Chapter Fourteen: From Durmstrang With Love
Neville glowered as Harry crossed the small space between them.
'Hello Neville,' Harry said in the calmest voice he could. He was here to try and apologise to Neville, not anger the boy further. Harry wasn't the only Gryffindor with a short fuse after all. 'How are you?'
The sober members of Gryffindor House had stopped their conversations and, apart from the odd giggle from a girl who'd clearly had too much to drink or faint groans from the boy vomiting into a seemingly bottomless brown bag, the room was silent.
The exact details of Harry and Neville's fight hadn't gotten out past Hermione, Tracey, Daphne and the boys themselves. However after three years of Hogwarts and an entire childhood of being together, everyone in Hogwarts knew something was off when Harry and Neville hadn't been seen together since Halloween night.
The Hogwarts Rumour Mill had been going into overtime each theory getting more and more ridiculous as time went on. Harry had stopped listening to the rumours that surrounded his life after the whole mess with the Heir of Slytherin crap but Daphne and Tracey had been keeping him up to speed.
Some of the stuff he'd been told. Honestly it was like the nosy bastards had nothing better to do with their time!
'How am I? Oh you son of-' Neville looked around the crowd and seemed to swallow his words down. 'I'm good thank you. You?'
Harry's stomach flopped. Harry had kinda hoped Neville had forgiven him a little bit. He'd been fooling himself clearly. Neville had every right to be angry. Harry had tried to take his head off with his last spell.
But he had to try, he'd missed Neville more than he'd let on to Daphne, though she probably knew anyway. He loved spending time with Daphne but Merlin he'd missed his best mate.
'Oh you know.' Harry's mouth was dry. His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth as he tried to speak. 'Still alive.'
Sniggers rippled throughout the watching crowd. There was even a slight hint of a smile on Neville's face at Harry's joke but it was clamped down on fiercely.
'Yeah, gave it your best shot though huh Potter?'
Harry nodded and looked away from Neville. He couldn't stand to watch his best friend look at him like that anymore. It was horrible.
He instead focused on Hermione who was chewing on her bottom lip a little ways away behind Neville. Harry and Hermione hadn't spoken since Halloween either. She'd been so scared of him that night. Merlin, another friend he'd frightened. He was such a bastard.
'I … yeah well,' Harry said. He scanned the faces of the crowd and found one of the Twins staring at him. George he thought. Harry mouthed 'help!' at him.
George gave him a solemn nod and clapped his hands together. A loud bang resounded around the Common Room and the students jumped. Some fell over furniture, spilling drinks and food all over the place while others simply shouted and grabbed the nearest person or object for balance.
Harry took advantage of the distraction and strode next to Neville, who was one of the few people who hadn't reacted. He was too used to The Marauders to be shocked by loud noises. Sirius' influence was showing through yet again.
'Can we do this in privacy Neville? Please?' Harry whispered as the two boys stood back to back.
'Fine.' Neville nodded and pushed past him. 'Follow me.'
Neville waved off Hermione, who was already on her feet, and led him up to the fourth year boys' dorms in silence.
Neville pushed open the door. The two boys were hit by the distinctive girlish giggles of Lavender Brown. The ravenette was sat in Seamus' lap as the Irish boy kissed her shoulders and tickled under her slightly lifted top. It would appear Seamus wasn't bothered that Lavender had made a clumsy move on Harry the second he walked in. That or Harry and Neville had interrupted Lavender's apology.
Lavender pushed Seamus away and pulled her top down over her bare tummy. She rushed past the boys in the doorway, her face beet red. Harry resisted the urge to watch her run down the steps.
'Lav wait! Bugger!' Seamus shouted and shot to the doorframe. He turned on the intruders with a scowl. 'Thanks lads, I was in there!'
'Sorry Seamus,' Neville said, though Harry suspected he wasn't really sorry.
Neville had found Lavender in the boys' dorm a lot this year if the girls at the party were to be believed. Jealousy certainly brought out the catty side of some girls if the past couple hours he'd spent with them were anything to go by.
They hadn't liked Lavender trying to claim Harry when she'd already got Seamus wrapped around her little finger. The Irish boy had always been popular with the girls of Gryffindor. Seamus referred to it as the luck of the Irish on the first night back this year. Harry had to agree.
'We need the room Seamus, Lavender will understand.' Harry said. Harry smirked at the angry boy. 'Blame me if she gets pissy with you. Kill two birds with one stone?'
