I am so tired and slightly drunk and very sore and my eyes are about to melt, but here it is. It took me three days to type up the whole thing AGAIN (stupid technology being stupid) because it's so fucking long! 14 pages! That should actually make you really happy. As a point of reference, most of my chapters are 9-10 pages. Look at that. Don't you just love me? Don't you want to forgive me for keeping you waiting? Don't you want to call off the angry mob congregating in front of my house? Oh, that isn't you? Oops.

Lol, jk.

Ohhhh, great, so now that I'm about to pass out after finally finishing this and being ready to update, has a "technical glitch" in the login place thing. HAVEN'T i BEEN TORMENTED ENOUGH TONIGHT? MUST YOU MAKE ME EVEN MORE MISERABLE? GAH, STUPID TECHNOLOGICAL, INTERWEBICAL MOTHER FUCKERS!

Fine, I'll just update in the morning. Sorry guys, see you at, like, noon.

It's morning now, and they still haven't fixed it. *This*, my friends, is not my fault.

Some days I just hate teh interwebs.

Ah, alright, finally, it's working again. Here you are, my dearies (isn't this confusing, reading stuff in sequence when it was written in intervals? Time is a funny thing)

Responses (which I give you every right to just skip over):

HPGW4eva: wow, funnily enough, *none* of those ideas or predictions are at all accurate. Sorry! They will not be making that jump too soon, Ron will not be understanding, and Draco isn't going to defend Hermione from Pansy while declaring his undying love for her...though that would be fun. Despite all that, those are good suggestions, and I appreciate them, and your review. I'm glad you like the progress they're making. Enjoy this chapter!

ManicMAundae: You are correct about the shadow's identity! Gold star for you! But shhhh, don't tell anyone. Only 1 or 2 others have guessed. But no cruciatus—I don't like showing Pansy as one of those crazed girls who obsess over Draco and have no other life. That's just totally unrealistic. She will have some fun, though. Hmmm, Hermione's parents...I hadn't thought of that. I didn't really think that would work for this story, but I might be able to fudge things around, just for you. Don't hold your breath, though. Anywho, exciting stuff coming your way! I hope you're ready...

Kuro Yuki Valkyrie: there will be a bunch of duels, but yes, they duel as well, and yes, that does happen! Good for you, being so intuitive. Also, thanks for telling me to update soon. See? I kept my promise, though I guess I missed the deadline by about one hour. Fuck, it's late. I had some trouble transferring the document from my non-internet-finding laptop to my can't-read-flashdrive home computer. I had to retype the whole thing! But it was worth it, right? Anyway, enjoy!

MysteryShadow101: and again it has been a terribly long time. Sorry about that. Yes, Draco will eventually open up to her, but not quite yet. See, Draco has trust issues – obviously (among a lot of other issues) - so that's why it's taking so long for their relationship to fully develop. No worries, though. We'll get there. Ummm, well, they do duel, but it's not the whole chapter, because I understand and agree with you saying how it's very cliche. There are A LOT of duels going on, so their duel is only one of many, though it is the most climactical. Thanks for your lovely review!

Olioli80: yes, I am eventually putting them together. I understand you saying maybe Harry and Hermione, because Harry killed Voldy, but personally I see his victory as a really awesome game of chance, which is sad. I wish Jo had given Harry the person more credit in that defeat, but oh well. I just see harry as a good guy who is fairly bright and happened to have a really interesting young life. And of course I'm continuing with the shadow! It's just taking longer than I anticipated for said person to play an important role. Did you know that Sea Otters are one of the few types of animals that use tools like humans, and that an octopus can fit into a space the size of their eyeball, because of their lack of bones? A few of my favorite animals as well. As for the duel thing being genius, thank my mom, not me. She was the one who gave me the idea by telling me I needed some sort of drama that pitted people against each other. She's so smart. Thanks for reviewing! You're the best!

N_Q91: Are you kidding? I love long reviews! Thanks for yours! I'm glad you like my fic so much. My friend Luri is also really nitpicky about that number thing, but since I was little I had the idea in my head that numbers less than ten you have to spell out, but everything above you can use numbers, and even with that I'm pretty lax, so I apologize. But I will try to get on that. Random fact: I'm working at my local aquarium this summer! It's twice a week, a full work day, I get community service, and it's so much fun! I love Spanky the sea otter. He's, like, my furry little boyfriend. Lol, anywho, enjoy the chapter.

