Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its related works. The rights to the books, movies, and everything else belong to J.K. Rowling and her many business affiliates. This is a fan made work of fiction that will never earn me a single penny. Now buy something official so you can support the woman who made this world possible for us to play in and explore.
Harry Potter And The Game of Death
Level 1
Chapter Thirty-One: Duelling Draco
Harry stood in the designated V.I.P. waiting area, staring in shock at the results his sneaky use of Observe on Draco had garnered. Just what had Lucius done to his son in order to finally make the boy a genuine threat? Because there was no way on Earth that Draco Malfoy of all people could have ever become so powerful just by following some training regimen his rich daddy had created for him.
To make matters worse Draco had not so much as reacted to Harry's foul language. Nor had the pale-faced ponce even once tried to taunt Harry as he had done on every occasion they had ever crossed paths. Instead, the boy stood as still and silent as a stone statue. It was an abnormal state which made the hairs on the back of Harry's neck rise in warning.
Harry put some distance between himself and the immobile Draco just in case the boy could still hear Harry speaking. Then he used the Game's Help feature to look up the two newest additions to Draco's status page. Harry had a feeling that they would shed some light on Draco's new self.
Cursed:
This person's mind or spirit has been temporarily affected by powerful Dark Magic. They may no longer be in control of their own actions.
Sacrificium Virginali:
A ritual of Dark Magic intended to benefit males, it is a surpassingly rare ritual due to its strict requires. It can only be done in one's youth and requires a young virgin girl of near or equal age to willingly sacrifice her future for the sake of the male. It must be performed by a witch steeped in Dark Magic.
One the ritual is completed the virginal sacrifice will suffer immediate consequences. Their health will deteriorate, their future growth in magic slowed, and their lifespan cut in half. They are also forever tied to the one they have given themselves to as a slave.
The male will gain immediate benefits. Their overall power will see an immediate rise, their future growth in magic will be increased and they will gain an increased lifespan.
Pansy Parkinson has sacrificed herself for Draco Malfoy, who receives a +20 boost in level, +25 to all physical attributes, and +100 to both mental attributes, and +200 to the charisma attribute. This trait can be removed or changed over time with great difficulty
Harry's face blanched at the description of Draco's newest trait. What Lucius and Draco had done to Pansy was wrong! Harry might not have liked Pansy overmuch, but no one deserved to have something like that happen to them. They had stolen Pansy's future as surely as Riddle's shade had hoped to steal Ginny's and reading about it made Harry's chest burn with anger.
He wasted no time in furiously using the Party feature to write a message to Remus and Sirius letting the two men know what Harry had just learned. But he only had a moment to look it over and make sure that the message made sense before a pretty witch with skin as dark as coal, the same one who had stuck Draco into the room earlier, stuck her head into the tent and smiled. "Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy, please follow me to the staging area. Mr. Bagman is just about to call out your names."
From his high vantage point Wormtail looked on as something strange occurred. One minute ago both of his old friends had stiffened at the same time. Both men had then made a similar hand motion before their eyes began to flicker to and fro, almost as though they were reading an invisible message. Then, in spite of being located in very distant parts of the tent, both men had locked eyes with one another at the same time and mouthed 'Plan D'.
Wormtail had never seen the like in all his years spent with the two. It was almost as though the two men had been communicating telepathically with one another. But unless at least one of them had secretly turned into a master Legilimens in the years since Wormtail's betrayal, which was unlikely given their mouthed statement, then such a feat should have been impossible.
Puzzled, Wormtail made note to bring it to his Master's attention later on. Perhaps the Dark Lord would know of some explanation Wormtail did not. Then the crowd below burst into cheers, forcing the Animagus to turn his attention back to the floating ring of dark grey stone where the duel would soon take place.
Wormtail shifted his weight around and focused on observing Potter as the boy walked up to stand beside Hot Air Bagman on the duelling ring. The Dark Lord was interested to see how the young boy had grown since their last encounter and felt that Lucius' little scheme could serve as an excellent test of the Potter's abilities. Wormtail just wished that he had been allowed to use another batch of the Polyjuice Potion so he could have observed from the crowd, but the Master's plan required that no more of the precious potion be used for the foreseeable future.
After a few shouted words and razzle dazzle action from Hot Air Bagman the man jumped onto a floating piece of Rock that hovered over the ring. He zoomed off with a flamboyantly yelled 'begin!' Images of the boy's were projected into the air as they saluted each other with their wands, while at the same time a hazy golden shield formed between the edges of the ring and the crowd beyond.
