DISCLAIMER! This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy. New Movie is coming in April! Hurrah! Yeah, for Fanfiction – a great place to stretch your imagination and enjoy someone else's creativity too! This is the sequel to The Potter Cartouche.
Chapter 33 Dragon's Blood Duel / Unpleasant EncountersAs May arrived with schoolwide plans for revising in preparation for their examinations, the students at Hogwarts attempted to tune out the noises from London and the Ministry for Magic. The Daily Prophet was seldom scoured for news as the professors made every effort to find interesting topics for their classes. Unknown to Headmaster Bennet, several pureblood families had begun correspondence with Headmaster Emeritus Dumbledore concerning the end of Magical Britain and how it would destroy Dumbledore's place in history.
Lady Marchbanks, who knew Dumbledore better than anyone else living, coached Huddleston, Flint, Anderson, Weasley, and Dodge on what to write to gain the wizard's cooperation. She also warned them that he apparently could not remember from one minute to the next what he'd planned to accomplish. From her archives, she pulled out a lecture Dumbledore presented back in 1935 on the twelve uses of dragon's blood. This presentation had been the first major success in the headmaster's career. Marchbanks duplicated the presentation and sent it to Dumbledore with a letter supposedly from her granddaughter, excited at the opportunity to hear his presentation of this important material…at Hogwarts…on Saturday, 15 May at 1:00 PM in the Great Hall.
Pureblood students and two members of the faculty were in the know about the plan. Septima Vector and Aurora Sinistra orchestrated the presentation of the open lecture by Headmaster Emeritus Dumbledore on his famous treatise concerning the twelve uses of dragon's blood.
CHANGE SCENE: It's a Trap!When the full list of invitees was provided to Headmaster Bennet, he shared it with Flitwick who immediately suspected a trap. He, Carter, and Bennet met with Harry Potter without Lady Longbottom. She had been called to Saint Mungo's for some emergency about her son and daughter-in-law at lunch and had not returned.
After about five minutes the floo flamed in Bennet's office and Augusta stepped through the flames. Once she was standing still, she staggered to a chair and buried her head in her hands. Antonia Bennet, the headmaster's wife and also a charms professor, approached the witch to hold her and whispered for an elf to provide a thimble of brandy.
Augusta looked up a few moments after the drink and noticed the people in Bennet's office for the first time.
"Saturday is a trap," she announced with a sad voice. "That hippogriff-snot-smelling witch Griselda Marchbanks arranged for me to be summoned to Saint Mungo's to watch my son and daughter-in-law die this afternoon. They were poisoned and died in agony while I was petrified and couldn't do anything."
The silence in the room was heavy. Antonia Bennet went to her husband for comfort, while Harry collapsed back in his chair worried instantly about how they could tell Neville about this new terror.
"Marchbanks bragged that Saturday is a trap for Harry. They know that Hogwarts won't let them start a battle inside the castle, but some Merlin-wannabe will challenge my charge to a wizard's duel. Bennet's wards keep control of the school and I want five elves…no seven elves protecting Headmaster Bennet from the imperious or out-and-out attacks."
"Harry." Lady Longbottom turned to the teenager, took a deep breath and said, "Harry, I want you to use every sparkle of magic in your core to stomp the life out of whatever pureblood wizard is stupid enough to challenge you on Saturday."
"Augusta?" queried Flitwick. "Are you sure about this?"
"I am absolutely certain. They aren't going to stop. They poisoned Frank and Alice at Saint Mungo's. The purebloods killed them, and I was told the same future awaits my grandson if I didn't help the purebloods here on Saturday."
Looking at Harry, Augusta repeated, "Kill the bastard who challenges you…"
Then she sat and cried, her tears falling from deep inside her soul.
"My boy…Alice…I swear I'll find and kill them myself," Augusta mourned. She rose and said, "Harry will you help me? I have to tell Neville."
"Of course," Harry replied. Dobby popped in with the map and told them that Neville was in the greenhouse. "Tell Neville to come to his grandmother's quarters, Dobby."
Flitwick didn't say anything, but he shadowed Harry and Lady Augusta out of the headmaster's office and along the hallways to her quarters.
