CHAPTER 8: Let the Duel Begin

A/N: Hey guys, firstly I want to apologize for being a day late. I had a few inspiring ideas regarding the next chapter and it took me a while to plan it out. i actually spent equal time planning the next chapter as I did writing this one. But I am really happy with how this chapter turned out and you will start to notice how my story while still incorporating the spirit and story of the books and movies will start to differ slightly. As usual my only wish is that you guys enjoy this chapter and find it worth you time.

I also want to say that I really appreciate all the support you guys have given me even though I left you hanging for months and it really means a lot.

The first thing Harry detected as he slowly came to his senses was the fresh smell of bacon and eggs followed by a loud buzzing in his ears which made him want to chop them off because of the pain it caused in his head. He tried to move his neck but it was too stiff so he relented by simply opening his eyes.

It wasn't as simple he found out. His eyes fluttered for a moment before they slowly opened and he immediately wished to close them back because of the blinding light that pierced his vision. He groaned aloud as he tried to shift into a sitting position.

"Harry!" gasped Hermione, as she looked up from her notes. She was at his side in record time and helped him sit comfortably by cushioning his back with extra pillows.

"Thanks" he replied, as his eyes got adjusted to the light. He looked around trying to make sense of his surroundings. He was in the hospital wing but unlike his previous visit the only light in the room was of the lanterns floating in mid-air, which made him realize that it was dark outside.

He turned his head in Hermione's direction to find her picking up a tray of food from his bedside table before placing it on his lap.

"Thanks" his voice hoarse from the sleep.

"Don't mention it" she gave him a small smile. "I figured you'd be hungry the moment you'd wake up since you haven't eaten anything since breakfast."

"How long have I been out?" he asked, as he looked around once more and noticed that apart from Hermione and himself, there was no one here.

"Since you caught the snitch" Hermione said, taking a seat back in her chair.

Harry whipped his head towards her as a huge smile enveloped his face. "We won," he gasped aloud, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. His memory was a bit foggy since the last thing he remembered was diving towards the ground at breakneck speed.

Hermione beamed at him as she nodded her head before a frown overtook her features. "Although, I must say that it was very dangerous and foolish what you did on the pitch today Harry. I was so scared that I didn't even watch the end of the match. It wasn't until Ron started shaking me while shouting at the top of his lungs that I finally opened them" she finished with a scowl, recalling how hard Ron shook her like a ragdoll while celebrating.

"Speaking of Ron, where is he?"

"He went to bed just ten minutes ago and I really had to beg Madam Pomfrey to let me stay since I didn't want you to wake up all alone."

"Thanks" he said, before taking the lid off the plate. He licked his lips in anticipation before swallowing half a piece of bacon in one mouthful and groaned in pleasure, closing his eyes. He opened them back only to turn red in embarrassment when he saw Hermione looking at him with a smirk on her face.

"I'm sorry" He said, looking down at his plate.

She laughed softly before replying. "It's alright Harry. Once you've witnessed the atrocity that is Ron eating, if you could even call it that, everything else seems normal." They both chuckled as Harry took another bite.

A comfortable silence enveloped them and nothing was said for a while as Hermione went back to her writing and Harry continued to enjoy his meal when out of nowhere a vision flashed through his brain of him dangling from his broom and he choked on his food.

Hermione quickly grabbed the water from the bedside table as he started coughing loudly.

"Here Harry, quickly drink it" she said, handing him the glass. He gulped it all down before looking at her wide eyed.

"Hermione!" He was still breathing heavily. "What happened to me during the match" he said before taking deep breaths to calm his racing heart.

Hermione's eyes turned wide for a second before she regained her composure. She slowly walked back to her chair and took a seat before she started fidgeting with her hands while looking down at her lap. Harry was confused by her reaction as it seemed that she had been avoiding this conversation and looked nervous to answer his question which was so unlike her because she always seemed so confident and had an answer to every problem but seeing her react in this manner only made him more nervous.

"Hermione?" he asked tentatively, not even sure that he wanted to know what she had to say anymore.

She looked up at him before finding her voice "I, I can only tell you what I saw Harry and you can ask Ron if you don't believe me because he saw it too." Harry nodded his head. "When you were hanging from your broom, I looked through my binoculars to see if I could spot whoever was doing this to you and….." she trailed off.

"Come on Hermione, just say it" he said, getting anxious.

"It was Snape" Harry sat still in shock as his eyes widened in disbelief, unable to speak or form a thought for that matter.

His eyebrows scrunched in confusion, trying to figure how that was possible. Sure, Snape wasn't particularly a fan of his, nor was he of him but he always acted fair towards him and trying to kill him was the furthest thing he expected.

