Sirius sat on the bed of his Hogwarts room and watched his Godson sleep. Harry was curled on the couch, looking every bit of his fourteen years old. Harry slept soundly as a male child who was exhausted should, with as much surface area taken up as possible. It was a shift of the other occupant of the room that took Sirius' attention from the young man.
Remus shifted in the chair that was situated beside the couch. With Harry sleeping, there was few options to sit, with this chair being possibly the worse. If he could only find the lump that was digging into his left buttock, he would be set-
"Moony, lets go for a walk." Sirius whispered just loud enough for a man with his… abilities to be able to hear. Remus looked over as he slowly rose, mainly to keep the creaky springs of the chair silent, to see Sirius walk silently towards the door, wand comfortably along his side. Remus watched the man's body language, as it would warn him much before anything else if Sirius was angry.
Sirius stood in the doorway, outlined by the light of the area and waved Remus to hurry. He smiled softly at his godson as his friend slipped by him into the hall. His last image before shutting the door was Harry shifting over in his sleep.
The two Marauders walked through the halls of their alma mater, remembering the times when two others joined them in chaos making. Finally, they came to an unmarked door on the fifth floor, two floors below Gryffindor Tower. With a tap of his wand, Sirius unlocked the door that dozens had attempted to open for over a decade. Both men slipped into the room and shut the door as the lamps lit by themselves.
Four massive chairs sat in a circle around a table. Along the west wall was a large fireplace, with a mantel of moving photographs. The east wall held a giant chalk board, with dozens of diagrams, notes and along the top left corner, a scoreboard. The wall the held the doorway was covered in shelves, some of which held books, some random items like dusty jars, small toys, Dark Detectors such as a sneakoscope and a small Foe Glass were nestled together. Along the back was a nook where on the far end was a bunk bed that had two hammocks tied to the corners and attached to hooks on the walls.
The two men settled into the soft chairs around the table. Sirius raised an eyebrow when there was no dust that puffed up.
"Last year I popped in, gave a quick cleaning and warded the door to know if you were using this room." Remus explained softly.
Sirius flinched slightly at the reminder of last year. While it all worked out, his crazed attempts of killing Wormtail was not how he envisioned Harry meeting him. He sighed slightly and looked at his oldest living friend. "What made you come back?"
"I'm the Gryffindor head of house, and the history of magic professor now. In order to live in the castle, you must be either invited by the Headmaster, or be employed here." Remus spoke firmly, ignoring the tightening of Sirius' jaw.
"Remus. Answer the real question. Why did you come back to Harry?" Sirius growled.
Remus slumped slightly, his upright posture softening into a slouch. "I nearly killed him Sirius."
"You didn't so stop beating yourself up about it."
"What's there to stop me from succeeding next time Sirius? I am a mon-" Sirius cut him off with a swift silencing spell.
"Listen here Moony. It is time for a choice. I don't really care if you want to think you are a monster. We both know that isn't true. What I do care a lot about is that you are waltzing into his life. If you think for a moment that you can walk in, pretend to care, and then walk out as soon as it's difficult, then don't bother." Sirius stood up midway through his rant and advanced slowly towards Remus. "I love you like a brother Moony. So please, do not make me have to protect my godson from you."
Remus sat in the chair and stared at the empty fireplace. It was several minutes of a tense silence before he spoke. "This room brought so many memories when I saw it first. Do you remember when James brought Lily here for the first time?"
"You and Peter were playing some chess right here," Sirius pointed towards the chairs,"and I was napping after a detention that I received from Kettleburn for planting a niffler in the kitchen storage area."
"James came in and pulled in Lily, laughing together. We all just froze when we saw each other." Remus smiled softly, his eyes seeing it now. Sirius snoring softly in the nook, Peter losing in chess and Lily and James talking quietly in the transfigured arm chair.
"It was the first of many nights that we spent together… as family. And for those nights, my wolf was happy." Remus admitted softly.
Sirius nodded. Remus occasionally spoke about his wolf side as if it was a cognizant being, capable of understanding and making decisions. After running with a werewolf for over a decade, Sirius knew a fair bit about them. They were not stupid creatures, even when transformed and filled with bloodlust. They felt a sense of pack, much like normal wolves, and refused to harm those they believe to be their pack, at least permanently. A werewolf playing could still be dangerous, however. It was how Padfoot, a very large dog, was able to survive against a werewolf more than twice his size.
