'Twas a dark and stormy night and I couldn't get online and check my e-mail/read fanfics for fear of frying my modem

'Twas a dark and stormy night and I couldn't get online and check my e-mail/read fanfics for fear of frying my modem. So, I got off of my lazy, Internet-addicted butt and typed chapter 14. Well, it's actually most of what chapter 13 was originally, but you know what I mean!

I don't usually do this, but this chapter is dedicated to Starflower-Gem, who reviewed every one of the previous thirteen chapters so that I would be pushed over the big 2-0-0.

Disclaimer: I, in no way, own Harry Potter. If I did, I would have refused to let Yates direct HBP.

"Speech"
'Thought'

The rest of Wednesday passed with relatively the same routine as Monday after the Transfiguration incident. Ron came in to Charms halfway through the class, completely bewildered as to what had happened to him earlier that morning. Draco kept his mask firmly in place, not giving any hints as to the fact that he was the main source of Ron's panic attack. Not that Ron was paying anyone much attention or he might have noticed the small almost unnoticeable conspiratorial glances Harry kept giving the Slytherin.

As Harry had expected, the Hogwarts Rumor Mill had been working at hyper speed to process the events of the night before and earlier that very day. Every possibility, no matter how ludicrous, had been covered. Harry had heard everything from how he was a Dark wizard and working with You-Know-Who to him and Draco having a scandalous relationship, not mention so of the others that were too idiotic to think of, seriously some peoples imaginations. However, almost everyone was in consensus that the incident with Ron was related to the night before. And, of course, hostile glares followed Harry wherever he went.

Things with Ron didn't help matters. The redhead had taken it upon himself to slander Harry whenever he could, even going so far as to spread around the fact that he had tried to cast the Cruciatus Curse on someone, leaving out, of course, that that someone was Bellatrix Lestrange. While this didn't upset Harry as much as it may have once, it still perturbed him. Ron usually didn't go that far but Harry felt amen to the slander.

That wasn't all Ron had done. His actions had caused a schism to form in Gryffindor house. There were those who were against Harry, headed by Ron and Seamus, and those who were for Harry, headed by Dean and Neville. The House was divided cleanly in half, and would break out into debate at random moments throughout the day. This made the other Houses uneasy, as angry Gryffindors were dangerous Gryffindors. Harry could only hope that everybody would put aside their differences and unease about him for the duration of the D.A meeting later that night.

XXXXXXXX

Feeling the desperate need to escape his Common Room before he was jumped by one of the two groups, and also because he needed the time to set things up properly, Harry found himself at the Room of Requirement half an hour before anyone else. He concentrated as hard as he could on what he wanted, then snatched open the door that appeared. He gaped at what he found within. There were cushions on the floor just like last year, though they were notably more numerous. Targets lined the two side walls while two enormous cedar bookcases could be seen on either side of the entrance. There was another door in the far right corner. The thing that really drew one's attention, though, was the rosewood stage that was set up against the back wall.

"A dueling platform!"

Harry turned towards the gasped exclamation to find Hermione behind him. She had fled to her favorite hiding spot, the library, when people kept asking her why she still hung around him, and he hadn't expected her to emerge so soon. He grinned wryly at her.

"I thought you were going to stay in the library until it was time for the meeting."

"I was. My curiosity about what you were doing got the best of me, though."

Harry nodded at this explanation and motioned for her to follow him to the other door. He grasped the silver handle and pulled, his eyes glittering in delight at what they found there, while Hermione was just plain shocked. The room, evidentially, was an armaments closet. It was filled with every kind of weapon Harry was able to wield with at least moderate skill. There were different kinds of bows with quivers full of arrows, throwing knives, dirks, different types of swords, and staffs. Looking closer, Harry could swear he saw some axes and maces, though he doubted anyone other than Crabbe or Goyle would have the ability to pick them up, much less wield them. It wasn't long until he came across his true prize.

"Guns," he gasped in awe, picking up a silver handgun. Hermione eyed him warily.

"Harry, are you sure you should mess with that?"

"Why not? It's not like I don't know how to use it."

Hermione opted to ignore this comment. "So, what do we do now?"