"But, I mean, how? Are you sure?" he stuttered out.

"I can only tell you what I saw Harry. He was viciously mumbling something, like an incantation while everyone else looked in horror" Harry looked down at his bed sheet as he tried to make sense of all this.

"Although I have another theory as well and the more I think about it, the more I lean towards it" Harry looked up at her, silently prompting her to continue. "Maybe he was trying to stop you from falling. I didn't think of it at the time because trying to save you was my main priority but although your broom didn't stop moving till the fire came, it did slow down a lot when you were near the commentators stand which is right next to the teacher's stand"

Harry nodded his head slowly. "Yeah, you're right. I remember thinking that I was going to fall down when my broom started zigzagging but then I felt this resistance" he paused, looking at her "You know as if, something was stopping it from moving and it became a lot easier to hold on"

They were silent for a while, both deep in their thoughts before Harry spoke again. "I am not blaming Snape" Hermione stared at him for a while before slowly nodding her head. "Not until we have proof"

"But we can be sure of one thing, Harry. Whoever did this to you was sitting in the teacher's stand because the moment it caught on fire, I'm sure you know that your broom stopped moving"

"Yeah, I could feel it immediately" He scrunched his forehead in thought before continuing. "What did you think caused the fire?"

"I am not sure" she shook her head. "But the real question is why would someone want to kill you and is this the same person who's trying to steal whatever it is on the third floor corridor?" she huffed, frustration evident in her voice.

"That's what we have to figure out," he said, staring up at one of the floating lanterns.

…...

Transfiguration Room, Afternoon

Harry was doubled over in laughter with tears leaking from his eyes as he pointed his finger at Ron's hair which now had white streaks mixed in with his red locks.

"It's not funny Harry" Ron rolled his eyes. "Come on, change it back."

Students were standing in pairs on either side of the room as the desks had been moved to the front. Prof. McGonagall was walking back and forth in the centre of the room with her hands behind her back as she closely watched students perform the incantation she had demonstrated earlier on each other.

"But you look so much better like this, I think you should keep it" he said, before another bout of laughter escaped his lips.

"Alright, that's it" Ron pointed his wand at his hair. Harry stopped laughing immediately as his eyes turned wide.

"Wait, what are you doing?" He put his hands up in defence.

"Oh just going to do a little touch up on your hair"

"But, you already did. You can't do it again" he protested.

"Oh I think Prof. McGonagall wouldn't mind if I practiced some more, don't you think? Crinus Moto" Gone were Harry's raven locks, only to be replaced by a mop of green head. "Ah that's perfect, it highlights your eyes a lot more"

Harry dashed to the mirror hanging on the wall while everyone he passed made a remark that he didn't find one bit funny. "No" he groaned aloud before glaring at Ron whose shoulders were shaking uncontrollably. Harry, knowing that he wouldn't change his hair back to normal, turned to the only person he knew would.

However, since she was standing on the other side of the room and he had to go past several Slytherin students on his way almost made him wait till the class ended. But then he saw his reflection once more and his decision was made.

With numerous insults thrown his way, most of them thanks to Malfoy that varied from "nice broccoli hair Potter" to "you're still not going to make any friends with that mop of grass on your head", Harry finally reached Hermione who was facing the other way, practicing with her partner, Dean Thomas.

Dean, who saw him first, put his hand over his mouth as he tried to hide his laughter. Hermione furrowed her brows in confusion as she watched her partner turn around while trying to conceal his laughter. She turned around and gasped loudly "Harry!"

"Don't laugh and fix it please" he muttered, looking down.

It took Hermione a moment to come out of her shock. "O-Of course" she pointed her wand at him and changed his hair back to normal. "Done"

Harry looked up at her. "Really?"

Hermione smiled as she nodded her head. "Yes, you don't need worry about it anymore"

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh thanks, you're a lifesaver Hermione"

She arched an eyebrow at his comment. "Really Harry? You think changing you hair color is lifesaving"

"Yes!" he said, as if that was such a ridiculous question to ask.

"Oh don't be so dramatic" she rolled her eyes.

"Oh really, how about we see how you would react-"

"Lift your hand and you won't be able to use your wand again" she deadpanned, cutting him off.

The remaining session went in the same vein as students tried to one up their partners in who had the more embarrassing hair before Prof. McGonagall gained everyone's attention.

"Now, before you leave, I would like to remind you all that the duelling competition starts today and will take place in the great hall in exactly an hour's time. Be sure to arrive on time." Students started murmuring among themselves about the competition as they exited the classroom.

