Well guys, here it is. Chapter sixteen. It is time for the duel. And thanks you all. This story almost has Sixty Five Thousand Views! Thank you all so much!
And now, the time has come. The duel between Harry and Ginny and Ron and Dean has finally arrived. Enjoy!
Previously…
"I have seven forms. My main one is a Phoenix, I'm also a Griffin, an Owl, a Unicorn, a Basilisk, a Sea Serpent, and a Dragon. I guess my feature is my scar."
"You shall be known as Bolt." Ginny stepped forward.
I have the same forms as Harry. I'm not sure…I did set the house on fire when I was five."
"Remind me to never take away your favorite toy broomstick again. George said.
"You shall be known as Wildfire." Fred spoke next.
"I am a Siamese cat and my twin George is too. We both love pranking and causing mischief."
"You shall be Mischief and your twin shall be Maniac." Tonks spoke.
"I'm a chameleon. I'm also a Metamorphagus."
"You shall be called Anonymous."
The parchment now read,
Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs
And
New Messrs. Bolt, Wildfire, Mischief, Maniac, and Anonymous
Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers
Are proud to present
The Marauder's Map
"And now, we are true Marauders!" Fred said happily.
"We need a huge prank to announce this to Hogwarts." George said.
"I've got the perfect idea!" Just let me call up Gringotts. This will be a tribute the original Marauders.
"Gringotts? What sort of prank could you possibly have in mind Harry?" Fred asked.
"You'll see." Harry said simply.
"The duel's in thirty minutes." Tonks reminded him.
They all tapped their wands against the map. And together they said,
"Mischief managed."
The Lord and Lady Phoenix: The Stone
Chapter Sixteen
The Duel
Harry walked out of the room for a minute.
"Let's go, overhear what he's up too." Fred said.
"Let's." Said George. They made their way to the door, it was locked.
"Harry's a bit too smart for you two." Tonks said.
"But he forgot about Alohamora!" They said loudly. One second later, a golden glow surrounded the door. A second later, it was gone. Tonks and Ginny laughed.
"Probably shouldn't of said that out loud." George said.
"Indeed dear brother." Fred replied.
"Like Tonks said, Harry's too smart for you two." Ginny laughed.
A few minutes later, the door unlocked and Harry walked in.
"It'll all be ready once the duel is over!" Harry said, a mischievous grin on his face. Ginny tried to read his mind, but he wasn't going to reveal anything.
They all walked out of the room of requirement. Fred/George opened the map and checked it.
"No one's on this floor. Peeves is two down so he can't bust us. Okay you two. Show us the passageway." Harry and Ginny nodded. The duel was very soon. They didn't have the time to wait for the staircases to change positions, eventually revealing a path. Their Animagus potion had taken up almost the entire afternoon. Harry and Ginny stopped at the entrance and Harry pulled the brick. The door slid open silently.
"Okay. Let me cast something. It'll get us down there in no time at all." Tonks said. She waved her wand. "Stairitus Slidillius." The stairs all slanted down. In another second, they all had a very steep, very fast slide going straight down to the ground floor.
"Nice one Anonymous." Ginny said. Tonks looked at her, grinned, and jumped straight into the slide.
"See you slowpokes at the bottom!" Her voice echoed.
"Oh yeah! Fred/George and his twin George/Fred shouted. One jumped in quickly followed by the other.
Harry and Ginny grinned at each other.
"At least we'll be able to tell them apart when they use their Marauder names."
"Harry, Fred and George share everything together. Their rooms, their clothes, their names! What makes you think they wont switch being Mischief and Maniac?"
"True. Very true."
"Ready?"
"To slide down or win the duel?" Harry asked innocently. Ginny lightly punched his arm.
"Both you prat! See you at the bottom! In an instant, she was gone. Harry climbed into the slide right after her.
It was a longer journey than he thought it would be. Even being this steep, that staircase went to one of the highest points in Hogwarts. And Hogwarts was a tall, tall castle. Not to mention the fact that the staircase was very sharp in its spiral climb. So naturally, he was pushed straight against the wall. He was going faster. Faster and faster. Straight into even blacker darkness. The end would never come. He'd be on this crazy ride for the rest of his life.
The next thing he knew, he was tumbling out onto a long straightaway. He looked up and saw the others grinning.
"That was brilliant Tonks!" Harry said as he climbed out. "Just put some water there and we have the world's greatest waterslide!"
"Great idea." Tonks waved her wand and said Aguamenti! Sure enough a waterfall erupted into a new landing pool."
"Definitely going to try that tomorrow." Mischief/Maniac said.
