The Champion's Legacy

Chapter 19: Dumbledore's Army

Author's Note: Probably the only chapter where I'm going to do this – a mix of both Harry's and Daphne's POVs. Hope you enjoy it.

This chapter has not been proof-read by a beta. All mistakes that you may notice are my own.

Disclaimer: Recognisable portions in this chapter have been taken from the Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling. I neither own nor intend to make any profit from the use of Harry Potter and associated characters of the series, in my story.

Previously on "The Champion's Legacy"…

'When do you want to meet him?' asked Blaise, looking at Daphne.

She hesitated for a moment, her mind thinking through what needed to be done.

'Sunday,' she said at last. 'Let's do it this Sunday.'

Her eyes met Harry's, and just as it had happened in the library earlier, an invisible beam of understanding and support shot between them. And at that moment, she knew he would not refuse the idea she had for the meeting.

She only hoped that Draco Malfoy would be just as understanding.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione spent the next day tracking down every person who had signed their names to the list in the Three Broomsticks last month and telling them where they were going to have their first meeting on Saturday evening. All of them responded with a combination of relief and enthusiasm ('About time!' Ernie Macmillan had exclaimed), which bolstered Harry's spirits. The fact that they were about to do something to resist Umbridge and the Ministry burned like a talisman inside Harry's chest.

There were other good omens leading up to the meeting, too. Angelina had fixed the Gryffindor Quidditch team practice for the morning of Saturday, giving them plenty of time to recover, wash up, and prepare for the meeting later that day. Harry and Ron had caught up with all their homework too, thanks in no small measure to Hermione and Daphne's help, leaving them with a clean slate for their weekend activities. It certainly helped that Hermione had been in a good mood that week, as all the hats and socks she had stitched for the Hogwarts house-elves had disappeared from the Gryffindor common room.

'Looks like the elves do want to be free, after all,' she told Harry and Ron happily at breakfast on Friday.

Ron opened his mouth to say something but caught Harry's warning look and shut his mouth closed almost at once. Thankfully, Hermione missed the exchange entirely.

The evening of Friday, the tenth of November was devoted to separate pursuits. Hermione, Tracey, and Daphne were in the library, finalising the plan for Sunday's meeting with Draco Malfoy. Ron, Dean, and Neville had hurried off to the seventh-floor corridor; Harry presumed it was to check out the Room of Requirement before the Defence meeting, but they appeared unusually excited for a task that only involved getting the room ready. He had no idea as to what his other Slytherin friends were doing, but he had spotted Ginny out on a walk with Michael Corner.

Privately, Harry was glad of the solitude and the free time. He loved spending time with his friends and girlfriend, but what with the taxing lessons and the hours spent in the library finishing his homework, he welcomed this short break to relax, just by himself. He had decided to spend the time talking to Sirius – it had been almost a month since his last conversation with his godfather, just before their meeting in the Three Broomsticks, to be exact.

His dormitory was, mercifully, empty that evening. Everyone was either out on the grounds, in the library – or in Fred and George's case, demonstrating their latest products to a large crowd of enthusiastic Gryffindors in their common room. It seemed they had taken advantage of Hermione's absence from Gryffindor tower to conduct their tests on subjects other than themselves. Judging by the pale faces of those students, Harry guessed that the product of choice that evening was the Nosebleed Nougat.

Harry shut his dormitory room door, got into his four-poster bed, closed the hangings around him with a wave of his wand, and erected the Privacy Bubble with another wave. Then, holding the mirror close to his face, he called out in a clear voice, 'Sirius Black!'

His breath fogged the surface of the mirror; a second later, the fog faded away and his reflection rippled, only to be replaced by the grinning face of his godfather.

'Harry!' said Sirius happily. 'About time, thought you'd forgotten I exist.'

'I can smell your flea-bitten fur coat from all the way here, Padfoot,' quipped Harry, smirking. 'I doubt I could ever forget your existence.'

'Oi!'

There was a shout of laughter from Sirius' end that did not come from him.

'Who's that?' Harry asked curiously.

There was a pause, then Lupin's smiling face appeared next to Sirius.

'Moony!' exclaimed Harry. 'How've you been?'

