Survival

by BuckeyeHunter

What if Fawkes was a few seconds late getting to Harry in the chamber, allowing him to die and lose the Horcrux. Will he realize he knows the power to defeat the Dark Lord. When the tides change, and people change with them, the effects are unknown. The scales become more leveled, but will it be enough? Rewritten as Revival, found on my page

10. Midsummer Matches

Disclaimer: I own nothing other than the modified plot. The original concepts belong to JKR and Warner Brothers. Any concepts brought from other fictions are either coincidental or will be used in their own way, and no plagiarism is meant.

A/N: Another chapter done. A few parts of this were shaved down, especially the championship rounds. I didn't think you all would want to listen to constant repeats of the same lines, so I made it more focused on the major duels, and left out the early rounds. This chapter was also used to better explain how the Wizengamot works, though I may post another entry to the site to allow it, along with a chapter on Hogwarts to be shown about this fiction. I was and am having some issues to show the histories, but I am working on explaining them the best I can.

Chapter 10: Midsummer Matches

June 23rd, 1993

"Sir, I had some questions, well, more than just some." I spoke quietly, Dumbledore looked up, surprised, but nodded.

"Go ahead Harry. I will do my best to give you the answers." He responded.

"Well sir, it's about my abilities, and what they are. Some of them I don't understand, or can't find any references on. Mainly the wandless, battlemage, and Warmage abilities." I replied.

"Well, to start off, only Wandless magic is technically an ability, and very few ever develop it. It, surprisingly, has nothing to do with raw power, but your magic's affinity for working without a focus, which is why it is rare, and only a few can do it. For me, I can do only levitation and summoning charms, and mild flame spells. Others may have different wandless abilities, and some can even perform normal magic without wands, though Nicolas Flamel was the only one I know of who could do that." He explained. "For you, it is experimenting with what works, for you, you may find banishing or summoning easier than perhaps water summoning or transfiguration. From what Filius tells me, I believe Banishing and Lightning magic may come easier for you. I have a small set of notes on my own experiments, if you would like them?"

"I'd be glad to look at them." I replied. He nodded before continuing.

"Now, Battlemage and Warmage… Well, neither are technically abilities, but more like affinities, much like Legilimency and Occlumency, which you are learning at an incredible rate if I remember right." I nodded, my Occlumency was coming along quickly.

"Battlemages mostly involve using high powered magical feats to fight opponents. Oftentimes, a trained Battlemage is capable of fighting ten to twenty opponents on his own, and if properly done, can win without much injury. Most of these high powered feats are spells or transfigurations on large scales. Some non-battlemages, like myself, are capable of doing the same thing, but you have an advantage, as it takes less magic for you to do the same as it would me, once you're older of course."

"Most battlemagic is elemental in some form. Lightning, fire, and earth are the most common, though there are other forms of elemental magic. There is ethereal, or raw magical conjurations with no corporeal form, similar to ghosts in a manner. Along with that, I've also seen the natural elements used in ways I never thought of, altering their natural aspects, or using large-scale illusions to mess with an enemy's mind." Dumbledore explained.

"So… essentially, a battlemage is a magical who has the affinity to use magics that would otherwise drain a wizard?" I asked, thinking I understood it.

"Yes, however, these magics, due to your affinity, are also harder for another to counter. Your abilities, at your prime, would dwarf my own, as you could cast the same thing using less power, with much more of an effect, and it would take a lot more to counter or stop the attack. Unless it is transfiguration of course, that is my specialty, and those forms of battle magic are no different than normal transfiguration, other than the size and amounts."

"Alright, and what about warmages?" I asked, feeling confident in the battlemage category for now.

He sighed, before pulling his glasses off and rubbing his face. "Warmages haven't been seen since Godric Gryffindor, who relied on certain forms, and is speculated to have been a Warmage, and Ignotus Perevell, who was known, like other Peverells, to be one. Both were the last two to live, though the other two brothers, Antioch and Cadmus Peverell were Warmages before they died."

He seemed to stop, collecting himself, before continuing on. "Warmages are limited, and almost never found. It's not known why, in fact, not much is known about warmages. War-Wizards and Battlemages are the closest equivalent. Warmages, what is known, are mages who are capable of using magic that is extremely destructive, magic capable of rivaling Fiendfyre in both power and destructiveness, and even in darkness of the magic itself. Most of it has been lost, and as most known warmages have been Peverells, it's not quite certain the upper limits to what they are capable of."

