Author's Note: Responses to Feedback! First, to everyone who said they like this story, thank you. It means a lot. I won't list all your names thus far, but I am grateful to you all.
No Vigilance: Harry having the Exodia cards? That would be SO cool, and it would totally fit with the theme of this deck. Unfortunately, I can't think of how Harry would use them without it being a total Dues Ex Machina. I think that's why Yugi lost Exodia after using it in one Duel. The writers of the show realized that giving him a card that just let him win was kind of anti-climatic. Either Yugi would use it all the time and it'd be lame, or he'd never use it and we'd be left wondering why not. I'm not saying it'll NEVER happen. Just, don't hold your breath.
Hammer n' Nail: Ah, pairings. Long story short, ALL the Charmers are being paired with Harry (I feel like I should warn someone that this is the first time I'm attempting to write a malexmale fic. or at least a fic with a bisexual harem, so no promises on how it will turn out) and so will a fair few human characters. HarryxHarem is kind of my head cannon, and I really works for the Charmers because of how long they've had this relationship with Harry. How they will react to human girls trying to get his attention, well . . .
duskrider: I can't answer that here because that would be a spoiler. What I will say is that, at this time, Harry only has the basic Charmers. Will the "evolved" versions appear later? Maybe, maybe not.
Elfin69: Oh, boy. I think you may have asked the one question I don't have an easy answer for. How will Harry's human friends learn about the Charmers? I've got an idea or two, but you'll have to wait a bit. For now, Harry's not talking about them because he knows and they know it's a little crazy.
Lanari: Will the Charmers protect Harry from manipulations? Wait and see.
fanficbrowser: No, sadly, Dudley is VERY good, or at least, he wins a lot because Vernon and Petunia buy him rare and powerful cards that most people don't have and that make his deck stupidly hard to beat.
Scribemaster555: I kind of want to keep the Millenium Items out of this, or at least keep them to a bare minimum. I have another magical mcguffin from the show I want to introduce to this story, waaaaaaaay in the future, though.
"Harry, she's still there," Dharc said.
"I see her," Harry said, looking over his shoulder. Several tables behind him, Hermione Granger was unusually not interested in her book. The two were in the Library, trying to work on homework. Ron was beside Harry, trying to look like he was doing his homework, but in reality was just pestering Harry for the answers. (Actually, he was pestering Aussa, who was the one secretly explaining things to Harry while the others tried to explain Aussa).
"She's been following us for weeks now!" Hiita growled.
"Three days," Eria corrected. "She's been following ever since Harry beat that Atticus boy."
"Perhaps she just wants to be friends," Lyna suggested. "Or, she's curious about the game."
"Maybe," Harry said. He tapped his quill against the parchment, trying to think how best to describe the process of Transfiguring a match into a pin.
"Maybe she wants to Duel," Wynn said, hopefully.
"Does she look like a Duelist?" Dharc asked.
"She looks smart, and she's a Gryffindor, which means she's brave, right?" Wynn asked.
Lyna nodded. "All excellent qualities. I think she'd make a great Duelist."
Dharc and Hiita simultaneously snorted.
"Why do you not simply ask her what she is doing?"
The Duel Spirits all turned and looked at Aussa. "Ever the logical one, Dear Aussa," Eria remarked.
"We should've done so earlier," Lyna remarked.
"You think she realizes Harry's staring at her," Wynn asked.
"And, now she thinks he's a creeper," Dharc mused.
"Sorry, Ron. I have to go," Harry said, packing up his things and leaving his human friend behind.
"Wha—Harry? Where are you going?" the red-haired wizard asked.
"Just . . . curious!" Harry replied. He cringed.
"Lame!" Hiita declared.
"It is truthful, though," 'Lyna said, "and it's not as though Harry had time to create a better excuse."
"That almost sounds like you're encouraging him to lie," Dharc noted.
"What? I would never-"
"Hello," Harry said.
