Arg! I missed my deadline! I'd intended to have this posted by the end of Fall Break, but that's passed. All I can say is at least it's still October. I don't know if this chapter was worth the wait, but it took a heck of a long time to get written. For some reason, the dang thing just didn't want to come out!
This chapter goes out to GreenEyedCatDragon, whose review pointed out to me the glaring mess I have made of Harry's relationship with Ron. Hopefully, I have managed to rectify that.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, we would have seen more of Harry's dark side sooner, and it would have been more obvious. Also, he would have sneaked out every night to have snogging sessions with Draco.
"Speech"
'Thought'
XXXXXXXX- scene change
Breakfast on a Friday morning was always a rambunctious affair at the Gryffindor table. Unlike the other Houses, they were unashamed to show their joy at the end of a long week of classes. There was an unspoken agreement that no serious conversations would take place during that time to kill the jubilation. It was an understood fact. At least, it was understood to all but one particularly stubborn witch.
"Harry, why are you being so nice to Ron? Not that I don't like not having to choose between you and my brother, but, after what he did, I would think that you would at least be giving him the cold shoulder. I know I would have hexed him into next year by now!"
Harry sighed for the umpteenth time that morning. Ginny had been asking him the same question since that morning, having apparently delegated herself as his stand-in Mrs. Weasley.
"Ginny, it's Friday. Can't this wait?" At the girl's expectant glare, he relented. "I'm a man of my word. I promised Ron that he could teach strategy, and teach strategy he shall do. It's easier to keep an eye on him that way, anyway, and appeases the glory-seeking part of him. Besides, we have most of the same friends. I'm not about to make my friends take sides in an argument between the two of us if I can help it. As long as he doesn't bother me, I won't bother him."
Hermione put down Two Hundred Simple Spells Every Duelist Should Know, a large tome she had begun after the meeting on Wednesday night. "I spoke to Ron. He says that he'll at least try to keep the peace between the two of you."
Harry grinned at her. "More like you beat some sense into him, I'd wager."
Hermione gave an unusually evil smirk. "The guilt-trip works wonders. Whatever Ron's shortcomings, he doesn't want to rip his family apart, or to alienate himself. Besides, fighting with Harry over power would lower himself down to the level of one of those slimy snakes. And we can't have that, now can we?"
"You certainly know how to manipulate your boyfriend, Granger. I commend you."
Hermione glared at Draco over her shoulder, leaving Harry and Ginny to gape at her in shock. "How is it any of your business who I see?" she asked coldly.
Draco took a step back, hands held up defensively. "No need to snap at me! I was just giving a compliment." That said, Draco turned and continued to the Slytherin table. Harry shook his head in wonder at the blond snake's ability to cause trouble with but a simple comment.
"How could you be seeing Ron, 'Mione? How long has this been going on for?" Ginny asked heatedly, slamming her hand down on the table and causing every dish around her to rattle.
"Ron's not all bad," Hermione defended. "He has his sweet side. As to how long I've been seeing him, we got together around the beginning of summer. I'm sorry Harry," she said, a look of remorse passing briefly over her face. "I didn't know all this would happen when I got with him. And even now, I still, well I think I-"
"Don't worry about it, Hermione," he cut in, interrupting what may have been a rather embarrassing confession. "I know you've fancied him for ages." At the girls' shocked expressions, he glared at them. "What? You would have to have been blind to have not noticed the tension. As I was saying, you're the only one who has any say in what you do. I just hope you know what you're doing," he finished, concern lacing his voice.
Ginny took a deep, calming breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them, the fire of anger, whose embers had begun to burn in their depths, had extinguished itself, replaced with a sort of reluctant happiness. "Congratulations, I suppose," she muttered. "Just be careful, Hermione. Ron can be rather…temperamental."
"I know, Ginny, Harry," she reassured her worried friends before returning to her book. Ginny and Harry glanced once at one another once before returning to breakfast, appetites and good moods soiled.
XXXXXXXX
"Today, class, we will be having a mock battle."