Then the duel started.
Harry rushed his opponent. If Draco had gotten a big power-up and was being controlled by someone else, then he wanted to end the duel as quickly as possible. Whomever was controlling the boy would know how to use Draco's power better than the boy himself and was likely to be an experienced duellist.
Harry raised his wand and fired off a quick spell. "Expelliarmus!"
"Melfusus Sagitta!"
"Petrificus Totalus!" Harry shouted out the body locking jinx as he dodged Malfoy's return shot. The acid green bolt flew past Harry's arm as he moved. But Harry's hopes for quick win were dashed when Malfoy blocked both of Harry's spells with a silent cast 'Protego'. Draco then cancelled the shield and shoved his wand forward, unleashing three more silent spells in the span of the time it took Harry to blink.
Not even having the time to curse at the unfairness of it all Harry cast a 'Protego' of his own to block. The three spells landed on Harry's shield with enough force to rattle his teeth and send him to his knees, but not one broke through.
Harry scrambled back to his feet and launched a barrage of his own. "Stupefy! Stupefy! Anteoculatia! Locomotor Mortis! Stupefy! Expelliarmus!"
Harry's barrage lanced at his opponent in an assault that would have taken out most seventh year Hogwart's students. But with skill far in excess of anything he had shown in the past, Draco countered every one of Harry's spells with the ease of a seasoned duellist. The possessed boy's wand flicked four of the spells aside, shielded against two and allowed the final one to fly harmlessly past his right shoulder.
Then a new barrage of spells flew at Harry which forced him to retreat for the second time in less than a minute. Harry felt his face flush as he did his level best to dodge and block the withering assault. Draco's power-up was really causing problems as the other boy's spells continued to hammer against Harry's shield like a battering ram hitting a castle's gate. It was almost as bad as facing off against Dora or one of the other adults when they were determined to pound Harry into submission with pure force.
Harry gritted his teeth as an especially hard jolt knocked his wand arm askew. He managed to twist it back in place just in time to barely catch the next spell on the edge of his shield. But the damage was already done and the possessed Draco took advantage of the opening to pin Harry down with so many spells that Harry was hardly able to move.
Sweat began to dampen his robes as the pounding continued without end. Magic streamed from his veins as Harry pumped everything he could into the shield. His mind raced to try and find a solution as he held on. Remaining on the defensive was not an option. And Harry refused to allow even a possessed and empowered version of Draco Malfoy to defeat him. So Harry took a deep breath and decided to make a gamble.
He dropped his shield. After which he twisted his body to barely avoid a purple-white spell that scorched the hair of both eyebrows as it whizzed past his face and pointed his wand directly at the floor between himself and his opponent. "Bombarda!"
The stone floor of the ring blew up in a spectacular explosion. Bits of rock went flying in every direction, forcing Malfoy to dodge the unanticipated hail. Harry did his best to further the chaos by casting a smoke spell on the area to obscure his opponent's sight while a constant series of Bombarda's spewed forth from his wand tokeep the rocks flying. Harry kept it up for a full minute, making it so that the air was filled with a cover of smoke and shrapnel.
Only when he was certain that Malfoy was sure to be hunkered down behind a shield did Harry use the smoke and falling debris to hide himself as he began to search for the other boy's position. The tip of Harry's wand glowed red as a stunning spell lingered on his lips, waiting to be unleashed at a moment's notice as he quietly stalked through the smoke. But as the seconds stretched with no sign of his opponent, the back of Harry's neck once again began to tingle in alarm.
A brief glimpse of movement from the corner of his eye was the only thing that saved him.
"Glacius!"
A red jet raced out of the smoke, blasting into the duelling ring's shield with enough force to cause a slight ripple. Several more jets of multicoloured light burst forth in quick succession as the two hidden combatants let loose with spell after spell. The tension within the jammed tent began to skyrocket as not a single spectator could tell what was happening.
Then the sound of a roaring wind filled the air, causing the concealing smoke to dissipate as though it were mist on a sunny day.
From his spot on the floating announcer's platform located next the ring's side, Ludo hopped from foot to foot in nervous excitement as Draco blow away Harry's smokescreen. The blonde-haired boy looked as cool as ice and had yet to break so much as a sweat. His wand held in an elegant grip, the boy stood still as he levelled a cool gaze at his prone opponent. Harry's half-frozen form lying flat on the duelling ring floor caused a ripple of astonishment to run through the assembled spectators. A chorus of shocked gasps rang out from the mainly British crowd.
