Chapter 24:

Badger's on the Prowl

A few hours later, most of the Order of the Phoenix was assembled in Dumbledore's office. Sturgis was standing with a sling on his arm. Harry walked over to him and asked, "What happened to your arm?"

Sturgis chuckled, "I caught the bad end of a Cutting Curse. It wasn't too bad, but it damaged the bone slightly. I'll be in the sling for a couple of days."

Harry smiled, "At least it wasn't worse. We can be grateful for that."

At that moment Cornelius Fudge burst into the room with Dawlish and Kingsley hot on his heels. Fudge spat out savagely, "Dumbledore, it has come to my attention that two of your students allowed a ranking Death Eater to die instead of bringing her in for questioning."

Harry raised his eyebrows at Kingsley and Dawlish, who both hung their heads in shame. Every other eye in the room except Neville's was concentrated on this exchange as Cornelius turned to look at Harry, "Now, Potter, I believe I have you right where I want you."

Before Harry could reply, Neville had crossed the room in two quick strides, and grabbed Fudge by the collar. He slammed the Minister of Magic into the wall. Neville snarled at Fudge, "It's time for you to listen, Cornelius. Bellatrix Lestrange got exactly what she deserved, and you will leave everyone alone about what happened with her tonight, or finding a way to discredit Harry will be the least of your worries."

Harry called from over Neville's shoulder, "Cornelius, I think you should remember that you are allowed to keep your job because we allow it. The members of the Order will run the wizarding world after this conflict. You should remember that."

Neville shoved Cornelius roughly towards the door, "Now, it is time for you to leave. We have important things to discuss."

Cornelius cast one malevolent stare at the witches and wizards assembled in the room before straightening his robes and walking out the door with little to none of his dignity intact. Alice looked at Neville sternly, "I can not believe that you did that."

Frank chuckled, "I can. Cornelius deserved every word of it."

Harry laughed as he clapped a hand on Neville's shoulder, "Yes, he did. Now, let's get down to business." The Order members sat down and began discussing the battle.

The next evening at the Dueling Club meeting, Harry stood up and smiled, "We will be holding a dueling tournament over the course of the next several club meetings."

Ron raised his hand, "Harry, is this the best time to be starting a tournament? We do have a match against Hufflepuff on Saturday."

Harry laughed, "I sincerely doubt that this tournament will in any way affect Quidditch, Ron. Now, onto the instructions. This will be a wands only tournament. No physical contact of any kind. We will be having five matches at a time until we get down to the final eight. Then, we will proceed with one match at a time until the tournament is finished and we have a victor. Duels can be won by disarming your opponent, stunning them, binding them, or if they forfeit. You will be disqualified if you attempt to physically harm your opponent, either with spells or actual physical contact. Understood?"

Everyone chorused, "Yes."

Harry continued, "Our dueling judges for the matches will be Professor Tonks, Professor Snape, Remus Lupin, Head Auror Dawlish, and of course, me. I have dropped everyone's name into this hat that Professor Flitwick has been kind enough to charm to randomly pair off sets of duelers for each match. If you lose, you're out. Any questions?"

Everyone shook their heads to indicate a negative. Harry turned to Professor Flitwick, "If you would be so kind as to draw out the first round of duels, Professor."

Professor Flitwick replied, "Of course, Mr. Potter."

As fate would have it the first duel of the evening would be Neville Longbottom against Hermione Granger. The other four duels were pulled from the hat and the first round began.

Neville began the duel with Hermione by casting several Disarming Charms and Stunning Spells one right after another. Hermione did an adequate job of blocking or dodging these curses, but was too wrapped up in defending herself to notice Neville casting another spell. An illusory fire sprang up behind Hermione, and she squeaked as she heard the crackle of flames behind her and turned to look. This was all the opening Neville need. He whipped his wand, "Petrificus Totalus." Hermione froze and fell to the ground. Neville walked over and performed the counter charm. He looked at Harry as he helped Hermione back to her feet, "I've been waiting to do that to her, since she cast the spell on me in first year."

Harry laughed, as Hermione pouted. He said to her, "Come now, Hermione, you can't expect to win at everything. Neville is an excellent dueler. You couldn't have lost to a finer opponent."

