I present you with another chapter of my story, with the help of HowInMadeHowie.

As you may have noticed, this chapter is by far the longest I had written till today, so it needed many revisions until me and HowInMadeHowie were both satisfied, as many points he had shown me during the first draft could not stay in their old state, so i hope you all like this chapter.

The next day, Harry and his friends were walking across the courtyard to go to the greenhouses when they were interrupted by Malfoy calling out to him. Turning around, Harry saw that Malfoy was leaning on a pillar in the courtyard, grinning mischievously.

Malfoy then began to walk towards Harry, hands in his robe pockets. To his left and right were Crabbe and Goyle, both flexing their arms. "Tell me Potter, did you want to compete in the tournament? It's just a shame that there will be an age restriction, is it not?"

Harry just looked at Malfoy, shrugging his shoulders. "To be honest, I am glad that they introduced an age limit, seeing as we do not have enough education to face the challenges the tournament will have thrown at us. Also, I do not understand why you asked me this. Did you want to compete yourself? You think you would have been good enough?" Harry kept the fact that they had planned for the eventuality for him to be entered in the tournament from outside forces to himself.

Malfoy was still grinning, holding his head as high as he could. "Of course, I am a pureblood wizard from a reputable house afterall. I am sure that nothing that this tournament could have thrown at me would have caused me any problems." Malfoy boasted pompously.

Now it was Harry's turn to grin, as he crossed his arms over his chest and addressed Malfoy. "So, just hypothetically speaking, according to the records of the last few Triwizard Tournaments the participants had to fight, for example, a chimera. What spell would you use to subdue one of those creatures? Or let's think of a different task, where you have to dismantle a trap, and the only hint you have are runes around it. Now, are you taking Ancient Runes? How about you just spring the trap, are you fast enough to run away if necessary?" Harry taunted Malfoy knowing the blonde doesn't train in John's obstacle course, unless he's forced to, in detention.

The students around them began to snicker at Malfoy's red face as he could not answer any of the questions, while Harry just turned back to be on his way towards his class. After a few steps, Harry felt something coming from behind him and evaded the spell thrown at him, turning back around and ready to strike back when he heard someone else saying "Oh no YOU DON'T!"

Harry saw Malfoy turned into a ferret, while Moody pointed his wand towards the ferret. Moody then walked towards the ferret, pushing Goyle out of the way and then levitated the ferret up in the air with his wand. "This will teach you to be a coward and attack someone from behind. Did he hit you Potter?"

Harry stored his wand back in its holster on his wrist, shaking his head. "No Professor, he missed me. But what are you doing with him?"

Moody grinned while the other students were now silent and curious what their Defense teacher would do. Moody flicked his wand, and ferret-Malfoy rose almost 6 feet higher before seemingly bouncing up and down. Moody then pointed his wand towards the ground, and ferret-Malfoy fell down towards the ground itself. But before the ferret had picked up speed, it stopped mid air and an armored glove surrounded it. Harry heard some students breathe in relief.

As John placed the ferret gently back on the ground before turning towards Moody. "Professor Moody, while I agree that Mr Malfoy has broken some rules when he cast a spell towards Mr Potter, Dumbledore told you how to punish the breaking of said rules. And I am sure that transfiguring students and then smashing them to the ground is not allowed. Now, return Mr. Malfoy to his natural state."

John and Cortana took note of the surprised expression on Moody's face, concluding that the magical eye could not see through the MJOLNIR armor, as it became obvious when Moody asked John who he was. John lifted his helmet off his head, so Moody saw that under the armor was a human being. "Mr. Moody, I will not ask again to turn Mr. Malfoy back. "

Moody grunted, but pointed his wand back towards ferret-Malfoy, lifting him up just a few inches before reversing the transfiguration spell. Malfoy was now looking around in fear, especially when he saw Moody glaring at him. Moody growled at the boy. "You are a lucky boy. If I had free rein over your punishment, you would understand why I was the harshest teacher in the Auror force. "

If Draco thought what Moody did to him was bad, hearing the voice behind him had Malfoy heir paling in terror.

John put his helmet back on and looked down at Malfoy still shivering on the ground. "Mr. Malfoy, you were told last year any future punishments would be with me, something I had hoped you'd have learned to avoid. As you seemed to not have learnt the lesson yet, I will see you tonight after dinner at the courses, or else we will write to your father what you have done. And that's two weeks worth off detention by the way." Finishing this, John looked at the other students and told them to continue their way to their classes.

Moody had a curious look as he glanced at the large armored being and the shaking boy on the ground. He wondered why the boy was so afraid of those obstacle courses. 'Perhaps this would be worth looking into.'

Harry turned back towards the way he was going, followed by his friends. Ron was grinning and closing his eyes, telling them that the others should be silent for a while, so he could imprint the picture of Malfoy being a ferret into his mind.

Hermione looked at Harry and tried to see if he was affected in any way. "Did Malfoy really miss you with his spell Harry? That was a cutting curse he threw at you."

Harry could not answer, as Ron exclaimed that Hermione had disturbed him in his endeavor to burn the memory of ferret-Malfoy being flung up into the air into his long term memory.

