Disclaimer: Everything belongs to J.K Rowling.

A/N: This chapter is shorter than usual, but also exactly what the title says. This is the last stop before we arrive at the final destination. After then, we'll jump on another train.

Chapter 35: The Calm Before the Dance

-Harry-

I was just about to turn the lights off and get some sleep when I heard a faint knocking on my door. My nightclothes were transfigured into actual ones in a heartbeat and I approached carefully. I opened the wooden door and was met with a girl outside.

Not just any girl though. Alice.

She smiled broadly but it didn't reach her eyes. "I'm sorry it's late, do you mind?"

"Not at all," I said and opened the door fully.

Alice walked inside and seemed torn between standing and sitting down in an armchair.

"Alice…" I began.

"No," she said and held a hand up. "Don't apologise, I asked for this." Alice let out a deep sigh. "It's just… It still hurts to fail, you know?"

I nodded and sat down on the couch. "I know how it feels." I let out a bitter chuckle. "Thinking you're well prepared and that it is meant to be and then…" I trailed off.

Alice sat down next to me. "It just doesn't feel right," she said.

I arched an eyebrow at her. "Don't you think I deserved to win?"

She glared at me half-heartedly. "Maybe, but it's just that I am upset when I shouldn't be."

"You were knocked out," I observed. "It's okay to be upset."

"I know," Alice said and put her face in her hands. "But I don't know what I could have done better. I've prepared as much and as well as I possibly could and I still…" she choked on the last words.

"Sometimes," I began. "The best way to win is to not compete at all. Then you won't feel the misery of failure."

Alice shook her head. "You won't feel the joy of success either," she pointed out. "I would rather take the risk of feeling sad if it meant I had a chance to be happy, that's infinitely better than feeling nothing at all."

I nodded. "Perhaps this just wasn't meant to be for you. Sometimes you do everything pretty and perfectly, and still lose."

Alice smiled fondly. "You're a wise man, Harry, a wise man."

"Are you not mad at me?" I asked with a frown of concern.

She frowned. "I won't lie to you and say that I am not," she said and I felt my stomach drop from the treetops to the ground. "But I asked for you to try, I could have taken an easy win but didn't. I have no place to complain."

"I understand," I said and patted her on the shoulder. "I will make sure to do my very best to absolutely destroy the guy who seeks the same apprenticeship position as you."

The solemn storm cleared from Alice's face and it shone like a small star. "You better, but I don't think it will matter."

I smiled challengingly. "I will make sure that it matters."

She rolled her eyes and leaned against me. "You're a pretty good duelist," she said.

"I've had a good teacher," I answered honestly.

Alice snorted in amusement but she didn't understand. I wondered if my actual teacher would ever let her understand.

I grinned at the thought of the two of them meeting. Alice's easy demeanour and my master's glares. It would be like shoving the sea and a forest in the same place, it would clash horribly. It would clash beautifully.

Alice deserved to know about Rowena. She had helped me more than anyone else.

-()-

-Hermione-

The last defence against the dark arts class before the OWLs was unsurprisingly anticlimactic.

There was no speech about how the impending exams would be the culmination of our five years here, like McGonagall had done.

There had been no seminar where she would answer any question anyone had about the subject, like Flitwick had done.

No, we just silently read the book and packed our things away at the end, no different than usual.

I wasn't bothered. I knew I was more than prepared for the tests. My time spent with the DA had decreased drastically since the exams grew close, but Ron, Neville and Michael had done more than make up for it.

I was just about to exit the classroom when I saw something in my periphery. Umbridge was smiling widely and handed a green envelope to Greengrass with a wide smile. Greengrass was smirking outright as she pocketed the envelope.

I narrowed my eyes at Greengrass' form as she rejoined her squad-mates and left. She was up to something, I knew it. They had tried to trap us by luring us in with Malfoy as bait. They most likely would have succeeded if we hadn't had the map.

The map was the only thing keeping me calm. The inquisitorial squad couldn't hurt us as long as we had the map. We always knew where they were and who it was. That they didn't know we had this information made it even greater.

I couldn't help but feel an uneasy weight in my stomach. Umbridge hadn't managed to nail anyone down. If she didn't manage to do so before the year, she would have failed. Both in the eyes of the student body and most likely to herself.