BlotOfInkOnFinger: I never though about it that way, but yeah, I guess there are two Draco's in this story. And I'm glad you like Hermione so much! I'll tell you a secret: I gave her *a lot* of my own characteristics, since I've always related to her a lot anyway (especially the bushy hair and guys not being into her stuff, lol). I won't forget Harry at all, because he is a fairly skilled dueler, but there is a very good reason he doesn't end up winning the tournament. Oh no! I just gave away something! Oh well, it's still exciting, even with that piece of information. Enjoy anyway!

Romanholiday: Yeah, it annoys me when a fanfic just jumps from one dramione scene to the next, as if they don't have other lives. It's important for them to be three dimensional, which means they also have to have friends, eat meals, do homework, go to Quidditch practice, and everything else. Otherwise it's just too unbelievable. Anyway, thank you so much for your wonderful review, and I really hope you like this chapter too!

*sigh*

OMG, I am so horrifically sorry for making you all wait so long for this update. I don't have a real excuse, so here's my fake one: I've noticed, from the massive amounts of [New Chapter] emails I've been receiving, that people (especially students on vacation) write a lot faster during the summer. I am the opposite. Since there's less going on, I just have less inspiration and less incentive to write. That's really not excuse, though, it is?

Well, anyway, after a lot of hard work and dragging hours, and a helpful PM from one of my awesome reviewers, this is finally coming to you, packed with action and plot developement. Are you as excited as I am? I hope so.

Wow, this fic is getting to be a lot longer than I anticipated. But it's still really fun to write!

And I've decided not to go back and change anything once this is done. I could make it better, but this is only my first fic, so I can give myself some leeway, right? Of course right.

Alright, so for this chapter, the dueling tournament, it's a bit confusing. I had to print out tons of copies of basketball tournament brackets and write and rewrite the thing just to get it right in my head, and I still think it's off. Just go with it, alright? Those things confuse me, and I did the best I could. If there's a round missing or whatever, just forgive me. I'm not a sports girl.

Anyway, I'm very long sinded, so shall we get on to the story? I'm excited about this one, even though it was a real bitch to get through...

Chapter 24: Competition

Ron shrugged at his friends and stepped forward from their seats toward the back of the Hall. He seemed to be alright, but Hermione could tell from the way his ears were red and his steps were slow and soft that he was a lot less confident than he seemed.

On another side of the room Cho was already halfway to the stage. The two met in front of Professor Zimmerman who motioned them up the steps. There were a lot of murmurings going around, guessing (and probably some betting, too) as to who would win. Hermione had faith in Ron, but she didn't know anything about Cho's abilities, and so she watched with rapt attention, waiting for the first to strike as they took their positions and bowed.

Many moments passed, during which the entire room held their breath. Then, with an unnecessary flourish, Cho struck.

Because of the added physical movement, Ron was able to react in time. The yellow streak of light glanced off his shield. As they continued to exchange curses, Hermione watched that yellow light keep moving until it just disappeared altogether. She assumed there were protective barriers around the stage, keeping the audience safe from the cross-fire.

It was hard to tell what spells they were using, as the exchange was becoming more rapid, but Hermione detected mostly the regular old jinxes, Jelly-Legs, Full-Body Bind, Stupefy, etc...

Of course they had to continue to dodge and shield themselves from the other spells. Cho's ponytail was flying everywhere as she fought to stay upright when a particularly powerful curse on Ron's part put her off balance. Ron used this moment to strike and sent a simple Jelly-Legs her way. And that was that.

Hermione stood and cheered with the rest of the crowd when Cho collapsed on the ground, her wand emitting a great deal of red sparks. Ron pumped a hand in the air before stepping down to be congratulated by Professor Zimmerman. Soon enough Cho was on her feet again, looking slightly embarrassed, but none the worse for wear.

And so it continued through the evening. Each duel lasted at the most 5-6 minutes. Harry was called up and beat a Hufflepuff 7th year, which was no surprise to anyone. Ginny easily fought off a slightly pathetic Slytherin boy who got really angry when he lost to a girl and tried to attack Ginny when her back was turned. Luckily Professor Zimmerman saw him in time and the boy was dismissed from the room and given a detention.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, Hermione heard her own name called: "Miss Granger and Miss Parkinson."

This'll be cake she thought.

Head held high, Hermione walked purposefully to the stage, wand held tightly in her hand. She spotted Pansy coming from the other side of the room and mentally went through all the spells she knew that would work well against her opponent.