'Well as ever, thank you,' said Lupin. 'What you just said – I remember James saying the exact thing once after we'd left Hogwarts. Lily couldn't stop laughing for two minutes straight.'

Harry's heart filled with joy, as it always did when his parents were mentioned in this light – carefree, innocent, and normal, unperturbed by the battles they'd fought against Voldemort.

'I'll have you know that I wash myself twice a day,' grumbled Sirius.

'Even as a dog?' said Lupin amusedly, his eyes twinkling.

'The cleanliness transfers when I transform,' Sirius retorted stubbornly.

Harry sat back and watched the byplay between his father's old friends, a big smile on his face. Both of them looked younger than their appearance suggested: Sirius had maintained his clean-shaven look, and his hair was neatly tied back in a small ponytail instead of hanging around his shoulders. Lupin, too, looked well fed and rested, although Harry noticed his hair was slightly greyer than usual. Perhaps the recent full moon on Tuesday had taken an additional toll on him, and he felt a rush of affection for both of them.

'So, Harry,' said Sirius, turning back to him. 'What's new with you? Started your Defence lessons yet?'

'No, we've got our first meeting tomorrow evening.'

'What?' asked Lupin sharply. 'What Defence lessons are these?'

Harry and Sirius caught him up to speed on the idea that Hermione had had, and how they were going to implement it. By the end of it, Lupin looked torn between approval and worry.

'I thought Padfoot had already told you about this,' said Harry, frowning at his godfather.

'I forgot,' said Sirius sheepishly.

'Harry, I –' Lupin hesitated for a moment, as though gathering his thoughts. Then, he said, 'I won't deny that this is a great thing to do, Harry, and I'm very proud of you. All I suggest is that you remain careful and watchful. You're taking a huge risk with this, especially with Umbridge at Hogwarts. What if someone went and told her?'

'You mean any of the Slytherins?' asked Harry, a little defensively. 'I trust all of them, Moony –'

'Anyone could be a leak,' said Lupin gently. 'With the right pressure and motivation, anyone could be convinced or forced to spill the beans on this.'

'I know,' said Harry. 'Hermione did say they had planned for this. Maybe something would happen to that person if they blabbed.'

'I'm sure she has,' said Lupin, nodding. 'Just be watchful, Harry.'

'Constant vigilance,' said Harry, grinning, and Lupin smiled.

'Mad-Eye will be proud,' said Sirius gruffly. 'I'll let him know when he drops in next – there's an Order meeting due tomorrow morning.'

'Has there been any progress with the Order's work?' asked Harry.

'We've convinced several more foreign ministries of the truth about Voldemort's return,' said Sirius, exchanging a look with Lupin. 'Not the major ones like France or Germany, but smaller ones like Moldova, Ukraine, and Greece. We were making some headway with the Yugoslavia ministry, but they're going through some Muggle upheavals of their own. Charlie said something about a war of independence. Don't ask,' he added, seeing Harry's quizzical look. 'Hermione might know more about this; you can ask her.'

Harry shook his head at once. The last thing he wanted to discuss with Hermione at that time was a Muggle uprising, especially when she was in such a good mood.

'Are they going to help us?' he asked.

'Well, no, not exactly,' said Sirius. 'We didn't exactly go through diplomatic channels to speak to these ministries, so they can't take an official stand. Unofficially, they believe us, and officially, they've decided not to take any steps that would support Voldemort, covertly or otherwise.'

'It is better than nothing,' said Lupin reassuringly, spotting the look on Harry's face. 'Many of these countries might have been threatened to join Voldemort or would have followed Romania's example of supporting him. With these countries promising to maintain a neutral stance for the time being, we can focus our energies on countering Voldemort and his activities closer to home.'

'But he hasn't done anything strange yet, has he? I mean, I know the Prophet doesn't report anything to do with Voldemort, but there doesn't seem to be any of those strange disappearances or murders like what happened with Bertha Jorkins or Mr Crouch last year.'

'You're right, everything is quiet from his end,' said Lupin with a small sigh.

'Too quiet,' muttered Sirius grimly. 'Mad-Eye reckons he's planning something big, that's why he isn't doing anything else.'

'What else is he doing, though?' asked Harry curiously. 'Apart from getting foreign wizards, and the giants, of course.'