"Well, Harry, Ginny, it's time. You ready?" Harry and Ginny looked at each other.
They turned towards Tonks and together, they said, "Bring it!"
TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS
The Great Hall was completely packed. Not just of students, but of teachers, ministry employees, and anyone who could squeeze inside for a glimpse of the Boy Who Lived.
The only spot that wasn't filled was the dueling platform. Albus and the Minister of Magic stared intently for Harry. The duel was in ten minutes! Then suddenly, the screams started getting louder. Harry had obviously just entered. Albus was mad. Harry should have been waiting with him. He should not be adored like that from all those people. He, Albus Dumbledore, was those most important! Not little Harry Potter!
But, much to chagrin, Harry was surrounded by screaming fans.
Finally, after fifteen minutes of being swarmed, Harry, Ginny, Fred, George, and Tonks had all somehow managed to push their way towards the dueling platform. Filius Flitwick, a dueling master, was to judge the duel. He looked at the two opponents. Harry and Ginny were discussing tactics with each other, while Ronald and Dean were trying to get the crowds' attention. Trash talking about Ginny. You know, their usual antics.
Albus and the Minister walked over to their seats at the judges table.
Filius sighed. Harry and Ginny were both prepared for this duel. He had seen them in the library studying dueling tactics. Ronald on the other hand, had burst into his office yesterday, demanding dueling lessons. He was actually surprised Ron had opened a book to find out who had experience at dueling in Hogwarts. When he had kindly said that he would not help either side of the duel, Ron tried to slip him two knuts. Saying that if he and Dean won the duel, the professor could keep the money. But if Harry and the %$ of a sister won, Ron would come back to collect his money.
'How stupid is the boy?' He thought to himself. Trying to win the judge over with two knuts? He would never have even accepted the money, but he thought the boy needed a wake up call. He actually thought Filius was on his side and was going to throw the duel his way.
'Well…the poor boy's sadly mistaken.' He thought as he prepared to speak to the crowd.
"Welcome! Welcome every single one of you! To Hogwarts, Three hundred and forty seventh, student Wizard Duel."
The crowd cheered and Filius sighed. The last duel that was held here, no one even showed up to. No one cared much for the students' activities anymore. It was only the fact that Harry Potter was interested in dueling that caused such a fascination amongst the audience.
"Now then, here are the rules to the duel. Three points are needed to win. Each side will have one opponent duel one on the other team. When your opponent is unable to duel, your team will be awarded a point. If each team has two points total at the end, we will have a final round where both people on each side will duel. There are no magical objects allowed. Just wands. Any misbehaving will result in an automatic point give to the other team. Any lethal or dark spell will result in severe punishment. Does either side have any questions?" Harry and Ginny shook their heads.
Ron raised his hand.
"Yes Ronald?"
"What are we supposed to do again?" He asked. Filius slapped his hand on his face and sighed. Once again, Ronald was not paying attention. He spoke the rules again.
"And now, both Ginny and Ronald will step onto the platform." The both did. Ginny took her stance and Filius almost shrieked in joy. That stance hadn't been used in hundreds of years! Few even knew that taking a stance was best to start a duel. Let alone know one.
Ron stood straight. Filius sighed. His wand raised.
"When you see the green sparks, the duel begins." He said. Red sparks shot out of his wand and Ron shouted, "Colorosa!" A slow, white ball shot out of his wand. It floated halfway across the platform and fell to the ground. A small part of the dueling stage turned from a blue to a blob of ugly red.
"And…false start. One point awarded to Harry and Ginny."
"WHAT?" Ron bellowed.
"Mr. Weasley, I said that any misbehaving would result in the other team getting a point. You cast a spell before the duel began. A very poorly executed one at that."
"I didn't misbehave! I just shot a spell after you shot the sparks."
"Mr. Weasley, what color were the sparks?"
"Why are you asking that? You cast the sparks? Didn't you? Are you sure you're a professor?"
"Yes Mr. Wealsey. I am sure that I am a professor. And I said green sparks. Next time, pay attention."
"Fine!"
"Now on the GREEN sparks!" The professor stressed the color. He walked over to the judges table and raised the wand once more. Red sparks. Red sparks. Green!"
TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS
Meanwhile, over at the judges table, we find Albus and Cornelius talking. Filius had gone closer so he could watch the match.
"I'm sorry to say this Albus, but you may need to find a new charms teacher. This one is much too strict."
"Quite." Albus agreed. Minervra, who had overheard their talk, came over.
"What are you talking about?" Minerva asked annoyed. "Filius said wait until the green sparks. Mr. Wealsey is not colorblind and should have paid attention. Miss Weasley is lucky that her brother is very poorly skilled in magic. That horrible color spell, although his best try, could have been something worse."