Hermione rolled her eyes at the redhead's immature behavior and gave Harry a questioning look waiting for a response. Harry just shook his head at her in the negative that Malfoy's spell did not hit him.

—-

Later that day, Harry had just sat down to eat lunch when he heard some older students talking about Moody. They were praising him for his unorthodox teaching methods, especially Fred and George could not stop singing their praises. The twins were soon close enough that even the others could hear them even with the noise of the lunch hour around them.

Ron was especially interested and asked his brothers if they could explain their class with more detail. George grinned widely as he sat between Ron and Ginny and grabbed some food to eat. "I tell you, Moody knows things. He knows how it is to be out there and fight the good fight. But I do not want to spoil all the surprise, you will see when you have his class."

Ron was pulling out his timetable, something Harry had never seen him do on his own volition. "We have him tomorrow afternoon. I wonder what he will teach us. What do you think, Harry?"

Harry just shrugged his shoulders, beginning to eat his lunch. "To be honest, whatever he teaches I just hope that he teaches it well. We are a bit behind in our knowledge about the subject, so maybe Professor Moody will pick that up?"

Callie was giving Harry a deadpan look in his glasses. "A bit behind? You? Hermione? Really? Are you just saying that to appease Ron's ego?"

Harry thought to her in reply. 'More or less, but we do have to keep our appearances, eh?' Callie nodded, conceding her partner's point.

Hermione nodded, voicing her own thoughts on the matter. "As Harry said, we need to know about the possible curses a dark wizard could use to attack us. That would give us the means to defend ourselves. For example, I had read about the blood boiling curse, but I do not know how it is performed. But to defend myself, I need to know what is coming."

Harry stopped eating for a second and turned his head towards Hermione. But before he could say something, Neville said that she may have forgotten something. "Evading a spell, whatever it is, is much more effictive than trying to counter it. Professor Merigold told us that in our second year." Neville wisely pointed out.

Hermione nodded, but had a counter ready for that argument. "What if the opponent uses a spell to make you move towards a site on the battlefield, where he has an advantage over you and just after he had launched the first spell, he could use the time you evaded his spell to cast his second, more devastating spell towards the spot you will be. So it is important that we know what is coming towards us; so we can counter the weaker spells, while we evade the stronger ones. Does that make sense to you?"

Neville thought about it, then nodded. Harry also agreed with this mindset, while Callie was looking at Hermione with a surprised expression. Harry heard Callie talking to him in his mind. "That is not something that we have read in any book. She must have become more flexible in her way of thinking to come up with this scenario. It is true, even in the Covenant War the Marines tried to counter the weaker attacks, as those could make you move towards an even greater ambush. Hermione will become a good tactician in the future."

—-

The next day, Harry arrived in front of the DADA classroom and waited for Moody to open the door. Callie has told him what John and Cortana had seen after having received the report from her sister.

Harry watched Daphne talking with Tracey, while the other Slytherin seemed to keep their distance from the two girls. Looking over to Malfoy, Harry saw the blond boy talking with his friends, showing some bravado about something that had happened since the last time Harry had seen him. Harry would ask Daphne or Tracey the next time they would study together.

Soon the door to the room opened and Moody stepped out into the corridor. "Well, look at that. Everyone is here. Now get a move on, we ain't have all day." He stepped out of the way so the students could get past him into the classroom. Harry was the last one walking in, as he wanted to observe Moody and his magical eye. It moved non stop around, sometimes even into his head. Harry guessed that he wanted to make sure that no one was hiding in the dark corners of the corridor.

Moody watched every student walking into the room, some looking at him in fear. Moody knew that his face was not really suited for making a good impression, but he was not here to become friends with the students. Soon, only Harry still stood in the corridor, seemingly waiting until everyone else had entered the classroom. Moody nodded with his head so the boy would move too, to which Harry followed the silent command.

When Harry passed Moody on his way into the room, he felt his Witcher medallion vibrate. Since the time with Pettigrew, Harry had become very sensitive to his medallion and was now wondering why it had gone off when he was close to Moody.

Callie had a theory and voiced it in his mind. "I think because he is a master Auror, there could be some residue of dark magic that he had picked up and now lingers on his body like glue. We don't know how long dark magic stick and he was attacked quite frequently during the last Wizarding war." Harry had to agree, but he told Callie to report it to John and Yen, just to be sure.

Harry found a seat right next to Daphne, while Neville was sitting together with Hermione on the table next to them.

Moody walked towards the front of the class, grabbing the list of his desk. "Now, let's see if everyone really showed up. I want you to answer as soon as I say your name. If you want to hide your gum, you may want to look for another place other than under the table." Moody pointed to Dean without looking up from his list, causing him to pause what he was doing.

Harry noticed that Moody's magical eye never stopped while he read the list, watching them intently. When Harry's name was called, he answered with a confident and loud "Present" out of habit, causing some other students to snicker.