"It is an 'ability' that you should keep quiet, at least for now. Most that could know what it is, would attempt to have it used in the papers to label you as a dark wizard, and have you arrested and possibly killed if possible." He explained.

For some reason, I didn't fear it, but I also understood the seriousness of keeping it quiet. It seemed to be something similar or worse than being a Parselmouth, and something people would fear if not told properly. "I understand sir, I was just curious."

He stared into my eyes for a moment, and I felt him brush against my Occlumency, and pushed him away gently. "Good, you were able to feel that and rebuff it. Understand that while I cannot read and help you learn it, I do not want you to practice what you learn from the Peverell Grimoire yet. If I suspect correctly, there is magic meant for warmages in there, and if you haven't been properly trained, or take the proper precautions, you could harm yourself."

"I understand, and I won't attempt anything dangerous. I am preoccupied learning other things anyways. Aunt Minnie has been teaching me intent based casting, and I am taking off with it when I use it for Transfiguration." I replied.

"Oh?" His eyes widened for barely a moment.

"Apparently my dad was the same way. It just seems easier. Focusing on pushing my magic through me to form the visualization instead of using the incantation and visualization. There is less to it, allowing me to focus better on what I am picturing. I can't seem to get it to work for many other things though." I smiled, thrilled at my increased speed of learning the subject.

It was something she had taught me over the past week as we worked on remodeling classrooms. She took more time to explain it, and at first it was only working for small changes. Once I managed to understand it better, and get a better feel of controlling my magic, I took off with it. My abilities had expanded, and she had taught me several more advanced uses, including larger and more demanding changes, and how to vanish something. She was surprised that I was almost rivaling my dad, and suspected that one day I may surpass him. She mentioned that if I got myself ahead in my work for the class, she may consider teaching me on how to become an Animagus, as it was already known that I would have a form. Apparently, some people don't have forms, like the Headmaster, though no one knows why some do and some don't.

"That's good. Intent casting is hard to learn, but it does not surprise me that you are capable of it at your age. What Minerva doesn't know is that your grandfather, Charles, was also an intent-based caster. He had a mastery in Transfiguration, and I am sure that once you get access to your ancestral home, you will find some of his old books. He wrote one or two, though I don't believe he ever published them."

"Did you know my grandparents well?" I asked. So far, I didn't know much about them. Not more than what I had already heard anyways.

"I knew your Grandfather quite well, as he and I were in agreement in the Wizengamot quite often. He was known quite spectacularly for his formidable personality and outright authority as a politician, and he could back up his word with his abilities in combat and dueling. One of the few that matched him in the Wizengamot was his close friend, Arcturus, who was a dueling champion in his own rights, along with a veteran in the Great Wizard war." He explained

"You, much like your father, look like him. Despite how people always compare you to your father, without the glasses, and being more nourished, you can see your grandfather in you, the cunning and power in your eyes, the famous 'Potter Hair', the chin and shoulders. Your features seem to equally define you, your mother can be seen in the nose and eyes, with Dorea and Arcturus in the high cheekbones." He seemed to gaze off into memories as he spoke, and I felt my face heat. He seemed to return to himself a moment later though.

"You represent the best of your families, and I have all of the confidence you will be just as good as they were, or even better. Do not worry yourself about your abilities or people's labels later in life. You will only be defined by what you do, not by what everyone may assume." He stopped smiling. "So how are your studies coming along for Occlumency and Parselmagic?"

We fell into a deep conversation about both, as he gave me pointers for understanding more aspects of protecting and organizing my mind, and I began to teach him what I learned about Parselmagic. He was shocked to learn that while most special things to Parselmagic were healing and warding, that there were equivalents to most things. That included anything from basic cleaning charms to advanced curses that couldn't be countered with the normal counter-curses due to the different languages and Arithmetic calculations, something I had yet to understand.

I had learned a few basic spells and a basic parsel-ward for privacy. My favorite, and one that really bothered Flitwick, was a body bind that I called Snakebound, as the incantation was hissing. It bound a person in pythons made of animated vines, which were capable of biting a person. It was unnerving, and a basic finite didn't vanish them like a normal Incarcerous was.