"Oh, hello." Hermione turned around. Her eyes widened. "Hello . . . Harry."
"Hermione . . . Why have you been following me?" Harry cringed. That came out wrong.
"Unless you wanted to accuse her," Dharc said. "Ouch." Eric had once again flicked his head.
"I'm sorry," Harry said. "What I meant to say was . . . I've noticed you watching me for a while, and I just wanted to ask why?"
"Well, I saw you . . . and Princeton the other day," Hermione said, chewing her lip. "And . . . I was wondering . . . do you want to . . . would you . . ."Hermione removed a small object from her pocket. After a moment, Harry recognized it as a deck box. "Would you like to Duel me?" she asked, in a small voice.
"Are you kidding me?" Hiita yelled.
"Weeee!" Wynn did a backflip.
"Most intriguing," Aussa said.
"Perhaps we should listen to Wynn more in the future," Lyna mused.
"How 'bout we don't?" Dharc suggested.
"Please stop arguing," Eria requested, "children."
Harry tied to ignore them. "Sure," he said. They made their way to one of the back tables in the Astrology section (the least-used part of the Library).
DUEL START!
TURN 1-HARRY:
Life Points: 4000
Cards in Deck: 34
Cards in Hand: 6
"I play Stray Lambs," Harry said, "and summon two Lamb tokens in Defense Mode. The catch is, I can't summon anything else this turn. So, I'll set two cards faced-down, and end my turn." Harry placed the cards on the table, behind the coins he was using to represent his 0/0 Monsters.
"What kind of opening move was that?" Hiita said. She was "leaning" against his right ear with arms crossed. "You should've summoned something bigger."
"Maybe, but I'm planning something else," Harry replied. It all depends on what kind of deck she plays.
TURN 1-HERMIONE:
Life Points: 4000
Cards in Deck: 34
Cards in Hand: 6
That's obviously a trap, Hermione thought. But, I'll have to spring it. She looked down at her hand. I only have one Monster I can summon this turn, and it'll be pretty weak. His monsters are weaker, though. "I Special Summon Vice Dragon in Attack mode."
"But, that's a five-star Monster!" Harry protested.
Hermione smiled. "Yes, but because you have Monsters on your field, and I have none on mine, I can special summon it without tributes. The catch is, if it was special summoned this way, its points are cut in half. So it goes from be 2000/2400, to 1000/1200. Next, since you summoned two Lamb Tokens, I think I'll play four Sheep Tokens, with the Spell card Scapegoat." Hermione then plays Scapegoat to summon 4 Sheep Tokens. These should protect me from whatever Harry's planning. "Then, I'll set one card and use Vice Dragon to destroy one of your Tokens."
TURN 2-HARRY:
Life Points: 4000
Cards in Deck: 33
Cards in Hand: 4
"All right," Harry said. "I'll set a Monster face-down, and then I'll play Nightmare Steelcage. This Spell stops both of us from attacking until the end of your next turn. Now, I'll end mine."
"I hate that card," Hiita said. "It makes thing so boring!"
"Interesting move," Hermione said. "My draw."
TURN 2-HERMIONE:
Life Points: 4000
Cards in Deck: 33
Cards in Hand: 4
I can't play any other Monsters, Hermione thought. She'd been counting on Vice Dragon being destroyed by Harry's Monster. Well, if he won't get rid of it, I'll just make it stronger, she thought. "I play Dragon Treasure, giving my Vice Dragon another 300 Attack points. Then, I will end my turn."
TURN 3-HARRY:
Life Points: 4000
Cards in Deck: 32
Cards in Hand: 3
"Wow, so are you playing a Dragon Deck?" Harry asked.
"Yes," Hermione replied. "I've always thought Dragons were facinating Creatures. I used to wonder what they'd be like if they were real, and now I know they are real-does that make still wanting to play Dragon cards odd?"
"No odder than playing Spellcasters when you're a real wizard," Harry replied. I'll pass this turn."