Seamus chuckled and punched Harry's shoulder as he pushed past them. 'Good lad Harry. Now excuse me.'
Harry shut the door and cast a locking charm on the door. It was then that the situation truly hit Harry.
He and Neville were alone for the first time in nearly a month. Fuck, what was he supposed to say now?
Harry moved over to his perfectly kept bed and sat down on it in an effort to buy time to think of something, anything, to say.
'So, you wanted privacy Harry.' Neville sat down on his own bed next to Harry's with his hands resting on his knees. 'Now what?'
Harry ruffled at his hair and clamoured for something to say.
'I don't know Neville,' Harry said. 'I just didn't want to do this in front of everyone.'
'This?' Neville asked with a harsh edge to his voice. 'Gonna take another go at me Potter? Finish the job?'
'No!' Harry shouted, outraged. He jumped to his feet and towered over Neville. 'Is that what you really think I'm here to do? Fuck's sake Nev!'
'It's easier to believe than you actually freaking apologising for something!' Neville snapped back. He was in Harry's face, so close Harry could feel the shorter boy's angry breath smother his nose. 'The great Harry Potter, who's never wrong, who doesn't bother to think about the consequences of his actions. Regardless of who he hurts.'
Neville gnashed his teeth and took advantage of Harry's shock and carried on with his verbal attack.
'Do you ever think Potter? Or is it just you don't think about other people? The world can go fuck itself for all you care is that it?' Neville grabbed his jumper and balled up his fists in the black fabric. 'Do you ever stop and think about the fallout? Or do you just let your precious 'instincts' tell you what to do and leave the rest of us to clean up your mistakes?'
'Nev …' Harry started. Neville had never lost his temper with Harry this much. Not even when he'd stopped Harry killing Wormtail. Neville was enraged and Harry had the feeling it wasn't just because he'd used magic on him. 'What?'
'I'm not done,' Neville snarled at him. 'Not only do you try to kill someone in cold blood, you then attack me on some fucked up belief that stopping you from becoming a murderer was a bad thing and somehow hold me responsible for you being put in the tournament. But to top it all off, I catch you about to hurt the one person who's had your back through everything. Everything Potter! What the hell were you thinking? Kissing Valerie Sutton? The fuck is your problem? Do any of us mean fucking anything to you?'
Harry just stared at Neville. He didn't know what to say. What the hell? This was all because he'd nearly kissed Valerie? That was what set Neville off?
'I didn't kiss her …' Harry said bemusedly. 'And it wouldn't hurt Daphne if I did, you know we're just friends.'
It couldn't just be that, surely?
'Bollocks Potter.' Neville gave him the single most disgusted look Harry had ever seen the boy give someone. 'She's more than that and if you haven't noticed that yet you don't deserve her. Hell in the past month you've shown you don't deserve any of us.'
Neville pushed Harry away hard enough he had to roll backwards over the bed to land on his feet. Even with the bed between them Harry could still feel Neville's anger as if it was being held against his skin.
'What the hell Neville?' Harry asked, completely bamboozled. 'Me kissing another girl that isn't Daphne is what sets you off? I just don't understand, I came here to apologise to you! I'm sorry for everything mate, I just want the chance to make it right.'
'Get out of here Harry.' Neville scowled and turned away from him to fiddle with his bedsheets. 'Go back to your party, go stick your tongue down some random girl's throat and hurt the only friend you've got left. Seems to be about your speed.'
'But …' Harry tried.
'Go!' Neville shouted without turning around. The dorm's door swung open as if it were reacting on cue.
Harry left Neville standing in the dorm and shut the door after him. He walked down the steps as fast as he could without running. He didn't stop until he was nearly out of the Common Room. He wouldn't let them see him lose his tenuous control over his emotions, he needed to get away.
A hand grabbed him around the bend of his elbow and stopped him just as he was about to climb into the portrait hole.
'Harry?' Katie Bell asked with a concerned frown. 'Harry what's wrong?'
Harry painted a smile onto his face. 'Nothing Katie, just getting some air.'
Katie eyed the crumpled collar of his jumper and frowned. 'Guessing your chat with Neville didn't go well huh?'
Harry swallowed as Katie's hands rested on his chest when she straightened out the wrinkles. 'It's not that I just want to get out of here. Too many people you know?'
The brunette smiled at him and tucked a bothersome hair behind her ear. 'It's a bit manic huh? Can I join you?'
Harry looked up at the dorm balconies where Neville was watching him avidly, Hermione stood next to him fretting.
