Notes: More characters, more card games
Disclaimer: I don't own either the Harry Potter franchise or the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise
Harry Potter and the Tri-Academy Tournament
Ch.1: A New Year with New Developments
The Riddle manor house had been long since abandoned after the mysterious deaths of the entire family. Bad things seemed to happen to anyone who attempted to mess with the property. It was thank to all this that, despite summer being in full swing, no one was anywhere near the land. This was advantageous to the last living relative, Tom Riddle a.k.a. Lord Voldemort, as he was forced to hide out in the home of his paternal family. Rather ironic since he had never been there before. The ring his spirit was bound to was sitting in a chair, while Peter Pettigrew, the only servant he had at the moment, was pacing.
"You've done a fine job these past few months, Peter. You've gathered supplies, obtained information, and stolen cards. Soon I shall be ready to make my move. You will of course be rewarded."
Peter stopped to look at the spirit emanating from the ring, "You're too kind, master."
"Although I also know that if you had anywhere else to go, you wouldn't be here."
Peter was silent for a minute or two, but then replied, "That's not true."
Riddle snickered, "Liar. Do I work you too hard, Peter? Is it my fault all my followers have either deserted me, are laying low, or have been arrested? It's your own fault you faked your death."
Peter didn't know what to say.
"We shall soon be in power once again. Thanks to our agents in the ministry, we know exactly what's about to happen. It's all going according to plan. I shall have a body, and my followers will flock back into the fold."
"It is an extremely cunning plan, my lord. But...what about the ones who don't rejoin us, master?"
"They will die, of course."
Meanwhile, at the Dursley residence, Harry was getting ready to leave. It had only been a week, but he was already tired of being there. Thankfully, his aunt and uncle took to ignoring him. His cousin Dudley mostly did the same, but every now and then, he'd catch Dudley peeking into his room whenever he was rearranging his deck. He was planning to spend the rest of summer just hanging out with his friends, and occasionally visiting the school. He was packing up to stay with the Weasleys, and at the same time visit Sirius. He was moved to a different hideout every week, and this week it was at the Weasley's house. Harry was about to rush out, but he stopped by the living room. The Dursleys were watching television.
"I'm leaving now. I'll be staying with the Weasleys."
"Bah, that kooky family," Uncle Vernon grumbled, never tearing his eyes away from the telly.
Aunt Petunia gave him a quick glance, but said nothing. Dudley got up to say something, but after a few seconds he brushed past Harry and went into his room. Harry shrugged and left.
Once there, Harry said hello to everyone. Hermione was already there, of course.
"Where's everyone else," Harry asked.
"Well," Ginny replied, "Charlie's at work making sure no one's smuggling animals, Percy has his ministry job that Crouch is constantly calling him for, Fred and George are out and about thinking of ways to make money, I think Bill's on a date..."
"I didn't know he was seeing anyone."
"No one did," Ron chimed in, "He's been quiet about the whole thing. No idea why."
"It's his own business," Hermione said, "He'll bring her to see the family in his own time."
"All we know is that he met her at work," Ginny said, "Said she's a new hire at the bank."
"Can't believe he'd be so secretive about it!" Mrs. Weasley said loudly from the kitchen.
"Molly, calm down," Arthur said, and then he turned to Harry, "Enough about the boys, you'll be wanting to pay a visit to your dog."
Mr. Weasley was now pointing toward the basement. Harry smiled and headed there, with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny following. Sirius was sitting on the spare that was set up. There was a television down there as well.
"Harry, so wonderful to see you again."
"How are you holding up, Sirius?"
"I wish I could freely come and go as I please, but I realize that's going to take some time. I'm just glad this arrangement was made. Just to be safe, they move me to a different spot every week or so: the Weasley residence, my family house, the academy, and they'll probably think of others."
"Sounds brilliant."
"While I appreciate the visit, Harry, I think you should head out and do something fun."
"Are you sure you're okay, Sirius?" Harry asked.
"I'll be fine, Harry. After all, I have more DVDs to binge watch."
After a quick hug, Harry left with the others. The next several weeks, Harry and the Weasley children spent time doing chores, playing Duel Monsters, and going out. This week, Sirius was moved to the house of Black. Said house of Black was very large and quite empty, what with every other member either dead or in prison. There was technically a tenant. It was none other than Lupin. During his imprisonment, Sirius was able to write a letter to Lupin, insisting he stay there since he had nowhere else to go.
"That gloomy old house is just going to waste, my friend," he said, "Just as James let me stay with him, you must stay with me...so to speak."
