* ~ The Eighth Year Universe Series ~ *
PART THREE
The Eighth Year
Chapter 34: Nothing Like a Little Competition
After the big affair at New Year, the group staying at Potter Manor had decided to go their own ways before going back to Hogwarts a few days later. Harry, Daphne, Draco and Hermione would be joining the Weasley's that afternoon. Sadie and Theo would be visiting Sadie's Mother. Tracey and Dean were going to spend the day with Dean's family, and Neville, Hannah and Susan would be spending some time with Hannah's parents.
However, before they went their separate ways, they had a late breakfast together.
"Well, last night was fun," Harry yawned as he tucked into some crumpets and poured himself a mug of strong coffee.
"Agreed," Draco yawned.
Neville frowned, "Uh, haven't either of you seen the prophet yet?"
Both Draco and Harry shook their heads, and Neville tentatively handed the paper to Harry. Draco was off of his chair in seconds to stand behind Harry so that he could see the front page. Dean and Theo sniggered quietly over their crumpets.
"Oh, for the love of Godric," Harry muttered.
Draco's face paled, "My reputation, it's ruined!"
"Stop being such a drama queen Draco," Daphne said. She rolled her eyes at Hermione, "Your pureblooded Slytherin prince reputation has been ruined since you started dating a Muggle-born; get over it."
"Have you seen this?" Draco asked the girl, he thrust the paper in her face, and she choked a little on her crumpet when she saw the front page because she was laughing.
The headline shouted out in capital letters, "WAR HERO AND DEATH EATER: SECRET LOVERS?"
Underneath were moving pictures of Harry and Draco dancing before the Yule Ball.
"How did she even get those pictures?" Hermione asked.
Draco glared in the direction of his friends, "Well, it's a bit of a dead giveaway considering that the only people who were with us were those three!"
"It wasn't me!" Neville said, raising his hands, "I was standing next to you the whole time, remember?"
"How much did you get for them?" Harry asked Dean and Theo, who looked vaguely terrified.
"500 Galleons," Dean lied.
Harry snorted, "Bullshit. Come on, Theo, how much?"
"1,000 Galleons," Theo said.
Harry saw through his lie and shook his head, "Come on; keep going."
Dean sighed and glared at Theo as if this was all his fault even though the Gryffindor had taken the photos on his camera, "1,500 Galleons," he said finally.
"Alright," Harry said, he nodded and took a sip from his coffee, "So between four of us, that's 375 Galleons each, deal?"
Dean and Theo looked surprised but nodded, "Deal," they agreed. They knew they were lucky Harry hadn't attacked them or duelled them.
Draco grinned and patted Harry on the back, "How very Slytherin of you. You have no idea how proud I am."
Harry smirked at Draco, but their pride didn't last long because Daphne started to read the article in the prophet aloud.
"Last night Mr Harry Potter, Saviour of the Wizarding World, gave a moving speech at his New Year's party, which he attended with his close friend and ally Mr Draco Malfoy. In this speech, Mr Potter said he would like to celebrate the bringing in of a year free of Voldemort and to give tribute to those who fell in both of the Wizarding Wars. The party was an enjoyable night for all involved, including Professor Minerva McGonagall (Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry) and her 'date' Kinglsey Shacklebolt (our very own Minister for Magic) (see page 2). Also for Susan, the daughter of the prestigious Bones' and Quidditch hottie Viktor Krum (see page 5)."
"I made page 5 of the Prophet!" Susan exclaimed.
Daphne laughed and turned to page 5 to read the small article about her.
VIKTOR KRUMS NEW CATCH
At the aforementioned New Year's party, Mr Krum was seen flirting and dancing with Susan Bones, daughter of the Scottish born Ossian Bones (Former Assistant Minister for Magic) and Marion Bones (the most famous head of the Department of Magical Transportation). Miss Bones, who is expected to become as successful as her parents and her deceased Aunt Amelia, who raised her, was reportedly seen kissing the Quidditch star towards the end of the night. Well, good luck to her, I say, set your sights high!
"
Susan laughed as Daphne finished the article. She whistled, "If only she knew what happened between Viktor and me after that kiss," she said with a devious smile.
"Did someone say my name?"
