Firstly, I'd like to address a blunder I made in my last chapter. it was rectified and edited within hours, still, I'd like to mention it once more here. Thanks to one of my readers, ever so grateful to that person for pointing this out.
In Chapter 49, I had made the mistake of writing Ravenclaw instead of Hufflepuff in 4 different places, which created confusion as to which house played the final game against Gryffindor, and of course, which house Cedric belongs to in this AU. So, I'd like to clarify, that while writing I somehow inexplicably mixed up the two houses. Cedric indeed belongs to HUFFLEPUFF and NOT RAVENCLAW. And HUFFLEPUFF played Gryffindor in the last game of the season.
Now, with that out of the way, welcome to Chapter 50... Strap in, for this is going to be a ride... Enjoy!
"She was this close to finding that woman. Next thing you know, you find her tortured and killed in her own house"
"A source close to the Auror's office confirms that Emily Davies' death marks the 3rd of its kind in the past few months, across Europe"
"Incidentally, Mrs Davies was also investigating the deaths of notable Alchemist, Nicolas Flamel and his wife, Perenelle Flamel"
"Smith & Black"
"Maniac escapes Azkaban just weeks after the world found out about this woman's insanity. Not a coincidence, I don't think"
"John Smith, nephew of Jane Smith was the last known person interviewed by Mrs Davies"
"Dark Wizard on the RISE"
Remus read out loud a few more one-liners and quotes from the papers of the past few days.
"This is ridiculous," sighed John, looking distraught.
"They're milking it," retorted Remus.
"How did they even get to Emily? Isn't she supposed to be really highly ranked?" wondered John out loud.
"Why would You-Know-Who and his death eaters kill an Auror?" remarked Remus.
"Torture and kill," corrected John.
"It can't be a coincidence that you told her about You-Know-Who being back and she was killed days after," remarked Remus, looking worried.
"The only other explanation is... They killed Emily for the same reason they killed Kristin," replied John.
"Information on you," sighed Remus.
"Which brings us back to... How did they even know that Emily had information?" asked John. Remus didn't have an answer and hence remained silent.
After a few minutes of silence, Remus spoke up.
"The timing is what gets me... She comes here, asks you a bunch of questions, and has us on the ropes... She was all but going to reveal everything about you... She goes back and gets killed a few days later," he remarked.
"What are you suggesting?" asked John, curiously.
"It has to be one of 2, right? Please don't hate me for asking this... Are you 100% sure Jane didn't have anything to do with this?" he asked faintly and cautiously.
"Remus," exclaimed John, shocked. "Absolutely sure... How would she have known, anyway?" he added, stunned at the suggestion.
"That's what it looks like, but I believe you. Well, that leaves the other one. The timing is the key. Maybe You-Know-Who did this to frame Jane," replied Remus.
"Frame Jane? For the world, he's gone. What's in it for him if Jane is framed?" asked John, confused.
"Stealth is his weapon this time... He can do whatever he wants and there is someone available on hand to take the blame for that. No one will stop and look for another," replied Remus.
John glanced at Remus with a worried expression. He found that Remus had a similar expression on his face.
The news of Emily's death had come as a shock to everyone. It was in the morning, Harry and Daphne were at the breakfast table seated together. Ron was sitting a few seats adjacent to Harry and Hermione was sitting beside Ron. John was sitting opposite Ron. It was Ron who noticed the heading and alerted everyone to it.
"Oh... my... God!" gasped Ron and threw the newspaper back on the table.
"What happened?" asked Hermione, taken aback.
"What is it?" asked John, alarmed. Surely Emily didn't do it was his first thought.
"It's Emily," whispered Ron in shock.
"Emily?" retorted John, shocked. His worst nightmare was coming true in front of his eyes.
"Emily? What did she do now?" asked Harry from across the table. Everyone was staring at Ron, intrigued and worried.
Just as Hermione reached for the paper, Ron whispered with a shiver in his voice.
"She is dead," he said. And there was a collective gasp from everyone at the table.
The ones who knew glanced at John instantly, while the others were just shocked at learning the news. John looked stunned.
The shock of hearing an Auror's death was sustained in the minds of everyone for a few days. The circumstances around it and everything else the papers had to say about it, made sure John's life was once again miserable.
Not just John, the lives of the 3 students closest to him also got difficult.
Seamus and Dean Thomas once approached Ron and Harry and then again Ron separately, telling them to stay away from John.
"He's mental and so is his Aunt," said Seamus.
"You are both too close to see it for yourself," added Dean.
"You two are being silly," began Harry but was cut off by a stream of statements from Seamus and Dean.
Hermione was cornered by Lavender and Parvati at the end of one of their classes.
"Hermione," called out Lavender.
"We have something to tell you," added Parvati.
Hermione stared at them blankly and confused.
"We know how close you 2 are... But you have to be careful with him," said Lavender.
"What?" exclaimed Hermione, confused.
"It's about John," reiterated Parvati.
"He has you under a spell and he is dangerous. Just the other day, Professor Trelawney was telling us how she was worried about one of us. How our death was nearing," added Lavender, looking genuinely worried.
"You're kidding me?" exclaimed Hermione and chuckled. Lavender and Parvati stared at her shocked. "Oh, come on, you can't be serious? John is not going to kill me... And you're not supposed to believe anything that old... that Professor Trelawney says," she added.
"He has her under his spell," sighed Parvati looking at Lavender.
"Please take this seriously," said Lavender.
"Right... You've all lost your minds," retorted Hermione and walked out of there.
Harry had another one of these conversations to handle, and this one was from none other than, Daphne.
"Harry... why are still friends with him?" she asked out of the blue. Harry looked confused, so she continued.
"I mean... how are you, Ron and Hermione still friends with John after what he and his Aunt did last year? And now, all of this?" she elaborated.
"Daph... Not everything you read is true," replied Harry nonchalantly, with a smile. She looked at him confused by his response.
"Listen... Trust me when I tell you, John is one of the best friends I have ever had. Most of what you think about him is just paper talk," he added.
"Okay," she said hesitantly. "But, be careful, anyway," she added.
"Daph," began Harry but got interrupted by Daphne.
"Harry... Say that you will be careful," she said, with a conviction this time.
"Fine... I will be careful," replied Harry with a sigh.
"And don't ever get on his wrong side," she added.
"Yeah, right... that won't ever happen," chuckled Harry in reply.