CHANGE SCENE: Plotting by PurebloodsHeadmaster Emeritus Dumbledore explained to Headmaster Bennet the genius of pureblood rule during dinner that evening while Augusta Longbottom and her grandson mourned the murder of Frank and Alice Longbottom in Saint Mungo's.
When Amelia Bones questioned Head Auror Rufus Scrimgeour about the claim from Lady Longbottom, the wizard was embarrassed to have to report that the bodies had been cremated and the ashes already vanished.
"Rufus! How could they do that?" Amelia demanded. "Did you question the healers?"
"No one admitted to anything. Healer Holland didn't know what had occurred and I believe her, but she refused to allow my Aurors to question the rank and file of her staff."
"Augusta…" Amelia almost stated that she believed the purebloods behind this assassination had chosen the wrong opponent in Lady Longbottom. But she decided to remain silent.
Scrimgeour went to file his report that the Longbottom couple died of natural causes and Amelia closed her office.
Then she used a floo in the Atrium to return to her family home where she quickly closed the floo and blocked anyone attempting to enter her home. Her Patronus went to Angelina Abbot, and she received permission to apparate over to their home. Outside the wards of their home, she was checked by an elf and then admitted. After dinner, she read stories with her niece and the other children, before a long discussion with Samuel and Angelina after the kids were in bed.
"You don't trust me…do you?" Amelia realized, her hands remaining visible and making no move toward her wand.
"Not completely," replied Samuel. "You're in contact with the people trying to stop change. They're threatening Harry Potter."
"Amelia, he's the same age that Susan would have been. How can these people claim to be superior when they're attacking a child?" asked Angelina.
Amelia nodded with a growing understanding. "Protect the children but don't tell me your plans. I can't divulge what I don't know."
SLIGHT SCENE CHANGE
Hedwig flew to the Creeveys with a letter from Headmaster Bennet that cautioned against any visitors while Dobby carried letters to the Tonks house and to Bloodhook. Elves in the Abbot home and the Tonks home went into protective mode and added their power to the wards. Nymphadora Tonks came home after finishing the Auror Academy classes and was immediately sent to her visit her grandmother, Bertha Tonks, with orders from her father to remain there.
"But I'm eighteen and can do what I want!" the young witch declared.
Andromeda said, "Yes you are. And I did what I wanted when I was seventeen. I ran away and married your father. But my parents didn't love me; to them, I was a commodity on the marriage market."
"Dora, your father and I love you with all our hearts. Magical Britain is going to be a terrible place this summer. You aren't sworn in for duty and you don't have to obey those pureblood bastards, who are just as likely to rape you as they are to kill you. Go stay with your grandmother in Spain this summer. Please."
After sending a notice of withdrawal from the Auror service, Nymphadora left via muggle transportation and flew in an aeroplane to Madrid and then took the train to the coast where her grandmother lived. Bertha Tonks smothered her only grandchild with love, attention, and shopping trips to keep her occupied and safe for the entire summer.
SLIGHT SCENE CHANGE
There were two separate incidents over the next few days. One no one learned about but the second one caused major fallout in the ministry.
An off-duty Auror decided to pay a call on Nymphadora Tonks and persuade her to return to the ministry. He apparated to the Tonks home while no one was home and decided to break the wards and nose around inside. As he set to work, two elves grabbed him and popped him to two totally different directions. His right side went to a grinder in a fertilizer factory in Norfolk, and his left side, with his head, was dropped at the bottom of a landfill just before a tonne of garbage was dropped on top of him.
The second incident occurred outside the Abbott Warehouse. Four pureblood wizards from different families apparated onto the street in the wee hours of the night, intent on setting fire to the facility. They studied the simple wards (muggle repellent and Notice-Me-Not) not realizing they also included an alarm ward. When Rufus Scrimgeour apparated in with four on-duty Aurors to investigate, the purebloods blustered and dared the Aurors to arrest them. Scrimgeour fussed and sent the purebloods on their way not realizing that goblin guards who were prepared to defend the valuable basilisk ingredients, had seen and recorded the event.