….

Harry was walking down the corridor of the third floor as he made a right turn. He hurried up his pace, not wanting to be late for the competition. The reason he was making his way alone towards the great hall was because he had left his wand on his bed after taking a shower and only realized it once they reached the second floor.

He hoped Hermione and Ron were still waiting for him on the second floor and hadn't gone ahead without him. The duelling competition in itself sounded scary enough and he didn't want to enter the hall all alone.

He turned the corner that led to the staircase to the second floor and stopped as his eyes landed on Prof. Snape standing not too far while talking to a portrait. "Make sure he gets this message and come straight back or I will find out" He heard Snape say.

"Alright! It was only one mistake- Huh!" The man in the portrait saw Harry and exited the painting. Snape turned around and looked at Harry. Even if he was surprised he didn't show it.

"Mr. Potter, shouldn't you be in the great hall at this very moment" he slowly walked towards him with his hands folded behind his back.

"Umm, I was just going there Sir, you see I forgot my wand in my dormitory" he took out his wand for Snape to see.

Snape didn't speak for a few seconds but simply stared at him which like every other time made Harry slightly unnerved. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

Harry furrowed his brows before realizing what he was referring to "Oh, much better now sir. I had a good rest"

Again there was silence for a few slow agonizing moments before Snape once again opened his mouth. "Have you ever been in a duel before?"

"No Sir" he shook his head.

"Huh." He arched an eyebrow. "Well that is rather surprising since Potter's aren't shy of pointing their wands, even at a young age"

"Well they probably had someone to teach them from a young age and since I never had that privilege I think you can understand my lack of experience." He paused, thinking if he should utter the next words but once again couldn't help himself. "Although I assure you I'll learn fast."

Snape narrowed his eyes as his features hardened. "Oh I don't need your assurance on that Mr. Potter. I know it by experience"

He moved to the side, telling Harry without words to leave. Harry, not wanting to continue this conversation any longer, did just that.

Snape watched him till he reached the stairs before disappearing out of sight.

Hermione, who had been sitting on the stone floor, got up when she saw Harry walking towards them, his head down.

"There you are! What took you so long" she asked, as Ron turned his head towards him as well.

Harry looked up after hearing her voice. "Oh" he stopped next to them. "Umm, made a wrong turn, that's all. Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Don't worry, we've all been there" said Ron, as they started walking. Hermione kept stealing glances at Harry out of the corner of her eye. Something told her that he wasn't telling the truth but let it go for the moment.

Great Hall

Harry, Hermione and Ron entered the great hall and they each let out a gasp of shock as they looked around. No more were there four long house tables lined in columns but instead were fourteen mats, each the size of a dormitory placed all across the floor. Students were bustling about, trying to figure out where they were supposed to go whereas teachers were calling out names and trying to calm everyone down. Harry looked up at the boards hanging in the air without anything holding them in place above each mat. On them was written the mat number, student's year number along with two house names.

"Look, over there" said Hermione, pointing above. Harry looked over at the board closest to them on the right where her finger was pointing at. 2, Year 1, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff.

They were about to walk when a hand on the shoulder stopped Harry. He turned around and a smile came over his face as he looked up at the grinning face of Cedric.

"Hey there, little buddy, haven't seen you in a while"

"I could say the same to you" replied Harry cheekily, earning a chuckle from Cedric.

"Yeah, you're right. Even when you're in my year, it takes a while to get used to everything again, I guess" Harry nodded his head. "But, tell me about you. How're you finding everything?"

"I'm okay"

"Yeah?" he asked, raising his eyebrow with a smirk on his lips. "Are you sure?" Harry nodded his head. "Not just saying it to make me get off your back are you?" Harry shook his head. "Cause you know I won't, so you better tell me the truth"

"I'm fine Cedric" chuckled Harry.

Cedric narrowed his eyes mockingly, which only made Harry laugh harder, before breaking his act and laughing along with him. "Okay" he relented, before looking at Hermione and Ron who found the whole interaction utterly amusing. "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't see you guys before. Oh, where are my manners" He extended his hand towards Hermione. "Cedric Diggory"

Hermione shook his hand with a smile "Hermione Granger"

He then extended his hand towards Ron who shook it enthusiastically. "Ron Weasley"

Cedric scrunched his brows. "Weasley, as in Fred, George, Percy, Bill and Charlie Weasley?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Phew. Well your parents were definitely busy. 6 children." He realized what he said only after the words had left his mouth. "I'm sorry, that came out all wrong" he apologised.

