Chapter 47
February quickly became March, and the students were relieved to go out and enjoy the nice warm air. The teachers were still drilling the fifth and seventh years with assignments to prepare them for their end-of-year exams. And the students were certainly feeling the pressure. The Gryffindor quidditch team continue to dominate the other Houses; they shot down the Ravenclaw team by a wide margin thanks to Harry, who managed to get the snitch before Cho. Most of the students who applied for scholarships received letters that explained why or why not they'd be eligible for them. A particular bushy-haired Gryffindor was still trying to prove that she was the best by outdoing the others in her year. However, her goal was mainly about trying to beat the Slytherin Ice Queen. Hermione refused to accept that the blonde girl was better at her when it came to classes and had taken to glaring murderously whenever she spotted her.
Daphne didn't much care as she ignored her and continued focusing on her work. She wished Granger would leave her alone as she had better things to do than make the bookworm feel better. Truthfully, Daphne had grown quite tired of Granger's little game to see who was smarter. Her studies and magical prowess have increased exponentially, and she couldn't believe how far she had come. Everything she had experienced so far was entirely different from what she had expected. She was currently sitting at one of the tables with Tracey, Nicole, and Lilith. The girls were working on their assignments. Lilith glanced at her watch to see the time "it's time to go."
They all shared a knowing look, packed up their things, and put the books back where they belong. The four girls were silently talking as they left the library to head to the rendezvous point for the evening. Tracey commented, "this is going to be great. With the weather starting to warm up, it's the perfect time to go out and enjoy ourselves."
"Here, here," Lilith and Daphne said in unison.
"Oh, I can't believe I forgot," Lilith said as they were walking toward the grounds. "Ulrich sent me a letter saying that he and Bianca are heading to Maui in a few days" a bit of jealousy could be heard in her voice.
"Lucky," Nicole said equally as jealous. "Tell them to send us some fruit!"
The others laughed as they continued walking near the black lake to where the others were. Near the lake were a long table where the others were and a muggle grill. Susan, Astoria, Blaise, Luna, Emily, Adrian, and Aaron were present. Harry, Blaise, and Aaron were cooking Hawaiian chicken kebabs, New York strip sirloins, and grilled steak kebabs. On the table were bowls of mashed potatoes, asparagus, beans, and bulgogi.
"Are you guys done yet? I'm hungry," Adrian said while his stomach growled.
"Don't be in such a rush," Blaise said "you sound almost like Weasley. Always trying to eat something," he joked.
Adrian looked affronted "that's cold. My table manners are ten times better than that gits. And I like to point out that I don't try to hog all the food."
The other three males laughed. Harry spoke, "calm down, Adrian. For what we have here will be well worth the wait."
Blaise added, "trust us when the two of us cook meat, we do it right." Turning his attention back to the food on the grill, "and we are done," he declared. Harry and Aaron pulled everything off the grill and put them on plates before levitating them to the table. Taking their seats, they began piling their plates with food and dug in.
Harry and Blaise smirked at the ones who had surprised expressions on their faces.
"Oh my god," everyone except for Emily and Luna said. The latter had a dreamy expression on her face that said she also liked the food. Emily already had the food before, and it was still as delicious as ever.
Astoria rounded on them "you two know how to cook," she complimented, taking another bite out of steak.
"That's we roll," Blaise boasted with pride while puffing up his chest. He and Harry did their signature fist bump.
Susan came in after eating some bulgogi "any chance I can get the recipe" she looked at them pleadingly.
"Me too?" Adrian asked while eating his third chicken kebab.
"Sure, we'll write it down after we finish," Blaise answered after finishing his steak. "So you two ready to head back to Japan?
Emily stopped eating her bulgogi "better believe it. They're coming to get us Thursday!"
"Two and half weeks without you guys," Tracey came in. "It's going to be pretty dull around here."
"There's been a change of plans. Only one of us is returning," Harry pointed out, taking a bite of his mashed potatoes.
The brunette gave him an odd look "what do you mean?"
"I have to stay an extra ten days," he replied.
"Why?" Daphne asked.
Harry was about to answer when the hairs in the back of his neck spiked "heads up. We got company."
Three of them turned around and saw the two youngest, Weasley's and Granger coming. "Great! That's all we needed, three moronic idiots."
Emily had to stifle a laugh at the way Nicole described the trio coming their way.
"What are you all doing?" Granger asked, her usual bossy tone evident in her voice. Meanwhile, Ron was looking at the food with interest. He could instantly tell that it was delicious, given by the way it smelled. On the other hand, Ginny looked in Harry's direction and saw that Greengrass girl was sitting on his right.
"You already know the answer to that Granger," Blaise said. "Now, what do you three want?"
Hermione narrowed her eyes at his reply. "Where'd all this food come from?" she asked while looking at the different types of foods across the table. Not even she could deny that it looked good. "This is not part of the school's menu!"
Adrian rolled his eyes "simple, we bought and made it. By the way, Blaise, Harry, please write down the ingredients used in this steak and chicken," taking another bite out of his food. "Sweet Merlin, did you guys put onion powder on these?"
"Garlic salt and powder," Harry answered.
"Clever," he praised. "My compliments to the chefs."
Ginny decided to come in "can we join you guys," she asked while batting her eyes at Harry.
He was about to respond when Granger cut in, "Ginny, we can't as this is against the rules."
"It isn't," Emily rebuffed her "there is no rule against doing this. And besides, we already have permission. Even, then you three were not invited; Weasley stop staring at my bother as if he's a piece of meat" the calm-cold tone in her voice was heard, and she sent the red-headed girl a death glare.
Ginny blushed at what the girl said. "I wasn't staring at him," she said in an innocent voice.
Emily was about to call her out, but Harry took her hand and mouthed, 'stay calm.' Relaxing a bit, she spoke, "We have to leave some food, you know," she pointed out.
"I know," he replied before looking at Aaron "we also put some red peppers in the bulgogi."
That brought a big smile to the Slytherin boy's face "good call!"