Ludo felt his heart clutch in fear at the sight. A loss here would not bode well for the boy's upcoming Quidditch debut. And Ludo had far too much riding on that particular event, both professionally and otherwise, to afford a loss. So he sucked in a deep breath and did what little he could to assist the young boy on whom he had gambled so much.
"Wow! Ladies and gentlemen, today you are witnessing a duel for the ages! One doesn't normally encounter such a high level of magical skill and ability outside of the professional duelling circuit! While they were hidden within the smoke it seems that several more spells were exchanged between our young duellists. Draco Malfoy is currently observing the House Duelling etiquette of not attacking an opponent who is downed, but that rule only holds true for ten seconds. Unless Harry wishes to forfeit he'll need to get back on his feet soon. Oops! Silly me, I forgot to start the countdown. Ahem! 10… 9… 8… 7…"
Lucius' lips curled into a faint sneer as he watched the duel while surrounded by his fellow Purebloods. Thus far his plan was proceeding perfectly. Potter's body was already a mess, while the wary look in the boy's eyes spoke to the desperation of a cornered beast.
Little did the boy know that this was only the beginning. In order to further raise House Malfoy's prestige, Morgan was under strict orders to toy with Potter so that the crowd would feel as though the brat had a fighting chance.
Only when it looked as though Potter might be gaining the upper hand would Morgan finally stop holding back and truly cut loose. At which point not even Potter's absurd luck could save the boy from being utterly humiliated. For while House Duelling Rules might prohibit death, anything short of permanent physical injury was perfectly acceptable.
Lucius flicked his eyes over the side of the stage where the disgusting Werewolf the boy was so fond of had made an appearance. The freak was seemed to be arguing with one of the stadium's employees, his hands making sharp gestures while his mouth moved animatedly. But whatever the discussion was about seemed to end in failure as the half-breed soon stalked away in apparent disgust.
A quick glance and nod from the employee in Lucius' direction caused him to smile. Paying off several key Emporium employees had been a risky gamble on his part. Especially if Dumbledore or someone in the wrong Ministry department were to gain wind of it. But if the Werewolf had been trying to get the duel called off as Lucius suspected, then the risk had already paid off.
Lucius inclined his head in return and made note of the man's face in case future services were ever required. Then he went back to observing the duel in order to maintain his genteel public image. Lucius raised his hands to politely clap along with the rest of the crowd as Potter slowly rose to his feet, wand raised and pointed in 'Draco's' direction.
"4… 3… 2… and he's up! Just look at those flashing green eyes; that's the just sort of iron-willed gaze you would expect to see from Britain's youngest hero! Give the boy a round of cheers!"
Sirius had no time to admire his godson's steely eyed aplomb. Nor did he have time to worry about what the resounding explosions that soon followed might possibly mean for the boy. Having finally located Dora in the sea of humans gathered to watch Harry's duel, Sirius grabbed the girl's shoulder and swung her around to face him. Though he was forced to bat her raised wand out of his face before he could bring the girl up to speed on what Harry had messaged as quickly as possible.
The sullen and angry appearance that had been present all day vanished from her face while Sirius spoke. Replacing it was a look of cool-eyed professionalism that Sirius expected to see from the person chosen to be Mad Eye's final apprentice. Once he had finished speaking, Dora narrowed her eyes and tapped her wand against her full lips.
"So in short you're certain that someone's possessing Draco, right?" She asked curtly. "And that it's not the Imperius?"
"That's right. Harry was only able to get that much to us before the match started, but I'm certain that the boy's information is spot on." Sirius nodded begrudgingly. He might despise the Game of Death, but the damn thing had yet to feed Harry any bad information. "We tried to notify the officials about it, but Remus and I were basically told to sod off since none of the Emporium's detection spells have registered anything Dark or illegal happening. The of us have been sweeping the tent ourselves while looking for you ever since."
Dora snorted in apparent disdain. "I'm not surprised by that. Lucius probably paid the employee's off. And as for sweeping the tent… well, doing that sort of thing is like searching for a needle in a haystack." Her eyes flashed in thought as the girl pursed her lips. "But I can't really blame you since most Aurors would be reduced to the same sort of tactic when working under peacetime restrictions. At least now I know why you had me beg Mad Eye to lend me one of his little hunting trinkets for today."