The two girls faced and bowed. Hermione readied herself and pounced.

At the same moment that Hermione shot a Stupefy toward her opponent, Pansy's wand emitted a blue streak. The two spells hit, showering harmless sparks around them. But Hermione was fast and reacted immediately. She threw another hex and, on seeing Pansy shoot a curse, put up a shield.

There's a certain thrill Hermione thought, in dueling a worthy opponent. And surprisingly enough, Pansy was much quicker and more intense than Hermione had anticipated. She seemed to know how to block or avoid every spell that came her way. Eventually Hermione got her with a Half-Body-Bind jinx, though. The black-haired girl crumpled to the ground and almost immediately raised her wand. Assuming she was about to forfeit, Hermione put her hands on her hips and grinned.

She did not expect a red streak of light to come hurtling at her. Hermione's reaction time was slow and before she knew it her wand was flying out of her hand. For a moment she stood there, shocked, as Pansy counteracted the Body Bind and quickly got to her feet. For the smallest moment Hermione hesitated, unsure of what to do, and in that moment, Pansy sent a dark green spell straight at Hermione's chest.

Hermione winced when it made contact and the next second she was glued to the floor, on her hands and knees. As hard as she tugged, Hermione simply couldn't pull herself up.

Soon enough a pair of black flats walked into her line of sight and, straining slightly Hermione looked up at the Slytherin who had put her in such a humiliating position...bowing at her feet...I'll get your for this, she swore to herself.

Pansy bent down, eyes locked with Hermione's, and spoke quietly through the sinister smile on her face so no one else could hear. "This is where you belong, you know; at my feet. You think you're so high and mighty, but look at you now." Hermione was starting to wonder where the judges were at this point. "You're weak, you're pathetic, and you're stuck to the floor. You thought a sorry excuse for a witch like you could beat me?" She laughed, as if daring to be contradicted. "So, do you surrender?"

And at those words, the curse holding Hermione to the floor was lifted and Pansy stepped back. Slowly, trying to keep her cool and not throttle the girl before her, Hermione stood up and faced her.

She asked again, louder this time. "So do you surrender?" And quieter: "you don't have your wand, you're completely defenseless! What could you possibly do to me, mudblood?"

It was when she called her that name that the anger inside Hermione broke. Bringing one arm back slightly, but inconspicuously, she said loud enough for everyone to hear, "Defenseless? Tsk, tsk, Miss Parkinson; you underestimate my abilities..."

And Hermione brought her arm forward, yelling "Conjuncto!"

Within seconds Pansy was stumbling backwards, hands held to her eyes, which were now red, burning, and unable to see. She began to shoot curses wildly in front of her, hoping to hit her target. Hermione easily deflected them and sent one or two more out. But her opponent was now stumbling all across the platform and Hermione was having difficulty aiming at a moving object without her wand.

Finally, thinking, Pello!, with a twist of her hand, a bright yellow spell hit Pansy right in the stomach and the girl flew backward off the stand.

A feeling of triumph almost overwhelmed Hermione as Pansy fell to the ground with a redounding thud. She grinned broadly at the now ecstatic crowd. With a feeling of giddiness, she made a daring move and actually bowed to the cheering audience. And to think, this was only her first battle.

Maybe she'd have a good time after all.

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Draco was very impressed. He had to restrain himself from standing in applause with over half the students. You're supposed to be worried about Pansy, remember?

But he couldn't help it. Even though Draco already knew that Hermione could do wandless magic, it didn't make her accomplishment any less impressive. Just watching it had made his adrenaline rush.

He tried not to grin too widely as she stepped down from the podium and walked away, still smiling. He was supposed to be putting up a charade after all. Luckily a single glance at Blaise helped to calm him somewhat. At least Draco had one ally to share his thoughts with.

Leaning over the back of his chair to have a quiet chat with his friend, Draco whispered, "so, has she proven herself to you?"

Blaise gave him an incredulous look. "She never had to prove anything to me, but at least now I know I'd never want to get on her bad side."

Draco chuckled. "Me neither." Maybe he hadn't given her enough credit before. Draco studied the tapestry holding the tournament brackets for a while as the next pair was called. It seemed that, since they began in separate sections, but were on the same side of the schedule, he and Hermione could theoretically fuel, but only for the position in the final match.

Pansy walked toward them slowly, her face shadowed by a grimace and her eyes red and bloodshot. "You should really go to the Hospital Wing, Pansy."