We finished our chat, before he informed me that he would be leaving on the 28th for an event at the I.C.W. Apparently, he would be gone for five days, and as I would be leaving on the 1st of July for the World Dueling Finals, I wouldn't see him until I returned on the 6th.

June 27th, 1993

"Good job Hadrian. Flawlessly done." Flitwick congratulated. I had finally conjured and banished a knife, hitting the dead center of a training dummy, and had done all of the casting in less than three seconds too. Ironically, it was now the only thing outside of binding spells that I could conjure, completely skipping learning easier conjurations or most of the theory.

"Thank you professor." He nodded.

"By the time we leave for the championships, I want to see you be able to conjure three knives, and at least two hit a target. As well as that, I want you to master the spell chain I showed you earlier." he instructed. "Now, onto the stage, it's time for actual dueling practice."

He turned, and drew his wand as he hopped onto the stage. I dreaded facing him, no matter how often I did. He was faster, far faster, than I was, and I rarely hit him, but I think that was the point. He was teaching me speed, something I was quickly building up. He constantly told me I was improving, and always ensured I wasn't punishing myself too much for always losing. It was still odd, adjusting to receiving such good praise, but I was learning to accept it better.

At the end of the two hours on the stage, with my training robes cut and torn in over a dozen places, soaked in sweat, with a bit of dried blood and clearly recently-healed skin showing, we finally stopped. I fell back on the arena. This time, having survived five minutes against him before being disarmed instead of stunned, only disarmed because I got knocked back from the disarmer, the stunner flying over my head as a result. He walked over, and smiled.

"You have been improving. As of right now, you would best most students, bar the sixth and seventh years who have learned and actively stay in shape for dueling. Most of anyone else would lose." I just sighed, knowing he knew I was disappointed for not beating him. I looked up frowning. "No Hadrian, you won't be able to beat me for a while. Probably not for two years, maybe a year depending on your training and how quickly you pick things up. You may be learning fast, and a prodigy in multiple aspects of magic, but I am a master with over thirty years of experience and training."

"Fine." I muttered like a pouting child. He just laughed at me, along with another laughter near the door.

"You are doing well Harry, it is astounding the progress you have made. I couldn't be more proud, and I am sure your parents are too." Dumbledore spoke.

"Agreed Hadrian, I believe your parents would be proud, I know your mother would be." Flitwick added his agreement. It was then I realized something.

"Professor, how did you learn my first name? Hadrian I mean." I asked, surprised at hearing the name.

"The book of names updated your name last week, something that is reflected on the registry and that shows for all of the teachers. They have all agreed to keep your last name silent, however, that your name is Hadrian, they have not. The ministry may discover your name soon, though unless anyone goes looking in your file, it shouldn't be seen." Dumbledore explained.

I had remembered reading about the Book of Names, it was a book created by Rowena Ravenclaw to reveal the names of magicals born in the British Isles, and allowed them to locate a general area of where the child could be found. It was a masterpiece, made with runes, charms, and rituals, while cursed and protected with blood magic and the Dark Arts, which Salazar assisted with. It rivaled that of the Room of Requirement, which was an impressive feat.

"Understood sir, it just surprised me, though I feel like I prefer Hadrian. It puts space between the real me, and the Harry Potter everyone reads about." I spoke quietly, blushing slightly at the random thought I let out. He chuckled lightly, and looking up, Flitwick was smiling as well.

"Well, I wished to speak with you after dinner tonight, as I will be leaving before sunrise to make it to the Ministry, I won't be seeing you tomorrow, and want to give you a few assignments to work on while I am away. However, right now it seems that you need a shower and a change in robes." He spoke, drawing his wand and repairing them, though they remained as dirty and smelly as they had been.

I sighed, and after a quick agreement to meet with him, made my way back to my room.

Post-Dinner

"Ah I am glad you got here as early as you did, it gives us plenty of time to talk." I frowned, wondering if I had done something wrong. He seemed to sense my concern, as he surely wasn't in my mind. "No you haven't done anything wrong, I just wish to talk with you for a bit, and give you some extra work to do." He spoke.

