I do not own Harry Potter, only the OC

Hello guys, Badger here. Back again with a new chapter. I think I should get a new laptop as I had to take it into the shop for repairs again, which delayed updates for my stories. This chapter has been sat half finished for a good few weeks but now its done. However, when finishing this chapter, I was tired from stress and constant University work, so I apologise if it seems rough around the edges.

Anyway, I'll leave it there for now, I hope you enjoy and I will see you at the end.

Chapter 9

The next several weeks, flew by for Harry. With his training by Flitwick being mixed in with his regular studies, as well as Quidditch practice and matches, time seemed to pass by like a blur. Not much had happened in the school. Everything seemed to quieten down, after the troll incident and Harry was awarded the Order of Merlin First Class. Something students were STILL talking about. Despite how quiet things had been lately, Harry didn't like it. He highly doubted the troll had just wandered into the castle on its own. Someone had to have led it inside. Whether it was to kill innocents or merely create a distraction, it made Harry wonder when something similar would happen again.

He tried to not dwell on those thoughts so much, as he put one hundred percent into his studies, earning excellent marks and Outstanding's in every lesson, which wasn't a surprise to anyone. He was no slouch either, when it came to his training sessions with Flitwick. The Charms Professor had been massively impressed with Harry's progress and skill that, after only a few weeks, Flitwick had started teaching more advanced spells, which took a little longer to get right and use properly but Harry soon found himself breezing through those as well.

Harry was currently with Flitwick, panting heavily, as the Charms Professor set up three training dummies, each one enchanted with magic, to make them move and fire spells, to make things harder for him. Flitwick had taught him a spell, that will cause ice to form on wherever the spell impacts, and the ice will contain you grow and spread overtime, causing massive discomfort and irritation to whoever is the one unfortunate enough to find themselves caught in the crossfire. Flitwick had even taught Harry a low powered blasting hex, to be used to hit the ice, causing it to shatter and, whilst it wouldn't kill the target in question, it will do enough damage to knock them unconscious or immobilise them to kick the target out of the fight. As it was an underaged duelling championship, killing wasn't allowed, and will lead to immediate disqualification.

"You're doing well Harry" Flitwick smiled "But lets try it again…and this time, go faster, in a real life duel, you won't be able to take a moment to think"

Flitwick tapped his wand against one of the dummies and they immediately came to life, removing their wands and immediately began firing spells in his direction. Thanks to his Chaser reflexes, Harry was only just able to avoid the spells and began moving about the room, making him a moving target and therefore, harder to hit. Looking for an opportunity, Harry gripped his wand tightly, before shooting the ice spell at the dummy closest to him. The spell hit the training dummy in the arm, where ice began to spread, covering its wand hand, as well as its wand, making it unable to use any spells. Immediately Harry followed through with a blasting hex which shattered the wand arm, causing the dummy to fall down, the magic evaporating from the engravings of the wood, now that it was out of the fight.

Harry didn't have any time to celebrate, as he immediately dodge, seeing a jet of red light approaching, from the corner of his eye. The other two training dummies, had cornered him, with one either side of him, making it difficult to dodge. The training dummy on his right fired a curse, which Harry easily dodged. Unfortunately for the other training dummy, behind him, it got hit by the spell, knocking it back slightly. Immediately Harry hit the knocked down training dummy with the ice spell and dodged a stinging hex, before sending the ice spell, which also impacted the training dummy in the wand arm, rendering it useless. Harry quickly shattered the ice with the blasting hex, before turning around and blasting the other training dummy, finishing them off, as they too collapsed to the ground, the magic enchantments gone.

"Well done, Harry" Flitwick beamed, clapping cheerfully "Well done indeed…I must say, you have impressed me with your quick learning talent…though I shouldn't be surprised…I believe you are more then ready for the championship"

"You really believe I'm ready?" Harry asked "I don't feel ready"

"Honestly, Harry, with your skill you've proven to me, I think you are in with a good chance at winning the championship" Flitwick said "Tomorrow night you will be heading home for the Christmas holidays, and on Friday the qualifiers will begin, so spend the whole of tomorrow resting up, no extreme physical activity…just relax…on Friday I will come and collect you to take you to the duelling ring…I'll be acting as your sponsor and coach, so I'll be by your side throughout"

"Thank you Professor" Harry smiled

"Please, you can call me Filius" Flitwick said "Now, go on, dinner will be happening soon…remember what I said, spend tomorrow resting up, let your magical core cool down"

Harry nodded and, with a small wave goodbye, left the room, to get a quick shower in before dinner began, cause he could use one. As he made his way down the Hogwarts corridors, however, he heard muffled voices. They seemed to be coming from behind one of the many doors, on either side of him. He was about to search the rooms, when one of the doors opened and Ron and Harry's whale of a brother, Nathaniel, ran out, though they came to a quick halt, before they could run into Harry, looking shocked to see him there. However, the shock on Nathaniel's face turned to one of anger, upon seeing his older brother.

