Chapter 18: Dueling Trial

I do not own Harry Potter

Author's Notes:

So finally a little bit of Neville. I do have plans for his characters in the future, but he's mostly going to be in the background for Year 3... or at least that's how I'm planning it

'Lessons With Salazar' are back, and I plan on writing more of that in the coming chapters, but I'd like to know whether you guys like or not.

For those still confused about the numbering, I merged the first two chapters.

Enjoy!

"...And this is AFTER he left me at those muggles for 10 years and never bothered to check! Does he really think I'm that stupid! The truth is that he's a control freak who couldn't bear me thinking for myself... I see through his lies! Can you believe the nerve of the guy?! Who does he think he is!" raged Harry.

He had decided to come down to the chamber directly. not wanting to face the barrage of questions Ron might give him... or Neville. He didn't have the energy to talk to the guy right now. Not bothering to greet Slytherin, he had immediately launched into a rant about what had happened.

"Calm down, son. Dumbledore has been... ignorant to put it politely, but lashing out in anger is not the right way to deal with it" Salazar admonished lightly

"...Sorry, shouldn't take it out on you" Harry mumbled in apology

"That's besides the point. Your emotions blind you" the founder critiqued

Harry took offense to that, and to the tone in which it was said. Deciding not to take it lying down, he retorted "Oh I'm sorry if I'm not a machine! And easy for you to say now that you're just oil pastels on a canvas!"

"Child if you insist on being so whiny, then leave. Come back when you're ready to listen to someone!" Salazar said in a no nonsense voice.

Harry was a little miffed, but quieted down.

"Good, now relax, and listen to what I'm saying. I'm open to debate, but you will let me make my point first, understood?"

"Uh-huh, listening"

"Its your loss if you don't. Anyways - your emotions." Salazar took a pause here, remembering his epiphany about having to keep a different approach when it came to his newest student "It is... good to be passionate. Passion is a strong feeling after all, and as we know strong feelings are handy in some spells, the patronus being the perfect example. The fact that you 'care' as you put it, is also nothing short of admirable. This gift of perception, of being able to FEEL is a gift, as long as you are the one in control. What I'm trying to say is this - being emotional is fine, its fantastic but only until you are in control of them, not the other way round. I will not euphemize, as of now it does not take much for you to lose your head. It is pitifully easy for someone to goad you into losing your cool, and your senses with it."

Salazar could see what he'd said at the end had hit the mark - it was evident from the look on the boy's face he'd been a little hurt by what he'd heard.

"Face as if carved of stone! Remember - some need only look at your reaction to get their answers!" instructed Salazar.

Heeding the advice he'd been given oh so many times by the man, Harry quickly shifted his features to the no-giveaway expression Salazar had insisted on him mastering. He hadn't been too successful in maintaining it so far, to say the least.

"What use is it now? Not that I already didn't know what your reaction would be, but your look was a dead giveaway about what you thought. You need to practice to always be on your guard- to the point where you don't have to consciously make an effort to do it. And before you say it didn't matter now - remember, one day it just might."

"I get it, it's not that easy, ok?! And it's not like I'm not trying!" protested Harry

"Harry" Salazar began in a much softer tone "I don't expect you to master it today, tomorrow, or even in a year for that matter. But we have to keep trying, you understand, don't you?"

Salazar noticed Harry being noticeably calmer. Typical teenage egos, just can't handle being "disrespected". To be honest, it was expected, and to an extent - fine, as long as you could grow out of it.

"I know...thanks...and sorry again. I-"

"I understand." he started at once "Your volatility is not unexpected. As emotionally repressed childhood as you've had, and all the traumatic events that have happened in the last two years, they will take a toll on your mental health, it is obvious. And then when we add the mess that is the horcrux hunt and everything to do with Riddle, some of the abysmal manners of CERTAIN members of faculty, the rather invasive media - and you get one ticking time bomb. I do not condone it, but I certainly understand, given the stress you've had to bear at your age."

