Chapter 8: Duels and Blackmailers
Time to wake up, little Viking.
Harry opens his eyes blearily, eyes still blurry from sleep. He winces at the bright yellow roof of his four-post bed, and rolls over, only to be greeted by more yellow. Not what he really expected he would one day wake up to, and it is incredibly bizarre.
Says the person woke up to glaring red for four years. Honestly, red is such a horrible colour. Doesn't suit your eyes at all. Red is the antithesis of green after all. Or was that blue?
"I wasn't talking about the colour, Tom," Harry thinks exasperatedly and stares at the actual object of what he considers bizarre.
A battle-axe.
A battle-axe with yellow ribbons wrapped around its handle adorns the wall to the side of his bed, almost within arm's reach. A quick glance around the room shows that every bed has a weapon hanging beside each, a spear and sword being two of them. And it isn't just the boy's dormitory. In the brief time that Harry was in the common room, he'd instantly relaxed into its calm atmosphere. There were tables with drinks that ranged from teas to pumpkin juice. Like the Gryffindor Common Room, a massive fireplace takes up a large section of the one wall, with sofas and armchairs arrayed around it. But there are also small braziers with chairs around them spread throughout the Hufflepuff Common Room. Against the one wall was a bookcase containing texts related to household charms and methods of preparing food which had caught Harry's eye. That could be useful when he goes back to the Leaky Cauldron. Overall, it had felt like a Badger's burrow, warm and safe.
Which made the presence of medieval weaponry surprising. Weapons of different types had adorned the walls, with Hufflepuff banners hanging from them. There had been armour pieces as well, from shields to a full-body plate of armour, though that one was obviously decoration. Harry had even borne witness to a Hufflepuff Prefect displaying one of the weapons to the first years.
Parts of it, he had expected of the Hufflepuff dormitory. The rest, not so much.
I'll let you know in advance, because it took several years for the lesson to sink for me.
Don't…
Fuck…
With…
A…
Hufflepuff.
Harry could feel the dread that ran through Tom as he said those words with feeling. He adamantly refuses to explain why.
He checks the clock on the wall nearby and sees it is nearly seven. Classes start in two hours and Professor McGonagall will be… wait, it's Professor Sprout now… will be handing out their
class schedule in an hour. Best get started.
After showering and brushing his teeth — Tom not saying anything while showering, as per their agreement — Harry returns to the common room and blinks at seeing two of his fellow
Hufflepuffs.
"Morning, Jason," Susan Bones greets, waving from a seat, a cup of tea in her hands. "Hope you slept well?" Her friend, Hannah Abbott, waves as well from beside Susan. Susan is a freckly girl with red hair, though it is dark enough to distinguish her from the Weasley family. She has thick eyebrows that hover above brown eyes that have a friendly sparkle to them. Hannah is a plump girl with dirty blonde hair, who is actually taller than the relatively short Susan. Harry can't ever remember interacting with them much in his world, but he didn't have any negative feelings towards them. Most of the bad attention from Hufflepuff during the Triwazard Tournament came from the upper years.
"Yeah, I slept well, though it was still a surprise to wake up to an axe next to my bed," Harry says back. They both laugh at that.
"I know what you mean," Hannah says with a wide smile, revealing a dimple. "Hufflepuff has a reputation of being a bit…meek, I guess. Most people who believe that are surprised when they see all this," she gestures to the room that is only a few weapons off from being an armoury.
"You'll get used to it quick enough," Susan says before looking at the clock. "It's a bit early for breakfast, but do you want us to show you the way to the Great Hall? It can be a bit confusing for people not used to how Hogwarts works."
"Uh, yeah, thanks, I'd appreciate that," Harry says while thinking of all the secret passageways, his time exploring Hogwarts at night, running from Filch and Mrs Norris, sneaking into the Kitchens which were nearby, grabbing books from the restricted section, spying on people through the Marauders Map…
The List goes on.
Sure, Harry needs to know which way is the longest to get to the Great Hall, on the off chance he needs to take his time.
"Oh, before we go," Susan says, and hurries over to the tunnel leading the boy's dormitories. She takes a deep breath before yelling: "WAKE UP, BOYS! TIME FOR SCHOOL!"
*Whistles* check out the voice on her!
Harry blinks, his eardrums rattling after that explosion of noise. It actually hurt. Harry looks over at Hannah, who'd already had her hands over her ears in preparation. Judging by the yelps and screams coming from the boys' dormitories, Susan's wakeup call worked.
"Damnit, Susan!" Justin Finch-Fletchley's voice rings out of the dormitories. "Would you stop doing that? We can wake up by ourselves!"
"I'm not having you lose house points because you slept in!" Susan yells back. "And aren't you prefect? The new guy's up earlier than you!"
No response. Susan waits a few seconds more before huffing in triumph.
"I really don't know why they didn't make Susan Prefect," Hannah shakes her head, fingering the badge on her robes. "She does it so much better."
"Probably because I'd pass out on my feet on patrols," Susan says with a smile, re-joining us. The girl with large lungs completely misses Harry's look of bafflement and simply asks: "You coming?"
The trio exit the Hufflepuff dormitories, passing through a stack of barrels. Of all the Houses, Hufflepuff is the only one that doesn't require some sort of password. They simply need to touch the correct barrel and the door opens. If you don't, the intruder is sprayed with vinegar and access is barred. According to Tom, Hufflepuff is the only House where the entrance actually retaliates against intruders, even if the retaliation is only to be sprayed by vinegar.
"Looks like we have Potions with the Slytherins first thing this morning," Susan comments at the Hufflepuff table. Professor Sprout had come by and handed out the timetables. She'd said to Harry that if he needed any assistance, he was more than welcome to stop by her office and ask her. She'd always been a kindly person, even in his original world, but he didn't interact much with her outside of lessons.
"Lovely," Harry mutters to himself.
"You don't like Potions?" Susan asks curiously.
"I'm…not the best at it, but it's not like I dislike potions," Harry says, his eyes drifting over to the Slytherin's table. He hadn't seen Malfoy yet this morning, which is just fine for him. "I guess it's just Slytherins I don't particularly like."
Hannah's eyes widen as she seems to realize something, and she exchanges looks with Susan.
"Um, sorry if it's personal, but does it have anything to do with your surname?" she asks hesitantly. "I mean, Bletchley is the name of Pureblood family, who were often Slytherins. You don't have to tell us if you don't want, I was just curious."