Other duels on this first night included Ron getting to fight Vincent Crabbe, Ginny facing Colin Creevey, and Luna going toe to toe with Ernie MacMillan. Ron won his duel by transforming into a bear and growling at Crabbe. It frightened him so badly that he dropped his wand without even casting a spell. Ron transformed back into his human form and said, "Accio wand."

Ginny's duel with Colin was over just as quickly. She swished her wand, "Windras." A small swirl of wind caught the bottom of his robes and threw the long fabric over his head. By the time he managed to untangle himself, Ginny had already sent a Stunning Spell towards him, and he was far too late to dodge it.

Luna and Ernie's duel was much more even. The two of them danced around hurling Tickling Charms and Leg Tangling Curses at each other until Luna finally caught Ernie with a Tickling Charm, and then finished him with a Disarming Charm.

Harry took his place in the center of the large room and announced, "That is all for this evening. All of you have performed admirably. For those of you that lost, I can only say practice harder. For those of you that won your duels, congratulations. Dismissed."

Everyone filed out of the room talking rapidly. Many of them were bragging about winning their duels, while others were complaining that they shouldn't have had to face the opponent that they went up against. Harry chuckled as his students left the room. His friends walked up to him. Hermione sighed, "I would have liked to have more than one duel."

Harry shrugged, "I'm sorry. You should have beaten Neville if you wanted to duel again."

Hermione made a wry face as Ron laughed at her, "You knew that I wasn't going to beat Neville. He's too good."

Neville smiled, "Thank you, Hermione. I'm flattered that you feel that way."

Luna smiled from next to him, "You know its true, Honey. With the exception of Harry, you're the most powerful wizard among the students."

Ginny nodded, "She's right, Neville. Your dueling skills are amazing."

Neville shrugged, "I'm not as good as you."

Harry smiled, "I'm sure that we will find out which one of you is better before this tournament is over. If the two of you don't make the finals, I will be shocked."

Ron protested, "What about me?"

Harry grinned, "Ron, you're good, but sooner or later, you are going to have to face one of them, or Malfoy. Any of those three are going to be able to beat you."

"Even with my bear form?"

Harry shook his head, "That isn't going to do you any good. It might have worked on Malfoy, if you hadn't showed him that you could do it. Now, you have no element of surprise, and he will be expecting it. Remember, he is a Death Eater. He's passed his initiation rites, which means he is an accomplished dueler. He is going to be a handful even for Neville and Ginny."

Ron nodded, "I know."

The next afternoon, Harry walked down to the Quidditch pitch with Ginny. Ginny asked, "Since this is our last practice before the game, I wonder what my dear brother has in store for us." Harry chuckled, "Probably nothing good. Ron is as fanatical about quid ditch training as Wood. If the team would put up with it, he would have us down here three times a week."

Ginny snorted, "No kidding. I wish you had kept the captain's seat. You weren't quite so fanatical." Harry chuckled again, "I had more important things to do with my time than be Quidditch Captain."

Ron interrupted them as he walked up to hear Harry's last statement, "Are you crazy? What could be more important than Quidditch?"

Ginny gave Ron a disgusted look, "Do you ever pause to think, Ron? I think that saving the world is a bit more important than Quidditch."

Ron looked sheepish, while Harry laughed loudly, "Actually, my dear, I was talking about spending time with you."

Ginny colored slightly at the blatant flattery and Ron just shook his head, "Ugh! The two of you get into your Quidditch robes and get out onto the pitch."

Harry and Ginny grinned at each other as Ron stalked away. The two of them walked into the changing rooms to get ready for practice. They emerged a few moments later in full Quidditch gear. Ron stood in front of the Quidditch team, "Okay, people. Hufflepuff has improved a lot since last year, but so have we. So, let's get out there and practice. That way on Saturday, we will show Hufflepuff why the Quidditch Cup is sitting in McGonagall's office." The team cheered and took to the air. They practiced for a little over an hour before Ron called a halt to the practice, and the Quidditch team went up to the castle for dinner. Over the course of the next two days, the largest topic of discussion was not the upcoming Quidditch match, but the second round of the dueling tournament.