"You know, I think you're the first person to ever talk about my mental health" observed Harry

"Your society seems to be ignorant of mental well being in general. It is without question one of the most severe flaws of your era. Mental health is not a myth or an excuse, and anyone thinking so is nothing more than an imbecile who should be ignored"

"Sounds about right. Dear old Vernon falls into that category. Dunno how many times I've heard him say 'rubbish' or 'nonsense' at television ads" Harry said the words nonsense and rubbish in a very passable mimicry of Dursley Sr.

"Though I do believe we have had plenty of evidence supporting that assertion, do we not" said Salazar with a smirk

Harry laughed at that, a welcome occurrence in what had been a very long and frustrating day.

"So how were the rest of your classes?"

"Great! Well apart from Snape. I rode on a hippogriff! Oh and there's Lupin, I talked to him today, and well...something strange happened in DADA... wow this was one eventful day"

"Why don't you start from the beginning?" proposed Salazar, eager to hear about the Arithmancy lesson... and Lupin. He was one character who Salazar couldn't place. Was he a Dumbledore loyalist or not? Was he apathetic towards Harry or someone that could be relied on?

...

"The dementors continue to be a problem...hmmm... we will prioritize them once Flitwick agrees to teach you. You need to impress him, show him-"

"-that I'm worth putting time into, I know."

"Good" commented Salazar "First impressions last. Now... stance!"

Harry released his wand from his holster and assumed his preferred dueling stance.

"Acceptable speed, can be better. And what's this, a new stance?"

"Yeah, got it from Regulus" Harry said, pulling out Regulus' book (or at least his jacketed-collection-of-pages) from his expanded and weightlessly charmed pockets. Shopping from Malkin's had been a blessing with these little conveniences.

"Ah, I see. This is Regulus Black's stance?"

"Yeah, very close to Grindelwald's. Regulus wanted to teach DADA sometime in his life - he said it himself. He was just preparing his material before he asked for a job somewhere. There's loads of stuff here. It's not complete, but there's lotta things I can use. You know he was studying Tom's unassisted flight, shame he couldn't complete it."

"Perhaps WE could complete it some day?" proposed Salazar "When you're old enough to understand some of the schematics, it is quite complex form what I know..."

"Yeah it is, couldn't make heads or tails of most of the stuff"

"Not unexpected... we'll get to it in the future though, don't worry"

"Hey... about the stance... You're think I should go ahead with it? It's just.. you didn't say much and..."

"What? Expected me to judge you? Chastise you? How does it matter who the man was or what he did? Just because you copy his dueling style doesn't mean you killed the people he did. Though I suppose some of the less intelligent people might take offence... common sense is quite uncommon in your days"

"I don't believe in that tosh, you know that. But you told me how sometimes others might see it, you know as...dark and stuff...so..."

"Do you find it comfortable?"

"Yes"

"I see. Any specific reason you chose it?"

"Well I just like how he fought, I dunno! So Grindelwald doesn't move around a lot, usually. He uses quick reflexes for dodges and suddenly breaks out in barrages of spells where he almost runs rings around you. The way he stood works for me, my feet are very free to dodge, we had similar builds, now that I'm healthy... it's everything, from his countering strategy to...we're just very similar in how we approach a fight - counter attack and then batter down with attacks, ya know?"

Salazar gave him a smile, happy to see he'd given the matter lot of thought. Your stance could give the minutest of advantages - and sometimes, that's the difference between victory and defeat.

"You already have your answer. Continue to use it."

"...I guess I do..." he said, surprised at how he'd responded to the question.

"Now, you don't have a partner or a dummy, but that's why you're going to Flitwick. Remember - you have to show him something special. On 3,2,1 - duel!"

Gellert Grindelwald is a genius of combat. Calling him anything else is an insult. I had the chance to "interview" one of the war veterans from the Global Wizarding War, who signed up to fight against the Lord and his Death Eaters.

I successfully acquired a memory from the time he and his squad, let by Theseus Scamander came face to face with Grindelwald. The way Grindelwald tweaked his tactics to first deal with the large numbers, and then to face Scamander one on one is truly remarkable.

Watching the memory several times over, and then applying it in practice with the new recruits, I believe I can confidently say I have an outline of the strategy, even if spells may differ from person to person.

