Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
...
Susan did her best to avoid the stinging hex that had been shot in her direction, the spell missing by the barest of margins before firing off a Jelly-Leg Jinx, crying out the spell with full force and watched with satisfaction as it crashed into her opponent. While it wouldn't win the battle outright, the student whom she was facing began to panic as their centre of balance began to shift underneath them.
"Expelliarmus!" shouted Susan before smiling as her target was struck, them being too focused on trying to get their legs back under control.
"Winner!" announced Professor Sprout, the Head of Hufflepuff was swiftly followed by the rest of the students in attendance applauding in appreciation of what they had just witnessed. As much as many of the third and second students would hate to admit, they were more likely than not going to be playing second fiddle to the first year student before them.
Susan meanwhile was already replaying the brief conflict she had just been a part of. As a child her aunt had taken it upon herself to teach Susan the best way to defend herself and being the head of the DMLE the older witch was quite experienced regarding how to battle opponents. She had given the Bones heiress a vast deal of knowledge, much of which the young girl had yet to show in her battles thus far.
She did have to figure though that many of the older students were somewhat crippled in their learning regarding how to fight against others. From what she had heard, for decades Hogwarts had been unable to maintain a solid Defence Against the Dark Arts curriculum due to the teacher changing every year. Having spoke with a third year student, they had yet to cover anything that she didn't already know which was saying something for one of the core subjects of the school.
Regardless, she had felt that she had been somewhat sloppy in her fight just prior. Her footwork hadn't been quite on point and her aim had been slightly off in the opening moments. She had been taught from an early age that single moment's hesitation could be the difference between victory and defeat.
Her mind though had started on another topic and now that she had joined the ranks while awaiting for the next bout to begin she didn't hear the words of encouragement her friends gave her. The thoughts of how she would fare against the strongest of her peers.
Susan knew she was good.
Not troll killing good though.
Harry Potter, he by far was one of the few she truly wished to fight in the upcoming tournament. She wasn't one for rumours but knew that most came from an ounce of truth and if all the rumours centred around a fact of one boy killing something most wouldn't dare face without reinforcements. If there was anyone around her year level she truly felt could give her a challenge then it would be him.
Except she had been leaked intel from someone whom her aunt had told her not to trust. Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius Malfoy who apparently had a knack for being able to talk his way out of any sort of slippery situation. From what little she had spoken with his son however it seemed the trait had not yet passed far down the line as of yet.
Draco however had told her that he had heard that Harry had planned to ambush a bunch of upper year Slytherin students who hoped to inspect the area where the first year had slain the troll this Friday after dinner. At first this had sounded all sorts of warning alarms in her mind until Draco said that he planned on attacking them to keep the secret safe. She had asked what secret and the Slytherin had merely shrugged his shoulders before walking off.
She had wished this was merely speculation but her curiosity was definitely getting the better of her. She wanted to know how strong he was but she knew that she couldn't tackle a number of Slytherin students on her own. What she had learned from her aunt thus far had been fully in regards to facing creatures or people on a one on one basis. The fact that Draco feared for the safety of his peers against a single person though, this she had to bare witness to and not simply hear from second hand sources.
Could someone her age truly stand against more than a single opponent and come out on top? Or would it be beneficial for the sole individual if she was there to help?
Well, one way or another she was determined to find out.
...
Harry sat in the confines on his room after having been in yet another meeting with Professor McGonagall regarding his current sleeping arrangements. Once more he had said that he had had a recent magical episode while he had been sleeping but had kept it secret as he didn't want anyone to spread the word around. Thankfully she had bought it and had agreed to have Harry remain in his own area until the end of the school year. At the start of the following year however she had explained that if he was still having bursts of magical energy in his sleep then they would have to look at getting him checked up at St. Mungo's Hospital.