They were in the middle of a small break in their training session when Harry decided to ask something he had been meaning to for a long time.
"Remus?"
"Yes, Harry"
"Remember that day on the train? Beginning of term on the Hogwarts express. What spell did you use to get rid of the Dementor?" asked Harry, curiously.
"I remember telling you this once," smirked Remus.
"You did... but I forgot," replied Harry shyly.
"It's called the Patronus charm," replied Remus with a smile.
"Patronus... Yes, that was it," exclaimed Harry.
"Patronuses aren't just useful against Dementors. It's a powerful spell that can be used in many ways... even to communicate with others," said Remus.
"Can you teach me?" asked Harry.
"The Patronus charm? Harry... that's really advanced magic. Most adults can't produce a decent Patronus charm if their life depended on it," remarked Remus cautiously.
"But isn't that the point of these sessions? To learn something higher than our level?" retorted Harry.
Remus kept silent for a few seconds.
"We are practising charms now... This is also a charm, right? Come on... Please? For once, I'd like to fly in my broom without worrying about the Dementors," he added.
"You won't have to worry about them for long. The Ministry is going to relocate the Dementors from here to advance their search for Sirius and Jane," replied Remus.
"That... is not the point, also good to know," remarked Harry with a relief.
After much deliberation, Remus replied, "Fine... we will have a few sessions with the Patronus charm. Let that be your first proper advanced magical introduction."
"Yes," exclaimed Harry and pumped his fists in the air.
In the following session, as promised, Remus had everything planned to perfection. Harry walked into the class and he noticed a large packing case.
"What's that?" asked Harry.
"It's a boggart," replied Remus.
"A boggart?" asked Harry, a sudden disappointment loomed on his face.
"Don't worry... It's for what I promised you last time. Your boggart turns into Dementors, don't they? We'll use that to train ourselves first," replied Remus.
Harry got into his position.
"So... Harry, the spell I'm about to teach you is advanced magic, well beyond ordinary wizarding levels," began Remus. "It is called the Patronus Charm," he added.
Harry nodded along.
"A Patronus is like a guardian, it acts as a shield, in this case between you and a Dementor," he added.
Harry was keenly listening to everything Remus had to say.
"A Patronus is the embodiment of positive energy, positive thoughts. It is conjured with hope, happiness... a positive force, that is exactly the opposite of a Dementor," added Remus.
"The incantation is, Expecto Patronum," he said. And quickly followed it up with, "But it is not an easy spell. The incantation itself isn't enough. It has to be backed up with extreme focus and concentration, and all your might, on a single happy memory," he added.
"Okay," replied Harry nonchalantly.
"There are 2 types of Patronus... Corporeal and Non-Corporeal... Meaning, one with a form and one without a form," explained Remus.
"A full corporeal Patronus is very difficult... We will begin with the non-corporeal," he added.
"What form does a Patronus take?" asked Harry.
"It's not fixed for everyone. A Patronus will take the form of an animal you share your deepest affinity with. No one can know what their corporeal form will look like till they succeed in conjuring one," replied Remus.
"Now... repeat after me," said Remus and pointed his wand at an arbitrary object.
"Expecto Patronum," recited Remus.
"Expecto Patronum," repeated Harry.
Remus repeated the incantation once and this time, a silvery-white gas whooshed out of his wand.
"Woah," gasped Harry, amazed.
"Expecto Patronum," repeated Harry. Nothing seemed to happen.
"Expecto Patronum," repeated Harry, a little frustrated, and still nothing happened.
"Happy memory, Harry... concentrate on your happy memory," reiterated Remus.
Harry closed his eyes and after a second, opened them and muttered under his breath, "Expecto Patronum"
A small silvery-white gas whooshed out of his wand. But it dissipated almost instantly.
"Well done, Harry," exclaimed Remus. "Concentrate on your happy memory, with absolute focus, remember," he added and walked away from Harry.
Remus walked to the back of the room. With a flick of his wand, he opened the packing case and out came the boggart.
Harry was up against it.
The moment the boggart came out, Harry tensed up. Within seconds, the boggart changed its form and turned into the meanest Dementor, Harry's fear could conjure up.
Harry had his wand pointed at the boggart turned Dementor.
"Expecto Patronum," he muttered. But nothing happened. The Dementor kept approaching Harry.
"Expecto... Patronum," yelled Harry desperately, and still nothing.
"Expecto..." gasped Harry, but he was already consumed with fear. And then he heard that scream. The gut-wrenching scream he dreamt of in his nightmares.
"Riddikulus," yelled harry desperately and then suddenly the boggart turned into a dark-suited Robot that did a dance and a second later, went back into the case.
Harry's knees buckled and he knelt down immediately, clutching his ears in the process.
"Harry," exclaimed Remus and dashed towards him. "Are you alright?" he asked and knelt beside him.
"Yeah," whispered Harry. "I heard that scream again," he added with a shiver in his voice.
"It's alright... you're safe now," remarked Remus and hugged Harry sideways.
A couple of minutes went by in silence.
"Let's continue tomorrow," said Remus as he got up.
"No," responded Harry instantly.
"Harry..." began Remus.
"Remus, this is what I'm here for. Let's go again," replied Harry.
Remus reluctantly walked back, he got reminded of James' courage and Lily's determination as he did.
"Ready when you are," he exclaimed from the back.
"Now," exclaimed loudly Harry.
The case opened, the boggart flew out of it and almost instantly, turned into a Dementor.
Harry closed his eyes immediately.
"My firebolt... I can see the snitch... I can see the look on Cedric's face... Here I dive... I HAVE GOT THE SNITCH! We have won the cup... I hear Daphne's voice... Oh, did she just kiss me? Play it cool, play it cool... Kiss her cheek... do it"
Harry opened his eyes and cried, "Expecto Patronum" as he pointed his wand at the Dementor.
A silvery-white gas whooshed out of his wand and exploded in front of the boggart turned Dementor. But to Harry's great dismay, it did absolutely nothing to affect the Dementor.
"Expecto... Patronum," he cried again. And this time, he was back to square one with no Patronus being conjured.
Disappointed, he muttered, "Riddikulus," and the boggart changed form into a robot once more and back into the case it went.
Harry cursed under his breath as Remus walked up to him.
"Relax, Harry... You're doing fine, you'll get there," said Remus as he held Harry from behind by his shoulders.