"Don't worry, it's not like I'm making a secret of it," Harry shrugs, falling into his cover story. Tom had said they should get it out into the public sometime, and this is as good a time as any. "I was adopted by my dad, Bacchus Bletchley. He was exiled out of family because he didn't follow the Pureblood train of thought, but still kept the surname. So, you can see why I might not be too fond of Slytherins."
"That must have been rough for your dad," Susan shakes her head. "Pureblood politics can be such a mess. Thank Merlin my aunt doesn't buy into the whole blood purity thing."
"I'd be surprised if you did, considering you're a half-blood," Hannah grins.
*Uncomfortable twitching* Yeah, that'd be weird, right?
"No!" Susan says with a dramatic gasp, clutching a hand to her chest. "You mean I'm not a pureblood? The tragedy! The horror! To be disliked by bigots, oh the misery!"
A few Slytherins sitting nearby send dirty looks at them, annoyed. Susan and Hannah burst into peals of laughter and Harry grins, amused at their antics. Where were these girls in his original world?
"What does your Dad do?" Susan asks curiously. "I heard you mention you were home-schooled at the Feast last night, so your Dad must have been around a lot to teach you, right?"
Harry smiles in fake sadness. He'd never known the man after all. "He died in a Death Eater attack a few months ago."
Susan's hands clap to her mouth and Hannah went pale.
"I'm so sorry, Jason!" Susan says with tears in her eyes. "I didn't know."
"How could you?" Harry says with a chuckle. "Don't worry about it. It happened and I've dealt with it. He'd home-schooled me for most of my life, so that's why I transferred into Hogwarts."
"Mighty fine work there then," a pompous voice says from behind Harry, and Ernie Macmillan sits beside him, ignoring the dirty looks sent at him by Susan and Hannah. Beside him is a Justin Finch-Fletchley, looking haggard with crusty eyes. His Prefect badge hangs askew on his robes. "Haven't let that hold you down. Very admirable, I do say. Well done, indeed."
"Ernie!" Hannah hisses at her fellow Hufflepuff's insensitive comment, but Harry waves away the possible argument.
"It's fine, Susan, Hannah. I don't mind. It was hard at first, but I've got myself sorted now."
Susan and Hannah still look unhappy, but let it go. Ernie and Justin take a seat and begin eating, though Justin first rests his head on the table. Hannah has to shake him to prevent him from falling asleep again. The rest of breakfast passes in relative peace, the Great Hall gradually filling up with more students. Harry spots Hagrid entering — who didn't — but with a few more bruises than he last remembered him having. It reminds Harry that he saw the half-giant without some of his teeth the previous night as well. Professor Sprout is also there, but that's no surprise since she handed him his schedule. And then Harry's eyes land on a certain pink figure, and he frowns.
Dolores Umbridge. She'd introduced herself as Hogwarts' new Ministry Liaison. But her speech the previous night hadn't exactly warmed Harry, or anyone in Hogwarts, up to her.
The previous night:
"The Ministry has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. But in the name of so-called 'progress'," Harry could hear the quotation marks in those words," has led to there being an…excess, which must be discouraged. As the Ministry's Liaison, I will be aiding Hogwarts in preserving what must be preserved, and perfect what can be perfected. I hope we can all work together to ascertain what," she smiled in what she might have thought was a sweet manner, but it came off as grotesque, "excess can be removed."
She'd returned to her seat in a silent Great Hall, with Dumbledore looking less than pleased.
Back to present
What she meant, Harry isn't sure, though Tom agrees it is nothing good.
Up above, Owls begin flying down from the rafter, newspapers clutched in their claws. A pang goes through Harry's heart as he is reminded of Hedwig. He hopes Hermione or Ron are taking good care of her in his original world. He'd wanted to buy an Owl, but he simply didn't have the funds for it. Most of the funds he'd accrued over the Holidays had gone toward paying Hogwarts and buying books. He didn't have much left, even after the scholarship he'd been given.
An owl lands to Harry's side, in front of Ernie, who takes The Daily Seer attached to the bird's claws and pops a Knut into the bird's pouch before opening the newspaper.
Ernie's face goes white.
"What's wrong?" Susan asks worriedly, noticing the change in her fellow Hufflepuff.
Ernie doesn't say anything, but puts the newspaper on the table so everyone can see.
DEATH EATER ATTACK ON THE MINISTRY.
Last night, the Ministry of Magic was attacked by a group of twelve Death Eaters. They entered under the guise of several Ministry employees who were later found to have been murdered, along with their families.
The Death Eaters were repelled, but this marks a change from their previous tactics. Is this a prelude to a new offensive from the Death Eater threat, or is it a move made out of desperation? With the increase in training of Aurors, the Death Eater threat has faced far greater opposition. However, none of the assailants were captured, which many are calling a failure of the Auror department.
For more information on Death Eater warning signs, turn to page 13. For the list of people murdered, turn to our obituaries on Page 30.
"Merlin," Ernie says with wide eyes. "To think this was going on while we were asleep."
There is a growing murmur across the Great Hall as others begin reading the article as well. A couple tables over, a girl bursts into tears. Susan, her face incredibly pale, grabs the newspaper and rips her way to the obituaries, her eyes darting back and forth as she reads the list of names. She gives a sigh of relief. "My Aunt isn't on here. She's safe."
"Your Aunt is the Head of Magical Law Enforcement, right?" Justin asks, having roused himself at the news, a concerned look on his face. Susan nods, still pale but a bit more relieved. "Jeez, then she would have been at the front of defending the Ministry."
"Justin!" Hannah hisses as Susan's face goes pale again. "Have some tact!"
Justin grimaces, and even Ernie shakes his head at the Hufflepuff.
"I wonder if the attack had anything to do with Iris Potter," Justin tries to steer the conversation away. "She had a hearing for Underage Magic over the Summer, didn't she?"
"My aunt was actually a part of that hearing," Susan says, Hannah still giving her a hug. "Said the whole thing was a farce. Cornelius Fudge seemed like he was really trying to get her expelled."
"Didn't try hard enough," Justin mutters under his breath, getting a dirty look form Harry. Seems that even in this world, there are people in the Hufflepuff House that didn't like the Girl-Who-Lived.
"That Umbridge woman was also at the hearing," Susan adds, nodding towards the pink figure at the Teacher's table. Harry has to wonder if she has any clothes that aren't pink. "My Aunt really doesn't like her. Said she oftens tries to push through laws that restrict non-humans."