There is great strength in numbers. When faced against several opponents, one needs to be especially careful. The tiniest of lapses in concentration can prove to be consequential. Even within the division between single and multiple opponents, there is further sub division between adversaries whom you know to be (mostly) inferior, as in case of Scamander and his camaraderie, and in case of being up against several capable opponents. This chapter seeks to cover the former.

When in the aforementioned situation, it is always advisable to incapacitate the 'minions' as soon as possible. Try and fire a spell before they do, sometimes the sheer numbers may force you into long periods of defending, which uses more energy and concentration than attacking, making you likelier to make mistakes. Large-area spells like 'fulgur occupari', or the 'lightning tackle', an amped up version of the 'lightning bolt' spell 'fulmen', the wind-strike 'vento', the

"Nice book, Potter?"

"Wha - oh. Hey Greengrass, Davis... and you're Astoria?" he guessed, looking at the girl with a striking resemblance to Daphne.

His company was running late, and so, as had been the case very often lately, he found himself deeply immersed into Regulus' work. He'd been "basically sleeping" with it, as Ron had put it.

Which wasn't exactly inaccurate, to be fair to the redhead.

"She is. Potter, this is Astoria Greengrass, my younger sister, and Astoria, this is-"

She didn't get to complete the introductions as a visibly jumpy Astoria pushed her two companions aside and seized Harry into a tight hug, which he responded to in equal warmth.

"-the girl on whom etiquette classes were wasted for 3 years. Astoria do I really have to remind you of the protocol to-" said a scowling Daphne, before Tracey jumped in

"Oh will you give it a rest" groaned Tracey "She's just showing her thanks without looking like she's being held at wandpoint to do it. Besides, not like you've been on your best behavior around him, you hypocrite" Tracey continued, referencing Daphne's tantrum at their previous meet at the same spot weeks prior.

"That was different -"

"She's right, you know?" spoke up Astoria "I've been at Hogwarts for 5 minutes and I'm already so BORED by your whole-"

"Tori, not here"

While Astoria might have seen what was coming, she definitely didn't expect the source. It was Tracey, rather than her sister. Daphne's objection was predictable, and that made her inclined to disregard it. However, it was the other girl, who also expressed her irritation t her sister's excessive formality that made her think that maybe what she was going to say really was something that she shouldn't. She gave a curt nod and made a note to remember not saying it in front of others again.

"Umm... context?" asked a lost Harry, who had gotten progressively confused as the exchange went on.

"That's private, Potter" answered Daphne

The sole Gryffindor present accepted that answer, after all, he'd been complaining about invasion of privacy the same day himself, hadn't he?

"Fair enough. So... how's it going?" he asked a little awkwardly, not sure how to go about the conversation

"'How's it going?' Come on Potter, everything that's happened and still this is the best you could do?" Tracey replied with a chuckle "Where's Granger?"

"Hermione? Oh, she looked really busy with her homework - yes she's doing homework on day 1, so I just came on my own"

"She did take every elective, so maybe she's already got a lot to do" guessed Tracey "But its good you came alone... she's..."

"I get it" Harry said, sparing her the need to say it politely "And its partly why I didn't ask her to come" he explained "Look, she's just weary of you, with the whole Malfoy and Slytherin blood purity stuff and-"

"-stubbornly believing us all to be bigoted" Daphne completed for him

"That's a little harsh.."

"Is it?"

"So..." Harry said after a small silence again, hoping he or the others could think of something.

The eureka moment came from the youngest in the group.

"Why don't we start with, what're they called, ice-breakings? Mum said they're always a good place to start" suggested Astoria

"Ice-breakers" corrected Daphne "And yes, they are... Potter?" she offered

"Sure, yeah. Uh hey... I'm Harry Potter, I'm in Gryffindor, same year as you... I enjoy Quidditch and-"

"Really?!" Astoria asked in excitement

"He's the seeker on the house team, so is it really a surprise he likes - whaddaya know - Quidditch?" Daphne commented sarcastically "Also, its rude to interrupt Astoria, let him finish"

"Maybe you should pay attention to what you're preaching, because you JUST interrupted me, big sister" Astoria rebutted with a smile.

"Tha..." started Daphne, but found herself to be at a loss for words. Her sister had pulled one over her here.