Harry and Hermione were staring at the ground, their faces beet red in embarrassment. Ron, however, didn't seem at all embarrassed about it and replied casually "Yeah, it's been tough on them raising us all but they do their best. I have one younger sister as well, you see. She'll be joining Hogwarts next year." All three of them looked at him in confusion before realizing that he didn't get the innuendo and were partially glad by it.

"Uh hmm, Yeah, so" Cedric tried to think of something else to say to move on from this awkward exchange, albeit it was lost on one person. "So, are you guys ready for the competition?"

"Not really" Harry looked at Ron and Hermione, who both nodded their heads in agreement.

"I'm sure it's just the nerves. The key is to not overthink once you're in a duel with someone"

Hermione scrunched her eyebrows in response. "But isn't trying to over smart you opponent the key aspect of winning a duel"

"That's absolutely correct. However, unless you're fighting someone who knows more spells than you and by default is stronger, you should always plan before the confrontation and make them play by your rules" He crouched down to their eye level before continuing. "What I mean is that hit'em hard and fast okay? Don't wait for them to make a move. That's what most first or even second years get wrong. Since you guys have only a fair amount of spells in your arsenal, use them right away.

"Now, it's a different story altogether once you get older. In that case Miss Granger, I would always advise not to pre-plan because you have to be on your toes and think sharp and quick" He winked at her as he finished which made Hermione smile before standing to his full height.

"I have one question." asked Ron.

"Ask away, my little friend," Cedric grinned at him.

"First, don't ever call me that again and second, is it true that you've won it every year?"

Cedric's grin was replaced by a humble smile. "Yes, not something you want to badge around because you can always fall flat on your face the next time but, yes, I've won the competition in my every year."

"Wow. 4 times Duelling champion and 2 times Quidditch champion" Ron stared at him in awe, admiring him as if he was Merlin himself. "That's pretty special"

"Cedric waved his hand as he stared at the floor. "Ah, it's nothing." He paused, as a dark look crossed his face. "Not to some, anyway" He turned towards them with a smile and tried to act normal. He didn't do a good job because Harry noticed it and wondered what that was about. "You know what's special though, winning the quidditch cup 6 times and the duelling competition 5 times." He finished looking towards Harry, whose eyes turned wide once he understood what Cedric was implying.

"Really?" he squeaked out, too shocked to say anything more.

"Really" Cedric nodded his head in response, sporting a toothy grin. Hermione and Ron turned their heads towards Harry as well, their expressions not dissimilar to his. "It's still a record to this day. No student of Hogwarts has ever combinedly won both trophies more than your father, Harry." His expression turned serious before he continued. "But if I may Harry, and I may be entirely wrong so forgive me but knowing you and again it's only been couple of months which isn't a lot but I fear that you may take this the wrong way and turn what should be something to be proud of into a negative by thinking that you need to live up to his standards or that everyone is expecting great things from you because you're his son." He arched his eyebrow and waited for Harry's response which at the moment was to simply stare at him with a bland look.

He didn't have to wait long as Harry gave a nod of his head, making him smile back.

"Good, because believe me it will be an utter waste of your time and will do nothing but accomplish one objective." He paused as Prof. McGonagall's voice rang throughout the hall, commanding students to stop floundering about and go to their respective spots, before continuing. "Put yourself in unnecessary pressure"

"Okay" Harry nodded once.

"Now c'mon, you better hurry to your mat before Prof. McGonagall bite's your head off."

He ushered them forward and with one last 'Good luck' left them.

They made their way over to the mat where the first years from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff had crowded the area.

"What now?" asked Ron, as they looked at fellow classmates to find out what to do next?

Harry looked to his right where the first years from Slytherin and Ravenclaw were standing in groups, chatting among themselves animatedly.

"Over there" he heard Hermione say and was about to turn around when his eyes locked with Malfoy. Both were locked in a staring contest as they shot daggers towards each other. Malfoy's mouth lifted in a sly smirk which Harry took to mean that he wouldn't be the one to back down. 'Neither am I' he thought to himself, never one to back down from a challenge.

However, a hand on his shoulder, accompanied by his name being softly spoken with a hit of tentativeness made him turn his head and unbeknownst to anyone except the two rivals locked in the battle, lose the contest.

It was quite a vast contrast as his focus shifted and he found himself looking into the more concerned, warm brown orbs than the previous steely gaze of his nemesis.

"Everything alright?" Hermione asked, as she looked behind him for a second before once again locking eyes with him.

He looked over his shoulder at Malfoy, who was now high fiving with his friends while sporting a massive grin. Oh how he wanted to wipe that smile off his face, thought Harry. He hated losing but most of all he hated losing to jerks and Malfoy was the biggest of them all.