Moody stopped for a short moment and looked at Harry with his magical eye a moment longer than he had before the other students. "Well, there is someone who is disciplined beyond his years. I take it you are training with Wulf regularly, Potter, it shows." Moody then continued with the list until he arrived on the last name of Zabini Blaise.

Moody placed the list back on his desk and then clapped his hands while looking at the students. "So, now that that is out of the way, I got a letter from Professor Lupin on how far you are in this subject. It seems you are on a good way about countercharms and fighting dark creatures, but you are awfully behind what curses are concerned."

Harry looked over to Hermione, who was smiling because she was right about what Moody would teach them. Moody then continued. "Headmaster Dumbledore asked me to teach you about the most foul curses that are out there. So, this year I will teach you, you will learn how to fight those curses."

Ron interjected, asking Moody if he really would only teach one year. Harry guessed that Ron was hoping that Moody, who was a cool teacher according to the older students, would stay longer.

Moody chuckled and answered this question. "Yes Weasley, I am only for this school year. I am getting used to the comforts of retirement, and if it was not Dumbledore who asked me to take this job, I would have told them to shove the offer up their…well, you get the picture. Now, as for the most foul curses, there are some that, if you ever cast them, you will be given a one way ticket straight to Azkaban, for life. Now, do any of you have an idea of what I am talking about up here?"

Everyone was looking around, afraid of answering the question. Harry knew, thanks to the ONI meant the so-called Unforgivable curses, so he lifted his hand when he saw Hermione's hand already in the air. Moody nodded towards her and told her to answer.

Hermione lowered her hand, becoming nervous. She really had to do something against her compulsion to raise her hand when a teacher asks a question. But as she was already called to answer, she wanted to show that it was not without a reason. "I believe you are referring to the Unforgivable curses. I know there are three of them, mostly used during the last war by Death Eaters."

Moody snickered, walked over to the blackboard behind his desk. "Very well Granger. Five points for Gryffindor. Yes, these Unforgivable curses were mainly used by Death Eaters. Does anyone know any of them?"

This time, it was Ron's hand in the air first, surprising Harry and the others. After being asked to continue by Moody, Ron cleared his throat to speak. "I heard about one from my father. I think it was called the Imperious curse."

Moody wrote the curse on the black board before turning around and grabbing a glass jar from his desk. "Ah yes, your father would know about that curse. According to the victims it was used in quite the numbers in the last war. The victim who is put under that spell does everything the caster wants from them. To get an idea of what this spell does I'm going to need an example that you all can see." Moody reached into the jar and took out a spider. Ron flinched just a bit when Moody enlarged it, so every student could see what he was doing.

Moody pointed his wand towards the spider and said "Imperio!" As soon as the word left his lips, the spider, which had tried to walk away, stopped suddenly. It then stood on the two hind legs like a human and danced on the desk, causing the students to snicker. After Moody made it perform dance moves on the desk that no spider would be able to, the laughter became louder. Soon, it walked over to a wall and climbed to the ceiling, using its web to lower itself from it and then use the string as a swing.

Moody stopped the spider, but he still had his spell on it. "Yes, it looks very funny now. But just imagine, what happens if I order it to jump out the window?"

The spider swung towards the window, but then stopped just at the windowsill.

Moody looked around at the students who were still smiling. "Or should I order it to drown itself? It will obey me without any hesitation." That pronouncement took all the smiles off their faces. Moody nodded seeing the class get his point. "Complete control over the mind of the victim, that is what this spell grants the caster. And the reason why many former Death Eaters walked out the halls as free men, as they claimed to be put under this spell by You-Know-Who. Now, any other curses come to mind?" Moody shrunk the spider back to its original size and placed it back into the jar.

All the students were sitting in silence again and looking at each other rather uneasy. It took a moment before Hermione bit the bullet so to say and lifted her hand. After being told to speak, her voice was low and quiet, not that Harry or Moody just in front of her had any problem hearing her. "There is the torture curse, Cruciatos."

Moody nodded slowly, walking back to the jar and took another spider out. "Yes, the Cruciatos curse. A very nasty way to get information. The recipient of this curse will experience immense pain until the spell ends."

Moody enlarged the spider, making sure that everyone could see it. He then said "Crucio!" and the spider began to squirm on the desk. Harry was sure that he heard a high pitched scream of pain from the spider. But something else caught his eye when he turned towards Neville and Hermione's table. Neville was shaking while Hermione tried to ask him what was wrong. Harry looked back at the spider and at that moment Callie told him that Neville's heart rate was off the charts.

Harry stood up from his place in the back, causing Moody to look at him and the spider to be released from the curse. "Yes Potter, what's the matter?"

Harry gestured towards Neville, making Moody finally react to the sight from Neville who finally seemed to have calmed down a bit. Moody then nodded, speaking now with a low tone. Harry retook his seat and wondered how Moody will proceed with the lecture.

"Sorry Longbottom, I wanted to show the class how it looks to be under the curse. This way, if you are on the field and a friend of you is hit by this curse, you recognize it and can react accordingly. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" Most of the students almost jumped out of their seats in shock when Moody shouted those words.

