LoP: Chapter Two:

The Phoenix Sanctum

They all port keyed with Moody to a strange room the following day. It had everything they needed for a long time. There was a small kitchen, which looked to be fully furnished, and what looked to be a common room equipped with three couches a few tables and in a far corner an area to play Wizard's Chess, Gobstones and various other wizarding games. In another corner there appeared to be a supply cabinet with an area to research various potions and serums. There were a few doors leading out of the room. All of which looked the same, except one… which was big and black.

"Albus and I used to train here before the last tournament," said Moody, "We called this place the…"

"Phoenix Sanctum," Harry interrupted, everyone looked at him in surprise, "It's… Almost like Fawkes told me."

'Interesting, I'll have to consult Minerva and Albus' Portrait about this…' thought Moody to himself.

"Professor…" Hermione asked questioningly.

"Call me Alastor or Moody, or even 'Mad-Eye', I am hardly your teacher, as if I ever were…" They all remembered, when in their fourth year, Ginny's third, when Moody had spent 9 months in his trunk, barely alive, while an imposter pretended to be him and helped Harry out during the Tri-Wizard Tournament, while trying to help bring about Voldemort's second rise to power. "I want to see exactly what you all know, so if you will all come with me to the Dueling Chamber," he instructed them, pointing towards the black door on the other side of the room.

They entered a dark circular room with a single beam of light in the center. Moody stood in the light. "Now this room can be shifted into whatever you want it to be, it can become a Quidditch Pitch, a weight room, or even a romantic sandy beach," Moody explained, "In this sense, it's similar to the Room of Requirement, but this is where the similarities end. This room will not give you anything you require. You can also set limitations on what type of magic can or can't be used in this room. For this first demonstration, we shall leave this room as is, but set the limitations to the World Tournament regulation set of spells," They all nodded in understanding, "Now then, wands at the ready! All four of you attack me at once!"

"You can't be serious, Harry could take you on by himself," Ron said in disbelief.

"Try me Weasley," challenged Moody.

"Stu-" Ron started to say, but was hit by a red stream of magic from Moody's wand.

"Mad-Eye" Moody was flinging curses and hexes at them rapidly. Ginny was able to dodge out of the way, while Harry apparated out of the way. Hermione barely managed to throw up a shield charm. Hermione's spell quickly gave way under the constant strain of the curses and when it crumbled completely she felt herself be hit with a half dozen curses as she flew through the air before she lost consciousness.

"Humph," Moody smiled, "it's just me and the Potters now," his magical eye was spinning wildly, as he stood in a strange stance. Both Harry and Ginny stood ready for anything. Ginny was in front of him and Harry was behind him. Harry then split into four different images of himself.

"Four false images, impressive Potter," said Moody admiringly, "but not impressive enough!"

Ginny then attacked, sending her Bat Bogey Hex at Moody. The false images each sent a stunner at Moody. Moody flung out his arms and shouted "Reflectis!" sending all five spells back at their casters. Ginny had been caught off guard by the attack and was hit with her own Bat Bogey Hex. She was sent sailing through the air and landed next to Ron.

Harry managed to dodge each of his spells by merging back into a single Harry. "Not images…" said an impressed Moody, "Not many wizards can split themselves into two, let alone four. Even fewer could have fooled even my magic eye!"

Harry knew he should have realized that wasn't going to work, but he had to try anyway. He was going to have to be more careful dueling Moody. He wasn't going to make the same mistake Voldemort had, and underestimate Harry. "It's just us now Moody," said Harry confidently, "May the best wizard win."

"Don't get too overconfident, boy," warned Moody, "The strongest doesn't always win!"

Harry raised his wand, but Moody was faster, as he spun around and sent three curses at Harry. Harry began to shimmer and fade as the three curses ran through him, only to reappear behind Moody again, sending out a curse of his own. "Stupefy!" It was Harry's turn to be caught off guard as Moody began to shimmer and fade just as Harry had just a moment before.

"Expelliarmus!" the spell slammed into Harry sending him spinning in the air, the wand knocked out of his hands. Although it wasn't the ideal situation he had envisioned, it gave him a small opening.

"Stupefy!" He launched his own curse at Moody while still sailing through the air, which Moody deflected easily with his wand. Moody sent three more curses at Harry as he landed. He threw up his right hand summoning a powerful shield charm. All three curses crumpled as the hit the invisible barrier. Moody then started sending more curses and charms at Harry, faster than before, trying to break through Harry's shield. Redoubling his efforts, the shield held against Moody's onslaught, but Harry could not retaliate. The ex-Auror was sending too many spells, too fast for Harry to deflect. He then tried to stand, which was difficult under Moody's assault, but Harry was not about to give up. Harry knew it was all or nothing.

"Reflectis!" shouted Harry as he thrust out his left hand, dropping his shield completely. Immediately, half of Moody's curses were sent back at him. While most of the curses negated themselves, many of them found their mark and Harry and Moody were sent flying in opposite directions.

A recovering Ron just gaped at what he saw. He had just managed to come to when Moody had used the disarming charm on Harry, and was in awe when he saw Moody and Harry defeat each other. "Mad-Eye" Moody's experience and skill had not only helped him defeat Ron, Hermione, and Ginny single-handedly, but Harry as well. It was only Harry's determination and overwhelming, raw power advantage that he was able to take down Moody.

Ginny was the next to recover, mostly because she had been hit with fewer curses than the others. She looked over at Moody, who was barely able to sit up and Harry, who had managed to raise himself to one knee, both looked fatigued. Ron was in the process of trying to help Hermione. She made her way over to them.

"It was amazing!" Ron told her excitedly as Hermione began to stir.

"What happened?" asked Ginny.

"I'm not exactly sure, but as Moody's stunner wore off, I looked up to see Harry in the air, and he tried using a stunning spell on Moody, who deflected it like it was nothing," Ron said in awe, "Moody then started throwing curses like crazy, but Harry blocked them all with a shield! It was like Moody's curses were hitting a brick wall and crumbling apart! Then Harry did this reflecting spell…"

"The Reflectis Charm," said Ginny interrupting Ron.

"Yeah, that's it… How'd you know?"

"That's how Moody got me…"

"Well, anyways, Harry did it, but only reflected like half the spells. A lot of them kind of… hit each other and made all these tiny explosions between them, while the rest of the curses hit Harry and Moody! You should've seen it! It was Bloody Brilliant!"

Hermione opened her eyes, she was still weak and it showed in her smile.

"'Mione, How do you feel?" asked Ron tenderly, concern written all over his face.

Ginny was about to yell at Ron and give him one of her smug remarks about overstating the obvious, but decided against it, and made her way over to where Moody and Harry was.