"It was there... And then it was gone," sighed Harry, disappointed.
"If you don't mind me asking... what is the happy memory you have been thinking of?" asked Remus after a few seconds.
"My quidditch game against Hufflepuff of a few weeks back... It was a bad game, but I got the snitch in the end... And then..." replied Harry and stopped himself.
"And then?" asked Remus, curiously.
"And then, Daphne kissed me on the cheek... and then I kissed her cheek," replied Harry awkwardly.
Remus burst into laughter, making Harry feel even more stupid.
"Why are you laughing?" asked Harry.
"That's nearly not good enough, Harry... A happy memory for a Patronus charm has to be one that lasts with you for a lifetime. One that you will never forget. Those moments that you will cherish even when you are a hundred years old," replied Remus. "You are going to win a lot more quidditch games for your teams and you're too young to think a kiss on the cheek from your girlfriend is the happiest you can feel," he added with a chuckle.
"So, what else am I supposed to think of?" asked Harry.
"Only you can know the answer to that question," replied Remus with a smile.
"What is your happy memory?" retorted Harry, curiously.
"It was the day Padfoot, Prongs and Wormtail surprised me by turning into their Animagi self for the first time... So that they could be with me when I was a Werewolf."
Remus however did not answer that question. "I will tell you some other day," he replied instead.
The session went on for another hour. Harry tried and failed every single time. Some attempts were closer than others. But every time, the fear of the Dementors conquered him.
In their next session, Harry began on a similar note. But this time, he seemed to be handling the fear part better. It was only a matter of time before he succeeded.
And then it happened.
"Expecto Patronum," muttered Harry and held his wand steadily at the Dementor.
But this time, a huge silver shadow came bursting out of the end of Harry's wand, to hover between him and the Dementor. Harry stood grounded, but he had done it. He wasn't sure how long he could keep it up.
"Riddikulus," came Remus' voice from behind. And the boggart turned into a balloon and went back into the case.
"Excellent, Harry," exclaimed Remus as he walked up to Harry. Harry's face was beaming.
"I did it," he exclaimed.
"Yes, you have... You have no idea how proud I am of what you have achieved," replied Remus with a big smile on his face.
"Thank you, Remus," replied Harry, with a broad smile.
"What was your happy memory this time?" asked Remus, curiously.
"I'll only tell you mine when you tell me yours," chuckled Harry in response and Remus gave a wry smile.
By the end of the following few sessions, they didn't even use a boggart to practice the Patronus charm. And Harry was producing steady Patronuses at will. They were still non-corporeal in nature, yet Remus felt he wasn't far off.
Harry stayed awake one night. From the moment he produced a decent Patronus, there was only one thing on his mind. There was only one thing that would bring some peace to his mind. He was going to take some revenge against Dementors before they were stationed away. He had planned it all in his head. He was going to wait for Ron to go to sleep and anyone else who stayed awake past midnight. He was going to take his invisibility cloak and his firebolt and sneak out of the common room to the castle grounds. And then he was going to cause chaos.
And just like he had thought out, Harry got up, a little after 1 AM. Everyone was deep asleep in the dormitory and there wasn't a soul in the common room. Harry wore his cloak and hid his firebolt under the cloak, and out he went. His heart was racing. He quietly made his way out and everything went to plan. Harry took out his broom and mounted it and off he flew. Flying on the broom under twilight was even better than he had imagined. The quiet and calm around was soothing. There was only the sound of Harry whooshing away at top speed on his broom. After circling around the castle for a few minutes, Harry decided to fly close to one of the entrances, one that certainly had Dementors guarding it. The closer he went to the entrance, the faster his heartbeat.
It took a few minutes but Harry eventually feel the surrounding change. The calm and peaceful silence gradually got replaced by an eerie one. The air around him grew colder and Harry sensed that a Dementor or a few weren't far off. He swerved around on his broom and made a turn away from the entrance. Harry decided to gain some elevation on his broomstick. As he gained altitude, Harry finally spotted a Dementor. And then he saw a few more. He knew he had woken the beast, that was of course if the Dementors were capable of sleeping. In one quick motion, Harry flew away from the herd of Dementors and then stopped mid-air. He turned around and was now quite some distance away from the Dementors. He geared up on his broom and let go of the broom, trusting his body to take care of the balance and took out his wand.
Just as he flew closer to the Dementors, he closed his eyes and then opened them a few moments later, and pointed his wand at the herd and cried, "Expecto Patronum"
Harry watched in amazement as this time, unlike many a time before, out of his wand burst, not a shapeless cloud of mist, but a blinding, dazzling silvery animal. He scrunched his eyes for the light was too bright and saw the outline of a horse like animal lower its head and gallop after the Dementors.
"Oh," gasped Harry. "You got absolutely planted... you soul-sucking shits," screamed Harry at the top of his lungs and burst into roaring laughter. It was only a few seconds later he remembered that it was well past 1 AM at night and that he should return back to his dormitory as soon as possible.
Delighted with the events of the night, Harry went back the way he came, hidden inside his invisibility cloak, back to his dormitory. It was indeed a satisfying night's sleep.
The following morning, Harry woke up a little later than he'd have liked. He got ready and rushed down for breakfast. The moment he saw Ron, Hermione, John and Daphne, he ran over to them excited.
"You are not going to believe what happened last night," he said, excitedly, as he sat down beside Daphne.
"Someone woke up on the right side of the bed," exclaimed Ron and chuckled.
"What happened last night?" asked Daphne curiously. Hermione and John watched him intrigued.
"I produced a Corporeal Patronus and scared away a bunch of Dementors," said Harry beaming to the fullest.
"You did, what?" asked Hermione, confused.
"What do you mean? You produced a corporeal Patronus? What were you doing... when was this?" asked John, bewildered.
"Okay... So, here is the thing. You know how Remus has been training me? Recently, he taught me how to produce a Patronus," began Harry. "So, last night... I woke up after everyone was..." he continued but stopped mid-sentence.
"Mr Potter... In my office... NOW," came the voice of Professor McGonagall making everyone at the table jump.
"Mate... what did you do?" whispered Ron, shocked.
Harry looked stunned and without saying another word, he walked away from the table and followed Professor McGonagall. To make matters worse, the moment he entered Professor McGonagall's office, he saw Snape and none other than Professor Dumbledore waiting, presumably for him.