"What are you doing here, attention stealing jerk?" He demanded

"I should be the one asking you that question" Harry replied, calmly, though his eyes narrowed and his hand twitched, itching to grab his wand and hex the whale in front of him "Considering dinner is about to begin, I would've thought you, especially, would be in the Great Hall by now…it's uncharacteristic of you to miss me a meal"

"W-well…Nathaniel found something in one of the rooms and…" Ron started, only to be elbowed in the ribs by Nathaniel, who was glaring daggers at his friend, to shut him up

Harry looked back and forth, between the two First Years in front of him, raising an eyebrow as to what it was, Ron said, Nathaniel had found.

"Fortunately for you, I'm not a Prefect" Harry said "However, you better get moving before I decide to take you to Professor McGonagall for being somewhere you, no doubt, shouldn't be"

Nathaniel glared at Harry in anger, though Harry was unfazed by his younger brothers, rather pathetic, attempts to try and intimidate him and glared at Nathaniel with a glare of his own. One that held a lot more ice and coldness in it. Nathaniel quickly looked away from the ice being sent this way and walked away, dragging Ron along with him. As they walked off, Harry could hear his brother berating Ron about opening his mouth, with Ron apologising over and over again. As they disappeared from view, Harry looked to the open door, leading to the room they had left mere moments before. Growing more curious as to whatever it was that intrigued the two so much, Harry entered to see for himself, nearly expecting it to be a prank of some kind.

The room was cold and empty. Harry assumed it was an old classroom of some kind. He wasn't sure how long it had been unused for, but the amount of dust and cobwebs covering nearly every surface in the room, he imagined it was a long time. There was only one thing in the room, which gleamed in the darkness of the room. A large, ornate, golden mirror. Even more curious then he was before, Harry approached the mirror, wondering what it was about this mirror that intrigued his brother so much. Getting closer, Harry saw an inscription engraved on the mirrors arch:

"Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi"

Harry tilted his head, trying to figure out what the engraving meant, before he looked into the mirror, where he nearly jumped back in shock. Staring back at him, in the mirrors glass, was himself. Though, it wasn't him at the same time. The reflection staring back at him was much older. His jawline was more chiseled and sharp, with hints of a stubble. His shoulders was more broad and he had a lot more muscle then he did now and he was dressed in fancy looking robes. Harry knew it was himself, from the emerald green eyes and jet black hair, that was untameable as ever.

His older self wasn't alone either. Sirius and Remus were there, though they looked older. Both of their faces was glowing with proud smiles, as they stood to one side. His little sister Evelyn was also there, standing beside him. She may have looked unrecognisable as a young woman, but he knew those eyes well. There was a lot more people standing beside him. He didn't know who they were, but he spotted his grandparents, Fleamont and Euphemia Potter, who he recognised from pictures at Potter Manor, standing amongst them, making Harry wonder if the rest of the strangers behind him were his ancestors. Like Sirius and Remus, each one of them were giving him proud smiles. Most curiously, however, was the woman standing by Harry's side. She was wearing an elegant silver and blue dress, but Harry couldn't see who she was. her face was blurred making it impossible to see any physical features. No matter how long he stood there for, concentrating, in hopes of getting a glimpse as to who she was, nothing changed. Harry reached his hand out, to touch the reflection in the glass, but quickly stood back, shaking his head, as if he had just come out of a trance. As soon as he stepped back from the mirror, the scene in the reflection faded away and all Harry could see was himself.

Looking around the room, Harry saw that he was alone in the room, with no signs of anyone being there. He didn't know what this mirror was, but it scared, and also intrigued, him.

Dumbledore paced back and forth in his office. He was beginning to get paranoid. He knew that Voldemort would want Quirrell to wait before trying to get the Philosophers Stone again, but the waiting was starting to make him even more anxious as each day passed. What didn't help was that Nathaniel still had no idea about what was going on. The boy either ignored, or missed all the clues Dumbledore was leaving. Dumbledore didn't want to outright tell the boy, he wanted Nathaniel's capabilities to be tested and Dumbledore couldn't do that by holding the boys hand and giving him all the answers.

