I do not own Harry Potter, only any OC that may appear in my stories.
Hello guys, Badger here. Welcome to chapter 12 of this story. Out of all my ongoing stories at the moment, this is the longest one so far. In terms of the amount of chapters at least. I'm happy to see that you all seem to be enjoying each chapter too. This chapter, I believe, is the longest of the lot so far. Though I can't be sure. And, if you were slightly disappointed with the filler chapter last time, you'll be happy to know that this chapter gets back into the action of the Duelling Tournament.
Anyway, I'll leave it there for now, as it is a long chapter. I'll let you read on and enjoy, where I will see you at the end.
Chapter 12
It wasn't long until Harry found himself back in France, for the Playoffs. Evie was less than happy to see her favourite brother leave her once more, and his mother also looked unhappy is he got ready to leave, though this time kept quiet and didn't say a word when Flitwick came to pick him up. As the two made their way, through the doors, to the Duelling Ring Harry felt a little nervous, though he would never admit it. He wasn't sure where the nerves were coming from, however, he was able to keep himself composed. As Flitwick and himself took their spots, to overlook the other duels, they were greeted by two people Harry didn't expect to see.
"Sirius, Moony!" Harry said, excitedly, as he hugged the two men who practically raised him for most of his life
"Hey kiddo!" Sirius replied, with equal excitement as he put his godson in a friendly headlock, ruffling Harry's hair
"What are you two doing here?" Harry asked, once Sirius released him, where he tried to fix his hair
"Flitwick told us when the Playoffs were" Remus replied "After telling us that you passed the Qualifiers, we just had to come and sit in the crowd and show our support…plus, there is a gift we want to give you, for saving that young girl…consider it an early Christmas present"
Harry watched as Sirius left for a brief moment, before returning with a bird cage. Inside the cage was a large bird, bearing a resemblance to a raven, with beady dark eyes and feathers that went from a midnight black, to snow white. Sirius opened the door to the cage, where the bird locked eyes with Harry for a moment, before flying onto his shoulders, making sure not to hurt Harry with its sharp black talons..
"It's beautiful" Harry said, as he began stroking the birds feathers "What is it?"
"She, is a Pegasi" Remus replied "And she is your new familiar…their native to places like Chile and Germany, commonly found in the mountains…as your familiar, you and her will share a bond like no other, through that bond she'll be able to sense your emotions and know when you need comfort and protection"
Harry continue to ruffle the Pegasi's feathers, where the two looked into each other's eyes. The Pegasi tilted its head, where Harry heard a voice in the back of his head.
"Hello young one, what is your name?"
Harry's eyes widened, as he wondered if he was going crazy, or if the Pegasi on his shoulder was talking to him telepathically, similar to the Sorting Hat, during his sorting in his First Year. Sensing the boys confusion, the Pegasi let out a gentle trill, as if it was laughing to herself.
"Yes, it is me, young one" the voice said, it's tone regal and gentle "I am your familiar, therefore, we are able to speak telepathically to one another…I ask again, what is your name young one?"
"I'm Harry" Harry replied, mentally "Harry Potter"
"I am pleased to make your acquaintance Harry Potter" The Pegasi said, before she gentle rubbed her head against Harry's
"Sirius, Moony, she is brilliant!" Harry said "Though, I must ask, what made you choose her?"
"Because Sirius wanted you to have a familiar that had a resemblance to a raven" Remus rolled his eyes
"What, Harry is a Ravenclaw!" Sirius said, defensively "It makes sense for him to have a familiar that resembles a raven!"
"I hate to tell you, Sirius, but the symbol for Ravenclaw is an eagle, not a raven" Harry said, before looking at Flitwick "By the way Professor, why is the symbol an eagle, when the House is called 'Ravenclaw'?"