"That's what they told me too, but I'm fine, Drake. That Granger girl doesn't have the skill to do any real damage." And yet, she almost stumbled when trying to sit down. Immediately, Draco turned back to Blaise.

"Take her to the Hospital Wing."

"What?!" He looked alarmed.

Draco understood that Blaise had become nervous and shy around Pansy, but come on! Did Draco have to do everything himself around here?

"I'm going up soon. You should take her."

"Why can't Greg do it?" He was really panicking now.

Draco was taking none of it. He gave Blaise a stern glare and the darker boy finally relented. He stood. "Come on, Pans."

"Excuse me?" she said, looking somewhat affronted.

"You. Come. With me. You need to see Madam Promfrey."

"No I don't!"

"Too bad," he said and grabbed her arm, hoisting her roughly up and almost dragging her out the door. Draco chuckled. Well, it's a start.

Sooner than he realized, Draco's own name was called along with a Hufflepuff boy's. Taking a deep breath, Draco grinned at Greg, who gave him a thumb's up, and walked to the stage.

0000000000000000

Hermione watched the next duels with greater respect, now that she had faced a formidable opponent herself. She doubted any of the mild taunting the crowd witnessed was anything compared to how pansy had treated Hermione, but that was alright. Hermione felt she had gotten sufficient revenge.

What was Parkinson's problem, anyway? What had Hermione ever done to her? From what Draco had said about her, Hermione was under the impression that the Slytherin girl had mostly gotten over all that pureblood superiority crap. Isn't that why they had fought that stupid war in the first place? Hermione sighed. Some people never learn.

Hermione was fairly impressed with Draco's dueling skill—he was able to dispose of his opponent within a few minutes.

Finally the first round of duels finished and the original 32 students were diminished to 16. They still had a long way to go.

Harry and Ginny both fought and won another fuel, respectively. Hermione wondered if they noticed that, if they each won again, they would be dueling against each other in the subsequent round.

Only a short period of time later, Ron was called up again, but this time against none other than Rachael Dawson. Ginny and Hermione giggled and Harry gave Ron a sympathetic pat on the back before the redheaded boy went up to fight the girl he liked. Briefly Hermione wondered if that had happened on purpose, but then again, basically no one else knew about them, not that there was a "them" anyway.

They took their positions, but Ron looked a tad bit nervous. His wand was held too loosely in his hand. Hermione had a bad feeling about this.

Rachael cast the first spell, and Ron blocked it easily enough, but he seemed much too hesitant to fire back. Rachael was able to throw a good number of spells before Ron finally started to fight properly. A few minutes passed and neither gained any ground on the other, but Hermione noticed that Ron was firing some pretty weak spells. They seemed to glance off Rachael's shield on purpose, even when she was distracted and it wasn't as strong.

Suddenly Hermione sensed a change in the scene, as Rachael's stance widened and she took a step forward. It seemed that the Ravenclaw had either just realized her advantage, or was finally utilizing it.

Within thirty seconds Ron was wandless and on his back, applause rippling through the crowd. Now many people had seemed to notice the lack of fighting on Ron's part, though there were a few confused murmurs around the Hall.

She saw Rachael approach Ron, who was still on the ground, and hold out a hand to help him up. Once Ron was standing, they exchanged a few words. Ron beamed for a moment before leaning in and kissing her full on the mouth.

The entire room gasped in a singular breath, before they all broke out into cheers and jeers, egging the couple on. Many were laughing, though the teachers looked slightly uncomfortable. Hermione herself, along with Harry and Ginny, was giving them a standing ovation as Rachael threw her arms around Ron's neck. Hermione had no foubt there was some serious tongue involved.

Finally, when the teachers began to grown at the length they remained in place, the two pulled back and looked sheepishly around, grinning like fools, with their faces bright red. Rachael removed her hands from Ron's neck and he from her waist, where they had 'accidentally' ended up. Hermione was still laughing. They walked off the platform hand in hand as the cheers finally started to fade and they spoke quickly once more before heading their separate ways. Ron refused to stop smiling, though he was obviously trying to tame his face into submission.

When he was finally sitting down next to Harry and the next pair was beling called by Professor Zimmerman ("Well, after that wonderful display of...erm, sportsmanship...) Ginny piped up in a mocking voice, "way to go, Ronneikins."

He glared at her for a moment before she giggled and they all broke into quiet laughter again. Harry pounded him on the back. "Good one, mate. You'll have to give me some pointers."

