56 Duels, Magical and Verbal
The packed stands were quiet. For some reason, that fact kept creeping into his mind as he waited. They were already full, with more people running in from the gates as word spread about the duel, but stone silence rang across the pitch. Two minutes before the appointed time, the Minister himself appeared.
"Stop this foolishness at once!" His red flush cheeks were clashing with the green bowler hat upon his head.
"By what right do you interfere?" Harry asked coolly as Neville — who had taken the post of his second — took his robes.
"This is nonsense, foolish."
"I agree, Madam Umbridge was most foolish, yet her actions have consequences, Minister." Harry slid a set of auror grade armor robes on, a birthday gift from Amelia. "And you still have not declared by what right you interfere."
"I'm the Minister!" The flush deepened. "You will stop this at once."
"Being the Minister does not give you the right to dismiss an honor duel, nor does it satisfy the slight against my House," Harry cocked his head at the irate man. "Unless you're admitting to ordering her to perform the actions in cause, in which case I'll be happy to deal with that in a second duel once I defeat your toady."
"What? No, I never…"
"Good." Harry turned back to his opponent, who was just now wobbling up. "Glad to see the Minister for Magic and the Magical Government is not trying to interfere in the personal, private business of the Houses it governs."
"Cornelius, why aren't you arresting this little half-blood filth?" Umbridge demanded as she approached them. "Throw him in Azkaban and we can all go back to our lives."
"Madam Umbridge," Harry's icy tone cut off anyone else's response. "We stand upon the field of honor, yet you still hide behind others? This duel has been verified as valid by the Head of the DMLE. Are you ready to defend your honor? Or are you going to forfeit?"
"I look forward to making you eat those words," snarled the toad.
"I admit, this is an unusual situation. I am slightly worried," he admitted, before a menacing grin appeared on his face. "For a true master does not fear the second best, for he is learned and his actions can be anticipated. He fears the worst for he has no idea what the fool might do. As a Defense Master facing someone who barely managed an acceptable OWL in Defense, this could be interesting." Harry turned and left the small gathering, leaving stunned faces behind him.
"I call upon both of you to settle this without wands," Dumbledore tried to mitigate once they both were on their marks. "There is no need for there to be spellfire on this day."
"I'm sorry, Headmaster, but there are no words that can cleanse the mark upon my family's honor," Harry signaled his readiness.
"It's time the little curr learns his lesson," snarled the pink menace.
"Very well, begin." Albus Apparated away as the duel began.
Umbridge chuckled when Harry just stood waiting as the duel commenced. She launched a Blasting hex at him and started to smile in victory until he batted it away at the last second. She sent him another, and he swayed to let it pass by him. Another, this time a Reductor, and it too was flicked away. And the little bastard never moved from where he stood. She sent curse after curse at him, each getting more and more deadly, and not one hit him. He didn't even have to worry about half of them, as they failed to be cast properly or aimed anywhere close to his person. Those that did reach him he batted aside, leaned to let fly by him, or rarely, shielded.
"I see you prescribe to your own teaching style, just read about it," Harry called after three straight miscasts by Umbridge. "In your first lesson, I pointed out that you must practice to effectively cast spells. It seems you don't, and are unable to cast consistently or accurately. It's not so easy casting spells for the first time under pressure, is it?"
The crowd began to murmur, questions asked to their neighbors as the duel continued. This was supposed to be the Defense teacher, and she couldn't cast right half the time? Here was a fifth year student, one that was supposed to be some trouble maker, and she couldn't even hit him?
"Harry, stop toying with her," Hermione's voice called clear across the din at the five minute mark. "Even our students could have taken her by now."
"Students?" the toad shrieked. "I told you it is illegal to have student groups unless I approve! I'll see you expelled for this!"
"We were tutoring them in accordance with the school charter, all paperwork duly filed with the Deputy Headmistress. You know this, and yet you caused enough of a stink about it anyway," Hermione spoke smuggly, before calling to her husband once more. "End this Harry, I'm bored."
"Yes dear," Harry's blank expression shifted to a smile, then he began to cast. Slowly at first, and only simple charms and jinxes. Jelly-Leg jinx, tickling charms, things like that. Even restricting himself to charms he was pressing the defense professor hard. So hard in fact, she made a desperate move. Gathering all her hatred, all her anger, she shifted slightly and cast as powerful a Reducto as she could, right at Hermione.
The crowd gasped, and several people near Hermione jumped out of the expected path. Hermione however, just cocked her head at the approaching spell before flicking her hand and sending the crimson spell skyward. Turning back to her opponent, Umbridge missed the deflection. She did however see the smile on Harry's face disappear, just before he did the same.