"Oh hohoho" laughed Tracey "Would you look at that, Daphne Greengrass, the 'epidemy of etiquette', forgetting basic manners" she mocked

"Ugh. Just - go on, say whatever you were saying" she said defeatedly

"Now, before I was rudely interrupted by madam protocol" the younger Greengrass said with faux haughtiness "I was saying - I love Quidditch too! I'm atrocious at it though. Still, I love to watch it - I follow every game the Wigtown Wanderers play!" she continued jovially

Harry observed the differences between the two sisters, which were much more pronounced than their physical ones. While Daphne was staid and almost Victorian, Astoria was much more expressive and interactive. Harry drew parallels between the father and the daughters, and found that it was the younger of the two that took after their father. He assumed Daphne's traits were inherited from her mother.

"The Wanderers?" he started "They're good, but second best. United is the cream of the crop!" he declared

"Bugger off! Wigtown is light years ahead - and we have more trophies!" retorted Astoria

"Puddlemere has more league titles! And we've won more in the last few seasons...also light years ahead? Yeah maybe at bottling leads in knockout matches! And at signing over the hill seekers!" Harry clapped back

"Guys" spoke Daphne, but no one seemed to hear her

"Oh, it's on!" started a passionate Astoria "You're getting destroyed the next time we play... and Briggs is a great seeker for your information!"

"Maybe in 1985!"

"How about we call it even and say both play second fiddle to the Falmouth Falcons?" Tracey suggested innocently, before landing her shot "...like last season!"

"Big talk considering you just lost away at Ballycastle!"

"Still above Wigtown, Tori!"

"GUYS!" yelled Daphne

Harry, Tracey and Astoria turned to Daphne in surprise. They realized they'd forgotten she was even here

"I thought this was an ice breaker, not a pub for middle aged men!"

"Killjoy" commented Astoria

Harry, who had plenty of understanding about how Daphne was feeling, given how many times he'd seen Hermione roll her eyes or groan, extended an invitation to her to join the conversation. "You can't say that didn't break the ice. What's your favorite team anyway?"

"I don't really follow it much" Daphne replied

"Oh come on, just tell him. It's not even that bad" encouraged Tracey

"I suppose... its the Arrows?"

"Sorry?"

"The Applebee Arrows" Daphne repeated

"The Arrows.." Harry said slowly, before giving a chuckle, followed by roars of laughter "The Arrows?! Oh man, you should've just stuck to not following Quidditch!" he continued between incessant laughter

"You said it wasn't that bad!" Daphne angrily said to Tracey, who had also doubled down in laughter

"I lied!"

Once the laughter finally died down, the conversation moved to other topics. Harry found out Tracey was a halfblood, her mother being muggleborn like his, while Daphne and Astoria's mother belonged to the Spencer family. He also got to other small things, like their favorite subjects (Potions for Daphne, DADA for Astoria and Charms for Tracey), where they lived, their hobbies and so on. All in all, it was an enjoyable and simple conversation, a much appreciated change from all the convoluted plots from the rets of the day. As for the people themselves, Harry found them to be quite different from the Slytherins he usually interacted with, aka Malfoy and the monkeys. Sure, there was the touch of poshness, but that was to be expected considering their upbringing. They weren't 'bad' people so to say.

As for why they'd started speaking to him, Harry knew it was down to politics, but he didn't mind the fresh company. While he didn't feel comfortable in calling them 'friends' just yet, he would be lying if he said he didn't find them likeable.

"You're sure?"

"Neville" Harry said with a sigh "For the last time - it had nothing to do with me thinking you're a loser, and you can tell your gran that too" he finished tiredly

"I can?" Neville said hopefully "Thank Merlin, maybe she'll let me take the my ring now"

"You ring? Your heir's ring you mean?" inquired Harry

"Yeah. She says I have to earn my heirship" he replied sullenly

"Neville, you do know she can't just take your heirship, right? She may be a stipulated regent, but she can't do that"

"I know that" the timid boy replied "She said I'll get the lordship anyway when I'm 17, but she wants to see if I prove my worth to her before that. That's why I don't have my ring, it's her little challenge. She wants me to give her proof that I'm my parents' son, that I live up to my family name, only then will she let me wear it"

Harry felt pity for his friend. He knew Neville's nature and his inferiority complex. This must be killing his confidence. Harry couldn't help but Neville's self-depreciation to his grandmother's toxic behavior. From what he'd learned over the past two years, Augusta Longbottom had been obsessed with carving Neville into what was her interpretation of the ideal boy.