Sirius almost choked on the glass of water he was sipping. Lupin thumped him on the back.

'What – how do you know about the giants?' he spluttered out.

'We sort of guessed,' said Harry a little apologetically. 'Hagrid isn't back yet, and Ron and Hermione figured he might have gone to speak to them, along with Madame Maxime.'

He cracked a sheepish smile as Sirius glared at him.

'No wonder Hagrid said you were nosey,' he said grumpily; Harry beamed at him. 'Yeah, well, they did go to meet the giants, and they were on their way back when they split up somewhere near the Franco-Swiss border. Hagrid ought to have been back by now, according to Madame Maxime. But I don't want you lot worrying about it,' he added sternly. 'Hagrid's tough, he knows how to take care of himself, he'll be back soon.'

'As for your earlier question,' said Lupin smoothly, as though there had been no discussion regarding Hagrid's trip to meet the giants, 'he needs a lot of resources to fund his war against wizarding society and the magical government in Britain. His main goal the first time was total world domination, but we think he's setting his sights lower this time around. Wants to get it right, instead of rushing into things.'

'Resources…' said Harry musingly. 'He wants to take over Gringotts?'

'The goblins won't let go of Gringotts easily,' stated Sirius. 'And I don't fancy his chances if he decides to attack Gringotts head-on – the goblins have got a lot of tricks up their sleeves.' He paused, scratching his chin absently. 'No, I think he's looking to consolidate power through his followers, then those people will give him the gold he needs. Safe houses too, where he can lie low and have his meetings.'

'People like Lucius Malfoy?'

'Who else?' Sirius remarked dryly.

'What about Theodore Nott?' asked Harry. 'Is he as rich as the Malfoys?'

'No one is as rich as the Malfoys,' said Sirius. 'Well, I am, possibly, but I've never checked,' he finished with a cheeky grin.

'Theodore Nott Senior is a prominent member of wizarding society in his own right,' said Lupin, rolling his eyes at Sirius. 'He's got his own business of import and exports, unlike the Malfoys who live off an inherited fortune with multiple investments across businesses in wizarding Britain. He doesn't have as much gold as Lucius Malfoy, but he does have some influence and power.'

'Nott Junior wants to become the Slytherin leader,' said Harry offhandedly.

Sirius frowned at him. 'Slytherin leader? I thought that would have been the Malfoy kid – what's his name?'

'Draco, and he isn't the leader anymore. Daphne and the others reckon there's a power vacuum in Slytherin. We're planning to have Daphne become more influential in Slytherin, maybe even become the House leader.'

'Daphne, Slytherin leader?' Sirius considered the point, his eyes unfocused as he gazed at something just above the mirror. Lupin was looking between Sirius and Harry.

Finally, Sirius looked back at Harry and said, 'Well, she is a good candidate. She'll need a little more charisma, though. And a firm hand to deal with those who go against her.'

'You make it sound like it's a dictatorship there,' remarked Harry suspiciously.

'How on earth do you know this stuff?' asked Lupin in amazement.

Sirius gave Lupin a nonplussed look.

'I am a Black. My entire family was in Slytherin. I'm pretty sure Regulus was being groomed to be the next leader of Slytherin House if he hadn't decided to join the Death Eaters. I was bound to pick something up at home, even if I was sorted into Gryffindor.

'It's not exactly authoritarian rule,' he continued, now addressing Harry, 'but you do need to be firm. Slytherins appreciate and admire those who have power. You can't afford to be seen as weak or submissive, or inclined to favour one over another. Your rule applies to everyone, and you've got to be ruthless when it's needed.'

Harry stared at his godfather as he said this. Sirius had a faraway look in his eyes, but it wasn't the easy, reminiscing look that he'd seen before when Sirius spoke about James and their exploits at Hogwarts. Harry could see a trace of how Sirius might have been if he hadn't been sent to Azkaban – strong, confident, and powerful, the Head of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.

'Well, I'll let her know what you told me,' Harry said. 'Maybe we'll call you on Sunday after our meeting with Malfoy,' he continued without thinking.

'Your meeting with who?'

'Oh, yeah, we're meeting Draco Malfoy in secret on Sunday. Actually, Daphne's meeting him –'

'Alone?'