"Minevra, still Filius is being a bit biased." Albus said simply.
"Had both YOU AND MR. WEASLEY been paying attention, Filius said that any misbehaving would give the other team a point. Mr. Weasley was not paying attention, therefore, the other team received a point."
"Yes but still…" the Minister continued. Minerva sighed and rolled her eyes. Nothing she said could get through these numbskulls' thick heads.
TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS
Ginny quickly cast a Muddy charm on the section where Ron was standing. He slipped before he even had a chance to figure out what was happening.
"Why you little-" (I'm going to cut short at these parts. There are younger readers out there and Ron has a…um…colorful vocabulary)
"Wingardium Leviosa." Ginny said quietly. Ron floated up about five feet. Ginny stopped the charm and he fell back onto the stage. Ron's eyes were shut.
Filius talked with the judges.
"Do you all agree he is unable to move?"
"No I think that Mr. Weasley will be getting up." Albus said confidently.
"How can you be sure Albus?"
"Just a feeling."
What the other two didn't notice was Albus waving his wand under the table, its tip pointed right at none other, than Mr. Weasley.
TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS
Ginny stood, waiting to see what the judges' verdict was. Suddenly, Ron jumped straight up about five feet. Giiny was shocked. Ron hated exercise. He would always groan and moan when he was getting up after lying down. So how was he able to do that?
Ron pointed his wand straight at Ginny. He shouted, "Diffendo!" Ginny dodged but the spell marked its target. Her leg had a large gash in it.
'Ginny! Are you okay?' Harry screamed his thoughts to her.
'I…I'm fine. But my leg feels like crap. Since when can Ron actually do a spell correctly? Let alone one that is powerful?'
'I don't know. Something's wrong here. I think someone might have given Ron an edge just now.' Harry suggested.
'Yeah. He was being completely stupid until just now. Someone's helping him win this stupid duel!'
'We need to be careful. We don't know who it is. And this crowd is huge! It could be anyone of them!'
'Let me try and get up.' Ginny groaned. She screamed in pain and collapsed back down.
Filius Flitwick ran over to her. He helped her over to Madame Pomfrey who was there to help the students after each round while their partners dueled. She mumbled something dark. When he saw the nurse begin to mend the gash he yelled at Ron.
"I said non lethal!"
"She's not dead!" Ron fired back. Filius cursed. Unfortunately, Ronald was right. But if that wound was not fixed soon…Something was up. Ron cast a poorly done Color changing spell and two minutes later he casts a powerful cutting charm? One that he isn't supposed to learn until second year? He wasn't surprised Ginny could cast the levitation charm. He had told her and Harry about it way before the duel was even discussed.
He peered around. Someone had just influenced the duel. He walked back to the judges table.
"Well, Ronald has earned the point." Albus said happily. Too happily Filius noted.
"Yes." Filius sighed. "Ginny is unable to continue."
"Agreed." The minister said. Filius knew he was only here to talk with Harry and make a public appearance.
'Ginny!' Harry thought over to her. 'Are you okay?'
'I…I'm sorry Harry.'
'Don't worry Ginny. I'm up against Dean. He's only a bit better at magic than Ron is.' Ginny nodded.
'I'm going to keep a lookout. I'll try and figure out who is doing this.'
'Madame Pomfrey will fix you right up.'
'I know. I just hope whoever's doing this wont harm you too.'
'Let's find out.'
Harry walked up to the dueling platform. He took the same position Ginny did. Dean, just thirteen I.Q. points smarter than Ron, stood there, the same as his predecessor. He had seen the spell work Harry had done in class. He knew what Harry Potter was capable of. He too, was arrogant like Ron. He was not going to lose.
"Let the second round begin." Filius said with a spark of green light.
"Expelliarmus!" Harry shouted. At once, Dean's wand shot right out of his hand. He looked at Harry in confusion.
"Wha-"
"Stumpefy!" A yellow beam shot out of the Holly wand's tip. Dean ducked and made a lunge for his fallen wand. He managed to grab it and shot a few sparks at Harry. They died out in midair, two feet from the end of Dean's wand.
"No fair!" Dean complained. He ran straight toward Harry, his closed fist raised high.
'Remember what I taught you boy!' Godric thought. Harry's mind flashed back to the times where he had trained with Godric. The wizard of Gryffindor had taught him about their being two kinds of dueling. Magical and Physical. He taught Harry about both, saying that he would need both in life. He had even made him keep his eyes shut as he threw punches at him. After a time, Harry was able to dodge every single punch.