I nodded, and once I had sat, and Fawkes was suitably comfortable on my arm again, he started talking to me, mostly to do with my friends, and what I wanted to do for my birthday.

"Honestly, I am happy just getting to visit them, Albus. Hermione wrote last week asking me to come stay for a few days in July, and Neville is wanting me to visit for some time as well. Ron apparently is still in trouble from breaking his wand last year, so I'm not allowed to visit yet as he is grounded." He nodded at that. "Honestly, if they could just come here, and visit for the day, I'd be more than happy. I don't need anything fancy, or anyone to spend money on me really."

"Well, you will be getting some presents, I am sure. No complaining either. As for friends visiting, just make a list before you leave for the Dueling championship, and I will work with Minerva on getting permission for them to visit." He spoke

"Now, there are three assignments I want you to do, though only two need to be done before you return, and they can be two of your picks. The essays should each be twelve inches, no matter which ones you choose to do now, and which one you leave for when you return. The first choice of essays is on the Wizengamot, how the hierarchy works, when the biggest meetings are, and when it was founded. The second assignment is on your Occlumency, what you have learned, and how you are progressing. And lastly, controlling your magic, and how you have learned and are continuing to learn to control the amount of magic you are putting into your spells, and how you are learning to guide and manipulate the flow of your magic to learn new techniques."

As he spoke, he slid a piece of parchment across the table to me, dictating what he was saying. The essays didn't seem difficult, but they would take thought and a bit of time.

"I also expect to see your best handwriting, and no blotches or smearing on any of them. The last one you turned in was good, but not perfect, and I wish to see you do better." he explained.

"Very well. I think I will do the Wizengamot and the Magic control, and leave the Occlumency one for when I return. I would hate for someone who shouldn't read the Occlumency paper of my mind to get a hold of it." I replied.

"Good thinking. Now, I do not see any harm possibly befalling you in France, but, this necklace is an Unspeakable's Portkey, specially enchanted to be capable of going through most Anti-portkey wards, and as it is made by me, it will easily go through the wards and return you to this office. The activation phrase is the moniker you were given as a baby, with your hand touching it. Got that?" he asked.

He had told me about the unspeakables. They were a complete mystery to anyone not a part of the department on the 9th Level. They studied magic that most didn't know of, and what was known raised more questions than answers. They had the same department in any other country in the ICW, and there was even a department headed as a part of the ICW itself. From what Dumbledore told me, they were the only ones exempt from the laws regarding the practice of magics generally forbidden, and had different rules, along with many secrecy oaths and magics in place to protect themselves. It made me wonder how he earned the knowledge of their apparently special portkeys, but I knew it would be pointless to ask, so I nodded, and after a few more minutes of talking, and a 'good luck and be safe' farewell, I returned to my room, and headed to bed to sleep off the soreness from training.

Morning…

Having the day off from training, and having done my daily morning rituals, I decided to knock out one of the two essays Dumbledore assigned me. Thinking it would be best to do the Wizengamot essay while I had the resources available, I went and grabbed my writing material, along with Wizards Guide to Nobility and the Wizengamot which I had borrowed from Neville a few weeks prior. Having gotten everything I needed, I started to write.

The Wizengamot was formed in 1218 by the seven ruling families, replacing the Wizard's Council. The new council's purpose was to oversee the Ministry of Magic, which would carry out the law, and protect the Statute of Secrecy. The Wizengamot would provide Judicial review in major criminal cases, while also creating new laws, removing old laws. It allowed for the expansion for more members to help oversee the rapidly growing population in Britain, while also preserving what had been.

From the Wizengamot, we now have what is called the 'Sacred 28'. These twenty eight families have a long history. Each of their titles held at least 'Ancient' and 'Noble'. To earn 'Ancient' or 'Most Ancient', the family had to be 500 (or to qualify for most, 1000) years old, or to have survived fifteen generations to earn the title of 'Ancient'. To earn the title of 'noble' they had to have contributed to society in some major way. Only the founding seven were currently capable of having 'Most Ancient', while anyone could carry the title of Noble.

