History Strongest Magister Harry: Hogwarts Year 2
7 Lockhart's Dueling Club
A week has passed and the Culture Club, by extension everyone, found out that Ron Weasley was almost suspended and on a tight leash. Professor McGonagall has him under surveillance and constantly hand him chores to do around the castle. Harry had seen him swept the floors with a broom in hand grumbling about how he could finish the task quicker if he had his wand. To add to his already injured pride Draco Malfoy and his friends would make it their mission to goad the red head into doing something stupid and tattled on the teen.
It didn't take everyone in the club to figure out that Ron had somehow unleashed the serpent on the merfolk's village. The real question was who did the actual spell or if it was Ron then how powerful is he to be able to summon over thousands of Serpent of the Norse? Both George and Fred were having a conflicting issue when it came to Ron. Sure they're brothers and Weasleys sticks together but Ron almost had them killed but they were hoping it wasn't Ron.
"I can't take it!" Fred bellow, "I know a prank when I see one but what happened in the lake wasn't a prank! Someone died!"
"We can't come up with anything new, not without knowing the truth!" George chimes in. "We need to talk to him but-"
"McGonagall keeps him busy to the point where he can't even chat without getting into trouble," Fred finished.
Harry slowly scratch his final sentence for his report and reassure the twin, "Ron Weasley may be an annoyance but he's not powerful nor mentally capable of summoning Serpent of the Norse. Several reasons, they lived to far for a second year to muster their magic to pull them from another country. Two, you need strong mental fortitude to repeatedly summon them. And finally we know for a fact that he has trouble changing a match stick into pins."
"What if that's an act?" Fred asks.
"Then Ron Weasley will easily win an Oscar for it," Harry chime and smile at the twin who returns the smiles. "Besides, you boys need to go to Hogmeades and get yourself suited for the Solstice Ball."
"We have another month!" George and Fred chorused.
"Suit yourself," Harry said seeing their spark back. "Oh and good luck today."
"Luck? We don't need luck!" Fred said puffing out his chest, "We'll win the game!"
Gryffindor's first match against Slytherin was today and with it on everyone's mind it helped get the thoughts of the Chamber out of peoples mind. The excitement was getting to the point where everyone almost forgot about that petrified cat. Gryffindors and Slytherins were glaring at each other from across the Great Hall at meals times. Some even went as far as to put up banner proclaiming they've won the match. It was the spirit of the sport that was flying around the school.
Speaking of sports, Harry heard that there have been several small jousting tournaments that brought in a small crowd. Not to mentioned that there's a professional circuit for Broom Jousting and hearing that Hogwarts has brought it back there were actual pros sitting in the audience seeing if they could find any good prospect. To their disappointment there weren't much since the sport had just got back to Hogwarts. Then there was Futball that didn't bring any crowd but those who were obsessed with it.
The Weasley twin had ones suggested to put some magic in tennis, literal terms. From the side line Harry had witnessed Fred and George spelled the green ball to burst into flames whenever they spike it. After that day the tennis club had kids from different houses joined but it was all the magic was disbanded when the professors found out about it. Luckily no one really got hurt and some even began to try it. Daphne Greengrass was one such person who found the charm to tennis.
Daphne had ones tried to get Harry to play the game only to really find that he was monster at it. Not that kind of monster. He was beast at moving on court and at the same time able to reach the ball like pro. No he was a monster when he hits the ball. A dozen tennis balls was sliced through as it went through a cheese grater. Yet with Daphne's presence the Tennis club grew in size for having a Greengrass and surprisingly she even found an old newspaper article about a Noble Pureblood inventing tennis to show that they were better than muggles by not using magic in a sport. With that news article the numbers of Slytherin's venom for the sport simmered.
Su on the other hand was enjoying badminton and found that her small stature didn't matter when it came to the sport. The sport was quick and fast paced that she really find amusing. She'd ones told Harry that it reminded her of their spars and how quick it gotten the longer it went. Su had heard about his tennis debacle and never allowed Harry to come near badminton. Sadly badminton didn't grow in size but that didn't really deter Su from playing with the few that was there.