Ron made a move to grab a kebob but received a stinging hex from Daphne that made him yelp. Rubbing his hand, he glared viciously at her "what was that for?"
"Get your hands away from our food," she answered coolly. "We didn't say you three could join us."
"Well, can we join you," Granger asked before Ron could retort?
"No!" Blaise said.
"Why not?" Ron asked while glaring at him.
Nicole answered, "one: you three were not invited." She pointed out, "two: you would just eat everything and start calling us dark wizards and witches in training. Three: we don't want to hear Granger's useless babble about our academics and why she should be ranked number one."
Susan finished, "four: we were the ones that paid for this stuff."
Hermione looked indignantly at her "that's not fair, and there is no way that Professor Dumbledore would approve of this."
"Now that is funny," Daphne said with a smile, "you think we go and ask that old fossil for permission? We got permission from Professor Vector."
"Prove it," she challenged and crossed her arms.
Harry reached into his robes and pulled out a piece of parchment, and gave it to her. Hermione grabbed it out of his hand and read it: "I, Deputy Headmistress Septima Vector, hereby give the following students permission to bring food from outside of school and eat by the lake. Owing to the fact they are back in the castle before curfew."
The list showed that everyone's name was on the parchment. She was fuming now "this cannot be true! There is no way that this is valid."
"If you don't like it, then that's your problem, Granger," Astoria said. "Now, please leave!"
Hermione stomped back towards the castle with Ron behind her. Though the redhead went with her, it was mostly to get back to the feast to get some food. Ginny, however, remained behind.
Emily saw that she was not going to move "why are you still here?"
Ginny grounded herself and replied, "I wanted to ask Harry why he seems to have it in for Professor Dumbledore so much. He's the greatest wizard of all time and the only one He who must not be named is afraid of."
The ones who were sitting down looked at Harry with worried expressions on their faces. They were wondering what he would say.
"My ire at that decrypted bastard is between my family and me," Harry said while looking at her "at least I'll be in Japan for a while."
"But I don't understand why it is that you have it in for him," she said. "What did he ever do to you?"
His expression became severe "that is for my family and me to know. You don't qualify!" he said dismissively.
Ginny didn't miss the ice in his voice, turned around, and went back to the castle. "You really shouldn't hold a grudge against him. Whatever he did, he must have had his reasons, and you should be the bigger man and accept it." That was all she said before hurrying back to the castle.
"The nargles have gotten to her," Luna said in a dreamy voice. They surround and tell her all kinds of things. Now she believes only what she wants."
"Preach it," Emily said. "How is it that you know her anyway?"
"We live close, very close to each other, and when we were kids, we use to play who would ever get to marry Hadrian," she replied. Harry, on the other hand, looked like he was going to be sick. "We often used our dolls, and she played the bride while I was a bridesmaid. I knew it was pretended, but she got really into it and now believes he will marry her in real life."
"I will not have her as a sister-in-law," Emily declared.
Harry stepped in "one day, I will have to settle down, though," he said as a matter of fact. Everyone faced him, "but I will decide who I choose to spend my life with."
Emily sighed in relief at hearing those words come out of his mouth. They spent the rest of their time talking about the Davis Foundation, and we're excited to learn that Luna could obtain two scholarships. Nicole and Susan were also getting some. Spending the rest of their time talking, they eventually packed everything up, though Harry had to fix three different plates. One for Professor Snape, one for Professor Vector, and the other for Professor Flitwick; after creating their plates, he called three house-elves and delivered the food.
Heading back to the castle with full bellies, Harry, Daphne, and Emily went to the room of requirement. Arriving on the seventh floor checked to see if anyone else was around, and after confirming they were alone, he spoke the password and let the two in. Inside they found Iroh, Byakko, and Suzaku by the fire, enjoying the food. While the house-elves came to deliver the food to the teacher, he called three more and had them bring food to their familiars. The three could tell that they were happy with the food by the way they were eating it. When Iroh noticed Daphne, he stopped eating and walked over to her.
Daphne bent down and scratched behind his ear the way he liked it. Iroh barked happily and licked her face. Daphne truly loved her familiar as he was a good companion. Already he had grown and was now the same size as Sirius when he was Padfoot. She could only laugh as he was not likely going to stop growing. Having researched hellhounds, she found that they can grow to the size of a full-grown winged horse. He then went to his large warm bed by the fire and fell asleep.
"Iroh as the right idea," Emily commented. "Later, guys" she went into a bedroom, the room provided for her.
Harry reclined on the couch, stretching his muscles. Daphne plopped next to him and draped her legs across his lap. "Harry, do you mind if I asked you something?"
"You just did," he said half-jokingly.
She sent a mock glare his way "smart ass," she said, causing him to laugh a bit. "I was going to ask why you have to stay longer in Japan."
Harry internally cringed while he agreed to be honest with Daphne. He didn't want her to worry. He was now a magus that meant he would now be sent on missions, and his first assignment would take place after his exams in Mahoutokoro. Thinking quickly, he spoke, "the Deputy Headmaster wants me to stay a while longer and run some tests on Miwa and me." It was partially true as the new recruits were to be taken on a mission and evaluated based on their performances.
Daphne tilted her head "show them your stuff. Hopefully, things won't be so bad over there!"
He snorted at what she said. "Hard to say. The only thing I hope is if I can avoid Shiba's daughter" disdain was shown in his voice. "That girl is going to be a nightmare when I get back."
She giggled "don't be so dramatic. With any luck, you might be able to avoid her." Pausing for a moment, she decided to change the conversation "there is something I want to ask you though," getting his attention, she began. "Among the sixth years at Mahoutokoro, where would I rank?"
Harry had to ponder for a moment as that was a difficult question "that is difficult to say as I don't entirely know." Tapping his chin with his knuckles, "but based on what I've had to go on. I say you to be ranked as a member of Class-A. Don't quote me. As I said, I don't know."
Daphne let out a breath "that makes me feel a little better."
He noticed the look on her face and quickly added, "however, given the way you've been training thus far. I say you could give them a run for their money." Giving her a warm smile.