All mouths dropped when Viktor Krum walked into the room wearing nothing but a pair of baggy slacks.
Hermione hid an amused smile as Krum obliviously sat down at the table.
"Help yourself to some crumpets," Harry said to the Quidditch player.
Susan sat down next to him, "We made page 5 of the Prophet," she chuckled.
"Rita Skeeter," Krum mumbled. He rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"Come on, Daph, get back to the article about the lover boys," Tracey called.
Daphne grinned and got back to the front page of the paper and the article that they were all interested in, "At last night's party Mr Potter and Mr Malfoy seemed incredibly close. However, it seems there has always been underlying chemistry between the Gryffindor and the Slytherin from the days of their schoolboy rivalry leading up to their fairly recent friendship. A close friend of both boys told us that Mr Malfoy taught Mr Potter how to dance for his opening of the Yule Ball on Christmas Eve. Is it really just a friendship, or is it more than that? And what will Miss Greengrass and Miss Granger think of these new revelations? This reporter would love to hear your opinions on this matter reader, write to us with your opinion!"
"I don't know about Miss Greengrass, but Miss Granger finds this article hilarious," Hermione said. She chuckled over her tea as Draco glared at her.
Hermione smiled at her other half, "Grow up, baby," she said politely as she kissed him on the cheek and made the others snicker.
Daphne laughed, "Oh, don't worry. Miss Greengrass finds it just as hilarious," she said as she shot a smile at her boyfriend, who merely shook his head in amusement.
Krum looked at his watch and muttered under his breath, "Thanks for brunch Harry, but I've got to get going. I've got a practice today."
"On New Year's day?" Susan asked in surprise.
Krum nodded, "It's a tough world. You'll find out when you become the new Holyhead Harpies beater," he added with a wink, "Rosalyn Burns is leaving in June, and I'll put in a good word for you."
Susan smiled, "Well, thank you," she said as Krum kissed her lightly on the lips.
With a wave of his wand, he transfigured himself into his Quidditch training gear, "I'll see you tomorrow for that first date you promised."
Susan tried to contain the grin on her face as he made his way out of the house and apparated away.
"Susan Sara Bones, you are totally smitten!" Sadie said as she read the look on the Hufflepuffs face.
Susan smirked, "Maybe," she admitted.
What was left of the morning flew by, and at 3.30 pm, Harry, Daphne, Draco and Hermione apparated to the Burrow.
Draco and Daphne were slightly nervous about meeting Harry and Hermione's adoptive family. Harry took Daphne's hand and gave her an encouraging smile as they walked through the gate into the front garden of The Burrow. He smiled as he looked up at the house. He missed it a lot.
When they walked into the kitchen Mrs Weasley smiled at them brightly, "I'm so glad you made it!" she said. She hugged Harry and Hermione, then Daphne and Draco, who were surprised by the warm greeting.
"Just come into the living room while we wait for food," Mrs Weasley said, and she ushered them into the living room where Harry saw all of the Weasley's.
"Daphne, Draco," Harry said, "You never really got to meet everyone properly last night, so this is Arthur, Molly, Charlie, Bill and his wife Fleur, Percy, George, and of course you know Ron and Ginny."
Daphne and Draco smiled around at everyone, and soon enough, Daphne was engrossed in conversation with Bill about curse breaking. Hermione was whispering angrily to Ron, very likely about Lilly. Draco was telling George about some of the pranks he had played on the Gryffindors while at Hogwarts, and Harry was talking to Ginny.
"How are things with Blaise?"
"The same as ever," Ginny replied in amusement, "You know how he is."
"Broody and mysterious but a giant softy on the inside?" Harry grinned.
Ginny laughed out loud, "Exactly. Merlin, though, what was last night all about, eh?"
"I know," Harry said with a shake of his head, "I'm still pissed off with Ron."
"So am I," Ginny agreed, "He deserved every second of that bat bogey. I don't know who I feel worse for...Lilly or Katie."
"I feel sorry for them both," Harry murmured, "I just don't get why he did it."
"Because he was drunk out of his mind and angry," Ginny said quietly, "And you know that's the worst possible combination with Ron."
