Another Chance
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling (JKR), various publishers of the Harry Potter (HP) series. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Chapter 6 - Team Demonstration (uploaded 11/25/03)
"Harry, where are you going?"
"I just want to look in on Remus before dueling lessons," Harry said as he tried to stretch the tired feeling from his body.
"Oi, me too," Ron said with a mouthful of chocolate frog.
"Wait for me," Hermoine called out as she gathered her book bag. "Ron, I really wish you'd learn to swallow your food before talking."
In front of Hagrid's hut, the trio found Hagrid, Tonks, and Madame Pomfrey looking over a very roomy cage. The little werewolf sat inside attentively looking up between the staff members.
"Oi, mates. Whatcha doin' out 'ere?" Hagrid asked the trio as they approached.
Ron answered, "We just wanted to say g'nite to Moony."
Harry got to the cage first and looked at the calm little werewolf, who got up and started wagging its tail so hard it slapped either side of its back with each swing. Harry knelt next to the cage and stuck his fingers through to try to pet the little cub, but was admonished by Madame Pomfrey, "Tsk-tsk, get your fingers out of there, Harry! The Wolfsbane potion he was taking this week is doing its job, but remember, he's still a little puppy and tends to nip at fingers. You don't want him biting you, even accidentally." She pointed to the sky, "The moon is almost out."
"We were just about to bring him to the shrieking shack," Tonks told the students.
Hermoine looked up from the cage, "Is that really necessary? The poor guy will be all alone tonight."
"I'm afraid so, dear," Madame Pomfrey patted Hermoine on her shoulder, "you did an excellent job with the potion. However, the little lycanthrope still has a tendency to howl at the moon and he's got quite a set of lungs for such a little guy. Nobody will get any sleep tonight if we leave him with Hagrid. We can't have that, can we?"
"I guess not," Hermoine looked sadly into the cage.
Harry looked up from his position, "Can we help drop him off?"
"That's not a good idea, Harry," Tonks warned, "a crowd would draw attention to where he's going. I'll walk with you back to the castle. Let's leave this to the experts. Say goodnight, Remus."
The little wolf yipped a few times and ran around in circles inside the cage before Ron, Harry, and Hermoine got up to leave. As they turned to leave, Moony wailed at the moon. Madame Pomfrey must have put a silencing charm over the cage as it floated behind Hagrid's large shadow because it got quiet suddenly. Tonks turned for a last peek before they disappeared into the forest.
~ ~ ~
Evening dueling lessons were combined in the Great Hall. The long tables and benches that students normally ate on were replaced by bleachers down the length of the cavernous room. The ceiling was as bright as a sunny day, illuminating the ring below it. In the middle of the Hall, several obstacles were scattered about inside of the roped off area. Madam Pomfrey perched above the indoor arena, ready to swoop down to anyone requiring her aid. Flitwick stepped into the middle of the ring and held his hands up to get everyone's attention.
"Well, quite a turnout we have here, isn't it?" He said, with the assistance of the sonorus charm. "Tonight we will have a demonstration of teamwork and strategy within an obstacle course. Mr. Marston and Miss Tonks will team up against Mr. Wulfric and Miss Stewart. Professors Weasley, Marchbanks, and myself will view the field from above," Flitwick gestured to the level above them, "and will score accordingly." The charms professor pointed his wand at the scoreboard above, which glittered zero and zero for each team. "Feel free to root for your favorite team."
Flitwick joined the table above. While Dumbledore and McGonagall engaged in a private conversation, Snape and Tonks planned their strategy from behind a wooden fence. Professor Bill Weasley stood up to announce the rules. "The object of this exercise is to hit your opponents as many times as possible in the three minutes allotted whilst avoiding your opponents spells. Only a scoring spell will be judged for points, but contestants may use any other spells for distraction, escape, blocking, etcetera. Movement is encouraged. After all, you don't want to be a sitting duck when spells are flying in your direction." He paused to allow the laughter to die down.
While other rules of engagement were explained, Ron leaned over to Harry, "Do you know where Hermoine's off to?"
Harry, who had been so engrossed with the lesson looked around, "Wouldn't surprise me to find her in the library."
Ron clapped at his brother's speech. "But she's got to see this. Isn't she going to try out for the team? She's got lots of spells up her sleeve, she does."