Harry came back to the present and shut his eyes. Dean thought he was scared and was bracing himself for impact. Dean flew straight at him . His arm held back, ready to deliver the finishing blow.
Harry, even with his eyes shut, could see Dean coming at him. He felt every footstep. Heard each decimal of his screams of rage. Saw the fist just one foot away from his face. He remembered this exact situation Godric put him in. But Dean's tactics were highly flawed. He was not building the energy needed to deliver a final blow. Yet still, Harry did what he was taught.
He ducked down. He could hear Dean's fist soared over his hair. Harry spun his right leg round. He felt his left leg slam into Dean's chest to hold him still. His other foot caught Dean's leg, and sent the boy tumbling, he was already horribly off-balance.
Harry opened his eyes. Dean was knocked out, he had fallen right off the stage from Harry's move.
He saw Flitwick speak with Dumbledore and Fudge.
"Harry is declared to be the winner of this round. He and Ginny have two points while, Ron and Dean hold only one. Should Ginny win this match, she and Harry win!"
'Don't worry.' He heard Ginny shout in her mind. 'I will.'
'How's your leg?'
'Good as new. Thank Merlin for Madame Pomfrey.'
'Don't murder him Ginny.' Harry thought. 'Your mother looks pissed already. Ginny turned to the crowd. Sure enough, she saw two red heads sticking out. One of their faces showed complete rage.
'I'll try to resist the urge. Oh…this is not going to be good once mum gets to me.'
'I know the minister's going to want to talk with me too. How about you stick with me for that, and I'll stick with you when your mom comes charging over.'
'Deal. But don't say I didn't warn you.' Ginny said as they passed.
'By the way, did you figure out who was messing with the duel?'
'Yes. I think it was Dumbledore. He was staring at Ron during our duel.'
'Why didn't he curse Dean then?'
'Cause then he'd have a bunch of pissed off people. Dean would be forever hated for attacking the boy who lived.'
'Good point.'
"Oh come on!" Ron shouted. "I've got to face her again? I'll beat her easily again! Why cant I face Harry? It would be an actual challenge then."
"You're pretty smug. Ginny was kicking your ass right up until the end.'
'That was just luck! I'm way better than Ginny anyway. Besides, I'm the one who's supposed to be Harry's best friend! Not Ginny."
"You are wishing to break the dueling rules?" Filius said.
"Yeah! Let's just skip to the doubles! I'm way more than enough to win!" He raised his wand again.
"Ron!" Ginny yelled. Do you really want to give us another pint because you're too stupid to listen?"
"Let's just duel already!" He and Dean waved their wands. They both shouted "Stupefy!" Greenish yellow drips fell to the ground. They cursed their stupid wands and tried again.
'They don't even know what it does! They just said what I did!' Harry laughed in his head. Filius was about to shout for them to stop when Ginny said,
"Professor, let them act like immature brats. They've already lost this duel. Filius looked at the scoreboard he had conjured up to tally points. It read,
Ginny Weasley Harry Potter Ronald Weasley Dean Thomas
36 1
"Wow." was all Flitwick could manage to say. In less than ten seconds, Ron and Dean had given Harry and Ginny an extra thirty four points. And that total was still rising.
"So, as you can see Professor, Ronald cannot follow the rules. " Ginny said.
Then, Ron and Dean stiffened up. Whoever had done their magic on Ron was now doing it on Dean as well. They both simultaneously cast a powerful "Stupefy", both aimed straight at her! They were way too fast, but Harry quickly thought, 'Protego!'. An invisible shield surrounded her and Ginny. No one knew what had happened. The bright yellow beams dispersed immediately. They shot straight back at Ron.
He pulled out a small, round object. He tapped it and it grew into a full shield! The stupefies slammed into it but they left not a single scratch. It was a magical shield. A magical object that Flitwick had prohibited.
"Drop your shield and wands. You have gone far enough!" Flitwick shouted.
"No way." Ron shouted. "Steleus!" The sneezing spell shot straight towards them but like the stunning spell, it rebounded right back at Ron. He ducked, and Dean had just barely gotten hit. He started sneezing violently.
"Grr…Colloshoo!" Ectoplasm burst out of Ron's wand and spread all over the floor of Harry and Ginny's half of the stage. Their feet were glued to the floor.
Ginny pointed her wand to the mucus and said, "Skurge." She and Harry saw Ron's eyes blazing. His skin matched his hair.
"SERPENSORTIA!" He screamed. A huge, black cobra slithered out of his wand. Harry and Ginny knew exactly what he, and also the person influencing him, was up to. They were trying to reveal that Harry was a Parselmouth. Ron smirked as he watched Harry and Ginny stare at the snake. It slowly slithered over to them.
