Chapter 21: The Duel

I feel better now. Ever since that incident with Rosier, I've felt incredible. My Elementalist abilities listen to me now. I can do things I wasn't able to before - like make flaming ice. Ice so cold it burns. It's what I did to Rosier, only I used it on his insides. Pettigrew looked a little terrified when I told the Marauders about it. That's good, it'll keep him in line.

Leo was in good spirits when he and his friends boarded the train back to King's Cross. His prank on Umbridge had gone off without a hitch – and he was looking forward to seeing her angry expression when he returned. He had switched all her normal quills out with the Black Quills she had forced him and Harry to use during their detentions – after transfiguring them to look like regular quills first, of course. He wondered what exactly they would do to Umbridge given that she was right-handed and that same hand had been replaced by a silver prosthetic. Like Pettigrew. Wonder what Dad ever did with him? Leo pondered, taking the seat closest to the window with Harry sitting across from him.

The Weasleys, Draco, and Hermione all entered after him, talking amicably amongst themselves. Harry's head leaned against the wall of the train as he yawned and rubbed his eye under his glasses. Leo eyed him with concern, noting that it didn't look like he had slept very well, if at all. He looked around, making sure everyone was engrossed in their own conversations before he leaned forward slightly, almost tumbling out of his seat when the train lurched forward.

"Rough night?" he asked once the train began to move.

"Kinda," Harry shrugged in response. "Just been having these weird dreams."

"Like what?"

Harry looked hesitant for a moment, but something in Leo's voice compelled him to speak.

"I keep seeing this hallway, and a door at the end," he explained in a low voice. "I went through the door and there was another room with more doors. I keep going through doors and rooms and then I'm in this room with these weird orbs."

"And you've never seen the rooms or the orbs before?" Leo frowned.

"No... could've sworn I've seen the first door somewhere before though."

"Hmm," Leo replied, tapping his chin in thought. "Maybe you should tell my dad? He might know about it."

Harry snorted.

"And get laughed at or told it's just a dream? No thanks."

"Harry, it's my dad. Do you honestly think he'd do something like that?"

Harry was quiet for a moment before he shook his head and leaned back. Leo nodded in satisfaction before turning to the others and telling them of the prank he had pulled on Umbridge. The Weasleys all high-fived him while Hermione and Draco tried their best to look disapproving. They gave up when they realized the fat toad deserved a taste of her own medicine.

Harry fell asleep halfway through the train ride, light snores coming from his mouth. Leo removed his glasses and Ginny placed a cloak over him before they all resumed their conversation. In what seemed no time at all, the train was slowing down and arriving at the station. Leo gently woke his cousin and handed him his glasses before he and everyone else retrieved their trunks. They exited the train, immediately spotting Mrs. Weasley, Sirius, and -

"Remy!" Leo shrieked, running toward the man and enveloping him in a hug that almost knocked him over.

"Good to see you too, Leo," Remus chuckled, hugging him back.

"What am I, dog food?" Sirius frowned.

"I see your face almost every day. The novelty's worn off," Leo informed him, releasing his godfather. "Haven't seen Remy in ages."

Sirius made a 'fair enough' expression before turning to greet Draco and Harry, clapping them each on the shoulder. Mrs. Weasley hugged everyone before leading them through the barrier where Hermione bid her farewells before running off to her parents. The rest of the group exited the station and made the long trek back to Grimmauld Place. Almost everyone was shivering by the time they arrived, sighing in relief when they entered the much warmer halls. Leo frowned at the dark walls before turning to his uncle.

"Where's Dad?"

"Oh, Cas refused to spend Christmas holidays in this house. Said it brought up too many bad memories," Sirius shrugged before turning to Harry and Draco. "He wants to know if you three would be okay with sleeping at the Den. You could spend your days here with your friends and nights at his place. It would also free up more space for people to sleep here."

"I'm fine with that," Harry shrugged.

"As long as I don't have to be in this dump," Draco stated.

"Well, Harry and I have to be there tomorrow anyway, so might as well," Leo replied, leading the way down to the kitchen.

It was a nice relief not having to whisper or lower their voices within the dark walls of Grimmauld Place. Now that Walburga's portrait had frozen over, the other portraits in the house remained oddly quiet. Maybe they only wake up when Wally screams. Or, more likely, they're afraid my dad'll freeze them over. Leo mused, taking his seat at the table.