"Well well well... if it isn't the quidditch prodigy," sniggered Severus the moment Harry entered.
Harry knew exactly why he was where he was. He just didn't know how they found out.
"You dumb little..." began Severus but got strongly interrupted by Dumbledore.
"Severus," he exclaimed.
"Professor... With all due respect, I think it is about time our celebrity was made to understand the consequence of his actions," said Severus looking at Dumbledore.
"Severus... let's talk first, we will think about punishments later," replied Dumbledore, calmly.
"Mr Potter," he called out and looked him straight in the eye. "I assume you know why you've been summoned?" he asked gently.
Harry didn't know how to respond. There was no point in lying, but damage limitation could still be done.
"Professor..." said Harry hesitantly. "Yes, I know," he added.
"Why, may I ask, did you decide to venture out after midnight?" asked Dumbledore. He didn't look angry, definitely compared to Professor McGonagall and Snape, which was a relief.
Harry remained silent. Nothing he could say was going to make it better.
"Do you know how dangerous it was?" chimed in Professor McGonagall. "Mr Potter... you of all people know exactly what we are dealing with... If You-Know..." she added but was also interrupted by Dumbledore.
"Minerva..." he called out, in his deep soothing voice.
"I just wanted to try out my Patronus," said Harry feebly, barely loud enough for the 3 to hear.
Dumbledore smiled in response.
"And what happened?" he asked.
Harry was confused. He had definitely been called in for his antics of the night, yet Dumbledore seemed more interested in knowing what he had done than in scolding him.
"I took my broom and needled a few Dementors... And when I got the opportunity, I produced my first corporeal Patronus against them," replied Harry, starting off feebly, but when he uttered those words about his corporeal, he was all but smiling proudly.
"What?" gasped McGonagall in shock. Albus seemed to be smiling proudly. Even Severus seemed a little intrigued. "You produced a corporeal Patronus?" asked McGonagall.
"Yes... it was a stag," replied Harry happily and then instantly changed his expression to a blank one.
"That's an excellent accomplishment, Mr Potter... A corporeal Patronus at the tender age of 13 is an achievement unheard of," remarked Dumbledore and got a glare from Severus. "But," he added and then paused. Harry's brief smile vanished.
"There are some things, you have to understand... It hurts me that this is the world we live in. Harry, you know better than anyone that Tom Riddle is back," added Dumbledore cautiously.
"There are some disciplines that we all have to maintain... Breaking the school rules may be fun, but they are in place for a reason. And in your case, school rules shouldn't even be the reason to maintain certain practices. Youth brings naivety with it but we all expect you to behave better than this," added Dumbledore. Harry couldn't help but look down. "Professor McGonagall, I leave the punishment to you," he added.
"I regret to inform you this... But, Mr Potter, you are suspended from the quidditch team for 1 year, starting now," she said.
"No," exclaimed Harry, distraught at what he had just heard.
"There is no point in protesting... My decision is final," she added. "You're excused... And Mr Potter, never repeat this, ever again," she finished, angrily.
"Reckless... Ridiculous... Moronic... I don't know what to call you right now," yelled John angrily the moment the group met up again that afternoon, near the lake. Daphne was also present along with the 4 of them, and she was also the one who flinched away from John the moment she heard him yell. They all noticed what happened and Ron even managed to chuckle at the sight of it.
John however was disgusted and left instantly. Partly also because he knew he couldn't say the things he wanted in Daphne's presence.
"What were you thinking, Harry?" began Hermione and held his hands, only to quickly leave his grasp when she realized Daphne was watching the scene keenly.
"Hermione..." began Harry but he knew he had no defence.
"Mate... that was careless," remarked Ron but left the statement open-ended. Neither Hermione nor Ron could really speak their mind with Daphne watching the scene.
"I'm sorry," whispered Harry, under his breath. Hermione shook her head in a disapproving fashion. A few seconds later, both Ron and Hermione left, leaving Harry alone with Harry.
"Wow," gasped Daphne. "That was intense," she added with a tone of surprise.
Harry gave a weak smile in response.
"1 year off quidditch? That's way too harsh," she said. Something told Harry that he got let off a little easier.
Harry smirked in response and said, "well, nothing to do about it now."
"Hey," she exclaimed faintly and put an arm around Harry's shoulder. "It happens... Besides, this isn't even your greatest moment here," she added with a chuckle.
"What do you mean?" asked Harry, confused.
"You came here in a flying car last year, remember?" remarked Daphne with a smirk.
"Oh... yeah... that was something, wasn't it?" remarked Harry and smiled a little.
"What is it with you and these stunts?" she asked, though the tone suggested, she was just playing with him.
"I have been told that I have the flair for the dramatic," remarked Harry and gave a laugh. He then noticed something that made his heart skip a beat. Daphne had moved ever so closer to him.
"Oh Potter... you have no idea," she whispered in response and moved close to Harry's face.
"Daph," whispered Harry and lingered. "I didn't realize you were trouble..." he added in a whisper.
"We should probably not do this..." she replied but kept inching closer.
"Yeah... probably not today... not after what I did," he added in a whisper.
Daphne chose not to over-indulge herself in the moment and decided that a peck on the cheek was all that was going to happen.
"Bye, Potter, see you later," she whispered with a blush and escaped out of there. Harry meanwhile looked to the heavens to count his stars.
John had a few gentle words with Harry a few hours after his short outburst, and so did Remus. They stressed the same point Dumbledore had, and Harry listened without complaining. And both of them also managed to sneak in how proud they were of Harry for successfully producing the corporeal Patronus against Dementors. The rumour mills had done their bit in sensationalizing Harry's suspension from the quidditch team. The theories floating around were some of the most creative and disturbing kinds. But the most popular one of course involved Daphne.
"I swear if anyone mentions her name one more time," began Harry angrily but was cut short by Professor Lupin's entrance.
"Good Afternoon everyone," greeted Remus as he walked in. "Nice to see everyone in good spirits," he added and glanced around the class.
After a few seconds, he announced, "we have an extended class today," he said with a smile.
The students all looked at each other intrigued and excited. If any other Professor had uttered those words, there would have been an uproar or at least a few disappointed faces. But with Remus, it was the exact opposite.
"What are we going to do, Professor?" asked Lavender.