"I want to say yes, I'll stay Sirius. I want to say yes so badly that it hurts. But if you and Harry leave me, I won't survive it." Remus stated. He remembered faintly when he heard that his family was scattered. It was the first and only time he let himself go into the wolf, let himself mourn as his inner beast demanded. It was an experience that nearly killed him.
Sirius pulled the shabby dressed man up out of the chair and into a hug. "Harry asks about you. Asks when you will come see us. I said that he would come when he could. Please don't make me a liar Moony."
"I'm staying Padfoot." Remus smiled as he hugged Sirius back.
"Let's go tell the son of Prongs then."
Fleur sat shivering on the stone floor of a room on the second landing of the castle. This room was lit only by candles and was covered in papers and various runic symbols. On her back was painted a runic diagram by Professor Flamel, who's hand was placed firmly in the middle of said diagram. She sat as still as possible as the ancient woman started to chant. Words flowed around her, settling on her shoulders like the weight of worlds. Yet she couldn't move; the ritual of binding forcing her to bear the weight of the seal. Slowly, the seal locked away a portion of her magic. Normally used only on newborns or infants, sealing an adult's magic was a temporary act. When the weight finally lifted and Flamel stepped away, Fleur stood.
"I think it worked Madam." Fleur spoke as she flexed her fingers. Her whole body tingled slightly as the flesh reacted with the magic in the air.
"This is a valued tool Fleur. You only have two months to bridge a gap. The third task is always a competition-based event where the champions face the task and each other." Perenelle spoke softly, explaining again why they preformed the ritual. When she was asked by the French champion for a way to equate herself with the other two champions both of whom boasted more power than she, this risky move was decided upon. By sealing her magic conductivity, control would be heavily influenced and the force behind spells would increase upon breaking the seal. It was a risk, as the seal could only be broken by tapping into one's own conductivity, increasing it while casting.
"I know Madam. As it is, I can only duel comfortably with Krum. With this, I am weaker for now but when it is released." Fleur smiled, as she pulled her wand from its holster after getting dressed.
Perenelle frowned. "Remember child, this is a risk as well. Our bodies are natural conduits of magic. To have portions of it sealed away will be like working with a hose that is slightly bent. Controlled magic such as transfiguration will be more difficult."
"We have two months to break the binding. I should practice." Fleur left the room and went in search of Aimee. When she found her fellow French woman in the Great Hall, she was gestured to join her for lunch.
"I am not helping until we both eat a nice meal Fleur. You skipped breakfast." The two girls spoke in rapid French to keep others from understanding the conversation. Most others anyway.
"You shouldn't skip meals." Cedric's voice whispered in Fleur's ear as she was wrapped in a hug from behind.
"You know I can't take any breaks if I want to win…" Fleur leaned back against the Hufflepuff.
"Winning shouldn't be your concern. Survival should be. You can die in this Fleur." Cedric placed a soft kiss on her cheek before separating himself from the Veela. Fleur twisted in her seat glaring at Cedric.
He stood with his hands in his pockets unaffected by the glare sent his way by the French champion. "If you think I am not taking this seriously, then you are very mistaken. In case it wasn't apparent, your mentee is what nearly killed me last Task, not the Task itself." Fleur hissed, her French dipping towards acidic.
Cedric raised an eyebrow, his eyes veiled. "You know, I thought you were more mature."
"Excuse me?" Aimee entered the conversation with a gasp.
"You go on about how you want to win, which is fine. But you blame Harry for losing control. You lost that task because you couldn't control your magic enough to not have to be saved by Viktor." Cedric pointed out.
"How dare you! If it wasn't for Harry Potter, I wouldn't have transformed!" Fleur bit out, looking away from Cedric.
"If you really believe that, you wouldn't be trying to 'bridge the gap'. It is okay to not be perfect Fleur, and you know that skipping meals, and burying yourself in training is not the way to win. Let alone survive." Cedric pointed out as he cupped the French witch's cheeks to make her look at him. "You are more important than a cup, glory and money." The sincerity in his voice got her attention more than his words did.