This one statement caused the entire class to break into chatter. Lupin allowed the pandemonium for a second before he held up a hand for order. Immediately, all conversations ceased.
"Unlike in most battles, there will not be one side pitched against another. This will be every man for himself, and the last person standing wins. Feel free to make temporary alliances, use Muggle tactics, and do whatever it takes to win. However, Dark curses and attempts at serious injury will not be tolerated. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Professor," the class chorused. Lupin's serious face broke out into an excited grin.
"Well, let's get a move on, then!" At the students' baffled expressions, Remus tilted his head to the side in confusion. "You didn't really expect to do battle in this stuffy old classroom, did you? You need space to move around. Therefore, class will be taught in the courtyard today."
The excited students rose from their desks and ran to the door, some in such a rush that they almost forgot their wands. Some of the students who were more familiar with dueling could be seen shedding outer layers of clothing. Harry stood from his seat between Dean and Neville, beaming at the prospect of a challenge. He quickly shed his school robes and tie, shoved his wand into the holster attached to his arm, and joined the mass of his peers on the trek to the courtyard.
"So, when Lupin said 'do whatever it takes,; do you think he meant whatever it takes?"
Harry turned to Draco, who had moved fluidly through the crowd to come up beside him. "Of course he did. Lupin doesn't say things he doesn't mean."
"I wonder if he realizes that using such an irresponsible phrase around Slytherins is an invitation for trouble. For the Gryffindors, at least."
"Probably not," he replied, grinning. "I bet he'll figure it out soon enough, though."
The anticipation had mounted in the short walk from classroom to courtyard. Once outside, the class stood tensed, wands in hand. The adrenaline rushing through their veins was causing some students to twitch impatiently. Harry stood in silence, carefully selecting his possible first targets and labeling possible threats and allies. After a few minutes of this strained atmosphere, Lupin took pity on his class.
"Go!"
Chaos erupted. Spells were flying in every direction. In the first five minutes alone, a third of the class was eliminated. Those who were no longer able to fight were transported to the edge of the makeshift battlefield by the temporary wards that had been placed around the area and, in some cases, revived. Surprisingly, most of the eliminated students were Gryffindors. Needless to say, the Slytherins were taking full advantage of the invitation to use any means possible to win.
Harry was shooting Stunners and Disarming spells as rapidly as he could. He all but leapt into the air when someone bumped into his back and he whirled to confront him or her, only to discover that it was Draco. He instantly relaxed. Harry knew that, for the moment, they were allies.
After that, the two boys could be seen fighting either side by side or back to back. Alone, they were dangerous. Combined, they were Furies. Their movements were completely instinctive, quite obviously unplanned, yet in perfect synch. Many students were brought down by spells cast by either one or both of them.
Out of the corner of his eye, Harry checked on the rest of his friends. Blaise and Pansy appeared to be holding their own, having teamed up in the same way he and Draco had. Neville, surprisingly, was doing very well, even dueling with two Slytherins at once. Dean seemed to have decided that he was safer on the outskirts of the battle, as had Ron. Seamus, and most of the other Gryffindors, was petulantly watching from the sidelines.
Harry's gaze froze on Hermione. She stood alone in the middle of a circle of Slytherins, the rabbit surrounded by snakes. As he was running over to help, six Stunners simultaneously flew from their owners' wands. Hermione raised her arms in an instinctive, yet futile, attempt to shield herself from the oncoming spells. Harry slid to a halt when he saw an earthen wall rise up around her and absorb the attacks. The wall then sank down slightly and rippled out, knocking every one of the would-be attackers down and out of the battle. Hermione met Harry's eye and shrugged in confusion before hurling a nasty-looking Bat-Bogey Hex at Lavender Brown, who was noisily trying to sneak up on her, and continuing to fight.
"So, Granger has a Mark?" Draco asked as he sent off a Stinging Hex into a mob fighting nearby, hitting Theodore Nott.