"Sounds like a fun person," Harry comments sarcastically, thinking of Dobby and Windy.
Susan giggles, but is then distracted by the appearance of a person that had been the topic of conversation only moments ago. Iris Potter, along with James, Lily, and a short girl with black hair that he remembers is Iris's sister, Dani Potter. Hermione is also walking alongside them, her nose in the newspaper, a worried look on her face. The Great Hall falls silent for a moment before conversation picks back up. Iris takes a seat at the Ravenclaw table, alongside Luna, while James and Lily head for the Teacher's table. Strange feelings still stir in Harry's chest at the sight of his parents, and he looks away, unable to see them. Much to his misfortune, James Potter is the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. To think that his first interaction with his father would be to call him Professor, Harry thinks glumly.
But seeing Iris did remind him about the Marauder's Map, which just adds to the ball of feeling in his chest, making for an unpleasant mix.
After breakfast, the four Hufflepuffs lead Harry to Potions. Several Slytherins were already waiting outside of the classroom and they sneer at the Hufflepuffs as they approach. Draco Malfoy is standing with his usual cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, talking with Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini. Further down the hall is Daphne Greengrass, Tracey Davis, and Millicent Bulstrode. Pansy Parkinson is nowhere to be seen.
The Hufflepuffs' arrival draws the Slytherins' attention, though their reaction is far milder than it would be to Gryffindors. Even so, they still have something to add.
"Ugh, forgot we had Potions with the duffers today," Theodore Nott scoffs, his pinched face twisting with derision. Which says a lot about the Slytherin boy, since this is the first class of the year. "Don't know why we even have a Hufflepuff house. At least Gryffindors are good for cannon fodder."
"Did you hear something, Susan?" Harry asks the red head, who starts at the question as she'd been glaring at the Slytherins. "I thought I heard the sound of a rat squeaking, but it must have been my imagination."
Susan quickly catches on and grins. "I'm not sure it was a rat. Sounded more like a snake being strangled."
"You must be mistaken, my boy," Ernie interjects as the Slytherins bristle, Nott glowering heavily. "If it was anything worth listening to, I'm sure you would have heard it properly. Best to ignore it and carry on with your day."
Harry blinks at the pompous Hufflepuff's comment while Susan and Hannah burst into chuckles.
"You think you duffers are clever, huh?" Nott sneers as they walk past to line up on the other side of the Potion classroom. "We'll see how you feel when…"
"Nott!" Malfoy snaps, and Nott backs down, though Malfoy keeps speaking. "Stop talking with the half-bloods and blood traitors. You'll infect yourself with their filth if you associate with them too much."
While stony faced, the Hufflepuff's ignore them. Harry's hand twitches, but Tom is the voice of reason in this situation.
Let's wait until later. Then we can punch him in the balls like we did that other Slytherin. I wonder how he is doing. He was fun to punch. Oh, we still need to do our first attempt of the Marauder's Map.
"Is there a bathroom near here?" Harry asks Susan, who looked better than she did at breakfast. "I want to go before class."
"Just around the corner," Susan points down the hall, past the Slytherins. "Better hurry though. Snape doesn't tolerate people who are late."
"Noted," Harry says and hurries past the Slytherins. As he passes, Nott couldn't pass up whispering a snide remark to him.
"You should have died alongside your blood traitor father," Nott hisses. Harry ignores him and keeps walking. Aside from that, the Slytherins almost seem apathetic to Harry's, or Jason's, presence. But Harry didn't notice the pair of eyes that followed his path with interest.
"So, we're going to try the Summoning Charm for the Map, right?" Harry asks, withdrawing his wand once he entered the bathroom after a quick scan to make sure it is empty. Even though he can cast spells with his hand, it is far too distinctive. If Dumbledore saw or heard about it, he would instantly know that Jason Bletchley is actually Harry Gunderson.
That's right. Better to at least attempt it before we do anything else. It'd be extremely annoying if we go through a whole lot of effort for nothing. At least we'll be safe in here.
"Well, here goes," Harry rolls up his sleeves and eyes his new wand. It is a 13-inch Ash with Dragon Heartstring. It works well for him, but not as well as the one shattered in his palm. He'd told Ollivander that he wanted a backup wand, and the wand-maker had warned that a wizard's first wand always fits the wizard the best. It has had a chance to get to know the wielder from a young age, walking with them through puberty and their changes in personality. A new wand may come to be nearly as good, but it would lack that history. And if the first wand is still in his possession and is unbroken, the newer wand becomes even more difficult to wield. Wands don't like to share, after all.
"Accio Marauder's Map," Harry intones and feels the spell release. He waits, and waits, but nothing. After five minutes, Tom sighs.
That's a pity. Either it is trapped somewhere, or it has been protected against summoning.
"So what now?"
Now we need to investigate the places where it could be. The places that come to mind is the Weasley Twins. Considering they had it originally, we should check there. Next would be Filch's office. The Weasley Twins stole it from him, so there is a chance it is still there. Then we'll need to get into Ravenclaw's dormitory and search Iris's things. After that… well, let's worry about that then.
"Are you telling me I need to rummage around in a girl's things?" Harry asks, aghast.
Let's be honest here: That is not the worst thing you've stuck your nose in. Remember the Chamber of Secrets, which was connected to the Sewers? I could make a joke about a girl's Chamber of Secrets, but that would be too easy.
"And yet, you mention it anyway," Harry sighs and casts a spell that tells him the time, and his eyes widen. He only has three minutes before class is due to start. After a quick wash of his hands, he hurries out of the bathroom, and immediately collides into someone walking past, knocking them both to the ground.
"Fucking hell!" a young, female, voice cries out.
"Merlin, sorry!" Harry says, rubbing his nose underneath his glass, which had collided into the person. His eyes are watering a bit, but he quickly checks on the person he collided with. And his eyes widen.
Across from him is a short girl with hazel eyes and black hair cut short, rubbing the side of her head. Harry distantly realizes that this is the person who cried out 'fucking hell', which he honestly did not expect. Said girl looks up and glares at him with a stare that makes Harry feel very nervous, doubly so when he realizes who the girl is.
"Watch where you're going!" Dani Potter says, still rubbing the side of her head. "I don't need a damn concussion on the first day of school. Merlin's soggy underwear, that hurt!"
Harry, as nice as you are, we don't have the time! Snape is going to murder us.