Fleur smiled softly and nodded in acceptance.
Viktor smiled as he stretched his abdominal region deep in the bowels of the Durmstrang ship. With a sigh of contentment, he slipped on a shirt and prepared to go eat lunch. After it would be studying. He was excused from exams, but he still had to use his time wisely. It wasn't every day he could study in the Library of Hogwarts. Fredrick mentioned the amazing selection of books. Viktor walked back towards his quarters, smiling as he saw his beloved writing at the desk.
"How is the letter going?" Viktor asked after placing a kiss on his forehead.
"Its difficult as ever to write to Mother. You know how she is." Fredrick frowned as he reread the letter for the hundredth time. Viktor nodded sympathetically. While his parents were finally approving of his choice in partner after the first two Tasks, Fredrick's mother was still radical in her aggression towards the relationship of the pair. While Fredrick's father was of the opinion that he didn't care, so long as it didn't affect the broom company, his mother was of the opinion that if Fredrick did not continue the line, he was not worthy of the fortune that his father was rapidly amassing.
"I still do not understand why we don't tell her we plan on adopting after marriage." Viktor sat on their bed and slowly slipped on socks. Fredrick stiffened slightly before replying. "Because, I want to marry first and it shouldn't be about grandchildren that don't exist yet. You make me happy, so that should be enough for her."
"I agree beloved. But, if it saves you grief, is it not worth it?" Viktor stood after placing on shoes. "Come, we must eat, and you promised to show me the library."
Harry flicked his wand up, the flames around him responding eagerly. Swiftly they formed a fireball that with a screech soar toward the dueling dummy. With a whoosh, the dummy vanished in the flames.
"Wonderful Harry. You have mastered flame control, and I think it's time to move on." Sirius smiled at his Godson. Harry nodded slightly as he dosed the flames with water charms.
"Now, water is different than fire. Fire will obey if it means it can survive. Water… water always lives, and so it is the most stubborn element to manipulate." Sirius explained softly as he gracefully moved his wand through the air. As the tip of the wood moved, it slowly gathered moisture until an oblong bubble of clear water condensed. "Even this is difficult without an affinity towards the element. Lily was notorious for utilizing water in her offense. She even found a slight defense against the Killing Curse using water." Harry's eyes widened.
"She found a way to block-"
"No, she found a slight defense." Sirius sighed as he flicked the water down to the ground, where it harmlessly splashed. "I'm not sure of how it worked, but it involved water. It was merely an example of how powerful manipulation of water can be."
Harry nodded. He understood exactly how powerful the elements were. He only survived the second task by using Fire manipulation. He also remembered when he first saw manipulation of elements, deep in the Chamber of Secrets. He remembered being impressed by the fire writing of Tom Riddle.
"Harry, if you want to learn Water manipulation, I may not be the best person to teach you. I can do it, but it will never be offensive. As you saw, it took too long." Sirius admitted when Harry asked when he can start learning. "If I had to guess, I would say Snape would likely be the best. He seems to be aligned with water."
"I see. Well what's next then? If we were to skip Water?" Harry fingered his wand as Sirius took a thoughtful pose.
"Well there are the other elements, though the only one that I think you need any real help with is earth, which isn't as useful now a days with transfiguration being as prevalent. You have a decent spell reservoir, and you can duel well. The knowledge is there as well. Honestly, I think we should work on defensive measures after our elemental manipulation."
"I concur with Sirius." Minerva made her presence in the corner known as she grades the essays of the sixth years. "You have solid measures of offense, with techniques of great power. You are sorely lacking in defensive measures that do not include transfiguration which is power heavy, time intensive and can be hazardous in an open combat situation."
Harry frowned. He knew that offensively he was fine, but what could he add for defense? He voiced the question to the two people in the room.
"Hex deflection, shield charms, curse collision, movement, and counter combat." Sirius listed the options off with his fingers. "Minerva, what do you recommend?"
"Shields are important, Hex deflection, curse collision and movement are all relatively easy for him to learn quickly. I would focus on shield and counter combat." McGonagall spoke without looking up as she circled something in an essay.
"You heard her Sirius, lets learn some shields!" Harry smiled and readied himself.