"I couldn't tell you Harry" Flitwick chuckled "I couldn't tell you…anyway, Sirius, Remus, you may want to take your seats, the duels will be starting soon"
…
Quirrell was alone in his office, as he planned his next stage of attack. With most of the students gone, he could go out and get what his Master desired. However, Quirrell wanted to be smart. He didn't want to blunder in and end up in some kind of trap. Once he knew where, exactly, the Stone was, and what defences were set up, then he can begin planning for ways to get through them. Meanwhile, as he planned, his Master meditated.
After witnessing Harry Potter earn the Order of Merlin, First Class and, overhearing the boy talking to his friends about entering some kind of Under 17's Duelling Tournament, his Master began to think back to that Halloween Night. As Harry and Nathaniel were huddled close together, his Master wasn't sure which one had rebounded the Killing Curse. However, the more he looked back on that night, along with the rumours of Nathaniel's magical capability being the equivalent of a Squib, whilst Harry's magical capability was impressive, and powerful, for his age, his Master came to a realisation. A realisation that would shatter Dumbledore's world.
His Master was practically giddy at the thought. As soon as he returned to the Wizarding World with all his glory, only then would he reveal what he knew. And he would take great satisfaction in doing so.
…
It wasn't long until Harry made his way onto the Duelling Ring, to being his first Playoff Duel. He was up against local French Wizard, Xavier Gardet. Harry remembered seeing the boy duel during the Qualifiers. The boy was quick on his feet and had excellent talent. However, there was nothing Harry could exploit and use to his advantage against the boy, meaning he would just have to rely on his own agility and spell work, in hopes that he would be quicker then Xavier. Harry felt the tension in the air, as he stood several feet away from Xavier, who looked calm and collected. It unnerved Harry slightly, though he kept his cool.
As soon as the referee signalled for the duel to start, Xavier fired a Cutting Curse at lightning speed. Harry widened his eyes, as he quickly dodged, the Cutting Curse narrowly missing his shoulder. Gripping his wand, Harry fired a Cutting Curse of his own, quickly followed by a Disarming Charm. Xavier easily swatted away Harrys Cutting Curse and easily avoided the Disarming Charm. Harry was about to fire a Bone Breaker, however, Xavier was quicker and fired another Cutting Curse, which cut into Harry's shoulder, as he tried to avoid it. Pain filled his entire body, as blood began to trickle down Harry's arm.
Trying to ignore the pain for the moment, Harry conjured a flock of birds which flew towards Xavier, pecking at the French duellist. With Xavier distracted, Harry fired a Cutting Curse. With a wave of his wand, Xavier was able to vanish the birds, however he was unable to avoid the Cutting Curse, which cut into his abdomen. The boy hunched over in pain, giving Harry an opportunity, firing a Banishing Hex, which Xavier was able block, with a quick Shield Charm. Holding the side of his abdomen, Xavier fired three Bone Breakers in quick succession. Harry put up a Shield Charm to block the first Bone Breaker and dodged the second, when the first shattered his shield. However, by dodging the second, Harry ended up jumping in the way of the third Bone Breaker, where he felt several ribs break, as well as several bones in his left arm.
Harry screamed in agony, as he fell to one knee. As the pain spread through his entire body, Harry saw red and his eyes turned murderous. Gripping his wand tighter, to the point where he almost snapped it in half, Harry fired a barrage of spells, which Xavier kept swatting away. However, with how quickly Harry was firing spell after spell, the French duellist was unable to do anything else. All he could do was swat away the spells, as he continued to move backwards, inching closer to the edge of the Duelling Ring. Seeing that Xavier was near the edge of the Duelling Ring, Harry fired a powerful Banishing Hex, which impacted the boys chest, sending him flying out of the ring, where Harry was declared the winner.
When Xavier went flying out of the Duelling Ring, Harry felt his anger fade, almost immediately. He looked at his wand. This was the second time where he's seen red and, turned into the devil, as he practically tried to kill the devil. It unnerved him a little bit. Harry jumped when felt a hand gently touch his back, where he looked to see Flitwick beside him.
