A/N: Things are coming along great in this story. But before I go any further I must apologize for chapter 19. And possibly the chapter after that. Please don't flame me. I am only following my muse and she can be very brutal when she wants to be.
------------------------------------------------
Warnings: this story contains violence and sex. If you don't feel comfortable reading it then don't Read it.
Spoilers: Books 1-5 if you don't want to know about them then don't read this.
Pairings: Harry/Ginny, Ron/Luna, Hermione/Viktor
----------------------------------------------
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters. I am borrowing them with out her permission and just expecting her to be ok with this. Please Mrs. Rowling, don't sue me.
(\/)
(O.o)
( )
-----------------------------------------
Chapter 18
Start of a New Term
-------------------------------------------
"Ok everyone, welcome back from the holidays. Tonight I wanted to see how well you guys are progressing. So tonight we are going to see how well this group can work together. It is going to be all of you guys against Ginny and I. We just want to see how long you can either hold us off or how many of you we can take out before you take us out. We don't expect you guys to stun either of us, but that could just be our own overconfidence."
Hermione and Ron dawned on their usually competitive smirks. Hermione was going to be in for a big surprise when she faced off with Harry. She was no doubt going to be the toughest opponent but her ability to place herself at the top of the class made her misjudge others. He needed to break that now or she was probably going to die underestimating her opponent.
The rest of the students shared looks of varying emotions. Some seemed nervous others eager. Harry just wanted to see how good his students had become against one that could fight. He was going to need to ask the order for help in training. But that would wait for another day.
"Ok so the rules are the same as they always are. No spells that can kill permanently harm or cause harmful situations, in other words no levitating someone one hundred feet in the air and then dropping them. This is a fun duel let's have fun."
Harry had the room split up into groups. He then had the room of requirement expand and pick a theme at random. It chose a forest location which didn't bother them too much as it would provide basic cover.
Harry amplified his voice and spoke.
"Let's begin we have about an hour to do this."
Ginny immediately cast a silencing charm and an invisibility charm. She climbed to the top of the trees and immediately began to look out for the other. Harry drew Runes around their boundaries that would trap anyone that stepped past them long enough for Harry to stun them. He then cast an invisibility charm along with a silencing charm. The first group of people that stumbled across their nest was the team that Cho Chang had formed. It consisted of all seventh year Ravenclaws. She was obviously looking for brains to help her team but found that book smart isn't everything. Her team was stunned and removed from the field.
Harry decided to take a more active approach on the game and started to try and seek out the other groups. He stumbled upon another two groups that seemed to be working as one large one. At least they had the sense not to take on more than they could without proper help. Unfortunately most of this group consisted of third and fourth year students and the older students were stunned before they knew what was happening. Ginny erected a protection rune around Harry that kept most of the stunners away from him and what managed to break through the runes he absorbed into his hand.
The largest groups of students were taken out of the fight leaving only Hermione, Ron, Neville, Luna, and Viktor. They had obviously thought that they were a match for Harry and Ginny. The main problem was that most of their new studies were kept a secret from their friends. There was no point in mentioning their new secret weapons to anyone if they were the only ones that could use it.
Harry crossed paths with their group shortly after returning to his nest were Ginny was currently hiding. Hermione had successfully brought Harry's Rune down but in the process gave their location away. Harry was heading towards their general direction when he felt Ginny cast a Rune to bring down their disguises. Harry could now see their position through Ginny.
A round of Stunners later and a few loud thuds brought down Ron and Viktor. Luna had successfully dodged everything thrown at her and Hermione and Neville had just blocked them. With a combined effort the three of them had put Harry back on the defensive.
They seemed to be trying to beat him down with sheer numbers of spells. Harry summoned a log to intercept the blunt of their spells and regain his footing.
'Cast the Rune of speed Ginny they have me cornered.'
Harry could feel the world start to slow down and had this been a real duel he probably would have won right now. But he wanted a fairer fight between his friends. They deserved at least that. Harry repositioned himself behind the group.
'Ginny let up of the Runes now ok.'
'Ok.'
Harry cast another series of stunners at his targets and took down Luna. Neville and Hermione had used basic rune shield to stop most of the attack and blocked what was need thanks to the alert they got with their runes.
"Interesting Harry I am not sure how you managed to apparate in the grounds but interesting none the less."
"Trade secret Hermione can't really tell you."
"So where is Ginny? You are going to need her. You're outnumbered right now."
"My dear sweet Hermione, you underestimate me."
Hermione made a quick movement with her wand. Harry intercepted the curse with his bare hand.
Incantation: Solenarious
Orientation: Light side destructive spell.
Uses: to render an opponent immobile.
Wand Movement: Flick and a short jab
Hermione and Neville were clearly not expecting Harry to do that. They wore identical wide-eyed expressions.
