Sorry for the delay on this one. Thanks for hangin' around.

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~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

The autumn weather transitioned to winter weather very quickly, so that by the time of the second quidditch match – Hufflepuff vs. Ravenclaw – the students of Hogwarts were all huddled under their cloaks in the stands, sitting as close together as they could for warmth. Most of the students who were able had cast warming charms on themselves, and many first years were so bundled up under layers of jumpers and mittens and balaclavas that they looked more like moving piles of clothes than people.

Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione were sitting with Stephen and Natalie to cheer on Ravenclaw. Luna was sitting on the other side of Ginny from Harry, at the end of their row. She was wearing a deep blue cloak and a very thick muffler, as well as a knitted cap of bright blue that had many soft-sculpture stars, moons, owls, and salamanders dangling off of it. She had thick woolen mittens to match.

'I've never seen a quidditch match before,' she said. 'Are they exciting?'

'I think so,' said Ginny. 'But they're not for everyone.'

Hermione grunted and crossed her arms. 'I should be inside working,' she said. 'We have that potions essay due next week and I need to work on my polishing charms, too.'

'Hermione, you cast that charm better than everybody else already,' said Ron. 'You need to take a break every once in a while.'

'But Harry's not even playing, Ron! And our only friends in Ravenclaw are sitting here with us; I have no one to cheer for! I can't believe I let you three drag me out here.'

Ron looked offended at the very idea of being "forced" to watch a quidditch match, but Harry just laughed.

'We won't make you again if you really don't want to, Hermione,' he said. 'I don't usually get to sit in the stands with you since I'm playing, but if you really hate it, that's fine.'

Her face softened. 'Thanks, Harry,' she said. 'And I don't hate it – there are times when it can be genuinely exciting – it's just that there are things I enjoy more, and if I don't have any friends playing in the match it's hard to get invested.'

'I guess that makes sense,' said Ron. 'Not everyone's a quidditch person, after all. Even I have a hard time getting into a match if it's just Montrose and Falmouth, say.'

'I'm going to pretend I know what that means and just appreciate your understanding,' said Hermione.

The match turned out to be a long one. It was still going after three hours, and Hermione bade them all goodbye to go in and work on her homework. After two more hours, Luna commented that she could see why it might not be fun if one's own house wasn't playing, but she assured them she was having a good time and thanked them again for inviting her.

It was starting to get dark and even Harry found himself longing for the warm fires and soft cushions of the Gryffindor common room. Not to mention the house elves' cooking. His backside was sore from sitting on the bench – he should have used a cushioning charm – and his stomach was protesting after a whole day of nothing but concession snacks. Finally, just as the first stars began to make themselves visible in the darkening sky, the snitch appeared. Both seekers bolted after it; Hufflepuff was only up by seventy points so it was still anybody's game.

The crowd was in its feet. Only Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, and quidditch die-hards like Ron and Oliver Wood remained by this time, and they were reveling in such a thrilling conclusion to in incredibly hard-fought match.

Harry could tell after just a few moments of watching how things were going to turn out. Cho had the clear edge on the Hufflepuff seeker, a sixth year named Oren Hayes; it was clear how Cedric had managed to take his spot the following year. Harry only wondered why Cedric wasn't on the team this year, since they'd obviously thought enough of his skill to make him captain. It was something he'd never thought to ask, and he started to regret it before he realized he once again had the chance if he wanted to.

'What do you think, Harry?' said Ron excitedly from next to him.

'Cho's got it,' he said without hesitation. His confidence took Ron aback.

'You think?'

'One hundred percent,' he said.

'She's definitely the better flyer,' said Ginny from his either side.

'She's in a better position, too,' said Harry.

'Is she?' asked Ginny. 'Well, you would know.'

He suspected she wasn't just keeping her cover; Ginny knew quidditch as well as if not better than anyone he'd ever met, but she still claimed his expertise on seekers eclipsed hers. Understandable, as she'd only ever played the position five times in her life.

'I think Harry's right,' said Luna suddenly, reminding them all that she was still there too. 'Based on the angles they're flying from, she has an advantage even if the snitch decides to change direction suddenly. Unless of course it chooses to fly right into Oren Hayes's face. I don't think he'd like that, but then it would let them win, so he might not mind.'

Harry and Ginny shared a wide-eyed look and then turned to stare at Luna. Ron too was gaping at her, while Stephen and Natalie just laughed. Luna didn't appear to notice any of this.

'We're about to see if you're both right,' Ron said, breaking the silence. 'Look, she's going for it!'