Remus sat next to him, with Harry and Sirius across from them and everyone else settling in around them. Mrs. Weasley bustled around the kitchen, busying herself with making dinner. Sirius summoned up several butterbeers for everyone to enjoy whilst Remus conjured up a mug of hot chocolate for an ecstatic Leo Black. Conversation blossomed around the table. Fred, George, and Draco all had their heads bent low, discussing Skiving Snackboxes and pulling Leo in when he leaned in to listen.

"We're still trying to figure out how to remove the boils you get after eating Fever Fudge," George was explaining.

"Right now, it makes it a right pain in the arse to sit anywhere," Fred scowled.

"Why not just leave the boils and call it something else?" Leo suggested. "Be a right laugh to send it to Umbridge and say it was from Fudge."

The twins chuckled while Draco looked thoughtful.

"We could find a way to fix the boils. Sell that as Fever Fudge and have the boils stay in whatever you lot decide to call the other thing -"

"Boiling Brownies," Leo said at once, receiving snorts of laughter from the other three.

"I like it, but there's still the problem of removing the boils from the Fever Fudge..." Fred stated.

The four delved further into the conversation, suggesting various ingredients or potions that would help with the boils. Leo suggested the obvious: the Cure for Boils potion. Draco shot him down at once, stating that, while it did get rid of the boils, it also stopped the fever. They all went back and forth for quite some time, stopping only when Mrs. Weasley walked by serving bowls of chicken soup. Leo commented that the colour of the broth reminded him a bit of Murtlap essence. The other three stared at him then each other before stating they had never tried using it before and resolved to give it a go next time they had the chance.

Mrs. Weasley served them all a nice apple crumble for pudding – Leo had been hoping for chocolate, but he didn't complain. By the time they finished, everyone was yawning and looking forward to crawling into a nice, warm bed. Remus took that moment to inform Leo, Harry, and Draco that it was time to leave for the Den. The three bid farewell to the Weasleys before following the two Marauders upstairs where they were whisked away via Apparition.

Leo shook himself when he and Remus arrived, glancing over to see Draco and Harry appear with Sirius. They all entered the cottage, walking through the empty living room and into the kitchen where they found Castor hidden amongst a pile of books and papers at the kitchen table, sipping a cup of tea. He glanced up at their arrival, giving an incline of his head before closing the book he had been reading.

"Heard you lot have had a rough go of it so far," the man stated. "Sorry about your broom, Harry. Been trying to petition to get it back, but there's not much I can do to lift your ban."

"It's all right," Harry shrugged, his eyes lighting up at the thought of having his broom back. "Gives me more time to plan lessons."

"Well, still..." Castor frowned before shaking his head. "Bit of good news for you lot, though. Think we might've found the next Horcrux -"

"Really?!" Leo shouted excitedly. "Where is it? What is it? Can we go with you to get it?"

"In order: yes, really. Little Hangleton, haven't a clue, and sure, why not?" Cas replied, sipping his tea.

"Little Hangleton?" Draco repeated with a frown. "Why would there be a Horcrux there?"

"You recall that Voldemort's real name is Tom Marvolo Riddle, yes?" Cas questioned, receiving nods as everyone settled into chairs at the kitchen table with some difficulty. "Well, the Riddle family were residents of Little Hangleton until their demise – the two of you," He looked pointedly at Leo and Harry, "were in the graveyard there."

"That doesn't make sense," Harry said in a tone of confusion. "Voldemort hated his Muggle family, why would he put a piece of his soul there?"

"Because his Muggle family wasn't all that lived there – his mother's family did as well," Sirius grinned triumphantly. "A pure-blood, fully magical family."

"Descendants of Slytherin," Remus added. "It took some time to trace Slytherin's line – there were a lot of gaps and it went extinct in the male line. We dead-ended at Calliope Peverell."

"That's when we turned back to the Riddles," Cas continued. "Voldy's mother met his dad in Little Hangleton – that much we can be sure of. Tom Riddle Sr. wouldn't have abandoned all the money and prestige his family had to go gallivanting around the country looking for a wife. So, we looked into the family and found something interesting: a man by the name of Morfin Gaunt was arrested and sentenced to Azkaban for murdering the Riddle family."

"But Voldemort said he killed his father," Harry argued.

"Exactly," Cas nodded. "Felt a bit odd to me so I dug into the Gaunt family. Found out there was a woman and a man living with Morfin around the time he was first arrested. His sister, Merope, and his father, Marvolo. They lived in a house in Little Hangleton, a house with a snake nailed on the door."