King Ragnock bought a full-page ad in the Daily Prophet and in the Daily Profit for two days that included photos of the purebloods attempting to jigger the wards at Abbots Potions, the arrival of Rufus Scrimgeour and Aurors, and the simple dismissal of the potential thieves.
'Where's the law in Magical Britain?' screamed the headline in the advertisement.
SLIGHT SCENE CHANGE
Amelia Bones called Rufus Scrimgeour into her office and calmly discussed the incident for five minutes before the man stood and told her to 'get bent'. Minister Diggory told her to bury the incident and when she refused, Amelia Bones was fired as the Director of the DMLE.
The Minister for Magic summoned the Editor of the Daily Prophet to his office and ordered him to stop printing libellous material. The editor argued that the advertisement by King Ragnock was not his editorial and the minister should sue Gringotts or get the four clearly identifiable purebloods and Rufus Scrimgeour to sue King Ragnock.
"Besides, it's not libellous if it's true. They were trying to break in and steal the basilisk."
"No, they were going to burn the warehouse down," replied Diggory not realising what he said. But he blustered and continued, "Well, stop printing things the goblins send you!"
"I can't. They own ten percent of the shares in the paper and their advertising is over ten percent of our total revenues."
"Who are the other owners?"
The editor frowned and said, "The Black family owns forty percent, Longbottom owns fifteen percent now, and the Ogden family owns another thirty percent."
"Aren't they major advertisers?"
"Only during the holidays," the editor reported.
CHANGE SCENE: Lecture on SaturdayAlbus Dumbledore stared at the werewolf head dancing on a pole at the foot of his bed while a voice sang a nursery rhyme from his childhood 137 years earlier. Petrified by the gleam in the creature's eyes and the fangs, Albus could not move for many long minutes. Then, Alastor Moody's head appeared and drove the werewolf's head away.
Now the voice sang about Dragon's Blood!
'Why am I dreaming about dragon's blood?' Albus wondered for a moment before collapsing back against the pillows and shuddering for a long moment. When he looked around, his bedchamber was dark and quiet. There were no dancing heads on poles and no weird voices singing.
In the morning, he woke feeling rather tired still because of the nightmares and stiffly walked down the stairs to his desk. A note on his desk reminded him that he was to present his paper on the twelve uses of Dragon's Blood this morning to the students at Hogwarts.
'And some guests…yes, I invited some guests to attend,' he remembered. 'Merlin, I hope none of them is a werewolf.'
SLIGHT SCENE CHANGE
Neville sat on his bed that Saturday morning and didn't say much to anyone. The boys in the fourth-year dorm understood he mourned for his parents. Even Ron kept his mouth shut after Dean, Seamus and Harry pushed him up against the wall and promised to fill his bed with spiders if he said another thing to Neville about moving on.
When the other boys were gone to breakfast, Neville asked, "Harry, today…can I be your second?"
"My second?" asked Harry who grinned. "There's no one I'd trust more at my back, Neville. Bloodhook and Flitwick will be unhappy but it's my choice."
"Are you going to win?"
"Yeah, I think I will," Harry said, fingering the power magnification ring on his right hand that would cast spells from his wand. His left hand held the ring with stones, knives and the other shield. Right now, he only had the mind protection turned on, but the others were only a thought away.
SLIGHT SCENE CHANGE
At thirty minutes past noon, the Great Hall emptied of students for the fifteen minutes it took for the elves to clear the tables and rearrange the furniture. Headmaster Bennet sat at his seat behind the staff table and pulled in multiple wards that would prevent almost every spell from being cast inside the Great Hall for the next three hours. Hogwarts cooperated and expanded the wards to include the entry hall.
At ten minutes before the hour of one in the afternoon, the students interested in the lecture on the uses on Dragon's Blood filed into the Great Hall and took seats at the front and along the sides. Harry and Neville sat with the Gryffindors sat along the right side, near the wall. With Dobby and a few other elves on duty, no one would slip behind them. Dumbledore had appeared in the entry hall and was greeting visitors from outside the castle. Septima Vector and Aurora Sinistra pretended complete innocence and led their favourite students to sit opposite the Gryffindors on the left side of the Great Hall.