With great determination to not go up to him and put a hole through his face, Harry turned back around. "Yeah, everything's fine. Sorry what were you saying? I didn't hear you properly."

Hermione eyed him for a moment in which Harry wished that she wasn't always so perceptive, before answering "I was saying that we ought to go over where Prof. Sprout is sitting" She said, pointing towards where the Herbology professor was handing out what appeared to be small pieces of papers to students.

"Alright, let's go"

They walked over to her desk that was lined up near the wall, right in front of the blue mat. Harry waited for his turn behind a couple of students and noticed that every mat had one teacher monitoring them. Prof. Binns, the history professor, was sitting at a desk right next to them, addressing the Slytherin and Ravenclaw first year students in his usual emotionless monotone voice.

He looked at Ron who was standing behind him. "I have no doubt that he can even make two wizards locked in a legendary duel sound boring." He said, motioning towards the professor.

Ron snickered in response. "You're absolutely right" he chuckled, before squaring his shoulders and standing upright. The smile was gone from his face, and he looked the most serious he ever had as he stared at a random spot above Harry's head before opening his mouth. "There were once two legendary wizards who fought till death" He said very slowly, taking a pause between every word as he did his best impression of Prof. Binns.

Harry tried to control it but failed miserably as laughter burst from his mouth as Ron continued. "Their battle caused lightning to strike which killed two sheep's who were sleeping in a barn after a hard working day of doing nothing but lying down and staring into oblivion"

Another bout of laughter escaped Harry's lips with Ron joining him as he couldn't hold a straight face any longer.

"Mr. Potter"

They continued laughing, oblivious to everything and everyone else around them.

"MR. POTTER and MR. WEASLEY!" came Prof. Sprout's bellowing voice that finally made them aware of their surroundings as they turned around to find the Herbology professor looking at them amusedly.

"Would you both pull yourself together?" Hermione said through clenched teeth from behind them.

"If you could please spare some time from your busy schedule and come collect your chit, I would really appreciate it, as would everyone else I'm sure, am I right?" She looked at the rest of the students who simply nodded their heads. "See" she smiled sweetly, looking back at them again.

"Now Mr. Potter!" her voice sharp, all sarcasm gone from it.

Harry rushed forward before clumsily stopping before her desk. He could hear laughter coming from Prof. Binns group and he had no doubt that Malfoy was included in them.

"Nice going, Potter" and here was his proof.

Prof. Sprout handed him a piece of paper which he took while avoiding her eyes before hurling over to Hermione who was looking at him sympathetically. "I'm sorry you had to go through that Harry. But it was your fault, you know that right?" she said in her bossy tone.

Harry looked at her with a bewildered expression. "I know that Hermione! Isn't it your job as my friend to support me through all my idiosyncrasies" he huffed in annoyance.

"No" she stretched the word out as if speaking to a child. "It's my job as your friend to stop you from doing idiosyncrasies." she said patronizingly.

"Whatever" he muttered.

"What was that Harry?"

"Nothing".

"Ok. So have you looked at your number yet?" she asked, as Ron reached them.

"Huh?" He looked at her with a clueless expression.

Hermione rolled her eyes before pointing towards the paper in his hand. "Look at the chit in your hand Harry,"

Harry brought his hand up and looked at the rectangular piece of white paper that had the number 7 written on it. "Seven" he said, before looking at her.

"Mine is three" she said as they turned towards Ron.

"Eleven" shrugged Ron.

"What does it mean?" Harry asked.

"I think that should answer your question" Hermione replied, motioning towards Prof. Sprout who was now standing in front of her desk.

"Alright, everyone listen up" Students stopped talking and turned their attention towards her. "Good, now each one of you has been given a chit which has your number on it. Don't lose it, otherwise you will be disqualified." She stopped as Hannah Abbott raised her arm.

"Yes Ms. Abbott"

"Professor, would it really matter if we lose our chit if we remember our number"

"Good question. I was just about to get to it, however, for not being shy and voicing your concern, 5 points to Hufflepuff." Hannah's face lit up with a smile as her friend's congratulated her.

"Now on to your question, yes, it won't matter if you remember your number if you've lost your chit. The outcome will be the same." She paused, moving her gaze from left to right. "Disqualification. The reason for it being so is because it's our only way of confirming your participation. Once the student is handed the chit, its magic is activated and it instantaneously records your fingerprints.

And it won't matter whoever else touches it after but, if you lose it anyone can lie to take your spot and the person without a chit will be disqualified."

