The End

Chapter 19: A Horrible Fight

Harry stared idly at the dueling stage. Neville and Draco were having a go of it and it appeared that Neville was besting Draco. Draco's wand went flying across the room and he looked utterly appalled at what had just transpired. Fionnula clapped her hands.

"Very good, boys. Have a seat. It appears that Neville isn't as...how did you put it, Draco...'simple' as he seems, is he?" Fionnula said. Draco mumbled a few choice words and retrieved his wand. He sat down next to Aurora in a huff. Aurora just smiled and ruffled his hair. He frowned at having his normally neat hair messed up. "Harry, why don't you and Hermione have a go of it?" she asked. Harry nodded. Hermione rose, looking deathly pale and tired.

"Ready, Hermione?" Harry asked. Hermione readied her wand.

"Anytime, Harry," she said. Her eyes drooped lazily and she looked as if she was going to pass out at any moment. Harry stared at her.

"Hermione, you don't look so good," Harry said, lowering his wand. Hermione straightened up and sighed.

"I'm fine. When I want your opinion on how I look, I will ask. Seeing as how I haven't, get on your guard or I will attack you anyway," she said harshly. Harry stared at her a moment longer. Then he reluctantly put his wand up. Ron and Ginny watched this exchange.

"I think I'm a little worried," Ron said quietly. Ginny nodded.

"For who?"

"Harry. Hermione looks like a bloody madwoman," he said. Ginny smiled. At least now she knew Hermione was keeping to her promise.

"Expelliarmus!" Hermione yelled. The spell shot toward Harry at amazing speed. Harry had barely enough time to throw up a barrier for it. His barrier rippled at the amount of power that was put into the spell. He looked shocked for a moment.

'If that spell had hit me, she would've caused serious damage,' he thought to himself. He looked back at Hermione and she was standing there, frowning with all her might. Sighing, she poised for another spell.

"Kenolus!" she yelled. Harry didn't have time to block the curse and it hit him. He closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes, nothing was around him. It was just void space. He looked around frantically. Then he remembered the curses Hermione, Ava, and Aurora made up. How did he fight the curse Aurora had put on him?

Outside Harry's mind, Hermione held her wand steadily. Ginny began looking a little worried. Hermione was showing no signs of lifting the curse anytime soon and Harry didn't look as if he was trying to fight it off.
"Uh, Fionnula..." she said, tugging on her professor's robes. Fionnula did nothing. She just continued to watch. "Fionnula?" Ginny said a little more urgently. Fionnula put her hand up to Ginny.

"I know what's happening, Ginny. I will stop it if I deem it necessary. Right now, I do not deem it necessary. Watch," she said calmly. Ginny nodded.

Hermione's wand began to vibrate. She looked at it, then back at Harry. Harry slowly lifted his head, seeming looking straight at Hermione when he didn't see her at all.

Inside Harry's mind, he saw a jet of light flowing towards him. He figured it was the spell and tried to lift his hand, which was becoming increasingly harder to do. He finally managed to raise his hand. It shook violently. Squeezing his eyes shut, he shouted the spell out.

"Retromarcia progresso!" he yelled. Hermione's eyes widened and she kneeled, dodging the curse as it was flung back at her. She looked back up at Harry, who was breathing hard and shaking his head. He stood up slowly. Hermione followed suit and for a moment, all they did was stare at each other.

"That was a pretty good reversal, Harry. I didn't know you'd realized how to reverse a spell that was already in progress," Hermione said. Harry nodded.

"Thanks. I learned from the best," Harry said smirking. Hermione nodded, smirking herself.

"Shall we continue?" she asked. Harry nodded once more. "Good. Cadere!" Hermione said, taking Harry completely off guard. Harry ducked as the curse flew over his head. Their eyes met for a split second. Harry looked away, but it was too late. 'Narishi,' Hermione thought, smirking. Harry sunk lower to the ground, feeling as though he was underwater. Hermione knew she couldn't hold this curse for too long.

Ginny gasped in her seat as Harry shook and sounded as if he was choking. She tugged on Fionnula's robes once more, but Fionnula shook her head. As she did that, Hermione blinked. Harry sat up, gasping for air. He looked up at Hermione, fuming. It was his turn and he was going to enjoy torturing Hermione. He pointed his wand at her. He felt that familiar burning somewhere behind his eyes.

"Pteromerhanolus!" Harry yelled. Ron looked puzzled.

"What did he just say?" he asked.Ginny smiled and crossed her arms.

"He just set Hermione's greatest fear on her. It serves her right, too," Ginny said. Ron looked at her.