Finally, Dumbledore entered the hall and proceeded to the lectern in the centre of the room while the guests filed into their seats. Ron Weasley recognized a great uncle but said nothing to Harry. A letter from his mum said to support the purebloods but a second one from his dad said to keep his mouth shut and stay out of any trouble on Saturday.
Among the guests were Lord Matthew Ogden, the new Lord Ogden after his uncle fell ill and died in the last thirty days. The old Lord Ogden had been conservative but fair and honest. His great-nephew had not been a Death Eater, but the wizard always subscribed to the pureblood doctrine. His newly inherited vaults had been opened to help the Marchbanks family and pay for several other items – the bribe for Fenrir Greyback to attack Potter being one. Two wizards attempted to enter the castle under cloaks of invisibility, and they were knocked out by the wards and thrown into Black Lake by the house-elves.
The guests were welcomed by Headmaster Bennet who then introduced Dumbledore and his topic for the afternoon's presentation. Headmaster Emeritus Dumbledore was able to read his presentation without faltering and at the end of thirty-five minutes, he completed his remarks. Headmaster Bennet rose to ask for questions, and there were several from Ravenclaw students who weren't aware of the plot. Then Matthew Ogden rose and said, "Headmaster Bennet, I must say there's a terrible stench in the Great Hall today. Unlike anything I ever smelled when I was a student here.
"Sit down Ogden," Bennet ordered, but the pureblood sneered and continued.
"Yes, it's the smell of a half-blood bastard of a mudblood whore stinking up the space!"
Flitwick's wand, much like the wands of every other professor in the school was in his hand.
"And the stench comes from this mudblood bastard, Harry Potter!" Ogden said, pointing at Mycroft Harness, a pureblood in the fifth year in Hufflepuff. Harness was from a progressive family – his grandmother was muggle-born but the family didn't advertise the fact.
Staring at the finger of the older wizard pointing at him, the young wizard replied, "Sir, I suggest you purchase some spectacles. My name is Mycroft…Mycroft Harness. I'm not Harry Potter."
"You can't hide by saying you're not Harry Potter!" argued Matthew Ogden.
Pomona Sprout, a pureblood who found herself on the fence about the threat to pureblood rule found herself falling off the fence at that moment. She shouted, "Matthew Ogden, you are an idiot! That is not Harry Potter!"
"Well, where is he then?" argued Ogden. "I say he is the son of a whore and I challenge him to say different!"
Neville rose and shouted, "What do you want faithless dog? This is a school where you are a guest. But you stand up and call a student names, and then can't even find him in the assembly."
Lady Longbottom stood and declared, "My grandson has the right of it! Matthew Ogden, you are without honour to come into a school and make such spurious statements."
"How dare you question my honour?" the pureblood sputtered. No one was supposed to talk back!
Harry stood beside Neville and declared, "Matthew Ogden, you are an ass. You call my mother names without cause. What is your purpose to contaminate this school gathering?"
"So, you're the infamous Harry Potter?" Ogden sneered and attempted to intimidate the youngster with his pureblood face. "I demand you face me on the duelling piste this afternoon, boy."
Harry laughed and replied, "Truly, Ogden, is that stare the best you have? You don't compare to an angry goblin king, Vikings in the depths of Gringotts, angry lawyers, or the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets under this school. Are you sure you want to do this?"
Attempting to look understanding at the man's lack of good sense, Harry continued, "I'll understand if you wish to apologise and scuttle back to your pureblood hovel. There'll be no hard feelings, I promise."
Matthew Ogden was incandescent with rage for a schoolboy to be taunting him.
"I demand an honour duel! Now! I will kill you Potter and take all this new magic for my own! I shall be the king of Magical Britain after I have your secrets!"
Seated along the left wall, the Slytherins frowned at the trap Ogden had fallen into – he'd declared his ambition to be king. Something forbade in the treaty that granted Magical Britain the right to rule themselves under the monarch of the kingdom. Even the Dark Lord Tom Riddle never aspired to be king.