When Dumbledore had the boy enter his office, to talk to him about McGonagall giving him private lessons, to help improve his school performance, Dumbledore tried to give Nathaniel a few hints but he wouldn't listen. The boy was too busy ranting and expressing his anger about being giving private lessons and extra homework, which Nathaniel thought he didn't need. The boy's arrogance was getting worse. And now Nathaniel was going home for the Christmas Holidays. With less people around, Quirrell was bound to strike. Dumbledore hoped he could stall the man until the students, and more importantly Nathaniel, returned.

It wasn't long until Harry and his friends found themselves arriving back at Kings Cross Station. The journey home was fairly uneventful, where they merely played exploding snap and talked about what they were going to be doing during the Holidays, with Harry's friends giving their support for him partaking in the Paris Magicka, Under 17's Duelling Ring. After arriving at the station, they said their goodbyes, though James stuck with Harry for a moment, waiting for Aila, who was currently saying goodbye to a of her friends in her year. Harry noticed that James seemed to watching Fred, as the Weasleys made the red headed family made their way to barrier.

"Have you told him how you feel?" Harry asked, remembering what Aila had told him

"No, not yet" James sighed "I'm not sure how to bring it up in conversation"

"Just tell him" Harry shrugged "I don't see any other way…just tell him…best case scenario, he feels the same way, worst case scenario, he doesn't but you'll be able to move on from it"

"Yeah…I guess" James replied, before seeing that Aila had finished speaking with her friends and was waving to him "I better get going, before my sis gets impatient…good luck again man"

"Thanks, I'll try and visit if I can" Harry replied

"You're welcome to visit anytime, Ruby always likes your visits" James smiled, giving Harry a salute before walking off

Harry returned the salute in return. Ruby and Marty Albright were friends of James' and Aila's parents and had been their guardians for the past ten years. At the same time, when Voldemort attacked Harry and his parents, some of his Death Eaters had found and attacked the Badgers. An attack that resulted in the Deaths of James' and Aila's parents. Thankfully, the two of them were taken by their House Elf, Jinx, during the attack and ever since, they've been looked after by the Albrights. And the Death Eaters responsible for their parents deaths are unknown. None of the captured Death Eaters admitted to killing the Badgers, when they were placed under Veritaserum, meaning their killers were, most likely, still out there, in hiding. Harry couldn't help but feel sorry for his friends.

Sighing, Harry turned and made his way over to his parents who were waiting for him. Harry was slightly surprised, seeing as most of the time they forget to collect him, but seeing as their precious golden boy was coming home for the Holidays, that surprise didn't last long. His little sister, Evelyn, was with them and, upon seeing him, immediatley ran to him, nearly knocking him down to the floor, as she tackled into his legs, hugging them tightly. Harry couldn't help but smile, as he picked her up into his arms and hugged her gently, whilst she tried to wrap her little arms around him, in a surprisingly, bone crippling hug.

"Nice to see you too Evie" He said

"Harry left me!" She said, with a frown as she looked up at him, showing her evident displeasure of not seeing her older brother for nearly four months

"I know, I don't like it either, but I have too" Harry replied, repeating the same thing he always said, ever since Evelyn was able to talk

Evelyn's frown softened, as she snuggled into him, not saying another word. Harry rolled his eyes slightly, though his smile never faltered, as he made his way to his parents. He was slightly taken aback, by the smiles on his parents faces. They seemed…proud, almost. No doubt they read the Daily Prophet when his Order of Merlin became public knowledge.

"Glad to see you back Harry" Lily smiled, she would've given Harry a hug, but Evelyn was still wrapped in his arms "How has your year been so far, darling?"

"It's been fine" Harry replied, blankly

Not once had his parents asked how his year is going, or how exams or tests went. That confirmed his suspicions. Now that he was a holder of the Order of Merlin, he was a son they could be proud of and 'deserved' their attention. He wasn't fooled. He no longer needed their attention, and hasn't done for a long while.

"Can we get going now!" Nathaniel spoke up, not happy that Harry was taking the attention from him, once again

"Yes, can we please go, I am feeling tired and would like to rest" Harry added

"Of course" James Potter nodded "Unfortunately we can't go home the Muggle way, so we have to apparate"

Harry felt like groaning. He hated apparating. It always made his insides feel like they were about to be regurgitated out of his mouth. Biting back a response, Harry made sure that Evelyn was comfortable in his arms before holding onto his mothers offered hand, ignoring the gentle smiles she was giving him. Taking a deep breath, to brace himself, Harry closed his eyes, just before he felt the sickening feeling of being twisted and squeezed, as if he was being sucked through a straw. The feeling lasted a few seconds, before everything smoothened out and became normal again, where Harry found himself standing in front of Potter Manor, once again. Thankfully he was able to keep his dinner down, but that didn't stop the churning in his stomach. Even Evelyn looked a little bit green, as she snuggled more into his chest, her eyelids growing heavy. Harry couldn't help but smile at that.

