Disclaimer: I do not own anything of this story. Harry Potter and all of the notable characters belong to J.K. Rowling.

Magnolia Crescent

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Rumors

The dueling club room was just like Harry had remembered it; only not nearly as crowded since the heartthrob formerly known as Professor Lockhart was no longer involved. Not surprisingly, a lot of the male population had arrived, with only a few women. Harry recognized a few as Quidditch players. The familiar sound of feet on the table drew in the clamoring student body as Sirius cleared his throat.

"I would like to welcome you all. 'Would' being the key word since a lot of you will probably be leaving with a few more bruises than when you came in to the reopened Dueling Club," he said, smiling. Not too far away were Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, Snape, and surprisingly Sprout. Harry blinked; all four house heads were here. McGonagall hemmed at Sirius. "Not too many, if any at all," he quickly corrected, causing a few students to giggle.

"Now then, I see a few first and second years here. So how about a few demonstrations to get the blood flowing before we get into the boring stuff?" Sirius asked. "My associate and teacher's aid, Mr. Lupin, has so kindly agreed to volunteer."

"I have?" Lupin asked as the crowd turned to see the former teacher standing in the doorway. A few students gasped when they saw him, confusion flitting across their faces.

"I think not, since he is not on staff. It would be reckless to put him in harm's way. I think it would be much more suitable if Snape helped out, seeing as he was involved in the last club," McGonagall said with a small smirk.

"Sure," Sirius said a little too brightly. Snape didn't move for a second but he made his way to the table, the student body quickly parting to let him in.

"I don't think this is such a good idea," Lupin said in a low voice.

"Nonsense. If Snivellus wants me to mop the floor with his greasy hair, I got no issues," Sirius said, a confident smile gracing his lips. The students went dead silent, the footsteps echoing around the room as the two teachers squared off.

"Does your godfather have a death wish?" Neville asked, looking as pale as a sheet. Harry glanced over to see Professor McGonagall biting her lip, clearly regretting her decision.

"If Snape wasn't trouble before," Harry said, trailing off as he regretted ever mentioning the Dueling Club.

"Now then," Sirius said, narrating as the two went through the steps and they both turned. Spells started flying and they seemed to start an all-out war. A few of the students began to back away from the table. Scorch marks lined the walls as neither seemed able to land a hit on the other.

Harry watched as a wave of water as wide as the table suddenly appeared behind Sirius. The class gasped as Sirius flicked his wand and the bits of wood from the table moved to form a make shift shelter as the water passed over him. As the wood fell back into place, a lion's head appeared in the water, suddenly charging at the Slytherin head. But the water dissipated, not even wetting the tops of his shoes.

"It's amazing," a voice murmured. Harry felt his eyes go wide as he glanced over at the speaker.

"Who are you and what have you done with Hermione?" Harry asked, glancing over his friend.

"The way they are moving. If you watch them, you can tell the differences in their style of dueling. Yet neither one is superior; I honestly figured it would be about points and stature, but it seems that you really need to know your spells and how to move."

"Of course, just like with all sports, it takes quick thinking, strategy and good hand-eye coordination. But I can't help but hope that Sirius puts Snape on his arse," Ron said with a wicked smile.

The room was put into dead silence as the two teachers moved around each spell. Snape moving in relative grace, keeping his motions fluid, while Sirius had no issues moving back and forth, having a more jerkish spell casting style.

Time seemed to slow as Harry watched each spell they cast. "Wow, I really don't have the skill. If people like this is the norm, I need to start practicing as well."

"I am going to call this match a draw!" announced Professor Flitwick. The two teachers stopped moving but neither lowered their wands. The tension in the room was almost suffocating as the two men glared at each other. "As much as I am sure the students would like to watch, the point of the Dueling Club is to teach betterment," the short professor reminded.

"Right, now then. I think some new blood. Cedric Diggory, would you be so kind? And Cho, would you be so kind as to come up here? Since we have so many students and a bit more teachers than expected." Sirius clapped his hands together. "Why don't McGonagall, Flitwick and Snape each head over to one of the tables and start some disarming spell training. Outside of that, just be patient. Also, we are looking for top duelers since we won't be able to have a Quidditch tournament, well," he smiled. "We are going to be having a Dueling Tournament instead! So anyone interested, let us know and practice hard," he announced.