Harry looked away from the boy and smiled back at Katie who'd stepped a little closer to him. Was Neville right? Would he hurt Daphne by kissing another girl? They'd joked about their reactions if they found the other kissing somebody. Harry'd made a joke about not minding if Daphne kissed another girl. Daphne had winked and said she'd let him watch if she did. They'd laughed.
Had he been the only one joking though?
Katie's hand was still on his chest.
Harry looked back up at Neville and Hermione.
'Sorry Katie, but I just wanna be alone yeah? Still a little overwhelmed by the giant you know?'
'Okay Harry, you go get some sleep.' Katie looked crestfallen but it was gone in a blink of an eye as she gave him a peck on the cheek. Her hug lingered just a little too long to be friendly though. 'I'm glad you survived yesterday.'
Harry smiled one last time and ducked out of the Common Room. Neville's angry glare stuck in his mind's eye.
Daphne's bout with Durmstrang's Wanda Maximoff, an average looking witch in her mid-teens, was the last duel of the day.
Daphne had been on tenterhooks with her nerves already but having to go last? It'd nearly put her over the edge. She certainly wasn't in the mood for any of Harry's attempts at consoling her. The snarky comments he'd gotten in the hour before she'd had to join the rest of the Hogwarts Duelling Team had been proof of that.
Though in fairness he wasn't particularly on the ball today, he'd probably been a lot less supportive than he thought he'd been.
He was still reeling from Neville's implications that if he kissed another girl he'd really hurt Daphne. He'd barely slept trying to wrap his head around the idea.
It just didn't make any sense, if he'd been hurting Daphne by flirting and mentioning other girls in front of her she'd have told him surely? Especially after last year when he'd flirted with Cho Chang and Sue Li every chance he got. She hadn't said anything so it mustn't have bothered her.
Neville had to be reading too much into it.
They were close, closer than Harry and Neville were, but they'd never really acted on it past that. He'd also be the first to admit Daphne was gorgeous. The tight fitting duelling uniform she'd had to put on, that didn't leave much to the imagination, had done a wonderful job of reminding him of that. Harry had spent a fair bit of time watching Daphne's arse as she walked away earlier.
He knew Daphne found him attractive as well, she hid her blushes well but Quidditch and duelling training with Alastor had done him the world of favours and she was just as much a teenager as he was. He'd just put the blushes when she'd found him shirtless, or even less clothed, down to hormones rather than any real desire.
The flirting, that most people seemed to take as serious, was another thing that had his head spinning, especially this year. Daphne had taken advantage of her blossoming femininity to win their little flirting competitions since they'd started duelling together before Halloween. Back when things made sense.
Despite his refusal to admit it, Harry had nearly kissed Daphne when he'd pinned her against the wall just before Tracey interrupted their duel. He had been centimetres away. That was just an adrenaline high though. Wasn't it?
But what about all the other times he'd nearly kissed her? Or the times she nearly kissed him. She'd come damn close so many times he'd felt her breath on his lips. It had been so enticing, he'd wanted to taste her so …
Harry shook his head violently and growled. He earned an odd look from a group of Ravenclaws sat next to him in the stands.
This was utter rubbish. Of course he nearly kissed her a few times, he was a teenaged boy, she was a gorgeous teenaged girl who was flirting with him. He was going to be tempted. He'd nearly kissed several girls this year. He was just hormonal or something. Yeah that was it. The only reason it centred in on Daphne was because he spent most of his time with her.
But what about Daphne? A traitorous little voice muttered in his ear. She isn't nearly kissing anyone but you. Are you so sure Neville is wrong? She does only flirt with you. Maybe …
Harry shook his head like a dog with a stick in its mouth. This was not the time for thinking about whether or not his best female friend was more than that. He was here to support Daphne, Hogwarts too he supposed, while she kicked the other girl's arse around the duelling platform.
He had enough complications in his life right now anyway, he could figure out what Daphne felt for him when he wasn't facing down Merlin only knew what in the upcoming tasks. He still had to open the egg come to think of it. Merlin's balls, something else he had to do!
'Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! Are you ready for the last duel of the day?' Ludo Bagman's irritatingly chirpy voice interrupted Harry's thoughts.
The crowd cheered in response and Harry felt growing excitement despite himself. He was eager to see what Daphne could do when she wasn't duelling someone who didn't want to hurt her. Maximoff didn't suffer from that problem though especially given the mean look she'd been giving anyone who got in her way today.