'Err, yeah,' said Harry, shrugging. 'Same place as where we're meeting tomorrow for the Defence session, actually. She thinks it's a good idea to talk to him about this Slytherin leader thing.'

'I see,' said Sirius slowly. 'Well, I can't really comment on whether it's a good idea, seeing as I'm not there. Just ask her to be on her guard, that's all.'

'I will,' Harry promised. 'How's Iris?'

Sirius shook his head, looking sombre. 'No change. Poppy is due a visit this weekend; we'll know more once she's had a look at her.'

'Alright,' said Harry. He looked up at the sound of footsteps climbing the spiral staircase leading to the boys' dormitory. 'Someone's coming up to the dormitory, Sirius, I'd better go.'

'Stay safe, Harry.'

'You too, Padfoot. Bye, Moony.'

'Take care of yourself, Harry,' said Lupin.

The surface of Harry's mirror rippled; a moment later, he was looking at his own reflection, his breath slightly misting the glass.

He removed the Privacy Bubble and opened his hangings just in time for the dormitory door to bang open. Ron walked inside, grinning from ear to ear.

'The Room is brilliant!' he declared excitedly. 'I can't believe no one else knows about it!' He moved to his trunk and began rummaging for a fresh t-shirt. 'What have you been up to?' he finally asked, straightening up and facing Harry.

'I spoke to Sirius and Lupin,' said Harry, getting out of his bed and stretching.

'How are they?' came Ron's muffled voice from inside the new t-shirt.

'They're great! They gave me loads of advice for tomorrow and day after. C'mon, I'll fill you and Hermione in at dinner.'

On Saturday evening, Daphne and the other Slytherins made their way out of the common room to the Room of Requirement. She felt excited for the meeting, but also a bit apprehensive – they were going to be the only Slytherins in a room where some of them obviously didn't want them to be there. That aside, she was nervous for what she had planned after the meeting. She just hoped that Harry would understand.

They reached the corridor just as the Gryffindors turned the corner from the other end. A chorus of greetings echoed around the passage; Daphne, however, went straight to Harry and engulfed him in a hug.

'Well, isn't this a sight,' said Blaise in an almost perfect imitation of Malfoy's drawl. 'How dare you fraternise with the enemy, Greengrass?'

'Shut up, Blaise,' said Tracey and Hermione together. The others laughed.

'Hi,' said Harry. Daphne could feel his arms around her giving her a gentle squeeze. 'Are you okay?'

'I am, now,' she replied, hugging him tightly.

'Aww, that's so sweet,' said Adrian cheekily; then, there was a thunk, followed by an 'Ow!' Daphne could hear Ron guffawing loudly.

She pulled back from the embrace and looked at Harry, a wide smile on her face. He too was grinning at her.

'What brought this on?' he asked quietly, brushing a strand of hair off her face.

'Well, I'd been thinking about what Father told you this summer, and what you told me on the train,' she replied, 'and you were right. We shouldn't be hiding this anymore. I don't want to hide us anymore.'

She had been thinking about them for quite some time now – what he meant to her and how she felt about him. Her Father had been right – if he was worth it, there oughtn't to be any reason to keep it a secret from anyone. Why should she hide the fact that she was dating Harry Potter?

Harry stared at her, an expression of astonishment on his face, which then slowly morphed into a brilliant smile.

'Are you sure?' His eyes were dancing with joy.

'Yes,' she said firmly, and she truly believed. Now, more than ever, she was certain, especially after seeing his reaction.

'You are the most incredible person I've ever met,' he said softly. She could feel herself going red and tried unsuccessfully to fight the blush as she continued to look at him. 'I – thank you, Daph.'

He buried his face in her hair, pulling her back in for another hug. This one was different, however: it spoke of joy, acceptance, and love; the eager anticipation for what the future held for them, together.

She grinned into his chest as she felt him gently kiss her forehead and cheek. She was usually not a sappy or cheesy person, but at that moment, she thought she could stay in his arms forever. It was warm, comfortable, secure, perfect, and –

'Are you done?'

THUD.

'OW!'

Daphne turned away from Harry to see Terence on the floor, nursing his shin. Astoria stood over him, her arms crossed, an ecstatic expression on her face.