Harry shrugged, "She's feeling bad about Moony."
"We are too, but we're here learning this stuff to help Gryffindor win the House Cup. Oi, look at Tonks! She's copied Minnie's hair, and Minnie don't look at all pleased about it." Ron laughed and clapped.
Harry chuckled briefly, then looked thoughtfully over the arena. "Ron, do you recon aurors go through this kind of training?"
"Dunno, mate. Ask Tonks later, eh?" The crowd roared as the competition started. Ron jumped to his feet to cheer.
The buzzer sounded and the contestants stepped out from their protective barrier. Up above, a timer made of lights started its count down. Snape opened with the first spell, Dumbledore blocked but the hems of Dumbledore's robes caught fire. Though it was quickly doused, it lit a fire in McGonagall's eyes. Flitwick called a time out and gave a warning to Snape's team. Tonks bit her lip from her crouched position while Snape yelled to the other team, "My apologies, perhaps I was a bit overzealous with my first spell." Snape took cover behind a tree.
"You can't intimidate me that easily, Marston," Dumbledore smiled back and waved it off.
Tonks stood up from behind her boulder and sent a spell at Dumbledore. It hit the tree he was hiding behind. Snape's eyes quickly darted around the arena, looking for McGonagall. Dumbledore waited until the next time Tonks popped up from behind the rock, hitting her in the face with an acne hex. She fell back on her bum and into the open area as her face turned red with zits. DING! Minerva hit her with a scoring spell. Tonks crawled back to her spot after slapping the floor with her hand.
Tonks peeked from the side of her boulder, trying to get a better vantage. Suddenly, she fell back into a seated position with her back against the rock, and the action. She mouthed something at her partner. The blonde- haired Snape furrowed his brows as he tried to understand what the metamorphagus was saying. "Cats tail?" he mouthed back. His eyes got wide in understanding. Together then jumped from behind their covers, and hit Minerva's cover with a transfiguration spell that turned it into a German shepherd, which in turn chased the cat animagus up the tree that Dumbledore hid behind. DING! Snape scored on the cat midway up the tree.
A roar of laughter came from the crowd, along with taunts and jeers from the Slytherin corner. POP! Dumbledore turned the dog into a wooden statue of himself behind the tree and a tumbleweed rolled quietly into the center of the ring. Scoring spells flew from Tank's wand at the statue as she wend her way to the tree. Though they hit, there was no scoring acknowledgement. Snape kept his eye on the cat, knowing McGonagall could not score while in her cat form. Tonks pushed the statue to the ground when she got there, and all eyes roamed the stadium for the tall, auburn haired wizard they knew as Percival Wulfric.
Snape's eyes narrowed as he focused on the tumbleweed. He sent another fiery spell at it, forcing Dumbledore out into the open, again, his hems on fire. The former headmaster ducked behind the tree that was previously Snape's cover and hit the young potions master in the leg with a score, DING, before putting out the fire on his robes. Students looked up at the judges who were shaking their heads. It was not a foul because the blond teen was setting afire to a tumbleweed, not sure it was his opponent. The scoreboard showed 2 points to Marston/Tonks, 1 point to Wulfric/Stewart.
The cat climbed out on a limb, ready to jump from one tree to the other. CRACK! The limb fell and the cat fell with its legs outstretched and tail aloft for balance. Snape fired another scoring spell, but Dumbledore summoned the cat into his arms and missed his score. Snape slipped behind the tree, narrowly avoiding a spell the whizzed past his shoulder. Tonks held up her hand for a high-five, which Snape reluctantly, by the look on his face, met with his own palm.
Minerva regained her composure behind the tree as Dumbledore crept on his belly toward the rock that Tonks once used for cover. Time running down, a flurry of spells hit the tree that Snape and Tonks now used for cover. Tonks was crawling on all fours toward a wooden crate, but Snape backed up over her sending him tumbling backwards, cussing all the way to the floor. Fortunately he had the presence of mind to roll out of it into a standing position, but he was out in the open.
Dumbledore stood up to take his final scoring shot, but Tonks stood up for her shield charm. Unfortunately, Snape had already taken his shot and hit his partner from behind as she stepped into it. DING! BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!