"As I said you are underestimating me as your opponent."
Hermione smirked at him again and sent another curse at Harry. He raised his hand to intercept the spell and everything went black for a few seconds. He opened his eyes and swore to himself for underestimating Hermione. He knew that she would see through what he had done and have a way to counter it. Luckily he had the upper hand right now because they both thought that he was stunned.
Harry aimed his wand at Neville and fired a series of Stunners and body binds. He collapsed next to Hermione. She conjured a shield almost before he hit the floor. Her reflexes were good but again she underestimated her opponent. She turned her back on Harry without checking to see if he could be revived.
"I don't know how you are doing what you are doing Harry but I assume it has a lot to do with Ginny so how about we even the odds a bit. Accio Ginny Weasley."
Nothing happened but Harry assumed that Hermione was just using the summoning spell to get a fixed location on her. She smiled letting Harry know that his assumptions were correct.
Harry threw a few fireball curses her way forcing her to dodge out of the way. She used her momentum to carry her back to her feet and fired three curses towards Harry.
'Ugh.'
That noise meant that Ginny was hit. The spells were not aimed at Harry but at Ginny instead. He was now on his own to face Hermione. She would be too good of an opponent to allow Harry to revive Ginny but he would try as soon as he had a free moment.
He flicked his wrist and sent a barrage of spells and colors her way. She might be the brightest witch of their age but she wasn't as experienced in dueling as Harry was and book smarts only get you so far.
She summoned a log to intercept the spells that Harry sent her way. Harry used that time to revive Ginny. He could feel her long enough inside of his head to know that it worked before he was hit by another stunner. Ginny revived Harry moments later.
"That's getting annoying Harry. Don't you know how to stay stunned?"
"Hermione, when have you ever known me to give up at all?"
"Yeah I guess your right. It just bothers me that I can't figure out how you keep reviving yourself. I know that it can't be a certain spell you are time releasing because Enervate doesn't work on the spell I just hit you with. Also Ginny is unconscious and to far away to revive you."
"Well you are actually really close on that one. Ginny is reviving me through our connection. I revived her just before you stunned me. It is actually why I was stunned focusing too much on that. Come on let's call it a draw."
"Alright sounds good to me."
The room turned back into the normal meeting room that it had always been. Hermione, Ginny, and Harry were the only ones standing. Harry cast a massive enervate to bring everyone out of the stunners they were hit with. Grogginess filled the air as everyone moaned and shifted to stand up. A slight huff and mutters of that's just great could be heard as footsteps pounded towards the door. Harry looked just in time to see Ron walking out of the room of requirement. He cast a look towards Ginny before calling it a night. They had classes in the morning.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(\/)
(O.o)
( )
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When Harry climbed the stairs to the boy's dormitory he could hear Ron pretending to be a sleep by breathing heavy. Knowing Ron as well as he knew him it was best to leave him alone to think until Ron was ready to talk to him.
The next morning Ron was nowhere to be found in the Gryphindor tower. When Ginny and Harry entered the Great Hall they expected to see him there. They were mistaken again.
Harry finally ran into Ron during class. Ron avoided every question that Harry asked him. McGonngal passed out the new schedules and Harry realized that he was going to be seeing Ron less and less this semester.
Transfiguration was really easy and boring. It was basically a review to move on and start the harder aspects of Human Transfiguration. Stuff like Animagus and turning yourself into other objects. Also towards the end of the year they were going to learn to bend the light around themselves to turn themselves invisible.
Transfiguration was followed by Runes and Spell creation. Both classes were amazingly complex yet simple and interesting once you knew the back work. Harry finished up his day with Charms and met Ginny in the Great Hall. They ate their dinner at a quick pace and rushed off to meet up with Professor Dumbledore.
"Come in." Dumbledore's voice could be heard just outside of his door. "Ah yes Harry, Ginny please have a seat. I will be with you two momentarily."
Dumbledore concentrated back on the letter at his table. He continued to read it until he had appeared to finish it and then placed it in the front drawer to his desk.
"Alright Harry, Ginny we shall start today's lesson. You both have advance a lot in your magical areas. Far quicker than I had hoped you would. Unfortunately it isn't enough. You need to get better. Your tricks might work on his Death Eaters but Voldemort wont be as easily fooled. So I am going to teach you how to duel. You are going to learn as much as possible about dueling. So I now will be your sparing partner until the time comes that you beat me.
Dumbledore's lesson continued on until Harry and Ginny both had to be revived. Dumbledore didn't even get out of his seat to duel them. His curses and spells were so complex that Harry didn't even have time to register what was happening.
They left the room slightly disappointed with there efforts even though Dumbledore had told them that they were both very skilled duelist. Neither of them could believe that since Dumbledore hadn't even moved from his seat. They both went to bed slightly off put.