" Flying? He set FLYING on her! I'll kill him! Hermione can't handle that!" Ron whispered urgently. Ginny looked at him. Everyone who was close to Hermione knew she couldn't stand flying, which was exactly why she never did it if she could help it.

Hermione blinked as the spell hit her. When she opened her eyes again, she was high above everyone. Harry seemed miles away. She began panicking. Shaking her head, she began screaming.

Harry held the curse steadily as Hermione sunk to the ground. She was holding her head and shaking it. He saw tears on her face. His facial expression immediately fell and he lifted the curse. When it was lifted, Hermione was still on the floor, crying. Ron flew out of is seat and kneeled beside Hermione. She clung to him for support as he helped her up. Ron looked over at Fionnula and she nodded. He led Hermione out of the room.

"Well done, Harry. You and Hermione have obviously been training very hard. That was the best I've seen her duel. And to have bested you several times is a feat in and of itself. You and Draco are the best duelers I have. Well, there are only a few minutes left of class. Do as you please until the bell and remember that essay is due tomorrow. I want four feet of more, Mr. Thomas," Fionnula said, looking at Dean. Dean nodded and turned to talk.

Harry sat down next to Ginny. Ginny looked at him.

"Are you okay, Harry?" she asked, putting her hand on her shoulder. Harry shook his head, staring at his wand.

"That was a pretty mean thing to do. I didn't think before I said the words, Ginny. It just came out. I was mad at all the curses she put me through. Plus, I didn't want to lose," he said. Draco scoffed.

"I don't know what you're so sad about, Potter. Granger wasn't going easy on you. Why should you go easy on her? If I were you, I would've done much more than that. I would've held the curse longer," Draco said. Aurora popped him on the back of his head, frowning. "What the bloody hell is your problem, woman?" he yelled at her. Aurora crossed her arms and looked away from him.

"You have no compassion whatsoever, Draco," Neve said. Draco growled something illegible. "I don't think Harry was wrong in doing the curse, but he had to defend himself and he got a bit caught up in the moment. I can't say I would've chosen that exact curse to do."

"I agree," Aurora said quietly. Harry nodded. He looked over at Aurora. She looked back at him. "You felt it again, did you not?" she asked. Harry nodded. The rest of the group looked confused.

"Felt what?" Ginny asked. Harry sighed.

"Whenever I get absorbed in a duel or battle, I get this strange burning sensation behind my eyes. At least that's what it feels like. Whenever Aurora gets the same way, she gets a cold sensation. I guess it has something to do with our tempers or whatnot. Sometimes, I draw power from Aurora. I guess this time, I didn't," Harry said.

"That's probably why you didn't think before you set the curse on her," Neville said. "You let your temper get the best of you," he concluded. Harry nodded.

"I guess I should watch that, huh? I could seriously injure one of you with that," Harry said.

"By the way, has anyone else noticed Hermione's sour mood? She's been this way since sometime last week," Tommy said, looking around at the group. Everyone nodded.

"I wonder what's wrong with her," Aurora said. Ginny looked down and Harry and Luna noticed it.

"You're keeping another secret, aren't you Ginny?" Luna asked. Ginny looked up and nodded slowly.

"You can't tell Ron. Do you all remember that flask Hermione carried around?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah. She used to drink from it like Mad-Eye Moody did back in fourth year," Draco said. Then he looked thoughtful for a moment. "I can't say I've seen her use it since last week when you all started questioning her about it," he said. They all agreed.

"Well, I pulled her to the side and told her tell me what was really inside it. She lied and snatched it away from her. And took a sip. Turns out that it was Tristezza Potion," Ginny said. Aurora and Neve gasped. All the guys looked confused.

"Is that bad?" Neville asked. The girls nodded.

"Tristezza Potion is an anti-depressant potion. It is also..." Ginny was cut off.

"...highly addictive," Luna said quietly. Everyone looked at her. Luna felt their eyes staring at her. "My father used to use it after my mother died. He stopped, realizing it's effects after taking it for an extended period of time," Luna said.

"Precisely. So, I said that Hermione was addicted to it and she said she wasn't. I told her to prove it to me by not taking it for a week. So, I have her flask and she is not allowed to use it until the end of this week. Apparently, she's going through the detoxification stage and this is how her body is responding. She's moody all the time and she's gotten so sloppy."

"That's horrible. Maybe you should give it back to her. I think if it was keeping her sane, then she should have it back," Draco said. Both Aurora and Neve hit him.

"It's much more complex than that, Draco. That is a good thing. Maybe now she will realize that taking this stuff is bad and she'll get off of it. By the way, why was she taking it?" Neve asked. Ginny shook her head.

