Disclaimer: I do not own SpongeBob Squarepants or any other related characters. None of them are mine in any way and I'm making no profit off of it. Wait a second...SpongeBob Squarepants? Where the hell did that come from? This is a Harry Potter fic. It's Harry Potter and his friends that I don't own. Sorry about the mix-up. Talk about embarrassing.
Harry's crazy inner voice #1
Harry's crazy inner voice #2
Chapter 5 – Mistakes and Misunderstandings
The crowds parted once more but the confidence level of the two champions seemed to be vastly different. Remus came to the centre of the field almost skipping and there was nothing that could hide the almost feral grin he had on his face. Pettigrew on the other hand was obviously being dragged out of the swarm of Death Eaters by Harry's magic. He was facing away from the werewolf and desperately trying to run back into the crowd. When forced to turn around he caught a glimpse of Remus's face and quickly paled before fainting.
Well, that was hardly surprising.
I get the feeling that this will be an extremely quick and unexciting duel.
All Remus would have to do is say "Boo!" and Wormtail over here would wet himself.
You've got that right. I suppose we should take this opportunity to clear Sirius as well shouldn't we?
Oh right. I almost forgot.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, it seems that one of our champions has a little bit of stage fright." A chuckle came from the Order members. "As we must wait for him to regain consciousness before we can continue I'd like to take this time to clear some things up." He turned towards the Order members which included Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic. Shortly after Harry being sentenced to Azkaban and the truth of Voldemort's rebirth Fudge had joined the Order in an attempt to make up for past mistakes. He still hadn't cleared Sirius though. "Some of you may be wondering at the identity of the champion for Team D.E.A.T.H., it is in fact Peter Pettigrew, a wizard many of you thought was dead. Peter never died though. He was the real secret keeper for my parents and he was the one who betrayed them. When my godfather, Sirius Black, went to try and capture him he faked his death and hid in his animagus form for twelve years. Guess that makes two innocent men you guys have put in prison. Not to bright are you all?" Harry redirected his attention to Peter. He had regained consciousness and was looking back and forth between Remus and Harry with a look that could only be considered pure terror.
Harry smiled gently at him. "Don't worry Peter. I won't hurt you." A bit of colour returned to Peter's face and he even managed a slight smile. Harry continued, "I've got Remus to do that for me." Remus gave an evil chuckle and Peter fainted again. "Well this is just getting ridiculous." Harry said disgustedly. With a wave of his hand Peter was conscious and standing before him. "Listen very carefully Peter. I've put a charm on you so that if you faint anymore before the duel then you'll receive a mild electric shock which will jolt you awake. Understood?" Peter's eyes began to roll to the back of his head before his whole body began to spasm. His eyes shot open and the look of terror returned to his face. "Oh I'm sorry," Harry said "Did I say mild? I meant extremely painful. My bad."
"Now before we have anymore interruptions lets get the terms of the duel. Remus since Team D.E.A.T.H. got choice of duel last time, this time you get it."
Remus smiled evilly at Peter before cracking his knuckles. "Let's make it physical combat. No wands or weapons."
Peter paled again and looked longingly at the numerous Death Eaters, perhaps in the hopes that he could hide from the werewolf if he got enough people between them.
Harry turned to Peter. "And the terms? I don't suppose you'd be willing to go to the death would you?" Harry's tone was very eager.
Peter almost fainted once again but was kept standing by another electrical shock. "N-n-n-no. N-n-n-o-t to the d-d-d-eath." He stuttered, "j-j-just till one of us is unconscious."
Harry gave a sigh of disappointment.
Well what can you expect? We know he's a coward.
Still, it's disappointing. I was looking forward to seeing Remus ripping him to shreds. Now we'll have to try and restrain him.
Restraining an angry werewolf, that doesn't sound fun.
Not really.
"Well that's settled then. In one hour Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin will begin the second duel. The terms are physical combat, no magic or weapons, goes till one of them is unconscious. Don't forget to stretch first you two." Harry waved them back to their respective ends and reconjured his reclining chair and began to wait.
You know, I just had a thought.
Well surprise, surprise. Congratulations, this must be a first for you.
This coming from Mr. Why-are-we-cheering-for-the-person-who-could-kill-our-godfathers-murderess.