It dawn on Harry that the sports that the Board of Governor brought to Hogwarts has broken down the barrier that was previously there when you talk about Quidditch. If it was the Boards intention by allowing more students from different houses to interact with each other then by all means they have succeeded.
The fall air filled with Quidditch excitement gave way to one of the greatest Saturday they had ever have in a long time. Everyone forgot about the attack that happened to the cat and whispers of serpents attacked under water washed away with anticipation to see who would win the Quidditch match this day.
"Who're you be rooting for?" Hermione asks Harry after sitting down in the stands.
"I'm just here to support my friends," Harry said pointing to the red headed twins flying about.
"I dear say that your supports are needed," Daphne said joining the group and she has her friend in tow.
"Yo," Harry said waving at the pretty blonde.
"Nii-san," Hermione said scooting closer to Harry when the stands were getting crowded.
"Yes Hermione-chan," Harry said smirking at the girl who glared back with a pout that told him what she was thinking, "In both Defensively and offensive the Gryffindors are superior to the Slytherin team and if this were a contest of said position then Gryffindor would win in a heart beat but the seeker's the key to ending the game. I haven't seen their seeker's play before and I don't know who's the Slytherin seeker."
"Draco's bought himself into the Slytherin team as their seeker," Daphne said pointing to the Slytherin team who had identical brooms.
"I see," Harry said eyeing the broom and saw Nimbus 2001 etched on the handle, "The real question now is who's the better flyer?"
"The Gryffindors!" Someone said and there stood Luna Lovegood wearing a hat that has an animated lion's head roaring now and then.
"Although the Board sent old but new brooms for all the teams, Slytherin has the top of the line brooms," Daphne said and then thought for a moment, "I do think you're right, Miss Lovegood. The Gryffindors are the better flyer but they're handicapped by their brooms."
"Please call me Luna," Luna said.
"Very well," Daphne reply and nod to the strange girl.
"Over here Su, Neville!" Hermione said waving towards two people who was looking for them.
After another ten minutes and everyone in the stand was seated. The game begins. The quaffle was release and the Gryffindor chasers got it first. They speeds towards the Slytherin goal and made their first scare within ten second.
10 – Zero, Gryffindor's lead.
"May I have a look at your hat?" Harry asks Luna who hands the hat over and Harry observes it. The Rune and charm work were pretty basic but for a first year that's something that stood out like a sore them. Animated charms were at least fourth year spells and not to mention the detailed to the real lion was surreal. He had to admit he would have a difficult time replicating Luna's feats.
"An Gryffindor scored another! That makes 90 to 10!" The Announcer shouted and harry ignore the commentating and flip the hat and there it was the array he was looking for.
Hermione stare at the oblivious Harry who was examining the hat with great care.
"That's so Harry-nii," Hermione thought and from how close she was to him.
Finally Harry handed the hat back and said, "Very well done Luna."
"It wasn't much," Luna said and then her wide eyes glaze over Harry and she asks, "Where's Orochi?"
"Sleeping, most likely," Harry said.
"Oh poo, and I made an identical hat too," Luna said pull out a miniature lions hat that could fit a baby snake.
Harry chuckle at the adorableness it was, "He's a Madara after all, one must look sharp."
"Indeed!" Luna said pocking the miniature hat.
"AND Gryffindor's made another goal reaching 160 points and Slytherin 20!" The commentator announce and then he shouted, "And Malfoy's looks like he spotted the snitch and OH- a direct hit from a bludger directed by Fred or was it George's and Slytherin calls a time out."
"Well this'll be a long game," Daphne comment.
"They should put a time limit on these games," Hermione continue the topic, "I ones read that there was a game that lasted two months before the seeker found the snitch."
"International games do tend to exclude time limits but for school matches they have up to till Sunday evening hours so they don't miss class the next day," Neville chime in.
"I didn't know that," Harry said and everyone from the culture club glances over at Harry in disbelief. "What? I'm not a walking encyclopedia?"
Yes, yes you are, everyone silently thought.
"Looks like Slytherin Captain switching roles for his teams and making Antony play seeker and benching Malfoy after that glorious hit by the twins, so they're one chaser short, and now the games back on!" Commentator said.