"Well, Miss Brown... I had a word with the rest of the Professors, especially with Professor Flitwick who was kind enough to lend his hours to me. We are going to..." replied Remus and paused. "Let me not spoil the surprise, yet... Everyone, pack your things. You need not carry your bags, just your wands should suffice. We are going to spend our class on the castle grounds," he announced.
The excitement was palpable. Soon, after some hustle and bustle, the entirety of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor's 3rd years made their way out to the vast castle grounds.
"Gather round," exclaimed Remus and the students quickly obeyed.
"Right," he said. "We are a little less than a month away from your end of year exams. And you have all learnt some interesting, complicated, important, difficult concepts and spells throughout the year. Today, we will be putting all of them to use," he added and glanced at the crowd.
"Welcome to the Duel club!" he shouted at the top of his voice and watched the expression on the student's faces change. There was an instant uproar of excitement and joy.
It took a good few minutes for everyone to settle down.
"I gather that my predecessor, Professor Jane initiated something similar during her tenure here," he began and there was instant silence. Remus quickly added, "And it was about time someone reignited those flames..."
There was a small cheer when he uttered those final words.
Soon, the students all lined up in pairs. Remus began the proceedings with every Ravenclaw student paired up against a Gryffindor. And thereafter, he was planning on switching the pairs so that by the end, they would all have at least 10 different partners.
When he came near Ron and Harry, he pulled them aside for a moment.
"This is your moment, both of you," he whispered. "Don't exert yourself... but don't go too easy as well. You both are much better equipped for this than everyone else here," he continued. "And finally... I am going to pair you both against each other right at the end. And I'm expecting fireworks," he added with a chuckle. Harry and Ron glanced at each other excitedly but kept it to themselves.
Remus quickly moved away from the duo and made his way to John. Now, that was something he had to handle before things got uneasy. He could already see some distasteful things beginning to happen.
"Mr Smith... a word?" he exclaimed as he hurried there. John walked away from the Ravenclaw boys.
"They're acting silly," said John.
"I want you to sit this out," remarked Remus. Everyone there had gone silent and was staring at Remus and John.
"You're not serious," sighed John, shocked.
"Please don't take this the wrong way," whispered Remus, feeling sorry.
John threw his hands in the air in disappointment.
"Besides, we both know you're better than everyone here," whispered Remus, trying to make the situation better.
"I wouldn't have minded a heads-up," whispered John as he walked away from the crowd.
Right, that was the exact type of inauspicious start that Remus didn't want. But one that he had to endure nevertheless. To make matters even more awkward, the Ravenclaw boy who was paired with John thanked him.
The action started soon and all was forgotten. Everyone was pumped and the atmosphere was electric. Spells were flying around and shields were conjured up.
Harry brushed past most of his partners quite easily. And so did Ron. It was obvious that the duo with their extra training knew better than everyone else how to coordinate their attacks. From attributes like patience, perseverance, calmness and endurance to actual skill-set and a vast variety of spell knowledge, Harry and Ron were bossing the field. After about a couple of hours, most of the students were tired out, if not from intense duelling then from the anticipation and adrenaline, small injuries didn't help their case either. As one by one, the students started dropping out, Remus continued motivating them to resume back. It was about 20 minutes left for the end of the extended class when Remus finally paired up Harry with Ron.
Most of the rest of the students were tired by then and were eager to see an exciting pairing to finish off their class. The moment Remus called out Harry and Ron's names together, there was a loud cheer.
"This is going to be bloody brilliant," exclaimed someone from the crowd.
"Come on lads," cheered another.
Even Hermione who had been occasionally glancing at the pair do their thing was astounded by how good they had gotten. And when Remus called out their names, she took a time out to watch her best friends battle it out.
Ron and Harry bumped friendly fists and did the customary bowing down before your opponent and then went back to their positions.
As a small gathered crowd watched them eagerly, the duel began. For the first few seconds, the two boys had their wands up, but there wasn't any action. They were shimmying about where they stood trying to size up what the other was thinking. There was even a grin that was shared between the pair. It seemed like neither was ready to fire the first attack.
Harry was the first to break the deadlock. "Stupefy," muttered Harry and a jet of red light escaped his wand.
Ron instantly had his shield up as he muttered, "Protego" and swished his wand at the approaching red light. Ron gave a wry smile.
Harry responded with a wry smile of his own and followed it up with another stunner that Ron blocked with ease.
Harry followed up with a few quickly fired stunners mixed in with a few disarming charms but Ron was up to the task with every single one of them. Just as Harry relaxed a little, the tide reversed and Ron took control.
After a bunch of rapidly timed stunners that Harry blocked easily, Ron muttered, "Alarte Ascendare, Locomotor" and a pile of rocks lying beside Ron levitated and swiftly journeyed towards Harry. Harry was quick on his feet and transfigured a nearby shrub into a human-sized concrete plank and blocked the attack.
The crowd watched on with the occasional "Oohs", "Woah" and a clap of hands in anxiety.
Ron followed it up with a few similar attacks, each one thwarted effectively by Harry. And then Ron transfigured a small rock into a bigger one and just as it was near enough Harry, he cried, "Bombarda" and the rock blasted in front of Harry's eyes. He was late to react to it and ended up getting hit on the face and his torso with scattered pieces of rock.
This manoeuvre earned Ron a few loud cheers and applause.
Without letting go of the inch he had earned, Ron followed up his previous attack with a few stunners. Harry blocked them all but it was getting a little tiring.
"Stupefy" "Stupefy" "Stupefy" went Ron relentlessly and Harry with immense effort cried "Protego Maxima" and everything in a few feet surrounding got pushed back, including Ron.
Harry quickly got back to his feet and muttered, "Fumos Engorgio" and swished his wand around himself. An enormous cloud of smoke engulfed Harry and for a few seconds, Ron was left confused about how to proceed. He could barely see Harry through the smoke.
Ron flicked his wand in the general direction of Harry and a stream of blunted arrows whooshed through the smoke. Harry, hiding under the cloud of smoke heard Ron's incantation and conjured up a wall of his own to protect himself.
"Ventus" muttered Ron and a strong wind began blowing the smoke away.
And waiting for the moment, Harry instantly cried, "Immobulus". Unable to anticipate the counter-attack, Ron fell back with a thud. Loud cheers followed and a few even started chanting Harry's name.
"Petrificus Totalus" cried Harry and bound Ron's body making it impossible for him to move.