I got the impression she wouldn't want to fail. She would grow more desperate. More daring.

My eyes darted to Greengrass where we walked in the corridors. Everyone was on the way to lunch.

I looked away as Neville explained something about herbology to Ron, when my gaze had returned, she was gone.

I excused myself and entered the bathroom. I saw a speck of blonde hair disappear behind a door and I stared at it with a frown.

I didn't even know why I had followed. There wasn't anything pointing towards there being something suspicious going on. I was probably growing more paranoid, I was seeing things which weren't there.

"Are you stalking me?" a harsh, melodious voice bit out as I was about to leave the bathroom.

I spinned around and took my wand out. "You aren't much to stalk," I said with a glare.

"And yet," Greengrass said and smiled maliciously. "Here you are."

"Perhaps I just needed to relieve myself?"

The blonde girl raised her eyebrows. "Relieve yourself of your concerns, perhaps."

I took a threatening step forward. "What are you talking about?"

She smiled sweetly. At that moment, I could understand Harry's actions against her. I wouldn't want to do many other things than to wipe that smug smile off her face.

"Nothing which doesn't concern the rebels. Which I am sure has nothing to do with you, right?"

I smiled in return. "I am as desperate as you to rid Hogwarts of criminals," I said bitingly.

Greengrass inclined her head. "Good, then you will be happy to hear that the process begins tonight."

Greengrass elbowed past me and disappeared without a trace. Then I saw a piece of green paper in the stall Greengrass had just left. I stared at it for a long moment. Then I made my decision and approached it.

The stall was littered with pieces of the envelope. She must have read it and torn it apart, I mused. An idea struck me like a lighting bolt.

"Reparo," I whispered. The pieces came to life and started to move together. They amalgamated to create an envelope the colour of Slytherin house. But most importantly, it had a message written in silver letters.

Dear Ms. Greengrass.

It has come to my attention that one of my fellow colleagues has aided the rebel group in committing these atrocious acts of violence. I and the peacekeepers stationed here will make a move on her an hour before midnight. I would like for you and the inquisitorial to be ready and at my disposal.

Bring everyone and be outside my office at ten. We will keep McGonagall in my office until the aurors can escort her out tomorrow morning. Should everything go alright, I will make sure to remember everyone's contribution. It is imperative that the rebels know nothing about this. Keep it secret and don't draw any attention to yourselves during your transfiguration classes.

Love, Umbridge.

I stared at the letter with wide eyes for minutes.

I heard someone enter the bathroom and I stuffed the letter inside my pocket.

Oh no.

Oh no.

-()-

-Harry-

I stretched, cracked my neck, cracked my knuckles, readied myself. My opponent was standing like a statue on the other side of the circle, her mentor was whispering a couple of last minute instructions into her ear. The girl from Görans didn't move a single muscle in her face, or anywhere.

She was tall, and skinny, wearing the red robes of Görans, I knew that she was more dangerous than anyone I had faced before.

Apart from Voldemort, of course.

I had studied her up and down several times, I had even watched a few of her previous duels. There was only one thing which was really relevant to me now: she was the dam preventing Alice from flowing freely into the future. She was the other applicant to the apprenticeship position under James DuFonte.

Alice was sitting in the stands, in the row closest to the ring. She waved to me merrily when I looked at her, but her bit-down nails and frazzled hair betrayed her nervousness; it linegred beneath the surface like a shark. As soon as the fight would begin, I had no doubt that the predator would emerge and brandish its great jaw.

I would not allow her to be swallowed.

The referee called us together and went over the duels, neither of us listened, instead we glared at each other like we were fighting over the future of the wizarding world.

Which we wouldn't, we would be fighting for something more important, or rather, I would be fighting for something more important.

I would be fighting for Alice.

My best friend, my closest friend. My saviour.

She had taught so much I hadn't even known that I needed to be taught, if this wasn't an oppertunity to repay her, what was?

I exhaled slowly and got into my stance. My eyes were fixed on my opponent with an eagle-like accuracy. She wasn't a human anymore, she was an opponent, she was a threat which needed to be removed.

The duel began in sparks of green and red.

The threat fired a spell and a spell again, yet I found myself effortlessly stepping aside like they were mere flies. I fell into a rhythm, following the melody of the dance down to the last detail. The girl spun and twirled and bent, yet she didn't know the right steps, she fell out of tune, she danced two beats behind.