Another fifty scores from Gryffindor and Slytherin catching the snitch later the game ended with Gryffindor winning by sixty points.
The next day Harry was making his way to the great hall and found it deathly quite. Looking around he spots his friends and they motion for him to get to them as fast as they could.
"What's going?" Harry asks knowing there he was being stared at.
"There was another attack last night," Fred said.
"And you know how Hogwarts rumor mill goes," George said.
"Let me guess, I'm the prime suspect?" Harry said piling some food on his plate.
"No, Orochi is!" Katie said.
"Wait, Orochi, my perverted familiar who would rather take pictures of girls naked than hurt someone," Harry said chuckling and his eyes narrowed and he asks darkly, "Who was it?"
"Luna, they say she's petrified," Angelina said.
Harry got up and immediately made his way to the head table and came face to face with Professor Dumbledore.
"What kind of petrification was Miss Lovegood's in?" Harry asks directly and every professor glance at one another just not knowing how to answer this, "Is Orochi the suspect?" Again no one answer him. "By Law of Familiar Six Section Nine Clause two. I demand to know!"
"Stone," Professor Dumbledore said softly, "Miss Lovegood was petrified into stone. Peeves was the one who found her and stated that he saw a large snake leaving the scene. On the account that Orochi was with her for the past week we suspected that he was the cause of her predicament."
Harry's eyes focus inward to gather all the data he knew about Madara and shook his head when he found it.
"Orochi has no power when it comes to Gorgan based magic," Harry said and that got the Headmaster to come to a realization, "A Madara are magic base in mimicking human magic-"
"And so they can't mimic magic that specifically to one species such as Hydras head growth and dragons breath," Professor Dumbledore said nodding his head, "You're correct Mister Kousaka but tell me, where was Orochi last night?"
"In my room sleeping," Harry said.
"Unlikely story!" Professor Lockhart snapped from the end of the table.
"Gilderoy, a Madara has no power when it comes to petrification," Professor Dumbledore said.
"We don't know anything about a Madara much less its powers!" Professor Lockhart snide.
"Then please open the book on the subject," Professor Dumbledore said and then added, "Though you need to learn how to read Chinese first."
"You've read Shen Quo's research?" Harry asks a little surprised.
"Well, yes, after you came about Orochi, I had to learn as much as I could when it came to you're familiar," Professor Dumbledore said smiling. "Now, run along, classes should start in half an hour."
"Where did it happen?" Harry asks.
"Second floor by the bathroom, near the Ravenclaw's Dormitory," Professor Dumbledore said.
"I see," Harry said and left he Great Hall.
The area in question had little portraits and almost a secluded spot from the masses. The hall was indeed large enough to allow Orochi or a snake of large size to maneuver and yet something wasn't right about it. Looking around Harry notice a single feather embedded where walls and floor meet. He picks it up and though it was a quill but it didn't have any black ink and it tells Harry that it came from a living bird.
Most owls aren't allowed to fly through the corridors and only from the Owlry, Great hall and student dorms. Only time they are allowed near a corridor is when they are needed in Transfiguration class for assignments like turning their pets into teacups or the likes.
Yet there was a question that linger in Harry's mind, 'Why haven't they closed the school yet and why haven't the Aurors called in to question the events that injured a student much less a student that will one day rule Britain?'
"Both of you could come out now," Harry said softly and out came Percy Weasley. Without looking at the older teen Harry softly asks, "Why are you following me?"
"None of your business," Percy barked puffing his chest showing the Prefrect Badge as of to threaten Harry.
"Miss, you shouldn't stalk the halls like that," Harry said again without turning his head away from the spot where Luna was attacked.
Slowly a girl nervously came out the door and tried to hide behind Percy who was sporting a rather red face.
"You won't tell the twins?" Percy nervously said now that the cat was out of the bag.
"Tell me, where's Peeves?" Harry asks.
"I don't know," Percy said immediately.
"Thank you and no I won't tell the twins," Harry said smiling and heard their footsteps fading away.