Harry was happy to see that Lupin had a relatively nice place to stay, despite lack of funds. It was especially nice since Tonks started staying there with him. It was actually quite fitting, as it turns out, because Tonks was in fact a cousin of Sirius. A few weeks later, knowing Sirius was now hiding there, Harry and company paid them a visit. The house looked fairly old, so it felt a bit like stepping back in time.
"Of course I was very grateful to Sirius for letting me stay here, but it wasn't exactly as easy as walking in and taking charge. This is the house of a criminal after all. Fortunately, Dumbledore managed to convince the authorities I was simply watching the house and definitely not trying to come up with an escape plan for Sirius, or any other Black family member for that matter."
"What happened to the rest of his family?" Harry asked.
"I'm glad you asked," Sirius said, motioning everyone to another room.
There was a large family tree portrait on the wall. Several members were crossed out.
"The Black family is very old, Harry. Unfortunately, a lot of them are horrible people. My parents hated the so-called lower classes. My brother Regulus always listened to them, whereas I was a rebel."
"You have a brother?"
"Had, I'm afraid. He died a few years before you were born. No one's really sure how it happened, but it was definitely Voldemort. My brother fell in with him, but apparently felt that he was going too far."
Harry felt it best to change the subject, "Why isn't Tonks on here?"
"Me mum is right there: crossed her off when she married a man that wasn't approved of. Why oh why couldn't she be more like her sisters Narcissa and Bellatrix?"
"I'm sensing a pattern with the names," Hermione said.
"Wait a minute," Ron said, "Bellatrix Lestrange is your cousin? Dad's talked about her before. She's a complete nutter."
"Not very many members of my family were sane, and she's the worst of them. When Voldemort made himself known, she ran to his side. It was a good excuse to inflict pain on others. She and her husband are still rotting in prison."
"Narcissa...isn't that Draco's mum?" Harry asked.
"My family was very proud to hear she married Lucius Malfoy. If nothing else, at least they actually seemed to marry for love. Bellatrix simply married Rodolphus for the money and status. But that's enough of my family history. You lot should be out there enjoying yourselves."
It was halfway through the summer when they went to visit Sirius again. This week, he was hiding in the school basement. Harry and the others stopped by the card shop and the food court in preparation.
"Thanks for the sandwiches, Harry, but I wish I had something else to eat. Staying down here while school is out means it's about all I can get my hands on. Never mind that though, because there's something important I must tell all of you. Since you are my godson, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Although honestly, I'm sure Dumbledore expects me to tell you. You see, after Dumbledore and the other teachers pitched in for my grand escape act, they started discussing other important events. For your next semester, there's going to be a special tournament. One that involves other academies."
"Are you serious?"
"That's my name, Harry...oh wait, you meant the other...never mind. I assume the ones closest to us wil be the ones invited. Dumbledore didn't want me to spoil too much, so the details were left vague."
"I'm sure the Mediterranean Academy will be one of them," Hermione said.
"Oh, them," Ron sneered.
"Ron, don't talk like that about them."
"Why not? They talk bad about us all the time."
"It's been a long time since we've had this kind of tournament," Sirius continued, "We have to work with the ministry of course. They think it'll help promote tourism and good will and such. Now you'll all excuse me, my shows will be on about now. Go out and have fun."
They went out to eat, and talk more about what they just learned. Grabbing lunch at a café, they began to speculate.
"I think I remember seeing a student from the Mediterranean Academy in another tournament," Harry said, "Her name was Fleur Delacour."
"Yeah," Ron said, a dreamy look on his face, "She's pretty."
Hermione gave him a mean look.
"Uh...for a French girl, I mean. Anyway...I hope they choose the Scandinavian Academy, That means we might see Viktor Krum."
"You mean that big quiet guy?" Ginny asked.
"He's quite handsome, isn't he?" Hermione said to herself.
Ron gave her a confused look.
"...what? I mean he's also a good duelist."
"If he does show up, I think Ron and Hermione will be fighting for his attention," Ginny joked.
Harry stifled a laugh.
"I was thinking," Hermione said, "I doubt they'll let everyone at the school compete."
Ron slumped over, "Oh yeah, there'll probably be a limit. Probably only those in their final year."
"Hey," Harry replied, "If that's the case, that means Fred and George can compete."
"Good for them."
"Ron, don't pout," Ginny teased, "If you really want to duel against Krum, just challenge him unofficially."