Sirius' breath caught in his throat. Moody was famous for being tight-fisted with his belongings and Sirius had not expected anything to come of the request. Dora's words came as a bright ray of unanticipated hope. "He actually lent it to you? And you brought it here?"
"Sure did! 'Cause I'm just that awesome and he knows it. Take a look-see for yourself."
Dora reached into the pocket of her torn up jeans and removed a simple piece of silver and bronze. Cast in the shape of a bosun's whistle, the device was a one of a kind magical tool that was amongst her famous teacher's most prized possessions. Sirius thanked every divinity whose name or title he could remember that the girl had actually been able to persuade the old codger to part with it for the day.
After preening under Sirius' awed shock for a few seconds the pink-haired girl brought the whistle to her lips, whereupon she lightly blew on it. No sound emerged that Sirius could hear, but Dora nonetheless cocked her head to one side and listened intently. After a short time she began to point toward several locations.
"I'm getting three reactions. Two sound the same, which means that they are probably from the same source. One on the stage, which has to be coming from Draco, and another one coming from the far side of the tent." Dora then shifted her finger to the rafters. "I'm also getting a different reaction coming from up there, but it's odd. The reaction is almost… muted. Or muffled. And it disappeared nearly as soon as I heard it, as though something were shielding the source from the Whistle's detection."
Sirius nodded and used the Party feature to send a short message to Remus notifying the man of their location and telling him to join them. He noticed Dora's eyes follow his movements with some degree of confusion, but the intelligent girl did not say anything about Sirius' seemingly strange behaviour. Then he cast a sensory enhancement spell on his eyes and peered into the rafters to see if he could spot the person or trap Lucius had placed on high.
"Squeak!"
Wormtail gasped in horror as he felt a wave of hot magic wash over his tiny body. The feeling lasted for but a moment as the ring his master had given him soon released a freezing chill that wiped the warm feeling away. But the damage had already been done. He had been discovered. So Wormtail took off along the rafters in a desperate bid to escape whomever it was that had detected his presence.
"WOOOOOORRRMMMTAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIILLL!"
Harry flinched at the ungodly howl which tore its way loose from his godfather's throat. But he had no time to think about it as his opponent was currently advancing on his position. The tip of the possessed boy's wand lit up a blood-red colour as he viciously slashed the thin piece of wood through the air. A wave of crimson light flowed along the length of the cut, soaring towards Harry's position.
The spell had the look of something meant to rip or tear. So rather than try to dodge or shield Harry chose to respond in kind. "Diffindo Maxima!"
The two spells met in mid-air. A faint ripping noise reached his ears as the attacks vied for dominance, visibly pushing against the other. Seeing an opportunity to finally take the initiative, Harry kept the pressure on and launched 'Diffindo' after 'Diffindo' at Malfoy's attack.
Trickles of sweat began to flow down Harry's head and neck from the effort. Pumping as much magic into each spell as he possibly could without causing them to fail was a tricky ability that he had yet to master. A fact which was very much in evidence when two of the spells broke down mid-cast. Thankfully, the cost of failure for this particular spell was only a somewhat larger drain on his magic reserves and tiny paper cuts along the length of his wand-arm. Neither of which slowed Harry's ability to keep on forcing out spell after spell to put the pressure on his opponent.
Across the way the person controlling Malfoy did much the same, sending out slash after slash of red light. Soon the air was filled with dozens of spells whose only purpose was to cut or rend. The opposing spells visibly strove against one another, causing the faint ripping noise to turn into an ear-screeching buzz which filled the entire tent. Harry noticed at least half of the crowd cringing and covering their ears at the auditory assault.
Then the original pair of spells exploded without warning, causing a chain reaction which tore through the remaining spells like a series of gas canisters exposed to an open flame. Fragments slashed out in all directions, forcing both Harry and his opponent to take cover as rippling magical blades sliced down at them.
Dora watched as her cousin barrelled through the crowd in pursuit of a figure that only he could see. She had no idea what Sirius' shout had meant, but knowing that he was pursuing one of the three sources of active Dark Magic was good enough for her. It was something that she could ask him about once the operation was over, along with his strange movement's, after she had located Remus and relayed the information Moody's Whistle had uncovered.