"Yeah," Harry sighed, "He's an idiot, and Lilly's a really nice person. She didn't deserve that shit."
"She's tough around the edges, but she's got a good heart," Ginny agreed, "We didn't see eye to eye at first, but by the end of the war, we were friends."
"How come you didn't see eye to eye?" Harry asked curiously.
"She didn't approve of what Neville and I were doing," Ginny admitted, "But mostly it was because she said the things we needed to hear but didn't want to accept. She told us when something was impossible, and she told us that sometimes when they started to kill our people, we might have to strike back against theirs."
Harry pondered on that.
"She was wise beyond her years, and she and Neville were either best friends, or they were at each other's throats," Ginny said with a shrug, "It was a difficult time."
"I know," Harry promised.
Ginny cleared her throat, "But anyway, how are things with you and Daphne? You seem pretty happy."
"We are," Harry said with a smile, "I think she's one of the best things to ever happen to me."
"I can't help but agree," Ginny admitted, "She's good for you and she fits in here, oddly enough."
"So does Draco," Harry said thoughtfully, "Isn't it strange? How much has changed?"
Ginny nodded, "Oh yeah, it's strange. But it's a good sort of strange. I mean, look at me, I'm dating Blaise Zabini."
Harry laughed, "But you're happy, and that's the main thing," he said honestly.
Ginny smiled broadly, "I guess sometimes there is good in goodbye," she said as she looked at the room of people, "We're all so much happier now...well apart from Ron."
"Yeah, but as much as I hate to say it, that's his own fault," Harry said quietly as Mrs Weasley called them all to the dinner table. The kitchen table had been magically extended to fit the family because 17 people were gathered around the table. By this point, all of the dates had arrived, like Blaise and Audrey. In fact, the only family member who didn't have a date was Ron, and he looked more than a little bitter about it as he was stuck at the end of the table.
It wasn't a fancy three-course dinner like their Christmas meal had been. It was just a simple massive main course that would inevitably be followed by one of Mrs Weasley's amazing desserts. As they ate, they talked in small groups because there were so many of them—one of the topics of conversation that sprung up concerned the past.
"Thank you so much for inviting us here today, Mrs Weasley," Daphne said to the woman, "After all that happened, you inviting us into your home was unexpected."
"I have said it several times before," Molly said softly, "The past is in the past. I don't care about what you or Draco did in the past. At the moment, I am just glad to see Harry and Hermione happy."
Harry smiled softly, "I am glad of that, Molly, because I think I can speak for all of us when I say we're in this for the long haul."
Daphne glanced down at the table with a smile, "You can certainly speak for me."
"And me," Draco said gently as he put an arm around Hermione.
Hermione blushed slightly, and Molly smiled broadly, "In which case I'm thrilled," she said gently, "After all, this is a new year and a new start."
"Indeed, it is," Arthur said as he smiled around at his family. It was a new year, but it was the first year without Fred, so there were mixed feelings all around. However, with Fleur being pregnant and so many new romances blossoming, there was far more happiness than sadness around the table.
After their meal, they split into groups around the living room, and Harry managed to grab Ron for a moment.
The redhead knew what he wanted to talk about, of course, "Look, Harry, I don't want to talk about last night-"
"Well, I do," Harry said bluntly, "It was kind of a big deal."
Ron shook his head irritably, "I can't believe she did that, shouting at me in front of everyone."
"I can't believe you did that," Harry retorted, "Lilly was perfectly within her rights to go mental at you. You cheated on her, Ron. You slept with somebody else. Do you have any idea what that does to a girl?"
"Since when did you know what hurts girls?' Ron asked bluntly.
"Since I got a girlfriend and fell in love," Harry replied with another glare, "You just threw Lilly aside because of one fight and slept with someone else. I don't get why you would do that."
"Because I could," Ron muttered, "Since the war, it doesn't take much to get someone to sleep with me, alright? I guess it got to my head a bit, and Lilly was acting crazy because I wouldn't go to the Yule Ball with her."
"Which she was upset about, by the way," Harry added.
"Who's side are you on here?" Ron asked irritably.
"Nobody's," Harry said honestly, "I'm not taking a side. You're my friend, and she's my friend, but in this situation, I'm inclined to say that you were the one who acted like a twat, not her. You're going to suffer for it though. It's lost you Lilly."
