Summer to Remember
Harry Potter/ Fay Dunbar
IXX
Gryffindor was now an extremely odd place to be. True to the rumour mill, word had gotten out that someone in the tower was selling weed in the house and throughout the school. The best thing was no-one had managed to pin it on Harry and Neville; Snape suspected but due to Harry's rather excitable Animagus form, Harry had learnt Occlumency, he'd never be considered an expert but his defences were set up in such a way that would give experienced and natural legilimencers and occlumens an effort to break in.
Snape's passive skimming had been firmly rebuffed "Since when has Potter, been able to perform Occlumency? Especially since Albus has removed all books on the subject from the Library? Also his meddling with Potters life appears to have diminished." The Potions Master thought as he dug into a beautiful Toad-in-the-Hole.
Severus as child had never been one of the most privileged and had learnt how to stretch the most meagre salaries. His mother had worked herself to death trying to keep food on the table; whilst his father drunk himself to death. Thankfully, this had happened just after he had graduated from Hogwarts, he had shed tears after his mother but not his father. Currently he was in a very interesting discussion about the Wolfsbane Potion and the fact that the ingredients used in it were typically used to form a base for more powerful alchemy based transmutations.
Gifted Potions Master he may be, but the brunette blue-clad pureblood from France had not just a Masters in Potions but also something in the Muggle World known as a Doctorate in Botany and Biochemistry. He grinned a shy little grin and plans in his mind began to form…If Voldemort could be defeated and he could be free of his two masters then he would definitely pursue a degree. "Are you okay Professor?" Asked Amelia Delaroux.
"Just some idle thoughts Doctor, I have found myself suffering from poor life choices when I was a youth and I have almost resigned to never being free of the consequences."
"Professor; you will always suffer from the consequences of your actions. You cannot let them control and dictate them; you're a smart man. If you think it through; you'll find your answers."
Snape nodded "Thank you Doctor, please call me Severus."
"Only if you call me Amelia…What else is plaguing you."
Snape sighed "Someone, in this school is supplying various drugs to the others…I have my suspicions but I cannot prove it."
"Have you not alerted the Headmaster?"
"I have done, he is already aware. He is agreeing with me that punishment is required; but he is also favourable with it as you have heard several groups of students in Hogwarts are…incompatible with even the most polite greetings without it escalating into violence."
Amelia nodded primly "That includes your house and House Gryffindor." As she looked up, she saw that the Gryffindors were definitely loud and entertaining group, but even to her in-experienced eye noticed several different layers. A loose forming hierarchy in the House; her eyes drifted onto Harry Potter, who looked up from his stew and then looked down again, and his close associates.
"I can see what you mean. The Gryffindors and Slytherins; one group is intentionally hostile and it escalates."
Severus nodded "One of my choices has rendered me unable to display my true stance on several topics and bring my house under my thumb firmly. Minerva does a stellar job in keeping the Gryffindors from going to far."
"As much as I try to Severus; however it is more down to my choices in Prefects and the Quidditch Team. With my duties as Deputy Headmistress; Transfigurations Professor and Master and being a Head of House some of the jobs can be hard to handle."
"Have you not thought about handing some of your duties over?"
"I have but with the current staff and with the Headmaster, being the Headmaster, my choices are rather limited."
"Have you thought about expanding the current roster of staff? Sorry to interject." It was Doctor Crane.
"Doctor Crane…I'm sorry for dismissing you." Severus replied; the Dark Creature Hunter was a man he could definitely respect.
"In America; we have implemented a system of mentor and mentee where the younger students welfare are looked after by an older student. Then in turn each group of in-house residents are subsequently turned into a 'House' with an assigned counsellor with additional members of staff on hand. These members of staff are there purely for the students. Just a way to help with all the students."
McGonagall nodded "Definitely something to consider."
(Meanwhile at the Gryffindor Table)
"Harry, you okay?" It was Hermione.
"Sorry…you were saying? I'm okay…just thinking we might need to arrange for a fall guy…"
Fay looked at her boyfriend "No…"
"I wasn't…"
"It's your face. I know your resting face and the face when you come up with a plan…Remember, they can't technically do anything…But who would you pin it on?"
Harry looked out the corner of his eye to see Ron, almost literally devouring everything around him. Food dripping down his chin. "Him."
Hermione giggled "Seriously Harry."
"Last time I checked, that's my Godfather." Harry took the swats to the head in good nature. He turned and narrowly ducked one from Cormac McLaggen.