"Uh, right," Harry shakes his head, jumping to his feet, eager to get away from the Potter. "Sorry about that, but I'm going to be late for class!"
"Oi! Get back here! I'm not done with you yet!" Dani yells, but Harry is already sprinting — faster than Dani would have thought with his build — and vanishes around the corner.
"Bastard really just left me on the ground," Dani shakes her head in disbelief, standing up. Now she has a headache from that impact. She rubs her temple in an attempt to wipe away the pain, before taking a look around.
"I know it came from around here," the younger Potter sibling mutters and withdraws something from inside of her robes.
A tattered piece of parchment.
##################################################################################
"You were lucky that Snape seems to be in a good mood," Susan says chidingly. "Pass me the Griffin Claw powder, would you?"
"Sorry," Harry apologises, handing said potion ingredient to his fellow Hufflepuff. He had partnered with her in this lesson, though he hadn't had much choice. Susan had practically forced herself to be his partner.
That's a Hufflepuff for you.
Nearly all the students had been seated by the time Harry entered the classroom. Snape had sneered, but, surprisingly, did only that and told him to take a seat before he remove points from Hufflepuff. Far better treatment than what he would have received as Gryffindor, Harry would swear on it.
Their task for the moment was to begin preparing to brew the Strengthening Potion. Susan had taken over the role of keeping track of what should go into the cauldron, while Harry focused on preparing the ingredients.
"I could explain why I took so long, but neither of us wants to hear about that," Harry carefully measures out salamander.
Susan chuckles. "Too right. How could you speak of such a thing in front of lady such as myself?"
"After hearing you yell this morning, I was starting have some doubts," Harry retorts before falling silent as Snape does his usual patrolling with a scowl. He eyes their potion, but says nothing and passes on. The first Slytherin he got to, of course, received praise for their efforts. Some things never change.
Harry jerks as Susan slams her heel into Harry's foot, nearly making him spill the Salamander blood.
"Ow!" Harry hisses. "That hurt!"
"It was supposed to!" Susan hisses back before giggling. Harry glowers at her while rubbing his foot. Snape is just leaving the last group when something unexpected flies from that area, behind Snape's back.
A piece of paper floats through the air, nearly invisible in the dark light of the classroom. Harry only saw it by chance, or maybe that was intentional, considering it floated down to land in front of him.
Ooh, is this a love note? You work quick, Harry my boy.
"I sincerely doubt that," Harry retorts, quickly taking it and hiding it under the table. Susan is busy counting her stirs, giving him a chance to read the note. And he freezes at what he reads.
I know you are not truly the adopted son of Bacchus Bletchley.
If you want this to remain a secret, meet me in the empty classroom on the third floor during the lunch period.
Harry stares at it, not even blinking.
Sooooo… not a love letter?
Harry takes a deep breath, before letting it out in a big sigh. His fingers come up and he rubs the bridge of his nose in agonised frustration.
"It is my first day. That's just my luck. On my very first day, I have three major things to deal with. First The Marauder's Map, then Alastor Moody, and now this."
Yeah, that sounds rough, buddy. Best of luck.
"Don't act like this isn't your problem! You're in my body, remember?"
I know, I know, don't get your knickers in a knot. On the plus side, we get to hold this over Seraphim's head.
"What do you mean?"
Seraphim takes great pride in her work. Her forgery should have been ironclad, but it has fallen apart on our first day. We can hold that over her and get something out of it.
"I sometimes forget you're a Slytherin at heart."
You may have corrupted me, but some things never change.
"You know, why are you so okay with the idea that I 'corrupted' you, anyway?" Harry asks, getting up to fetch more ingredients. Snape gives him a look but says nothing. Harry would have bet that in his original world, Snape would have made a snide comment about how he can't even get all his ingredients the first time around. "Most people wouldn't exactly be happy about that."
I suppose, Tom's responds, his voice musing. I would say it is less 'corrupting' and more changing my view. I've been with you your entire life, Harry. And I was only a simple piece of soul. In our original world, I still had a link with Voldemort, which dampened any emotional substance I could develop. Rather than corrupting me, you changed a part of Voldemort's soul until it had the potential to be something else: Me.
I empathised with you, I grew angry on your behalf, I felt what you were feeling. But it wasn't you that changed me. I just changed my perspective. Like a hand clasped around a sponge. Once the fist that is Voldemort was removed, the sponge that had been squashed down suddenly expands. That sponge used to be tiny, but it grew and changed as you grew up, filling up the Voldemort's fist, but too weak to overcome it.
"That was a pretty neat metaphor," Harry says after a moment of mental silence, not sure how to respond to that.
I know, right! It just fit so well! The original Voldemort would never have come up with something like that. Such a philistine. That painting of Bellatrix was very good, and he burned it to ash.
Potions class passes by in relative peace, despite the anxiety boiling in Harry's chest after the note. The talk with Tom had distracted him for a bit, but then he was suddenly reminded of it when he felt the note in his pocket. Worse is that he still couldn't tell who sent him the note. None of the Slytherins paid any special attention to him. Susan and Hannah thought he was still nervous about Slytherins and attempted to reassure him that they weren't so bad.
"What's next on our schedule?" Harry asks Hannah to diver the conversation away from Slytherins.
"It's Defence Against the Dark Arts," she replies. "Isn't Iris's Dad teaching that this year? Lucky her." The stout girl has an irritated look on her face. Susan notices and sighs.
"Really, Hannah, you're still bothered by that?"
"Bothered by what?" Harry asks curiously, and Susan shrugs helplessly as Hannah glares at a wall.
"You might have read it in The Daily Seer, but Iris Potter was an additional Champion in last years Triwizard Tournament. It should have been impossible for her to become a Champion after Cedric Diggory — he was a Hufflepuff last year — but she did. A lot of stuff seems to happen to her, so people thought she was trying to get more attention."
"It wasn't ever proven that she didn't cheat for that," Hannah points out and Harry has to suppress a spike of anger. "Saving Cedric doesn't mean she didn't cheat."
"But it does mean that we can forgive her," Susan shoots back.
"I'm with Hannah," Justin says with a glower. "I've never trusted her since our second-year and she turned out to be a Parselmouth. That's Dark Magic."
It's really not.
"My boy, such an attitude is unbefitting of you," Ernie joins the argument as they begin to near the classroom for DADA. "If that were the case, Girl-who-Lived or no, I doubt the Headmaster would allow her to remain."