Spotting Remus standing in shock not far away, Dora made her way over to the older man. Once by his side she filled him in on what she had told Sirius. A look of comprehension dawned on Remus' face at her words. After a few seconds of deep thought, during which Dora saw a broken cutting spell come close enough to Harry's head to slice off a thick lock of the boy's unruly hair, the older man turned and gestured for Dora to follow.
"Let Sirius handle that issue," Remus said while picking up his pace to a slow jog. "If it's coming from the person he thinks, then he should be enough to take care of it on his own. The other source you found is more likely to be the cause behind Draco's sudden rise in skill and should be our priority. I'd be willing to wager that it's heavily protected as well."
A feral grin came across her face as Dora matched Remus stride for stride. Ever since her fight against the French tart, Dora's seething emotions had been begging for a viable outlet. One that they had been unable to find and which had only been made worse by her recent argument with Hestia. The thought of which brought a brief pang of pain to Dora's heart before she shunted it to the side.
Sorting through her feelings over the unforeseen argument with her lover could wait until after she put an end to the Dark scheme currently targeting Harry.
"Heavily protected, you say?" Dora cheerfully chirped at the dour man as she rolled her shoulders. Kicking some Dark Wizard or Witch's arse would be the perfect way to let loose the simmering anger still pent up inside of her. "Interesting! While I've prepared for this moment for years it will still be my first time facing another magic user in actual combat."
Remus glanced at her sidelong without breaking pace. "Does that worry you?"
"Nope! Just wanted to let you know that I'm looking forward to popping my combat cherry with you, Remus. And to ask if you've ever done something like this before."
"Too many times to count during the war," came the short reply. The older man's eyes hardened into sharp points of grey-flecked brown as he spoke. "Just remember to keep your head down and to follow Moody's training. Dark Wizards will target your life from the first spell cast. If you don't fight back with everything you've got from the beginning, then chances are good that either you or someone around you will die."
A glib response passed through Dora's mind, but for once it was caught and stopped by her internal filter. Remus' reminder was appreciated but unnecessary. Moody's voice was already echoing through her brain, repeating every key bit of knowledge the lovable old codger had jammed into her skull over a year of training.
Still, it had been nice of the veteran to say that to a rookie like her and said a lot about Remus' character and deserved a return gesture on her part. Once they solved today's issue she would need to think on how to do so.
"Deprimo."
The softly whispered spell sent Harry diving. A smart move on his part as the forest green light blasted a hole clear through the ring right where he had been standing. Sparing a quick peek, Harry could see the dull brown of the Duelling Tent's ground clear through it. Then more spells were on the way, filling the air with in a glowing swarm of light.
Harry dropped himself into a kneeling position as he cast a shielding charm. The first spell which hit battered at Harry's shield, hitting it with enough force that the shield began to flicker. But before Harry could reinforce it a second spell hit. This one broke through the shield like a hot knife cutting through butter. Harry tried to twist his body out of its path and only partially succeeded. The spell grazed his forearm, leaving a putrid boil that oozed a noxious green liquid. The oozing wound began to ache like a broken bone and seared against his nerves like a hot poker.
Covering the wound with his tattered sleeve and biting back a yell at the agonizing pain, Harry stood up and looked towards his opponent. Ever since their prior stand-off with the cutting and slashing spells had failed so spectacularly, whomever was controlling Draco had changed tactics. They were focusing on using area of effect spells that cut down on Harry's ability to block or dodge before following up with shield-breakers, spells whose magical force were specially designed to break through shields. It was simple, brutal, and effective.
The struggle of avoiding a ring-out or worse was beginning to take its toll on Harry's body. Going to Quidditch practice in the morning had worn him out more than he had thought and several hours of rest had not been enough to get his body back into peak condition. Continuing to use the traditional tactics of dodging or blocking was not going to work and Harry was not yet skilled enough to try deflecting. He could only think of two options he could use to turn the situation around, both of which were long shots.
One of them, using his Inventory to take out some of the items gifted to him by Dora's teacher, Moody, was a last resort. It could only be done while under a smokescreen as there were too many cameras and other recording devices around for Harry to display the Game's most visible ability. The other option was something taught to him by Remus. A tactic that was highly effective against most Purebloods, but one which was difficult to pull off when duelling under House Rules. Yet given that the possessed Draco had already foiled one of Harry's other tactics involving a smokescreen, Harry chose to take a chance on what Remus had taught him.
Harry picked himself up from the ring's floor as Bagman began to count. Then he immediately charged at his opponent, forming a shield in front of his body while cocking his left arm back for a telegraphed strike.