Several students put their chits inside their cloak as she finished, which brought out a wry smile on the professor's face. "It is also important to us here at Hogwarts that you be responsible from early on and you may laugh now but even things such as not losing a small piece of paper will help you learn the value of responsibility. All clear?"

The students nodded their heads in response.

"Good, now moving forward as I'm sure some of you already know that there are three rounds to this tournament. First round, you will compete against your own house mates, after which the surviving two will compete against the two students from the other house in the group, which for you means either Gryffindor or Hufflepuff. That will be the second round which will take place after winter holidays. Are you with me up till now?"

"Yes Professor," chorused everyone.

"Good. Then two winners from this group will face two students from the other group which as I'm sure you all have figured out by now will be Prof. Binns group. After which the remaining two students will compete in the final to decide the winner. That will be the third and final round which will take place after Easter" She paused for a moment. "Now raise your hands if you have any questions and it's better to ask them now so there is no confusion ahead."

Hermione's hand was the first to rise in the air.

"Yes Ms. Granger"

"Thank you professor. So does this mean that the finalists could be from the same house?" 'Thank God' thought Harry, as he was wondering the exact same thing.

"Yes, you're absolutely correct. However it wasn't always the case since it used to be that instead of two students progressing through from each group, there used to be only one and then they would face the winner from another group in the final and so that way only students from different houses could compete in the final." She observed the student's faces as a proud smile came over her face. "However it all changed once Headmaster Dumbledore became in charge and fought really hard to change the rule, which I wholeheartedly agree with him."

A loud bell rang throughout the hall. "Ooh time's up." She hurried back to her seat.

"Okay everyone, come forward when I say your name." Harry hoped with baited breath wishing that it wasn't his name called out first.

"Brown Lavender, Longbottom Neville" A huge sigh of relief escaped Harry's lips as Lavender and Neville made their way over to the mat before stepping onto it. "Oh, one thing I forgot to mention. The first session will be just Gryffindor. So Hufflepuff house doesn't need to be here for that. You can either stay here and watch or have a wander around the hall but you're not allowed to go out. Alright, with that said and done let's get this thing started."

Most of the Hufflepuff first years walked away while a few stayed.

"Alright students" she started, addressing Neville and Lavender. "Remember, you only need to disarm your opponent so I don't want to see any dark curses fly through your wands you hear me?" They nodded their heads in unison before she continued. "Now I'm going to cast a protective ring around the mat so no spells hit anyone else and then you will begin once I blow this whistle" She lifted up the whistle that was laying on her desk to show it to everyone.

She then pointed her wand towards the mat and murmured an incantation that no one could hear. A bowl of ring coloured in red started to form around the mat before uniting in the middle, after which it became invisible.

Everyone gasped and turned their heads towards her. "Don't worry, the ward is still there, you just can't see it. Alright then students, first bow at each other, then begin once you hear the whistle"

They bowed before pointing their wands at each other. Harry could see Neville's whole frame shaking and if he wasn't so worried about himself he would've felt sorry for him.

'Phwwwwwhht' And thus the duel was on its way and over before anyone could even blink with Lavender using 'Wingardium Leviosa' on Neville's wand and making it fly high above his head.

"Well at this rate we might even finish earlier" Professor Sprout said as she wrote the winner's name down.

Neville walked over to them with his head hung low. "It's alright Neville, you'll do better next time." Hermione said.

"My gran is going to kill me if she finds out that I was knocked out before the match even started" he trembled.

"I'm sure she'll understand. She's your grandma after all." Harry said, putting a hand over his shoulder.

Neville lifted his head and looked at him as if he was crazy for suggesting such a thing before whispering "You don't know my gran" A shiver ran down Harry's spine at the way Neville said those words.

"Well, Good luck then" he gulped out.

Harry's nervousness only got worse with every match. Even Ron and Hermione winning their matches did nothing to calm his nerves but only made his anxiousness rise higher.

"Potter Harry, Finnigan Seamus" He felt everything stop around him as he heard his name being called out and felt like he was moving in slow-motion as he walked towards the mat.

"Please bow before raising your wands" He bowed low before grabbing hold of his wand and pointing it towards Seamus. He bent his knees a bit to get into a better position and also it made him feel more confident.

"No hard feelings right Harry," said Seamus, with a smirk.

"Right" Harry closed his eyes for a brief moment as he waited for the sound of the whistle. 'Phwwwwwhht' "Expelliarmus" Seamus' wand flew right out of his hand before he even moved a muscle and landed in the middle of the two opponents.