It amused Harry that no matter where he went, he could hear an endless amount of chatter about who everyone thought would make the finals. Finally, Thursday evening rolled around and it was time for another round of duels. Harry motioned for quiet as he took his place in the center of the room, "Everyone who is not still in the tournament, would you please step back against the walls to give us room. For those of you who are still competing, the matches will be conducted the same way as Monday. Professor Flitwick will be drawing the pairings from the hat, and the rules remain the same. Any question?"

No one seemed to have any, so Harry continued, "Well, then, let's get started. Professor Flitwick, if you please." Professor Flitwick drew out the first five pairs of duelers. Unfortunately, Luna ended up paired against Draco Malfoy. Ron squared off against noe other than Michael Corner. Harry whispered to her just before the match began, "Good luck. Be careful." The two squared off , and prepared to begin.

Lupin looked at them as Harry walked away to judge another match, "Begin."

Luna went immediately on the offensive, hurling Stunning Spells as fast as she could cast them. Draco dodged or blocked these spells and began casting Sticking Charms on the floor around Luna. Once Luna was completely surrounded by sticky floor, Malfoy began throwing hexes directly at her. Luna leaped up in a flip to avoid them, but did not quite clear the sticky area of floor. Her feet stuck as she landed and she toppled sideways onto the floor. Draco lazily pointed his wand at her and said, "Stupefy." The Stunning Spell hit her squarely and Lupin announced Draco to be the winner.

Malfoy called out across the room, "Potter, if that is the best your pupils can do, how do you expect to win a war?" Draco laughed to himself, and then turned around to find Neville Longbottom right in his face. He started in surprise.

Neville growled menacingly, "Malfoy! Before this tournament is over, I will face you, and I promise you will not like the result." Neville spun on his heel leaving Malfoy standing with his mouth hanging open in shock.

Ron's match with Corner went considerably better than Luna's did. The two exchanged curses for a few moments before Ron cast a Reflection Charm and bounced one of Michael's Tickling Charms back at him. Then, Ron finished him with a Full Body Bind. Ginny's duel that evening was against Susan Bones, whom she defeated quite easily.

Neville got his first shot at a Slytherin in the form of Theodore Nott. Neville toyed with the boy for a moment or two before ending it with a rolling maneuver that brought him within six inches of his opponent, where he cast a Stunning Spell at point blank range.

Once everyone had dueled, Harry walked back to the center of the room, "I hope everyone has enjoyed the tournament thus far. We will continue with the next round on Monday. Dismissed."

The students filed out while Harry's inner circle gathered around him. Luna sighed, "I'm sorry, Harry. I tried to beat Malfoy."

Harry patted her on the shoulder, "Don't feel bad, Luna. As much as I hate to say it, Malfoy is an excellent dueler. He has learned from Tom, and he has learned a great deal in this class as well. He is a tough opponent."

Neville responded with a smirk on his face, "Not tough enough. I intend to handle him."

Ginny laughed, "Not if I get paired against him first."

The two of them stared at each other challengingly, until Harry stepped in-between them, "Alright, you two, that's enough. Save it for the final match."

Hermione asked shrewdly, "How do you know they won't have to face each other before then?"

Harry smirked, "Well, everyone knows that Neville and Ginny are at the top of the class. Not even you, Luna, or Ron can keep up with them. I didn't want the final match to be anti-climatic, so Professor Flitwick and I rigged the Pairing Charm in such a way that it refuses to pair Neville and Ginny against each other."

Hermione gasped, "Harry, that's cheating."

Harry shook his head, "No, it isn't. I was just insuring that the final match is going to be the best one. If we were giving out prizes, it would be cheating, but since we're not, its all good."

Friday passed by slowly considering most everyone was anticipating the Quidditch match on Saturday. Saturday morning dawned to find Ron awake extremely early. He walked up to the Head Boy's room and shook Harry's shoulder to wake him. Harry turned over to look bleary-eyed at Ron. He said, "Ron, unless Voldemort is attacking somewhere, go away."

Ron replied impatiently, "Harry, we've got a Quidditch match today. We've got to check out the pitch."

Harry asked, "Ron, when I was Quidditch Captain, did I ever wake you up at dawn to go look at the pitch with me?"

Ron replied, "No."

Harry continued, "Then, go away, and come back at a decent hour."