Harry had pulled some punches where he could, Daphne would've killed him if she knew he was going easy on her, so he wasn't sure what Daphne's full potential actually was.
'Please welcome our duellists!' Bagman's voice boomed around the Great Hall.
The tournament officials had turned the middle of the Great Hall into a makeshift stadium. Gone were the House and Staff Tables, replaced by rows of seats that encircled a five foot high, six foot wide and fifteen feet long platform that ran down the middle of the room. The seats had been elevated up to give enough space but there was also plenty of standing room for those who weren't smart enough to get there early.
Bagman had given them a quick rundown of the rules. No killing, no permanent injury and no illegal curses. Harry personally felt they all went without saying but given the watchful looks Moody and Dumbledore were giving the Durmstrang students it didn't seem quite so stupid to make it obvious.
Durmstrang was clouded by mystery but it was common knowledge that they learnt Dark Arts instead of just Defence Against the Dark Arts. Couldn't be too safe, you never knew what nastiness their Death Eater Headmaster had put into the curriculum.
The duels throughout the day had been uneventful despite the concerns. The Durmstrang students seemed to be on the level, even if their Headmaster wasn't. There was the odd semi-legal hex but nothing major.
The biggest shock for Harry was when one of the Beauxbatons students recognised him as the boy made his way up onto the platform. The bloke nearly wet himself when Harry's eyes darkened in recognition. It was the lucky French bastard who'd beaten him in the European Amateur Duelling Tournament!
He struggled for the French wizard's name until Bagman announced him. Jean-Claude something or other. Honestly, how unimaginative were his parents? Frenchman called Jean-Claude, why not just call him Pierre and be done with it?
Harry had deeply regretted not being able to represent Hogwarts during that match. However he felt somewhat vindicated when Jean-Claude beat his Durmstrang opponent rather handily. Even if he did keep shooting nervous looks at Harry.
At least he didn't lose to a completely talentless loser. The shit he'd have got. It didn't bear thinking about.
'Representing Durmstrang and Russia,' Bagman said. 'Wanda Maximoff!'
The Durmstrang students in the crowd cheered and shouted as the rest of the crowd applauded politely.
Wanda made her way up to the platform, unsmiling, and stopped when she reached the middle next to one of Beauxbaton's professors who'd come to act as referee. Bagman may be the commentator but he couldn't be trusted to be impartial. Made sense really, with three schools, the one not being represented should provide a ref. There would be a chance for an impartial referee that way.
She was in fully red battle robes that hugged her body like a Muggle spandex suit. It cut down on wind resistance letting movement easier and giving all the spectators an eyeful. Wanda had an athlete's figure and walked with a familiar comfort in the robes. Harry wouldn't be surprised if Wanda duelled in tournaments like Harry did. That could be problematic, he only hoped Daphne had improved with his help. She'd hate to lose.
'And her opponent, representing Hogwarts and Slytherin House.'
Harry stopped studying Wanda for possible weaknesses to watch the stairs again.
'Daphne Greengrass!'
The crowd cheered louder as Hogwarts tried to encourage its own.
Daphne, her hair bouncing as she strode up the stairs, grinned confidently. Her eyes snapped to where she knew Harry was sitting and she winked.
Harry shook his head and smiled. Her jet black battle robes were accented by green stripes up the sides and around her neckline. Daphne had caught him staring at her a couple times today. He'd been rather obvious he supposed. Well at least she was looking more confident about her duel. Teasing Harry, even just a little, must have relaxed her a bit.
'If ze two competitors would take zair positions?' The Beauxbatons referee's heavily accented voice had been charmed to be as loud as Bagman's. 'Mademoiselle Greengrass to my left if you pleeze,' he gestured for Daphne to start walking. 'And Mademoiselle Maximoff to my right.'
The girls nodded to the referee and took their positions at opposite ends of the platform. When they reached their marks the girls turned and bowed to each other. Daphne bowed a lot lower than Wanda. The Russian girl was definitely a duellist, no one on the circuit really bothered with the bowing tradition.
The referee waited long enough for the two duellists to take stances. Harry smiled to himself when Daphne adopted Harry's favourite stance. One foot forward and her wand hand raised next to her head. Wanda adopted her own stance, crouched ready to bound forwards.
'Duel!'
Daphne zipped forward the second the referee had finished talking and let loose a shouted, 'Confringo!'
Wanda's eyes widened slightly but her wand was up quick enough to cast a speedy shield charm. Daphne's opening spell splattered across it.