"Yeah, I'm aware of that," Ron muttered.
Harry shrugged, "That's the way the cookie crumbles, Ron. Learn to control your ego and don't just jump into bed with people because you can."
Ron sighed, "I've learned my lesson, Harry, trust me," he said as he pushed himself to his feet and left the room.
The day they had to go back to Hogwarts was gradually looming closer, and the lazy days at Potter Manor would soon come to an end.
"God, I feel so fat," Daphne said from where she was lying on a sofa with her head in Harry's lap.
"I know the feeling," Hermione said, and both boyfriends scoffed at their girlfriend's words.
"I know what you mean though, we've eaten and drunk a lot over Christmas and New Year," Draco said, getting nods of agreement from most.
Harry rolled his eyes, "Of course we have. That's what you do over the holidays, Draco."
"He has a point," Theo said lazily, "We should do something to burn it off.
"What do you have in mind?" Sadie asked, intrigued now.
"We could have a duelling competition?" Tracey suggested; she was lying on the floor with her feet up on the couch; it had to be the weirdest position to sit in that Harry had ever seen.
"That's quite a good idea," Harry said. He stood up and knocked Daphne's head off of his lap with an "oomph" sound.
"Why do you sound so surprised?" Tracey asked. She wasn't annoyed; she was more amused.
"I'm not surprised that you had a good idea. I'm just surprised by the idea if that makes sense," Harry said. He frowned at his own words.
"Not at all, but then again, you never do," Daphne said as she stood up and stretched, "Piggyback downstairs?" she asked.
Harry chuckled, "What age are you?"
Daphne only smiled at him sweetly and said, "Please?" with those big blue eyes of hers.
"Fine," Harry agreed, and Daphne hopped on. He lifted her effortlessly and made his way downstairs to the duelling room with the others. Harry was stronger than he looked; he supposed he showed that now by carrying his pretty much adult girlfriend through the house.
When they reached the duelling room, Hermione put all of their names into a hat. She waved her wand, and two names slithered out of it and hovered in the air.
Daphne and Dean took to the stage first, they did the walk, bowed to each other, turned and took their places, and then the duel began. It was a good duel from both involved, Daphne used too many shield charms for Harry's liking, but as she hadn't been in the DA, he had to admit that she had made a reasonable effort of it. Dean slipped up by trying to deflect an un-deflectable jinx and ended up down. Daphne whooped; she had won the first round, which had Dean grumbling about being the first one to be knocked out.
The next two names out of Hermione's wand were Sadie's and Harry's. Sadie groaned, "How have I got a chance against the boy hero?"
Harry grinned, "Well, give it your best shot," he said. He tapped her on the shoulder and made her glare at his back as he jumped up onto the stage.
Theo knew he was trying to get her riled up because he wanted a more brutal fight, "Take him down, Sadie!" he shouted in a show of support for his girlfriend.
The moment the duel started, Sadie was doomed. Harry had a massive advantage over her. Her accuracy was great, but her timing wasn't. Harry could predict everything she was going to do and managed to block it all as a result. He went easy on her at first by throwing jinxes at her that she could deflect easily, but then he got a bit dirtier and quickly took her down with a jelly legs curse. Theo booed as Harry undid the curse and shook Sadie's hand. The pair of them jumped down from the stage, and Sadie joined Dean at the 'knocked out' table.
Next up were Tracey and Susan. Harry whistled at that combination; he had a feeling it would be a much fairer fight than the one between Sadie and himself had been. It didn't help that DADA had been Sadie's weakest subject, the only one she had gotten anything other than an O in basically. On the other hand, Tracey had gotten an E but Susan had achieved an O. But both girls had fought in the Battle of Hogwarts, so it was going to be interesting.
Susan looked way too eager and sneaky as she looked into Tracey's eyes and took her place at the end of the podium. The moment the duel began, Harry knew it was going to be close. They didn't use standard boring duelling spells. Susan used the charm "Avis!" to send a flock of birds at Tracey that she destroyed swiftly with an Incarcerous spell. After that, it became quick fire, and it was hard to keep track of who was sending what spell where.
"Confringo!"