When the spinning feeling stopped, Harry followed his parents inside Potter Manor. He couldn't help but sigh, thinking about having to deal with his parents and his brother, on a daily basis. Thankfully, the duelling ring in Paris should keep him busy for a good part of the Holidays.

"I'm glad you two are back" James Potter said "We have a lot of things planned this Christmas, we plan to make this the best Christmas ever"

"Whatever plans you have, I'm going to take a rain check on them" Harry replied, speaking softly, to not wake Evelyn in his arms "I already have important plans for the Holidays"

"What plans?" Lily asked, disappointed

"The Paris Magicka, Under 17's Duelling Ring" Harry replied

"WHAT!" Lily yelled, but lowered her voice when Evelyn stirred, but didn't wake "You entered a Duelling Ring, without asking our permission first?"

"I didn't enter myself" Harry said "Professor Flitwick did, he was impressed with my handling of the troll and has been training me since then and he believes I'm in with a good chance to win…besides, I don't know why I need your permission for anything, considering that you've never been there for me, when I needed you, for the past ten years"

Lily took a small step back, like she had been slapped, at Harry's words. Due to her silence, James Potter spoke up.

"Son, your mother, and I, are just worried about you entering, Duelling Rings can be dangerous" He said "Is there a way you can…drop out"

"No, only Flitwick can do that for me, as he is my coach" Harry replied, calmly, though he grew tired of speaking to them "Even if I could I wouldn't…I agreed to entering, this is my decision and you have no right in what I do…not anymore…Professor Flitwick will be picking me up, to take me to the Qualifiers tomorrow, so don't wait up"

With nothing else to say, Harry turned on his heel and carried Evelyn's sleeping form up the stairs, being careful to not wake her up. He carried her into her room and tucked her into her bed. He didn't change her into any nightwear, just in case he accidently woke her. Giving his little sister a small kiss on her forehead, Harry carefully made his way out, closing the door behind him, before entering his own bedroom.

Reaching into his pockets, Harry removed his shrunken down trunk which he reverted. Opening it up, he removed his Order of Merlin and placed it on his nightstand, beside the moving picture of him and his little Evie. Harry was glad he always placed all kinds of locking charms on his bedroom door. No doubt his jealous brother would try to steal it, if he could. Going back to his trunk, to find some nightwear, Harry saw something that caught his attention. It was a brown box. A brown box that he definitely didn't put there when he packed up his stuff. Cautiously taking it, he opened it up, where he saw a pair of pristine black robes, that looked like they were made of dragon hide, as well as some kind of arm holster. On top of the robes lay a note, which read:

Every Duellist needs a good pair of Duellist Robes. After some talking with an old friend, I was able to obtain a pair of Dragon Hide robes for extra protection. I also included a Duellist Wand Holster which goes on your arm. You are required to wear these during the Duelling Ring.

See you soon

Filius Flitwick

Harry smiled, as he took the robes and lay them neatly across the chair in his room, so he could change into it when he woke up. He wasn't sure how Flitwick was able to smuggle the robes into his trunk, though Flitwick was a master in all kinds of magic and had a good few decades of experience ahead of Harry. Either that, or Flitwick smuggled it in himself, or had someone else in Ravenclaw smuggle it in, when he was sleeping the night before, after he finished packing.

Shrugging Harry started undressing, putting on some sleepwear, before getting into his bed, where he quickly fell asleep, mentally preparing for the Duelling Ring the next day.

And that's the new chapter done. What did you guys think.

As I wanted Harry's first duels in the Duelling Ring to be in its own separate chapter, it felt like the perfect place to end it. When writing this chapter, I originally planned for James to admit his feelings to Fred, though I felt like it was too soon for that. I don't know when it will happen, but I was thinking of having James admit his feelings near the end of the year.

Speaking of James, there was also a small reference to characters, fans of 'A Different Hogwarts Experience' will know well. The Albrights and Jinx the House Elf. These are characters I want to bring back in some of my stories, so expect cameos and appearances from them sometime soon, if I can fit them in.

Anyway that is all for now. I hope you enjoyed and I will see you next time, where we will see if Harry can pass the Qualifying Duels.

Badger Out