"McLaggen for the sake of Hogwarts…Fuck off and leave me alone." Harry snapped.
McLaggen smirked "That's Heir McLaggen…"
"Heir McLaggen, I as the Heir to the House of Potter politely ask you to leave me alone. But first why did you attempt to swipe at my head, considering we have said nothing to each other than petty spells sent each other's way after my name came out of the Goblet."
"You managed to fool the spirit of our house. I've decided to make you confess in front of the school. Your friends did it, I figured we were good friends I'd do it as well."
Harry's composure cracked, magic flared and the hall fell silent "You want satisfaction, Heir McLaggen? You're the challenger. I'm the challenged. Right here, right now, if you want a second or even a third that's fine. We're doing this until one of us cannot continue."
"Heir Potter…are you sure about this." Announced Dumbledore.
"Aye, Headmaster. I have politely asked him several times; this is the last straw. All I want from him is for him to apologise for his actions against me and to leave me alone. He has pushed this for a while; thus I want it to be done here and now."
Dumbledore nodded and a stone arena appeared in the middle of the Hall. "I won't require a Second."
"Neither will I."
Harry and Cormac stood in the middle, bowed and walked back ten paces before turning around as Professor Flitwick spoke. "This is the last moment, Heir McLaggen will you apologise?"
"No."
"Heir Potter, this is the last moment for you to walk away from this."
"I cannot, Professor."
Flitwick nodded. He had seen these transgressions. "Heir Potter, please don't toy with him."
"I'll consider it Professor."
"On my count of three the duel will commence; no unforgivable curses or magic otherwise banned from the ICW." The duo nodded, that had restricted Harry's arsenal of spells but it still allowed him the majority of his elemental magic. Elemental magic hadn't been banned but it had been forgotten, this was fine Harry was going to use his elemental spells anyway. Nothing got the message across better.
The two duellists looked at each other, Harry relaxed. The world faded leaving only him and Cormac McLaggen. Cormac smirked he brought his wand up and a spell chain launched from his lips. The combination was an unorthodox one but effective consisting of two bludgeoning hexes, a stomach curdler and a bone locker; a bit like the full-body bind only it locked joints into place.
The spells surged forwards, Harry concentrated and murmured "Deflector!" With almost pinpoint precision he knocked the two bludgeoning hexes away, grunted as the stomach curdler caught him in square in the chest and he just about knocked the sickly yellow curse away.
Fighting the urge to throw up, Harry dug deep and returned fire with a flurry of flippendo jinxes, disarming charms and a concealed hurling hex. He was a fourth year and he was going to show the fifth year a little bit about despite knowing less, he knew how to practically apply it. "Is that it? All that the Fifth Tri-wizard Champion can muster…I must say, Cedric would be a far better opponent. You don't even know how to duel!"
Harry sighed, coughed once, his dinner ended up on the floor which he vanished "McLaggen; time for me to put you in your place. Wind Battle Style: Open Destruction!" A small orb of wind appeared at the tip of Harry's wand and with a casual flick it roared towards the fifth year, who casually summoned a standard 'protego'. It was the wrong move, McLaggen unfortunately didn't comprehend the name of the elemental spell as when the spell formed the draught generated by the students moving and turned into a howling tornado and compressed into an orb. Said orb hit and promptly annihilated the simple barrier spell that McLaggen had conjured and exploded violently, launching out visible bludgeoning circles of wind.
McLaggen had no chance as the orb shattered his primitive defence. The first circle removed what was left of the shield; the second slammed into McLaggen with the force of a bludger and the third one lifted him off his feet and into the wards containing the duel; which began to turn a shade of red as they struggled to contain the raw power of the elemental spell. "McLaggen, do you yield?" Harry yelled as the winds died down.
"No! You dishonourable coward…using illegal unsanctioned magic…"
"No, Mr. McLaggen…Elemental magic has not been banned by the ICW. Questionable yes but not banned, mainly because no-one has delved deep into that particular branch in a long time." Flitwick called.
"Here's another one…Magicus Ensis!" This time an emerald green blade about three foot long appeared on the tip of Harry's wand.
"As a child of a noble family, you must know this?" McLaggen smirked and a dark brown blade appeared.
The blades clashed and the sound of spells collided permeated the atmosphere. McLaggen, unfortunately for Harry's experience McLaggen was more experienced at fencing however he was incredibly flamboyant and the duel ended with Harry, dispelling his blade and hitting McLaggen square in the face with a stunner.
"I'm satisfied."