A smile grew on her face.
"My turn," he said, "what do you want to do after you leave Hogwarts?"
She curled her lips at his question "well, I like to gain some masteries in a few select subjects, first. After, that I'm not sure," shrugging her shoulders.
"Well, knowing you, the possibilities are endless. Your beautiful, incredibly smart, and very adept when it comes to magic," he absent-mindedly said. "Any job be lucky to have you as an employee."
He quickly, too, notice what just left his mouth and blushed beet red. Daphne wasn't far behind as her cheeks were pink. Leaning in, she kissed him on the cheek "that means a lot."
Mustering the courage, she spoke, "you really think that about me?"
Taking one of her hands, he gave a warm smile that said I do. The two stayed like that for the rest of the night, eventually falling asleep with a blanket appearing on them.
Byakko watched the exchange between his cub and his friend, chuckling a bit. He'd seen how they interacted with each other and more notably observed the girl. She genuinely cared for him, and he never sensed any evil intentions out of her. If he did, then he would have eaten her, but she was not like the rest.
(0^0)
Thursday eventually came with warm weather; the students had just finished their morning classes for the day, and we're currently in the great hall for lunch. Harry and Emily knew that they'd be leaving today and dressed in their Mahoutokoro robes. They figured the sooner they get out of Hogwarts, the better. Granger tried to get them in trouble for having dinner outside with the others; she went to Dumbledore. Unfortunately, professor Vector was also with him when she demanded to know why the students could bring food outside Hogwarts. Septima stepped in and put Hermione in her place as they had permission, and she had no right to complain about it.
Hermione tried to look at Dumbledore for assistance, but he reluctantly sided with his Deputy Headmistress, much to her annoyance. She tried saying that they were unfair to her. Ron and Ginny were not allowed to join either. At that moment, Professors McGonagall and Snape walked in, and the sour Professor wasted no time in voicing his displeasure at hearing Granger complaining. When McGonagall asked why she wasn't allowed to attend, Hermione explained the reasons they gave her. The transfiguration teacher had to massage her temples while the potion's master sneered at her; for wasting their time with such trivialities. Eventually, Hermione received no help and kicked up a fuss before leaving the office in a huff.
When they were alone, Dumbledore turned to the Arithmancy teacher and enquired why she allowed the matter to begin with. Septima held her ground and responded that it wasn't against the rules. She showed him the copy of the students' permission slip, explaining the rules that were set. Finding nothing wrong with it, he gave it back to her and tasked Minerva to speak with Hadrian about his cold nature towards Ms. Granger and the Weasley family. It was essential to his plans that Harry become reliant on Ms. Granger and the Weasley family. They were loyal to him and would do any he said, and he couldn't have Harry grow too powerful. He originally wanted the boy to be weak-minded and easy to manipulate. Then he would come in and prove how talented he was to make the boy submit to him. However, nothing he planned came to fruition. Harry now had a family and a network of people at his disposal. This was bad, really bad. It was important to have the boy dead when the time came, and once Voldemort was mortal again, he would step in and kill him. When everything was set and done, then he'd be remembered as the man who defeated two Dark Lords and goes down in history as the greatest wizard of all time.
As the students were eating, Albus stood from his chair went to the podium as the doors to the great hall opened. The wards told him that the representatives from Mahoutokoro were on Hogwarts grounds; Mr. Filch leads the Deputy Headmaster along with another professor and a handful of students in. The students entered the hall in a military fashion, with the older students in front with the youngers following behind. As the two professor foreign professors came forward, the students hung back by the entrance with their groups. The Hogwarts student body was captivated by the Japanese students as the way they walked in was like they owned the place. Their mere presence even radiated power.
"Professor Yamamoto, welcome to Hogwarts," he said in his grandfatherly voice.
Hayato wasn't intimidated by the little by the man's grandfather persona but cordially replied in the same manner. He then turned his attention to Severus and greeted him.
Albus began again, "shall we adjourn to my office to speak. I have comfortable chairs that can greatly help a person's posture."
"Cut the garbage Professor Dumbledore," he said in a no-nonsense tone that said he was not here for pleasantries. "I didn't come here for pleasantries. If it's all the same to you, I will take both my students and be out of here."
Harry and Emily got up from their seats and walked forward. When they were face to face with their teachers, they bowed respectfully to both of them.
Hayato gave a curt nod. "I trust that the both of you are tired of dealing with the subpar curriculum here and wish to return to more advanced practices."
"We are, Professor," they responded in unison.
He gestured for them to fall in line with the others. They didn't need to be told twice and went with their designated groups. Meanwhile, the students from Hogwarts looked to be quite offended by the way he described their school.
The Professor that came with him spoke, "we got for what we came for. Let's leave and be on our way." He said with disdain, "the longer we have to stay in this backwater of a school, I won't be sorry to leave. I truly despise this place. It is so unbecoming that we have to send one of our best students to this dump."
The students who came with him started laughing, much to the ire of the students at Hogwarts. Finally, Professor Dumbledore stepped in "that is a rather bold claim, Mr. Hamasaki," his eyes twinkling, "and I assure you that my school is one of the best institutions in the world." How dare he question the importance of his school, he cringed.
"I'm just stating my opinion on the matter," he loosely said.
While the adults were talking, Harry and Miwa were speaking in a low, hushed voice. "I hope you're ready for what I have in store. Because it's going to be electric," she giggled.
"Let's see what you can do. I have a few new tricks up my sleeve."
The two smiled at each other, knowing that their duel will be all that more intense.
"So, how is our young apprentice, Ms. Li doing?" he wondered about his other apprentice as he saw her and Emily happily talking with each other.
Miwa answered. "Her academics and magical prowess have grown significantly. Though, she can improve in some areas. Other than that, she seems capable."
They had to divert their attention to the youngers as one of them spoke, "it's embarrassing that we even have to set foot at this school. Not only is it a disgrace, but it is also a show of weaklings."