Neville calmed down a bit and nodded, showing Moody that he at least understood the sentiment. Moody cleared his throat and asked the class if they knew the last Unforgivable curse.

This time, Malfoy was raising his hand. As he was greeted by hushed silence. Malfoy was not known for answering a teacher's question unless asked directly. Moody, who glared at the blonde but grunted and acknowledged him to answer. Malfoy looked at Harry "The Killing curse. Is that the last one?"

Moody nodded, taking out the spider from the jar. "Yes, the killing curse. Avada Kedavra" A sickly green beam came out from Moody's wand and impacted the spider, were it crumbled and laid on the desk. Unmoving.

Moody stored his wand back in his holster on his wrist and swiped the spider off the desk. "A spell that kills without any signs on what had happened, except that there is a dead body where it should not be. Unlike any other curses, this spell cannot be blocked by magic, so if it flies towards you, hit the deck and hope that the caster is a moron. There is only one known survivor of the curse, and he is in this room.." Moody's eyes were now fixated on Harry, and Callie picked up a slightly higher heart rate from Moody. But it soon calmed back down and Moody turned back to walk back to his desk.

Moody then addressed the class again as he clasped his hands behind his back. "Now, the ministry was against it that I even would show you these curses. But the headmaster thinks differently. He agreed with me that you need to know what a possible attacker can use to bring you under their control. So, take these words to heart. CONSTANT VIGILANCE! I will teach you how to recognize what comes towards you and how you can fight it. Now, for homework, I want you to write me an essay about these curses. Longbottom, you are exempt from this, as you may have another fit while researching. If you hand me an essay however, I will accept it and grade it accordingly. You are all dismissed for today's class."

The students stood up from their seats and talked with each other as they left the classroom. Harry saw that Neville was still a bit shaken from the experience. Meanwhile Ron was praising how Moody conducted the class. "To be honest, it is really something to learn about those curses. I somehow begin to imagine what I would order Malfoy to do if I could put it on him under an Imperious. What do you think of the class Harry?" Ron had a wistful grin as he tried to imagine Malfoy making a fool out of himself.

Harry just shrugged, still thinking about the class. It was the first time he had seen what killed his parents, as he remembered the words screamed while he laid in his crib. He did not know why he remembered it just now, but nevertheless he asked Callie to put this into a report for the Infinity and Doctor Halsey. They would need to know what those curses looked like.

—-

When the first weekend of the school year arrived; Harry was carrying his Firebolt to the Quidditch pitch. He was accompanied by Ron and Ginny, who were talking about what positions they should play. When they arrived there, Harry looked around to see who came, and he was happy when he saw that his old team was already on the pitch, following the invitation from their new captain. Next to them were some other Gryffindors since this would be a tryout for the team, to fill the vacant spot. Harry was wondering why there was a large turn out for just one spot but he imagined Angelina was more forward thinking than Oliver.

Harry looked over the candidates, noticing that almost everyone was holding either a school broom or a broom he hoped they had under control. A Nimbus 2001 or Nimbus 2000 are fast brooms afterall, even if they could not compete with his Firebolt.

Meanwhile Ron was looking at an older student, with broad shoulders. This older student was standing in the middle of the pitch with confidence as if he already had a spot on the team by just coming today. He also had already his gear on, so it was obvious that he would play as Keeper during this tryout. Ron groaned as he watched the older confident boy. "Oh Merlin, why did he have to show up?"

Harry and Ginny looked to where Ron was looking and both winced. Ginny asked quietly. "Is that McLaggen? The self proclaimed Merlin's gift to Qudditch?"

Harry sighed in resignation. "Yes. I remember last year he was complaining to Oliver about the lack of tryouts. The guy reminds me of Lockhart when I heard him boast about his accomplishments."

Ron shook his head in dismay. "He'll be a nightmare to deal with, if he gets on the team or just to be a reserve Keeper. D'you think it's too late to ask Fred and George to arrange an accident?"

Harry saw Angelina notice him and quietly told his friend. "I'm pretty sure it's too late Ron."

Angelia saw Harry coming closer, nodding and then turning towards the candidates. "Hello Gryffindors. This may be a tryout, but as this year's house cup is canceled we will have a practice game for now. We have enough people to make two full teams with you all, so we will watch and give you pointers during that small game. This will show me how good you all play and if you would make the cut for the main team. I also will make a team with reserve players, just in case we cannot play because we got sick or something similar. Any questions?"

Since there was no question, Angelia placed the candidates into the two teams. Harry saw that the Seeker from one team was riding a Nimbus 2001, while Ginny had an old school broom. Harry walked over to her, with his Firebolt in hand. He wanted to level the playing field, as Callie would call it.

Ginny saw Harry walk over to her. She was just a bit ashamed that she had to use an old school broom; knowing full well that she could not fly at her best, but to her surprise Harry held his broom towards her. Looking at his smiling face, he told her that he would like to have it back in one piece. Ginny blinked in shock. "Really? You're letting me fly on it?" The awe in Ginny's voice was more the fact she was going to fly on a Firebolt, not because it was Harry's Firebolt, at least that's what she was telling herself.