"What?" Hitta yelled. "You could've at least played—"
"Nah, I want to save it for my next turn," they young wizard said. "When I can do some damage to her."
"At least I'll get to do something this game," the Duel Spirit muttered.
"Sorry."
"Hmph."
TURN 3-HERMIONE:
Life Points: 4000
Cards in Deck: 32
Cards in Hand: 4
"I'll pass too," Hermione said. Still, she eyed a card in her hand. This will come in handy later.
TURN 4-HARRY:
Life Points: 4000
Cards in Deck: 31
Cards in Hand: 4
"I'll flip my face-down Monster face-up," Harry said. "It was Hitta, the Fire Charmer. Thanks to her, your Fire-Attribute Dragon is mine."
"Uh, oh," Hermione muttered. I could play Burst Breath, she thought, referring to her face-down card. It would destroy Vice Dragon and every other monster with less Defense points than her Dragon's Attack Points, but the only Monsters which qualified were the Tokens; Harry's 500/1500 Charmer would survive, and she would lose her whole defense. Harry hadn't Normal Summoned this turn, either.
"Thanks for making it stronger," Harry said. "Now, I'll equip it with my Raregold Armor, so it's the only Monster you can attack on my side of the Field."
No! Hermione realized. I won't be able to take it back now! She'd been considering destroying Harry's Charmer to bring her Dragon back, but that was now out of the question.
"Finally, I'll have Hitta and Vice Dragon destroy two of your tokens."
"Frickin' finally!" Hitta muttered.
"That was a good move, Harry," Hermione admitted, taking two of the four Knuts off her side of the table.
TURN4-HERMIONE:
Life Points: 4000
Cards in Deck: 31
Cards in Hand: 4
"I play Graceful Charity, which lets me draw three more cards as long as I discard two cards from my hand. Next, I'll summon my Blackland Fire Dragon." (1500/1200). "I'll use it to destroy Vice Dragon."
"Not bad," Harry admitted. "But, you had to destroy your own Monster."
"It wasn't like you gave me a choice," Hermione said. "Finally, I'll play Dragon's Gunfire. I can only play this card when I have a Dragon on the field. I can either destroy a Monster with 800 Defense Points of fewer, or I can deal 800 points of Damage to you."
"Hiita has 1500 Defense points," Harry noted. "So, I think I know which effect you'll choose."
Hermione smiled. "Your turn, Harry."
TURN 5-HARRY:
Life Points: 3000
Cards in Deck: 30
Cards in Hand: 4
"I'll draw," Harry said.
"I hate Defense Mode," Hiita said.
"Well, sorry," Harry replied, "but we don't have many other options." Out loud, he said, "I'll switch Hiita to Defense Mode and set one Monster Face-down. Then, I'll set one card Face-Down as well. That's all for me."
"All right," Hermione replied.
TURN 5-HERMIONE:
Life Points: 4000
Cards in Deck: 27
Cards in Hand: 4
"First, I will Summon my Debris Dragon in Attack Mode!" (1000/2000)
"Great, a Tuner," Hiita muttered.
"What's a Tuner?" Harry asked, "And, why did she summon such a weak card in Attack Mode?"
"Tuner Monsters combine with other Monsters to Summon Synchro Monsters. It's like Fusion, but she doesn't need a Fusion card, just Monsters on her field."
"Next, I will play the effect of my Dragon, allowing me to Special Summon one monster form my Graveyard as long as its Attack points don't exceed 500. I will choose my Tuningware." (100/300)
"Does that thing have a pot for a helmet?" Harry asked, looking at the illustration of the card.
"Next, I will play this spell card, Star Changer; it lets me either increase or decrease the level of one Monster by one. I'll make my Debris Dragon a level 5. Now, my level 5 Debris Dragon tunes with my two level 1 tokens and my Level 1 Tuningware—except Tuningware's effect allows it to be treated as a level2 Monster if I use it in a Synchro Summoning."
"Why's that important?" Harry asked.