Harry hadn't really been able to argue and wondered why part of the conversation had taken so long to come up before he figured that Dumbledore had not wished Harry to visit the magical hospital. Word getting out that the hero of the magical world couldn't control his abilities was something the Headmaster wouldn't risk spreading around unless absolutely necessary. If that was the case then Harry very well would have to admit defeat and accept the fact that he would be bunking with his peers once more.
Hopefully he could find somewhere else in the castle to isolate himself from the rest and potentially 'accidentally' fall asleep somewhere else on more than one occasion. Of course all of his extra study would have to be properly hidden, the fact he was studying things from the library he was certain wasn't in the upper year curriculums couldn't be found out. He wouldn't be able to properly brew potions and study in the Gryffindor common room, not without being ostracised even more and unfortunately he couldn't do that with the long term goals he, Hermione and Neville had in place.
Frankly, being locked away with the rest of his peers was by far a worse case scenario. Unfortunately he couldn't figure out a way to get around it, at least not without doing something which would have him removed from the campus entirely.
A knock on the door caused Harry to get up from his armchair, adjusting his robes as he did so. Checking the time, Harry theorized that Daphne had either eaten her dinner at an alarming rate or had skipped it entirely in order to make it here at this moment. Regardless, it was time for him to take her to where he had slain the troll and explain how he had done so.
Hopefully she wouldn't be too disappointed by how simple it was in his eyes.
...
"Is that all?"
"Not really," said Harry. "In order for me to get the giant on the ground I had to freeze the ground beneath it, remove its foothold."
"So what, you froze the floor," scolded Daphne, her arms crossed across her chest as if disappointed by the answer.
"But remember, by this point I had lost my wand, not to mention slumped up against the floor with a couple broken ribs," said Harry matter of factly before pointing to the spot he remembered so well. "So tell me, how did I freeze the floor?"
Daphne followed a lump that had formed in her throat. "You...you channeled the magic through your body?" It didn't come out as a statement, but rather a question. "But that...that's..."
"Difficult, I know," concluded Harry.
"Not difficult, it should be damn near impossible, especially for kids our age. Someone like Dumbledore maybe but even only in theory."
"Yet still," said Harry solemnly, "I managed to do it, at a cost."
"At a cost?" repeated Daphne.
"Let's just say that if it weren't for Madam Pomfrey's healing abilities I very well have lost an arm."
Daphne felt her heart still for a moment as she placed together the pieces of the puzzle that Harry was most likely leaving out on purpose. He had had a number of days before this inevitable confrontation and had possibly gone through thousands of ways this conversation would have panned out. Suddenly she felt herself on the chessboard once again but this time she felt like the underdog, a scattering of pieces against a force which hadn't yet had it's defences assaulted.
Still though, she could win this.
"Alright then, so you have the troll at your mercy, one arm down but the creature is at your feet, unable to stand up, but without your wand, what do you do?" she asked confidently, waiting to see what feeble finale Harry had. Without his wand by his side and severely injured, she could only assume that another had come and dealt the finishing blow, one of the professors perhaps.
"As far as Madam Pomfrey knows, I levitated the axe out of the suit of armour's grasp and into my own," stated Harry, indicating towards the empty pedestal where the mentioned suit once resided. "Now, while I may have told her this, it is not true. Can you tell me why?"
Daphne took a couple of seconds of contemplation before the answer came to her. "Your wand arm was still frozen. It wouldn't have mattered if you had gotten your wand back, you couldn't cast with it."
"So, how did I get the axe?"
"You...you..." started Daphne before taking a deep breath. "You stood up, ignoring the incredible amount of pain you were in and...did you rip it from the armour?"
"Yes."
"How did you pull it from it's grasp? Not only must it have weighed a stupid amount but this is a magical castle, there must be enchantments on things like weapons to prevent students from getting hold of them."
"Maybe," said Harry with a shrug of the shoulders. He had actually wondered that exact thing on multiple occasions but he had come to the conclusion that Hogwarts itself had allowed him to use the items at it's disposal to help him survive. It had seemed ludicrous at first but the more outlandish ideas he had created all seemed to falter compared to that theory. Unfortunately there was no real way to prove or disprove that possibility for the moment so for now he had decided to let that one slide on by for now.