"Alright. The first one is of course Protego. You know that one. Show it to me."
Harry flicked his wand up, creating a shield in front of him just as a blast of red slammed into it.
"That is great! Let's try this one. Scuja." A tap to the wrist of Sirius' nonwand arm made a shining kite shaped shield appear. "While protego is a great general purpose shield, when it comes to directional control, and physical objects, this is better. It does deal with spells, but its smaller so its not as easy to use. Hit me with something kid."
Harry unleashed three spells, a Stupefy, Expelliarmus, and another Stupefy towards his godfather, all silently. Ever since the second task, Sirius had required silent casting, and would unleash pranks of hell if he heard or suspected otherwise. With swift movements of his shield, Sirius deflected each attack to the sides. With another tap, the shield disappeared.
"As you can see, useful if you are in a narrow space, and need to send fire down while protecting yourself. Last one is one Spekula. This one isn't really a shield per say, and more of a counter. You see when preformed," Sirius waves his wand in a circle with a final upward flick as he says the incantation. As he finished, a circle of haze hovered in front of him. "If you fire at something that is within this circle, it counters with a reflection. Send a Stupefy." Harry obeyed and watched in awe as a stupefy blasted from the hazy circle to collide with the spell he sent, creating a blast of red sparks.
"If we are honest however, that shield is not appropriate for combat. It is a prank item Sirius." Minerva spoke up as she finished grading. "Anyone who sees the haze knows what it is, it is not mobile or omnidirectional, nor is it effective at stopping physical attacks. The Mirror shield is a laughable spell that was once taught at third year, but was phased out as defense focused on more realistic defenses." Minerva explained as she joined the two.
"She is right. Outside of school, I hardly ever used it." Sirius admitted sheepishly. Harry just scowled before grumbling about stupid godfathers.
Ron yawned as he sat in Transfiguration. He was not ashamed to admit that he was bored out of his mind. He glanced to his left, watching as Hermione took notes on the revision that Professor McGonagall was teaching. The sunlight from the window to her side illuminated a look of concentration on her face. There was a slight smudge of ink on her cheek from her furious writing. He kept looking, as McGonagall's voice faded from his consciousness. It was with a jolt, that he realized what he was thinking, grabbed a piece of parchment and swiftly wrote.
Hermione was in the groove. Every word from her Professor was going on the paper, each concept connected without delay to the appropriate column for effective study later, and diagrams swiftly copied from the blackboard nearly as quickly as they appeared. Her quill was sharp, and her ink was running smoothly on the page. All of her contentment disappeared however when a torn piece of parchment was slipped carefully onto her notes. It was only due to the lack of harm to her notes that she didn't hex him immediately. She paused her notetaking to quickly read the short missive.
Hermione, I know this is likely not the time being its class and all, but I wanted you to know that you are bloody beautiful right now. We'll talk after class.- Ron
With a soft smile, she continued to write her notes, after slipping the note into her bag.
Draco Malfoy was bored. Normally, when he was bored, he looked for someone to verbally and possibly physically, hex. Sadly, today he was bored in transfiguration. Hexing anyone in transfiguration was a bad idea, as any good Slytherin knew. Looking around the room, he spots something interesting. A note, from the Weasley to the know-it-all. He quickly glanced around and raised his wand slightly from the desktop. With a whisper, he started to say the incantation for the summoning charm, before he paused. 'Why am I doing this? Do I really care about the contents or am I doing it just to hurt them?' A memory flashed in his mind of his mother and a conversation they had. Specifically, the last words before he was dismissed. 'To relish in causing pain is a fruitless method of contentment. Eventually, there is no one around you to harm, and you are sad for eternity my son. Take what you want. Except for pleasure out of others.' With a sigh, he flicked his wand up canceling the charm. He had a free period next anyway. Maybe it was time to go for a fly.
Cedric flicked his wrist, his honey colored magic hanging in the air. In the hazy magic, objects formed, a ball, a train and a spear. Another flick, the ball became a rose, the train a broom, and the spear a hat. Holding his wand steady, he stepped into the mist, allowing it to surround him completely. As he looked around, flashes of yellow sparked in the honey mist, consistent with the slight trembling of his wand. A deep inhale brought the mist in tighter. A deep exhale and a subtle flick blasted the mist out into a tightly churning circle. Slowly it condensed into a vaporous dragon the color of deep burnt bronze. Guiding the construct with his wand, he twisted it around himself, cocooning himself in the familiar magic.