"Yeah. I meant to tell you yesterday, but it slipped my mind. I told Hermione and Ginny about your birthmark, though," Harry added as an afterthought, cursing his loose tongue around the blonde and lack of tact instantly after.
"Gee, thanks Potter. I'm ever so glad I put my confidences in you," Draco said sarcastically, though he didn't sound as mad as he could.
"Sorry. I'll be sure you're the first to know the next time I learn some but of monumental information about my friends."
"Well, as long as you give me your word on that, I can forgive this slip-up. DUCK!"
Draco pulled Harry to the ground, barely preventing him from being hit by the oncoming Stinging Hex. The spell flew over their heads and hit Dean, eliminating him from the battle.
"Thanks, Draco. That was a close one."
Draco rolled his eyes. "Fight now, thank later, Potter."
A few minutes later, the battle was almost finished. The only ones still standing were Blaise, Pansy, Hermione, Draco, Harry, and Ron. Draco made eye contact with Blaise and Pansy and gestured at the remaining two opponents. They nodded and turned on Ron, bombarding him with a variety of hexes. The redhead froze for a second, in shock at the sudden assault, before retaliating fiercely.
Harry turned away from the scene to give his full focus to Hermione, who was slowly circling the duo she was up against. He was tempted to point out that she looked rather like a large cat, but didn't think that would go over very well.
"Confringo!"
Harry and Draco leapt away from each other and the attack, which was, apparently, exactly what Hermione had wanted them to do.
"Impedimenta!"
Draco rolled away from the oncoming spell and cast a Confundus Charm, which was easily absorbed by Hermione's shield. Harry cast a swift Oppugno at her and turned his attention to the remaining two Slytherins just in time to see them each cast a Stunner at Ron. He managed to avoid the first one, but was hit by Pansy's. He fell to the ground, unconscious and out of the battle. Harry's gaze flicked from the dueling Hermione and Draco to the approaching Blaise and Pansy, and he made a flash decision.
'I'm sure Draco can manage without me. Besides, we don't need Blaise and Pansy against us as well,' he mentally reassured himself even as he intercepted the approaching duo.
Blaise raised a mocking eyebrow. "Plan to take us both on alone, Potter?"
Harry shrugged. "Why not? It's not like I have anything better to do."
Pansy sneered at him, disgusted with his ostensible nonchalance. "Do your worst then, Potter."
Apparently, Blaise was tired of the banter. He fired a dark blue spell at Harry, which he dodged, only to have to block a spell cast by Pansy.
"Stupefy!"
"Protego!"
Blaise's shield successfully blocked the Stunner. However, the spell unexpectedly rebounded and hit the unsuspecting Pansy mid-curse. She collapsed and was transported to the rest of the watching students, who now included those coming from Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, and other classes. Blaise glared at Harry, who shrugged helplessly.
"What? It's not my fault my spell rebounded off of your shield and hit your girlfriend," he quipped, ducking under an oncoming Bat-Bogey Hex as he fired a Full Body Bind at Blaise. The Slytherin blocked it with a Shield Charm, only to be hit by a Stunner as soon as the shield disintegrated.
Harry turned back to the duel between Draco and Hermione and was not surprised to find that they were still at a stalemate.
"Incendio!"
"Aguamenti!"
Everyone watched in shock as, instead of the stream that was expected, water rushed forth from Draco's wand with a force to rival Niagara Falls. The fire was put out, which had been the original purpose, but Hermione was also hit. The water shoved her back, and it appeared that it wasn't going to stop anytime soon.
"Draco, lower your wand!" When the blonde failed to reply to Lupin's outcry, Harry shot a mild Stinging Hex at his hand. Draco dropped his wand with a jolt, effectively stopping the charm. A drenched and coughing Hermione was revealed to them before she was transported to the edge of the battlefield. Harry sent a last worry-filled glance to her before giving Draco his full attention.
"Now, Draco, that was just uncalled for."
"The vile Mudblood deserved it. Maybe my little charm managed to wash the filth from her veins."