"That is one thing I think I should let her tell you. She really doesn't want Ron to know, so please keep your mouths shut. I'm not suffering the wrath of both of them. Plus, Hermione's already on edge from the withdrawal. You saw the damage she did to Harry today," Ginny said as the bell rang.

"This is why I love Wednesdays. Dueling is the last class," Harry said, getting his things. Ginny smiled.

Later that day, they were all outside walking around the grounds. No one had seen Ron and Hermione since the end of class. They'd all decided to have somewhat of a mini picnic on the grass near the Quidditch pitch. Draco and Harry were throwing spells at each other. The girls sat on a large blanket, enjoying the sunlight and the cool weather. Aurora looked up at the sky.

"Ah. It is beautiful out here. Spring is almost here," she said happily.

"I wish Ava could be out ere to share it. She'd love the sunlight," Neve said distantly. Then she realized what she'd said and looked over at Tommy. Aurora looked at him too. Her face was totally different from Neve's, though. "I'm sorry, Tommy. I forgot," she said. Tommy shook his head.

"It's okay, Neve. I think Ava would love it out here, too," he said. He looked over at Aurora, who was still glaring daggers at him. Her right eye twitched in her anger. Aurora sighed and went back to buttering her bread.

"Will those two ever stop?" Luna asked, pointing at Harry and Draco. Even though the air was cool, they were both sweating bullets. Aurora shook her head.

"I do not think so. They will be rivals until the day they die," Aurora said smiling at Draco. His platinum blond hair had fallen into his icy blue eyes. It was a miracle that he could still see Harry. Harry's right lens was broken. He could only see out of one eye clearly.

"Time out, Draco," Harry said. He removed his glasses and pointed his wand at the lens. "Occulus reparo," he said. The glasses fixed themselves. He put them back on and Draco smiled. The lights began flashing again. Ginny shook her head.

"And they are off," Aurora mumbled. The group laughed. Ginny stopped laughing abruptly. He face went pale. She looked around, searching for the source of her funny feeling. Luna noticed her jitteriness.

"Is something wrong, Ginny?" she asked. Ginny continued to look around. She stopped and looked at Aurora.

"Aurora, you don't feel that?" she asked. Aurora just looked puzzled.

"Feel what?" she asked. Ginny shook her head. Then Lina and Rina sat down noisily.

"Hiya, folks. What's going on and why weren't we invited?" they asked in unison. Neve threw a piece of bread at Lina.

"It is uncanny the way you two do that," she said. The twins looked confused.

"Do what?" they asked.

"That speaking in unanimity thing you two do," Neve answered. The twins nodded their head and began picking at the food. Lina noticed the fighting going on between Harry and Draco.

"Don't those two ever get tired of beating the brains out of each other?" she asked. Aurora shook her head.

"I have a feeling they won't stop until one of them ends up with a cracked skull," she said. Lina laughed, putting a grape in her mouth.

Ginny was still trying to decipher the funny feeling she felt. Then her eyes widened in realization.

"Ron," she whispered. Neville looked at her.

"What about Ron?" he asked. Ginny looked at him.

"He's coming over here and he's not very happy."

"I reckon he's still a bit pissed off at Harry for putting the curse on Hermione," Rina said lackadaisically. Everyone but Lina and Tommy looked a little worried. Rina looked up and saw their scared looks.

"Is that a bad thing?" Lina asked slowly.

"You've never seen those two fight," Neve said.

"Yes, we have. They fight all the time in training," Rina said. Aurora shook her head.

"I mean when they fight for real. Ron doesn't use his full strength against Harry when they fight. He's only done it once and that was when Ron caught Harry and Ginny together."

"What were they doing? Kissing?" Lina asked.

"It was far more than kissing," Ginny mumbled. The twins' jaws dropped.

"Are you serious! Wow! I wonder who won that fight," Lina said.

"Ron by a long shot."

"What'd he do? Knock Harry out? If that's the case, I can do that," Rina said.

"Try a broken hand, a punctured lung, a sprained ankle, a broken jaw, two broken ribs, and a broken nose. Not to mention various cuts and bruises. Ron practically killed Harry. Harry did his fair share of damage, too. It was no where near the volume of his, though," Neve said. Lina and Rina didn't know what else to say.

"He's coming closer. Any plans?" Ginny said, looking at Harry who was totally oblivious of the oncoming danger.

"We tried holding him back before, but that apparently wasn't enough," Aurora said. Neve looked past Ginny's head and saw Ron. She smiled, a plan coming to mind.