With a grunt of effort, the vapor slowly sank into his flesh, making Cedric grit his teeth. It was always the hardest part, the finish. As the last feather portion of the slim tail vanished into his chest, he smiled as his skin started to glow with a yellow light. He turned to the left and raised his wand towards the short Charms professor.
"I think I am ready Professor."
"Good. I will hold nothing back then. Let us see how your family magic helps you!" With a snarl, spells started to fly between the two. Flitwick opened with six different charms, each blasting through the empty classroom in a blink of the eye. Each collided with charms shot off by Cedric in a show of multicolored sparks that the two ignored entirely. Moving swiftly, Flitwick lunged forward, a severing charm catching the tail end of Cedric's robes as a Stunning spell slammed into floor where the Professor was less than a second ago. Cedric swung his free arm around, his magic condensing around the limb like honey colored mist. With a flick of his fingers, tiny birds formed from the mist and launched themselves at Flitwick, dodging around the spell fire the two were still trading.
Flitwick grunted as two birds slammed into his swiftly constructed shield. Two more birds hit the exact same spot, cracking the shield, before a third pierced it entirely. That slight delay was all Flitwick needed to create a bubble of water that launched portions of itself at high speed at every bird, trapping it. With a flick and a muttered,"Glacius" the orbs froze solid, leaving the birds suspended. Flitwick turned his attention to Cedric who smiled victoriously, before fading away.
A flash of red and Flitwick knew no more.
Cedric woke the Professor up swiftly with a Rennervate. He helped up the springy professor who quickly congratulated him on the victory. "Good show Cedric! That was marvelous use of an illusion charm. Your family magic also allowed you to bridge the gap between our skill level well. However, I don't think that it is very effective for a general encounter."
"It isn't really designed for that if we are honest Professor. My family magic is by nature a creationist magic. It manifests things, similar to transfiguration…" Cedric admitted with a shrug. " In this instance I created a mist shroud that allowed for easier movement."
"For such a magic to exist is a true testament to the power of a family. As you know, I do not have a family magic, as I am part-Goblin. I am blessed by my race, and other factors, that I did not utilize in this duel. Have you been keeping up with dueling Sirius Black?" Flitwick asked as the duo began to repair the room. Cedric didn't answer until settling down with the professor in a small study area of the classroom.
"I duel him every couple of days. Honestly, he tears me apart. He blasts through shields, he is fluid enough to dodge anything major, and his defensive work is impeccable. I'm not sure what to do against him." Cedric admitted with a shrug.
"You are approaching the situation as if he was me. Sirius Black is a master of Defense Against the Dark Arts, a near master of Transfiguration, a Charms expert and was ,at one point, one of the most dangerous men on the side of the Light. He is a surprisingly systematic opponent, who analyses and then executes. I am what most duelists in the circuits call a dervish fighter. I hit with a calculated amount of offense, to gauge my opponent. This is a great combat style in duels, however in war…. It is difficult." Flitwick explained. "From what I understand of Sirius' history, he learned to duel as if it were war. In the Black family, it may well have been…"
"Professor, I think I understand. You think that I am getting too comfortable dueling you?" Cedric asked as the Charms master nearly lost himself in thought.
"Sadly, I think that maybe the case. As such, I believe that until you are capable of dueling Sirius Black to a standstill, our duels are over. However, if you wish to see me for other training, I am happy to help as always." Flitwick spoke with a sad smile on his face. Normally he would hate to see the young man forced to seek guidance elsewhere, however at this point it would only be harmful for the duels to continue. If it continued, he would eventually become too entrenched in his methodology to adapt.
Cedric sighed before he nodded. If he was honest, he wanted to duel a few other people more as well. A certain raven-haired youth entered his mind.
Two days later found the fourth year stripping off his school robe after Cedric asked him for a duel. The Hufflepuff asked for it to be outside, on the first warm day of the year. Harry accepted without hesitation. Of course, as soon as he accepted the whole school quickly found out and flocked to the court yard to watch the Champion face the popular seventh year.