"Deprimo!"
"Titillando!"
"Expulso!"
Finally, Susan ended the duel with, "Adficio!"
The spell was un-blockable, and it weakened the victim; it made Tracey gasp and fall to the ground. Susan hurried over to her, muttered the counter curse and handed her a bar of chocolate.
"Fair duel," Tracey said as she caught her breath, stood up and shook Susan's hand.
Harry was very impressed, and once Tracey had joined Dean and Sadie at their table, he mumbled to Susan, "You sure you want to waste that talent on a Quidditch field?"
Susan smirked at him, "I fully intend to go into law enforcement after Hogwarts. Viktor said I wanted to play Quidditch professionally, not me."
Harry chuckled, "You should have been a Slytherin," he said as two more names emerged from Hermione's wand. This time her name was one of them, and the other was Theo's. The match made Harry grin. Theo looked confident, but Hermione was one of the best duellers Harry had ever seen, and he knew she could be a fine Auror if she wanted to become one.
The duel began quite fair and even. Hermione sent a stinging hex at Theo, who blocked it and sent a bat-bogey hex her way, which she blocked quickly. This dance went on for a bit longer, and then Hermione got bored. Harry grinned when Hermione got bored; the duel got interesting.
"Relashio!"
"Rictusempra!"
"Petrificus Totalus!"
"Locomotor Mortis!"
"Stupefy!"
"Expelliarmus!"
Hermione finished Theo off with, "Glacius!" which froze the ground he was standing on and caused him to slip. Then she threw a fast Petrificus Totalus at Theo, and there was cheering all around that Hermione had won.
"That's my signature spell!" Daphne complained.
"It is not!" Hermione objected.
"It bloody well is! I took down loads of Death Eaters with that!" Daphne bit back.
"She did," Susan agreed, "I fought with her in the final battle."
Theo snorted, "Are you the only couple that are allowed to have signature spells then? What with him and his Expelliarmus obsession?"
"I killed a Dark Lord with it, I'm allowed!" Harry chimed in.
Susan sniggered, "Lil has a signature spell too. Hers is scary."
"Yeah, she shoots arrows into peoples carotid arteries," Daphne said in agreement, "The healer side of her knows how to hit them where they are weak."
"That does sound scary," Theo admitted as he jumped down from the duelling platform.
"Ron got off lightly," Susan agreed.
Theo poured himself a glass of firewhiskey and sat down at the losers table.
"You got beaten by a girl, Theo," Daphne teased.
Theo scoffed, "I let her win."
"Just admit it, Theo, I'm Harry Potter's best friend! I'm a damn good dueller," Hermione smirked.
Theo shook his head. He was too proud to acknowledge it. Hermione only shook her head and laughed at how irritating and insufferable he could be.
"You did only get an E in DADA," Theo said to Hermione, "It was the only subject you didn't get an O in..."
Hermione glared at him, "Theo, you only got an E too, stop the bullshit."
"Alright, princess," Theo said. He looked slightly scared as Hermione, Draco and Harry advanced on him, "The bullshit is stopping!"
The next two names to come out of the wand were Daphne and Draco's. Harry grinned, and Hermione chuckled as they made their way up to the platform. As Daphne passed him, Harry muttered, "Just think of this as your payback for the way he made you feel in sixth year."
Daphne smirked, "It's sweet moments like this that I love about us," she joked.
She and Draco went through the motions, and then the duel started. It was nothing if not exciting, that was for sure.
"Tarantallegra!"
"Levicorpus!"
"Furnunculus!"
"Densaugeo!"
Every single spell the other threw was blocked instantly. Daphne's overuse of blocking spells in her first duel worked to her advantage in this one because Draco was an excellent dueller. His accuracy and timing were immaculate. Harry observed this carefully; these were the things that were important to remember if he was going to bend the rules to get Draco into the Auror training programme.
Then the more interesting spells came out, the ones they had invented themselves or that were relatively rare and only found in the strange textbooks that people like Hermione and Draco picked up for 'light' reading. Daphne shot a nasty one at Draco ("Adflicto!"), which crushed bones, thankfully he dodged it, but the spell he shot back at his ex-girlfriend was just as nasty as it blinded the victim ("Caecus!")
