Emma turned out to be correct, and Ron came out of the hospital wing the
next afternoon, after being brought there by Harry and Hermione. Harry had
apologized in a slightly shaking voice to the two of them, who had accepted
it immediately without a problem.
Harry had gone to visit Hagrid again, and they spoke for a few hours, before Harry had to leave for Quidditch practice. Harry had Potions again with Aetius the next day, and spent the morning in Hogsmeade.
Aetius brought him a cauldron and set it down in front of him. He brought him ingredients and instructions for his low-grade truth serum, with a long name Harry couldn't pronounce. Aetius brought these and backed away respectfully. Harry couldn't help noticing that Aetius had never shown his back to Harry. He was just going to ask why, when Aetius left the room into his office.
Harry shrugged his shoulders and started working. It was the hardest, most fiddly potion he had ever tried. He doubted even Hermione would complete it perfectly. He read the instructions one last time and began adding ingredients. . ..
Harry strolled casually through the Hogwarts gate two hours later feeling very good about himself. His potion had come off well, looking the right color and transparency. He had left it to simmer overnight, but it would not be ready for three more weeks, when it would finish maturing completely.
Harry stepped out onto the grounds whistling softly to himself, when movement in the corner of his eye alerted him of something. He pulled out his wand and turned around quickly.
It was Malfoy, alone for a change.
"Hey, Potter," he drawled, "you got me our last duel, but I'm going to win this one!"
"Yeah, sure you will," said Harry, "I whipped you out last time and I can do it again if I need to! It's a pity you can't talk like a normal person, Malfoy," he added as an afterthought.
Harry stepped up and raised his wand.
"Let's do this formally," said Harry, "on the count of three. One . . . two — " Malfoy had different thoughts:
"Densageo!" he shouted. A jet of light shot out of his wand and soared towards Harry, who yelled, "Protego!"
An invisible shield hit the spell and it rebounded against Malfoy, who ducked it.
"Rictusempra!" yelled Harry and Malfoy at the same time. The spells hit each other halfway and bounced off into the grounds around them. "Aronia Eximay!" yelled Harry quickly. A jet of blue light shot out of his wand. Malfoy made a strange slashing movement and the spell dissolved instantly. Harry guessed that Malfoy's father had shown him that.
Malfoy pointed his wand at Harry and yelled something indistinguishable, but Harry was picked up forcefully and knocked down onto the ground.
"Expelliarmus!" yelled Malfoy triumphantly. Harry rolled over as a jet of red light rocketed toward him. Cheers followed this move, and more as he stood up. Cheers, thought Harry, cheers? Who's cheering? He looked over his shoulder for an instant and received a shock; half the school at least was standing on the ground watching them dueling. Harry saw Ron and Hermione cheering loudly and felt heartened.
Harry jumped up to his feet and avoided a Stunning spell Malfoy had just shot at him in one fluid move, and roared, "Litnia Fireus!"
A bolt of lightning shot out of his wand at Malfoy. Malfoy made the same slashing block he had done before, but not quick enough. The bolt half hit him, and he fell down to the ground in pain.
From the ground he suddenly yelled, "Brackia Dementa!" and something poured out of his wand, something dark and big and sent chills up Harry's spine. Then he heard it, a voice in his head.
"Not Harry, no! Take me instead!" "Stand aside, you silly girl!" No, thought Harry rapidly, hi breath constricting, it's a dementor!
"Expecto Patronum!" he yelled. Chilling mist was freezing his insides, his heart, his whole body. . . .
"Expecto Patronum!" he yelled again, but only mist poured out of his wand. Harry concentrated on the happiest thought he could muster, living with Sirius again, and roared, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
A silver stag, shining bright as the moon at night, erupted from Harry's wand and charged at the dementor. But the strangest thing happened: instead of disappearing or flying away, the dementor froze, and Malfoy suddenly gasped and fell down clutching his chest, which had just blown open in a shower of light and was gushing blood.
Malfoy moaned something and the dementor disappeared, but the blood continued to pour in torrents from the wound in his chest. Harry looked into the crowd to see Ron and Hermione cheering and yelling for him. As Malfoy suddenly dropped to the ground in a faint, Harry raised his arms in victory, and bowed to the crowd, giving Ron a wink and getting a wide smile in return.
Harry raised his arms again and yelled out loud, "YES!" Before Harry knew what was happening, the crowd had bore him on their shoulders and carried him back to the castle, still waving and cheering.
This had to be the happiest memory of the past few years, thought Harry happily; Malfoy challenging him to a duel with taunts and smirks, and he had crushed Malfoy to the floor in front of the crowd, and he was still lying there bleeding. . . .
Harry went to sleep that night satisfied and at peace with the world. Malfoy had been dragged by a couple of Slytherins to the hospital wing, and was lying there with a great hole in his chest. Mr. Malfoy would probably march up to the school to sort it all— wait a minute, thought Harry, Mr. Malfoy was in Azkaban right now . . . he couldn't escape and come back here!