"Erecto" muttered Harry and Ron's body levitated back straight and started balancing mid-air. Harry got to work and conjured up a few ropes and had Ron loosely tied up, but not before his mobility charm wore off. With just a little motion, Ron transfigured his ropes into water and got out of his restraints instantly.
Wasting no time, Harry hit Ron with a couple of stunners, and Ron somehow managed to defend them off.
"Deprimo," muttered Harry and pointed his wand at the ground supporting Ron's footing. It blasted a hole through the ground, a few repetitions in, Ron jumped behind desperately trying to not lose footing or balance. Harry relentlessly continued with, "Defodio" and the area adjacent to where Ron had dodged to gouged out leaving him out of balance.
Ron had enough of this and tried a leg-locker but to no effect as Harry dodged easily.
Harry charged Ron and with a flick of his wand levitated a few tiny rocks and aimed at him. Just they were near enough Ron, he cried, "Engorgio".
Ron was just in time with his "Reducto" to explode the enormous rock.
Harry then transfigured another shrub into a large rock and was about to begin a new thread of attack when Ron cried, "Incendio" and the rock burned to ashes in front of Harry's eyes.
And Ron finally had the edge back.
A few stunners flew by that Harry had to block.
Ron pointed his wand at Harry and muttered, "Incendio," a jet of flames flew out of his wand. Harry was ready with his "Aguamenti" and the stream of water collided with the flames nullifying its effect.
Ron quickly transfigured a few more rocks and motioned them towards Harry.
This time, Harry was ready with "Diffindo" and severed the rocks flying at top speed at him.
Incendio was just the beginning of fiery stuff as Ron swiftly switched back and forth between flames and projectiles.
Once he felt he had softened up Harry, Ron muttered something under his breath and a ball of blue cold flames leapt after Harry.
Harry hadn't seen anything of the sort ever before. Trusting his instinct, he muttered, "Aguamenti" and the stream of water blocked the blue flames from causing any damage. But as it turned out, unlike Incendio, these flames were somewhat resistant to water.
"Engorgio," muttered Harry making his aqueous defence a potent one. He was able to contain the flames. But Ron had other ideas. The flames were just a distraction.
Ron quickly switched to his transfigured rocks and muttered, "Impervius" followed by "Waddiwasi" and a ball-sized rock whooshed through Harry's ball of water and hit him in the chest.
Harry fell down with a thud and started gasping for breath. Ron gave a couple of seconds to Harry and then cried, "Stupefy" and that was that. Harry was hit and he lay flat, exhausted.
"Accio" muttered Ron and pointed his wand at Harry's phoenix feather wand lying on the ground and caught it with a beaming face.
The silence in the crowd that had precipitated during the intense and dangerous duel turned into deafening cheers, applause and chants of "Weasley", "Weasley", "Weasley"
No one in the crowd consisting of the combined class of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw 3rd years, Remus Lupin, a small crowd of Hogwarts students from other houses and years who had gathered to see the spectacle... None of the everyone present, especially not Ron anticipated what happened next.
Ron was victorious. The duel was over. Or was it?
Amongst the deafening noise, Harry lay flat on his back, his wand in the hands of his best friend who had just played him all ends up, the reason he was flat on the ground on his back. As Harry gasped for breath and regained some semblance of a sense of surroundings, he felt his robe and then grabbed his torso. Harry's instinct guided him inside his robe and he pulled out his saviour.
Harry pulled out his 2nd wand, the one given to him by John.
"Expelliarmus," cried Harry and pointed his wand at Ron.
Ron fell forward in a thud and Harry collapsed on his knees, he was void of energy. The crowd went silent. Remus stared at Harry, shocked. Harry got up with all his effort and walked up to Ron, who by then had turned on his back.
Harry collapsed again, this time intentionally and knelt beside Ron.
Harry laughed first and then Ron joined in. They both dove at and grabbed each other into the biggest of hugs. The crowd went berserk. Both Harry and Ron's names were chanted at the top of their lungs. Hermione rushed to the boys and joined in on the hugs. None of the trio had any words for what they had just witnessed and participated in.
If Ron's brutal assault was going to be a legend, Harry's wand out of thin air was also going to have a legend of its own.
And John, who had been watching the entire thing from far away wiped away his tears in pride.
With muddied clothes, cuts and bruises all over their face and body, the students returned back to the class. Most students were still gushing about the duel they had just witnessed. Many of them re-enacting specifics of the duel.
"That movement though... through the water like," said one student making a hand gesture of something whooshing through.
"His defence was soooo goood," remarked another in awe.
Ron and Harry sat somewhere in the corner of the class, soaking up the moment.
"Well done, everyone," said Remus once everyone had settled down. "A big round of applause for everyone," he added.
Remus concluded the class almost immediately with a few last-second words. But just as he did, he asked Harry and Ron to stay back.
Hermione had a million things to say to the boys, but Remus took priority. Hence, she decided to go after John.
"John... Hey, hold up," exclaimed Hermione as she hurried up after him. "Where are you off to in a rush?" she asked.
"Not in any rush... just hungry, was going to get something to eat," replied John with a smile.
"Wait... have you been crying?" asked Hermione, surprised as she looked closely at John's eyes.
"What rubbish? No, why would I be crying?" retorted John with a chuckle.
"Oh... I thought..." began Hermione but stopped mid-sentence. She realized it was silly of her to assume he was crying and dropped the topic.
"Did you seriously think I was going to be crying over Remus removing me from the duelling club?" he added and gave a laugh.
"About that... I am so sorry, I felt so bad when he asked you to leave," said Hermione and made a sad face.
"It was probably for the best..." sighed John.
"The truth will be out soon and Jane will be cleared of all the allegations. You just see," remarked Hermione with a smile.
"Only if everyone had your optimism, Hermione," chuckled John.
Meanwhile, Harry and Ron waited back in the class as the rest of the students emptied it, leaving the pair of them alone with Remus.
"Boys," exclaimed Remus proudly. "That was... I have no words," he added with a big smile. Harry and Ron were beaming.
"That was fun," remarked Harry.
"I loved every single bit of it... For once, I realised, I was good at something," remarked Ron and chuckled.
"Good? You absolutely had me done for... so many times there," replied Harry as he gave a friendly punch to Ron's shoulder.
"That smoke vanish... You were so so tricky," added Ron.