Ron, who was standing next to her growled, asking Harry why he did not give the Firebolt to him.

Harry just looked straight at Ron and began to explain. "You see Ron, a Seeker needs a fast broom to perform his or her duties efficiently. You, as a Keeper, on the other hand needs a broom with a good balance between acceleration and braking to go quickly to the hoop you need to be. So, high speed is not beneficial to you. The broom you have right now is the same model Oliver has, so that will work just fine. So how about you show us how good of a Keeper you are? Unless you would rather see McLaggen on the team?" Harry knew that last point would be a better motivation than Ron complaining about not flying on a Firebolt.

Harry was getting irritated by Ron's behavior, as this jealousy was uncalled for. So while Ron flew over to the goal posts to fly up, Harry gave Ginny some tips on how to handle the Firebolt while he took the school broom to see everything from the air.

Angelia soon was between the teams, Quaffle in hand. Harry was next to her, with a small box that contained the practice snitch inside it. His task was to release the snitch a minute into the game, so Angelia could watch the Chasers, Keepers and Beaters before the Seekers would fly between them and maybe even distract them. This would be a deal breaker, but to stay focused could be trained.

Harry watched Angelina throw the Quaffle, while the two Bludgers were released by Fred and George, who then flew to their spots outside the pitch to watch the Beaters from the two teams.

When Harry released the snitch from the box, he also sped as fast as he could outside the pitch to make way for the Seekers chasing the small golden ball. . While he accelerated, he was just a bit disappointed by the school broom. He knew from the beginning that it did not hold a candle to his Firebolt, but at least Hogwarts could provide some better brooms. He should write to Sirius if his godfather could sponsor some Cleansweeps or Silver Arrows later today.

When Harry arrived at his target height over the pitch, he watched the players passing the Quaffle between them while flying towards their opponents. They were not as coordinated as the main team, but that was to be expected. Harry was surprised when he saw Ginny flying his Firebolt almost as fast as he could, while Ron caught another Quaffle thrown towards the ring he was guarding.

Harry then looked over the stands around the pitch, since he heard Daphne and Hermione talking with each other about something. He soon found them, now seeing that Hermione was looking pale while she gestured towards the pitch. Harry flew towards them, dismounting the broom as soon he was close enough to them. He sat down next to Hermione to ask her what was wrong.

Hermione nodded and began to explain. "McLaggen over there asked me if I would go to Hogsmeade with him on the next visit. Before I could decline, he flew away with a big grin. He has a reputation as a spoiled brat, and I am afraid that he would lash out when I tell him that I do not want to go with him. What should I do now?"

Harry just grinned, telling Hermione to leave it to him. Daphne watched his grin, she wondered what his plan was. But she would wait and hoped to be pleasantly surprised.

Angelia watched the candidates showing great promises. She was also surprised at how fast the Seekers were, even if Ginny is using Harry's Firebolt. She had an inkling why Harry let her borrow his broom and just hoped that Harry stayed on the team, even if his growth spurt was a small handicap for a Seeker.

Speaking of which, she had noticed that he was not flying around and looked for him, finding him in the stands talking with Hermione and Daphne. Deciding that she should tell Katie to take over her spot for a moment, she flew down to Harry and his girls to tell him to get back up. "Harry! Stop flirting with your girls and get back up in the air! You have some Seekers to observe." Angelina grinned when she saw the two girls blush at the idea that Harry would rather flirt with them than play Quidditch.

Harry laughed as he mounted his broom, ignoring that he saw Daphne and Hermione blushing up a storm. But he had a small rebuttal for Angelia when he was by her side. "I have a question for you Angelina. When are you telling Fred how you feel about him? Honestly, it is so obvious that even Ron noticed it by now if he can look up from his food long enough." Looking at Angelina's red face, Harry laughed as he flew away from her to evade her friendly punch.

Soon, Angelina heard Ginny celebrating while thrusting her hand in the air. Ginny had caught the snitch, so Angelina blew the whistle. "And that's it for today. Good work from you all. Now after we are warmed up, we will hold the true tryouts, so if you want to be our next Keeper, please stand over there. The rest please wait in the stands so I can announce the reserve players afterwards." Angelina hated this part, it meant she had to put up with McLaggen but it was better to get over with it now and not deal with him anymore.

Angelina watched the others walking from the pitch except for two students. Looking at them, she had hoped that McLaggen would not try out to be a Keeper since she had seen him telling the other players how to play as if he was the captain. She really hoped that Ron, who was glaring at the taller Gryffindor, was as good as his brothers.

Angelia called over Katie and Alicia as McLaggen just took off and flew up to the rings. The three girls just nodded their heads as they climbed onto their brooms after Angelina announced to the two Keepers that the chasers would try five times to score, and then the Keepers would exchange places. Ron just nodded and looked up to watch as he waited his turn.

Alicia was already in the air when McLaggen tried to tell her something about how she rode her broom. She just ignored him and waited for Katie and Angelina flying beside her so they could show this Idiot what it really meant to be a true Quidditch player.