Ron's face was the same color as his hair, and he stomped toward the boy "you got a lot of nerve talking like that, you insolent little shite. I bet we can kick your arses without even breaking a sweat," a few of the other students got up and walked by his side. "Given How we outnumber you lot, we will hand down."
One of Harry and Miwa's group members stepped forward "the British boy seems pretty confident. It must be a Hogwarts thing. They always talk such a big talk and then end up losing so fast it's a shame," he mocked.
Ginny was one of the few in the middle and looked at Harry "where's your voice in this? She asked as if it was obvious that he should be defending them.
Before he could answer, he was cut off by three female students. The first stepped forward "regardless of where he was born. He is a student of Mahoutokoro first and foremost," the taller girl responded. Narrowing her eyes at her, soon her mind connected the dots "now I know who you are. You that girl that got taken into that chamber of secrets," making Ginny pale at what she said. "I would have expected more from a person who grew up in the magical world to tell the difference between dealing with a dark object. But, in the end, you pretty much got everything you wanted, didn't you."
The girl to her right came forward, "because of you. Potter took the blame for your misdeeds and was nearly killed fighting the most dangerous creature known to the magical world."
Finally, the last girl came in "not only that, but you also got away unpunished. Were if you a student at Mahoutokoro, you would have been suspended for a few months at best. At worst, you would've been expelled and probably arrested. But no, you received medical attention and were allowed to remain in school. Just how selfish and spoiled are you?"
Ginny looked down in shame while her brothers looked ready to tear them a new one.
Harry soon stepped in "もういい！" he said in an ice-cold voice, bringing the attention to him as he got in-between them. (That's enough). "I never blamed her for the incident in the chamber. I went on my own accord, knowing about the consequences should I have perished." He then fixed them a death glare "don't presume you know anything about me. Your behaviors do not reflect well of Mahoutokoro, and you four would be wise to reign in your arrogance."
The four students gulped and backed away in fear as they saw the fire in his eyes and heard the tone in his voice. Both indicated that he meant it.
Ginny and the others looked amazed as he stood up for them and, more notably her.
The Japanese Professor was completely surprised by what he said, "but Mr. Potter, the fact remains that you were nearly killed last year."
Harry eyed the man "would you drop it already" he coolly said. "I went on my own free will, while not my best decision. The past can't be changed, and I'm content with my actions, which is of no concern to you. In case you haven't noticed, we've wasted enough time being here."
A younger boy from the Emily group spoke, "but they…."
"They are of no consequences and are not worth the time nor the effort" Harry cut the boy off and gave him a dark glare that said back up.
Mr. Hamasaki looked affronted and was about to retort, but a single look from Harry made him think twice, so he turned his attention back on the Weasley girl "you're lucky my student is more merciful than I. Am."
Ginny snapped at the man, "I'll fight anyone of your students."
The entire student body froze at what she said. Many of them looked at her as if she'd grown a second head.
Hayato finally stepped in "you better choose your next words carefully," he warned. "Hogwarts is not exactly known for producing strong wizards or witches."
She, however, held her ground. "It sounds to me like you're scared to prove that your students are better. So I'll duel that big mouth here and now" she pointed to the boy who reoiled back when he received a glare from Harry. Now he had a smug look on his face.
Over at the head table, Minerva was about to speak, but Dumbledore held her back and spoke, "that's an interesting suggestion, I might say. Why not let her duel one of your students? And I'm pretty sure that a handful of other of my students want to duel as well." Many of them were openly agreeing with him.
Hayato thought for a moment and agreed, "very well! Ms. Weasley will duel…."
"Me," Emily said in a loud enough voice to bring attention to her. That greatly shocked the other students in her year as they weren't expecting this. Especially the boy who was about to duel, to begin with, looked crossed at her. He, however, backed off when Sora grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back.
"Emily, why do you want to duel me?" Ginny asked with confusion in her voice.
Narrowing her eyes at her and replied in a cold voice, "if you haven't noticed Weasley, I don't like you. Especially, not after what happened in the chamber. Even if you were being controlled by Voldemort's" the other students gasped as she spoke his name "little trinkets. You nearly took my brother away from me, and I won't overlook that, for that sin. I plan on teaching you a lesson you won't soon forget" clenching her fist. "But don't worry, I won't kill you" her eyes became the color of the Circassia sea, and they radiated power.
"Alright then, fine" Ginny had a superior look on her face. An idea soon formed in her head maybe if she defeated the little girl, Harry would notice her more, and she might have a chance with him.
Hayato looked at Hadrian. "Mr. Potter as she is your pupil. The decision falls to you!"
Harry looked at his sister "Shizuku, is this really what you want?" he cautiously asked. "I told you before that Weasley was not responsible."
"Brother, please let me duel. I promise you will not be disappointed" the determination in her eyes said everything.
Looking from his sister to Weasley, he let out a breath "do as you wish. But don't overdo it."
She flashed him a smile before turning back to the red-headed girl. Hayato then declared, "then it has been decided. Professor Dumbledore, as this is your school, you decide where they should duel."
Albus thought for a moment, then answered, "the quidditch pitch should do" he rounded the podium if you all would follow me. Then, leading them out of the castle, he carefully explained the rules saying that nothing that may cause permanent damage and the duel will only end when one of them declares a wish to stop, and the other opponent accepts it, or one is unable to duel any longer. Arriving at the quidditch pitch, each school waited by the entrance from both sides.
Emily confidently walked onto the field, but not before flashing a smile at her brother. 'I promise not to disappoint you, big brother,' she mentally said. Ginny soon started walking until she was about fifteen paces away. They both got into dueling stances; she adopted Harry's stances but altered them to suit her style. Ginny, however, took on a stance her brother Bill taught her when she was in Egypt. It wasn't anything special, as she was still a beginner when it came to dueling, but figured it would do as she was the older.
Up in the stands, Dumbledore was on his feet, adding the sonorous charm to amplify his voice "duelist begin when you are ready."