"Ew," Leo wrinkled his nose. "So, you found the house, but when're we going to get the Horcrux?"

"Figured we'd set out after Christmas," Cas told him. "Have a lot of things to do this week, so there wasn't much wiggle room to fit in a perilous adventure."

"What sort of things?" Leo inquired curiously.

Castor was quiet for a moment, sipping his tea and looking at them thoughtfully, seeming to decide whether or not he should divulge this information. After a moment he set down his teacup, turning it around in his hands and staring into its depths. He looked up at them after a few seconds of staring.

"You are aware of what happened to the Longbottoms?" Castor asked, receiving slow nods from Harry and Draco and winces from Sirius and Remus.

"Not really," Leo frowned. "Quirrell mentioned something about the Cruciatus Curse, but I don't know much more than that."

"They were tortured into insanity by the Lestranges and Barty Crouch Jr.," Cas informed him in his usual nonchalant tone, sipping his tea. "Dumbles asked me to look in on them over the holidays, see if I can heal their minds. Figured I'd check up on Crouch Senior and wake Lockhart up while I'm up there."

"Aw, do you have to?" Leo pouted, receiving snickers all around the table. "He's more tolerable asleep than he is awake."

"We need to garner some goodwill with the Ministry after that debacle with Umbridge," Cas looked at his son pointedly. "Besides, I like having famous yet stupid people susceptible to blackmail owe me."

Everyone stared at him.

"... Are you sure you shouldn't have been in Slytherin?" Draco asked him after it had been quiet for some time.

"The Hat did consider it, yes. Considered all the Houses, actually. Eventually, it decided my stubbornness fit better in Gryffindor than it did anywhere else," Cas shrugged. "Think it might've also been impressed by the fact that I had the nerve to tell him where to Sort my brother."

"Yeah, he was still mad about that when he Sorted me," Leo chuckled. "Said you made a real mess of things then called me stupid and lazy. He was quite rude."

Everyone laughed while Cas simply gave an amused smile. The talk fell into their individual experiences with the Sorting Hat. Remus said the Hat had considered him for Ravenclaw for a moment but then decided to toss him into Gryffindor. Sirius informed them – laughing all the while – that the Hat had cursed out his brother profusely before lobbing him into Gryffindor without any discussion. The Hat hadn't had to debate with Draco, but Harry practically had to force it to put him in Gryffindor instead of Slytherin.

The conversation dwindled down after that as one by one they headed up to bed until it was just Castor, Harry, and Leo. Leo walked toward the stairs, pausing briefly at the foot of them and looking at Harry, nodding to him before traipsing up to the top. He paused again when he heard his cousin's voice, explaining his dream to Castor. Knowing he probably shouldn't be doing it, he lingered at the top of the stairs to eavesdrop.

"... Do you know what that place is?" Harry was saying once he had finished his tale.

"It's the Hall of Prophecy," Cas's voice floated up the stairs. "It's where the prophecy predicting Voldy's downfall is held – in the Department of Mysteries inside the Ministry. You're dreaming about it because Voldemort is."

It was quiet for a moment.

"Why?" Harry blurted out. "Why do I have this connection to him? Why can I see what he's doing – what he's feeling? Do you know?"

It was silent again.

"Yes," came Cas's voice at last, though it was quieter than normal. "I do."

"Can you tell me?"

"I can, but it'll have to wait until after the duel tomorrow. I don't want you to be distracted. You'll need all your focus if you want to beat Leo."

Leo stared at his reflection, inhaling and exhaling slowly. It was the morning of the following day, about fifteen minutes before noon. He was staring into his mirror, mentally preparing himself for the duel that would take place in fifteen minutes. Remus and Sirius were in Harry's room, giving him some last-minute tips while his father was with Draco. Doing what, Leo didn't know, nor did he really care at the moment.

Have to focus on the duel. He told himself. It'll decide everything. He rotated his shoulders, shaking his arms out before flicking his wand out of its holster and experimentally twirling it. He reholstered it before grabbing the sleeveless red and black shirt off his dresser and putting it on, twisting his upper body side to side to make sure it didn't restrict his movement. I need to be flexible and fast. Robes and school clothes will just get in the way. To that end, he had decided to forego his usual trousers for a pair of black trackie bottoms and a pair of semi-worn trainers.