Ginny looked somewhat affronted and hit him on the chest. "Excuse me, sir, but what on Earth is that supposed to mean?"

"Yeah, Harry, you snog my own sister enough in public for me to have to keep myself from hitting you."

"Oh, sod off, dearest brother of mine. We'll do what we very well please," Ginny interrupted before he could fire anything worse back.

Similarly, before Ron could say anything else, Hermione interjected, "So, Ron, did you actually plan to let her win so she would snog you?"

"I didn't let her win," he responded heatedly.

"Then why in heaven's name would she go and snog you!"

There was a noticeable flush to Ron's cheeks as he muttered, "none of your business."

Both Ginny and Hermione were about to argue back when Harry interrupted. "Don't worry, girls. I'll get it out of him later."

Ron turned to his friend. "Well, yeah, blimey Harry, you will, but if you tell them I'll never hear the end of it!" Harry grinned. "Now I'd appreciate it if you dropped the subject."

"Aw, but Ron, what kind of friends would we be if we didn't bother you about something like this?" Hermione pouted. Ginny giggled.

"The kind I would like a hell of a lot more." He frowned, crossing his arms.

"Well, that's just too bad," Ginny quipped, and immediately reached across Harry and started poking him in the arm. "Bother, bother, bother, bother, bother, bother, bother, bother," she repeated with each poke. Hermione and Harry were both in fits.

"Bloody hell, Gin! Geroff me!" he yelled quietly, pushing her wrist forcibly away from him.

"Fine, be that way, wench," she said, abruptly pulled back and folding her arms across her chest, looking disgruntled and disappointed.

"What did you call me?"

"Nothing," she covered quickly.

Ginny was still looking put out, so Harry promptly slung an arm over her shoulder and she noticeable relaxed and smiled lightly sideways at him.

Ron was grinning into thin air, and quite dreamily at that.

Hermione, who had been giggling throughout the exchange, finally fell silent and turned to watch the ongoing match.

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An entire round went by and nothing of superb consequence occurred, except maybe Ginny Weasley beating her brother's new girlfriend to a pulp (theoretically speaking, of course). Blaise was disqualified from his next fight as he...well, he never actually showed up. Draco was mildly curious as to what had happened to his two friends. It wasn't like Blaise to just disappear, but what with who he happened to be with, who knew? Maybe he was pulling a Weasley...except without the in-front-of-a-crowd part...just the snogging part.

One can only hope, Draco thought to himself.

The competition continued to narrow itself down more and more. As each round went by, Draco has more difficulty throwing off his opponents. By round three his was really being challenged...and by a fellow Slytherin no less. It was an interesting match that Draco enjoyed fighting in. The boy—well, technically he was a man, being 17 and all, about the same height as Draco—seemed to be as engrossed as Draco was, his eyebrows furrowed as he attempted to fend off Draco's attack. The guy just wouldn't give up.

It was after the match, when Draco had finally been able to disarm his opponent, when everything started to go wrong. He climbed down the stairs of the podium as the next set was being called and turned around to face the guy he'd just beaten, holding out his hand.

Instead of taking it, the guy, whose name, Draco suddenly remembered, was Max Nichols, glared at the hand being offered, then at the Slytherin to whom it belonged.

"Look, Malfoy, I don't want your pity. I don't want anything from you, except maybe blood."

Draco lowered his hand, stunned. The next pair of duelers were walking around them, trying to get at the stairs, giving them strange looks. "What in Merlin's name are you talking about?"

"Everyone knows who you are, Malfoy. Everyone knows what kind of shit you've done. And let me tell you something. You and your...'colleagues'...killed my mother. I'm just sorry I couldn't pay you back for what you did to her."

Oh no, Draco thought; one of these cases. Those in mourning had to be handled carefully. "Hey, I'm really sorry about your mom, but whatever it was, I had nothing to do with it."

Draco was not, in fact, sure of this. He had participated in more raids and fights and massacres than he cared to ever attempt to recall. But he had not been privy to everything done in the name of the Dark Lord, or in the name of some twisted idea of sport. Who knew if he'd been there? But one thing was for sure: if he had been present, he hadn't wanted to be.

"As if—all you Death Eater scum are the same. But here's a hint." A grimace crossed his face and his voice hardened. "Does the name Laura Nichols ring any bells?"

Oh, yes, yes it did.

Fate was cruel, wasn't it?