Justin huffs and says nothing but doesn't look convinced.
"Even if James Potter is her father, my aunt says he isn't the type to treat Iris differently," Susan is still attempting to convince Hannah. "If it looks like he is giving her preferential treatment, we can talk to Professor Sprout. Will that make you happy?"
"I doubt that would make a difference," Hannah says stubbornly, crossing her arms, and Susan groans.
"If that doesn't work, you're more than welcome to tell your Aunt, Susan," a familiar voice that makes Harry tense and his heartbeat spike. He turns to see Iris leaning against a wall, with Hermione beside her looking utterly furious. An awkward silence falls between the two Ravenclaws and the five Hufflepuffs. The entrance to the DADA classroom is just past the two Ravenclaws. "My Dad is terrified of her."
Hannah scoffs and strides past them without a glance. Susan does the same, albeit with an apologetic look.
"Hey, Jason," Iris greets with a sad smile as Justin and Ernie follow Susan and Hannah into the classroom. She doesn't look upset by the comments by Justin and Hannah, more resigned, a feeling that Harry can empathise with. He'd experienced the same thing as her.
You can talk to her, by the way. I've settled the issue between you for a bit, though I'm still trying to figure how exactly it works. Will explain more later. Just don't kiss her. I haven't got that far yet.
"Thanks, and shut the hell up!"
"Hi," Harry says back. "Day treating you well?"
She shrugs. "Could be better."
Hermione's tipping point reaches its apex then. "The nerve of her! How could she say that after you brought Cedric back last year!"
"To be fair, Susan and Ernie seemed to be on your side," Harry interjects.
"There's that, I guess," Iris sighs before turning to Hermione. "And I wasn't the one who brought Cedric back, it was Harry."
Harry twitches at the mention of his name.
"And I still don't trust him," Hermione says back. "We have no idea who he is, or even if his name was Harry, since he lied about his surname. For all we know, this Harry could be Jason," she points at Harry, who is Jason.
Okay, don't panic, Harry. Hermione is just pointing out a hypothetical situation. No need to worry.
"I know that, it was just surprising," Harry retorts before focusing on the conversation.
"Who's this Harry?" Harry asks in faked curiosity, and Hermione suddenly clams when she remembers that he is listening. Iris gives the brainy Ravenclaw a bemused look.
"Someone who helped me last year," Iris admits while Hermione looks sheepish. "He vanished, and we've been trying to find him. Unfortunately, there are several odd things about him, so we're not really sure what's with him. He's a small guy with black hair and green eyes, a bit darker than my own. When I saw him, he was very thin and had a bandanna on his head," Iris's flickers to the one Harry is wearing. Thankfully, Tom thought about that and the pair transfigured it so that is now yellow, instead of the black that Iris was familiar with. Nonetheless, a flicker of something goes across Iris's eyes. "Does he sound familiar?"
Might as well lay some false tracks, Tom muses. Can't hurt, and since Seraphim's forgery isn't iron proof, it will help us. Just say what I do.
"It does, actually," Harry points his fingers on his chin in a thinking posture. "Yeah, I remember. It was a few days after I was employed at The Leaky Cauldron."
"Wait, you're the one that's been keeping it so clean?" Hermione asks in surprise before morphing into amazement and a new appreciation.
"Trust me, it wasn't easy," Harry shakes his head as he remembers those first few days employed at the Leaky Cauldron. His hands had been pink and wrinkly from the scrubbing, and he had been on his hands and feet so much, walking had felt strange. "Magic can't get rid of everything, so it took a lot of work."
Hermione is nodding enthusiastically. "So many witches and Wizards underestimate how important cleaning by hand is! Most cleaning spells only remove surface dirt and don't actually scrub things enough to get them clean. I read in a book where a Wizard called Herman Guggler theorizes that magic doesn't consider dirt as something that should be…"
"Hermione," Iris interjects before the Ravenclaw girl can ramble on and looks at Harry intently. Hermione flushes in embarrassment, though Harry can only smile in amusement. Her response was such a Hermione response. "What happened to Harry? Did you see where he went, or what happened to him?"
"Nothing much," Harry shrugs. "He asked for directions to the train station and left. I wouldn't have remembered him normally, but he was really skinny," Harry mouth twists as he says that. He is not that skinny!
Eh, you're still on the thin side.
Disappointment fills Iris's face. "It's fine. If you see him again, could you let me know? I want to thank him for what he did." Harry nods, and wonders if he should tell her after he looks in the mirror. Well, it won't be his face, so no, he won't.
That's some impeccable logic right there.
Susan sticks her head out of the classroom door and looks around. "Oh, there you are, Jason," she says brightly before dimming as she says who Harry was talking about. Then she becomes a bit more nervous. "The Professor is here, so you should probably come sit down."
"Thanks, Susan, be there now," Harry nods before turning to the Ravenclaws. "Well, good talking to you."
"Same to you," Iris smiles and follows Harry into the class. He takes a seat by the Hufflepuffs, with Hannah and Justin looking miffed.
"Why were you talking to Potter?" Justin snaps, looking even more irritated than when the Hufflepuff saw Iris. "She's nothing but trouble. You should stay away from her.
You shut your pie hole, you ass.
"We spoke on the train, and she seemed fine to me," Harry frowns. "I don't know what your issue with her is, but I'm not going to be rude to her because you have a problem."
Justin glowers and turns so that he is looking out of the window. Hannah, while also not seeming happy at Iris, is less irritated compared to Justin, but still unhappy with Harry. At least Susan is fine with it, as she pats his hand comfortingly. Ernie seems unphased by it all, simply sighing at Justin.
And so, Harry turns his attention to James Potter, who was waiting at the head of the class. He is wearing long black robes, though his sleeves have been rolled up, revealing thin arms, though you can see the muscle in them. Harry wonders what kind of Professor his father would be. QUirrel had been awful, Lockhart incompetent, Remus VERY competent, and Alastor Moody had actually been a Death Eater in disguise. Harry isn't sure about that last one, but they were very good at explaining curses. He still needs to figure out what to do about that.
Harry starts as James claps his hand to get the class's attention.