Of the sacred twenty eight, the founding seven hold the highest standing. The families have the title of 'The Most Ancient and Most Noble House of', and hold seats permanent to the Wizengamot. Their current conditions are as listed. The House of Black, a once large and proud family which through the last two wars has been reduced down to roughly seven family members. The House of Bones, a family always wealthy and involved in the security of the realm, has been reduced to two female members due to the Blood War. The House of Greengrass, which is a very wealthy merchant family, known for their potions and ingredient trade, and a very steadfast neutral family. The House of Longbottom, which only has a Heir, as the Lord and Lady have been permanently kept in the spell damage ward after an attack at the end of the Blood War. The House of Potter, which has been a very recluse and secretive house, only known for their fierce fighters and abilities in Transfiguration, has been reduced to a single heir, after the rest of the family was targeted in the Blood War. The House of Peverell, which to the public is extinct, yet the House of Potter holds permanent regency. And the House of Selwyn, which has no members not incarcerated in Azkaban, and the members that are, cannot have children any longer.

Following the founding seven families, are the seven 'Ancient and Most Noble' families, and fourteen 'Ancient and Noble' families. These families each have seats in the Wizengamot that are hereditary, and they can only lose their seats should they be stripped by their peers, or have no living members for thirty years. Following the sacred twenty eight, there are also twenty eight elected seats, nine ministry seats which belong to the major department heads and the minister, and eight 'Order of Merlin First Class' holders, plus the Chief Warlock/Witch, and the Wizengamot Speaker.

In matters of creating laws, electing members, and voting on passing motions unrelated to trials in criminal law, each seat had a set number of votes. For the founding seven families, they each had seven votes. For 'Ancient and Most Noble', they each had three votes, for elected seats, they each had two votes to maintain balance, and after that, any other member only had a single vote. The only time these votes did not apply, was in matters of trying criminals for breaking the law. In these matters, no matter the standing of the family, each person had a single vote, unless they had a position in the ministry, and also headed their family.

There are some special notes to add to this though. Firstly, the founding seven families have the 'Rule of Veto', which, as long as the law isn't part of the founding charter or the Wizards Council, one of them could call a Veto. If three of the six other families also agree to Veto what has been called against, then the motion passes, and no matter the law or decision called to veto, it is stripped from the motions, and no one can stop it. Another important note is the elected seats are only held for five years. And lastly, of the seventy five currently active seats, only sixty eight of them are currently occupied, whether it is due to the family dying out, or the member not assigning a proxy, varies depending on the family.

The major meetings are the Sunday before the Summer Solstice, the Sunday before the Winter Solstice, the First Sunday after New Year's Day, and The Sunday following Halloween, or as it used to be called, Samhain. These meetings are often just traditional, and generally nothing major happens at them unless someone pushes a motion back from the regular meetings that occur.

I looked over my essay several times, before deciding that it was adequate. There were no ink drops, or at least not after I vanished them, and outside of a few poorly written words, it was quite neat. The essay itself was fourteen inches long, and seemed to flow well and hold to the point, while carrying all of the needed information. Having proofread it twice, and content with it overall, I rolled it up and placed it into my trunk to give to the Headmaster once he returned.

I also went ahead and made a list of people I'd like to see on my birthday. It included the Weasleys, Hermione, Neville, Katie, Angelina, Alicia, Oliver Wood, Susan Bones, Daphne Greengrass, Hagrid and Professors Flitwick and McGonagall. It wasn't a large list but it was those that I was friends with, or talked to regularly. I walked up and dropped it off on his desk, and after Fawkes hopped on my shoulder, and trilled a few times in some sentiment that I would never understand, I left, and headed down to the Library.

July 5th, 1993

World Dueling Arena

Paris, France

"Welcome back to the fourth day of the dueling, currently we have 64 contestants, and after today, 16. Starting today's first elimination is going to be Eva Volkov versus Lukas Muller!" The announcer exclaimed.

So far, both Flitwick and I had been enjoying the championship/vacation trip to France. Outside of attempting to deal with international travel, which by the way, international portkeys are horribly dizzying, it has been a good few days. The food was amazing, and the hotel was quite close to the arena, allowing us to walk each way. The early rounds had also been good entertainment. Though there were four duels occurring at a time for the first two days, and the duels went from 7am to 6pm, it was fun to watch. There had been some disappointments, but it seemed far better than the British Championship. I had watched Edward Stevens, the runner up from England, lose the second day twice, eliminating him from competing further. Abigail Wilson had made it through though, and was still competing.