A few weeks had gone by and Harry had settled into his schedule. His transfiguration classes were steadily getting harder and his potions classes were getting easier. Alchemy was by far the most interesting subject that he was taking. Spell and Ruin creation had only touched on the fundamentals and the theory behind it and while it was probably the most useful it was really the most difficult of his courses.
Defense and charms had gotten easier while at the same time being harder. The work load was lighter but the spells and theory moved into complex. Defense starting teaching war strategies and theories behind dark magic spells. While charms had moved into teaching wards and combination spells. Astronomy was now moving into showing how to make the most out of magical energy not just from you but from other things as well.
And just as Harry had predicted Ron had become a scarce commodity. He rarely saw him anywhere but classes anymore and he was only taking three classes with him. Harry could feel that he was slowly losing his best friend.
He entered the common room and went to the boy's dormitory to sleep. Ginny could be felt in his head and he knew that she was just as worried about Ron as he was.
Harry ran into Ron during Quidditch practice. He was out on the pitch and looked as if he was in a sour mood. Practice went off perfect as usual now that Harry had started his beaters in training with the chasers. The beaters were practicing ball handling while still using the bat. And the chasers were practicing maneuvers with the beaters to gain an advantage on the opponent. Harry called it quits for the day and released his team. He landed on the pitch and gathered up the balls. He could feel a presence behind him and turned to confront it.
Ron was standing behind him looking far sicker than Harry had thought he was.
"Ha…Harr…Harry I nee…need your help."
"What is it Ron. What do you need Ron."
Ron straightened up and Harry could see a bit of color return to his face.
"If you don't want to help me Harry, than just leave me alone." Ron walked away in a quick fit.
"Ron wait I said that I would help you." Ron was already gone by the time Harry had even gotten up. Harry levitated the truck to the locker room. Ron was acting really weird now. He wondered what was going on.
'Ginny we need to find Hermione now.'
'Ok.'
Harry dropped the truck off in the locker room and walked to the castle with Ginny in search of Hermione.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(\/)
(O.o)
( )
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The rest of the week went by without Ron in sight. He didn't show up to any of the DA meetings. Harry was beginning to get really worried. This wasn't like Ron at all. He finally ran into Ron in his DaDa class but Ron wasn't very adamant on talking to him.
"Ron, will you just talk to me? What is wrong with you?" Harry Pleaded.
"I am trying to learn the subject since you don't seem to want to teach me anything you know."
"It's not that simple Ron. I can teach you what you want to learn."
"Why not, I am not as slow as some people think Harry."
"It's not that Ron, I don't know them myself. I never took the time to learn the dark arts." Harry knew it was wrong to lie to his friend but he needed him to stop trying to get him to teach something that taints your soul. Ron was his best friend and he just couldn't put him through that.
"Mr. Potter is there a reason that you are interrupting my class?" Professor Krum asked.
"No Sir."
"Very well if you don't mind I am going to continue."
Defense was spent going over the weaknesses of giants and how to quickly take them down before they became a threat.
The class was finally over and Harry raced to put his books away so he could catch up with Ron and get him to talk to him.
"Mr. Potter, could you please stay after class so I can have a word with you? The rest of you please read chapters twelve through fourteen and have two and a half feet of parchment detailing the highlights of Giants. I want you to include their weaknesses and their talents."
Harry walked up to the front of the class to talk with Viktor.
"Harry, please take a seat." Harry sat down and waited for the scolding that he thought was coming. It never did.
"So Harry what is going on between you and Ron? Hermione tells me that he came to you and asked for help with the dark arts."
"Yeah I told him that I couldn't help him with that though because I wouldn't be the best teacher. I am not sure what is going on with him though. I think that he might be a bit jealous though. He is use to the three of us, that is Hermione, Ron, and myself, always being together and this year we seem to be spending less and less time together."
"You might be right but I am going to have to check on a few things first."
"Ok thanks Professor Krum."
"You are welcome." Harry got up and walked out of the classroom. He was done with his courses for at least an hour before he had to see Dumbledore. After that he didn't have to do much of anything but study and help Ginny study for her classes.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(\/)
(O.o)
( )
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
January had passed and before Harry knew it Valentines Day was approaching. Ginny and Harry would go out to Hogsmeade on another date. Harry scheduled the last DA meeting before the holiday.
Everyone but Ron had shown up at ten to nine and after twenty minutes of waiting they decided that he wasn't showing up. Harry started the meeting. He was going to show everyone how to cast effective shields so they could deflect both magic and physical attacks. Afterwards he told the groups to start practicing their dueling. At a quarter to eleven he dismissed everyone and packed up to go back to the dormitory.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A/N ok well I know that I said that I would hit 100,000 but I honestly couldn't think of anything else to put into this chapter. Please rate and review.