Ignoring the frowns on the faces of his allies, Ogden declared, "Potter, you can't hide behind a champion! You're a wizard who stood before the Wizengamot and testified before the court. You'll fight your own battles!"
"Clear out the chairs, and you can duel with the boy here in the Great Hall," declared Timothy Weasley. "Set up a few wards to protect the pretty girls come to watch the boy die and get on with it."
"Yes, here in the Great Hall of Hogwarts will be perfect!" declared Ogden.
CHANGE SCENE: Duelling CodeAt the end of his patience, Headmaster Bennet declared, "In Hogwarts, everyone obeys the ICW Duelling Code. Otherwise, the wards will show you what Hogwarts thinks of wizards without any manners or common sense."
The headmaster continued, "There'll be no duels inside the walls of Hogwarts. A proper duelling piste will be transfigured outside the door and that's where the meeting will occur!"
"Who will put up the piste?" asked Weasley.
"I will," declared Flitwick. "And any Sturrdel who questions my honour by questioning my wards and outlines will face me on the same piste after Heir Potter triumphs."
Snorting, Ogden said, "Be about it, half-man. I have better things to do this evening than listen to goblins whine and complain."
Grumbling, the purebloods walked outside while Flitwick began transfiguring the piste from the gravel on the drive. Finding the reporters and photographers from the Daily Prophet waiting (as planned), Matthew Ogden posed for photographs and spoke of how it was his duty as a pureblood to protect Magical Britain and destroy Harry Potter.
They paused when a contingent of goblins appeared. Ogden thought he recognized his vault manager among the goblins, but he wasn't certain. Goblins were creatures barely worth a pureblood's time.
Harry, Neville, and Augusta walked out of Hogwarts with Headmaster Bennet, his wife, and other members of the faculty. Harry recognized his vault manager immediately and went up to greet Bloodhook.
"Blood and gold flow in your favour, Freshgold! We heard about the duel and came to watch the entertainment," Bloodhook announced loudly. "This way King Ragnock can be assured that the Daily Prophet reports the events properly."
The reporter and photographer both inclined their heads toward the goblins despite the protests of the purebloods around Ogden.
Harry rolled his eyes while Bloodhook grinned at the reporter. Then the goblin muttered, "The Sturrdel deserves everything you do to him, Freshgold. Show no mercy, no hesitation."
In the next few moments, while Headmaster Bennet cursed the visitors, and Deputy Headmistress Longbottom muttered about a blood feud, Harry discussed his strategy with Flitwick while Bloodhook ensured that no one had charms active to eavesdrop.
Two visiting wizards attempted to read Harry Potter's mind but fell back with blinding headaches and gushing nose bleeds. When they asked for headache relief potions, Bennet growled, "They're for sales in Hogsmeade."
"Enough delays!" shouted Lord Ogden. "I'm anxious to visit Gringotts and complain to my vault manager about the insults delivered to me this day."
"Your vault manager is present," shouted Bloodhook.
"Ogden couldn't see me in the Great Hall until I stood up and introduced myself. I wonder if he'll be able to see me on the piste?" announced Harry.
Headmaster Bennet was worried about sabotage but looking around he could not find the professors who had provided information to the purebloods and the worst of the student purebloods. His wife went in search of the purebloods, and she came back to whisper that they were all asleep in their chairs in the Great Hall under the watch of Fawkes who kept humming a lullaby.
The duel could not be delayed. Matthew Ogden had arrived at Hogwarts in duelling robes made of dragonhide that was impervious to many spells and charms. However, Flitwick made note of the extensive use of Acromantula silk to decorate the robe.
'The dragonhide is worthless with that much spider silk,' Flitwick realized and made certain Harry knew to throw fire at his opponent at some point.
"Hold your shield for three minutes and then throw rocks and knives until he's on the ground, Harry," counselled Flitwick. "Keep him alive for three full minutes and no one can question the validity of the duel. If you kill him too quickly, it's just a fight, and the purebloods will argue that you shouldn't take his estate."
"Why do I want it to be a duel, again?" asked Harry.