To anyone else, Draco was being just as scathing as always. Harry, though, was well accustomed to these verbal barbs, and he could tell that his heart wasn't in this one. In fact, if Harry didn't know better, he'd say that Draco sounded almost concerned.
"What's wrong? Can't come up with any new insults? Or perhaps it's the fact that Daddy isn't present to feed them to you? A shame, really. I was under the impression that Malfoys were above being caught in the act of the crime."
Draco's eyes flashed silver. "At least my father isn't a corpse rotting away six feet under. Besides, it's true what my father says about them. Just look at what your filthy Mudblood mother gave birth to!"
Ah, that one had some bite. Harry smirked as he retorted, "Breeding must not mean everything, if it even means anything. I mean, look at yourself! Two Pureblood parents, yet you're nothing more than a whiney, spoilt, twitchy little ferret!"
Even as he said it, Harry knew he'd gone too far. Draco lifted his wand, any trace of his normal composure gone.
"Aguamenti!"
This time, the oncoming rush of water was expected. Harry quickly threw up a shield to protect himself from the onslaught. He was still being pushed back, but at least he wasn't being drowned at the same time.
'Now what do I do?' he thought helplessly as he felt his shield weakening. Draco, evidentially, had made that decision for him. The water stopped coming just as the shield gave out, but the enraged blonde wasn't finished.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
Harry fell to the ground, paralyzed, his wand clattering away to just out of his reach. Harry could feel the stirring of his raw magic as it automatically began fighting off the spell. Just as he was once again able to feel his toes, Draco came to stand over him.
"Never mention that incident to me again. Ever," the Slytherin hissed, crouching down to meet Harry's eye. The feeling returned to Harry's legs up to the knees as Draco began talking again. "Are we clear on this, Potter?"
Harry rolled his eyes at the blonde's theatrics. As Draco lifted up his wand to cast the spell that would eliminate Harry from the battle, the feeling returned to the rest of Harry's legs up to the waist, and he kicked up and over his head to where Draco was standing in one swift, if somewhat awkward, movement. Draco, not expecting the move, fell backwards and landed with a thud, his wand flying out of his hand and arcing gracefully through the air before landing next to Harry's.
With one last pulse of raw magic, Harry was free to move. He stood and walked over to Draco, a dangerous glint in his eyes promising pain to any who dared cross his path. Harry leaned in so that his face was inches away from Draco's, trying, perhaps a bit too desperately, to keep from sinking into the silver eyes staring back at him.
"It's not a good idea to gloat, Draco. You'll always be taken advantage of."
The fear, which had been almost tangible, drained away from Draco, replaced with a sort of smugness. He punched Harry in the stomach as hard as he could, forcing the wind from him. Draco stood as Harry doubled over, gasping.
"Maybe you should listen to your own advice, Potter," he drawled.
"You know, maybe you're right," Harry growled in response just before he lunged at the infuriating blonde.
From there, the duel disintegrated into brute force, wands and magic forgotten. The combatants rolled on the muddy ground, constantly changing positions in their quest for domination over the other. Finally, Lupin had enough.
"Boys!" Neither Harry nor Draco paid him any heed. Lupin sighed and withdrew his wand. "Petrificus Totalus!"
The spell lashed out and hit both belligerents, who froze in the posture they were in at the time that the spell made contact. Harry was straddling Draco's waist while restraining his wrists with one hand and shoving his face into the mud with the other. Draco, meanwhile, had managed to somehow contort his right arm so that his hand was wrapped around Harry's throat. Lupin rushed over and separated them before removing the spell.
"Now, since it seems that neither of you are going to be incapable of fighting any time soon, the victor will be determined based on the number and degree of injuries sustained. If you both will stand still while I do the scans, we will know who won shortly."
Lupin turned to Draco and made some complicated wand movements. A few minutes later, a sheet of parchment was spat out of the wand tip and into the air, where Lupin caught it. He then turned to Harry and repeated the process. Harry shuddered as a freezing cold blast of magic passed through his body, moving as slowly as molasses. As the last of the sensation dissipated, a piece of parchment flew out of Lupin's wand tip.