"Yeah Harry!' cheered Ron. He turned his head to find both him and Hermione clapping loudly with huge smiles on their faces.

With a spring to his step and confidence that he never felt before, not even during his quidditch match, he made his way over to his friends and also biggest supporters.

"That was brilliant!" exclaimed Ron, once he reached them and clapped him on the back.

"You were amazing Harry," beamed Hermione.

"Thanks"

"How did you do that? That was so quick. I've never seen anyone draw their wand so fast" Ron looked at his wand in awe, as if that was the reason for him drawing his wand so fast.

"I don't know, just instinct I guess" He said with a small smile, looking over at the other side of the hall where a certain blonde Hufflepuff had just defeated his opponent.

Harry won his next two matches with equal ease. He hit his opponents with the same spell and just like Seamus they were too slow to react.

Only four students were left from Gryffindor with the rest being eliminated. Hermione, Dean, Parvati and Harry. Ron had succumbed to defeat against Parvati but was more than happy with his performance.

"I never expected to win one match let alone two" He said to them. "But don't worry, I'll be cheering for you both." He smiled, before a look of horror came over his face. "But what if you both make it to the final? I wouldn't know what to do as I can't pick one of you over the other" He stared at both of them wide-eyed.

"Ron," Harry said seriously. "I'll give you my broom for a whole day"

Ron looked at Hermione. "My choice has been made, Hermione" All three shared a laugh.

"But in all seriousness, I don't think you would have to worry about that as I'm sure we all know that I'll be out much earlier than that"

Hermione nudged him in the shoulder. "Don't say that Harry, You got to have faith and with how brilliantly you've been performing, I'm sure you can go all the way"

"Alright, break over. The remaining four students, please come forward." Professor Sprout said while looking at the sheet of parchment in front of her as Harry and Hermione made their way to the mat along with Dean and Parvati.

"Alright then, first, Granger Hermione, Thomas Dean"

"Good luck Hermione," Harry said to her.

"Thanks Harry" she beamed back, before stepping on to the mat.

Prof. Sprout put the dome of protection around the mat once more before both students bowed towards each other. Even though he had full confidence in her ability, Harry couldn't help but be a little nervous as Prof. Sprout blew the whistle and the duel began with both students firing spells rapidly towards each other.

"Rictusempra" yelled Hermione, and Dean started laughing hysterically with tears running down his face. He seemed utterly helpless and in a weird way, Harry found it to be a little tortuous.

"Expelliarmus" Dean's wand flew from his hand and did multiple twirls in the air before landing right next to Hermione's feet.

Hermione broke the spell on Dean right away at the sound of the whistle before picking up his wand and walking over to him. "Good match" She extended her empty hand in a friendly gesture for him to shake. Dean smiled at her before covering her hand with his.

"Thanks. I had no idea you were going to use the tickling charm on me" he said, while trying to control his breathing.

She shrugged her shoulders before replying "You should always be prepared and never underestimate any spell. Even the simple ones." She finished while handing him his wand.

He nodded his head. "You're right. I'll be better prepared next year" Hermione detected a challenge to his tone as a little smirk came over his face.

"And I'll be waiting," she replied with a smirk of her own.

They both stepped off the mat. "Yay Hermione!," cheered Ron. A blush came over Hermione's cheek and she ducked her head a little while walking over to her friends.

"You were brilliant Hermione" Harry said with a toothy grin when she reached them.

"Thanks" Her cheeks were turning a deep shade of red, which she tried to cover with her hair.

"He's right that was absolute genius. Completely unexpected" gushed Ron.

"Now, could the final two contestants please step on to the mat" came Prof. Sprout's voice.

"Oh boy," Harry said to himself as he started moving.

"Good luck Harry!" said Hermione, as kept on walking.

"You got this Harry. Just do what I taught you and you'll be fine" he heard Ron yell.

"Ron!" admonished Hermione, while several students including Prof. Sprout shared a laugh. It even brought a smile on Harry's face and he was once again eternally grateful for having Ron as his friend.

He stepped on to the mat and looked at Parvati who had already gotten their first and was closely watching his wand. She didn't even make eye contact with him as they bowed which increased his nervousness tenfold.

'Just clear your mind. Don't think about it. You got this' he kept repeating those words like a mantra with his eyes closed as they waited for the inevitable sound of the whistle.

'Phwwwwwhht' His eyes opened in a flash. He pointed his wand at her but didn't fire a spell. Parvati, who was already too far gone in motion, sent a leg locking curse at him. Her eyes turned wide once as she watched him roll out of the way and before she had time to think of her next move, her wand was lying on the mat, unmoved.