Cho made a lunge, and was able to reach out and grab the fluttering snitch. The Hufflepuffs cries of disappointment were drowned out as a great cheer arose from the Ravenclaws in the stands (as well as everyone else who just happy the match was over so they could go back inside).

The exodus from the stands was almost immediate. People were descending to the grounds even while still revelng, and there were groups on their way up to the castle even before the teams had left the pitch. Harry and the others arrived down at the ground just as the Ravenclaw team was breaking up from their group celebration.

'Harry!' cried a very ecstatic voice. He turned to see Cho Chang running toward him. 'Harry, I did it! You were right, it was amazing!'

Before he even knew what was happening, she had thrown her arms around him and was hugging him exultantly. He had never felt so awkward and wrong footed in his life; he was sure it must be all over his face. Sure enough, when his terrified gaze landed on Ginny, it was not, blessedly, to see her stewing in angry jealousy, but to see her fighting not to laugh.

'Er, yeah, congratulations!' he said, not sure how to extricate himself without being hurtful or rude. Mercifully, she released him after only a few seconds.

'It was just like you said! Once the match started, I wasn't nervous at all! It sort of...takes you over, doesn't it?'

'It really does,' Harry agreed, feeling less awkward by the moment. He always felt on solid ground discussing quidditch. 'Don't expect such an easy time of it when you play us, though.'

'Oh, I definitely won't,' she said. 'Thanks again, Harry. And thanks everyone for sitting through the whole match.' She flashed a brilliant smile and then spun around, speeding back to her teammates.

'You know, Harry, I think Chang fancies you,' said Ron as the group of them trekked back up to the castle. More than one stomach was rumbling in expectations of dinner.

You don't say, thought Harry dryly. 'You reckon?'

'Oh, definitely,' said Ginny, a horrible smile on her face. She only ever looked like that when she was really planning to take the mickey out of someone. 'What are you going to do about it? She's very pretty, you know.'

'I hadn't noticed,' said Harry flatly, narrowing his eyes at her.

'Really?' asked Luna earnestly. 'That's interesting; I thought it was obvious. Is it because you like somebody else, or do you just not like girls at all?'

Harry did a double take, Ron made a strangled, choking sound, and Ginny, Stephen, and Natalie burst out laughing.

'Er, no, that's...um, just never mind,' said Harry, not bothering to try to explain.

'Anyway, Ron's right, she definitely fancies you,' Luna went on. 'She talks about you a lot.'

'It's true, she does,' Natalie confirmed. 'And it's not like any of us spend much time with her either, so if we're hearing about it…'

Ron and Ginny didn't let up on him until they were sitting down to eat.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Ginny was still teasing him when they met in the Room of Requirement that night, but by that time he felt he'd had enough.

'And...your face!' she said through her guffaws. Harry grit his teeth, not wanting to blow up at her. After all, this was far from a worst case scenario as far as her possible reactions were concerned, but there was a limit.

'All right, you've had your fun,' he said as calmly as he could manage. 'Could we let it go now, please?'

'Oh come on, Harry, I'm just-' she stopped when she saw his face, and her own grin disappeared almost immediately. 'It's really bothering you?'

'Gee, I don't know, Ginny,' he said, struggling with his temper. 'The first girl I ever fancied suddenly has a very obvious crush on me, only now to me she's basically a child. And it's all happening in front of my fiancee, whom I can't tell anyone is my fiancee because everyone thinks we're children too. How am I supposed to be taking it?' He left out what else had happened when Cho had hugged him; he was thoroughly disgusted with himself and would be taking that secret to the grave.

Ginny's face fell. 'I'm sorry, Harry. I wasn't thinking of it like that. And I've been rubbing your face in it all day. I wish you'd said something sooner.'

'I should have,' he admitted. 'I was expecting you to take the piss a bit, and honestly I was glad you found the whole thing amusing rather than upsetting, but...I don't know. It got to me more than I thought it would.'

'Well of course I wouldn't be upset,' she said, stroking his arm. 'Harry, I know I've had a few bouts of jealousy over the years, but I know you're not going to leave me for a thirteen year old. I just wish I'd thought a bit more how awkward it must feel to have a thirteen year old fancy you. And of course the fact that you used to like her would make it weirder; I didn't think of that either. I'm sorry.'

'It's such a bizarre situation,' said Harry. 'This wasn't the first time we've run into something that affects us in ways we won't expect, and it won't be the last.'

'You're right,' she agreed. 'But just promise me that the next time you'll tell me sooner so I don't make it worse without meaning to. I'll do the same. If we're not on each other's side, we'll never make it through this.'