"How about we begin with Mr. Malfoy? He has a broken nose, two broken fingers, a sprained wrist, severe bruising, and several cracked ribs. Mr. Potter has a broken nose, a fractured skull, a mild concussion, one broken rib, several cracked ribs, a sprained wrist, and severe bruising. I'd say that, in this case, Mr. Potter wins by a hair.
"Now, for homework, write one foot on what you should and shouldn't do during battle. Everyone is to return to my room and wait for me so that I can write you a pass to your next class, seeing as we ran a bit past schedule."
As the other students began to trudge back into the castle, Harry bent over, suppressing a groan of the pain he could feel now that the adrenaline rush had died down, and picked up the two discarded wands. He sheathed his own and held out Draco's for him to take.
"Thanks," he muttered, carefully accepting the proffered wand with the hand that had two broken fingers.
"No problem," Harry replied. He clutched a hand to his head in a futile attempt to stop the world from spinning. "Oww. Concussions are definitely not fun."
Draco merely rolled his eyes at the rather obvious observation.
"Are you two okay? Well, obviously not physically. What I meant is are you two mad at each other? I certainly hope not. If you are, you two will fight like that all the time and things will go back to the way they were and-"
"Hermione!" Harry cut off the worried girl, wincing at the volume of his own voice. "I don't know about the Slytherin git here, but I'm not mad."
Draco glared at Harry. "Don't call me a git, Scarhead! And Granger, I believe that I managed to expel the abnormal amounts of ire I had for Potter during the fight. Actually, I feel better than I have since last year when we fought on the Quidditch pitch."
Harry grinned at the memory. "Same here, Malfoy!"
Hermione rolled her eyes at the two. "Boys!" she cried out in exasperation.
Just as they reached the castle steps, Lupin caught up to them. "I'll be accompanying the three of you to the Infirmary."
"But Professor Lupin, we'll go on our own. We promise!" Harry protested in the most earnest voice he could muster. Lupin rolled his eyes in an action that was frighteningly like the one Hermione had made only a minute before.
"Harry, I was best friends with your parents, remember? I can tell when you're just trying to worm your way out of something. Anyway, I was going to tell Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Granger that I would like to speak with them tonight after dinner when we got back to the classroom, but thought that now would be more convenient. Some of the things you two did in class were rather…intriguing, to say the least."
"Of course, Professor!"
"Fine," Draco consented, attempting to sound grudging. "It's not like I have anything better to do."
"Professor Lupin, it might be a good idea to include Ginny Weasley and Pansy Parkinson in that discussion as well."
Remus gave Harry an odd look, but didn't ask questions and simply nodded his recognition of the request. The small group came to a stop outside of the Hospital Wing.
"Now you three do exactly as Poppy tells you, okay?"
"Yes Professor Lupin," they chorused. As their teacher continued on to his classroom, the three turned to the Infirmary door in unison. Harry gave a dramatic sigh.
"At this rate, I'm going to break the record for the most visits to the Hospital Wing." When Hermione and Draco's responses were to laugh, albeit that the latter was gripping his sides in pain, Harry glared at them. "Gee, thanks guys!"
After Draco and Hermione sobered up from their bout of laughter at Harry's expense, they walked into the room that had become intimately familiar to Harry and was becoming so to the other two. As Madame Pomfrey came out and started running scans on the three of them while muttering about insane professors and their lesson plans, Harry had only one thought.
'Here we go again.'
Author's Notes: I know, I know. Crappy place to stop. Compared to the alternative (going on forever and a day), it seemed good, though. I apologize to all you extremely patient readers. This is one of the longest, if not the longest, chapters I have ever written. For a long time, I had writer's block, and then I didn't have time to type. And now I am making pathetic excuses…
Anyway, as far as I know, we don't have school on November 4 (American election day), so I should be able to write the next chapter then if I'm not drowning in homework. A couple of weeks from then is Thanksgiving Break, so there is the possibility of an update. Don't get your hopes up, though.
Thanks to the chapter 15 reviewers:
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