'Remind me never to get on Astoria's bad side, ever,' whispered Ron to Blaise, who nodded solemnly.

'Harry?' Hermione was looking at him expectantly.

'Right, yeah,' said Harry. He dropped a quick kiss on Daphne's forehead before moving towards the stretch of blank wall.

Three strides across the corridor later, they were all sequestered within the Room of Requirement, waiting for the others to arrive. Ron, Adrian, and Terence had ambled over to look at the Dark detectors and instruments, while Hermione had, predictably, pulled out The Dark Arts Outsmarted from the bookcase, sank onto the nearest cushion, and begun to read.

They had been inside for barely five minutes when there was a gentle knock on the door. Daphne turned to see the Weasley twins and the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team – Johnson, Spinnet, and Bell – enter the Room.

'This is bizarre!' said George. 'Wasn't this a broom cupboard once, Fred?'

'Oh yeah, we were hiding from Filch then…'

Another knock announced the arrival of the other Gryffindors: Thomas, Brown, Dunbar, Patil, Maxwell, and Longbottom. Thomas whistled appreciatively as he stared around the room.

'Whoa, what is this place?'

Harry started to explain, but more people began to arrive in twos and threes before he could finish, so he had to start all over again. By the time eight o'clock arrived, the Room was filled with every single one of the fifty or so people who had been present for the meeting in Hogsmeade. All the cushions had been occupied, while a few remained standing, lining the back wall near the door.

'Ron, could you get the door?' asked Harry, over the murmurs of everyone else.

Ron nodded and turned the key protruding from the lock. It clicked in a satisfyingly loud way, and everybody fell silent, looking between Ron and Harry, who had stood up at the front of the room near the bookshelves. Daphne thought he looked a little nervous; she flashed him an encouraging smile as he glanced at where she was sat in the front row of cushions along with Tracey and Astoria. He returned the grin before looking out over the crowd.

'Well, this is the place we've found for our practices,' he began, 'and I guess you've found it okay –'

'This is cool!' said Dean enthusiastically, and several people murmured their agreement.

'How did you find this?' asked Cedric, looking keenly at the Foe-Glass.

'Had some help from a house-elf,' said Ron promptly, and more than a few people stared at him.

'Right,' said Harry, catching everyone's attention once more, 'well, I've been thinking about what we could start off with in these practices, and –' He spotted a raised hand. 'Yes, Hermione?'

'We should elect a leader,' she said.

'Harry's leader,' said Daphne at once.

'Yes, but I think we should vote on it,' said Hermione stubbornly. 'It makes it formal and gives him authority. So, who's in favour of Harry being our leader?'

Everyone put up their hands. Daphne noticed a few people glancing curiously in their direction as she lowered her hand.

Probably wondering why the Slytherins were voting for Harry Potter as a leader.

'Err – right, thanks,' said Harry, whose face had turned slightly red. 'So – um – what now, Hermione?'

'I also think we ought to have a name!' she said brightly.

Daphne had to stop herself from giggling at the incredulous and exasperated look on Harry's face. After exchanging a quick look with Ron, who shrugged, he rolled his eyes and nodded.

'How about the Anti-Umbridge League?' called Johnson.

'Or the Ministry of Magic Are Morons Group?' suggested Fred Weasley.

'Too obvious,' said Blaise. 'We don't want to stand out when we talk about it outside this Room.'

'Why don't you suggest something, then?' said Zacharias Smith with a slight sneer in his voice.

'Alright,' said Blaise smoothly. 'We could be the Defence Association, or the D.A. for short.'

'Let's call it Dumbledore's Army, instead,' said Adrian. 'That's the Ministry's worst fear, isn't it?'

Fred and George clapped appreciatively, but quite a few people looked a little wary.

'Was there anything wrong with the name?' asked Adrian curiously.

'No, I think they're just surprised that a Slytherin came up with the best suggestion of the evening,' said Tracey sardonically.

'Yes, well, Dumbledore's Army is a good suggestion,' said Hermione hastily before Smith could retort. 'Are we all in favour of the D.A.?'

Daphne glanced around as Hermione counted the number of hands. Almost everyone had raised their hands this time too, but there were a few, Smith included, who looked defiant.