"The only way to Summon a Synchro Monster is the levels of all the Monsters you sacrifice to Summon it add up to the level of the Monster you're Summoning," Hiita explained.
"You're Summoning a level 9 Monster?" Harry asked.
"That's right," Hermione said. "This is my favorite card, my Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon." (2500/3000). "Now, Dragon-type Monsters I control can't be Targeted or Destroyed outside of a Battle until the end of my next turn. Oh, and because I used Tuningware to Syncho Summon, I get to draw another card. Now, I'll destroy your Fire Charmer with Azure-Eyes and use Blackland Fire Dragon to attack your Face-Down."
"No," Harry said, flipping his face-down card up. "My Wabokou will stop all your attacks from doing damage this turn."
"Then, I'll end my turn," Hermione said. "Without attacking your Face-down Monster."
"Why'd she say that?" Harry asked.
"Guess she was scared it'd have a nasty effect," Hiita said. "Now clobber her."
"I'll try," Harry said. "It'll be hard with a Monster like that on the Field."
"Do whatever you have to," Hiita said. The next part came out reluctantly. "Nice save, by the way."
"Anytime," Harry replied. "My turn, then."
TURN 6-HARRY:
Life Points: 3000
Cards in Deck: 29
Cards in Hand: 3
"First, I'll flip my face-down Magician of Faith into face-up Attack Mode," Harry said. "This will let me add a Spell card from my Graveyard to my hand."
"Not again," Hiita groaned.
"I'll add Nightmare Steelcage to my Hand and play it now," Harry said. "Sorry, Hiita. No choice."
"Tch."
"Next, I'll Set another Monster and end my turn."
TURN 6-HERMIONE:
Life Points: 4000
Cards in Deck: 26
Cards in Hand: 3
"First, I'll activate my Azure-Eyes other Effect," Hermione said. "During my Standby Phase, I can select one Dragon-type Normal Monster and Special Summon it to the Field. So, I will select the Meteor Dragon I discarded thanks to Graceful Charity and Special Summon it in Attack Mode." (1800/2000). "That will end my turn."
TURN 7-HARRY:
Life Points: 3000
Cards in Deck: 28
Cards in Hand: 3
"I'll play my own Graceful Charity," Harry said. Let's see, AWESOME!
"Did you draw something that lets me switch to Attack Mode?" Hiita asked. "Because my knee's getting sore."
"Sorry," Harry said. "No."
"It's all right, I don't think he was excited to see me," Lyna said. Harry had indeed drawn her.
The wizard blushed, confusing Hermione. "Sorry, Lyna, but now I almost have what I need. And, you are very nice to have right now."
"Especially because Azure-Eyes isn't protecting Hermione's Monsters anymore," Hiita said. "We steal that, and the game is ours."
"Right," Harry said. "Want to help, Lyna?"
"I don't like to think of our ability as stealing," the Light Charmer said. "But, I would be happy to help."
"Thank you." Harry smiled at the card, further confusing his bushy-haired friend. "I'll set another card face-down and switch Magician of Faith to Defense Mode. That will end my tur—"
"I activate the Trap Card, Burst Breath," Hermione declared. "Now, I sacrifice my Blackland Fire Dragon to destroy all Monsters with 1500 or fewer Defense Points."
"Hiita!" Harry exclaimed.
"This is lame," the Fire Charmer groused.
"That's right. You now only have Two Monsters defending you," Hermione announced. She drew her card.
TURN 7-HERMIONE:
Life Points: 4000
Cards in Deck: 25
Cards in Hand: 3
"And, I'll soon have three Monsters. First, I'll use Azure-Eyes' ability to bring back my Blackland Fire Dragon. Next, I'll use Pot of Greed to draw two cards. Now, I think I'd like to get rid of your Cage."
"What?" Harry asked.
"Remember, it's effect only lasts as long as it's on the Field," Hermione explained. "Now, I activate the Spell card A Wingbeat of Giant Dragon."