"She's right, Ron," Harry added, "He's a pro. I doubt he'd reject a challenge."
They eventually went back to the Weasley residence and watched some footage of Fleur and Krum competing.
"I see you're watching one of the old tournaments," Arthur said, "But how would you like to see something more recent?"
"What do you mean, dad?"
"As it so happens, Ron, the ministry has been talking with our...let's call them neighbors, to have a small tournament before the school year. It's a sign of good will and that sort of thing. Professional duelists will be partaking in it."
"So we can all go?"
"I don't work at the ministry for nothing."
"I'd say they pay you practically nothing," Fred said.
"Yeah, and after all you've done for them," George added.
"That's an entirely unrelated matter, boys. Still, if you must know, I'm due for a raise. Now get ready, we're heading out tomorrow morning."
After a quick breakfast, the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione made their way to the stadium.
"I'll see you lot later," Charlie said, "I promised I'd participate in this competition."
With that, he headed in the opposite direction. Meanwhile, Arthur may have had certain advantages working for the ministry, but he was rather low on the corporate ladder, so their seats weren't the best.
"How high up are we, dad?" Ron asked.
"Let's put it this way," a voice called out, "If it rains, you'll be the first to know."
They wheeled around to see a tall man with long blonde hair holding a cane. A woman was standing next to him. She was also tall, a brunette with blonde highlights. She had a very holier-than-thou look on her face. Draco pushed his way past them.
"Lucius," was all Arthur said.
"Arthur...short end of the string as usual, I see. I suppose that's what comes of a family with noble ancestry associating with riff raff. Ah, and here we have all those children you can't afford," he said, walking towards Harry.
"All the redheads are yours of course. Even if they were wearing hats, the vacant expressions give them away. This one here must be...Ms. Granger?"
Draco nodded.
"Draco's told me about you and your dentist parents. How nice...if nothing else, I'm sure it's a rather well-paying job."
"That's none of your business," she replied.
He ignored her and turned to Harry, "The famous Mr. Potter...at last we meet. Rest assured, Draco will defeat you this year. Won't you?"
Draco looked uncomfortable, but nodded again.
"Now if you'll excuse us, being friends with Minister Fudge has its privileges."
"The best seats in the house, unlike you lot."
"Don't boast, Draco...not to them. There's no point. Come along."
After they disappeared, Harry said, "So that's where Draco gets it from."
"I may not like Draco," Ron said, "But even he isn't as bad as Lucius."
"Draco's had the taste of humble pie," Hermione added, "It's just a matter of whether or not he makes the right decisions."
They kept going up rows of stands, when they ran into Neville and his grandmother.
"It's about time we met, Harry Potter," she said, "Neville's told me all about his friends, but I've never got to meet you, except Ginny over there. You know, Neville's parents were great duelists as well, but they went into law enforcement. I'm glad Neville didn't want to follow in such a dangerous line of work, but I'd have never pegged him as a good a duelist as what I've heard. Your friend Ginny told me what happened. You wouldn't believe how proud I was. Well, we'll be sitting right over here. Come on, Neville."
Neville shrugged and gave a nervous smile as they walked off.
"Not a word in edgewise, eh, Harry?" Hermione said.
"I didn't think she'd be the exact opposite of Neville."
"No wonder he doesn't talk about her much," Ron said.
Neville felt a bit embarrassed by his grandmother, but they were after all, his friends. There was nothing wrong with sharing such information with them. It was rather unfortunate though that his seat was so far from any of the other students. He sighed to himself as he got his deck out and rearranged it. He liked having friends, but he was also used to being alone. He spent almost as much time in the library as Hermione. He thought about how his interest in plants were the very reason his monsters were all Plant-type.
"Mind if I sit down?" said a voice.
Neville was a bit shocked. It certainly wasn't his stood a blonde girl who looked familiar, but he couldn't recall the name.
"You probably don't remember me. We didn't exactly talk much...or at all. I confess I kind of thought that since I was in Obelisk Blue, I shouldn't bother with any of the lower houses. Spending time in the hospital though, seeing students from every dorm there, it made me think. I became friends with Ernie Macmillan and Justin Finch-Fletchley after that. Or rather I should say I re-friended them. We were friends outside before we started, and I was just being a git. Oh, I'm sorry, my name's Hannah Abbott. I room with Susan Bones."
"Oh yeah, I think I remember you."
"Well I definitely remember you. I thought your deck was cool, but I didn't think you were very good. Sorry about that."
"It's okay, I wasn't very good, until my friends helped me practice."