Umbridge looked around, trying to find her target. Her left hand exploded in agony as every bone in it broke. She twirled to the left, her wand raised to attack, and her right knee exploded. She tried to turn as she fell, and her left kneecap joined the right in pain. She crashed to the ground, rolling from the momentum of her spin, and her right shoulder shattered. She started to grey out for a moment. As the fog cleared a little, she saw the insufferable bastard standing over her, holding her wand and looking down at her. He muttered an area of effect Sonorus, broadcasting his voice to every corner of the field.
"You insufferable little shit, you attacked me!" Raw vitriol spewed from the irate witch's mouth. "You attacked the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic, I'll see you in Azkaban for this!"
"Delores Jane Umbridge, I stand over you in victory on the Field of Honor," Harry spoke the words slowly and solemnly to the audience, yet his eyes never left hers. "I claim your vaults to recompense the slur you cast upon my Lady wife. I claim you are unworthy to hold your position within the Ministry due to your rampant bigotry. I find you unworthy to teach after such a poor showing in this duel and being laid low to fourth year spells as a professor. Finally, given your actions against the students of Hogwarts, your torture of those you were supposed to educate and nurture, I snap your wand and turn you over to the Aurors for trial."
The crack as he broke her wand after spurning her with one of wizardkind's most heinous crimes echoed across the silent arena. The only sounds that remained as he turned his back on her were her sobs of pain. In the stands, Hermione stood and turned her back upon the field, then Neville joined her. Luna was next, then a Hufflepuff, probably Susan Bones to judge by the hair. Soon, almost every witch and wizard present had stood and turned their backs upon the beaten woman. The only ones still looking at her were the Minister, Dumbledore, a score or so of Slytherins and the Aurors who were picking her up to take her away.
Unseen by any, those observing further away began to disperse as well. From the Black Lake at the forest's edge, the mermaids returned to the depths while the centaurs faded back into the woods. From the base of the school walls, Goblins nodded to Dwarves as both delegations returned to the small tunnels they had come from and the scraggly man faded from sight into shadow. Upon the peaks above, a Phoenix lamented while a dragon snarled and took flight. The Griffon turned and spoke to the Elf, and simply told him it was time before taking to the air himself.
"Headmaster Dumbledore," Amelia spoke into the silence once Umbridge had been removed. Everyone turned back around to see what was to happen next. "While I disagree with most of the things this woman has done, she did do one thing I would agree with. I hold here a writ to remove you from your headship."
Albus stumbled as if slapped, absolute shock on his normally well schooled features.
"Unfortunately, as she is now accused of a crime it is invalid." Amelia sounded truly remorseful. "And while I can no longer consider this valid, I leave you with this: I'm watching you, Dumbledore. You have failed far too often, mostly by your own hubris. Fix your school or lose it. You have lost your Defense Professor, but you have two people with Masteries in the damn school, use them."
"I suppose I could use Severus," Albus pondered. "But I would still need a replacement Potions master. They are even harder to find. That is not a very good solution, Madam Bones."
"Not your damn pet Death Eater, you moron," Amelia sighed. "Both Mr and Mrs Potter hold Masteries in Defense Against the Dark Arts, both for their actions against dangerous creatures and dark wizards as well as through extensive testing. How else do you think they qualified as tutors to almost a quarter of the school?"
"But they haven't even taken their OWLs," protested Albus, grasping at straws.
"Professor McGonagall?" Amelia asked, turning to the Scottish Deputy as she and the Potters joined them on the field.
"That statement is not true, Albus. They have passed their OWLs and NEWTs in Charms, Transfiguration, and Defense, as well as an OWL in History and Masteries in Defense. They have been acting as aids to myself and Filius in our classes and auditing Defense as an independent evaluation of the teaching method used."
"But… But…"
"It's true, Headmaster," Harry confirmed. "We've received private tuition from Professors McGonagall and Flitwick since last year. Madam Bones and Professor McGonagall provided us with the opportunity to test during the Christmas break."
"You… no… But…" Albus seemed to have lost all track of the conversation as he was unable to speak coherently.
"Mr Potter, Mrs Potter, it is a few days until the Easter break. If we cancel Defense classes until then, can adjust your schedules, and assist you in independent study in your remaining classes, would you accept the positions of provisional Professors until a suitable replacement can be found? Given the history with the position, it would likely be for the rest of the year," McGonagall stole a march on the still shocked Headmaster, making the offer before a majority of the school.
"It is a great honor to be asked, Professor," Harry admitted, looking at the expectant crowd listening raptly. "It is a big decision however, could we have some time to discuss it? We can have an answer for you by the end of the day I believe."
"I find that acceptable," Minerva fought the grin threatening to form. "May I point out that you already teach a good portion of the school Defense as their tutors?"