There were several major players that he pointed out, most of which were fifteen and sixteen. Fleur Delacour was a major one from France, one which apparently Flitwick knew, along with Alexander Weber from Germany and Olivia Williams from Australia. There had been plenty of lackluster duels, but now was the time for everyone to be doing their best, and to see what I would be competing against. Unfortunately, these matches were less than grand, and some were still using verbal casting, Flitwick was being judgemental over that one.

We watched several good fights, and even one disqualification when a guy decided to send a Bludgeoning hex at a person's head. It had been his third warning, so he was immediately sent home. I saw a few shields I didn't recognize, and Flitwick said two of them were needed. The most interesting thing was seeing a spell being deflected by Weber, something that is a hard skill to learn if what Flitwick said. Abigail Wilson was knocked out in one of the later duels, which was surprising, but she made it to the top twenty five.

The odds for the winner were pretty even between the Delacour girl and Alexander Weber, though truthfully, I had more faith in Delacour. She had an offensive casting that was highly impressive, and she was quicker to dodge than to block, like me. Weber had generally chosen to block things he could have otherwise dodged, which I thought would lead him to tire out quickly, and when I voiced it to Flitwick, he agreed.

The last few fights finished up, and it wasn't anything super spectacular, but it was a good duel compared to where I was currently at. Granted, these people had years more experience wielding magic than I do, so it was expected for them to be better.

Flitwick and I made our way back to the hotel we had been provided, and after changing, we went out for dinner. It was nothing super fancy, but trying Cassoulet was interesting, as I had never had goose before. Out of everything I had experienced in France, the food was some of the best I had, as was the view of the Eiffel Tower. The first time I saw it, it felt much like seeing Hogwarts. Just the sheer size of it, towering over everything in the area, and seeing it illuminated at night, it was such a view.

July 6th, 1993

World dueling Arena

Paris, France

And just like that, the day was almost over. We had watched, so far, twelve duels, with the thirteenth duel about to start. It was down to the final four, Fleur Delacour, Alexander Weber, Olivia Williams, and an underdog and American, Adam Johnson. The thirteenth duel was going to be Johnson versus Williams, and the currently favored person was Johnson. We watched, as they were both called out and stanced up, and after a three second countdown, the referee let off a bang from his wand, signifying the start of the duel.

Both fired off spells, Johnson a stunner, and Williams a bone breaker. Both spells missed as more went flying, several of the spells I recognized, but others I didn't. Williams scored the first hit using a bone breaker on Johnson's left hand which caused him to stumble and rapidly throw up a shield, saving him from the stunner that followed it. It was unfortunate that Johnson was right handed, as it would have probably ended the duel.

His shield held for almost ten seconds as a few more spells hit it. He seemed to drop it as he twisted to his right and fired a purple curse from his wand, something I didn't recognize.

"He will get a warning for that." Flitwick muttered, right as the referee yelled out. "I don't think you know that spell, but it is an Acid Cutter, causing an extremely painful cut wherever it hits that also burns the skin. A nasty curse to be sure. It is also a darker cutting curse, and not allowed in the World Championship when it is hosted in France, though it is in Britain, Russia, Germany, India, and Poland. I will teach you that one, though not yet."

The duel continued until Johnson lost, having taken a full lightning bolt to the chest, followed by being banished off the dueling stage and into the wards. Once the duel was called, Williams collapsed onto the ground, and it was ten minutes before they had the stage cleared for the next duel, as healers had to repair her ankle, and get Johnson onto a stretcher and levitated out of the arena, having burns and bones that needed healed.

The match between Delacour and Weber was more one sided than I thought it would be, as he was put on the defensive nearly the whole time. She pinned him with fast spellfire, before using a multitude of fire conjurations to weaken him, mixing between birds and wolves of fire, and different forms of fire spells. He ended up taking a Confringo to the shield, blasting him backwards and breaking his withering protection before a stunner and body bind hit him, causing him to collapse unconscious. Delacour had only taken a small cut to the arm, but was otherwise fine.