Everybody in the hall was quiet to find out who got the last point. Animated discussion took place among the three judges at the head table, but the scoreboard didn't change. Finally, Professor Flitwick pointed his wand at the scoreboard. DING DING DING. The score ended at 2-2. Snape's scoring spell was given to the other team. Snape slammed his palm into the tree and Tonks sat down hard on the crate in frustration.
"Witches and Wizards," Flitwick announced, as he contained his giddiness, "we have a tie. We will break this tie with a sudden death match." Professor Marchbanks stood up and waved her wand. The obstacles and both trees in the ring vanished. Once again, each team was seen in serious discussion.
BUZZZZZ! "Assume your positions," called the temporary headmaster. Minnie and Tonks walked to the center of the oval ring and bowed to each other. They turned on their heels and walked five paces away from each other. When they turned to face each other, they each assumed their fighting positions. Snape crouched into a ball, down on one knee, and hissed ideas to his partner. Dumbledore stood away from his partner, standing straight and proud with his arms crossed in front of him, grinning from ear to ear. He knew this would infuriate Snape.
Minnie threw out the first spell. Tonks parried it away. Unfortunately, it landed at Snape's feet, who jumped three feet into the air, "ARRGGGHHH!" The hem of his robes were on fire. Tonks turned her head to look over and McGonagall sent a scoring spell at her. Seeing it out of the corner of her eye, Tonks spun away from the spell and countered directly with a scoring spell of her own, hitting Minnie square in the chest. DING! Laughter and cheering exploded in the Great Hall. Team Snape/Tonks was declared the winner.
Snape's sneer broke into a smile and the four contestants met in the center of the ring to exchange handshakes. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled at the former potions professor, "Severus, you're still smoking." Snape returned to sneering as he stomped on his hems.
"Sorry 'bout that Professor," Tonks said with a small voice to her partner.
Snape snorted briefly, "You did well to keep fighting. But with allies like you, who needs enemies."
~ ~ ~
Author's notes: How did I do with the duel? Just wanted to leave on a fun note coz I'm outta here. Happy Thanksgiving to all y'all Americans. Happy Revolution Day (or something like that) if you're Mexican. Dunno what that means, got an email at work that they're not working Friday, either. Back in a couple weeks, hopefully with several chapters.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling (JKR), various publishers of the Harry Potter (HP) series. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Chapter 6 - Team Demonstration (uploaded 11/25/03)
"Harry, where are you going?"
"I just want to look in on Remus before dueling lessons," Harry said as he tried to stretch the tired feeling from his body.
"Oi, me too," Ron said with a mouthful of chocolate frog.
"Wait for me," Hermoine called out as she gathered her book bag. "Ron, I really wish you'd learn to swallow your food before talking."
In front of Hagrid's hut, the trio found Hagrid, Tonks, and Madame Pomfrey looking over a very roomy cage. The little werewolf sat inside attentively looking up between the staff members.
"Oi, mates. Whatcha doin' out 'ere?" Hagrid asked the trio as they approached.
Ron answered, "We just wanted to say g'nite to Moony."
Harry got to the cage first and looked at the calm little werewolf, who got up and started wagging its tail so hard it slapped either side of its back with each swing. Harry knelt next to the cage and stuck his fingers through to try to pet the little cub, but was admonished by Madame Pomfrey, "Tsk-tsk, get your fingers out of there, Harry! The Wolfsbane potion he was taking this week is doing its job, but remember, he's still a little puppy and tends to nip at fingers. You don't want him biting you, even accidentally." She pointed to the sky, "The moon is almost out."
"We were just about to bring him to the shrieking shack," Tonks told the students.
Hermoine looked up from the cage, "Is that really necessary? The poor guy will be all alone tonight."
"I'm afraid so, dear," Madame Pomfrey patted Hermoine on her shoulder, "you did an excellent job with the potion. However, the little lycanthrope still has a tendency to howl at the moon and he's got quite a set of lungs for such a little guy. Nobody will get any sleep tonight if we leave him with Hagrid. We can't have that, can we?"
"I guess not," Hermoine looked sadly into the cage.
Harry looked up from his position, "Can we help drop him off?"
"That's not a good idea, Harry," Tonks warned, "a crowd would draw attention to where he's going. I'll walk with you back to the castle. Let's leave this to the experts. Say goodnight, Remus."