Draco remembered her quite vividly. It was just a regular night of muggle hunting. He remembered blowing open the door with three others behind him. He remembered watching, and attempting to participate as little as possible, as they Cruciated her over and over for a good hour, laughing their heads off. He remembered that once she was nearing insanity, they'd sliced her up until her blood was running all across the floor, and then, still chuckling, they had left her to bleed to death.

That had been early on. Draco hadn't yet conditioned himself to be, or at least to act, numb to that sort of thing. It was one of many killings he'd witnessed that night, but he remembered her name, because they had asked her, and she had screamed it, saying that her ex-husband was a pureblood, saying that she had a son, saying that she would do anything for them to stop, crying, pleading, begging...

"See? You know what happened to her. I can see it in your face," he spat. "Was that a fun trip down memory lane? Did you enjoy torturing my mother?"

Mentally shaking himself to get the image of that woman out of his head, Draco responded, "look, Nichols, I stopped here to tell you that you were the most worthy opponent I've faced today, not to fight with you about what is past. Furethurmore," Draco was getting angry now, grinding his teeth together. "I had no more control over what happened to Laura than you did. Your hatred is well founded, but don't go taking it out on the first ex-Death Eater you meet. Nevertheless," his voice softened almost imperceptibly. "I'm sorry for your loss. I know what it's like to lose a parent."

And with that, Draco turned and walked away, leaving Max standing there with an astounded look on his face.

Of all the things to happen...Draco was fuming. Maybe he should feel remorseful, or at least feel sorry for the kid, but that would involve dwelling in the past, in that night, in he torture and death—it was too painful. But Draco could deal with being angry. Anger was easy.

Sitting back down, Draco saw Greg turn to congratulate him. "Good job on that last one. There were a few seconds when I wasn't sure you'd win." When Draco simply grunted, he asked, "is something up?"

Draco shrugged. "It doesn't matter."

"You sure, mate? You look pretty upset."

"I said it's nothing, alright? Just drop it," he replied with venom.

"Fine, fine, relax, Drake. I was just wondering, is all. No need to get bent out of shape about it." He was offended, but Draco just didn't have the energy to apologize. He slumped back in his chair and watched the ongoing duel.

Looking up at the brackets, Draco realized with a start that there were only four more players: Potter, Weaslette, Hermione, and himself. I guess there's no real surprise there, he thought. Three are veteran from the war, and Weaslette was in the back ranks. Draco glanced again at the tapestry and got a nasty surprise. Shit! I'm fighting Hermione! Hmmmm, what to do?

Option a, he let her win and she knew it and became offended.

Option b, they dueled and she won, handing a mild, but not severe blow to his ego.

Option c, they dueled and he won, for which, knowing her, she would not blame him for one bit.

That was just who she was.

As he was thinking about this, the clamor inside Draco's head quieted slightly, though not completely. He still felt jumpy, short tempered, and agitated, he just hoped he could calm himself down enough before he went up to duel.

Next up, of course, was Potter and Weaslette. It was common knowledge in the entire Wizarding Community that they were an item, so with the two pitted against each other for the finalist spot, the crowd seemed to be holding their collective breath.

0

Hermione was nervous, but intrigued about this match. If either hurt the other, it could be detrimental to their relationship. But then again, they were in love! A silly little duel could hardly get in the way of that, Hermione assured herself.

Harry was the first to strike, Hermione noticed. This was surprising. She was sure he would be the gentleman and let the lady go first, though by all intents and purposes, Gin was no lady.

The both dueled valiantly for a good 10 minutes. It seemed they were equally matched, and that said a lot about both of them, as individuals and as a pair. Harry would throw a curse and Ginny barely had to think to deflect it. It seemed as if she knew what he was about to cast the moment he decided to cast it, and visa versa. They knew each other too well, even with some of the obscure curses and jinxes that only Hermione recognized.

And then Harry was wandless and Ginny was standing defiantly in victory, and the crowd was just blinking at them, wondering how that had happened. The Chosen One beaten by his own girlfriend? No way!

But slowly it sank in, and, laughing, everyone applauded as Harry and Ginny stepped down and walked back to Hermione and Ron, who were discussing the strange turn of events.

The next match, which Hermione was dueling in, was thankfully postponed for a few minutes as the teachers shepherded the younger students out of the Hall and back to their respective houses. It was getting quite late, after all/

The moment they came within earshot, Ron blurted out, "what happened out there? I swore there was gonna be a tie!"

Ginny smiled at Harry who grinned back at her. Something flickered between the two as he sat down.

Hermione suddenly gasped as it dawned on her. "You threw the match, didn't you?"