"Ron," exclaimed Remus. "That was excellent, your wandwork was beyond the capabilities of a regular 3rd year... You can genuinely give a 5th or 6th year a run for their money," he added proudly.
"And Harry," began Remus. "The determination in your defence... and then the quick feet you displayed in your counter-attack... Absolutely mind-blowing. Again, you would also have most 5th or 6th-year students gasping for breath..." he added with a big smile.
"I was worried at various points with the kind of spells you both were using. If this weren't you two, I would have probably halted the duel in between. I knew you weren't actually trying to hurt each other... But, I should also add... There are many things for you to learn. Hexes, jinxes, counter-jinxes, going beyond just physical attacks... But for now, enjoy these moments. You were genuinely fantastic," added Remus.
"That 2nd wand of yours mate... I'm telling you... You're gonna have a lot of people in trouble," gushed Ron as he gave a big sideways hug to Harry.
"That is genuinely the best twist I have seen in my life," remarked Remus. Ron gave a chuckle and Harry gave a wry smile.
"How come you have a 2nd wand?" asked Remus, curiously.
"John gave it to me, earlier this year..." replied Harry and took out the Unicorn hair core wand out of the holster Sirius had given him and handed it to Remus.
Remus took the wand from Harry and examined it.
"Wow... He never told me. A lot of wizards have a 2nd wand. It's more useful than anyone..." replied Remus but stopped abruptly.
Remus' eyes widened. He had seen this wand before. This couldn't possibly be the same one. There was just no way.
Harry and Ron were intrigued by Remus' sudden change in expression.
"Remus... you were saying?" asked Harry, surprised.
"Uh... I was... I was just saying how most people underestimate having a 2nd wand," replied Remus, mumbling his words. "Harry?" he exclaimed faintly.
"Hmm?"
"You said John gave this to you?" he asked.
"Yes," replied Harry.
"And did he say whose it was?"
"What do you mean?" retorted Harry.
"Did John tell you whose wand this was?" asked Remus, in a serious tone.
"No, why? I saw him have it last year... I just thought it was his," replied Harry, confused.
"Oh" gasped Remus in response. "And did he tell you why he gave this to you?" he asked.
"He just told me that it was a good idea to have 2 wands... He told me to use this one," replied Harry and pointed at the wand Remus was holding, "during regular classes. And insisted that I use my wand while training with you. Since training with your own wand is for the best," he added. "Remus, what happened?" asked Harry, confused. Remus looked like he had seen a ghost, and not of the friendly kind.
"Nothing... I had something else on my mind," replied Remus faking a smile. "This is great," he added and handed the wand back to Harry.
Remus quickly wrapped up the conversation with the boys and asked them to rest. Harry and Ron went back to the common room. While Remus dashed to the great hall in search of John Smith. Fortunately for him, John was immediately spotted chatting with Hermione.
"John," exclaimed Remus loudly as he walked briskly towards the pair. John and Hermione turned around and were pleasantly surprised to see Remus.
"Remus," exclaimed John with a smile.
"With me... NOW," he added angrily.
John was confused. "If this is about earlier... No hard feelings, I'm fine with what you did," he remarked.
"I said, NOW," replied Remus. John had never seen Remus that angry.
"Woah! Okay..." replied John, excusing himself from Hermione and started walking with Remus.
Remus was dead-silent for the entire journey, from the great hall to his office. John tried asking what had happened a couple of times but got no response.
John was the first to walk into Remus' office, Remus followed him in and the moment he closed the door, had him pinned to the wall, with his wand close to bruising John's neck.
"Remus," exclaimed John shocked. "What... are... you... doing?" he tried to ask but found it very difficult to do so. John tried to break free but Remus had him easily overpowered.
"Who are you?" asked Remus. "And don't even think about lying," he added angrily. Remus' voice was suddenly deep, filled with deep-rooted hatred and sounded betrayed.
"Remus... I am John Smith, we first saw each other in Iceland... My first words to you were, I solemnly swear, I am up to no good," replied John, terrified.
"That's not the complete answer. Who are you really?" asked Remus, his grip as tight as ever pinning John strongly.
"I don't know what you're talking about," replied John struggling to speak.
"Are you a death eater? Are you spying on us for him?" asked Remus, his face looking red in anger.
"What? Death eater? Have you... lost your... mind?" retorted John, confused.
"I am about to lose it..." retorted Remus. "I don't know who you are... Right now, in my eyes, you could be anybody. And I'm not about to get betrayed and lose someone close to me again... Do you understand?" thundered Remus' voice.
"Remus," exclaimed John. "I have absolutely... no idea... what you're talking... about. Why would I betray... you?" he added. John was now struggling to breathe.
Remus unpinned him but had his wand pointed at John.
"You knew our secret phrase... You knew I was a werewolf," replied Remus, he looked rattled now. "I have learned stories of how you've killed wizards before. Your sister Jane is accused of hurting a lot of children in the school, an allegation that you convinced me wasn't true," he continued. "You always seem to know much more than anyone else in the room. Emily found out the truth about you and then she was dead merely days later. And now..." he added. "And now... I find out that you have given Harry, Lily's wand..." he continued with tears in his eyes. "That is Lily's wand, isn't it? How do you have her wand, John Smith? And if you lie to me now..." he added and left the statement open-ended.
John was stunned into silence. The one thing he had tried hard to prevent had happened.
"Remus," began John but got interrupted instantly.
"Do not even try to lie your way out... I have also realized recently how well you have mastered the art of lying," remarked Remus as he kept his wand pointed at John.
"I was there that night," replied John faintly as tears trickled down his cheek.
"Elaborate"
"The night... Tom Riddle came looking for Harry... The night Lily and James were killed. I was there that night and so was Jane," replied John as he fell to his knees sobbing.
"What?" gasped Remus. "How could you have been there? I don't understand," he added, shocked.
"She sacrificed herself and I couldn't stop it..." replied John and was now sobbing uncontrollably. "We are time travellers, Remus... we were there to stop Tom Riddle... But we failed," he added.
"Time... travellers? What..." gasped Remus. His wand still pointed at John. Either this was a ridiculous act or...
"I am from the future... That's why I know who you are, your secret phrases, Sirius' innocence... I know it all because you told us those things..." replied John.
"I told you? In the future? Are we related? How... what... are you saying?" retorted Remus.
"No... we are not related... But I grew up friends with your son," replied John.