"Oh no! Ladies and gentlemen, it appears that Harry has forgotten one of the main tenets of House Rules Duelling!" Ludo cried out in what sounded like genuine fear. "Unlike with Professional rules, at no time during the match may a duellist physically strike their opponent unless it is the result of a spell. Striking your opponent otherwise will result in an immediate forfeiture."
The possessed Draco calmly watched Harry approach, the tip of his wand glowing as it spat out spell after spell that lanced toward Harry's charging form. Harry's shield wavered under the assault, but managed to hold as he closed in on his foe. Harry also had to hold back a smile upon hearing Ludo's words. If he had managed to fool Ludo, then chances were that he had also fooled his opponent.
"Noooooo! Don't do it Harry! Don't end lose such a marvellous duel by technicality. If nothing else, then think of your adoring fans!"
Harry ignored Ludo's increasingly plaintive wails and pushed forward. Spell after spell from the possessed Draco landed on Harry's shield, weakening it until the shield was almost completely gone. But by that poiny it had served its purpose as Harry was well within striking distance.
Lowering his wand to point at the floor when he dropped the shield, Harry swung his clenched fist towards Malfoy's face. When he saw Malfoy's eyes move to track it Harry knew that he had succeeded.
"Deprimo!"
A gaping hole opened in the ring's floor. But because Harry was not able to focus on aiming the spell, the hole it created was set behind Draco's heels and not directly under his position. As a result Draco stumbled backwards rather than falling into the newly created pit. But that set up the second part of Harry's plan perfectly.
As his telegraphed punch missed and his leading foot caught on the hole's edge, Harry used it as an excuse to slam his shoulder into Draco's chest with enough force to send the stumbling boy flying. A look of stunned surprise at Harry's action, the first emotion that Harry had seen on the boy's face since before the duel had started, shone bright and clear on the Draco's face. Then Harry had no more time to think as both he and the possessed Draco were forced to concentrate on not falling though the open hole.
"Ooooh! Now that I didn't see coming, folks, and by golly am I glad that young Harry's shoulder check – as fine a Quidditch manoeuvrer as I've ever seen – falls within the boundaries of House Rules thanks to that clever bit of spellwork. Bravo lad, bravo!"
"Halt! By order of a Ministry Auror –"
"DOWN!"
Remus shoved Dora's head down and returned fire as a pair of silver coloured spells shot through the air. The deadly projectiles passed through the space Dora had previously occupied while Remus' own spell was deflected into a heavy wooden dresser. Remus flicked his eyes around their environment and analysed the situation.
He and Dora had used Mad Eye's Whistle to track down the source of Dark Magic. It had been coming out of a seemingly innocuous tent located in the Cup's camping grounds. A quick series of detection and nullification spells had found and disarmed several traps cast on the tent's entrance, after which they had both darted inside while Dora belted out her obligatory warning.
On the floor in front of them lay a man and a woman. The glazed look in their eyes indicated that they had been placed under some sort of incapacitating spell. Meanwhile, two large figures dressed in obscuring robes loomed behind them. A third was sitting, wand pressed against a glowing red orb that floated in the air before them. All three figures had their faces covered with the same childish masks Remus recalled Harry mentioning to him.
Remus threw himself at the one who had attacked them, his wand spitting flashes of light as he sought to put what could only be a former Death Eater on the defensive. "Take the other one and look for a chance to disrupt the one on the ground. Now!"
The Death Eater deflected each of Remus' spells with the ease of a practised magical combatant. Not too surprising since all Death Eaters prided themselves on their duelling skills. But their focus on magical tactics to the exclusion of most others was a blind spot. One that Remus' opening series of attacks had been intended to exploit. He kept up the barrage while moving closer to the man, his lips stretched in a snarl as he closed the trap on his opponent.
The big bodied man gave a grunt of surprise when Remus' body slammed into his own, the depth of his voice giving his sex away. He threw a clumsy punch that Remus blocked with a raised arm, then gave another pained grunt as Remus' knee connected with his crotch. The sound of wood shattering and pottery breaking rang out to the side as Dora engaged her own opponent in pitched combat.
As Remus darted forward to press his assault the Death Eater made a slashing motion with his wand. A short blade of purple fire formed at the end of it which the man stabbed towards Remus' stomach. Remus dodged the stab and several follow-up swipes. Then the man overextended on a second stab and Remus was able to close the gap between them. He clocked the man across the bottom of his jaw with a right hook strong enough to spin him round and nearly drop him. Were it not for what must have been a sticking Charm of some sort the blow would surely have knocked the man's mask off and exposed his identity.