Harry laughed as Ron gaped at him. Ginny feigned surprise. "Oh, Harry, you didn't! For me?" She plopped down on his lap and his arms locked around her waist. Such a gentleman, isn't he?" Ginny winked at Hermione, whom she was facing. Hermione couldn't stop grinning.

"Well, hey, I just didn't want to have to fight either 'Mione or Malfoy. I'll let Gin do that."

"Hey, you're taking all the romance out of it," and she promptly kissed him.

When they didn't break apart immediately, Ron almost yelled, "Oi! I'm right here?"

Ginny pilled back from a sheepish looking Harry and turned her head to face him. "So?"

At that very moment Hermione' name was called and, as if a weight had been suddenly thrown into her stomach, she remembered she was about to fight Draco.

Ginny returned to her seat and both she and Harry gave her sympathetic looks. Ron just chuckled and said, "Hey, 'Mione, give him hell."

Grimacing, she just nodded and began walking toward the stairs to the stage. She just had to relax. What could happen? Hadn't she just been saying it was just a silly duel? Right?

Draco was already on his way, and as their eyes met, she saw his were dark, though just as mesmerizing as usual. He seemed, if anything, more nervous than she.

Just as they wee about to part ways on the podium, Hermione turned to him and, trying to lighten the mood, said, "Now don't be going easy on me just because I'm a girl."

She did not give him time to respond, but immediately went to stand in her starting position. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down, preparing for the battle that would ensue.

0

Draco took his stance and they both bowed, as was customary to begin a duel. She looked ready. He only hoped he was.

She fired first, a red beam that he blocked, before firing back his own disarming spell. Of course, they were both advanced enough that these small spells were of little consequence, but a duel was like a conversation. They were simply exchanging the necessary niceties.

Slowly the duel increased in difficulty. Draco had to physically dodge a curse that he wasn't familiar enough with to block. She was digging in her feet and standing her ground, and he wouldn't give an inch either. It was really a battle of wills, here. For this short period of time, they weren't specifically Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger anymore. They were just to duelers who were fighting for the same prize: survival.

Progressively more and more advance wandwork was being used until the spells were flying at an impressive rate and Draco was sweating from the exertion. He ha to keep his shield up at all times while casting, which divided his attention and made it more difficult to throw one sufficient enough to break through her own barriers. It was starting to wear on him, but Draco was almost enjoying the fight. She was certainly a formidable opponent; much more advanced than Nichols.

Nichols

Why had that had to happen? And of all the times? It was throwing him off, the reference to the past he wanted to forget. His concentration slipped and a green streak of magic only just missed him.

Instead of shielding himself, however, Draco cast a handful of hexes and jinxes in a row, putting Hermione on defense. Surprisingly enough, one hit its mark.

Hermione's wand flew out of her hand for the second time that evening, and Draco snatched it out of the air. Of course, of all the curses to actually work, it was the one that would do him the least good.

Before he was able to recover from the change in power division, Draco swore he heard her laugh a little before throwing a hex from her outstretched hand.

Great, Draco thought. Now I can't even tell what she's casting by the wand movements. Good job, Drake, giving her the upper hand.

Draco was unsure how long they battled. It seemed to last forever and, even with the bonus of having taken her wand (not that Draco could use it, not being practiced at dueling with his left hand) he was growing tired and more desperate. Draco started using more intricate curses to throw her off, but she took everything blow by blow, throwing back equally difficult spells for equal measure. It was putting Draco in a foul mood, though he refused to give in, and his mind began to cloud with ideas of spells that were on the brink of Darkness.

It was exactly then, when the turmoil of the evening was really starting to get to him, when Draco was almost considering using grey magic to fend her off, that she grinned and spoke quite clearly,

"Come on, Draco, is that all you've got? Pathetic..."

His vision flashed, and for just a moment Draco wasn't in the Great Hall anymore, not even inside Hogwarts. He was back at home, at the mansion, and a crazed, powerful voice was screeching at him.

"Oh, come now, Drakie-poo, is that all you've got? Is this all you have to show for all your training? The Dark Lord will not be pleased with your progress when I report to him. I've seen House Elves before better magic than this."

And Draco had been even more tired then. He had been exhausted and sore. He had been dueling Bellatrix for far too long. He had only just risen from the ground after being Cruciated for what felt like the thousandth time. She had shrieked this just as he had regained his footing, and he had lashed out, trying to end the futile attack, trying to punish her for causing him so much pain. He had thrown as many Dark curses he could think of, and she had blocked them all, had laughed at him, before sending him to the floor once again with an amused "Crucio".