As such, I struck her clean in the chest, sending her sprawling through the air like a balloon. The referee declared the point to me as I got her wand.

The girl clenched her hand around the wand when she got it back, sending a nervous glance at the emotionless supporters of her own.

We got going again. Our dance invloved steps I had practiced more times than I could possibly imagine, part of me felt back at Hogwarts; fighting a blonde witch with purple eyes and a solemn frown instead of the erratic and unpredictable girl in front of me. I already knew the next step before the previous one was completed. The girl might as well have tried to chase her own tail.

Tradgedy struck again, for the girl. I could see the tears streaming down her face, leaving behind dark lanes of ruined makeup. The part of me which felt sympathy had been left inside the silver bag my master had given me. I looked down on the shattered girl with indifference, as if I was observing a beatle pushing its ball up a hill.

It all ended in a shower of purple and green, enveloping the girl in a final embrace which left her tumbling out of the tournament.

The wards around us came crashing down, and with them, a wave of euphoria and bedlam.

I held my fist up victoriously and looked out over the cheering crowd. It dawned on me that I was there. After all of these months of working and fighting and duelling. I was there. The grand final. The grand final.

It didn't seem real to me. The cheering crowds didn't either. Yet they were as real as the girl who approached me and hugged me tightly.

"Well done," Alice said. I could barely hear her over the onslaught of noise.

I smiled broadly and left the stage.

I was a finalist. I was at least the second best in the whole tournament.

No, I was the best. That was going to be something, Harry Potter, duelling champion at age fifteen.

The youngest competitor in the tournament. And the best.

"Now, you can only pray," I said as me and Alice settled down. "She's out too now. Now you can only hope."

Alice forced a smile. "She came to the semi-finals," she said.

"But you did better than her against the opponent you both went out to."

She shrugged. "We'll see."

"It'll be fine," I said. "You're a brilliant duellist, if DuFonte doesn't pick you, someone else is bound to."

She smiled. "I know, but this has always been my plan. I want to do it this way."

I nodded. "Are you staying to watch the final?"

"No."

I turned to look at her incredulously.

"Of course I am," she said with a roll of her eyes. "I've watched every duel of yours this far, I won't stop for the final, idiot."

I held my hands up. "I am only asking."

"Asking is my thing, not yours."

I smiled. "Yes, you always have a question don't you?"

"That reminds me of something," Alice continued.

I raised my eyebrows. "You have a question?"

She rolled her eyes. "We haven't gotten drunk yet."

"That's not a question."

The girl glared at me playfully. "When are we getting drunk, then?"

I stroked my chin in contemplation. "It could be a good celebration to me winning the tournament."

Alice smiled smugly. "What if you lose?"

I shrugged. "Then we are getting drunk to drown my sorrows."

"Sounds like a plan."

-()-

-Draco-

That night, we moved. It was with a sense of finality I finished my last class of the day and went to dinner. There was no coming back from this, if this failed, everything would come crashing down like a lavine.

Everything was planned right down to the last detail. Daphne had done her part. Umbridge had ensured everything.

No one could stop us.

Dumbledore had been kicked out. Potter had abandoned his friends.

The flames or resistance would soon be snuffed out too, and Hogwarts could return to how it should be: peaceful.

-()-

-Harry-

My eyes snapped open.

At first, I didn't know why I had woken up with a pit of butterflies in my stomach.

Then I remembered. This was the day. The day with capital D.

No, that had been last year. This year was different. I was different.

'Harry Potter, duelling finalist.' I tasted the phrase on my lips.

'Harry Potter, duelling champion,' tasted far sweeter.

One tasted like sour milk and the other like fine wine.

Half a year ago, I would never have believed that I would have felt the taste of either. Being a finalist would have tasted sweet as sugar.

Things changed, my goals changed.

I needed to win.

More importantly, I wanted to win.

This would be a good day, I resolved.

This would be the last day before I had to leave my refugee in the branches to return to Britain. To return to war and wariness. If I could only have this one moment of happiness before I had to focus on Voldemort again…

I tore the cover off my body and stood up.

I was ready.

The dragon inside of me roared and roared and roared and roared. Ravaged and sent soaring flames of life out if its might gap.

A/N: The next chapter is longest one yet, that's all I'll say.