"You're injured Harry" He said "Let's get you seen by a Healer, before you have to go up again"
…
Up in the observation stands, Fleur watched as Harry headed towards the Healers. She had watched, with intrigue, as the boy went up against Xavier. Having watched Xavier's duels during the Qualifiers, she wondered how Harry would do against the French duellist. Despite being badly injured, Harry did quite well. However what surprised, and scared her, was seeing the boy begin firing spell after spell, at Xavier, as if Harry wanted to kill him. From her seat, she could see the murderous glint in Harry's eyes. If the two went up against each other, she was going to have to be careful. It seemed pain made him angrier for some reason.
…
"You lost your cool, back there Harry" Flitwick stated, as Harry was being fixed by Healers "Such things can cost you a battle, what happened back there?"
"I…I don't know sir" Harry replied "It's like…the pain…the pain that I felt when I got hit…it made me see red, and I just felt so angry…it wasn't until I knocked him out of the Duelling Ring where I calmed down and realised what happened…a similar thing happened with Matthew Higgins during the Qualifiers"
"That sounds worrying Harry" Flitwick said, his curious gaze turning to one of worry and concern "If it's alright with you, I'd like for you to see some kind of Mind Healer, after the tournament, I'm not an expert on such things, so maybe they'll be able to provide some answers for you"
At first, Harry wanted to refuse the idea of seeing a Mind Healer, though as he opened his mouth, he took a moment to properly think about it. After Xavier broke multiple of his bones with a Bone Breaker, Harry wanted to kill the boy. The rules of no killing was the only thing stopping Harry from doing just that. If no such rule was put in place, Harry shuddered to think of what he would have done to Xavier when he was in such a state. Perhaps seeing a Mind Healer would be a good idea. Maybe he could also inform the Mind Healers of his nightmares. Maybe they could shed some light on what they could mean.
"Okay sir" Harry said "I'll see a Mind Healer"
"Good" Flitwick said "When you return to Hogwarts after the holidays, I'll set up appointments for you…in the meantime, try not to kill anyone"
…
Dumbledore sat in his office at Hogwarts, with James Potter sat opposite him. The man had arrived, after the Headmaster had requested to hear about Nathaniel's progress. He hoped that with some help from his parents, in a more comfortable environment, Nathaniel would be up to par with the rest of the First Years. Dumbledore, however, was disappointed with the news. The boy was able to perform the Levitation Charm, albeit poorly, he could cast a Lumos Charm, and could decently turn a matchstick into a needle. But that was it. Even then, according to James Potter, what he could do was poor and would barely scrape past an Acceptable, if the boy was lucky,.
"Lily is at a loss on what to do Albus" James Potter said "And so am I…he seems to struggle with even the simplest spells…we hoped that by the time he returns to Hogwarts after Christmas he would've perfect, at least, some of the basics…now though, we aren't so sure"
"Everyone's Magical Core develops differently" Dumbledore reminded the man "It's possible Nathaniel's Magical Core is just taking longer to properly develop and stabilise itself…when he returns after the Christmas holidays I will regularly monitor his progress, I'm sure that with enough time and patience, by the end of the school year, he will be up to par with the other First Years"
"I hope so" James Potter sighed "I just don't get it…Harry is apparently a prodigy in so many aspects of magic, and he's only 3 years older than Nathaniel…for Harry to be a prodigy and Nathaniel to be…I don't even know what, is baffling to me…I mean, we had Harry demonstrate the Levitation Charm to Nathaniel and, without uttering a word or incantation, Harry was able to lift most of the furniture and trinkets in the room we were in, with a simple wave of his wand"
"He was able to several objects at once?" Dumbledore asked, with a raised eyebrow "Silently?"
