a particular shape and remaining non-corporeal.
Draco, Blaise and Theo looked around them in awe. These were the people they had become friends with, stumping them with everything they did. Only one thought ran through Draco's mind 'Holy mother of Merlin, I'm going to fall for her, and fall hard.'
"Very impressive! They were beautiful." McGonagall rejoiced. She hadn't known that the children were able to do such acts. "Remus you have taught them well."
Lupin blushed, "It wasn't me that taught them Minerva. While I did begin this, and most of them could do it in class too, but truly it wasn't until Harry taught them again during the DA meetings that they really got the hang of it and the confidence to carry them out with such ease." Lupin beamed at Harry. He always will be his first child, even if he wasn't his by birth, once a Marauders' kid, always a Marauders' kid.