"We teach the practical," Hermione agreed. "Not the theory or give homework. That is a significant addition to our workload. And while our independent sessions have advanced our abilities significantly, we would still be carrying a full course load, that is a lot to consider."
"Understandable. In either case, you are excused from all classes until break, and myself and Professor Flitwick shall make ourselves available to assist you in answering any questions or any planning you require."
"Now Minerva, that is a bit presumptuous don't you think?" Albus tried to reestablish himself in the conversation. "Not only have they not accepted your offer, I have not approved it to begin with."
"So you're saying that you would deny the students two able bodied professors just to satisfy your own self importance? Or were you perhaps intending to teach the class yourself?"
"No, unfortunately I don't have enough time with my other obligations…"
"So you would leave the students without any instruction?" McGonagall cut off the obvious sidestep. "It is our job to ensure the students get proper teachers, a proper education. We have two Master-level individuals available, they certainly couldn't be any worse than that joke Lockhart you hired three years ago."
"They are still students."
"I agree, but so are all the others we are responsible for. They have already shown an advanced degree of self-study ability, with proper help I see no reason they could not continue in a similar vein. Will it be difficult? Undoubtedly. Can they handle it? Without question."
"They're just students, Minerva, we need to provide proper instructors."
"Then do so Albus," the Scotswoman bellowed, her highland temper flaring. "With the exception of Mr Lupin, you have failed at that task for over a decade. Until then, my offer stands."
"If I may?" Amelia interjected before Albus could respond. At the joint look from the debaters, she turned to the crowd. "Who among you are currently being tutored by Mr and Mrs Potter?"
The look of surprise that slipped onto Dumbledore's face as over seventy-five students raised their hands was priceless to the couple. It appeared that almost all of fifth and seventh years had their hands raised, as did several students outside of those year groups. It was even more of a surprise when Neville Longbottom stepped to the front of the crowd of students and entered the Sonorus bubble.
"Headmaster, in my five years here, Defense has always had an uneven bunch of teachers. The worst was Lockhart, who taught us more about himself than he did anything useful. Then there's the fact he ended the year picking a fight and losing to a pair of second years and getting himself Obliviated. Then you have Quirrel, who seemed afraid of his own shadow but then again, he was possessed the entire year. We're not even going to talk about the shameful display that happened here today. On the other end of the spectrum we had Professor Lupin, who taught us more about how to defend ourselves than most but you let him go because of the bigotry and ignorance of a few poor representatives of the parents. Ironically, the fake professor Moody was also one of our better instructors. What does it say when a disguised Death Eater planning on murdering a student was one of the better professors we ever had? Then there is Mr and Mrs Potter, no, Professors Potter. I give them that honorific because they have earned it. They taught us. They may not have assigned homework, but Merlin help you if you show up unprepared for a tutoring session with them. They would be the first to admit they didn't have time for all the theory, we had to do that ourselves, but they have taught us how to defend ourselves."
"Be that as it may, Mr Longbottom, but they were undercutting your actual Professor," Albus tried once more to cast the couple in a poor light. "The classes were Ministry approved, so anything beyond that would be superfluous. We really can't have students training their own army in these walls."
"Have you even read the course book, Headmaster?" This question was called by Daphne Greengrass, standing before the Slytherin contingent. "I wish I had a teacher who would actually teach me, instead of making me read a book that taught me nothing. All we ever did in that toad's class was read that blasted book, then rewrite it as homework. In the last seven months we have not cast a spell, nor even been taught how to properly cast said spells. It was actually forbidden to have our wands in class. What good is a wand-based class that forbids us from using our wands?"
"That is a bit beside the point. Now, I very much doubt it was as bad as you say…"
"In her office, once the DMLE is done with it, should be the class rules she made us sign on day two. Rule thirty-seven was: No wands are to be used during class, any student found to have their wands in their possession during class will be docked fifteen points and serve a minimum of two detentions."
"And you chose to wait until now to inform us of this fact? I find this rather suspect Miss Greengrass."
"Rule fifty-three: Any student mentioning any acts of discipline, including the contents of these rules, by the Professor of this class beyond the fact they have received it, will be expelled and charged with sedition against a member of the Ministry."
"Auror Tonks?" Amelia glanced at the currently purple haired Auror.
"On it, ma'am." The cheery auror looked grim as she took off at a jog towards the castle, two other aurors joining her as she went.
"It seems, Headmaster, that you have some catching up to do about what exactly has been going on inside this castle. Perhaps you are overworked, holding three full time positions must be exhausting. Maybe it's time to consider retiring?"
Dumbledore could only stare as Madam Bones left him with those parting words. The students waited a minute or two before beginning to exit the stadium, all the while murmuring about the duel, and the confrontation that took place after. It was much later before Albus Dumbledore moved once more, heading into the castle to try to retain the control he had spent so long building.