"I'm having a hard time believing it myself" James Potter replied "And I was there when he did it…he did it so causally, not even breaking a sweat…Silent Casting isn't taught until Seventh Year too…and even then, many have difficulties with Silent Casting…so for Harry to do such a thing without breaking a sweat makes me wonder how, and where he learnt it…because I know he didn't learn it from us"
Just when Dumbledore thought Harry and Nathaniel couldn't be any more different to each other, he was proven wrong. Harry was an eager learner. The boy was a Ravenclaw after all. However, that doesn't explain how the boy is, as James Potter said, a prodigy in most aspects of magic, especially with just over three years of Magical Education under his belt.
The boy had to be learning more, when he wasn't in lessons or doing homework. The library is one of his favourite places to be. It's possible he learnt some stuff there, after finding some kind of book on the subject. Dumbledore only wished Nathaniel put the same kind of time, effort and passion into his studying. Nathaniel is the Boy-Who-Lived. When the time arrived, he would be the only one to defeat Voldemort. The one people will look up too as the new leader of the light. However that couldn't happen, if the boy's magical capability was the equivalent to a Squibs.
Dumbledore put his head in his hands, as he wondered what to do next, where he was beginning to wonder if he should have retired a few years earlier, when given the choice to do so.
…
After a while, when given the all clear by the Duelling Ring Healers, Harry soon found himself going back into the ring. As he waited for his turn, he watched every one who went into the ring closely. He watched Fleur Delacour go up twice, where she beat both of her opponents. The first being a Spanish boy who tried to resist her allure, to no success and was easily beaten. The second was a French girl, where Harry got the feeling that the two were enemies, or at least rivals. The glares and ferocity of the spell work was evident to that. However, Fleur was able to come out on top.
As Harry made his way onto the Duelling Ring, he came face to face with his next opponent. A young girl from Norway, called Elise Hillestad. Harry had seen her duel in the rings previously. She wasn't very strong when it came to magic, however, she made up for that with her quick agility and reflexes, which allowed her to get the upper hand on her opponents, meaning Harry couldn't underestimate her. As Harry watched her previous duels, he knew that if he hoped to beat the girl, he would have to immobilise her or, at the very least, slow her down enough for him to beat her. Otherwise, Elise would be able to run rings around him, before she is able to land the finishing blow. As Harry took his duelling stance, he took a breath to relax his body, whilst Elise stood as still as a statue, as she took her duelling stance, though Harry could see she was more then ready to strike or run, as soon as the duel began.
As the referee signalled for the duel to begin, both Harry and Elise fired a spell at the same time, with Harry firing a Cutting Curse, whilst Elise fired a Knock-Back Jinx. The two spells collided against each other, the impact caused a bright flash of light, as well as causing the area to shake slightly, which caused Harry and Elise to stumble though quickly regained their footing. Elise quickly fired a Stinging Hex, causing Harry to jump to one side to avoid it. Seeing that she was about to fire another spell, Harry quickly fired a Bone Breaker, as well as a Cutting Curse. Elise's eyes widened but she was able to easily put up a Shielding Charm to take the hit of the Bone Breaker, before easily moving to one side, to avoid the Cutting Curse, firing a Cutting Curse of her own as she did so.
Harry ducked under the Cutting Curse, before he dropped to the ground entirely, where a Banishing Hex whizzed past, where his head had been just a second earlier. Not wanting to give the Norwegian girl another chance, Harry quickly jumped to his feet and moved to one side, as he fired a Bone Breaker which Elise easily dodged, smiling. Dodging another Cutting Curse from the girl, Harry knew he was going to have to do something to slow her down and quickly. So far she was able to block or dodge every spell he fired. He was going to tire before she did, if this went on for much longer. Gripping his wand, Harry dodged a Banishing Hex, where he fired a Binding Curse, quickly followed by a Cutting Curse.