"Alartae Ascendare." Harry and Ginny said together. The snake flew high and landed a few feet back, right on top of Ron and Dean.
They were screaming up the Grand Staircase one second later. Ginny silently sent an invisible Bat Bogey hex up the stairs after them. Harry used a levitation charm on the snake, sent it through the windows where the owls entered, and sent if off into the Forbidden Forest.
The crowd was silent. Then Flitwick came up to the stage.
"Ron and Dean have forfeited the duel. The winners with seventy two points are, Ginny Weasley and Harry Potter!" The crowd went nuts. Some even jumped onto the stage to try and shake hands with Harry. They were unsuccessful because he and Ginny cast a Wingardium Leviosa on them selves and rose over the audience. They flew right over to the judges table and cast a silencing charm and a barrier charm around them.
"My my. Harry my boy!" Fudge said enthusiastically. "You sure know how to please a crowd."
"Thank you sir."
"Harry, was it really necessary to endanger and embarrass Mr. Weasley and Mr. Thomas like that?" Albus said in his grandfatherly tone. He was till really pissed off. He had not believed Filius and Minerva when they said Harry and Ginny had been in the Library studying. They were supposed to be exploring the school, unknowingly following his carefully constructed plans.
The headmaster had this whole duel planned out. He'd cast a spell to insanely increase Ronald's power and knowledge of spells. Then he'd injure his sister, thereby impressing Harry. Than, Harry, who has no experience in magic, would go against a non influenced, Dean Thomas. But where had the boy learned to do that little stunt? And to think that Ronald would act so out of terms like that…Albus barely had any time to empower both Ron and Dean.
Then the snake happened. Why hadn't it worked? Harry was supposed to talk to the snake. Making the crowd hate him, most particularly Miss Weasley! Yet not only had he not spoken Parseltongue, he and his partner had managed to win the duel! This was unacceptable!
"Well sir. Ronald tried to attack us with a snake. We simply decided to respond not with violence. We made sure that the snake wouldn't hurt him and Dean."
"Yes but still, that was a very reckless thing to do. The Daily Profit will have a ball with that stunt!" Albus pressed on.
"Sir, Ronald could have just shaken to snake off and continued the duel. He was the one who conjured it, he should have taken car of it accordingly." Ginny said sternly.
They saw Minerva and Filius come over. Harry opened the barrier just enough for them to squeeze through.
"Excellent duel Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley." Minerva said. "Hopefully this will show Mr. Weasley and his friends that studying is essential."
"Minerva, that little display Harry and Ginny performed will have severe consequences!" Albus promised.
"Like what sir?" Harry asked innocently. We didn't break any rules, did we Professor Flitwick?"
The short man shook his head. "No you two did not break any rule that I laid out. On the other hand, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Thomas broke every single rule there was. There were to be five rounds, not three. There was to be no lethal spells, which they both cast numerous times I might add. They misbehaved and did not listen to a word that I said. And they used a magical shield." Ron and Dean will be punished. Not Harry and Ginny."
"But-" Albus began.
"What I would like to know, is how Ronald and his friend were able to produce such powerful and advanced spells. They are not even able to turn a match into a needle from what I've heard. Minerva's told me that she's found numerous matches stuck to the ceiling directly over Ronald's seat. She's told me about him being at the bottom of the class." Filius cut the headmaster off.
Albus said something about addressing the situation and dispersed the crowd. He and the rest of the teachers became busy making the crowd stay in one place...away from Harry.
Minerva said to the two, "And that will be twenty points each for such an excellent duel. Mr. Weasley and Thomas will be losing fifty points each for such disregard for the rules. As well as another fifty for disgracing a duel they began. Good work you two. I will still be expecting that essay on wood changing spells on my desk this Friday."
"Already finished Professor." McGonagal gave them a rare smile and left.
Fudge was left alone with Harry and Ginny.
"Quite a display." He said. "I know that you will become an excellent wizard Harry. You too…um…"
"Ginny." She said.
"Yes. Now then, I would like to speak with you in private Harry."
"Ginny's my best friend. She'll listen to what you have to say with me."
"Err…right then. Well, I would…I think that it would be for the best of the community if you were to come to the ministry every now and then."
"I would like that sir. I would enjoy getting to know how our government works. As long as Ginny can come with me."
"Yes. After that duel, I cannot doubt that she is a powerful witch as well. I am glad to hear your answer Harry. Now then, I need to go and make an announcement to our audience. We will send you a letter about when you can come." The minister walked away.
'We need to learn who the key people are in the ministry.' Harry thought to Ginny.