As soon as Angelia was up with the Quaffle, they accelerated towards the rings while passing the Quaffle between them. They soon scored the first goal right past McLaggen's head, with him not even reacting to the Quaffle as he tried to tell them how to pass the ball between them.

After five attempts, McLaggen only caught the Quaffle two times. Angelina had to admit that if he would just shut up, he was a decent Keeper. Just as McLaggen flew over to them with a big grin on his face, Angelina ordered him down to the ground and called Ron to the rings.

Ron was soon in position, and Angelina with her teammates did the same thing as they had done before with McLaggen. But in contrast to the fifth year, Ron was focused on the Quaffle as Angelia threw it towards the left goal. Ron reacted quickly and while he was not able to catch it, he redirected the ball far enough off course that it missed the ring completely as it flew past him.

Angelina and the other Chasers tried four more times to get the Quaffle past Ron, and they only succeeded once as Ron misread the maneuver they had done and flew to the wrong ring to protect it. But as this maneuver was designed to confuse Keepers, Angelina expected that reaction from someone who was not prepared to encounter it. This was also something that only showed that Ron was the better Keeper of the two candidates, since they did not do this trick against McLaggen.

While all this was happening, Ginny stood next to Harry with Hermione and Daphne, as they had come down to the pitch to watch the tryouts together with them.

Ginny handed Harry his Firebolt, taking the old school broom back from him. "Thank you Harry! Your broom is really amazing. I hope I can borrow it again some time, at least until I get my own broom. Maybe Dad will find a used one that I can use in the future."

Harry nodded and smiled as he took the broom back. "No problem Ginny. You can have it when you need it, after all if you make the reserve team, it is very probable that you will become the reserve Seeker. That would also mean that if I cannot make it to the match, it will be your job to catch that little golden ball."

Ginny nodded and then looked up, just in time to see Ron missing the last throw from the Chasers. But if she was reading the mood from the other Gryffindor's correctly, her brother did a very good job. Especially on how much Fred and George were grinning and looking over to an angry McLaggen.

McLaggen was storming over to Angelina after she and the others had landed on the ground with Ron. He was about to begin to complain that they had taken it easy on Ron and that he wanted another go, but he was interrupted by Angelina calling down the others to announce the results of the tryouts.

As the Gryffindors assembled around the captain of the team, all of them looked at her with great interest. "Well, this was good training with you all. Now for the results, I will first announce which of you made the reserve team. I hope the rest of you are not angry that you are not chosen, but you all are on the list just in case one of the reserves will be unavailable."

After all that was said and done, the team celebrated together with Ron that he had made the team, while Ginny was happy that she was the reserve Seeker.

Harry knew that it was also very likely that she will replace him next year if Harry really decided to leave the team as he had many unfair advantages with his enhanced senses and augmentations. Although Harry would miss flying he wondered if he could get the same experience after flying a Sabre.

Harry was standing with Hermione and Daphne, while he watched what McLaggen was doing. He had waited on the side of the pitch for them to leave, and Harry had an idea on why that was and walked deliberately just behind Hermione.

Ron walked to the group, but he was pushed aside as they past McLaggen, who then stood in front of Hermione, making Ron angry and calling out to the older Gryffindor. "Hey, what is that about McLaggen? Do you not have eyes in your head? After watching you try out as Keeper I'm starting to wonder if you need glasses like Harry." Ron mocked the boy.

McLaggen turned back to Ron, grinning again as he was sure of himself that he would accomplish at least one thing today. "Oh sorry Weasley, but you are so small that I did not see you. Now please be quiet, the grown ups need to talk." McLaggen ignored Ron's taunt about his Qudditch skills and walked over to Hermione and nodded towards her. His grin was still on his face when he continued talking. "Excuse me for before, but those idiots fail to recognize my genius in the air after all. Now, as for my invitation, when should I come and get you?" McLaggen grinned pompously, thinking she has accepted his invitation.

Hermione was looking at Harry nervously, who took the hint and stepped behind McLaggen and grabbed his shoulder. "Sorry mate, but Hermione had already agreed to accompany me to Hogsmeade, so there is no place for you. And as for your other comment about the other players, let me be honest with you. You let almost every Quaffle thrown at you pass through the hoops while you yelled at the others what they should do, even if your job was to catch the ball before it flew past you. If you wanted to advise your team on how to play better in your opinion, you should have done that after the practice, not while the Quaffle was flying past your ears." Harry's dry rebuke of McLaggen's behavior had the others laughing.

McLaggen's grin diminished a bit, but he still stood defiant in front of Harry. "Of course, the famous Potter has his opinion on what a great Quidditch player is. For your information Potter, I have played the game since I was three, and I was even trained by professional players. So let me inform you that I do know more than you." He then looked at Hermione and grinned again. "As for you Granger, I do hope that you will recognize that I am the better man than Potter here ever will be."

Harry laughed out loud, something that seemed to make McLaggen look at him curiously. "Sorry McLaggen, but you played Quidditch since you were three? Care to explain to me how you were able to hold on the broom at such a young age? And please also tell me how you would have been able to comprehend what you were doing?" All of these quips seemed to make McLaggen angrier with every second he had to listen to it.