Daphne cast her own shield, a blue disc around her left arm, and cast again before Wanda could retaliate. 'Expulso! Reducto!'
The two spells were batted away with ease as Wanda gave Daphne a contemptuous look. The Russian witch conjured several tennis balls and fired them at Daphne.
Daphne frowned as she ducked and weaved out of the way of the assault. The balls went flying off the platform and vanished as they passed the wards protecting the stands.
Daphne span out of the way of the last tennis ball and stabbed her wand at Wanda's midriff. 'Everte Statum!'
Wanda swayed to her left as Daphne's spell flew past her and flicked her wand back at Daphne wordlessly. A bolt of blue magic flew at Daphne but she was already moving.
Daphne blasted the platform at her feet and engorged the rubble into boulders half her size and propelled them at the other witch.
'Findo!' Wanda finally spoke but she still hadn't moved. 'Repulso!'
Daphne's boulder split into two equal halves as Wanda sliced upwards and sent the halves flying back at Daphne with a flick of her wand.
The blonde dodged clumsily and Harry grimaced. She hadn't expected to have her own attack reversed. He knew he should have brought conjuring into their practices more.
Wanda took advantage of Daphne's stumble and fired several spells at her in quick succession.
Daphne brought her shield up just in time for the first spell to strike it and knock Daphne further back. The second and third knocked Daphne's shield out of the way and the fourth hit Daphne square in the chest.
As the yellow bolt made contact Daphne was knocked over and Harry tightened his hands onto his seat so he didn't reach for his wand. It was a competition, he couldn't interfere just because his friend was losing.
Daphne managed to turn her fall into a backwards roll and came up crouched low and angry. Not good. If Daphne got angry she wouldn't focus and Maximoff would continue to dominate the duel. The most annoying part of this for Daphne must have been that the other witch didn't seem to be taking the blonde seriously. She hadn't even moved from her starting spot yet.
'Retroago! Incarcerous!' Daphne said. Ropes fired at Maximoff and she was too busy cutting them in half to notice Daphne's muttered spell aimed at her feet. 'Duco!'
Daphne's spell hit and Maximoff's feet were pulled from under her and the Russian girl landed on her back with a crash.
Daphne grinned victoriously when the other girl came up scowling. Would appear dear Wanda didn't like being humiliated either. She was angry and it showed in her casting.
Maximoff reeled off another volley of spells. 'Confringo! Diffindo! Reducto! Bombarda!' The Russian witch stomped closer with each spell.
Daphne dived to her side and rolled into a kneeling position. 'Aquamenti!'
Maximoff conjured a larger shield to block off the jet of water but it had still drenched her pretty thoroughly. Maximoff was seething behind her clear shield.
'Ventus!' Daphne said and walked closer to her opponent.
Maximoff strengthened her shield as wind buffeted her body and scowled. Daphne had her on the back foot and the Russian witch knew it.
Harry had to laugh at Daphne's use of spells. Water and wind, she'd basically washed Maximoff's hair for her. It was a shame talking was frowned upon during these duels. Harry just knew Daphne had some brilliant trash talk to go with those spells.
Daphne cut off her wind attack and snapped off a blasting curse.
Maximoff dodged and shouted. 'Incarcerous!'
Three sets of ropes fired towards Daphne. She flicked her wand three times and the ropes turned into snakes. With a swirl of her wand the hissing snakes were turned around and shot at Maximoff.
Harry smirked. Well she was representing Slytherin.
Maximoff dispatched the snakes swiftly, their bodies dropping to the floor in halves.
Daphne kept up her attacks though. 'Diffindo! Reducto! Calce Ferio!'
Maximoff used her shield, which had been darkening steadily since Daphne had started with the water spell, shattered as Daphne's second spell hit it. Daphne's third spell hit Maximoff in the gut. Harry winced appreciatively as the girl shouted in pain and dropped to her knees.
Calce Ferio was a nasty little spell. If it hit you it left you feeling like you'd been kicked in the stomach, balls and chest. Repeatedly.
Alastor had hit Harry with it once. Harry made sure it was only ever the once.
'Stupefy!' Daphne said in a final tone.
The red bolt hit Maximoff in the forehead and the Russian slumped to the floor in an unceremonious heap. Her wand clattered as it hit the platform.
'Greengrass wins! 'Ogwarts wins!' The referee shouted over the cheers of the watching Hogwarts crowd. 'Greengrass wins!'