"We've still got five minutes before class is about to start, but since everybody is here, we can start now," James steps forward, an eager smile on his face. "Well, I'm sure a number of you still remember me from my introduction from last night, but I am James Potter. I will be your Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor this year. I've been employed as an Auror for a number of years, but decided I'd like to do some teaching. Since you are writing your OWLs this year, you can expect a lot of exciting things for this year, but a lot of work as well. Now, for our first class, I thought we'd do something fun, so we can start off with a bang. For this lesson, we will be…"
Before he can finish speaking, there is a knocking at the door. James frowns, and students mutter in wonderment at who it. As far as they knew, every student was here. James walks over to the door and opens it, his bulk obscuring who it was. But he quickly informs the class of who it is by his surprised voice.
"Miss Umbridge," he says. "How can I help you?" There is a current of trepidation through the Potter Patriarch's voice, as though he isn't sure how to react.
There is a giggle that sounds like a frog croaking, making Harry shudder without even having to see the woman. On the Ravenclaw side, Iris stiffens up and her face took on a look like she is constipated.
"Yes, good day, Professor Potter," the woman is saying. "One of my duties as the Ministry's Liaison is to review classes and determine what can be included and…removed." She sounded far more delighted at the idea of removing than adding.
"Uh, yes, I recall, you simply caught me by surprise," James says awkwardly. "I wasn't expecting a visit so soon. Please, come in, we were just about to get started."
James steps aside to allow Umbridge in, and Harry's eyes nearly go blind at the sheer amount of pink the toadlike woman is wearing.
Dear Merlin, that is horrendous! What self-respecting person would wear so much pink? It isn't even a nice shade of pink!
"Good day, children," Umbridge says with a sickly smile, which no one returns. Most return a grimace instead. "Please do not mind me. I'm sure I won't be a disturbance at all. I'm sure you are all absolutely delighted at me being here, but we don't want disrupt Professor Potter's class now, do we?"
She takes a seat in the corner of the room, completely oblivious to the baffled and, quite frankly, disgusted expressions on people's face.
"I thought my sister was being mean about her," Harry hears Padma Patil whisper by the Ravenclaws. Iris and Hermione are giving Umbridge absolutely murderous looks. "She really doesn't seem pleasant."
James claps his hand, grabbing the class's attention again. "Okay, class, let me begin again. You are going to be doing your OWLs this year, so I thought we could begin the class with a bang. I prefer practical experience over excessive book learning — sorry Ravenclaws, I know how much you love your books," he teases good-naturedly at the blue-clad students. "Don't worry, there will still be some of that. But I believe using what you learn practically is the best way to learn. And so, for this class, we are going to be doing some duelling!"
Excited murmurs spread across the classroom. Harry remembers that his first experience with practical application in DADA was when they had to catch the Pixies Lockhart released. Then they had Lupin, who had a fair number of practical lessons, but they were never as exciting as the one with the Boggart. Sure, that had ended badly with the Boggart turning into a Dementor, but it had still been great. Alastor Moody — or rather, Barty Crouch Junior, Harry remembers — had more practiced spells on them, rather than them practicing it. Feelings about James aside, Harry is looking forward to this.
Right up until a high-pitched "hem-hem" rings across the classroom. The mutters fall silent as the students turn to look at Umbridge.
"Sorry for interrupting," Umbridge says, not looking sorry in the slightest, "but is duelling not a tad violent for students to be doing?"
"If you are concerned that the students will be hurt, there is no worry," James says easily, not looking annoyed at Umbridge's interruption. "I have cushioning and other charms across the room to avoid injury, and I will be monitoring the duels. Is that satisfactory?"
Umbridge's twisted mouth indicated that it was distinctly not satisfactory. She stands, not that it did much for her height. Harry could swear she was actually shorter off the chair. "The Ministry believes that duelling would too easily enable students to become…violent," Umbridge glances in the direction of Iris, a fact that no one in the class missed. James clenches his fist but says nothing. "I believe the duelling will soon be removed from the curriculum."
"But it is still a part of it at this time," James responds coolly, crossing his arms.
"I'm sure you can see the sense of not teaching students something that they will soon have no use for," Umbridge looks down her nose at the Potter patriarch, the barest glimpse of teeth being see through her lips.
"If," James emphasises the word, "the Ministry decides to remove duelling, so be it. But until they do, I will teach this class how I want to, and that includes duelling."
Umbridge's lips turn down. "I believe I have seen all I need to." She turns and walks to the door, the students' gazes following her. Before she leaves, she has to get the last word in.
"You are treading a fine line, Mr. Potter," she says. "The Ministry gets what it wants."
She closes the door before James can respond. For a moment, there is a tense silence as the students wait to see James's reaction. They jump as said Professor claps his hand and a wide grin adorns his face as though Umbridge had never even entered the room.
"Right then! Who wants to duel me?!"
James laughs at the students' dumbfounded looks. "Don't be shy! I promise I'll go easy on you, though I would like someone who has some experience in duelling. This is to give you an idea of what a duel can look like." James waits, but the students shuffle their feet, looking among each other. James specifically does not look in Iris's direction.
After nearly ten seconds, James sighs. "Very well, I'll choose then." He takes a quick look around, before he finds someone of interest among the Hufflepuffs.
"Jason Bletchley, why don't you join me?"
"Oh, Merlin, no."
I think this is your luck coming into play again. On the plus side, you're duelling your dad! On the downside, it's in front of an entire class, and this is your first major interaction with him.
"Oh, thanks, Tom, that's really comforting!"
"Good luck!" Susan whispers encouragingly as Harry steps forward. The students move to the side, out of the way, leaving the floor clear for the two duellers. Iris gives Harry a thumbs up from the side, though she looks worried.
"Mr Bletchley, do you have any experience in duelling?" James asks, rolling up his sleeves, eyeing him up and down. "I heard from Dumbledore that you were home-schooled by your father, but did he teach you anything about duelling?"
"Some," Harry replies, thinking on the spells Hermione found and practicing them. Plus, his last duel was with Voldemort, so that has to count for something. He has also punched wizards with a magically charged fist, but Harry isn't sure if that counts
"Okay, that's good. Now, for this duel, I don't want to see anything too dangerous. Nothing stronger than a reducto, okay? And from me, I won't be going too strong, but you won't find this easy. We go until I say stop, one of us admits defeat, or you disarm me."
"Got it," Harry says, his fingers grasps his wand tightly. His palms feel sweaty and clammy. He hadn't been in a duel for a long time.
James bows and Harry quickly follows with the proper duelling etiquette. They turn and walk ten paces and turn. The classroom is filled with excited mutters.
"Go, Jason!" Susan calls out.