"That's a mouthful," Harry noted.
"It is," Hermione agreed, "and it doesn't flow very well off the tongue. 'A Wingbeat of the Giant Dragon," or "Wingbeat of a Giant Dragon," would be better—oh, I'm rambling, aren't I?"
"It's all right, Hermione," Harry said. "I'm inclinded to agree with you."
"Oh. Thank you, Harry," the witch said, blushing.
"I don't like her," Hiita said, once again, hovering beside Harry.
"That isn't a very nice thing to say," Lyna muttered, but her scolding sounded . . . hollow.
"What? What's wrong with her?" Harry asked. Unfortunately, for him, Hermione chose to continue her move before either Charmer could answer.
"Now, I return Meteor Dragon to my hand, and all Spell and Trap Cards on the Field are destroyed."
"Uh, oh."
"This will be bad."
"You still like her, Harry?"
"Uh, oh is right," Hermione said, smiling. "Now, I can attack this turn, but first, I'll play Polymerization, to fuse my Meteor Dragon with the Red-Eyes Black Dragon that was already in my hand to Summon the Meteor Black Dragon."
"We're screwed," Hiita said.
"Hiita! Language!" Lyna scolded, sounded normal again.
"I'm guessing that's a bad card," Harry said.
"The worst," Hiita replied.
"It is very strong," Lyna said. "As strong as Valkyrion."
"3500 Attack Points?" Harry exclaimed.
"You've heard of it?" Hermione asked. She'd finally fished the card out of her case, but hadn't yet put it down.
"A friend of mine described it to me," Harry said. Technically, he wasn't lying.
"Oh," Hermione said. "Well, yes, it does have 3500 Attack Points. Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon is my favorite Monster, but this one has the most Attack Points. And, I'll use those Attack Points to destroy your Face-down card."
"My face-down card was Sangan," Harry said. "Now, I can add any Monster from my deck to my hand, as long as its Attack Points aren't greater than 1500." Which is just about everything in my deck, he thought, ruefully.
"Are you insulting us?" Hiita asked, using her powers to heat up his ear just enough to be threatening.
"No, I'm just stating a fact," Harry said quickly.
"That doesn't sound much better, Harry," Lyna said.
"Face it, we are pretty lame in the Attack Point department," Dharc muttered. Harry discovered that by fanning his deck out to look for the card he needed, all his Charmers had gained the ability to express their opinions.
"On average, yes, though several of our fellow Monsters do have Attack points that exceed the 1500 Point limit," Aussa pointed out.
"Is anyone else hungry?" Wynn asked. "This is exciting and al, but can we get something to eat afterwards?"
"There is more to winning than just Attack Points," Eria said, calming everyone. "And, yes, Wynn, we can have dinner after this."
"Yay!"
"You guys eat?" Harry asked.
"Yes, we do, although it is different from your food," Eria said, cutting off Aussa before the Earth Charmer could launch what was certain to be a very detailed explanation of just that. "For now, I would advise you to take the Monster you need before Miss Granger becomes suspicious of us."
"Oh, right," Harry said.
"I believe Alpha the Magnet Warrior is a few cards below my own card," Aussa said. "Although I should warn you your chances of drawing Valkyrion are not high. Do you wish to continue with this strategy?"
"It's my only hope," Harry said.
"Don't be like that, Harry has us on his side," Wynn pointed out.
"He does indeed," Eria agreed. "Remember, Harry, believe in your deck, and we won't fail you."
"Right," Harry said, taking the necessary Monster Card.
"Just kick butt," Dharc requested.
"What he said," Hiita added.
"I know we will be victorious," Aussa said.
"I think she could be a good friend," Wynn mused.
"What?" Hiita exclaimed.
"Look, guys, can we talk about this later?" Harry asked.
"Yes, you should get back to the game, Harry," Lyna said.
"We are going to talk about this later," Harry insisted.
"We will, Harry," Eria agreed. "I promise."