"Neville, tell your grandmother that we're good, and that I consider you a good friend. But the thing is, it doesn't change anything."

Neville looked up at Harry, not understanding. For him, it changed everything, Gran might finally complement him and stop thinking he'd let the family down.

"I learned this pretty recently too. You gotta start doing things for yourself. When I told you we're good, your first reaction was your grandmother will be happy. How does it matter! It's your life and your representation! When you do something, you need to know you're doing it for yourself. Sure, your grandmother will be more than pleased to see you achieve something, but at the end of the day, the only person it affects is YOU. She'll still be the Iron Lady or the Regent Longbottom, but you might not be who you could be. Think - when you study for a test, is it because you're concerned about yourself or because you'll get a bollocking at home if you don't do well enough?" At Neville's face lighting up in understanding, he continued "Stop living because your grandmother wants to, and start thinking why you should do what you do. Wanna get good grades? It's should be so you become an Auror or a Healer or a respected member of society or whatever, but not because your Gran said its the right thing to do. Once you figure out what you're doing is for yourself, you'll be hell of a lot better off. See ya around"

Harry walked off, leaving a pensive Neville behind.

"Professor Flitwick" Harry called out with a knock at the door

"Come in, come in Mr. Potter, I've been expecting you" the half-goblin said cheerfully

Harry walked in into the empty classroom and took in his surroundings. The desks and chairs had been moved to the sides, leaving a surprisingly large amount of room in the center. The former duelmaster was also present, perched on top of his teacher's desk and some books.

"In good health, Mr. Potter?"

"Yes sir" he replied in vigor

"No need for that Mr. Potter" the Charms master said with a chuckle "save your gusto for the duel. But before that, allow me to me ask - why?"

"Sir?"

"Why go out of your way to get extra lessons on dueling? What's your motivation?" the diminutive Professor asked

Harry was ready for the question. "Self-reliance"

"Good answer, but please, elaborate"

"I've found myself in situations where I'm in danger... and more often than not luck has played a part in saving me, like on the train, or.."

"Or against Quirinus Quirrell?" Flitwick offered

"Like that sir" Harry said with a nod "There are also...other times, which I can't really share, but I've found myself in do or die scenarios, and I know I will in the future... I don't really know what to say to make you believe in those -"

"You don't have to" Flitwick said at once "I believe you, and in any case there is more than enough evidence to support your claims. You have found yourself in the center of controversy and trouble in the past and the present have you not? Given the circumstances, logic dictates that should be the case in the future as well. And I as a teacher have a duty then, to help a willing student" Flitwick suddenly became more intense "These are the exact words the person who taught me how to duel used, and I am repeating them to you. I had made up my mind the very same day you sent me the letter, it was a question of when, not if."

"...Show me, Mr. Potter, show me you are ready!" roared Flitwick drawing his wand.

Harry almost jumped from the sudden wave of passion from the usually serene teacher, but managed to brave it and drew his own wand, flicking his wrist to release it from his holster, and assuming his preferred stance.

"On the count of 3 - 1,2,3 - DUEL!"

Without missing a beat, Flitwick wordlessly launched a purple spell at his head, which he didn't recognize.

He was caught off guard by the speed, but thankfully his reflexes were strong enough for him to roll out of the way... only to be forced to move again as Flitwick fired another spell, this one at his left thigh. Harry dodged again...

And repeat.

It was a ruthless barrage of spell after spell as Flitwick stood rooted to his spot while his left arm moved with machine-like precision.

After what was possibly the twentieth spell, Harry finally accepted he would have to do something different. He could feel himself wanting to huff already, while Flitwick hadn;t had the slightest of bend on his arm.