"I heard you went up against that snotty little Pansy Parkinson and won!"
"Oh, uh, yeah, that's true. I did do that."
"You're very modest, Neville. I like that. I've seen her duel before, and she's very aggressive. She uses a Shark deck, right?"
"Yeah, it's very appropriate."
"Dumbledore said you were very brave. He said, true bravery is being afraid, but doing something anyway."
Neville was starting to blush, "Well, yes, that's true..."
"I think we can help each other out, Neville."
"You want help from me?"
"Absolutely! You use Plants, right? Well in real life, plants always go hand-in-hand with what?"
"That's easy: insects."
"There are even strategies where a deck comprised of Insects and Plants can greatly benefit. So what do you say?"
"Uh...well I...um...sure."
"Great! Let's take a look at each other decks, huh?"
Neville now had a big smile on his face, "Okay."
As they made their way to their seats, they spotted a few more familiar faces: Dean, Seamus, and every other student from school, save for the ones from families with considerable money.
"How's it going, Harry?" Dean asked.
"Do you think this school year will be as exciting as the last?" Seamus asked.
Harry pretended to think about it, "There's no telling."
As they walked off, Ginny was looking around.
"I don't see Luna," Ginny said, "She must still be on holiday."
"Luna...why does that sound familiar?" Ron muttered.
"You remember Luna Lovegood. Really nice blonde girl who's visited now and then."
"Oh, you mean the one who always sounds like she's off in her own little world?" Ron replied.
Hermione jabbed him with her elbow, "Behave, Ronald."
"Hey, I've heard you slip up and call her Loony Lovegood once in a while."
"Fine, I admit she is a bit odd, but she's still our friend."
"I never said she wasn't. It's just hard to tell when she's being serious sometimes."
Percy suddenly jumped up and looked at his phone.
"Sorry, mum, dad, but Mr. Crouch wants me in his booth in case he needs anything."
"Will you be back home later?"
"I'm sure I will, mum. Mr. Crouch will likely have other important things to do once this is over. Don't worry so much."
Percy hurried off, glancing at his phone in case any other messages came in.
"He acts like running errands somehow makes him more important than everyone else," Fred snarked.
"Barty Crouch can't get tea all by himself, after all," George added.
"Now, boys," Arthur said, "I admit Percy does take his job too seriously, but we should be supportive."
"Yes, boys," Molly said, "It's a good start. I hope you have ideas about your future careers."
Fred and George rolled their eyes and looked back at the stage.
"Truth be told, you lot," Arthur said, "I was actually offered some seats near Fudge. However, I don't much care for the company he keeps."
"Good call, Mr. Weasley," Harry replied, and they all had a chuckle.
Draco was slowly trailing behind his parents. He was looking at all the other students from the "privileged" families. After last year, he now knew who the fair-weather friends truly were. There were the cretins Crabbe and Goyle, the clingy Pansy, the towering Millicent, Blaise thinking he was better than everyone, Nott knowing he was better than everyone, and that one girl he kept forgetting the name of...
"Daphne Greengrass," came her voice.
Draco was suddenly aware that she was looking directly at him. Was she a mind reader or something? She was now walking towards him, with another girl following her.
"I know I'm hard to remember, Draco," she said, "I don't stand out nearly as much as my roommates. Pansy is so vocal, Millicent is so pushy, and here I am, relatively normal. You and I do have something in common though."
"And what, pray tell, might that be?"
"You lost to Potter, I lost to Granger, so now we both want to prove to ourselves that we can get better. And we don't care what any of our so-called peers think. They started ignoring you after you lost, didn't they?"
"Don't remind me."
"Hey, who cares? It was a learning experience. By the way, I'd like you to meet my sister Astoria. She'll be starting next year."
First this girl walks up to him out of nowhere, now suddenly she's introducing him to her sister. Draco didn't really know what to think. Daphne and Astoria looked similar, as sisters usually do, but Daphne was blonde, while Astoria was a brunette. Astoria held out her hand.
"Nice to meet you, Draco. I hope you'll show me around when I start next year."
He took her hand, but then said, "Wait, what? Me? Why me?"
"After what my sister said, you're the only person besides her I can trust. You're clearly more intelligent than the rest of the students in your year."
Was she being honest, or was it just flattery? Either way, Draco liked what he heard. He knew he was the best duelist of the "elite" kids who started in Obelisk Blue, but it was always nice to hear someone else say it. He suddenly realized he was still shaking her hand. He was about to pull away, but instead he kissed her hand. As he looked back up, she appeared unimpressed, but then she smiled.