Out loud, Harry announced. "I will add Alpha the Magnet Warrior from my deck to my hand. Then, I'll reshuffle my deck."
"Then, I will use Azure-Eyes to attack your Face-Down Monster," Hermione replied. She chose not to comment on the fact that harry taken so long deciding on the card he picked. He was probably just worried about her Dragons.
"Sorry, Lyna," Harry said, placing the other Charmer in his Graveyard.
"That would have been bad for me if I hadn't destroyed Nightmare Steelcage one turn early," Hermione noted. The fact that Harry was talking to his card was weird, but again, she decided it was better to let it slide. People didn't like being nit-picked by a bossy know-it-all. "Finally, I'll attack you directly with my Blackland Fire Dragon. Then, I'll end my turn by setting one card."
"My turn then," Harry said. And I have to believe I can draw Valkyrion, he's the only card that can save me now. "I draw!"
TURN 8-HARRY:
Life Points: 1500
Cards in Deck: 24
Cards in Hand: 4
I did it, Harry thought. "We did it."
"It was your faith that did it, Harry," Lyna said. "Your belief in yourself and your bond with your deck that allowed you to draw the card you needed."
"I'd like to think we helped some," Hiita said.
"You did. All of you did," Harry replied. "Now, Hermione, you've shown me your strongest card, so I'll show you mine!"
"How?" Hermione asked. Harry didn't have anything to tribute, so was this some kind of Special Summon?"
"I discard my Alpha the Magnet Warrior, Beta the Magnet Warrior, and Gamma the Magnet Warrior, to Special Summon my Valkyrion the Magna Warrior!" (3500/3850).
"It's as strong as my Black Dragon," Hermione gasped, looking down at the card.
"And much stronger than your Blackland Fire Dragon, which I will destroy now!" Harry announced.
"That was great," Hiita said.
"Yeah, but now our Dragons are equal," Harry noted. "I was lucky Hermione's face-down wasn't a Trap, but if she draws something that changes Attack points, Valkyrion's doomed."
"Don't forget, Harry, the same will happen if you draw such a card," Lyna pointed out.
"And neither of you have any cards in your hand," Hiita mused. She grinned. "So, it's a showdown. I like it."
TURN 8-HERMIONE:
Life Points: 2000
Cards in Deck: 22
Cards in Hand: 1
The young witch looked at the card she drew. This might help me later, but only if I can draw the right cards. She looked at the field. The best course of action would be to attack his Monster with Meteor Black Dragon. They'll both be destroyed, but then I'll be able to Attack him directly with Azure-Eyes and win. Then again, Harry could sacrifice Valkyrion to summon out his three Magnet Warriors, but then I'll get to keep my Dragon, and I'll still win on my next turn.
But, what if Harry gets mad when I do that? What if he doesn't want to be my friend anymore? Does he now? Or, is it just for the game?
"Um, Hermione?" Harry asked. "Are you Ok?"
"Ah, I set a card Face-down and switch my Azure-Eyes to Defense Mode. I end my turn!" Hermione said.
"OK," Harry said, drawing his card. "Something's not right with her."
"Probably just nerves," Hiita said.
"No, there's more to it," Lyna said. "It seemed like she was confused."
"Well, she is facing down Harry's best Monster," the Fire Charmer said. "That would be enough to scare even me."
"Maybe, but I can't help but agree with Lyna," Harry said. Though, he soon forgot his worries when he saw the card he'd drawn. "Checkmate," he declared.
TURN 9-HARRY:
Life Points: 1500
Cards in Deck: 23
Cards in Hand: 1
"I play Shield and Sword to switch our Dragons' Attack Points with their Defense Points!"
"Meteor Black Dragon's Attack Points become 2000," Hermione acknowledged.
"And Valkyrion the Magna Warrior's become 3850," Harry finished. "I destroy your Dragon and end my turn."
"It's in the bag now!" Hiita declared.