A loud cheer erupted somewhere in the back which Harry was pretty sure mostly had to do with Ron. He got up from his kneeling position and walked over to his housemate, picking her wand on his way.

She was looking down somewhere on the mat when he reached her.

"Here" he held out her wand.

"Huh?" she looked up at him, a little startled to find him standing right in front of her, Harry pointed to his hand that was holding her wand. "Oh" She took it from his hand before giving him a small smile. "Thanks"

"No problem"

"You really are fast. I thought if I could just be quicker….." she let out a frustrated sigh. "I didn't think you would do anything different and should've anticipated better." she finished, sounding disappointed in herself.

"Hey, if it makes you feel any better, I only ducked away first because I was afraid I wouldn't be quick enough and I was right because I barely escaped your spell." he said, hoping that would cheer her up.

"Really?" she asked, her eyes lighting up as he nodded. "Thanks, and I wish you all the best '' she said with a huge smile.

"Thanks" Harry said, as they started walking.

He looked up as he stepped off the mat to find Hermione and Ron clapping with huge smiles on their faces as they were walking towards him.

"And here you were worried for nothing," commented Ron. "If I could move like you, I wouldn't even worry in the least"

"That's a lie" snipped Hermione.

"Yeah" he murmured, as Hermione turned to Harry.

"You were amazing Harry! Ron's right though"

"I am" he asked, confused.

"For once" she rolled her eyes, which made Harry smile before continuing. "I haven't seen anyone move as fast as you"

"Just lucky I guess" he ruffled his hair, sounding embarrassed. This time Ron rolled his eyes.

"Aah, you're the most annoying and irritating person I know and that's something you should be embarrassed about because we also have a Hermione in our group" that remark earned him an elbow to the stomach from the bushy haired witch.

"I beg your pardon" she exclaimed, sounding aghast.

"Sorry" he wheezed out, taking deep breaths to get air back into his body that had been knocked out.

Prof. Sprout stood up from her seat before going around to stand in front of her desk.

"Alright students, that commences the first session. We will take a 10 minute break after which the second session will begin. To students of house Gryffindor, since you've already competed, you are free to do whatever you want. But before anyone leaves I want everyone to give a huge round of applause to Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger."

Harry blushed deeply as everyone started clapping enthusiastically. He looked at Hermione and felt a little comfort in knowing that she was looking just as embarrassed and uncomfortable as he was feeling.

A loud cheer to his right made him turn his head. Malfoy was being patted on the shoulder by several of his classmates. They locked eyes once more as Malfoy's smile changed into a smirk.

….

Harry and his friends were about to exit the great hall when his name being yelled out made them stop and turn around.

He saw Cedric jogging towards them and a natural smile came over his face. Cedric stopped in front of him and had his arms stretched out. "You were going to leave without telling me how you did? I take offence to that Sir," he said in his best posh accent which made everyone chuckle.

"I got through to the second round" Cedric fist pumped the air before giving him a bear hug.

"Cedric!" he squeaked out, before Cedric loosened his grip and moved a step back. Ron was laughing hysterically at the expense of his friend's embarrassment which made him wanting to elbow him just like Hermione did a few minutes ago. But what irked him more was that even Hermione was laughing along with him.

"Stop it, guys" he scowled at them, which had no effect on either.

"Oh c'mon Harry, that might be my favourite moment of today" piped in Seamus.

"Better than when I defeated you Seamus" Harry replied smartly, which made the grin vanish from his face.

"You said we weren't going to mention that" he whined.

"Yeah, Seamus's right, Harry. You don't need to boast about" Cedric shook his head while holding a straight face before a grin slowly start to form on his face. "Oh I'm just having you on" he said as Harry shot daggers towards him. Cedric knelt before him before continuing "But I'm really proud of Harry, as I'm sure all your friends are too." he said sincerely.

"Thanks" Harry replied as his lips twitched at the corner.

"You know I never doubted you for a second" Harry's smile got bigger. "So I expect you to give me all the credit during your speech after you've won the whole thing, okay?"

"Speech!" Harry's voice had gone a couple of octaves higher as his face started losing all the colour. "There's going to be a speech?"

"No. There isn't going to be any speech" Cedric chuckled. Harry breathed a sigh of relief before glaring at him.

"Could you stop messing with me or else you're going to give me a heart attack"

"Alright, alright!" He put his hands up. "I'm sorry. No more messing around" he said seriously before adding with a cheeky smile "Not intentionally of course"

A/N: So guys, what did you think? Please leave a comment and let me know and I'll see you soon with the next chapter which I can't wait for you guys to read!