He inhaled and exhaled one last time before exiting his room and descending the stairs. He found Draco and his dad pouring over a book. Shocking. Leo rolled his eyes as he reached the bottom floor. Draco and Cas looked up, their greyish eyes meeting his own as they both gave him a small nod before going back to their work when he returned it. He moved through the kitchen and the living room before exiting the house and walking in the direction of the barn. He stopped halfway there, turning and facing back toward the house. He held his hands behind his back, closing his eyes as he inhaled and exhaled slowly. Stay calm. If you lose control you could hurt Harry.

The sound of footsteps crunching on the grass alerted him to Harry's presence, prompting the blonde to open his eyes. Harry stood a few feet from him, holding his wand at his side and dressed in a dark blue hoodie and trousers. Leo raised an eyebrow at his clothing choice before recalling that Harry was more susceptible to the cold than he was. Already, an unfair advantage. You'll have to give it everything you've got.

They both held their wands out, the tips touching, and waited. A second later, just as before, light shone from their wands, this time with the colours reversed. Gold poured from Leo's wand and red from Harry's. They twined around each other before sinking into the wands, and Leo felt an odd warmth coming from his wand. The light ceased and the two stared at each other before bowing and striding away from each other a few paces. They waited again. The warmth faded abruptly from their wands, a silent signal.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry shouted at once.

"Protego!" Leo retaliated.

The jet of red bounced off his shield, illuminating it briefly before Leo fired back with a modified Depulso as he had done with Lockhart. Harry quickly conjured a shield of his own, stumbling back when the spell broke through the shield. Harry eyed him warily before diving to the side when the blue light of the Reductor Curse flew at him. He quickly rolled to his feet, his wand pointed at Leo.

"Incarcerous!"

"Diffindo!"

A jet of pink light burst from Leo's wand, cutting through Harry's conjured ropes and heading straight toward the bespectacled boy. Harry barely managed to move in time, gaining a small cut on his left cheek. He stared at the blonde in mild alarm and again had to dodge as Leo fired off another Reductor Curse. He cast the Stunning Spell and a quick Severing Charm right after it. Leo dodged the Stunning Spell but didn't see the Severing Charm until it was too late.

He growled in pain as it slipped between the small gap in his right arm and his side. The fabric of his shirt ripped, and he felt blood oozing down both his arm and his right side. Harry looked mildly concerned, but Leo wouldn't give him time to feel any pity.

"Confringo!" he shouted.

"Bombarda!" Harry returned.

The two spells met in the air, eliciting an explosion that sent both combatants flying back into the grass. Smoke covered the area, and both of them coughed as it infiltrated their lungs. An idea occurred to Leo and he cast Fumos, creating even more smoke. He strode forward carefully, quickly flattening himself to the ground when he heard Harry's voice and a red Stunner rushed over his head. A few more followed it. He can't find me, so he's casting wildly in the hopes of hitting me. Bit desperate, Harry. He then scowled as he realized he couldn't see Harry in all this smoke either. Time to improvise.

"Homenum Revelio," he whispered.

A low swooping feeling came over him, turning his attention slightly off to the right. He cast Incarcerous and quickly followed it up with a Disarming Charm, taking Harry's cue of hiding a spell beneath another. He heard a grunt of surprise followed by a 'thump'. He waited for a few seconds, alert for any sign of movement. Satisfied that he had landed his spell, he cast Finite, dispersing the smoke he had conjured and allowing him to rise to his feet. He walked toward Harry - who was currently on the ground and bound by ropes – and stooped to pick up the boy's wand as he did so.

He walked over to stand beside Harry, who looked furious with himself. Leo could see why. He couldn't beat me. He's probably been training since I challenged him, trying to prove that he can stand on his own, that he doesn't need me to protect him. Leo frowned down at him. But I will. I'll always protect him...

"Do you yield?" Leo asked.

"... I yield," Harry grumbled reluctantly.

Leo released the spell binding him and helped him to his feet, handing him his wand. Harry scuffed the ground with his foot angrily.

"Guess this means you'll still be protecting me," he stated.

"Yeah..." Leo trailed off, realizing something. "But not because of some vow I made when we were babies or because I think you need it. I'm going to keep protecting you because we're brothers, Harry. I'm going to keep protecting and defending you because I care about you. I'm going to keep doing it because you'd do the same for me."

Harry stared at him, stunned. But Leo wasn't finished.

"You proved today that you were tough and resourceful. You dodged and defended almost all my spells and even managed to land a hit on me. You're strong enough to stand on your own, strong enough to protect yourself and others. Just... promise me you won't get mad if they or I protect you instead, all right?"

Harry nodded numbly.