He sprinted to the other side of the room, further than he needed to dodge the latest spell, this one orange, and quickly grabbed a desk and yanked it down, creating a cover place for himself. He sat down onto the floor, covered by the desk, taking a moment to catch his breath.

He noticed that for the first time since the start, Flitwick's non-stop volley had ended. He allowed himself a moment of rejoice, before thinking about his next problem, which the Charms master also pointed out -

"What now, Mr. Potter? I have you nailed to one spot, and fair warning, your cover in not impenetrable-"

What happened next seemed to catch the duelist by surprise too. The desk had was flung across the classroom, and to where he was standing. Flitwick's eyes widened in surprise and only decades of experience stopped him from tumbling down his tedious balancing tower. He calmly clast another non-verbal spell, cutting the wood clean in two, the pieces crashing against the wall and landing harmlessly.

Harry had whispered a 'Wingardium Leviosa' and jabbed his wand as hard as he could towards the half-goblin.

"Gladdii Saltare!" boomed Harry's voice as the legs on a chair that was kept back-first on top of a desk transfigured into sharp-looking blades and took off into Flitwick's direction.

Flitwick remained calm as ever, his face conveying no emotions as he cast a deep blue shield. The "chair" thudded against the defence and joined the broken table onto the floor.

"Locomotor Wibbly!" chanted Harry, firing a well directed jelly-legs jinx towards his opponent. Flitwick side stepped the spell and fired his own, still casting wordlessly, meaning Harry had no idea what was coming for him.

"Protego!"

This time Harry didn't dodge, he chose to face the spell head on, intent on showing Flitwick his spell work.

The green-blue beam collided against Harry's light blue shield. The raven-haired boy received a jerk, but otherwise his shield survived.

He had no time to celebrate as he was forced to move to dodge another spell, though this time he did not let himself fall into the same cycle of dodging. Instead, he kept his arm raised, and casted

"Expelliarmus!"

This time around, he was off target and Flitwick simply ignored the spell and returned fire.

Another round of shield and missed spell, this time the spell used being a full-body bind (Petrificus Totalus) and Harry opted for a change in strategy. He needed just a little more time to fire a spell that required longer wand movements and more focus.

As the next spell came, he did not fire back, instead choosing to move closer. As the next spell came in quick succession, Harry ducked down. The time it took for Flitwick to change the slope of his arm was enough for him to complete the wand movement.

"Incendio!" he bellowed, as the familiar waves of scorching flames shot out of his wand.

"Aguamenti!" chanted Flitwick, using verbal spellcasting for the first time.

As the two elemental beams collided, steam erupted into the air, blocking the view of the opponent for both.

Harry's enhanced eyesight came into play here. Even through the plume, he could vaguely make out the silhouette of the Charms Professor. Flitwick was still standing on his pile of books.

Harry decided that the master had had the high ground for long enough.

He cut off his fire-making spell, and dived to the side to avoid getting hit with what would be scalding-hot water, and fired a Knockback Jinx a few inches below where the silhouette ended - right near the center of Flitwick's book mountain.

This time he hit the target.

And from what he could tell, Flitwick didn't see it coming - if the yelp was any clue.

Harry enjoyed satisfaction for a fraction of a second, before realizing his little impromptu strategy hadn't worked.

By this time the steam had risen just about enough for Harry to see what had happened - Flitwick did loose balance, but he almost effortlessly backflipped and landed on his feet, ready to fire on all cylinders.

Harry raised his wand, a curse on his lips, before Flitwick announced

"Enough. Duel over"

Harry panted as he let his wand fall back into its holster, which was by now a well practiced routine. He only just noticed the amount of sweat on his face, a result of all the running and his little pyro show.

"Gusto!" Flitwick casted, and a cool gust of air materialized in the room, clearing gup the remainder of the steam and providing a respite from the heat.

"There. Much better!" Flitwick said in his jolly voice again, as if it had been a regular class

"Professor?" Harry asked anxiously

"Mr. Potter, I regret to inform you" The Charms Professor began, and Harry could already imagine Flitwick howling with laughter about Harry's pathetic performance "...That you have no idea what you have just signed up for!"

Harry did a double take... He'd passed!

