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 Thirty-One
A Dual Duel to Wow
Harry, Hermione and Ron all walked into the Great Hall where the Goblet of Fire stood. The Hall was packed and it took them a few minutes before they spotted a few of the Gryffindors, as well as Leo hanging with his other two friends. It took them another few minutes to make their way through the crowds.
"Hello Leo," Harry greeted. Leo turned and glanced around a moment.
"She's not here, you daft twat," Dante said, looking at Leo. The lion trio looked at Dante with confusion. "He's been like this ever since the Ve – "
"Hush," Leo said, glaring at Dante. The dark-haired Slytherin simply rolled his ice blue eyes and went back to looking at the Goblet.
"What are guys doing anyway?" Ron asked, watching Dante with curious eyes.
"Goblet watching. So far all of Durmstrang and a few from each of the resected houses has dropped a name. But nobody worth cheering for," he replied, watching as Angelina passed them and dropped her name into the flame. The twins followed and dropped their own names in before gallivanting around with linked arms in obvious success. Just as they high-fived, the crowd around them gasped as snow white beards sprouted on their faces.
"So, do we have a game plan for today's season opening?" Leo asked, glancing at the three Gryffindors.
"What for? We are a go for the wild card spot. Even if we lost every match up to this point," Ron said, giving them a confident smirk.
"I would rather not take that risk. I think we should do some more practice; besides, most of the teams that made it are sixth and seventh year," Harry reminded. "Accio orange juice," he said, holding out his wand. A glass of juice leaped to his hand.
"Pride comes before the fall, Ron. Don't jinx us before we even begin. Did you hear Malfoy has a team as well?" Leo pointed out.
"I hope he gets far. I want to crush him myself," Ron said, a cruel grin on his face.
"I doubt it. Malfoy isn't well known for being a good duelist. And I have seen who he has with him; mostly fourth year students," Hermione said, adding a bit of trivia.
"I would say his chances of getting far are about as good as ours," Luna said, startling both Ron and Leo as she popped up.
"When did she?" Leo mouthed, pointing to her. Ron just shrugged, having no answer of his own.
"This is bogus in every sense of the word. We paid money to come over here and it turns into a glorified field trip!" shouted a very loud and feminine voice. They all turned to see a pair of Americans walking in. One was a very tall male, draped in a brown leather coat in similar length to the Hogwarts robes. What truly separated it was the brown strips of leather that hung from the sleeves, the bottom of the long coat and around the upper chest.
"I doubt your mom and dad sent you over here just cause they honestly thought you would be selected," the man said in a much calmer voice. He was a brown-haired teen, easily six feet tall and clearly in the lead. They passed Harry without so much as a glance. The girl, dressed in similar clothes, continued to complain.
"It's the principle of the matter. Now only about half the people that came are even allowed to compete!" she all but shouted.
"So loud," Leo said, glaring at the auburn haired girl. She turned to glare at him for a brief second before turning back to her fellow American.
"The point remains: the rules are different here and we must abide by them. So don't get any ideas; I've already seen about four different beards. Dumbledore's reputation precedes him," he reminded.
"Don't remind me," she growled, tossing something at him. He ducked to avoid it, causing it to sail right past and hit Harry in the head.
"Ouch!" Harry exclaimed, frowning as he rubbed his forehead. The two Americans seemed to snap out of their discussion and glanced at him.
"Well, shit," the guy said. "Great, first day here and we've already caused a diplomatic incident. Way to go, Laryl."
"It was just a pen," she scoffed.
"It's quite alright," Harry said, tossing the pen back at the girl named Laryl. "Do try to watch your aim next time," he said with a smirk.
"Did you hit him hard enough? You gave him a scar?" the other American joked with a slight smirk.
"Sorry," she apologized, glancing between her friend and Harry.
"Anyway, my name is Zachary and this is Laryl. Sorry for bothering you but this one's having a bit of a disagreement with the rules," Zachary said, introducing himself and his friend.
"Harry Potter. Oh, this is Hermione, Ron, Leo, Dante and Alec," Harry said, pointing to each person in turn. They all waved but remained silent.
"Harry Potter, what a weird name," Laryl said, frowning at him. Zachary glared at her.
"Sorry about Laryl's manners. Anyway, we should get going. Nice to meet you," Zachary said, as the two made their way through the Great Hall.
"So, we have another match coming up soon. About three more and then the tournament will start up around Halloween. According to the charts, that will go on to about the first of January before the championship starts up. That's going to be fun," Leo read off, looking over a pamphlet. "Every man for themselves at that point."