Ginny wasted no time and said, "expelliarmus" the scarlet spell left her wand and raised toward Emily, who dodged it with ease. However, that didn't stop Ginny as she fired a combination of spells like langlock, stupefy, and reducto. Emily avoided all the spells, and she didn't even put up a shield to counter or retaliate. The only thing she did was shake her head in disappointment. Ginny didn't like that she assumed the girl was toying with her, so she shouted whatever spells came to her mind.
Emily saw the attack patterns Weasley was using and thought they were inadequate and not completely efficient. Having dodged most of them with her gymnastic skills, she finally decided to retaliate as a reducto curse raced toward her. She batted it away with relative ease, much to everyone's surprise. Ginny began panting from all the shouting she did and was amazed at what she saw Stevenson do. Not wanting to give up, she fired a combination of spells "rictusempra, everte statum, expelliarmus, reducto; the spells left her wand and sped off toward her opponent.
Emily dodged three of them but caught the last one with her wand, another skill Harry taught her and threw it back along with a bludgeoning and bone-shattering curse. Ginny was so shocked by what just happened that she was able to dodge the first curse. The other two hit her in the stomach and left shoulder, making her crumple to the ground for air. Rising back to her feet, she immediately started shouting spell after spell. All of which Emily avoided with minimum effort. The younger girl slowly walked forward and shot many spells like cutting, bone-breaking, and bludgeoning. Most of them hit Ginny, and she was positively in pain from how powerful the younger girl was. It soon dawned on her that she was outclassed. Before she could speak, Emily tagged with a silencing charm rendering her speechless.
Finally, Emily used aqua eructo, creating a large amount of water from her wand, transfiguring it into a giant hand raised toward Ginny. Try though as she might, she was unable to avoid the hand as it picked her up. Emily used her wand and controlled the water with ease, slamming Weasley down like a rag doll multiple times and finally throwing her back a few feet. Ginny landed hard on the ground, and her vision was blurry, but she remained determined, struggling to get to her feet. She didn't even notice the spell coming her way, which knocked her down. Quickly rolling to her feet, she attempted to fire another spell, but a green fire burned from her chest, making her crumple to the ground in pain.
Emily waved her wand and mentally said "nervoculum," conjuring a wave of black darts. She sent them directly at Ginny, who managed to dodge a few of them but failed to get out of the way of three of them. The next thing she knew, she fell to the ground on her stomach and found she couldn't move.
After ten seconds, Dumbledore stood up "the winner is Emily Stevenson." The crowd cheered. Even the Japanese students were impressed with her performance, calmly walking toward the entrance where Harry was and allowing Madam Pomfrey to escort her opponent to a nearby tent for treatment.
"Impressive work" he complimented her performance. She smiled at him and responded, "you trained me well." He laughed.
Up in the stands, the professors were talking about who should duel next until Hayato whispered into Dumbledore's ear suggesting the next participants. Seeing nothing wrong, he walked down to where the Hogwarts students were located and went directly to Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley. Over in the Mahoutokoro section, Hayato walked towards Harry and Miwa and filled them on who they were to duel. The two looked at each other from the corner of their eyes; walked towards the field with their wands.
As Dumbledore got through explaining the rules to Hermione and Ron, they walked out. Hermione was determined to beat one of them and prove her superiority, completely ignoring what Ron was saying. "I'm fighting a girl; this will be easy. This Kawada girl should be a cakewalk. At least give me someone who knows how to duel." Unfortunately for him, Harry and Miwa heard him, and the latter narrowed her eyes at him, and if looks could kill, then he is six feet under. Harry, on the other hand, shook his head at the boy's stupidity. Knowing how dangerous and skilled Miwa was, he mentally said, "goodnight, Weasley." He a Miwa started discussing strategy, and after deciding on one and coming to an agreement, they took their positions. Harry was face to face with Hermione. Miwa was facing Ron."
When Dumbledore said they could begin, the two immediately started firing painful spells at them. Miwa did not like what the red-headed idiot said and showed him how wrong he was. If Weasley had any sense, he runs, but the fool stayed and fought. She fired a couple of bone-breaking, some cutting curses, and a confringo at him. All of which either hit or narrowly missed him. Ron was infuriated at how she either blocked or dodged his spells and sent a stunning spell to her. Miwa batted it away and rushed forward, much to his surprise, and punched him in the nose, making him stumble. He tried to fight back, but his skills resembled that of a street brawler. No technique! Miwa being better trained and more energy-efficient made him look like a pushover. Defending and counter-attacking his strikes, she nailed a few times in several places, breaking a few of his bones or causing more damage to his other injuries.
Ron tried to hit her in the face, but she ducked out of the way and nailed him straight in the nuts making him crumple to the ground in pain. Then delivered two quick jabs to his face. Hermione was better trained than her partner as her father taught Krav Maga when he was in the British army. He taught her if she needed to defend herself against the other students who would bully her. Though, her skills paled in comparison to Harry's as he was more experienced than she was. He cleaned her clock by taking advantage of her limited skills and delivered a series of vicious combos to different parts of her body. Finally delivering an acrobatic kick that sent her flying a few feet. He and Miwa nodded at each other and dashed toward each other's opponents. After a few minutes, Hermione and Ron were in a lot of pain as they had several broken bones, completely unaware that Harry and Miwa were holding back.
Deciding to end things, the two took out their wands and fired spells at them. Hermione was turned into a beaver, and Weasley was turned into a Weasel. Madam Pomfrey raced onto the pitch, turning the two defeated teens back to normal, and levitated them to the tent. Once again, the Mahoutokoro students cheered at the way they utterly destroyed their opponents. Many of the Hogwarts students were either laughing, completely scared, or too shocked to say anything.
A few minutes later, they were back at it. This time they were up against twelve students from Hogwarts. Among them were Fred and George Weasley. Harry told Miwa about the twins and the latest pranks they pulled. She was not happy after making their opponents' short work by causing them only a minor amount of pain. However, their coordination and combination skills allowed them to make short work of their opponents. They made sure to leave Fred and George for last. Harry wanted to dish out his brand of justice on them, and Miwa agreed not to get involved. Calmly moving forward with an expressionless mask on, "you two are mine."