Several days later Harry had a long chat with Orochi who was livid after finding out that Luna was petrified and in the Hospital Wing. He was making promises to find out who did it and also added that he will make sure who ever did it will suffer a thousand deaths before given the chance to die. Finding Peeves was a lot harder than Harry had thought. The poltergeist was nowhere to be seen and asking the Professors didn't help one bit. The only information Harry had gotten was from Sir Nicholas who told him that the poltergeist was hiding from Harry afraid he would send him off for accusing Orochi.
"Hey, are you going to Dueling Club tonight?" Fred asks Harry one day in the club room and Harry replied with a blank look. "We know you're great at dueling. Hell, how many letters did you get from Vince about joining a dueling club?"
"Touché," Harry said and sigh in defeat, "I'll see you guys there."
"Great!" Fred said.
The whole school was buzzing about the new dueling club that was being headed by Professor Lockhart. If Harry was correct almost everyone was going to be there especially the girls who were enamor by the celebrity. Although, Harry was a little apprehensive about going to the club yet he was more interested in the man's knowledge and prowess. At the same time he didn't want to be under scrutiny by said celebrity who was watching him like a hawk.
Harry came around a corner and slam into a small girl and on instinct he caught her before she would hit the floor. There in his arm was a freckle face red hair girl. She was blushing at the close proximity they were in and that he was looking at her with those memorizing green eyes.
"I'm sorry I wasn't looking," Harry said stepping back and releasing her.
"Ittt-It's fine, I wasn't looking any way!" She stammers.
"Ginny Weasley-san?" Harry said remembering her name from the Opening Feast.
"Yes!" Ginny said a little shocked that he knew her name and then she shook her head and said her farewell, "I got to go! Thanks for saving me!"
Harry watches the girl walk around him and down the hallway.
"Huh," Harry said a little absent-minded. Whipping around he made to walk when he found his foot stepping on a feather. It was a white feather and he bent down to pick it up. Looking at it a little closer the feather it looked like the one he picked up where Luna was attacked. Looking over his shoulder he'd observed where Ginny ones stood. "Couldn't be."
Shaking his head Harry made his way up to his dorm and got dress for the Dueling Club. He wore his black jeans and brown t-shirt with confortable tennis shoe. On the way Harry met up with a lot of giggling girls who would whispers about their close encounter with Professor Lockhart and how they would steal a pieces of his clothing like his scarf and coats that he has lying around. Judging by their talks Harry suspected that Professor Lockhart purposely let his students steal his clothes for publicity sake.
The Great Hall was turned into a large barren setting with one platform in the middle of the Great Hall. The estimate distances from one end of the platform to other end could be a hundred and fifty feet, which is a good amount of distance. Standard platform for dueling matches are ninety feet from end to end and the combatants ready position are twenty from the center of the platform. If one were new to the dueling and are familiar to fencing then the similarity are uncanny. For dueling there are two combatants standing face to face and trade blows until their opponent either surrender, knocked out, disarmed and or knocked off the platform. Professional Duel as a sport has rules and regulation and heavily monitored unlike his duel last year with Mister Malfoy where the combatant are put into brawl like match.
"I see you made it!" Fred said appearing on Harry's left side while George pops up on his right. "So, are you going to challenge Malfoy and win so we could put him in ridiculous outfits again?"
"I say that would be too kind for Malfoy," someone quip they turn towards Daphne who smiled at the confuse trio and she further explains her comment, "Last year Malfoy's been getting too comfortable with your choice in clothes and I dear say he seems to enjoy it very much. Especially the pink tutu."
"Damn!" Fred and George chorus not knowing how to embarrass the boy anymore.
"So who's coming from the culture club?" George asks.
"Everyone's coming," Harry said and then sigh a little as if disappointed about something, "Professor Lockhart was pretty vocal about attending and not to much his scare tactic."
"Scare tactic?" the twins asks at the same time.
"Scare tactics pretty much what you would think. Say a healer who says to buy a potion that will cure you and keep you healthy from a disease and if you don't you would die immediately," Harry explained, "Scare tactics."
"Is that why you were hesitant in coming to this club?" George ask.
"Would you want to go to a store and buy their products just because someone outside was scaring you with death threats?" Harry retort.
"Point taken," The Weasley twins said.