"I'll be taking first and second years over at this table. As well as anyone who needs a refresher course or has little experience at dueling!" McGonagall shouted over the growing din.

Not too surprisingly, most of the students branched off with their respected house heads and a bit spilt off, moving towards Sirius. "Looks like I get the older students. Good, well since most of you should know the basics, we are going to have a few mock duels and see where things go from there. Can I have a volunteer?" Harry scooted back a bit.

"I'll do it!" Leo's voice shouted, raising his hand as everyone glanced back at him while he pushed his way to the table.

"All right, who is next" Sirius asked and Ron instantly raised his hand. "All right students, we got ourselves a house grudge match. Slytherin in one corner, Gryffindor in the other. You know the drill, boys," he said, dropping off the table to keep an eye on both sides.

The mob around the table grew bigger and even a few teachers glanced over. Ron had a smirk on his face as he and Leo bowed to each other before walking to opposite ends of the table.

"Langlock tongue!" Ron shouted, taking the first move as Leo raised his wand.

"Protego!" Leo countered, unaffected by the spell. Ron frowned as he raised his wand again.

"Petrificus totalus!" Ron shouted again but Leo remained unaffected with his shield still high. The green clad students started to cheer. "Stupefy!" Ron shouted as he repeated the attack and a few red streams blasted as Leo, who was now grinning like a loon.

"Expelliarmus!" Leo shouted and Ron's wand flew across the table before he snatched it from the air. Ron glared at him as Leo dangled the wand out in front of him. His fellow Slytherins cheered as he took a bow and held out Ron's wand. Ron walked across the table to retrieve it.

"Who is next to face the great snake of Slytherin?" Leo asked, spinning around on the table.

"Harry, please. He's practically rubbing it in our faces," Ron said, glancing over at him and hoping that his friend would join the fight.

"Harry," Hermione chided, showing her dislike of the game they were playing.

"I'll take that challenge," Harry said, giving a light smile. "Merlin's beard, what have I gotten myself into?" he mumbled to himself, mentally screaming.

"Glad to see your godfather has been a good influence," Hermione muttered.

"What's the matter, Harry? You seem nervous; you took on Death Eaters and the Dark Lord three times. What do you have to worry about?" Leo asked, chuckling as Harry gave him a very forced smile. The two bowed.

"It feels weird doing this for sport. It's always been life or death for me," Harry explained as he stood upright.

"Just relax and try to have a little fun before I stomp you into the ground, Potter," Leo said with a confident smirk.

"Great, another Malfoy," Harry shot back, even though he felt himself enjoying it. They kept their distance.

"Stupefy!" Harry shouted as the red beam raced along the table. Leo sidestepped the magical attack, repeating Harry's words. The two streams shot back and forth.

"Protego!" Leo replied, stopping the red beam cold.

"Stupefy!" Harry shouted with enough force to break the shield charm and sending Leo onto the table. He was clearly surprised at the power behind the spell. The Gryffindors roared in approval and Harry felt a bit of swelling in his chest.

"Expelliarmus!" Leo shouted, ripping Harry's wand from his hand. It fell to the table floor causing Harry to dive for it. "Accio!" Leo cried out. Harry's wand flew across the table and into Leo's awaiting hand. Harry frowned as he looked at Leo. Putting his wand away, he tossed Harry his and adjusted his tie with a smug look on his face.

"Jerk," Ron frowned as, once again, Slytherin house cheered.

Leo held out his hand and Harry took it. "In a real fight, don't stop until the wand is destroyed or in your hand. That was very dangerous, letting me recover from the stunning spell. If the Quidditch Cup is anything to go by, you need to be more mindful," Leo said with a death glare. "I have heard some nasty rumors in the house as of late. I think you may want to hear about them," he added. Harry nodded dumbly as Leo released his grip, throwing his hands in the air. "Oh, yeah! Who's next on the chopping block? Hey, Hermione, how about a kiss to the winner?" he asked, winking at her.