"Daphne, you didn't tell me Draco was such a charmer."
"As insightful as she seems," Draco replied, "We all have our secrets."
"So it would seem. Well, the show will be starting soon, so I'll let you join your parents. I see you get to sit next to the minister himself. I might not be starting at the Academy this year, but perhaps we'll see each other again. I'll let you in on a secret. I told my sister to keep an eye out for you because I wanted to finally meet you. You're very handsome."
She and Daphne walked back to their seats as Draco continued on his way to meet back up with his parents. His father was talking with some of the ministry officials, while his mother looked rather disinterested. She seemed to snap to life when he got near.
"Draco, wherever have you been?" she said as she stood up to look him over.
"Relax, mum, I was just talking with the Greengrass girls."
"Ah, yes," Lucius piped up, "I know the family. Very good background."
"What about those two large boys who used to follow you around?"
"Crabbe and Goyle? I can't talk to them, mum. They wouldn't understand half of what I'm saying."
She actually chuckled, "You have the Malfoy family wit."
Draco slumped into his seat. When was this tournament going to start?
A few minutes passed, until at last, Minister Fudge walked onto the stage. Harry and co. were so high up, they had to settle for looking at the big screen.
"Duelists from all over the world have come to this special tournament today. We have participants from Ireland, France, Scandinavia, Russia, Japan, Brazil, Uganda, and even the United States of America. Let us dispense with the pleasantries and get this show underway!"
Every match was more exciting than the last. All the different duelists had interesting strategies. As great as they all were, it was when Viktor Krum went onstage that everyone really took notice. It was clear that Krum was letting his opponent win for a while, but then he sprung his trap.
"I activate my spell, Ride of the Valkyries. I can special summon any number of Valkyrie monsters from my hand. If I special summon 3 or more, I take no battle damage this turn."
Valkyrie Zweite
LV5
Light
Fairy/Effect
1600/1600
Valkyrie Erste
LV6
Light
Fairy/Effect
1600/1800
Valkyrie Brünhilde
LV7
Light
Fairy/Effect
1800/2000
Valkyrie Erda
LV8
Light
Fairy/Effect
2000/2200
Valkyrie Sigrun
LV9
Light
Fairy/Effect
2200/2400
Five women rode through the sky atop large white horses. Each one was clad in armor with a flowing cape. The first four each had a sword and a shield, while the last held a spear. The first had pink hair, the second had green hair, the third had blue hair, the fourth had blonde hair, and the last had black hair.
"Does anyone else hear music?" Harry asked.
"I never thought Krum would have warrior women in his deck," Ron said.
"Valkyries are an important part of Norse mythology," Hermione explained, "It only makes sense he'd have them...although if he shows up at the academy, I doubt he'll be so quick to use them. Everyone will have seen this strategy."
"My Valkyries will attack," Krum continued, "And with that, you lose."
Ron jumped up and cheered as loud as possible.
"He's so different when he's dueling from when he's not dueling," Harry observed.
"Maybe it's an image thing," Ginny said.
As Krum was walking offstage, Fleur was walking up. They stopped, smiled at each other, shook hands, and continued on their paths.
Look," Ron said, "It's Fleur...she's dueling."
"Well spotted, Ron," Hermione snarked.
Fleur was very vicious in her methods. She soon had a powerful combo in play.
The Forgiving Maiden
LV4
Light
Fairy/Effect
850/2000
A gentle nun knelt on the field.
Goddess with the Third Eye
LV4
Light
Fairy/Effect
1200/1000
A brunette woman with an eye on her forehead stood next to the nun, arms outstretched.
"I fuse Goddess of the Mind's Eye and The Merciful Nun to fusion summon Saint Jeanne."
St. Joan
LV7
Light
Fairy/Fusion
2800/2000
A tall woman with short blonde hair stood on the field. Her upper body was clad in silver and gold plate armor, and she held a sword.
Sacred Knight's Spearholder
LV2
Light
Warrior/Effect
800/400
An armor-clad woman with long red hair held aloft a spear.
Horse of the Floral Knights
LV3
Wind
Beast/Effect
400/800
An armor-clad grey horse galloped onto the field.
"I also fuse Holy Knight's Spearholder with Swift Horse of the Flower Knight Order to fusion summon Centarumina."
Centaur Mina
LV6
Light
Beast-Warrior/Fusion/Effect
2200/1600
There was now a female centaur with long red hair. She wielded a sword and shield.