"Maybe, but don't forget, she could still draw something to save herself with," Lyna cautioned.
"I'd still like to know what's up with her," Harry said.
TURN 9-HERMIONE:
Life Points: 150
Cards in Deck: 21
Cards in Hand: 1
"I Special Summon my Red-Eyes Black Dragon to the Field in Attack Mode," Hermione announced. (2400/2000) "Then, I play Card of Demise, which lets me draw until I have five cards in my hand."
"Five cards!" Harry exclaimed. "Doesn't it have some kind of price?"
"Not a price so much as a consequence," Hermione said. "I have to discard my hand in five turns."
"That's a risky move," Harry noted.
"It is," Hermione agreed. Looking at her five cards, she announced. "I will now play the Spell Mystic Wok, which will allow me to gain life points equal to the Attack or Defense Points of the Monster I sacrifice. I'll sacrifice my Azure-Eyes to gain 3000 Life Points!"
"But, that was your favorite card," Harry protested.
"Yes, so it won't be gone for long." Hermione replied. "I activate my Trap Card, Descending Lost Star! This will re-Summon my Dragon in Defense Mode, however, it loses its Defense Points, its Effect, one of its Level Stars, and the ability to change Battle Positions."
"But why do all that?" Harry asked.
"You saying you wouldn't do the same for us?" Hiita asked.
"Of course I would! I have Silent Doom in my deck, remember!"
"We know, Harry, and we're grateful," Lyna said. "But, I don't think Hermione's done, yet."
"Next, I Summon the Tuner Monster Dread Dragon!" (1100/400)
"I know what's next," Harry thought as his face fell.
"Um I end my turn." Hermione said.
"What?" Harry asked. "Hermione, are you all right?" She didn't look all right, fiddling with her cards, the witch's eyes were downcast.
"I'm fine," she said.
"Why did you do that?" Harry asked.
"Do what?" Hermione said.
"Why didn't you finish your move?" Harry asked.
"You looked unhappy when I played Dread Dragon."
"Well, I get the feeling I'm about to lose," Harry joked. "It's all right, I'm used to it."
"You don't mind losing?" Hermione asked.
"Well, I prefer winning, but this has been fun," Harry said. "You're a smart player, and your Dragons are really cool."
"Thank you, Harry," she said.
"So, don't hold back for me," Harry said. "Losing is annoying, but if watching you win can be fun if you do it right."
"Lady-killer," Hiita muttered.
"What?" Harry asked.
"Ignore her," Lyna said. "You are a good friend, Harry. Don't ever forget that."
"Right, then," Hermione said. "I'll play my Star Blast Spell Card. Now, I can pay 500 Life Points to lower the level of one Monster by one star until the end of the turn, so I'll pay 1000 Life Points to lower my Azure-Eyes' level by two. Now, it's a level 6."
"She's going to Synchro Summon a Level 8 Monster," Lyna declared.
"Wait, you can use a Synchro Monster to Synchro Summon?" Harry asked.
"Of course," Hermione answered. "As long as it meets the Summoning conditions, I can use any Monster with a Level I want. Now, I'll activate my other Trap Card, DNA Surgery! I can now make all Monsters have the same Attribute, and I choose to make them all Dark Attribute. Then, I use my Level 2 Dread Dragon and my Level 6 Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon to Synchro Summon my Level 8 Dark End Dragon." (2600/2100). "You were wrong earlier, Harry."
"Huh, how?"
"Meteor Black Dragon wasn't my strongest Monster. It may have the most Attack points but this is my strongest Monster. I use Dark End's Effect; once per turn, by lowering its Attack and Defense Points by 500, I can send one of your Monsters to the Graveyard."
"I'll use Valkyrion's Effect!" Harry said. "I'll sacrifice it to Special Summon Alpha, Beta, and Gamma to the Field in Defense Mode."
"Then, Dark End's Effect loses its target, but its points are still lowered," Hermione said. "But it's still strong enough to take out your Monsters. And to help it do that, I'll play my Silver's Cry."