The twins noticed how bright the fire in his eyes was burning and knew they would have their hands full. While they were aware of what he thought about Ron, they didn't know how he would respond to them. Harry immediately fired bone-shattering and concussion spells at them with frightening speed. The twins raised shields to protect themselves from Harry's attacks and retaliated with their spells. Harry easily batted them away while also watching them very carefully. The two moved and responded as if they were thinking the same thing. They may not be skilled as individuals, but their teamwork was average at best. Deciding to spice things up, he began blasting the areas around them, which seemed to affect them somewhat as it was unbalancing them, and they were getting a few cuts and bruises.
Having fun with them, he conjured a wave of arrows and sent them at the duo, followed by a collection of bone-shattering curses and bludgeoning spells. The twins avoided the arrows but had little success in getting away from the other spells as they hit them and caused some of their bones to shatter. Harry was far from done with them, quickly tagging them with the tagging spell Miwa created, then used the hydro blast on them and converted it to give off an aroma similar to honey. The liquid covered both of them, and they now smelled like honey. The twins wondered what he was doing and were shocked to see him conjure up a swarm of angry bees, hornets, and wasps.
The little creatures flew straight at them, as the aroma they were giving off was all compelling. Fred and George tried to set them on fire and get rid of them, but it was vain as they were being swarmed by the creatures and receiving many stings. Harry sent a silencing charm to George, rendering him quiet, and thanks to the tagging spell, it also affected Fred. The boys cried out as they were receiving multiple stings. Thinking they had enough, Harry waved his wand and got rid of the creatures along with the aroma. When they were gone, the twins' bodies puffed up with rashes across their bodies—quickly firing a spell at them, which rendered them bald. Harry then conjured two human-sized wheels and levitated the both of them up until they were strapped to them. Waving his wand a few times, the wheels started spinning; he then added a runic array to keep the wheels spinning.
The Hogwarts students were amazed at his ruthlessness and his spell work. So many of them have endured Fred and George's constant pranks desperately wanted to get them back for all the trouble they caused them. The Mahoutokoro students seem to approve as they were jeering rather than firing spells at them. He strapped them to a wheel and made it spin. Thus saving himself the trouble. Ruthless it may have been, but it was quite efficient. Letting the wheels spin for five minutes, he canceled the array and had the wheels drop them. The two were so dizzy that they threw up on the ground.
Harry then conjured two mannequins with belts adding animation charms to them. He sent them toward the disoriented boys as they struggled to get up. The mannequins grabbed them, lowered their trousers, and began spanking them with their belts. A vast majority of the audience was roaring with laughter that filled the stadium. The Slytherins were positively enjoying the show, and even the other Houses were enjoying the show. More notably, Terry was glad that they were getting a taste of their own medicine in being humiliated. After making their butts glowed red like an apple, Harry waved his wand again and have the dummies give them dragon wedgies.
The twins will not be able to sit right for a fortnight at best as dragon wedgies were more painful than atomic wedgies and often left the victim's bottoms burning. When they were done, the twins' arses felt like they been set ablaze, and judging by the smoke coming from their backsides, it was evident. Harry conjured two sets of rope hog tide and conjured two things that strongly resembled apples and stuck them in their mouths. Figuring that they've had enough, Harry lowered his wand.
Dumbledore looked very upset by what he did to them and reluctantly announced his victory, while Professor Flitwick and Madam Pomfrey raced onto the pitch with two large buckets of ice and two bottles of lotion. As the two were worked on removing the make-shift apples and rope from the boys, Harry strolled back to where the Mahoutokoro students were located. Miwa was waiting by the entrance with Emily, and both were having a hard time controlling their laughter. "That's how we roll," he said.
(0^0)
The students from Mahoutokoro were discussing the duels they'd witnessed a few seconds ago. Many of which congratulated Harry, Emily, and Miwa on their abilities. Some made snide remarks about the opponents they had. Harry remained stoic and made his way to his other pupil. She hugged him warmly, which he returned. Sora was happy to be with Emily again, the white-haired girl pulled her towards their other friends, and they began catching up. Harry and Miwa leaned by the entrance talking about the twins "still, I'm surprised that they haven't been expelled yet."
"Like I said. Dumbledore might be pulling some strings to keep them here. If they did half of what they do at Mahoutokoro, then they would have been expelled."
"You'll get no arguments from me," he said. "So, has anything changed over there?"
"Nothing much," shaking her head, "other than Shiba parading the fact about you and her being in a contract. That girl is so full of herself it's not funny."
"There's no contract between us," he replied, "my uncles agreed never to sign one like that."
She giggled "glad to hear. Oh, and you should know that your potion is considered one of the best inventions of the century. Other nations can now revive those that have been tortured into insanity." Seeing that he was about to speak, she held up a hand. "I know you did it for the Longbottoms, and you hate the attention, but look on the bright side. The boy has his parents back, and you got some things out of the ordeal."
Harry sighed. "I guess," he then spoke in a low voice, "but still though Minister Shiba rubs me the wrong way."
Miwa caught on, "you're not the only one. Thanks for that information, by the way… but I don't understand why we can't go public with this."
"Believe me, I like nothing better, but with the way things are. Magical Britain does not have the best reputation at the moment, so we'll have to bide our time until we get more proof, or he's removed from office."
Luckily, the other students could hear what they were saying as one of them might tip off the man. At the moment, they were busy talking about the students of Hogwarts "those rejects could never compete with us. They're so lame!" one said.
"No, lie," another student agreed. "I would have thought their headmaster would have taught them better than this."
(0^0)
Up in the stands, the professors were talking, with Dumbledore being the most vocal.
His mind played back to what happened. Harry and his friend Miwa Kawada took down a handful of his students without suffering any injuries. The spells they used, while not particularly dangerous, did manage to injure the students. The Weasley twins got the worst of it, in his opinion, as they were going to have a hard time sitting down. Most of the spells Harry used were quite ingenious, he had to admit, but they were also quite humiliating. When they dueled Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger, they not only hurt them physically and magically but also humiliated them by turning them into animals.