Well that's an awfully long name.
Still, back to my idea. I was thinking, Remus is a werewolf right?
Ah, Captain Obvious makes his return.
Shut up. I like to go through my ideas step by step to make sure you can follow them.
Carry on then by all means.
So, Remus is a werewolf and therefore extra strong. This is why he picked physical combat so he could use his strength to his advantage right?
That and he probably wanted to deliver some hands on punishment too.
Well, yes of course. Now to continue, don't werewolves have a weakness to silver?
Yes...
And isn't Peter's hand made of silver now?
And since they are doing physical combat doesn't it seem more than likely that Remus will come into contact with said hand?
Shit.
I see you've reached the same conclusion as me.
Do you think he realizes what he's getting into?
No. But on the upside I don't think Peter realizes he has an advantage either. Maybe Peter will faint right away ending the duel before he has a chance to find out.
Let's hope so. For Remus's sake.
Harry thoughts were interrupted by the approach of an old wizard.
Well, look who's come to beg for forgiveness now.
"What can I do for you Albus?" Harry said, turning to face the Headmaster.
Professor Albus Dumbledore, up until recently arguably the most powerful wizard in the world, looked close to tears. It seemed that he was not taking the news of Harry's innocence very well. He began to speak, "Harry, I know that I made a mistake, and I know that there's nothing I can do to make it up to you," Harry snorted.
That's for sure.
"But why are you doing this? This whole contest thing? Why does it have to be this way?" He pleaded.
Harry turned towards him and his tone of voice had that level of coolness that had seen frequent use during the past few hours.
"Why am I doing this Albus? I already explained that. While I expected Ron over there to need constant reminding I expected better from you. I'm doing this," he said and he began to allow a hint of his anger to enter his voice, "because as much as I hate both sides, this war has to end. I see no reason to side with you, you who betrayed me and tried to use me as a tool. Why shouldn't I do it this way? Why shouldn't I let the fate of the world be decided by a couple of duels? Why the hell not?" Harry was now almost yelling.
Dumbledore sighed. "Are you really willing to doom the world because of an old man's mistake?"
Harry leapt to his feet and turned to Dumbledore in a furry. "I doom the world? You've gotten it all wrong Albus. You doomed the world. You doomed the world when you sent me to Azkaban. How was it going to work Albus? You knew I was the only one who could defeat Voldemort, what did you expect would happen? That Voldemort would just suddenly reform one day and begin teaching Muggle Studies? He'd just get bored and stop one day? You had no chance; the world had no chance without me AND YOU SENT ME TO HELL!" Harry's eyes were blazing and Albus was forced to take a step back as Harry was radiating power. "YOU COULD HAVE AT LEAST ASKED ME FOR MY SIDE OF THE STORY! HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT I'M DOOMING THE WORLD?" Harry stopped and took a deep breath in an attempt to regain his cool. After a moment he began to speak again with a slight smile on his face. "You doomed the world Albus. I'm giving the light a chance to make up for your mistakes." He turned away and sat back down into his chair. "Now go away Albus. I have better things to do then listen to you."
The headmaster opened his mouth as if to speak, he stopped and lowered his eyes to the ground before turning his back and hiding his tears from the boy he had betrayed and returning to his side of the field. As he was walking away he heard Harry call out to him one last time.
"You should have known I would never help the dark side Albus. You should have known."
The tears began to fall more freely.
Well that went well I think.
Couldn't agree with you more. I really get a kick with all this righteous anger we've got going on. Nothing like insulting those who did you wrong to make you feel better about yourself.
I agree. I'm a little bored though. Hey, I have an idea.
What?
Why don't we cast some more spells on Ron? It'll be fun.
Sure, why not?
Harry turned to catch a glimpse of Ron and with a wave of his hand Ron's upper body became that of a chicken, he began letting out sounds that were a cross between a "Cluck" and a "Ribbit" and every now and then a slug would pop out of his mouth. Harry could see Hermione was in a panic but the Weasley twins were laughing their heads off.
How'd you like the slugs? I figured it would be nice. For old time's sake.
Ahh, good times, good times. That's one thing I really missed while in Azkaban. Reliving the memories of Ron making a fool of himself by saying or doing something stupid.
(A/N: Sorry, I just really dislike Ron.)