"That looks like your Azure-Eyes in the picture," Harry noted.
Hermione nodded. "That's because this card has Azure-Eyes' Effect: I can Special Summon any Normal Dragon-Type Monster from my Graveyard. So, welcome back Meteor Dragon in Attack Mode."
"Three Dragons. Three Magnet Warriors," Harry said.
"I'll use my three Dragons to destroy your three Magnet Warriors," Hermione said. "That ends my turn."
TURN 10-HARRY:
Life Points: 1500
Cards in Deck: 22
Cards in Hand: 1
"Dark Hole," Harry said, identifying the card he'd just drawn. It held the power to destroy all Monsters on the Field.
"If she draws a Monster on her next turn, we're toast," Hiita noted. "But, if we draw a Monster on our next turn, she's toast. Another showdown."
"It is the best draw we could have hoped for," Lyna noted.
"Yeah, I guess it is . . ." Harry thought. Wait a minute . . . "I end my turn."
"What?"
"Harry?"
TURN 10-HERMIONE:
Life Points: 150
Cards in Deck: 15
Cards in Hand: 2
"Then, I'll attack you directly and win," Hermione announced.
DUEL-END!
FINAL SCORE-HARRY:
Life Points: 0
Cards in Deck: 22
FINAL SCORE-HERMIONE:
Life Points: 150
Cards in Deck: 15
HERMIONE WINS!
"What was THAT?" Hiita screamed. "You had her!" Harry couldn't hear most of what his diminutive friend said next, because it all blended together into one loud, hot (she had a surprising amount of ability for a tiny, insubstantial spirit) stream. It did, however, cause him to drop the card he was holding.
"Dark Hole," Hermione noted picking up the card. "Why didn't you play this, Harry?"
"Now, we're even," Harry said. "You could have won if you'd attacked Valkyrion a few turns ago with Meteor Black Dragon. Why didn't you?"
"I . . . used to win a lot. The kids back home got tired of it and stopped asking to play against me."
"Then they were all sore losers,' Harry said. "Hermione . . . You're probably the best duelist I've ever met, and you shouldn't be ashamed of that."
"So, you want to play again?" Hermione asked. She tried to ignore the blushing. Hopefully, Harry wouldn't notice.
"Actually, I think it's time for dinner," Harry said. Wynn had by now emerged and was gently whispering things like "bangers and mash" and "fish and chips" into his ear. (This prompted an argument with Dharc over whether or not such foods were actually available in the Great Hall). "But, I would like to play you again later. Only, next time, neither of us will hold back."
Hermione nodded. "A proper duel, then."
Harry grinned. "Yes, a proper duel."
"You were right, Hiita," Dharc said. "He is a lady-killer."
Author's Notes: Oh my gosh, this chapter is about 16 pages on my computer. Know how much of that is Duel? About 13 1/2!
I'm sorry if the ending annoyed some of you, but it seemed like the proper resolution to me, since it strengthened the relationship between the characters and opened the possibility of a rematch sometime in the future where they both go all out.
How did you like Hermione? I know she acted a little like Stalker-Ginny which worried me (one reason I hate Harry/Ginny in canon is that Rowling seems to be rewarding this behavior), but personally, I can forgive it here since it was based on Hermione's own insecurities and experiences coupled with her admiration for Harry's Dueling skills as opposed to Ginny's behavior, which was played as just an extreme version of Boy-Who-Lived fan-worship.
To anyone who cares, I thought Synchro and Fusion Monsters would appeal to Hermione's precise and meticulous nature. Actually, I originally wanted to use Union Monsters and Yusei's Synchrons, but I went with this set-up because it let me use cool cards like Azure-Eyes and Dark End. Maybe Ritual Monsters would have the same appeal (requiring a certain degree of math to count up the proper number of stars, gathering the necessary cards), but I've kind of already mapped out Hermione's deck, and at the moment, those wound't fit in very well.