"Hey!" Cedric cry out while making his way towards the group and in with him came Su, Neville, Oliver, Hermione, the Gryffindor Chasers, and Padma."
"Ready for the excitement?" Wood smile.
"Nah, more like, are we ready to see some entertainment," Katie said and point towards the platform.
"I wonder what Professor Lockhart would be teaching us?" Neville asks trying to get with the group.
"Hopefully not smiling like a buffoon," Padma snipped.
"Oh my, Professor Lockhart, the celebrity of Hogwarts doesn't have your full attention and admiration, how will he live with that?" Cedric said in an over the top way that garner some laughs from the group.
Padma stuck out her tongue at Cedric in reply.
"Gather around everybody!" Professor Lockhart said from the platform and Harry notice that the man was wearing your standard dueling outfit. He wore a loose but tight pants and a top the covers his torso and arms like padded armor. "Now I asked Professor Snape over here to help me with some demonstration for you all. Say hi Severus. Now both Professor Snape and I will demonstrate a disarming spell and shielding spell. We will give each other several volleys and end it from there."
Professor Snape didn't even look at his colleague and walked over to his station opposite of Professor Lockhart. He stood ready and he was waiting for Professor Lockhart to finish his monologue.
"First we face each other like so," Professor Lockhart said smiling at the crowd but pause for a moment at group of giggling seventh years. "Then we bow and bring our wand's up. 3, 2, 1, begin!"
In that instant Professor Snape haul his disarming spell at his opponent who didn't have time to react and his wand jumped out of his hand and landed into Professor Snape's waiting hand.
"There, see, nothing to it!" Professor Lockhart said waving his arms about, "As you can see I allow Professor Snape's spell to make contact with me to show you what a disarming spell will do. Now I know that I could've blocked it with my shield charm but how will you learn? That would be horrible of me!"
Harry was sure that the seventh year girls were giggling and awing at his thoughtful gesture. Oliver and Cedric on the other hand were literally glaring holes into the man's skull. Our magister on the other hand could care less but the way Professor Snape cast his spell and his motion told Harry that there's more to the Potion Master than he let's on. The way Professor's eyes narrows and his stances were the tell tale signs of a combat veteran and not the dueling circuit veteran but a combat soldier veteran.
This was a new side to the Potion Master that Harry would've never suspected.
"Did you guys notice that?" Harry asks his friends who didn't know what he was talking about. "Never mind."
"Now, let's bring a student up here," Professor Lockhart said and look around the room and then said, "What about you Ron Weasley."
"I dear say that's not a good idea Gilderoy," Professor Snape chimes and then said sharply, "Weasley, you're supposed to be in detention, Percy Weasley take your brother away!"
"Sir?" Percy Weasley the oldest Weasley in Hogwarts said not wanting to leave.
"You're a prefect are you not?" Professor Snape ground out and Percy nodded his head in reply, "Do your job or I will have a talk with the Headmaster about your incompetents!"
"Well, what about your Mister Malfoy?" Professor Lockhart said pointing to the smug looking blonde boy.
"Good, good," Professor Snape said and then added, "Might I suggest Miss Granger?"
"Eep!" Hermione hid behind Harry.
"Well, come up young lady!" Professor Lockhart motion for the teen to come forward but when she didn't move an inch he decided on someone else, "Su Li, I believe, would you like to come up here?"
Su shrugs her shoulder and walk up to the platform and got on it. Her small stature was immediately obvious when standing next to the Defense Professor. Harry notice that Professor Lockhart gave some word of encouragement by putting his hands on her shoulder and a good luck pat that was a little to low for Su's liking if her glare was an indication.
"On the count of three, 1-2-3- Go!" Professor Lockhart announced and both opponents sent out disarming spells at one another.
Su weave around the spell hurl at her and would pull out her shield when she knew she couldn't dodge it. Her spells on the other hand were landing on the mark and Draco was getting pushed back to the edge of the platform, which was a feat in itself from the distances Su was standing from. Her quick triple disarming spells would barely give Draco time to put up a counter and force him to stay on the defensive.
"Yield!" Su barked not allowing Draco time to drop his shield one bit or he'll be hit with her Disarming spell.
"Never!" Draco roar but that was his mistake.