"I'm going to warm up. You can do whatever you want to."

Harry gently put down the gun in favor of a bow and a quiver full of arrows. He and Hermione walked out of the room, shutting the door behind them. As he thought she'd do, Hermione went straight to a bookshelf. Harry positioned himself about tem meters away from one of the targets, notched an arrow into the bowstring, drew it back, and fired. The arrow embedded itself two rings away from the center.

"Damn," he muttered quietly. "I really am out of practice."

He rearmed the bow and fired again, this time hitting the first ring from the center.

"Harry! Most of these books are on the Dark Arts!"

He shot the arrow he had loaded before turning to Hermione. In his peripheral vision, he saw it hit the center of the target.

"Bull's eye," he muttered before returning his full attention to Hermione. "Of course. I am planning on teaching them, after all."

"Harry, some of these are simply barbaric! Burning, constriction, severing," she shuddered before proceeding, "blood boiling. Why would anyone learn these?"

Harry smirked grimly, a cold glint in his eyes. "We're at war, Hermione. All the spells they're teaching us here are all well and good, but turning a hedgehog into a pincushion won't do much good in a battle against Death Eaters. Besides, it's one of the optional lessons. It's not like I'm forcing this on anybody."

Hermione sighed in defeat. "Fine. Just know that I won't be saving you when someone accidentally hits you with one of these."

"I won't, Hermione," he replied in exasperation, returning to his previous activity. About five minutes later, Ginny walked through the door.

"Hi Harry, Hermione."

Hermione waved her hand vaguely in Ginny's direction, but Harry smiled broadly at her.

"Ginny! Just the girl I wanted to see!"

She eyed him oddly. "Why?"

"Hang on." Harry ran to the armaments room with his bow and arrows and returned with two staffs. He shucked off his robes and gestured for Ginny to do the same. He then handed her a staff and stepped back a few paces.

"Harry?" she queried apprehensively.

"Just try to block my blows."

Before she could respond, he ran forward, staff cleaving through the air. The resounding crack from the two staffs echoed around the room. Ginny broke away and swung, making Harry duck to avoid being hit in the head. In retaliation, he swung his staff in an upward arc before changing direction at the last second and hitting Ginny's legs, making her fall. He put the tip of his rod against her throat and grinned down at her.

"Not bad for your first time, Gin."

Ginny rolled her eyes and kicked Harry's shin as she stood.

"Gee, thanks. I think I'd rather stick to dueling wizard-style, thank you very much."

Harry shrugged and walked over to one of the bookshelves after putting away the staffs, pulling down one of the Dark Arts books before sitting next to Hermione. She wrinkled her nose in disgust before returning to Famous Archers and Their Accomplishments. Ginny rolled her eyes at them before waving her wand absently, drawing random patterns in the air.

After about five more minutes of this, people began to arrive. The first to get there were the Gryffindors in their two separate groups, followed closely by the Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, and Lupin, who came over to where Harry, Hermione, and Ginny sat.

"Hey Remus. Thanks for coming tonight," Harry said, looking up from his book. His eyes widened when he saw the many students in the room. "Wow."

"Maybe you should pay more attention to your surroundings," the werewolf chuckled. "So, are you ready for this?"

Harry shrugged. "As ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

That said, he stood from his place and returned the book to its original spot. Taking a steadying breath, he turned and wove his way through the seated students and onto the dueling platform. Harry glanced to the door opposite him just in time to see it open, allowing the three Slytherins to slip in unnoticed.

"Welcome to the D.A," he began nervously. He had done all right the year before, but he had been unprepared for the sudden influx of members this year would bring.

'Slytherins do not show or act upon their discomfort in public. They stand tall and bluff their way through,' he chided himself. Instantly, he felt his more calculating side take control.

"I am aware that there are many returning members. However, this is not the same club you joined last year. The training will be much more demanding and rigorous. If you don't feel up to the challenge, feel free to leave." Harry paused, waiting to see if anyone would take his advice. When all he received was a few people shifting uncomfortably, he continued. "So none of you will heed my warning? Fine, but remember, you volunteered for it. While we will focus on Wizard dueling once again, it will not be the sole focus. There will be separate sub-clubs on subjects such as Herbology, magical creature education, research skills, and strategy. Myself and a friend will teach anyone who wants to learn, and we feel capable, Dark Arts," He paused to allow the shocked mutters to die down, then resumed his speech, "as well as more advanced dueling. I will also give lessons on different types of Muggle dueling techniques."