McLaggen decided to go for broke. "Well, as if a lowly halfblood like yourself would see what it means to be a true wizard."

Daphne had heard enough, before Harry even replied to McLaggen's statement, she had pulled out her wand and used a Flipendo to push McLaggen a few feet away and land on his behind. She then walked over to him and placed her foot in his chest, pointed her wand at his face. "Just be glad that I did not copy Professor Moody and transfigure you into a rat. If you would have looked at Hermione, you would have seen that she is appalled by you and would have said no to your offer regardless. And Harry is so much better than you would ever be. Now leave, or I will change my mind about transfiguring you." Daphne lifted her foot from McLaggen's chest, who stood back up and glared at Daphne.

McLaggen then turned towards Harry and grinned again. "How about we see who the better man is Potter? This evening is another dueling club meeting, so I will wait for you there. If you do not show up, I think the point is made."

Harry just sighed, but he walked over so he would stand between McLaggen and his friends. "I accept your challenge, McLaggen. But just to make sure we are both on the same page, if I win you leave my friends alone." Harry glared down at older student, he was close to losing his patience with this boasting blowhard.

McLaggen was grinning, now pointing towards Harry with his finger. "Very well Potter. But if I win our duel, you will not stand between me and Granger anymore. Until then." McLaggen left the pitch, not noticing that Hermione had pulled out her wand and pointed it to his feet. McLaggen then stumbled forward and fell face first on the mud. Prompting a round of laughter at his "clumsiness".

Daphne shook her head in wonder and looked at Harry with a raised brow. "Was Lockhart his father or role model? He's been playing Qudditch since he was three? Toy brooms don't even go that high!" The group snickered at McLaggen's claims.

Fred and George came around the corner, holding their wands in their hands, laughing at McLaggen's muddy face. While George watched McLaggen standing back up, Fred was talking with the others. "That was a good tripping jinx. Sorry for not intervening sooner Harry, but we had a talk with Angelina about that prat. She also agrees that he will never make the team, as he is not a team player in any sense of the word. Now, George and I would like to be your bodyguards until the dueling club meeting tonight, so just to make sure that McLaggen does not try something stupid."

Harry nodded and thanked the twins about the offer. Harry knew that he would be safe, but just to make sure an extra layer of protection was never wrong.

—-

The news that Harry was challenged to a duel from McLaggen spread like wildfire through the school. That evening's dueling club was almost full with spectators, mostly because McLaggen seemed to have told everyone who would listen, that he would beat Harry. Harry reminded himself that this was similar to the time where Malfoy had said the same thing, only this time there were more people watching this duel. Harry was wondering if the spectators were here because they wondered if McLaggen really was as good as he hyped himself to be.

So, Harry stood in his spot on the dueling stage, with McLaggen standing opposite him as he waved his hands towards some girls. Harry saw that it was Hermione who he had waved, and she was blushing from embarrassment.

Professor Flitwick stood between Harry and McLaggen, asking both if they were ready. But before McLaggen said that he was ready, he tried to intimidate Harry. "Until now, your opponents were second rate at best. Now we all will see that you are not as good as you thought you are."

Harry just shrugged his shoulders, answering the taunt with his own. "To be frank, McLaggen, I wonder how you even believe that you'll win before we even had a duel. And please tell me, this is the first time you are in the dueling club since it was reopened, correct? So, who told you that my opponents were second rate? How about you show me how good you are instead of badmouthing me or the others first?"

McLaggen was getting angry, as he bowed towards Harry like Professor Flitwick told them to do. He could not believe that this fourth year talked back to him like that. But he would show this boy who the better wizard is.

When Flitwick told them to start, McLaggan casted a Flipendo towards Harry with great speed. But not fast enough to surprise Harry in any way.

Harry evaded the spell with ease, just as another pushback jinx came towards the spot he had stood before. Harry internally sighed and evaded the next few other spells before he erected his shield to bounce another spell towards McLaggen. Harry held the shield up for a few more moments to see what McLaggen would do. But as the spells just kept on coming, Harry lowered his shield and evaded another spell before countering it with his disarming charm. He then held his hand out to catch the wand that was just in McLaggen's hand a moment prior.

Flitwick lifted his own wand and ended the duel. "Winner is Harry Potter, as Cormac McLaggen is unable to continue the duel. Mr. Potter, please return the wand." Harry walked over to a sweaty McLaggen and handed his wand back. But before Harry released his grip on it, he looked sternly into McLaggen's eyes. "Remember what we agreed upon, McLaggen. If you ever come near my friends without their permission again, you will find out what happens if I become serious."

Harry turned around and wanted to walk off the stage, but Callie warned him that McLaggen aimed his wand at his back. Evading another spell from the older student, Harry pulled his own wand out and yelled "STUPOR", as his spell did hit McLaggen square in his chest.