"Excuse me?" Hermione cried. "You don't get to beat my friends up and then flirt with me!" she declared in a hot tone. She got up on the table and pointed a finger at him. "You don't get to throw my friends around and expect any affection from me. Let alone anything outside of my fist touching you, not even my lips!" she said hotly, quickly getting the attention of everyone in the room. She drew her own wand, now fully invested.

"Going to let a girl fight your battles for you?" Malfoy jeered. Harry ignored the comment, noticing that Leo didn't seem quite so confident anymore.

The two bowed as everyone watched them walk the length of the table and turn to face each other. The stunning spell was announced as Hermione and Leo shot the spell back at each other. Hermione flicked her wand; in an instant, all three stunners were deflected.

"Agumenti!" she cried as water spilled over the table. "Perfrigefacio!" she added, pointing her wand at the table. It quickly froze over as Leo sent another Stunning spell her way, only for her to quickly deflect them. Then, raining down Stunning spells, she quickly pinned Leo to his spot, forgetting that the ice had completely frozen the table over. "Petrificus totalus!" she announced.

"Protego!" Leo called, his shield stopping her spell. He took a step back only to slip and fall on his back. His wand fell from his hand for a second before racing to Hermione, a coy smile on her face.

"Yep, should have seen that one coming," Leo said, deciding to just lay there on his back. Ron cheered as he shook Harry in celebration. Sirius smirked a bit, dispelled the water as Leo picked himself up off the table. He walked over to Hermione as she handed him his wand.

She dropped off the table, clearly no longer interested in the Dueling Club. Leo got down as well, wincing a bit as he hit the ground.

"Looks like you may need to take a trip to the hospital wing. Could someone escort him?" Sirius asked. Harry raised his hand, eager to hear what Leo had to say.

Harry kept a close pace to Leo as he glanced back to see Snape staring at him. He shook his head as he walked out of the room. Leo instantly perked up, looking perfectly fine.

"Well, that was enlightening."

"You were faking it?" Harry asked with a frown.

"Slytherin," Leo reminded with a sideways glance. "I figured you would volunteer. Look, I need to let you know that something big is happening. I have heard some mumbling, most students think it's just rumors. But with the recent attack, I got the feeling that something big is going to happen this year."

"Yeah, well, it wouldn't be me if something wasn't happening here at Hogwarts," Harry reminded.

"I know, but I think you should keep an ear to the ground. You can't take everything at face value and if I were you, practice some combat spells," Leo advised.

"Do you know something?" Harry asked.

"No, nothing solid enough to put with a name or face. If I did, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"Right, so rumors, huh?" Harry confirmed, glancing over at him.

"It's not much of a secret that Voldemort has strong ties with the Slytherin student body. But the weird thing is nobody is sure. I have been looking around a bit, but nobody knows where it's coming from."

"Well, what is the rumor?"

"Rebirth," Leo said. "It's been written in the dorm room, and small signs everywhere. But one could only see them if they looked hard enough. It's weird and unnerving."

"Right, learn some new spells, get stronger and keep an eye out. Why are you helping me?" Harry asked.

"I don't know, the opportunity came up," he admitted rather lamely. Harry turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "Alright, the greens got a bad rap. And I fell helping you would fix that. That, and I kind of like Hermione. So, you wouldn't mind telling her I am very sorry?" he asked, giving a very forced grin.

"I'll see what I can do. Anyway, we best get going. Aren't we supposed to go see the nurse?" Harry said.

"When did you grow a bloody sense of humor?" Leo asked with a smirk.

"You hang out with Sirius long enough and you tend to smart off a bit," Harry admitted rubbing the back of his shaggy head.

"Ahh, well then, I best get going. Try to keep your mind active, you seem to be a magnet for trouble and I need to learn some new spells," he told himself.

Harry nodded, rubbing his chin in thought. Signs, rebirth, not to mention his track record with big events. He admitted to himself that Leo's advice was sound, but how to act upon it?

Ooh, weird. Wonder what that could possibly be about? Next chapter should be up in about a week or two. But in the meantime, feel free to R&R!

~LE