"Still, regardless, you tore down the suit of armour, grabbed the axe and beheaded the troll and as if that isn't crazy enough, you did so with only one hand!"
"Took a handful of swings but that about sums it up."
"How are you so casual about all of this? You make it sound like it's an everyday occurance."
Harry took a couple of deep breaths as he readied himself to answer the question he had always known was coming. "Because, when all you've known for so long is pain and suffering it feels nice to be able to dish it out once in a while."
Daphne felt her heart still for a moment as Harry said those words, once more without a sense of any anguish or guilt. He had killed a creature and by the sounds of it, felt nothing. It was terrifying to think that once more he could kill something else and feel the exact same amount of nothingness.
She momentarily recalled when she had first seen Harry, or at least recognized him for who he was. She had already been sorted into Slytherin by that point but when his name had been called out she had felt her gut clench ever so slightly. Then when Harry had fled from the Great Hall in something reminiscent of a mental attack caused by a mix of anxiety and fear she had wondered why. Now, now was something completely different.
Whatever fear and hatred he had accumulated before he had come to these sacred learning grounds he had managed to channel into something more. Morality had seemingly been tossed out the window and he had closed off all but the most essential of emotions. In doing so, he almost felt...
"That sounded rather dark, Potter," said a voice from the otherside of the corridor, spooking Daphne somewhat as she hadn't imagined somebody listening in to their conversation. Harry slowly turned towards the direction as a handful of Slytherin students stepped out from around the corner. A quick glance over his shoulder showed an exit, a free path towards an area to avoid whatever conflict was potentially to come.
He had no need of it himself.
Daphne meanwhile...
"What do you want?" asked Daphne, recognizing the Slytherin robes that the other students had wrapped around one of the two exits. They were a year, even two above both herself and Harry but still they outnumbered them by at least thrice. Many of which she recalled by sight but none of them she could recall heralded from a prominent family.
It only made sense that they were out to make a name for themselves.
"Well with the dueling tournament coming up, it only makes sense that we take out the strongest," proclaimed another of the Slytherin students. A third year if Daphne recollected. "So you know, no hard feelings."
There was no remorse in his remark.
Daphne raised her wand, albeit her hand shaking ever so slightly. These boys intended to harm Harry and if she was to hazard a guess, any wayward spell that potentially collided with her would be considered as collateral damage. Each of them already had their wand and in an instant they rose and her heart stilled.
She couldn't tell who said what spell, she could only hear a multitude of voices speaking in a single moment and the wand movements from each student was different. All it meant was that she was in trouble. Her quivering hand went to form an arc, intent on creating a shield to defend herself but she knew that her magical power could perhaps block a single spell, two if she was lucky.
Seven though? Her shield would shatter in an instant.
Thankfully she had no need to go through the motion.
A wall of ice exploded in front of her, protecting her and Harry from the oncoming assault. She could see the colours of the spells intending to cause the two of them harm splash off the frozen protection. Daphne allowed the breath she had been holding to be exhaled, short rapid breathing swiftly followed as she realized just how much danger she had been in.
"Stay back," commanded Harry, Daphne merely nodding in understanding as the Boy Who Lived made several intricate movements with his wand, causing the protective barrier he had created to lift off of the ground. The frozen shield then granted him protection as he marched forward, his wand at the ready as he ignored the spells which were unable to penetrate his defence.
Daphne meanwhile felt her breath hitch once more as the grip on her wand tightened. Was there truly nothing she could do in this situation? Would she even have the strength to do so if she was by his side or would she merely be more of a hindrance than help?
One of the Slytherin students unleashed a Bombarda, causing a chunk of the ice to explode but not completely destroy the ice wall. It was however, the start of something brutal as Harry used his own version of the spell from behind the wall, causing it to violently explode and pelt the teenagers with large shards of ice. The Slytherin students reflexively turned their heads away in order to ensure that their eyes weren't damaged by any of the frozen projectiles. Harry used this moment to his advantage, pulling two vials out of the sleeve of his robe and tossing them forward before shooting them out of midair, the contents consequently splashing over the intended targets.