"Oi, Draco, Daphne, keep it clean!"
"I was only going to crush his wrist!"
"I was only going to blind her for a minute!"
Harry shook his head in amusement at them as they continued with their duel. It did finally come to an end, but it had been the longest yet. Daphne had slipped up in the end, though, and Draco had taken advantage of this. He had thrown a simple spell at her, and she had cast her shield charm too late. The second she let it down, the spell hit her, luckily all it did was throw her back and hurt her pride, but Draco had won that round and Daphne was now knocked out of the competition. The Slytherin girl didn't take losing well, just like Draco didn't take winning well. Daphne stalked over to the 'knockout' table and poured herself a large glass of firewhiskey while Draco did a victory lap of the duelling platform.
His joy didn't last long when he saw Hermione's name come out of her wand, followed by his own name. Harry whistled. He really couldn't call this one, but he knew it would be a good duel to watch.
Draco and Hermione were staring each other down in a way that they hadn't since they were much younger as they took their places, did their bows and got ready for the duel to begin. It was eye-catching right from the start.
They both had terrific accuracy and timing; it was perfect spell casting all around. Harry could tell that it was going to be a matter of who slipped up first.
They skipped the mediocre jinxes and jumped right in with spells and curses flying between them at record speed. This was a professional duel if Harry had ever seen one.
Hermione used Oppugno to cause the chairs to attack Draco. He smirked as he set them on fire and sent them back at her. Hermione cursed and used Aguamenti to put the flames out; she held her shield charm as she did so. Then she threw the chairs back to their rightful place and sent a slug-vomiting hex which he dodged easily.
"That all you got, Granger?"
Harry laughed from where he stood watching the duel, taunting Hermione in a duel. Draco? Harry thought to himself, good luck with that...
Hermione narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend and threw a curse at him, "Impetus!"
"Watch it, Hermione, no setting fire to people's clothes!"
"Killjoy!" Hermione called back as she blocked Draco's bone-breaking curse easily.
"Codo!"
Hermione swore at the un-blockable curse and jumped as the beam of light shot under her legs. The curse made your legs give way, and if it had hit her, she would have gone down, and Draco would have won his victory.
Draco was surprised that she had managed to avoid the spell, but that only made him more determined. The spells got more elaborate, and then Draco finally caught a break when he shot an arrow out of his wand, which penetrated her shield charm and hit her in the chest; it knocked her down immediately. The moment Harry declared Draco the winner, he rushed over to his girlfriend and muttered, "Aversa pars," to reverse the spell, it worked, and the arrow vanished.
Hermione sat up and took a deep breath, "You play dirty Draco," she whispered.
Draco grinned, "If you can play dirty in the bedroom, I can play dirty on the duelling platform," he said with a wink, and she got a devious look in her eyes that scared Draco yet turned him on at the same time.
"Now you're nicking Lilly's signature spell!" Susan called.
Hermione jumped down from the platform and joined the others at the 'knockout' table.
"Don't tell her; she scares me," Draco joked.
There were only three people left in the competition now, Draco, Harry and Susan.
The wand chose again, and Draco was up for his third duel in a row, only this would be his most challenging yet because it was against Harry Potter, the registered number three on the list of the world's best duellers (he had yet to overtake Filius Flitwick and Kingsley Shacklebolt but he would one day, he was ambitious).
"Keep an eye out, so we don't kill each other, Mione," Harry called as he climbed onto the platform, bowed to Draco and took his place. Hermione announced the start of the duel, and right away, it blasted off, literally.
"Expulso!"
"Incendio!"
"Rictusempra!"
Harry was getting nowhere like this. He needed to shock Draco because it was the only way to get to him; he changed his tactics. He first muttered a spell to disable Draco's "protego" shield, and as he was pretty sure that was the only shield charm he knew, he hoped this would help him out. Then he shouted, "Fimus!" the spell did no damage, except to Draco's pride because it dumped dung on him. He coughed and sputtered out the word, "Tergeo!" to clean himself up. The spell had surprised Draco, which Harry needed as he shot a simple stupefy his way, which he dodged. Draco cottoned on and put up a stronger shield charm with the incantation, "Tutis."