"What good will Muggle dueling do us?" someone drawled. Finding the speaker, he was met with the annoyingly familiar face of Zacharias Smith.

"Well, Smith, let's play a game, shall we? Suppose I was dueling with a Death Eater and was disarmed. What would I do?"

"Run like hell, of course."

The other members of the club, minus the Slytherins and Hermione, laughed. "Well, I could do that, I suppose. I'd be hit with the Killing Curse before I could move a meter, but I could. Or I could do something the Death Eater wouldn't expect and attack with a sword, dagger, or other Muggle weapon. Most Death Eaters would be flabbergasted by this move long enough to be incapacitated. If you were against one of the few with an iota of a brain cell, then you at least still have a fighting chance until help came or you could flee safely."

Most students, Harry noted, still seemed doubtful of the use of knowing how to duel Muggle-style. "Perhaps a demonstration is in order. Draco, have you ever taken fencing?" Everyone whirled around in shock at the name, and gaped when they saw Draco, Pansy, and Blaise at the back of the room. The three Slytherins stood stiffly, obviously not liking the fact that one of their own was called out.

"Yes," Draco replied imperiously. "Father thought it would be sensible for me to learn such a skill, even if it was commonly used by Muggles."

"Well, come on then. You'll be needing a proper weapon." Harry jumped down from the dueling platform and walked to the armaments door. Draco pushed through the shocked students, most of who instinctively moved out of his way due to years of conditioning. From what Harry could hear, most people had reacted badly to the presence of the Slytherins.

"What are those snakes doing here?"

"I bet they're going to slither back to their Death Eater mummies and daddies and tell them everything."

"Potter's in league with them, you mark my words. He was the most likely suspect for being the Heir of Slytherin back in my third year, after all."

"I told you Potter was going Dark!"

"They don't seem to be taking our presence here very well, do they?"

"No, but at least they have one thing right. I am technically 'in league' with you guys."

Draco smirked at him. "Of course you are. Why wouldn't you be?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "You mean other than five years of torment from you and the fact that I'm the 'Gryffindor Golden Boy'? Come on. We're about to either amuse them or scare them witless."

"Sounds like fun," Draco retorted, grinning maliciously.

Harry rolled his eyes and pushed him through the door, shutting it once he had entered as well. He walked past the gobsmacked Slytherin to the portion of the room containing the swords. He looked around until he found a long sword of his liking, then turned to watch Draco choose his weapon. The blonde was like a third year in Honeydukes. Finally, he chose a long sword with an ivory colored hilt and an emerald in the pommel. It was the exact opposite of Harry's, which had a black hilt and an amethyst in the pommel, and it was a little bit longer, showing that the blonde had more control in wielding the blade. They put the belts holding the scabbard around their waists, then sheathed the swords.

"Maybe we should set limits on what we're going to do before we get out there."

Harry nodded. "Good idea. Wouldn't want to accidentally take off someone's arm…or head… now would we?" he responded, only half joking.

XXXXXXXX

Several minutes later, Harry and Draco emerged from the closet. They climbed onto the dueling platform and stood, waiting for everyone to notice their presence. A hush fell over the crowd as they drew their wands and bowed, as was customary before dueling.

"Scared, Potter?" Draco taunted.

Harry smirked at him. "You wish."

That said, the duel began. They aimed their wands at the same time, but Draco cast his spell first.

"Rictusempra!"

Harry rolled to the side of the silver jet of light, casting his own spells as he did so. "Tarantallegra! Expelliarmus!"

"Protego!" The spells rebounded off of the blonde's shield. "Petrificus totalus!"

As expected, Harry raised his own shield. He lowered it and prepared to cast his retaliating spell, but Draco used the second's weakness to his advantage.

"Expelliarmus!"