"Centarumina, attack! Grace Illuminate!"
The centaur mowed down her opponent.
"Saint Jeanne, finish them off. Vive la France!"
A quick sword strike and Fleur won the game.
Ron's mouth was agape, but he managed to say, "So amazing..."
Hermione rolled her eyes, but said, "I have to admit, that was impressive."
"If I was to duel her," Ginny said, "She'd be tough, but I'd definitely win."
"She'd be no match for us," the twins added.
Harry was about to say something, but he noticed that Bill was staring intently at Fleur with a smile on his face.
"Hey, Bill," Ron called.
"Huh, what?!"
"How come Charlie is in this tournament and you aren't?"
"Oh, well I had other things do. Work related stuff, very important, lots of it coming up. Oh, look at that! Charlie's up next."
Charlie was definitely toying with his opponent. He kept setting monsters in defense mode over and over again. After a few turns, he smiled and special summoned a Cyber Dragon.
Cyber Dragon
LV5
Light
Machine/Effect
2100/1600
The silvery-white mechanical dragon was poised like some great snake. That's when Charlie made his move.
"I activate the spell Overload Fusion. I can fusion summon one Dark Machine monster from my extra deck by banishing the fusion materials from my field or graveyard. Cyber Dragon is now fused with five other Machine monsters in my graveyard to fusion summon Chimeratech Overdragon!"
Chimeratech Overdragon
LV9
Dark
Machine/Fusion/Effect
?/?
An enormous dark grey serpentine dragon now appeared. It had six heads, each snapping at the air.
"This dragon's attack and defense is equal to how many monsters were used in its fusion x 800."
CO: ?/? - 4800/4800
"It can also attack your monsters equal to how many monsters it was fused with...six that is. That's why I let you load up your field. Evolution Result Burst!"
Each head shot out an energy blast, wiping out the opponent's field.
"Charlie wins again," Ginny said.
Fudge came on-stage again, "Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes the tournament. Thank you all for -"
Just then, a massive form rose from behind the stadium. It was a towering monster of some kind. It let out a ferocious roar.
"That's an Earthbound God!" Harry shouted.
The giant raised its might hand and began to swing it down towards the stadium. Just as it was about to make contact, it disappeared without a trace.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Minister Fudge announced, "I think it best that we all file out in an orderly manner."
Nobody said anything as they hurried to the nearest exit. Harry was speculating in his head, but he thought it best to wait. Once they had returned to the Weasley residence, the four friends went to Ron's room.
"An Earthbound God can only mean one thing," Harry started.
"Voldemort?" Ron guessed.
"More likely one of his servants," Hermione said.
"He did mention that he had someone inside the ministry," Harry added.
"I wouldn't be surprised if there was more than one," Ginny said, "Dad said there were a lot of people who joined him last time."
"Lucius Malfoy was one of his devotees," Ron said, "I wonder..."
"The Malfoys worked with him? How did they avoid going to prison?" Harry asked.
"They claimed they were brainwashed," Ginny explained, "Lots of his followers did."
""Even so," Hermione said, "It couldn't be Lucius. He and his wife were next to the minister the whole time. A display like that would draw unwanted attention."
"So why do it at all?" Ron wondered.
Harry was thinking, "Well he's still out there somewhere. Maybe it was just a way of scaring people."
Fred and George now came into Ron's room.
"What are you guys doing in here?" asked George.
"Yeah, one can only stomach Ron's room for so long," added Fred.
"It's none of your business," Ron shot back.
"It's about that Tom Riddle fellow, isn't it?" George asked.
"Honestly, yes," Ginny answered, "But there's also something else. There's going to be a special tournament this year at the academy."
Fred was surprised, "I'm sorry, what?"
"What did you tell them for?"
"They're our brothers, Ron, it's only fair."
"Special in what way?" the twins asked at the same time.
"As in other academies will be competing against us," Harry replied.
"Wicked!"
"But we don't know any details yet," Hermione added.
"You just point us at the competition," Fred said.
"We'll show them which Duel Academy is best," George said.
Just then came Mrs. Weasley's voice from downstairs, "Shouldn't you all be getting to bed?!"
Fred, George, Ginny, and Hermione bolted out the door. Ron collapsed onto his bed, while Harry got his sleeping bag.
"You know, Harry, with as much time as you spend here, you ought to have your own room."
"The fact that I'm around people who like me is all I need, Ron."
Ron was quiet for a while, but then said, "I guess we're in for another adventure this year, eh, Harry?"
"Only time will tell."