'That seems to be a majority, then,' said Hermione.

'Don't write it on that parchment,' said Blaise warningly, as they saw Hermione move to do just that, a quill in her hand.

'Why not?'

'It'd be better if we don't put it anywhere in writing,' he said.

'But –' Hermione looked bewildered, 'I don't think anyone else is going to look at this list, do you?'

Blaise shrugged. 'It's what I'd do.'

'I don't think it'll be a problem,' said Hermione bossily. She proceeded to write DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY in large letters on top of the list of everyone's names, then pinned the list to the board next to the bookshelves.

Daphne saw Blaise exchange a meaningful look with Adrian when Hermione's back was turned. She could tell what they were worried about: while putting the name would invoke the spirit of unity amongst everyone in the group, it was also incriminating evidence in case it was left lying around. And while they trusted Hermione to not do exactly that, there was no guarantee that it would be taken from this room by someone else who would want to tattle on them.

'Right,' said Harry firmly, drawing everyone's attention back to him once Hermione had sat down, 'well, as I said, I've had some ideas about what we could do, and I think we could start with the Disarming Charm. I know it's quite basic, but I've found it really useful –'

There was an outbreak of murmurs and some muttering. Daphne got the impression that there wasn't too much support for starting with such a basic charm.

'Oh, please,' said Smith in a drawling voice worthy of Draco Malfoy, with an eye-roll to match. 'The Disarming Charm, really? I think we can all perform that!'

'I agree,' said Ernie Macmillan. 'Harry, I'm sure all of us know how to cast the Disarming Charm –'

'Try it,' said Harry suddenly.

The Room became very quiet. Daphne could see a determined look on Harry's face.

'What?' said Macmillan in astonishment.

'Try disarming me,' repeated Harry. 'Both of you, together.'

Macmillan looked between Harry and Smith; the latter was smirking broadly.

'Are you sure, Potter?' said Smith, his eyes glinting. 'You want to take on both of us on your own?'

'Sure,' replied Harry, shrugging. He looked at the people seated on their cushions in the middle of the Room. 'Could you give us a bit of room, please?'

Everyone scrambled to their feet and moved closer to the walls. Daphne, however, went straight to Harry.

'Are you sure about this, Harry?' she whispered to him. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Macmillan and Smith come to stand side by side at the other end of the room. Ron came over to Harry's other side.

'Harry, you don't have to –' he began.

'I know,' he said. 'But I think I need to.'

He gave them a quick smile and indicated that they should step away. Daphne followed Ron to his side of the Room to stand with Hermione and Neville, the latter of whom seemed to look confused and worried at her presence next to Harry's best friends. Ignoring the temptation to explain everything, she instead turned to Harry, who had closed his eyes and murmured something under his breath.

There was a sudden disturbance in the air – almost like a ripple; then, out of nowhere, a small platform appeared in the middle of the Room, almost identical to the platform that they'd seen in the Great Hall at the disastrous attempt at a Duelling Club during their second year. Several people gasped in shock, and Fred and George said together, 'Wicked!'

Harry stepped onto the stage and turned to face both Macmillan and Smith. All three of them had their wands out – Harry held his loosely in his hand, while the Hufflepuffs had theirs at the ready, clenched tightly in their fists. Daphne could see faint signs of nervousness from Smith and Macmillan now.

'Adrian,' said Harry, clear enough for everyone to hear him, 'could you give the signal for us to begin, please? Just ring the bell,' he added, indicating the silver bell that was on a table next to where Adrian was. 'After a countdown, of course.'

Adrian looked a little surprised but nodded his assent. He picked up the bell and walked towards the stage.

'Three – two – one –'

The bell rang clear and true in the silence of the Room. All eyes swivelled between the combatants on the platform, waiting for the first spell to be cast.

'Hit me with your best shot,' Harry said to Macmillan and Smith. 'Disarming Charm, only.'

Smith looked at Macmillan, who shrugged. They both raised their wands. Harry's arm twitched.

'Expelliarmus!'

The Hufflepuffs had yelled the spell together, but it didn't seem to have any noticeable effect at all. The spell from Macmillan was strong but awry: the jet of scarlet light missed Harry completely and instead smashed into the wall behind him, dissipating harmlessly. Smith's spell, though aimed well, was weak; Daphne could tell that his wandwork was inadequate for casting the spell perfectly.