Harry had missed his chance this time, but he would get him again. They duelled for a little longer. Both of them dodged every and any charm, spell or curse thrown their way until Harry shot a spell at Draco, which made the floor beneath him rotate. He slipped but didn't fall. However, it was enough for Harry to break down his shield in a couple of charms and hit him with, "Stupefy!" before he could put up another shield charm.
There were cheers from Hermione and Susan, but boo's from the Slytherins as Harry made his way over to Draco and used enervate to wake him up. He reluctantly shook his hand, "You duel well," he said, "I hope you'll be my partner when we become Aurors."
Harry grinned, "I agree. I'd feel safe knowing you had my back if you duel like that."
Draco grinned back, "You too," he said simply.
Hermione then said, "Harry, it's the final, and you are up against Susan."
"Bring it on," Harry said. He flashed a smile at Susan, who grinned somewhat evilly as she climbed up onto the other end of the platform. They walked forward, bowed, walked back and took their places, and Hermione kept watch again. She announced the start of the duel, and Harry didn't quite know what to expect. He didn't know Susan's duelling technique too well, and it was because she didn't have one. She ran on instinct which made her an excellent dueller because Harry literally couldn't predict what she was going to do next.
It started with easy enough spells, she liked Stupefy and Relashio, but she soon learned Harry could block them too easily. Hence, she changed her tactics and started using more advanced spells, but Harry still deflected them easily. He could see that Susan was getting frustrated, and he hoped that would work to his advantage. It nearly did because he almost tripped her up with an un-blockable but simple trip jinx. She caught it just in time, though and jumped to avoid it.
After that, the battle got fast and frantic.
"Expelliarmus!"
"Incarcerous!"
"Deprimo!"
"Levicorpus!"
Then Susan surprised Harry, which was what got her an advantage over him, "Sectumsempra!"
He blocked the curse because he was one of the few people in the world who knew how to, "Oi! Don't use my own spells against me!"
"It's not your spell; it was Snape's!" Susan shouted back as she blocked his stunning spell.
"How do you know that it was Snape's?" Harry asked. The fact she knew the spell totally shocked him.
Susan grinned, "They don't call me the rebellious Hufflepuff for no reason."
"Relashio!"
"Tutis!"
"Extorqueo!" Harry shouted, but Susan dodged the spell, and Harry got yelled at.
"That's a torture spell, Harry, behave!"
"Capillus Aufero!"
"Protego! Lutulentis Sanguis!"
"Harry James Potter! Stop using pureblood spells that turn the blood to mud!"
"Interesting Potter! I don't know why I didn't like you sooner!"
"Shut up, Theo!" Hermione hissed.
Theo nursed his ribs after Sadie punched him, "Alright, sorry."
Susan finally got Harry after that. His Protego charm fell, and he realised she had disabled it, but before he could put up a stronger charm, she had hit him with a spell, "Evanescant Vestimenta!"
The next thing Harry knew, he was completely naked, and he looked down in shock, exclaiming, "What the hell?"
Susan had thrown him off guard.
Sadie and Tracey giggled.
Susan whistled, "I can see why you keep him around, Daph!" she called to the Slytherin girl.
Before Harry could react and while he was still in shock, Susan hit him with the spell that finished him, "Ventosus!" a gust of wind came out of nowhere and knocked Harry off of his feet with a thud and an "oomph!"
"And the winner is Susan!" Hermione announced amidst cheering and laughter.
"Hey Susan," Harry called from the floor, "Can you undo the spell so that I have clothes on again?"
Susan seemed to consider this for a moment and then said, "Nah."
And that was how Daphne Greengrass acquired photographs of Harry Potter running through his house stark naked.
* ~ TBC ~ *
A/N: I brushed up on my Latin in this chapter! Here is what the spells I made up mean in Latin
Adficio = drain.
Adflicto = crush.
Impetus =attack with fire.
Evanescant Vestimenta = clothes vanish.
Cado = fail.
Caecus = blind.
Extorqueo = wrench.
Fimus = dung.
Lutulentis Sanguis = messy blood.
Capillus Aufero = hair remover.
Titus = safe.
Ventosus = breezy.
Aversa Pars = reverse.