Yeah but look at him now. Doesn't it just make the whole wait worthwhile?
It sure does.
Now that we've had our fun why don't we go give Remus a little pep talk before his fight?
Sounds good to me. Lead on.
Harry rose from his chair, banishing it with a wave, and began to approach his friend. Remus was in the middle of doing some stretches while conversing with some members of the Order. As the Order members observed Harry approaching they beat a hasty retreat. Remus observed this behavior with a smile.
"If I don't know better I would think they were scared of you Harry." Remus chuckled.
"Now honestly Remus, why on earth would they be afraid of me?" Harry tried to look innocent but the effect was spoiled as he was unable to contain his laughter. "Okay, I may have been a little intimidating with the floating and flashy lights and all the yelling but do they really have to run from me? I think my feelings are hurt."
Remus gave a full laugh, "Oh Harry, what am I going to do with you? And what on earth have you done to Hermione and Ron?" He tried to give Harry a stern look but laughter continued to escape.
"You can't prove a thing. Anybody could have cursed them." Harry was giving Remus a how-could-you-possibly-think-I-would-do-this look.
"I say you talking to them. Then with a wave of your hand they changed." Remus gave him a pointed look.
Harry's brow furrowed as if deep in thought. "Yes, I suppose that is rather damning evidence isn't it? Would it help if I said it was an accident?" Harry gave Remus a hopeful look.
"Harry, Harry, Harry. You really shouldn't be doing that to them. I know you have no reason to like them but this just makes you look petty. You really should put them back to normal." Remus gave Harry a disapproving look.
"I don't see why I should." Harry returned a challenging gaze of his own.
"Because they're you're friends Harry."
"Wrong. They were my friends. They lost the right to be called my friends when they betrayed me along with everyone else." Harry was trying very hard to keep a rein on his temper.
"Just put them back to normal Harry." Remus pleaded.
"Why should I?" Harry spoke the words very crisply.
"Do it for a poor werewolf who is about to go into battle." Remus gave him a pouting look.
Harry tried very hard to keep his expression cool but couldn't hold on his laughter. "You look ridiculous Remus. Tell you what; I'll put them back if you promise never to make that facial expression again. Honestly have some self-respect old man."
"Old man?" Remus had a mock offended expression on his face. "How dare you say I'm old? I'm not a day over..."
"90?" Harry supplied helpfully.
Remus gave a growl before laughing and slugging Harry on the shoulder. "Just put them back."
Harry sighed. "Fine." With one of his now patented hand wave the changes that Hermione and Ron had undergone disappeared and they were returned to normal. "Better?" Harry asked while sulking.
Our best work too.
Just wait. It's gonna be good.
"Much better." Remus gave a satisfied smile as he watched the two young people as they realized they were fixed. Hermione began jumping up an down in her excitement and Ron was staring at his hands as if he couldn't believe they were really back. He grabbed his wife in a hug and opened up his mouth to speak. "I'm a stupid git." Hermione looked at him in surprise only to see that no one was more surprised than Ron himself. He tried to speak again. "I'm such a prat. A stupid prat of a git." He kept trying to speak but each time he opened his mouth to speak he insulted himself again.
"Looks like he has a bit of a self-esteem problem wouldn't you say Remus?" Harry had a mischievous smile on his face.
Remus had returned his gaze to Harry and while he tried to look stern the corners of his mouth kept twitching into a slight smile.
"What?" Harry tried his innocent look one last time. "There must be a glitch in my magic. I promise I'll look into it as soon as possible." Harry raised his hand as if giving a solemn oath.
Oh just brilliant. Take a bow my friend.
Thank you, thank you very much. What can I say, it's a gift.
Remus gave into his smile. "Oh Harry, you have quite a lot of your father in you. I swear with that "I'm innocent of everything" look you could have easily passed as his twin."
Harry smiled. "So, are you ready for your fight?"
Remus gave Harry a feral grin. "Very. I almost forgot to thank you for the opportunity to crush the traitorous rat myself."
The smile disappeared from Harry's face. "Be careful with him okay? Finish it quickly and don't waste anytime talking."
Remus gave Harry a puzzled look. "Why the concern? It's only Peter. He's hardly much of a threat. I wouldn't be surprised if he faints as soon as the fight begins. That or wet himself."
