A/N- This has not been beta-read, so any mistakes are my own. Also, this was not in the plan when I first started this, but the muse very clearly had other ideas.
Read, enjoy, and let me know what you thought in the comments!
The castle had been in a flurry of gossip for days about the announced Honor duel between Gryffindor's King, Harry Potter, and a relatively unknown fifth year, Fiona Belmont. Finally, though, the day had come.
A large crowd of students had clustered around The Quad, where all formal duels took place, waiting for the arrival of the duelists and the Kings and Queens of Hogwarts' other houses, whose presence was required at any duel involving a House Crown.
Xander Lofthouse, the stocky fifth year who was the new King of Slytherin arrived first. Susan Bones, a regal seventh year and Queen of Hufflepuff arrived next. She and Xander nodded to each other and took their places on the opposite sides of the ward stones, each standing close enough that the hems of their robes touched the ancient stones.
Harry Potter and Padma Patil, King and Queen of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, respectively, arrived next conferring quietly. All except Harry, who was in dragonhide dueling robes, wore the ornate ceremonial robes of the House Kings and , Harry had come to Padma, who was well known for her vast repository of charms, for something to give him a leg up in the duel, not that he needed much of one.
The Quad was filled with students, and even a few of the younger professors and the anticipatory excitement was palpable; watching the Potter Heir duel was a sight to behold, and one that the castle hadn't seen since he won Gryffindor's crown. Everyone was just waiting for the challenger, Fiona Belmont.
Just as the chatter in the crowd was starting to rise, Fiona arrived, looking slightly pale. Anyone with eyes though could see her hatred for the Gryffindor King radiating off of her. Dressed in an old pair of dueling robes that almost looked homemade, she didn't say a word to anyone.
She and Harry stepped into the dueling ring and stood in the center circle, close enough to touch the other, each with rigid postures. Unlike modern dueling rings, which were more rectangular in shape, the Quad's ring was Pictish in design with a small circle enclosed by a large oval.
Padma Patil pulled a scroll out of her robes and unfurled it, "Today, Friday, October the seventh, 1997, Fiona Belmont, of House Gryffindor, called an Honor Duel between her and Gryffindor's King, Heir Henry Potter-" scattered applause rang out at Harry's given name, and Padma waited for it to die down before continuing.
"The duel was called on the grounds of honor. It has been alleged that House Potter has slandered the honor of House Belmont." Padma rolled up the scroll and stepped back, her role done.
"Standard rules for an Honor Duel apply." Xander called out, "Use of the Unforgivable Curses and Class X spells are prohibited. The duel will last until one has possession of another's wand. The winner receives the Crown of House Gryffindor and the loser is required to give a public apology to the victor. The Rules have been read, duelists, you can begin."
Xander stepped back and joined the Queens as they all tapped their wands on the wardstones, causing the ancient magic to flare to life. In a steady, measured pace the protective magic of the wardstones became corporal and rose into the air, ensconcing the dueling ring in a shimmering dome of translucent magic.
Harry and Fiona each bowed at the waist with their wand arms crossing their chest and extending in rigid lines parallel to the ground. Each turned and took exactly fifteen paces in a straight line, coming to stand at either end of the dueling ring. Curt nods of the head had dueling etiquette satisfied, causing each of the House Rulers to send sparks into the air.
The duel had begun.
Fiona started out first, casting a bevy of spells in quick succession. The crowd watched in eager quiet as they rushed towards Harry, who had yet to move a muscle. Fiona smirked, believing that her spells would decimate Harry, and the Quad was filled with noise- why had he not moved a muscle, bothered to cast a single spell?
The spell chain came within millimeters of Harry, the force of them ruffling his hair, before dissipating with nary a sound. Without sparing a glance at the face of his opponent, who is utterly dismayed, Harry goes on the advance.
Casting a Cornish shield with his left hand as Fiona starts to cast in rapid desperation, Harry starts with a knockback jinx that Fiona dives out of the way of. A sharp jab of his wand and a barely heard whisper has the ground under Fiona's feet form into deep furrows, causing her to fall.
The watching crowd gasps as Harry successfully casts a wind spell that picks up the dirt of the dueling ring and turns the area into a dust-filled tornado. Fiona can be heard swearing profusely and the red light of a Stunner is sent in Harry's direction, missing him by millimeters; she may be outclassed, but the youngest Belmont has an impressive aim.
An Aguamenti by Fiona has the dirt of the dueling ring transformed into mud, but her triumph at stopping Harry's dust tornado is short-lived as he deftly jumps into the air and casts a hardening spell, his feet landing on firm earth while hers are ensconced within.
"Do you concede?" Harry asked, some arrogance leaking into the mein he kept carefully controlled from the rush of magic. He circled around her, close enough for her to hear his hushed tone, but far enough out of her reach.
For one with her feet trapped in mud, Fiona didn't back down.
She spat, a gob of her saliva landing on the toe of Harry's boot. "This isn't over until one of us has the other's wand, Potter," she snarled, "or were the rules of the duel too complex for you to understand?" She shot a round of stunners at Harry, only for them all to be absorbed by his still-active Cornish shield.
It was that moment when Harry realized this was not going to be over until something drastic was done. Belmont was going to go at him until she was magically exhausted; there would be no concession, no acceptance of defeat from this stubborn witch.
Harry shook his head, "Fine," he said in an undertone, "we'll do this your way."
He didn't want to do this.
Sirius and Remus had trained Harry for years in defensive magic, including wordless-wandless and simultaneous casting, which the wider wixen world believed to be monumentally challenging magic. Magic that a 16 year old wizard should not be able to do- there was a reason that Sirius and Remus were the only wix alive who knew the full breadth of Harry's abilities.
But Harry could not let this ridiculous mess go on for any longer. All he was doing at this point was pandering to Belmont's ego and victim complex and giving Hogwarts enough gossip to last the next two years. He had no desire to end his final year as Gryffindor King with dissent in his House. It had taken years for things to reach the peace they were at now and Harry was going to be the first Gryffindor Ruler to pass his Crown peacefully.
With grim determination and an apology to his guardians for the furor he was going to cause, Harry snapped his fingers.
Fiona Belmont slumped forwards, knocked out cold with surprise etched onto her face as her wand flew into Harry's open the sheer silence of the Quad, Harry was positive that everyone heard the sound of wood meeting flesh.
The magic of the wards dissipated as the ancient stones recognized that the duel was over. With an imperceptible shake of his head, as if he were shaking himself back into reality, Xander was the first of the House Rulers to recover.
"King Potter wins the honor duel!" He called out to the still silent Quad before crossing his wand in front of his chest and bowing to Harry.
That managed to shake Susan and Padma out of their shocked states. Both dropped into deep curtseys, with Susan folding her arms so she was in a formal avalon curtsey. This was likely the first time a formal avalon curtsey had been performed since the court of King Arthur, which for Harry was a foreboding indicator of the consequences of his actions.
This definitely changed every one of long-term plans Sirius, Remus, and Harry developed- and all the contingency plans too.
Harry was going to be in so much trouble.