So Draco Malfoy did not have anyone marching up to the school on his behalf. Harry went to sleep with these thoughts and had strange dreams that he did not remember in the morning.
* * *
Harry had gone to visit Hagrid again, and they spoke for a few hours, before Harry had to leave for Quidditch practice. Harry had Potions again with Aetius the next day, and spent the morning in Hogsmeade.
Aetius brought him a cauldron and set it down in front of him. He brought him ingredients and instructions for his low-grade truth serum, with a long name Harry couldn't pronounce. Aetius brought these and backed away respectfully. Harry couldn't help noticing that Aetius had never shown his back to Harry. He was just going to ask why, when Aetius left the room into his office.
Harry shrugged his shoulders and started working. It was the hardest, most fiddly potion he had ever tried. He doubted even Hermione would complete it perfectly. He read the instructions one last time and began adding ingredients. . ..
Harry strolled casually through the Hogwarts gate two hours later feeling very good about himself. His potion had come off well, looking the right color and transparency. He had left it to simmer overnight, but it would not be ready for three more weeks, when it would finish maturing completely.
Harry stepped out onto the grounds whistling softly to himself, when movement in the corner of his eye alerted him of something. He pulled out his wand and turned around quickly.
It was Malfoy, alone for a change.
"Hey, Potter," he drawled, "you got me our last duel, but I'm going to win this one!"
"Yeah, sure you will," said Harry, "I whipped you out last time and I can do it again if I need to! It's a pity you can't talk like a normal person, Malfoy," he added as an afterthought.
Harry stepped up and raised his wand.
"Let's do this formally," said Harry, "on the count of three. One . . . two — " Malfoy had different thoughts:
"Densageo!" he shouted. A jet of light shot out of his wand and soared towards Harry, who yelled, "Protego!"
An invisible shield hit the spell and it rebounded against Malfoy, who ducked it.
"Rictusempra!" yelled Harry and Malfoy at the same time. The spells hit each other halfway and bounced off into the grounds around them. "Aronia Eximay!" yelled Harry quickly. A jet of blue light shot out of his wand. Malfoy made a strange slashing movement and the spell dissolved instantly. Harry guessed that Malfoy's father had shown him that.
Malfoy pointed his wand at Harry and yelled something indistinguishable, but Harry was picked up forcefully and knocked down onto the ground.
"Expelliarmus!" yelled Malfoy triumphantly. Harry rolled over as a jet of red light rocketed toward him. Cheers followed this move, and more as he stood up. Cheers, thought Harry, cheers? Who's cheering? He looked over his shoulder for an instant and received a shock; half the school at least was standing on the ground watching them dueling. Harry saw Ron and Hermione cheering loudly and felt heartened.
Harry jumped up to his feet and avoided a Stunning spell Malfoy had just shot at him in one fluid move, and roared, "Litnia Fireus!"
A bolt of lightning shot out of his wand at Malfoy. Malfoy made the same slashing block he had done before, but not quick enough. The bolt half hit him, and he fell down to the ground in pain.
From the ground he suddenly yelled, "Brackia Dementa!" and something poured out of his wand, something dark and big and sent chills up Harry's spine. Then he heard it, a voice in his head.
"Not Harry, no! Take me instead!" "Stand aside, you silly girl!" No, thought Harry rapidly, hi breath constricting, it's a dementor!
"Expecto Patronum!" he yelled. Chilling mist was freezing his insides, his heart, his whole body. . . .
"Expecto Patronum!" he yelled again, but only mist poured out of his wand. Harry concentrated on the happiest thought he could muster, living with Sirius again, and roared, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
A silver stag, shining bright as the moon at night, erupted from Harry's wand and charged at the dementor. But the strangest thing happened: instead of disappearing or flying away, the dementor froze, and Malfoy suddenly gasped and fell down clutching his chest, which had just blown open in a shower of light and was gushing blood.
Malfoy moaned something and the dementor disappeared, but the blood continued to pour in torrents from the wound in his chest. Harry looked into the crowd to see Ron and Hermione cheering and yelling for him. As Malfoy suddenly dropped to the ground in a faint, Harry raised his arms in victory, and bowed to the crowd, giving Ron a wink and getting a wide smile in return.
Harry raised his arms again and yelled out loud, "YES!" Before Harry knew what was happening, the crowd had bore him on their shoulders and carried him back to the castle, still waving and cheering.
This had to be the happiest memory of the past few years, thought Harry happily; Malfoy challenging him to a duel with taunts and smirks, and he had crushed Malfoy to the floor in front of the crowd, and he was still lying there bleeding. . . .
Harry went to sleep that night satisfied and at peace with the world. Malfoy had been dragged by a couple of Slytherins to the hospital wing, and was lying there with a great hole in his chest. Mr. Malfoy would probably march up to the school to sort it all— wait a minute, thought Harry, Mr. Malfoy was in Azkaban right now . . . he couldn't escape and come back here!
So Draco Malfoy did not have anyone marching up to the school on his behalf. Harry went to sleep with these thoughts and had strange dreams that he did not remember in the morning.
* * *