'I already know how the ministry works.' Ginny thought back. 'Whoever has the biggest wallet makes the laws.'
'True. Hey, time to face the storm.' He said as he looked past her head.
'What do you m…it's mum…isn't it.' It was a statement, not a question.
'Let's face the music.' Harry thought as he let Ms. Weasley into the barrier. This was the real reason they had made it. Because Ginny's mom's temper was a bit noisy.
"GINEVRA MOLLY WEASLEY! HOW DARE YOU! YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO THIS FAMILY! FIRST YOU BECOME A…A RAVENCLAW!1 AND NOT A GRYFFINDOR? AND THEN YOU TRICK HARRY POTTER INTO DOING THE SAME? I'VE SPOKEN WITH THE HEADMASTER AND YOU TWO ARE GOING TO HAVE A RESORTING STRAIGHT AFTER THE MINISTER'S ANNOUNCEMENT! AND HOW DARE YOU ATTACK RONALD LIKE THAT!1 YOU COULD HAVE KILLED HIM!"
"Mrs. Weasley…Ron was trying to kill us." Mrs. Weasley calmed down a bit. She spoke gently to Harry.
"It's alright Harry. I know that Ginny's been putting ridiculous ideas into your head. Hogwash about Ron being dumb and how she's your friend." Then her voice carried a deadly tone to it. "But this, saying Ron, your best friend, was trying to kill you? Ginny, you will be severely punished for this!"
"Mrs. Weasley, Ron is not my best friend. He is not even my friend. Ginny is. She has helped me since before the first day of school. All Ron is after is my fame and money."
"I'm sorry for the damage Ginny has done Harry. Don't worry, once you're place back into Gryffindor, things will be much better."
"Mum…I haven't done anything to Harry except be his friend. I've helped him adjust from the muggle world to the wizarding world."
"Stop telling lies! Harry Potter being raised by muggles? Hah! And you're in Ravenclaw? They've really lowered their standards haven't they?"
"Mrs. Weasley…I was raised by muggles. I never knew about the wizarding world until this summer. Ginny helped me adjust. Not Ron. All he's done is stare at my stupid scar and declared himself my best friend."
"Which he is!" Ginny's mother said.
"No his is not. To be a friend, you have to meet someone halfway. Ron hasn't even ever met me. He's only met the boy who lived.
"Which you are!"
"But that is just a title. I am Harry James Potter. Just a normal wizard. I haven't done anything. Voldemort just vanished." Mrs. Weasley flinched at the name of the dark lord.
I didn't kill him or anything." He said truthfully. Especially the last part. He hadn't done anything, it was his mother's doing.
"Harry-" Mrs, Weasley continued.
"And I am not a Gryffindor. I am a Ravenclaw. The Sorting Hat does it's best to place people into the best house suited for them."
"But Gryffindor is the best." She tried to convince him.
"No it is not. That is an opinion. The fact is that there are four houses at Hogwarts. No one better or worse than the other. It is the wizarding world that has said who is better. And the wizarding world is biased. There have been just as many dark wizards in any one of the other three houses as Slytherin. Yes, that includes Gryffindor as well. Face it, Hogwarts is completely biased-"
"Harry…Hogwarts is not biased-" She countered gently.
"Oh yeah? What is the color of the Hogwarts express?"
"Red." She said confused. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"And what is the color of Gryffindor?"
"Red." "Still doesn't have to do with anything. They're both red. So what?"
"So are you still trying to tell me the wizarding world and Hogwarts are not biased?"
"Yes."
"Mrs. Weasley, have you even been listening to what I have just said?"
"Yes!" She was starting to get annoyed.
'Now I know where Ron get's his attention skills.' Harry thought to Ginny, who giggled in thought.
"Mrs. Weasley, if you cannot understand what I've been trying to tell you, than…" He turned to leave. Mrs. Weasley hugged him from behind.
"Oh Harry, I feel so sorry for you. To be bewitched by Ginny. Don't worry, we'll sort her out. And if it's true that you live with muggles, we'll get you straight out of there. You could become apart of our family!" She said happily.
"We'll see." Harry said simply. He and Ginny walked away. "We'll see." They walked over to Flitwick.
"Congratulations you two. That was an excellent duel!"
"It would have been, had there been no interference and Ron and Dean paid attention."
"Yes. Well I can surely say that we will be winning the house cup for the next seven years to come with you two around. By the way, an extra twenty points for not using a single offensive spell to win the duel. Even I would have never thought to have done that to finish a duel."
"We never really even cared for this duel. It was for a stupid selfish want of Ron's. And he doesn't regard any rules at all. We do wish to learn real dueling however." Ginny said.