Sirius was leaning against a pillar along the side of the courtyard as the two duelists stretched. Remus sat on a chair beside him, making notes in a red leather-bound book. "You aren't going to stop this Remus?" Sirius asked casually.
"Why would I do that?"
"I don't know Moony, I was merely curious. It will be interesting to see the kids battle it out." Sirius smirked as Severus pushed his way forward. "It seems I may have to run interference. Excuse me Moony."
Severus had just reached the circle of upper years that were erecting a barrier and was about to order them to disperse, when a voice cut across the lawn making him freeze. "Come on Severus… I challenge you to a duel."
Severus turned and stared into the grinning face of Sirius Black. "I dec-"
"What Severus…. You don't want a crack at the Black?" The grin on Sirius' face grew as he winked.
"I decline on account of the Headmaster's orders. No professor shall duel unless it is a life or death situation on the grounds." Severus replied. The tone of his voice was level, but the muscles of his neck and shoulders were tense. Albus made it perfectly clear what the consequences would be if he broke that rule.
"Fine, we won't duel… I'll just counter every spell you send to take down that barrier and try to stop this duel." Sirius spoke with a steel that shook the former Death Eater. This wasn't the playful Sirius that the kids enjoyed speaking to. This was the man who was considered one of the most dangerous men in the Order. Severus nodded tensely. He refused to acknowledge when the man left his side as well. His eyes were only on the duel.
Harry grinned as the two males prepared to duel. "Got any rules Ced?"
"No family magic, and nothing that would require more than a day in the hospital wing if we can help it." Cedric flexed his neck groaning softly as it popped audibly.
"I'll try not to ruin your handsome features as well. Lord knows Fleur wouldn't talk to you without them." Harry snarked as he bowed formally.
"At least I have those features Harry. You on the other hand…" Cedric bowed in return and assumed a stance.
"Wait… who's calling this thing?" Harry asked as he too assumed a stance. Remus sighed as he snapped his book shut, and stood fluidly before walking through the barrier easily.
"I'll do it. For those of you not aware, my name is Remus Lupin. As per tradition, this duel will be held at gentleman's standard, and will be called fairly. Any illegal magics will cease the duel, and result in the non-caster to be proclaimed victor. In the result of a tie, gentleman's standard will be in effect. Duelists ready?" Remus spoke firmly and loudly for the whole court yard to be able to hear. When both duelists nodded, Remus raised his wand. "When the ribbon hits the ground the duel may begin. It ends when I say, or one of you concede." With an elegant twist, a gold ribbon shot out of his wand and fell right between the two duelist. As soon as it hit the ground, spells started to fly.
Harry shifted towards the left, as he launched a trio of stunners while dodging a set of six color changing charms. Cedric shielded for an instant, before firing dozens of silver arrows at the young Champion. Harry tapped his non-wand wrist and deflected each arrow with the shield that appeared. With a jab, Harry blasted a fireball towards the Hufflepuff before tapping himself with a disillusionment charm and starting to strafe to the right. Cedric countered the fireball with a muttered Incindium, taking control of the raging fire and forcing it upwards. Looking around,Cedric knelt and tapped the cobblestones of the courtyard with his wand. A small tremor occurred as soon as he tapped, but Cedric frowned. He grinned and mentally thanking the Hogwarts library, he cast an amplification charm and tapped again. This time the effect was what he desired. The ground cracked, shook and released dust into the air as if a small earthquake occurred. He looked around again swiftly, and smirked when he saw the outline of a person in the dust. With flicks and jabs, Cedric started to send curses towards the silhouette.
Harry frowned as he felt the first small quake. When the second hit, he pointed his wand towards the ground and muttered a trio of spells. From the earth rose an outline of a human, only an inch or so thick, that quickly was placed in front of him. Then Harry took aim from the armpit of the human cutout. As soon as the curses hit, he fired a stunner and banished the shards of the earth construct back towards the Hufflepuff before starting to run towards him.