"How is it possible that they can be so skilled and powerful?" he was shell-shocked.
Hayato and his colleague laughed. The latter responded, "oh so sorry, Albus, too bad for you. This was your chance to show how formidable your students were, but your students can't compete with ours."
Severus didn't show it, but he was enjoying watching Dumbledore suffer. The dueling outcomes were pretty obvious, and he was especially pleased with what Harry did to the Weasley twins. In his opinion, they had those spells coming for a long time. He was still pissed that Albus kept them at school despite all the shenanigans they do.
Hayato clapped his hands "well, I believe that is enough for the day" moving toward the edge, he took his wand and cast the sonorous charm, "students of Mahoutokoro, we will be leaving…."
"Wait," someone shouted from the Hogwarts section. Everyone turned to find the source of the noise. Daphne walked onto the pitch and spoke, "I wish to duel," she declared, much to everyone's surprise.
Hayato noticed her attire and deduced that she was a member of Severus's House. While he was about to deny her, he secretly wondered how powerful she was. Severus moved toward him and gave the nod. "Ms. Greengrass is one of the best students to come from Hogwarts. It would be unwise not to see what she was capable of."
Pondering for a moment, he spoke, "very well, Ms. Greengrass. You may select the person you wish to duel."
Daphne looked at the other entrance where the Japanese students were until her eyes fell on the person she searched for. Miwa walked back on the field with a smile on her face "let's see what you got, Greengrass," she said loud enough to hear. The blonde girl walked forward until she was fifteen paces away, "bring it, Kawada."
"It looks like we have our combatants," he announced. "Daphne Greengrass will face Miwa Kawada. Remember the rules, ladies," effectively warning them.
Both girls locked eyes and were radiating power.
"You may begin when the both of you are ready. Quietus," he said
"One more thing, Professor," she said loud enough to be heard, turning her attention toward the entrance. "Harry, I want your word that you will not get involved. This is between us girls."
The students from Japan looked at Harry, who was sporting a smile on his face. "I have no intentions of getting involved. Enjoy yourselves!"
They shot him a grin before turning back to each other. Assuming their stances, they started circling each other, not daring to break eye contact.
Daphne immediately started things off by firing a large ball of fire, followed by three bludgeoning curses. Miwa dodged the attacks and retaliated with her spells. Daphne rolled out of the way and conjured a wave of arrows, and propelled them before raising her wand into the sky, waving it in an intricate pattern making the clouds twist into something dark, and the air became cold. She was determined to beat Kawada and figured they duel on her terms. She made the clouds drop snow and created powerful winds that quickly turned the falling snow into a blizzard—transfiguring her robes into a warm coat.
Miwa had to admit that this was a surprise. While she was aware that Greengrass was an elemental, to see this level of skill was startling. That and her power drastically increased from the last time they met. Quickly transfiguring her robes into a fur coat, she began firing spells at the girl, who retaliated with her own. However, Greengrass wasn't the only one who improved. While she may have gotten better, so did Miwa. Evaluating her opponent's power and skills, she decided to play along and only use a-fourth of her power. Firing a string of curses, she calmly walked forward. Daphne blocked the spells with protego impetum. As the flames protected her against the spells, the whips attacked Kawada.
Miwa raised her wand to the clouds and summoned a powerful arc of lightning, and directed it at Daphne, who waved her wand around to make the flames protect her. Still, the lightning broke through her defenses. Thinking quickly, she levitated herself in the air to avoid the attack. When the spell ended, she came back down, rotated her wand in a few circles until a tornado blizzard was created, and went straight to her opponent. Miwa pointed her wand at the ground to defend herself and raised a large wall made of rock. The wall managed to stop the tornado dead in its tracks. She then transfigured the wall into a dozen long needles and sent them flying.
Daphne conjured a brick wall to shield herself. The needles hit the wall, and after they did, she transformed the wall into four different golems. The golems raced toward Miwa but didn't get close enough as she hit them with the tagging spells and shot an explosion hex to make them explode. She then decided to do something new, firing a medium-sized brown spell at the rocks; she summoned them to her, slashing her wand in the form of an x. They started rotating around her boy. Grinning at Daphne, who was completely shocked by what was happening, compressing them, she fired them like bullets at Daphne with frightening speed.
Daphne conjured a shield, which mostly worked except that it didn't stop them from hitting her. When the rocks were done pelting her, she was left with a few cuts and bruises on her body. At that moment, Miwa instantly began firing more spells at her, many of which she tried to dodge or block, but the spells were too fast. While some made contact, the blizzard stopped coming, and Daphne was forced on the defensive. Despite her injuries, she held strong. Having no other choice, she conjured a shield Harry made and sent the spells back to Miwa while panting. Miwa dodged the spells that were sent back and retaliated when Daphne started doing something unexpected.
Daphne knew she was outclassed but was determined to keep fighting. Deciding to try something new, she began using runic clusters to enhance her attacks. Miwa had to do a double-take as she was forced on the defensive. During their duel, she had been watching Greengrass's movements and the spells she employed. The girl used spells taught at Mahoutokoro, and her skills were indeed impressive. However, she never expected the girl to be able to add runic clusters to her spells. While they may have enhanced the person's spells, they often drained more magic from the user. That said, she couldn't deny that her opponent has grown considerably more powerful. Responding in kind, she upped her game and started to use a third. While fending off her attacks, she fired a fire comet. Concussion bangs followed behind her.
Miwa could see that Greengrass was trying and was starting to get exhausted. The injuries on her body made her look like a true fighter. Daphne used her wand to grab the fire on the ground next to her and, after circling her wand a few times, turned it into a fire tornado and sent it to her opponent. Miwa used Haiyoku against the incoming flames to intercept. Then she fired another three concussion bang spells behind her. Using the smoke as cover, she mentally said terra pignus, the earth equivalent spell to ignis pignus. Harry said that he created variations of the spell and was admittedly proud of how well they worked. Daphne saw the spell coming through the dust and levitated herself in the air. When the spell was over, she landed back on the ground and was about to retaliate, but the concussion bangs Kawada exploded knocked her off her feet and sent her flying forward, making her land on her stomach.