Remus gave a wolfish grin and closed in on the man. The Death Eater had made a fatal mistake when he had fed into Remus' actions instead of trying to break away. Thanks to his Werewolf heritage and long years spent with the dregs of society, close quarters combat heavily favoured Remus far more than it did some prissy pureblood fop.
The next round of their battle was not pretty as Remus laid into the man with his fists. But just as he had knocked the air out of his opponent's lungs and reached out to rip off the concealing mask, the sound of Dora's voice raised in excitement filled the tent. After which came the sound of a body hitting carpeted flooring while another man's voice began to swear in fear.
Then the world went quiet and Remus' instincts blared in alarm. He had an instant to brace himself before a powerful suction pulled on his body, followed by an immense wave of heat which washed across his back.
The next thing Remus knew his body was flying through the air while a sharp burst of pain rang through his skull.
Sirius bounded through the camp, revelling in the sheer speed his canine form brought. The shocked gasps and curses of witches and wizards filled the air as Sirius's dark form pushed through their crowded ranks. He had switched to his Animagus shape the second he had left the Duelling tent, giving a moment's thanks to Dumbledore for persuading him to register his transformation with the Ministry and convincing Amelia not to press charges over the rather belated registration.
Far ahead of him was the small form of a rat. The rodent's head start, coupled with its small size as it wormed its way nooks and crannies, had caused Sirius to lose sight of it. But thanks to his canine form Sirius could track his foe by scent alone.
The chase between lasted until they reached the edge of the nearby forest. With Sirius closing in on him and nowhere left to run, Wormtail's small form shimmered and stretched as the Betrayer switched to his human form. Sirius chose to do the same, his thick fur coat receding into his skin while his paws turned back into hands and feet.
With a speed and power fuelled by anger, Sirius whipped his wand out and pointed it at the Betrayer. The word to one of Severus' old school spells came to his lips. "Sectumsempra!"
Wormtail's wand flicked out, barely managing to deflect the Dark curse into a nearby tree. The mighty oak, taller than five grown men stacked on top of one another and nearly as wide, gave a sharp crack as the spell bit deep into its strong wood. Pieces of torn bark sprayed into the air as the spell lashed against its rough surface.
Ever the coward, Wormtail ducked behind the tree and called out to Sirius. "M-m-my old friend, please, d-d-don't hurt me! Remember all of the g-g-good times we once shared together!"
Sirius growled and unleashed a silent 'Bombarda Maxima'. The damaged tree burst apart in a hail of splinters as the powerful explosion tore the trunk to shreds, forcing the pathetic Dark Wizard to yelp in pain and terror as he ran for new cover.
"How dare you still draw breath while Lily and James lie dead! You were meant to protect them, not destroy them!" Sirius roared at his former friend. Spell after silent spell came forth from Sirius' wand as he sought to take the pathetic man's life. "You have no right to beg for mercy! Not when you refused to grant it to those who trusted you with their lives."
"Nooooo! Please, spare me Sirius! I beg of you; it wasn't my fault! The Dark Lord made me do it. All of it!" Wormtail howled as he ducked and dodged while trees exploded all around him. "I swear that it's the truth!"
"Will your pathetic snivelling bring them back to life?" Sirius coldly bit out as he continued to advance. "Will it return the decade I spent in Azkaban paying for your crimes and my own stupidity? No! Now end this farce so I can cut off your head and feed it to the Thestrals!"
"B-b-but I'm a spy! A spy that Dumbledore planted into the Dark Lord's midst! I've been working for him all of these years, Sirius, I was just too afraid to tell anyone. You must believe me!"
Sirius chose to answer his former friend's disgustingly false plea with action rather than words. He chased Wormtail through the forest, the balding man barely managing to stay one step ahead of Sirius' pursuit. Spellfire flickered back and forth between them as Wormtail finally gave up on convincing Sirius of his innocence.
Then a cutting spell that Wormtail failed to deflect or dodge cut a long gash across Wormtail's brow. As the portly man staggered from the blow, blinded by his own blood dripping into his eyes, another spell set the entire right side of his robe on fire. After which a bone-breaker hex turned Wormtail's right ankle into a pulp of mangled flesh and dropped the Betrayer to the forest floor like a sack of wet flour.