'Deal,' said Harry.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Throughout the following week, Cho would regularly smile and wave at Harry as they passed in the corridors, and despite himself, he couldn't help but wonder why things couldn't have been so easy his first time around. It was a ridiculous thought, since he would have ended up with Ginny anyway, but unbidden thoughts rarely made much sense.

Ron continued to give him a hard time, of course, until Ginny told him off for it, which confused him to no end.

'You were ribbing him worse than anyone the other day!' he protested.

'Yes, but it's clearly making him uncomfortable,' she said. 'We've had our fun, so lay off it.'

Ron screwed up his face but did not argue further, while Hermione watched the exchange shrewdly.

Fred and George too had noticed Cho's interest in Harry and had teased him a bit, but as they regularly teased everyone for absolutely everything, this didn't bother him in the slightest. It probably helped that they also (perhaps due to extensive experience) had a much stronger sense of when to pile on and when to lay off, so they almost never took things too far.

'I am going to have to do something about it eventually,' he said to Ginny one day while Ron and Hermione were working on Ron's homework. 'She's being really obvious; it's not like I can pretend forever that I don't notice. But what should I do?'

'There isn't much you can do other than let her down gently,' she said. 'You're right; it would be cruel to just pretend not to notice for too long, but if she doesn't take the hint by the new year I'm afraid that means you're probably going to have to bring it up with her and address it directly.'

'I was afraid of that,' said Harry glumly.

The problem of what to do about Cho weighed heavily on his mind, even though all he was really worried about was hurting the girl's feelings. Fortunately a distraction came in the second week of December in the form of Professor McGonagall. She came around collecting the names of students who planned to stay at Hogwarts over Christmas. Harry distinctly remembered he and Ron and Hermione using their illicitly brewed polyjuice potion to interrogate Malfoy about the Heir of Slytherin, and was reminded again just how crazy his school life had truly been.

'Oh!' said Ron as McGonagall approached them. 'Harry, I was supposed to tell you! Mum says you're invited to spend Christmas with us if you want.'

'Brilliant!' said Harry, his spirits instantly lifting. Ginny had been plotting to broach the subject with her mother in the event Ron never got around to it, but evidently Mrs Weasley had been a step ahead of all of them.

It was something he'd been expecting, true, but the knowledge he'd be spending Christmas at the Burrow buoyed Harry's spirits – otherwise dampened by lack of progress toward a solution to their time displacement – tremendously.

Then, on top of that, Ginny surprised him later that day with the news that she'd been given permission to invite Luna to stay for a few days as well (she'd still be spending the bulk of the holiday at home with her father).

'I didn't tell you in case it fell through,' she said. 'But won't that be brilliant?'

Harry, who liked Luna very much, but even more remembered how much their friendship had meant to the eccentric girl, was delighted at the news.

'Have you actually asked her yet?' he asked.

'This morning,' said Ginny, nodding happily. 'She was so excited about it; I wonder if anyone's ever invited her anywhere.'

'I remember how happy she was when I asked her to go to Slughorn's Christmas do with me,' said Harry, reminiscing fondly. 'I'm glad you were able to do this.'

'Neither of us really had a best girl friend growing up,' Ginny said. 'Hermione and I did become close eventually, but she was always yours and Ron's friend more than mine. And Luna didn't have anyone. This time I intend to make it clear she's my best friend right from the off.'

'Are you going to try to get her to stay over the summer, too?' Harry asked.

'If she'll come. I know she and her dad like to travel, looking for crumple-horned snorkacks or whatever else, but hopefully we'll get her for a little while at least.'

I'm glad for both of you,' said Harry. 'I know how mad you were going there last year all by yourself, and how much you wanted to see her.'

The following week brought still more – if not good, then at least interesting – developments.

'Did you see this thing about a Dueling Club on the notice board?' Seamus asked Ron and Harry one morning at breakfast.

Oh, bloody hell, thought Harry, fighting the urge to put his face in his hands.

'Dueling club?' asked Ron with half a mouthful of toast.

'First meeting's tonight!' said Dean, who had come in with Seamus. 'Well, for us, anyway. Years four and up will have their meetings separate.'

'Should be exciting, eh, Harry?' asked Ron.

'Right, exciting.'

Hermione, of course, was all for attending, and Harry acted like he was, though if he were honest he thought it might at least be good for a laugh. Ginny was annoyed the first years weren't allowed, though considering most first years were not secretly fully qualified adult witches and could barely levitate their own socks, she conceded that it made sense.

'I just wish we could at least watch,' she grumbled as the rest of them prepared to leave the common room that evening.

'I understand how you feel,' said Hermione, 'but it's probably for the best. What if some first years tried to copy some of the things they saw and ended up hurting themselves or each other?'