"Yeah, I am going to get you back for beating me and Harry once we make it to the championship," Ron said, pointing his finger at Leo.
"Could be fun," Harry said with a shrug, not really feeling the desire to win.
"Come on, this is the first dueling tournament. The winner's name will go in the school trophy room for sure," Ron said, stars in his eyes. Leo simply shook his head, looking over at Harry. They turned their attention to the doors when Snape walked in.
"Anyone not in the dueling club," Snape started, flicking his wand, "get out." Students scrambled to the sides as tables and benches cleared the area. Harry got up and everyone followed them to the side.
"Alright, Leo, we'll catch you later," Alec called, practically dragging a reluctant Dante from the Great Hall with the other non-duelers.
"Hello, Potter," a voice said. Harry glanced back to see Mad-Eye Moody.
"Mr. Moody, how are you?" Harry kind of asked, unsure of what to say.
"Breathing," Moody replied, looking around the room. His magical eye, however, was still on Harry. "Do keep your wand out of your back pocket, Potter. Trust me," Moody advised. Harry frowned, grabbing his wand and looking at it. "Get a holster next time you are in Hosgmead. It will stick to your shirt; trust me, it's a good idea," the man said, tapping his staff on the ground.
"Not a bad idea," Harry admitted, looking at Moody.
"Well, I need to be off. The Ministry isn't paying me to talk to teenagers. Constant vigilance," he declared as he walked off.
"Why is he here?" Ron asked. "He's an ex-Auror. I can't really understand why he would be hanging around unless he was a teacher."
"I don't have the answers to everything," Hermione said with a huff.
"Maybe he is looking for flaceracks," Luna offered, finally speaking up from her silence.
"So who is going up first this time?" Harry asked. Luna's hand shot into the air. "Well, if no one is interested, I could go first."
"Well, I haven't had a duel in a little while, I could go first," Leo offered.
"I got this one," Ron said with a confident smirk. Luna was waving her hand in the air.
"But you go first every time. Let someone else get some practice in," Leo retorted. Luna began jumping up and down.
"Pick me," she said, holding her arm up with her other hand, trying to make it as high as possible.
"Well, if that's the case, I wouldn't mind getting my round over with as soon as possible," Hermione said, shooting a glare at Leo.
"Still in trouble, huh?" he asked, a very fragile smile on his face. Hermione cocked her hip to the side while her frown deepened. "Yep."
"Oh, pick me!" Luna shouted causing everyone to glance at her.
"Has Luna actually competed?" Harry asked, looking at Leo. The Slytherin as everyone looked at Luna.
"I didn't want to be rude," she said.
"Well, that sounds like a plan. Luna, you got first jab," Harry said. "And let us know if you are feeling tired or need to take a break," he added with a kind smile.
"Okay," she said, tilting her head to the side. The first competitor barely lasted two minutes before Luna sent him skidding to the other side of the table.
"Point to Lovegood," Sirius said, picking his jaw up off the ground. The rest of the team couldn't even find any words. She gave a light twirl, skipping back to her side of the table.
"What number are we at?" Ron asked, swallowing a lump in his throat.
"I think that was two now," Harry answered as the next student walked up onto the table.
"Miss Lovegood, would you like to take a break?" Sirius asked.
"No, I am fine," she said with a broad smile, sounding very chipper. Her opponent drew his wand and sent a stunning spell. Luna weaved to the side, easily avoiding three more spells in rapid succession without raising her wand. He kept blasting as she bent and twisted out of the way of each attack.
And then with a single swish of her wand, the student was sent flying back and landing on the floor in the exact same spot as the other two that she had fought against.
"Wee!" she cried, twirling to the end of the table before dropping into the arms of Harry and Leo. She wrapped a hand around both their necks.
"Well then," Leo said, looking at Harry. He was blushing at the simple contact.
"Can we do that again?" Luna asked, looking at both of them. She leaned forward to drop back onto her feet.
"Bloody hell, that was brilliant!" Ron commented as everyone grouped around her, complementing a job well done.
"Luna?" Harry asked, realizing she had frozen up.
"Yes?" she asked, rubbing the corner of her eye with her palm.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Never better," she said with a smile. "So, what is next?" she asked, bouncing in the air.
"Where does she get all that energy?" Leo asked. Harry simply shrugged. "Well, a few more matches and then the tournament. So, who do you think is going in?"