But Draco was not on his sitting room floor, he was not dueling Bellatrix Lestrange, and he was not fighting for his right to live.

Draco had however just cast a handful of Dark spells at Hermione Granger, and she was crumpling to the ground as blood stained the shoulder of her blouse and dripped from her sliced cheek.

For an endless second, Draco wondered what had happened to Hermione, why she was bleeding. And then, just as quickly as the blood soaked her shirt, his mind soaked in one undeniable fact:

You cast that spell

For what felt like hours, Draco stood there, wand hanging at his side, feeling numb/ He had just used forbidden magic on the woman who had treated him with more care and compassion than he ever expected, nor felt he deserved. She was the best thing that has happened to him in a long, long time, and now he had ruined it.

In reality, only a handful of seconds passed, at the end of which Hermione looked up and their eyes met, as she clutched her crimson shoulder. That was the most painful. She looked shocked, hurt, confused, and in obvious agony.

What have I done?

Option d, he beat her by causing her serious bodily harm, and she never forgave him.

Immediately the teachers were up on the stand, checking Hermione's vitals, levitating her down. Professor McGonagall was personally escorting her limp body out of the Hall, no doubt to the Hospital Wing.

Still somewhat in a daze, Draco felt a hand clasp around his elbow and pull him down the stairs. It was Professor Zimmerman. He was saying something. Slowly Draco's sense of hearing began to return to him.

"—thinking, Mr. Malfoy, but I can assure you that Dark magic is strictly forbidden on school grounds, especially for a student of your stature, and especially when used on another student. I'm afraid you'll be having detention with me for the next month."

Finally thinking clearly again, Draco only had one think on his mind. He had to get to Hermione. He had to find out if she was ok, he had to apologize to her, he had to do anything in his power to make it alright again. Draco opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by the Professor, who took this as a sign he was about to protest.

"No ifs, ands, or butts about it, Mr. Malfoy. You're quite lucky you aren't being suspended, or even expelled. But I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt..."

Getting quite impatient, Draco spoke up. "Look, Professor, I get it. And I deserve every ounce of punishment I receive. But please, just let me go see her. I have to make sure she's aright. I have to make sure I didn't..." His voice trailed off as the implications of his actions hit Draco square in the chest, settling heavily in his abdomen.

Professor Zimmerman gave him a long, calculating look before nodding once.

That was all the permission he needed. Draco bolted out of the room before another word was spoken.

0

Professor Zimmerman stepped up onto the stage and cleared his throat, calling for everyone's attention, which was quite a feat, as they were all still talking amongst themselves about the turn of events that had just occurred before them.

"Please, everyone, quiet down. Because of the use of Dark magic on another student, Mr. Malfoy has been officially disqualified from the tournament. Therefore, I am pleased to announce our winner as Miss Ginny Weasley. Please give her a round of applause."

The crowd did, but it soon died away, as she was no longer in sight. The Professor looked toward the seats she, Harry, and Ron had been occupying, to find them empty.

0

Draco was still running, thinking hard.

He knew he should have stayed away from her, just knew it. Hadn't he been afraid something like this would happen? Draco was always dangerous to everyone who got close to him, sooner or later.

And how many timed has he vowed he would never hurt a human being again, never use Dark magic again, even if his life depended on it? Hadn't he cast off that part of his life? Why was it still tormenting him now?

Draco emitted a frustrated growl and sped up, running as if her were being chased by a pack of wolves.

Interestingly enough, he was.

0

Foreshadowing, foreshadowing, oh how I love me some foreshadowing. Again, I'm so sorry with was late, but look how long and action packed it is?! Couldn't you forgive me, just this once?

And no, I'm not done yet. This isn't even the climactic chapter! Isn't it sad how there are only going to be about 5 more chapters, though? My baby's growing up and going off into the world of fandom. Treat her well when I am done.

Don't kill me for all the typos. The original is very good, grammar-wise, but I re-wrote half of this while very spaced out, not even looking at the keyboard or monitor, so go easy on me.

And yes, the "bother bother"ing was entirely based on Potter Puppet Pals. GO NEIL CICIEREGA!

Please review, and when you do, I'd like to hear your thoughts on everything that happened throughout the chapter, not just the final twist.

Don't forget your random fact!

I prefer white wine over red.

-Ginger