"I agree with you. This duel is pointless. I am glad to here that you want to learn."
"We read all those books, but they can only give us so much. It would be an honor for us to learn under a master." Harry said sincerely.
"No one has ever even acknowledged that before. I would be happy to teach the true art of dueling to you two."
"Thank you professor."
"You're welcome. I'm just glad this is over. Your brother even tried to bribe me into throwing the duel to him."
"No surprise there." Ginny said. "How much did he pay you?"
"Two knuts."
"A lot more than he usually offers." Ginny smiled.
"My office, Saturday."
"Done." They parted ways.
"MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE?" The minister's voice echoed throughout the Great Hall. The chattering of the crowd died down. "THANK YOU. I WOULD LIKE TO CONGRADULATE THE WINNERS OF OUR DUEL, HARRY POTTER AND…GINNY WEASLEY."
'At least he got it right.' Harry thought.
'True.' Ginny said laughing.
"AND NOW, I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT." The crowd was dead silent. "THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO, THERE WAS A GREAT WIZARD. HIS NAME, MERLIN. CONQUEROR OF THE EVIL MORGANA LE FAY."
'My how wizard kind gets the facts wrong.' Merlin and Morgana spoke together in their minds.
"-PURVEYOR OF THE WORLD! MERLIN WAS THE GREATEST OF US ALL! OUR FELLOW WIZARDING COUNTRIES SAY THAT HE HAD DIED!" The crowd muttered angry curses. Britain was one of the few that knew Merlin was still alive. "WE ARE AMOUNG THE FEW THAT KNOW THE TRUTH. WE ARE THE LAST TO BE HIS LOYAL SERVANTS! THE REST OF THE WORLD HAS LOST SIGHT OF HIM. THEY DARE TO SAY THAT HE IS GONE!"
"I am gone you morons!" Merlin thought.
"WELL, I SAY DIFFERENT. WE SAY DIFFERENT! THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC HAS MADE A NEW LAW STATING THAT THERE WILL BE A CEREMONY HELD ON THE SEVENTH HOUR ON THE SEVENTH DAY OF THE SEVENTH MONTH EACH AND EVERY YEAR! SEVEN IS THE MOST MAGICAL NUMBER OF ALL!"
"No, it's just a muggle theory that you've adopted over the years." Merlin said annoyed.
" AND IN THIS CEREMONY, WE WILL HAVE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU STEP INTO A MAGICAL VEIL. IN THIS VEIL, WE SHALL FIND MERLIN. HE HAS TAKEN RESIDENSE INSIDE ONE OF YOU! AND WE WILL FIND HIM. AND WE, HIS FAITHFUL SERVANTS, WILL BRING HIM BACK TO WHERE HE BELONGS!"
The crowd erupted into cheers of happiness and joy. They knew Merlin was coming back.
'This, could be a problem." Harry thought. But then he grinned. He saw the little sheet of paper fly through the window.
'It's here." He thought to Ginny.
'Well? Do it already!'
'Engorgio!' He thought. The little paper swelled in size. In a few seconds, it was the size of the wall of the Great Hall. Harry added tons of lighting charms to it. Together, they spelled in changing colors. The crowd had mixed reactions. Most of the students (and some of the adults) burst out laughing. Others looked completely scandalized. The rest were frozen in shock at the sight before them. And boy was it not a pretty one.
It was the picture of Dumbledore from his little trip to Gringotts. Griphook had told Harry all about it. It was the perfect starting prank. Standing a hundred feet high, was Albus Dumbledore, in his hot pink boxers. It wasn't exactly a pretty sight. Both the blown up version, and the actual sized one screaming below. The lights came together and formed multicolored words made of sparks.
THIS PRANK IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY NEW MESSERS.
BOLT, WILDFIRE, MISCHIEF, MANIAC, AND ANONYMOUS.
THE NEW MARAUDERS!
TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS
Harry and Ginny stood laughing outside Dumbledore's office. They still couldn't get over the fact of their first prank. And they knew that hey were going to just have o top it. Dumbledore had "forgotten" to tell them the password to his office but luckily, Harry was the descendent of the four builders of Hogwarts and the word simply came to him.
'Twizzlers?' He thought as he and Ginny climbed the spiral stairs. 'Really?'
'Has to have some kind of hobby?' She guessed. They could here Dumbledore screaming about the prank from two floors below.
"Ah Harry!" Albus said happily. "Ginny." He added, the enthusiasm lost. "Welcome, now as you have been told-"
"Screamed at by mom." Ginny said sarcastically.