'Sure, sure, explain it away with logic,' Ginny said. 'At least tell me how it went when you come back.'

Harry of course knew the real reason she wanted to watch: Lockhart was going to make a complete fool of himself, which was always fun to see. He wondered if he could egg the incompetent professor on as he had done in class after the basilisk incident (and a few times since).

Snape was there, as before (Harry wondered how on Earth Lockhart had convinced him to participate), and as before, he forced Harry to partner up with Malfoy after his "demonstration" of the disarming charm.

The only thing Harry remembered about this encounter was Malfoy's conjured snake, and his inadvertent revelation of his talents with parseltongue. Nevertheless, he was prepared for skullduggery, so when Malfoy began to move his wand on "two" instead of "three", he reacted immediately.

Harry was a trained auror, so it was literally child's play for him to slip in under Malfoy's guard and cast a disarming charm while the young Slytherin was still brandishing his wand (he made sure to vocalize the spell very loudly, as a second year was likely to do). Malfoy's hawthorn wand, familiar to him as it was the wand with which he'd brought down Voldemort, flew in a clean arc in the space between them until Harry snatched it effortlessly out of the air as if it were a somewhat lazy golden snitch. It rested comfortably in his hand, like an old friend.

There was a brief period of astonished silence, and then an outcry from the gathered students. Few of them had managed to cast any spells yet, so there were only a few isolated pockets of chaos that quickly died down. Most in attendance had witnessed his exchange with Malfoy and were cheering Harry's impressive display, while a number of Slytherins were crying out that he'd cheated.

'Jumping the gun, Potter?' Snape sneered.

'I didn't move until after Malfoy did, sir,' said Harry calmly. Snape's lip curled, but he did not argue the point. Lockhart came bounding over, beaming.

'Well done, Harry, well done! Looks like some of my wandwork skills are rubbing off after all!'

'You think so, Professor?' asked Harry, putting on an air of obeisance. 'Do you think I could have a try against you? You know, so I can see how far I've got to go?'

Lockhart's beaming face froze for the shortest of moments and he stopped himself mid-gulp.

'Ah, perhaps another time, Harry,' he said. 'I daresay that may not be the best idea in a first lesson, but I admire your enthusiasm and initiative. Why, it reminds me of me at your age. Yes, an ambitious attitude like that will carry you far in life. Now then, you've all had a good look at how it's done, so why don't we try that again? Everyone ready? One, two, three!'

This time was pandemonium. Sparks flew from all directions, thick green smoke filled the hall, and attempted disarmings rapidly devolved into fist fights – particularly between Gryffindors and Slytherins. Millicent Bulstrode had Hermione in a headlock, and two third year boys were rolling around on the ground in a wrestling match. On a double-take, Harry realized that one of them was Cormac McClaggen.

Lockhart cried desperately for everyone to stop, but it was not until Snape stepped in and dispersed the smoke that things began to calm back down. Harry took the opportunity to hand a fuming Malfoy back his wand.

'You just wait, Potter,' he muttered under Snape's admonishments to the crowd. 'Next time...'

'Next time what?' Harry asked casually. 'You'll go on one instead of two? Best of luck with that.'

Malfoy gritted his teeth and snarled, but said nothing as Lockhart was addressing them all again.

'Make sure you pronounce the spell properly,' he said. 'You all saw Harry and Professor Snape. And aim is important as well.' Harry inwardly marveled. This was likely the first genuinely useful advise the man had ever given to anyone in his life. Though it was not lost on Harry that Lockhart had not himself explained or demonstrated how to do either of those things.

He set them to it again. Malfoy once more tried to get the jump on Harry, who again disarmed him effortlessly. Malfoy's frustration was visible on his face, and it was quickly bubbling over into indignant outrage. Three more iterations had Malfoy looking as furious had ever seen in him either lifetime.

'All right, that's a good start,' Lockhart called. A few other students had indeed started getting the hang of disarming. 'Now perhaps we should begin practicing blocking unfriendly spells. Harry, Draco, if you'll indulge me...' He gestured for them to come forward. Before they did, Snape leaned down and whispered something into Malfoy's ear. If memory served, he was telling Malfoy how to conjure a snake. Though things had already changed a fair bit as far as he could tell, so it might be something else. Either way, he wasn't concerned. He was confident he'd be able to react quickly and easily enough to anything Malfoy was capable of.

'Now Harry,' said Lockhart, crouching down next to him and speaking loud enough for everyone to hear. 'When Draco casts his spell at you, do this.' He wiggled his wand in a manner not resembling anything remotely useful, and promptly dropped it.

'Whoops!' he said, snatching it up. 'My wand is a little overexcited!'