"No idea, I wouldn't mind – " Ron started as they walked out of the Great Hall, chatting away.
"So, did everything go well?" Ginny asked, catching up with Luna and Hermione.
"I would say so," Hermione admitted, shutting her book. "Luna pulled through for us in the end." Hermione paused, realizing that Ginny was looking a bit down. "If you want, you can take my place. I wasn't all that interesting in this to begin with."
"Really? Then why did you join?" Ginny asked, giving her a confused look.
"Harry can be very persuasive when he wants to be," Hermione said with a defeated sigh.
"I couldn't – you are way too good. I couldn't hope to replace you," Ginny said, rubbing the back of her neck.
"Well, I really do want a way out. So, how about we have a quick session and see what happens. Besides, I was planning on dropping out when I got to the last part since it's supposed to be all one-on-one matches."
"Well, if you really don't mind," Ginny said. "Um, can Luna come as well?" she asked. The pair looked at the girl in question.
"Sure, why not?" Luna said in a loud voice as the three walked off.
"Okay, no, don't swish your wand around so much, Neville," Harry instructed, demonstrating the spell again.
"Right," Neville said, trying to disarm Leo again. He was simply staring off into space but nearly jumped when he felt his wand move in his hand.
"Holy crap," Leo said in a half-dead voice, "it actually moved." Neville frowned, looking down while Harry shot a glare at Leo. "Hey, I can only stand here for so long before I start getting snippy," he said with a frown.
Harry cast a spell, sending Leo's wand flying.
"Git," Leo growled, moving to retrieve his wand.
"Neville, it's about confidence. You have the knowledge, you got the wand motions down. You just need to be confident," Harry reminded. His fellow Gryffindor didn't look convened in the slightest. "Hey Ron, how about a mock two-on-two duel?"
Ron glanced up from his sitting position. "Sure, whose side am I on?" Harry motioned towards Leo which made Ron sigh but he still stood shoulder to shoulder with the Slytherin.
"Just follow my lead and take it slow, okay?" Harry said as Neville nodded and they each drew their wands. "Ready?" he asked as the other team turned back to him.
"Ready," they both said out of sync. Everyone drew their wands and Harry made the first move. Lights flashed between each other as both Ron and Leo had no issues walking forward. Harry planted his feet when they went after him first.
"Neville, help me out!" Harry shouted, struggling to keep his Shield Charm up as it took stunning shots from both Ron and Leo.
Neville seemed to pause as he looked at Harry but something suddenly snapped for him. "Stupify!" he shouted, casting the full blunt of the spell at Ron. Leo paused for a single second but it was all Harry needed. He capitalized on the opening and Leo took a hit as well. Both of them went flying in the opposite direction.
Harry slapped a stunned Neville on the back while Ron ad Leo picked themselves up off the floor. "That will do," he said with a smile and Neville returned one of his own. "Well, I think that's enough for today," Harry said but Leo and Ron weren't paying attention. Harry turned to see what had their attention and was surprised to see Professor Dumbledore standing in the doorway. "Can I help you, Professor?"
Dumbledore glanced at the other three who nodded to him in respect before scurrying out of the door. "I see you have made friends with our young Mr. Holmes. Good to see," he said with a genuine smile on his face.
"Yeah, he's cool. Is something the matter? You don't normally seek me out unless it's something important," Harry inquired, looking up at the headmaster. The twinkle in his eye seemed to dim a bit. "Oh, sorry. That was a bit rude of me. We are both very busy; you know, school work and stuff."
"It's quite alright, Mr. Potter, I understand. Still, if we did have time, I would be more than happy to talk over a spot of tea and some lemon drops. No, just wondering what Headmaster Brom wanted to talk to you about is all. If you would indulge an old man's curiosity," Dumbledore said, the twinkle back in his eye.
"Sure thing. Well, Sirius taught me about being an Anigmagus and Brom just wanted to ask about it. Said something about a legend of multi-transformations," Harry explained, leaving out a few minor details.
"Ah, yes, it came to my attention. I would advise you to get that registered when you graduate," Dumbledore reminded. Harry nodded. "Well, it's nice to see some things haven't changed too much," he said as he started to walk away.
"I'll get right on that, Professor," Harry admitted a little too sincerely. "Just as soon as I turn in my cloak and map," he said with a nervous smile on his face. It faltered and fell after a second's thought. "Dear God, I'm turning into Sirius," he realized.
Wow, nothing but duels in this chapter! And don't worry, next chapter we'll get to see the girls duel!
~LE