Taking advantage of her opponent's state, Miwa shot three bone-exploding curses evaded by Daphne, who rolled to her left and jumped back to her feet. She wasn't so lucky as Miwa fired a bludgeoning and two bone-shattering spells at her. The first spell was avoided. The other two hit her left leg and hip. Daphne sure felt the pain as Kawada put more power in them. Regaining herself, she summoned all the power she had left and fired Cocytus, a more powerful and dangerous version of the ice blast. Miwa, in turn, a more powerful version of the lightning arc from her wand. The elemental forces collided with each other and created powerful winds while battling for dominance.
Daphne knew she was at her limit but remembered Harry's words "a caster can use a powerful spell, but if they don't possess the will or spirit, then their magic will only be average at best. Remember, a person's magic is only as strong as their spirit." She now understood what he meant. Despite feeling drained, her spirit did not falter, and it urged her to rise. As she started walking forward, her blue eyes started glowing with fire; with each step she took, the power in her attack grew.
Miwa had to admit that this was completely unexpected, and she came to admire Daphne's will to fight. Most people would have given up by now, but not Daphne. She just moved forward, channeling more power into her spell. Knowing she's outclassed, the girl remained strong pushed forward. A smile appeared on her face as she decided to finish things, pushing more magic into the attack; she too started walking forward. The winds grew more violent from their attacks, and with a battle cry, Miwa was able to push the blast of ice back and send Daphne flying. Until she landed on the ground hard, the next thing she knew, she was in a full-body bind.
Dumbledore grudgingly announced Miwa, the winner, and Madam Pomfrey came forward to treat Ms. Greengrass's injuries. Harry, unfortunately, made it to her first, removed the binding spell, and helped the girl to her feet. He could tell she was exhausted and had to support her weight while escorting her to the medical tent. "You were amazing out there. I would never have expected that you were capable of releasing that much magic."
"Thanks," she replied, "I remembered what you said about a person's spirit" her entire body felt like it was made of jelly, and she was completely drained.
As they walked, the Japanese students were struck speechless by her performance that they couldn't even utter a word. None of them could get over the way she dueled and the power she demonstrated. Some couldn't believe that she was a Hogwarts student. The girl was a demon.
Just as they entered the tent, a familiar voice called out "Greengrass" they turned around and saw Miwa coming toward them. Coming forward with a smile, she stopped in front of them. "I have to say your performance was very impressive. Most would have given up, but you held on pushed forward. Perhaps you do have some talent!"
She then turned to Harry "you did a good job training her" with that, she turned around and left the tent.
Leaving a chuckling Harry and a bewildered Daphne, "that's Miwa! I think she likes you," he commented.
"Did she give me a compliment?" she asked as Harry took her to one of the open beds.
Harry was about to reply when Madam Pomfrey and the other Professors came in. The school's matron immediately showed a pepper-up potion and had her down the contents. Next came a strengthening potion. Daphne knew from experience that the potion tasted awful and was about to protest but relented after receiving a pointed glare from the woman and Severus. Downing the contents, which tasted foul, she leaned back, and Pomfrey began repairing her injuries.
"Ms. Greengrass," Hayato said as he and Hamasaki approached, "your skills in martial combat were impressive. Though, I can't help but wonder about the spells you used as they are not taught here."
Daphne responded, "I learned from him," gesturing to Hadrian.
"You taught her!" Hamasaki glared dangerously at him.
Harry shrugged his shoulders "she asked me to train her. And I did!"
The Professor looked at him with wide eyes at how casually he answered. Hayato spoke up before he could, "in any case, you trained her well," turning his attention to the other, "Professor Dumbledore, we will be on our way." Whirling around, he left the tent with his fellow Professor.
Harry looked back at Daphne. "I'll see you when I get back," smiling at her before leaving the tent.
Madam Pomfrey told the other Professor to leave as she had a lot of students to fix. There was no point in arguing with her when she was in full healer mode, and they left her to attend to the injured students.
After spending two hours repairing the students, they were released and went back to the castle. Fred and George were still feeling the pain in their butts and were having a hard time walking. With each step, they groaned in pain as their butts still felt like they were on fire. Madam Pomfrey told them that their bottoms were going to be sore, and they'd have a difficult time sitting down. In the great hall during dinner, people were talking about what happened on the pitch. The majority of the student population was having a hard time concealing their laughter at what happened to Fred, George, Ron, and Hermione. Some were rolling on the ground, clutching their stomachs.
The Slytherins were wearing big smiles on their faces as they were happy the wins got what they deserved. Now they knew what it was like to be humiliated in front of others. When dinner was over, a party in the common room erupted celebrating today.
Professor Snape came in and told them that they better be in bed by 11:30. They could see the cruel smile on his face as he was happy with what happened on the pitch. The seventh years were playing music via crystals and passing glasses of butterbeer around. Everything was going smoothly until a council member cleared his throat and got their attention "today has been a joyous day for us. Not only were we able to witness the utter humiliation of the Weasley twins. I like for us to raise a glass to our own: Daphne Greengrass."
Everyone raised their glasses in her honor. "Ms. Greengrass," the seventh year spoke again, "you have demonstrated the true qualities of a Slytherin today. Through your efforts, we were able to prove our dominance over the other Houses and as such. I, Derrick Montague, hereby name you my successor on the Slytherin council."
The snake pit erupted in applause, the loudest coming from her Tracey and Astoria. Nicole and the other council members also clapped, with the older girl mouthing, "you've earned it."
As the students congratulated her, Daphne decided to turn in early as she was exhausted from today.
A/N: Part of me feels like I went overboard with the way I got back at Fred and George, the other part of me feels like they deserved it. What is everyone else's opinion on the matter? I said that there be duels and I delivered. Daphne and Miwa had it out and while she lost Daphne showed just how powerful she'd become and has been made the successor one of the council members.
Next Chapter: The first mission!