"I think you may be forgetting something Remus." Harry waved his hand in front of Remus's face. "His hand is made of silver now. You tend to have a bit of trouble with that substance if I remember correctly.
Remus paled. "I hadn't thought of that. Well, that can be dealt with. I'll just be careful."
"You do that." Harry begin to shift uncomfortably. "I don't want you to get hurt Remus. I know that sounds stupid coming from the person who put you in this position. I just thought that you had the right to deal with him. Just be careful. You're the only one I've got left."
Remus looked away from Harry before speaking in almost a whisper.
"I wasn't the only one who believe you Harry."
Harry was stunned. "What! What are you talking about? You're the only one who stood up for me."
Remus sighed "That's because after the way I was treated when I testified for you I forced her to stay quiet. It wouldn't have helped and would have just hurt her. I didn't think you'd want that."
Harry paled. "Who was it? You said "her". Who was it?" He wasn't sure if he wanted the answer. After thinking the worst of her for three years he didn't know what it would mean to him if she had believed him.
Remus looked him in the eye. "It was Ginny. Harry, Ginny and I both believed you. If she had testified they would have brought up the whole Chamber of Secrets incident and she might have ended in just as much trouble as you. So...I forced her to say nothing. She didn't like it and I still don't think she's forgiven me but I felt it was the right thing to do."
Harry just stood there for a minute staring into nowhere. Finally he spoke, with no emotion in his voice. "I have to go Remus. Good luck in the fight."
Harry then turned and began to walk back to the center of the field. Remus gave a sigh before returning to his stretches.
Well doesn't that just complicate things a little bit.
She believed us. Ironic isn't it? The person who was falsely accused, falsely accuses someone else. Can you say hypocrite?
We've been a bit of a prat haven't we?
Yeah, we really have.
So what are we going to do?
Right now? Nothing. We don't have time to deal with this right now. We've got a fight to get started.
But later...?
Later, we'll have to talk to her.
Harry began to rise into the air again. "May I have your attention please? The second duel will be commencing shortly. Would the champions please come to the middle of the field?"
A/N: Sorry for leaving the chapter where it is. I intended to write more but I've been having a bit of writers block and I figured you guys would appreciate if I posted what I have now. To all you people who have threatened me if Remus dies, I hope this chapter has allayed your fears somewhat. Remus and Peter will not be fighting to the death so even if Remus loses he will not die. To all those who threatened me if Remus loses, I'm not saying he will lose but you all need to accept that there may be instances where the person you want to win doesn't. Someone has to lose and it would be boring if it was always the Death Eaters. Don't worry everybody, everything that happens will happen for a reason. You just need to trust me :)
Potter Reader: Sorry but Peter will not be dying in this fight. I hope it isn't too disappointing but there was no way he would have the guts to fight to the death.
Huggiebear: Harry will not be fighting Voldemort. It wouldn't be very fair for Harry to take part in one of the duels. Well, I'll just have to find someone else for Voldie to fight. (smiles evilly)
Lady Foxfire: So, I'm getting the impression you want Remus to win? I'll have to see what I can do.
kungzoune: Maybe I am a bit of a tease but don't the cliffies just make everything so much more exciting?
Medicated Drama Queen: Hmmm, looks like somebody has been doing a bit of mind reading. Pretty good guesses on future match ups.
kraeg001: Umbridge bashing is always fun. Unfortunately, there won't be any of that in this fic. I like to pretend that shortly after the end of the fifth book she was kidnapped by a radical group of centaurs and put out of our misery.
spacecatdet: I'm going to continue on the assumption that being warped is a good thing. Of course you do realize that if you enjoy my warped writing so much there's a good chance that you're warped yourself. Not that there is anything wrong with that.
manx: Sorry that you're not crazy about the voices. There's a bit less of them this chapter but they're sticking around because I love to write them. As to the talking during duels...you have to realize that those two had past issues. Also, Bellatrix really likes to mess with people while she's dueling. Neville uses the time while he's responding to catch his breath and plan his next move.
Thanks to everyone else who read and reviewed. Hope you all keep reading no matter what happens and that you all enjoy it.
Oh, I didn't get a chance to get this chapter beta read so I apologize if there are lots of spelling and grammar mistakes.