The little wolf yipped a few times and ran around in circles inside the cage before Ron, Harry, and Hermoine got up to leave. As they turned to leave, Moony wailed at the moon. Madame Pomfrey must have put a silencing charm over the cage as it floated behind Hagrid's large shadow because it got quiet suddenly. Tonks turned for a last peek before they disappeared into the forest.
~ ~ ~
Evening dueling lessons were combined in the Great Hall. The long tables and benches that students normally ate on were replaced by bleachers down the length of the cavernous room. The ceiling was as bright as a sunny day, illuminating the ring below it. In the middle of the Hall, several obstacles were scattered about inside of the roped off area. Madam Pomfrey perched above the indoor arena, ready to swoop down to anyone requiring her aid. Flitwick stepped into the middle of the ring and held his hands up to get everyone's attention.
"Well, quite a turnout we have here, isn't it?" He said, with the assistance of the sonorus charm. "Tonight we will have a demonstration of teamwork and strategy within an obstacle course. Mr. Marston and Miss Tonks will team up against Mr. Wulfric and Miss Stewart. Professors Weasley, Marchbanks, and myself will view the field from above," Flitwick gestured to the level above them, "and will score accordingly." The charms professor pointed his wand at the scoreboard above, which glittered zero and zero for each team. "Feel free to root for your favorite team."
Flitwick joined the table above. While Dumbledore and McGonagall engaged in a private conversation, Snape and Tonks planned their strategy from behind a wooden fence. Professor Bill Weasley stood up to announce the rules. "The object of this exercise is to hit your opponents as many times as possible in the three minutes allotted whilst avoiding your opponents spells. Only a scoring spell will be judged for points, but contestants may use any other spells for distraction, escape, blocking, etcetera. Movement is encouraged. After all, you don't want to be a sitting duck when spells are flying in your direction." He paused to allow the laughter to die down.
While other rules of engagement were explained, Ron leaned over to Harry, "Do you know where Hermoine's off to?"
Harry, who had been so engrossed with the lesson looked around, "Wouldn't surprise me to find her in the library."
Ron clapped at his brother's speech. "But she's got to see this. Isn't she going to try out for the team? She's got lots of spells up her sleeve, she does."
Harry shrugged, "She's feeling bad about Moony."
"We are too, but we're here learning this stuff to help Gryffindor win the House Cup. Oi, look at Tonks! She's copied Minnie's hair, and Minnie don't look at all pleased about it." Ron laughed and clapped.
Harry chuckled briefly, then looked thoughtfully over the arena. "Ron, do you recon aurors go through this kind of training?"
"Dunno, mate. Ask Tonks later, eh?" The crowd roared as the competition started. Ron jumped to his feet to cheer.
The buzzer sounded and the contestants stepped out from their protective barrier. Up above, a timer made of lights started its count down. Snape opened with the first spell, Dumbledore blocked but the hems of Dumbledore's robes caught fire. Though it was quickly doused, it lit a fire in McGonagall's eyes. Flitwick called a time out and gave a warning to Snape's team. Tonks bit her lip from her crouched position while Snape yelled to the other team, "My apologies, perhaps I was a bit overzealous with my first spell." Snape took cover behind a tree.
"You can't intimidate me that easily, Marston," Dumbledore smiled back and waved it off.
Tonks stood up from behind her boulder and sent a spell at Dumbledore. It hit the tree he was hiding behind. Snape's eyes quickly darted around the arena, looking for McGonagall. Dumbledore waited until the next time Tonks popped up from behind the rock, hitting her in the face with an acne hex. She fell back on her bum and into the open area as her face turned red with zits. DING! Minerva hit her with a scoring spell. Tonks crawled back to her spot after slapping the floor with her hand.
Tonks peeked from the side of her boulder, trying to get a better vantage. Suddenly, she fell back into a seated position with her back against the rock, and the action. She mouthed something at her partner. The blonde- haired Snape furrowed his brows as he tried to understand what the metamorphagus was saying. "Cats tail?" he mouthed back. His eyes got wide in understanding. Together then jumped from behind their covers, and hit Minerva's cover with a transfiguration spell that turned it into a German shepherd, which in turn chased the cat animagus up the tree that Dumbledore hid behind. DING! Snape scored on the cat midway up the tree.