Not able to block the Binding Curse, Elise jumped out the way. However, by doing so Harry's Cutting Curse hit her below the torso, causing a deep gash on her leg. Elise let out a cry of pain as she fell to the ground, but quickly got back up, though looked unsteady, as blood kept seeping from her wound. The two continued to exchange curse after curse. Hex after hex. It was clear to Harry that the gash on her leg was affecting her dodging. Mere moments ago she practically danced around his spells. Now, she resorted to using Shielding Charms and when she did dodge, it would be a mere side step, where Harry saw her wince from the pain in her leg with each movement.
Deciding to end the duel for good, Harry fired a Bone Breaker, immediately followed by a Stunner in quick succession. Elise blocked the Bone Breaker with a shield. However, when the shield shattered from the impact, she was unable to avoid the Stunner with how quickly it flew towards her. The Stunner impacted against her chest, knocking the Norwegian girl out, as she fell backwards, tumbling off of the Duelling Ring.
"The duel is over, Harry Potter is the winner!" The referee said, causing the crowd to cheer, as Elise was levitated to the Duelling Ring infirmary by Healers, not wanting to cause any more stress and tension on the girls wounded leg
Harry let out a tired sigh, as he made his way off of the Duelling Ring, towards Flitwick who had a proud smile on his face.
"Well done Harry" He said "That's two Duels down, one to go…and you managed to win the duel without taking a hit"
"Her spell work wasn't an issue to deal with" Harry said "It was her quick reflexes and agility that was the problem…she prioritised speed over strength"
"Good to see you are still analysing the other duellists, as instructed" Flitwick praised, as he conjured a comfortable looking chair "Here, sit down and rest, I'll go get you some water…if you hope to win your third and final duel, you should rest up while you can and gather your strength"
Harry nodded and sat down in the chair, where he allowed his body to relax, whilst Flitwick walked off to get him some water. At that moment, the Pegasi gifted to him by Sirius and Remus flew onto his shoulder, where she began rubbing her head against his, where she seemed to let out a soothing song, in hopes to relax him. She must have sensed his discomfort and weariness.
"Thank you girl" Harry said, as he ruffled her feathers gently
As he ruffled her feathers, Harry looked into the crowd, where he saw Fleur Delacour sat, looking at him, with a curious gaze. Harry almost smiled in direction, but stopped himself before he did, and instead chose to look away, as he closed his eyes, leaning back in his chair, to get as much rest as he could before his third, and final, duel.
…
It was a long while before Harry entered the Duelling Ring for his final duel of the Playoffs. He felt slightly nervous, as he came face to face with his opponent. Joran De-Vos from Belgium. The older boy was a large brute. Harry had watched the Belgian in his previous duels. Despite his bulky frame, he was quick on his feet and his spells hit his opponents like a Bludger to the head. Joran had won his two previous duels, where both the opponents had to be sent to the Infirmary after sustaining lethal injuries. Needless to say, Harry wasn't feeling confident as he took his position and got into his duelling stance.
Harry could feel his heart beating heavily in his chest, like it was about to burst, as he waited for the referee to start the duel. Time almost seemed to slow as the referee lifted up his wand in the air. Harry swallowed nervously, as they waited for what felt like an eternity before a red spark was ejected from the referees wand, signalling for the duel to begin. Joran immediately fired a powerful Blasting Hex, causing Harry's eyes to widen before he quickly ran to one side, nearly being flown across the ring by the force of impact. Harry continued to run as Joran fired more and more Blasting Hexes, which Harry was able to narrowly dodge, before they hit the ground several feet behind him. After avoiding another Blasting Hex, Harry quickly jabbed his wand towards Joran, firing the ice forming spell taught to him by Flitwick. Harry saw Joran's eyes widen at the unfamiliar spell and quickly jumped to the side to avoid it.