That was when the true chaos began.
...
Susan hid behind the pillar, her throat clenching ever so slightly as she found it difficult to breathe. She had remained out of sight thus far and she sincerely doubted that Daphne would turn her attention behind her to where the Hufflepuff first year was hidden. Susan had no doubt that the Greengrass heiress was as mentally entrapped with the spectacle befalling much like she herself was.
It had been no surprise that Draco's information was skewiff. It hadn't been Harry who had been intending to ambush the Slytherin's but the other way round but it seemingly mattered very little. Harry was mesmerizing in a truly terrifying way.
How long did the Slytherin students fare against the lone Gryffindor? It could only have been a minute or perhaps not even that long? All Susan knew was that she couldn't move, afraid that the slightest sound would cause her to become the centre of attention and she wanted nothing to do with Harry lest she became his target of vengeance. Was it even vengeance? Defence? A show of power?
For whatever reason, she had no intention of ever getting in Harry's way. Heck, she had to warn all of her friends that they shouldn't get anywhere near Harry. It had always been said that those in Hufflepuff valued loyalty over all else. Many would think that as a result Susan would have the back of any of her peers that encountered Potter.
She would do no such thing.
Slowly backing away, doing her best not to make a sound, Susan knew what she would be informing the rest of the Hufflepuff faculty of what she had seen. She would be loyal to her fellow badgers by letting them know that in order to ensure their safety, keeping clear was the best option available.
Slinking into the nearby corridor, Susan took a deep breath only just realizing how long it had been since she had taken a solid intake of air. Keeping low, Susan made her way back towards the stairway so that she could head back towards the Hufflepuff common room. She had spent more than enough time here and seen more than she ever thought she would.
...
Daphne struggled to find her voice as Harry marched towards her, ignoring the heap of bodies behind him. That had been brutal in her opinion and the fact that despite the close proximity they had been in it almost looked as if Harry hadn't even been hit by a single spell. In fact, he hadn't, something which should have been impossible!
Seeing Daphne go to open her mouth, Harry cut in before she could get a single word out. "At the beginning of the scuffle I tossed both a Befuddlement Draught and a Confusion Concoction in the middle of them. Both are advanced potions that have to be crafted with the utmost care not to inhale the fumes as while not as potent as consuming the liquid, the effect is still there."
"Confusion Concoction? Befuddlement Draught?" repeated Daphne having not read about either one in the textbooks she had been assigned this year.
"Essentially, I made them both confused and highly aggressive so when they began to attack there was no guarantee I would be their target. Two of them did aim at me but the rest merely saw red."
Daphne recalled the other night how Harry had said that he Potions was his favourite subject. Yet not only was he crafting something that she likely wouldn't read about for at least another year but was already working out how best to use them to his advantage and he had been carrying said potions on him? Had he been expecting an attack or was he just that paranoid?
"Daphne," said Harry, breaking the blonde haired girl out of her stupor. "Did you make it onto the Slytherin Dueling team?"
"No," said Daphne far quicker than she should have.
"Good, ten minutes before the tournament begins, meet me on the forbidden third corridor, we'll have work to do."
"We?" said Daphne in confusion before Harry started walking past her, completely ignoring the bodies left behind him. Sudden realization ran through her system as she turned to face the back of her peer. "Wait, you're not competing?"
"No."
"Why not?" she asked what she felt was an obvious question.
"I rather not have people know what I'm capable of."
The answer sent shivers down Daphne's spine as Harry turned the corner and escaped from her line of sight. What he was capable of? Looking over her shoulder Daphne viewed the members of her school house were still on the ground and in need of medical assistance. If what had happened to them was not all that Harry was capable of then she feared just what he could really do if he were ever to get serious.
...