A roar of laughter came from the crowd, along with taunts and jeers from the Slytherin corner. POP! Dumbledore turned the dog into a wooden statue of himself behind the tree and a tumbleweed rolled quietly into the center of the ring. Scoring spells flew from Tank's wand at the statue as she wend her way to the tree. Though they hit, there was no scoring acknowledgement. Snape kept his eye on the cat, knowing McGonagall could not score while in her cat form. Tonks pushed the statue to the ground when she got there, and all eyes roamed the stadium for the tall, auburn haired wizard they knew as Percival Wulfric.
Snape's eyes narrowed as he focused on the tumbleweed. He sent another fiery spell at it, forcing Dumbledore out into the open, again, his hems on fire. The former headmaster ducked behind the tree that was previously Snape's cover and hit the young potions master in the leg with a score, DING, before putting out the fire on his robes. Students looked up at the judges who were shaking their heads. It was not a foul because the blond teen was setting afire to a tumbleweed, not sure it was his opponent. The scoreboard showed 2 points to Marston/Tonks, 1 point to Wulfric/Stewart.
The cat climbed out on a limb, ready to jump from one tree to the other. CRACK! The limb fell and the cat fell with its legs outstretched and tail aloft for balance. Snape fired another scoring spell, but Dumbledore summoned the cat into his arms and missed his score. Snape slipped behind the tree, narrowly avoiding a spell the whizzed past his shoulder. Tonks held up her hand for a high-five, which Snape reluctantly, by the look on his face, met with his own palm.
Minerva regained her composure behind the tree as Dumbledore crept on his belly toward the rock that Tonks once used for cover. Time running down, a flurry of spells hit the tree that Snape and Tonks now used for cover. Tonks was crawling on all fours toward a wooden crate, but Snape backed up over her sending him tumbling backwards, cussing all the way to the floor. Fortunately he had the presence of mind to roll out of it into a standing position, but he was out in the open.
Dumbledore stood up to take his final scoring shot, but Tonks stood up for her shield charm. Unfortunately, Snape had already taken his shot and hit his partner from behind as she stepped into it. DING! BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!
Everybody in the hall was quiet to find out who got the last point. Animated discussion took place among the three judges at the head table, but the scoreboard didn't change. Finally, Professor Flitwick pointed his wand at the scoreboard. DING DING DING. The score ended at 2-2. Snape's scoring spell was given to the other team. Snape slammed his palm into the tree and Tonks sat down hard on the crate in frustration.
"Witches and Wizards," Flitwick announced, as he contained his giddiness, "we have a tie. We will break this tie with a sudden death match." Professor Marchbanks stood up and waved her wand. The obstacles and both trees in the ring vanished. Once again, each team was seen in serious discussion.
BUZZZZZ! "Assume your positions," called the temporary headmaster. Minnie and Tonks walked to the center of the oval ring and bowed to each other. They turned on their heels and walked five paces away from each other. When they turned to face each other, they each assumed their fighting positions. Snape crouched into a ball, down on one knee, and hissed ideas to his partner. Dumbledore stood away from his partner, standing straight and proud with his arms crossed in front of him, grinning from ear to ear. He knew this would infuriate Snape.
Minnie threw out the first spell. Tonks parried it away. Unfortunately, it landed at Snape's feet, who jumped three feet into the air, "ARRGGGHHH!" The hem of his robes were on fire. Tonks turned her head to look over and McGonagall sent a scoring spell at her. Seeing it out of the corner of her eye, Tonks spun away from the spell and countered directly with a scoring spell of her own, hitting Minnie square in the chest. DING! Laughter and cheering exploded in the Great Hall. Team Snape/Tonks was declared the winner.
Snape's sneer broke into a smile and the four contestants met in the center of the ring to exchange handshakes. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled at the former potions professor, "Severus, you're still smoking." Snape returned to sneering as he stomped on his hems.
"Sorry 'bout that Professor," Tonks said with a small voice to her partner.
Snape snorted briefly, "You did well to keep fighting. But with allies like you, who needs enemies."
~ ~ ~
Author's notes: How did I do with the duel? Just wanted to leave on a fun note coz I'm outta here. Happy Thanksgiving to all y'all Americans. Happy Revolution Day (or something like that) if you're Mexican. Dunno what that means, got an email at work that they're not working Friday, either. Back in a couple weeks, hopefully with several chapters.