It was clear the Belgian duellist took offence to nearly being hit, as his eyes narrowed, where Harry could see the boy grip his wand tighter. As Joran raised his wand, Harry immediatley began running, where he avoided a Bone Breaker. Harry quickly fired a powerful Stinging Hex, in hopes of causing great discomfort, which would allow Harry to sneak in the final blow as the Belgian became more distracted from the pain. However, Joran was able to easily block the Hex and fired a Binding Curse. Harry jumped to one side, where the thick ropes missed him, however, Harry then felt himself being hit in the left shoulder by a Bone Breaker, Joran had fired immediately after. Harry hissed in pain, nearly falling to his knees, as he stumbled back slightly, feeling multiple bones break from the impact.
Not wanting to give the Belgian another chance, Harry quickly fired a Cutting Curse, making sure to not move his left shoulder, as he tried to ignored the pain. Joran was caught off guard by the speed of Harry's Cutting Curse and moved to one side in hopes of avoiding it, but the curse sliced against the side of his abdomen, leaving a deep gash, as Joran cursed in Belgian from the pain. A switch seemed to be flicked for both duellists in the ring, as many onlookers felt the atmosphere turned thick and cold. Harry gripped his wand tightly and fired a Blasting Hex, at the same time as Joran, who fired a Blasting Hex of his own. The two Blasting Hexes impacted one another, causing a massive explosion that sent Harry and Joran flying across the ring with incredible force.
Harry screamed as he felt more pain in his left shoulder, like more bones broke and he was certain his left wrist was also dislocated from the way he landed. Despite having the wind knocked out of him, briefly, Harry slowly got up to his knees, where he saw Joran doing the same, who immediately fired a Bone Breaker, causing Harry to drop back down to the ground, being mindful of his broken shoulder. After feeling the whip his skin, as the Bone Breaker flew above him, Harry quickly jumped up to his feet, firing a Disarming Charm, as well as a Knockback Jinx. Joran easily avoided the Disarming Charm and ducked under the Knockback Jinx, where he fired another Blasting Hex. Harry jumped to avoid it, however Joran had aimed the curse at the ground, causing Harry to be sent flying several feet from the impact, feeling shards of wood and other debris cut into his robes and skin, where droplets of blood began to trickle down his skin.
Feeling the wind knocked out of him, once again, Harry's jaw clenched as he felt his anger rise. Ignoring the pain that was spreading across his entire body, Harry got back onto his feet, immediately firing a Bone Breaker which hit the Belgian Duellist in his right knee. Joran fell to the ground, screaming, as the bones in his legs broke. With as much strength as he could muster, Harry fired a powerful Banishing Charm which hit Joran in the chest, the impact breaking a few ribs, as he went flying out of the ring.
Hearing that he was declared the winner, Harry fell to his knees, the pain in his body getting worse. He was also tired. Too tired to move on his own. At that moment, he felt a hand on his shoulder, where he looked to see Flitwick, as well as Remus and Sirius, who had his Pegasi on his shoulder, standing behind him.
"Come Harry, let's get you to the infirmary" Flitwick said
Harry nodded, not having the energy to speak. Remus and Sirius went ahead and helped Harry to his feet and both wrapped on of his arms around their shoulders, so Harry could use them for support, as they made their way to the infirmary. Immediately Harry was guided to one of the beds, where a Healer immediately began work on fixing the damage done to his body. After running some diagnostics, the Healer handed Harry a couple of potions to bring his energy back. A potion which Harry quickly drank, as the Healer began work on his broken bones.
"We're proud of you Harry" Remus said, after Harry finished drinking the potion "Seeing you go up against your opponents…and winning all three of your duels…I don't know what else we can say other then, we're proud of you"
"Thanks Moony" Harry smiled weakly, as his Pegasi began rubbing her head against his "I just hope I don't have to go up against Joran De-Vos again…I don't have to go up against him again do I, Professor?"