His chest heaving in rage and exertion, Sirius stood over the quivering form of the man who had caused the death of James and Lily. The man who had nearly ruined Sirius' entire life and caused so much harm to Harry as well. For Wormtail's crimes there was only one sentence which could be given. One that Sirius refused to let the man escape for any longer.
A venomous green light formed on the tip of Sirius' wand as he pointed it at the man's quivering chest. Pausing to savour the moment, Sirius gave a quick prayer to his departed friends and prepared to blast the Betrayer into oblivion. "Goodbye, Wormtail."
Then the hair on the back of his neck prickled in warning. Sirius dodged to his left and whipped his body around as an orange whip of fiery magic lashed through the spot where he had just stood. Sirius raised his wand to respond in kind.
Only to halt in shock when he recognized the person standing before him. "You're-"
Harry gasped as he shook off the latest spell the possessed Draco had cast. He stumbled backward, wand raised while the other hand massaged his throat. Fresh air raced into his oxygen starved lungs as he desperately gasped for air.
The spectators burst into applause while Ludo yelled in excitement. "I don't believe it! Draco had Harry on the ropes, but our young hero managed to break his opponent's spell with a silent counter-charm, the first silent spell he's used thus far. And look! He even managed to cast a Confundus on his opponent too. What a turnaround!"
It seemed as though whatever curse had been placed on Draco had ended. The boy was standing as though dazed, his wide eyes and open mouth clearly showing that he was not the same person whom Harry had been fighting against the entire duel. If he were to guess, then Harry would have to assume that either Sirius or Remus had been successful in eliminating Malfoy's advantage.
Harry would not allow this opportunity to go to waste. "Stupefy! Expelliarmus! Stupefy!"
The trio of spells slammed into Malfoy's unsuspecting body with all the grace of a bull hitting a cardboard box. Draco flew a dozen yards in the air before crashing back to Earth, his robed form tumbling until it reached the very edge of the ring. After which his body lay silent and still.
Harry plucked Malfoy's wand from the air as the disarming spell brought it to him before slowly advancing on his opponent's position. With a quiet whisper Harry cast Observe on Draco's prone form.
Draco Malfoy (Stunned)
Age: 14
Heir Apparent to the Malfoy Family
Level 44
Stats:
STR: 50
DEX: 68
CON: 62
INT: 130
WIS: 105
CHA: 265
Traits:
Envious One
Gullible
Gossipmonger
Dedicated
Pureblood
Fair Whether Friend
School Quidditch Player
Pureblood Supremacist
Sacrificium Virginali
Dark Arts Initiate
Blue Blood
Spoiled
Vain
The 'Cursed' affliction next to Draco's name had been replaced by 'Stunned.' Which, if what Harry recalled from those D&D books he had read over the summer was true, meant that Draco was literally down for the count until someone revived him. While whatever had been allowing the moronic ponce to smack Harry around the duelling ring for much of their fight really had come to an end.
Harry gave a sigh of relief as he heard Ludo's voice jubilantly count out numbers and declare Harry to be the winner. The sandy-haired man jumped down from his floating platform and hoisted Harry's wand arm high, causing the crowd of spectators to burst into cheers. Meanwhile the Game of Death gave Harry a notification stating the completion of the quest as 'excellent'. Harry just let it all wash over him as he looked around, trying to spot a familiar face. Sirius and the rest had been successful and Harry felt as though he might owe them his life from the way things had been going.
But no matter how long he looked Harry did not spot them. Not even Dora's pink hair or Hestia's cheerful face. It was only twenty minutes later once Harry had managed to pry himself loose from Ludo's fevered grasp and shake himself free from the celebrating crowd that the reason became clear.
A soft 'ding' heralding the arrival of a Party Member's message rang through Harry's head.
A/N: I put in a few oblique hints to some of Moody's hunting methods back in Chapter Eleven (and a few others) when Wormtail was escaping. Suffice to say that though the whistle is one of them it is far from being the only trick in the man's possession. Moody is going to have more tricks and tools up his sleeves in this AU than the Mad Hatter had teacups.
Also, belated though the announcement may be, this will be my last chapter for several months. Life is going well for me, but in order to keep it going well I will need to put my proverbial nose to the grindstone and focus on things other than writing for a time. Keep a weather eye on my profile for updates.
I hope that ya'll enjoyed it. Tune in next episode to see the conclusion of this terrible cliffhanger!
Until Next Time,
~Elsil