The audience watched, shocked, as the wand flew from Harry's hand. Harry, however, had already drawn his sword and was charging at Draco, issuing a fearsome battle cry. The blonde quickly raised a shield, sheathed his wand, and withdrew his own sword in one fluid movement.

The onlookers gasped as Harry's weapon cleaved through the magical shield like it was butter. Draco blocked Harry's attack, using the blade's momentum to knock it away. He then retaliated, jabbing forward. Harry leapt to the side of the attack and towards his opponent, sword on point with him.

Parry, thrust, thrust, dodge, thrust, parry. The two duelists moved fluidly upon the dueling platform, defending and attacking, occasionally striking skin and drawing blood. Finally, Harry found himself in a position to disarm. He stepped closer to the blonde and brought his sword up almost vertically while still touching Draco's blade. While his sword was still in the almost-vertical position, Harry pointed the tip down suddenly towards the outside of Draco's blade. Finally, Harry slid the sword down the outside of his opponent's blade and then jerked in hard towards himself, causing the sword to jerk out of Draco's grasp and land a few feet away. Quickly, before Draco had a chance to draw his wand, Harry severed the straps that held the wand holster to the Slytherin's arm, making it fall to the ground. Harry placed the point of his wand to Draco's throat and grinned.

"I win."

When Draco held up his hands in surrender, he lowered his weapon. Harry then bent down to pick up the dropped wand and sword and tossed them to Draco, who caught them. The blonde sheathed the sword and pocketed the wand, scowling.

"You just got lucky," he spat, admittedly less viscously than in years past, but still harsh.

"Yes, I did," Harry replied, not denying what he knew to be true. He had had the fact that the outcome of any duel depended as much upon circumstance as upon ability when faced with a skilled and/or more experienced adversary. Draco appeared taken aback by this agreement, but he quickly hid his reaction so that no one who hadn't been looking for the split second it showed on his face would see. "Good duel," Harry said, sticking his hand out.

"It was, wasn't it?" Draco responded, grasping the proffered hand and shaking it. He grimaced when he saw the nicks up and down Harry's arms and the gash on his left cheek. "Sorry about that. Guess I got a little carried away."

The room grew so silent one could hear a pin dropped. Malfoy never apologized, especially for something he had little control over. Harry, however, waved a hand in a dismissive gesture.

"No harm done. Hermione can patch up the worst of it later." He glanced pointedly at the several slices on the blonde's arms and the x-shaped cut on his cheek. "Besides, it looks like I gave as good as I got."

When Draco nodded his concordance with this statement, Harry turned to the dumfounded crowd, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow and making a mental note to try a short sword next time as he did so. Almost everyone was staring at the duo on the stage with gaping mouths. Hermione, Remus, and Pansy all had worried frowns upon their faces, but Ginny and Blaise looked thrilled at the display they had witnessed. Harry was pleased to note that Smith seemed incapable of formulating any smart remarks, for the moment at least.

Harry turned to Draco, who had come up next to him, and raised an eyebrow in amusement. It was obvious that the Slytherin was enjoying the attention. Harry turned back to the audience, smirking.

"Do you believe me about the Muggle dueling now?" he asked cheekily, his smirk growing at the sight of the numerous nods. "Good."

Author's notes: Well that's that. I know nothing about guns, so use your imagination in any further references to them. I have never taken fencing, so the swordfight was purely from my imagination, though I did do a little research. For anyone who is interested, the links I used are below.

www (dot) wikihow (dot) com/Win-a-Swordfight

www (dot) wikihow (dot) com/Disarm-an-Opposing-Sword-Fighter

Well, this is most likely the last chapter until October. I haven't finished chapter 15 yet, and I still need to do my summer reading. Hope this was enough to hold everyone off 'til then. I'll try to update sooner, though.

Thanks to the chapter 13 reviewers:

mochiusagi
Starflower-Gem
evildictionaryninja
fifespice
Hyper Hippie
The Silver Fallen
xxsmilesRayrayxx
IPreferVerticallyChallenged
Natasha AKA Tash
Enigmus
GrlWithoutAName
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SwarmOfFanGirls
Norwegian Sunshine
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