'If it's all the same, Professor,' said Harry, 'I think I'll hang on to mine.' A ripple of laughter ran through the crowd. Lockhart's smile faltered for half an instant, but was back in place before anyone else could have noticed.

'Good thinking, Harry!' he said jovially, patting him on the back. 'Up you go, then.'

Harry stepped out and faced Malfoy, who was grinning maliciously. Lockhart counted down from three, and Malfoy cried, 'Serpensortia!' A snake flew out of his wand exactly as Harry remembered, but the moment it touched the floor, Harry hit it with a freezing charm, and then disarmed Malfoy for a sixth time, catching the Hawthorn wand lazily in his left hand.

Even Snape looked furious now, but there was another round of applause from (most of) the other students in the hall.

'Am I supposed to be frightened of a snake?' he asked, handing Malfoy back his wand. 'Surely you can think of something better than that.' He retook his position. 'My turn, then. Ready?'

He waited for a startled Malfoy to get back into position, then for Snape to show him how to deflect a spell. He knew this would be of little use. Deflecting spells required expert timing as well as at least a cursory knowledge of the spell being deflected. But it was the only option available; not even Lockhart could expect second and third years to be able to cast shield charms already.

Harry stood patiently, until at last a grudging nod from Snape indicated he would be allowed to proceed. Lockhart counted down again. As expected, Malfoy started early, casting a knockback hex – the most violent jinx most second years could be expected to know – at Harry, who sidestepped it and then countered with the helium hex they'd become so well versed in the year before. For good measure, he disarmed Malfoy yet again just because he could.

'What's that, Potter?' Malfoy shouted – or at least, he tried to; it came out as an angry squeak – 'We're supposed to be blocking, not dodging!'

'And I was supposed to be the one attacking, not you,' replied Harry coolly. 'You can hardly complain when your cheating doesn't work the way you wanted it to.'

'Showing off, Potter?' sneered Snape.

'No sir, just practicing dueling. That's what we're here for, isn't it?'

'Give Malfoy back his wand, Potter.'

'Of course, sir,' he said, handing it over.

'You'll pay for that one, Potter,' Malfoy growled, only he forgot to cancel the jinx on himself first, so it came out high pitched and squeaky, causing another round of laughter.

'If you say so,' said Harry. 'Want to actually try blocking this time?'

If Malfoy's head were capable of exploding, it would have done so. Snape looked equally incensed, but there wasn't really anything else he could do about it in the moment. He did tell Harry that he and Malfoy would no longer be partnered however, which amused Harry to no end since pairing them up in the first place had been his idea to torment Harry. Harry went on to work with Neville and Dean instead. It was like being back in the DA, especially since he was the one actually helping them, Snape being unwilling and Lockhart being incapable.

By the end of the hour, most everyone had managed a few successful disarming charms, and one or two people had actually managed to block the charm, which was impressive in itself, since it wasn't typically a charm one blocked. The standard defense for expelliarmus was the shield charm, or else just dodging it. Naturally Harry couldn't let on that he could conjure a shield, he got told off by Snape for dodging when he was supposed to be blocking, and he reckoned blocking it would draw more attention than he needed as well (on top of what he'd already garnered), so he was forced to let himself be disarmed multiple times. It wasn't as many as it could have been, however; Neville's aim was as dismal as it had always been in his younger years. Only Dean ever actually managed to hit him.

'Very good, everyone!' Lockhart congratulated them at nine o'clock. 'You've all made some excellent progress this evening! I hope to see you all back here again at our next meeting at the start of next term! Times will be posted, so keep an eye out!'

Harry blinked in astonishment at this speech, largely because it was true. They had made some excellent progress. Was such a thing even possible? Had that grandstanding oaf actually done something productive and useful? And if so, would it continue? The other shoe had to drop at some point, didn't it?

'Harry, a word?' Lockhart said to him much more discreetly as people were filing out.

'Er, sorry, professor,' he said. 'I'm already exhausted and I've still got homework to finish.' This was, of course, a compete fabrication. But he had no desire to talk to Lockhart about his apparent natural talent for dueling, or what he might mean for his future career as a celebrity. 'Thanks for forming the club, though,' he added, almost without meaning to. 'I think it went really well.' And for the first time speaking to Lockhart perhaps ever, he meant every word.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

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~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

This chapter's a bit short by my usual standard, but I realized as I was writing the next bit that it really should be a new chapter so I cut it off and added it to the beginning of chapter 21.

I'm doing NaNoWriMo again, and like last year, I'm splitting my 50k word quota up amongst various projects, including fanfic, so (hopefully) expect to see some more from me this month.

Thanks to those who take a moment to leave a review!