"Show him what for!" Ernie's pompous voice also calls out. Hannah and Justin are watching eagerly as well, but they might still be a bit miffed with Harry.
"Let's begin!" James calls out, and excited gleam in his eyes. Harry waits, but James doesn't do anything, letting Harry begin the duel.
So Harry does.
"Stupefy!" Harry yells, moving to the side. James flicks his wand, and the spell is batted away, but he jerks his hand back to avoid the quick Expelliarmus that followed. James's eyebrows rise.
"You're better than I thought," James calls out, slapping away spells with ease, his eyes sparkling. Direct attack spells aren't working well, time to change tactics, Harry thinks and flings a different spell before casting another with the same breath.
"Incarcerous!" James slices through the ropes that appear with ease and hastily ducks as an impedimenta jinx flies past him. The DADA professor laughs in glee as he deflects the attack, hopping over the ones directed at his feet, and deflecting the ones that were then aimed at his head.
"Very nice spellwork and strategy! That means I can take it up a notch and attack you! Let's see how you do!" James says eagerly, and launches his own attack. Harry ducks and conjures a Protego from the flurry of spells that come from the Potter Patriarch. Harry winces as the spells impact against his shield, rapidly draining his magical reserves.
"Any suggestions?"
Surprise him! This is a duel, so don't limit yourself to plain old attack spells.
Harry blinks. That's a good idea. As soon as he sees a chance, Harry flings himself to the side, getting hit with a Jelly-Legs jinx at the same time. The disguised Boy-Who-Lived collapses to the ground as his legs give out from under him. James grins at that and lowers his wand, certain in his victory.
"Accio table!" Harry yells out and James's eyes widen in surprise. He barely manages to spin out of the way of the table that comes flying towards his back. Before the table can reach him, Harry flicks his wand again, casting a Banishment Charm to throw it back at James. James grins widely as he reduces the table to splinters with a Blasting Curse.
"Excellent use of your environment!" James cries out with a laugh. "Very impressive!"
Harry's neck goes red as he unconsciously glows under the praise, and a wide grin fills his face. His father just praised him. But said father doesn't give a chance to rest, even with the Jelly-Legs. A quick roll gets Harry out of the way, already beginning the movements for the spell cancellation spell but an impedimenta jinx clips his wand arm, making him drop his wand to the floor in front of where he is lying.
His arm immediately slows, like it is underwater, and Harry can't complete the spell anymore. A blind panic sets in, the memories of his last duel making him breath fast and frantically. He can barely hear Tom telling him to calm down, that it isn't a life-threatening duel. But his body refuses to listen. It remembers the pain of the Cruciatus Curse, of the fear, of the sheer terror that the duel had been.
"Time to end this!" James calls out, seeing Harry's predicament. "Stupefy!"
A burst of red flashes out of James Potter's wand. Harry watches its approach as though in slow motion. It is on a direct path for Harry's chest. A gasp bursts from his mouth, his panic sending his mind awhirl.
Finite Incantatem, Harry thinks in his mind, and his hand is free, moving into the path of the spell. The same hand with wand fragments embedded in it.
It connects with the spell.
And redirects the red magic past Harry, where it knocks into several chairs. James freezes in surprise, and Harry's body recognises the opportunity. He grabs his wand from the floor and points at his Father and yells:
"Expelliarmus!"
James Potter's wand goes flying out of his hand, landing somewhere beyond him. Harry falls to the ground, groaning as his magical reserves protest their workout. That one shield charm knocked his reserves massively.
The class is silent, looking between Harry and James, amazement in their eyes. James stares at his hand before shaking his head.
"Give a hand to that extremely impressive display from young Jason!" James begins clapping and so do the students after a moment of hesitation.
Very nice, Harry. You did well against an experienced Auror, even if he was going easy on you.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Tom. But what about me knocking that spell aside? I didn't even know I could do that. What if someone noticed?"
That's not something that can normally be done. If someone asks, we just tell them they must have been imagining it.
James, having recovered his wand, walks over to Harry and waves his wand. The Jelly-legs jinx is dispelled and Harry can stand again. James extends his hand to help Harry up. After a second hesitation, Harry takes it. His father's hands are large and warm, feeling like they completely encase Harry's own. A hard ball suddenly forms in his throat, and he has to force himself to swallow it down.
"That was a bit more exciting than I anticipated, but that was a duel," James turns to address the class while Harry stands next to him. "Now, here's a brain teaser for you all. Which spell or tactic did he use that was extremely useful, regardless if I dodged it or not?"
After a moment, Terry Boot raises his hand.
"He followed up with a jinx after he cast the Incarcerous spell?"
"Very good for noticing that. Five points to Ravenclaw," James says, nodding. "But not quite the one I was looking for. Following up with spells is a common tactic in duelling as it forces an opponent to defend against multiple attacks one after the other. Any other takers?"
This time, it is Ernie that sticks up his hand. "Jason used the summoning Charm to surprise you with the table. I thought it was very impressive."
"Yes, using the environment is a very good idea when duelling someone," James nods. "We are Witches and Wizards. We can use the objects around us as shields, weapons, and escape tools. But not the answer I was looking for. Last chance. Does anybody else have an idea?"
There are mutters and whispers as people think. Finally, a hand rises, and Harry blinks at seeing it is Iris.
"He was able to Disarm you with Expelliarmus," Iris says, wilting as everybody turns to look at her.
"But Expelliarmus is such a basic spell," Justin says before James says anything. "Anybody can use it. I wouldn't call that an exceptional spell or tactic?"
"Ah, but Iris is correct," James interjects, drawing the students' attention back to him. "Yes, the Disarming Spell is a very basic spell in duelling. But that is why mastery of it so difficult. You see, the Expelliarmus spell is incredibly easy to avoid. You can either twist your wrist so that it misses your wand, or you can even grip your wand more tightly. But if it succeeds, you can completely overpower a superior opponent as you have taken their means of defence away. If Jason had so decided, I would have been stunned or incapacitated long before I could reach my wand."
People begin muttering as they consider that.
"But you just said it is very easy to avoid?" Padma Patil calls out. "It seems like Jason only disarmed you through luck."
"Possibly," James relents. "But keep in mind that there are many duelling stances one can take that requires the spellcaster to keep a loose grip on their wands. And if you can anticipate where your opponent's wand will be after blocking a spell, you can plan to make use of it. Professor Flitwick is a renowned Duellist, having one several circuits in his time. And he often defeated his opponents through effective use of the Disarming spell. Don't underestimate this spell. Since it is so important, we will be practicing it for the rest of class. Grab a partner and make two lines down the room."