"I passed?!" he said, mostly to himself

"Indeed, you did!" the half goblin said with a laugh "Have a seat, have a seat Mr. Potter... we have much to discuss!"

"Thank you sir... and thank you for agreeing to do this... I'm very grateful" thanked Harry

"Ah, I'm a teacher am I not, Mr. Potter?" Flitwick replied in earnest

As Harry took a seat, the Professor began "Now, onto the less light-hearted stuff... first of all your performance. Now I am not one to sugarcoat Mr. Potter, your performance was riddled with flaws. But with that being said - have I seen a better effort from a third-year starter in my experience? No. Your potency, your agility, your reflexes, your strategy, your nerve - evaluating you relatively... I will have to say it was nothing short fantastic" Flitwick praised Harry whole-heartedly, eliciting a humble smile in response.

"I believe we have a future together, Mr. Potter. If you work hard, we are looking at tournament participation in the near future!"

"Tournaments?! Like Dueling Tournaments?!"

"The very same. After all, what better way to test yourself than against the best?" Flitwick said wisely "Does that interest you, Mr. Potter?"

"Of course it does! But I mean - uh - you don't need to become my mentor for dueling tournaments, I couldn't possibly ask of you-"

"Oh but I want to, you see" Flitwick interjected "I'll be honest Mr. Potter, my reasons are not all selfless. You see, after my dueling career, I wished to become a coach in the dueling business, but alas prejudices in our society meant I was never really able to make it a venture. I trained a few students here and there, but eventually as I saw my fortune from my dueling days starting to dwindle, I took up this job at Hogwarts, which our Headmaster was very kind to offer. I've personally loved my time here at Hogwarts, however, dueling remains my first love, and my dream remains to have my own dueling academy. If I were to be identified as your mentor, that would instantly make me 100 times more marketable, and perhaps some may even choose to overlook their prejudices. After all, you are easily the most bankable and influential personality of your generation, Mr. Potter, and please don't deny it "

Harry could see where Flitwick was going with this. Harry Potter, dueling champion... his coach? Filiius Flitwick. Now if he's good enough for someone like Harry Potter... surely he must be something special, right? After all, there is no shortage of coaches for him, is there?... That's how people would see it, and it was a perfect opportunity for Flitwick to realize his own dream while helping Harry on the way to his... a profitable, symbiotic relationship.

Harry tipped the proverbial hat to the head of the house of the intelligent, he's certainly earned his title, all right.

"But there are personal reasons why I am helping you, Harry" the diminutive man began again "I mentioned prejudices hampering my success in life... The truth is, I learned to duel BECAUSE of these prejudices, and because I wanted to show the world that I, a half-goblin was not lesser to the average wizard just because of my height. I wanted to be able to stand up for myself when I found myself in a corner at wandpoint, for no other reason than my genetics... Many years ago I too came to one of my teachers asking him to help me become... 'self reliant' as you put it. I do not think I would be able to look myself in the mirror ever again if I were to turn you down. I consider it my duty to help you, and I hope you will do the same when given the opportunity" Flitwick finished solemnly.

In that moment, Harry's respect for Flitwick grew by miles. This was a man that had braved decades of discrimination, and was guided by the most pristine of moral codes... guess you don't have to have a hat tell you to wear red for you to have courage and honor

"I have many questions for you, Mr. Potter, but for now let us call it a day. Let us meet next Monday after class... say 6 pm?" Flitwick proposed, to which Harry nodded firmly "Excellent... It will not be easy Mr. Potter, but it will definitely be worth in the end, remember that. Good day, and see you in class..."

Harry gave him a soft smile and walked out, content with himself over his success... before groaning as he realized the absolute hell he was headed for this year

End notes:

So over 13k words across 2 chapters... and we've covered 2 days. I get it, ok? very slow, but I feel I laid down some important foundations in this chapter.

Gonna try and include a little more Daphne from here on out - I've seen the reviews and I hear ya

Harry gets the Marauders Map in the next chapter! So buckle up for a confrontation with Sirius in the near future! Expect Sirius POV to increase

Not really sure how I did on the dueling 'scene', so any feedback, including constructive criticism, will be appreciated.