Flitwick grinned, "Lord Ambrose Ogden died last month. The estate's been settled and this Phvyhgs named Matthew Ogden is his great-nephew and only heir. When you defeat this new lord – kill him – in the honour duel he demanded, you'll own his estate."
"So, I'd own all the fire whiskey?"
"Yes."
"That'll make King Ragnock unhappy."
"What? Why?" asked Flitwick.
"Ragnock will have to start bathing in fire whiskey so I can sell King Fire Whiskey," Harry replied. It took a moment for the professor to realize that his student was making a joke just moments before stepping onto the duelling piste to battle for his life. Flitwick frowned, stared, and tried to fuss, but the half-goblin finally surrendered to the bubble of laughter that rose in his throat.
Headmaster Bennet and Professor Carter were mystified and uneasy at the casualness with which the young wizard approached the deadly duel to come. Now, Flitwick appeared to be cracking under the pressure.
"Mr Potter, I don't mean to make light of your attack options, but your powerful shield may not work behind the duelling wards," Bennet warned the teenager.
"Thank you for your concern, headmaster," Harry nodded. "I'm prepared."
"Flitwick!" Clark demanded. "Get a grip man! Potter needs you as a counsellor."
The duelling piste was transfigured from the gravel on the drive that lay in front of Hogwarts. A powerful Hogwarts ward was engaged to clear the air of rain and clouds. Sunlight filtered through the ward to provide light as Professor Flitwick transfigured stands from the gravel. The Charms Professor also conjured a timer that would be in Harry's line of sight without turning his head. Professor Clark stood on one side of Harry to protect his student while Neville stood on the other side. (Dobby also guarded Freshgold but without anyone noticing).
The students who trooped outside to watch the duel included some seventh-, sixth-, fifth-, and fourth-year wizards and witches. There were several pureblood students who openly supported Lord Ogden and made disparaging remarks about Potter's heritage, and his dependence on his elf. Two seventh-year witches approached Ogden and blatantly inquired about his married state. The man was thirty years older than the witches, but he was very rich, and they expected him to be even richer after this duel.
Headmaster Bennet, recognized by all British wizards for his success on the duelling circuit in the Americas, ordered everyone to be seated or leave. He allowed Harry to approach the piste first with his second, Neville Longbottom, standing behind the wizard.
Then the new Lord Ogden swaggered to the piste with his second, Timothy Weasley. This older wizard was Arthur Weasley's uncle. Harry watched the second closely for a moment – Lord Weasley declared his family's place against Harry Potter.
"When I give the word, the duel will begin. No one may enter the piste; no magic may pass into the field," Bennet declared in a clear voice. "Anyone who throws a spell or object will find their magic thrown back into their face. The duel will continue until one of the participants signals surrender by throwing down their wand or by their death."
Silence fell over the area in front of Hogwarts just before Headmaster Emeritus Dumbledore hurried out the door, shouting, "Stop this nonsense! You can't duel with dragon's blood molecules in the air! They're explosive!"
Timothy Weasley lifted his wand and cast the spell to light a candle. Nothing happened and Dumbledore looked confused. Professor Babbling led the old wizard back inside, reminding him they had only spoken about dragon's blood today. No one had demonstrated any mixtures. Professor Bennet, the headmaster's wife stood at the door with her wand in her hand to ensure there were no further interruptions.
Bennet cast the final spell that raised the ward around the piste and declared, "Begin."
CHANGE SCENE: The DuelTo begin his attack, Lord Ogden blasted Harry Potter with a bludgeoning spell that flew through the air only to be absorbed by the ward around the piste. Potter had moved out of the line of fire.
"Stand still!" commanded Ogden.
Refusing to obey the pureblood, Harry avoided the first spell by falling and rolling across the ground, before rising to throw a tickling spell at his opponent with his wand and a gouging spell with his goblin knife. The gouging spell struck the ground in front of Ogden. The wizard swept aside the tickling spell but was hit by gravel that flew up from the ground to bruise his arms.