"I couldn't say Harry" Flitwick replied "We'll have to see how the Quarter Finals go tomorrow…which is why I ask that you rest until then…you'll be thankful to know that, tomorrow, you only have to partake in two duels"
"Thank Merlin for small mercies" Harry muttered, causing the others to chuckle, and Harry was sure he heard his Pegasi laugh in his mind
"Anyway, onto a lighter note" Sirius said "We forgot to tell you earlier, Lucius and Narcissa are having a Yule Party on Christmas, like they usually do every year…they wanted to know if you'll be going"
"Of course I'm going" Harry said, as he gave his Godfather an affronted look for even questioning such a thing "Ever since I became friends with Arianna, I've gone every year!"
It was at that moment, Harry was reprimanded by the Healer, for putting unnecessary stress on his shoulder and was told to remain calm as they fixed the remaining bones. Once more, everyone laughed, as Harry grumbled to himself, though there was a small smile crossing his lips.
…
After nearly an hour, Harry was back at Potter Manor. His parents were curious of how Harry had preformed and, once again, were surprised when he told them he passed the Playoffs. They were also curious about the Pegasi on his shoulder, to which Harry simply informed them that she was a present from Sirius and Remus, and left it at that, as he made his way up to his room, where he opened the cage for his Pegasi. He looked around for a moment, as a thought came to him. Removing his wand, he placed a Rubik's Cube, Sirius had gotten him as a joke and, as best as he could transfigured it into a perch. He didn't mind it either. He hated the Rubik's Cube anyway. He may be smart but no matter how many times he tried, he couldn't solve it. He sometimes wondered why simply didn't incinerate it.
After taking a moment to make sure the perch was sturdy, he turned to his Pegasi who was watching what he was doing with mild curiosity.
"What do you think?" He asked
The Pegasi took flight and did a couple laps around the room, before landing on the perch. She took a moment to get herself comfortable, before looking back at Harry, giving a small trill of approval.
"It's a little rustic, but it will suffice for now" Harry heard her say in his mind
"Before I go back to Hogwarts, I'll go into Diagon Alley and buy a better one for you" Harry said "I guess I should also give you a name too, shouldn't I?"
"I name would be appreciated Harry" The Pegasi replied
"What about….Athena?" Harry asked
As well as books of the Wizarding World, Harry also read a lot of books on the Muggle World. He took quite a liking to ancient history. Athena was the Ancient Greek Goddess of, wisdom, war, handicraft, and practical reason. He wasn't sure why but he felt like the name suited the female Pegasi before him, who tilted her head curiously upon hearing the name.
"Athena…Athena…" The Pegasi said, before letting out a trill of approval "I like that name…Athena it is"
"It's nice to meet you Athena" Harry said
"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Harry Potter" Athena replied
…
So Harry has passed the Playoffs. Though not without some bumps and scrapes. I've made a rough estimate and I believe there will be at least four more chapters, until we reach the end of the Duelling Tournament. One being a chapter of the Malfoys Christmas party and the other three being the Quarter Finals, then the Semi Finals, then the Finals. Depends on how things in the next few chapters go. Who will Harry's next opponent be? You'll have to wait and see.
Now. Before anyone mentions it. I know there is no such thing as a Pegasi in Harry Potter lore. When planning this chapter, I knew that I wanted Harry's familiar to be some kind bird. However, I couldn't find many magical birds in Harry Potter lore and I didn't want to give Harry a Phoenix as I felt that would be too cliché and has probably been done to death. So I made up my own creature. It's my story, I'm allowed to do that. I hope you like this inclusion and there will be regular appearances of Athena the Pegasi, though I don't know how frequent they will be.
Final thing before we move on. To any fans of my story 'A Different Hogwarts Experience' reading this, I have a question for you. As you will know 'A Different Hogwarts Experience' was my first ever story published. At the time I was proud of it. However I've felt like my writing skill has, hopefully, improved since then and I was thinking of making a remastered version of that story with longer and properly fleshed out chapters, with probably a few added extras that weren't in the original. I will be making a poll so if this is something you want to see, go and leave your vote on there.
That is all for now, I hope you enjoyed and I will see you next time, in whatever story I see you in.
Badger Out