Cedric swore as he deflected the stunner and started to transfigure the rocks into confetti. Thinking fast he blasted a disarming spell towards the champion. Moving quickly, the fourth year thrust his wand forward in a smooth slicing arc, the cutting curse slamming into the disarming spell at a slight angle. The two spells in a show of sparks ricocheted and Cedric felt himself get shoved out of the way.
"This duel is over." Remus erected shields around each of them to discourage further spell fire. " As per Gentleman's standard, Cedric has lost the duel due to interference of the judge. The judge announces. The interference was due to safety concerns of the spell collusion. Contestants does this decision have approval?" He looked towards both duelists, who both hastily nodded. "Shake hands, and may the victor leave last." With a sweep of his wand all the shields fell allowing the two to shake hands.
Cedric frowned slightly as he shook the youth's hand. "Why the cutter?" Harry sheepishly grinned. "I panicked. I was running forward and saw a blast of red, thought it was a stunner so I sent a cutting curse to try to collide it. Didn't realize the shade was too light for a stunning spell and well you saw."
Cedric nodded, knowing exactly what happened. The cutting curse was a fairly high level offensive piece of magic, perfect for countering a stunning spell. But for a lower level piece such as a disarming charm, it would force a ricochet instead of a collision, baring special circumstances. "That is actually an auror tactic. My dad said that it was used to counter the Unforgivables without having to use them. Send an expelliarmus and it will ricochet a killing curse, and if angled right, it makes it harmless."
Sirius chose then to interrupt, having walked over to the two. "Yes, he was right, aurors were trained to do so, but it's actually more reliable to put something between the curse and you or get the hell out of the way. Those curses are nasty business and just risking a ricochet isn't worth the chance of you dying by messing up. Harry, we will be working on spell identification tomorrow."
Cedric smiled. "We will also be working on tactics. I nearly had you just because of two spells, due to you putting yourself in a corner with that disillusionment charm."
"You know as well as I do that you didn't nearly get me." Harry shook his head.
"Kid you nearly lost to Cedric because you got committed to a singular action. It would have been better if you used a smoke screen instead of charming yourself." Sirius admitted. Harry frowned.
"The duel wasn't that close. I beat-. Hey!" Harry spoke before Sirius have him a soft slap to the back of the head.
"Kid, you think that because you won, not because of skill, but because of luck and the fact that Remus is arguably the fastest draw in the castle, you don't have to train? If I have to, I'll beat that thought process out of you. It is that arrogance that made dozens of families nonexistent. Not to mention, Cedric could have ended that duel if he used heavy force instead of tried to lead you towards a choke point." Sirius lectured as the trio headed towards the dungeon training room the group had adopted.
"A choke point?" Harry questioned as Sirius tapped the door with his wand, allowing it to open.
"A choke point is when a witch or wizard is forced into a position that is not favorable. An example being my next move before you disillusioned yourself was to turn the earth around me into mud, and then use the quake spell." Cedric answered. "It would have made a massive wave of mud that I would have then hid spells behind. It would have won the duel for me."
Harry's eyes widened. "Choke points seem like set ups." Harry had several experiences with such things in his life.
"They can be. They can also be opening of salvos to force a win condition. Remember not all duels are to call. Some duels are until someone draws blood, until a target is hit, or any number of things. I remember back in my day; it was really popular to use a water charm paired with glacius to freeze someone's footing for a choke point salvo. Fell out of favor mid-war with the increased use of heavy heat-based charms and curses." Sirius flicked his wand out lighting the various candles and lanterns around the room.
"Cedric, do you want to discuss tactics?" Harry asked as he settled into an armchair.
"Not 'til tomorrow Harry. I don't have the equipment on me." Cedric smiled and ruffled Harry's hair. "I actually have to go. I promised some other Hufflepuffs I'd help with their potions." He got up and exited the room after waving towards Sirius.
"We are gonna work on some of your homework as well kid. Severus handed out an essay that you should actually do this time." Sirius smirked at his godson's cry of 'but Sirius!' It was moments like this that he loved his life.
AN: Well, finally right? So updates I suppose. There will be another chapter soon. This one took so long mainly due to my lack of motivation to do anything other than beat the entire fallout series, read a crapton of fanfiction and the difficulty of how I want to bridge towards the climax. The next chapter will be shorter, likely told from Albus' Severus' and another's point of view. Enjoy! - Zero