The moment his mind switch to reply his shield dropped letting one disarming spell hit him immediately and ripping his wand from his hand and into Su's waiting hand.
"Good job Miss Li! I award you ten points to Ravenclaw," Professor Lockhart cheer and went up to the girl and attempt a hug when he was stopped by her movement to get out of his reach. Not deterred Professor Lockhart offered, "You could come to my office any time you like to get more Dueling tips from me! The Winner of Magical Me Smile of the Year, third time running. What about after dueling tonight, I'm free."
"Thank you Professor but that's not necessary," Su said and got of the platform as fast as she could.
The girls from the club rush over to Su and see if she was hurt. Su shook her head and reassured them that she was okay.
"Now, how about a new challenger!" Professor Lockhart said after watching Draco stepping off the platform with a look of shame. "What about you Mister Kousaka, care to try dueling?"
"My style doesn't really match the dueling criteria, so I must decline," Harry shout out and the professor gave a confused looked.
"No more takers? Now let's get down to business, pair up into two everyone," Lockhart ordered and everyone did as they were told and spread around the Great Hall evenly.
For the rest of the time Harry was paired with Padma while Su and Hermione chose to be together. Neville was with Katie while Angelina and Alicia jump together. It wasn't a surprised to see Fred and George paring up with one another while Cedric and Oliver decided it was high time to see who's better outside of Quidditch. Harry took out his practice Magister wand that had a crescent moon at the tip of his wand and that got everyone wondering why his wand were different than theirs.
Harry and Padma would trade casting the disarming spell and shield spell. The Indian girl was having trouble with her position and couldn't get her footing right to push Harry back and at the same time her footwork was sloppy at best.
"Padma show me your starting stance," Harry said after seeing her tripped. Padma did as she was told and Harry saw the flaw in it. "Have you ever taken fencing before?" Padma shook her head. "Dancing class?"
"Well I took a course in Bharatanatyam, a little of the Waltz and the Tango," Padma said a little confused about Harry's query.
"The tango?" Harry asks and his mind was formulating a plan and missing Padma's reddens cheeks at his implication. "That could work. Padma show me your Waltz stance." She did as so with her left arm outward and her right hand placed on an imaginary shoulder. Her back was straightens and her shoulder parallel to the floor with and her heels slightly off the ground as if she was wearing high heels. "Now show me the box steps."
Padma stare up at Harry as if he was mad.
"Trust me," Harry said smiling at Padma who did so. The way she moved told Harry that she'd been trained and practiced from a young age and that was what he wanted to know. "Now be the lead dancer." The girl switched her hands as if mirrored and was still in her dancing routine, "Ready your wand."
Padma place her wand in her right hand and when she notice that there were people watching her she went red face, "Keep moving but face me with your leading hand. Now look at me, good, good. Ready?"
"Ready?" Padma asks and then Harry smirks and that sent chills down her spine.
"Go!" Harry order and sent out a single disarming spell at Padma who pull up her shield and on instincts she sent one back. The spell hit Harry launching his wand into hers.
Padma stare gob smack at her victory and couldn't understand how a dancing position was the key to her winning that match.
"Good one Padma," Su said coming up to her and saw her still confuse face, "What's the matter?"
"But, I was doing horrible and he just told me to do this waltz," Padma explain but couldn't wrap her head around it.
"Knowing him I think he was using your already honed dancing skills to show how to position yourself in dueling," Su began but cut Padma off and continue, "Let me finish, position and motion is the name of the game when it comes to combat. How you move yourself to get that hit, how you move yourself away from getting hit, how you move yourself to counter. That's the cut and dry when it comes to martial arts and dueling is no different. There was a duelist champion from Russia, Dominika Romanov, who'd used her dancing skills to win the world championship in 1854 World Dueling. Got it. Use what you know and build from it."
"She's right you know," Harry said joining the group and receive his wand back. "That was good Padma."
"Thank you," Padma said smiling.
"Any time," Harry said and then spots Neville having a hard time with Katie who was a little frustrated with the lack of effort Neville was putting up.
"You think you could help Neville?" Hermione asks.
"Sure," Harry said and made his way to the teen in question.