In the split second that the two spells had been fired, Harry had shifted from a casual stance to one ready for a serious duel. His wand had snapped into his hand in a firm grip, while his legs were spread apart, his dominant right foot forward to allow for better balance.

With a slight twist of his torso, he avoided the first jet of light from Macmillan; a flick of his wand, and the spell from Smith splashed feebly against an invisible shield that he had conjured silently.

Before both his opponents could do anything more than gape at him, Harry raised his wand; silently, in quick succession, two scarlet jets of light sped from the tip of his wand directly to Smith and Macmillan. They barely had time for their eyes to widen in astonishment before the spells hit them straight in their midriffs; they were blasted off their feet, flew backwards off the platform and collided – rather painfully – with the wall behind them. Their wands had flown high into the air, and with a broad grin, Ron caught them.

There was a stunned moment of silence, then the Room burst into applause. Harry relaxed his stance, retrieved the wands from Ron, and went to help Smith and Macmillan up. They were both wincing and were moving a little gingerly.

'I must have overpowered my spells, sorry,' Harry told them as he returned the wands to their respective owners. Macmillan looked sheepish and embarrassed but insisted that Harry needn't apologise; Smith looked resentful and sulky.

'That was unbelievable, Harry!' said Lee Jordan, the Quidditch commentator.

'Thanks, Lee,' said Harry, turning slightly red but smiling all the same. He turned away from Smith and Macmillan to face the rest of the room.

'The Disarming Charm, though basic, is one of the most useful spells you can master,' he began. 'You can use it to get rid of your opponent's wand, or even temporarily put them out of the duel, just like what happened here.' He indicated Macmillan and Smith with a wave of his hand. 'It's also one of the easiest spells to use to deflect other spells cast by your opponent.'

'Deflect other spells?' asked Diggory loudly. 'How does that work?'

'If you time it right, you can meet the opponent's curse midway, causing it to change direction away from you.'

'You're not telling us that works,' said Smith disbelievingly.

'It worked for me against Voldemort in June,' said Harry quietly.

The Room was very quiet. Smith's mouth had fallen open in a comical expression.

'Let's divide into pairs, everyone, and practice with each other,' said Harry after a moment.

Everybody divided up at once. Ron had partnered with Blaise, Tracey with Hermione, and Adrian with Terence. Daphne moved automatically to Harry's side.

'That was…wow,' she said, staring at him. She had a sudden desire to grab his face and snog him, a feeling that only intensified when he grinned sheepishly at her.

'I just wanted to show them that's it not all fun and games,' he said, observing the last few pairs getting into position. Daphne noticed that the Room had expanded considerably from its previous size to accommodate all the standing participants, spread out as they were.

'I'd say you definitely achieved that,' said Daphne. 'I didn't know you could cast silently, when did you learn that?'

'Cassius and Iris taught me,' said Harry quietly, a reminiscent look on his face. 'Before the Third Task.'

Daphne nodded, her throat constricting slightly as she thought about her two Housemates – the Hogwarts Champion and the Head Girl.

'I think you should duel with Iris,' Daphne suggested. 'Just as a demonstration, of course,' she added, seeing Harry's raised eyebrow. 'Once she's back, you could have a duel with her.'

'She'd wipe the floor with me,' said Harry, shaking his head. 'I'll need both Ron and Hermione to face her.'

'That sounds like fun.'

'You'd think so, wouldn't you?'

The Room was rent with shouts of 'Expelliarmus!' Wands flew in all directions, some people stumbled while others were knocked off their feet, missed spells hit the walls or the bookshelves, causing books to be dislodged from their places and sent flying into the air. Daphne could see that very few people had actually mastered the charm. Harry seemed to have noticed it too; she heard him sigh.

'Time to go, Professor,' she said, nudging him with her hip and grinning.

Harry mock-scowled at her but nodded. He bent down and kissed her quickly on the cheek before heading towards the duelling pairs around the room.

She sighed, watching him go – but it could not be more different from an expression of exasperation. Being by his side was the best decision she had taken in her life, and she vowed to stay beside him for as long as she could.

To be continued…