"Ginny, tell Harry to go. I'll take care of Ron." Neve stood up as Ron got closer. Aurora looked at her sister like she'd gone crazy.

"Are you mad, Neve! Ron will murder you. At least we know that Ron can't murder Harry. Only Voldemort can do that. Ron could literally maim you for life," Aurora said. Neve stood up and looked down at her sister.

"I appreciate the faith you have in me, Aurora. Do what I ask. I promise you this fight will work. Ginny, do it now. I promise I won't be too hard on him," Neve said, cracking her knuckles. Ginny nodded and ran over to Harry. The rest of the group just watched Neve as she strode up to Ron.

"Harry, Ron's coming over here with a vengeance. I suggest you leave," Ginny said. Harry looked down at her, then over in Ron's direction.

"Let him come. I'm used to being his punching bag," Harry said. Ginny shook her head.

"Harry, just go," she said pleadingly. Harry sighed and went off with Ginny, Aurora, and the twins following him. Ron frowned when he saw this. He didn't notice the small Italian girl sauntering up to him. The next thing he knew, he was being punched in the face.

Neve slugged Ron one in the jaw. He stumbled backwards and looked over at Neve. The little girl hit pretty hard for someone her size. Ron had never fought with Neve, even in training. She looked highly dangerous. The only two guys who were man enough to fight her had been Draco and Sloan Bowen. Versus Draco was a stalemate and versus Sloan was a death. Neve just stood there with her arms crossed.

"This doesn't concern you, Neve," Ron growled. Neve leered at him. She put her hands on her hips.

"Oh really, Ron? You need someone to take your anger out on. Why can't it be me?" she asked. Ron just looked at her.

"I don't hit girls," he said in a low voice. Neve nodded at him.

"That's very NOBLE of you, Ron. But, you need someone to show your superiority on, don't you? Why can't it be me?" she asked again. Ron sighed.

"I have no qualms with you, Neve," he said. Neve nodded. She looked thoughtful for a moment, the punched Ron again. His head jerked to the side. She'd caught him completely off guard with that one. He turned back to face her. He could feel his jaw starting to swell.

"Do you have one now?"

"Neve..." Ron said in a warning tone. Neve smiled. Now she was starting to get somewhere.

"Well, Ron. It seems like I have given you a reason to hit me back. Are you going to..."

"Uh, Neve?" Draco said. He had a feeling he knew what she was about to say.

"...or are you just too chicken shit to do it? I know why you won't fight me," she said. Ron frowned deeply. Everyone could practically feel the anger coming off of Ron. His ears had turned red.

"Why is that? If you don't have a good reason, I think you should shut up."

"Because you are scared. The only person who's ever fought me at full strength and lived to tell the tale is Draco. Now, I know you're way stronger than Draco. Are you going to tell me that he's also braver than you?" Neve egged him on. Ron squeezed his fists together. She was really starting to get on his nerves. Neve noticed this.

"Neve, I think you should..." Luna began.

"Hmph. Maybe Draco is braver than you. Or at least he's more of a man," Neve said. She noticed a trickle of blood running down Ron's hand. His nail had punctured his skin. Her grin spread wider. "Well, it seems like I've struck a nerve. What do you say, Ronnie-boy? Are you willing to let DRACO MALFOY show you up? If not, go back inside and calm your sorry arse do..." That did it for Ron. He punched Neve. Neve's head jerked to the side. She looked back up at him, the roots of her hair turning red slowly.

"I told you to shut up," Ron said. Neve smiled and threw another punch at him. They began fighting. It was obvious that Ron was holding back slightly on her, but so was Neve. Neither wanted to seriously injure each other. Draco, Luna, Neville, and Tommy just watched this with wide eyes.

After about ten minutes, the two merely stared at each other. Ron's nose was broken and his left eye was purple and swollen shut. His right shoulder seemed to be out of place and one of his fingers was broken. Neve's bottom lip was busted and swollen at the same time. Three of her fingers were dislocated and her wrist was obviously broken. She leaned heavily on her left foot because her ankle was broken. They were both panting rather hard.

"Do you feel better?" Neve asked, out of breath. Ron tried to stand up straight, but it was pretty hard to do. He settled for just slouching.

"Yeah," he mumbled. Neve nodded.

"Let's go to the hospital ward," Neve said. She looked at her fingers and closed her eyes. Draco winced visibly as she cracked them all back into place. He wondered how she remained so stoic as she did it.

'She never fails to amaze me,' he thought to himself.

Tommy looked at his arm as that familiar burning sensation came back to him.

The Gryffindor common room fireplace.

Tonight at 2:45 am

BE ON TIME

ALONE