It was shocking to say the least, as most had expected to see her lose. There was a noticeable decrease in talking after the declaration, but everything returned to normal after a few minutes. They announced an hour break, and informed us the winning duel would be fought at 3:00pm. Flitwick beckoned me to follow him, as he walked down the few remaining steps to the arena floor, and over to where a man was standing. It didn't take him long to notice our approach.

"Ah, Master Filius Flitwick! It is good to see you again!" the man said cheerfully, pulling the short professor into the air in a hug. I had to stifle my laughter at him yelling to be put back down, though he was smiling in good nature once his feet were returned to the floor.

"You too Sebastian, though I might be tempted to hex you for that stunt. It has been too long since I made my way over to visit. I must say, I am surprised to not have seen you until today." Flitwick replied, giving me a name to the man.

"Yes, I am not sure if you read, but Fenrir Greyback was spotted in Southern France, just north of Avignon. I was tasked to lead a team to hunt him, but unfortunately for our department, he crossed the border into Italy, leaving the French Ministry's jurisdiction. I only returned home yesterday afternoon." Sebastian spoke, a French accent clearly laced into his English, though he spoke it fluently. "And who is this with you? He looks quite familiar?"

"Ah, apologies, I seem to have forgotten myself. Hadrian, this is Lord Sebastion Delacour, of the Noble house of Delacour, and currently, what is the equal to Head of the Department of Law Enforcement, though I do not know the French equivalent. Unlike Britain, he is one of the highest standing magicals in the country, though the title is mostly just for show since the French Revolution. Sebastian, this is Hadrian Potter, heir of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter." Flitwick introduced.

I held out my hand. "An honor to meet you sir." He shook it with a firm grip, nodding.

"The honor is mine, Heir Potter. It is surprising how much you look like your parents and grandparents. I knew Charles and Dorea, as they knew my father. I must say, it is a surprise to see you here." Sebastian replied.

After getting pleasantries out of the way, I stayed to the side and listened as Flitwick and Sebastion talked for nearly thirty minutes, before he left to go find his daughter. "He seems like a nice guy. Though it was shocking to hear he knew my grandparents." I commented, as we returned to our seats.

"He is. I met him and his wife, Appoline, years ago when I was in the dueling circuit. He is a powerful fighter, something I discovered when a rival of mine decided to attempt to attack me with others. They failed due to Sebastian assisting me in taking the dueler and his two assistants down. Since then, he and I have kept in contact, and I have visited him several times over the years, though it has been some time since I was last here." He explained.

As he finished talking, the announcer came back.

"It is time! Coming out from the left entrance is Olivia Williams, sponsored by the Australian Dueling League. She is currently undefeated in this year's WDL, and hosts an impressive record." She walked onto the stage, and gave a small curtsy, before the announcer continued.

"As for her opponent, it is our one and only Fleur Delacour. She too hosts a very long and extensive dueling history, starting three years ago as the still-undefeated Champion dueler at Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, along with last year's U-18 French Dueling League Champion, and again this year. She has only four losses, and has an impressive record this year with a far more fierce offensive." Fleur also curtsied, before standing in a pose, ready to fight.

"On the count of three, the final duel will begin, I expect a clean match between you two!" The referee called out with his voice amplified. Both girls nodded, and he started the countdown.

"Three, Two, One, BEGIN"

We watched as a Confringo and a Lacero both flew, and met in mid air. Neither had been idle though as two orange curses flew towards Fleur, while five wolves of fire ran at Williams. The spells both failed to injure their targets though, and Fleur used the extra time she had to fire a cutting curse and a banishing charm. The banisher missed, but the cutter drew a line through William's robes on her left side, a small trickle of blood appearing. She grimaced, but fired back with an explosive hex and the flipping jinx.

It became an intense match as both started firing spells I no longer recognised, though Flitwick was pointing out some. One would've caused dizziness, which seemed pointless until I realized it would harm the other's accuracy, and another would have caused the person's legs to go limp, causing temporary paralysis. Several spells could have seriously injured the other, including a shield-breaker, which had Delacour not dodged it, would have shattered whatever limb it had hit as she had been unable to conjure another shield.