Aggravated, that the boy had hit him with stones, Lord Ogden cast expelliarmus to pull the knife away from the teenager. The wizard grinned for a second when the knife did fly toward him but then it stabbed into his left shoulder. His expelliarmus spell had simply speeded the knife flying toward him after Potter threw it. In the next seconds, Harry threw a spell chain of piercing hexes that prevented Lord Ogden from pulling out the knife while he concentrated on maintaining his shield. Potter's hexes hit the shield with the sound of a hammer banging on a metal sheet, jarring everyone's ears and teeth.
Bloodhook and the goblins began dancing and chanting, "Freshgold! Freshgold!"
When Harry stopped casting for a moment, Ogden pulled out the knife and dropped it at his feet. Then Ogden proceeded to throw a series of spells – bludgeoning, cutting, flame, piercing – using all his power.
And the spells just bounced off the shield in front of Harry. The shield shimmered and rang with the clear sound of a bell with each hit. Aiming to the side, Ogden attempted to bank a piercing spell off the wards to hit the teenager in the side. The wizard frowned to discover the protective shield reached around the boy when the spell ricocheted back against the ward and threw up more stones at Ogden's legs.
Now Harry cast three spells at the loose stones around Ogden – one rose to smash into Ogden's left shoulder where the knife wound bled. A second stone rose to hover in front of the pureblood's face before it darted first left and then right. This action was simply to capture the man's attention and keep him from noticing the Brazilian Strangling Vine that was transfigured from the third rock. The sticky vine grabbed Ogden's legs, wrapped around his torso, and forced him to use a flame spell to kill the vine. The fire destroyed the plant but also burned away the spider's silk thread holding the dragonhide in place. This destroyed the expensive outer robes the man wore so Ogden was forced to discard them and step forward out of the smouldering rags.
'That removes his dragon hide robes,' Harry noted with satisfaction.
Behind his shield, powered by his 10X magnifying ring on his right hand, Harry surveyed the damage he'd inflicted on his pureblood opponent. 'If I didn't have my shield, I'd be hurt for sure, but he'd be bleeding too.'
He glanced at the timer Professor Flitwick had put up on the castle wall – 1:59 seconds had passed. His face impassive, Harry thought of how to portray himself during the last minute of the duel. 'Scared muggle-born? Impassive pureblood smuck? Or bright and rising star?'
In the end, Harry decided to go with 'bored'.
While Lord Ogden stepped forward, checked his shield, and raised his wand to begin a new attack, Harry lowered his wand and raised his free hand to cover a yawn. He tilted his head at his opponent and asked, "Is that the best you can do? I mean, honestly, a second-year student could cast spells better than that."
Ogden yelled in fury to be insulted by a mudblood opponent on the piste and opened the next spell chain with a barrage of dark spells to boil the blood, reverse the intestines, shatter every bone in the body, gouge out the eyes, and rip out the tongue of his opponent. Using such openly dark spells should have disqualified the wizard from claiming victory if he won but the purebloods were determined to end Potter.
The power ring on Harry's hand kept his shield impossibly strong. Not understanding how the teenaged wizard kept up such a strong shield, several of the purebloods grew worried. And when they found the goblins watching them closely, they realized that any move after the duel would end in a bloodbath with the purebloods doing the bleeding.
In the last minute of the duel, Harry adopted a relaxed stance, twirled his wand around in his hand, and waved to the crowd while Lord Ogden threw spell after spell against the shield. After this barrage of spells, the wizard was tired and breathing hard. Worse, he had yet to land a single spell on the mudblood.
When he saw the timer at '3:12', Harry turned from posing for photographs and asked, "Lord Ogden, do you yield? I'll allow you to live if you surrender."
"No, fight me, you bloody mudblood bastard son of a mudblood whore. I'll never surrender. I'd rather die."
"I'm sorry to hear your choice," Harry replied as he flicked his wand to summon his goblin knife that had been dropped behind Ogden when he pulled out of his shoulder. The knife flew up from the ground and buried itself in Ogden's right kidney. With a scream, Ogden dropped to one knee, his right hand reaching back to try and pull out the blade.
Harry cast an overpowered bludgeoning spell that destroyed Ogden's shield and followed through with the cutting charm with the same 10X magnification.