"Watch your mouth! We're doing you a favor!" Her mother threatened. Arthur looked miserable. He gave Harry and Ginny a look of apology. They smiled and silently forgave him.
"Yes…now then, you are here to be re sorted."
"Sir? After that many sortings, isn't it kind of obvious that I am a Ravenclaw?"
"After that…mistake at the sorting ceremony, I found a number of spells put on the hat to influence it to put you in Ravenclaw. I have ridded it of all these horrid spells and now we will resort you properly."
"How could someone have put a spell on it?" Ginny asked. "It's always in here except for the ceremony."
"Don't talk about things you don't understand!" Molly shouted at her daughter.
"Now, let's sort you both. You first Ms. Weasley.
Ginny walked over to the hat and put it on. One minute passed. Sure enough, like Harry had expected, the hat said Ravenclaw. Molly raged on and on. Ginny handed the hat over to Harry. He put it on and heard the familiar voice.
'Hello Godric.'
'Hello Harry. Been awhile huh?"'
'Yes. A week is some time. Did you find the book I mentioned?'
'No. IT wasn't there. Book five hundred and eleven was there. Along with book five hundred and thirteen. But there was no five hundred and twelve. It wasn't checked out either. Lots of books are missing from there.
'Interesting. A certain headmaster might have something to do with it.'
'So anyway, let's get on with the sorting. I'm guessing he put about a hundred more spells on you to put me in Gryffindor, right?'
'One hundred and four to be exact. Yet yours and Ginny's minds are so far advanced, those weak spells hold no chance.'
"Ravenclaw!" The hat shouted. Dumbledore, for a second, shot the hat a look of murder. Then he sighed and said, "Fine! You two go to bed now!" And with that, he walked to his chambers.
"Ginevra! How could you disrespect the headmaster like that?" Molly shouted.
"Easy. He was being a nosy git." Ginny said calmly. She turned around and left the office, followed by Harry.
TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS
'-still cant believe him!' Ginny thought. They were on the changing staircases, heading back to the stable, nonmoving shortcut they had found.
'That's just the way he is Ginny. Ron and Dumbledore both. Speaking of Ron, did you…remove that Bat Bogey Hex you sent up their way?"
'What Bat Bogey Hex?" She said with a smile. Then, suddenly, the staircase they were standing on changed. They were headed to a new door. The one leading to the third floor corridor. They were on the right hand side.
'Ginny. Let's find out what Dumbledore's hiding.'
'Agreed.'
And they walked up to the door. They expected it to be charmed to be locked.
'The older students should know Alohamora. I'm guessing that's the only spell Dumbledore put on it.' Rowena said.
'Not as bright as everyone makes him out to be.' Godric agreed.
'Let's find out what's inside.' Salazar said.
'But do be careful/' Helga reminded them.
Harry reached for the knob. It turned easily. The door slid open silently. Before he could take a step, Ginny told him to stop. She pointed to the floor. It looked very dusty. But there was parts where the floor was clean. They took the shapes of human feet. Ginny looked closely at the footprints. Finally she stood and said,
'Someone's in here, right now.'
TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS
TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS
TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS TLLP:TS
A/N: Well, that's that. Cliffhanger for you guys to balance on. The duel has come and gone. Ron completely ignored the rules and used quite a few lethal and dark spells. Harry and Ginny didn't even use an offensive spell in the double duel. Only defense. And Ron messed up the rules to a duel that he started! Even if he was controlled, there were some moments that he was fully conscious.
Mrs. Wealsey has had her shouting feast. Don't worry! There will be plenty more where that came from. She, like every other wizard in the world, is blind to the truth.
And Dumbles tried once again to sort them into Gryffindor, once again unsuccessful. And he messed, unsuccessfully again, with the duel! How could he? Unfortunately, few know the truth and even fewer would believe those few.
Had to put in that prank. I had that one planned since I mentioned it in the Vault X chapters. But I did have Ginny cast that silent Bat Bogey Hex on Ron and Dean too.
And who could be inside the trapdoor? Find out next chapter!
Thanks To…
God of all Nightwing 509 Buddygirl1004
CometJim moon of starless nights Professor Chris
DaneilWhite flight of the phoenix benperez31
ProngsandI NUDGELOVER Luiz4200
Mei fa-chan Electromental
Bragging Rights go to…
NUDGELOVER-Batbogey Hex
ProngsandI-goblins
Moon of starless night-Ron prat
Comet Jim-Ron cheat, Shield, Gringotts
Buddygirl1004-Snake
Challenges…
1. What will happen next?
2. Who's in the trapdoor?
See you next chapter.
SuperXBrother.