It was a balanced duel, as Fleur took several different cuts to the arms and one to the leg, as well as a bone breaker to the left shoulder, while Williams had earned several burns and a few cuts. It took almost six minutes before the scales shifted, as Delacour sent several Confringos at Williams. The first three were absorbed by the shield, by the fourth shattered it, and while the fifth missed, the conjured sword didn't. Williams was lucky that the hilt hit her instead of the blade, but it didn't matter as it dislocated her kneecap, causing her to fall to the ground.

Impressively, she managed to not scream, and even attempted to still fight, sending several stunners and bone breakers. In the end though, due to the pain, and lack of mobility, she had to shield when Fleur responded with stunners in return. It took only a quarter of a minute before she finally nailed Williams with three stunners in quick succession, ending the duel and winning the title of U-18 ICW Champion Dueler.

The award ceremony was held right after the healers were done, and it was announced that besides getting the Trophy and the 25,000 Galleon grand prize, her name would also be etched on the Wall of Champions, located in the ICW headquarters in Norway. She seemed happy, and I could tell Sebastion and who I assumed was her mother and sister were proud of her.

We stayed around for a few minutes as the crowd began to leave, and once enough had, Flitwick and I made our way back to the hotel and with a few flicks of his wand, packed our stuff up. A quick apparation later, and we were in the French Ministry. A half an hour later, and we had our portkey, and had returned to the international portkey landing zone in the British Ministry of Magic. After a quick check in, and our belongings checked for anything illegal we might have smuggled in, we were cleared and sent on our way.

On our return to Hogwarts, we met with McGonagall, who immediately hugged me before surveying my health. She truly had taken up the role of a strict and caring aunt since the Chamber incident, something that I was unused to but was slowly adjusting to.

"How was the Tournament?" She asked.

"Amazing, I learned a lot of things watching them!-" And off I prattled about the things I had seen and learned. She stopped me after a few minutes, as we were walking in the Great Hall for dinner.

"Well, I think I will assist you on learning the dueling aspect of Transfiguration, if Filius doesn't mind that is?" She glanced at him as she sat down at the dinner table.

"Not at all, he has managed to learn knife conjuration, but that is only a small use of transfiguration. And for all of the things I am, I never relied on transfiguration in dueling. I am more leaned towards using charms and elemental, though I often rotate through certain useful curses." He replied.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he listened to the conversation. After a few minutes though, he spoke up and we began chatting about the uses and downsides to Transfiguration in combat. As dinner winded down though, we started making our ways back to our sleeping quarters.

"I saw your Wizengamot essay, Hadrian, and I must say, it was quite good. It was directly to the point, with clear handwriting and only two spots where you vanished your ink." Dumbledore spoke, chuckling when he saw my eyes widen. "Yes, I noticed the vanished drops. Do not worry, I will not count it against you. In fact, I was surprised you learned that spell already, as that is a fifth year spell. Then again, you have learned the stunner which is a mid-fourth year spell."

"Well, I am glad to know I am learning things far more advanced than I should know." I replied with sarcasm.

"Very well. I got the list for those you wanted to visit for your birthday, and I have already spoken to Augusta Longbottom about it, as she had needed to speak to me yesterday over Wizengamot matters. She has also invited you on the 30th to visit young Neville for his birthday. Mr. Longbottom was quite excited to agree to attend your birthday, and said he would be here as well." Dumbledore spoke.

"I'd be happy to attend his as well." I replied.

"Very well, then tomorrow I will help you write the invitations for your birthday party, and you can write a letter to Neville about attending his." He replied back.

"Alright. Also, Hermione asked if I would visit her from the 13th to the 17th of this month. Would it be ok if I did. Her parents already agreed to allow me to stay if I was allowed." I asked, only feeling slightly nervous about the request.

Dumbledore looked over at me with some amusement, and after eying me with those damned eyes that twinkle, he nodded. "Very well, I will see if Minerva will take you, as she has been to the Granger residence before. Once I get an answer from her tomorrow, I'd suggest you write Ms. Granger and let her know of your arrival."

After my agreement, we made the rest of the walk back to the Headmaster's office in silence, as I lost myself thinking about the different things I had seen the past few days, along with my meeting with Sebastian earlier. It raised my curiosity about my grandparents again, and made me wonder if Sebastian would mind if I wrote to him about them. I got the impression he wouldn't, but I would still wait a while before doing such a thing.