The audience stood silent and forgot to breathe. Ogden's second, Timothy Weasley stood motionless. Then everyone gasped as Lord Ogden fell apart, bisected from just under his right shoulder across to his left midsection. His right arm fell off to the side and then his top fell backwards and the bottom half fell forwards.
Headmaster Bennet breathed with some relief – his student was safe. He left the wards up around the piste to prevent any pureblood from being wand happy in these moments of confusion. And Bennet planned a severe lecture for Mr Potter about grandstanding on the duelling piste. (He cared little for Harry Potter's plans to show purebloods he held nothing but disdain for them).
There was barely a trickle of blood from the three parts of Lord Ogden. His lungs were cut open and his rib cage splintered by the cutting spell. Flitwick watched the reaction of the students and the guests – the pureblood students were petrified with surprise that a mudblood beat a pureblood so easily. The other students kept their opinions to themselve – they had to share their dorms with the insufferable purebloods who would be looking for someone to blame for their fear tonight.
Flitwick decided, 'Extra patrols within the dormitory. I'll lock the purebloods in their dorm rooms tonight. And I'll prompt Pomona do the same in Hufflepuff. Slytherin will be a problem…and the Gryffindors too. Sturrdel-gryhiglzehwe purebloods corrupted their kids.'
A toneless voice reported 'Time: three minutes and thirty-eight seconds. Winner Harry James Potter, Heir Potter, Fresh Gold, Master of Runes. Magic awards all belongings, rights, vaults, patents, etc., belonging to Lord Matthew Ogden and his estate to Heir Potter effective immediately.'
Bloodhook and the goblin who managed the Ogden vaults ran for the gates to the school and apparated away, headed to Gringotts to put the declaration into motion. Before dark, Bloodhook would be master of all Ogden vaults with the other goblin as his assistance. And there'd be no payments for purebloods from any will anyone brought to the bank. One of the reporters from the Daily Prophet followed the goblins. He carried copy and film to begin a special evening edition. Rita Skeeter and the photographer remained on the scene – with Heir Potter involved, there could be more spells, more werewolves, or dragons before the day ended.
Author Notes on Power RingIn Chapter 9 in the Potter Cartouche, Harry makes his own rings of power. Dobby convinces his Mr Harry Potter that the ten rings are too powerful to exist (10X10X10X10X10X10X10X10X10X10 magnification is a little too much).
From Chapter 9: In his classroom that afternoon, Harry decided to move the pebble with Magnify Multiply Ten to a ring. He drew a paper cartouche added a gold nugget, a piece of marble and the pebble. When he touched the magic soaked muggle paper, he felt a twinge inside as it pulled on his core, and he found himself with ten rings, each one capable of magnifying the power of a spell ten times.
Dobby popped into the room and whined, "Dobby say Mr Harry Potter finally understand elf maths…ten times ten, but stupid wizard can destroy all of Britainnias Islands with ten times ten! All wizards be stupid!"
Harry stared at the ten rings and wondered if he used them would it shatter the whole of the British Isles like the elf declared. Without hesitation, Harry banished eight of the rings one at a time to ensure there was no black lash. When there were only two rings left, he debated keeping both of them.
The wizard rationalised, 'I might need a thousand times multiplied someday. And if I need more, I can make 'em again.'
The elf was satisfied that eight of the rings were gone and agreed to carry one ring on a chain around his neck.
Author Notes on Goblin Curses:There are several goblin curses used in this story. They do not have English translations because they deal with human mating practices as imagined by adolescent goblins who have only met a few wizards and generally never seen a witch in their lifetimes.
Sturrdel: (Mild obscenity dealing with a wizard confusing mating with breathing).
Sturrdel-gryhiglzehwe (Aggravated obscenity: A wizard confuses a boggart with a witch, attempts to mate, and asks a goblin for directions).
Phvyhgs-Sturrdel-gryhiglzehwe (Most obscene: A wizard confuses one or more boggarts, or trolls with one or more witches, and attempts to mate with some level of success).
Phvyhgs- (Humorous obscenity: Human males approaching a boggart and attempting to mate).
END OF CHAPTER