While they are doing that, James turns to Harry and pats his shoulder.
"And for your exemplary display, I award Hufflepuff twenty points."
"Thank you, sir," Harry says, his head hanging slightly from tiredness, which James immediately notices.
"That Shield Charm hit you hard," the Potter Patriarch says knowingly. "Protego is useful, but it can take a lot of magic to maintain. It is better to keep moving to avoid spells, rather than standing still and blocking them. Go and rest for the rest of class. You've earned it."
Harry nods and falls into a chair with a relieved sigh.
A fair number of students were giving him admiring looks. The other Hufflepuffs came over to check up on him, expressing how impressed they were. Harry deflected their questions, just going with the excuse that his fake father taught him. On the plus side, Hannah and Justin seem to have forgiven him for taking Iris's side. On the downside, he now has a bunch of eyes watching him. This better not escalate into something uncomfortable. Harry can't afford that. He can't wait for lunch. He's starving.
Hate to rain on your parade, but we have a date with a certain someone during lunch.
Harry groans, his shoulders slumping. "Do I have to? Can't we just reveal to the world who I am? I'm sure everything would be fine."
Just hang in there. After the meeting, we have a mentally taxing class that is Ancient Runes, and then Transfiguration! Think on how much fun that will be!
If anything, that depresses Harry even more. Because of course it would
##################################################################################
Harry was able to grab some rolls and an apple from the Great Hall before he left for the meeting place. He'd barely left the Hall and the food was already gone.
"So what's our game plan for this person?"
We don't really know who they are. They are probably a Slytherin, considering where the note came from. It was very subtle, so we can rule out Malfoy and his troll bodyguards. Millicent Bulstrode can be crossed off as well — if she and Crabbe or Goyle don't get together, I'd be very surpised. But for the rest of the Slytherins, no idea.
"As much as I hate suggesting it, can't we Obliviate them?"
I wouldn't risk it. They discovered who we are very quickly. They either have inside information that tells them we're fakes, or someone else told them. In that case, Obliviating them would be pointless. Plus, you might just wipe out all their memories like with Lockhart. Obliviating someone is a very delicate process.
Harry reaches the Third-floor classroom mentioned in the note. It is already open, and he can see a figure dressed in Slytherin colours beyond it.
"Well, here we go," Harry sighs and steps through the door, and stops when he sees who it is
"I'd say you took your time, Mr Bletchley, but we both know that name doesn't belong to you," Daphne Greengrass says with a smirk.
##################################################################################
That Evening
"Dumbledore?" James pokes his head into the Headmaster's office. Dumbledore is at his desk, going through different papers. Fawkes is sitting on his perch next to the Headmaster's desk, head tucked under his wing.
"Ah, James, my boy, how can I help you?" Dumbledore looks relieved to be distracted away from his paperwork as he quickly moves away from his desk.
"I came to report to you about Jason Bletchley," James steps further into the room. Dumbledore frowns and motions to the DADA professor to take a seat.
"So you duelled him then? What have you found?"
"He has experience with fighting, outside of duels, for one," James begins. "The spells he threw out were very standard, nothing I would think we should watch out. But he reacted immediately when I started attacking him, like he expected me to do that. He reacted well, but he isn't a professional or has extensive experience in fighting. I personally don't think he's anyone we need to be suspicious about."
"Why do you say that?" Dumbledore asks curiously.
"At the end of our duel, I had him on the ground. I was about to stun him, but I missed. He took the opportunity and hit me a Disarming Charm. I could tell it was from instinct. It was the first spell that popped in his mind, that I'm sure of. I doubt someone on Voldemort's side first instinct would be to disarm their enemy."
Dumbledore nods in agreement. "Yes, I would agree on that. But, my boy, you said you missed?"
James nods, looking embarrassed. "Yeah. The kid was on the ground even. And what's worse, he actually looked he was trying to block my stunning spell, like that would work. It moved right past him. I was so surprised, the kid managed to disarm me."
Dumbledore frowns, absently stroking his beard. "Interesting. I'd still like to keep an eye on him, in these trying times. It is so rare we receive a transfer student. But you have another class after lunch, correct? Best go eat before then."
"Yes, sir," James leaves the room, giving one last wave before disappearing down the stairs. Dumbledore sits back in his chair and stair up at the ceiling, his frown not disappearing. Fawkes, sensing his thoughts, withdraws his head from under his wing and flaps to land on Dumbledore's shoulder. The Headmaster rubs the Phoenix's plumage while Fawkes squawks enquiringly.
"Still, it is strange," Dumbledore mutters, withdrawing a piece of paper. On it is a list of people who were to attend Hogwarts five years ago. Marked solidly on it is the name 'Jason Bletchley'. Nothing that Dumbledore would find suspicious. Except for the fact that his Penisieve shows that the list had not had Jason Bletchley on it before.
"Who are you, Jason Bletchley?"
##################################################################################
"Were you successful?" Voldemort asks the black-haired woman in front of him.
"Oh, yes, My Lord," Bellatrix Lestrange purrs. "They were very accommodating when I said who my Master was. The little dearies were a bit worried about joining you, My Lord, but I persuaded them." She looks down at her long dress and grimaces. "Vampire dust is so difficulty to get rid of."
"Excellent," Voldemort smiles. For anyone else, it would have terrified them to the bone. But for Bellatrix Lestrange, it was a nearly orgasmic sight. "Soon, the Ministry and the World will know of my return and bow before me. My plan will soon come to fruition. All I need now is that damnable thing in the Department of Mysteries."
"How will we retrieve it, My Lord?"
"I have a plan in the works, but it will take time. A certain relative of yours will be very useful for it."
And Bellatrix laughed.
##############################################################################################
Author's Note:
So here's a new chapter. A bit sooner than before, so I hope you guys like it. Not too much happens here. It's more about setting up relationships and getting Harry settled into Hogwarts. Not that that is going well with Daphne Greengrass.
The next update might take a bit longer. I've actually written three chapters, the first of which was posted last week, and now the second one. I spent a fair few weeks writing them, but now I'm feeling a bit burnt out, so the next update will take a bit longer. Just needs more editing, but I'm not in the mood for that.
I'd love to hear your opinions on the duel. I'm planning far more intense fight scenes, and any criticisms you can provide on this brief duel would be great.