"My son? I don't have a..." began Remus but stopped. "I have a son in the future?" he asked instead.
"Yes... Edward Lupin," replied John.
Remus stood silently staring at John, contemplating the things he had just heard.
"Wait... this is a lie... You're lying, this is one of your performances," he said suddenly and then fiercely pointed his wand back at John.
"Remus... wait, don't hurt me," said John urgently. "Wait..." he added and held his hands up in surrender.
"What?"
"I have a photo... It will prove to you that I'm not lying... You can ask Dumbledore if you want... Use the Veritaserum if you want... I don't care... I'm not lying," he said hastily.
"Dumbledore knows about this?" asked Remus, shocked.
"Albus, Minerva, Severus... these are the only 3 that know about this..." replied John. Remus stared at him in disbelief.
After a few seconds of silence, John continued. "We are already messing with the natural order of things... That is the reason I resisted the urge to reveal everything to everyone... But now that I have told you this, I want to tell you more..." he added. "Please trust me when I say this," he pleaded.
"We are definitely going to talk more, Mr Smith... But I need to speak with Professor Dumbledore first," replied Remus. "You can leave now," he added coldly.
John left Remus' office reluctantly and made his way to the common room. He made his way up to his dormitory. He opened his trunk and took a photo, closed the trunk and made his out of the common room and to the one place he knew he would get some alone time, the lake.
He had only been there a couple of minutes when to his dismay he saw Hermione walking towards him.
"Hermione," he exclaimed. "Want something?" he asked.
"No," replied Hermione and sat down beside him.
"What happened with Remus?" she asked.
"Nothing... it wasn't anything important," he lied in response.
"Your face suggests otherwise," she remarked.
"We had a fight, that's all," managed John.
"John," exclaimed Hermione.
"What?" he asked.
"I know," she said.
"Huh?"
"I know... I eavesdropped on you two," she added and stared blankly at John.
"What... what do you mean?" he asked as he flinched away from her, he was shocked and understood from Hermione's expression exactly what she meant. "How much did you hear?" he asked, calming himself down.
"Pretty much everything... I mean I knew about him being a werewolf, I had guessed it a few months back. But the rest..." replied Hermione and didn't finish the sentence.
John stared at her blankly. He wasn't sure how to proceed further. Revealing the truth to one was difficult enough, but to another person on the same day was devastating. As he prayed and hoped that Hermione wouldn't react badly, he got a pleasant hug from her instead.
"It's fine... You can tell me another day," she whispered.
A few days went by in a flash. On the one hand, the story of Harry vs Ron was being recited all over the school and it had already grown various versions. On the other, the students were growing ever so anxious for the approaching end of year exams. And then one morning, there came a news that left everyone shocked.
"A WEREWOLF IN YOUR MIDST"
"PARENTS ANGRY AFTER HOGWARTS' NEGLIGENCE"
Someone had leaked Remus' secret.
The moment John found out, he rushed to Remus' office.
"Remus," he exclaimed as he entered the office. He saw Remus all packed and ready to leave. "What are you doing?" he exclaimed.
"I'm leaving Hogwarts... Dumbledore was kind enough to let me know last night," replied Remus.
"What? No..." gasped John.
"He didn't have an option... We knew this could happen... I just wish this had happened a bit later. I was rather enjoying my time here," replied Remus calmly.
"But, surely there is something we can do?" retorted John.
"No, there really isn't, Mr Smith," replied Remus.
"It wasn't me..." said John faintly.
"Well, thank you for recommending my name to Dumbledore. If not for you, I might have never gotten the chance... and I will be forever grateful for that," replied Remus with a smile. But somehow, John could sense it was an empty smile.
"Remus... you have to believe me... It wasn't me," pleaded John.
"I find it difficult to ignore the timing, Mr Smith. Maybe some other day, I'll start believing you," replied Remus.
"You spoke with Dumbledore... You know that I did not lie about the things I told you," retorted John.
"I know..."
"Then?"
"I need some time, perhaps it is a good thing I'm being asked to leave. Will give me time to process," replied Remus.
John left Remus' office soon thereafter.
The news of Remus' departure got a bigger outcry from the students than finding out that they were being taught by a werewolf. And just like everything else that year, some developed conspiracies putting John in the thick of things.
"You knew he was a werewolf?" asked Harry.
"I have known for a long time," replied John.
"And how long have you known?" asked Ron looking at Hermione.
"I didn't know... I just presumed that he could be... When we were given the assignments, and then we always saw Professor Lupin look dull and sick. I just put 2 and 2 together and thought this could be why," replied Hermione.
"Guys... you have to believe me... I didn't tell the papers he was a werewolf," said John. Harry and Ron looked at him confused.
"Of course, we know that. Why would we even think that?" retorted Harry.
"You didn't actually think we would believe those idiots," remarked Ron.
"Thanks," sighed John, relieved.
"Wait..." exclaimed Ron.
"What?" asked Harry.
"We still have a couple of weeks of classes..." began Ron.
"Oh no," gasped Harry.
"I do not want to sit in Snape's class more than what we already do," remarked Ron helplessly.
And everyone who shared similar opinions, which was basically the whole of their class, got a big overwhelming surprise when they found out that none other than, Professor Dumbledore would be handling the Defense Against the Dark Arts class for the rest of the term.
Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away, a different kind of conversation was taking place between the Dark Lord and his trustworthy lieutenant, Barty Crouch Jr.
"My Lord?"
"Is the idiot ready?"
"Yes, my lord," replied Barty.
"Tell him his life and his reputation hangs in the balance. And tell him, if he fails, I will kill him myself," said Voldemort.
"My Lord? Are we certain this plan will work?" asked Barty. He wasn't sure disagreeing with his master would get him anything but killed, but he had to ask.
"Barty... Don't you dare doubt my judgement. No one will think anything else of that buffoon. Gilderoy Lockhart knows how to put on a show," replied Voldemort.
...
That is the end of 50... Gosh! (***Sigh in relief***)
Can't believe that I have touched 50. It's taken me approximately 13 months to get here, and I have loved every single bit of it. Thank you so much for being a part of this journey. It's these small comments, reviews, and positive and negative feedback that have pushed me this far.
PS - I'm going to be taking a small break. 4th year's worth of stories is already in the works, but I also happen to have a fest to focus on. Not sure when I'll be back. Might target the first week of June.
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