Flitwick sighted and pointed his wand towards McLaggen to make him come back to conciseness before he even did hit the ground. McLaggen was looking around in wonder at what just had happened. "Mr. McLaggen, you will remove yourself from this stage or I will throw you out for blandly disregarding the rules that are in place. Your duel was finished, so you attacking Mr. Potter from behind was highly illegal and will have consequences for you. Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall will both be informed on what you have done today. Now go."

McLaggen growled, but obeyed this order and just left the room. He was accompanied by laughter.

Meanwhile Hermione was storming the stage to hug Harry. She tried to give every ounce of gratitude she felt right now into the hug, so Harry would know it without her telling him any of it. When he hugged her back, she felt the butterflies in her stomach becoming rampant. Unbeknown to her, Harry also felt something strange in his stomach too.

—-

The next few weeks were uneventful, if you did not count Defense against the Dark Arts classes. Moody told them in their second lesson of this year that Dumbledore had allowed him to put them under the Imperius curse. The students wondered how that was possible if the curse was forbidden by the ministry. Moody had an answer for that. "Dumbledore had thought about that, but he agreed with me that it is much safer to be put under the curse under supervision as opposed to when you would be hit out there. Now, I will cast the spell at each one of you; one at a time. And you will try to shake it off." The class looked amongst themselves nervously. Moody grinned at them. "Don't worry, I will only use it to make you do something physical, so there will be no secrets spilled today. Now, we will go alphabetically. Brown, if you would come forward."

Lavender walked to the spot Moody was pointing with his wand, while he took another swig from his flask. She was nervous about what would happen next when she heard Moody say "Imperio!" Her mind was suddenly empty from every thought when she heard in her mind that she should move her hips like she would when using a hula hoop.

Harry noticed that Lavender's eyes had become glassy when she was put under the Imperius, so he told Callie to add this in her next report towards the UNSC when he had seen this reaction from the other students whom did various things like dancing around, jumping on chairs or imitating an animal. The UNSC would need this information to make sure that someone was under the curse.

Soon, it was Harry's turn to be in front of the class. Moody pointed his wand and cast the spell, but Harry did not move at all. He had heard the voice in his mind to kneel down before jumping up to a chair, but he did not feel compelled to follow the order since he thought that this was silly. Callie also had noticed that something tried to enter his mind, but Harry's will was strong enough to withstand the curse, even if she noticed that Harry was thinking too much about it.

Callie was getting annoyed with Harry's thoughts and decided to add her own input to this. "Harry! Snap out of it!"

Harry blinked when he heard Callie's voice and the spell was broken.

Meanwhile, Moody was looking at Harry with a surprised expression on his face. "Potter, did you feel anything at all?"

Harry turned around, while Callie told him that Moody's heartrate had risen again. "I heard your voice in my mind, but it was very quiet. I had to concentrate to even hear it. What does that mean for this assignment?"

Moody hummed thoughtfully. "Well Potter, either you are immune to the Imperious curse or you are very strong will. Either way, I hope the rest of you lot took note of how Potter described how it felt when I cast the curse on him. Now we will move on, and this time try to fight against the voice in your mind."

After all the students had a turn to be put under the Imperius, Moody told them that he would start the round again with the first student in alphabetical order. The students showed mixed results. While some of them were able to fight against the curse for a while, they still did what Moody had ordered them to do in the end. Harry was put to the side of the class, giving tips on how to shake off the effects from the curse.

They even had some laughs in between, as some students danced around the classroom like a chicken. Ron was laughing the most when Malfoy walked like a chicken, with his head moving like one too.

To everyone's surprise, Neville was the only student successfully resisting the curse. He still hit the chair, but he was not on the top of it. Holding his knee, Neville took in a deep breath in the hope the pain of him hitting the chair would subside a bit.

Meanwhile,Moody congratulated Neville, telling the class that they should keep trying to fight off the effects. But as the class was soon finished for the day, Moody gave them another essay for homework. "I want you to write down how you will beat the effects of the Imperious curse. See that this essay is at least two feet long. You are dismissed."

As the students had left the classroom, they talked among themselves on how impressed they were about how the class shaped up.

Ron was going on about how he had heard Moody's voice in his head and even recognized that he was controlled, but his body did as the voice had commanded. "So, that would mean if I can take control of my mind while under that curse that would count as resisting the effect right? What do you think, Harry?"

Harry just nodded along, not wanting to discuss the matter anymore. He was still a bit surprised that he seemed to be immune to the curse, but he and Callie agreed that it had something to do with his Witcher mutation and Spartan augmentations besides his neural interface with her chip in it.

Harry remembered that Geralt once had told him that a vampire had tried to take over his mind, which was not successful at all. So having this ability from any source was surely good.

A/N: Yes, McLaggen got his ass kicked in more ways then he had thought he would have. While i was reading the book back then, i thought that he was kinda like a younger Lockhart, and as he was quiet underused in the canon storyline, i thought i include him here. Yes, i was mean to him, but be honest, would you all have given him something good after all what he had done during the one Quidditch match? Also, this Tryout was a good filler and maybe even a small springboard for something bigger in the future.

Please review this chapter if you liked it, and if not you can PM me and tell me what i could improve upon. And please remember, English is not my main language