Ron protested, "I don't want to go down there by myself."

Harry snorted, "That's the captain's job." Then, Harry rolled back over to go back to sleep.

Ron sighed and shook his head before walking down to the pitch. A couple of hours later, Harry got out of bed and went downstairs to meet Ginny for breakfast. He leaned over and pecked Ginny on the lips in greeting. He said, "Do you have any idea what your brother did this morning?"

Ginny laughed, "Let me guess. He woke you up this morning to go check on the pitch with him."

Harry looked surprised, "How did you know that?"

Ginny laughed again, "Since you weren't here for the Slytherin match, he drug Dean and Seamus down to the pitch. Ron absolutely hates to do anything alone."

Harry chuckled, "I guess. He's going to have to learn. Either that or he's going to have to learn to like reading with Hermione. He's never going to be able to tear her away from her books."

Ginny smiled, "I suppose so. Well, let's go eat breakfast. We'll need our strength for the match."

Harry winked, "That's right. We get to play Quidditch today." The two of them walked down to the Great Hall hand in hand. The Gryffindor team ate breakfast together, and then spent the rest of the morning relaxing until they met to get ready and listen to Ron's pre-match pep talk at 10:30.

Ron paced back and forth, "Alright team. We snuck past Slytherin. Now, we have to really shine to hold that Quidditch Cup. Fletchley has been working the Hufflepuffs mercilessly over the last year. They have improved dramatically, so this won't be match that it was last year. We've got our starting Seeker back, so Ginny can lead the Chasers once again. I expect nothing less than your best today. Now, as soon as they announce us, let's hit the pitch and do a little showing off." The team cheered, and then took their places at the door waiting to be announced.

"This is Owen Cauldwell. I am your announcer. First, Hufflepuff, let's greet your team." Once, Owen had finished announcing the Hufflepuff team, he began with the Gryffindor team, "Now, to the reigning Quidditch champions. Gryffindor, I give you your Chasers! Ginny Weasley! Natalie McDonald! Colin Creevey! Your Beaters! Seamus Finnigan! Dean Thomas! Your Seeker and former Captain, Harry Potter! Your Keeper and current Captain, Ron Weasley!"

The two teams settled back to the ground and waited for Madam Hooch to begin the match. She said, "Captains, shake hands." Ron and Justin shook hands. Then, they stepped back and mounted their brooms. Madam Hooch released the Bludgers and Snitch as the two teams rose into the air. Once the two teams were at playing height, Madam Hooch threw the Quaffle into the air, where Natalie was the first to grab it, while Ginny streaked towards the Hufflepuff goals. Natalie fired a pass to Ginny as the Hufflepuff Chasers converged on her, giving Ginny an unobstructed run on Hufflepuff's Keeper. Ginny neatly put the Quaffle through the left hoop for Gryffindor's first score. Thirty minutes into the match when Harry spotted the Snitch, Gryffindor was leading by 20, 90-70. Harry raced after the Snitch with Eleanor hot on his heels. However, Harry had a head start and a faster broomstick. Within moments, the Snitch was struggling in Harry's hand as he held it up in triumph.

Madam Hooch blew her whistle to indicate the end of the match as Owen Cauldwell exclaimed, "Gryffindor wins. 240-70." The Gryffindors in the stands erupted in cheers and rushed down onto the pitch to congratulate the team as they landed.

A/N: I hope you all like the addition of a dueling tournament. Thank you to all of my reviewers. I appreciate each and every one of them.

Jaws2: You're right. I just had a brain fart.

Croberts: Not in this one.

SPASH Panther: I just made up Ginny's birthday as late March. I don't think Rowling has ever said. Even Rowling said that Voldemort much prefers to work through underlings than to actually do anything himself.

Laen: They will be.

Mistress-Genari: Hogwart's is the easiest place to stage a battle. Everyone knows what it looks like, so its easy to set up the battle in your mind.

Blind Faerie: Aragog is an Acromantula. Giant spiders. Check out Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them to get background information like that.

Evil Laugh Kid: I'm not sure yet. All I know for sure is that I'm going to do one on the wedding.

Dbgoku: Care to elaborate on why?

Fireboy: 30

Airborne: It was a screw up that I haven't got around to fixing yet.